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2 times smaller than Twin Frozr VI series. This has a direct effect on cooling efficiency, fan profiles, generated noise and of course, GPU temperature. The ARMOR 2X thermal design features the exact same TORX fans as Twin Frozr VI cooler, however as proven later in this review those fans spin faster. To improve the lifespan and overall experience MSI decided to enable Zero Frozr technology on this model. It means that the fans will not spin unless it’s really necessary. Probably the best part of ARMOR series is that they use the exact same board design as GAMING. This gave more space for much wider cooler and larger fans. The ARMOR GTX 1080 Ti has GP102-350 graphics processor featuring 3584 CUDA Cores. The card is equipped with 11 GB of GDDR5X memory across a 352-bit interface, which in correlation with 11 Gbps modules gives a maximum theoretical bandwidth of 428 GB/s. AT A GLANCE 16nm GP102-350 3584 11GB GD5X 352b 1531 / 1645 MHz GRAPHICS PROCESSOR CUDA CORES MEMORY CONFIGURATION BASE/BOOST CLOCK Compared to Founders Edition we are looking at 50 MHz higher base clock and 60 MHz higher boost clock. MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti ARMOR OC Specifications VideoCardz.com GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti ARMOR OC GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition Fabrication Process 16nm FinFET 16nm FinFET 16nm FinFET GPU GP104-400 GP102-350 GP102-350 CUDA Cores 2560 3584 3584 TMUs 160 224 224 ROPs 64 88 88 Base Clock 1607 MHz 1531 MHz 1480 MHz Boost Clock 1733 MHz 1645 MHz 1584 MHz Eff. Mem. Clock 10008 MHz 11008 MHz 11008 MHz Memory 8GB GDDR5X 11GB GDDR5X 11GB GDDR5X Memory Bus 256-bit 352-bit 352-bit Power Connector 1x 8-pin 2x 8-pin 1x 6-pin, 1x 8-pin TDP 180W 280W 250W by WhyCryIn order to put a bit more pressure on Intel's Core i3 Haswell lineup, AMD has now officially introduced the newest A10-7800 FM2+ socket APU which will be based on 28nm Kaveri architecture. Featuring four Steamroller CPU cores, the A10-7800 does not feature an unlocked CPU base clock multiplier like the A10-7850K APU but does come with a slightly lower 65W TDP. It packs 4MB of L2 cache, works at 3.5GHz base and 3.9GHz TurboCore CPU clocks and features Radeon R7 series GPU with 512 GCN2 cores and 720MHz base clock. The A10-7800 is a part of the second batch of AMD Kaveri APUs, which also includes the A4-7300 and the A6-7400K, which has recently showed up for pre-order. This lineup follows the A10-7850K, A10-7700K and the A8-7600 Kaveri APUs which were officially launched back in January this year. The rest of the specs include integrated dual-channel memory controller with support for DDR3-2133 memory and PCI-Express 3.0 root complex. While it still has to be listed in Europe, the A10-7800 should have a retail/e-tail price of around US $150.The proposal of liberty and democracy originated in the United States. The United States dedicated its life in establishing liberty among people and they spread liberty all over the world. Before the United States sealed the law of liberty in more than three centuries ago, people just tried to establish liberty among people but there was no success. It is because rulers inherited the government system from forefathers which is to far from a libertarian society. The constitution of the United States say that there should be freewill of men in living. Men should no longer be under the control of traditional way of thinking but can change depending on the matters of conduct. Under the democratic law, liberty is much valued and that there should be a just and clear conscience of treatment to Individual. It is very natural that people would desire freedom of will, thought and expression-a totally different view from dictatorial and any other form of government. People only experienced being ordered by the government but it was hard to talk. Only when we realize how important liberty is then we can realize that it is the reason why we are given different mind, thought, conscience and any other kind of matter related to liberty. According to democratic rule, the government is only for the people and that if the government is only for the people, it has to establish liberty among the people because it is what the people need. After a government impose liberty, that is also a time people will change so much.By Jonathan Head BBC News, north-east Thailand A new toilet sign has been created at this Thai school With its spacious, tree-lined grounds and slightly threadbare classrooms, there is nothing obviously unusual about the Kampang Secondary School. It is situated in Thailand's impoverished north-east, and most of the pupils are the children of farmers. Every morning at 0800 they all gather outside to sing the national anthem and watch the flag being raised. Then they have a chance to use the toilets, before heading off the first classes of the day. Kampang is proud of its toilets. Spotless, and surrounded by flowering tropical plants, they have won national awards for cleanliness. But there is something else about them too. Between the girls' toilet and the boys', there is one signposted with a half-man, half-woman figure in blue and red. This is the transsexual toilet, and outside, in front of the mirrors, some decidedly girly-looking teenage boys preen their hair and apply face cream. 'Uncomfortable' The headteacher, Sitisak Sumontha, estimates that in any year between 10% and 20% of his boys consider themselves to be transgender - boys who would rather be girls. The transsexual pupils are delighted with their own facilities "They used to be teased every time they used the boys' toilets," he said, "so they started using the girls' toilets instead. But that made the girls feel uncomfortable. It made these boys unhappy, and started to affect their work." So the school offered to build the transgender boys their own facility, and they welcomed it. Triwate Phamanee is a slightly built 13-year-old who is adamant that he will one day change his gender. "We're not boys," he told me, "so we don't want to use the boys' toilet - we want them to know we are transsexuals." Vichai Saengsakul, 15, agrees. "People need to know that being a transsexual is not a joke," he says, "it's the way we want to live our lives. That's why we're grateful for what the school has done." Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Advertisement Normal treatment The transgender boys in Kampang tend to stick together as a group, practising their somewhat exaggerated feminine mannerisms together and generally camping it up. They still have to wear male uniforms, make-up is not allowed (although some manage to sneak in a touch of lipstick and mascara), and of course sex-change surgery is out of the question at this age - the youngest self-declared transsexual is 12. But they appear to be treated perfectly normally by other pupils and teachers alike. I asked the headmaster whether they were not too young to be making decisions about their gender. The pupils have to wear boys' uniforms, but use feminine accessories He said that, in his 35 years of working in the Thai education system, he had come across many boys like this, and they never changed. Many go on as adults to have sex-change surgery, while others will live as gay men, he said. Thailand is well known for its tolerance of transgender men, and they are very visible in everyday life. Sex-change surgery has become a speciality of the Thai health industry, and it is relatively inexpensive; patients come here from all over the world for the operation. 'Sweet and soft' The Kampang school's initiative, far from stirring up controversy, has instead prompted a discussion in other schools over whether they should be providing the same facilities. A ratio of 10% to 20% of boys calling themselves transsexual in a provincial high school does seem very high, but Mr Sitisak assured me that in his experience it was not unusual. When [the pupils grow up] they won't want to go into a transgender toilet because they will want to be accepted as a woman - so they will go to the women's toilet Suttirat Simsiriwong Transgender campaigner Which brought up a question that has been rattling around my head ever since I first lived in Thailand seven years ago: Why do so many Thai men want to become women? I asked Suttirat Simsiriwong, who became a campaigner for transgender rights after she was barred entry to a nightclub at an international hotel in Bangkok last year. Poised, articulate and very feminine, it is hard to tell that she was not born a woman. "Maybe the numbers of gays, of people with sexual identity issues, might be the same as in other countries," said Suttirat, "but because Thai society and culture tend to be very sweet, very soft, and the men can be really feminine, if we tend to be gay, many of us tend to be transgender." So does building a special toilet in school advance the cause of winning wider acceptance for transsexuals? "At that age it's good for them to have a specific place," she said. "But when they graduate from school or university, they will know how to have medical treatment. They won't want to go into a transgender toilet because they will want to be accepted as a woman - so they will go to the women's toilet." Discrimination remains Tolerance, said Suttirat, is not the same thing as acceptance. Despite their high profile in Thailand, transsexuals complain that they are still stereotyped - they can find work easily enough as entertainers, in the beauty industry, the media, or as prostitutes, but it is much harder to become a transgender lawyer or investment banker. And their biggest complaint is that they cannot change their legal status. Despite a proposal during the drafting of a new constitution last year, to allow them to change the gender on their identity cards, this has not yet been approved. E-mail this to a friend Printable version Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these?Google co-founder Sergey Brin believes there is a rising threat to the Internet the likes of which the world has not seen before. It just so happens that the biggest threats to the Internet are also Google’s biggest competitors. That’s right, Brin claims that Facebook and Apple represent an existential threat to the Internet. However, just because Brin has a vested interest in scaring up some bad PR for Facebook and Apple doesn’t make it not true. Indeed, Brin makes a good point about the segmentation of the Internet into isolated hermetic bubbles. Facebook succeeded where MySpace failed: It’s not really an option for people living 21st Century social lives anymore, to the point where (like Google) it’s used to log in to other websites. The phenomenon of using Google or Facebook to log in to a website is a throwback to a previous era of the Internet. Remember the dark days of AOL? Back then, you had to be a bit of a computer expert to access websites, newsgroups and other forms of data that weren’t easily spoon fed to you by AOL’s interface. This is hardly an idle consideration. Google, after all, is the company who helped to build the Great Firewall of China. Gee, kettle, you sure are black, said the pot. There are implications for the world of innovations generally. In a world where the Internet is more closed off, either in the form of “national Internets” like the one Iran plans to roll out or corporate-backed bubbles, innovation will naturally be more sluggish. One of the reasons that the Internet has been such a hot factory of innovation is precisely because no one has total control over it. Anyone can make anything they see fit and let it sink or swim, making the Internet the perfect laboratory for tech, social media and entertainment innovation. A world where Apple, Facebook and Google act as gatekeepers is a world where innovation will increasingly have to go through bureaucratized channels. We have some reason to be optimistic. Google’s dominance in the search engine world is being challenged and it has been largely unable to break into the world of social networking. Facebook, for its part, has a massive number of users. However, its user base are perhaps better likened to kidnapping victims: How many people do you know who would leave Facebook in a second if they had a better option? But there’s also the problem of who the main competitors are in the world of tech. Google’s main competitors are Bing and Yahoo!, hardly companies that can be held up as a model of grassroots innovation. Even the best innovations in the world of tech and social media don’t count for much if people don’t know about them. If governments and Big Tech are controlling innovation, it is necessarily more restricted, less open and thus, more sluggish. Facebook might be able to recognize the value of something like Instagram, but it’s hard to imagine them coming up with it on their own. Further, as stated above, Google has shown a willingness to work with authoritarian governments to restrict the flow of information. But one thing that rarely gets discussed is the effect of hermetically sealed bubbles without Big Government or Big Business restricting the flow of information. The proliferation of New Media has created a number of idea bubbles already -- how many people do you know read both the Huffington Post and the Drudge Report? In a world where people are content enough to seal themselves off into bubbles without any assistance from corporations or governments, there is an unquantifiable effect on the exchange of information and thus, innovation. A significant chilling effect will result if the natural propensity toward self-insulation becomes institutionalized.Germany and France on Saturday expressed worries about President 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's moves to suspend refugee entry to the U.S. and ban nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault and German Minister for Foreign Affairs Sigmar Gabriel told the press that the Christian value of "loving your neighbor... unites the West." "This can only worry us, but there are many subjects that worry us," Ayrault said at a joint press conference in Paris, as reported by Reuters. "Welcoming refugees who flee war and oppression is part of our duty," he added. ADVERTISEMENT Trump on Friday issued an executive order that will temporarily block entry to the U.S. for foreigners from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen and Libya. The ban is set to last for at least 90 days. Ayrault said he will be inviting Rex Tillerson to Paris to further explain Europe's values and interests, assuming Tillerson is confirmed as secretary of State. "The United States is a country where Christian traditions have an important meaning. Loving your neighbor is a major Christian value, and that includes helping people," said Gabriel. "I think that is what unites us in the West, and I think that is what we want to make clear to the Americans." The two diplomats also underscored their views on Russia, reiterating that sanctions should only be lifted if Moscow makes substantive efforts of negotiating peace in Ukraine. "Let's not forget there was a war, that Russia sought to take over parts of Ukraine," Ayrault said. Trump on Friday was noncommittal on whether he would lift the sanctions on Russia. He is scheduled to speak by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday.The New York Red Bulls have awoken and they are going vintage destruction on their opponents, especially an opponent who is usually so savy and smart with the ball that all of a sudden look lost and disinterested. The Red Bulls started and ended this match with total domination on their minds and were able to attack and defend at will anything the Montreal Impact threw at them and came out with a four goal clean sheet victory to leap over Atlanta United for 4th place in the Eastern Conference. Daniel Royer began and ended the scoring for the Red Bulls as he converted a penalty and scored a second goal inside the final minute of regulation. He earned his own spot kick in the 22nd minute as he chased the ball and Daniel Crepeau came off his line to wipe him out inside the area. As Royer goes for the spot kick he made Crepeau dive to his left and scored on Crepeau’s right. The second goal for Royer came from the run of play and once again it was another fabulous ball from Derrick Etienne Jr. who fed it to him. As he attacks the net Royer scores short side between Crepeau and the near post to earn his ninth and tenth goals of the season, at the same time he has scored in four straight league games with six in this stretch. “I actually don’t want to talk about myself, I want to talk about this team effort because this whole team is doing great these past few weeks.” said Royer, “We’re dangerous and aggressive in the attack, we are compact defensively. It’s just fun to play and it’s a team effort and we are doing very good.” Ever since Michael Murillo came over for the Red Bulls he was allowed to get comfortable slowly and for the last few games before going back to Panama for the Gold Cup, he has looked like he has played for many years with the Red Bulls. Tonight he finally earned his reward with his first goal in Major League Soccer as he made it two goals to nil. After a corner was delivered, three Impact defenders looked for the ball and missed it as it fell to Royer. He goes around them and crosses it to Aaron Long. After Long’s shot was blocked, the rebound came to Murillo and he toe pokes it inside the back post and he celebrates with his teammates on the other side of the end line. It was a magical moment to see the Red Bulls convert chances. Bradley Wright-Phillips finally earned a tally of his own in this one and his second in two straight league games as he finally got his 11th of the season. Sacha Kljestan made a long cross to the opposite side and found Alex Muyl. Then Muyl crosses the ball towards the Montreal net and BWP slides into the ball and stuck out his right boot to beat Crepeau and handedly. Not only was that his 80th career MLS Goal but his 89th in all competitions. After everything that happened on the field tonight, Jesse Marsch is probably feeling very good and is ready for the next match in the Bronx against NYCFC. “There’s clarity on the field, there’s alot of confidence so that’s good to see and I think we can get better.” said Marsch, “I think it’s been good lately and we’re all aware of the momentum that we have, the belief we have but I even think this thing can get better, sharper, cleaner. So that’s our drive right now. We know as a group we’ve got a potentially huge week coming up so we can’t pat ourselves on our back too much and we need to find ways to get better that we keep the hunger and the drive to push the right buttons.” That means watching the make up US Open Cup Quarterfinal match between FC Cincinnati & Miami FC to see where and when the Red Bulls travel for the Semi-Finals and once again heading to the Bronx next week and then in two weeks host Orlando City. But right now it’s getting real good and the team in red is pushing all the right buttons to get the necessary points to climb the Eastern Conference Table. Even taking out a lifeless Montreal Impact side.If you sliced the fish small enough, you could actually use this like a tiny version of the real thing. Ever since my neighborhood’s conveyor belt sushi restaurant closed down, I’ve been hoping that some entrepreneur will build a new one nearby. So far, that hope has gone unanswered, and I’m wondering if Japanese Lego enthusiast Doctor Pei has a similar lack of revolving seafood dining options in his vicinity. Doctor Pei recently slapped down four 32-by-32 peg Lego base plates and built himself a miniature kaitenzushi restaurant, as revolving sushi joints are called in Japan. Inside, there’s a colorful collection of customers, including samurai and aliens chowing down on slices of bright red maguro (tuna) sushi and knocking back glasses of draft beer. There’s even a news crew shooting footage for one of Japan’s ubiquitous food-focused talk shows. But as impressive as the mix of fanciful and realistic touches look in still images, what’s even cooler is that the plates in Doctor Pei’s Lego revolving sushi restaurant actually revolve around the interior! The Lego enthusiast’s eye for detail is so precise that the chefs can be seen working with blocks of salmon (orange) and egg (yellow), both sushi mainstays. ▼ Star War’s BB-8 is a less traditional sushi ingredient, however. In a series of photos on his blog, Doctor Pei provides even more close-up views of the restaurant, revealing noteworthy sights such as the chef with a blowtorch making aburi-style seared sushi… …the fish tank, which ensures the food is as fresh as possible… …the register, complete with the basket into which you place your bills and change when paying for things in Japan… …and the urinal-equipped bathroom facilities. And that’s just the beginning of the awesome little surprises to be found. See how many more you can spot in the video, and check out Doctor Pei’s blog, Dr. Pei’s Lego Research Journal, for more of his awesome block-based creations. Related: Dr. Pei’s Lego Research Journal Source: Japaaan Top image: YouTube/peisan ドクター Insert images: YouTube/peisan ドクター, Dr. Pei’s Lego Research JournalIn a statement released by the department, the acting United States attorney in Nevada, Steven W. Myhre, whose office conducted the prosecution, said: “We respect the ruling of the Court and take very seriously our discovery obligations. The Office welcomes the assistance of the Attorney General as we continue to evaluate the case in light of the Court’s ruling.” Bret D. Whipple, a lawyer for Cliven Bundy, noted the defendants had spent more than a year and a half in jail. He said he welcomed the news, though he wished the department’s inquiry “had been done two years ago.” “The system needs to be based on fairness, and if that appears to be violated, it needs to looked at,” he said. In 2014, Mr. Bundy’s longstanding refusal to pay fees to graze his cattle on federal land turned into a confrontation between Bureau of Land Management agents attempting to seize his herd, and anti-government activists, many of them armed, taking his side. The standoff stemmed from frustrations of western ranchers over what they consider heavy-handed government policies. The case took a sharp turn last week, when The Oregonian published a complaint that a Bureau of Land Management agent had filed, alleging unethical conduct by government agents in the case, including withholding evidence. The Bundys and their supporters hailed that revelation and the mistrial as vindication of their claims that the government treated the family unfairly.Arizona will have a 26-year-old freshman quarterback on its roster this season — one who was a top pick in the MLB draft all of eight years ago. Donavan Tate was the No. 3 overall pick in the baseball draft 2009 by the San Diego Padres. The Cartersville, Ga., product came off the board two picks behind pitching wunderkind Stephen Strasburg to the Nationals. Tate didn’t just never make the majors; he never made it to Double-A ball, posting a career.652 OPS in the minor leagues and fizzling out. He served a 50-game drug suspension in 2011 and played his last minor league game in 2016. By that time, his career was long-stalled. Tate was a prodigious athlete coming out of high school, and he’s now trying his hand at something different. Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez announced Wednesday that the Wildcats would add Tate at quarterback. He’ll enter school as one of the oldest players in college football and will have a full slate of NCAA eligibility. He just can’t play baseball, because he’s already turned professional on the diamond. An interesting angle to this for Arizona: Because of Tate’s agreement with the Padres eight years ago, it apparently won’t cost Rodriguez a scholarship to put him on the team. I'm told new Arizona QB Dovavan Tate will be a walk-on. Padres, who picked him No. 3 overall in 09 MLB draft, will pay his college costs. — Michael Lev (@MichaelJLev) May 4, 2017 Tate’s draft year included a ton of busts at the top, with every top-five pick except Strasburg failing to make much of a mark. 2009 was the Mike Trout year, when the Angels picked the world’s best baseball player 25th overall. Tate was a football player in high school, and his physical ability wowed scouts. "I remember I went to watch him play football one time,” his baseball area scout told MLB.com a couple of years ago. “He was like a man among boys. He was a water bug out there.... No one could tackle him. The bottom line was he was the best athlete in the country that year... hands down." The idea was that Tate could cover ground in the huge outfield at the Padres’ Petco Park, while also providing some offensive punch. From that same article: "I know that [Grady Fuson, vice president of scouting and player development] liked him a lot," D-backs general manager Kevin Towers, who was GM of the Padres at the time, said of Tate on Thursday. "If you look at the Padres now, you see you have to be athletic at Petco Park. They've become that. We were trying to find that athlete — an offensive, defensive guy with that speed dynamic. He was kind of the guy from the beginning." If Tate can resurrect his career on the gridiron, it’ll be an awesome story.According to Rollie Williams, who describes himself as a comedian, writer, and biochemist on the website Upworthy, Oregon is now the best state to have sex in. Is it the picturesque scenery? The mountain air? No, it’s not because it’s a great place to honeymoon. Williams says it’s the best place to have sex because it’s the state with the fewest restrictions on abortion. He writes: Oregon is the only state that has completely closed its borders to abortion restrictions. Pretty cool, Oregon. Yes, Oregon. Congratulations. According to this chart, you are the state in which unborn children are in the most danger. It doesn’t matter if they are 20 weeks along or even 38. It doesn’t matter if the child is a daughter rather than the boy the parents had hoped for. It doesn’t matter if the ultrasound showed a cleft lip or twins when only one baby was wanted. It doesn’t matter why. No unborn human being is safe in Oregon. And as for the women of Oregon, you are unsafe as well. There are no ultrasound requirements to make sure you are as far along as the abortionist thinks you are before determining which method he or she will use to kill your baby. There’s no physician or hospital requirements. That means the person killing your baby doesn’t have to be an actual doctor. Which is bad news for you if something goes wrong. There’s also no waiting period and no mandatory counseling, which means you could make an emotional and hasty decision to kill your child and end up regretting it. But, no matter how unsafe the women and children of Oregon are, Williams is fine with it. As I’m sure many men who have no desire to commit to any of the women they get into bed are. Why else would he deem it the best state to have sex in? So, women of Oregon, beware of men like Williams, who apparently are more than willing to get you into bed, get you pregnant, and either pay for your abortion or perhaps completely ditch you because they have no desire to actually care for you or your baby.By Andrew Benson BBC Sport at Silverstone Max Mosley has rejected claims by eight of the 10 Formula 1 teams that they will set up a breakaway series next year as "posing and posturing". President of governing body the FIA, Mosley said he will start legal action against teams umbrella group Fota. But he added in an exclusive BBC Sport interview: "We all know that there will be an F1 world championship and everyone who can be in it, will be." Red Bull boss Christian Horner said the two sides had reached a "stalemate". Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Toyota, Renault, Brawn and BMW Sauber issued their threat late on Thursday evening. An FIA statement on Friday afternoon said Fota's actions amounted to "serious violations of law including wilful interference with contractual relations, direct breaches of Ferrari's legal obligations and a grave violation of competition law". The statement added that the 2010 F1 entry list, which the FIA had planned to publish on Friday, would be "put on hold while the FIA asserts its legal rights". That decision gives all parties room for manoeuvre as they search for a compromise on the issue. "Always with these things in the end there's a compromise," Mosley said. "They can't afford not to run in F1 and we would be very reluctant to have an F1 world championship without them." ANDREW BENSON'S BLOG The underlying issue is the governance of F1 - and particularly the leadership of Max Mosley. Fota is no longer prepared to put up with the FIA having absolute power... Mosley repeated his belief that some of the teams backed by road-car manufacturers might quit F1 over the winter - he has already named BMW, Renault and Toyota as the most vulnerable. But he added: "The great traditional teams, and I include Ferrari in that, need to be there and they will be there. "They can't get the backing they need to run in another series, so eventually they will come back. We have to leave the door a little bit open. "At the moment we can't negotiate with them successfully because everything we offer is rejected, because their fundamental position is they want to take the financial side away from the commercial rights holder, Bernie Ecclestone, and they want to take the governance of the sport, the regulation, from us. "That can't happen and it's not going to happen, and eventually they'll recognise that and everything will come together." The row was provoked by Mosley's decision in April to introduce a £40m budget cap next year, but it also revolves around governance of the sport. Mosley says the teams agreed to a cap last year - a claim Fota rejects - and insists that it is vital to the future health of the sport, which he says it not sustainable at current spending levels. But the Fota teams reject his claim that they want to engage in a "spending arms race". They say they, too, are committed to cost cuts, but they prefer to limit ways in which the teams can spend money. The Fota teams also object to what they see as the autocratic way in which Mosley runs F1, and the way he has allowed the Concorde Agreement - which enshrined certain rights for the teams, including in rule-making - to lapse. They also want what they consider to be a fairer split of the sport's profits and changes to the way the commercial side of F1 is run. Mosley had invited the Fota teams to enter next year's championship and sort out their disagreements afterwards, but Horner said: "Entering with goodwill but no clarity, no guarantees, without those concrete compromises, [and] solutions in place, is an untenable position for the teams." Mosley said he would consider resigning if that would solve the problem, but added: "That's not the issue." "Whoever replaced me would defend the interests of the FIA because the championship belongs to them. The next person, they'd want his head until they got what they wanted. They're challenging the governing body of motorsport and that will not succeed. "The difficulty they're putting me in is even if I wanted me to stop they're making it very difficulty for me to do so, because the people in the FIA are saying we've got all this trouble, we're being attacked, you must stay." Ross Brawn, the boss of championship-leading Brawn GP, denied that the teams were working to remove Mosley. "It's in no way a condition of the conditional entry the Fota teams have made," he said. "It's not something the Fota teams are pushing for or asking for. it has not entered discussions." Mosley said he had made "concession after concession to accommodate them and they keep saying no." He said he had reached an agreement with some teams, but "the others - what we call the loonies - tore it up. "They simply won't talk about any progress and they pretend it's us. "They say the FIA - or I - am dictating. That is not it at all. We are trying to get the thing in order." Horner added: "A huge amount of effort has been made by the teams to try and find a compromise because we do have a duty of care to the employees, the fans, the sponsors, the public. "The intention and effort was to try to find a compromise, a solution. The decisions that were made were not taken lightly. It's a difficult decision to make, but the conditions we put in have effectively been rejected and the teams reached a position where they feel they could go no further. Situations can change, but that's where we are." Brawn added: "The teams' ambition is not to take over F1, but they have a massive investment in it. They want their investment protected." Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable versionGoogle may be poised to bid for Hulu The possible acquisition of Hulu would give Google a bigger role in Hollywood and an opportunity to gain more mainstream programming, which Google could use to entice online viewers to watch longer. Buying Hulu, which is owned by Walt Disney Co., News Corp. and Comcast Corp.'s NBCUniversal, would deliver top-rated TV shows such as "Glee" and "Modern Family" and the major advertisers that pay top dollar to promote them. Google's YouTube is already planning to position itself to compete for viewing time with broadcasters and cable operators by launching television-like channels with professionally produced original content and user-created video. The bold push into the entertainment sphere signals Google's growing ambitions to snap up more mainstream programming that would entice online viewers — and those in the living room — to watch longer, while capturing an even bigger advertising payload from major brands. Reporting from San Francisco and L.A. — Google Inc., which already rules the Web with the world's most popular search engine and video site, appears poised to take an even deeper plunge into Hollywood with a potential bid for rival online video pioneer Hulu, people familiar with the discussions said. But such a purchase probably would also draw heightened scrutiny from federal antitrust regulators. The Federal Trade Commission recently launched an antitrust inquiry into the Internet search giant's business practices. Google is one of a dozen companies kicking Hulu's tires, said people familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity because talks are confidential. Google's recently hired financial advisors, Morgan Stanley and Guggenheim Partners, set up the meetings with media, technology and communications companies. Hulu began presenting its financial information to potential suitors this week after an unsolicited expression of interest prompted the board to consider a sale. Technology heavyweights including Microsoft Corp. are evaluating whether Hulu would further their efforts to capitalize on the popularity of online video and reach the growing number of viewers who watch TV shows, movies and short videos on computers, mobile devices and Internet-connected TV sets. It's too early to say if there is a front-runner among potential suitors, the people with knowledge said. A Google spokeswoman said the company does not comment on rumor or speculation. Representatives from Hulu, Microsoft and Yahoo Inc. also declined to comment. Google is the most intriguing of the prospective bidders because of its complicated — and often testy — relationship with Hollywood. Last year's launch of Google TV, which streams Web content onto television sets, flopped because the major broadcast networks blocked access to streams of their popular shows. The Internet powerhouse has hired Hollywood veterans to make inroads. This spring, YouTube secured a movie rental deal with Sony Pictures, Warner Bros. and Universal Studios. But rivals Walt Disney Studios, 20th Century Fox and Paramount Pictures have held back, amid concerns that Google has failed to do enough to combat Internet piracy. Paramount owner Viacom Inc. is still embroiled in a copyright infringement lawsuit against Google's YouTube. Hulu presents an opportunity for Google to get access to programming and prove to Hollywood that it can help, not harm, broadcasters, said Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey. "For Google to be able to buy the access that Hulu has to that content would give Google the opportunity to build an audience and show programmers that they know how to deliver content in ways programmers might ultimately be happy with without having to do a single negotiation," McQuivey said.SANTA CRUZ >> The Santa Cruz Police Department is taking bicycle recovery into the 21st century with a new online bike registration system. The new online registration system, which is free and does not expire, allows bicycle owners to register their bikes with the police department without having to leave their home. “The primary reason to register a bike is that you can prove it’s yours,” said Joyce Blaschke, spokeswoman for the Santa Cruz Police Department. Blaschke said the Santa Cruz Police Department recovers hundreds of bikes yearly, but many are not registered making it difficult to return the bikes to the rightful owners. After completing the online registration, a bicycle license sticker will be sent to the owner by mail. The sticker will have a serial number printed on it and should be placed on the bicycle’s frame. The serial number will function as a tracking code to help police locate the bicycle if it lost or stolen. The Santa
cribes discrimination on the basis of disability in public accommodations, tracks Title II of the 1964 Act while expanding upon the list of public accommodations covered." The Americans with Disabilities Act extended "the principle of nondiscrimination to people with disabilities",[70] an idea unsought in the United States before the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Act also influenced later civil rights legislation, such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Civil Rights Act of 1968, aiding not only African Americans, but also women. See also Edit Notes Edit References EditCurrently, there is growing support to split Bitcoin into two different currencies via a hard fork: Bitcoin Unlimited (BU) and Bitcoin Core. BU would remove the 1MB block size ceiling entirely. There is also another proposal, Segregated Witness (SegWit), which would be adopted through a soft fork and raise the block size ceiling to ~4MB and also allow for further protocol improvements like Lightning Network which would reduce the burden on block size even further with off-chain open payment channels. From a trading perspective, a hard fork creates great uncertainty in the near to medium term future. Ethereum is an example of a digital currency with a large market capitalization, currently at $3.9 billion, which went through a total of four hard forks, one of which split the currency into Ethereum Classic, which continues to be actively mined and traded. Although Ethereum recently made new all-time highs (ATH) in price and market capitalization, 2016 was a bearish year overall for the currency. It is unknown how a hard fork would affect Bitcoin price, a digital currency with $17–20 billion market capitalization, but don’t expect traders to welcome the move with open arms. It’s possible that the hard fork reality is already being priced in, but the full ramifications of two different Bitcoins won’t be known until after the hard fork occurs. Uncertainty generally creates bearish price action, and uncertainty regarding the underlying principles of the Bitcoin protocol certainly has many traders and investors concerned. Although BU could split off at any time, it is more likely that the hard fork would occur between at 51–75% miner support. Follow the BU and SegWit proposal signalling breakdown per block here. It is important to have a trading plan for every possibility and, because a hard fork is becoming more and more likely at this point, finding support zones on high time frames is important. Using information from the entire trend so far, beginning in late 2015, we can find these zones. The most basic support can be found drawing a simple diagonal line from the extreme lows of the trend. A second mathematical support can be found using a large mathematical average of the previous price. I prefer the 200 period estimated moving average (EMA). Lastly, and perhaps the most important, drawing a fibonacci retracement from the high and low of the entire trend shows very obvious horizontal support and resistance zones. The 0.236 fibonacci level showing horizontal resistance of the 200+ day ascending triangle and horizontal support when the Bitfinex hack became public knowledge on August 2nd. The 0.5 fibonacci level showing horizontal resistance before a return to the previous ATH and showing horizontal support after the first of many People’s Bank of China announcements. With the diagonal trendline, 200EMA, and 0.618 fibonacci level showing a strong confluence of support at ~$690, I would expect this to be the return to mean zone should price fall much further to the 50% retracement level at $758. An example of this would be the rejection wick during the Bitfinex hack on August 2nd. Although price dipped far below the 200EMA, the close for the day occurred above the 200EMA. Unlike the Bitfinex hack, which occurred as a singular event and was over, a hard fork would represent ongoing uncertainty into uncharted territory. This would suggest an immediate return to mean may be less likely. For the immediate term, on the one hour time frame, a few things are beginning to emerge: 1. Rising wedge with resistance confluence at 50% fibonacci retracement 2. Volume consolidation and divergence 3. Relative strength index (RSI) support trendline A rising wedge is often a reversal pattern which can certainly break upwards but more often than not represents bearish price action upon resolution — in this case, bearish continuation. The wedge gets tighter and tighter until a decision is made. Wedges like to break when ¾ full or greater, which brings the price to approximately $1100: a round even number representing psychological resistance which is also 50% of the most recent downward move. We also notice a descending volume profile which can be read in one of two ways. Either price is consolidating for a greater move in general, or, this represents a bearish divergence showing a higher highs in price on lower volume, which would suggest weakening bullish momentum. Lastly, the RSI is showing a support trendline with multiple touches. An hourly candle close with RSI below this trendline would suggest a breakdown in price as well. There is no divergence currently on RSI. Summary 1. The possibility and likelihood of a hard fork creates a substantial opportunity for large bearish price action. 2. A basic trading plan for a large market event includes basic support and resistance zones of any given trend. In this case, a 50% retracement would bring price to ~$760 and a return to mean would bring price to ~$900. 3. Watch for rising wedge resolution and a retest of the previous local low in the immediate term.An insightful interactive map created by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities shows the extraordinary growth in imprisonment rates nationwide. For North Carolina, the number of individuals under state or federal correctional authority nearly tripled from 1978 to 2013, increasing to 356 from 214 individuals per 100,000 residents over this time period. This growth in the state’s imprisonment rate is accompanied by increased state corrections spending – rising from $538 million in 1978 up to $1.7 billion in 2013 when adjusted for inflation. Growth in the state’s imprisonment population has been costly for North Carolina and nationally. More and more state dollars for state corrections spending has contributed to fewer dollars available for public schools and other public investments that serve as the foundation of economic growth. In 2011, state lawmakers passed the Justice Reinvestment Act, which aims to manage the state’s prison population growth by creating better outcomes for offenders and, in turn, reduce recidivism. However, the state’s ongoing revenue crisis resulting from costly tax cuts and continued budget cuts limit opportunities for proven, cost-effective initiatives, such as drug treatment courts. What is clear is that state corrections operations in North Carolina consume a significant amount of resources, and individuals, at the expense of other important public investments.UNC course catalog from June, 1819 The classical education movement advocates a form of education based in the traditions of Western culture, with a particular focus on education as understood and taught in Classical antiquity and the Middle Ages. The curriculum and pedagogy of classical education was first developed during the Middle Ages by Martianus Capella and systematized during the Renaissance by Petrus Ramus. Capella's original goal was to provide a systematic, memorable framework to teach all human knowledge. The term "classical education" has been used in Western culture for several centuries, with each era modifying the definition and adding its own selection of topics. By the end of the 18th century, in addition to the trivium and quadrivium of the Middle Ages, the definition of a classical education embraced study of literature, poetry, drama, philosophy, history, art, and languages.[1] In the 20th and 21st centuries, it has been used to refer to a broad-based study of the liberal arts and sciences, as opposed to a practical or pre-professional program.[1] There exist a number of informal groups and professional organizations which undertake the classical approach to classical education in earnest. Within the secular classical movement, in the 1930s Mortimer Adler and Robert Hutchins set forth the "Great Books" of Western civilization as center stage for a classical education curriculum. Also some public schools (primarily charters) have structured their curricula and pedagogy around the trivium and integrate the teaching of values (sometimes called "character education") into the mainstream classroom. There are several major societies and associations within the classical Christian education movement, including the Society for Classical Learning, the Association of Classical and Christian Schools, Trinity Schools, and the CiRCE Institute. The University of Pennsylvania seal (1894) depicted the trivium as a stack of books providing the foundation for a'modified' quadrivium of mathematics, natural philosophy (empirical science), astronomy, and theology. Three Phases of Modern Education Linked to Classical Education [ edit ] Classical education developed many of the terms now used to describe modern education. Western classical education has three phases, each with a different purpose. The phases are roughly coordinated with human development, and would ideally be exactly coordinated with each individual student's development. "Primary education" teaches students how to learn. "Secondary education" then teaches a conceptual framework that can hold all human knowledge (history), fills in basic facts and practices of major fields of knowledge, and develops the fundamental skills (perhaps in a simplified form) of every major human activity. "Tertiary education" then prepares a person to pursue an educated profession such as law, theology, military strategy, medicine, or science. Primary education [ edit ] In classical terms, primary education was the trivium comprising grammar, logic, and rhetoric. Logic and rhetoric were often taught in part by the Socratic method, in which the teacher raises questions and the class discusses them. By controlling the pace, the teacher can keep the class very lively, yet disciplined. Grammar [ edit ] Grammar consists of language skills such as reading and the mechanics of writing. An important goal of grammar is to acquire as many words and manage as many concepts as possible so as to be able to express and understand clearly concepts of varying degrees of complexity. Classical education traditionally included study of Latin and Greek to reinforce understanding the workings of languages and allow students to read the Classics of Western Civilization untranslated. In the modern renaissance of classical education, this period refers to the upper elementary school years. Logic [ edit ] Logic (dialectic) is the process of correct reasoning. The traditional text for teaching logic was Aristotle's Logic. In the modern renaissance of classical education, this logic stage (or dialectic stage) refers to the junior high or middle school aged student, who developmentally is beginning to question ideas and authority, and truly enjoys a debate or an argument. Training in logic, both formal and informal, enables students to critically examine arguments and to analyze their own. The whole goal is to train the student's mind not only to grasp information, but to find the analytical connections between seemingly different facts/ideas, to find out why something is true, or why something else is false (in short, reasons for a fact). Rhetoric [ edit ] Rhetorical debate and composition are taught to somewhat older (often high school aged) students, who by this point in their education have the concepts and logic to criticize their own work and persuade others. According to Aristotle "Rhetoric is the counterpart of dialectic", concerned with finding "all the available means of persuasion." The student now learns to articulate answers to important questions in his/her own words, to try to persuade others with these facts, and to defend ideas against rebuttal. The student learns to reason correctly in the Logic stage so that they can now apply those skills to Rhetoric. Traditionally, students would read and emulate classical poets in learning how to present their arguments well. Secondary education [ edit ] Secondary education, classically the quadrivium or "four ways," consist of arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy. Arithmetic is Number in itself, which is a pure abstraction; that is, outside of space and time. Geometry is Number in space. Music is Number in time, and Astronomy is Number in space and time.[1] Sometimes architecture was taught alongside these, often from the works of Vitruvius. History was always taught to provide a context and show political and military development. The classic texts were from ancient authors such as Herodotus, Thucydides, Livy, Cicero, and Tacitus. Biographies were often assigned as well; the classic example being Plutarch's Lives. Biographies help show how persons behave in their context, and the wide ranges of professions and options that exist. As more modern texts became available, these were often added to the curriculum. In the Middle Ages, these were the best available texts. In modern terms, these fields might be called history, natural science, accounting and business, fine arts (at least two, one to amuse companions, and another to decorate one's domicile), military strategy and tactics, engineering, agronomy, and architecture. These are taught in a matrix of history, reviewing the natural development of each field for each phase of the trivium. That is, in a perfect classical education, the historical study is reviewed three times: first to learn the grammar (the concepts, terms and skills in the order developed), next time the logic (how these elements could be assembled), and finally the rhetoric, how to produce good, humanly useful and beautiful objects that satisfy the grammar and logic of the field. History is the unifying conceptual framework, because history is the study of everything that has occurred before the present. A skillful teacher also uses the historical context to show how each stage of development naturally poses questions and then how advances answer them, helping to understand human motives and activity in each field. The question-answer approach is called the "dialectic method," and permits history to be taught Socratically as well. Classical educators consider the Socratic method to be the best technique for teaching critical thinking. In-class discussion and critiques are essential in order for students to recognize and internalize critical thinking techniques. This method is widely used to teach both philosophy and law. It is currently rare in other contexts. Basically, the teacher referees the students' discussions, asks leading questions, and may refer to facts, but never gives a conclusion until at least one student reaches that conclusion. The learning is most effective when the students compete strongly, even viciously in the argument, but always according to well-accepted rules of correct reasoning. That is, fallacies should not be allowed by the teacher. By completing a project in each major field of human effort, the student can develop a personal preference for further education and professional training. Tertiary education [ edit ] Tertiary education was usually an apprenticeship to a person with the desired profession. Most often, the understudy was called a "secretary" and had the duty of carrying on all the normal business of the "master." Philosophy and Theology were both widely taught as tertiary subjects in Universities, however. The early biographies of nobles show probably the ultimate form of classical education: a tutor. One early, much-emulated classic example is of this tutor system is of Alexander the Great, who was tutored by Aristotle. Modern interpretations of classical education [ edit ] There exist a number of modern groups and professional organizations which take the classical approach to education seriously, and who undertake it in earnest. Classical Christian education [ edit ] There are several major societies and associations within the classical Christian education movement, including the Society for Classical Learning, the Association of Classical and Christian Schools, Trinity Schools, the Classic Learning Test, and the CiRCE Institute. These schools tend to rely for upon one or more of the visions of classical education represented by Dorothy Sayers essay "The Lost Tools of Learning",[2] Mortimer Adler's Paideia Proposal, Alfred North Whitehead's The Aims of Education, or Susan Wise Bauer's The Well Trained Mind. Most classical Christian schools employ the trivium as three stages of learning which are linked to child development: Grammar: The fundamental rules of each subject Logic: The ordered relationship of particulars in each subject Rhetoric: How the grammar and logic of each subject may be clearly expressed Classical Christian schools vary in their approach to the sectarian integration of Christian thinking. Some schools ask parents to sign a statement of faith before attending, some do not require this of parents but are clear in their sectarian teaching, others are consciously ecumenical. In the 1970s, as a response to the campus riots and sexual revolution of the 1960s, many small classical Catholic colleges began to incorporate, e.g. the Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in Merrimack, New Hampshire (est. 1978), Thomas Aquinas College in Sao Paulo, California, and Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia. Classical secular education [ edit ] There exist a number of classical schools in the public/secular sector. These schools, primarily charter schools, also structure their curricula and pedagogy around the trivium and integrate the teaching of values (sometimes called "character education") into the mainstream classroom without involving any particular religious perspectives. Methods of classical education have also often been integrated into homeschooling, particularly due to the publication of: "The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home," by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer (W.W. Norton, 1999), is a modern reference on classical education, particularly in a homeschool setting. It provides a history of classical education, an overview of the methodology and philosophy of classical education, and annotated lists of books divided by grade and topic that list the best books for classical education in each category. Mortimer Adler and Robert Hutchins, both of the University of Chicago set forth in the 1930s to restore the "Great Books" of Western civilization to center stage in the curriculum. St. John's College is an example of this type of classical education at the college level. Although the standard classical works—such as the Harvard Classics—most widely available at the time, were decried by many as out of touch with modern times, Adler and Hutchins sought to expand on the standard "classics" by including more modern works, and by trying to tie them together in the context of what they described as the "Great Ideas," condensed into a "Syntopicon" index and bundled together with a new "five foot shelf" of books as "The Great Books of the Western World." They were wildly popular during the 1950s, and discussion groups of aficionados were found all over the USA, but their popularity waned during the 1960s, and such groups are relatively hard to find today. Extensions to the original set are still being published, encompassing selections from both current and older works which extend the "great ideas" into the present age and other fields, including civil rights, the global environment, and discussions of multiculturalism and assimilation. Classical Languages [ edit ] A more traditional, but less common view of classical education arises from the ideology of the Renaissance, advocating an education grounded in the languages and literatures of Greece and Rome. The demanding and lengthy training period required for learning to read Greek and Latin texts in their original form has been crowded out in most American schools in favor of more contemporary subjects. The revival of "Classical Education" has resulted in Latin being taught at Classical Schools, but less often Greek. It is worth noting that the Association of Classical and Christian Schools does require Latin for accreditation, and New Saint Andrews College requires both Latin and Greek to graduate with a 4-year degree. A new group of schools, the Classical Latin School Association, does require Latin to be taught as a core subject. Such an approach—an education in the classics—differs from the usual approach of the Classical education movement, but is akin to an education on "The Great Books" followed by St. John's College. Parallels in the East [ edit ] In India, the classical education system is based upon the study and understanding of the ancient texts the Vedas, a discipline called Vedanga, and subjects based upon that foundation, referred to as Upaveda and incorporating medicine (Ayurveda), music, archery and other martial arts. Similarly, in China, the fulcrum of a classical education was the study and understanding of a core canon, the Four Books and Five Classics. In Taiwan, Classical Chinese takes up 35% of Chinese education in junior high school (7-9th grade, compulsory), and 65% in senior high school (10-12th grade). For more on Chinese education see: For classical Islamic education see: See also [ edit ] References [ edit ] Further reading [ edit ] Books [ edit ] Online resources [ edit ]After a brief conversation on Twitter with @Windows and @WindowsSupport regarding my generally positive feedback of Windows 10 Preview - which I really like and you can download today for free - we got on to talking about the Windows Feedback, which I do not so much. I'm familiar with the Apple Feedback Assistant which, while not perfect, is generally better. This Microsoft version seems like it's playing at mixing the ideas of Facebook and Feedback and come up with Feedbook (or perhaps Faceback).I was pointed at the following link to "assist me with using Windows Feedback after I mentioned it was confusing. preview-updates-feedback-pc. Sadly I think they missed my point. It's not confusing to use in terms of hitting buttons until you submit something, it's confusing from the point of view of someone with a brain wanting to assist intelligently and intelligibly.please let me know if I can make anything here clearerSo rather than trying to converse on Twitter, which is pretty crap for trying to express anything longer than a brain fart, I turned to my trusty PowerPoint and made this Windows Feedback Screenshot Feedback Screenshot. at least I hope I'm intelligible.Not many people had heard of an ‘Old Fashioned’ drink before Mad Men’s Don Draper came into our lives 5 years ago. With the US hit coming back to our screens this month, sales of the whisky based drink are predicted to go through the roof again when businessmen all over the country attempt to emulate their hero. Greg Millier, manager of boutique cocktail bar The Hide in Bermondsey, London, says, “There’s no doubt that Mad Men has had an impact the British public’s drink choices. The ‘Old Fashioned’ has always been a great drink, but used to be a bit of an unknown in the UK. When Mad Men came to our screens, its popularity skyrocketed almost overnight.” Liz Bales from film and TV search engine, FindAnyFilm.com, said: “I’m not at all surprised about the predictions for the ‘Old Fashioned’. It goes to show just how much we’re influenced by what we enjoy on screen. Great film and TV moments have a unique power to inspire and move us. You can see that in everything from fashion, to hairstyles to drinks. Something that starts out on screen can very quickly become part of our social fabric.” Instructions Place the sugar cube (or 1/2 teaspoon loose sugar) into a tumbler glass and add 1 to 3 dashes of Angostura bitters. Stir with a spoon to blend the bitters with the sugar. Add about 1oz. whisky and add a splash of club soda and stir again. Add 2 large cubes of ice, cracked but not crushed. Fill glass to within about 3/8″ of top with whisky and stir again. Add a twist of orange and drop peel in the glass. Decorate with a maraschino cherry on a spear. Serve with short stir rod or Old-Fashioned spoon. You can make it a perfect drink by hiring the tumbler glasses from Event Hire. According to Findanyfilm.com the Old Fashioned is just the latest in a long standing tradition of drinks made famous by great film moments: · Old Fashioned – inspired by Madmen · Cosmopolitan – inspired by Sex in the City · Martini – inspired by James Bond · White Russian – inspired by The Big Lebowski · Mojito – inspired by Miami Vice To find out where you can buy or rent these trend setting classics, visit search and compare site, www.findanyfilm.com. All films. All above board. All in one place. Mad Men is out on 27th March on Sky Atlantic. Share this: Twitter Google Pinterest Facebook LinkedIn More Print Reddit Email Like this: Like Loading... This entry was posted on March 27, 2012 at 11:02 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Posted in News byOn his first day in the Manitoba legislature, Premier Brian Pallister came under attack for his Costa Rican companies and conflict of interest rules. NDP MLA and justice critic Andrew Swan said every MLA must disclose any corporation they own, but Pallister had not disclosed two Costa Rican companies he owns. "How can the premier of this province talk about transparency and accountability when he has not disclosed things entirely in his own knowledge and control?" said Swan. Swan said Pallister didn't disclose his assets statement in the last session of the Legislature. "A search of the forms in the clerk's office, which I did this morning, confirms he has still failed to disclose these corporations," said Swan. Pallister said he's complied fully with the rules of disclosure. "I would encourage Mr. Swan to not try re-fighting the gutter politics of the last third of his election campaign again. I don't think it serves anyone in public life very well," said Pallister. Swan wants a judge to look into whether Pallister is breaking the law.Cities are their streets. Great cities are those with great streets. Other things matter, of course — parks, buildings, transit — but it's streets that bring a city to life, that make it a place people choose to live, visit, work, play... Streets have different roles. Some connect us; others, conversely, keep us apart. Streets are what enable us to organize space and bring order and coherence to what would otherwise be arbitrary and chaotic. At their best, streets are both a destination and the way to get there. They don't just make cities possible, they define them, give them form and create their character. They are a city's circulatory system, its largest arteries and its smallest capillaries. In recent years cyclists and pedestrians have been clamouring for more space for themselves on Toronto's streets. ( Randy Risling / Toronto Star file photo ) Streets have also become the forgotten element in our efforts to create a livable city. In Toronto, the focus is on parks, housing, towers and transit; streets are left to fend for themselves. At the same time, however, streets are under more pressure than ever as the historic dominance of the car is challenged by other groups, namely cyclists and pedestrians. The car has wreaked untold damage on our streets as well as our cities. Its needs are at odds with those of the urban environment. Cars are quick. Cities are slow. Cars want highways, fast roads that run as straight as possible with as few interruptions as possible. City roads, by contrast, must accommodate not just vehicular traffic but the activity that unfolds along its edges, the shops, restaurants, museums, malls, schools, cafes, courts... Now cyclists are clamouring for a piece of the street. They want their own lanes. Then there are the parkers; they demand places to park their cars whenever and wherever they want. Pedestrians want wider sidewalks. That doesn't leave much room for drivers. This means a lot of contested space on a typical four-lane road in Toronto. Indeed, our city's streets have become a battleground where a generational struggle for mobility is playing out. Just last week, a group of suburban councillors launched a rearguard action to stop the reintroduction of streetcars on Queen St. (Because of construction, buses have temporarily replaced streetcars.) Two Etobicoke representatives suggested that buses could be the better way. They go with the flow and, unlike streetcars, don't slow traffic. Their argument was nonsense, but from their suburban perspective understandable; for them streets really are just a way for cars to get to the mall and back. This is perhaps the essential difference between city and suburb; in cities, streets are a destination, a means of getting around and the repository of urban experience. In suburbs, streets are for cars and trucks, and if necessary, buses. Article Continued Below RELATED: Watch the full 30-mintue Streets documentary The truth is that street-building is a lost art in Toronto, and probably North America. This city's most successful streets are our legacy from the 19th and early 20th centuries. For the most part, the modern city relies entirely upon this civic inheritance for whatever claim it can make to greatness. Newer communities, from Mississauga to Markham and beyond, have yet to build a single great street. As Jane Jacobs noted in The Death and Life of Great American Cities, “The pseudo-science of planning seems almost neurotic in its determination to imitate empiric failure and ignore empiric success.” The reason, of course, is that they are focused on cars not people. That has started to change in recent years, but despite overwhelming evidence, Toronto remains on the wrong side of history. A year after installing temporary bike lanes along a short stretch of Bloor St., the city will decide this fall whether or not to make them permanent. Though a remarkable 75 per cent of local residents support the lanes, it's anyone's guess what the city will do. Council may approve the lanes, but it won't be easy. Unsurprisingly, Toronto's most vibrant streets — Queen, College, Bloor — are generally narrow car-slowing thoroughfares lined with unspectacular buildings between two and six storeys tall — hardly the stuff of vehicular convenience. The major interruptions in these mostly intact streetscapes are largely the result of clumsy modern interventions beginning in the 1950s and '60s. Decades later in what's now Vertical City, we still have difficulty making buildings work at street level. Architects are slowly learning, but have yet to master the skills of contextualism. They prefer the silence of the vacuum and ignore the public realm whenever possible. Through it all, the streets of Toronto are still the city's route to the future. They remind us of what has been lost, but also of what remains to be regained. Christopher Hume’s column appears weekly. He can be reached at jcwhume4@gmail.comThough it is nonbinding, the vote will be a critical point in a debate that stretches back to the 18th century, when Spain first took control of the northeastern corner of the Iberian Peninsula. Albert Gea / Reuters The pro-independence flag, known as the Estelada, formed by placards at a demonstration in February. Albert Gea / Reuters At a pro-independence celebration in Barcelona, Spain, the crowd waves the Catalonian separatist flag, Oct. 19, 2014. On Nov. 9, 2014, Catalonians will vote in a nonbinding poll on the region’s independence from Spain. Albert Gea / Reuters “Nov. 9 will be another landmark in the continuing series of events in which citizens express themselves freely,” Andreu Mas-Colell, Catalonia’s finance minister, told U.K. newspaper The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday. “It's a celebration of democracy — although not an expression of democracy as we would have liked.” But nationalists believe a 35 to 40 percent turnout, coupled with a resounding victory for the independence campaign, will send a robust message to Rajoy regarding Catalonia’s desire to chart its own course. Organizers say about 40,000 volunteers will staff polling stations across Catalonia, although turnout is not expected to be high. Up to 65 percent of those eligible to vote, including a large majority of pro-Spanish Catalans, are likely to abstain from the process. “In its quest to avoid any discussion about Spanish unity, the Spanish government has [obstructed our] basic rights to freedom of speech and opinion.” “We hope this vote will show a very large section of the Catalan people believe in democracy as the only means of solving political conflicts,” said Ricard Gené, a spokesman for the pro-independence campaign group Catalan National Assembly. But this weekend’s proceedings, set to go ahead despite Spanish judicial efforts to stop it, represents a high point in the campaign by Catalan separatists to demonstrate public support for secession. On Sunday as many as 2 million Catalans are expected to vote on the question of independence from Madrid. Originally billed as a referendum, the vote was downgraded to a “consultation” after a Spanish court ruled that a referendum on the issue would be unconstitutional. The result, therefore, will not be legally binding. The central government in Madrid, led by Mariano Rajoy’s right-wing Partido Popular, has consistently blocked attempts by Catalonia’s regional parliament to stage an official independence vote, such as the one held in Scotland in September. BARCELONA, Spain — The ruins dating to the 1714 siege of Barcelona that ended Catalonia’s long-standing independence from Castilian Spain are preserved in downtown Barcelona in the striking glass and cast iron structure of the El Born Cultural Center, opened last year. Three centuries on, many in Catalonia — a prosperous region in the northeastern corner of the Iberian Peninsula — are seeking to reverse that defeat. Adiós, Spain? Nationalism has long been a major force in Catalan politics. Barcelona was at the center of anti-fascist resistance during the Spanish civil war in the late 1930s. But the origins of the current crisis are more recent. After the fall of Francisco Franco’s regime in the mid-1970s, Spain adopted a subfederal system of government, with Catalonia as one of its 17 autonomous communities. For years, most Catalans were relatively content as a distinct group, with limited powers of self-rule, in a broader Spanish union. But over the last decade, support for independence has risen dramatically, from about 15 percent in 2005 to upward of 45 percent today. The main catalyst for this shift was the decision of the Spanish constitutional court in 2010 to strike down key passages of the Catalan Statue of Autonomy, a document asserting the sovereignty of the Catalan people. Since then, many Catalans who would once have settled for enhanced devolution within Spain have become convinced that only full independence will deliver the powers they want. Observers cite Madrid’s refusal to explore alternative constitutional models as a key driver of Catalan nationalism. “The Spanish government’s view is that the constitution says Spain is one nation," said Kathryn Crameri, author of “Goodbye, Spain? The Question of Independence for Catalonia.” “Therefore nothing can be allowed to rival Spain as the nation. This means there is very little room for political compromise.” According to Crameri, Madrid’s unyielding approach to Catalonia reflects its fear that far-reaching constitutional reform could lead to Spain’s disintegration as a nation-state. “Within Catalonia there are people who would still like some form of asymmetrical federalism. But that’s very difficult because the Andalucians would then start asking why they weren’t getting more powers and then the Valencians. So there’s no obvious solution [for Madrid].” Assuming Sunday’s ballot delivers a “yes” on independence, nationalists are split about how best to proceed. Radical parties, such as the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), want to call fresh regional elections and then — if those elections return a nationalist majority — move toward a unilateral declaration of independence at some point next year. But more conservative voices, including that of Catalonia’s centrist President Artur Mas, prefer to redouble their efforts to secure a legally binding referendum. Mas has the power to call new elections but is reluctant to do so because his ruling party, Convergencia, is losing ground to ERC and its popular leader, Oriol Junqueras. “Junqueras is popular for two reasons,” said Laura Pous Trull, a Catalan journalist. “First, because he is the president of ERC, the party that has traditionally advocated independence. Therefore, some ‘yes’ supporters trust him more than Convergencia, which has only embraced independence quite recently. “And second, he has a very human image. He is seen by many voters as one of us. He is very calm, tries to engage and talk to people and presents his arguments in a very clear way.” The prospect of ERC’s taking power in Catalonia will worry politicians in Madrid, who have been managing the demands of moderate Catalan nationalists since the early 1980s. Junqueras’ softly spoken radicalism could be the spur that finally brings Catalonia’s fraught relationship with Spain to a head. “Madrid is more afraid of ERC than it is of Convergencia,” explained Catalan broadcaster Oscar Palau. “They still think Convergencia will [refrain from doing] anything illegal. But if Junqueras is president, he has always said he will declare independence immediately.” Sunday’s “consultation” will not have any immediate bearing on Catalonia’s constitutional status. The Catalan “yes” movement will almost certainly have to stage a second, more decisive poll if they are going secure a legitimate mandate for independence. But it has one substantial strategic advantage: the intransigence of the Rajoy government in the face of growing popular enthusiasm among Catalans for a separate state.To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on. Martin hears 11 year-old Safid's story There has been a huge increase in the number of migrants travelling to Europe this year. Many of them are running away from war and poverty. It's thought more than 600 child migrants arrived in the UK without their parents in July 2015.. Martin went to visit a camp in the French town of Calais where thousands of migrants are staying, in the hope that they can come to the UK, even though they do not have permission to cross the border. While Martin was in the camp, he spoke to Safid, an 11 year old boy who travelled over 5000 miles to try to reach the UK from Afghanistan. Who are migrants? A'migrant' is a person who moves from one place to another in order to find better work or living conditions. In the UK an 'asylum seeker' means a person who has applied to be let into the country because they say they're facing harassment due to their race, religion, nationality, political belief, or membership of a particular social group. Why are migrants coming to Europe? To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on. Ayshah meets a migrant family in Europe In the first seven months of 2015, it's thought that more than 153,000 migrants have tried to cross Europe's borders. That is a 149% increase compared with the same period in 2014, when the total was 61,500. To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on. Ricky explains where the migrants travel from... The civil war in Syria has meant more than four million people have had to leave. Afghans, Eritreans and
there's plenty of water. If it's too cool or too dry, the harvest will be delayed. The next stages of corn's growth determine the flavor and texture of the kernel. Here you have a great deal of control, because it's often just the timing of the harvest that counts. Newly formed corn kernels are full of liquid or "milk." The milk stage doesn't last long in most varieties, because the plant's natural goal is to convert that sweet liquid into starch. (If the seed were allowed to continue its life cycle, the starch would be stored and used later as food to sustain the new plant.) However, the milk stage is the peak harvesttime for sweet corn, and gardeners who can successfully judge their corn's growing progress are well rewarded. If corn isn't harvested during the milk stage, the starch-making process goes ahead, and the inside of each corn kernel becomes more solid, losing its sweet taste. This is called the "dough" stage. The final stage of kernel development occurs if you don't harvest the stalks or if you dry them for winter storage. Sweet corn seeds become wrinkled and transparent as the natural starches eventually lose their water content.The number of people being held for more than 90 days in immigration detention centres has declined by almost a third this year over last year, according to statistics from the Canada Border Services Agency. The figures show that the number of detainees being held for three months or longer dropped by 29.9 per cent in 2016-17 compared with 2015-16. They also show a decline since 2012-13 of 35.3 per cent. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) told CBC News that it is using federal funding announced last year to expand the use of alternatives to detention. "The funding received is dedicated to developing and deploying a technology-enabled voice reporting solution that will make it easier for low-risk persons to comply with reporting conditions imposed by CBSA officers or the Immigration and Refugee Board, while living in the community," a CBSA spokesperson said in an email to CBC. Detainees are also now locked up an average of 19.5 days, down from 23.1 days last year, according to the agency's statistics. Last year, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale announced $138 million for a new national immigration detention framework, with the aim of creating a more humane system. Part of the money is being spent on a new immigration holding centre (IHC) in Surrey, B.C., which should open in December 2018. The centre in Laval, Que., is scheduled for completion in 2021. The Toronto holding centre is also being upgraded. "By July 2018 the Toronto IHC will be equipped to house higher-risk detainees, allowing more individuals in provincial detention facilities to be transferred to the IHC on a case-by-case basis," CBSA said in the email. Detention in jails On any given day in Canada, hundreds of people are detained under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Last year the border agency detained 6,251 people, 32.6 per cent of which were held at non-CBSA facilities such as provincial jails, even though they had not been charged with a crime. "Detaining people long-term at short-term detention facilities is extremely problematic, and especially when some of the detentions are going on for a very long time, into the years," said Lorne Waldman, a prominent Toronto immigration and refugee lawyer. Immigration detainees are sent to provincial jails when they're high-risk, aren't close to a holding centre or, in the Vancouver area, held for more than 48 hours. Immigration lawyer Lorne Waldman says the Canada Border Services Agency is still in need of proper oversight. (Colin Perkel /Canadian Press) Waldman said the new facilities will be a "huge improvement." But he also expressed concern that the federal government has still not delivered on oversight for the border agency. "Until the government fulfils the promise it made to create an accountability mechanism for the CBSA, so that people can make complaints and so that the CBSA feels that they're accountable, we're not going to see any real improvements," he told CBC News. "There've been deaths in custody and there was one inquest, but there haven't been inquests in other cases. So why is it that people die in custody? Who was at fault?" Ensuring accountability In May, the public safety minister asked former Privy Council clerk Mel Cappe to determine whether the CBSA needs oversight and, if so, how it would work. According to the minister's spokesperson, Goodale has already received the report and its recommendations. "Our next steps are under consideration. We want to ensure Canadians are confident in the system of accountability for the agencies that strive to keep them safe. The review framework must be coherent, without wasteful duplication or gaps," wrote Scott Bardsley. He said that the government has already passed legislation to set up a national security and intelligence committee of parliamentarians and introduced a bill to create a new expert review body that would be permitted to review the actions of the CBSA. In July, the federal government signed a contract with the Canadian Red Cross for the monitoring of those being held at detention facilities, to ensure they comply with domestic and international standards.Coffee. Coffee is wonderful. That aroma. That taste. That touch. That touch? Yes, that touch. The “mouthfeel” of a cup of coffee can be an important element in our enjoyment of this miracle beverage. But typically we only experience thick, velvety mouthfeel in milk drinks such as cappuccino and caffé latte. When expertly steamed — stretched and textured in barista-speak — the proteins and fat in the milk help it trap tiny air bubbles (ideally less than 30 microns in size), which lend that luxurious mouthfeel to the milk-based coffee drinks. (As a side note, poorly steamed milk, or milk aerated with a frothing wand, tends to be comprised of larger bubbles, hence the lack of creamy mouthfeel.) Cappuccino and its brethren are delightful to consume, but what if you’d like to add that beautiful creamy mouthfeel to your coffee without the frothed milk? Science comes to the rescue in the form of a polysaccharide secreted by Xanthomonas campestris bacteria during sugar fermentation, better known as xanthan gum. Xanthan gum has long been used as a thickening agent, homogenizer, and emulsifier in commercially produced foods such as salad dressings, sauces, and ice cream. It has become readily available in supermarkets thanks to its use as a gluten substitute in gluten-free baking. A tiny amount — as low as 0.1% by weight — is adequate to increase the viscosity of most liquids. When whipped, a xanthan gum-thickened liquid will trap and suspend many, many tiny air bubbles. This method of creating “not a latte” was popularized by chef Grant Crilly of the ChefSteps.com website. The principle is that you’ll start with coffee made through a typical home brewing method, such as French press, drip, pour-over, cold brew, or Chemex. Next you’ll add a tiny pinch of xanthan gum. One-quarter of a teaspoon is enough for 12 ounces of brewed coffee. (Be careful about just eyeballing it; you can make some pretty slimy, ultra-thick coffee if you overdo it.) Finally, you’ll froth the heck out of the mixture in a blender or with an immersion blender. The result is a thickened, microbubble-filled coffee with a beautiful mouthfeel. There are other thickeners and emulsifiers that would be interesting to try as well. Coming from the classic cocktail bag of tricks, egg whites add mouthfeel to drinks such as the Pisco Sour and the Ramos Gin Fizz. (Dried egg white powder or pasteurized egg whites are available if you have concerns about salmonella.) The pre-Prohibition era cocktail sweetener of choice added thicker mouthfeel to drinks than does today’s simple syrup. Gomme syrup, also called “gum syrup,” was made from sugar, water, and the hydrocolloid made from acacia tree sap known as gum arabic. This additive could potentially do something interesting to coffee… We can also look at the worlds of industrial food manufacture and modernist cuisine for other thickening agents. VersaWhip, MehylCel F50, Agar Agar, and others are all out there waiting to be employed in the quest for velvety, delicious coffee. Let us know about your experiments in the comments below! Modernist Coffee serves two Equipment Coffee brewer Measuring cups/spoons or gram scale Blender or immersion blender and pitcher Ingredients 12 fluid ounces \| 350 ml \| 330 g by weight water 1/2 C \| 33 g by weight freshly ground coffee 1/4 tsp. \| 0.4 g by weight xanthan gumNEW YORK—Herman Cain has long cast himself the scoundrel of the Republican presidential field, mocking political correctness and dissing rivals with a well-timed zinger. When his jokes raised eyebrows, he offered a standard response: "I didn't mean to offend anyone." Now, as he fights allegations of sexual harassment, Cain may be gambling the same line of defense will help defuse the biggest crisis of his candidacy. "I do have a sense of humor, and some people have a problem with that," the Georgia businessman said after the harassment allegations first surfaced, explaining how his gregarious gestures may have been misconstrued. Cain, who led the National Restaurant Association in the late-1990s, has acknowledged the organization made a financial payout to a subordinate who accused him of inappropriate behavior. Cain said he recalls an incident in which he stepped close to the woman to compare her height to his wife's but said the woman's accusations were "baseless." A third woman who worked with Cain during that period told The Associated Press he had made numerous comments that made her uncomfortable and had invited her to a corporate apartment outside of work. She said he pushed boundaries with female staffers, eyeing their bodies and complimenting them on their looks. "People have said he's a jovial guy. But I never knew him to make jokes like that," the woman told the AP. She spoke only on condition of anonymity, saying she feared losing her current job and the possibility of damage to her reputation. Asked on Fox News earlier this week if he was the kind of guy who makes inappropriate comments, Cain said, "No." "The only thing that I could be guilty of saying in a group of men and women is paying a compliment to the woman," Cain said, adding that he may remark about how a woman has "married up." "If she changed her hair, you know, I might say something like: `Oh, you changed your hairstyle. It's very becoming.' So I would make compliments to women in group settings like that, sure," Cain added. Murray Schwartz, a New York employment lawyer, said some men accused of sexual harassment do successfully make the case that their attempts at humor had been misread. "But with everyone being so concerned about sexual harassment, most employers don't kid around that way with the women who work for them," Schwartz said. To be sure, Cain seems to relish the role of contrarian -- one not bound by the rules that constrain others. "I would bring a sense of humor to the White House. America's too uptight!" Cain declared at a CNN debate in September when asked what set him apart from his opponents. Cain's irreverent sense of humor has been part of his charm as a candidate, conferring a likability that many find lacking in his chief rival, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. The two are now vying for the lead in several polls. Cain has also used humor to deflect criticism, allowing him to sidestep mistakes or defend controversial comments by claiming he was just making a joke. "Let Herman be Herman," Cain said on CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday when he was grilled about his campaign's unconventional new Web ad showing his chief of staff sucking a cigarette. That ad was supposed to be funny, Cain insisted, and "not intended to offend." He gave a similar excuse last month after being questioned about his plan to build an electrified fence that could kill people attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border. "It was a joke, and yeah, I haven't learned how to be politically correct yet," Cain told CNN. Explaining away a column he wrote five years ago promoting golf star Tiger Woods as a presidential candidate in 2016, Cain again argued, "Americans got to learn how to have a sense of humor." "There are some things that, you know, you just take kind of tongue-in-cheek, and you don't make a big deal of it. All right?" he told reporters last month about how he came to write the column. Cain, the only black candidate in the Republican field, often makes light of that distinction on the campaign trail. Asked if his rising poll numbers meant his candidacy was the flavor of the month, Cain compared himself to Haagen-Dazs black walnut ice cream, which he said "tastes good all the time." He said he likes to wear a gold tie because "it looks pretty good next to this beautiful skin." But Cain has also relied on laugh lines to paper over serious gaps in knowledge, reinforcing the impression of a candidacy that came together on the fly. "When they ask me who is the president of Uzbeki-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan, I'm going to say... I don't know," Cain joked recently in an interview, suggesting "knowing who is the head of some of these small, insignificant states around the world" wasn't important for a presidential candidate. ------ Associated Press researcher Barbara Sambriski contributed to this report. ------ Follow Beth Fouhy on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/bfouhy © Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.If you’re not familiar with Jordan Subban, he is the younger brother of Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban and Boston Bruins goaltender Malcolm Subban. Or, as you may know him now, the Subban brother who looks like Lloyd Christmas from Dumb & Dumber. The youngest Subban, who is a defenseman in the Vancouver Canucks organization, had a little mishap during the NHL’s rookie tournament this week that led to his new dental landscape. I’ll let him tell it in his own words: After we got back to the hotel last night, I was in my room just hanging out when I heard some of the boys in the hallway. I poked my head out the door to see where they were headed, they said to eat and I had already had a bite, so I turned to go back into my room. BAM. I don’t know what the heck happened, but next thing I knew half my front tooth was on the floor and there was a hole in the door. So now I look like Lloyd Christmas from Dumb & Dumber. Great. I mean, it’s certainly not uncommon for hockey players to be missing teeth so Subban won’t exactly feel out of place, but those casualties usually come as a result of, you know, the game. Losing a battle with a hotel room door is, for lack of a better term, an “inventive” new way of altering that smile.Share We have our friends at BigLorryBlog to thank for posting a vintage ad the other day that sent us seeking information about the longest vehicles of all time that ended up providing parts for the most beloved monster truck of all time: the LeTourneau land trains, built to access the most remote reaches of the arctic and to dwarf just about any other land vehicle in both size and sheer testicular fortitude. Originally conceived to assist logging in trackless wilderness, LeTourneau, famed for its earthmovers, devised the first of its land trains, the VC-12 Tournatrain, in 1953-1954 with a lead cab and three trailers. A 500hp Cummins diesel powered a generator that then fed electric motors at each wheel, thus spreading the power application across 16 wheels to enhance traction. A later iteration of the Tournatrain added a second Cummins and four more trailers to put 32 drive wheels to the ground. Though pitched to the Army, LeTourneau never found a buyer for the VC-12. The Army did, however, offer to fund the 1954 TC-264 Sno-Buggy, an eight-wheeled super-sized Tonka toy that used a butane-fired Allison engine to run the generators that fed power to four electric motors. A four-wheeled, non-powered trailer went with it. Neither the VC-12 nor the TC-264 entered production. Early in 1955, however, LeTourneau contracted with Alaska Freight Lines Inc. to build the VC-22 Sno-Freighter to supply the construction of the Distant Early Warning surveillance system across Alaska, Canada and Greenland. With a pair of 400hp Cummins diesel engines and five powered trailers, the VC-22 hauled up to 150 tons of cargo. The Sno-Buggy impressed the Army during its trials so much, the Army decided to combine traits of the Sno-Buggy and the Tournatrain into what LeTourneau called the YS-1 Sno-Train, and what the Army called the LCC-1. It used a single 600hp Cummins and three trailers for a total capacity of 45 tons. Released in 1956, it served in Greenland for DEW resupply runs until 1962. Six years later, LeTourneau made one final stab at building the ultimate land train. Designed to traverse arctic conditions as well as sand and desert, the six-wheeled TC-497 Overland Train MkII used four Solar gas-turbine engines (at 1,170hp each, that’s 4,680hp total) to spin generators that delivered juice to 54 total motors – one for each of its wheels. Of its 12 trailers, two were dedicated just to carrying the turbines and generators. The Overland Train stretched 572 feet long, easily making it the world’s longest vehicle. Funny enough, it could only carry 150 tons of freight – as much as the Sno-Freighter – though it carried such developments as steerable trailer wheels that allowed the entire train more maneuverability. The Army started testing the Overland Train in 1962, the same year Sikorsky introduced its large freight helicopters that rendered the land trains obsolete. The fates of the Tournatrain and the Sno-Buggy are uncertain. The Sno-Freighter, however, sits abandoned with at least three of its trailers outside of Fairbanks, Alaska, as does the LCC-1, with just one of its trailers. The Overland Train, minus all of its trailers, sits today at the Yuma Proving Ground Heritage Center in Arizona. BigLorryBlog also has more photos of the Overland Train in another recent post, and LIFE shot a series of photos of the Overland Train testing at Yuma. By the way, recognize those tires? Bob Chandler bought four of them from a Seattle junkyard and fitted them to Bigfoot 4 to capture the title of Tallest Monster Truck. All the photos above courtesy Eric C. Orlemann’s 2001 book, “LeTourneau Earthmovers,” which carries an excellent history of the company known for its massive mining trucks, as well as details on many of the company’s other, unique, military vehicles. UPDATE (25.November 2009): Thanks to Randall over on CR4, I’ll have to recant the “world’s longest vehicle” claim for the MkII. He points out a train in Mauritania that’s 3 kilometers long. UPDATE (30.November 2009): More world’s longest vehicle candidates from CR4 commenters. Kiwi Bloke suggests this Australian world record road train, and bp01 suggests this self-propelled German mining machine. UPDATE (7.January 2010): Le Container has another pic of the Sno-Train from an unnamed source. Nothing groundbreaking here, but we do see “Mr. R. G. LeTourneau” standing by it.24 Days of GHC Extensions: View Patterns I’d like to start this series by focussing on what I call binding extensions. These are extensions that are used in conjuction with forming bindings - such as top-level function definitions, where clauses, and let bindings. Today, we’ll begin by looking at a simple yet powerful extension - view patterns. View patterns extend our ability to pattern match on variables by also allowing us to pattern match on the result of function application. To take a simple example, lets work with a Map from Haskell packages on Hackage, to the amount of downloads. To start with, we’ll look at extracting the amount of downloads for the lens library. Ordinarily, we might write something like: Notice that the first thing this function does is to immediately pattern match on a function call. Arguably, this obscures the definition of the lensDownloads function which we expect to have two equations defining it - one when the package has a download count, and another for when the package hasn’t been download (for example, when collecting a new batch of statistics). Using view patterns, we can move this lookup from the right-hand side to the left hand side: Now our lookup function is defined by the two equations we would expect. View patterns allows us to “view” the download statistics as a different data type - in this case we view the map as the sum type Maybe Int, by focussing on the value for the key lens. As we can see, a view pattern is defined by two parts - the view itself, which is a partially applied function; and the pattern match to perform on the result of that function application. In this case, we are given a Map HaskellPackage Int, and our view is M.lookup "lens" :: Map HaskellPackage Int -> Maybe Int. We pattern match on this Maybe Int for the Just case, and this allows us to bind the download count to the variable n. Notice also that if the pattern match against Just fails, we fall through to the next pattern of lensDownloads. GHC will carefully check patterns for exhaustivity, so we’re still forced to consider all possibilites. Finally, it would be tedious to have to write a function like this for every package - so we would like to abstract the package name out. With view patterns, our view function is able to depend on variables to the left of the view pattern. Thus we are able to write a general download-lookup function as View Patterns as a Tool for Abstraction The functions we’ve seen so far haven’t really benefit from view patterns. The case analysis in the original example isn’t particularly cumbersome, and downloadsFor doesn’t necessarily benefit from the use of view patterns. However, a key benefit to view patterns is that they allow us to view a data type as a definition that is easy to pattern match on, while using a very different data type for the underlying representation. Take for example, the finger tree - a general purpose data structure suitable for a wide variety of applications, one of which is as a sequence. In Haskell, the Prelude gives us a basic list data type, defined essentially as: However, this data structure has terrible performance for just about anything - it’s just a linked list. Viewing the last element of the list here is O(n) - quite a cost! Seq can be used as a drop in replacement to lists here, but looking up the last element is O(1) - much better! To give such high performance, Seq uses a finger tree, which is a data type which has much better performance characteristics than linked lists. To do so, Seq uses a more complex data definition - a definition that is completely abstract to us, forcing us to use functions to inspect it. The use of functions moves us away from perhaps more idiomatic Haskell programming, where would like to define our functions in terms of various equations. By using view patterns, we regain much of this style of programming. As an example, let’s consider analysing a time series. Our time series is simple, and we’ll store a list of data points. To operate on this time series, we’d like to be able to view the last data point in the series - if such a value exists. Intuitively, we know there are two possibilities: the time series is empty, in which case we return Nothing ; or the time series is non-empty, in which case we return Just the last value: While we can’t pattern match directly on a Seq, we can view it as a list from the right by using viewr : Notice that ViewR is similar to a linked list as before, but we have the ability to look at any Seq as a list from the right. Either the sequence is empty, or it’s a smaller sequence with a single element appended. This inductive structure fits perfectly for our purposes: This type of separation is very powerful, and you’ll find it used in many of the high-performance data structures on Hackage. However, one qualm with this approach is that it brings new syntax - a syntax that it took the author a while to get comfortable with. With new syntax there is always a balance between the overhead of the syntax (which adds something of a context switch), and the productivity gains the extension begets. What would be really nice would be similar functionality of this extension, without the need for new syntax. Thankfully, GHC can do just that. How, you ask? Well, you’ll just have to wait and see… This post is part of 24 Days of GHC Extensions - for more posts like this, check out the calendar. You can contact me via email at ollie@ocharles.org.uk or tweet to me @acid2. I share almost all of my work at GitHub. This post is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.User Info: VanilleHopen VanilleHopen 3 years ago #1 Important things to note: 1) You will notice some of the characters are missing (notably Alexa, Boze, H.B., and Yelv) Thats because these are DLC characters that came after the game was made. Unfortunately the guide I am using has no info on their heart to heart locations (assuming they have them at all) 2) In order to do a heart to heart the character you are wanting to do one with MUST NOT be in your party. This is unlike the original xenoblade where they had to be in your party to trigger the heart to heart. 3) also note there will obviously be playable character spoilers and some location spoilers in this so just be aware of that. 4)It was kind of hard for me to explain how exactly where the heart to hearts were located so this is how I laid it out. District/Nearest Landmark/Number of hexagons away from nearest landmark/Time of day (pet if required). Example: Commercial District/West Melville Street/2 hex southwest 1 hex south/Evening (pet dog required) this would mean the heart to heart is 1) Located in the Commercial District 2) The nearest landmark to the heart to heart is West Melville Street 3)The heart to heart is approximately 2 hex southwest then 1 hex south of the West Melville street landmark 4) It can only be done during the Evening 5) A pet dog is required to perform the heart to heart. Riki Sucks in xenoblade KH 2 (F MIX) Instead of kicking ass I'm running around locking kids in present boxes.. So I saw a lot of people asking where the location to heart to hearts were using the Prima Guide I decided to make a list of their locations.Important things to note:1) You will notice some of the characters are missing (notably Alexa, Boze, H.B., and Yelv) Thats because these are DLC characters that came after the game was made. Unfortunately the guide I am using has no info on their heart to heart locations (assuming they have them at all)2) In order to do a heart to heart the character you are wanting to do one with MUST NOT be in your party. This is unlike the original xenoblade where they had to be in your party to trigger the heart to heart.3) also note there will obviously be playable character spoilers and some location spoilers in this so just be aware of that.4)It was kind of hard for me to explain how exactly where the heart to hearts were located so this is how I laid it out.District/Nearest Landmark/Number of hexagons away from nearest landmark/Time of day (pet if required).Example:Commercial District/West Melville Street/2 hex southwest 1 hex south/Evening (pet dog required)this would mean the heart to heart is1) Located in the Commercial District2) The nearest landmark to the heart to heart is West Melville Street3)The heart to heart is approximately 2 hex southwest then 1 hex south of the West Melville street landmark4) It can only be done during the Evening5) A pet dog is required to perform the heart to heart.GOP frontrunner Donald Trump defended Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) against an attack from the National Review and touted that he, himself, has more congressional endorsements than Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). Conservative radio host Howie Carr of The Howie Carr Show told Trump that a National Review writer called Sessions, who recently endorsed Trump, a prostitute. “Wow! That’s terrible,” Trump responded to Carr’s news. “Well, Sessions is highly respected. To have his endorsement, was such an honor,” he added, saying Sessions is “the best on the borders, the best judicially, and having him was fantastic.” Trump added that it’s “incredible” Cruz has no Senate endorsements. On the National Review, Trump charged, “It’s failing. It’s going out of business, and they are nasty people.” “They’re wrong on so many different things,” he added.For the past few seasons, close friends and I supporting the men’s basketball program at Milwaukee have had a hard time keeping our mouths shut. As you can imagine, it’s harder for me to keep my mouth shut than others. You see, since Bud Haidet retired in 2009, Milwaukee Athletics has had a revolving door to the office of the athletic director. First it was George Koonce. Then it was Dave Gilbert, in an interim role while the university set up another search. Then it was Rick Costello. After he flamed out, new chancellor Mike Lovell sought the help of Jon LeCrone, who brought us Andy Geiger, who might have had the most destructive tenure of the three. He was followed, of course, by current athletic director Amanda Braun. It was apparent to us, early in her tenure, that either she didn’t understand basketball or she was actively trying to hurt Rob Jeter’s program. Sure, people will complain about certain restrictions on the team from time to time, but I like to see with my own eyes before I make judgments. Of course, when a basketball player decides it’s time to speak out publicly, my silence really doesn’t matter anymore. Akeem Springs has opened the floodgates. And I am the flood. The first real indication I got was the 2013-14 trip to UMKC, when redshirt players were not allowed to travel with the team. Redshirts at almost all high-major and mid-major programs travel with the team, especially on trips that involve overnight stays. The reason being is this – players are technically eligible, so a coach can decide to pull the redshirt at any given time. But even if they never get in the game, those players are present for several practices – practices that are all they have in their redshirt year to get better at basketball. So when the team is at UMKC and we see the Prahl twins bumming around campus, what does that say about the program? It says that the athletic director is unwilling to do even the bare minimum to ensure those players develop on the court during those trips. One fan who is a retail manager in the area saw redshirt freshman Jeremy Johnson this weekend in his store while Johnson’s teammates were playing in the Horizon League Tournament. He missed the whole weekend of practices. The Panthers play many road games. Over the course of the year, how many practices do those players miss? Fans wonder why some players don’t develop – well you have to be present to develop, and if the athletic director is not willing to send you on the trip, your development as a basketball player is not a priority to them. Every four years, the men’s basketball program is allowed to take a foreign trip during the summer which allows for a bunch of practices and five games against foreign teams for them to hone their craft. Valparaiso did it this summer. Milwaukee did it in the summer of 2010, in that awesome trip to Italy. That trip was paid for by donations from supporters of the program. Some of the contributions were small, some were very large. But the university didn’t have to pay for the trip, as it was fully funded by donations. The donors who foot the bill include some of the biggest donors of the university, a few of them even reaching millions of dollars donated over time to not just athletics but the academic programs that serve our mission. The Panthers got much better from that trip, and how did they do during the season? They won the 2011 Horizon League Championship for the regular season, going to the NIT and the first postseason since 2006. As I said, the team is allowed to do one every four years, and the basketball team was slated for another summer foreign trip this past summer. Players who had committed to the program were told that the trip was going to happen, yet Rob Jeter and his program never left the country. More on this later. Scheduling has become increasingly difficult for mid-majors, especially decent-to-good mid-majors. What had been a hard job is now nearly impossible, because schools won’t play your team if they think there’s a chance you’ll beat them, or that a victory against you won’t help them come Selection Sunday. Valpo found this out the hard way this season, as the Crusaders could only get road games with Oregon and Oregon State as part of a tournament. Elite mid-majors can get teams to play them because the chance of them having a high RPI regardless of the outcome of the game is good – this means teams are more willing to take a chance if it won’t hurt them in the end. Milwaukee is not an elite mid-major, not yet – so the Panthers were only able to get Wisconsin, Notre Dame and Minnesota on the schedule this season. Wisconsin is an annual game, obviously, but Notre Dame and Minnesota are one-off games, which means you won’t be seeing either team at Panther Arena next season. To make it worth our while, Notre Dame and Minnesota both paid the university a sum of money to play the game. This is what’s called a “buy” game or “guarantee” game, in which the team paying the money hopes to essentially schedule a victory for their team. Notre Dame scraped by with an eight-point victory, helping Mike Brey’s team grow and develop with a difficult game rather than an easy victory in which the players roll but learn nothing. Minnesota got spanked by the Panthers, but Richard Pitino’s players got to see Big Ten-style players like Matt Tiby and J.J. Panoske in preparation for their conference season. Generally, guarantee games will give your fans more home games, and your team games in which they are challenged but should win going away. It’s a win-win for both programs, as the home team gets a game (and usually a win) in their building without having to return to the road. The road team gets a check and hopefully the chance to knock off a team. There is a downside to taking ‘buy’ games, however. The more you take, the harder it is for your team to gain traction and get better as a program every year. Home teams win in college basketball more than any other sport, with college football not far behind. There are plenty of reasons as to why this is true, but generally you want to play as many home games as possible to set up your program to get better – more home games=more victories. One needs only to look across town to Marquette, a school that has made a habit of playing as many guarantee games as possible. The perception of teams who take lots of guarantee money is that they’re lesser programs – which is true to a point. These teams are playing the guarantee games to fund their athletic department, and in turn are putting off their own growth and advancement. Look to a program like Presbyterian, a school that plays many guarantee games a year. The team pays for a lot of the costs of the program by doing so, but the program doesn’t get better. Milwaukee, as it turns out, has been on the receiving end of guarantee games more often than not. In fact, we’ve only hosted one Division I team in a “guarantee” game, the December 2011 beat down of Omaha. The Panthers only have the one guarantee game in their history. The Panthers are set to play more “guarantee” games in the future, to help pay for the cost of the program. But the program will spin its wheels, as guarantee game victories like Minnesota this season are few and far between – most of the time you’re going to be scheduling losses. This is not something any coaching staff wants to do, as it hurts their ability to achieve program goals. Playing games, of course, are at least a bit helpful in any situation. You still get game experience, the players still get the fun of travel, and the ball club just gets better. So when the CBI and CIT – two of three third-tier postseason tournaments – invite the program to play, it stands to reason that the university will play in these games. Only three players will be graduating this year – Matt Tiby, JJ Panoske, and JR Lyle. The rest of the team can grow and develop, and playing in the CBI or CIT (or the new Vegas 16) should allow the university the chance to get more development for those players for the future. Teams like Wright State and Oakland in our conference have used these postseason tournaments in the past to build their program, and they finished 2nd and 3rd this season in the Horizon League. Outside of the conference, VCU followed a CBI championship in 2010 with a Final Four in 2011. Some of the best mid-major programs in America have played in these postseason tournaments, and good high-majors have played in the CBI and will play in the Vegas 16. When the time came to vote on moving the Horizon League Tournament from the on-campus double-bye format to Detroit, Braun was one of the seven ‘yes’ votes.
Stirling Moss told me flatly that I was going to kill myself soon after I got to Europe. Everybody thought I'd kill myself, and looking back I'm surprised that I didn't. I was driving mainly on reflexes. I really didn't know anything about racing. I just had quite a bit of natural ability, I guess." Riddelle corroborated Masten's acceptance that he might not make it through his racing career alive as he vividly remembers Masten telling him once, "If I should die, just bury me wherever. Along the side of the road would be fine." Fortunately, Masten would make it through two of the most dangerous decades in motorsports history. Ironically, the man nicknamed "The Kansas City Flash" early in his career and who had cheated death on many occasions, died in his sleep of a heart attack at his winter home in Porto Ercole, Italy on November 8th 1985, at the age of 53. It is rather sad that the record book does not properly reflect the talents that Masten possessed as a driver. He had a very daring and aggressive racing style that quickly made him faster than many top European drivers of his time. With a simple twist of fate, Masten could have landed the competitive and reliable machinery that would have made him an American icon in racing. He was definitely ahead of his time as an American Grand Prix racer and it is truly a shame that he never received the credit or fame of those who followed him in the sport. However, regardless of what the record books show, and given what Masten's fellow competitors had to say about him, he was no doubt an outstanding driving talent and a hero. Road racing ace Dan Gurney thought very highly of Masten both as a person and as a driver, saying that Masten had a special gift - a gift to drive fast - and that he was brave. Jim Clark, who considered Masten to be his hero, teamed up with the American in a sports car race at Goodwood in 1959 and said he realized he himself had become a star driver after he was able to match Masten's lap times in the very same car. In addition, Carroll Shelby said that Masten could be as fast as anybody could on any given day. Surprisingly, very few Kansas City motorsport fans have even heard of Masten Gregory. It seems rather embarrassing that a driver of his talent and bravery should go so unheard of and unrecognized from the community from which he came. Masten's death went rather quietly in the press. The Kansas City Star newspaper had a small two-column article about his passing, not in the sports section of the newspaper but back in the obituary section where few motorsports fans would notice it. Locally we have a Hollywood-style walkway that was created to honor our hometown and homegrown sports stars and builders, called "The Kansas City Sports Walk of Stars." Many great athletes and sports personalities have been inducted, such as PGA golfer Tom Watson, Olympic runner Jim Ryun, as well as many great baseball and football players that played for Kansas City professional sports teams. Masten Gregory is not even on the ballot. Masten Gregory exemplified the true definition of a hero risking life and limb around the world. He deserves much better recognition than this.Mike Soroka came into last season as an intriguing arm after the Braves selected him with the 28th pick overall in the 2015 draft. He had strong numbers in rookie ball, but for the most part other pitching prospects overshadowed him in the system partially because there was not a ton of coverage of the Canadian prep baseball scene. That is not a problem any longer. Not long after Mike chatted with us last February, he was named the opening day starter for Rome on a rotation that was historically great. He did not disappoint as he posted a 3.02 ERA, 2.79 FIP, 1.13 WHIP, and striking out 125 batters in 143 innings in his first full season as a pro. His 2.01 BB/9 is comically low and he has given up a grand total of 3 home runs in his pro career so far. He is being slept on no longer as he started to creep onto top 100 prospect lists towards the end of the season and is now a mainstay in the top 8 or so prospects in the Braves organization by most outlets at this point. I reached out to Mike and he graciously agreed to be interviewed again to talk about his breakout year at Rome, what he has been working on, and some of his goals for 2017. Enjoy! Thanks for taking the time to sit down with us again. First things first….how has you offseason been going? Have you been working on anything in particular? This offseason was a little different. We got my training and testing done earlier this year and we got home from instructs a little earlier, so that gave us time to plan out my training schedule in phases and whatnot. My last three offseasons of work have been solely geared around putting on weight, size, and strength. Now, it doesn’t make much sense to keep getting bigger and stronger until I can use the stuff I have built up. I found this past year that sometimes when I was out of sync that I felt like there was so much more left in the tank that I just wasn’t using. This year I have been a lot more athletically geared instead of working on strict strength exercises. I have gotten a lot more speed and agility and a lot more fast twitch exercises...things like that for the upper body to help out as well. I’m hoping that this year I can come out and be a little more athletic and usable so I feel good on the mound. That’s my goal so far, but other than just starting to build up again and getting excited. You started off in Rome in 2016 as the Opening Day starter in what would turn out to be one of the best minor league rotations in recent memory. What was it like having such highly talented guys starting almost every game? Was there a lot of friendly rivalries and exchanging of tips between you guys? It’s fun for us to be able to chart, well...as much fun as charting can be, and getting to watch a guy every single time you are up there that is really talented and has got good stuff. It makes it a lot easier to stay into it. Like you said, one day after another it is also easier for us to get in a rhythm. I started the first game of the season and went four innings because of pitch count there and then Weigel went 5 innings the next day and it was just one up, one up and it just built on that. I think that is pretty awesome and I hope that we are going to stick together I am sure and we are going to have another good year coming up. It is arguable that you were the most consistent starter on that vaunted staff from the start of the season until the end. You did so despite pitching the most innings of any prep first round draft pick in their first full season in at least 10 years and I can’t remember any full season debuts with that sort of workload. How did you adjust to the grind of full season ball and what adjustments do you need to make going into 2017? I always go back to the fact that I have been throwing against these guys since I was 16. It was almost a head start in a way. My arm was well-rested since I took a couple months off every offseason for the last 3 or 4 years. It is almost like understanding where I am at as a pitcher and where I can be. I take my training very seriously and I also take my strength and mobility very seriously. Weigel makes fun of me all the time...he’ll be sleeping in and when he wakes up I will be stretching or something. It is just one of those things where I try to be my best every day. Chris Reitsma and I really hammered it in that I needed to be focused on every pitch and that is how it is. Being transparent with the coaching staff as well was important….I was very fortunate not to have anything that prevented me from taking the day off, so I just kept after it day after day and I think that is where it came from. Weigel and I got to 80 innings right at around the same time and said “Whoa...we are only just over half-way done here.”. After that, it just started to roll. For him, every time out after April was just 6 innings, barely any hits, a bunch of strikeouts, just time after time after time. It was the same thing for me, just being able to bring my best competitiveness to the table every single day. That is really the only thing you can really control. Before last season when you and I first chatted, your name wasn’t coming up on top 100 lists and top 10 organizational lists. Obviously that has changed quite a bit with getting more and more notice nationally. Have you noticed the increased level of interest and do you think players pay much attention to rankings and the like in general? A little bit, I mean we see it, but we don’t put much thought into it though because with the exception of some guys, a lot times those media types aren’t watching the games live watching a guy pitch. A lot of times it is a lot of hearsay, but coming out of high school the fact that media hadn’t really covered us was the biggest thing. Those who knew what was going on at the time weren’t surprised and it wasn’t for me either. It was just about getting out there and getting exposed. It wasn’t like I made any drastic changes in the last year and a half to get recognized. I just sort of came out of nowhere in the first place, that’s all. You have mentioned a couple of times that your curveball was one of your most consistent pitches this past season. How did that pitch develop over the course of the season and where do you see room for improvement with it? Oh, for sure. I have always been where I can throw it for a strike, but now it is about being able to locate it on sides just like my fastball. It changed a little bit here and there over the year. It had days where it was more just a curveball in that 79-81 range and then I don’t really know what happened...it wasn’t a mental adjustment or anything but towards the end of the year it started to form into a more true power slider at 84-86. It just kinda molded itself and that is probably where I see it. It is always fun to watch guys like Kluber or Arrieta with a power breaking ball if that is what you want to call it because it breaks a little too much to be a slider, but they are not curveballs. I am obviously not comparing myself to them, but in terms of that pitch that is where I want to get to in terms of a power breaking ball to mix off of my sinking fastball. I think those two would play hand-in-hand. I have worked on my changeup a lot getting it back to where it was and hopefully all of those three work together and be pretty special. Let’s talk about your sinker for a minute. You used it to great effect in getting groundball outs when you needed them and it has some deception in that it fooled scouts (myself included) that it was a changeup sometimes. Tell us about the pitch and what having a good sinker in your arsenal does in setting up your other pitches. Well I mean, I always threw it...it was my two-seam fastball but now we are calling it a sinker because that is what it does consistently. When I throw my four-seam right, it does have ride and it is a true fastball and it was just a grey area at some points because some days my four-seamer would be sinking and other days my two-seamer wouldn’t. Now we are getting to the point where they are each definitely two different fastballs. That is something I worked with Chuck Hernandez and Dan Meyer was to make those two different pitches to be able to come in on lefties with a true four-seamer and away to righties and being able to run it in on their hands with the sinker. Having those two...Kolby actually laughs at it all the time because sometimes I get in a hitter’s count and I just giving it to them. Aiming down the middle and letting it run to a corner and maybe taking a little bit off of it. They get geared up 2-0, they want to hit the ball hard, and it ends up running off the plate a little slower than they think it is coming in and it’s a ground ball. That is definitely one strong suit of my abilities is to revert to that pitch and also keep guys off of it at the same time. I definitely notice sometimes when we got really comfortable with it some days that guys were waiting for it and trying to slap it the other way. That is where I need to do a better job this year of being able to keep them honest to where they can’t just sit on that pitch. It will help with the changeup back as well, because then they will really have to sit back on it. When I am just throwing fastball/curveball for most of the game, it is breaking one way or the other and it is just one speed and one reaction. Being able to show that changeup is going to make those guys stay off my two-seam so I can keep throwing it in hitters’ counts. A quick question about your changeup. You have said that you think it has the chance to be your best pitch when it is going but that it came and went a bit last season. Has that been a focus of yours this offseason and going into 2017 or did you get it working the way you wanted it as the season ended? The problem with a changeup is that you can’t think when you throw it. It is just like your fastball but it just a different grip. It isn’t an entirely different pitch like your curveball is. When I lost it, it was still really good but I just couldn’t throw it for a strike. I would throw it and it would be landing on the plate, landing on the plate and it was just kind of at the point where I needed to throw it for a strike or they weren’t gonna look for it. If I couldn’t throw it for a strike, they were just going to write that pitch off. It was also something that we got to thinking too much about it and then we were changing grips and I started thinking about having to do something with my arm to get it in the zone. It got away from just throwing it. So, that was one of the things we worked on at instructs by gaining confidence with it. With any other pitch, it’s the same thing...but especially with your changeup. You have to have confidence that you are going to throw it and you are gonna throw it right and where you want it. It is going to be a pitch that comes and goes, it does for every big league pitcher. There are going to be weeks where they don’t have their curveball and it comes back the next week, but I think that a changeup is something for me that if I get that working and I can play it off my two-seam that it is a game-changer. One of your calling cards has been your command and your control and you have spoken about taking a bit off of your fastball at times so you can get it where you want. Do you think that has been a large part of your success as a pro and do you think it would serve players well to learn to change speeds more and focus less on throwing super hard or with a ton of action? Well, everybody can use it but it is a point you have to get to with your comfort level and your conviction level. I don’t have to take anything off to throw it where I want, that is not the issue. It’s about taking some off when the hitter is already geared up to swing at something faster. If you want to talk about changing speeds, you look at Patrick Weigel. I used to laugh in Danville and at the beginning of this past year when guys didn’t know who he was. He would come out and be 93-94 occasionally and then two strikes and then here comes 97-99 and the other team would be slapping their radar guns because they would think that it misread. He had guys all year because then they would be scared of 98 coming in, get their hands going, and he would whip in 92-93 and they would be ahead. After that, they would think that he was a little gassed out in the 6th inning and here comes 97 again. So, having two different speeds with your fastball is just like having two different pitches...it really is. It is just something that you really learn how to do. You can’t just decide to do it one day, you really can’t. It’s really a fine-tuned thing, we are only talking about 2-3 miles per hour and that makes a big difference….it isn’t like throwing 93 and the next one at 85 mph. It is just enough to get the hitter to mishit it. I mean yeah...strikeouts are awesome and it’s fun, but the most taxing game for me this year was my 9 strikeouts in Greenville. I had seven through 3 innings and I came in and it just felt like I was out there for so long and I didn’t realize I had thrown a lot more pitches. I mean yeah...it was a fun game, one of my favorite games...but at the same time I might throw more innings as someone else who might have thrown 20 innings less by the end of the year. Being able to get contact when you need it is a little underrated sometimes. You were at instructs this past fall with a slew of highly talented players including some that were brand new to the organization and to professional baseball. What did you take away from your time in instructs and did any players stick out from your time there? My time in instructs was mainly bullpens and it was truly a month where I could just clear my mind and just try things. Trying throwing this one day and just work on things like….okay let’s throw a 40 pitch bullpen at 80%-ish, but every second pitch is a changeup. Fastball, changeup, fastball, changeup and that is the kind of stuff you don’t get to do during the year because you are always working on everything. For me, instructs was good that way in getting repetitions on things I needed work on and so I can solidify it this offseason and through spring training. Seeing some of these guys at instructs, I don’t have a bad word to say about any of them. They all work hard, they all love the game, they all love being there...it is going to be another special year for everyone. They all compete hard and they love being there and that is a sign that you don’t see many guys that do. You can tell they are going to be successful as well.An unnamed official told South Korea's Yonhap news agency that this was the highest-level military figure ever to have defected and the colonel specialized in anti-South espionage operations, adding that: "He is believed to have stated details about the bureau's operations against South Korea to the authorities here." On Monday, the South's Unification and Defense Ministries said a North Korean army colonel defected last year and had been granted political asylum. He had worked in the secretive General Reconnaissance Bureau, which is focused on espionage activities against the South. News of the defections followed Friday's announcement by Seoul that 13 workers at a restaurant run by the North in an undisclosed third country had defected as a group, arriving in the South a day earlier. Two senior North Korean officials, including one army colonel who specialized in espionage against the South, defected to South Korea in 2015, the Seoul government said on Monday. Read more Two senior North Korean officials, including one army colonel who specialized in espionage against the South, defected to South Korea in 2015, the Seoul government said on Monday. News of the defections followed Friday's announcement by Seoul that 13 workers at a restaurant run by the North in an undisclosed third country had defected as a group, arriving in the South a day earlier. On Monday, the South's Unification and Defense Ministries said a North Korean army colonel defected last year and had been granted political asylum. He had worked in the secretive General Reconnaissance Bureau, which is focused on espionage activities against the South. Related: North Korea's Latest Propaganda Video Shows a Nuclear Strike on Washington, DC An unnamed official told South Korea's Yonhap news agency that this was the highest-level military figure ever to have defected and the colonel specialized in anti-South espionage operations, adding that: "He is believed to have stated details about the bureau's operations against South Korea to the authorities here." South Korean officials declined to comment on that or give further details. The Unification Ministry, which handles North Korea issues, also said that a senior diplomat who was posted in an African country had defected to the South last year with his family. The disclosures confirmed earlier reports in the South Korean media. The South Korean government's public acknowledgement of defections is unusual. The main liberal opposition Minjoo Party on Monday accused the government of President Park Geun-hye of trying to influence conservative voter turnout ahead of Wednesday's parliamentary elections by announcing the defection of the restaurant workers last week. Related: North Korea Claims New Missile Engine Puts US Within Nuclear Range Both ministries denied suggestions that Monday's revelations were made for domestic political reasons and said disclosing the defections was in the public interest. The two Koreas have been fierce rivals since the 1950-53 Korean War. As of March this year, the number of North Koreans who have fled the country for the South was around 29,000, including 1,276 last year, with numbers declining since a 2009 peak. The defection of a high-ranking officer in the General Reconnaissance Bureau would be a coup for Seoul. The North set up the bureau in 2009, consolidating several intelligence agencies to streamline operations aimed at the South. Its head, General Kim Yong-chol, is accused by the South of being behind the 2010 torpedo attack against the South that sunk a navy ship and killed 46 sailors. The North denies any responsibility for the sinking. The bureau is also known to operate an elite team of computer specialists working to infiltrate the networks of the South and other countries and to conduct cyber attacks against key institutions. Follow VICE News on Twitter: @vicenewsEvery incoming freshmen at all Ohio State campuses will receive a 10.5-inch, 256GB iPad Pro from the university — for free — beginning in Autumn 2018. The university is collaborating with Apple to provide not only iPads, but also an iOS laboratory, which will be introduced to Ohio State’s Columbus campus Spring 2018. The total retail value of providing all first-year students with the device next year is more than $10 million. The university will pay a discounted rate, given the scale of the agreement with Apple — the first of its kind for each entity — but the two still finalizing terms, Chris Davey, an Ohio State spokesman, said. The iPads will be funded through the university’s administrative efficiency program. The iOS laboratory will be a location for students to learn Apple-specific coding called “Swift,” develop apps and collaborate with Apple employees on tech endeavors, University President Michael Drake said Wednesday. He said the collaboration with workers from Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, could occur, as well. “The idea is to really have the collaborative, working together opportunity for people to learn and develop apps,” he said, though it’s not entirely clear whether the university or the tech company would own the apps created. The lab location, which has yet been determined, will be in a temporarily space for Spring 2018 and move to a permanent location in 2019, Drake said. A course will be open for students to learn Swift coding Spring Semester, while other extracurricular options such as appointments to learn the computer language are still under development, Davey said. In addition to the courses, students and faculty could be hired on to work at the iOS lab, Drake said. The roll out of iPads on campus will be gradual, Drake said. Incoming freshmen will be given the device, and the next three incoming classes after them will, as well. Those already attending Ohio State will not, because Drake said providing iPads to all students at once is “cost prohibitive.” “This is a big start and this will be enough,” he said. “This phase is really a four-ish year phase until we have all entering classes [with iPads].” Though the iPads are technically under university ownership, students will be given a training course on how to use various apps and features. Professors will be trained on how to implement iPads in their courses by other faculty members with knowledge on the matter like Nicole Kraft, an assistant professor in journalism who teaches incoming athletes how to use their university-provided iPads for academics and teaches mobile reporting with the device to journalism students. Theodore Chao, an assistant professor in the college of education and human ecology also incorporates iPads in his curriculum; he trains prospective teachers in practices they can use on the iPad while teaching. “There is no device that has more accessibility built into it than the iPad,” Chao said. He said his students with an iPad can immediately upload video footage, move files around, create interactive lessons and easily share documents. “I see a lot of potential [in the Apple partnership],” Chao said. “Swift is so intuitive — a platform that children can use to code, but also doctoral students and adults can use to build out apps.” Ohio State has been involved with Apple for several years, most notably in 2013 when the marching band purchased 45 iPads and began using the devices to choreograph and plan its halftime shows. The partnership has evolved over many years, Drake said. He has been in discussion with various Apple executives such as CEO Tim Cook, who was seated next to Drake during President Donald Trump’s technology council meeting in June. “At Apple, we believe technology has the power to transform the classroom and empower students to learn in new and exciting ways,” Cook said in a press release. “The unique program will give students access to the incredible learning tools on iPad, as well as Apple’s new coding curriculum that teaches critical skills for jobs in some of the country’s fastest-growing sectors.” Drake said the two discussed plans in June, but the details of the partnership have just recently been set in stone. “The work is beginning as we speak. The procurement and distribution, the working with the faculty, all those things will be rolled out so we can start with the program by next summer,” Drake said. “This is an incredibly innovative company with an incredibly broad platform with capabilities that we think can help us a lot, so we think that this is going to be a good partnership,” Drake said. “A close collaboration with truly one of the most innovative companies in the world is something that we see as an advantage.”The West Coast Eagles will open the AFL season at the new Perth Stadium in 2018. Confirmation of the news is expected to come from the AFL tomorrow morning, but the Eagles are scheduled to play Sydney in a twilight game on the Sunday, closing out the opening round. The club is delighted and excited to be given the opportunity to play against the Swans in what will be the start of a new era at the state-of-the-art venue. “We’re really excited that the AFL is giving us the opportunity to showcase the first game at the new stadium,” West Coast Eagles CEO Trevor Nisbett said tonight. “It is a great outcome and will give our members who have supported us over the last 31 years the opportunity to usher in a new era at the best stadium in the southern hemisphere. “We are thrilled to be playing Sydney, one of our great rivals, in what should be a wonderful launch for football at the new stadium. “It has obviously been a big week in football, this decision coming just four days after the historic user agreement was signed last Sunday.”Fake news findings: About two-thirds of American voters regardless of their political ideology believe that fake news permeates the mainstream media. That it is the conclusion of a poll by Harvard University’s Center for American Political Studies in collaboration with the polling firm Harris Insights and Analytics. The findings were derived from an online survey of approximately 2,000 registered voters conducted in late May. President Trump has famously branded CNN, in particular, as “very fake news” and has similarly scolded mainstream or legacy news organizations such as the New York Times and the Washington Post for scoops based on sketchy anonymous sources and leaks. He has also made it clear that he thinks the media has ignored the accomplishments of his administration in its first four months in favor of portraying it unfavorably. A universal definition of fake news is somewhat elusive, however. Upon returning from his overseas trip, Trump picked up on the fake news thread in a series of tweets (see below). The president has also previously described the news media as the “opposition party.” Among the 65 percent of voters who think there is a lot of fake news going on according to the Harvard data, “That number includes 80 percent of Republicans, 60 percent of independents and 53 percent of Democrats,” The Hill explained. Reacting to the survey results, Harvard-Harris co-director Mark Penn, who was a Hillary Clinton campaign strategist in 2000 and 2008, made this observation. “Much of the media is now just another part of the partisan divide in the country with Republicans not trusting the ‘mainstream’ media and Democrats seeing them as reflecting their beliefs. Every major institution from the presidency to the courts is now seen as operating in a partisan fashion in one direction or the other.” [Image by Evan Vucci/AP Images] A separate survey by the same organization with an equal number of respondents revealed that 54 percent of Americans (and most Republicans and independents) reject the notion of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Sixty percent of those polled expect that a Donald Trump impeachment effort will go nowhere. Democrats largely buy into the Russia and the impeachment scenarios, however. null null null Elsewhere on the Ivy League university campus, a report from Harvard’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy suggests that media coverage in the first 100 days of the Trump presidency has been overwhelmingly negative on all issues based on an evaluation of CBS, CNN, NBC, Fox News, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and three European news outlets. On CBS, CNN, and NBC, 93 percent of the coverage of the Trump administration was negative. The Times and the Post clocked in at 87 percent and 83 percent negative, respectively, with the WSJ publishing 70 percent negative stories. Contrary to popular perceptions, 52 percent of the Fox News coverage was also negative. In contrast, Obama received almost 60 percent positive coverage during his first 100 days in office. The Harvard think tank, which leveled some criticism at Trump as well, summarized its findings about President Trump and the media. “Trump’s coverage during his first 100 days set a new standard for negativity. Of news reports with a clear tone, negative reports outpaced positive ones by 80 percent to 20 percent….Trump’s coverage during his first 100 days was negative even by the standards of today’s hyper-critical press…the sheer level of negative coverage gives weight to Trump’s contention, one shared by his core constituency, that the media are hell bent on destroying his presidency…” In December 2016, the Washington Post had to walk back a story on so-called fake news websites because the story itself was apparently based on a fake research, Natural News recalled. According to the Daily Caller, sourcing on the first-son-in-law Jared Kushner story in the Post has also raised questions. “The Washington Post editors refuse to publicly release the smoking gun ‘anonymous letter’ that serves as the foundation of their sensational charge that White House advisor Jared Kushner sought a secret, back-channel to Russian officials…To date, there has been no independent verification the letter is real or that WaPo‘s description of its contents is accurate. The Washington Post editors also never explain why they withheld the letter…” [Image by Evan Vucci/AP Images] The Caller also pointed out that the New York Times, despite publishing the story, has never seen a copy of the James Comey memo that supposedly indicates that the president asked the former FBI director to drop the Michael Flynn investigation. Do you think that the mainstream media is pushing fake news? [Featured Image by Andrew Harnik/AP Images]Well, here we go. Some of you who have been following my posts recently have gathered that I have had some bigger projects in the works over the past couple of weeks/months, and at long last I am ready to unveil one of them, or as ready as I shall ever be anyhow, I think! Inspired by's delightful Twily-Daily blog (now sadly retired), I've decided to launch a daily art blog of my own, after close to a year of ruminating on the notion of creating a tumblr account. Despite the title it will not be a strictly "shipping" blog either (not that I've ever drawn any seriously "shippy" art myself, really), rather just focused on my two favorite ponies who have never failed to inspire me, so it will be something I should have no trouble staying with and hopefully something everyone can enjoy.If it does not go without saying, most of the art will not be as involved and finished as this launch image, and indeed some days there may only be simple sketches to share, but nevertheless there will always be! I've sincerely missed being more involved with the fandom on a regular basis and I feel this is an excellent way to do so... I hope you all will enjoy.The Alias feature was released with block 22,000, on 22nd of December 2013. Aliasing is a decentralised Domain Name System that allows NXT users to register a string of characters and point it to anything. In simple terms, Aliasing allows one piece of text to be substituted for another, so that keywords or key phrases can be used to represent other things – names, telephone numbers, physical addresses, web sites, account numbers, email addresses, product SKU codes… almost anything you can think of. As soon as Aliasing was enabled, Aliases with commercial potential were grabbed by NXTers who hoped that they might one day be able to sell them on at a vast profit – just like domain squatting on the web. Brands and big corporation names were bought for the bargain sum of 1 NXT – along with a lot of sex-related aliases, of many and highly diverse permutations. Later, a bot was even used to suck up every word of up to four letters that hadn’t already been registered. Send NXT and messages to Aliases Whilst these early ‘squatters’ are still waiting for their rewards, the immediate use for Aliases is simply to make it easier to send NXT. Thus, by registering an alias and pointing it to a NXT account address you no longer have to specify that address when sending coins or messages to it; instead simply send the coins and messages to the alias and they will be received by the NXT account. As an example, writing ‘nxteracc’ in the recipient field will look like this: Another use of the alias system is that it enables you to quickly distinguish between different NXT accounts. Aliases to URLS Aliases can also be set to point to a URL. Chrome and Firefox browser plugins that use the Alias system to replace domain names have been developed – making it possible, for example, by entering nxt:google in your browser, to go to Google.com, or by entering nxt:nxter to surf to NXTER.ORG. Unfortunately, these plugins haven’t been kept up to date. Another use case is linking aliases to.torrent files. UPDATE: For a working Nxt alias browser plugin, see: Nxt’s Alias System: Plugin for Web Browsers Register, trade and delete Nxt Aliases Alias registrations are made in the Nxt client. Enter your preferred alias name and the type: URI, ACCOUNT or OTHER (the alias can contain any data you want). Aliases can be transferred and traded, just like assets. Some are put up for sale on the NXT Marketplace, but there is also a built-in SELL option within the client. You can set a price and if someone tries to register that Alias, they will see your offer and be able to buy it or contact you directly. The trade is automated, again as it is with assets: On payment, the buyer receives the Alias, and the payment is transferred to the seller. With NRS 1.4, Alias deletion will be enabled. (This is a relatively trivial matter, which is just waiting for the UI work). Namespaced Aliases UPDATE: Mofo Wallet is no longer operative The MOFO Wallet allows for encrypted and namespaced Aliases. Namespaced Aliases can be public or encrypted so only the account owner can decrypt it or the account owner and one other account owner can decrypt it. One use case could be a business who issues an asset and sends a lot of messages to the investors of this asset. With namespaced aliases each message could be a namespaced alias, viewable in a client, for example the MOFO Wallet. Now the investor could search per timestamp or partial key ranges and load all announce messages (and only those) in one call. Another use case, which is available as a demo plugin in MOFO Wallet, is a strong Blockchain authenticator that, for example, allows a person to identify himself by decrypting some verified data about himself in the blockchain and send the decrypted data back to the merchant or entity who asks for identification. If, for instance, a merchant wants Alice to identify herself he could provide a URL on his website which points to the plugin and allows Alice to identify herself. The Namespaced Aliases feature is native to the FIMK currency but you can make plugins that work on the NXT blockchain just as easily since NXT is fully supported by MOFO. Aliases as Hyperboria DNS Another practical application of NXT Aliasing is described in the article ‘Nxt aliases as Hyperboria DNS’. ‘Hyperboria is a connection of local meshnets, which works as a self-organizing network which itself builds routes between nodes. It is currently using the Internet to connect nodes / local meshnets but it is designed to run independently of the Internet.’ Nxt and Hyperboria community member Slothbag explains his use of Nxt aliasing: ‘Up until now Hyperboria has not had any decentralized DNS solution. I created a p2p DNS solution for the Hyperboria network to use Nxt aliases as the domain->IP resolution. I prefer Nxt’s alias system, it’s pretty much the same as Namecoin but without the wasteful mining, and with heaps of other cool Nxt features thrown in.’ You can read more about NXT and Hyperboria here, and there’s a 1000 NXT reward on offer for Nxters running
cent. It then estimated the future impact, in a world with more robots. Under two scenarios, one with a conservative estimate for robot-proliferation, and a more dramatic scenario, it estimated employment rates would fall between 0.54 and 1.76 percentage points, while wages fell 0.75 to 2.6 per cent. Frank Pasquale takes a middle-ground view. The Yale fellow and University of Maryland professor has written extensively about the legal, ethical, and social challenges of AI. He points to encouraging research, about new jobs replacing old ones. For example, James Bessen has written about how ATM machines haven't replaced bank tellers. On the contrary. The Boston University researcher charts an increase in bank employment -- workers have stopped handing out cash, and now sell financial products. He finds similar results for paralegals and supermarket checkout clerks. David Autor of MIT uses the example of car windshields: they're now installed by robots, he says, but humans remove the broken ones, fix them, and fit in replacements. Pasquale's conclusion? Mnuchin should be a little more worried, he says. Not panicked, but concerned about the transition, and the many humans whose livelihoods could be sideswiped by fast-approaching change. That especially applies to people who make less than $20 an hour, he said. "I think that is too sanguine a view (from Mnuchin)," he said. "The bottom line: we have to have a robust and substantive policy for transitioning people in areas that are imminently going to be automated."Ashley Siple, a cross-country skier, was spending the weekend in the Methow Valley when she spotted a tiny white creature bounding across the snow. It was a short-tailed weasel, which is also called an ermine for its white winter coat. It caught the attention of several skiers on the Flagg Mountain Loop trail because of its striking coloring -- all white, except for the tip of its tail, which was black. “His little hole was right on the ski trail,” said Siple, who works at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. “He didn’t seem too fearful of us. There were four or five of us watching him do this thing.” Siple took dozens of photos with her iPhone 5 as the ermine pranced across the snow, then returned to its hole with what appeared to be a large mouse in its mouth. She believed that was it, but then the weasel poked its little face out of the hole. She was within four feet at that point. Siple said it was “perfect winter ermine conditions” in the Methow Valley this weekend. Inches of fresh snow had dumped on the Methow Valley in recent days, making it easier for the animal to tunnel under the snow and mark its prey.Photo: Everett Collection Summer may officially be over tomorrow, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t grab your rescue can and head for the beach, anyway: Our spies tell us that Reno 911! co-creator and star Robert Ben Garant will direct Paramount Pictures’ comedy adaptation of the David Hasselhoff–Pamela Anderson series, Baywatch, doing for that long-running series what Reno 911! did for COPS. The script is courtesy of Peter Tolan (creator of Rescue Me), who only a year ago had said that his take on the material was more akin to Stripes than the self-serious syndicated series’ mien, which makes sense, since Baywatch is being produced by Stripes director Ivan Reitman. Less clear is what Ben Garant’s arrival means for the Tolan script, as Ben Garant is also the screenwriter of Fox’s Night at the Museum franchise and may have ideas of his own. In the meantime, Ben Garant is in post-production on Hell Baby, a macabre comedy he co-directed and co-wrote with his old Reno 911! co-creator and co-star, Thomas Lennon; in it, Lennon and Leslie Bibb play an expectant couple whose new home is haunted by a demonic baby.So Wednesdays is already a bit of a wrestling cornucopia and you may be wondering, how do I fit all these shows in even without there being more to offer... But Chikara have joined the fray and as a smitten fan I want you to know that it's worth the time! From Wednesday, July 29, for six weeks Chikara will be bringing their own brand of whacky professional wrestling to the Wednesday Wrestling block. It will stream live on their youtube as well as their own site via Chikaratopia. It will start at 7pm ET time, before NXT/Ring of Honor/Lucha Underground, so you wont be missing anything there. I'm not asking for everyone to tune in, I appreciate that like most wrestling it will have its fans and some might not be enthused... but as someone who's followed this company around internationally (soon) I can happily tell you, that my bias aside, Journey into Chikara will provide you with high action, entertaining match ups which will aim to astound you and ultimately leave you feeling like that fresh faced youngster who watched the television screens in awe. I know the costumes and characters look weird...there's a guy with a baseball for a head, wrestling ice cream cones, a group of man-sized ants and the Grand Champion is essentially a brainwashed Pumpkin King swearing devotion to the undead forces of Nazmaldun... but it works. Every single person involved with Chikara is fully invested 100% - they live it, they embrace themselves and it shows. So what do I ask of you? I know you can get Wrestling Burnout just trying to keep up with Wednesdays, and why should you add a new show to your already busy schedule? Well I'm not asking for you to watch religiously, I just hope you check it out. If not just to dip your toe into the wonderful whacky world of Chikara, but to show founder/head booker/owner Mike Quackenbush that the demand is there. Show him that it's wanted and we can help make Chikara grow. And if you're still unsure about it all, go to their YouTube channel, check out the Podcast-A-Go-Gos, the free matches (espeically the staff picks featuring folks named Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castignoli, Sara Del Rey and Brody Lee that you might recognize)...there's tons of them up there, check them out, see what Chikara is about! Thank you for your time once more cSs, if anyone has any further queries or questions please leave a comment and I'll try and help!By popular request, here are the neatolicious fun facts for... beer: 1. Beer is old stuff: Recipe found in 4,000-year-old Sumerian tablet The first references to beer dates to as early as 6,000 BC. The very first recipe for beer is found on a 4,000-year-old Sumerian tablet containing the Hymn to Ninkasi, a prayer to the goddess of brewing. It tells how to brew beer from barley: The filtering vat, which makes a pleasant sound, You place appropriately on [top of] a large collector vat. Ninkasi, the filtering vat, which makes a pleasant sound, You place appropriately on [top of] a large collector vat. If you're curious as to how the world's oldest beer tastes like, the Anchor Brewing Company produced a limited edition beer (under the Ninkasi label) based on the recipe. 2. Beer is not mentioned in the bible Wine was mentioned - many times, but not beer. Instead, the Bible mentioned "strong drink," which some translated as fermented beverage made from grain (i.e. beer). (Source) 3. The Mayflower landed at Plymouth Rock Because It Ran Out of Beer The Mayflower was supposed to sail to the mouth of the Hudson River, near present-day New York City - but the Pilgrims decided to head to Plymouth Bay because they were low on beer. Colonists William Bradford and Edward Winslow wrote this first-hand account: "We could not now take time for further search or consideration, our victuals being much spent, especially our beer..." Why did the ship carry beer? It's because unlike water, beer don't go bad on long ocean voyages - but lest you think the shipmates were all plastered all the time, the type of beer they carried was "ship's beer," which wasn't very alcoholic. (Source: The Straight Dope by Cecil Adams - though consider this rebuttal by Bob Skilnik, author of Beer & Food: An American History) 4. World's Strongest Beer: Sam Adams Utopias MMII The strongest beer in the world was the Sam Adams Utopias MMII, a limited-run (only 3,000 bottles were made) production by Boston Beer Co. It weighs in at 24 percent alcohol by volume in a mini, old-school, copper-brewing kettles. If you want to get one, be prepared to shell out at least $100. 5. What is hop and why is it used in beer anyway? For flavors, aroma and stability. Hop is the flower of the hop vine (a cousin of the hemp, actually). Early beers didn't use hops - instead, they were flavored with wild rosemary, coriander, ginger, anise seed, juniper berries and even wood bark. Hop was used as flavorings as early as 400 BC by captive Jews in Babylon, but historians think that the real reason it was used as additive was for its antiseptic properties. By adding hops, brewers didn't have to have high alcohol content to prevent spoilage. This meant less grains and therefore more profit. (Source) 6. Beer in a Bag Photo: indy2kro [Flickr] - not sure if this is the original photographer Quick - how many different ways of transporting beer can you think of? Bottles, glass, cans and kegs? You've missed one: in China, you can buy beer in a plastic bag! 7. St. Arnold: Patron Saint of Brewing In the 11th century, Arnold of Soissons, a bishop in the Benedictine St. Medard's Abbey in Soissons, France, began to brew beer. He encouraged the locals to drink beer instead of water for its health benefits (beer was healthier than water mainly because it was boiled and thus sterilized from pathogens). No wonder they made him a saint! 8. How do you say Beer in Zulu? Utshwala. This website will help: here's how to say Beer in 78 Languages. Or if you want to order a beer in 50 languages. 9. "Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy" That's what Benjamin Franklin said, anyhow. That was fun - but we barely scratched the potential with beer. Got any trivia about beer? Add them to the comment! And what should we do for "C" (no cats, mmmkay?)(JTA) — A Muslim organization in northern England announced it would raise funds and lobby for the preservation of the last remaining synagogue in Bradford. The Bradford Council for Mosques recently began working together with the local municipality to raise funds for the Bradford synagogue to ensure the building remains a sacred space for future generations, the Telegraph reported. The building was founded in 1880 and uses Moorish Victorian architecture. “When the chair of the Bradford synagogue approached the Muslim community for help and assistance towards the maintenance of this building, it was a challenge which didn’t take us long to decide on,” said Zulfi Karim, secretary of Bradford Council for Mosques. At the height of the city’s wool and textile boom, many Jews came from Europe to settle in Bradford. In recent years, the Jewish community in Bradford has been in decline, and the synagogue has been under threat of closure because of a lack of funds. Bradford had a Jewish population of roughly 500 in 2008, according to the BBC. “We are all working together to save the synagogue with the help of the local authority,” Rudi Leavor, chair of the Bradford Synagogue, said. Bradford has more Pakistani residents than any other place in England and Wales, according to a 2012 census. In a survey by the Office for National Statistics, one in five respondents identified as Asian or British Asian of Pakistani descent.Over the past 20 years or so, Nippon Kaigi – a conservative Japanese lobbying group associated with Prime Minister Abe, have become increasingly influential in domestic and international politics. Sputnik asked Tawara Yoshifumi, who wrote a book about the secretive organization, to explain its growing clout. © REUTERS / Issei Kato How One Secret Rightwing Group Fights to Return Japan to its Former Glory Tawara Yoshifumi described Nippon Kaigi as an ultra-right organization hell-bent on “rewriting history.” “On May 30, 1997 the rightwing religious organization Society for the Protection of Japan and their likeminded People’s Conference to Protect Japan merged together to form Nippon Kaigi, whose agenda included, among other things, constitutional reform,” Tawara Yoshifumi said. In December 1994, the Society for the Protection of Japan established a group consisting of members of the ruling Liberal-Democratic Party with the would-be Prime Minister Abe representing the head of the group’s managing secretariat. The group prevented parliament from passing a resolution with an official apology to the countries, which fell victim of Japanese aggression during WWII. Tokyo eventually offered its apologies in an August 15, 1995 address by then Prime Minister Tomiicho Murayama, but no concrete steps were made to actually adopt an official resolution to this effect. “I believe that Shinzo Abe owes his reelection to Nippon Kaigi and the Society of MP members of Nippon Kaigi,” Tawara Yoshifumi said. On September 26, 2015 Shinzo Abe was elected to the head of the ruling Liberal-Democratic Party prevailing over his main rival – ex-Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba. When asked why almost 300 Japanese lawmakers happen to be members of Nippon Kaigi, Tawara said that the ruling party and parliamentary organizations hold the key to virtually any political motion made on the parliamentary floor. In August 2005 the upper house of the Japanese parliament rejected a bill to privatize the country’s postal service tabled by former Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro forcing him to dissolve the legislature and call new election under the slogan “Let’s Ask the People!” “One shouldn’t underestimate the role played by the parliamentary groups, which, apart from the Society of MP members of Nippon Kaigi, also include the conservative group Nippon and the Association of Shinto Political Leaders, both headed by Shinzi Abe. I don’t think that politicians who are not members of any of these groups has any chance to stay in parliament,” Tawara Yoshifumi said. Nippon Kaigi describes its aims as to "change the postwar national consciousness based on the 1946 Tokyo Tribunal’s view of history as a fundamental problem" and to revise the country’s 1947 Constitution, and sees its mission to promote patriotic education, restore the status of the emperor and rebuild the might of the armed forces. Nippon Kaigi’s allied People's Association for Creating a Constitution for Beautiful Japan sticks to a similar ultraconservative agenda and some of its members hold senior positions in both organizations.This article is about the late 18th- to early 19th-century American political party. For similarly named parties, see Federal Party (disambiguation) The Federalist Party, referred to as the Pro-Administration party until the 3rd United States Congress as opposed to their opponents in the Anti-Administration party, was the first American political party. It existed from the early 1790s to the 1820s, with their last presidential candidate being fielded in 1816. They appealed to business and to conservatives who favored banks, national over state government, manufacturing, and (in world affairs) preferred Britain and opposed the French Revolution. The Federalists called for a strong national government that promoted economic growth and fostered friendly relationships with Great Britain as well as opposition to Revolutionary France. The party controlled the federal government until 1801, when it was overwhelmed by the Democratic-Republican opposition led by Thomas Jefferson. The Federalist Party came into being between 1792 and 1794 as a national coalition of bankers and businessmen in support of Alexander Hamilton's fiscal policies. These supporters developed into the organized Federalist Party, which was committed to a fiscally sound and nationalistic government. The only Federalist President was John Adams. George Washington was broadly sympathetic to the Federalist program, but he remained officially non-partisan during his entire presidency.[6] Federalist policies called for a national bank, tariffs and good relations with Great Britain as expressed in the Jay Treaty negotiated in 1794. Hamilton developed the concept of implied powers and successfully argued the adoption of that interpretation of the United States Constitution. Their political opponents, the Democratic-Republicans led by Thomas Jefferson, denounced most of the Federalist policies, especially the bank and implied powers; and vehemently attacked the Jay Treaty as a sell-out of republican values to the British monarchy. The Jay Treaty passed and the Federalists won most of the major legislative battles in the 1790s. They held a strong base in the nation's cities and in New England. After the Democratic-Republicans, whose base was in the rural South, won the hard-fought presidential election of 1800, the Federalists never returned to power. They recovered some strength through their intense opposition to the War of 1812, but they practically vanished during the Era of Good Feelings that followed the end of the war in 1815.[7] The Federalists left a lasting legacy in the form of a strong Federal government with a sound financial base. After losing executive power they decisively shaped Supreme Court policy for another three decades through the person of Chief Justice John Marshall.[8] Rise [ edit ] On taking office in 1789, President Washington nominated New York lawyer Alexander Hamilton to the office of Secretary of the Treasury. Hamilton wanted a strong national government with financial credibility. Hamilton proposed the ambitious Hamiltonian economic program that involved assumption of the state debts incurred during the American Revolution, creating a national debt and the means to pay it off and setting up a national bank, along with creating tariffs. James Madison was Hamilton's ally in the fight to ratify the new Constitution, but Madison and Thomas Jefferson opposed Hamilton's programs by 1791. Political parties had not been anticipated when the Constitution was drafted in 1787 and ratified in 1788, even though both Hamilton and Madison played major roles. Parties were considered to be divisive and harmful to republicanism. No similar parties existed anywhere in the world.[6] By 1790, Hamilton started building a nationwide coalition. Realizing the need for vocal political support in the states, he formed connections with like-minded nationalists and used his network of treasury agents to link together friends of the government, especially merchants and bankers, in the new nation's dozen major cities. His attempts to manage politics in the national capital to get his plans through Congress "brought strong" responses across the country. In the process, what began as a capital faction soon assumed status as a national faction and then as the new Federalist Party.[9] The Federalist Party supported Hamilton's vision of a strong centralized government and agreed with his proposals for a national bank and heavy government subsidies. In foreign affairs, they supported neutrality in the war between France and Great Britain.[10] The majority of the Founding Fathers were originally Federalists. Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and many others can all be considered Federalists. These Federalists felt that the Articles of Confederation had been too weak to sustain a working government and had decided that a new form of government was needed. Hamilton was made Secretary of the Treasury and when he came up with the idea of funding the debt he created a split in the original Federalist group. Madison greatly disagreed with Hamilton not just on this issue, but on many others as well and he and John J. Beckley created the Anti-Federalist faction. These men would form the Republican party under Thomas Jefferson.[11] By the early 1790s, newspapers started calling Hamilton supporters "Federalists" and their opponents "Democrats", "Republicans", "Jeffersonians", or—much later—"Democratic-Republicans". Jefferson's supporters usually called themselves "Republicans" and their party the "Republican Party".[12] The Federalist Party became popular with businessmen and New Englanders as Republicans were mostly farmers who opposed a strong central government. Cities were usually Federalist strongholds whereas frontier regions were heavily Republican. However, these are generalizations as there are special cases such as the Presbyterians of upland North Carolina, who had immigrated just before the Revolution and often been Tories, became Federalists.[13] The Congregationalists of New England and the Episcopalians in the larger cities supported the Federalists while other minority denominations tended toward the Republican camp. Catholics in Maryland were generally Federalists.[14] The state networks of both parties began to operate in 1794 or 1795. Patronage now became a factor. The winner-takes-all election system opened a wide gap between winners, who got all the patronage; and losers, who got none. Hamilton had many lucrative Treasury jobs to dispense—there were 1,700 of them by 1801.[15] Jefferson had one part-time job in the State Department, which he gave to journalist Philip Freneau to attack the Federalists. In New York, George Clinton won the election for governor and used the vast state patronage fund to help the Republican cause. Washington tried and failed to moderate the feud between his two top cabinet members.[16] He was re-elected without opposition in 1792. The Democratic-Republicans nominated New York's Governor Clinton to replace Federalist John Adams as Vice President, but Adams won. The balance of power in Congress was close, with some members still undecided between the parties. In early 1793, Jefferson secretly prepared resolutions introduced by William Branch Giles, Congressman from Virginia, designed to repudiate Hamilton and weaken the Washington Administration.[17] Hamilton defended his administration of the nation's complicated financial affairs, which none of his critics could decipher until the arrival in Congress of the Republican Albert Gallatin in 1793. Federalists counterattacked by claiming the Hamiltonian program had restored national prosperity as shown in one 1792 anonymous newspaper essay:[18] To what physical, moral, or political energy shall this flourishing state of things be ascribed? There is but one answer to these inquiries: Public credit is restored and established. The general government, by uniting and calling into action the pecuniary resources of the states, has created a new capital stock of several millions of dollars, which, with that before existing, is directed into every branch of business, giving life and vigor to industry in its infinitely diversified operation. The enemies of the general government, the funding act and the National Bank may bellow tyranny, aristocracy, and speculators through the Union and repeat the clamorous din as long as they please; but the actual state of agriculture and commerce, the peace, the contentment and satisfaction of the great mass of people, give the lie to their assertions. Jefferson wrote on February 12, 1798: Two political Sects have arisen within the U. S. the one believing that the executive is the branch of our government which the most needs support; the other that like the analogous branch in the English Government, it is already too strong for the republican parts of the Constitution; and therefore in equivocal cases they incline to the legislative powers: the former of these are called federalists, sometimes aristocrats or monocrats, and sometimes tories, after the corresponding sect in the English Government of exactly the same definition: the latter are stiled republicans, whigs, jacobins, anarchists, disorganizers, etc. these terms are in familiar use with most persons.[19] Religious dimension [ edit ] In New England, the Federalist Party was closely linked to the Congregational church. When the party collapsed, the church was disestablished.[20] In 1800 and other elections, the Federalists targeted infidelity in any form. They repeatedly charged that Republican candidates, especially Jefferson, were atheistic or nonreligious. Conversely, the Baptists, Methodists and other dissenters as well as the religiously nonaligned favored the Republican cause.[21] Jefferson told the Baptists of Connecticut there should be a "wall of separation" between church and state.[22][23] Party strength in Congress [ edit ] Many Congressmen were very hard to classify in the first few years, but after 1796 there was more certainty. Election year House 1788 1790 1792 1794 1796 1798 1800 1802 1804 1806 1808 1810 1812 1814 1816 1818 1820 1822 Federalist 37 39 51 47 57 60 38 39 25 24 50 36 68 64 39 26 32 24 Republican 28 30 54 59 49 46 65 103 116 118 92 107 114 119 146 160 155 189 % Republican 43% 43% 51% 56% 46% 43% 63% 73% 82% 83% 65% 75% 63% 65% 79% 86% 83% 89% Senate 1788 1790 1792 1794 1796 1798 1800 1802 1804 1806 1808 1810 1812 1814 1816 1818 1820 1822 Federalist 18 16 16 21 22 22 15 9 7 6 7 6 8 12 12 9 7 3 Republican 8 13 14 11 10 10 17 25 27 28 27 30 28 26 30 37 44 44 % Republican 31% 45% 47% 34% 31% 31% 53% 74% 71% 82% 79% 83% 78% 68% 71% 80% 92% 94% Source: Kenneth C. Martis, The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress, 1789–1989 (1989). The numbers are estimates by historians. The affiliation of many Congressmen in the earliest years is an assignment by later historians. The parties were slowly coalescing groups; at first there were many independents. Cunningham noted that only about a quarter of the House of Representatives up until 1794 voted with Madison as much as two-thirds of the time and another quarter against him two-thirds of the time, leaving almost half as fairly independent.[24] Effects of foreign affairs [ edit ] International affairs—the French Revolution and the subsequent war between royalist Britain and republican France—decisively shaped American politics in 1793–1800 and threatened to entangle the nation in wars that "mortally threatened its very existence".[25] The French revolutionaries guillotined King Louis XVI in January 1793, leading the British to declare war to restore the monarchy. The King had been decisive in helping the United States achieve independence, but now he was dead and many of the pro-American aristocrats in France were exiled or executed. Federalists warned that American republicans threatened to replicate the horrors of the French Revolution and successfully mobilized most conservatives and many clergymen. The Republicans, some of whom had been strong Francophiles, responded with support even through the Reign of Terror, when thousands were guillotined, though it was at this point that many began backing away from their pro-France leanings.[26] Many of those executed had been friends of the United States, such as the Comte D'Estaing, whose fleet had fought alongside the Americans in the Revolution (Lafayette had already fled into exile, and Thomas Paine went to prison in France). The Republicans denounced Hamilton, Adams and even Washington as friends of Britain, as secret monarchists and as enemies of the republican values. The level of rhetoric reached a fever pitch.[27][28] In 1793, Paris sent a new minister, Edmond-Charles Genêt (known as Citizen Genêt), who systematically mobilized pro-French sentiment and encouraged Americans to support France's war against Britain and Spain. Genêt funded local Democratic-Republican Societies that attacked Federalists.[29] He hoped for a favorable new treaty and for repayment of the debts owed to France. Acting aggressively, Genêt outfitted privateers that sailed with American crews under a French flag and attacked British shipping. He tried to organize expeditions of Americans to invade Spanish Louisiana and Spanish Florida. When Secretary of State Jefferson told Genêt he was pushing American friendship past the limit, Genêt threatened to go over the government's head and rouse public opinion on behalf of France. Even Jefferson agreed this was blatant foreign interference in domestic politics. Genêt's extremism seriously embarrassed the Jeffersonians and cooled popular support for promoting the French Revolution and getting involved in its wars. Recalled to Paris for execution, Genêt kept his head and instead went to New York, where he became a citizen and married the daughter of Governor Clinton.[30] Jefferson left office, ending the coalition cabinet and allowing the Federalists to dominate.[31] Jay Treaty [ edit ] The Jay Treaty battle in 1794–1795 was the effort by Washington, Hamilton and John Jay to resolve numerous difficulties with Britain. Some of these issues dated to the Revolution, such as boundaries, debts owed in each direction and the continued presence of British forts in the Northwest Territory. In addition, the United States hoped to open markets in the British Caribbean and end disputes stemming from the naval war between Britain and France. Most of all the goal was to avert a war with Britain—a war opposed by the Federalists, that some historians claim the Jeffersonians wanted.[32] As a neutral party, the United States argued it had the right to carry goods anywhere it wanted. The British nevertheless seized American ships carrying goods from the French West Indies. The Federalists favored Britain in the war and by far most of America's foreign trade was with Britain, hence a new treaty was called for. The British agreed to evacuate the western forts, open their West Indies ports to American ships, allow small vessels to trade with the French West Indies and set up a commission that would adjudicate American claims against Britain for seized ships and British claims against Americans for debts incurred before 1775. One possible alternative was war with Britain, a war that the United States was ill-prepared to fight.[33] The Republicans wanted to pressure Britain to the brink of war (and assumed that the United States could defeat a weak Britain).[34] Therefore, they denounced the Jay Treaty as an insult to American prestige, a repudiation of the French alliance of 1777 and a severe shock to Southern planters who owed those old debts and who were never to collect for the lost slaves the British captured. Republicans protested against the treaty and organized their supporters. The Federalists realized they had to mobilize their popular vote, so they mobilized their newspapers, held rallies, counted votes and especially relied on the prestige of President Washington. The contest over the Jay Treaty marked the first flowering of grassroots political activism in the United States, directed and coordinated by two national parties. Politics was no longer the domain of politicians as every voter was called on to participate. The new strategy of appealing directly to the public worked for the Federalists as public opinion shifted to support the Jay Treaty.[35] The Federalists controlled the Senate and they ratified it by exactly the necessary ⅔ vote (20–10) in 1795. However, the Republicans did not give up and public opinion swung toward the Republicans after the Treaty fight and in the South the Federalists lost most of the support they had among planters.[36] Whiskey Rebellion [ edit ] The excise tax of 1791 caused grumbling from the frontier including threats of tax resistance. Corn, the chief crop on the frontier, was too bulky to ship over the mountains to market unless it was first distilled into whiskey. This was profitable as the United States population consumed per capita relatively large quantities of liquor. After the excise tax, the backwoodsmen complained the tax fell on them rather than on the consumers. Cash poor, they were outraged that they had been singled out to pay off the "financiers and speculators" back East and to salary the federal revenue officers who began to swarm the hills looking for illegal stills.[37] Insurgents in western Pennsylvania shut the courts and hounded federal officials, but Jeffersonian leader Albert Gallatin mobilized the western moderates and thus forestalled a serious outbreak. Washington, seeing the need to assert federal supremacy, called out 13,000 state militia and marched toward Washington, Pennsylvania to suppress this Whiskey Rebellion. The rebellion evaporated in late 1794 as Washington approached, personally leading the army (only two sitting Presidents have directly led American military forces, Washington during the Whiskey Rebellion and Madison in an attempt to save the White House during the War of 1812). The rebels dispersed and there was no fighting. Federalists were relieved that the new government proved capable of overcoming rebellion while Republicans, with Gallatin their new hero, argued there never was a real rebellion and the whole episode was manipulated in order to accustom Americans to a standing army. Angry petitions flowed in from three dozen Democratic-Republican Societies created by Citizen Genêt. Washington attacked the societies as illegitimate and many disbanded. Federalists now ridiculed Republicans as "democrats" (meaning in favor of mob rule) or "Jacobins" (a reference to the Reign of Terror in France). Washington refused to run for a third term, establishing a two-term precedent that was to stand until 1940 and eventually to be enshrined in the Constitution as the 22nd Amendment. He warned in his Farewell Address against involvement in European wars and lamented the rising North-South sectionalism and party spirit in politics that threatened national unity: The party spirits serves always to distract the Public Councils, and enfeeble the Public Administration. It agitates the Community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which find a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions. Thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another. Washington never considered himself a member of any party, but broadly supported most Federalist policies.[38] Newspaper editors at war [ edit ] The spoils system helped finance Federalist printers until 1801 and Republican editors after that. Federalist Postmasters General, Timothy Pickering (1791–94) and Joseph Habersham (1795–1801) appointed and removed local postmasters to maximize party funding. Numerous printers were appointed as postmasters. They did not deliver the mail, but they did collect fees from mail users and obtained free delivery of their own newspapers and business mail.[39][40] To strengthen their coalitions and hammer away constantly at the opposition, both parties sponsored newspapers in the capital (Philadelphia) and other major cities.[41] On the Republican side, Philip Freneau and Benjamin Franklin Bache blasted the administration with all the scurrility at their command. Bache in particular targeted Washington himself as the front man for monarchy who must be exposed. To Bache, Washington was a cowardly general and a money-hungry baron who saw the Revolution as a means to advance his fortune and fame; Adams was a failed diplomat who never forgave the French their love of Benjamin Franklin and who craved a crown for himself and his descendants; and Alexander Hamilton was the most inveterate monarchist of them all.[42] The Federalists, with twice as many newspapers at their command, slashed back with equal vituperation. John Fenno and "Peter Porcupine" (William Cobbett) were their nastiest penmen and Noah Webster their most learned. Hamilton subsidized the Federalist editors, wrote for their papers and in 1801 established his own paper, the New York Evening Post. Though his reputation waned considerably following his death, Joseph Dennie ran three of the most popular and influential newspapers of the period, The Farmer's Weekly Museum, the Gazette of the United States and The Port Folio.[43] Ceremonies and civil religion [ edit ] The Apotheosis of Washington as seen looking up from the Capitol rotunda in Washington, D.C. as seen looking up from the Capitol rotunda in Washington, D.C. The Federalists were conscious of the need to boost voter identification with their party. Elections remained of central importance, but the rest of the political calendar was filled with celebrations, parades, festivals and visual sensationalism.[44] The Federalists employed multiple festivities, exciting parades and even quasi-religious pilgrimages and "sacred" days that became incorporated into the American civil religion. George Washington was always their hero and after his death he became viewed as a sort of demigod looking down from heaven to bestow his blessings on the party. At first, the Federalists focused on commemorating the ratification of the Constitution and organized parades to demonstrate widespread popular support for the new Federalist Party. The parade organizers incorporated secular versions of traditional religious themes and rituals, thereby fostering a highly visible celebration of the nation's new civil religion.[45] The Fourth of July became a semi-sacred day—a status it maintains in the 21st century. Its celebration in Boston emphasized national over local patriotism and included orations, dinners, militia musters, parades, marching bands, floats and fireworks. By 1800, the Fourth of July was closely identified with the Federalist Party. Republicans were annoyed and staged their own celebrations on the same day—with rival parades sometimes clashing with each other, which generated even more excitement and larger crowds. After the collapse of the Federalists starting in 1815, the Fourth of July became a nonpartisan holiday.[46][47] Adams administration: 1797–1801 [ edit ] Hamilton distrusted Vice President Adams—who felt the same way about Hamilton—but was unable to block his claims to the succession. The election of 1796 was the first partisan affair in the nation's history and one of the more scurrilous in terms of newspaper attacks. Adams swept New England and Jefferson the South, with the middle states leaning to Adams. Adams was the winner by a margin of three electoral votes and Jefferson, as the runner-up, became Vice President under the system set out in the Constitution prior to the ratification of the 12th Amendment.[48] The Federalists
movies. Along the way, he started collecting movie memorabilia, starting with movie magazines. “I was in a bookstore in Macau while we were shooting [the 1986 film] Tai-Pan,” says Fonoroff, “and I saw a stack of old movie magazines that went back to the 1920s. It was the first time I’d ever seen anything like that. I didn’t even know they existed because when I was in China, they didn’t really let you look at the pre-1949 things. Once I knew that these things were available, I bought everything, absolutely everything I could.” Buying everything wasn’t particularly costly. Fonoroff’s preoccupation with these items coincided with a general lack of interest from locals. And his reputation as a cinephile gave him access to movie studios that weren’t reluctant to share their cache, as well as members of the public who gave him items as gifts. “People who had seen me on TV would write me letters telling me that they were moving and that they had movie magazines that they were planning on throwing away but instead they would give them to me,” Fonoroff says. “Nobody was interested in hanging onto them.” A web of culture The often discarded, seemingly worthless magazines and movie posters that caught Fonoroff’s eye eventually turned into a collection that swallowed his apartment. Now it’s the content of his collection that is attracting attention. “So many of these items are unique or difficult to track down,” says Bao. “This is a problem of the profession, but it’s more of a case in China because they’re subject to precarious geopolitics and different historical moments. So some of the material has become more sensitive, but they’re tremendously important for Chinese and colonial film history.” Among the sensitive materials are items that have come from film studios in Manchuria, a region that was occupied by the Japanese in 1931, and a movie magazine with a cover featuring Jiang Qing. Qing, a 1930s Chinese actress, eventually married Mao Zedong. Today, materials that feature “Madame Mao” have been deemed politically sensitive and access is tightly restricted. “There are a lot of materials in the collection that are unattainable elsewhere,” says Jones, who dug through the materials in the apartments to bolster what eventually became his book Yellow Music. “That includes the National Film Archive in China and the Shanghai Library, which is the largest collection of materials from this era. He had things that they didn’t have. To be able to see and hold the materials and get a sense of the whole media ecology of that period – it was indispensable for me.” More than movies, the Fonoroff collection represents an entire web of culture. Movie magazines and posters serve as time capsules that shed light on a vast, forgotten world. And while the collection is focused on movies, those movies were mirrors for much more. Fashion, music, advertising, the liberation of women in China, the continued growth of urbanization and the complicated push-pull of influence from both Hollywood and Soviet cinema are also on display in this collection. “It’s a rich archive for gender studies, film studies and media studies in general,” says Jones. “Music, theater, print culture, magazines, newspapers are all present here, and they chronicle China’s movement into a modern, urban life.” UC Berkeley photo by Cade Johnson Berkeley ties Berkeley was ultimately selected as the home of Fonoroff’s collection after a friend introduced Fonoroff to Peter Zhou, assistant university librarian and director of the C.V. Starr East Asian Library. “I began to see there were so many connections with Berkeley,” says Fonoroff, a nod toward his experience with Jones and others. “It almost seemed like a fated thing.” Fated perhaps, but the combined efforts of Zhou, Bao, the previous relationship with Jones and the efforts of many others also played a role in getting the collection from Hong Kong to California. “I decided on Berkeley because Berkeley is very strong in Chinese studies,” Fonoroff explains. “It has a film studies program, there’s the Pacific Film Archive and the Berkeley Art Museum. So here were venues where you could not only show the films, but display the posters. And, of course, this wonderful library.” Potential collaboration with BAMPFA seems tailor made and talks are already underway about an October exhibition, as well as an international conference. Posters from the Fonoroff collection are currently hanging on the wall at the East Asian Library, which is in the process of cataloging the many other items donated. As Zhou explains, “This amazing collection makes Berkeley the premier research information center of Chinese film studies in the country.” About the Paul Kendel Fonoroff collection The C.V. Starr East Asian Library at UC Berkeley acquired the largest and most comprehensive Chinese film studies collection in North America. A comprehensive website gives scholars at UC Berkeley — and across the world —access to the materials to gain a fresh perspective on the history of Chinese popular culture, media, and social life. The public can also learn more about Fonoroff’s experience as a collector. The collection includes: 436 pre-1950 periodicals in 5,901 issues 239 post-1950 periodicals in 4,638 issues 4,195 posters 21,233 lobby cards, in 2,194 sets 3,332 theater flyers 4,370 scripts, booklets, and novelettes 5,976 pieces of ephemera 9,214 photographic negatives and slides 4,145 stills and publicity photos 837 VHS tapes 2,450 articles and columns authored by Paul Fonoroff 5,637 Mao badges Media inquiries can be directed to Tiffany Grandstaff, director of communications for the University Library, librarycommunications@berkeley.edu.Image copyright PA Image caption The dog's owner is trying to raise £430 to sedate the dog and probe the ear cyst A cyst found in a dog's ear looks like Donald Trump's face and blonde quiff, its owner claims. Jade Robinson, 25, of Jarrow, Tyneside had to wait until her two-year-old beagle Chief was asleep before snapping the inner ear to send to a vet. But it was a friend who spotted the resemblance between the 45th president of the USA and the infection. Ms Robinson is now trying to raise money to have Chief sedated so the vet can properly examine his ear. She said: "If you know anything about beagles you know how intelligent, active and curious they are and Chief certainly lives up to that - he's full of mischief. "As he has the very distinctive long ears they spend a lot of time scraping the ground sniffing for lovely smells, unfortunately this leads to his ears picking up a lot of dirt. "We have fought to keep his ears clean since day one however general cleaning can only go so far. "This photo had to be taken whilst Chief was asleep as he does not like his inner ears to be touched and I swear I looked and zoomed in and out at this photo over 20 times and never saw Donald Trump - it was my eagle-eyed friend who pointed it out." Image copyright Jade robinson Image caption Chief needs to be sedated before a vet can examine the ear, his owner Jade Robinson says So far Ms Robinson's fundraising page has raised £38 of her £430 target.In Rank Your Records, we talk to members of bands who have amassed substantial discographies over the years and ask them to rate their releases in order of personal preference. There are a few things you should know about Justin Pierre going into this interview, mainly that doing it possibly took years off his life. "This is an impossible task and it may take two hours," he replied when I explained the concept to him, "my hair has already gone full-white." At various times, Pierre also told me we were no longer friends, cursed me out, and then seconds later asked me to help him. Then again, this sort of makes sense when you consider the introspective and borderline neurotic nature of his lyrics which are the very tendencies that have endeared Motion City Soundtrack to fans for nearly two decades and allowed the band to stay relevant while most of their Warped Tour-friendly peers have fallen to the wayside. (We doubt you're going to be seeing a Rank Your Records with, say, Matchbook Romance any time soon.) For the record, Pierre insisted that his favorite Motion City Soundtrack album was their brand release, Panic Stations, which we recommend you all check out immediately after finishing this article. However for the purposes of Rank Your Records, we focused on the band's previous five studio recordings which include Pierre's positive and negative experiences working with producers ranging from Blink-182's Mark Hoppus to the Cars' Ric Ocasek. These albums also chronicle Pierre's struggle with sobriety, something that's been a huge part of the band's evolution and lyrical arc and thankfully something that isn't much of a concern to him these days now that he's settled down with a wife and brand new daughter. (We guess these days most of what he's "committing to memory" involves diapers and formula.) Motion City Soundtrack is also co-headlining a tour with the Wonder Years next month with State Champs and You Blew It! supporting them (dates below). Tell Justin we're sorry we had to do this to him. 5. Go (2012) Noisey: Why is Go your least favorite Motion City Soundtrack album? Justin Pierre: Go is one of my favorite records to listen to, but every time we try to play a song from that record, it just kills the momentum of the show. In retrospect, I think we were all burnt out and miserable to some degree [when we were making the album] and [longtime drummer] Tony [Thaxton] left shortly after that. I was in my own misery, I was thinking about death a lot and had a lot of back pain and was grumpy and it was winter. There were so many things around that record that were weird. It was a very fun and strange experience to write in the studio and I loved working with Ed [Ackerson] who made that record and I think everything is great about it sonically, it was just missing some sort of guts. The raw emotional element? There was something about that record that was lacking and I don't know what it is. I think all of the B-sides should have been on the record and some of the songs could have taken off but I think we were going with a theme and there was a very specific feeling we were going after. Were you happy with it when it came out? Oh hell yeah, I loved it. We sort of thought of Go as a super indie rock record for some reason. I think every album there is some sort of reaction to the one before it. I felt like I was floating through life [when we were making Go.] A lot of people who were close to me died around that time and I just felt this strange floating sensation like I was sleepwalking through life. It wasn't bad or good, it was just weird and I feel like that somehow translated to that record. Like I said, I love the way that it sounds and if I listen to it I really like it, just that something about it was off and I don't know what it is. 4. I Am The Movie (2003) What's next? I think I Am The Movie is really great in terms of what we pulled off in a short amount of time. We had five years to write those songs and ten days to make that entire record. Originally we recorded 12 songs and then we replaced our bass player with Matt [Taylor] and then I think spent 12 days recording his bass parts and three new songs. Those three songs were the first songs the five of us wrote together and they were "Perfect Teeth," "Autographs & Apologies," and "Modern Chemistry." I hope I can say this without upsetting anyone, but some of the vocals on the choruses are cut-and-pasted because we just didn't have time to sing more than one chorus—we had to move on to something else so that whole record was just slammed out as fast as we could and Ed [Rose] kicked our asses in order to make that happen. I dig those songs a lot and enjoy playing them live, but I don't ever listen to that record unless I have to learn something I forgot. Most bands eventually phase out songs from their first album but it seems like you are always doing these full album shows so you have to keep revisiting them. Yeah, I love playing those songs, you could say they have a certain kind of young energy but the content of a lot of them no longer applies so it doesn't pain me to sing them or anything. I'm singing the notes hopefully where they are supposed to be and it's fun to do that. I may not be emotionally connected to what I'm singing about but it's not important because they were written at a certain time. Of course I'm a different person now because that record it was written 13 years ago give or take a year—or five—because some of them were written in the late 90s. 3. Even If It Kills Me (2007) Okay, your third favorite MCS album is… Even If It Kills Me. I think I was in my head a lot when making that and I was really concerned with being able perform the songs live so I learned how to sing them softly and pretty as opposed to going for it. Now I've learned I just sing a certain way live so I can get through an entire tour without blowing out my voice, but back then I was concerned with being able to pull it off so I feel like I sort of lost a little bit in terms of my performance. I feel like I could have gotten a little bit gnarlier vocally in certain songs but I didn't. I also think because Commit This To Memory was such a big record for us we were worried we wouldn't have any songs that were as catchy. It was really fun working with Eli Janney and Adam Schlesinger (who produced half of the album) but Adam works ten times faster than most people and he's already onto the next thing before you have a chance to think about what you did, so it was kind of like playing catch up. What was recording the other half of the record like? Then the other half of the record was working with Ric Ocasek… when he showed up. That was probably one of the weirdest experiences because I think we thought one thing and found out another; often times he would be there for a couple of hours a day and he just confused me the whole time and I didn't really know what he was talking about. I think he's good at picking the right songs and he did expand "Even If It Kills Me" from a little ditty to a full-fledged song, but I think the MVP of that session was his engineer Chris Shaw who we later had mix Go. Even If It Kills Me was the first time I had a bit of writer's block and I was still finishing a lot of the lyrics while we were recording the song and that had never happened before. "Last Night" is one of my favorite songs we've ever done and I think a lot of the songs on that record are great but it just think it's a little on that popper side there's something gnarlier about My Dinosaur Life and the new one and I think that's missing on Even If It Kills Me. Could you talk a little more about the experience of recording with Ric Ocasek? For a while I was nervous about saying anything about my experience of working with Ric but it was kind of a bum-out because literally I didn't understand a thing he said. I would do something terrible and he'd go, "It doesn't get any better than that." And then I'd do something I thought was great and he'd be like, "Do it again." So I think he was just playing some sort of head game with me or us the whole time. I just don't know what happened during the experience. It didn't make any sense. I thought the songs sounded weird and confusing, I didn't know what was going on. We recorded a bunch of stuff and never really got to listen to it and then Chris [Shaw] went away for a few days and I think he spent a lot of time editing, picked the best vocal takes, and put it all together so when we got it back it sounded amazing. 2. My Dinosaur Life (2010) What's your next favorite album? It's My Dinosaur Life because I knew after the Even If It Kills Me experience that I wanted to be able to scream a little more. I decided these records live on longer than any live performance ever will, so there's a lot of screaming on My Dinosaur Life that I cannot pull off at all and I don't. [Laughs.] In between Even If It Kills Me and My Dinosaur Life, I started playing with the Farewell Continental and I didn't think anyone in MCS would like the stuff that I was doing with that band but then the MCS guys were like, "Hey dummy, you should use that song for us because it's not as weird as you think it is." So I think I definitely incorporated a lot of the way I wrote the Farewell Continental songs lyrically. I also got to be that teenage metalhead a little bit on that record and do a lot of weird guitar things and Andy Wallace mixed that fucker and the guitars sound so awesome. This one seems to be the first record where your post-hardcore influences really came through. Yeah, even to a fault. I think sound exactly like the bands I'm listening to even if nobody else does. I think there's a bit of Archers Of Loaf on that record and a lot of Fugazi and Dinosaur Jr., but you don't think of those bands when you think of us. It was our second outing with Mark [Hoppus] and it was very different. On the first one everything had to be perfect and on this one it wasn't gridded out and it was slightly more loose in the studio. But recording Commit This To Memory with him was great too because it was his first time producing a record so I think he wanted to make it sound perfect. I think he came from the school where everything had to be right on and at the time that's what people were doing, but I think in time a lot of bands, including us, have [subsequently] gotten away from that as evidenced on our later records. 1. Commit This To Memory (2005) That seems like a perfect segue into your favorite album. Even though I'm a different person now, there's still an element of that person who wrote that record in me when it comes to the lyrical themes. I don't struggle with the drinking stuff as much, but I struggle with the things I used drinking for, if that makes any sense. We've been playing that record so much over the last year and I have an odd relationship to it because I Am The Movie was a little more playful and then shit got real on Commit This To Memory… for me anyway. [Laughs.] Commit This To Memory was also the first record the five of us all did from scratch. There were no old songs that had to be reimagined with new players. Where were you at during the writing process and how do you think your mindset affected things? I was drunk for half of the writing of it and then I got sober for half of it and there's this weird duality on the record of very angry, drunk songs and very sad and guilt-ridden apology songs. I feel like Commit This To Memory, My Dinosaur Life, and Panic Stations are all connected. On Commit This To Memory, I was newly sober and trying to figure things out, My Dinosaur Life was a few years from that still trying to figure things out, and with Panic Stations I'm incredibly sober and now I'm just working on life things. I tend to think of albums in terms of lyrics, so Commit This To Memory has been on my mind a lot lately and it is one of those records where I don't think I would replace anything on it. It flows really nicely. Commit This To Memory is also your best-selling album. Why do you think that is aside from the fact that people actually bought music in 2005? I think it's the combination of a lot of things. For a lot of people, it was their introduction to us because we did pretty good with I Am The Movie but it exponentially exploded with Commit This To Memory. The album leaked way early and it's still sold almost 500,000 copies I think, which is kind of ridiculous for a band our size. We just did this ten-year anniversary tour on the album and there are people that are eight years old coming out, there are people who are 50-plus and a lot of people who saw us in their twenties now have kids of their own. A lot of people who were too young to see us when we made that record are 16 now but their older brother was always playing it. So, yeah, it's a strange thing but there's something about that record I still connect to a lot even though I am a different person now. Jonah Bayer has made over 1,000 Motion City Soundtrack puns in his lifetime. Tell him that he's all right at @mynameisjonah. Catch Motion City on tour in support of Panic Stations: October 17- Webster Hall - New York, NY October 18 - Webster Hall - New York, NY October 20 - The Palladium - Worcester, MA October 22 – Agora Theatre – Cleveland, OH October 23 – The Fillmore - Detroit, MI October 24 – Riviera Theatre – Chicago, IL October 25 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN October 27 – Ogden Theatre – Denver, CO October 28 – Murray Theater – Salt Lake City, UT October 30 – Knitting Factory Concert House – Spokane, WA October 31 – Showbox at the Market – Seattle, WA November 2 – The Regency Ballroom – San Francisco, CA November 3 – The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA November 5 –House of Blues - Las Vegas, NV November 6 – The Observatory – Santa Ana, CA November 7 – SOMA – San Diego, CA November 8 – The Marquee – Tempe, AZ November 10 – Alamo City Music Hall – San Antonio, TX November 11 – House Of Blues – Houston, TX November 12 – House Of Blues – Dallas, TX November 13 – The Blue Note – Columbia, MO November 14 – The Pageant – St. Louis, MO November 16 – Cannery Ballroom – Nashville, TN November 18 – The Ritz Ybor – Tampa, FL November 19 – Revolution – Fort Lauderdale, FL November 20 – House of Blues – Orlando, FL November 21 – The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA November 23 – Amos’ Southend – Charlotte, NC November 24 – Rams Head Live! – Baltimore, MD November 25 – Electric Factory – Philadelphia, PA November 27 – Starland Ballroom – Sayreville, NJOPI Products, branded as O·P·I, is an American nail polish manufacturer headquartered in Calabasas, California and a subsidiary of Coty, Inc.. In 2010, OPI was acquired by Coty, Inc. [6] In 2014, Coty appointed Mary van Praag as General Manager of OPI. [7] Van Praag replaced John Heffner, the now CEO of Drybar. [8] In 2003, OPI launched a nail polish line for dogs called Pawlish that received mixed reviews. [4] In 2007, after pressure from the EPA and the organization Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, OPI reformulated its nail lacquers and eliminated chemicals DBP (dibutyl phthalate), formaldehyde and toluene. [5] In 1989, OPI expanded its portfolio to nail lacquers and later other products. In 2003, OPI created a Legally Blonde 2 collection that was also featured in the film. [1] Collaborations that have followed include Ford Mustang, the 2010 film Alice in Wonderland, [2] and Dell (2009). [3] OPI, originally named Odontorium Products Inc., was a small dental supply company purchased by George Schaeffer in 1981. Shortly after taking over the company, Schaeffer was joined by Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI’s Executive Vice President and Artistic Director. Schaeffer and Weiss-Fischmann partnered with R. Eric Montgomery, a biochemist, and created an acrylic system that Schaeffer sold door-to-door to local nail salons. They closed the dental sales and focused entirely on nail products changing the name to OPI Products Inc. As most nail polish brands do, OPI has a core collection with colours that are not limited edition. These colours are always available at the retailers and salons selling OPI. Multiple times a year OPI will release limited edition collections. Often, the Spring and Fall collections are based around countries or regions. [10] Celebrities Edit Nail polishes from OPI OPI has teamed up with various celebrities in order to sell their products to a specific niche, with collections named after the artist which endeavor to express their work and personality. Justin Bieber, a Canadian singer, was one of the first to release a celebrity nail polish collection for OPI. In 2010, his "One Less Lonely Girl" collection was released under their drugstore brand, Nicole by OPI, and was sold exclusively in Wal-Mart stores. The Justin Bieber collection proved a successful seller for the brand.[11] Singer Katy Perry had created her own collection by OPI, which was released in January 2011. They featured 5 shades in this collection, all named after Katy's hit singles like "Teenage Dream" and "Last Friday Night". They featured a new nail polish called "Shatter", which gave a crackle/shatter look when painted on top of the nail polish. MTV Style named the Katy Perry collection asone of the Best Celebrity Endorsed Products of 2011.[12] Also in January 2011, Serena Williams, a tennis star, released her own collection called "Glam Slam". The collection release dates were timed to the start of her four major tennis tournaments - Australia Open in January, French Open in May, Wimbledon in June, and U.S. Open in August.[13] In October 2012, it was announced that singer and actress Selena Gomez had collaborated with Nicole by O.P.I to launch a new collection. Consisting of 14 different colours and sparkles designedfor the upcoming spring season, Gomez stated that the colours were selected to suit her classic, simple and elegant style.[14] Each colour was titled in relation to the star’s hit songs, like “Hit the Lights” and “Love Song”. The collection was available for sale in January 2013. In Spring 2013, the company partnered with singer Mariah Carey. This collection featured OPI's new nail technology, the "Liquid Sand" formula, a jelly-based glitter that dries matte.[15] The "Liquid Sand" formula is the first of its kind and was featured in the "007 The Bond Girls" collection by OPI, which was released later in the year. OPI partnered with singer Carrie Underwood, making a collection with the Nicole by OPI brand. This collection was launched in January 2014, with 14 different shades.[16] Branded Partnerships Edit In 2014, OPI partnered with Coca-Cola to produce nail polishes which resemble various soft drink colours.[17] Media Edit OPI had partnered up with The Muppets and released a nail polish collection for their new movie in November 2011. Based on the ABC Family television show, Modern Family, Nicole by OPI and Twentieth Century Fox had partnered up and released their own collection for Nicole by OPI in late December 2011.[18] The nail polish shades in the collection features many colours and also incorporates the characters' name in every colour. In January 2016 a limited edition collaboration collection with Hello Kitty was brought out.[19] This collection had special bottle caps featuring the Hello Kitty logo. In October 2018 OPI released a holiday collection in collaboration with Disney concerning their new movie, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.[20]CLOSE What’s Stew Leonard’s like. We took a look. Joan Verdon/NorthJersey.com The Sears store at Paramus Park mall. Paramus NJ (Photo: Joan Verdon) The Sears department store that has been an anchor of the Paramus Park mall since it opened in 1974 will be replaced by a Stew Leonard’s farm-style supermarket and a 12-screen movie theater under a plan submitted to Paramus zoning officials Thursday. Plans for the redevelopment show the outside of the building will sport Stew Leonard’s signature farm silo. They also show the supermarket, which will occupy the first floor of the Sears building, will have a wine department, outdoor displays and seating areas for customers, and fresh food stations including a sushi bar and farm-style produce bins. There is no mention in the application of a petting zoo or barnyard animals, which also are signature features at other Stew Leonard stores. Stew Leonard's: 5 things to know First look: New AMC dine-in theater in Hackensack Sea change for landmark mall The addition of Stew Leonard’s, which turns grocery shopping into entertainment with costumed employees and animatronic animals like moo-ing cows and clucking chickens, signals a new chapter for the 43-year old suburban mall, and is another sign of the sea change hitting retail. The space where Sears previously sold sweaters, shirts, washing machines and power tools now will devoted to food rather than fashion and home goods. The Record previously reported in July that sources had confirmed Stew Leonard’s had signed a deal for space at the mall. At that time, the mall, Stew Leonard’s and the real estate holding company that controls the Sears building declined to comment. Paramus Park mall and Stew Leonard's representatives again declined to comment Friday when contacted for this story. Story continues after video: The application for zoning variances, however, clearly spells out that Stew Leonard’s is the intended tenant of the 169,000-square-foot Sears store, along with a movie theater that will include a bar and lounge. The operator of the movie theater is not named, but in a previous application for a movie theater at Paramus Park the proposed operator was identified as Regal Cinemas. The 12-screen movie theater will have a bar, kitchen, and a lounge, along with two private rooms, according to the application. The movie theater will be located on the second floor of the Sears space. There will be a new entrance, with an elevator and escalator, leading to the movie theater. New addition? Paramus Park may be getting a Stew Leonard's grocery store Timeline: History of Paramus Park mall Stew Leonard’s will occupy 79,452 square feet on the ground floor of Sears and 20,743 on the second floor, which will be used for office space and an employee break room and cafeteria. The movie theater will occupy 60,353 square feet on the second floor. Paramus Mayor Richard LaBarbiera said the Stew Leonard's news is evidence that recent changes in the borough's master plan is starting to reap benefits. A zoning change that allowed The Valley Hospital to relocate to Paramus, near the mall, will bring new customers to Paramus Park and help it attract high-powered tenants such as Stew Leonard's, the mayor said. "We've put a lot of things in place to make sure that Paramus continues to thrive and remains vital in the retail marketplace," LaBarbiera said. "Now you have a great new tenant coming in to replace an older use such as Sears." Merchants at the mall Friday said privately that they are glad to see new tenants coming in, but they are concerned that a lengthy construction period could hurt their businesses. They also questioned whether Stew Leonard's shoppers would also patronize the rest of the mall. NEWSLETTERS Get the Top Headlines newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong A roundup of the best stories from around North Jersey. Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-888-282-3422. Delivery: Daily Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for Top Headlines Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters The plan will be subject to final approval by the borough’s zoning board of adjustment. Hearings on the plan are expected to be held next year. A separate building at the mall, that currently houses the Sears Tire and Auto Center will be converted into a smaller Sears store. Shrinking Sears Sears, which is struggling to stay afloat, has been selling off its real estate and typically converts its large department stores into smaller locations that only sell appliances and tools. Stew Leonard’s has three grocery stores in Connecticut and three in New York. Its sixth, and newest store, in East Meadow, N.Y., opened in August. The company also licenses the Stew Leonard’s name to nine wine stores that are independently owned. There is a Stew Leonard’s Wines store in Paramus on Route 17, and one in Clifton. The Paramus store would feature the signature Stew Leonard's farm silo in its design. (Photo: courtesy of Stew Leonard's) The stores are as large, or larger than most full-size grocery stores, but carry only 2,200 items, unlike the 45,000 separate items on the shelves at a traditional grocery store. At Stew Leonard’s stores the emphasis is on fresh foods and produce. The stores have bakeries, butcher shops, fresh seafood, and hot and cold buffets. Stew Leonard Sr. opened the original Stew Leonard’s store in Norwalk, Connecticut, in 1969, on the site of a small dairy farm founded by his father. The store was gradually expanded to 103,000 square feet, and the company’s largest store, the 130,000 square foot Danbury, Connecticut, store, opened in 1999. The company’s two newest stores, in Farmingdale and East Meadow, New York, have been smaller, at 65,000 and 70,000 square feet, respectively. CLOSE The Stew Leonard's grocery chain was born in Connecticut in 1969 and has grown to half a dozen stores, with plans to expand into New Jersey. Wochit Read or Share this story: https://njersy.co/2yioDPa“Almost 10 million residential and business customers consume electricity in the five NEM regions of Australia. Most of that electricity is produced by registered generators and sold through the NEM for supply through the transmission grid. But, in the past few years, many customers began self-generating some or all of their electricity by installing rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems, and selling any surplus to their local electricity distributor or a retailer. The output of solar PV installations in the NEM was virtually zero until 2010, but 1.6 million households self-generated with solar PV installations in 2015–16, meeting 3 per cent of electricity needs in the NEM. In the coming years, customers will increasingly be able to meet their energy needs by drawing on electricity that they self-produce and store in batteries.” With the cost of power and electricity increasing every year, no wonder households in most of Australia have decided to invest in roof top PV systems. If the report is to be read and studied in detail, it can be summarized that the AER has predicted that the peak demand for electricity to stay the same for the next 20 years in most of Australia. However south Australia is the only area that has predicted a slight decrease in the annual demand (0.5%) and this reduction can be related to the reason that this region has the most number of solar PV installations in the country. Most households are self-generating their own electricity and those using an on-grid system are even giving back surplus power to the grid and helping out in meeting the power requirements. Let’s take a quick look at the key sources of generation of electricity in Australia: Coal or Fossil fuel Majority of the electricity generated within Australia is through the coal fired generating stations. They burn in specific burners to create steam that passes over electricity generating turbines. The major challenge in this is the emissions and as the country moves towards stricter emission norms, there seems to be a big shift in cleaner and greener renewable energy generation. Wind and Hydro energy This source is mostly seasonal and can be fired up to generate energy during peak demands only. Unlike a coal fired plant which needs a couple of days to start generating electricity, they can be quickly started and stopped. Hydro power stations however have a limited source in that the water is not available as commonly as coal. They also have higher operating costs than the coal powered plants. Solar PV energy These can be considered as the hottest and most promising energy sources. Solar PV systems are in high demand and have already proven to be successful in reducing the overall load on the national grid. Solar Tech companies such as Start Solar are taking the lead in manufacturing high tech solar panels that can be installed on roof tops of households and offices to self-generate the power they require. This is a clean, green and efficient source of energy as it does not have any moving parts and does not require a very high maintenance. The only drawback being that it is dependent on the availability of the sun or the weather. And as they say, the weather is not very predictable. However storing the Sun’s energy in batteries and using an inverter to supply the same is a very efficient and smart work around to this limitation of Solar energy being weather dependent. Francis James is passionate about clean and green energy. He writes on various environmental and renewable energy related topics. He believes in a green lifestyle and is often looking for ways to improve the environment around him. Visit here to know more about “solar system in Australia”With eight Olympic medals under Leisel Jones’ belt, the Melbourne-based Herald Sun made a bold move by suggesting that the Australian swimmer was overweight. The paper has received some serious heat after recently carrying a story commenting that Jones may be in no condition to perform. A photo of the four-time Olympic swimmer was published with the caption, "The Olympic veteran's figure is in stark contrast to that of 2008." The Melbourne Herald Sun suffered from a fierce backlash after commenting on Jones' 'fitness' for the Olympics. Photo source: Dailylife.au. To make matters worse, this was followed by a poll asking readers if she was “fit” enough to compete in London. Shortly after a Twitter storm emerged as supporters, fitness gurus, and other athletes gave their two cents. The biggest question here is: how can the media seek out the general public to criticize a triumphant woman athlete who has already proven herself? It seems some are still uncomfortable
turbines, geo-thermal, ground and air source and solar thermal arrays; in short, whatever works best. Furthermore, energy can be saved and used when needed using accumulators. This plays an important role if solar arrays are relied on. Using renewables and waste heat doesn't just lower carbon emission - in a capitalist economy it lowers people's bills, something perhaps of little concern in a communist society. And like carbon emissions, just how much heating bills are lowered depends on factors such as the system design and fuel used, however according to the Combined Heat and Power Association responding to a survey of DHN's, "heating bills are reduced by as much as 50%... an average of 18% for domestic customers and 13% for commercial customers." Outside of Britain, DHN's are widespread. Whole cities are served, integrating homes with industry and non-domestic buildings, harnessing heat and creating both heat, air conditioning and power. Even here in Britain, the average size scheme has over 650 dwellings. Feasibility studies invariably point out the greatest hurdle to development being the installation cost, however, as seen recently in Cambridge plans for an eco-friendly power station were scrapped after the city council decided there wasn't enough money to made. But isn't this the point? Money is consumption; if what Cambridge council value is profit, then why spend £25,000 on a feasibility study for a project that is in essence designed to minimise a financial return? But this is what we're up against; lip service and back handers. The governments pledge in the 2008 Climate Change Act is to "reduce the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% (from the 1990 baseline) by 2050," and professes to be legally binding. As long as we are still allowed to burn gas in the home, this target may reached for no other reason than we've ran out of the damn stuff. Photo by Kari SöderholmRuby was feeling a distinct sense of deva ju. Something was amiss, and that something was Blake; more specifically the fact that Blake had disappeared for the past few hours. Normally Ruby wouldn't be concerned too much, but given the semester finals that were just days away and all the drama that the Faunus had just endured, Ruby was worried. What exactly Ruby was worried about, she couldn't place her finger on it. She isn't in the dorms; Weiss and Yang don't know where she is either. Ruby figured she could probably ask for help from the two but Weiss was just a finger's width away from stress induced Weissplosion while Yang probably needed every bit of last minute studying. Maybe she is just studying? No, then I would have found her in the library. Ruby's searching finally led her to the one place she had yet to look for the errant Faunus; the common room's kitchen. Maybe she went there because it's quiet? It was true that the library was definitely more than a little… noisy given the imminent collision that was finals. The first thing Ruby noticed upon opening the door was the smell of baked goods assaulting her nose. It was a smell that was well known to Ruby; mouth wateringly good… cookies? Automatically her head swiveled to the source of the smell, the kitchen's oven. So intent on the smell that Ruby nearly missed the person standing next to it, giving her a quizzical look. "Are you drooling?" Blake inquired, eyebrow raised at Ruby. "Um no!" Ruby said defensively, before doing a double take. "Wait, this is where you've been?!" "Where else would I be?" The eyebrow stayed quirked. "Studying?" Ruby wasn't the most studious person herself but even she had found it weird that Blake wasn't studying. "We have the upcoming finals n'stuff… and as the leader of team RWBY I was worried about your grades!" Weiss would be proud of how serious I am taking being a team leader right now! "As your team leader, I-" Ding The oven's timer went off as Blake opened the oven up. If the smell of cookies had been strong before now they were over powering to Ruby. Blake donned oven mittens before taking the tray out and setting it on the counter top. "These are for you." Blake said quietly before backing away from the countertop. "What." Ruby wasn't going to turn down Blake's most generous gift, but at the same time she hadn't exactly imagined that searching for Blake would result in warm gooey freshly baked cookies. "W-why?" "As thanks." Blake shifted on her feet nervously. "If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't have told people about… these." The Faunus' bow twitched. "I don't know how long I wouldn't have said anything and… it was nice having you there." The older girl had a small smile on her face as she looked at Ruby. "It meant a lot to have you there." Gesturing to the cookies, Blake continued. "So I made you cooki- eep!" Blake was cut off as Ruby disappeared in a flash of rose petals before hugging the taller girl. "You didn't need to thank me silly!" Looking up at Blake's amber eyes, only a few scant inches away from Ruby's silver ones, the younger girl continued. "I would help you anyway I can!" "Thanks Ruby." Blake's smile grew as she hugged back, squeezing the red head into a tight hug. A thought flickered into Ruby's head as the two hugged, a very important detail, one to which she had to ask Blake immediately. "…so these aren't made out of tuna, right?" AU: And that is the end of this little arc. A little bit of cute fluff to finish up a surprisingly short arc considering what happened. Next chapter will either be a prelude to the arc I plan to release over RTX or it will be on the Friday of RTX. Usually I'd post a chapter between now and RTX but I'm currently neck deep in Acceptance AND JUST GOT A BRAND NEW COMPUTER THAT REQUIRES GAMING! Side note: No longer will I have to write chapters on a tablet when the laptop freezes and crashes, huzzah! I'd also like to say today is the six months since Monty's passing. I have a bit I'd like to say but honestly I think I'll save it for Acceptance's author's note. Have a great day!Whether they’re playing 15-minute gigs or taking 19 years between albums, the Jesus and Mary Chain have always put a lot of care into the appearance of not giving a fuck. Ever since they first erected their wall of squall on 1985’s Psychocandy, brothers Jim and William Reid have remained permanent residents of a world where sunglasses never come off, cigarette smoke doubles as dry ice, and the only illumination is provided by strobe light. None of the albums they’ve released since has sounded quite the same, but they all invariably feel the same. As the Mary Chain’s first full-length since the late ’90s proves, it will take more than a nearly two-decade recording hiatus to diminish the band’s intrinsic ultraviolet vibe. Despite the epic lag between releases, Damage and Joy feels very much like a logical extension of its predecessor, 1998’s seeming swan song Munki, because the Reids had been unwittingly leaving a breadcrumb trail between the two records this whole time. Half of its 14 tracks are re-recordings of songs that were previously released in some form—as Jim Reid solo releases or as part of their sister Linda’s Sister Vanilla venture. In the case, of “All Things Pass,” it’s a revved-up revamp of the lone song the Mary Chain have officially released since the Reids buried the hatchet back in 2007 (because, presumably, leaving it for dead on the “Heroes” soundtrack seemed too ignoble a fate). Jim recently told Pitchfork that all those castaway tracks “really should have been Mary Chain songs,” if only the brothers’ notoriously combative relationship hadn’t deep-sixed the band after Munki. By that time, the Reids had eagerly accepted their destiny as cranky old men. Where Psychocandy used harsh noise to conceal tender feelings, Munki’s streamlined motorik’n’roll laid the middle-aged Mary Chain’s hilariously hateful lyrics bare. (It’s hard to pick a favorite from “Commercial”: “McDonald’s is shit!” or “Children are fools!”) They were always an insolent band, but Munki marked the first time the Reids seemed to be having fun with being assholes. And on Damage and Joy, that regression continues apace, with the Reids acting like 50-going-on-15, giddily riffing on drugs, guns, erections, girls with curls, and “fly”/“high” rhymes you can spot from miles away. Beyond the blatant nods to the group’s past (“Song for a Secret”—one of two duets with Isobel Campbell—manages to sound like “Sometimes Always” and “Just Like Honey” simultaneously), some of the brothers’ lyrics sound here like they were actually salvaged from an early ’90s scrapbook. The puerile robo-blues romp “Get on Home” finds Jim spending a night with a “blow-up girl,” “some LSD,” and “the MTV”; William’s ridiculous “Simian Split” rehashes a hoary old Kurt Cobain murder conspiracy as if the song was written after watching the El Duce interview in Nick Broomfield’s Kurt and Courtney. And then there’s “Facing Up To the Facts,” on which Jim unleashes a corker that could’ve easily materialized at any point in the Mary Chain’s history: “I hate my brother and he hates me/That’s the way it’s supposed to be.” But it’s easy for the Reids to milk that line for laughs, because Damage and Joy sounds bereft of any conflict or tension. The brothers made the record with producer/bassist Youth (with support from touring drummer Brian Young and Lush bassist Phil King), and it feels more like an intimate recording project than a live band document, mostly splitting the difference between routine electro-Stones rave-ups and strung-out ballads. The Reids score most consistently in the latter category, likely because it forces them to keep their adolescent id in check and deal with more adult emotions. The illicit-affair account “Black and Blues” is gilded gospel Americana dressed up in Velvet-y “ba ba bas” and a winsome guest vocal from Sky Ferreira, who’s thus far batting 1.000 in duets with Scottish rock institutions. And the Spacemen 3-style stoner jangle of “War on Peace” grapples with every aging rebel’s existential crisis—“What if I run?/Where would I run to?”—before issuing a proverbial “fuck it” and stomping on the pedal for an adrenalized, fuzz-powered finale. But the biggest eye opener is album centerpiece “Los Feliz (Blues and Greens).” This luminous, orchestral acoustic lullaby plays like a misanthropic answer to Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’,” its idyllic California scenery—topped with a chorus of “God bless America!”—undercut by a deep-seated despair (“In the land of the free/Wishing they were dead”). Where they were once defined by a collision of face-melting feedback and soothing melody, the modern-day Mary Chain are governed by a different set of extremes: the pent-up desire to act like goofy, hormonal teenagers and the sobering knowledge those days are long gone. But as the brothers recruit their sister/mediator Linda for a closing reboot of Sister Vanilla’s “Can’t Stop the Rock,” the song’s cheery rallying cry—“I’m falling, and I’m happy!”—carries the reassurance that now, more than ever, the Jesus and Mary Chain are united in holy acrimony.Sean Devlin, one of two protesters who succeeded in getting within inches of Stephen Harper at a business event in Vancouver today, says his intention was not to hurt the prime minister but to protest his government's policies on climate change. In an interview airing Monday on CBC News Network's Power & Politics, Devlin explained how he got past the prime minister's RCMP security detail and onto the stage where Harper was getting ready to do a question and answer session with the Vancouver Board of Trade. "I just wore my black dress shirt, my black pants, and I had a black apron on," Devlin told P&P host Evan Solomon. Devlin and Shireen Soofi, the second protester, managed to evade security by passing themselves off as wait staff at the hotel where the event was being held. They did so with the help of Brigitte DePape, who was fired as a Senate page after walking onto the Senate floor carrying a "Stop Harper!" sign during a speech from the throne in 2011 to protest Harper's policies. DePape, who helped organize today's protest, told Solomon she was proud of what Devlin and Soofi were able to pull off. "I'm extremely inspired by what Sean and Shireen did. These amazing young people who took this bold action and wore the necessary garb to get into the hotel in order to protest Harper being here because of the Conservatives' complete inaction on climate change. "Hundreds of thousands of people are dying and being displaced because of climate change," DePape said. Not there to 'hurt' PM After getting onto the stage with Harper, Devlin manage to stand behind the prime minister holding a sign that read "Climate Justice Now." Sean Devlin, a climate change activist, holds a sign after getting onstage with PM Stephen Harper at a Vancouver Board of Trade meeting Monday. Devlin told CBC News that his intention was not to hurt Harper, but to protest his government's climate change policies. (Jonathan Hayward/Canadian Press) Asked if he was surprised to have been able to get as close as he did to the prime minister, Devlin said "no." "That was the plan, to get as close as possible." "What I found surprising is that people are so shocked that a citizen can access one of their leaders when that room is full, I'm assuming of extremely wealthy people, who are essentially paying for the privilege of asking him questions. "He really goes to great lengths to hide himself, not just from the public but also from the media." Devlin said he wasn't a security threat. "I wasn't there to hurt the prime minister today. I was there to communicate a message about people who I believe his policies are hurting." Security did not see it that way. Devlin was immediately yanked off stage. The comedian by trade, joked he received a harsh reception. "I have had a few harsh receptions on stage, but I think that was the harshest," he said. "They threw me right off stage, down some stairs and then threw me into the kitchen and held me on the ground. I was arrested and released. There haven't been any charges," Devlin said. He said his back hurt "a bit" as a result of the way he was handled by security. More protests coming Devlin said he would go to "great lengths" to get his message heard. "If we have to put on an apron to get our message heard, and get those voices heard, that's what we're going to do." DePape said Canadians can expect to see more of these types of protests. "We won't stop until the Conservative government is out of power, we won't stop until the Enbridge pipeline is stopped, and we will continue to find creative ways to make our message heard." Soofi, the second protester, got onstage at the same time as Devlin. She held up a sign reading "The Conservatives Take Climate Change Seriously," with the sentence crossed out. She stood between Harper and Iain Black, the president of the Vancouver Board of Trade. Security immediately grabbed her by the arm and escorted her off stage and out of the room. Black, who had just finished introducing Harper when the activists got onstage, said, "I'd like to take a minute and have some folks removed from the stage." Harper took a sip of water before joking, "It wouldn't be B.C. without it." The RCMP said they are reviewing the incident and would take "appropriate action."Making Vicodin Less Toxic Editor's Note: The information listed below (as simple and painless as it is), is most likely illegal in the United States and also possibly less oppressive nations. My feeling is always that if you are doing such chemistry for the purpose of detox, you are probably okay (even if not technically so). If you are doing it to get high, you are certainly running afoul of the law. I was in jail with this kid who had been there for a week waiting for arraignment because he couldn't afford bail. He was in for faking scripts for Vicodin--an illegal act he had committed almost daily for the previous four years without detection from law enforcement. He told me he was doing 40 Vicodin per day. Vicodin consists of two parts: 5 mg of hydrocodone and 500 mg of acetaminophen. Let's see now, 40 times 500 mg is: 20 grams of acetaminophen per day! Acetaminophen is toxic to the liver. I'd rather expose my liver to Hepatitis C than this kind of daily bombardment. What of the 200 mg of hydrocodone this young man was ingesting daily? It's nothing. About the worst you can say is that he was addicted to the stuff. But his withdrawal was not very bad; this quantity of hydrocodone is equivalent to a 25 mg heroin habit--about $5 per day. Despite what the authorities tell you, drugs are not legal or illegal based upon their danger. This kid was rotting in jail, not because of what he was doing to hurt himself (acetaminophen) but rather because of what he was doing to get high (hydrocodone). The government doesn't want you taking control over your own life and recreation. But you can have your hydrocodone and keep your liver too. In fact, it's really easy. Acetaminophen is not very water soluble and hydrocodone is. Crush your Vicodin with a mortar and pestle and put it into some kind of vial with water--a test tube works really well for this. Mix the solution for a few minutes. Let the solution settle for a few minutes and strain it. Discard the particulate matter. Voila! The solution is non-toxic hydrocodone. Now all you have to worry about is The Law. by Dr. H © 2001 HEROIN helper recently received the following email: I found on the HEROIN helper website a simple method to remove acetaminophen from Vicodin, since the Tylenol is really the more dangerous of the two ingredients in the pills. If this method is used, one would be left with a liquid form of the hydrocodone. What would be the best way to take it then? Most importantly, would the solution be safe for injecting? I ask because I read somewhere that some meds are dangerous to try this with, some even deadly. Sometime in the near future, HEROIN helper will deal with this issue in more detail. For now, it is necessary to add a clarification to this article. It is known that codeine administered intravenously at a large enough concentration (which can be quite small) can cause pulmonary edema. This is the swelling of lung tissue and can result in death. We have no information on IV hydrocodone. But hydrocodone acts, in many ways, like codeine. As a result, until we learn something to the contrary, the official HEROIN helper position is Don't IV Hydrocodone by Dr. H © 2001In the wake of a string of sexual assaults on or near campus, Ryerson University's student union held the first of two emergency meetings Wednesday. “I think that we heard a lot of concerns aired and it was just the beginning of a much larger conversation,” said union executive member Marwa Hamad, 22. Organizers asked the media to not report on anything said in the meeting due to the topic's sensitive nature. Police said Wednesday they have received five reports of sexual assault on or near campus since the beginning of September. Of those, one has been classified as “unfounded,” meaning there is no evidence to support a charge, said police spokesman Const. Tony Vella. “We'll do everything possible to identify the offenders,” said Vella, who urged people to report any incidents to police. Hamad said she doesn't necessarily think there's been a marked hike in sexual assaults.Good morning! I just got some new coffee beans that are rocking my world this Sunday morning! Today I’m reviewing something that’s made its rounds in the AB (AsianBeauty) community: There are a lot of positive reviews online for this product and I couldn’t resist seeing for myself! I’ve tried the Missha snail line as well, and thought it was pretty good. I think I will like the Mizon snail skincare line more, though, based on how much I liked this product. INGREDIENTS: Snail secretion filtrate, butylene glycol, cyclopentasiloxane, glycerin, Bis-peg-18 methyl ether, dimethyl silane, polysorbate2-, sodium hyaluronate, carbomer, glycosyl trehalose, hydrogenated starch hydolsyate, triethanolamine, dimethicone/vinyl dimethicone crosspolymer, dimethicone, hydroxyethylcellulose, caprylyl glyocol, ethylhexylglycerin, sodium polyacrylate, centella asiatica extract, portulaca oleracea extract, camellias sinensis leaf extract, nelumbo nucifera flower extract, betula platylphylla japonica juice, tropolone, copper tripeptide-1, allantoin, panthenol, olea europaea (olive) fruit oil, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, palmitoyl pentapeptide-4, adenosine, disodium edta It’s a very lightweight gel (not cream), with very little fragrance. I use it in the morning as my last skincare step and before my sunscreen/makeup. It spreads very easily and absorbs quickly. It works well with all my other skincare products so far! It hasn’t broken me out, and it keeps my skin moisturized all day. I used to have to use my facial spray at least twice a day to keep my skin from sprouting dry patches, but ever since I started using this in the mornings, I have much less of a problem keeping moisture in my skin. I’m really happy with it and I’m already waiting for a back-up in the mail! I haven’t noticed any improvement with my acne or fine lines, other than the improvements caused by hydration, but I’ve only been using it for a month. It’s affordable and I like the ingredients. Overall, I like it more than my Missha snail products (moisturizer/cream), because the Missha ones have way more fragrance. The Mizon Recovery Gel does remind me of the Missha Cell Renew Snail Cream, in terms of consistency and results. And it’s much more affordable! This makes me want to try more creams from Mizon when my current routine runs out! What have you tried from Mizon? Any recommendations? ❤ Bine Queen ❤A green lawn, a white picket fence, a shining sun. Small children walk home from school; their mother, clad in an apron, waves to greet them. Father comes home in the evening from his well-paid job, the same one he has had all of his life. He greets the neighbors cheerfully — they are all men and women who look and talk like he does — and sits down to watch the 6 o’clock news while his wife makes dinner. The sun sets. Everyone sleeps well, knowing that the next day will bring no surprises. In the back of their minds, all Americans know this picture. We’ve seen this halcyon vision in movies, we’ve heard it evoked in speeches and songs. We also know, at some level, what it conceals. There are no black people in the picture — they didn’t live in those kinds of neighborhoods in the 1940s or 1950s — and the Mexican migrants who picked the tomatoes for the family dinner are invisible, too. We don’t see the wife popping Valium in the powder room. We don’t see the postwar devastation in Europe and Asia that made U.S. industry so dominant, and U.S. power so central. We don’t see half the world is dominated by totalitarian regimes. We don’t see the technological changes that are about to arrive and transform the picture. [Trump’s inaugural address offers nothing to soothe the worst fears about him] We also know, at some level, that this vision of a simpler America — before civil rights, feminism, the rise of other nations, the Internet, globalization, free trade — can never be recovered, not least because it never really existed. But even if we know this, that doesn’t mean that the vision has no power. We live in a culture that celebrates disruption, innovation, entrepreneurship, risk, diversity and change. Yet many people dream of stability, security and homogeneity, even racial purity, as well as a world in which the United States is always and forever unchallenged. Indeed, the desire to turn the clock back is so powerful, so persuasive and so appealing to the “real Americans” who support it, the “forgotten men and women” of the inaugural address, that it has brought us the presidency of Donald Trump. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post) Over the past few days, multiple polls have shown that Trump is the least popular new president in recent memory. He received 3 million fewer votes than his opponent. He won with the aid of a massive Russian intelligence operation, and by propagating lies about Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. But don’t let any of this fool you: Do not underestimate the appeal of his nostalgic vision. His call for America to “start winning again,” his denunciation of the “crime and gangs and drugs” of the present, these are so powerful that he has triumphed despite his dishonesty, his vulgarity, his addiction to social media, his lack of religious faith, his many wives, all of the elements of his character and personal history that seemed to disqualify him. Surrounded by the trappings of the White House, its appeal may well increase. Of course this vision will not appeal to everybody: It is not designed to do so. On the contrary, this appeal to the so-called real America, a tribe that exists within the United States of America, deliberately excludes anyone black or brown, anyone who does not live in a nuclear family and anyone who cannot or will not aspire to a house with a white picket fence. Nor can it succeed: The “jobs” and the “borders” that Trump promised to “bring back” do not exist anymore, in a world of air travel and artificial intelligence and automation. But Trump is not the first demagogue to succeed by offering an impossible, idealized national vision. Anybody who reads history knows that people have argued with one another, competed with one another and even murdered one another in the name of countless national and tribal utopias, religious and secular, right wing and left wing, over many centuries. [A most dreadful inaugural address] Nor is it unique. Trump’s America has parallels in contemporary Europe, in the nationalist rhetoric of politicians who also seek to drag France, Britain or Germany violently backward into an allegedly simpler, safer, whiter and purer time. Now that he is in office, many others with radical, even bloody visions of change will seek to align with him, too. Still others will reject his utopian American nationalism, his “America First” rhetoric and his brutal calls for protectionism and selfish tribalism. Indeed, it is likely the Trump administration will be remembered around the world as the tipping point, the moment when U.S. influence, which always had a base in ideas and morality as well as economic and military power, finally went into steep and irreversible decline. But the people who believe in Trump’s vision will not see that decline, they will not understand it and they will not have their hearts changed by it. The promise of the mythical past, now to be recovered, is far, far too strong. Read more from Anne Applebaum’s archive, follow her on Twitter or subscribe to her updates on Facebook.Sunday night, Jake Arrieta came within sniffing distance of doing the almost unthinkable. By which I mean, Arrieta made a serious bid to hit two home runs. He also, at the same time, flirted with a perfect game against the Pirates, but that part is very thinkable. I don’t know how many times this year Arrieta has grabbed attention for taking a no-hitter or a perfect game deep, but it numbers somewhere in the “a lot”s, with Arrieta more or less existing on the verge of history. It doesn’t take a no-hitter bid to put him in that position — the bid is practically a foregone conclusion. Eventually, Arrieta gave up a hit and put multiple people on base, but none of those people happened to score, Arrieta spinning another seven shutout innings. Two batters of a total of 22 reached, and one of them only did so because Arrieta did him the privilege of hitting him with a pitch. The outing was timed well, what with the Pirates being a rival of the Cubs. The outing was timed well, what with Arrieta in the running for the Cy Young award. And the outing furthered Arrieta’s case for maybe having the best season half that ever there was. However arbitrary season halves are, we’ve been splitting seasons at the All-Star break forever, and what Arrieta has done since the break legitimately defies belief. The math: 14 starts, covering just over 101 innings. All of them have counted as “quality starts.” All but one, the Cubs have won, and in the loss they got shut out. Arrieta’s given up a dozen runs. Nine have been earned. He really has averaged less than a run allowed an outing. For the sake of comparisons, we can make use of the Baseball-Reference Play Index. It makes everything that follows pretty simple. Let’s get started, looking for the best ERAs ever. I know we don’t love ERA, but that’s why this is a starting point. You can’t not acknowledge it somewhere. I decided to define a qualifying season half as one in which the pitcher started at least 10 games. I think it’s a good-enough cutoff, and now here’s a top 10: Just starting with ERA, we find second-half Arrieta in third place. Baseball has taken place over many years! So, while Arrieta would have more company if his numbers were worse, instead his numbers are fantastic, and his peer group is small. I can’t speak to any players the search might’ve left out, perhaps because their data is incomplete, but consider this a post about statistics we know. No use involving players who don’t have full statistical records. The obvious next step from ERA — raw RA, folding in unearned runs. That top 10: Top 10 Season-Half RAs Pitcher Half Year IP RA Jake Arrieta 2nd Half 2015 101.3 1.07 Kris Medlen 2nd Half 2012 95.3 1.13 Roger Clemens 2nd Half 1990 92.7 1.17 Ferdie Schupp 2nd Half 1916 113.3 1.27 Tom Seaver 2nd Half 1971 139.3 1.29 Dutch Leonard 1st Half 1914 149.3 1.33 Bob Gibson 1st Half 1968 160.7 1.34 Bob Knepper 1st Half 1981 86.3 1.36 Johan Santana 2nd Half 2004 104.3 1.38 Jose Fernandez 2nd Half 2013 68.0 1.46 SOURCE: Baseball-Reference Just by runs, now we get Arrieta in first. And many would argue runs are a better measure than limiting to unearned runs. You’ll see some recent years, here, because offense has trended down, and these numbers are unadjusted for context. But just consider the message here: by runs per nine innings, Jake Arrieta’s second half has been the best season half — that we know of — all-time. Emphasis on “all-time.” It’s not something that can’t be debated, but there’s no debating the significance. Let’s leave these metrics behind, though. Let’s throw away a little bit of sequencing and look simply at how the pitchers have been hit by their opponents. I went into the numbers and manually calculated wOBA allowed, with help from ours Guts page. Though Baseball-Reference makes OPS figures available, I thought I might as well go to the next step. Another top 10: Top 10 Season-Half wOBA Allowed Pitcher Half Year wOBA Jake Arrieta 2nd Half 2015 0.192 Ferdie Schupp 2nd Half 1916 0.192 Reb Russell 1st Half 1916 0.198 Clayton Kershaw 2nd Half 2015 0.202 Johan Santana 2nd Half 2004 0.202 Pedro Martinez 2nd Half 2000 0.203 Burt Hooton 2nd Half 1981 0.205 Greg Maddux 1st Half 1995 0.208 Sandy Koufax 2nd Half 1965 0.208 Joe Horlen 2nd Half 1964 0.211 SOURCE: Baseball-Reference Once more, we find Arrieta in first. Now, he’s in first by the smallest of possible margins, but he does hold the tiebreaker over Schupp if you keep following the decimals further to the right. And Schupp had his second half literally a century ago. It’s true that, since the All-Star break, Arrieta has allowed baseball’s second-lowest BABIP. That’s partially fueling this, but then, there’s a difference between talking about true talent and talking about results. Since the break, Arrieta leads baseball in groundball rate. He’s among the leaders in soft-hit rate and hard-hit rate. He’s given up just two home runs. He hasn’t been hit hard, so why try to pretend otherwise? About that.192 wOBA — Giants pitchers this year have a.208 wOBA. So, there’s that. Of course, I have to note that, in that same table, 2015 second-half Clayton Kershaw is fourth. This is a good award race. Now one last table, introducing an adjustment of sorts. For every pitcher, I calculated wOBA allowed. We also have league wOBA, so I created a wOBA- statistic, dividing wOBA allowed by the league mark and then multiplying by 100. Our last top 10: Top 10 Season-Half wOBA- Allowed Pitcher Half Year wOBA- Pedro Martinez 2nd Half 2000 59 Jake Arrieta 2nd Half 2015 61 Johan Santana 2nd Half 2004 61 Ferdie Schupp 2nd Half 1916 62 Greg Maddux 1st Half 1995 62 Reb Russell 1st Half 1916 63 Clayton Kershaw 2nd Half 2015 64 Pedro Martinez 1st Half 2000 65 Burt Hooton 2nd Half 1981 65 Nolan Ryan 2nd Half 1986 66 SOURCE: Baseball-Reference Pedro basically had to take the lead. Though his wOBA allowed that half-season was 11 points worse than Arrieta’s, the league wOBA now is 27 points lower than it was when Pedro was going to work. So the adjustment allows Pedro to vault out in front. I wouldn’t consider it an insult to argue that Arrieta might be having a slightly worse half-season than Pedro Martinez had at his peak. Arrieta, of course, is second here. Further adjustments would rearrange the table — I could split up the AL and NL wOBAs. Pedro was in the AL; Arrieta is in the NL. I’m also not considering park effects. You can’t adjust for everything, and sometimes it’s okay for a stat to be imperfect. All the stats are imperfect. By just about any imperfect stat you look at, Arrieta is having an all-time season half. If not the very best, then one of them. And there has been an awful lot of baseball. If the schedule keeps up, Arrieta gets one more go. According to the Cubs website, he’s to be the Friday starter against the Brewers. Arrieta, naturally, is going to start the wild-card game against the Pirates, but that isn’t scheduled until October 7, which would put Arrieta on regular rest. So there’s one more chance for him to boost his numbers. The outing will probably be abbreviated, but it’ll bring an end to his second half. It’ll set the numbers in stone, and then we’ll have an even better idea of how this season half compares to all the others. But it’s enough to say: it compares really well. It’s been a historic half season. And we split the numbers at the All-Star break. Arrieta pitched against the White Sox the Sunday before. He allowed a run and two hits in nine innings.While many in the UK were enjoying the hottest day of the year, it wasn't such a sweaty day in other parts of the country on Tuesday. The warmest September day since 1911 was recorded in Gravesend, Kent, where it reached 34.4C. But 230 miles away, the Champions League match between Manchester City and Borussia Monchengladbach was called off due to heavy rain. With 32.4mm of rainfall in an hour the match had to be moved to Wednesday. The north There were those who were soaked indoors and almost flooded out of shops. The south Many packed public lidos and beaches. The north Market Street - the main shopping street in Manchester city centre looked almost unrecognisable. The south Some took to parks to enjoy lunch or an evening stroll. And of course, surf's always up in Cornwall... Find us on Instagram at BBCNewsbeat and follow us on Snapchat,
Crest. A lawsuit from the open-government nonprofit MuckRock prompted the CIA to make the documents available online. Further pressure to publish the documents came from the transparency advocate and journalist Michael Best, who began steadily scanning and uploading the documents one by one.” Continuing, the Guardian reported that “the CIA also kept files and documents on media organizations and individual reporters.” In 2014, Best from MuckRock, filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit in order to get the CIA to post all of its documents online. Along the way, Best reportedly crowd-funded more than $15000 to “print out and then publicly upload the records, one by one, to apply pressure to the CIA.” Although some mainstream outlets have been somewhat congratulatory of the CIA, many of the files released remain heavily redacted. In the early 1950’s, the CIA ran a wide-scale program called Operation Mockingbird that was said to have infiltrated the American news media in particular, which propagandized the public through various front organizations, magazines and cultural groups. ‘THE COMPANY’ – The Central Intelligence Agency of the United States. (Image Source: zerohedge.com) In recent years, there has been a series of surreal and unreal news stories since the Smith-Mundt Act was effectively rendered obsolete by US lawmakers on July 2nd 2013, as published by RT below: “Until earlier this month, a longstanding federal law made it illegal for the US Department of State to share domestically the internally-authored news stories sent to American-operated outlets broadcasting around the globe. All of that changed effective July 2, when the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) was given permission to let US households tune-in to hear the type of programming that has previously only been allowed in outside nations.” “The Smith-Mundt Act has ensured for decades that government-made media intended for foreign audiences doesn’t end up on radio networks broadcast within the US. An amendment tagged onto the National Defense Authorization Act removed that prohibition this year.” More from Washington’s Blog below… (Photo Illustration 21WIRE’s Shawn Helton) Washington’s Blog Newly-declassified documents show that a senior CIA agent and Deputy Director of the Directorate of Intelligence worked closely with the owners and journalists of many of the largest media outlets: The United States Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities found in 1975 that the CIA submitted stories to the American press: Wikipedia adds details: After 1953, the network was overseen by Allen W. Dulles, director of the CIA. By this time, Operation Mockingbird had a major influence over 25 newspapers and wire agencies. The usual methodology was placing reports developed from intelligence provided by the CIA to witting or unwitting reporters. Those reports would then be repeated or cited by the preceding reporters which in turn would then be cited throughout the media wire services. The Office of Policy Coordination (OPC) was funded by siphoning off funds intended for the Marshall Plan [i.e. the rebuilding of Europe by the U.S. after WWII]. Some of this money was used to bribe journalists and publishers. In 2008, the New York Times wrote: During the early years of the cold war, [prominent writers and artists, from Arthur Schlesinger Jr. to Jackson Pollock] were supported, sometimes lavishly, always secretly, by the C.I.A. as part of its propaganda war against the Soviet Union. It was perhaps the most successful use of “soft power” in American history. A CIA operative told Washington Post owner Philip Graham … in a conversation about the willingness of journalists to peddle CIA propaganda and cover stories: You could get a journalist cheaper than a good call girl, for a couple hundred dollars a month. Famed Watergate reporter Carl Bernstein wrote in 1977: More than 400 American journalists … in the past twenty‑five years have secretly carried out assignments for the Central Intelligence Agency, according to documents on file at CIA headquarters. * In many instances, CIA documents show, journalists were engaged to perform tasks for the CIA with the consent of the managements of America’s leading news organizations. * Among the executives who lent their cooperation to the Agency were [the heads of CBS, Time, the New York Times, the Louisville Courier‑Journal, and Copley News Service. Other organizations which cooperated with the CIA include [ABC, NBC, AP, UPI, Reuters], Hearst Newspapers, Scripps‑Howard, Newsweek magazine, the Mutual Broadcasting System, the Miami Herald and the old Saturday Evening Post and New York Herald‑Tribune. * There is ample evidence that America’s leading publishers and news executives allowed themselves and their organizations to become handmaidens to the intelligence services. “Let’s not pick on some poor reporters, for God’s sake,” William Colby exclaimed at one point to the Church committee’s investigators. “Let’s go to the managements. * The CIA even ran a formal training program in the 1950s to teach its agents to be journalists. Intelligence officers were “taught to make noises like reporters,” explained a high CIA official, and were then placed in major news organizations with help from management. * Once a year during the 1950s and early 1960s, CBS correspondents joined the CIA hierarchy for private dinners and briefings. * Allen Dulles often interceded with his good friend, the late Henry Luce, founder of Time and Life magazines, who readily allowed certain members of his staff to work for the Agency and agreed to provide jobs and credentials for other CIA operatives who lacked journalistic experience. * In the 1950s and early 1960s, Time magazine’s foreign correspondents attended CIA “briefing” dinners similar to those the CIA held for CBS. * When Newsweek was purchased by the Washington Post Company, publisher Philip L. Graham was informed by Agency officials that the CIA occasionally used the magazine for cover purposes, according to CIA sources. “It was widely known that Phil Graham was somebody you could get help from,” said a former deputy director of the Agency. “Frank Wisner dealt with him.” Wisner, deputy director of the CIA from 1950 until shortly before his suicide in 1965, was the Agency’s premier orchestrator of “black” operations, including many in which journalists were involved. Wisner liked to boast of his “mighty Wurlitzer,” a wondrous propaganda instrument he built, and played, with help from the press.) * In November 1973, after [the CIA claimed to have ended the program], Colby told reporters and editors from the New York Times and the Washington Star that the Agency had “some three dozen” American newsmen “on the CIA payroll,” including five who worked for “general‑circulation news organizations.” Yet even while the Senate Intelligence Committee was holding its hearings in 1976, according to high‑level CIA sources, the CIA continued to maintain ties with seventy‑five to ninety journalists of every description—executives, reporters, stringers, photographers, columnists, bureau clerks and members of broadcast technical crews. More than half of these had been moved off CIA contracts and payrolls but they were still bound by other secret agreements with the Agency. According to an unpublished report by the House Select Committee on Intelligence, chaired by Representative Otis Pike, at least fifteen news organizations were still providing cover for CIA operatives as of 1976. * Those officials most knowledgeable about the subject say that a figure of 400 American journalists is on the low side …. “There were a lot of representations that if this stuff got out some of the biggest names in journalism would get smeared” …. An expert on propaganda testified under oath during trial that the CIA now employs THOUSANDS of reporters and OWNS its own media organizations. Whether or not his estimate is accurate, it is clear that many prominent reporters still report to the CIA. A 4-part BBC documentary called the “Century of the Self” shows that an American – Freud’s nephew, Edward Bernays – created the modern field of manipulation of public perceptions, and the U.S. government has extensively used his techniques. More from Washington’s Blog here… READ MORE PROPAGANDA NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Propaganda Files READ MORE PENTAGON NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Pentagon Files SUPPORT 21WIRE by subscribing and becoming a MEMBER @ 21WIRE.TVIs it the end of the line for tuna? Bluefin tuna has been overfished for decades and could disappear from European waters, taking the EU’s credibility on fisheries with it. The European Union’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) will be judged by what happens to bluefin tuna. The CFP’s credibility will be badly damaged if the silvery-grey fish disappears from the waters of the Atlantic and Mediterranean. Scientists fear that bluefin tuna, having been overfished for decades, is at risk of disappearing for good. “Collapse could be a real possibility in the foreseeable future,” said a report last year by scientists for the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, the international body that manages the fish. The only thing protecting the fish in European waters is the EU’s inspection and control regime, the teams of EU inspectors who check that fishing fleets are sticking to their quotas. The missions are more active than ever before, but not everyone thinks that they are enough to stave off collapse. During this year’s three-month mission (mid-April to mid-June) officials carried out more than 600 inspections and found 96 infringements of the rules. EU ships and planes patrolled the seas from the eastern Mediterranean as far west as the Azores. Co-ordination The mission was organised by the Community Fisheries Control Agency, an EU body created in 2005 to boost the EU’s hitherto poor performance in enforcing its own fishing rules. The CFCA does not have its own inspectors, but co-ordinates teams from different EU countries. Seven countries are involved in the bluefin tuna mission: Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain. The CFCA will present its report in the autumn. In a statement earlier this month, a spokesperson said that it was too early to reach final conclusions, but that “implementation had been very successful in terms of co-operation between national services” and that “operations have been more effective than last year”. Inspections were more effective because of training of inspectors, the statement continued. Although the industry “did more…to comply with the rules”, the “number of apparent infringements discovered increased”, which the CFCA attributes to more effective inspections rather than an increase in fishermen bending the rules. Gilberto Ferrari, director of Federcoopesca, an association representing the Italian fishing industry, said that controls had been “very hard” this year. He is worried that next year could bring an even tougher regime with an EU inspector on board every boat. For Gemma Parkes, in the Rome office of the conservation organisation WWF, it is too early to judge how effective the EU mission has been. But she said “we know that the stocks are in dire straits and we know they are collapsing in real time as we speak”. Earlier this year, WWF warned that breeding stocks could be wiped out by 2012 if the current pace of fishing goes unchecked. For conservationists, the time for quotas has passed; nothing less than a full moratorium on fishing in the Mediterranean can save the stocks now. Fact File A last chance for recovery? The bluefin tuna has not yet reached ‘panda bear’ status, but it is getting that way. Increasingly, governments are arguing that it should be put on international conservation lists. In recent weeks, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK have all come out in favour of regulating bluefin tuna under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). This treaty is best known for protecting elephants and tigers, although thousands of plants and animals fall under its protection (see box below). Putting bluefin tuna on the CITES list would be an acknowledgement that fisheries management has failed. Sigmar Gabriel, the German environment minister, described EU efforts to protect the tuna as “half-hearted” and “unsuccessful” and called for a ban in international trade – the strongest possible measure under CITES. Consumers in northern Europe have an appetite for bluefin tuna, so their support is important. But France’s intervention is arguably the most significant. President Nicolas Sarkozy called for a ban on trade in bluefin tuna – a step further than the official text of the French government policy paper, which contains a vague proposal that bluefin tuna should be on the CITES list in line with scientific advice. The convention regulates trade in different ways, depending on how endangered species are. But either way, Sarkozy’s declaration was a striking about-turn. Just one year earlier the French government complained vigorously when the European Commission decided to close a bluefin tuna fishery. Michel Barnier, the then fisheries and agriculture minister, insisted there was no evidence that French fishermen had exceeded their quota. As the appropriately named Jean Quatremer noted, in his blog for the French newspaper Libération, Sarkozy’s call for a “total rupture” with EU fishing policy was in fact a “rupture” with his own policy. Other tuna-fishing nations are taking note of the CITES plan but have not taken a position. A spokeswoman for the Spanish government said that Madrid would study any proposal put forward to add bluefin tuna to the CITES list. She said: “It should be noted that the bluefin tuna is protected through the ICCAT [International Committee for Conservation of Atlantic Tunas]…and among the measures that the organisation has launched is the recovery plan for bluefin tuna taken in 2008 in Marrakesh.” The plan sets out rules on bluefin tuna fishing up to 2022 and has been transcribed into EU law. Conservationists say that getting bluefin tuna on the CITES list could be “the last chance” for the species to recover. But some fishing organisations are resolutely opposed, mainly because they do not accept the scientific consensus on bluefin tuna. “Putting the tuna inside the CITES will be very dangerous for the market,” said Gilberto Ferrari, director-general of Italian fishing organisation Federcoopesca. “We are not sure that this is a species in danger. We agree with the idea to protect species, but maybe the things we hear about tuna are not right,” he said. Supporters of the trade plan hope that bluefin tuna can be added to the endangered species list in March 2010, when CITES members have their next meeting. In the meantime, the fate of bluefin tuna could depend on whether the governments of big Mediterranean fishing countries – Italy and Spain – can withstand lobbying pressure from their fishing industries. WHAT IS CITES? The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), came into force in 1975 after 80 governments agreed to regulate the trade in wildlife for the good of conservation. Today, 175 governments have signed the convention, including all EU member states. Around 5,000 species of animal and 28,000 plants have the unhappy distinction of being on the CITES lists. Species can be protected in two ways. The most endangered species are protected by a near-total trade ban. There are a few tightly-policed exceptions. But other species can be imported or exported with the right permits, which is a way to help governments avoid their over-exploitation in the future. The deadline for submitting proposals to include new species on the list is 14 October and these will be voted on at the next CITES conference in Doha, Qatar, on 13-25 March 2010. Putting bluefin tuna on the CITES list would be an acknowledgement that fisheries management has failed Authors:Karren Brady reveals 17 of 20 Premier League clubs were 'broadly in favour' of shutting window early Karren Brady and Craig Bellamy have opposing views on whether the transfer window should shut before the Premier League season begins Karren Brady and Craig Bellamy have opposing views on whether the transfer window should shut before the Premier League season begins West Ham vice chairman Karren Brady says 17 of the 20 Premier League clubs in March were "broadly in favour" of the summer transfer window ending before the start of the season. It was revealed this week that Premier League clubs will discuss the proposed introduction of a new summer transfer window that closes before the opening game of next season. It is understood talks will take place between every club next month about whether to change the deadline of the current window, which closes nearly three weeks after the first game of the season. Clubs from other European leagues, including Spain and Italy, would still be allowed to sign players from England in line with their own domestic deadlines. At least 14 of the Premier League's 20 clubs must agree for a new rule to be introduced, and Brady said on Sky Sports' The Debate show that the idea was positively received by 17 clubs when debated in March. Philippe Coutinho's Liverpool future is in doubt and he has missed their opener "We'd started debating this around March 2017 at the Premier League and 17 clubs were broadly in favour of the window being closed. "I think the main issue is that it protects the integrity of the squad, you know where you are, you have to get on with it and the players know that. "It's mainly for the club, fans and manager to know: this is who we've got, this is the squad, these are the numbers, on we go. "I think in reality you already know what positions you need, how you're going to spend [early on] and there's also the January window. "I think to close the window early, for the integrity of the league, is the right decision." Virgil van Dijk is also under transfer scrutiny The debate has raised concerns that Premier League sides would be unable to sign reinforcements, or replacements, which could lead to a competitive disadvantage. Transfer windows in January would be unaffected as current proposals only relate to the summer months. When asked if Brady would change anything else about regulations surrounding the current transfer climate, she said agents create a stressful time for club owners and managers. Craig Bellamy and Karren Brady are quizzed on a number of issues, including the most unprofessional player Bellamy has played with Craig Bellamy and Karren Brady are quizzed on a number of issues, including the most unprofessional player Bellamy has played with "I don't deal with [agents], my poor chairman has to deal with them, and I can tell you it is incredibly stressful. "There are people who come into the market who purport to represent players but don't, that are working behind your backs, talking to players and turning their heads. "They're talking them out of deals, talking them into deals, talking you into deals. A lot of supporters don't realise just how stressful that period is. It's an incredibly stressful situation."The Trump administration is arguing it already has “sufficient” authority to use military force in the Middle East without a new authorization from Congress, according to a letter obtained by Fox News. “The United States has sufficient legal authority to prosecute the campaign against al-Qa’ida and associated forces, including against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS),” a State Department official wrote in a letter to Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker on Wednesday. The letter cites the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force, which was passed by Congress after the September 11th attacks, saying it “authorizes the use of military force against these groups.” It said the Trump administration is not seeking revisions to this authorization or asking for an additional authorization. State Department official Charles Faulkner wrote the letter to Corker in response to questions about the legal basis of the administration’s military actions in Syria in May and June. Some senators have pushed for a new authorization, saying the 2001 AUMF far beyond its original purpose. Fox is told that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary James Mattis will discuss the administration's position with senators at a closed door briefing Wednesday afternoon. Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this report.Phenomenon ofis just too weird and looks like a hoax – but most likely it is not! Near Yoro town there happens a heavy rain in May – July. That would be nothing that special – but after this rain countless small, living fishes are left jumping in the fields as if they have fallen from the sky. Thunderstorm and fish The fish rain takes place in the beginning of rainy period somewhere in May – July. There comes a day, when in the afternoon comes frightening, dark cloud with furious lightning and thunder. Downpours of heavy rain and strong winds continue at least 45 minutes and may last even for several hours. As the storm leaves, people of Yoro pick up baskets and run out to the swampy meadows of La Pantanal at the foot of extinct volcano El Mal Nombre (Bad Word). Hundreds and even thousands of jumping, live fish are found in the wet meadows as if fallen from the sky during the storm. People collect the fish to bring it home and eat – fish is told to have specific taste, different from the taste of common fish. To be correct – major part of fish though is not collected from ground but is caught in the temporary basins and streams formed by heavy rain. It is not known when this phenomenon started – first reports are from the middle of 19th century, when first missionary Father Subirana came here. We may believe that this rain has existed before as well. Popular festivity Since 1998 there is organized festival known as "Festival de la Lluvia de Peces" in Yoro city to mark this unusual phenomenon. Festivity starts early in the morning with a loud wake-up salute and people are called by loudspeakers to attend a fish market at city hall. Fish is speciality of this festivity, although in general there is sold common fish, not the one which reportedly fell from the sky. Most people see this just as another festivity without too much interest in traditions of Yoro or the weird natural phenomenon. Yoro is using this unusual event as a tourism marketing tool. Church also has a say in this festivity – many believe that this miracle is sent by God as a response to the prayer of Father Subirana. Father Subirana and Jicaques Spanish priest Father José Manuel (Jesus de) Subirana has been a significant figure in the history of Christianity in Honduras. He arrived in Honduras in 1855 and worked here until his death in 1864, converting to Christian faith several groups of indigenous people. He is revered as a courageous and fair missionary, helping local people to fight for their rights to the land of their ancestors. One of such groups of indigenous people were Jicaques who lived around contemporary Yoro and remained independent until the middle of the 19th century. Father Subirana with persuasion and God’s word did what others could not achieve with weapons – he managed to "return" Jicaques to Christian world. His intents were noble – but nowadays no one speaks in Jicaque language anymore. Today the name of Father Subirana though is closely linked with the legend of Yoro fish rain, while his real achievements are less remembered. The legend tells the following: "Father Subirana saw how poor are the people in Honduras and prayed 3 days and 3 nights asking God for miracle to help the poor people and to provide them food. After these three days and nights God took note on this and there came a dark cloud. Lots of tasty fish rained from the sky, feeding all the people. Since then this wonder is repeated every year." Is there scientific explanation? Wondermondo, khm…, does not believe in God. May be a little, but not too much. There needs to be scientific explanation without divine intervention. First – it seems that this phenomenon has not been investigated too much by scientists. There are rumours about expedition organized by National Geographic Society in the 1970s, who were eyewitnesses to the fish rain. Unfortunately there can not be found an article about this in "National Geographic Magazine". The information about the fish is contradicting. All agree that it is rather small, some 12 – 15 cm long and might be a kind of sardine. Some say that fish is blind – but on pictures there are well seen eyes. Some say that this is freshwater fish, some – that definitely sea fish, some – that it is subterranean fish. Again – all agree that this kind of fish is not seen in waters around Yoro. Sardines live in the sea but occasionally they migrate by rivers inland, also in Honduras. Brought here by waterspout? First seemingly obvious explanation would be – fish is "caught" in the sea by powerful waterspout, sucked up in the clouds and then shipped directly to Yoro where it rains down. Waterspouts really have the ability to pump up water with all in it. There are also reports about incredibly large, dense crowds of sardines seen elsewhere in the oceans – thus theoretically waterspout could meet such sardine run and bring them directly to the sky. There is also occasional tale about a man whose finger was broken by a falling sardine near Yoro. But there are needed too many unique coincidences to believe that yearly fish rain is made possible by tornadoes. Judge yourselves: Once per year in May – July there should come tornadoe or groups of tornadoes in the seas next to Honduras. These tornadoes should find a sardine run. Sardine runs are not that frequent. Sardines should be brought up in the clouds without harming them too much. After all they are found near Yoro jumping, alive and unharmed. This heavenly aquarium should safely float at least 75 km towards Yoro. Exactly towards Yoro, passing several mountain ranges, which are higher than Yoro. As the cloud reaches Yoro, it should rain down there, a bit southwest from the town. Some try to explain this by the presence of iron ore near the city – it starts thunder and thunder starts the rain. Fish should be lowered in a gentle way, so that they can stay alive and jump in the grass while waiting for people with baskets. All fish safely land in meadows. None are found on roofs of the buildings. Sounds credible? Definitely not. Subterranean fish? As waterspout hypothesis looses credibility, there is another, more credible explanation. It happens that in the cave streams deep below the land surface live specific fish, sometimes unknown to people above. One such example is Delminichthys adspersus (Heckel, 1843) living in Crveno Jezero, Croatia. In dry springs this fish has been occasionally caught in springs near Crveno Jezero – most likely the falling level of water forces the fish to look for other habitats. Something similar seems to be going on in Yoro – as the dry period of the year is coming to the end, crowds of subterranean fishes seem to be desperate enough to seek for water wherever it is. Sudden downpour of rain washes out this fish through unknown spouts from their unknown subterranean rivers to the meadows near Yoro. Storm water floats over the meadows and then disappears leaving helpless – but otherwise unharmed – fish jumping on the grass or in temporary basins. This idea is further supported by the fact that no one has really seen fish falling from the sky. There are unclear issues regarding this hypothesis as well: Are there large subterranean rivers in Yoro able to sustain thousands of fish? None is found thus far (but has anyone looked for them?). Honduras is very rich with caves, most are unknown to speleologists. Collected fishes seem to have eyes and eyewitnesses tell that the eyes are lucid and moving. Pictures often show fish with white eyes but locals tell that it is because images show fish which is dead for some hours. Fishes in subterranean rivers on contrary are blind and some even do not have eyes. Migration of sardines? There is one more explanation – that swarms of sardines come from the sea and migrate 200 km upstreams in Aguán River and are washed on meadows during the flash floods caused by heavy rain. After all thus far they have been swimming safely thanks to the dry period and were caught by flood without caveat – sardines do not know too much about rivers and floods. Although somewhat boring, this last hypothesis seems more credible. But it has some flaws as well and the main is – it is not proven yet. Thus Yoro Fish Rain still is not explained. Yoro Fish Rain is included in the following list: ReferencesAbstract: In this article, we will use LINQ to print the Longest and Shortest Type Name in.NET 4.0. Longest and Shortest Type Name in.NET 4.0 using LINQ One of the ways of learning a technology is to add some fun to the learning. LINQ is fun! In this article, we will use LINQ to print the Longest and Shortest Type Name in.NET 4.0. Disclaimer: The results I have shown in this article may vary on your machine. Since we are referring to the GetExportedTypes() which returns type visible outside the assembly [public types], you can get different results by adding new references (Right click project > Add Reference ) or by changing the access modifiers of the types. Let us see the steps to use LINQ and extract information about.NET 4.0 types. This article uses a Console Application targetting.NET Framework 4.0. Step 1: The first step is to get a list of public types defined in the assembly in the current application domain. C# var assemb = from assembly in AppDomain.CurrentDomain.GetAssemblies() from aType in assembly.GetExportedTypes() select aType; VB.NET Dim assemb = From assembly In AppDomain.CurrentDomain.GetAssemblies(), aType In assembly.GetExportedTypes() _ Select aType Step 2: We then filter the assembly name, group the records by length and then apply an orderby on the filtered records. We use the GroupBy and then the OrderBy as we can have multiple types with the same length. C# var filtered = assemb .Where(x => x.Assembly.FullName.Contains( "Version=4.0.0.0" )) .GroupBy(a => a.Name.Length) .OrderByDescending(x => x.Key); VB.NET Dim filtered = assemb.Where( Function (x) x.Assembly.FullName.Contains( "Version=4.0.0.0" )).GroupBy( Function (a) a.Name.Length).OrderByDescending( Function (x) x.Key) Step 3: Since the records are OrderByDescending, the longest type will be listed first and the shortest, the last. C# // Find the Longest and Shortest Types var longestType = filtered.First(); var shortestType = filtered.Last(); VB.NET Dim longestType = filtered.First() Dim shortestType = filtered.Last() Step 4: The final step is to loop through the records and print the TypeName, FullName and the Length. C# // Loop and print the Longest Type Names foreach ( var nm in longestType) { Console.WriteLine( "Longest Type Name: {0} FullName: {1} TypeLength: {2}", nm.Name, nm.FullName, nm.Name.Length); Console.WriteLine( "-------------------------------------------" ); } // Loop and print the Shortest Type Names foreach ( var nm in shortestType) { Console.WriteLine( "Shortest Type Name: {0} FullName: {1} TypeLength: {2}", nm.Name, nm.FullName, nm.Name.Length); Console.WriteLine( "-------------------------------------------" ); } VB.NET Imports Microsoft.VisualBasic For Each nm In longestType Console.WriteLine( "Longest Type Name: {0} " & vbLf & "FullName: {1} " & vbLf & "TypeLength: {2}", nm.Name, nm.FullName, nm.Name.Length) Console.WriteLine( "-------------------------------------------" ) Next nm For Each nm In shortestType Console.WriteLine( "Shortest Type Name: {0} " & vbLf & "FullName: {1} " & vbLf & "TypeLength: {2}", nm.Name, nm.FullName, nm.Name.Length) Console.WriteLine( "-------------------------------------------" ) Next nm OUTPUT Here’s the entire source code: C# static void Main( string [] args) { var assemb = from assembly in AppDomain.CurrentDomain.GetAssemblies() from aType in assembly.GetExportedTypes() select aType; var filtered = assemb .Where(x => x.Assembly.FullName.Contains( "Version=4.0.0.0" )) .GroupBy(a => a.Name.Length) .OrderByDescending(x => x.Key); // Find the Longest and Shortest Types var longestType = filtered.First(); var shortestType = filtered.Last(); // Loop and print the Longest Type Names foreach ( var nm in longestType) { Console.WriteLine( "Longest Type Name: {0} FullName: {1} TypeLength: {2}", nm.Name, nm.FullName, nm.Name.Length); Console.WriteLine( "-------------------------------------------" ); } // Loop and print the Shortest Type Names foreach ( var nm in shortestType) { Console.WriteLine( "Shortest Type Name: {0} FullName: {1} TypeLength: {2}", nm.Name, nm.FullName, nm.Name.Length); Console.WriteLine( "-------------------------------------------" ); } Console.ReadLine(); } VB.NET Sub Main() Dim assemb = From assembly In AppDomain.CurrentDomain.GetAssemblies(), aType In assembly.GetExportedTypes() Select aType Dim filtered = assemb.Where( Function (x) x.Assembly.FullName.Contains( "Version=4.0.0.0" )).GroupBy( Function (a) a.Name.Length).OrderByDescending( Function (x) x.Key) ' Find the Longest and Shortest Types Dim longestType = filtered.First() Dim shortestType = filtered.Last() ' Loop and print the Longest Type Names For Each nm In longestType Console.WriteLine( "Longest Type Name: {0} " & vbLf & "FullName: {1} " & vbLf & "TypeLength: {2}", nm.Name, nm.FullName, nm.Name.Length) Console.WriteLine( "-------------------------------------------" ) Next nm ' Loop and print the Shortest Type Names For Each nm In shortestType Console.WriteLine( "Shortest Type Name: {0} " & vbLf & "FullName: {1} " & vbLf & "TypeLength: {2}", nm.Name, nm.FullName, nm.Name.Length) Console.WriteLine( "-------------------------------------------" ) Next nm Console.ReadLine() End Sub I hope you liked this article and I thank you for viewing it. The entire source code of this article can be downloaded over heremetroidvanias.com invites fans of Shadow Complex to sign this petition in order to express your interest to ChAIR, Donald Mustard of ChAIR, Epic Games, and Microsoft Studios, in seeing this game brought to PC. What is Shadow Complex? Shadow Complex is a metroidvania-styled action adventure exclusive to the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade. It was released in 2009, had exceptional sales, and still sells for $15. It's very much worth your gaming dollar. Why this petition? 1. Shadow Complex is awesome. That is will lapse into a was if the game is not ported. The 360 will be sunset someday in the future, and the potential for the title being stranded is very probable 2. Shadow Complex is critically acclaimed (re: awesome) and has sold very well over its lifetime 3. Interest in Metroidvanias is trending at an all time high 4. Interest in seeing Shadow Complex ported, and its sequel-in-waiting, has been stated and petitioned for many times in the past 5. The talented at ChAIR can probably port this, or contract a port, in no time Goal I'm looking for 10,000 signatures before June 9th, 2014: one day before E3 2014. Let's see Shadow Complex come to PC and pave the way for its sequel! Additional Material and Links Launch Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJNbf0E1oKo GiantBomb.com video review http://www.giantbomb.com/videos/shadow-complex-video-review/2300-1218/ Donald Mustard talking about Shadow Complex at GDC http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1012225/Designing-Shadow Shadow Complex Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shadow-Complex/167583452520YISHUV HADAAT, West Bank (Reuters) - The caves around this windy settler outpost, whose name is Hebrew for “Of Sound Mind”, have served as places of meditation and prayer - and, according to Israel - staging ground for the worst Jewish militant attack on Palestinians in years. An Israeli flag flutters as a Jewish settler works on the construction of a house in the unauthorised Jewish settler outpost of Achiya, south of the West Bank city of Nablus January 5, 2016. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun It was from Yishuv Hadaat, prosecutors say, that 21-year-old Amiram Ben-Uliel set off on a moonlit July night to firebomb a house in the nearby West Bank valley town of Duma, killing a baby, Ali Dawabsheh, and his parents Saad and Riham. Ben-Uliel’s indictment for the murders on Sunday met with denial and defiance from other members of the so-called “Hilltop Youth”, a new generation of ultra-religious settlers whose resentment of the secular Israeli state rivals their hostility toward Arabs. “I don’t think Jews did it. Even if they did do it, you need to look at why... The (Israeli) police and government really fight them in every way,” said Refael Morris, a 20-year-old friend of Ben-Uliel’s from a neighboring settlement enclave. Steeped in messianic Jewish mysticism and rebelling against what they see as adulterated modern Zionism, the Hilltop Youth number in the hundreds, by most accounts. But they pose a deep-rooted challenge even for the nationalist government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as it struggles to stanch Israeli-Palestinian bloodshed in the absence of peace negotiations. Security officials say that Ben-Uliel is among a few dozen hard-core militants, many of them school drop-outs or estranged from their families, who long eluded surveillance due to their secrecy and determination to clam up under police interrogation. Critics say the Duma murders, which marked an escalation from the vandalism and assaults previously attributed to the militants, were inevitable given Israel’s at times murky policing of its citizens in the West Bank - all of whom are deemed by world powers to be squatters on occupied Palestinian land. The inconsistency is in plain view in Yish
No, I didn’t think so. Work on that bitterness sweetheart, it’s causing you selective reading issues. - Mod D.The Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) has rejected SNP defences of its plans for Full Fiscal Autonomy (FFA), with projections suggesting that the gap between the finances of Scotland and the rest of the UK is likely to widen, rather than shrink, in the years ahead. The SNP has defended plans for FFA, which IFS figures suggest would lead to a £7.6bn black hole in Scotland’s finances – on the basis that Scotland could use additional economic powers to grow its economy and plug any fiscal gap. The party has also stated that IFS figures only provide a snapshot of one year, 2015/16, while FFA would require a transition period. But a new paper from the IFS raises questions over these arguments, with future projections showing that fiscal gap growing from £7.6bn in 2015/16 to £9.7bn in 2019/20 (equivalent to £8.9 bn in today’s prices). The paper states that, unless Scotland sees a “big and sustained” rebound in oil revenues or significantly higher growth full fiscal responsibility would likely either require substantial spending cuts or tax rises. Closing the gap would require Scottish revenues per person to grow by more than twice as much as forecast for the UK as a whole – 4.5 per cent in real terms per year – between 2013–14 and 2019–20. David Phillips, Senior Research Economist at the IFS, writes: “Of course if, with additional powers, the Scottish government could grow the Scottish economy more quickly than that of the rest of the UK then revenues would grow more rapidly, shrinking the fiscal gap. But there is no guarantee of such growth and assuming similar growth between Scotland and the rest of the UK is clearly the most useful baseline comparison.” He adds: “Such a change is not impossible, but is much easier to promise than it is to deliver. As we have highlighted before, the types of policies previously outlined by the SNP as potential ways to boost growth, such as cuts to corporation tax and air passenger duty, and increases in childcare spending, would, at least in the short to medium run, cost the government money, and widen rather than shrink the fiscal gap, even if they did boost growth”. IFS paper here.ESET researchers have found 343 malicious porn clicker trojans on Google Play over the last seven months – and their numbers keep rising. ESET researchers have found 343 malicious porn clicker trojans, which ESET detects as Android/Clicker, on Google Play over the last seven months – and their numbers keep rising. In one of the largest malware campaigns on the Google Play Store yet, criminals continue to upload further variants of these malicious apps to the official app store for the Android mobile platform. “There have been many malware campaigns on Google Play, but none of the others have lasted so long or achieved such huge numbers of successful infiltrations,” explains Lukáš Štefanko, a malware researcher at ESET, who specializes in Android malware. “There have been many malware campaigns on Google Play, but none of the others have lasted so long or achieved such huge numbers of successful infiltrations.” On average, ten new porn clickers a week bypassed Google’s security checks during this campaign. These porn clickers not only made it into the store, but they also successfully compromised user devices. To get a sense of the scale, porn clickers on Google Play have on average, been downloaded 3600 times each. Porn clickers are nothing new; the current family has threatened Google Play users since February 3rd, 2015, and ESET researchers continue to follow them closely, having warned about them in the past (see related articles on We Live Security from May 2015 and July 2015). Unsurprisingly, the creators of these trojans ride the wave of interest in popular applications, notably in games. After installation, they generate fake clicks on advertisements to generate revenue for their operators, robbing advertisers and harming advertising platforms. From the user’s point of view, these trojans generate a lot of internet traffic, which might have negative consequences for users on metered data plans. Weak mechanisms, negligent users Considering how widespread porn clickers are on the Google Play Store, it is clear that neither the Google Bouncer filter, nor Google’s human review process can keep malicious apps completely out of the store. “If an application has more negative comments than positive, it should be a warning for users to reconsider their interest in that app.” “These trojans have been repackaged repeatedly. Newer versions are always slightly modified and have their code obfuscated to hide their true purpose,” comments Mr. Štefanko. Also, Google’s ‘Verify apps’ setting, which blocks installation of apps that may cause harm often fails to provide protection: this system often only detects malicious apps after they have been removed from the Play Store. However, Google provides its customers with another tool for protection from bad apps: the review system. In the case of porn clickers, this security system works well: these fake apps typically have very poor ratings so users have a fair chance of avoiding them. Unfortunately, the huge numbers of downloads show many users often don’t care about ratings. “If an application has more negative comments than positive, it should be a warning for users to reconsider their interest in that app,” explains Mr.Štefanko. “In any case, we advise all users to have up-to-date security solutions. A good security product should stop this threat from installing on the device.” Details about the porn clicker campaign, including Google Play data, hashes and remote servers can be found in the malware researcher’s analysis. The expert has also taken time out of his busy schedule to sit down with We Live Security for a detailed chat. Tell us your experience:AUSTIN — Texas voters have proved they are more than willing to spend big bucks on future water projects — but not on sports stadiums. In Tuesday's most-watched decision, voters statewide approved $2 billion to finance ambitious drought-fighting initiatives meant to help ensure Texas can meet the needs of its booming population and growing economy for the next 50 years. But those in Houston refused to authorize $217 million in bonds to convert the long-shuttered Astrodome into a convention center — likely dooming the iconic venue to the wrecking the ball. And, in the well-to-do Houston suburb of Katy, voters rejected a bond package that would have provided $69.5 million for a new, 14,000-seat high school football stadium. The failed measure went on the ballot one year after the Dallas suburb of Allen opened a $60 million high school stadium. The off-year Election Day's other big winner, meanwhile, was openly gay Houston Mayor Annise Parker, who took a majority of the votes cast despite facing eight challengers to secure a third and final term leading America's fourth-largest city. With its about 2.1 million residents, Houston remains the nation's largest city led by an openly gay person. The election was the first in Texas under a new law requiring voters to show one of seven forms of picture ID, such as a driver's license or passport, at the polls. The measure was passed in 2011 but had been delayed by a series of court challenges. Only about 1 million out of 13.4 million of the state's registered voters participated, but that, coupled with stronger-than-expected early voting turnout, was enough for key Republican officials to say concerns that the voter ID rule could cause voting headaches were overblown. Democrats and civil rights groups have again sued to block the law, but the case is still pending. Cases of in-person voter fraud are rare. Critics of voter ID legislation say the laws aim to disenfranchise voters who tend to back Democrats. But Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott, who is running to replace Gov. Rick Perry in 2014, said critics had "run out of claims" about alleged hardships the mandate would create. Voters overwhelmingly approved all nine proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution, including the water measure, an expansion of reverse mortgages, and tax credits for disabled veterans and the surviving spouses of veterans killed in the line of duty. In the four-way race for an empty Texas House seat anchored in north Austin, Republican Mike VanDeWalle and Democrat Celia Israel advanced to a January runoff. Tuesday's water referendum attracted the most visibility and campaign funds, drawing support from business and environmental groups alike. It moves $2 billion from Texas' rainy day fund cash reserves to its water infrastructure fund to help defray the borrowing costs on large-scale water infrastructure projects, including creating reservoirs, laying new pipelines and replacing older ones. Some conservatives opposed using the state's savings account to finance large-scale construction projects while others were concerned the money could be misused. Still, the results were far from a surprise since Gov. Rick Perry and most of the state's top Democrats and Republicans cheered the referendum — citing the ongoing effects of a punishing drought in much of the state. Texas House Speaker Joe Straus said of the result: "Tonight was a good night for Texas." "There's no doubt the drought and its cost to the economy has been very palpable," Straus, a San Antonio Republican, said at a campaign party in a downtown Austin rooftop bar. "And I think it was a powerful, powerful message to voters and a powerful message sent by the Legislature that we will step up to our challenges in a fast-growing state." Passing a proposed constitutional amendment that had to be approved by voters allowed the GOP-controlled Legislature to increase funding for major future water projects without raising taxes. Straus said he expects the state comptroller to transfer the funds as soon as possible. Environmentalists also praised the result. "We're thrilled that Texas voters have chosen to invest in Texas' water future," said Luke Metzger, director of Environment Texas, a statewide advocacy group. "Texas is in a water crisis, caused by drought and made worse by wasteful water use." More surprising was the defeat of a measure to overhaul the Astrodome. Casting her ballot earlier Tuesday in Houston, Wanda Brooks said she voted in favor of saving the stadium. "As a child, I remember going to the Astrodome all the time," said the 57-year-old nurse's aide. A fellow Astrodome supporter was 71-year-old Mike Opong, who questioned why the city would destroy the dome when so much money has already been sunk into it. "If they demolish it, what will they do with that land?" Opong asked.Point of Divergence: Notes So here's another version of an alternate Isarel map I made a few years ago (made over the summer actually)===================Britain does not curtail Jewish migration into Palestine and instead encourages it with greater zeal than before. (This is part of a broader post-1806/1815 world where France was in the Central Powers instead of Germany, who ITTL allies with Russia and Britain)In the aftermath of the First Great War, the British Empire inherited portions of the former Ottoman Empire that had fought in the Central Powers (along with France and Austria-Hungary). One of these territories was Palestine, a tiny patch of land that Christians, Jews, and Muslims hold sacred for countless millenia. The British government had some plans for Palestine, most notable was the Balfour Declaration of 1917, which would provide a "national home" for the Jewish people, who for years have been coming to the region in droves. Driven by the Zionist call to establish a Jewish homeland in their ancient home, these settlers nevertheless drew tensions amongst the Arabs already living there. This culminated in several Arab revolts which were put down by the British government, and only led to the government's (with the German Empire's backing) encouragement of more Jewish migration to (hopefully) stabilize the situation.With the rise of the fascist French government in 1933, Jewish immigration to Palestine increased even more, so that by the time war broke out once more in the continent inn 1939, the population was evenly split, with the Jews well on their way to becoming the majority by 1945 as more and more Jews fled the anti-semitic Nasis in Paris (this ensured that 2-3 million Jews were killed during this world's equivalent of the Holocaust). By the time the new United Nations decided on a course for partition in 1948, Jews had become a majority, ensuring they would get the lion's share of the territory. It was an agreement that the Arab powers of Egypt, Transjordan, and Syria were unwilling to ever accept.For nine months, the Israelis held on, depsite overwhelming odds. However, bad judgements on the part of the Arab powers ensured that not only would the new State of Israel would grab not only all of Palestine, but in a blitzkreig movement, seize the Sinai peninsula, the Golan Heights, and even some of the areas east of the Jordan River. The War of Independence (which was an Arab defeat so large that they dubbed itaka "the Catastrophe") would lead to drastic changes to the Middle East, which are still being felt today. Though the issue of Islamist terrorism in the Sinai and the East Palestinian claims to all of the former mandate continue to surface, Israel's fortunes as one of the players shaping the Middle East remains as bright as ever.===================1) The title refers to Israel's national anthem2) FDI is the Federal Directorate of Intelligence (this world's equivalent to the CIA). Thus, this map is made from an American point of view.3) The Suez Canal was closed from 1948-1976, when the Camp David Accords established a demilitarized international zone supervised by the UN.4) Lebanon was completely filled with Arab Christians and Italian settlers by the Duce (since Lebanon became an Italian mandate, which were kept due to Mussolini's smart decision not to team up with the Nasis until 1974). Hence, they never joined the Arab coalition against Israel, and now has become one of Israel's friends in the region by 2015.5) One of the Germans who came to Palestine were the Frank family (yes, I mean the family of Anne Frank), who fled following the French invasion of Germany in 1940. They're still around to this day.6) And yes, it was kind of inspired by's own map of IsraelThe Queensland Coalition government has been quick to blame carbon and green energy schemes – and particularly solar – for the surging prices of consumer electricity bills in the state, but a new report by the market regulator confirms market views and points the finger straight at government-owned generators. The Australian Energy Regulator, in its annual state of the energy market report, says bidding strategies by the government-owned generators, particularly CS Energy, pushed wholesale prices way above where they needed to be last summer, and delivered an extra $200 million of revenue to the state-owned companies. The AER report says over the summer period in 2013/14, average spot prices in Queensland were 14 per cent higher than NSW prices, after previously being lower for several years. It says this was due to volatility in the Queensland part of the national market, and was caused by the bidding practices of the sate-owned generators. “The rebidding strategies of some Queensland generators caused this volatility. Generators rebid capacity from lower to higher price bands during each affected trading interval,” the AER noted. “Demand and generation plant availability were within forecasts on each occasion, and pre-dispatch forecasts did not predict the price spikes. “Most rebids occurred late in the 30 minute trading interval and applied for very short periods of time (usually five to 10 minutes), allowing other participants little, if any, time to make a competitive response. It says the government-owned CS Energy was by far the most active player rebidding capacity into high price bands (above $10 000 per MWh) close to dispatch. Towards the end of the summer, other participants similarly rebid capacity from low to high prices, causing prices to spike more frequently. “The behaviour compromised the efficiency of dispatch, causing prices to spike independently of underlying supply–demand conditions,” the AER noted. The average Queensland price for summer 2013–14 was $68.77 per MWh. Had the short-term price spikes not occurred, the average price would have been 18 per cent lower at $56.10 per MWh. “The increase represents a wealth transfer of almost $200 million based on energy traded. More generally, spot price volatility puts upward pressure on forward contract prices, which ultimately flows through to consumers’ energy bills.” It is not the first time that Queensland government-owned assets have been caught out by pocketing extra revenues from consumers. Last year, a report prepared for the Queensland CaneGrowers association by Melbourne-based energy consultancy CME says receipts pocketed by the state government from its network operators has more than doubled each year – from $47 million in 2007/8 to $970 million in 2011/12 – and this has been paid for by the consumers. Energy market participants say that one of the reasons the likes of CS Energy and others have been bidding the way they do is the absence of market spikes in summer because of the role of solar PV. Queensland has the highest uptake of solar in Australia – more than 1GW – and that has removed many of the peaks in the market – where coal-fired and gas-fired generators used to make most of their money. The government-owned Stanwell Corp last year blamed solar PV for causing revenues to fall and profits to evaporate. CS Energy had similar problems. Seems like their bidding patterns might have been designed to recapture some of those lost peaks.Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Officials believe strong currents have moved wreckage about under water Part of the tail of crashed AirAsia flight QZ8501 has been found in the Java Sea, Indonesian searchers say. The tail houses the "black boxes" - the voice and flight data recorders - which could give investigators clues as to the cause of the crash. It was found in a secondary search area, lending weight to theories that strong currents have moved the debris. The plane was lost en route from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore on 28 December, with 162 people aboard. No survivors have been found. Buried in mud Part of the tail of the Airbus A320-200 was spotted by teams involving divers and unmanned underwater vehicles, search and rescue chief Bambang Soelistyo said in Jakarta. It is the first significant piece of wreckage from the crash to be identified and was found in an area some 30km (19 miles) from the initial search area. The part found has the AirAsia mark on it, Mr Soelistyo said. It is buried in mud, in water 30m (98ft)deep, and is believed to be upside down. Despite powerful sea currents and murky water, searchers managed to take photographs, he said. On one piece, the letter A appears to be painted. Only 40 bodies have been recovered so far but the authorities believe many of the passengers may still be strapped inside the main body of the plane. Image copyright AFP Image copyright AFP Image copyright Reuters Image caption The hunt goes on: a Russian searcher scans the Java Sea with binoculars from a Super Puma helicopter Image copyright Reuters Image caption Strong winds and big waves have hampered the work of the searchers The BBC's Karishma Vaswani in Jakarta says the tail was not found in the area search teams previously focussed upon, but in the expanded search area. This could add weight to that theory, she adds. A huge international operation with aerial searches and more than 30 ships involved has been repeatedly hampered by poor weather. "The seas haven't been very friendly but the black boxes have a 30-day life and they will be able to find them," Peter Marosszeky, a senior aviation research fellow at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, told Reuters news agency. "It's the weather that is causing the delay." Some wreckage, including seats and a door, was found floating on the sea. At the weekend search officials said sonar had detected what they thought were five large parts of the plane. The cause of the crash is not known but the plane was flying through stormy weather at the time and had requested permission to change course. Image copyright AFP Image caption Seating from the crashed plane was delivered to Surabaya on Wednesday Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The Indonesian navy handed over air crash debris recovered so far to transport safety investigators on Wednesday Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The process of identifying victims continues: Indonesian personnel transfer numbered coffins in Surabaya Indonesian aviation officials have said that AirAsia did not have permission to fly the Surabaya-Singapore route on the day of the crash. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption So far 40 bodies of victims have been recovered Fortieth body Investigators said they had found another body on Wednesday, bringing the total recovered to date to 40. Most of the people aboard the plane were Indonesian: 137 adult passengers, 17 children and one infant, along with two pilots and five crew. Anton Castilani, head of Indonesia's Disaster Victims Identification Unit, said identification would become more difficult because the bodies being found were increasingly decomposed. "That makes it harder to do quick identification of the bodies," he said, quoted by the Straits Times. "We can still do DNA testing but that takes one to two weeks." After two weeks, most corpses will sink, he was also quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency. AirAsia previously had an excellent safety record, with no fatal accidents involving its aircraft. AirAsia chief executive Tony Fernandes said on Twitter: "We need to find all parts soon so we can find all our guests to ease the pain of our families. That still is our priority."by Allan Appel \| Dec 23, 2013 7:53 am (10) Comments \| Commenting has been closed \| E-mail the Author Posted to: Social Services Gordon Scott died of a massive heart attack while he was standing at the Temple and Elm bus stop. He was only in his 50s; he’d been homeless for years. His life and his suffering – along with that of at least 36 other homeless men and women who died in our town during 2013 – were marked in moving outdoor ceremonies behind Trinity Episcopal Church on the Green. The homeless memorial service was one of thousands being held across the country Saturday in an effort led by the National Health Care for the Homeless Council, said Kyle Pedersen, a deacon with the church and one of the organizers of the event. “It’s always held at the winter solstice, the longest night and shortest day, so we join those who spend their nights on the streets,” Pedersen said. Bob Hannan said he had had been a friend of Scott and had shared pizza with him many a night under a warm stairway. Hannan and some 30 others gathered on crunchy snow behind the church as psalms were read, prayer flags bearing the name of the gone were hung, and a lone bagpiper, Gary Snowbeck, played a dirge-like military retreat “Balmoral” and then “Amazing Grace.” “We gather to remember those who are faceless and nameless in our society,” said Rev. Julie Kelsey, a Yale School of Divinity professor. Kelsey serves as chaplain to Chapel on the Green, a mission to the homeless and a co-sponsor of Saturday’s service. Psalm 23 was read. Following that, the kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead, was recited by Rabbi Megan Doherty, associate rabbi at the Joseph Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale. Several homeless people gathered round to participate. They added names to the prayers. Hannan said Scott’s ashes were spread in Hawaii, near where his mother’s ashes lay after Scott died in the third week of April. “He was a sweetheart, a loyal friend. I wish there were more people like him. The world would be better,” Hanna said. “He’s home now.” Columbus House Executive Director Alison Cunningham said the most recent point-in-time homeless count, done last year, showed an estimated 737 people living on the streets in New Haven. She estimated about 30 of those “had passed” during the course of the year. She said the age of death of homeless people is a lot younger than of those who have shelter. The average is in the 50s, she said. Gordon Scott was 53. The service ended with “We Shall Overcome.” United Church on the Green’s Rev. John Gage extended an invitation to all to come by his house of worship: “There’s more soup than you can possibly eat.” On the way over, several people stopped to pick up winter clothing items at the free market (pictured) organized by Marcey Jones and Jesse Hardy with Jesse’s Homeless Outreach Project. Other sponsors of the service included the Greater New Haven Opening doors, The Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen, Hill Health Center, Abraham’s Tent, and Interfaith Cooperative Ministries.President Trump is setting a new record — as the target of more late-night TV jokes in his first 100 days in office than any recent commander in chief saw in their entire first year. The study from George Mason University released this week finds Trump served as the punchline of 1,060 late-night jokes during his first 100 days in the White House. That’s more than former President Barack Obama Barack Hussein ObamaWith low birth rate, America needs future migrants 4 ways Hillary looms over the 2020 race Obama goes viral after sporting black bomber jacket with '44' on sleeve at basketball game MORE, who was the butt of 936 jokes during his first year in office, and George W. Bush, who was targeted in 546 zingers over a year. Former President Bill Clinton William (Bill) Jefferson ClintonInviting Kim Jong Un to Washington Howard Schultz must run as a Democrat for chance in 2020 Trump says he never told McCabe his wife was 'a loser' MORE had 440 quips told about him during his first year in office. ADVERTISEMENT The study, first reported by Politico, notes that Trump is “on track to easily eclipse the most jokes about any individual tracked by [George Mason University’s Center for Media and Public Affairs] from 1992 through 2012 — 1,717 by Bill Clinton in 1998, the year dominated by news of the Monica Lewinsky scandal and Clinton’s impeachment.” Stephen Colbert mocked Trump the most out of all late-night hosts, according to the analysis. The CBS host — who recently came under fire for what critics called a homophobic comment about Trump’s relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin — featured 337 Trump barbs. “The Daily Show” host Trevor Noah took the runner-up spot, with 315 cracks about Trump on his Comedy Central show. And Jimmy Kimmel — who this week opened ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” with an emotional plea for ObamaCare based on his experience with his newborn son's heart defects — joked about Trump 177 times.Girls are almost three times more likely to consider careers in science, math and engineering if they participate in science fairs and summer camps – particularly in the early grades – according to a new Canadian report. The study by researchers at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax also suggests that good grades and teacher influence matters less than exposure to these outside-the-classroom activities. The findings come at a time when governments are reaching out to young women in an effort to persuade them to consider the so-called STEM fields of learning – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – and organizations have stepped up their mentoring efforts. Learning experts say it is crucial to reach girls before their enthusiasm wanes and they drop science and math courses, which are optional in high school. Story continues below advertisement Although women greatly outnumber men on university campuses, they make up only 39 per cent of undergrads in math and physical sciences and only 17 per cent of undergraduates in engineering and computer science, according to data from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Companies, meanwhile, are pushing for more women in these fields to build a more diverse and creative work force. But experts say there are issues in the early grades with teachers not being as comfortable with the subjects to engage students, especially girls. And early engagement is the key. "I think this is a wake-up call. We need to increase the engagement level, and we need to encourage it from a young age," said the study's lead investigator, Tamara Franz-Odendaal, an associate professor at the university. She's also the Atlantic region chair of Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada's program for Women in Science and Engineering. Prof. Franz-Odendaal and her team surveyed about 600 students in Grades 7 through 9 last year from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and P.E.I. and released their findings on Wednesday. They found girls who engaged in activities, such as science fairs, competitions and engineering summer camps, were 2.7 times more likely to consider a STEM career. For boys, the influence was statistically insignificant. Prof. Franz-Odendaal believes that by participating in activities, girls develop a better understanding of what STEM careers look like, and, as a result, show a greater interest in them. Elizabeth Croft, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of British Columbia who is also a NSERC chair for Women in Science and Engineering, said it's not only important for girls to participate in STEM activities outside the classroom, but governments and educators need to address how to make classroom learning in these fields more engaging. UBC offers professional development workshops in engineering for teachers, she said, so they can be more comfortable with the subject and then engage their students through classroom activities. "The earlier you move those levers, the better it is," Prof. Croft said. Prof. Croft said she's heard from a number of companies, who feel they are missing out on some bright and creative minds. "Not all our students are going to be engineers or technologists … but we should make sure that we're giving kids opportunity early on in the classroom so they will think about choosing to do these things later," she said.Monday on his “The Savage Nation” radio show, host Michael Savage took on NFL players kneeling for the national anthem in his opening monologue titled, “The National Felons League is Spitting on America, Not the Fans.” Partial transcript as follows: As many of you know, I have just written a book about god. There’s a passage from the bible I’d like to quote for you. It’s from Proverbs 3:31 and it reads, “envy thou not the oppressor and choose none of his ways.” Today, the oppressors are the bullies of the NFL who kneel or hide when our national anthem is played, forcing a captive audience to witness their vile, insulting, and uninformed view of what America stands for. I’ll tell you what America stands for. We are a nation in which no citizen is treated differently under the law, regardless of their color, race, financial status, creed, or nation of origin. Even these hysterical millionaires have rights. So I encourage all of you to do the same: exercise your rights. Turn off your TVs. “do not choose the ways” of the anarchists, the ignorant, whether they take the form of Neo-Nazis, Antifa or professional athletes. The national anthem is about a nation, not a president. President Trump says players who protested the National Anthem being played before games should be fired from their teams over the weekend, and the whole world exploded. Yesterday, America was treated to NFL players taking a knee, or sitting or locking arms while the national anthem was being played in protest of what the President said. Well, guess what? They weren’t protesting a President; they were giving a big middle finger to the country. President Trump says players who protested the National Anthem being played before games should be fired from their teams over the weekend, and the whole world exploded. Yesterday, America was treated to NFL players taking a knee, or sitting or locking arms while the national anthem was being played in protest of what the President said. Well, guess what? They weren’t protesting a President; they were giving a big middle finger to the country. That flag and that song should be a unifying moment, a moment to say ‘no matter what differences we have, we are all American, and it’s a privilege to be one.’ But a bad player, influenced by his radical Muslim girlfriend last year decided to make it about him. He claimed to be protesting the killing of black men in America by the police while at the same time wearing a shirt praising the Castros of Cuba. And it’s spread to this. ‘He’s practicing his first amendment rights’ everyone said. Well, Donald Trump practiced his first amendment rights, and an entire league lost their minds. This tradition goes back a hundred years to World War 1. The people loved their country then, with boys fighting overseas in a horrible war. We have soldiers on the battlefield today, and these players just spit on them. The national anthem is about a nation, not about a President. And if these thugs don’t know that, they should be thrown off the team. And the commissioner of this league supports this. He should be thrown out too. He’s saying these players have a right to their free speech and to protest if they see fit. But it wasn’t that way when the Dallas Cowboys wanted to wear stickers on their helmets to honor the police after several Dallas policemen were shot. No, he wouldn’t allow that. Or when an NFL player wanted to honor 9/11 victims with a decal on his shoe. No, we couldn’t have that either. But spitting on the flag, you can do that all day. But people will still defend these thugs who spit on everything good about America, saying it’s their right. But is it? Yes, they can say what they want, but shouldn’t they be accountable for what they say? Their bosses should fire them because they’re staining their product with anti-Americanism. But they won’t do anything because they’re too afraid of the backlash that the leftist fascists have instigated in this country. All that we used to honor and respect must be thrown out, and we have to accept the ridiculous. Man is a woman; a woman is a man, America is bad, the Soviet Union was good. The Soviet Union was good and now Russia is bad. The civil rights movement never happened, minorities are now more oppressed than ever. It’s upside down. The fact that these players can do what they did yesterday, with no repercussions whatsoever disproves their arguments. Where could you do this on the planet? Dictatorial regimes you’d be killed or put in torture prisons. Even in Westernized countries you have laws against certain speech. I’ve been banned from Britain for something I didn’t even say, but here millionaire thugs can go on national TV and vehemently hate the country. Remember this, when they do what they did yesterday, they’re not disrespecting a President; they’re disrespecting an entire nation. They’re disrespecting you and me.One killed, three wounded in attack near Munich, Germany Attack took place at 5am local time at train station in Grafing Attacker reportedly shouted "Allahu akbar" and "you infidels!" Suspect arrested, identified as German citizen, 27 Attacker "suffered from psychiatric issues A German man shouting 'Allahu Akbar' stabbed one person to death and slashed three others in a dawn attack at a railway station in a sleepy commuter town near Munich. The attack raised fears that Germany, which has not suffered a major terror attack on the scale of those in neighbouring France and Belgium, was now being targeted by Islamist extremists. But police said that the 27-year-old unemployed carpenter named by local media as Paul H. was mentally disturbed and stressed that he had no known links to Islamist militant groups. Police confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that the suspect would be held in a psychiatric hospital and not in a prison cell. The man launched his knifing spree around 5:00 am local time in Grafing, 20 miles east of the Bavarian state capital. He stabbed one man on a platform, another on a stopped train, then ran outside the station to slash two more. One victim, a 56-year-old man, later died of his injuries in hospital. According to reports, the attacker was barefoot and the bloody footprints seen in pictures of the station are his. He told police he had taken drugs before the attack and claimed he had removed his shoes because "he felt bugs on his feet that had caused blisters and were generating intense heat", Police Director Lothar Köhler said. Witnesses said the assailant, who was arrested at the scene shortly after the attack, shouted "Allahu Akbar" ('God is Greatest' in Arabic) and some said that they also heard him shout "infidels must die". But police said that the assault appeared to be the work of a mentally unstable person, and that the attacker had received psychiatric treatment just two days ago and had confessed to using drugs. "From what we know so far, he was a lone criminal... There is no indication that he was part of an Islamist network," said Petra Sandles, of Bavaria's office of criminal investigations. The attack, even if it turns out not to be Islamist motivated, will heighten fears in Germany that the country is being targeted by extremists. With about 260 of the more than 800 home-grown radicals who have joined jihadist groups in Syria and Iraq having since returned to Germany, ministers have warned an attack is possible and security services are on alert. Germany has taken in more than a million refugees fleeing wars in Syria and elsewhere, and some fear that extremists may have taken advantage of Europe's migrant crisis to enter the country.One of the world's largest diamonds has been sold for $6.5 million. The stone has been dubbed the "peace diamond" because much of the proceeds will go to help the village in Sierra Leone where it was found. In past decades, the illegal trade in "blood diamonds" was used to help fund the country's devastating civil war and other African conflicts. Rather than sell the peace diamond to smugglers, the villagers brought it to the attention of the national government, which arranged for it to be auctioned. One of the world's biggest luxury jewelers, Laurence Graff, won the bidding in New York on Monday. The final price is hardly a paltry sum, but it falls short of what the Sierra Leonean government hoped the 709-carat gem might raise. In May, the government turned down a bid of $7.8 million at an auction in Sierra Leone, saying it could get "fair market value for Sierra Leone's diamonds" elsewhere. The stone is the third largest diamond in the country's history and the 14th biggest ever discovered worldwide, according to the Rapaport Group, the jewelry organization that helped bring the stone to auction. In the past, similar sized rough diamonds have sold for almost 10 times as much, said Tobias Kormind, managing director of 77Diamonds.com, an online diamond jeweler. The 813-carat "
ai, an FPS clan with a long history dating back to CounterStrike 1.6. While Jinhyuk "Miro" Kong stood out the most with his otherwordly Winston play, Injae "EscA" Kim and Jehong "Ryujehong" Ryu also boasted their skill. Since coming back from the World Cup, EscA and Ryujehong carried their momentum into APEX, advancing to the quarterfinals with solid showings. We had a chance to meet EscA and Ryujehong after they crushed Mighty Storm to secure their spot at the top of Group C. EscA (left) and Ryujehong (right) Hello, let's start by saying hello to your fans. EscA: Hi, I'm Injae "EscA" Kim, and I play DPS for Lunatic-Hai. Ryujehong: I'm Ryujehong, and I supply Lunatic-Hai with skill." [laughs] There were three of you, including Miro, on Team Korea. What did you learn from other players on Team Korea who were not from Lunatic-Hai? EscA: Zunba is really next level when it comes to Zarya. I felt that most when he rocket-jumped through the small window on top of the gate on Eichenwalde and initiated with Graviton Surge. ArHaN is really good with Genji. I used to think ArHaN was only good on Genji, but I realized he was good on other heroes too. And TaiRong took great care of us all outside of gaming. We had a comfortable stay thanks to him. You looked to have a hard time against Taiwan, which was considered by most a weaker team. What team did you find most challenging at the World Cup? Ryujehong: I had a hard time against Team Sweden. The team had a superb lineup. It was like an All-Star team. EscA: Team Sweden and Team USA. Team Sweden was already popular even before the WC began, so I was a bit nervous when we scrimmed them. [Team USA] had the whole crowd behind them, and we also had a hard time during the match. So far we haven’t seen a Korean team win a "club" tournament. Do you think there’s still a gap between Korean teams and foreign teams? Or can you say that Korea is ahead now? EscA: There was definitely a gap between Korean teams and foreign teams before. However, Korean teams have improved a lot since. No result would be surprsing at this point. Ryujehong: I think everyone has come up to a similar level now. In Overwatch, one mistake can lead to an entire team breaking down. Any team can be defeated. Why is practicing in Competitive Play important? Ryujehong: You go through a lot of things when you play Competitive, and teams often come up with compositions you would not normally see in scrims. Playing Competitive allows you to develop a rich amount of experience as you go through all kinds of situations and possible combinations. That environment allows you to learn how to react to a wide variety of situations. EscA: I think so too. There are so many unexpected situations, and you learn how to deal with them. This lets you develop the ability to cope. We are seeing more Soldier: 76 and Pharah since the new patch hit live. EscA: I think the meta will definitely change. It's not a small patch merely touches a hero or two. D.Va, Widowmaker, Soldier: 76, Pharah, Mercy... all of these heroes received changes that will make the game very different. I am expecting Soldier: 76 to appear more frequently. Ryujehong: I think D.Va will rise. I don't know about Sombra... I think D.Va and Soldier: 76 will be the hottest picks. We will see more D.Va, Soldier: 76, and Mercy. EscA, were you satisfied with your Sombra play at APEX just now? EscA: [Laughs] The patch went live just today, so we weren’t sure if we could use Sombra. We just went with her because we had already made it to the quarterfinals and the match was going well. We were like, "All right, let's just play whatever we want to." So I picked Sombra. It quickly became apparent that I had not practiced her enough. Players have varied opinions about whether and how much Sombra will be used in tournaments. I think she will be used a lot in certain situations or on specific maps. You said you wanted a revenge match against Rogue for your defeat at APAC. EscA: We lacked understanding of the game back in APAC. Rogue is one of the best teams in the entire world, and they understood the game very well already because they had been playing for a long time. On the other hand, we only had three to four months of experience in Overwatch. We are now much more knowledgeable about the game, and I am in better condition now, so I think we will be able to change the outcome this time. Ryujehong: We were still learning back then. When I went to China for APAC, I thought to myself that we were going there to learn. There were so many things I didn't know then. While I am still learning new things every day, I have improved. I will continue to work hard so we can defeat Rogue the next time we meet. Thoughts on Dylan "aKm" Bignet's renowned McCree? EscA: aKm is one of the best McCree players in the entire world, but I believe I can match him. Ryujehong: McCree depends greatly on how well the team supports him. I don't think there is much difference between great McCree players' aim - they just have different teammates. Rogue understand very well how to support aKm's McCree. Thank you for sharing your stories. Any last words? EscA: I am really thankful to everyone who supports us, offline or online. I know I am not doing enough to express how grateful we are to our fans who come to watch us play, but please know I really do appreciate your support. Special thanks to Bokyum Kim who helped us a lot, and also to our coach, assistant chief, and team representative who always support us and strive to make Lunatic-Hai a better team. I also want to say thank you to my family and friends. Ryujehong: Well, EscA said everything so I don't have much left to say... [laughs] I am really thankful to our coach, assistant chief, and team representative for always helping us so much. We wouldn't be here without our fans' support - thank you so much! Interview conducted by Inven Flyn and IrroLOVE Island cad Jonny Mitchell ditched his fiancée just months before their wedding. The Essex boy, 26, has angered viewers for stringing along Prince Harry’s ex Camilla Thurlow then dumping her for Tyla Carr. 11 Love Island rogue Jonny Mitchell was due to marry Lauren Baxter before ending the relationship suddenly The Sun on Sunday can reveal his engagement with Lauren Baxter ended as she excitedly planned their wedding last year. A source said: “Jonny proposed in Bali and swept Lauren off her feet. But the relationship soured as it became increasingly obvious he no longer wanted to get married. “They planned to wed in Santorini, Greece, and Lauren was busy booking her make-up artist for her big day when their relationship came to a sudden, brutal end. “There is no love lost between them and she was not surprised with the cruel way he used and then discarded Camilla. “She’s secretly quite pleased he’s shown himself to be the player she always suspected him to be.” Rex Features 11 Jonny and Camilla coupled up on Love Island before he moved on to new girl Tyla Jonny left bomb disposal expert Camilla, 27, in tears as he snogged new girl Tyla, 24. Lauren, a 28-year-old fashion designer from Chelmsford, Essex, has this week been liking a string of social media posts attacking Jonny’s antics. They claim the business director has shown his true colours by “choosing an easy shag over a diamond”. Others branded him “repulsing”. WENN 11 Jonny moved on from Camilla quickly to hook up with Tyla ITV Picture Desk 11 Jonny and Camilla were so close before he decided to move on Rex Features 11 Jonny and Camilla's late night chats.. and kisses... had Love Island viewers captivated Lauren, who deleted a series of more aggressive tweets about her ex, favourited one that said: “Jonny keeps saying he wants a bubbly funny girl who’s more like him when he’s the most boring unfunny c*** I’ve ever seen.” She backed another message saying: “Jonny is literally demonstrating on national tv what most boys do, have a wifey material girl then sack her off for a 4/10 bimbo.” Rex Features 11 Pretty Tyla won over Jonny, who gave up a budding relationship with Camilla PA:Press Association 11 Was stunning Camilla a better option for Jonny? MOST READ IN BIZARRE Exclusive SHAYK IT OFF Bradley Cooper's lover Irina Shayk in feud with Lady Gaga after steamy duet Exclusive GRIM FOR KYM Kym Marsh's Michelle will split from boyfriend & lose baby before Corrie exit MADGE'S BUST NEW PAL Madonna's new music partner Anitta shares her love of risky outfits Exclusive MAKE A LIVING I feared Love Island sex would ruin career says new 9 to 5 star Amber Davies jess too much to bear Jessie J breaks down while filming The Voice Kids after pal's death END OF AN ERA Tony Pike, Ibiza's Hugh Hefner who bedded George Michael, dies at 85 Exclusive OOH THE KEYHOLE Through The Keyhole viewers spot Fatima Whitbread's VIBRATOR in wardrobe Exclusive MUM'S THE WORD Pete Wicks dating sexy mum of one having looked for love on Celebs Go Dating Exclusive ROVERS AND OUT! Coronation Street favourite Kym Marsh quits the soap after 13 years QUEENS OF POP Lady Gaga and Madonna put famous eight-year feud to bed at Oscars after-party Celeb viewers, fans and even host Caroline Flack have all backed Camilla in the ITV2 show set on Majorca. Caroline tweeted: “I’ve spent my whole morning thinking about Camilla... this isn’t normal. She’s just amazing.” Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead actor Nick Frost wrote: “I can’t stand seeing Camilla like this.” 11 Jonny with former fiancee Lauren.. who was heartbroken when their relationship ended 11 Once a happy couple... Lauren and Jonny on a holiday in Thailand 11 Ex-fiancee Lauren has been liking a number of tweets mocking Jonny's antics on Love Island I’m A Celebrity winner Scarlett Moffatt posted: “Camilla is too good for him. Send in the prince of Spain or someone for Camilla please!” A heartbroken Camilla is now being romanced by new Islander Craig Lawson, 25. But his ex Sian Dilley has accused him of abandoning their son without warning to appear on the show.Baseball spring camps bring ¥8.8 billion boost Category: [ Sports ] Ryugin Research Institute Ltd. that has studied the impact of the annual pro-baseball spring training camps on the local economy announced the conclusion of their study on Jul. 3rd. According to the institute, the economic effect of the 2014 pro baseball spring training camps was ¥8.88 billion. It also calculated that the impact in 2014 was 8.8.% higher than previous year and the highest on record since 2003, the earliest year the data exists. Apart from the increase in the number of baseball teams holding their spring training camps here, the institute calculated that the camps attracted 319,500 more tourists to the prefecture, also an increase of 8.9%. In 2014, ten teams held their camp here, one more than last year.FROM: Project Lead TO: Arma 3 Users INFO: Unusual Process Exit, Remote Script Execution, Leaderboards PRECEDENCE: Flash SITUATION The forthcoming 1.48 update will bring further stability improvements and some community-requested script commands to the game. Besides that, we're also wanting to roll out the first proper version of the improved remote script execution tech. Especially scenario designers and server administrators may want to keep reading this report to learn more and to determine whether their concerns have been addressed. We've also included information for those who are experiencing start-up issues with the game. While some of these are caused by the game itself, there are also many investigated cases where the problems lie with the hardware, Operating System, drivers or malware to name a few factors. We have provided various possible detection methods and solutions for those cases. Getting them solved will make it easier for us to identify and fix issues with the game itself, and of course make sure everyone can enjoy Arma 3! Our plan is to prepare the test data for 1.48 at the end of this week, and then enter the usual Release Candidate testing process. INTELLIGENCE Since version 1.42 you may have encountered the dreaded "Unusual process exit" error, also known as "Arma 3 has quit in an unusual manner". Because this error is often shown on top of the Launcher, many thought it indicated an issue with the Launcher itself. However, the Launcher is merely the messenger in this case. Don't shoot it. It detects the game has been closed incorrectly, such as when the Operating System (OS) is unable to start the game properly, or the game crashes. The exit code is provided by the OS and is not always clear, nor can we be sure what the cause is. We can however provide as much as information as possible, and list a number of potential solutions. Launcher Programmer Jiří Polášek has done a great job of collecting the information we have so far on this page. We'll be updating it when we learn more. It's also planned for the Launcher to incorporate more information and automated corruption detection directly. Meanwhile, you may benefit from tools like the Windows System File Checker to ensure your OS is in good condition. We should clarify the ownership situation of the future expansion that will contain Tanoa. The only edition or bundle of the game which currently includes the expansion is the Supporter Edition. This was a special version during our public Alpha and Beta, and it's no longer available for purchase. It contained the game, all DLC and all not stand-alone expansions, as well as a mention in the in-game credits. The DLC Bundle does not contain the expansion, neither does the Digital Deluxe Edition. We'll announce the exact distribution options and pricing closer to release. Arma 3 is a game for creators. The editor is their home. As Arma veterans know, this is where the sandbox nature of the game excels. By combining the gameplay mechanics and simulation of many aspects of the game, you can quickly make something fun. Pick a cool location, insert a few AI squads and give them simple movement waypoints. Then just make yourself the player in control of any of the units and experience the battle. When you are looking to design a more elaborate mission, multiplayer mode, narrative cutscene or mechanic, a powerful high-level scripting language is available. A huge reference guide of commands is being maintained on our Community Wiki by developers and community members, such as Killzone Kid, who also hosts an excellent blog on the topic of advanced scripting. We also recommend this series of video tutorials created by Jester814! Achievement "Relentless Creator" (1.1%) requires you spend over 100 hours in the game's scenario editor (EDITOR > select a terrain > start creating). It does not matter whether this is time in the actual 2D User Interface, or time previewing a scenario from the editor. If you're used to the editor layout of older Arma games, you can switch between the Streamlined and Traditional interfaces via the menu accessible by Ctrl + L. Clicking the underscore _ in the top-right menu bar hides most of the UI. Several advanced tools can also come in handy. Ctrl + D opens the Debug Console, which you can use to execute script code or to watch the value of variables. The Functions Viewer opens by Ctrl + F and provides in-game documentation of all scripted functions (covering mathematical and other common operations). Finally, Ctrl + G launches the Config Viewer, where you can explore the run-time configuration of almost every aspect of the game. And, any skills you pick up now will quite comfortably carry over to the new 3D scenario editor that is under development! We can always count on the community videographers to show off Arma 3 in cool ways. Enjoy the Zen in this serene look at Altis by IntrepidGaming. OPERATIONS The engine-supported remote script execution technology has now reached a feature complete state on Dev-Branch. Programmer Richard Biely is squashing a few more bugs, but we'd like to roll this out in 1.48. BIS_fnc_MP would not yet use it by default, but the underlying tech could be tested on a large scale. We believe the concerns regarding control and limitation of the feature have been addressed. Please take a good look at the remoteExec, remoteExecCall and CfgRemoteExec documentation. Let us know on the forums whether you believe we've missed potential security holes or there are other problems you have with the implementation. Another technology that has seen its debut on Dev-Branch recently is support for Steam Leaderboards. The game has been integrated with the Steamworks API for a long time, and that made exposing this feature a reasonably straight-forward proposition for Senior Programmer Lukáš Gregor. To begin with, we've used the technology to add simple leaderboards for official Time Trials. A next logical step will be to port this implementation to Firing Drills. You can actually view the global rankings of every trial here, or filter for your Steam friends instead. Our design philosophy is to focus on comparing your results with your friends first, after that look at results around you, and only then look at the entire world. The open nature of the game makes it very hard to guard fully against exploits, so it may be that the worldwide top results become less-than-believable over time. We should also tell you that it's possible we'll need to reset the boards during the testing phase. We're also considering whether there is a way we can roll out access to custom leaderboards for unofficial mod(e)s. The script commands cannot now be used without hard-coded permissions (similar to Achievements). LOGISTICS Scenario designers beware! Tools Commissar Julien Vida asked us to inform you about 1.48's changes to the randomization of (FIA) headgear and facewear, as well as the method of disabling of Vehicle Customization (VhC). Please check your scenarios for compatibility. Julien will also be writing an OPREP on the topic of VhC in the near future. A small group of players have reported their game suffers from mini-freezes when clicking or moving. BattlEye has investigated many of these reports, and in all cases so far, the cause has been malware, adware or other Potentially Unwanted Programs. These programs cause certain DLLs to be infinitely reloaded and choke the anti-cheat service. Please use trusted anti-malware software to scan your computer for threats and to repair them.By By James Walker Jan 19, 2016 in Technology Apple has won a victory in its patent dispute with Samsung as a U.S. court has ruled Samsung should be banned from selling its smartphones in the country. The case is meaningless though because the phones are all years old and the patents almost invalid. On Monday, Judge Lucy Koh of the federal court in California Unfortunately for Apple, the ruling will actually have The devices are all at least three years old, making it highly unlikely that anyone would actually want to buy one today. Some, such as the Galaxy Nexus, are over five years old and virtually impossible to buy new. Samsung was quick to respond to yesterday's announcement. In an The company branded the case as an example of Apple "abusing the judicial system" and creating a bad legal precedent that could set the stage for similar patent disputes in the future. To a consumer, interface "features" like pinch-to-zoom and slide-to-unlock are now viewed as universal controls employed by several different platforms to build intuitive apps and services. Samsung intends to pitch this point to the U.S. Supreme Court. It has asked for a review of the system used to grant new design patents and award damages when they are infringed. The company argues that it is having to give up Samsung isn't alone in thinking patent damages should be awarded based on how much of an impact they make on the entire product. In July 2015, other Silicon Valley firms including Google, Facebook, Dell and HP The sales ban on Samsung's archaic smartphones will come into effect in 30 days but As The Verge reports, the ruling is the latest in a long line of court cases and appeals directed at each other by rivals Apple and Samsung. The dispute centres around Samsung's implementation of software features allegedly protected by Apple patents. These include novel user interface elements such as sliding a control to unlock the display and the use of rounded icons throughout its customised Android skin.On Monday, Judge Lucy Koh of the federal court in California ruled that the features infringe on three patents owned by Apple. Koh agreed to ban the sale of select Android-powered Samsung devices in the United States, adding to the list of damages Samsung has had to pay Apple. It has previously been ordered to hand over $548 million for infringing on Apple's "pinch-to-zoom" patent.Unfortunately for Apple, the ruling will actually have very little impact on Samsung's customers. The sales ban covers the Samsung Admire, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note II, Galaxy S II, Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch, Galaxy S II Skyrocket, Galaxy S III and Stratosphere, all smartphones long-since rendered obsolete by the fast progression of modern technology.The devices are all at least three years old, making it highly unlikely that anyone would actually want to buy one today. Some, such as the Galaxy Nexus, are over five years old and virtually impossible to buy new.Samsung was quick to respond to yesterday's announcement. In an official statement, it described the news as "disappointing" but stressed that its customers, users and fans will not be affected. It said: "We would like to reassure our millions of loyal customers that all of our flagship smartphones, which are used and loved by American consumers, will remain for sale and available for customer service support in the U.S."The company branded the case as an example of Apple "abusing the judicial system" and creating a bad legal precedent that could set the stage for similar patent disputes in the future. To a consumer, interface "features" like pinch-to-zoom and slide-to-unlock are now viewed as universal controls employed by several different platforms to build intuitive apps and services.Samsung intends to pitch this point to the U.S. Supreme Court. It has asked for a review of the system used to grant new design patents and award damages when they are infringed.The company argues that it is having to give up all its profits and suspend sales of its infringing devices even though the case is based around a comparatively inconsequential element of the entire product.Samsung isn't alone in thinking patent damages should be awarded based on how much of an impact they make on the entire product. In July 2015, other Silicon Valley firms including Google, Facebook, Dell and HP united to defend Samsung against Apple, demonstrating that this kind of patent dispute damages the industry.The sales ban on Samsung's archaic smartphones will come into effect in 30 days but will never get a chance to be enforced. FOSS Patents explains that the most important patent expires at the beginning of February so the ban will be void as soon as it comes into action. The other patents concerned have already been classed as irrelevant and invalid, in part because the patent covering the slide-to-unlock functionality only covers certain graphical elements of Apple's interface, rather than the actual system itself. More about Apple, Samsung, Patent, patent dispute, Android Apple Samsung Patent patent dispute Android Court Sales sales ban RulingMedics said up to 10 people were injured in the tunnel between Egypt and Gaza [AFP] Medics said up to 10 people were injured in the tunnel between Egypt and Gaza [AFP] He said that the tunnels are poorly constructed. "Many of them collapse. In fact, more than 45 Palestinians have died in cave-ins. More than 40 has died as a result of direct attacks by the Egyptians in these attempts to stop [smuggling]. Vital supplies The 1.5 million population of Gaza has relied on the vast network of tunnels from Egypt for vital supplies since Israel put the territory under siege after Hamas came to power there in June 2007. The interior ministry of the Hamas government said the tunnel workers had been killed by toxic gas pumped into the tunnel. "This is a terrible crime committed by Egyptian security against simple Palestinian workers who were trying to earn their daily bread" Fawzi Barhoum, Hamas spokesman "The interior ministry confirms that the citizens' cause of death was the Egyptian security forces spraying poison gasses into one of the tunnels," it said in a statement. A Palestinian police official said three people died of smoke inhalation and a fourth from flying debris caused by explosives being detonated in the tunnel. Another three tunnel workers were admitted with injuries to a hospital in the Egyptian town of Rafah, he said. Medics said as many as 10 people had been injured when the tunnel collapsed. A Hamas official demanded an explanation for the incident. "This is a terrible crime committed by Egyptian security against simple Palestinian workers who were trying to earn their daily bread," Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman, told The Associated Press. "We demand that Egypt explain its position about what is happening and investigate the circumstances of this terrible crime and show the truth to the entire world and hold those responsible accountable," he said. 'Too many tunnels' Egyptian security officials admitted that they had destroyed four tunnels north of the Rafah border crossing with Gaza on Wednesday. Al Jazeera's Amr El-Kahky, reporting from Cairo, said the Egyptians said they had done what they should be doing by notifying the Palestinians that the tunnel were the casualties occurred was going to be demolished. "The Egyptians say that there are too many tunnels on the 15km long border. There are about 1,300 to 1,500 tunnels in that area," he said. Israel says the tunnels are used to smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip [GALLO/GETTY] "Most of these tunnels are dug with the approval by Hamas on the other side. They are not all operated by people who are pro-Hamas... They are also operated by outlaws on both sides of the border and that's why it is very difficult to keep controlling what goes in and what goes out. "Egypt thinks a lot of things come from Gaza, including people that could destabilise the security situation in Sinai." The United States and Israel have been pushing Egypt to do more to close the tunnels, which which they say are used to arm Palestinian fighters. Israeli aircraft have bombed the tunnels in the past, particularly during the country's three-week assault on Gaza, which ended in January last year. Palestinian officials in Rafah say Egypt has stepped up a crackdown on smuggling in recent months, blowing up numerous tunnel entrances on its side of the border, setting up checkpoints in the area and confiscating contraband. Since December, Egypt has also been building an underground steel wall to block the tunnels.A woman has filed suit against the police department that injured her arm during her arrest and then ignored her increasingly poor medical state — eventually costing her an arm. The woman — 35-year-old Amy Needham of Ross Township, Penn. — was arrested in April for skipping a preliminary hearing related to a disorderly conduct charge against her. Needham claimed that police surprised her while she was in the bathroom, tasered her and applied arms bars and wrist locks, according to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Police also used handcuffs that were “too tight,” according to Needham’s official complaint. The lawsuit alleges that the rough treatment of her arms and wrists led her to develop “compartment syndrome,” a muscle condition that results in permanent nerve and tissue damage if untreated. Muscles affected by compartment syndrome wither and die unless surgery is administered, according to Raw Story. Needham spent one week in Allegheny County Jail, during which she asked to see a doctor 16 times. Belatedly, she was taken to a hospital, where doctors amputated her arm at the elbow. Needham had a job in a restaurant, but can no longer work until she is fitted for a prosthetic arm. Her attorney said that the ordeal has left her with “psychological problems.” “She feels that her life is ruined,” said Marvin Leibowitz, who is representing Needham in her recently filed lawsuit against Allegheny County, in a statement. “You’re 35 years old and you lose your arm.” Needham had a minor criminal record. Earlier this year, she plead guilty to resisting arrest, simple assault and disorderly conduct. The lawsuit alleges cruel and unusual punishment, excessive force, battery and negligence. Needham is seeking $75,000 in damages. The county declined to comment on the matter, since litigation is pending. Follow Robby on TwitterThe India Today Group via Getty Images INDIA - JANUARY 08: A palmist (Parrot Astrologer) reads the future of NRIs (Non-Resident Indians), came to India to participate at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas-2006 in Hyderabad, India on 8th January 2006. (Photo by A Prabhakar Rao/The India Today Group/Getty Images) Nope. This isn't fake news. The Madhya Pradesh government has decided to get astrologers to provide consultation to patients. In quite a strange move, the government there has decided to set up an OPD where vastu experts, palmists and soothsayers will offer advice to the patients. This will start from September, reports India Today. Three to four hours twice a week, these astrologers will advise the patients according to the horoscopes and 'lifelines' of the patients. The astrologers will be provided by Maharashi Patanjali Sanskrit Sansthan (MPSS), a state government institution in Bhopal. That's not all. According to a New Indian Express report, like OPDs, where junior doctors work under the supervision of seniors, these astrologers will also train junior astrologers. "Aspiring astrologers will be assisted by experts in dealing with cases in the astro OPDs," MPSS director P R Tiwari told New Indian Express. Patients seeking diagnosis will pay a registration fee of Rs 5 to the astrologers. Also on HuffPost:It may come as no surprise, but Americans are watching more and more online video. In fact, they’re practically jonesin’ for it. According to comScore’s numbers, 182 million Americans watched online video content in September (for an average of 19.5 hours per viewer), while the U.S. video audience tallied a total of 39.8 billion video views. But what may be a bit more surprising is the extent to which people are now watching their video on tablets. Ooyala, the provider of online video technology and services just released its first quarterly review, which you can find here. While the data is skewed slightly as it only takes into account those who actually watch online video, as comScore’s numbers show, at least in the U.S., there are more than a few watching online video. And Ooyala’s data set, too, is considerable, as the platform handles more than 1 billion analytics pings per day — revealing the global viewing behavior of 100 million monthly unique users. From Ooyala’s study comes a number of interesting interesting conclusions. First and foremost, tablets are seeing a significantly higher level of engagement in online video viewing, as tablet viewers watch longer than viewers of desktops or mobile devices. For each minute watched on a desktop, tablets recorded “1:17 in played content”, which works out to 28 percent longer than the desktop average. What’s more, tablet viewers are more than twice as likely to finish a video than desktoppers, as the completion rate for tablet viewers was double what it was for desktop viewing in the third quarter of this year — and is 30 percent higher than that of mobile devices. Of course, the high level of video engagement compared to desktops isn’t just limited to tablets, it seems it’s true of all mobile devices, too: In Ooyala’s words, “viewer engagement was generally higher on mobile devices than on desktops — even for long term videos”. Yup, mobile viewers completed three-quarters of a long-form video at a rate of 20 percent, compared to 18 percent for desktops. In terms of long-form videos, the study found that desktops and laptops are more likely to be used for short video clips, whereas videos that are 10 minutes or longer make up 30 percent of the hours watched on mobile devices, 42 percent on tablets, and nearly 75 percent on connected TV devices and game consoles. While desktops still make up the bulk of total video displays, plays, and number of hours watched, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TV devices are increasingly shaping (and changing) viewer behavior. For non-desktop video media, mobile devices owned the biggest share of total hours played, with 48 percent, while plays on tablets accounted for 45 percent. While connected TV devices lagged behind in most categories, as the industry is still in its nascency, Ooyala believes that these devices are closing in on the tipping point, as video plays on connected TVs tripled in Q3 alone. Of course, when it comes to video being watched on mobile devices and tablets, it’s all iOS and Android. Combined, Android and iOS devices make up 90 percent of the video hours for tablets and mobile devices. For tablets, unsurprisingly, iPad is king. iPads were responsible for 99.4 percent of displays, 97.7 percent of total plays, and 95.7 percent of total hours streamed. However, thanks to its growing lead in marketshare among mobile devices, Android is seeing an average conversion rate of 45 percent — one that’s considerably higher than that of iPhones at 22 percent. For tablets, Android devices were also higher at 47 percent compared to iPads at 13 percent. In terms of viewer engagement for tablet viewers, the percentages were close, but iPads grabbed the higher percentage of completion rates (at 38 percent compared to Android’s 36 percent). Also of note: As Erick reported back in August, Facebook had jumped into third place among the biggest video platforms, with an estimated 51.6 million people watching videos on Facebook in July. Facebook’s numbers have since dropped slightly, but the point remains: When it comes to display advertising and now video, Facebook is growing at a scary rate. To this point, Ooyala found that Facebook is across the board a more popular means of sharing video than its social media rival, Twitter. In the U.S., for every one video shared on Twitter, over eight are shared on Facebook. As to how much more popular Facebook was than Twitter as a video sharing platform — that varies widely depending on the region. In Japan, there’s a 1:1 ratio, whereas in Italy Facebook is 17 times more popular. In the end, Ooyala’s study seems to prove how it is becoming of increasing importance for content publishers to develop strategies for tablets. With viewers watching 28 percent longer per play on tablets compared to desktops, the publishers are now beginning to be guaranteed to have access their viewers’ eyeballs for a longer period of time. No doubt advertisers will be taking note of this. For a full dive into Ooyala’s study, download it out here. Excerpt image from BrassmusicianAs a break from our month focussing on applying insight to marketing, it’s time to share the results of our coaches & mentors poll. You may remember that back in August, we launched a short survey on use of coaching & mentoring. Thanks to those who participated. We now have stable enough results to give an interesting, at least initial, picture. As someone who works as an external coach & mentor, some of these results have surprised me. See if they accord with your experience. Following advice on understanding the difference between coaches & mentors, together with when you might need each, I was keen to see take-up. So, questions in this poll centred around 3 topics: use of coaches; use of mentors; personal development progress. Here is what you shared… Use of coaches In answer to the question, “Do you have a coach?“: 57% No 43% Yes Despite the progress in take-up of coaching in the UK. I am not surprised to see it still lag behind the US. However, 43% is still a higher percentage of coaching take-up than I have seen in other surveys (so there may be a slight participation bias in our results). Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how those 43% use coaches. The following questions were only completed by the 43%, who answered ‘yes’ to having a coach. In answer to the question, “What type of coach are they?“: 33% Executive Coach 33% Leadership Coach 33% Professional Coach Given the preponderance of ‘life coaches’ & ‘NLP coaches’ I have met at coaching events, it’s interesting to see those did not make the list. The focus on the most senior leadership roles still appears to hold true. But, it was interesting to see professional coach selected as a title as well. In answer to the question, “Are they external to your employer?“: 100% Yes The first result to not have an element of surprise. It accords with my experience that most leaders (who do) only hire coaches externally, or view any such internal work as ‘mentoring’. In answer to the question, “Do you believe you need a coach, to develop your leadership or to sustain high performance?“: 60% Don’t know 20% Yes 20% No This is perhaps the most concerning answer so far. There has been quite some debate within the coaching community about the need to improve methods of measuring effectiveness. To be able to demonstrate genuine progress or ROI for clients. This answer underlies the importance of that quest. If coaching clients themselves aren’t convinced they need a coach, there is probably more work to do on demonstrating what coaching delivers for them. We all need to see robust, understood, metrics become commonplace. Use of mentors The next three questions
pointed criticism following Tuesday’s game that the winning Lightning goal was set up by a head-shot hit from Brian Boyle on Thomas Hickey, there will be no supplementary discipline from the league. “I’m going to stand by what I said,” Capuano said. “The hit was high and it led to a good scoring chance.” rlongley@postmedia.com twitter.com/longleysunsportReview: Metz, 'Strange Peace' Note: NPR's First Listen audio comes down after the album is released. However, you can still listen with the Spotify or Apple Music playlist at the bottom of the page. Courtesy of the artist Strange Peace is the third album from the Toronto noise-rock outfit METZ, and it's anything but peaceful. Starting with their self-titled debut for Sub Pop records, the trio of singer-guitarist Alex Edkins, bassist Chris Slorach, and drummer Hayden Menzies has raised a healthy if unholy racket, a sound that sits somewhere between the dissonant aggression of Shellac and the off-kilter hooks of Pixies. That hasn't changed on Strange Peace -- but the world around it has. Recorded with Shellac's mastermind Steve Albini, Strange Peace is an album that doesn't need to be explicitly political to make a statement about our current chaotic climate. The opening track, "Mess Of Wires," gallops out of the gate like a malfunctioning industrial robot, a tangle of mechanical riffs and Edkins' oddly infectious chants. The band's ability to inject melody into the weirdest of places is most striking on "Cellophane." Slightly more laidback than the usual METZ song, it's closer to a garage-rock anthem than a skin-peeling punk rager, and Edkins' refrain of "How will I know? / How will I know?" is designed to lodge itself in the brain of the listener like some insidious implant. Uncertainty is the overriding sensation induced by Strange Peace. "Lost In The Blank City" begins with what almost sounds like the keys of a typewriter slamming mercilessly on paper. From there, it creeps and crawls through a minefield of disoriented guitar and lurching beats. "You hold me close to your skin," Edkins howls, and it's an expression of revulsion rather than romance. He doesn't play the guitar so much as strangle it on "Mr. Plague," a pummeling yet jaunty ode to a clearly unsavory character, complete with one of Slorach's typically rubbery basslines. It makes perfect sense that Albini is at the album's helm. One of his most famous productions, Nirvana's nerve-shredding In Utero, casts a long, jagged shadow over Strange Peace. On "Common Trash," METZ's debt to Kurt Cobain and company is apparent — underneath all the distortion and angst, it's pop music, only contorted and deconstructed with gleeful mania. At under a minute, "Escalator Teeth" is the album's shortest song. At almost six minutes, "Raw Materials" is its lengthiest. Between the two, the full scope of Strange Peace becomes clear. "Escalator Teeth" is a burst of staccato cacophony in which Edkins inhumanly praises the virtues of "machine-like repetition"; "Raw Materials" slams and churns until collapsing into a ringing, breathless bridge reminiscent of Sonic Youth. "For me, Strange Peace is sort of the idea of the eerie, calm-before-the-storm feel," Edkins said recently on the podcast Culture Creature, "having the feeling that things are going to change, and maybe not for the better." That said, it's cathartic rather than hopeless — an exorcism of nervous energy at a time when it's direly needed.LONDON — Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday that he had asked the European Union to suspend its new restrictions on financial assistance to Israeli institutions in order to show the Israeli public the benefit of pursuing a peace agreement with the Palestinians. “I think it’s important that the Israeli people and the government see that coming to the talks, taking the risk of moving toward peace is worthwhile,” Mr. Kerry said. In June, the European Union issued guidelines that would preclude financing and cooperating with institutions in territories occupied by Israel after the 1967 war. The guidelines, which have yet to take effect, were intended to pressure Israel to change its policy on Jewish settlements in the West Bank and seek a peace agreement with the Palestinians. The restrictions were of great concern to Israeli officials, who feared they would be the opening salvo in a campaign to isolate Israel and punish its economy.The Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2017 will be announced during the FOX broadcast of "NFL Honors" from 8-10 p.m. ET on Feb. 4 (the eve of Super Bowl LI). NFL Media historian Elliot Harrison already analyzed enshrinement probability for each of the 15 modern-era finalists. Now it's time to dig a little deeper into who they were as players. Below you'll find one instructive video clip for each Hall hopeful -- a play (or series of plays) that truly defines the player. Given that some of the clips have similar thematic elements, the videos are broken up into seven categories, starting with... The Greatest Show on Turf: Kurt Warner, Isaac Bruce It's quite rare that two guys who spent their primes playing together make the Hall of Fame together. In fact, it's never happened. If Kurt Warner and Isaac Bruce both receive a phone call the Saturday before the Super Bowl, we will have a first. The Rams' 1999 championship run seemingly came out of nowhere, but not without a couple of clutch plays from these men. The first came near the end of the '99 NFC Championship Game against the Buccaneers -- a contest that was a defensive slugfest, as opposed to the typical shootout we become accustomed to in that Rams season. Trailing 6-5 -- yes, six to five -- with just under five minutes to play, Warner delivered a perfect ball to the pylon where only Ricky Proehl could get it. Warner's beauty sent the Rams to their first Super Bowl in two decades. It was in that Super Bowl where Warner and Bruce teamed up for one of the most spectacular long balls in the big game's history. After allowing the Titans to come all the way back from a 16-zip deficit to tie the game, St. Louis needed a response. With 2:12 on the clock and the Rams in danger of entering panic mode, Warner heaved a moon shot to Bruce on the first play of the drive. The speedy wideout adjusted to the football, cut past a safety and sprinted to paydirt. Dealer's choice: Terrell Davis Just before Warner and Bruce were torching the NFL, the Broncos rode the legs of Terrell Davis to consecutive Lombardi Trophies. You know Davis' story well by now: MVP, Super Bowl MVP and 2,000-yard rusher... then a series of injuries cut his career short. Before all that, though, TD introduced himself to the league in a preseason game over in Tokyo. No, he didn't do so as a dominant runner, but rather while performing the most mundane of football duties: kick coverage. Having worked with Davis at NFL Network and knowing his humility, this is so very fitting -- TD flying down the field on special teams like his career depended on it. You want to see how a sixth-round pick gets noticed, before all the MVPs and assorted hardware? Take a look, broham. #respect History: LaDainian Tomlinson, Morten Andersen Davis' last season (2001) was LaDainian Tomlinson's first. LT was the dominant player in the league in 2006, one reason why he is probably the only lock in this year's class of finalists. That season, Tomlinson led the NFL in rushing with 1,815 yards, caught 56 passes and scored a league-record 31 touchdowns. Through all that, the most impressive facet of Tomlinson's signature season was the way he did it: with explosiveness and class, both of which were evident on his record-breaking 29th touchdown (which surpassed the mark Shaun Alexander had set one season before). All LT wanted to do was share the glory with his teammates. Eight years before Tomlinson set that scoring record, the 1998 Vikings made history by piling up a then-record 556 points. All the joy of their prolific 15-1 campaign came crashing down on the foot of Morten Andersen, who hit from 38 yards out to send the Falcons to the Super Bowl -- and tens of thousands of Minnesota fans to the parking lot in utter dejection. The ironic twist to Andersen's clutch kick was that Vikings kicker Gary Anderson -- who hadn't missed a field goal all year -- shanked an attempt late in the fourth quarter that would have put Minnesota up by 10. Notice Andersen's reaction as soon as he connected in the overtime period. Legacy: Don Coryell, Tony Boselli If you were to write the history of offensive football -- and particularly, the passing game -- you wouldn't be able to do so without covering Don Coryell. The former Cardinals and Chargers head coach took Sid Gillman's offenses from the 1960s, simplified them and pushed them forward into a new era. His development of a numbering system for route trees -- and his knack for attacking defenses out of the one-back offense -- influenced both Joe Gibbs' Super Bowl teams with the Redskins and those '90s Cowboys outfits that won three out of four Super Bowls. But he was most known for his arcade game scoring attacks in the early '80s. Like, you know, when a team scores 50 and racks up 661 yards of offense, as the Bolts did in a Monday night beatdown of the Bengals back in 1982. Good grief. You can't score points if you don't have the blocking up front. Unfortunately, one of the top left tackles to ever do it only played seven seasons. That's OK, because Tony Boselli cemented his legacy by handling the league's all-time sack king in front of a national audience. It was Wild Card Weekend back in 1996, and the upstart Jags had to get Bruce Smith blocked in order to win. Uhh, they did. Boselli's performance became known among some league observers as "the Bruce Smith game." Heck, even Walter Jones told me he watched Boselli's "Bruce Smith game" when we spoke in Canton two years ago. A dominant left tackle saying he watched and admired you -- that's legacy. Height of dominance... and swag: Ty Law, Terrell Owens, Jason Taylor Ty Law was first-team All-Pro in 2003, and perhaps the top cover corner in all of football. Law also didn't mind saying what was on his mind, which didn't always fit in with "the Patriot way." That's alright, because Law delivered an all-time performance in what might've been his best season, picking off Peyton Manning not once, not twice, but three times in the AFC title game. Check it out. All Terrell Owens wanted you to do was check him out. It was in 2002 that Owens really became "T.O." -- for the rest of his football lifetime. Sure, Owens caught the football that beat the Packers in the 1998 wild-card game. In 2000, he stood on the Cowboys' star to show up America's Team before getting knocked on his rear end. But on a Monday night in 2002, the league's second all-time leader in receiving yards cemented his reputation as both an incredible player and prima donna, essentially calling his shot against the Seahawks on a fourth-quarter touchdown pass from Jeff Garcia. A much simpler move than keeping a marker in your sock to eventually sign a scored football is dumping off the ball to your running back. Yet, Jason Taylor made even these plays quite dangerous in 2006, the season he was named Defensive Player of the Year. Taylor might have been known as the NFL's most GQ defensive lineman, but he appeared to be a defensive back the way he was able to time -- and grab -- what should have been safe passes from opposing quarterbacks. As you can see just below, Taylor victimized the Vikings, snatching the football out of the air on the way to one of two pick-sixes he would score that season. This brand of athleticism defined his career. Sudden impact: Brian Dawkins, John Lynch, Alan Faneca While Taylor wasn't known as a big hitter, Brian Dawkins was. The Hall of Fame finalist once told "Football Digest" that he wanted to be like Darren Woodson, a safety who came into the league four years before him who could cover, tackle and occasionally deliver a momentum-altering lick. For all the plays Dawkins made over an insanely good 16-year career, his hit on Alge Crumpler in the 2004 NFC Championship Game was legendary. And it delivered a message that this Eagles team -- which had lost three straight NFC title games -- was going to the Super Bowl. Like Dawkins, John Lynch finished his career with the Broncos. But it was Lynch's time with the Bucs that launched him into Hall consideration, mostly because Lynch had a penchant for launching himself into offensive players -- routinely. Those Tampa teams in the late '90s and early 2000s were carried by the defense. The Bucs were polar opposites of those "Greatest Show on Turf" Rams, an offensive juggernaut if there ever was one. When Lynch gave Marshall Faulk his best lick on "Monday Night Football," fans everywhere saw that the Bucs safety was just as big a beast as oft-celebrated teammates Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks. We generally think of defensive players like Dawkins and Lynch as the enforcers on the football field. The 2017 Hall of Fame class might include a player who played that role routinely -- as a guard. Alan Faneca had become an All-Pro level O-lineman by 2003, with much of the acclaim coming from his ability to pull and block effectively out in space. I'd say Faneca pulled that off -- and then some -- in an early-season game versus the Bengals. Yep, this sucker was talked about plenty in the highlight shows. Career catalogue: Joe Jacoby, Kevin Mawae Joe Jacoby's ascendancy to finalist took much longer than Faneca's. Consider it a nod to the scope of his career. Sure, the former Redskins left tackle garnered four Pro Bowl nods and was a fantastic player in his own right. Yet the reason he is being strongly considered is due to Washington's team success, and the notoriety of a rather curious position group. Jacoby was the largest member of "The Hogs," who drove the Redskins to three Super Bowl titles with three different quarterbacks. They also could boast their own cheering section ("The Hogettes"), while having a moniker as well-known as "Sweetness" and "LT." They were an offensive line, for crying out loud. Kevin Mawae's candidacy is also fueled by a packed résumé, highlighted by starting 238 games over 16 years (primarily at center). He also participated in eight Pro Bowls. Mawae was once voted one of the dirtiest players in the NFL, which belied his cerebral approach to the game. For example -> Follow Elliot Harrison on Twitter @HarrisonNFL.Charles Kayongo is a Ugandan father of two girls aged five and three. And even though age-old traditions among his ethnic group, the Baganda, say a man should have an unlimited number of children and a son as an heir, Kayongo refuses to have more children. Like a growing number of cash-strapped young parents in this landlocked east African nation who yearn for a modern lifestyle, he says he and his wife, Eunice Kayongo, want a small family. "Enough is enough. I do not want any more children. I discussed this with my wife, and we have been using pills and condoms for the past two years. The cost of food, of sending them to school and buying medication is already too high for me," the 33-year-old tells IPS from his home in Mukono town on the outskirts of Uganda's capital, Kampala. Kayongo, who owns a bar, says he spends $10 a day on his family and earns $440 a month. "I am interested in family planning because it helps us live a better life. I make sure I go with my wife to the clinic. I have to plan financially for my family." Uganda has one of the world's highest population growth rates – 3.2% annually. The country's population is 34 million. "One million people are added to the Ugandan population annually, but the resources are not increasing at the same rate," says Anthony Bugembe, a programme officer at the population secretariat in the ministry for finance, planning and economic development. Kayongo is among an emerging generation of young Ugandan husbands who are beginning to defy the old African tradition of fathering large numbers of children and are opting for smaller, more manageable families. Lynda Birungi, from the national family planning group Reproductive Health Uganda, says more young fathers are becoming involved in family planning than before largely because of financial reasons. However, these men are still a minority. "Out of every five women who come to our clinic, only one comes with a man. But over 20 years ago, no men came. These days, the young generation of male partners want a better standard of living and feel that they can attain this by having small families," Birungi says. In the southern African nation of Malawi, what started as a travelling theatre of only 10 police officers 11 years ago has now grown into a movement of over a thousand men preaching against gender-based violence, which fuels unwanted pregnancies and increases maternal mortality. The group, the Men's Travelling Conference (MTC), is a team of mostly men and some women funded by the Norwegian government and the UN Population Fund. In 2003, the MTC marked the annual 16 days of activism against gender violence, an international campaign calling for non-violence against women and children that is held from 25 November to 10 December, in a unique way. Men from Kenya, Zambia and Ethiopia travelled to Malawi's capital, Lilongwe, by bus. Along the way, they stopped at each community they passed and left behind the message that violence against women was destructive, and that men hold the power and responsibility to stop such violence. Now every December the MTC travels to communities in Malawi to educate men. Wisdom Samu is one of the men who travel with the MTC. In September 2001 he lost his wife shortly after she gave birth to their seventh child. "Through the MTC, I have learned that I was to blame. I never allowed her to use family planning methods because I wanted more children," says Samu. He has become a role model, and has persuaded many other men from his community of Namitete – 50km from Lilongwe – to become involved in family planning. "I tell them to listen and plan together with their wives, and to allow their wives to use modern family planning methods," he says. Samu's story is echoed across Malawi, a country where 13 women die every day from avoidable, pregnancy-related complications. "It was these scary statistics that made us think outside the box," says Emma Kaliya, chairwoman of Malawi NGO Gender Co-ordination Network. "We agreed to recruit and mobilise male supporters at all levels and sectors to push the agenda through drama, song and discussions – to tell men that it's time they sat down and planned smaller families with their wives." As Malawi strives to involve more men in family planning, the west African nation of Mali is slowly but surely making progress. The country's millennium development goals report by the UN Development Programme in March 2010 said Mali's maternal mortality rate had dropped from 582 to 464 deaths per 100,000 live births between 2001 and 2006. This is partly because of intensive campaigns to involve men in family planning. "Ten years ago, my clinic in Bamako only used to receive women, but today the women are being accompanied by their husbands – and that to me is a sign that what we are doing is working," says Mountaga Toure, executive director for the Malian Association for the Protection and Promotion of the Family (AMPFF). The association is an affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF). "I sometimes see men coming on their own to collect contraceptives for their partners, saying their wives are too busy to do that," he says in a telephone interview. This, he says, is a massive change in a deeply Muslim country like Mali. Toure says the AMPFF, in partnership with the IPPF, is encouraging men to talk about what has always been regarded as taboo. "To make them understand, we talk about the economy and whether it can allow any man to support 10 children … this makes them understand the reason why they need to plan with their wives how many children their pockets can support," Toure says. Back in Uganda, Kayongo's decision not to have more children has not gone down well with his mother. "My mother wants me to have sons, but I do not want more children. It is my decision," he says. • Additional reporting by Mabvuto Banda in MalawiType of document tracing closely related to Internet vigilantism and hacktivism Doxing (from dox, abbreviation of documents)[1] or doxxing[2][3] is the Internet-based practice of researching and broadcasting private or identifiable information (especially personally identifiable information) about an individual or organization.[3][4][5][6][7] The methods employed to acquire this information include searching publicly available databases and social media websites (like Facebook), hacking, and social engineering. It is closely related to Internet vigilantism and hacktivism. Doxing may be carried out for various reasons, including to aid law enforcement, business analysis, risk analytics, extortion, coercion, inflicting harm, harassment, online shaming, and vigilante justice.[9][10] Etymology [ edit ] "Doxing" is a neologism that has evolved over its brief history. It comes from a spelling alteration of the abbreviation "docs" (for "documents") and refers to "compiling and releasing a dossier of personal information on someone".[11] Essentially, doxing is revealing and publicizing records of an individual, which were previously private or difficult to obtain. The term dox derives from the slang "dropping dox" which, according to Wired writer Mat Honan, was "an old-school revenge tactic that emerged from hacker culture in 1990s". Hackers operating outside the law in that era used the breach of an opponent's anonymity as a means to expose opponents to harassment or legal repercussions.[11] Consequently, doxing often comes with a negative connotation, because it can be a vehicle for revenge via the violation of privacy.[12] History [ edit ] Doxware is a cryptovirology attack invented by Adam Young and further developed with Moti Yung that carries out doxing extortion via malware. It was first presented at West Point in 2003. The attack is rooted in game theory and was originally dubbed "non-zero sum games and survivable malware".[13] The attack is summarized in the book Malicious Cryptography as follows: The attack differs from the extortion attack in the following way. In the extortion attack, the victim is denied access to its own valuable information and has to pay to get it back, where in the attack that is presented here the victim retains access to the information but its disclosure is at the discretion of the computer virus.[14] Doxware is the converse of ransomware. In a ransomware attack (originally called cryptoviral extortion), the malware encrypts the victim's data and demands payment to provide the needed decryption key. In the doxware cryptovirology attack, the attacker or malware steals the victim's data and threatens to publish it unless a fee is paid.[citation needed] Common techniques [ edit ] Anyone can harvest information from the Internet about individuals. There is no particular structure in place for doxing, meaning someone may seek out any kind of information related to the target. A basic Web search can yield results. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and Linkedin offer a wealth of private information, because many users have high levels of self-disclosure (i.e. sharing their photos, place of employment, phone number, email address), but low levels of security. It is also possible to derive a person's name and home address from a cell-phone number, through such services as reverse phone lookup.[15] Social engineering has been used to extract information from government sources or phone companies.[16] In addition to these, a doxxer may use other methods to harvest information. These include information search by domain name and location searching based on an individual's IP address.[17] Once people have been exposed through doxing, they may be targeted for harassment through methods such as harassment in person, fake signups for mail and pizza deliveries, or through swatting (dispatching armed police to their house through spoofed tips). A hacker may obtain an individual's dox without making the information public. A hacker may look for this information in order to extort or coerce a known or unknown target. Also, a hacker may harvest a victim's information in order to break into their Internet accounts, or to take over their social media accounts.[18] The victim may also be shown their details as proof that they have been doxed in order to intimidate. The perpetrator may use this fear and intimidation to gain power over the victim in order to extort or coerce. Doxing is therefore a standard tactic of online harassment and has been used by people associated with 4chan and in the Gamergate and vaccine controversies.[19][20][21][22][23] The ethics of doxing by journalists, on matters that they assert are issues of public interest, is an area of much controversy. Many authors have argued that doxing in journalism blurs the line between revealing information in the interest of the public and releasing information about an individual's private life against their wishes.[24][25][26] Notable examples [ edit ] Sorted in chronological order Don Denkinger [ edit ] After the St. Louis Cardinals lost the 1985 World Series, umpire Don Denkinger became a victim of this when two St. Louis disc jockeys publicly revealed his telephone number and home address.[27] Hit lists of abortion providers [ edit ] In the 1990s anti-abortion activists secured abortion providers' personal information, such as their home addresses, phone numbers, and photographs, and posted them as a hit list, ruled by the courts to be an immediate incitement to violence. The site's legend explained: "Black font (working); Greyed-out Name (wounded); Strikethrough (fatality)." The website included blood-dripping graphics, celebrated providers' deaths and incited others to kill or injure the remaining providers on the list. Between 1993 and 2016, eight abortion providers were killed by anti-abortion terrorists.[28][29] Human flesh search engine [ edit ] Starting in March 2006, the Chinese Internet phenomenon of the "Human flesh search engine" shares much in common with doxing. Specifically, it refers to distributed, sometimes deliberately crowdsourced searches for similar kinds of information through use of digital media.[30][31] Anonymous [ edit ] The term "dox" entered mainstream public awareness through media attention attracted by Anonymous, the Internet-based group of hacktivists and pranksters who make frequent use of doxing,[32] as well as related groups like AntiSec and LulzSec. The Washington Post has described the consequences for innocent people incorrectly accused of wrongdoing and doxed as "nightmarish".[33] In December 2011, Anonymous exposed detailed information of 7,000 members of law enforcement in response to investigations into hacking activities.[5] In November 2014, Anonymous began releasing the identities of members of the Ku Klux Klan.[34] This was in relation to local Klan members in Ferguson, Missouri making threats to shoot anyone who provoked them while protesting the shooting of Michael Brown. Anonymous also hijacked the group's Twitter page, and this resulted in veiled threats of violence against members of Anonymous.[35] In November 2015, a major release of information about the KKK was planned. Discredited information was released prematurely and Anonymous denied involvement.[36] On November 5, 2015 (Guy Fawkes Night), Anonymous released an official list of supposed but currently unverified KKK members and sympathizers.[37] Boston Marathon [ edit ] Following the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, vigilantes on Reddit wrongly identified a number of people as suspects.[38] Notable among misidentified bombing suspects was Sunil Tripathi, a student reported missing before the bombings took place. A body reported to be Tripathi's was found in Rhode Island's Providence River on April 25, 2013, as reported by the Rhode Island Health Department. The cause of death was not immediately known, but authorities said they did not suspect foul play.[39] The family later confirmed Tripathi's death was a result of suicide.[40] Reddit general manager Erik Martin later issued an apology for this behavior, criticizing the "online witch hunts and dangerous speculation" that took place on the website.[41] Journalists [ edit ] Journalists with The Journal News of Westchester County, New York, were accused of doxing gun owners in the region in a story the paper published in December 2012.[42] Newsweek came under fire when writer Leah McGrath Goodman claimed to have revealed the identity of the anonymous creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto. Though the source of her sleuthing was primarily the public record, she was heavily criticized for her doxing by users on Reddit.[12] The Satoshi Nakamoto case brought doxing to greater attention, particularly on platforms such as Twitter, where users questioned the ethics of doxing in journalism. Many Twitter users condemned doxing in journalism, wherein they argued that the practice was seemingly acceptable for professional journalists but wrong for anyone else. Other users discussed the effect the popularization that the concept of doxing could have on journalism in public interest, raising questions over journalism concerning public and private figures. Many users have argued that doxing in journalism blurs the line between revealing information in the interest of the public and releasing information about an individual's private life against their wishes.[24][26] Curt Schilling [ edit ] In March 2015, former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher Curt Schilling used doxing to identify several people responsible for "Twitter troll" posts with obscene, sexually explicit comments about his teenaged daughter. One person was suspended from his community college, and another lost a part-time job with the New York Yankees.[43] Alondra Cano [ edit ] In December 2015, Minneapolis city councilwoman Alondra Cano used her Twitter account to publish private cellphone numbers and e-mail addresses of critics who wrote about her involvement in a Black Lives Matter rally.[44] Lou Dobbs [ edit ] In 2016, Fox Business news anchor Lou Dobbs revealed the address and phone number of Jessica Leeds, one of the women who accused American presidential candidate Donald Trump of inappropriate sexual advances; Dobbs later apologized.[45] Erdogan emails [ edit ] In July 2016, WikiLeaks released 300,000 e-mails called the Erdogan emails, initially thought to be damaging to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Included in the leak was Michael Best, who uploaded Turkish citizens' personal information databases that WikiLeaks promoted, who came forward to say that doing so was a mistake after the site where he uploaded the information took it down. The files were removed due to privacy concerns, as they included spreadsheets of private, sensitive information of what appears to be every female voter in 79 out of 81 provinces in Turkey, including their home addresses and other private information, sometimes including their cellphone numbers.[46] Michael Hirsh [ edit ] In November 2016, Politico editor Michael Hirsh resigned after publishing the home address of white nationalist Richard B. Spencer on Facebook.[47][48] U.S. Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity [ edit ] In July 2017, the United States' Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, which was established in May 2017 by U.S. President Donald Trump[49][50] to investigate his controversial allegation of voter fraud,[51] published a 112-page document of unredacted emails of public comment on its work, which included both critics and some supporters of the Commission. The Commission included the personal details of those critics, such as names, emails, phone numbers and home addresses. Most of the commenters who wrote to the White House expressed concern about publication of their personal information, with one person writing, "DO NOT RELEASE ANY OF MY VOTER DATA PERIOD." Despite this, that person's name and email address were published by the commission.[52][53] This act drew criticism from Theresa Lee, a staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union's Voting Rights Project, who stated, "This cavalier attitude toward the public's personal information is especially concerning given the commission's request for sensitive data on every registered voter in the country."[52][53] The White House defended the publication of the personal information, noting that everyone was warned that might happen. However, former Deputy Secretary of Labor Chris Lu stated that regardless of the legality, the White House has a moral obligation to protect sensitive data, saying, "Whether or not it's legal to disclose this personal information, it's clearly improper, and no responsible White House would do this."[53] Federal agencies often solicit and release public comments on proposed legislation. Regulations.gov, which is designated for public comments, includes a detailed set of guidelines explaining how to submit comments, what type of personal information is collected and how that information may be used, stating, "Some agencies may require that you include personal information, such as your name and email address, on the comment form. The Securities and Exchange Commission, for instance, warns commenters to'submit only information that you wish to make available publicly.'" Another agency, the Federal Trade Commission, tells commenters that "published comments include the commenter's last name and state/country as well as the entire text of the comment. Please do not include any sensitive or confidential information." However, The White House does not appear to have issued any such public guidelines or warnings before many of the emails were sent. Marc Lotter, Press Secretary to Mike Pence, stated, "These are public comments, similar to individuals appearing before commission to make comments and providing name before making comments. The Commission’s Federal Register notice asking for public comments and its website make clear that information 'including names and contact information' sent to this email address may be released."[54] Democratic U.S. House of Representatives intern [ edit ] On October 3, 2018, Jackson Cosko, a House fellow for the Democratic party, was arrested by the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP). He allegedly posted private, identifying information of several Senators to Wikipedia. According to the USCP, the personal information of Republican Senators Lindsey Graham, Mike Lee and Orrin Hatch was anonymously posted to Wikipedia the week before on Thursday September 27, 2018. The information included home addresses and phone numbers. All three lawmakers are with the Senate Judiciary Committee. The alleged doxing occurred during the hearing of Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh. Cosko was initially charged with witness tampering, threats in interstate communications, unauthorized access of a government computer, identity theft, second degree burglary and unlawful entry. Cosko was fired after his arrest. He worked with Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif), Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), and former Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif).[55][56][57] If convicted of all six charges Cosko faces up to 20 years in prison.[58] See also [ edit ] References [ edit ]Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump denied on Friday that he ever used a false name to pose as a spokesman for himself -- something he had been widely known to do for years. During a telephone interview on the "Today" show, Trump responded to a Washington Post report detailing Trump's attempts to call reporters using the false names John Barron or John Miller. The Post obtained a recording from one call with "Miller" that sounds an awful lot like Trump discussing his divorce with Marla Maples. Trump denied it was him in the recording and called it a "scam." "I don't know anything about it," he said. "You're telling me about it for the first time and it doesn't sound like my voice at all. I have many, many people that are trying to imitate my voice and you can imagine that and this sounds like one of these scams, one of the many scams. Doesn't sound like me." According to the Post, Sue Carswell, a reporter for People magazine, played a recording of "Miller" in 1991 to several different New York reporters who all said it was Trump. She also played it for Marla Maples, Trump's ex-wife, who confirmed it was Trump. When host Savannah Guthrie pointed out that reporters claimed Trump routinely called him under the pseudonym, Trump denied the claim again, then pivoted, questioning why Guthrie was asking him about it. "No, it was not me on the phone, it was not me on the phone. And it doesn't sound like me on the phone, I will tell you that, and it was not me on the phone. And when was this, 25 years ago?" Trump said. "Wow, you mean you're going so low as to talk about something that took place 25 years ago about whether or not I made a phone call. I guess you're saying under a presumed name." Trump then asked to move on to a different topic. The Post pointed out that Trump's alter-egos offered a way for the business mogul to generate positive coverage about his love life and business interests in the press without actually boasting of them himself.On 24th of September 2015 in a crush that ensued in Mina, around 1000 pilgrims lost their lives. In the wake of this tragic incident, there has been outcry from Iran over the criminal negligence by the Saudi authorities and calls for an open enquiry. There has been a statement made by the supreme ruler of Saudi Arabia to carryout a swift investigation of the incident. The question is will that investigation yield information that will be helpful in avoiding hajj tragedies in the future? The Saudi monarch at present is aiming to increase the number of pilgrims for the Hajj in forthcoming years. While there have been huge amount of development of more lodging facilities and expansion of the great mosque, the health and safety aspects have been put on the back burner. To prevent incidents that have the potential to claim thousands of lives a few recommendations have been made in this article. 1.Educating
no shortage of gas, why do we need the coal seam gas industry? The companies which dominate CSG are determined to forge ahead with the exploitation CSG exploration licences to capitalise on soaring export prices of liquid natural Gas (LNG) to Asia. In December 2014 the first shipment of CSG, converted to LNG, left from Queensland bound for Asia. Historically, the east coast gas market was insulated from the rest of the world, and the domestic wholesale price was stable at about $3 to $4 a gigajoule. Now, there are buyers across Asia prepared to pay $12 or $13. That will inevitably translate to much higher domestic prices and higher profits for the gas producers. It will also give renewed impetus to exploration. The latest argument from the industry in support of exploiting CSG in NSW is that NSW needs to ensure "energy security" and must reduce its reliance on gas imported from other states, notably Victoria, and Queensland. Speaking at a CEDA conference in April, former federal Resources minister, Martin Ferguson, now the chairman of the peak body representing the coal seam gas industry, Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association, APPEA, said NSW was vulnerable if it did not exploit its own CSG reserves. He said NSW imported nearly 95 per cent of its gas, which left it dependent on other states. But is it really a problem to import gas from South Australia, Victoria or Queensland? As Tony Wood, director of the energy program at the Grattan Institute put it: "Do you have a cow in your back yard?" Rather he argues that it's a question of where the investment should be made - expanding the eastern Gas pipeline versus investing in a local coal seam gas industry. The CSG industry, which has already made significant investments in exploration, wants the latter. "The Baird government has a mandate to get on with the development of the gas industry," Mr Ferguson said of the Coalition's emphatic win at the polls. So far the premier is hastening slowly, mindful of the backlash in some seats and the views of the National Party, which is divided on the issue. The next stages of the Gas Plan will be implemented in coming months and the moratorium on further gas exploration is likely to remain until later in the year. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story was amended to remove an incorrect reference to former deputy Prime Minister John Anderson's gain on the sale of Eastern Star Gas to Santos.2 years ago Möngöl Hörde exploded onto the scene with a grand total of four live shows including both Reading and Leeds festival dates. But now they have returned for what very well could be their first and only UK tour. Bringing with them Oxygen Thief and drummer Ben Dawson’s full time band Palehorse on the road with them for the 9 day trek up and down the country. Opening the show, hot off the release of their new album ‘The Half Life of Facts‘ was Oxygen Thief who were playing to a criminally small crowd. Primarily playing off their new album, the Brighton trio warmed the room up nicely with a solid sound a good stage presence and kept the crowd entertained between songs. Palehorse however surprisingly felt somewhat out of place on the line-up. Though they did have high amounts of energy and were getting the crowd moving, many songs sounded indistinguishable from the next and some slightly awkward talk between the two front men. However all said and done they paved the way and got the crowd ready for Möngöl Hörde. Then it was time for the hardcore trio of Frank, Matt and Ben to take the stage in Nottingham for perhaps the only time. Wasting no time getting into the new album by opening with ‘Winky Face: The Mark of a Moron‘ followed by ‘Blistering Blue Barnacle‘. The whole band were completely on form with Matt Nasir’s baritone guitar shook the whole room with obscenely deep heavy riffs and Ben Dawson showed off his more technical side of drumming (after playing immediately after his Palehorse set) and Frank showed Nottingham that eight years of playing folk/punk hasn’t robbed him of his brutal vocals. The whole band were also in good spirits by ripping on making jokes at the expense of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Jessie J and even offering their retort to Jessie J’s song Price Tag with the track ‘Staff to the Refund Counter‘. Playing the entirety of their debut album, with a few choice covers thrown in from Rage Against The Machine, Sepultura, Faith No More and Foo Fighters made for one hell of a set. I can only hope that for everyone who was not able to make this tour, that they will play again. And to everyone heading to Reading and Leeds festival this year, this will be one band not to miss. Rating: 7 Slices out of 8New signs are in place at stations along the Silver Line. (Robert Thomson/The Washington Post) The announcement by Dulles Transit Partners that it had finished work on the first phase of the Silver Line rail project raised hopes that Metro could take control of the project this month. But it now appears that the transition will not happen in February. According to two sources with direct knowledge of the review process, officials at the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, have determined DTP, the contractor lead by construction giant Bechtel, has not completed its work on the first phase of the $5.6 billion project. MWAA, which is overseeing construction, is expected to make the announcement today — the end of its 15-day review period. News of the new delay was first reported by WTOP. The announcement means yet another delay for passengers anxious to ride on the new rail line that links Tysons Corner and Reston to the larger Metro system. Planners originally had hoped to begin passenger service in December 2013, but this combined with other earlier delays may push the start of service into the late spring or early summer, the individuals said. The problems stem from a number of issues, but among the most stubborn is the automatic train control system — a key safety component. MWAA officials declined to comment on the latest reports. DTP announced Feb. 7 that it had completed work on the rail line. MWAA had 15-days to review that claim. DTP will now be given time to complete whatever work MWAA thinks is not finished. Once DTP signals the work is completed and the proper paperwork has been submitted, the 15-day review period will begin again. The process will continue until MWAA certifies that DTP’s work is completed. Once that declaration is made, MWAA must then work with Metro to determine whether the rail line is indeed ready to be handed over to Metro. Once Metro accepts ownership of the line, it has 90 days to complete its review and training. It will be up to Metro to determine when passenger service will begin.Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall is detailing how he would frame a public inquiry into murdered and missing aboriginal women, calling for an examination of "systemic issues" such as the role of the federal and provincial governments in the tragedies. Mr. Wall's proposal – which he is taking to his provincial colleagues and national aboriginal leaders Wednesday at the opening meeting of the Council of the Federation in Charlottetown – is more specific than other premiers have been so far. Mr. Wall is also at odds with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who recently dismissed renewed calls for an inquiry, arguing that the deaths should be viewed as crimes and not as a "sociological phenomenon." The Prime Minister's remarks came in response to the outcry over the violent death of Manitoba teenager Tina Fontaine, whose body was found last week wrapped in plastic in Winnipeg's Red River. Earlier this year, the RCMP reported that more than 1,000 aboriginal women were victims of homicide between 1980 and 2012, and 164 women were missing. Story continues below advertisement "We wouldn't agree that there isn't a societal thing, there," Mr. Wall said in an interview with The Globe and Mail. "Obviously, there are also societal things here where the country as a whole and the two levels of governments bear some responsibility to determine what else can be done and done better, including the province of Saskatchewan," Mr. Wall said. At last year's Council of the Federation meeting, premiers and territorial leaders supported calls for a national inquiry. They are expected to press again this week for an inquiry although several of the big players have changed – Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador are without permanent premiers and federalist Premier Philippe Couillard is now in charge in Quebec. Mr. Wall's proposal is three-pronged: An inquiry would look at how to prevent crimes or how to solve them quickly when they do happen; consider the role and responsibility of the federal and provincial governments; and look at the responsibility of native communities. "I think there is a responsibility piece," he said, adding that "over 40 per cent of violence against aboriginal women can be at the hands of family or spouses." He says that there must be responsibility taken not just at the level of the national aboriginal leadership but at the reserve level, at band councils, and among elders and mentors. Mr. Wall is not alone in his concern over this issue. Other premiers, including Ontario's Kathleen Wynne and Manitoba's Greg Selinger, have criticized Prime Minister Harper for his remarks. Ms. Wynne characterized them as "outrageous." Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement Last week, Prime Minister Harper also said that there "has been a very fulsome study of this particular, of these particular things. They're not all one. They're not all one phenomenon." Mr. Wall acknowledged that there have been studies and recommendations into various aspects of the issue – he believes there have been at least 29 reports or inquiries and 500 recommendations since 1996. "We need to have a look at what has already been recommended and where we're at," he said. "Have governments including provincial governments actually been responding or not?" Assembly of First Nations interim national chief Ghislain Picard is attending Wednesday's meeting. He told The Globe and Mail that the issue of murdered and missing indigenous women will most certainly "overshadow" the talks with the premiers. He says it's a positive step that the premiers have renewed their calls for an inquiry – and that they have rejected the Prime Minister's "totally unacceptable" reaction to Ms. Fontaine's death. However, he wants a plan of action to be developed, as well as a national inquiry. Chief Picard also says there are steps premiers can take now to help with the problem – but he will not say what those are, preferring to hear first from the premiers. Story continues below advertisement Last month in Halifax at the AFN's annual general assembly, the chiefs passed a resolution supporting national roundtables as "part of a framework for developing the national dialogue with respect to the on-going issue." They will also continue to push for a national inquiry.UPDATES ON FLORIDA MARRIAGE RULINGS! MOST RECENT NEWS: [1/1/2015] Judge Hinkle confirmed his marriage ruling - clarifying that clerks in ALL Florida counties are bound by the U.S. Constitution to start issuing marriage licenses starting on January 6. Read the order here: http://bit.ly/1xjQd9A NATIONWIDE: U.S. SUPREME COURT 12/23/2014 - On January 9, the United States Supreme Court will consider petitions on the freedom to marry from 5 marriage states - Tennessee, Louisiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Kentucky - who are seeking certiorari this term. After the conference, the Supreme Court will announce if it has agreed to hear oral arguments and likely offer a judgement. Read more here: http://bit.ly/1AfTeZH 10/6/2014 - This morning the Court issued additional orders from its September 29 Conference. Most notably, the Court denied review of all seven of the petitions arising from challenges to state bans on same-sex marriage. This means that the lower-court decisions striking down bans in Indiana, Wisconsin, Utah, Oklahoma, and Virginia should go into effect shortly, clearing the way for same-sex marriages in those states and any other state with similar bans in those circuits. CASE: STATEWIDE - Brenner v. Scott 1/1/2015 - Judge Hinkle confirmed his marriage ruling - clarifying that clerks in ALL Florida counties are bound by the U.S. Constitution to start issuing marriage licenses starting on January 6. Read the order here: http://bit.ly/1xjQd9A 12/29/2014 - Secretary of the Florida Department of Management Services's Responds to Clerk's Motion to Clarify Judge Hinkle's Ruling. Read the statement here: http://bit.ly/1EF2bzG 12/29/2014 - Grimsley Plaintiffs' file a response to Clerk's motion for clarification on issuing marriage licenses. Read the statement here: http://bit.ly/1zNTkJ9 12/29/2014 - Brenner Plaintiffs' file a response to Clerk's motion for clarification on issuing marriage licenses. Read the statement here: http://bit.ly/1CRwi5g 12/24/2014 - Judge Hinkle asks both parties involved in the federal marriage case to state their positions on the issuing of marriage licenses by clerks. The deadline to submit was midnight December 29th. Read more here: http://bit.ly/1zrZPMB 12/22/2014 - In more than 25 unique amicus briefs that have been or will be submitted week to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, scores of first responders, law enforcement officials, states, cities, faith leaders and businesses urge the court to end Florida’s ban on marriage for same-sex couples. See the briefs here: http://bit.ly/1t7kIjw 12/19/2014 - The U.S. Supreme Court denied the State of Florida's request to extend the stay on Federal Judge Hinkle's marriage ruling! Read the order here: http://www.eqfl.org/SCOTUSmarriage 12/15/2014 - The State of Florida asks the U.S. Supreme Court to extend the stay on Judge Hinkle's ruling. Read the request here: http://www.eqfl.org/marriagenews3 12/3/2014 - The 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals denied a request by the State of Florida to extend the stay on Federal Judge Hinkle's marriage ruling. The stay is set to expire end of day January 5th, meaning marriage is coming to Florida January 6, 2015! Read the order here: http://www.eqfl.org/marriagevictory 10/24/2014 - The State of Florida files a motion requesting an extension on Judge Hinkle's stay. To read the motion, click here. 10/9/2014 - The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit has granted the Governor Scott's and Attorney General Bondi's motion to extend the deadline of the appellant briefs until AFTER Election Day. Deadline is now November 14. To read the court's order, click here. 10/7/2014 - The ACLU files a motion to immediately lift Judge Hinkle's stay. Click here to read the motion. 9/4/2014 - Three defendents in the case filed an appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. To read the motion, click here. 8/28/2014 - The 3rd District Court of Appeal just granted our request to combine the Monroe and Miami-Dade marriage cases as they move to a higher court - And has denied Attorney General Bondi's attempt to stall the progress of marriage cases until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the freedom to marry. 8/21/2014 - To read Judge Hinkle's marriage ruling, click here. 8/21/2014 - Moments ago, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle ruled that Florida's discriminatory state ban excluding same-sex couples from the freedom to marry is unconstitutional. The ruling has already been stayed, meaning that any decision won't go into effect immediately. Read more! CASE: KEY WEST - Huntsman v. Heavilin RULING: On July 17, 2014 Judge Garcia found Florida's ban on marriage to be unconstitutional. This applies to the Clerk in Monroe County. Marriage licenses can be given out in Monroe County but not until July 22nd. You do not need to be a resident of Monroe County to get a license. This ruling does not affect same-sex out-of-state marriages. They are still unrecognized by the state. However we do not know at this time, if the state will recognize Monroe County licenses outside of Monroe County. Does this ruling mean same-sex couples can now get married anywhere in Florida? Unfortunately, no. Although Judge Garcia ruled that beginning on Tuesday, July 22nd, same sex couples could travel from anywhere to Monroe County and receive a marriage license, because Attorney General Pam Bondi has appealed the ruling it is automatically stayed until it is heard by the 3rd District Court of Appeals. This means marriages are on hold pending appeal. On a positive note, because the case has been appealed to a district court, the final ruling in this case will now be binding statewide. How soon will the appeals court rule? It is very difficult to predict how quickly an appeal will be decided, but the next ruling in this case is likely several months away. Does this decision impact same sex marriages performed in other states or jurisdictions? No. Judge Garcia ruled that because no plaintiffs in this case had been married elsewhere, couples married elsewhere did not have standing. A ruling is expected soon in a federal case seeking to have same-sex marriages performed in other states recognized in Florida. UPDATES: 7/24/2014 - Equality Florida Institute and same-sex couples delivered 7,000 petitions to Attorney General Pam Bondi urging her to drop the appeal of the historic marriage ruling. 7/23/2014 - Order to Lift Stay by the 3rd District Court of Appeal - DENIED 7/23/214 - Motion to Vacate Stay to the Disctrict Circuit Court of Appeals 7/21/214 - Order to Emergency Lift Stay - DENIED 7/21/214 - MOTION TO LIFT STAY filed Monroe County Court 7/17/2014 - AG Bondi just filed an Appeal which automatically results in a stay of the decision. No marriages just yet. CASE: MIAMI-DADE Pareto v Ruvin RULING: On July 25, 2014 Judge Zabel has found Florida's ban on marriage to be unconstitutional. There is an immediate stay on the ruling, which means no marriage licenses will be given out just yet. Read our statement on the ruling by clicking here. LINKS: UPDATES: 12/29/2014 - Judge Zabel set a hearing for Monday, January 5th to discuss lifting her stay on the Miami-Dade marriage case. Read more here: http://bit.ly/1D47ape 10/13/2014 - Attorney General Pam Bondi filed a Supplemental Response in Support of Pass-Through Certification, asking the Third District Court of Appeal to “pass through” jurisdiction and allow two same-sex marriage cases to be heard by the Florida Supreme Court. Click here to read the motion. 7/25/2014 - Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi filed an appeal to the Miami-Dade County marriage decision. 7/25/2014 - Miami-Dade County Judge Zabel's ruling on the marriage case. CASE: PALM BEACH - In Re Bangor Estate 8/5/2014 - Palm Beach County Circuit Court Judge Diana Lewis rules that Florida's ban on marriage for same-sex couples is unconstitutional. The ruling is limited to the facts of this case - meaning it only applies to this plaintiff or for these specific circumstances. No order for clerks to issue licenses. No stay issued. To read the order, click here. CASE: BROWARD - Brassner v. Lade 12/17/2014 - Broward Circuit Judge Dale Cohen has granted a divorce between Heather Brassner and Megan Lade, who were united in a 2002 Civil Union in Vermont, making them the second same-sex couple to be recognized as legally married by the State of Florida. Read more here: http://www.eqfl.org/marriagenews4 12/8/2014 - Broward Circuit Judge Dale Cohen ruled Florida's ban on marriage for same-sex couples is unconstitutional...again! There is no stay in place, but we are waiting for the Final Judgment of Dissolution by the Judge. Read Judge Cohen's order here. 10/22/2014 - Attorney General Pam Bondi filed a Memorandum of Law in Opposition. The memorandum claims the Judge should not grant Heather Brassner a divorce. To read the memorandum, click here. 9/12/2014 - Attorney General Pam Bondi has filed a motion to intervene in the Broward County marriage case with Judge Cohen to defend Florida's ban on marriage. To read the motion, click here. 8/4/2014 - Broward County Judge's Marriage Ruling/Opinion - click here. 8/4/2014 - Broward Circuit Judge Dale Cohen struck down Florida’s marriage ban in Broward County and ruled the state must recognize legal out-of-state marriages. This marks the third time in the past few weeks that a Republican-appointed judge in Florida has ruled on the side of marriage equality. The judge issued an immediate stay on the ruling pending appeal by the state. To read more, click here. We expect to hear a ruling Monday, August 4 on the case of lesbian, Heather Brassner who is legally stuck in a 2002 Vermont civil union because Florida is constitutionally banned from recognizing the women’s relationship, and therefore won't grant her a divorce. Learn more about this case.AC Milan reportedly have a bid turned down by Paris Saint-Germain for Adrien Rabiot. Paris Saint-Germain have reportedly rejected a bid from AC Milan to take young midfielder Adrien Rabiot away from the Parc des Princes. Sky Sport Italia claims that the playmaker has turned down two contract offers from the French champions and is concerned by the lack of first-team opportunities available to him in the French capital. Rabiot, whose current deal is set to expire next summer, is said to have stressed to the club's hierarchy that sporting factors rather than money are at the centre of his unhappiness. The Under-21 international, who is also rumoured to be attracting attention from Arsenal and Juventus, could still be sold by PSG if he continues to hold up contract negotiations. Rabiot made his debut for Les Parisiens in 2012.WASHINGTON — New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg slammed pro-gun advocates while encouraging America’s other mayors to pressure Congress to pass President Barack Obama’s gun-control proposals, during a lunch gathering of the U.S. Conference of Mayors on Friday. “Most people I know don’t even have a gun,” Bloomberg said, claiming America is “the only industrialized country in the world” that has a gun “problem” where there are more guns than people. Bloomberg spoke highly of the proposals Obama laid out Wednesday and called the current enforcement of gun laws a “tragic joke.” “This is not a Constitutional question, but it is a political courage question and it is an issue for Washington — we can’t do it alone,” Bloomberg said. “This week President Obama and Vice President Biden did step up and put forward a comprehensive plan for attacking gun violence, and I give them both a lot of credit for listening to the voices of everyday Americans and putting public safety ahead of special interests.” Bloomberg said his Mayors Against Illegal Guns organization was in close communication with Biden and helped develop the slate of goals Obama announced Wednesday. “We were encouraged to see it include virtually everyone of the major elements we sought, but as the president himself has said, the most important parts of his plan require action from Congress.” Bloomberg said mayors must push Congress to pass the president’s proposals, and encouraged them to join his coalition. Like the National Rifle Association, he said, Mayors Against Illegal Guns will “stand up” for those legislators who support gun control and support candidates challenging legislators who do not. More gun control measures will mean less crime and fewer suicides, Bloomberg claimed, saying that in the absence of congressional action, 48,000 more Americans will be murdered with guns during President Obama’s next term. New Yorkers, he added, can expect to live three years longer than the U.S. average and one significant reason is the city’s gun restrictions. Citing MSNBC host Joe Scarborough as an example, Bloomberg noted that Americans’ views on guns are evolving and many supporters of gun rights view some gun-control measures as reasonable. “The public in this country has changed their views when you see Joe Scarborough on ‘Morning Joe’ —a big gun advocate — all of a sudden come out and say, ‘You know, enough is enough.’ That tells you something,” Bloomberg said. “I think the public is ready for a change.” And recalling NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre’s claim that “the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,” Bloomberg said ammunition that can penetrate bullet-proof vests is only sold to kill police officers — good guys with guns. Mayors Against Illegal Guns has over 800 members. “We need every mayor to go to their congressman and their congresswoman and their senators and say, ‘We’ve got a problem in our city and you are the one that is responsible if that problem continues,'” he said. Follow Caroline on TwitterChris Roberson and Dennis Culver’s Edison Rex will go first, with a collection published by IDW in June. Then, in July, Image Comics's Shadowline imprint will release Masks & Mobsters by Joshua Williamson and Mike Henderson. “Print collections have been a main goal from the beginning and it’s really exciting to see such a major piece of the plan fall into place,” Monkeybrain's Allison Baker said, “especially since it means even more people get to discover the amazing work of our creators!” IDW's slate will continue on with Amelia Cole and the Unknown World by writers Adam P. Knave and D.J. Kirkbride and artist Nick Brokenshire premiering in August and titles like Dan Goldman’s Red Light Properties, Kevin Church and Grace Allison’s Wander, and many more to follow. “Monkeybrain was founded because we love comics,” Chris Roberson said in a release. “And thanks to IDW, we’ll have even more comics to love.”Witnessing the scene, Susan E. Rice, the national security adviser, looked baffled and annoyed. Joined by her deputy, Benjamin J. Rhodes, she ducked under the rope to make her way closer to the president. The two were immediately stopped by the same Chinese official, who angrily challenged them. Asked later what happened, a diplomatic Ms. Rice replied, “They did things that weren’t anticipated.” There were further surprises. At the West Lake State House, where Mr. Obama met President Xi Jinping, White House aides, protocol officers and Secret Service agents got into a series of shouting matches over how many Americans should be allowed into the building before Mr. Obama’s arrival. There were fears the confrontation would become physical. “Calm down, please,” an American official said, according to a pool report. A Chinese foreign ministry official said, “Stop, please,” adding, “There are reporters there.” To some in Mr. Obama’s delegation, it was reminiscent of the rough treatment he received on his first trip to China, in 2009. Then the Chinese refused to broadcast on state television a town-hall-style meeting; packed the hall with Communist Party loyalists; and censored an interview he gave to a Chinese publication. At the time, many viewed the treatment as a metaphor for a rising power flexing its muscles with a young president from a superpower in decline. In later visits, the White House has pushed the Chinese for better news media access — with some success. In November 2014, the Chinese agreed to have Mr. Xi take questions at a news conference with Mr. Obama in the Great Hall of the People. When I asked Mr. Xi about the Chinese government’s refusal to renew visas for foreign correspondents, including some from The New York Times, he offered a curt lecture. When one’s car breaks down, he said, “perhaps we need to get off the car and see where the problem lies.”Panel 1 A woman in a tea-length dress wearing heels, being spoken to by a woman in a similar outfit. Person 1: (Speaking to Person 2) Dresses this length are designed to be worn with heels. It won’t look right with flats. Panel 2 A woman in pants and high platform heels being spoken to by a woman in a tea-length dress and pumps. Person 3: (Speaking to Person 4) Slacks look funny with a heel that high – don’t you want to try something more classy? Panel 3 A man in a tuxedo speaking to a woman wearing an evening dress and black high heels. Person 5: (Speaking to Person 6) Red carpet dress code requires appropriate shoes – thank you for putting on heels. Panel 4 A man in a tuxedo speaking to a woman wearing an evening dress and high heels with a tall platform. Person 7: (Speaking to Person 8) Ma’am, I’m sorry but your shoes aren’t appropriate for a red carpet event. Panel 5 A woman in a suit wearing pumps looking sore, a man is speaking to her. Person 9: (Speaking to Person 10) What if someone else gets the job because they wore the right shoes? It’s an interview – you have to wear heels! Panel 6 A woman in a suit wearing a pair of stiletto heels – a woman in a dress wearing pumps is speaking to her. Person 11: (Speaking to Person 12) You can’t wear those heels to an interview – you’ll look trashy! Panel 7 A man speaking to a very short woman wearing a pair of platform pumps and holding a briefcase. Person 13: (Speaking to Person 14) You’re so short you’ll need to wear heels to be taken seriously in a courtroom. Panel 8 A man speaking to a very tall woman wearing platform pumps and holding a briefcase. Person 15: (Speaking to Person 16) You’re so tall that you shouldn’t wear heels – they make you too intimidating. Panel 9 A man and woman dressed up to go to a club, the woman is wearing heels and the man is speaking. Person 17: (Speaking to Person 18) You should wear heels – you won’t be able to dance as much but they won’t let us in if it looks like you didn’t make an effort! Panel 10 Two women dressed up to go to a club, one woman is wearing very high heels and the other woman is speaking. Person 19: (Speaking to Person 20) Change your shoes! They won’t let us in if you look like a skank! Panel 11 A woman in a wedding dress wearing heels, another woman speaking to her. Person 21: (Speaking to Person 22) You have to wear heels with your wedding dress! Don’t you want to look like a princess? Panel 12 A woman in a wedding dress wearing a pair of vinyl ultra-high platform heels, another woman speaking to her. Person 23: (Speaking to Person 24) You can’t wear those shoes to your wedding! They’re way too flashy! Panel 13 A woman speaking to a woman who is wearing flats. Person 25: (Speaking to Person 26) What are you? Some kind of feminist who’s too good to dress up pretty? Panel 14 A woman in flats speaking to a woman wearing very high stiletto heels. Person 27: (Speaking to Person 28) Don’t you know that hypersexualized shoes like that are a tool of the patriarchy? Panel 15 Two women sitting back-to-back, leaning on one another and smiling. One woman wears a pair of flats, the other wears a pair of high heels. They are sitting beneath three word banners and above another banner. Text: Shoes are neither professional nor unprofessional. They are neither chaste nor promiscuous. They are neither appropriate nor inappropriate. Shoes are inanimate foot-coverings. Step the fuck down from judging women for our shoes: The only reason that someone should or should not wear heels is because they choose to.Interesting Monkey Festival in LopBuri. The town of Lopburi in Thailand celebrated its annual interesting Monkey Festival over the weekend, laying out a lavish banquet for the more than 2,000 macaques that roam freely through it. Locals believe that providing food for the monkeys, Lopburi’s most famous residents, brings good fortune and prosperity. The feast is also a sort of “thank you” for the interesting animals whose antics entice thousands of tourists to the town every year. The main attraction of this area is a group of monkeys that run freely for the city. They are mainly localized to templio of San Phra Kan, but you can also see wander in the street, close to shops, or simply that penzolano from the trees. It can be fun to spend an hour look, as can be similar to us sometimes. The only other interesting thing to Lopburi is the palace of King Narai, with a beautiful garden, a museum and various historical ruins. Twenty among the best Thai cooks have set up a banquet by 500000 Bhat (about $ 15000) consists of two tons of sausages, fresh fruit, fruit, vegetables, ice cream, jam and milk. Banquet it seems highly appreciated by around 2000 visitors to put it mildly curious since 2000 were macachi! In the small town of Lopburi (Thailand) each year is celebrated the Festival of the Apes, where he prepares precisely this sumptuous banquet and macachi have all weekend to abbuffarsi! For local this holiday is a good omen and also a way to thank the ‘cousins’ that attract many tourists every year. The macachi in Lopburi are free to run through the streets, going into gates and spassarsela to the streets. The only advice if capitate to Lopburi is to be careful portfolios and the food that sgranocchiate and be ready to diffenderli by monkeys!Ordinary Morality Presupposes Atheism, not God! I was listening today to The Reasonable Doubts podcast and I had a really interesting discussion that made reference to a fantastic paper written on morality. This paper concludes that morality and theism are juxtaposed to the point that if theism pervades, then morality is incoherent. Morality, it seems, presupposes atheism. This is interesting because so many apologists claim the exact opposite. The paper is by philosopher Stephen Maitzen and is titled “ORDINARY MORALITY IMPLIES ATHEISM“. So, let us look at the principles of what he says. Firstly, he set out a principle which he calls theodical individualism: (TI) Necessarily, God permits undeserved, involuntary human suffering only if such suffering ultimately produces a net benefit for the sufferer. This has a qualifier of undeserved “in order to satisfy retributivists who think people sometimes deserve to suffer; if you think people never deserve to suffer, simply ignore the qualifier.” This is a position which seeks to sum up the consensus of both theistic and anti-theistic philosophers when dealing with the problem of evil, such that Eleanore Stump declares: “if a good God allows evil, it can only be because the evil in question produces a benefit for the sufferer and one that God could not produce without the suffering.” I can’t overemphasise how important a statement that is. It is what defines the notion of God being a moral consequentialist as set out in my essay and post, “God is a consequentialist”. Matizen sets out another principle, declaring that the compensation of an afterlife, or similar, does not justify suffering. This is a truly critical notion that many theist overlook, since it is often offered as a viable theodicy. This should not qualify as a theodicy for the reasons that follow: Like Stump’s use of it, TI’s use of the word “produces” is significant, because otherwise we allow that God’s mere compensation of the sufferer—say, in a blissful afterlife—can justify God’s permission of suffering even if the suffering bears no necessary connection to the good that compensates for it. Without such a connection, the good may compensate for the suffering but can’t morally justify God’s permission of it. Consider an analogy to our ordinary moral practice. My paying you money after harming you may compensate for my harming you, but it doesn’t justify my harming you. Only something like the necessity of my harming you in order to prevent your harming me or an innocent third party has a chance of justifying my behavior: some necessary connection must hold between the harm and the benefit. In talking about how this TI statement, ordinary morality and theism cannot exist coherently side by side, Maitzen claims that theists recognise this and drop one of the “triad”, namely TI. But, Maitzen claims, they show no good reason for doing this, since it appears that ordinary morality and TI seem fairly fundamental, conceptually, and that theism is the weak link. What it boils down to is that God is using people, sufferers, instrumentally – as a means to an end. And the problem with this is that this is morally debatable, at least in the context of morality that theists seem to want to adhere to. It is entirely utilitarian in its approach – people are a means to an end. Here is how Maitzen starts to set out his argument for atheism from morality: (1) If God exists and TI is true, then, necessarily, all undeserved, involuntary human suffering ultimately produces a net benefit for the sufferer. (2) If, necessarily, all undeserved, involuntary human suffering ultimately produces a net benefit for the sufferer, then (a) we never have a moral obligation to prevent undeserved, involuntary human suffering or (b) our moral obligation to prevent undeserved, involuntary human suffering derives entirely from God’s commands We use vaccines in this way – to stop unnecessary suffering. But since suffering seems to be a command from God, who are we to get in the way of this? As Jordan puts it, the antecedent of (2) in effect “guarantees the operation of a kind of fail-safe device that renders every instance of [undeserved, involuntary] human suffering an instrumental good for that sufferer.” We know that some vaccines can cause serious side-effects, but suppose that an abundantly available vaccine were, despite the painfulness of receiving it, known to produce a net
, he pointed to a half-dozen pipes, exposed at low tide, belching out human waste from the island's 300,000 residents. "When you open up the fish, their innards are black with oil and muck," he said. "But we clean them with soap and eat them anyway." For many residents, especially those who live in the slums, or favelas, the lack of sanitation causes misery. Hepatitis A is endemic among favela residents, health experts say, and children are frequently sickened by the pathogens that seep from sewage-laden culverts into jury-rigged drinking water pipes. Irenaldo Honorio da Silva, 47, who leads the residents' committee in Pica-Pau, a favela with 7,000 residents, said local officials had been promising to address the sanitation crisis for decades. "They come, and then they go," he said. Heavy rains turn Pica-Pau's streets into a putrid stew. One edge of the community is bounded by a fetid canal, its banks lined with homes, abandoned cars and food vendors. The odour is overwhelming. Loading "This is nothing," da Silva said. "In summer, it's unbearable." The New York TimesAs reported earlier, Saturday was the day Caris LeVert and Allen Crabbe returned to practice... and Sunday is the day when fans will likely to get to see them play when the Nets face the Knicks again, this time at Barclays Center. We took a look at what else was going on at HSS Training Center... who was working on what with whom. There’s a rule, more of a superstition actually, that you never leave the court until you make a shot. Dreadlocked Jeremy Lin followed that rule by making four consecutive three-point shots before heading to the showers: The sweet stroke of Allen Crabbe, who practiced fully, was on display as well: Crabbe also featured here, with D’Angelo Russell and Caris LeVert, who are once again shooting around together. This features the sounds of ‘Day N’ Nite’ by Kid Cudi: @allencrabbe x @CarisLeVert x @Dloading x @KidCudi x @BrooklynNets practice. #Nets <@NetsDaily pic.twitter.com/krdOxx7PxK — Bryan Fonseca ️ (@BryanFonsecaNY) October 7, 2017 Isaiah Whitehead, Timofey Mozgov and Quincy Acy keep it going on the far end: Trevor Booker develops his downtown stroke nearby: After speaking with us, Kenny Atkinson heads over to Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who is (again) getting extra work in on that jump shot: Hollis-Jefferson heeds the advice, and later throws up some light, smoother-looking turnaround jumpers: And … even more, to ‘The World Is Yours’ by Nas: Music seems appropriate, don’t you think?Supernatural took on one of its craziest concepts yet in Season 11’s “Baby,” an episode “told” from the perspective of Dean’s beloved car. And it took a lot to make the unique hour work. Series star Jensen Ackles (Dean), episode writer Robbie Thompson and director Thomas J. Wright look back at "Baby." Robbie Thompson: As much as I love writing monsters and action scenes and fight scenes, my favorite scenes to write are in the car with the boys. Number one, you get two great actors who know those characters almost as much as the rest of us do; probably more. And it’s in a controlled environment, so they can play around a little bit and have those moments. We’re a really plot-driven show, which is great. As a writer, any time there’s structure, it’s fantastic. But as a result, you don’t always get to have moments of pausing and shining a light on different aspects of characters we’d all love. You’re trying to get to the next scene or figuring out a clue. I kept realizing, through the course of writing, in the car scenes you always got one or two fun moments. The first episode I ever wrote, I put in “All Out of Love,” and it was a very honest moment between two brothers. I kept writing those moments, and thought, wouldn’t it be fun to write a whole episode of just those scenes? And the scenes we never get to see: the moments between moments. I pitched it a couple of times before, and [former showrunner] Jeremy [Carver] and [executive producer] Bob [Singer] were open to it. But I didn’t have what they call a “story.” That was sort of a problem. This year, the timing of it ended up working out right. The first three episodes felt like a movie in some respect, so it felt like time to take a pause, take a breath, and let the boys just be the boys. And so when I was pitching it out, I pitched it out with that intention to Jeremy and Bob, who were always open to unusual ideas. RELATED: First Look: Supernatural Welcomes (Back) Mother Mary Thomas J. Wright: "Baby," they actually got to me early, because they had really saved it for me to do. My first read on it was, "Wow. Terrific." It was really different. And so of course, my head's spinning about all kinds of things that get in the way. But eventually it all calmed down, and I was just really happy to get this episode, because it was a lot of fun. Jensen Ackles: There was nothing I could rely on that we've done before, because this was a completely different thing that we'd ever done, both storytelling and technically. The fact that we were shooting everything from essentially one character's perspective, and that character happens to be a car, but keeping everything inside, I knew it was going to be much more of a technical challenge than it was a performance challenge. Performance-wise, it didn't change a whole lot other than the fact that it was actually a little bit more freeing, I would say, because they would set up multiple cameras and multiple angles, and then they'd just send us off on the road with nobody else in the car but the actors. And so we were able to just kind of free-form, and do the scene. If we messed up, we'd stop, we'd go back, and just continue on. But it was really interesting because it really felt like Sam and Dean driving along the highway in an Impala. You didn't have, you know, two dozen crewmen staring at you holding equipment, holding a boom, holding a camera, working the dolly. There was none of that, it was just two guys in a car driving, with little cameras set up around the car, so that aspect of the filmmaking, it was almost a little more like a live performance, which was really cool, you know? Because that's something is a totally different medium within the acting realm, that if you're film and television, you don't get to experience that much. Unless you're doing live television, which is half-hour comedy format, which is a totally different ballgame too. But even that, you've got camera guys and you can start and stop, and you can go back, and you've got marks and you've gotta find your light, and you've gotta do all that while an audience is watching. With this, it was none of that. There was a few times, when we were still trying to dial in the process of filming it, where and I remember Jared [Padalecki (Sam)] said he had a hard time with it. So basically what they did was, they had to mount a camera onto the hood of the car, facing directly into the windshield and covering whoever's coverage that was. So they did Jared first, and essentially he couldn't see straight ahead down the road. All he could see was right and left, because there was a huge, there was a bounce, and then in order to have the camera there, it had to have a black flap underneath it which protected the reflection off the glass. Very technical stuff and it took forever just to rig the car. Shooting the actual scenes took no time, the day was spent really rigging the car, making sure that there were no reflections, making sure that everything was gonna stay in focus, that the cameras were gonna stay mounted to the car, because that's the last thing you want is, you know, hitting a bump and then all of a suddenly the two-hundred-thousand dollar camera goes flying off the car. So gripping it down, making sure everything was dialed in properly before they sent us out on the road, and this particular camera shot completely obscured Jared's view of the road. And he was sitting in the passenger seat, so it was okay, but he was still like, "This is really making me uncomfortable. Like, I can't see where we're going!" And I'm like, "Just wait 'til they go to my coverage!" Which they ended up doing! And they were like, "Jensen, can you see?" and I'm like, "I'll use peripheral, just make sure nobody's down the road in the center of the lane, because I'll hit 'em." So luckily, I'm very comfortable driving that car, and very comfortable performing while driving and we were able to get it done. But yeah, I would say the technical hurdles that we had to jump were really the most challenging. The performing of it was really kind of fun, and unique, and free. Thompson: I think early on in the break[ing of the episode], we started talking about the Jack Kirby comic books, starting late and then flashing back. That sort of helped us loosen it up. It was fun to not know where it was going. It was a little scary, because the show is very regimented. I don’t want to say it’s a formula, because that sounds bad, but it has a set structure when it’s a monster of the week episode like this one. It was fun to wander; my goal for it was, "I want to write a really long scene." Typically, our scenes are like two to three pages long. The scene where they sleep in the car, it’s six minutes. They did each take on their coverage…and those boys did the entire scene flawlessly. It was fun to let the scene breathe. Wright: The most difficult for us to get I guess—this sounds crazy, out of all the stuff we did—was the shot of Jensen and Jared lying down in the car at the end of the scene, and doing the shot above them. Because here are two big guys, right? Two really big guys, and they could lay in the seats in the car! Because their they were hanging out at the knees on. So I had to set the shot such that you didn't realize the doors were open, and that they just stretched out, laid down, and went to sleep. But in reality, when you see the thing, it was kind of funny, because they're in the car with their legs and feet are sticking up, so that was the most difficult one, actually! That I can remember. But it kind of was a kick, because it really read simply until we got them in the car and started to rehearse the scene, and all of a sudden we realized that they couldn't really lay down in the car. So we got this car sitting out on the bridge, and there were two guys in it, and their feet and legs are sticking out the doors, so it's kind of funny. It worked beautifully. I mean, everybody loved it. Everybody loved the shot, it worked really well. RELATED: 6 Burning Questions for Supernatural Season 12 Ackles: A lot of those moments were just kind of real. You know, I don't think it's any secret that Jared and I are very good friends when the camera's not rolling. And so, he and I spend... it's almost sad to say that I think he and I spend more time together than we do with our own wives, unfortunately, because we spend so much time at work. So there is certainly a brotherly rapport that he and I have, constantly. And we joke, and we laugh, and we have a lot of inside jokes between us, and we know each other's comedy. We know know each other pretty well, so when we're just sitting there, gearing up for [shooting] I noticed that they took a lot of stuff that wasn't actually in the script. Or at least moments that weren't, where Jared and I were not really in-character just yet. And it was because they had to set up, then the crew ran away, and we had to drive over to our start mark. So those whole few minutes of us just kind of driving the car with the camera rolling, they actually took some of that footage and spliced it in with the final edit. But those are moments, you can do them as those brother moments, but it's also just two really good friends hanging out. Wright: The camera never gets out of the car til the last shot, and I did the last shot myself. And, as they drive away. But the camera never got out of the car, everything happened from the car's point of view, of course, and the actors, every single one of them, did their own driving, did their own stunts, and it was like, "Here's what we're doing in this scene now, guys." You'd have a little talk with them, everybody goes over their material; the boys for instance, Jensen and Jared, I would go over the stuff with them. They were right on, as usual. And I say, "Here's where you're driving to, when you're done, come back, and we'll do it again if we have to," whatever. So we go through the stuff, [yell] "Action," they drive off and we couldn't really see them or be with them until they came back, and we could check the camera, and decided whether we needed to do another take or not. So they would take off and we'd see 'em when they'd get back. Then we'd look at the chip and either send them out for another take or whatever. The same with the girls in the car when we were shooting all the action stuff in the car. They were great. The actors were fantastic, every one of them. It's like they just walked in, they do this all the time, and most of them had never done this. So for a bottle show...in reality, we were out all over the countryside. And it was just a great experience. I keep saying it, because it was. And everything just went really well. Ackles: We're so used to a certain style of filmmaking, doing the show for over a decade now, that the fight scenes are usually done very similar. They're done handheld, the camera operator [is] usually right in there with you, and you're very aware of where that camera is, because A) you want to make sure that you're on camera, and B) you want to make sure you don't hit the camera. And so that's usually a very well-choreographed dance. But when you take a camera and you keep it inside the car, then, I remember we asked [the crew], "Okay, where are we on camera, where are we not on camera?" They kind of gave us the screen size: "Okay, don't go past the stump and on the right side, don't go past the second tree." It's like, really? We have a whole stage to play with! So we just did the scene as though there was nobody there, it was kind of great. And that's really cool. We're used to having equipment so close to us, and being very aware of that, so it kind of maybe curved the performances to cater to the lens. But when you take the lens away, it's just like, "Oh! Well. All right, let's just have a fight!" RELATED: Quiz: Which Supernatural Villain Are You? Wright: We had five cars [during filming]. Because while we going running and shooting and playing the scenes, we would be prepping another car for what followed, so we didn't lose a lot of time. It took a little more time than usual to prep cameras in and on the car, because I was using so many. So if I'm looking one way, I have to really be careful what I'm seeing, because of where I placed the other cameras. In other words, this camera can't look into the face of that camera, you know. So it would take a little time, and then the guys had special rigs. And after the first day, I'd say, the crew was becoming smooth as silk, and the third day, they had it down, pretty much. And were doing some pretty complicated shots. The girls driving, they did all of that themselves. And we found this big lot, and the stunt coordinator and myself talked to them about how I wanted to do this, and he said, "Okay girls, here's what you have to do." And I said, "Okay girls, when you're acting, here's what I want you to do while you're driving the car at 50 miles an hour around in a circle." And they took off like they were at Disneyland or somewhere. It was, and they didn't want to get out because they were having so much fun. It was all well-controlled and everything really prepped well, so we knew from one spot to the next exactly what was going on. We had sets built out on locations. It was a big deal. But it was a lot of fun! Ackles: [What I learned as a director is] you don't have to go the proven path when capturing certain elements of the show. I don't mean let's reinvent the wheel of Supernatural; but I just mean, like, this was so out-of-the-box, technically, in the way that we captured the film, in the way that we captured the action and tell the story, and it worked in my opinion. I think it was one of our best episodes ever. And I think that breaking from the norm every now and again to kind of serve the audience something that's a little different is not a bad thing. Shaking it up a bit is a great thing, and I always think about the quote that [late Supernatural director] Kim Manners gave me many years ago. He said, "Give them what they want, the way they don't expect it." I think that, if we can continue to do shows like "Baby," we're still kind of in the pocket. Thompson: Each department went how do we turn this potential weakness—that it’s only going to be the car—into a strength? Everybody elevated their game, it was a lot of fun to put together. “Baby" was hands down the most fun I had writing on the show. It was a challenge, it was difficult at times. But to be able to live in those spaces with those actors and that director, it was a lot of fun. Supernatural, Season Premiere, Thursday, October 13, 9/8c, The CWFantastic Fest is the greatest film festival in the whole world. It shows great movies, is filled with great people and is generally days upon days of great fun. One of the highlights of Fantastic Fest, one of the things that makes it stand head and shoulders above other festivals, is the annual Fantastic Debate. I've participated in this a couple of times - it's a two-part deathmatch where people first debate a topic and then get in the boxing ring to fight about it. Last year filmmaker Joe Swanberg cleaned my clock in the fight portion of our debate. It hurt a lot! Every year Tim League, the honcho of the Alamo Drafthouse and Fantastic Fest, fights in the main event. In the past he's gone up against Uwe Boll, Michelle Rodriguez and an Irish bare-knuckle champion. This year's opponent is as yet unknown, but it could be Hunter Walk. You'll remember Hunter from this article a couple of days ago; he's the guy who wants movie theaters to provide wifi, better lighting and the option to chat during movies. This is clearly against everything that Tim League and the Alamo stands for, and when he got word of this guy, Tim called him out on Twitter: !“I hereby throw the gauntlet. I'll fight him," League tweeted. And knowing Tim this isn't an idle statement - he will get in the ring with Hunter Walk. But will Hunter walk away* from this fight? I think Hunter would actually have a very nice time at Fantastic Fest before getting KO'ed. And he could do it all in theaters where people are respectfully quiet and attentive during movies. UPDATE: Hunter Walk initially turned down the offer, but according to his Twitter feed he and Tim are currently emailing. Could the fight still happen? * see what I did there? Photo by Tammy Perez, via Austin 360As soon as Antonio Brown inked his new five-year deal, the rumor mill started to churn that the Steelers would look for a trade partner for wide out Mike Wallace, who is remaining at home today holding out. On Saturday, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert spoke about the new deal with Brown, but also shot down rumors that Wallace is on the trade block. Colbert told Ed Werder of ESPN, “Mike Wallace is not available for trade.” Smart move by Colbert to shoot the rumors down right away, or if not you know that teams would be calling, and also the local and national stations and papers would continue to insist that Wallace would be on the move. Again Colbert played it right. At the end of the day, Wallace is going to show up. Bottom line. He really has no choice.Hullabaloo Tuesday, September 16, 2008 McCain/Bush/Palin's Sicko Health Plan by tristero A new study analyzes the McCain/Bush/Palin health plan. It is a horror: Senator John McCain's (R-AZ) health plan would eliminate the current tax exclusion of employer payments for health coverage, replace the exclusion with a refundable tax credit for those who purchase coverage, and encourage Americans to move to a national market for nongroup insurance. Middle-range estimates suggest that initially this change will have little impact on the number of uninsured people, although within five years this number will likely grow as the value of the tax credit falls relative to rising health care costs. Moving toward a relatively unregulated nongroup market will tend to raise costs, reduce the generosity of benefits, and leave people with fewer consumer protections. Bob Herbert comments: This entire McCain health insurance transformation is right out of the right-wing Republicans’ ideological playbook: fewer regulations; let the market decide; and send unsophisticated consumers into the crucible alone. You would think that with some of the most venerable houses on Wall Street crumbling like sand castles right before our eyes, we’d be a little wary about spreading this toxic formula even further into the health care system. But we’re not even paying much attention. Read the whole thing. tristero 9/16/2008 03:34:00 AMThe Cost Of Saving Lives With Local Peanuts In Haiti How much extra would you pay for local food? It's a familiar question. We face it practically every time we shop for groceries, either at the store or at the farmers market. But what about food that can save the lives of severely malnourished children? Some humanitarian groups are confronting that question. The food, in this case, is a kind of enriched peanut butter that helps malnourished children regain their health. The organizations are trying to make this food right where it's used — in Haiti, Malawi, Ethiopia and Niger. They see local production as a way to provide jobs and bring money into impoverished communities. But paying the bill is still a struggle. Even in poor countries, local food often turns out to be more expensive food. To understand why, we'll take a closer look at one of these places: Cap-Haitien, a city on the northern coast of Haiti. There's a shantytown on the edge of the city called Shada. The homes are jammed up against each other with barely space to walk between them. And in the middle of this slum, Madame Bwa is running a free clinic. "This is the list of the kids that we provided services to yesterday," she says, pulling out a ragged piece of paper with 41 names scrawled on it. All of these children, she says, showed signs of malnutrition. "Some of them have big belly or yellow-red hair. Their eyes are white and their skin does not look well." The prescription? Medika Mamba, Creole for "peanut butter medicine." This peanut butter has a lot of extra ingredients: milk powder, oil, sugar and all the vitamins and minerals a growing child needs. After three or four weeks of eating this daily package of energy and nutrients, the children will be fine, she says. Easier, Tastier Treatment This recipe has transformed the treatment of malnutrition. A French doctor, Andre Briend, came up with it just over a decade ago. In much of the world, it's called Plumpy'Nut. Among specialists, it's called ready-to-use therapeutic food, or just RUTF. Previously, treatment of severe malnutrition meant liquid milk, sugar, oil and sometimes some added vitamins and minerals. It required refrigeration, in many cases a feeding tube and lots of time in a hospital. Yet many kids still didn't get better. By contrast, the peanut paste can be eaten at home, children like it, and more survive on it. It's now the gold standard treatment all over the world. It's a medical triumph. But there's also a business side of this story that's still being written. This is where we run into the tension between the global and local food production. Why Local Peanuts Cost More Pat Wolff, a pediatrician from St. Louis, has been living that tension. In 2003, she founded an organization, Meds and Food for Kids, specifically to bring ready-to-use therapeutic food to Haiti. It started small, grinding up peanuts in a rented house in Cap-Haitien and stirring all of the ingredients together. The group called its product Medika Mamba and distributed it to local clinics. Yet Wolff wasn't satisfied. "Why do you suppose those kids are malnourished? It's because their parents have no money, and they have no money because they have no employment," she says. One day, Wolff had an epiphany. MFK's product might actually provide those much-needed jobs, if it was made on a much bigger scale. By this time, about five years ago, peanut paste had become big business. UNICEF was buying millions of dollars worth of it every year for distribution in Haiti alone. But UNICEF was buying it from pristine, quality-controlled factories far away — mostly in France. (The leading manufacturer is Nutriset, based in Normandy.) The peanuts came from Argentina, among other places. Wolff decided MFK could become UNICEF's supplier, with a factory right in Haiti, employing Haitian workers and buying peanuts from Haitian farmers. It could be an example that others could follow, she thought, "so there would be more factories like this, more factories making other things. There would be more people employed, instead of just always rescuing." Part of this dream is becoming reality. The factory, just a few miles from the slums of Cap-Haitien, is filled with stainless steel machines spitting out little sealed packages of enriched peanut butter. Those packages will go to UNICEF, or the World Food Program, and then to hospitals and clinics all over Haiti. An even bigger impact of this local production might be felt in the countryside, among Haitian farmers who grow peanuts. Jamie Rhoads, who's been living in Haiti since 2003 and working with MFK since 2009, is in charge of the organization's work with farmers. As we drive out to meet some of them, Rhoads talks about the potential of this area, the northern plain of Haiti. In colonial times, he says, it was among the richest agricultural areas in the world. "The soil fertility is really good; there's water everywhere; it's, like, this gold mine of agricultural wealth waiting to happen. I mean, look around you — it's totally green. They can grow whatever they want here." When we get to the farm, we walk right into the middle of a peanut-harvesting party. I see big piles of peanut plants, just pulled from the earth. Men and women are sitting beside them, picking peanuts off the roots and dropping them into buckets. The women are singing; young men are playing wooden flutes. These farmers are growing peanuts for MFK's new peanut butter factory, and MFK is helping them do it more cheaply. The organization brought in a small tractor to help clear the fields and also sprayed the plants with a chemical that controls fungal diseases. As a result, the farmers tell me, they're getting almost twice as many peanuts as in previous years. "This is a big step," says Rhoads, watching the scene. "This is the first time I've been around a harvest where the peanuts look this good. Everybody is telling me, 'In my whole life I've never seen peanuts like this.' " It's crucial to produce high-quality peanuts, because one of the biggest problems with local production of RUTF in Haiti is the prevalence of peanuts contaminated with aflatoxins. These powerful toxins are "the bane of our existence," says Rhoads. To make sure their product doesn't contain this poison, MFK has to sort its peanuts carefully and test every batch. More farmers want to join the program, which should mean more peanuts for MFK's factory and more money in farmers' pockets. It's all great, except for one thing: economics. These local peanuts still cost too much, in large part because small Haitian farmers have so little machinery. They have to pay people to plant by hand, weed by hand and harvest the peanuts by hand. So Meds and Food for Kids actually pays more for these Haitian peanuts than peanuts it imports from Argentina, and that higher cost is tough to pass along to customers, Rhoads says. "UNICEF and others are very price sensitive, and we're competing with the international market." Other organizations that try to make this food locally in other countries report the same thing. Local production often turns out to be more expensive production. For now, at least, UNICEF has agreed to buy local, even if it costs a little more — even 20 percent more. But the big, long-term goal, Jamie Rhoads says, is to keep working with the peanut farmers, helping them grow more peanuts for less money. Rhoads thinks they can do it, with some new disease-resistant peanut varieties currently grown in India and now being tested in Haiti, and a little more labor-saving equipment. If they succeed, he says, these farmers won't even need MFK's factory anymore. They'll be able to sell their peanuts for a good price at any market in Haiti. They'll make a lot of money, he says, and in the end, that's the best way to make sure their children won't go hungry.Advertisement Photo: IBM Research Putting EUV to the Test: This EUV scanner (an ASML NXE:3300B) is used to print chip features at a SUNY Polytechnic Institute facility in Albany, N.Y. The EUV light needed to expose wafers is created near the bottom of the scanner, on the side visible in the foreground of this photograph. The far end of the machine is attached to a “track” that coats the wafers before exposure and processes them once they are done. Even after you don a bunny suit and get deep inside Fab 8, it’s hard to get a sense of scale. Rows upon rows of tall machines, known as tools, dominate this US $12 billion GlobalFoundries facility, built amid forest north of Albany, N.Y. Carriers containing silicon wafers zip overhead along ceiling-mounted tracks, like tiny inverted roller coasters. If your timing is good, you’ll be standing by a tool when one of those carriers descends to join it, moving a wafer along to the next step in the three-month-long process it takes to turn a dinner-plate-size disk of raw silicon into chips that could be used inside smartphones, personal computers, and servers. That’s right: Begin making a microprocessor here on New Year’s Day and it may just be finished by the start of spring. Photos: ASML Inside the Machine: To generate EUV, pulses of CO2 laser light are sent into a vessel [top and middle] where they collide with tiny tin droplets to create plasma. This partially assembled EUV scanner [bottom] at ASML’s headquarters in Veldhoven, Netherlands, is one of the company’s more recent models. More than 60 times in the course of this advanced manufacturing process, a wafer will be coated with a light-sensitive substance and enter a light-tight box called a scanner. There, in a process called photolithography, laser light shines through a patterned surface and casts shrunken versions of that pattern onto the wafer, creating the ultrafine features that are needed to build the minute transistors and wiring inside cutting-edge processors. There is little to distinguish these lithography machines from the myriad other tools in this vast ocean of automation. There is no big red sign that flashes “Critically important step here!” But lithography, explains Fab 8 general manager Tom Caulfield, “is the heartbeat of the fab.” Think of these scanners as the front line of Moore’s Law, the repeated doubling of the density of integrated circuit components that has defined more than 50 years of astounding technological progress. For decades, a steady series of remarkable breakthroughs, many of them in photolithography, have enabled chipmakers to repeatedly shrink chip features, keep the length of R&D cycles under control, and economically pack more and more transistors on a chip. Those advances have taken us from chips with thousands of transistors in the early 1970s to billions today. But to keep the good times rolling, GlobalFoundries and other leading-edge chipmakers won’t be able to rely on the brilliant lithographic advances of the past. And so they’re contemplating another radical shift, one that could prove to be the most challenging yet. For the entirety of its existence, semiconductor lithography has been done with electromagnetic radiation that was more or less recognizable as light. But for the change chipmakers are now weighing, the radiation is something else altogether. It’s called extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation, but don’t let that name fool you. Unlike the ultraviolet light used in today’s scanners, EUV can’t travel in air, and it can’t be focused by lenses or conventional mirrors. And it’s also difficult to produce; the process begins by firing laser light at a rapid-fire stream of tiny molten tin droplets. The hope is that scanners built to use the resulting 13.5-nanometer light—a wavelength that is less than a tenth of what is used in today’s most state-of-the-art machines—will save chipmakers money by allowing them to print in a single step layers that would otherwise require multiple exposures. Photo: ASML Inside the Scanner: To make patterns with EUV, engineers had to leave lenses behind. A series of mirrors brings EUV radiation from the scanner’s light source [bottom right] to a mask, which carries the patterns to be printed, and then on to the wafer. An attached “track” [left side, not shown] brings wafers in and out of the scanner. The masks have a separate entrance. But creating EUV systems that are bright and reliable enough to operate in the fab—nearly 24 hours a day, 365 days a year—has proved to be a monumental engineering challenge. For many years, EUV faced significant skepticism and repeatedly failed to live up to predictions that it was almost ready for prime time. Now, though, the technology really does seem to be turning a corner. The brightness of the EUV light source made by Dutch lithography-tool manufacturer ASML Holding seems to be closing in on a figure long targeted for commercial production. ASML, which has emerged as the technology’s standard-bearer, is now shipping EUV scanners that it says should be ready to mass manufacture leading-edge microprocessors and memory starting in 2018. The world’s most advanced chipmakers are working hard to determine when and how these machines will be incorporated into their production lines. The stakes are high. Moore’s Law is facing significant challenges, and no one is sure how the semiconductor industry—which grossed more than $330 billion last year—will navigate the next five or 10 years or what a post-Moore’s-Law semiconductor industry will look like. A decline in revenues might be inevitable. But if keeping the “law” in effect avoids, say, a 15 percent drop in the industry’s income, that would keep an amount of money flowing that is twice as great as the total revenues of the U.S. video game industry. The fineness of the details that can be made with a photolithographic system depends on several factors. But a powerful way to make dramatic improvements is to shorten the wavelength of the light it uses. For decades, lithographers have done just that, shifting their wafer-exposing tools from operation at the blue edge of what’s visible to the human eye down to successively shorter wavelengths in the ultraviolet part of the spectrum. Images: ASML Curves and Corners: EUV promises to create sharper shapes [right] than those that can be created through multiple patterning with today’s 193-nanometer light [left]. The lines in these micrographs have a minimum width of 24 nm. In the late 1980s, the semiconductor industry was beginning the process [PDF] of shifting from mercury lamps to lasers as the light source of choice, reducing the wavelength from 365 nm to 248 nm in the process. But some researchers were already contemplating a far bigger jump, into the X-ray range. Hiroo Kinoshita, then at the Japanese telecommunications firm NTT, reported the results of early work on this idea way back in 1986, using 11-nm radiation. Others, at AT&T Bell Laboratories and at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, also explored the technology independently. In 1989, some of these researchers met and traded notes at a lithography conference. In ensuing years, research into the notion got infusions of investment from government and industry. ASML and several partners began work on what was by then known as EUV lithography in the late 1990s. That was when Anton van Dijsseldonk, who grew up in Veldhoven, the Dutch
Pluralsight courses Hack Yourself First and more recently, Hack Your API First. It’s meant to be vulnerable and it’s full of holes including things like SQL injection which was inevitably the vector used to suck out the data you see in the paste above. So it’s actually good that this is here; unlike the Adobe situation (damn you guys!), I wasn’t actually pwned but just as Supercar Showdown is a great demo for a vulnerable website, my account from there appearing in Pastebin and having been automatically picked up by HIBP is an excellent example of the paste service. What will be of interest now that this new feature is launched is how many other people find themselves unexpectedly pwned by way of paste. I’m very interested to hear stories of examples so assuming you go out and do a search after this, do leave a comment and let me know if you found your address on a paste and can share the context. Seeding additional sources of data When I designed the paste service, in my mind what I was designing was a service that could take a URL, identify potentially breached accounts then make them searchable. That is all. The significance of that statement is that I expect there will be other sources of likely compromised data that can be added to this service. I’d really like to hear from you, that’s especially the folks that lurk within the circles that frequently see this sort of data floating around the webs. If there are other common sources of breach data either on the clearnet or in the undergrounds that can be consumed in a similar fashion, I’d love to hear about it. Same again for any other Twitter accounts that might help contribute to building a broader inventory of breached accounts. Send me your ideas folks, I’m only nine months into this service so it’s very early days yet. Supporting HIBP with your donations I was enormously surprised earlier this year when people actually wanted to give me money for a free service! I don’t want to charge for the service as it stands not only because it would obviously hinder uptake, but it would require a bunch of extra effort on my part. There’s also the fact that at the end of the day, these are peoples’ personal details that have been compromised and charging them for the right to know where they were compromised and be notified when it happens just doesn’t seem right to me. Yes, I know that other services do it and I’m sure they have their reasons (which are probably pretty obvious), but I just don’t need to. As I explained in that post above, the services I use are very cheap and very flexible and there’s less cost to cover than what I’m spending on coffee (that’s a separate problem!) What I decided to do instead was focus primarily on the personal cost to providing the service, that is the sacrifices I make and the things I spend money on that help me do what I do, namely buying coffee and alcohol! The donations page talks about 10 things: If you love the service and want to show your support, donations are always very warmly received! But support doesn’t have to be monetary, do leave your feedback on any of the things I’ve written about here or observe on the site itself. There are so many little ways the service can be improved and I’d love your feedback on these, no matter how small. Speaking of improving the service, one group has been enormously helpful – the very awesome HIBP beta testers. Thanking beta testers and SendGrid I had about two dozen people offer to beta test this service over the last month and I had heaps of awesome feedback. This is from people who were happy to give up their time to help make this service better in all sorts of different ways. I had feedback that ranged from typos to colour contrast to some pretty fundamental functional suggestions. Most of the feedback was implemented and what didn’t make the cut was not due to the quality of what was being suggested, but rather how it fit with the overall usability of the service and the roadmap I see for it in the future. I also got great support from SendGrid courtesy of them sponsoring a bulk notification to all 80k verified subscribers right after publishing this blog post. It saved me some cash and they were very helpful with a few logistical things too. I originally used the SendGrid service because it’s baked into Azure as an add-on and then later used their loader.io service when I scaled a standard Azure website to 380k queries per minute of 163M records. Great products, great support and their generosity has helped HIBP grow in a number of ways now. Thanks guys! So thanks everyone for supporting my little project, I’m enormously happy with the result and there’ll be much more to come yet. Do share the service generously with others and stay tuned on the HIBP Twitter account and on this website for more.Evidence is emerging of a wave of reprisal attacks and killings inside Gaza that have left dozens dead and more wounded in the wake of Israel's war. Among the dead are Palestinians suspected of collaborating with the Israeli military. Others include criminals who were among the 600 prisoners to escape from Gaza City's main jail when it was bombed as the war began. Their attackers are thought to be their victims' relatives. During and after the war, there have also been attacks on security officials from Fatah, the bitter rival of Hamas, the Islamist movement in control of the Gaza Strip. One witness told the Guardian how her brother, a Fatah military intelligence officer, was shot three times in the legs in an apparent punishment attack by gunmen from Hamas's armed wing. The Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported yesterday that several Palestinian agents working in Gaza for the Israeli security services during the war had been killed, and cited one source as saying that agents were "intercepted" by Hamas because their intelligence had been used "carelessly" by the military. Palestinians in human rights organisations are reluctant to speak publicly about what is a sensitive issue, but one respected human rights worker in Gaza said he believed between 40 and 50 people had been killed in reprisal attacks since the start of the war. But there was not yet enough evidence to suggest this was an organised campaign by Hamas, he said. "We don't know who's doing the killing," the worker said. "Some are individuals, some might be from Hamas. It's been happening over several days, all across Gaza. It's not all necessarily Hamas actions against Fatah." Another human rights worker put the figure at between 25 and 30 documented cases of reprisal. A human rights group in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, and funded by the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority, has protested. "A number of citizens have been extra-judicially killed during and after the Israeli military aggression on the Gaza Strip," the Independent Commission for Human Rights said in a statement. "Fire was opened on affected citizens at a close distance. In addition, individuals in official uniform or masked persons opened fire on people's legs, severely beat others, imposed house arrests, and threatened to punish citizens along with their families if they would not comply." Hamas dismissed the claims but said it had arrested suspected collaborators, apparently as part of an effort to reassert control over Gaza. "The internal security service was instructed to track collaborators and hit them hard," said Ehab al-Ghsain, a spokesman for the Hamas interior ministry in Gaza. "They arrested dozens of collaborators who attempted to strike the resistance by giving information to the occupation about the fighters." One woman from near Zeitoun, south of Gaza City, described how masked men with ID cards showing they were members of the Izzedin al-Qassam Brigades, the Hamas armed wing, shot her brother in the legs. The family had fled the house but returned on 18 January, the first day of the Israeli ceasefire. At 8pm several gunmen appeared at the gate asking for her brother, a 36-year-old Fatah military intelligence officer who had not been working since Hamas seized control of Gaza in June 2007. The men searched the house for weapons, but found none and later left. Early the next morning they returned. "They started firing in the air," said the 23-year-old sister, who declined to give her name for fear of further attacks. "They asked him to put his hands up.They fired one shot into his left knee. He fell to the floor and started screaming and saying: 'I didn't do anything.'" He was then shot in the right leg and again in the left. "They were holding us back and we were watching him bleeding," she said. The victim is now in a Cairo hospital after two operations on his legs. She said several of his Fatah colleagues had been targeted: "It's a kind of revenge on Fatah. They thought they were responsible for what was going on in Gaza." Separately, Hamas is believed to have stopped Palestinians reaching an Israeli field hospital on Israel's side of the border at Erez. "We don't care about it," said Hassan Khalaf, Hamas's deputy health minister. "They are just claiming they care about human beings but they don't."As we celebrate the 238th birthday of America this July 4, we look back on the religious movements that began right here in the U.S. of A. Here's a timeline of some of the most well-known spiritual traditions: Native Traditions: 9,000 BCE Or Earlier America's very first inhabitants have a rich religious history that goes all the way back to prehistoric times, with traditions specific to each tribe. These religious beliefs include diverse origin myths, burial rituals, the existence of a Creator, and an afterlife, and are still held by many Native Americans today. Shakers: 1772 The United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing were known as Shakers, due to their trembling style of dance which was intended to "shake" off sins during their vigorous worship. The Shaker movement was founded by Mother Ann Lee, who traveled from England to America in 1774 to find a place for the sect to grow. The community believed in celibacy, communal life, and confession of sin as their basic tenets, while also holding fast to the ideals of pacifism, equality of races and genders, and isolation from the world. A small but active Shaker community lives today at the Sabbathday Lake in Maine. Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints: 1830 Joseph Smith Jr. founded the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon Church, after receiving several heavenly manifestations, according to church theology. These led him to discover gold plates buried near his New York home which contained a uniquely American religious story, and later became known as the Book of Mormon. The Church now has over 15,000,000 members worldwide, thanks in part to extensive missionary efforts. Their 13 Articles of Faith include the belief in salvation through Jesus, the Bible and Book of Mormon as the word of God, and that Zion will be built upon the American continent. Seventh-Day Adventist Church: 1863 The Seventh-Day Adventist Church grew out of the Millerite movement in 1840s New York, which prophesied the imminent Second Coming of Jesus Christ. It was formally established about twenty years later in Michigan. The movement emphasizes the importance of keeping the Sabbath day holy as a day of rest, and has expanded beyond America with significant missionary strategies to attract new converts. Through prophecy and Biblical study, they set a specific date for Christ's literal return in 1844. Jehovah's Witnesses: 1870 Jehovah's Witnesses are a Christian denomination which is perhaps best-known for its door-to-door evangelization efforts. They began as a Biblical study group partly organized by Charles Taze Russell, who disputed many beliefs of mainstream Christianity such as the Trinity and the immortality of the soul. He began publishing the Watch Tower magazine in 1879, which led to the growth of the movement and the beginning of the distribution of religious material in earnest. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Armageddon is imminent, and that God's kingdom will be established on earth. Other beliefs include an objection to military service and blood transfusions. The Church of Christ, Scientist: 1879 The Christian Science faith was founded by Mary Baker Eddy, the author of Science and Health with Key to the Scripture, which emphasizes the power of the Bible as a source of physical and mental healing. Her text, along with the Bible, are the primary sources of teachings for the Church of Christ, Scientist, which originally believed that members should not seek out modern medical care, though that practice is changing. The church is known for its Christian Science Reading Rooms, public bookstores focusing on spirituality, prayer, and healing, as well as the internationally regarded news organization, The Christian Science Monitor, which was founded by Baker Eddy herself. Pentecostalism: 1906 The Pentecostal Movement is one of the largest and most significant religious movements of the twentieth century. It traces its origins back to 1901, when students at a Bible school in Topeka, Kansas, concluded that speaking in tongues was a definitive sign of baptism by the Holy Spirit. The official beginning of the movement is usually considered to be the Azusa Street Revival, a historic and ecstatic meeting led by William J. Seymour. Participants experienced dramatic worship services, miracles, and speaking in tongues. Pentecostalism emphasizes the joy of worship, and has grown drastically from its relatively recent beginnings. A 2011 Pew survey showed that Pentecostal and other charismatic Christians make up over a quarter of all Christians. Reconstructionist Judaism: 1920s-1940s Reconstructionist Judaism grew out of the ideas of Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan and his son-in-law, Rabbi Ira Eisenstein, who believed that historical progress meant that modern Jews did not necessarily have to hold on to many traditional tenets of Judaism. Reconstructionist Jews believe that Judaism can evolve. The Reconstructionist Rabbinical College was established in 1968, which was an important stride for the movement. The Nation of Islam: 1930 The Nation of Islam was founded by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad, who preached of the oneness of God and the importance of African-Americans embracing Islam as the religion of their African ancestors. The Nation of Islam believes in the Five Pillars of Islam, though it is not widely accepted as part of the Islamic faith. Elijah Muhammad succeeded Wallace D. Fard Muhammad as the head of the movement, which subsequently ran into legal issues due to the attempt at founding separate schools for members and advocating against serving in the military during WWII. The Nation of Islam remains an important movement in the religious landscape of African-Americans. Christian Universalism/Unitarianism: 1961 The Universalist Church of America was founded by John Murray in 1793, followed by the American Unitarian Association in 1825. While neither denomination was new when it arrived in the U.S., in 1961, they merged to form the Unitarian Universalist Association in 1961, which is a non-creedal movement with a liberal Christian background. However, modern Unitarian Universalists would not necessarily call themselves Christians, preferring to define themselves by their shared regard for intellectual freedom and spiritual seeking. Their seven "Principles and Purposes" explain their affirmation of human dignity, commitment to justice, equality, and compassion, acceptance of all people, the search for truth, the use of the democratic process, the goal of world peace, and respect for life.Kim Dotcom, Ex-CIA John Kiriakou Join (VIPS) re. #AntiSpyBill, DNC Leaks sonicstoic Blocked Unblock Follow Following Aug 18, 2017 Will Appear Together at Internet Party Event Acclaimed CIA torture whistleblower John Kiriakou and other special guests will join tech entrepreneur and Internet Party founder Kim Dotcom on the panel of the next #AntiSpyBill live event this Sunday night. This comes hot on the heels of several major American publications reporting on technical evidence recently presented by the group Veteran Intelligence Professionals For Sanity (VIPS), of which Kiriakou is a member, to the White House regarding the DNC leaks of 2016. The event will be held online between 8 pm and 11 pm on Sunday the 20th of August, 2017, NZST (UTC+12) and follows on from the Internet Party’s flagship #AntiSpyBill event which featured appearances by Dotcom, award-winning journalist Barrett Brown, hacktivist Lauri Love and comedian Lee Camp. Internet Party Leader Suzie Dawson will MC the event and says: “In the age of fake news, the truth is more valuable than ever. The Internet Party is proud to provide a platform to some of the world’s most significant whistleblowers; to work alongside top minds in technology and internet policy, and to educate the global public. The response to our last #AntiSpyBill event was phenomenal, with millions of Twitter impressions and tens of thousands of views. The public has voted with their voices and clicks — truth matters and that is precisely what the Internet Party will continue to dish up in spades.” The Internet Party is inviting the public to join the roundtable event, which as well as discussing contemporary issues of the day, will continue its effort to draft crowdsourced legislation to counter government spying. There are one hundred first-in-first-served tickets for those who register for the #AntiSpyBill webinar that grants direct access to panelists. The initiative seeks to counter the damage to democratic and human rights inflicted upon New Zealanders by a string of draconian spying laws passed between 2013 and 2016. These laws have retroactively legalized previously illegal targeting of New Zealanders, including warrantless spying and covertly filming them inside their homes, Orwell-style — a practice referred to in law as “domes- tic visual surveillance”. Internet Party Leader Suzie Dawson said “New Zealand spies and their international counterparts have engaged in some of the most egregious conduct imaginable. The laws passed under urgency in recent years have only furthered the sense of invulnerability of these spies. They also violate international law. We must show that where our lawmakers fail to do so, the public is willing to step up and address these issues themselves.” It is possible to participate in the event without registering, as it will be simulcast live on the official Internet Party Facebook page and You Tube channel. Anyone can Join the Internet Party to help #UpdateNZ — and the world! Media inquiries: please contact media@internet.org.nz or add your email address to our mailing list at https://internet.org.nz/news Authorised by J. Booth, 40 Hartford Crescent, Upper Hutt, Aotearoa 5018, New ZealandCOMPANY TOWN Laker legend to launch a TV network Magic Johnson's channel, Aspire, will be carried by Comcast and focus on blacks For The Record Los Angeles Times Wednesday, February 22, 2012 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 4 News Desk 1 inches; 57 words Type of Material: Correction Magic Johnson: An article in the Feb. 21 Business section about Magic Johnson's plans to launch a TV network said the former Lakers star had last played pro basketball more than 20 years ago. Though Johnson retired from the NBA in 1991 after being diagnosed with HIV, he made a brief comeback in 1996, playing 32 games. Aspire's mix will include films, music and comedy, with a combination of acquired projects and original programming. "There will be some performing arts and shows about faith," Johnson said. "This is so exciting for me, I'm pinching myself," Johnson said in a phone interview. "This is big for myself, for the African American community and the African American creative community. I wanted a vehicle to show positive images and to have stories written, produced and directed by African Americans for our community. Aspire -- that's how I've been leading my life." The Hall of Famer, who has become a successful business mogul, is preparing to launch Aspire, a 24-hour channel with a focus on what Johnson called positive, uplifting images of African Americans. The basic cable outlet will join other channels targeting black viewers, such as BET and TV One, and will offer opportunities for blacks who have struggled to find work in mainstream Hollywood. More than 20 years after he last played pro basketball, former Lakers star Magic Johnson is ready for a whole new game: running his own TV network. Johnson's entry into the television arena comes courtesy of communications giant Comcast Corp. as part of its agreement with the FCC and Department of Justice to diversify the cable landscape. Comcast agreed last year to launch 10 new independently owned cable channels, with most backed by African Americans and Latinos, by 2018. Johnson's channel is scheduled to be the first. Comcast is also expected to announce other new channels, including one led by rapper and entrepreneur Sean Combs. Comcast's obligation to support minority-owned channels came after a bruising yearlong federal review of the Philadelphia cable company's acquisition of NBCUniversal, which includes the NBC broadcast network, NBC television stations, Universal Studios, Universal Pictures, cable channels USA, Bravo, Syfy, MSNBC and CNBC and Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo. During the extensive review process, which spanned all of 2010, executives were called before Congress to defend the merger. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) was particularly tenacious in her grilling of NBCUniversal and Comcast officers, questioning their commitment to hiring and advancing minorities. With Aspire, which is scheduled for a June 30 launch, Johnson becomes the second A-list celebrity to launch a network in the last two years. Oprah Winfrey established OWN: the Oprah Winfrey Network as a vehicle for her philosophy of inspiration and personal empowerment. But OWN has struggled ever since its January 2011 launch, failing to develop any shows or projects that have attracted large audiences. Johnson is aware of the risks: "We'll learn from those who have gone before us. We understand the landscape, and we will run a sound business." A little more than two decades ago, Johnson announced he was retiring from basketball after testing positive for HIV. The news shocked and saddened fans who saw the point guard -- an Olympic gold medal "Dream Team" player and three-time National Basketball Assn. MVP -- as one of the world's most popular and successful athletes. Since then, Johnson, now 52, has achieved great success off the court, overseeing a vast empire of fitness centers, restaurants and other businesses. He has run a large charitable foundation and pumped millions of dollars into inner-city neighborhoods with a variety of establishments under the Magic Johnson Enterprises umbrella. He recently made a multimillion-dollar investment to become chairman of Vibe Holdings, the New York parent company of Vibe magazine and the "Soul Train" dance series. Magic Johnson Enterprises also has an interest in Inner City Broadcasting, a group of 17 radio stations that includes WBLS, the largest urban station in New York. Owning and running a channel seemed like the next logical move for Johnson, who majored in communications studies during his time at Michigan State University: "Once we got into this whole new media space, we were thinking, 'Now how do we get a television station?'" When Johnson learned that Comcast was accepting proposals, he immediately threw his hat into the ring. "We wanted to be the first one."The NEM.io Foundation, a group that has created a peer-to-peer blockchain platform, is holding a series of events for the NEM community and newcomers to the blockchain ecosystem. Singapore based NEM provides an “out-of-the-box” blockchain solution, and its series of local events and global webinars will promote the use of blockchain and distributed ledger technology to governments, academics, industries, developers, and users. NEM’s technology is currently being utilized in a variety of financial institutions and industries, such as Hitachi with its 150 million customer base and the recently announced COMSA ICO platform and Bankera ICOs running on NEM blockchain technology. NEM reports it is currently developing a state-of-the-art Blockchain Centre in Malaysia, and investing USD $5 million into the NEM Blockchain Venture Fund to support new projects. The NEM.io Foundation says it is one of the best-funded and successful blockchain technology projects in the cryptocurrency industry. A portion of its recently launched $40 million development fund will be dedicated to these events, which will feature presentations, panel discussions, education sessions, and activities. “Interest in blockchain technology is growing globally, but not everyone has the background or skill set to get started. We created the NEM platform as an easy-to-use blockchain solution and a simple API,” said Lon Wong, President of the NEM.io Foundation. “Seeing is believing, and this roadshow will allow us to demonstrate the power of NEM in promoting the widespread adoption of blockchain technology.” Jason Lee, NEM’s Global Director for Partnerships and Strategic Alliances, added; “Our goal is to empower leaders, equip developers, and educate the public on NEM. There is a tremendous amount of interaction focused on NEM already happening on social media and forums. We want to build on this by offering opportunities for in-person meetings to develop these conversations further.” Upcoming Global Webinars with the NEM.io Foundation will take place: September 25, 2017 at 8:00 PM (GMT +8) October 4, 2017 at 8 pm (GMT +8) October 20, 2017 at 9 pm (UTC -7) Further information can be found here. Additional information is available here.A man poses for a photo in front of the Cheese Museum in Amsterdam. (Margriet Faber/AP file) Look, I have been sitting at this computer for like 30 minutes, trying to come up with a way to break this to you gently, but I don’t think it can be done. I’m just going to have to say it. A cheese slicer has been stolen from the Amsterdam Cheese Museum. Specifically, a cheese slicer worth about 25,000 euros (about $28,000) has been stolen from the Amsterdam Cheese Museum. I’m serious! This happened! First of all, yes, the Amsterdam Cheese Museum is a real place. It has a Web site, even! And until very recently, it had this super cheese slicer, which was billed as the most expensive in the world. (Courtesy of Amsterdam Museum of Cheese/Boska Holland Cheesewares) (It does look nice, but to be quite honest, I don’t know how you fact-check something like that. I mean, who keeps stats on the most expensive cheese slicers in the world? But I’m just going to take its word for it because the Amsterdam Cheese Museum is the victim here, and I actually do feel very sorry for it.) Het Parool, a newspaper in Amsterdam, carried a report of the crime, which occurred last weekend. Quick programming note: I don’t speak Dutch (the least surprising news in this post), so I had to rely on a friend-slash-co-worker for translation on this one. I’m sorry! Thanks to my pal, who did all the hard work here. Here’s what the newspaper report says, basically: This cheese slicer was thought to have been lifted by some people who were caught on camera. The museum is offering some sort of cheese-themed reward, according to our my co-worker’s translation, which is the best possible version of a reward a person could hope for, probably. [Ed. note: Not if you’re lactose-intolerant.] shame was stole my diamond platinum @BoskaHolland @Explorecheese hope they find the criminal pic.twitter.com/VFxJLdyTub — Rodrigo Otazu (@rodrigootazu) March 3, 2015 If you still don’t believe me, I would direct you to this Facebook post from the museum, which reads: “Stolen from THE AMSTERDAM CHEESE MUSEUM. Our cheese slicer please share.” Anyway. If you are planning a visit to the Amsterdam Cheese Museum and are currently disappointed to learn that you might not see this very expensive cheese slicer, don’t worry. I poked around on the Web site, and it turns out there is some sort of a situation in which you can dress “like a traditional Dutch cheese farmer.” So at least there’s still that. Thanks to Amar Nadhir, the hero who helped me translate this post.Wednesday brought a wave of news about Trump’s increasingly cozy relationship with China, including on his indirect financial connections. The press digested, uncomfortably, Trump’s April 12 claim that “Korea actually used to be a part of China.” He repeated that Chinese propaganda to the press after he got it direct from President Xi. Also Wednesday, reports revealed that Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire gambling boss with casinos in Macao, China, gave $5 million to President Trump’s inaugural committee. This is the largest single gift ever given for a U.S. president’s inauguration. Journalist Matt Isaacs has asked, “Is dirty money spent by corrupt Chinese officials at Macau casinos flowing into our elections, at least indirectly? ” The mix of Chinese money and Trump’s softening on China is worrisome, and if a causal relationship can be proved, Trump should be impeached. He isn’t good for the Republican Party, and the Democrats will oblige. Trump’s administration is softening on China’s ally North Korea, and according to experts, might accept a freeze on North Korea’s nuclear weapons development, rather than an outright ban. That would be no real change, as North Korea’s decades-long pattern of playing the U.S. is oscillation between promises of a freeze, and breaking those promises. Trump’s phantom aircraft carrier strike group supposedly steaming toward North Korea didn’t help. Since Mar-a-Lago, Trump has had mostly good things to say about China. He seems to have forgotten that China is sacking U.S. technology to build its military, and the military of North Korea that now threatens us. Trump’s offer to give China a good economic deal if China helps with North Korea is a chump deal, and we are the chumps. It will not be popular with Republican voters. It rewards China for the threat China created. Rather, Republicans should hold China responsible for anything North Korea does, including nuclear strikes. Trump should demand of China that it start acting responsibly and uphold the international laws to which it, and its allies, are already bound. Trump should call China’s bluff. No more Mr. Nice Guy. Obama tried that, and it failed. But Trump has become the quintessential Mr. Nice to China. He doesn’t seem to notice that countries like the Philippines and Vietnam, since Trump’s election, are getting increasingly authoritarian. That President Duterte of the Philippines, whose drug war has been responsible for up to 6,000 extrajudicial killings, likens himself to President Trump, should be a warning signal. An impeachment complaint has been filed against Duterte, who is under China’s influence. Trump’s fate could be the same. Trump was sitting pretty at Mar-a-Lago with President Xi earlier this month. Like Duterte, Trump did not appear to care much about China’s human rights abuse or lack of democracy. “Donald Trump’s first meeting with Xi Jinping was all about business,” declared the Economist. Let’s face it. Trump is soft on China. Trump denied it on April 18, four days after press reports that he was getting chummy with pro-China business interests, including Boeing. But 55 percent of voters in a February poll doubted his honesty. The Trump family business connections to China exploded shortly after his election. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, almost sealed a $400 million deal with a Chinese company for investment into a New York property. This was mixed with Kushner’s back-channel political deals with China’s Ambassador to the U.S. After the election, Trump met with Alibaba’s Jack Ma and Henry Kissinger, who has taken a consistently pro-China stand and has served as a liaison between China and international business interests. All that business talk seems to have had an effect. Trump flip-flopped on calling China a currency manipulator, and on the One-China policy. Rex Tillerson’s proposed blockade of China’s militarized South China Sea artificial islands was toned down and now seems forgotten. To ice the cake, on Wednesday China’s Foreign Ministry jumped to defend China’s speedy granting of trademarks to Ivanka Trump. She got them on the day she sat at dinner with President Xi. Donald Trump, too, got his brands trademarked in China shortly after the election. That’s all worth money, and it raises a question. Is China trying to put Trump on its payroll, even indirectly? If China succeeds, the American people are getting reamed and should fight back hard. This includes impeachment. Sadly, the swamp has come to Washington like never before, and Trump appears to be the blond creature most at home in its increasingly surreal waters. It is not a run-of-the-mill, money-green swamp. It could be a red tide. We need a Constitutional Amendment and a new set of tough laws that will keep money and foreigners out of U.S. politics, before foreigners start running the show. This especially applies to Russia and China. Vice President Mike Pence is a clean Republican who would make a great President, and could get elected for two more terms. He could pardon Trump, who would return to cable with better ratings, and more Twitter followers, than ever. Except for Mr. Xi, that's a win-win outcome for all.Seattle appears to be the location of Top Chef‘s 10th season, as location scouts–and host Padma Lakshmi–have been spotted around the city. This isn’t a surprise: In February, the city said the show was considering it, but only if Seattle paid $200,000 to $300,000. Last season, San Antonio paid $200,000 to be featured in several episodes, and Texas paid $600,000 for the privilege of hosting the show. Padma was spotted eating at a restaurant yesterday. A few days earlier, location scouts were spotted in Melrose Market, and earlier, Seattle Met reported that sources connected to the show confirmed that it would be set in Seattle, and an anonymous commenter said they’d leased a building to the show in Redmond, Wash., although the site notes there’s a “persistent rumor that Seattle and Portland might share the season, a la San Antonio, Dallas and Austin.”Filipe Luis: Chelsea defender happy despite lack of playing time Chelsea defender Filipe Luis has said that he has no concerns about his lack of regular first-team action so far this season. The 29-year-old left-back has made just one Premier League appearance for the Blues since his £15.8million move from Spanish champions Atletico Madrid in the summer transfer window. The Brazil international started for Chelsea against Bolton Wanderers in the League Cup third-round tie at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday. Although Luis is not guaranteed to retain his place in the starting line-up against Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday, he insists that he is happy to bide his time. “It’s brilliant to be at this club, it’s a great feeling,” he told the London Evening Standard. “Every time I play and train, I feel I’m at a big club. “Everyone wants to play. If you don’t, normally you’re not happy. But when I came here, I spoke with Mourinho and I knew I’d come to Chelsea to be a champion, not to be the best left-back or best crosser or something. “When you work with Mourinho, you have to know that the group, the collective is above the individual. I don’t think about myself right now. “The team are doing a great job. We won the first four league games and drew the fifth one. I have nothing to complain about. I have to wait for my chance and when it comes I must make sure I don’t go out of the first XI. “When you’re not playing, sometimes you’re not full of confidence. But I feel great. I went away with the national team [earlier this month] and I had my chance here to play in the Champions League, some minutes in the Premier League and the Capital One Cup. “So my fitness is perfect. I feel fresh. I’m not tired because I didn’t play in all the games and I hope when the coach needs me, I will be at my best and full of confidence.”Thank you for supporting the journalism that our community needs! For unlimited access to the best local, national, and international news and much more, try an All Access Digital subscription: We hope you have enjoyed your trial! To continue reading, we recommend our Read Now Pay Later membership. Simply add a form of payment and pay only 27¢ per article. Introductory pricing schedule for 12 month: $0.99/month plus tax for first 3 months, $5.99/month for months 4 - 6, $10.99/month for months 7 - 9, $13.99/month for months 10 - 12. Standard All Access Digital rate of $16.99/month begins after first year. Introductory pricing schedule for 12 month: $0.99/month plus tax for first 3 months, $5.99/month for months 4 - 6, $10.99/month for months 7 - 9, $13.99/month for months 10 - 12. Standard All Access Digital rate of $16.99/month begins after first year. Introductory pricing schedule for 12 month: $0.99/month plus tax for first 3 months, $5.99/month for months 4 - 6, $10.99/month for months 7 - 9, $13.99/month for months 10 - 12. Standard All Access Digital rate of $16.99/month begins after first year. Introductory pricing schedule for 12 month: $0.99/month plus tax for first 3 months, $5.99/month for months 4 - 6, $10.99/month for months 7 - 9, $13.99/month for months 10 - 12. Standard All Access Digital rate of $16.99/month begins after first year. Thank you for supporting the journalism that our community needs! For unlimited access to the best local, national, and international news and much more, try an All Access Digital subscription: We hope you have enjoyed your trial! To continue reading, we recommend our Read Now Pay Later membership. Simply add a form of payment and pay only 27¢ per article. Thank you for supporting the journalism that our community needs! For unlimited access to the best local, national, and international news and much more, try an All Access Digital subscription: We hope you have enjoyed your trial! To continue reading, we recommend our Read Now Pay Later membership. Simply add a form of payment and pay only 27¢ per article. “The same cannot be said for the indicia of impairment by drugs.” “The indicia of impairment by alcohol are fairly well-known and accepted in the case law: improper driving, bloodshot or watery eyes, flushed face, odour of alcohol, slurred speech, lack of co-ordination and inability to perform physical tests, a lack of comprehension and inappropriate behaviour,” provincial court Judge Cynthia Devine said in her written decision. But one of the first “
by’s New York in 1995, to the collector who offered it for sale Monday night. The blockbuster sale was the latest in a series of Christie’s auctions that mix works from various historical categories. “The Artist’s Muse” followed May’s “Looking Forward to the Past” sale, where a Picasso canvas fetched $179.4 million, becoming the world’s priciest auction trophy in a staggering $705.9-million sale. Monday night’s offerings ranged from 19th-century Frenchman Gustave Courbet to Andy Warhol, from Expressionist master Ernst Ludwig Kirchner to Japanese pop artist Yoshitomo Nara. The sale came at the midpoint of a two-week auction season with more than $2 billion of artworks on offer. It followed an uninspiring $377-million Sotheby’s sale of the estate of the house’s former chairman; a middling $306-million sale of Impressionist and modern art at the same house; and fairly successful sale at Phillips New York on Sunday night, which garnered $67 million while, following Christie’s lead, mixing modern and contemporary. With the artist’s muse as the theme, two-thirds of the works on offer depict women, many of them, naturally, nude. But the sexy subject matter couldn’t excite buyers enough to snatch up some of the pricier lots, even by iconic artists. Willem de Kooning’s Woman (ca. 1952–53), for example, shows a Venus of Willendorf–like figure in his typical slashing style. “Beauty becomes petulant to me,” de Kooning is quoted in the catalogue. “I like the grotesque. It’s more joyous.” Larry Gagosian bought the work in at Sotheby’s New York 1992 for just $440,000 (about $746,000 adjusted for inflation), and sold it the next year to the anonymous collector who brought it to market Monday; it bore an $18-million high estimate, but failed to generate interest and went down in less than a minute. Also failing to launch was Lucian Freud’s Naked Portrait on a Red Sofa (1989–91). That work veers into highly ambiguous psychological territory, showing the artist’s daughter Bella, then nearly thirty, her face made grotesque with a thick impasto. The three-foot-square canvas bore a high estimate of $30 million, but went unsold. Still to come are Christie’s contemporary art sale on Tuesday, Sotheby’s contemporary art sale Wednesday, and Christie’s Impressionist and modern art sale Thursday. Follow artnet News on Facebook:Managing people might as well be one of the most exciting experiences in the workplace. But boy, can it be difficult. In early 2015, I joined Hubstaff’s marketing team, which was really small around then. The volume of tasks to be done was huge. At one point in time, I was in charge of managing our blog, content distribution, social media and our integration partnerships, so it was difficult to stay on top of everything. It was a big bite. As our marketing team was growing, we decided to divide the marketing tasks and started delegating them to new team members. That’s how after only a couple of months at the company, I transitioned into the role of a manager for the first time. I was assigned to coach and manage another person! It’s been a year since that moment. The number of people I am managing is growing steadily. And it’s been an exciting rollercoaster all the way. There were a number of mistakes that I made in the beginning. I wish someone has warned me about these mistakes before, although I’m glad I learned them first-hand. They’ve been very valuable to me in terms of learning, growing and developing together with the Hubstaff team. I’d love to share some of these mistakes with fellow newborn managers and my insights from them. Here are my seven crucial learnings that every first-time manager should consider. #1. Don’t micro-manage I easily fell into this role too. I would audit every little task people completed – and I would offer my critique until it was done exactly the way I would like it to be. The result wasn’t that good. Tasks would take a ton of time. I would often feel that I should just complete them myself, which is one of the biggest failures a manager can commit. A task that would take me an hour to get done meant at least three hours for the other team members. Why? Because the ongoing feedback on my end seemed endless. After a few weeks, I was exhausted from constant auditing. So I just started doing it much less frequently. It wasn’t intended, I was just short on time. And you know what? The pieces of the puzzle started coming together. That’s when I realized the importance of trust when working with people. You have to allow them to get the job done the way they see it, and not the way you do. I came to see that my role is to be a helping coach along the way, and not a micromanager. People will make mistakes, and this is not something you can avoid. But this is the only way for them to become skillful team members. The lessons from their own errors are what transforms them into super-players. Today, I trust my team to a much higher extent and I do only random audits. I bet on autonomy, and this has worked wonders for me. In fact, one of my team members is so good at email copywriting that it’s actually me learning from her and updating our common processes. This shows that learning is a two-way street too! I recently stumbled on a quote that struck me deeply: “I’ve come to learn that if you delegate tasks, you build followers, but if you delegate authority, then you build leaders.” #2. Make time to appreciate people’s work It is so easy to see the faults in other people’s work – and sometimes difficult to show appreciation. But this is a crucial facet of the manager’s role. I have to admit that I offer my critique unsparingly. I even get annoyed from time to time! But that’s not the way to go. If you keep criticizing people without ever offering inspiration and encouragement, you don’t help them improve. You just keep them stuck with the thought they can never make you happy – and they won’t even bother to try. That’s why I’ve made it as one of my priorities to appreciate and thank people for their good work as often as I can. And informal conversations with the people under your guidance is adamant in this respect. I like to chat with my team members to see if they are facing any issues or if they are uncomfortable with certain tasks. My job is to see how I can help them improve and to enable their development. For example, one of the team members has to do outreach work every week. I aim to understand if there is anything slowing her down. If yes, how can we improve it? Can we automate a part of her repetitive tasks? The manager is there to enable the team to do their best work today – and showing appreciation and care are the key to getting there. By encouraging and demonstrating you value people’s efforts, you create a positive work culture which pays off for everybody. #3. Ditch email, embrace project management A common mistake when you start managing a team is to overuse email for all work-related communication. One of the wisest things that Dave, Hubstaff’s co-founder, has taught me is to forget about email when it comes to work communication and updates. To stay on top of what people are working on, project management software is the right tool. It gives me a complete overview of tasks and their progress, while not overwhelming all of the team members with flooding emails. We use our own tool Hubstaff Projects (to be released soon!) for managing our tasks. As a manager, you’d prefer all these updates to be added to the main task card, so you can refer to it in the future. The format of the updates that I ask for is pretty simple: What work was completed last week What is planned for the next week This helps both the manager and teammate understand how they can organize their work days to accomplish the common goals. Keeping all relevant communication about a task in one place is also great for tracking the progress on it over time. You consult a single information source and you can see immediately how it has evolved. Note: I’m switching to task updates soon because then I can get weekly updates about tasks on their respective cards instead of general weekly updates on a single card. I’ll update this post once I have implemented it successfully. #4. Help your team get independent A typical pitfall of first-time managers is to step back when the most important processes have been set up and are running. But in fact, once you’ve handled the basics on managing your team, it’s time to raise the bar. You can train your team to be in stellar shape by increasing their autonomy and responsibility. You can experiment by creating a controlled situation of emergency to see how they perform and train them to be independent even in your absence. For example, when I go on vacation, instead of keeping track of project updates and chats, I try to stay away and let people tackle situations without me. This is a good way to understand how your team performs if unexpectedly you are not available to guide the work. It’s also a way to identify the responsible ones in your team, as well as the natural leaders (my team is performing amazingly!). These mini-tests are a practical tool for pinpointing the shortfalls in the team chemistry, too. Say, if the team members are not able to take a decision on their own on a certain task, you can work on improving their independence and self-confidence in this area. If in this emergency situation, your team can do a better job without assistance, you have succeeded as a manager. #5. Be the enabler for your team Many managers feel that it’s not their job to do the actual work that their team is executing. They see themselves as responsible only for the managerial level tasks. There’s barely a bigger mistake you can make as a first-time manager. The sooner you can get rid of this mindset, the better. In fact, your task as a manager is to help people do their best work. Covering their back when needed is as important as the daily guidance you can provide. That’s why I do my best to stay on top of all tasks that my team members are performing. Whenever someone is not available, I try to fill the gap and make sure the process can run smoothly. Most of all, I aim not to shy away from any task that needs to be tackled. When you adopt such an approach, you demonstrate to your team that you care for them and respect their time. That’s how you help them feel less stressed, happier and more motivated to give their best for the teamwork. #6. Be metrics-driven whenever possible The job of a manager can be tough when it comes to assessing people’s work and being objective about their performance. You can easily fall into the trap of judging people on the basis of superficial perceptions instead of their actual achievements. Along the way, I’ve learned that being metrics-driven is truly useful in assessing team members. We measure marketing channel KPIs, analyze time spent on tasks, and calculate metrics within marketing tasks. In my regular exchanges with team members, I urge them to share their work from the previous week. I aim to ask specific questions on task updates and nudge them for details. Instead of knowing that a person performed a certain task, I prefer to get more meaningful task updates that are backed by data. E.g. – It’s better to hear that “I pitched to 28 people last week, four of whom have already replied and are interested” vs. “I did email outreach last week.” By digging deeper into the tasks of your teammates, without becoming obtrusive, you can gain profound insights into their workflows and task management. This allows you to judge their performance better and, ultimately, helps them be accountable as well. Track Time and Productivity with Hubstaff Free for 14 Days Get Started #7. Stay confident, you can always improve It’s easy for a first-time manager to get disheartened. Yes, mistakes are inevitable, and they are ever so visible when you work with people on a day-to-day basis. But there is one thing we should all remember: we can always get better. It’s been only a year since I’ve taken the role of a manager. I feel I’ve learned more than ever in my life. I’m nowhere close to being a good manager, but I feel there has been improvement along the way. That’s why I feel that most new managers need a bit of encouragement too. We are also human: and we are bound to develop if we set our minds on it. I’m certainly looking forward to the next challenges that this path has for me! Hope you’ve learned a thing (or two) on how to become a manager The road to becoming a good manager is not an easy one, but seeing your team flourish is truly rewarding. I try to keep an open mind, an open heart and learn along the way. What tips do you have for first-time managers like me? I’d love to learn about them in the comments below.FEDEX AIR -- QUARTERBACK NOMINEES Tom Brady, New England Patriots Brady completed 18 of 28 passes for 323 yards and three touchdowns as the Patriots beat the New York Jets 49-19. Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins RG3 completed 20 of 28 passes for 311 yards and four touchdowns in the Redskins' 38-31 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. Eli Manning, New York Giants Manning threw three touchdowns while going 16 of 30 for 249 yards as the Giants beat the Green Bay Packers 38-10. FEDEX GROUND -- RUNNING BACK NOMINEES BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Cincinnati Bengals Green-Ellis tallied 129 yards on 19 carries and scored one touchdown as the Bengals beat the Oakland Raiders 34-10. Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams Jackson rushed for 139 yards on 24 carries as the Rams beat the Arizona Cardinals 31-17. Arian Foster, Houston Texans Foster gained 102 yards on 20 carries and scored two touchdowns in the Texans' 34-31 overtime victory against the Detroit Lions. The NFL announced today that quarterback Robert Griffin III of the Washington Redskins and running back Arian Foster of the Houston Texans are the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week for games played on November 22-26.Griffin III completed 20 of 28 passes for 311 yards and four touchdowns in the Redskins'38-31 victory over the Dallas Cowboys Foster gained 102 yards on 20 carries and scored two touchdowns in the Texans'34-31 overtime victory against the Detroit Lions Griffin III and Foster were selected from among six finalists in Air and Ground categories. The other FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week finalists were quarterbacks Tom Brady of the New England Patriots and Eli Manning of the New York Giants, and running backs Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis of the Cincinnati Bengals and Steven Jackson of the St. Louis Rams Fans voted for more than their favorite players. The weekly FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week Awards are also a win for local communities. Along with the player awards, FedEx is making a $2,000 donation in each of the winning players' names to the local area offices of Junior Achievement in Washington D.C. and Houston. The funding is used to help U.S. small business development, by educating the next generation of entrepreneurs on how to start and grow their own businesses.During the week leading up to Super Bowl XLVII, FedEx plans to announce the 2012 FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Year in New Orleans, as well as make a $25,000 donation in each winning player's name to Junior Achievement offices in the their city.As the Official Delivery Service Sponsor of the NFL, Super Bowl and Pro Bowl, FedEx is proud to sponsor the 10th annual Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week program. The Awards highlight superior on-field performance among the league's top-performing quarterbacks and running backs, while supporting small business efforts and providing business solutions that matter to fans and customers alike. Follow FedEx on Facebook YouTube and Twitter @FedExDeliversFrom NPR: When Women Stopped Coding by STEVE HENN October 21, 2014 8:54 AM ET Modern computer science is dominated by men. But it hasn’t always been this way. A lot of computing pioneers — the people who programmed the first digital computers — were women. And for decades, the number of women studying computer science was growing faster than the number of men. But in 1984, something changed. The percentage of women in computer science flattened, and then plunged, even as the share of women in other technical and professional fields kept rising. What happened? We spent the last few weeks trying to answer this question, and there’s no clear, single answer. But here’s a good starting place: The share of women in computer science started falling at roughly the same moment when personal computers started showing up in U.S. homes in significant numbers. I.e., about the time when computing stopped being a career, it started being an adventure. Before the personal computer came along, computers were most famously associated with IBM. IBM was the most valuable company on the New York Stock Exchange for much of the 1960s and represented extreme respectability (with a certain muted sexy Mad Men glamor): Part of IBM’s shtick had been that it shied away from the kind of Disruption Hype we’re used to hearing from the computer industry today. Instead, IBM presented its computers as a reassuring part of the evolution of office machines, such as its old keypunch machines and its superb electric typewriter beloved by secretaries everywhere. (Possession of an IBM Selectric was a status symbol among secretaries when I started working in offices in the 1970s.) IBM emphasized how anti-Disruptive its computers were: it put tremendous efforts into making business computers as painless to adopt as possible for large corporations. They were immensely expensive for what they did, but IBM tried very hard to make them not scary. Not surprisingly, women had a not insignificant role in this latest version of Office Work. Tom Watson Sr., the famous CEO of IBM, recognized that women made up a huge fraction of office workers. From an IBM promotional document: By 1953, IBM had enacted an unequalled string of progressive workplace programs and policies, from hiring the disabled in 1914, to the arrival of professional women and equal pay for equal work in 1935, to appointing the company’s first female vice president, Ruth Leach Amonette, in 1943. Amonette was one of the first executives, male or female, to publicly state the business case for diversity. Upon her appointment she asked, rhetorically, “Doesn’t it make sense to employ people who are similar to your customers?” A case study: In the fall of 1984, the late Dr. Gerry Eskin, the vice-chairman of the market research company where I worked, gave me his PC XT and I immediately went nuts over the potential of the PC. I worked full time on introducing PCs to the company from 1986 to mid-1988. My nemesis during this era was D., the woman in charge of the huge staff that ran the mainframe, who hated microcomputers. Back to NPR: These early personal computers weren’t much more than toys. You could play pong or simple shooting games, maybe do some word processing. And these toys were marketed almost entirely to men and boys. This idea that computers are for boys became a narrative. It became the story we told ourselves about the computing revolution. It helped define who geeks were and it created techie culture. Movies like Weird Science, Revenge of the Nerds, and War Games all came out in the ’80s. And the plot summaries are almost interchangeable: awkward geek boy genius uses tech savvy to triumph over adversity and win the girl. So, it’s like Society then engaged in a Giant Conspiracy to undermine the Rousseauan paradise of the gender equal computing industry before The Evil Woz came along and ruined everything by inventing the personal computer. In reality, however, the IBM Era had been a giant conspiracy by IBM to make computers as non-disruptive as possible. Before the PC, computing was the most famously well-organized and decorous career-path in America. The PC liberated the male sex to finally do what a lot of guys had been itching to do for hundreds of thousands of years: not shower, stay up all night, and obsess over something in which human emotions and codes of polite manners played no role.Black holes have voracious appetites. As these objects, which are so dense that not even light can escape their gravitational pull, chow down on gas and stellar debris, they emit powerful bursts of X-rays, creating what is known as a cosmic X-ray background — a “song” of X-rays being emitted by millions of black holes, which fills the entire sky. Although astrophysicists have long known about this “cosmic choir,” identification of individual singers has proven elusive. Now, data gathered by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) — a space-based X-ray telescope — is finally helping scientists pinpoint the black holes emitting high-energy X-rays, thereby taking a significant step toward resolving the cosmic X-ray background. “Before NuSTAR, the X-ray background in high energies was just one blur with no resolved sources,” lead author Fiona Harrison, the principal investigator of NuSTAR at Caltech in Pasadena, said in a statement. “We've gone from resolving just two percent of the high-energy X-ray background to 35 percent.... We can see the most obscured black holes, hidden in thick gas and dust.” Black holes emit X-rays when the gas and dust surrounding them gets heated and accelerated to nearly the speed of light. As a black hole grows, so does the amount of its high-energy X-ray emissions. Unsurprisingly, supermassive black holes — those found in the centers of most galaxies, including ours — give off more high-energy X-rays than lone black holes adrift in the dark void of space. Scientists hope that the new observations will ultimately help them better understand how the feeding patterns of supermassive black holes change over time, providing a clearer picture of their evolution. “We knew this cosmic choir had a strong high-pitched component, but we still don't know if it comes from a lot of smaller, quiet singers, or a few with loud voices,” co-author Daniel Stern, the project scientist for NuSTAR at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, said in the statement. “Now, thanks to NuSTAR, we're gaining a better understanding of the black holes and starting to address these questions.”A handful of bathrooms in Alaskan bars and restaurants will soon be stocked with free, state-funded pregnancy tests, thanks to a new University of Alaska study, the Anchorage Daily News reports. The school's two-year study is hoping to find if posters placed on pregnancy test dispensers work better at preventing pregnant women from drinking than posters hung on a wall. Alaska has one of the highest rates of fetal alcohol syndrome in the country, according to federal health statistics. Beginning in December, up to 5,000 tests will be distributed to 20 locations, with each test labeled with a prevention message and costing the state about $1.50. The study funding totals $400,000, according to the Anchorage Daily News report. Jody Allen Crowe, the founder of a Minnesota non-profit that has installed dispensers in bars and convenience stores, is assisting with the project, and hopes using pregnancy tests before drinking will become as common as having a designated driver. "This is not a strategy for the chronic alcoholic who is drinking regardless of whatever message they see," Crowe told the Anchorage Daily News. "This is really focused on the 50 percent of unexpected pregnancies, to find out they are pregnant as early as possible."Image zoom Getty We all know that health is a lifelong work in progress. But even though you can never check wellness off your list of resolutions—Darn it!—you can accomplish small things every day to feel good and fend off problems. Experts say these day-to-day habits add up. RELATED: These Healthy Kitchen Gadgets Will Transform Your New Year 1. They Go to Bed by 10. It’s a given that not getting enough sleep can seriously hurt your health (it increases your risk for cardiovascular disease, for starters) but it could also matter when you clock those seven or eight hours. “The recent literature suggests that the optimal healing time for sleep is between 10 p.m. and midnight,” says Aunna Herbst, a doctor of osteopathic medicine at Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Functional Medicine. Hitting the sack early has major benefits, she says: think better healing and immunity and less free radical damage and inflammation. 2. They Breathe Deeply. Meditation or deep breathing—free of technology or other interruptions—can do more than just center you. “It’s been shown to lower flight or flight hormones,” Dr. Herbst says. That decreases anxiety, regulates blood sugar and helps your immune system, she says. You don’t have to follow any specific breathing pattern or practice, but to optimize the habit, schedule at least 10 minutes of daily meditation between 1 and 3 p.m. That’s when hormones that control our sleep/wake cycle often dip. 3. They Connect With Other People. People in good relationships live longer, feel happier, and are healthier overall, Herbst says. (One study found that having social ties had as much benefit to a person’s risk of death as quitting smoking.) And spending time with friends and family can help you relieve stress, another important piece of health. So prioritize that dinner party. “Anything that allows you to use your creative side... and gives you a sense of community and connection is huge,” Dr. Herbst says. RELATED: The Best Wine and Workout Retreats 4. They Eat Nuts. Snacking on a handful of any nut (raw or roasted) five or more times a week slashes your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease—along with a long list of other benefits, says Ann Kulze, M.D., a physician and health coach. “Nuts are a standout food for weight control, improving metabolic health, vision protection, and brain health,” Dr. Kulze says. “When you look at their makeup, it’s no big surprise. They’re chock full of critically important nutrients, healthy fats, vital vitamins and minerals, and super potent anti-inflammatory phytochemicals.” 5. They're Strategic About Sitting. You know you need to exercise to stay healthy, but hitting the gym regularly isn’t enough if you’re also spending long stretches in a desk chair or on the couch: “When you’re sitting for prolonged periods of time, you’re damaging your body,” Dr. Kulze says. But you don’t have to quit your day job—just make sure to do some light activity for two to three minutes (walking to a co-worker’s office or doing a set of jumping jacks, for example) every hour that you’re sitting to counteract the negative effects. RELATED: The Top 20 Fitness Trends for 2017 6. They Laugh. Consider this an excuse to catch up on the comedy in your Netflix queue. “When you have a good belly laugh, you actually burn some calories, and you get happier,” says Judy Simon, R.D., a registered dietitian nutritionist and a clinical instructor at the University of Washington. Laughter can relieve stress and give you an endorphin rush, she says. In fact, a small 2014 study of elderly people found that watching a funny video decreased stress hormones and improved memory. 7. They Cook. Cutting back on delivery dinners and fast-casual lunches and eating mostly home-cooked meals can help you lose or maintain your weight and avoid chronic diseases. It's easy to guess why: you can sneak in extra fruits and vegetables and control portions when you’re the one in the kitchen. “In the short term, it can help fuel people better so they’re getting nutrients that they need," Simon says. "They can have a healthy quality of life now and reduce their risk for many types of cancer, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure.” When life gets too busy to think about cooking, meal planning, meal delivery services, and grocery deliveries can all help, Simon says. 8. They Get Outside. Spending time outdoors provides vitamin D—crucial for strong bones and mental health—and gets you moving. Strolling through the woods or a park instead of down a city block could be even better for you. A 2015 study found that people who took a walk through nature had fewer negative thoughts and less activity in the area of the brain linked to mental illness risk compared with those who walked down a busy street. “Go outside,” Simon says. “It’s so good for your mood. Having the connection with nature and something bigger than ourselves, [experiencing] the wonder of it, helps release stress.” This article originally appeared on Realsimple.com.Served: March 4, 1929 – March 4, 1933 Born: August 10, 1874 Birthplace: West Branch, Iowa Died: October 20, 1964 Occupations: Mining engineer, civil engineer, businessman, humanitarian Political Party: Republican Spouse: Lou Henry Hoover Hoover: A Quaker President Herbert Hoover was the 31st U.S. president. He came from a Quaker background and worked as a mining engineer before becoming a president. In fact, before being nominated for the presidency, he had no elected-official experience. He was known for leading humanitarian efforts in Belgium, heading the U.S. Food Administration, and serving as secretary of commerce under two presidents. One of the key positions that defined Hoover’s governmental views was that he felt many of the expenses and waste produced by an inefficient government could be fixed with the right team of people looking at the problem. A Life Among Miners Hoover finished his early schooling through night classes and then went on to attend Stanford University the year it opened. In 1895, Hoover graduated with a geology degree and shortly after graduating, he began working in Australia at a London-based gold mining company. Hoover married his college sweetheart, Lou Henry, and with their two sons they moved to China. Herbert Hoover’s Pets King Tut, Belgian shepherd King Tut, Belgian shepherd Pat, German shepherd Big Ben, fox terrier Sonny, fox terrier Glen, Scottish collie Yukon, Eskimo dog Patrick, wolfhound Eaglehurst Gillette, setter Weejie, elkhound And a pair of alligators owned by President Hoover’s son Allan Henry Hoover that sometimes crawled around the White House grounds MORE PETS! Check out our photo gallery of selected White House pets By 1908, Hoover had become an independent mining consultant and methodically began making global investments while traveling for his business. His investments paid off, and he became wealthy at a young age. At the start of World War I, Hoover began leading humanitarian efforts, from distributing food and clothing to helping Americans stranded in Europe return to the United States. His public service era was what later led to his Congressional appointments. It was around this time that Hoover was appointed to head the U.S. Food Administration by President Woodrow Wilson and later as secretary of commerce. The Beginning of the Great Depression Hoover was nominated as the Republican presidential candidate in the 1928 election, which he won in a landslide victory. With the Wall Street crash of 1929, Hoover was faced with one of the largest economic depressions in history—the Great Depression. The terrible economy overshadowed much of his presidency, and he was not re-elected in 1932. Did You Know…?Day 1 of JPOP Summit was off to a very unique start. Taking place at the historic Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture in San Francisco on September 9 & 10, JPOP Summit is a two day Japanese culture festival filled with exciting performances, guest appearances, and more! Check out our EXCLUSIVE interview with BAND-MAID below where you can read about what the group looked forward to most about JPOP Summit and other awesome stuff about the edgy rock group: KKS: BAND-MAID has a cool concept, from the cute maid costumes to the edgy hard rock music! Who designs the costumes? Do you write the songs, if so how? BAND-MAID: Our designers make the costumes to suit our hard rock music style and we discuss with them how we would like them to make it. Usually Kanami, who plays the guitar, helps with writing the songs. KKS: BAND-MAID calls live concerts “services”, male fans as “masters”, and female fans as “princesses”. How were fans reactions about this at Sakura Con in Seattle and MCM Con in the UK last year? BAND-MAID: The audience was excited to have the opportunity to be called “masters” and “princesses” so we are really happy about that. When we went to Seattle for Sakura Con we could see the audience was really excited and it was a great reaction in the UK as well. It was unexpected that we would get such an exciting reaction as it was never seen before so we were really happy to be doing this concept. KKS: You performed at Summer Sonic Music Festival! How was that? BAND-MAID: We have always wanted to perform at Summer Sonic so we were really glad to be able to perform there. It was a super hot summer for us though! KKS: How many times have you performed in the US? How do you like it? BAND-MAID: This is our second time performing in the US and we are really excited about performing here at JPOP Summit. KKS: The music video for ‘Non-Fiction Day’ reminds me of California, where did you shoot the music video? BAND-MAID: We really like that it looked like California because it shows our view is universal, but actually, the music video was filmed in Japan! It was filmed in the Ibaraki Prefecture beside the ocean. We really wanted to make it look like California! KKS: Please tell us which band you would like to play with in the future. BAND-MAID: (Kanami) Carlos Santana! I really like him. KKS: What is BAND-MAID’s dream and goals? BAND-MAID: To conquer the world! KKS: What band or artist do you look up to? BAND-MAID: BAND-MAID’s concept is very unique so we would like to create a new genre. KKS: Kawaii Kakkoii Sugoi introduces cute, cool, and amazing Japanese things to the world! Could you tell us what is cute, cool, and amazing to you? BAND-MAID: BAND-MAID! Having the opportunity to interview BAND-MAID was great! The band is lively, friendly, and cute despite their gothic image and KKS had an amazing time interviewing them. Shortly after the interview, there was time to explore the rest of JPOP Summit! At JPOP Summit there was something for everyone to do. For those who loved food, there was Ramen Summit where some of the best ramen spots came to showcase their tasty ramen! To compliment Ramen Summit, there was a Sake Summit for attendees over 21 which was a fan favorite feature along with the Ramen Summit. There were a lot of amazing performances occurring on the main stage through the day as well! May’n was amongst the lineup on day one and the crowd was hyped. After wrapping up the day with some enjoyable performances, it was safe to call it a well spent day. Stay tuned for our article on the recap for Day 2 for more exciting news and interviews from May’n and Mitz Mangrove!Mixing letters and numbers to create a lengthy password is a good security practice. Posting that password on a large whiteboard and then letting a reporter take a picture of it for an article is not, however, yet that’s precisely what happened this week in Brazil. The widescreen whiteboard you see above sits in the operations room for the World Cup 2014. Over in the bottom-right corner you can clearly make out the SSID (WORLDCUP) and the network key (b5a2112014). It’s not the strongest password to start with. It’s just Brazil 2014 in pseudo-l33tsp34k, and we’ve already seen how easy it is for modern cracking apps to predict minor alterations like those. Just look at the expression on that poor fellow’s face. He looks like he knows just how facepalmingly dumb it was to set up this little photo op. It’s the security equivalent of scoring an own goal in a World Cup match. Fortunately, this little network security gaffe only matters if people within range with a device happen to get their hands on the password — and if it’s the only way they’re restricting access. They may have additional controls in place, like MAC address restrictions… or at least a good system in place for distributing a new password when someone screws up and lets the current password leak out to Twitter and the photo gets retweeted a few thousand times. At least they’re not alone. Apparently whenever there’s a big sporting event and the press is present it’s a standard practice to have passwords posted in nice, visible locations. During this year’s Super Bowl, for example, Wi-Fi credentials were broadcast to millions of TV viewers.An agent is an autonomous program that is able to survive by selling services for Bitcoins, and using the proceeds to rent server capacity. Agents that are profitable enough may replicate themselves by spawning additional instances on other servers. Bitcoin-using autonomous agents were first described in a forum post by julz in 2011 and further elaborated on in that same discussion by Gregory Maxwell, who used a file storage system called StorJ as an illustrative example[1]. Mike Hearn gave a talk on the topic at the Turing Festival 2013 (video and slides). The concept has also been referred to as a "decentralised autonomous corporation" or DAC in a series of articles by Vitalik Buterin called "Bootstrapping a decentralised autonomous corporation". Core concepts Agents interact with the world via the following mechanisms: The Bitcoin network APIs that allow for renting server capacity, and then remotely controlling that server (ie, ssh) Human readable contracts posted to freelancer forums or the Mechanical Turk Their own application protocols, for example, by serving HTTP By maintaining their own balance, for the first time it becomes possible for software to exist on a level playing field to humans. It may even be that people find themselves working for the programs because they need the money, rather than programs working for the people. Being a peer rather than a tool is what distinguishes a program that uses Bitcoin from an agent. Because server capacity is sold in well defined, standardized units (CPU seconds, gigabytes of RAM
distance seems to be there, so there could be some credence to the idea that Giroux's shots are maybe coming from farther, less dangerous areas. With that said, though, Giroux's game has never really revolved around taking in shots super-close to the net (we briefly discussed this a couple offseasons ago), so I don't think I'd jump to the conclusion that Giroux's huge bump in shot rates is due to his suddenly deciding to take a ton of low-quality shots. And even if you do buy into that theory, no amount of "low-quality shots" will be enough for Giroux to maintain a paltry 4.7% shooting percentage, or a goose-egg at even strength -- in other words, his increased shot rates that we've discussed would more than make up for any drop in "quality". Conclusion Claude Giroux has pretty much always been seen as a pass-first-and-always kind of guy by a lot of people who watch this team, potentially to an unfair extent. There have been times that all of us have just wanted to see him shoot the damn puck more. And this season, he's doing it. Far, far more than he ever has before, and as often as almost any player in the NHL. He's probably not going to keep shooting the puck almost five times per game, but it sure looks like he's consciously trying to shoot the puck more. The shots haven't quite been finding their way into the back of the net yet, and that's frustrating, but the overwhelming odds are that will change in time if this keeps putting the puck on the net like this. Giroux's newfound tendency to shoot the puck certainly hasn't come as a detriment to his playmaking abilities (his nine assists are tied for fourth in the NHL as of this writing), so if he's able to even come close to keeping this level of shot production up over the rest of the season, it's scary to think of how good he and his line can be. And for a team that's going to need as much help from its top forwards as it can get, that's welcomed news.Dubai: The Yemeni army has said that its forces captured a field commander working closely with the leader of the Iranian-backed Houthi militia Abdul Malik Al Houthi, according to the Saudi Press Agency, SPA. “Army forces on the Hamak front, located between the provinces of Ibb and Dhaleh, captured the militia chief, Hussain Al Houthi, and three of his assistants,” SPA said. Internationally-recognised Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi came to power in early 2012 after Arab Spring protests ousted Ali Abdullah Saleh. In 2014, an Al Houthi coup placed Hadi under house arrest. He was able to escape and has since shifted his government’s headquarters to Aden from where he has led an offensive against Al Houthis. With help from the Saudi-led Arab coalition who entered the war in 2015, the Yemeni army has liberated 85 per cent of Yemeni territory, but the Iran-backed militants still control the capital, Sana’a, and most northern provinces including Hodeida, Ibb, Mahweet, Yareem, Amran, Baydha and Hajja. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia agreed to open the Red Sea port city of Hodeida for 30 days to let in humanitarian supplies despite repeated warning that it was being used by Al Houthi militants to smuggle in weapons from Iran.Don’t Go There(if possible)! It is not always possible but try to avoid going to the ground. Why? See points below. The Fall. If you don’t know how to fall, or can’t because you have been stunned(punch, blunt object), falling can lead to various problems, including head injuries, sprained or broken limbs etc... Self-defense training must teach students how to fall - break-falls, rolls.... Visibility/Lack of. Being on the ground severely limits your ability to assess your surroundings. Your vision is especially impaired if the attacker is on top of you. Size, Strength. Size and strength are always factors but they especially come into play on the ground. Throwing off an attacker who outweighs you by 60lbs is no easy feat. No rules. No referee. Taking down an adversary during a competitive fight (MMA, judo, wrestling etc...) requires refined skills and can be tactically effective. In real life, however, you might have to contend with harsh surfaces (gravel, cement), multiple attackers who can kick, punch, or stab you while you are grappling, and assailants doing things you can't do during a competitive fight - using a weapon, biting, eye gouging...... Getting Up/Escaping. Gaining distance from an assailant and escaping to a safe place is obviously more difficult from the ground. Accordingly, self-defense training must include getting up from the ground in effective and safe ways (also a great workout!). Stay Safe, Christopher Gagne Lead Instructor, International Krav Maga Federation, Toronto Many self-defense situations occur on the ground. You can be knocked down, pushed, or dragged from a standing or sitting position. You can fall on the unstable or slippery ground. On the ground, an attacker (attackers) can kick, punch, stab, choke, hold, control.....It is a very dangerous place to be.Here are 5 general thoughts about defending on the ground.Avoid going to the ground if possible. This being said, you must devote significant time to training on the ground - just in case!“Your emotions are meant to fluctuate, just like your blood pressure is meant to fluctuate. It’s a system that’s supposed to move back and forth, between happy and unhappy. That’s how the system guides you through the world.” ~Daniel Gilbert As a highly sensitive person I experience emotions very deeply, though it’s not usually obvious to others that I’m having such strong internal reactions. For those not familiar with this trait, high sensitivity is not a defect or a personality flaw; it simply means that you experience sensory and emotional input more strongly than non-sensitive people. Of course, this is not to say that humans are really that bipolar in terms of their emotional and physical experiences; sensitivity is a spectrum, and I’ve found myself leaning to the more sensitive side. High sensitivity has wonderful benefits: it facilitates deep insightfulness, fosters a drive for authenticity and creative expression, and enriches the sensory experiences of life. It’s a double-edged sword, however, because just as the positive aspects are magnified, so too are the negative aspects. Just like with most aspects of life, this is a delicate balancing act, because it can be difficult not to become overwhelmed by emotion, whether positive or negative. Embodying this trait throughout my life has been a challenge: I’m always super aware of my environment (both external and internal), and processing that information on a deep level pretty much all the time. This causes me to have a preference for quiet environments (yet I live in New York City!), and also to need lots of alone time to recharge. This is not to say I’m a hermit or that I hate people; quite the contrary: I crave authentic connection and love engaging deeply with others. It’s been crucial to learn to accept this trait, to pinpoint my needs without feeling guilty for them, and to have the courage to express those needs to my loved ones. One of the most beneficial things I’ve been learning is the importance of non-judgment. For every high there is a low, and the only thing making a low “bad” is that we judge it as so. Everyone experiences a full range of emotions, and a highly sensitive person will feel it even more intensely. However, fluctuating emotions are part of life. They’re not something to be avoided at all costs, as I believed I should be able to do in order to achieve an imagined and unattainable level of perfection, which didn’t include messy emotions that only get in the way. When I feel “negative” emotions such as anxiety, anger, and sadness, I berate myself for succumbing to such “bad” feelings and feel the need to make them go away as soon as possible. Needless to say, this reaction does little to alleviate the distress caused by these emotions, and usually only exacerbates them. What I’ve realized is that it isn’t the emotions themselves causing me to suffer—it’s my judgment of those emotions and my desire to rid myself of them. When I am unable to make the feelings go away, it feeds my anxiety and I retreat even deeper into myself instead of allowing the emotional wave to pass and expressing my feelings to others. Judgments are thoughts about emotions. Emotions are simply fleeting currents that come and go and provide a compass for us to fully feel and address whatever issues may be under the surface. Though thoughts and emotions are related, they’re different things, and we can learn to manage both of those experiences. In order to do this, I practice mindfulness exercises in which I simply allow my thoughts to stream and recognize that these thoughts don’t define me unless I give them that power; I’m the one in control of my experiences. I also allow myself to fully feel my emotion, without judgment, sometimes naming them as they pop up if that helps. Self-understanding and a connection with our intuition are essential for strengthening our emotional intelligence, and this is an instance in which high sensitivity is a major benefit, because it’s highly conducive to deep introspection. I continually practice being mindful of my thoughts and how they cause emotions so that I can catch any spirals before they snowball. This act alone has had tremendous benefits for my overall well-being, as well as my ability to manage, and most importantly, accept, all the emotions that come with being human. A recent experience of unrequited love has demonstrated to me how far I’ve come in terms of riding the emotional waves without added layers of judgment and criticism. At my gym, I met a very attractive man with beautiful chin-length blond hair, deep expressive blue eyes, and a sweet disposition. I developed a little crush and tried my hardest to be more open, but also to accept that I do get shy and I’m slow to warm up to new people. I didn’t judge myself negatively for it, but rather was proud of myself for my efforts to maintain eye contact, smile, and initiate conversation. Unfortunately, as I was beginning to think the feeling might be mutual and trying to work up the courage to ask for a date, I saw him with another girl who frequents the same gym. It was obvious they had something going on. Although it felt like I had been punched hard in the gut to see them together, in the past a situation like this would have also made me spiral into a deep hole of self-hatred. I would have criticized myself for being too shy, for failing, for missing an opportunity, and for allowing another woman to snatch up my crush. These thoughts would then fuel intense regret, anxiety, fear, despair, and anger—which are emotions in response to thoughts, not in response to the actual situation. Then I’d criticize myself for allowing these feelings to get so out of control, and the vicious cycle would progress ad infinitum. But that isn’t what happened this time. Instead, I allowed myself to completely feel every emotion that came with this experience, not with thoughts about the experience. A twinge of sadness, a pang of despair, loneliness, frustration, jealousy, defeat, embarrassment, desire, anxiety, lust, and anger all passed through me in waves every time I saw them together or felt how much I still liked him and wished I could have had a chance with him. Without the layer of judgmental thoughts, these feelings became manageable. I’ve also developed a sense of gratitude for all the things I feel, because this is what it means to be human, and vulnerability is a beautiful thing that can connect us directly with our inner selves. We hurt because we love, so hurt is a sign that you’ve let love in. I’ve used this experience to learn more about myself, and I’m thankful that it can help facilitate my continued emotional intelligence training. As I began to praise myself for my efforts rather than only criticizing myself for failing and letting my emotions consume me, I began to cultivate self-love as well. Since love for others stems from love for self, I found that this not only diminished anger toward myself, but naturally flows outward to others. Compassion for others begins with compassion for ourselves, and high sensitivity facilitates this process. I’ve also learned that how we react to events is far more important than what actually happens to us. Unrequited love is usually seen as a negative thing, and it truly does hurt, but it’s also a window to deeper understanding and compassion. For that reason, I’m grateful to have had this experience, even though it’s painful. Pain has a purpose. It shines light on the most important issues we must face, as well as our biggest opportunities for growth and learning. True, my crush doesn’t reciprocate my feelings, but I still have a loving family, I still love myself, and I love being alive to have all these experiences. When I think about it like this, I’m grateful, and I’ve learned to love myself throughout all the fleeting emotional experiences that ultimately don’t define me anyway. We just have to ride the waves and recognize that our thoughts are not always an accurate depiction of reality, our emotions are fleeting, and it’s completely okay to feel the entire spectrum of them. We are human, and as the perfectly imperfect beings that we are, feeling the spectrum is what we are here to do. About Jacqueline Handman Jacqueline is a native New Yorker, graduate of Hunter College, and a passionate writer who enjoys using the creative process as a means of self-expression, self-reflection, and occasionally self-mockery (a good laugh can do wonders for the soul). She hopes to help others in their own journeys of enlightenment and personal growth. Visit her at Whispers That Echo and on Medium and Instagram.A man in China who had his penis cut off by his wife has relived the nightmare, suffering a second castration during a drug induced coma. The Bobbitting started when a man, identified as Han Mou, asked his wife for a divorce, EChinacities.com reports. The wife, named Zhang, believed her husband was seeking a divorce because he was in a relationship with at least one other woman. Seeking to put an end to his suspected extra-marital rendezvous Zhang drugged him with sleeping pills, cut off his penis and flushed it down the toilet. She was arrested but later bailed and continued to live with her genitally challenged husband and their children. However, it appears Mr Han's member was fished out of the toilet and successfully re-attached. With his newly reclaimed manhood Mr Han set out on the quest for a new wife once again, expecting Zhang would be jailed, leaving him to raise his children alone. Unimpressed with her husband's antics Zhang dusted off her sleeping pills and drugged a glass of his milk. Mr Han later woke up in agony and screamed that his wife had cut off "everything". Zhang called an ambulance and police to give herself up. Castration has been referred to as Bobbitting in popular culture since 1993 when John Wayne Bobbitt's wife Lorena cut off his penis while he slept. It was later re-attached during a marathon operation and the year after his surgery Bobbitt was able to make his pornographic film debut in the award-winning John Bobbitt Uncut. Source: eChinacities.com Author: Martin Zavan, Approving editor: Simon Black © Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2019No spouse on the horizon for yourself (and possibly happier that way)? Congratulations! But the history of singledom for women hasn't always been a particularly pleasant situation; aside from constant needling to settle down and pop out babies, they've had to cope with societal suspicion about whether they worship the devil, people trying to encourage them to frisk new brides, a studied aversion to peacock feathers, and other bizarre procedures and traditions. While it's not true to allege that no past historical civilization had a good place for the single woman (there's evidence of societal power and privilege held by single women, particularly widows, in ancient Rome and elsewhere), we are now recognizing the unmarried woman as a serious societal entity: New York Magazine in February called them America's "most potent political force". But unmarried virgins in many historical civilizations were often regarded as both ideal and somehow incomplete, because they were simultaneously virtuous and not yet able to fulfill their "true" purpose as women (lots and lots of babies, obviously). As I've written before, virgins themselves were thought to have the potential to spoil fruit and tame lions. But virginity isn't the same thing as remaining single, though for many women there was supposed to be considerable overlap; widows and divorcees were often included in the "unmarried" category, with all its associated weird traditions and superstitions. Let's get into five of the weirdest beliefs about unmarried women in history. At least if anybody accuses you of being a spinster, you can lecture them about etymology before throwing a punch. 1. That They Should Be The Only Women Allowed To Watch The Olympics The life of an unmarried woman wasn't so bad in ancient Greece, provided you occupied a particular status. Vestal Virgins, or women who pledged to remain celibate and unmarried for their lifetimes in order to tend the sacred flame of the goddess Vesta at her temple in Rome, were the highest-regarded women in the entire State, and received privileges worthy of that. But unmarried women in general were also given one of the best tickets in the land: access to the Olympic Games. We're told by an ancient Greek writer that Parthenous ouk eirgousi theasthai, "they don't stop virgins attending the Games". Married women, on the other hand, were prohibited. The reasoning was that parthenoi, as unmarried virgins were called, were seen as spiritually "pure," while married women weren't any longer. The best bit about this strange law was that Olympic sport was at the time performed entirely naked. Unmarried ladies had the best ogling opportunity of them all. 2. That They're More Likely To Be Witches This is one of the most worrisome parts of single-lady history: their socio-economic position, as outsiders in traditionally patriarchal environments, meant that unmarried women were often the target of suspicion or oppression when anything went wrong. "It was," writes historian Brian Levack in a history of the Baroque period in Europe, "a question of both protection and control." According to Levack, husbands could both help their wives out of trouble with lawmakers looking for witches and tightly control their behavior so they didn't do anything suspicious. But it's more than that. Levack explains that unmarried women were much more likely to be viewed malevolently by their community when economic or martial tragedies had just happened; plagues and wars tended to cull the male population, drastically reduce the amount of money to go around, and swell the amount of war widows and women without prospects of marriage (because all the available dudes were dead). It was basically a perfect storm: chaotic society with a lot of women and no real way to support them within families any more. People perceived as burdens on society, as we well know by now, tend to get the bulk of xenophobia and hatred. (It may not have been all accusation, either; The Encyclopedia Of Women In The Renaissance points out that some unmarried ladies may have embraced the rumors of their powers, because it might terrify other people into leaving them alone — or asking for their help.) 3. That They Should Be Allowed To Mug Brides Superstitions around unmarried women tend to surround ways in which they can get married. Some modern wedding guests still use the old English practice of sleeping with a slice of wedding cake under their pillow in order to "see" their future spouse in their dreams (always for women, weirdly enough; unmarried men would presumably know her when they saw her). You may well think these superstitions are deeply sexist and ridiculous in their assumption that every single lady wants to get married; but, of course, most of them date from periods where, as the 17th-century midwifery manual author Jan Sharp put it, they were seen as bizarrely "self-destroying," as "almost all men and women desire to be fruitful naturally". (And you think your mother lays on the pressure.) But in both Northwestern France and Wales, a practice emerged that would be seen as deeply lacking in health and safety today. Brides were encouraged to wear multiple pins in their gowns, and in France all the unmarried women in the wedding party were encouraged to search her all over for them; if they found one and it was straight, they'd be married themselves. In Wales, they cut out the middle man, and the Welsh bride just threw a pin over her shoulder into a group of (presumably rather careful) single women. 4. That They're Doomed By Peacock Feathers Peacock feathers are an extremely pretty addition to household decoration (though, presumably, bad luck for the peacock), but according to Mediterranean tradition, they're extremely bad luck for any woman who wants to get married. The bad luck comes from the resemblance of the peacock tail to the eye the eye of the Biblical demon Lilith, Adam's first wife, a figure who in Old Testament tradition was cast out of Eden for some kind of disagreement (possibly involving her wish to remain equal to Adam). Accordingly, peacock feathers are basically seen as the "feminist killjoys" of the animal world; they doom any marriage in which they're featured to failure, and if present in a house are supposed to mean that any unmarried woman will never attract a spouse. 5. That They're Supposed To Spin For Their Supper Max Canon on YouTube "Spinster" itself in English is an extremely old-fashioned word, but you may be surprised to know that its origins actually did involve spinning — and were also applied to men. In late medieval England, spinning was intimately associated with the marriageability of women; one text alleges that women were only viewed as marriageable once they'd spun themselves all the table and bed linen they'd need for their marriage. There's also disagreement about whether spinning had any impact on heraldry, the ancient way in which noble European families displayed their "coat of arms". Unmarried noble women in English tradition usually display their arms on a "lozenge," which some people argue was originally meant to look a bit like a spindle, the traditional way in which one spun. The term "spinster" had to be divided from "spinner," which was the word for a man that spun, and was also the legal term for an unmarried woman in England from the 1600s to the 1900s; lawyers from the period weren't actually being insulting, just accurate. Images: Annette Randle, Giampietro Campana di Cavelli, Hexen und Hexenverfolgung im deutschen Südwesten, Sir Frederic Leighton, Galerie Bassenge, Frederic George Stephens/Wikimedia CommonsUrban Outfitters has always priced many of its kickknacks and accessories very high. Flickr/Mike Mozart Urban Outfitters' high prices have ignited a fury on social media and sparked a viral, hilarious social media campaign with a trending hashtag. The campaign began after one user posted a tweet questioning the retailer's price of an $8 single hairband, according to CNN Money. This inspired another to create the hashtag '#UrbanOutfittersbelike' to mock the retailer's tendency to market simple items with extravagant descriptions and high prices. Urban Outfitters has always attached high prices to many of its products. Its 'Never Run Out Ponytail Holder Ball', which is literally a ball of 35 hair ties, retails for $12 on the site. At CVS, one can buy a pack of ponytail holders for just $2.99. Humorous tweets with fictional descriptions of products spread around the platform. Check out some of the tweets featuring the hashtag: This isn't the first time the company has attracted negative attention over its products. It was recently in the news for selling a tapestry that resembled 'Holocaust garb'."The idea that you can merchandise candidates for high office like breakfast cereal is the ultimate indignity to the democratic process." -Democratic candidate Adlai Stevenson, 1956 "Television is no gimmick, and nobody will ever be elected to major office again without presenting themselves well on it." -Television producer and Nixon campaign consultant Roger Ailes, 1968 In a media-saturated environment in which news, opinions, and entertainment surround us all day on our television sets, computers, and cell phones, the television commercial remains the one area where presidential candidates have complete control over their images. Television commercials use all the tools of fiction filmmaking, including script, visuals, editing, and performance, to distill a candidate's major campaign themes into a few powerful images. Ads elicit emotional reactions, inspiring support for a candidate or raising doubts about his opponent. While commercials reflect the styles and techniques of the times in which they were made, the fundamental strategies and messages have tended to remain the same over the years. The Living Room Candidate contains more than 300 commercials, from every presidential election since 1952, when Madison Avenue advertising executive Rosser Reeves convinced Dwight Eisenhower that short ads played during such popular TV programs as I Love Lucy would reach more voters than any other form of advertising. This innovation had a permanent effect on the way presidential campaigns are run.This is a semi-premium 3" build with an emphasis on simplicity. My goal with the Omnibus and the 4-in-1 was to reduce my wiring while giving me a voltage readout over OSD. I chose the GEP130X for the additional space and I just like the way it looks. I'm carrying my battery on top and the AUW is 251g with a 3S 850mah battery. It is 167g without the battery. I wired a 12v Pololu to the FC RAM port to filter power to my VTX. The camera is powered by the 5v output from the FC. I'm using a Spektrum satellite which plugs directly into the FC. The ESC signal wires needed to be rearranged to match the motor inputs of the FC. I pulled the wires from the harness and re-inserted them into the proper positions. If you're looking at the harness that plugs into the ESC board I moved the first signal wire to the fourth position, third to the first and fourth to the third. This little guy flies great!Final Fantasy II was due to be released in the US as a follow up to the smash hit Nintendo NES RPG. However, in 1991 when Final Fantasy II eventually arrived in the States it was a renamed version of Final Fantasy IV. A prototype of the true unreleased and English version of the Japanese exclusive Final Fantasy II has just surfaced on eBay. The tale behind the English Final Fantasy localisations is one confusing mess. As the true second and third outings of the series never left Japan, the few later releases which were localised in the US - Final Fantasy IV and VI - were retitled to Final Fantasy II and III respectively to maintain naming continuity. It wouldn't be until 2003 that the original version of Final Fantasy II was finally released for English audiences on the Sony PlayStation 1's Final Fantasy Origins compilation. Long waits aside, Square's North American subsidiary had actually finished an English language localisation of Final Fantasy II following the success of the first title in the US. Dubbed Final Fantasy II: Dark Shadow Over Palakia, this translated title was soon scrapped due to the arrival of the Super Nintendo. Despite cancellation, a one of a kind prototype has been in one lucky collector's hands for many years with the ROM of the game's code kindly being released online for all to play. This unique Final Fantasy II prototype has surfaced on eBay with a price tag similar to that of the recent Legend of Zelda prototype which sold for $55,000. The seller is hoping for a massive $50,000 in exchange for this irreplaceable piece of Final Fantasy and video game history. Link: Final Fantasy II Nintendo NES English Demo/Sample/Prototype on eBayCreativity can seem innate, but like many things, it is actually a delicate balance of nature and nurture. In other words, creative thinking can be enhanced by external forces, and isn’t necessarily reliant on “good genes” or natural ability. Luckily, new research points the way to a variety of mental and environmental approaches that can help us improve our creative output: 1. Restrict yourself Famously, Dr. Seuss wrote Green Eggs & Ham after betting that he couldn’t produce a story using less than 50 words. The research shows Seuss was on to something. Most people naturally take the path of “least resistance” and build off of older or existing concepts when brainstorming, which can lead to less creative ideas. In order to put the brain in overdrive, you can mimic Dr. Seuss and place restrictions on yourself while creating, which will prevent you from falling back on past successes. If you usually write 1000-word short stories, try to create a story in under 500 words. Only use a small handful of chords in your song or colors in your design. The limiting nature of the task can bring out your most creative side. 2. Re-conceptualize the problem Researchers have noted that creative people tend to re-conceptualize problems more often before starting a creative task. As Einstein once said “If I had an hour to solve a problem I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and five minutes thinking about solutions.” Instead of looking at the end goal of a creative project (i.e. “I need to create a memorable painting”), it’s better to re-visualize the problem from other, more meaningful, angles before starting (“What sort of painting would evoke the feeling of loneliness that we all feel after a break-up?”). Oftentimes, the best approach is to picture the intended audience of your next creative project. What inspires them? What are they sick of hearing about? What are the problems they face but are rarely able to talk about? 3. Separate work from consumption It has been shown that we are particularly terrible at creating when we try to combine the gathering of information and actual creation. Researchers recommend only consuming information in an “absorb state” where you are not attempting to multitask. In essence, the absorb state is a form of “batching” that emphasizes forced consumption over output. No interrupting yourself to start working on segments of your project while you are consuming information, instead use tools such as Evernote or Pocket to remember key ideas, insights, and articles that you will apply later when creating. 4. Stay positive Although negative moods can sometimes spur creativity, researchers have found that it is during strong positive moods that our best creative work is done. In fact, the feeling of love or even thinking about love was shown to best encourage creative thinking. Getting yourself to a “positive place” is not as trite as it may sound—any number of mood boosters (quick exercise, envisioning the future, recalling good memories) will do the trick to influence your mood, and your creative efforts will be at their best when your attitude is positive. 5. Use counterfactual thinking Counterfactual thinking, also known as asking, “What might have been?” has been shown to increase creativity for short periods of time. To experiment with this technique, take events that have already happened and re-imagine different outcomes, alternating between the subtractive mindset (taking elements out of the event) and the additive mindset (adding elements into the event). A silly example of counterfactual thinking in action can be seen on The Big Bang Theory, when one of the main characters makes a game of the phenomenon, asking his roommate: “In a world where Rhinoceroses are domesticated pets, who wins the Second World War?” You, however, can apply it to more realistic scenarios, such as mapping out outcomes whenever you are doing creative problem solving, subtracting or adding “what if” elements that would have affected the outcome. 6. Daydream… after getting started While research has shown that daydreaming can help with creativity, it is important to note that studies have revealed that daydreaming only works when you’ve already committed effort towards a project. The reason? Daydreaming can be beneficial because it allows for the incubation of ideas. But incubation is only effective when we already have information to chew on. So be sure to get started on your project before drifting off. 7. Think about others Research has shown that this “psychological distance” is an important part of being creative. For instance, one study found that people who thought their work would be used by someone else came up with more novel ideas. Conversely, those who were told that they would be using their own creation later came up with less novel ideas. One such test in the studies above included telling participants that their drawings would later be used by other subjects to create a story. Those who had been told this came up with much more “creative” drawings (as evaluated by a selected board). When creating, even for personal projects, think about how someone else will enjoy, use, and incorporate your creation into their lives. — How about you? What do you do to put yourself in the best mindset to generate new ideas?This month I work on my hospital’s Substance Abuse Team, which means we treat people who have been hospitalized for alcohol or drug-related problems and then gingerly suggest that maybe they should use drugs a little less. The two doctors leading the team are both very experienced and have kind of seen it all, so it’s interesting to get a perspective on drug issues from people on the front line. In particular, one of my attendings is an Obama-loving long-haired hippie who nevertheless vehemently opposes medical marijuana or any relaxation on marijuana’s status at all. He says that “just because I’m a Democrat doesn’t mean I have to support stupid policies I know are wrong” and he’s able to back up his opinion with an impressive variety of studies. To be honest, I had kind of forgotten that the Universe was allowed to contain negative consequences for legalizing drugs. What with all the mental energy it took protesting the the Drug War and getting outraged at police brutality and celebrating Colorado’s recently permitting recreational cannabis use and so on, it had completely slipped my mind that the legalization of marijuana might have negative consequences and that I couldn’t reject it out of hand until I had done some research. So I’ve been doing the research. Not to try to convince my attending of anything – as the old saying goes, do not meddle in the affairs of attendings, because you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup – but just to figure out where exactly things stand. I. Would Relaxation Of Penalties On Marijuana Increase Marijuana Use? Starting in the 1970s, several states decriminalized possession of marijuana – that is, possession could not be penalized by jail time. It could still be penalized by fines and other smaller penalties, and manufacture and sale could still be punished by jail time. Starting in the 1990s, several states legalized medical marijuana. People with medical marijuana cards, which in many cases were laughably easy to get with or without good evidence of disease, were allowed to grow and use marijuana, despite concerns that some of this would end up on the illegal market. Starting last week, Colorado legalized recreational use of marijuana, as well as cultivation and sale (subject to heavy regulations). Washington will follow later this year, and other states will be placing measures on their ballots to do the same. One should be able to evaluate to what degree marijuana use rose after these policy changes, and indeed, many people have tried – with greater or lesser levels of statistical sophistication. The worst arguments in favor of this proposition are those like this CADCA paper, which note that states with more liberal marijuana laws have higher rates of marijuana use among teenagers than states that do not. The proper counterspell to such nonsense is Reverse Causal Arrows – could it not be that states with more marijuana users are more likely to pass proposals liberalizing marijuana laws? Yes it could. Even more likely, some third variable – let’s call it “hippie attitudes” – could be behind both high rates of marijuana use and support for liberal marijuana regimes. The states involved are places like Colorado, California, Washington, and Oregon. I think that speaks for itself. In case it doesn’t, someone went through the statistics and found that these states had the highest rates of marijuana use among teens since well before they relaxed drug-related punishments. Argument successfully debunked. A slightly more sophisticated version – used by the DEA here – takes the teenage marijuana use in a state one year before legalization of medical marijuana and compares it to the teenage marijuana use in a state one (or several years) after such legalization. They often find that it has increased, and blame the increase on the new laws. For example, 28% of Californians used marijuana before it was decriminalized in the 70s, compared to 35% a few years after. This falls victim to a different confounder – marijuana use has undergone some very large swings nationwide, so the rate of increase in medical marijuana states may be the same as the rate anywhere else. Indeed, this is what was going on in California – its marijuana use actually rose slightly less than the national average. What we want is a study that compares the average marijuana use in a set of states before liberalization to the average marijuana use in the country as a whole, and then does the same after liberalization to see if the ratio has increased. There are several studies that purport to try this, of which by far the best is Johnston, O’Malley & Bachman 1981, which monitored the effect of the decriminalization campaigns of the 70s. They survey thousand of high school seniors on marijuana use in seven states that decriminalize marijuana both before and for five years after the decriminalization, and find absolutely no sign of increased marijuana use (in fact, there is a negative trend). Several other studies (eg Thies & Register 1993) confirm this finding. There is only a hint of some different results. Saffer and Chaloukpa 1999 and Chaloupka, Grossman & Tauras 1999 try to use complicated econometric simulations to estimate the way marijuana demand will respond to different variables. They simulate (as opposed to detecting in real evidence) that marijuana decriminalization should raise past-year use by about 5 – 8%, but have no effect on more frequent use (ie a few more people try it but do not become regular users). More impressively, Model 1993 (a source of some exasperation for me earlier) finds that after decriminalization, marijuana-related emergency room visits went up (trying to interpret their tables, I think they went up by a whopping 90%, but I’m not sure of this). This is sufficiently different from every other study that I don’t give it much weight, although we’ll return to
deficits. Democrats on Monday pointed to polling data that show most Americans want funding for Medicare and Medicaid to remain the same or increase. At the same time Republicans accuse Democrats of relying too heavily on tax increases to reduce deficits. Medicare and Medicaid currently account for 25 percent of the federal budget. But spending on those health programs and Social Security is expected to grow substantially as Medicaid begins covering more people under Obama’s healthcare overhaul and 77 million baby boomers retire and draw on Medicare and Social Security retirement benefits.Today, we celebrated Constitution Day, and Dan Joseph took to the streets to ask people how they felt about our founding document. He also asked people if there was anything they would change. In the wake of the horrific shooting at the Washington Navy Yard, one individual made an interesting point about yesterday's mass shooting at the Navy Yard in the nation's capital: "I know a lot of people are concerned about guns these days, but you know if everybody had arms, then there wouldn't be these problems. "My son was at Marine Barracks -- at the Navy Yard yesterday - and they had weapons with them, but they didn't have ammunition. And they said, 'We were trained, and if we had the ammunition, we could've cleared that building.' Only three people had been shot at that time, and they could've stopped the rest of it." The Navy Yard shooting brings up the legitimate issue of carrying - and using - firearms on military installations. Back in 1993, the Clinton administration virtually declared military establishments "gun-free zones." As a result, the policy banned "military personnel from carrying their own personal firearms and mandates that 'a credible and specific threat against [Department of the Army] personnel [exist] in that region" before military personnel'may be authorized to carry firearms for personal protection." Indeed, most military bases have relatively few military police as they are in heavy demand to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan," according to economist John Lott. Additionally, Lott discovered that "every public shooting since at least 1950 in the U.S. in which more than three people have been killed has taken place where citizens are not allowed to carry guns." The answer is simple. Murderers pick places where they know their victims will be unarmed. It's time we debate having concealed carry on military bases. After all, there's no evidence showing that firearms owners are more irresponsible than the police, as Wall Street Journal columnist John Fund noted back in December of 2012: "According to a 2005 to 2007 study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin and Bowling Green State University, police nationwide were convicted of firearms violations at least at a 0.002 percent annual rate. That's about the same rate as holders of carry permits in the states with'shall issue' laws." Editor's Note: John Lott contacted us to add these updates/clarifications: 1)There are two mass public shootings that have occurred in places that allowed concealed carry. One was at the Gabby Giffords attack. The second was at an IHOP in Carson City, NV in 2011 (Lott had originally missed this because one of the people who died did so at a later date). 2) Apparently, we have a bipartisan problem on the issue of military installations becoming "gun-free" zones. It seems that the Clinton administration merely updated the rules. It seems that this effort was approved by President George H.W. Bush. We apologize for this omission. See more MRCTV Blogs.Looking for news you can trust? Subscribe to our free newsletters. As the world gears up once again for a flu pandemic that may or may not arrive (it actually seems possible this time), we might want to remember some of the lessons of the last flu scare. One of these is that there are winners as well as losers in every high-profile outbreak of infectious disease. First and foremost among them, of course, is Big Pharma, which can always be counted on to have its hand out wherever human misery presents an opportunity to rake in some cash. In 2005, I reported on the bird flu scare for the Village Voice in a piece called “Capitalizing on the Flu.” We can realistically hope that our current federal government will improve upon the bungled effort made by the Bush Administration to prepare for the onslaught of avian flu—which fortunately didn’t materialize. But certain aspects of the crisis are likely to be repeated, and profiteers will surely waste no time in gathering at the trough. Then, as now, one of the two effective antidotes was a drug called Tamiflu. But this silver bullet came with side effects, as well as a high price tag. As I reported in 2005: With no vaccine in sight, the U.S. government, along with others, is belatedly stocking up on Tamiflu, a drug that supposedly offers some defense against bird flu. But last week Japanese newspapers told how children who were administered Tamiflu went mad and tried to kill themselves by jumping out of windows. In a cautionary statement the FDA noted 12 deaths among children, and said there are reports of psychiatric disturbances, including hallucinations, along with heart and lung disorders. Roche, the manufacturer, is quoted by the BBC as stating that the rate of deaths and psychiatric problems is no higher among those taking its medication than among those with flu. The company is increasing Tamiflu production to 300 million doses a year to meet demand. There are other reasons people are leery of Tamiflu. Given the rip-offs in Iraq and after the hurricanes, people are understandably interested in knowing just who is going to get rich off the plague. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, himself former CEO of drug company Searle, currently owns stock in the one company that owns Tamiflu patents—to the tune of at least $18 million. Rumsfeld says he understands why people might question his holdings, but selling them would raise even more questions. So he is hanging on to what he’s got. A report by Citicorp at the time described which pharmaceutical manufacturers and other comapnies stood to make money: Winners could include drug makers such as Gilead Sciences, Roche, GlaxoSmithKline, and Sanofi-Aventis. Other possible winners are hospital chains such as Rhoen Klinikum, cleaning-products makers such as Henkel, Ecolab, and Clorox, as well as home entertainment companies such as Blockbuster and Nintendo…. In order for the pharmaceutical companies to profit from making flu vaccine in the administration’s $7.1 billion pandemic flu plan, Bush now is proposing to ban liability suits against them except in cases of willful misconduct. As for those injured by a flu vaccine, possible lawsuits remain an open question…. With a worldwide market estimated at more than $1 billion, there’s big money in a flu plague. Kimberly-Clark’s Chinese subsidiary is already ramping up manufacture of new lines of medical masks, wipes, and hand-washing liquids, according to Business Week, with consulting firms Kroll and Booz Allen Hamilton selling flu preparedness advice to companies and governments. “Crisis is an opportunity as long as you see it first,” Pitney Bowes’s Christian Crews tells the magazine. Of course, that was then, and this is now. In the coming days we’re bound to discover who’s pulling in the pork this time. But even before the U.S. markets open this morning, early indications aren’t hard to find: “Fears of a potential pandemic are bringing down stock markets around the world today,” public radio’s “Marketplace” reports from London, ”but two big pharmaceutical companies are getting a boost from the news”:Eric R. Kandel. The long-term goal of these highly ambitious projects is to gain a better understanding of the anatomical, molecular and circuit bases for the logical operations carried out by the human brain. The Human Brain Project (see Human Brain Project), based in Europe and led by H.M., aims to understand the human brain by simulating its functions through the use of supercomputers. The Brain Activity Map, with which I am more familiar, will be based in the United States and coordinated by Francis Collins, Director of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Story Landis and Tom Insel, Directors of the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), respectively. These projects may be early for the human brain, but it is a good time to undertake these ambitious tasks in experimental animals for two reasons. First, in both simple invertebrate animals, such as worms and flies, and in vertebrates, we have begun to understand how the brain processes sensory information and how the brain initiates movements. We have also gained insight into the neural basis of learning, memory, emotion and even decision-making. These findings position scientists, especially in the Brain Activity Map project, to be able to begin to tackle the overall organization of brain structure and function. Second, in recent years, scientists have developed a range of new technological, molecular and computational tools that allow for more efficient and accurate recording from many nerve cells at the same time, for mapping of connections between neurons in the brain, for correlating structure and neural activity with function and for manipulating neural activity to test the causal role of defined neuronal elements in behaviour. Henry Markram. The Human Brain Project is building the foundations that we need to reconstruct and simulate the human brain and its diseases, and to develop related computing technologies. This is terribly urgent. Today, we are failing to translate our rapidly improving knowledge of the brain into benefits for society. Very soon the cost of brain disease will reach 10% of the world's gross domestic product (GDP), yet the development of new treatments is grinding to a halt. There is still a massive gap between the neuroscience laboratory and the clinic. In the same way, we still do not know how to use our knowledge about the brain to build new computing technologies. Neuroscience is like the infant brain — it is flooded with data and theories but lacks the ability to bring them together in a unified view. We pin our hopes on more and more data without realizing that experiments can only give us a small fraction of what we need. The attempt to reconstruct the human brain as a computer model can provide a new focus for neuroscience and for clinical and technological research. It will help us to 'clean up' conflicting reports and teach us how to apply knowledge from animal studies to understanding the human brain. Ultimately, it will allow us to discover the fundamental principles governing brain structure and function and to predictively reconstruct the brain from fragments of experimental data. Without this kind of understanding, we will continue to struggle to develop new treatments and brain-inspired computing technologies. Paul M. Matthews. The Human Brain Project will engage a consortium of 80 neuroscience centres across Europe to aggregate brain functional data on an unprecedented scale, use data-mining techniques to derive an understanding of the way the human brain is constructed and then apply what is learned to revolutionize computing and to develop new approaches for the diagnosis and treatment of brain disease. This is a hugely ambitious remit. A strength of this project is the focus on multilevel integration. However, at this early stage, the project is more aspirational than scientifically well targeted. It emphasizes a massive scaling up of activities in many areas of neuroscience rather than exhaustively exploring a specific question or innovation challenge. The BRAIN Initiative (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies Initiative; see BRAIN Initiative) is still more of a commitment than a reality. The specific goals are not set but will be considered over 2013 by an advisory committee to the US NIH Director. However, a vision for the BRAIN Initiative, which focused attention on the challenge of developing tools able to describe activity across every cell in a functional unit to characterize 'emergent properties', was set out in a 2012 Neuron paper1 from a group led by R.Y. Specific opportunities offered by voltage-sensitive optogenetic probes, wireless (nano) electrophysiological sensors and synthetic biology were highlighted. Why are these initiatives coming now? Politically, we need them to help real science funding grow. They both emphasize how neuroscience can be an exciting area of blue skies discovery research and an engine of economic recovery. We also need them to change the way we do neuroscience. The 'big' problems of the brain demand interdisciplinary approaches. There is so much in the present system that creates barriers between investigators and institutions and that slows (or even impedes) free flow of information. We need examples that show how to change this. Rafael Yuste. The BRAIN Initiative will promote the development of novel technological platforms for neuroscience. The exact focus is being decided by the three funding agencies involved and their panels of experts and will become clear in a couple of months. I expect it will focus on technologies to perform systematic measurements and manipulations of the activity of large numbers of neurons in animal models and in human patients. The time is ripe now because of the development of different areas of associated technologies, such as optogenetics, synthetic biology, nanotechnologies, microelectronics and computational analysis of large-scale datasets. Christof Koch. To understand the cerebral cortex, we must bring all available experimental, computational and theoretical approaches to focus on a single model system. In particular, it is of the essence to move from correlation — this neuron or brain region is active whenever the subject does this or that — to causation — this set of molecularly defined neuronal populations is causally involved in that behaviour. The power of optogenetics has given us unprecedented power to rapidly, specifically, delicately and reversibly turn specific connections or groups of neurons on and off. The time is ripe for a concerted project combining these precise tools with large high-quality genomic and cellular databases and atlases, multiple physiological observatories to track the spiking activity of large ensembles of neurons in behaving animals under highly standardized conditions, and anatomically and biophysically accurate computer simulations and theoretical studies.800 Motorola Mobility Employees Now More Mobile Than They’d Like Motorola Mobility is trimming down for its impending acquisition by Google. In a regulatory filing, the company announced plans to sack 800 employees — nearly 5 percent of the company’s workforce. “Motorola Mobility continues to focus on improving its financial performance by taking actions to manage the company’s costs,” said company spokesperson Jennifer Weyrauch-Erickson said in a statement. As a result, Motorola will take a net pre-tax charge to earnings of approximately $31 million. Of that, $27 million will be related to severance costs and $4 million to facility exit costs. “Both of the Company’s business segments (the Mobile Devices business and the Home business), as well as various corporate functions, are impacted by the action and the action affects employees globally,” Motorola said the filing. Motorola still expects the Google deal to close by late 2011 or early 2012, the same target date it set when the companies announced the acquisition in August.Oct 28, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) reacts after he made the go ahead shot during the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic at Amway Center. Washington Wizards defeated the Orlando Magic 88-87. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports Washington Wizards vs. Milwaukee Bucks Preview: Getting Insight On The Bucks (Q and A) by Ben Mehic Who are the Washington Wizards going to depend on with Paul Pierce gone? That was the question posed by many NBA pundits following the future Hall-of-Famer’s departure to Los Angeles. Pierce, who led the way for Washington in the fourth quarter on numerous occasions — including the NBA Playoffs — was an instrumental part in the Wizards’ success. Pierce’s steady contributions in the clutch were a big reason why the Wizards advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the second consecutive season. Really, they were just a second away from pushing the Atlanta Hawks to a Game-7. Run that back, Atlanta. This season, Pierce won’t be there to bail the Washington Wizards out. He won’t be there to pick up the phone when things don’t go according to plan. Pierce won’t be taking any collect calls from the Wizards’ youngsters. But the Wizards’ youngsters have grown up. They’re still going to put themselves in sticky situations from time to time — like they did last night against the Orlando Magic — but they’ll know how to get out. The youngsters make errors, but they don’t need the father-figure to save them late at night. John Wall has become that savvy vet. Wall, who’s in his sixth season in the NBA, is the go-to player for Washington in the clutch. Many have questioned his scoring ability late in games, but this isn’t the same player from two-three years ago. Wall has embraced the role of franchise player and for him to truly live up to that label, he’ll have to get his team out of trouble when they call. Wall scored 12 points in the fourth quarter last night. He knocked down two straight jumpers, including a go-ahead three point shot, to help Washington gain the momentum they needed late in the game. Wall also went on to hit the eventual game-winning floater to secure Washington’s first win of the season. He finished the game with 22 points, seven rebounds, six assists, three steals and five blocks. As the Washington Post’s Jorge Castillo pointed out, only David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon put up similar numbers. Wall has carried the team on the offensive end of the floor, but more than ever, he’s also become the anchor of the team defensively. Dwyane Wade, who’s been recognized as the best shot blocking guard in the NBA, might have to take a backseat to John Wall following last night’s game. The All-Star guard was often times the only player in red-white-blue who continued to get stops in transition, even after his teammates failed to get up the court. Given his versatility, Wall has become one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA and now he’s blocking shots at a high rate too. If only everyone in D.C. put that much effort on D… Playing at such a high level throughout an 82-game season is virtually unsustainable. The likes of Bradley Beal, Otto Porter and Marcin Gortat have to take the scoring and defensive load off their franchise player in order for the team to have a successful season. Still, Wall has shown that he’s capable of entering “takeover-superstar” mode if need be. Last night’s win against the Magic certainly wasn’t ideal, but the outcome was still the same. John Wall is the leader of the Washington Wizards and there’s really no dispute. It was nice having Pierce for a single season, but now it’s Wall’s turn to lead.This article is part of the Science in Sci-fi, Fact in Fantasy blog series. Each week, we tackle one of the scientific or technological concepts pervasive in sci-fi (space travel, genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, etc.) with input from an expert. Please join the mailing list to be notified every time new content is posted. About the Expert This week, we get two experts for the price of one: a husband and wife who are both chemists! They’re here to give us a little dialogue about acids, gases, and asphyxiation. Jordan: Jordan has a BS in chemistry and has worked with adhesives and polymer science for the last ten years. His specialties include “green” chemistry, which involves coming up with more environmentally friendly alternatives to existing chemistry or formulations. Jordan is made up of chemicals and likes thinking about them. Gwen: Gwen has a BA in chemistry (it’s complicated): She did conservation research in a museum, helping museums develop better ways to preserve art and prevent fading and damage, before quitting to become a full-time writer. She has an opinionated blog and you can also yell at her on Twitter. Chemistry Mistakes in Fiction Gwen: Hi, I’m Gwen. Jordan: And I’m Jordan. Gwen: Before anyone asks, yes, we did meet in college, but no, we did not fall in love during a lab course together. You may put all your jokes about us having chemistry to rest. Jordan: We’re well aware that if we tried to list all the inaccuracies in fiction, it would be an infinitely long post, but we wanted to talk about a couple of chemistry topics that authors often get wrong. The Truth About Acids Gwen: First up: Acids! In fiction, acid is pretty much the universal solvent. You can put any amount of any substance in any acid and it will dissolve in seconds. Real acids aren’t quite as dramatic. Jordan: They come in many forms, but they’re usually clear, often pungent, and not bubbly unless they’re actively dissolving something. Gwen: Not all acids will dissolve all substances. They range from vinegar, which is essentially harmless, to strong acids that must be handled with great caution. But most acids readily dissolve metals like iron and aluminum and do not dissolve plastic or glass. Jordan: Most acids would take days to dissolve a large chunk of material and they have a limited amount of material they can dissolve before the acid gets neutralized. Gwen: So if you got caught in a boat in a lake of acid, like they do in Dante’s Peak, you would probably get to the shore just fine. Jordan: But that doesn’t mean real acids aren’t exciting! In real life, acid corrosion can lead to explosions, clouds of toxic gas, and your bones dissolving inside your skin. Gwen: That last one is hydrofluoric acid. It’s one of the few acids that dissolves glass. Before plastics were invented, the only safe way to store it was in a wax bottle. Jordan: You may remember hydrofluoric acid from Breaking Bad. It was knowingly misused on the show because the creators didn’t want to teach people how to actually dissolve a human body. The most accurate part was that it could dissolve a bathtub. Gwen: Here’s another cool acid. It’s called aqua regia, which is Latin for “water of kings.” It’s a mixture of nitric acid (HNO¬3) and hydrochloric acid (HCl) and it is the only acid that can dissolve gold. It dissolves platinum, too. Jordan: When Nazis were seizing all the gold in Europe, Hungarian chemist George de Hevesy dissolved two other scientists’ Nobel prizes in aqua regia and kept the solution in a jar in plain sight. The Nazis never found it. After the war, he precipitated out the gold and the Nobel Foundation recast the medals. Gwen: Do you see that vapor coming off the acid? We call that a fuming acid. Jordan: With certain concentrated acids, the right kind of acid can vaporize and then condense on the mucous membranes of your eyes, nose, and lungs without you ever directly coming in contact with the solution. Gwen: The most likely way that acid could kill you is through inhalation. The other major danger is eye damage: As you know, even lemon juice can severely irritate your eyes, and stronger acids can cause blindness. The danger of chemical burns to the skin is much more minor. They sure hurt, but you probably won’t lose a limb that way. Jordan: Also, all acids contain hydrogen. As they dissolve things, the hydrogen is released. In a confined space, it can build up and cause explosions. Gwen: And while we’re on the topic, let’s talk about gases. Gases and Asphyxiation Jordan: In a lot of media, gases are also misrepresented, whether it’s the effects of a vacuum or the effects gases can have on people. Gwen: For starters, nearly all gases are transparent, with the exception of nitrogen dioxide, that nasty brown gas that you may know as smog. Jordan: Authors often under- and overplay the effect of oxygen on their characters. Too much oxygen can give people a slight high, but even slightly lowered levels of oxygen can cause altitude sickness, which includes nausea and disorientation. Gwen: So in a science-fiction movie, when the oxygen levels on a spaceship start dropping, the crew isn’t going to be just fine as long as they keep it from dropping to 0%. Jordan: Obviously, if there’s no oxygen in a room, you’ll die of asphyxiation. But the interesting thing is that, depending on the gas, you can die different ways. Gwen: One way is oxygen replacement, when another gas displaces all the oxygen in a room. Even a harmless gas such as nitrogen can become dangerous in this situation. If you die this way, your lips and nail beds will turn blue because the hemoglobin in your blood, which turns red when it bonds with something, doesn’t have any oxygen to bond with. Jordan: Another way is more insidious. Carbon monoxide (CO) is a molecule the same shape as oxygen (O2) and it tricks hemoglobin into bonding with it instead, and then you suffocate even if there is oxygen around. Gwen: Cyanide (CN) kills you the same way. Since hemoglobin bonds very tightly with carbon monoxide and cyanide, if you’re killed by one of these gases, your lips and nail beds will turn bright cherry red. Jordan: Carbon monoxide is released when you burn things, which is why you should never run a car in a closed garage. Gwen: One thing that really is as dramatic as it is in fiction is exploding hydrogen. But the wonderful world of explosions is another topic for another day. Please Share This Article! If you like this article, please share it with your writing friends on Twitter! Here are some ready-made tweets: Click to Tweet Chemical fallacies in fiction, with chemist @gwenckatz: http://bit.ly/1u0gcRz Part of the #ScienceInSF series by @DanKoboldt #writing Click to Tweet Chemical fallacies in fiction by @gwenckatz #1: Acid dissolves anything. http://bit.ly/1u0gcRz #ScienceInSF series by @DanKoboldt #writetip Click to Tweet Getting the chemistry right in fiction: acids, gases, and asphyxiation with @gwenckatz: http://bit.ly/1u0gcRz #ScienceInSF by @DanKoboldt Please share this article:Follow me and you'll never miss a post:Helge Breilid Foto: Geir Ingar Egeland / NRK Totalt 16 personer fordelt på to kjøretøy var i ferd med å reise ut av landet med danskeferja fredag da de ble stoppet av tollvesenet på utgående kontroll. I de to bilene ble det funnet tilsammen 520 000 norske kroner. Hevder å ha tjent pengene – Vi spurte hva de hadde med seg av varer eller penger, men de svarte avkreftende på at de hadde noe særlig penger med seg. Vi tok dem inn til kontroll, og fant 520 000 norske kroner, sier kontorsjef Helge Breilid i tollvesenet i Kristiansand. – Hva sier de i forhold til dette beløpet? – De sier at dette er penger de har tjent på diverse arbeid i Norge. Men det er veldig vanskelig kommunikasjon i forhold til at de kan dårlig engelsk. Fra tollvesenets side vil vi ilegge dem et overtredelsesgebyr, sier Breilid. En av rumenerne lot seg intervjue av NRK.no og sa følgende: – Jeg har jobbet for pengene og må ha dem med til barna mine. Jeg har papirer på at jeg har tjent pengene, sier rumeneren. Kontorsjefen påpeker at det skal meldes ifra til tollvesenet dersom du har med deg mer enn 25 000 kroner inn eller ut av landet. Rumenerne ble avslørt klokken åtte fredag morgen. PÅGREPET: Politiet måtte trå til da rumenerne ikke ville forlate området Foto: Per-Kåre Sandbakk/NRK Nekter å dra uten pengene Pengene er beslaglagt av Tollvesenet, og rumenerne nektet å dra fra kaiområdet uten pengene. – De er lite samarbeidsvillige og nekter å forlate våre lokaler før de har fått alle pengene med seg videre. Det nekter vi dem. Vi har en stillingskrig. Nå har vi vært tålmodige nok, men nå er det slutt, sa Breilid. Rumenerne risikerer å miste 20 prosent av beløpet. Det nekter de. – Det kan løses med at de innrømmer at de ikke har deklarert pengene og signerer på det og godtar et overtredelsesgebyr på det. Det nekter de, sier han. I 15-tiden ble rumenerne ført bort fra området av politiet.(STMW) — A Loyola student killed in an attempted robbery and a 9-year-old boy were among victims in 15 separate shootings across the city since Friday evening. The student, 23-year-old Mutahir Rauf, was shot in the 1200 block of West Albion at 7:50 p.m. Friday, police said. He was with another person when two people walked up, showed a weapon and demanded his belongings, police said. At least one person then opened fire, striking Rauf in his chest and head, police said. Rauf, of the 1400 block of West Pratt, was pronounced dead at the scene at 8:08 p.m. according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. In a post on EveryBlock.com, Ald. Joe Moore said the student was walking with his brother when the attempted robbery happened. The student thought the weapon was fake and tried to reach for it before being shot during the scuffle, Moore said. Luigi Loizzo, a junior at Loyola, had taken an organic class with Rauf over the summer. He lives just 200 feet where the incident took place, the Sun-Times reports. “It’s pretty scary that I have to look over my shoulder every time I walk outside,” said Loizzo, 20, of Addison. Late Saturday morning, a 9-year-old boy was unintended victim of a shooting on the Near West Side, according to police. The boy was walking with his father at 11:35 a.m. in the 2500 block of West Adams when a gunman opened fire on a passing black four-door car. The boy was struck “inadvertently” in the lower right leg, police said. He was taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition. Police said the shooting likely is gang-related. The most recent nonfatal shooting happened early Sunday in the Englewood neighborhood on the South Side. The 29-year-old man’s thigh was grazed by a bullet about 4:30 a.m. in the 7500 block of South Union, police said, citing preliminary information. He was treated at the scene. About 12:50 a.m., a woman was shot while driving away from her suspected shooters in the Austin neighborhood on the West Side. The woman, 22, was in the driver’s seat of a parked vehicle in the 100 block of North Leclaire when two males–one armed with a gun–approached her about 12:50 a.m., police said. The pair told the woman to get out of the vehicle. When she refused and drove off, one of them fired several shots in her direction and struck her in the arm, police said. She drove about a half-mile to a gas station near Madison and Cicero, where she called police. The woman was taken to Mount Sinai, where her condition had stabilized. At least 11 others were injured in shootings since Friday night. Additionally, a male was shot and critically wounded by police late Saturday in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on the South Side. Police responded to the 4700 block of South Ada for a gang disturbance about 10:50 p.m., said Deputy Chief Carlos Velez, citing preliminary information. Officers saw several people, including a male armed with a handgun, Velez said. When police responded to the scene, one man from the group began running, said Fraternal Order of Police spokesman Pat Camden. One officer then exited the passenger seat of his squad car and started chasing the man, who is thought to be in his 20s, Camden said. “The officer repeatedly told him to drop his gun,” Camden said. “Instead, he turns with the gun and points it at the officer. He had no choice but to defend himself. And the officer opened fire.” The male was shot three times, Velez said. A handgun was also recovered from the scene, according to Velez. He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he is listed in critical condition, Velez said. (Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2014. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)Not being one of those people who ferociously guards their costuming secrets, I present here my first-ever handmade tutu, size adult medium, in blue, purple, and teal, what the Fox refers to as “dragon colors.” Although actually, maybe he means “Dragon colors,” as in my colors, since dragons come in every color, while I personally own a pair of shoes, and a several dresses, and some other garments that match this tutu. Also, a dragon tattoo. This project is incredibly easy; it took maybe 5 or 6 hours. It required: 1 yard of a stretchy, crocheted-type elastic band (something with decent sized holes in its pattern) 6 yards of tulle a small amount of thread scissors yardstick needle You could probably dispense with the needle and thread if you secured the waist with safety pins or just tie it together with the tulle. The elastic was the most expensive part at $4 a yard. The tulle was $4.50 for 6 yards, so the whole thing comes in under $10. Basically, you measure your holey elastic to the part of your torso where you want it to hang (I chose just above my hips) and then create a circle of elastic with that circumference by sewing the two ends together. Then you cut the tulle into 18″ x 4″ strips. One by one, take your tulle strips and thread them through 2 juxtaposed loops in the elastic, with each end an equal length sticking. Then tie a simple half knot in the tulle, so you end up with a pair of 9″ strips sticking out of one loop in the elastic. Then repeat approximately 215 times. Possibly with stiffer tulle or a smaller waistband, your might need fewer knots. If you’re making the kind of tutu where the tulle is long and hangs down, you probably need much less tulle. What I read online suggested that this project required 3 yards of tulle, but it definitely wasn’t fluffy enough until I got through the whole 6 yards. Next week, we’re invited to a cosplay wedding, and also I’m the photographer. So I was wracking my brains trying to think of a good cosplay. Like people have suggested I should do Garnet from Stephen Universe, but not only is that a complicated costume, it seems pretty impractical to wear a giant visor while working as a wedding photographer. My go-to dress-ups are either Pippi Longstocking or Little Red Riding Hood, but the problem with Pippi is that you end up fussing with your hair all night to keep it on the wires that help it stick out from your head, and at this point my hair goes all the way down to my back, so getting the hair to stick out right in the first place would be a pain. As for Red, the riding hood seemed likely to get in the way of taking pictures, not to mention that it’s the bodice that makes the outfit really pop, but again, you can’t have a costume that restricts your movement/breathing while you work. Unless you work at a Ren Faire or something. So, I mentioned this problem to the Vampire Bat, who frequently works as a professional photographer while in ornate costumes, and she was like: duh, slap some butterflies on your regular clothes and you’re already Delirium from The Sandman. Duh. Literally. I have the leather jacket, the combat boots, the fishnet shirt, the red hair, and a wide variety of outlandish stockings: colored, striped, fishnet. Now I just need to figure out how to make a bunch of fish float around my head. The sad thing is that I actually own a remote-controlled mylar fish balloon, but that would be another thing that would impede my ability to take pictures. No, the really sad thing is that I won’t be able to make it to Tucson Comicon this year because I got my media request in too late and also because I already have 3 parties to go to that weekend. Maybe I can just sneak in Friday night, which is the only free time I’ll have that weekend anyway. I can still take this costume to at least 3 other events besides the wedding this year alone, and now I don’t have to steal the Girl’s tutu, which is more than 6 years old and has stretched-out elastic, ever again. Plus, you know, sometimes I just dress like this for fun, and this tutu matches more of my clothing than her pinky-pinky one. So: some kind of hair piece that makes it look like fish are floating around my head, and then convince The Man to grow his beard and hair out a little, wear a peasant shirt, and carry a bindlestiff. He’s not much for cosplay, but if I can get the shirt, I can probably persuade him about the bindlestiff. With the addition of a loving but unwilling Destruction towering over me, my Delirium costume is complete. AdvertisementsNippon Ichi Software is about to release Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness, and like a lot of JRPGs, the title doesn't make much sense. However, if the developers want to compete with the best of the absurdly named games out there for Disgaea 5, they need to put on their crazy caps and start brainstorming. Luckily, I'm here to help. Disgaea's titles aren't quite as bonkers as Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts series, but Nippon Ichi has still come up with some quality head scratchers like "Dark Hero Days" and "Absence of Detention." Fans love the series for its satire of JRPGs and have been anticipating Disgaea 5 for a while now, so the developer won't
Thursday, Feb. 3, 7:42 p.m. Cairo (Siddhartha Mahanta): UK-based Channel 4 News correspondent Lindsey Hilsum blogs about Egyptian state TV’s claim that Israeli spies are roaming the country posing as western journalists. UPDATE 134, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2:25 p.m. EST/ Thursday, Feb. 3, 9:25 p.m. Cairo (Siddhartha Mahanta): I just spoke with Khaled Abou El Naga, an Egyptian filmmaker who lives in the Cairo suburb of Heliopolis. Khaled has participated in the protests since they began on January 25 in Tahrir Square. Just back from the square, a feverish Khaled fears the worst is yet to come. “This regime is trying to hijack the country by spreading chaos, and terror, and lies,” he says. And he thinks that Mubarak and his army of thugs are preparing “for a total crush” of the protestors still in the square. “The plot is very clear. They will have messages that things will be under control, we will investigate who started the violence—they know who started the violence!” Pro-Mubarak thugs have been streaming into Tahrir Square since yesterday, attacking protestors from its main entrances. They’ve also been targeting the press, taking out video cameras and chasing away reporters. Some even climbed to the tops of buildings overlooking the square, armed with sniper rifles. “With snipers, you just find people dead,” Khaled says. “You don’t hear anything. That’s what happened.” Khaled believes that the police have been given orders to sow chaos by driving into neighborhoods, firing guns in the air, and looting stores. “The police have become a tool to terrorize Egyptians,” he says. He says that he has seen ambulances, which are controlled by the Interior Ministry, bringing tear gas into the square. Doctors haven’t been able to get into the square; one of Khaled’s own friends, a doctor, was accused by thugs of being a CIA agent when he tried to approach Tahrir Square. Egyptian state television, meanwhile, has continued to maintain that the anti-government protestors were responsible for the violence. “State television has agitated people more and more,” Khaled says. “They kept saying these are looters who went into Tahrir Square, they’re trying to break stability in Egypt, and they said that they started the violence. All of these are lies that agitated people.” But Khaled fears that many Egyptians are buying the spin of Mubarak, Vice President Omar Suleiman, and Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq: that order and calm will soon be restored by the government. “People think, ‘oh see the government finally is trying to do something about it and take control.'” he says. “Well at the same time, the violence is still there, the circling of Tahrir Square [by pro-Mubarak forces] is still there—the plot is right there….Unfortunately, a lot of Egyptians are confused now. They think maybe we should just wait until he leaves in September. He will never leave.” The regime’s plan, as Khaled sees it: disseminate misinformation, violently disrupt the protests, and then purge. “I’m telling you,” he says, “with all the singals I’m reading from the state’s people, they are preparing for a complete crush of Tahrir Square.” UPDATE 135, Thursday, Feb. 3, 3:36 p.m. EST/10:36 p.m. Cairo (Siddhartha Mahanta): ABC’s Christiane Amanpour landed an exclusive interview with President Hosni Mubarak. From her interview: He told me that he is troubled by the violence we have seen in Tahrir Square over the last few days but that his government is not responsible for it. Instead, he blamed the Muslim Brotherhood, a banned political party here in Egypt. He said he’s fed up with being president and would like to leave office now, but cannot, he says, for fear that the country would sink into chaos. I asked President Mubarak about the violence that his supporters launched against the anti-government protestors in Liberation Square. He told me, “I was very unhappy about yesterday. I do not want to see Egyptians fighting each other.” UPDATE 136, Thursday, Feb. 3, 3:53 p.m. EST/10:53 p.m. Cairo (Siddhartha Mahanta): Washington’s line is getting tougher. In remarks delivered just a few moments ago, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemned the attacks on pro-democracy protestors, diplomats, and journalists. “There is a clear responsibility by the Egyptian government, including the army, to protect those threatened and to hold accountable those responsible for these attacks…the Egyptian government must demonstrate its willingness to ensure journalists’ ability to report on these events to the people of Egypt and to the world.” She went on to urge the Egyptian government, along with “a broad and credible representation of Egypt’s opposition, civil society, and political factions” to begin negotiating a peaceful transition into a new government. UPDATE 137, Thursday, Feb. 3, 5:15 p.m. EST / Friday, Feb. 4, 12:15 a.m. Cairo (Siddhartha Mahanta): All Things Moderate, considered: What happens if or when the Muslim Brotherhood comes into greater prominence? Egyptians wary of an Islamist government will look to a more moderate alternative—but what does that mean? And could it stave off a fundamentalist takeover of the state? Elan Journo, a fellow at the Ayn Rand Center, cautions against pinning our hopes on political moderates. In Egypt, he writes, “the political spectrum is far narrower than you may think: whereas Islamists want religion to be the all-encompassing principle of government, a typical ‘moderate’ still acknowledges that Islam has some…role in government. True secularists are scarce and marginal. So could “moderates” in government prevent the Islamists from taking over? Ultimately, no.” And Jeff Goldberg, worried about the Brotherhood’s possible new role, writes: “I would only note for the record that the more radical Muslim Brothers seek the physical eradication of a member-state of the United Nations, and the more moderate Muslim Brothers seek the physical eradication of a member-state of the United Nations. So you will forgive me if I’m not overjoyed by the presence, for this, and many other reasons, of the Muslim Brotherhood in a future Egyptian government.” UPDATE 138, Thursday, Feb. 3, 8:33 p.m. EST / Friday, Feb. 4, 3:33 a.m. Cairo (Siddhartha Mahanta): The Obama administration is reportedly negotiating a plan for Mubarak’s immediate resignation, reports The New York Times. The arrangement would hand power over to a transitional government led by Vice President Omar Suleiman, with support of the army. Under the plan, the transitional government will invite members of various opposition groups, including the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, to help figure out how to conduct free elections in September. The proposal, the Times says, is one of several being discussed with top Egyptian officials (though not with Mubarak). But any plan will be tested by Friday’s protests, which protestors have dubbed the “day of departure” for Mubarak. UPDATE 139, Friday, Feb. 4, 10:17 a.m. EST (Siddhartha Mahanta): Today is the “Friday of departure.” Over 100,000 Egyptians have flooded Tahrir Square, calling on Mubarak to step down. To get you up to speed: The New York Times reports that protestors in the square are chanting, bowing in prayer, and waving Egyptian flags in a peaceful push for the removal of Mubarak; indeed, the violence of the past few days has clearly subsided, with no sign of pro-Mubarak supporters in the square. In a surprising move, the defense minister, Field Marshal Mohamed Tantawi, appeared in the square on Friday—the first member of the government elite to do so—to inspect troops, as protestors cheered him on. Meanwhile, prominent figures like former Mubarak official Amr Moussa and Mohamed Rafah Tahtawy, a leader of the Sunni Muslim community, have shown their support for the pro-democracy movement. In other Brotherhood news: the Times also reports that the Muslim Brotherhood says it will not field any presidential candidates. And Eli Lake reports that a prominent leader of the Muslim Brotherhood has called on whatever government replaces Mubarak to withdraw from the 32-year old peace treaty with Israel. On the homefront, Josh Rogin writes that House Foreign Affairs Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) will bring Deputy Secretary of State Jim Steinberg and Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Michele Flournoy to testify next week on the Obama administration’s Egypt policy. She’s also calling on former NSC Middle East senior director Elliott Abrams and Lorne Craner, a former assistant secretary of State under President George W. Bush’s, to offer their own views. UPDATE 140, Friday, Feb. 4, 11:16 a.m. EST (Siddhartha Mahanta): Regional Reverberations: Al Jazeera reports that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has called the events in Egypt and Tunisia an “Islamic liberation movement.” In an address during Friday prayers at Tehran University, he compared the unrest in both countries to Iran’s 1979 revolution, and called Mubarak a “servant” of Israel. “The awakening of the Islamic Egyptian people is an Islamic liberation movement and I, in the name of the Iranian government, salute the Egyptian people and the Tunisian people,” he said, urging Egyptian protesters to follow in the footsteps of Iran. Al Jazeera also reports that protests for economic and political reform have continued in Jordan, while a “day of rage” is in the works for today and tomorrow in in Syria. UPDATE 141, Friday, Feb. 4, 11:45 a.m. EST (Siddhartha Mahanta): MoJo continues to shed light on some of the crucial questions surrounding the US’ options in Egypt. David Corn explores: just how quickly can the US cut off aid to Egypt? And Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist and animator Mark Fiore shows you how to get your own autocrat action figure: UPDATE 142, Friday, Feb. 4, 12:25 p.m. EST (Siddhartha Mahanta): And for more on the aid question: check out ProPublica’s in-depth backgrounder on the US’ options for suspending aid to Egypt. UPDATE 143, Friday, Feb. 4, 2:25 p.m. EST (Siddhartha Mahanta): Who, exactly, is the Muslim Brotherhood? What does it want? Ask Helena Cobban. And check out these statements released by a committee of pro-democracy activists involved in negotiating a way to move to a peaceful transition (scroll to the bottom of the page). The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace translated the statements, originally published in the Feb. 3 edition of the the Egyptian newspaper Ash-Shorouk. UPDATE 144, Friday, Feb. 4, 6:00 p.m. EST: Our own Ashley Bates has an interview with a top Hamas official on the unrest in Egypt. Will the uprising in Egypt help Hamas? Click and find out. Elsewhere in the news, Al Jazeera’s Cairo office was stormed and burned by pro-Mubarak protesters today, a development that ABC News says is “the most dramatic evidence yet that Egyptian authorities are desperate to shut down the network widely praised for revealing the size and reach of the demonstrations.” Thankfully, no one was killed in that confrontation. Ahmed Mohammed Mahmoud, an Egyptian journalist, was not so lucky. The Associated Press reports that Mahmoud, who was shot while taking photos of last Friday’s protests, has since died of his wounds. The Committee to Protect Journalists says it has “documented at least 101 direct attacks on journalists and news facilities [in Egypt] this week” and is “investigating numerous other reports.” UPDATE 145, Saturday, Feb. 5, 10:53 a.m. EST (Siddhartha Mahanta): Vice President Suleiman and other top military brass are trying to hash out a new governing plan. On Friday, President Obama clung to his “orderly transition” rhetoric, but made it clear that Mubarak’s time—at least in the eyes of the US—is up. Meanwhile, peaceful protests in Tahrir Square continue. What’s happening in the square?: The protests continue, as soldiers have established check points and limited the areas available for demonstrators to gather. But the army also appears to be taking measures to separate protestors from the lingering pro-Mubarak demonstrators. Many protestors are disappointed that Mubarak still hasn’t left, and have resigned themselves to the fact that any transition will likely be a protracted one. What’s the hold up?: Suleiman and Co. don’t seem to know what to do with Mubarak. One idea is remove him from the presidential palace, and have the transitional government work with opposition leaders to amend Egypt’s constitution and begin the slow march to democracy. Two of the opposition’s big beefs are that the current constitution favors the governing party too heavily, and that Parliament is loaded with pro-Mubarakites. What to do with Hosni: some of the ideas being discussed are to move him to his home at the seaside resort Sharm el Sheik, or send him off on one of his annual medical leaves to Germany. But White House officials worry that removing him too early could create constitutional succession problems. UPDATE 146, Saturday, Feb. 5, 2:32 p.m. EST (Siddhartha Mahanta): Josh Rogin explains exactly what constitutional reform in Egypt entails: …it will be a Herculean task untangling the Egyptian constitution and legal framework, seeing as so much is weighted toward the regime. For example, Article 5 would need to be amended to allow religiously based political parties to participate. Article 76 must be amended if independent candidates are to be allowed. Law No. 40 for 1977 needs to be changed to ensure that the committee that vets political parties is independent and not filled with government ministers. Law No. 174 for 2005 would have to be amended to allow monitors at election stations. Voter registration in Egypt is also plagued with problems. The emergency law in place since 1981 significantly constrains political activity that could impact any future elections. Laws and regulations on campaign finance have to be enforced. And the list goes on and on. UPDATE 147, Saturday, Feb. 5, 3:29 p.m. EST (Tim Murphy): Via the Los Angeles Times, the leadership of President Mubarak’s National Democratic Party—including the president’s son, Gamal—resigned this morning. Initial reports that Mubarak himself had resigned from the party appear to be erroneous. As to the larger question of whether the personnel moves will satisfy millions of demonstrators, The National‘s Sultan Al tweeted: “I don’t recall protesters holding banners that read ‘We want the NDP Policies Bureau to be reformed.'” The Lede has a good breakdown of the changes, complete with a handy organizational chart. UPDATE 148, Saturday, Feb. 5, 4:12 p.m. EST (Tim Murphy): Over at The Arabist, Issandr El Amrani offers another take on the changes within the NDP, writing that the move “reinforces my feeling that we are in the middle of a slow-moving coup, and possibly one planned for a long time.” Meanwhile, via Foreign Policy, Hosni Mubarak gets the Shepard Fairey treatment in Istanbul. UPDATE 149, Saturday, Feb. 5, 5:11 p.m. EST (Tim Murphy): It being a Saturday, the news from Washington has been a bit slow today, with one exception: Frank Wisner, the former ambassador to Egypt who was dispatched to Cairo by the Obama administration earlier this week, came out in support of Mubarak staying on as president, calling it “his chance to write his own legacy.” So, is this a sign that the administration is warming up to the idea? State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said Wisner spoke only for himself, but it’s important to keep in mind the source as well. As Josh Rogin noted, Wisner might be the American diplomat who’s most likely to say something like this; having very recently “pushed to create a group of scholars and academics in Washington to advocate for strengthening ties to the Mubarak regime.” UPDATE 150, Saturday, Feb. 5, 6:52 p.m. EST (Tim Murphy): Egyptian blogger and photojournalist Hossam el-Hamalawy, whom we’ve mentioned previously, has one of the better Flickr feeds I’ve seen over the last two weeks (via Arabist). Most of his photos come from January 29, but they’re really worth a look and help put the events of the last week in perspective (and while you’re at it, check out our gallery of photos from Cairo here). Here’s some Tom Friedman-bait: And from tomorrow’s paper, journalists Souad Mekhenet and Nicholas Kulish detail their night at an Egyptian police station for the Times: But our discomfort paled in comparison to the dull whacks and the screams of pain by Egyptian people that broke the stillness of the night. In one instance, between the cries of suffering, an officer said in Arabic, “You are talking to journalists? You are talking badly about your country?” In lighter news out of Cairo, this is one of the better wedding photos I’ve ever seen. UPDATE 151, Sunday, Feb. 6, 11:48 a.m. EST (Ashley Bates): On the 13th day of the pro-democracy protests, massive crowds in Cairo continued to demand Mubarak’s resignation while opposition groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood, held talks with the government aimed at finding a peaceful resolution to the crisis. Mohammed Mursi, a senior Brotherhood leader, told Al Jazeera that the group is sticking to the protesters’ main condition that President Hosni Mubarak step down. Gamal Nassar, a Muslim Brotherhood spokesman, told the New York Times, “The regime keeps saying we’re open to dialogue and the people are the ones refusing, so the Brotherhood decided to examine the sitIntroducing non-persistent messages. eXpert-to-eXpert Background InterSystems Ensemble as a tool does a lot for the Developer. One of the nice features is the Message trace utility. It shows a message flow diagram. The diagram shows the progress of the message processing real time. You can get many-many useful information from the production. In any case, someone needs to find a bug in a production implementation, without the Message trace utility it could turn into a real nightmare. On the other hand, keeping message “traceability” is not for free. A heavy loaded production can very quickly run out of resources just because of the house keeping functions of Ensemble. House keeping functions such as maintaining message header, log entries, message queue generates a significant load on the Caché database used by Ensemble. This article is about to show how to force Ensemble work more for the everyday life, instead of being prepared for “any-time-debugging”. This is an eXpert-to-eXpert article. Therefore, I assume the deep understanding of Ensemble. Introduction Ensemble 2016.1 introduced a brand new configuration use case. It is when Ensemble is used as an ESB. It is a distinct scenario. Our documentation gives examples how an ESB can be configured. What makes it so special? ESB type configuration is focusing on high-speed message delivery with minimal (or no) routing and/or transformation. Technically speaking the key enabling the ESB type high performance messaging is that several components are prepared for “in memory” messaging. The $$$EnsInprocPerist macro is the “public interface” to control the components. This article is all about to show that custom written services and operations can also take advantage of that new feature. As you might expect nothing is for free. Please look at the “Classic vs InMemory” section at the end of the article to see the price. As an addition, a set of pass-through services and operations are introduced. Pass-through operations are invoked InProc. Since the InProc invocation translates to a procedure call, the request and response structures (messages) are exchanged in memory. To maximize the throughput in such cases there is no need to persist the messages. Besides not persisting messages no queue is maintained, no header is stored. In the following example, I will show how can you extend the ESBish model to other services /operations. The key new feature demonstrated by this article is squeezed into a single macro $$$EnsInProcPersist. Using this macro in a service will force all InProc Business Operations called by the particular service not to save neither messages nor message headers. The macro itself gets/sets an Ensemble runtime parameter stored in the %Ensemble local array. Let me reiterate: the only thing this article wants explain is that if you know why you need in-memory messaging, I can teach you how to take it on. Also, there is nothing new in the source code you can not find in the class library in a second or two. If you take your time… Those are higher quality codes right from the dedicated developers. But in the meantime, you have to live with my examples in the context of the article. Preparation Firstly we need to create a traditional or classic production. By classic I mean production which is developed in the way you learned from your first Ensemble tutor. Please take your time and create the components like I do. You are free to use other naming convention, programming style. It does not matter. The important is to have the components. 1. Create a pair of request /response message classes. Class isc.inproc.msg.Request Extends (%Persistent, %XML.Adaptor) { Property rq1 As %String(MAXLEN = ""); Property rq2 As %String(MAXLEN = ""); Property rq3 As %String(MAXLEN = ""); } Class isc.inproc.msg.Response Extends (%Persistent, %XML.Adaptor) { Property rp1 As %String; Property rp2 As %String; } 2. Then create one or two new transformations on the request 3. Here comes the service. It is going to be a SOAP service. /// isc.classic.soap.host.Test1 Class isc.classic.soap.host.Test1 Extends EnsLib.SOAP.Service [ ProcedureBlock ] { Parameter ADAPTER; /// Name of the WebService. Parameter SERVICENAME = "ClassicSOAPTest1"; /// TODO: change this to actual SOAP namespace. /// SOAP Namespace for the WebService Parameter NAMESPACE = "http://tempuri.org"; /// Namespaces of referenced classes will be used in the WSDL. Parameter USECLASSNAMESPACES = 1; Property TargetConfigName As Ens.DataType.ConfigName; Parameter SETTINGS = "TargetConfigName:Additional"; /// TODO: add arguments and implementation. /// InProc Method InProc(docin As isc.inproc.msg.Request) As isc.inproc.msg.Response [ WebMethod ] { set st=..SendRequestSync(..TargetConfigName,docin,.retval) Quit retval } } 4. Next is the Business Operation which is a file operation. Do not use the message map XData block. It is by purpose Class isc.classic.host.Operation Extends Ens.BusinessOperation { Parameter ADAPTER = "EnsLib.File.OutboundAdapter"; Parameter INVOCATION = "Queue"; Property Adapter As EnsLib.File.OutboundAdapter; Method doit(pRequest As isc.inproc.msg.Request, Output pResponse As isc.inproc.msg.Response) As %Status { set filename =..%ConfigName_".LOG" do..Adapter.PutLine(filename,"============ NEW REQUEST ================") do..Adapter.PutLine(filename,pRequest.rq1) do..Adapter.PutLine(filename,pRequest.rq2) do..Adapter.PutLine(filename,pRequest.rq3) set pResponse = ##class(isc.inproc.msg.Response).%New() set pResponse.rp1 =..%ConfigName set pResponse.rp2 = $zdt($ztimestamp,3) Quit $$$OK } /// This is the default message handler. All request types not declared in the message map are delivered here Method OnMessage(pRequest As %Library.Persistent, Output pResponse As %Library.Persistent) As %Status { If '$G($$$EnsInProcPersist,1) Do ##class(Ens.Util.Statistics).InitStats(..%ConfigName) if pRequest.%Extends("isc.inproc.msg.Request") { set st=..doit(pRequest,.pResponse) } else {set st = $$$ERROR(5001)} If '$G($$$EnsInProcPersist,1) && ##class(Ens.Util.Statistics).StatsStarted(..%ConfigName) { Do ##class(Ens.Util.Statistics).RecordStats($$$eHostTypeOperation,..%ConfigName) } quit st } } 5. At this moment we are almost done. We need a production and some adjustment on the item settings Oper1, Oper2, Oper3 are instances of the Business Operation we just created in step 4. MessageRouter is an instance of EnsLib.MsgRouting.RouterEngine. Settings you need to review: for Oper1, Oper2, Oper3 the file path to point to a server file system directory; for MessageRouter the Response From setting must be *. 6. Lastly, we need the rule to control the message routing Once the rule has been created, assign the name of the rule to the MessageRouter Business Rule Name setting. What the Production does: takes an input of three strings as a SOAP service, does some routing based on the contents and writes the transformation result to a file. The returned response is: which of the three operations were writing the output file, and when. Like a Commit ACK. No response is expected from the application. Let us test it with SOAP UI. You should see pretty much like this: Turn to “ESBish” In fact, there is not much to work on it. 1. Set the invocation parameter of the operation to InProc I made a copy of the original operation, but it is not required: Class isc.classic.host.Operation Extends Ens.BusinessOperation { Parameter ADAPTER = "EnsLib.File.OutboundAdapter"; Parameter INVOCATION = "InProc"; Property Adapter As EnsLib.File.OutboundAdapter; Method doit(pRequest As isc.inproc.msg.Request, Output pResponse As isc.inproc.msg.Response) As %Status { set filename =..%ConfigName_".LOG" do..Adapter.PutLine(filename,"============ NEW REQUEST ================") do..Adapter.PutLine(filename,pRequest.rq1) do..Adapter.PutLine(filename,pRequest.rq2) do..Adapter.PutLine(filename,pRequest.rq3) set pResponse = ##class(isc.inproc.msg.Response).%New() set pResponse.rp1 =..%ConfigName set pResponse.rp2 = $zdt($ztimestamp,3) Quit $$$OK } /// This is the default message handler. All request types not declared in the message map are delivered here Method OnMessage(pRequest As %Library.Persistent, Output pResponse As %Library.Persistent) As %Status { If '$G($$$EnsInProcPersist,1) Do ##class(Ens.Util.Statistics).InitStats(..%ConfigName) if pRequest.%Extends("isc.inproc.msg.Request") { set st=..doit(pRequest,.pResponse) } else {set st = $$$ERROR(5001)} If '$G($$$EnsInProcPersist,1) && ##class(Ens.Util.Statistics).StatsStarted(..%ConfigName) { Do ##class(Ens.Util.Statistics).RecordStats($$$eHostTypeOperation,..%ConfigName) } quit st } } Should look familiar. Only the INVOCATION=”InProc” makes the difference. 2. The service class now sub-class of isc.inproc.host.soap.Service /// isc.inproc.soap.host.Test1 Class isc.inproc.soap.host.Test1 Extends isc.inproc.host.soap.Service [ ProcedureBlock ] { Parameter ADAPTER; /// Name of the WebService. Parameter SERVICENAME = "InProcSOAPTest1"; /// TODO: change this to actual SOAP namespace. /// SOAP Namespace for the WebService Parameter NAMESPACE = "http://tempuri.org"; /// Namespaces of referenced classes will be used in the WSDL. Parameter USECLASSNAMESPACES = 1; Property TargetConfigName As Ens.DataType.ConfigName; Parameter SETTINGS = "TargetConfigName:Additional"; /// TODO: add arguments and implementation. /// InProc Method InProc(docin As isc.inproc.msg.Request) As isc.inproc.msg.Response [ WebMethod ] { set st=..SendRequestSync(..TargetConfigName,docin,.retval) Quit retval } } 3. And where is this new service superclass? Here it is: Class isc.inproc.host.soap.Service Extends EnsLib.SOAP.Service { Parameter SETTINGS = "PersistInProcData:Additional"; /// Persist data to operations with invocation InProc that are called Synchronously.<br/> /// The default is On. <br/> /// This setting is only used if calling an operation with invocation InProc. <br/> /// If this setting is off then no message headers will be created and message bodies will not be saved.<br/> /// If this setting is off there will be no trace in the message viewer. <br/> /// If this setting is off there will be no retry attempts by the operation - only one attempt will be made. <br/> Property PersistInProcData As %Boolean [ InitialExpression = 0 ]; /// This user callback method is called via initConfig() from %OnNew() or in the case of CSP invoked services from OnPreSOAP() Method OnInit() As %Status { Set $$$EnsInProcPersist=..PersistInProcData Quit ##super() } } The important is this magic macro $$$EnsInProcPersist. 4. The last step is to create a message router for InProc. You need that guy only if you are about the rule-based routing of the messages. Unfortunately, no Business Process is prepared for InProc mode, and actually, it does not make any sense. So this example MessageRouter operation is an extract from the original router engine. Class isc.inproc.host.MessageRouter Extends Ens.BusinessOperation { Parameter INVOCATION = "InProc"; Property RoutingRule As Ens.DataType.Class; Parameter SETTINGS = "RoutingRule:Additional:ruleSelector"; /// This is the default message handler. All request types not declared in the message map are delivered here Method OnMessage(pRequest As %Library.Persistent, Output pResponse As %Library.Persistent) As %Status { If '$G($$$EnsInProcPersist,1) Do ##class(Ens.Util.Statistics).InitStats(..%ConfigName) set context = ##class(isc.inproc.rule.Context).%New() set context.%MessageReceived = pRequest set context.MsgClass = pRequest.%ClassName(1) set context.Document = pRequest set sc= $$$OK set sc = $classmethod(..RoutingRule, "evaluateRuleDefinition", context,.ruleSet,.begin,.end,.retval,.reason, 0) if $$$ISOK(sc) { for i=1:1:$length(retval,";") { set oneaction = $piece(retval,";",i) set command = $piece(oneaction,":",1) if command = "send" { set target = $piece(oneaction,":",2), transform = $piece(oneaction,":",3) set tRequest = pRequest.%ConstructClone(1) for j=1:1:$length(transform,",") { set onetransform=$piece(transform,",",j) continue:onetransform="" set tRequest2=tRequest,sc=$classmethod(onetransform,"Transform",tRequest2,.tRequest) } for k=1:1:$length(target,",") { set onetarget=$piece(target,",",k) set sc =..SendRequestSync(onetarget, tRequest,.pResponse) } } } } If '$G($$$EnsInProcPersist,1) && ##class(Ens.Util.Statistics).StatsStarted(..%ConfigName) { Do ##class(Ens.Util.Statistics).RecordStats($$$eHostTypeOperation,..%ConfigName) } Quit sc } } This is a little more code than with the previous steps, but still manageable. 5. Build a new production, but use the new components. At the end it should look like this Remember: MessageRouter is not a process anymore. It is an operation. The MessageRouter uses exactly the same rule as before. Finally, we reached the point we lived for. The service has a setting Persist Messages Sent InProc. Please keep this switch on until you are testing the production. 6. Create a new test in SOAP UI. 7. Once your production is working, change the Persist Messages Sent InProc to false. And test again using SOAP UI. When you test a production, please look at the left-bottom corner of your SOAP UI window and read the response time. Please remember those numbers… Classic vs. InMemory We are done. Please compare the results. Classic InMemory Working model Sync/Async and Queue/InProc is supported Only Sync, InProc is supported Can run a BPEL business process? Yes No Can do any parallel processing? Yes No Who does the error handling? Container Production Minimize Ensemble Overhead No Yes Summary The feature summary shows that there is “only” one use case for InMemory configurations. When the performance counts AND there is no significant data processing attached. It is typically the case for ESB kind of productions. I reiterate the key characteristics of such a production. High volume of messages Transformations are providing sufficient functionality for message processing Synchronous message processing provides sufficient capacity When “Commit ACK” mode is enough to ensure the “guaranteed message delivery”. Or “from the other corner of the ring”. Do not use InMemory if: The production uses true BPEL business processes High degree of parallelization is used in the production When you prepare your first live presentation with Ensemble The good news is that you can turn a classic Ensemble production into an InMemory one with minimal efforts (as the example proofs). Any indication of the capacity growth by employing the InMemory model? Not from me. In this particular demo you can experience on your own by running SOAP UI tests. Although on my laptop the capacity doubled without having the “magic IO peeks”, I perfectly know that it can not be simply projected to a random production. “Magic IO peeks”? Come on, do not eat the birthday cake at once! MIOP is a topic for another community article.CLOSE The Appalachian Barn Alliance is documenting the more than 10,000 barns in Madison County, once the state's top producer of burley tobacco. Citizen-Times Buy Photo The Floyd Wallin barn off Highway 212 in Shelton Laurel in Madison County is believed to have been built in the late 1800s. (Photo: Angeli Wright/awright@citizen-times.com)Buy Photo Drive just a few minutes north of Asheville on the interstate or up the old river highway and Madison County quickly turns rural. You’ll pass by more barns than people in the countryside. "We believe we are the barn county,” said Sandy Stevenson, director of the Madison County Visitor’s Center. But just how many barns dot Madison’s countryside, no one had really counted until Taylor Barnhill came along. “I started driving up and down the road and doing a windshield survey," Barnhill said. It quickly averaged out to five barns a mile in some sections of the county. With a conservative estimate of 10,000 barns, Madison likely boasts a barn for every two residents. But Barnhill believes it may be closer to 17,000 or more. Barnhill is the researcher for the Appalachian Barn Alliance, a nonprofit compiling a database and organizing tours around Madison's multitude of barns. While the cribs, stalls and lofts no longer house tobacco following the demise of the cash crop, the barns still hold potential for tourism, said Stevenson, who serves as the Appalachian Barn Alliance board president. More than 10,000 sounds about right to Ross Young, who’s served as the North Carolina Cooperative Extension agent for Madison for 26 years. Young said he had never given the number much thought before talking with a colleague organizing a photo contest for old barns in another county. Young started when Madison’s 2,500 growers led the state in burley tobacco production. Many of those farmers had two or three barns on their property. But when the federal subsidy program for tobacco ended in 2004, so did Madison’s main cash crop and the need for many of those barns. Madison still boasts 750 working farms, including some 300 dairy farmers who used their barns to house their herds, Young said. Others have moved into vegetable or organic farming, perhaps using old barns to store equipment these days. Viewing the vernacular Driving around the county, township by township, Barnhill has documented some 75 historic barns, tracking down genealogy of the builders and delving into the history of the families who settled Madison’s remote coves and valleys. Barnhill knows his barns, as an architect would say, the vernacular of each township with distinctive designs. Buy Photo A tin roof was added to Floyd Wallin barn off Highway 212 in Shelton Laurel in Madison County but originally the barn would have had shingle roofing. (Photo: Angeli Wright/awright@citizen-times.com) In the Floyd Wallin barn off Highway 212 in Shelton Laurel, Barnhill points out details that date the structure to the late 1800s. Timbers were hewn by hand with broadax and chisel, with smooth cuts instead of the tell-tale fuzzy cuts a sawmill blade would have left. The mysterious initials “E.G.” were chiseled into the timber of one crib, maybe a clue to the name of the original builder, probably a member of the Tweed family. Original shingle roofing was replaced in the late 19th and early 20th century by metal roofing, that was shipped by the railroad. “But there were a lot of wood shingle roofs on the barns up until the 1960s,” Barnhill said. Keeping the roof watertight and the timbers dry can keep a barn standing for a century or more. In Shelton Laurel, a builder, perhaps one of the Tweed family, liked to create barns with a long raised roof profile, which may have helped draw more air into the top of the barn and helped in the curing of the burley leaves. Barnhill marvels at the builders, who showed skilled craftsmanship in timber framing, using mortise and tendons instead of nails. The timbers came from nearby ridges, chestnut before the blight that killed off the Southern Appalachian’s most common tree in the 1920
1974—now rival damage in 2011. Normalised damage exceeded US$20 billion in 1953 and 1965 and exceeded US$10 billion in 1974. The 1953 season provides perhaps the best historical comparison with 2011, as much of the damage in 1965 and 1974 occurred in just one outbreak. Damage in 1965 is attributable to the Palm Sunday outbreak, while damage in 1974 occurred in the 2-3 April “Super Outbreak”. 1953 had multiple damaging outbreaks in different parts of the country. One of the worst tornadoes of 1953 occurred in Worcester, MA, and ranked first in normalised damage until the Joplin tornado of 2011. (Note: I think Pielke Jr. meant to say 1953 and not 1954 in his point #2 above, I’ve asked for clarification. UPDATE: Pielke Jr. verifies 1953, corrected here and at his blog – Anthony) ============================================================= This echoes what I have been saying, from The folly of linking tornado outbreaks to “climate change”: Historically, there have been many tornado outbreaks that occurred well before climate change was on anyone’s radar. Here’s a few: 1908 Southeast tornado outbreak 324 fatalities, ≥1,720 injuries 1920 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak ≥380 fatalities, ≥1215 injuries 1925 Tri-State tornado ≥747 fatalities, ≥2298 injuries 1932 Deep South tornado outbreak ≥330 fatalities, 2145 injuries 1952 Arkansas-Tennessee tornado outbreak 208 fatalities 1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak 256 fatalities April 3-4 1974 Super Outbreak 315 fatalities All of these occurred before “climate change” was even on the political radar. What caused those if “global warming” is to blame? The real cause is La Niña, and as NOAAwatch.gov indicates on their page with the helpful meter, we are in a La Niña cycle of ocean temperature in the Pacific. I recommend reading my essay: Why it seems that severe weather is “getting worse” when the data shows otherwise – a historical perspective Advertisements Share this: Print Email Twitter Facebook Pinterest LinkedIn RedditRetrogression Takes Iconic Game Songs & Plays Them In Reverse By Joel Couture. July 15, 2017. 11:00am Retrogression: Vol 1 is a collection of four tracks, taking themes from Super Mario Bros, Tetris, Punch Out!!, and Ghosts n’ Goblins, all played in reverse. The album, created by Metroid Metal guitarist Stemage, was inspired by the use of Zelda’s Lullaby, played in reverse, as the theme for Skyward Sword. This got the guitarist thinking about what other game tracks would sound interesting when played in reverse, with these initial four tracks being among the musician’s findings. The album feature’s the artist’s own musical compositions, played forward and in reverse, for listeners to try out. The music keeps with the NES’ four usable music channels, using two guitars, bass, and drums to create these reversed versions of some iconic game songs. Retrogression: Vol 1 is available now on Bandcamp.DALLAS -- Former Dallas Cowboys player Josh Brent avoided prison Friday and instead was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 10 years of probation for a drunken car crash that killed his friend and teammate, Jerry Brown. Brent was convicted Wednesday of intoxication manslaughter for the December 2012 crash on a suburban Dallas highway that killed Brown, who was a passenger in Brent's car. Brent could have been sentenced to up to 20 years in prison. He was also fined $10,000. Brent, 25, closed his eyes when the judge read the jury's verdict. He was kept in custody after the hearing. One of his attorneys, Kevin Brooks, described the former defensive tackle as "somber." "I'm really kind of overwhelmed with the results," Brooks said. "It's kind of what we've been fighting for from Day 1. I'm happy for Josh. Josh is still sad and grieving and that's something he's going to carry with him the rest of his life." Brent's family members and supporters cried and hugged as the courtroom emptied after the hearing. His mother, LaTasha Brent, spoke briefly as she left the courthouse, saying she was there to support her son. Brown's mother, Stacey Jackson, wasn't in the courtroom when the verdict was read. She publicly forgave Brent, and said during Thursday's sentencing proceedings: "He's still responsible, but you can't go on in life holding a grudge. We all make mistakes." Jackson was the last witness the jury heard, and lead prosecutor Heath Harris said her testimony probably helped Brent get probation. "The victim's family will always have a bearing on the punishment phase," Harris said. "Should it make a difference? What if she had been wanting the maximum? Would they have given the maximum? That's why we let the jury decide." Prosecutors were pushing for prison time for Brent, whose trial came weeks after a teenage boy in neighboring Tarrant County received no prison time for an intoxication manslaughter conviction in a drunken crash that killed four people. In that case, a defense expert argued that the teen deserved leniency because his parents had coddled him into a sense of irresponsibility -- a condition the expert termed "affluenza." The group Mothers Against Drunk Driving, whose headquarters isn't far from the spot where Brent crashed, said in a statement that it was "shocked and appalled" by the athlete's sentence. "This punishment sends the message that it's OK to drink and drive -- but it's absolutely not," MADD said. Josh Brent, left, was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 10 years of probation for a December 2012 wreck that killed teammate and friend Jerry Brown. AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez Brent and Brown, a linebacker on the practice squad, also played together at the University of Illinois and were close friends. They were headed home from a night of partying with Dallas teammates when Brent lost control of his Mercedes and crashed. Officers who arrived on scene saw Brent trying to pull Brown's body from the wreckage. Blood tests pegged Brent's blood alcohol content at 0.18 percent, which is more than twice the state's legal limit to drive of 0.08 percent. Prosecutors told jurors that the burly, 320-pound lineman had as many as 17 drinks on the night of the crash. "We never quarrel with a jury's decision," said Harris, who passionately urged the jury to send Brent to prison. "All we can hope and pray is that I believe the jury saw something salvageable in him... and he does get some help." Judge Robert Burns scolded Brent after reading the verdict, saying his actions "bring shame to the city of Dallas." The judge also mentioned Brent's 2009 drunken-driving conviction in Illinois, which the prosecution revisited in making its case for prison time. "The judge obviously has a right to express his opinion," said George Milner, one of Brent's attorneys. "I guess the difference is there's no one in that courtroom that knows Josh the way Kevin and I do. And so I see a different person." Brent played in all 12 games of the Cowboys' 2012 season prior to the crash. He retired from the NFL in July, but less than a week shy of his 26th birthday, he's still young enough to play, although he hasn't said if that's what he wants. "He's never talked about football to me unless I specifically asked questions about football," Milner said. "I think he's just trying to figure out how he's going to deal with the situation where he is." If Brent did want to play again, it's unclear if he'd have to serve a suspension before he could take the field again. "This is an issue we will deal with down the road," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello wrote in an email Friday. After wide receiver Donte Stallworth, who was then on the Cleveland Browns, pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter for striking and killing a Florida pedestrian with his car, Goodell suspended Stallworth for the entire 2009 season.The way we build software has changed stupendously from Monolithic Architecture (MLA) using single programming language to a Microservices Architecture (MSA) where pieces of code developed in multiple different programming language that fits the problem in hand. Microservice has numerous benefits and encourages Single Responsibility Principle (SLP) with quick deployment and easy to change lifecycle without impacting the fatty software. AWS offers easy way to implement microservices through RESTful APIs wrapped against AWS Lambda functions in a server less backend that can auto scale with built in security via its IAM. AWS offers 12 months free tier which enable you to get hands-on experience with AWS Cloud Services. To demonstrate the power of AWS API Gateway & Lambda, I quickly dropped my flicker photo search node.js code as lambda function wrapped in AWS API Gateway and exposed it as REST API Endpoint. CODE AWS lambda does not support 3rd party npm so make sure to upload all of your 3rd party node_modules. AWS Lambda & API Gateway Getting Started guide will be your good head start. API END POINT POST https://www.getpostman.com/collections/9f4773dd73a512b92e7a REQUEST BODY { "api_key":"4a9d265192929f69631c55b9a5bdf9bc", "search_tags":"Raspberrypi", "search_text":"Raspberrypi", "search_limit":10, "search_currentpage":1 } POSTMAN SCREENSHOTChristine Van Rompuy has given up talking to her brother about politics. The siblings' political paths diverged when in their youth - and in a recent election campaign her party produced a leaflet which mercilessly lampooned him as a clown. After witnessing the Belgian Government's attempts to privatise the health service, Christine decided to take up the cause of the common worker and is now actively involved in the Belgian Workers' Party, the only remaining nationwide political party in a country riven by bitter rivalry between Flemish speakers and French speakers. The party's roots are Marxist, the senior nurse at the Leuven University hospital freely admits, though she claims their policies are "not radical". "The EU has been pushing for privatisation and people don't want that. People are unhappy with the neoliberal politics practised in the EU," she said. "We're not anti-European but we believe that the today's EU policies are wrong. The people should not be forced to pay for the mistakes of the banks. "I disagree with my brother's ideas for a green tax. Any new taxes would be paid by the poor. We need to tax the rich. New taxes are a bad idea; they would be paid by the common worker." The top two per cent of the population, which given his euro 360,000 salary now no doubt includes her brother, should pay an additional two per cent tax on their wealth, she believes. "This can help us towards a Europe for the people instead of a Europe of dividends for the happy few shareholders. I am proud to be the ambassador of the millionaire's tax campaign." Ms Van Rompuy lives at the Leuven hospital, reportedly Europe's largest with 8,000 employees, where she oversees 80 nurses who transport patients from ward to ward. She is head of logistics. She stood for the Belgian Workers' Party for the first time this year and obtained 7,000 votes in the European elections. In the Flemish regional elections, she got 2,000 votes. "People, who voted for me don't like this European Union that does not care about them," she said. "The EU is often bad news, it is all about competition and business. Our capitalist system sells speculation soap bubbles that drive banks into bankruptcy. When the whole system went down, all of a sudden billions were found to save it. At the same time, many people have lost their jobs. "The EU is pushing for more and more privatisation. In Great Britain, where the process has been carried the farthest, British Rail has been privatised; trains are late and the quality of the service has greatly deteriorated... Electricity has been liberalised, and is more expensive now. The energy industry is making billions of profits." Her brother, she said, would have to make a choice. "Who will pay for the economic crisis? Who will pay for all the billions that were used to save the banks and have deepened public deficits? It will be either the working people, or those who are responsible for this crisis. I want a millionaire's tax in the whole of Europe, because then the average citizen will not have to make sacrifices." She is however not optimistic about convincing the new head of the EU. "I don't talk with my brother about politics any more. I gave up trying to convince him years ago," she said.Congressman: If Bradley Manning Gave Reports, Video To WikiLeaks, Execute Him Enlarge this image toggle caption Alex Wong/Getty Images North America Alex Wong/Getty Images North America Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, told WHMI, a Michigan radio station, that Pfc. Bradley Manning should be executed if he did, in fact, leak classified documents and video to WikiLeaks. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) interview with Mike Marino, courtesy of WHMI 93.5 FM. "If they won't charge him with treason, they ought to charge him with murder," Rogers said yesterday. The host of the program asked the congressman if treason during wartime is a capital offense, punishable by the death penalty. "Yes," Rogers said. "And I would support it 100 percent." According to The New York Times, "Manning with disclosing a classified video of an American helicopter attack to WikiLeaks, as well as more than 150,000 classified diplomatic cables." Military officials said Friday that the private was also the main suspect in the disclosure to WikiLeaks of more than 90,000 classified documents about the Afghan war, some of which were published this week by The New York Times, the German magazine Der Spiegel and the British newspaper The Guardian. In the interview, which WHMI has posted in its entirety, he said that there is "a culture of disclosure," which encourages leaks, is "a growing and serious problem." According to Rogers, "it's hard to make a decision based on one piece of the puzzle, but they do it often." He said that Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, could not have known how damaging and dangerous the information in the leaked reports could be, calling into question Assange's "harm minimization procedures." "We know for a fact that people will likely be killed because of this information being disclosed," he said. "That's pretty serious."KaBOOM! Sales Patterns, 'Lumberjanes' Tipping Point, 'Peanuts' In conjunction with ICv2’s “ Grow the Business with Kids ” event, we caught up with BOOM! Editor-in-Chief Matt Gagnon, and talked about the sales patterns on titles in BOOM!’s KaBOOM! kids imprint, the tipping point that Lumberjanes seems to be reaching, and what’s happening with Peanuts in the run-up to the movie. What are your bestsellers in the KaBOOM line? KaBOOM!’s been doing really well for us this year. There’s a handful of items that make up the cornerstone of that imprint, and one of them is the Cartoon Network titles. Adventure Time, Regular Show, Steven Universe, Clarence, and the Over the Garden Wall book that tied into the special—all the Cartoon Network stuff continues to do well for us. What’s the best selling among the Cartoon Network properties? Adventure Time continues to be a phenom. It’s kind of a special book for us. We publish two single-issue series a month of Adventure Time. We also have original graphic novels that are distributed through the direct market and book store market as well. The Adventure Time graphic novel has performed really well for us in the book market. The second item that’s one of our foundational items of the imprint is Peanuts. It’s the 65th Anniversary of Charles Schulz’ Peanuts so what we’re doing is a tribute hardcover where we’re having tons of different creators contribute. It is kind of one big love letter to Charles Schulz and his creations (see “BOOM! Plans Schulz Tribute Book”). That one is interesting. We just had The New York Times do a piece on it. We got contributions from Lincoln Peirce who’s a New York Times bestseller of the Big Nate series, Raina Telgemeier, Patrick McDonnell from Mutts, Matt Groening, Stan Sakai, Tony Millionaire, Paul Pope, Jeff Lemire, just a really amazing line-up of creators that are showing up and want to show their affection for Charles Schulz and all of his works. Art by Jeff Lemire This might be one of the most impressive things that we publish all year. It’s going to be a hardcover that’s printed in landscape format, 112 pages. Each contributor that contributes a page is also writing a small text piece about what Charles Schulz meant to them and their process. We were really pleased to see when creators started to turn in pieces for this project that so many of these stories have a real personal component to them. It could be about creators growing up with Peanuts and travelling from city to city and Peanuts being that constant that was always with them, or it could be a creator that was completely influenced by Peanuts and made them want to be a cartoonist themselves. It just goes to show you how Charles Schulz touched so many people’s lives. As these stories started coming in we were blown away by how emotionally resonant they were and how powerful they were. Outside of Peanuts, and Cartoon Network, the other foundational items for KaBOOM! are Garfield, which we’re publishing in single issues, and collections on a yearly basis; and also the things that we’re doing with Frederator. We have two really popular titles that we publish from Frederator. One of them is Bee and PuppyCat, which is created by Natasha Allegri; and also Bravest Warriors, which was created by Pendleton Ward, who, of course, created Adventure Time. How have your trade paperback Peanuts books been selling? This year those have been over-performing because of the film that’s coming out later in the year (see “Fox, Blue Sky to Produce ‘Peanuts’ Feature”). What we’ve noticed is the book market has been coming to us and ordering quite a few Peanuts trades, Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume3 from the single issue series that we’ve been doing. There’s a lot of renewed energy surrounding the film, so Peanuts this year has been a really big seller for us. Are there some of the KaBOOM! Titles that sell better in the book channel, and some in the direct market? Definitely. With our originals that we do through the KaBOOM! line for instance Abigail and the Snow Man, which is written and drawn by Roger Langridge, does better in the direct market. We consider Roger to be a master, he’s just an amazing storyteller, and he’s somebody that the direct market has a lot of affection for. When Roger’s material is collected into trade, that’s something that the direct market really supports and gets behind. We have had success in the book market as well, but that’s typically something that in the direct market stands out because of how much love Roger has in our market. Lumberjanes has been a stand-out seller for us in the book market. We’ve had to go back to print a couple of times on that book in particular. What printing are you on for Lumberjanes Vol. 1? How many have you sold? We’ve sold around 60,000 copies with four printings, and the sales velocity shows no sign of slowing down. Lumberjanes is original IP. You have the Valkyries pushing it in the comic stores, but why is it doing well in the book market? With Lumberjanes we’ve reached kind of a tipping point where it’s starting to cross over into the mainstream. It’s a really accessible book, and it’s something that is gaining a very devoted fan base. What we’re starting to see when we go to conventions is people showing up dressed like characters from the comic; cosplay has definitely increased with that book. There’s a real fan energy with that book that keeps increasing every single month. It’s something that’s really special to watch, actually. Something that makes us incredibly proud and really happy is to see how this book has really struck a chord. When we spoke with [President of Publishing and Marketing] Filip [Sablik] about the Lumberjanes comic launch last summer, he told us that the action on Tumblr had something to do with the strong launch (see “Lumberjanes’ Harnesses Tumblr, Hand-Selling Power”). Could that be part of where the audience is coming from in the book market? Yes, there’s a community that’s building around these books. The Valkyries have been incredibly supportive of Lumberjanes from the start. I think that what’s happened is that we’re starting to get word-of-mouth building and Tumblr is certainly part of that. What we’ve noticed is that the interaction that we have on social media for Lumberjanes is significant and it’s probably one of the titles that we get the most engagement from on social media. Again, there’s just a really large community of supporters that are surrounding this book. What trends have you noticed in the kids’ graphic novel or comics market in the last few years? Are you seeing growth, and if so, how are you seeing it in the different channels? What I’ve observed is not only is there growth, but there also seems to be more of a willingness to accept this material. We’ve been publishing all ages books for quite a while now. It used to be that it was a little bit tougher for us to sell retailers and sell buyers on this type of material and I think that sensibility has really changed in recent years. When we approach buyers, when we approach our retail partners even at someplace like ComicsPRO, we just see so much support. I think there’s a lot more support now for this type of material than there has been in previous years. Retailers and buyers have realized that not only is there meaningful work being done in this space, but it can be commercially successful as well. It’s hitting critical mass, too. There’s more of it so it’s easier to build a section. I think you’re right and that definitely helps when other publishers have kind of jumped in and there are quite a few publishers out there now that have all ages comics being published as a month-to-month initiative for them. Ultimately I think that it’s good for the industry to have that type of support in the publishing space as well because retailers are seeing that this is something that is more of a wide-spread commitment from the publishing community. Are there any other important upcoming releases for kids? We also have from Archaia this year (outside of the KaBOOM! imprint, but still something that’s considered if not all ages, then at least younger readers) the Art of Mouse Guard 2005 to 2015 (see “’Mouse Guard’ Art Book”). It covers the first 10 years of David Petersen’s process on Mouse Guard. That’s going to 368 pages, so it’s a massive book. It’s the definitive, behind-the-scenes look at David’s Mouse Guard series. We’re really proud of that. Anything that you’d like to communicate to the retailers who read our site about selling kids graphic novels or comics, or the KaBOOM! titles in particular? I just think it’s one of our most important missions. This is the reason why we have stuck with all ages publishing for as long as we have is because we believe in building the next generation of readers. It’s as simple as that. I think that all of us would like to have a healthy, flourishing industry 20, 30 years from now, and it’s important for us to foster the next generation of readers. It’s one of the single most important things that we can be doing in our industry, and our retail partners are an extremely significant part of that. It’s kind of goes back to what I was saying on the last question, which is now it seems like the buyers, retailers, and the industry at large are so much more supportive of this type of material being published. It’s ultimately something that we’re so thankful for and we’re so grateful to see because we need to build that next generation of readers. And in the last couple of years, I’ve felt like we’ve made great inroads, and I feel like we’re really starting to build the next generation of comic book readers.Pope John XXIII (Latin: Ioannes; Italian: Giovanni; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, Italian pronunciation: [ˈandʒelo dʒuˈzɛppe roŋˈkalli]; 25 November 1881 – 3 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 to his death in 1963; he was canonized on 27 April 2014.[6] Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli was the fourth of fourteen children born to a family of sharecroppers who lived in a village in Lombardy.[7] He was ordained to the priesthood on 10 August 1904 and served in a number of posts, as nuncio in France and a delegate to Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey. In a consistory on 12 January 1953 Pope Pius XII made Roncalli a cardinal as the Cardinal-Priest of Santa Prisca in addition to naming him as the Patriarch of Venice. Roncalli was unexpectedly elected pope on 28 October 1958 at age 76 after 11 ballots. Pope John XXIII surprised those who expected him to be a caretaker pope by calling the historic Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), the first session opening on 11 October 1962. His passionate views on equality were summed up in his statement, "We were all made in God's image, and thus, we are all Godly alike."[8] John XXIII made many passionate speeches during his pontificate. He made a major impact on the Catholic Church, opening it up to dramatic unexpected changes promulgated at the Vatican Council and by his own dealings with other churches and nations. In Italian politics, he prohibited bishops from interfering with local elections, and he helped the Christian Democratic Party to cooperate with the socialists. In international affairs, his "Ostpolitik" engaged in dialogue with the Communist countries of Eastern Europe. He especially reached out to the Eastern Orthodox churches. His overall goal was to modernize the Church by emphasizing its pastoral role, and its necessary involvement with affairs of state. He dropped the traditional rule of 70 cardinals, increasing the size to 85. He used the opportunity to name the first cardinals from Africa, Japan, and the Philippines. He promoted ecumenical movements in cooperation with other Christian faiths. In doctrinal matters, he was a traditionalist, but he ended the practice of automatically formulating social and political policies on the basis of old theological propositions.[9] He did not live to see the Vatican Council to completion. His cause for canonization was opened on 18 November 1965 by his successor, Pope Paul VI, who declared him a Servant of God. On 5 July 2013, Pope Francis – bypassing the traditionally required second miracle – declared John XXIII a saint, based on his virtuous, model lifestyle, and because of the good which had come from his having opened the Second Vatican Council. He was canonised alongside Pope John Paul II on 27 April 2014.[10][11] John XXIII today is affectionately known as the "Good Pope" and in Italian, "il Papa buono". Biography [ edit ] Early life and ordination [ edit ] The young Roncalli Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli was born on 25 November 1881 in Sotto il Monte, a small country village in the Bergamo province of the Lombardy region of Italy. He was the eldest son of Giovanni Battista Roncalli (1854 – July 1935) and his wife Marianna Giulia Mazzolla (1855 – 20 February 1939), and fourth in a family of 13. His siblings were: Maria Caterina (1877–1883) Teresa (1879–1954) Ancilla (1880 – 11 November 1953) Francesco Zaverio (1883–1976) Maria Elisa (1884–1955) Assunta Casilda (Marchesi) (1886 – 23 March 1980) [12] Domenico Giuseppe (22 February 1888 – 14 March 1888) Alfredo (1889–1972) Giovanni Francesco (1891–1956) Enrica (1893–1918) Giuseppe Luigi (1894–1981) [13] Luigi (1896–1898)[14][15] His family worked as sharecroppers, as did most of the people of Sotto il Monte – a striking contrast to that of his predecessor, Eugenio Pacelli (Pope Pius XII), who came from an ancient aristocratic family long connected to the papacy. Roncalli was nonetheless a descendant of an Italian noble family, albeit from a secondary and impoverished branch.[16] In 1889, Roncalli received both his First Communion and Confirmation at the age of 8.[17] On 1 March 1896, Luigi Isacchi, the spiritual director of his seminary, enrolled him into the Secular Franciscan Order. He professed his vows as a member of that order on 23 May 1897.[18] In 1904, Roncalli completed his doctorate in Canon Law[19] and was ordained a priest in the Catholic Church of Santa Maria in Monte Santo in Piazza del Popolo in Rome on 10 August. Shortly after that, while still in Rome, Roncalli was taken to Saint Peter's Basilica to meet Pope Pius X. After this, he would return to his town to celebrate mass for the Assumption.[20] Priesthood [ edit ] In 1905, Giacomo Radini-Tedeschi, the new Bishop of Bergamo, appointed Roncalli as his secretary. Roncalli worked for Radini-Tedeschi until the bishop's death on 22 August 1914, two days after the death of Pope Pius X. Radini-Tedeschi's last words to Roncalli were "Angelo, pray for peace". The death of Radini-Tedeschi had a deep effect on Roncalli. [21] During this period Roncalli was also a lecturer in the diocesan seminary in Bergamo. Pope Pius XII Diamond Cross and Ring During World War I, Roncalli was drafted into the Royal Italian Army as a sergeant, serving in the medical corps as a stretcher-bearer and as a chaplain. After being discharged from the army in early 1919, he was named spiritual director of the seminary.[22] On 6 November 1921, Roncalli travelled to Rome where he was scheduled to meet the Pope. After their meeting, Pope Benedict XV appointed him as the Italian president of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. Roncalli would recall Benedict XV as being the most sympathetic of the popes he had met.[23] Episcopate [ edit ] In February 1925, the Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Gasparri summoned him to the Vatican and informed him of Pope Pius XI's decision to appoint him as the Apostolic Visitor to Bulgaria (1925–1935). On 3 March, Pius XI also named him for consecration as titular archbishop of Areopolis,[24] Jordan.[25] Roncalli was initially reluctant about a mission to Bulgaria, but he would soon relent. His nomination as apostolic visitor was made official on 19 March.[26] Roncalli was consecrated by Giovanni Tacci Porcelli in the church of San Carlo alla Corso in Rome. After he was consecrated, he introduced his family to Pope Pius XI. He chose as his episcopal motto Obedientia et Pax ("Obedience and Peace"), which became his guiding motto. While he was in Bulgaria, an earthquake struck in a town not too far from where he was. Unaffected, he wrote to his sisters Ancilla and Maria and told them both that he was fine. On 30 November 1934, he was appointed Apostolic Delegate to Turkey and Greece and titular archbishop of Mesembria, Bulgaria.[27][28] Thus, he is known as "the Turcophile Pope," by the Turkish society which is predominantly Muslim.[29] Roncalli took up this post in 1935 and used his office to help the Jewish underground in saving thousands of refugees in Europe, leading some to consider him to be a Righteous Gentile (see Pope John XXIII and Judaism). In October 1935, he led Bulgarian pilgrims to Rome and introduced them to Pope Pius XI on 14 October.[30] In February 1939, he received news from his sisters that his mother was dying. On 10 February 1939, Pope Pius XI died. Roncalli was unable to see his mother for the end as the death of a pontiff meant that he would have to stay at his post until the election of a new pontiff. Unfortunately, she died on 20 February 1939, during the nine days of mourning for the late Pius XI. He was sent a letter by Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli, and Roncalli later recalled that it was probably the last letter Pacelli sent until his election as Pope Pius XII on 2 March 1939. Roncalli expressed happiness that Pacelli was elected, and, on radio, listened to the coronation of the new pontiff.[31] Roncalli remained in Bulgaria at the time that World War II commenced, optimistically writing in his journal in April 1939, "I don't believe we will have a war". At the time that the war did in fact commence, he was in Rome, meeting with Pope Pius XII on 5 September 1939. In 1940, Roncalli was asked by the Vatican to devote more of his time to Greece; therefore, he made several visits there in January and May that year.[32] Nuncio [ edit ] On 22 December 1944, during World War II, Pope Pius XII named him to be the new Apostolic Nuncio to recently liberated France.[33] In this capacity he had to negotiate the retirement of bishops who had collaborated with the German occupying power. Roncalli was chosen among several other candidates, one of whom was Archbishop Joseph Fietta. Roncalli met with Domenico Tardini to discuss his new appointment, and their conversation suggested that Tardini did not approve of it. One curial prelate referred to Roncalli as an "old fogey" while speaking with a journalist.[34] Roncalli left Ankara on 27 December 1944 on a series of short-haul flights that took him to several places, such as Beirut, Cairo and Naples. He ventured to Rome on 28 December and met with both Tardini and his friend Giovanni Battista Montini. He left for France the next day to commence his newest role.[35] Efforts during the Holocaust [ edit ] As nuncio, Roncalli made various efforts during the Holocaust in World War II to save refugees, mostly Jewish people, from the Nazis. Among his efforts were: Delivery of "immigration certificates" to Palestine through the Nunciature diplomatic courier. [36] Rescue of Jews by means of certificates of "baptism of convenience" sent by Monsignor Roncalli to priests in Europe. [36] Slovakian children managed to leave the country due to his interventions. [37] Jewish refugees whose names were included on a list submitted by Rabbi Markus of Istanbul to Nuncio Roncalli. Jews held at Jasenovac concentration camp, near Stara Gradiška, were liberated as a result of his intervention. [38] Bulgarian Jews who left Bulgaria, a result of his request to King Boris III of Bulgaria. [39] Romanian Jews from Transnistria left Romania as a result of his intervention. [36] Italian Jews helped by the Vatican as a result of his interventions. [36] Orphaned children of Transnistria on board a refugee ship that weighed anchor from Constanța to Istanbul, and later arriving in Palestine as a result of his interventions. [38] Jews held at the Sereď concentration camp who were spared from being deported to German death camps as a result of his intervention. [38] Hungarian Jews who saved themselves through their conversions to Christianity through the baptismal certificates sent by Nuncio Roncalli to the Hungarian Nuncio, Monsignor Angelo Rota.[36] In 1965, the Catholic Herald newspaper quoted Pope John XXIII as saying: We are conscious today that many, many centuries of blindness have cloaked our eyes so that we can no longer see the beauty of Thy chosen people nor recognise in their faces the features of our privileged brethren. We realize that the mark of Cain stands upon our foreheads. Across the centuries our brother Abel has lain in blood which we drew, or shed tears we caused by forgetting Thy love. Forgive us for the curse we falsely attached to their name as Jews. Forgive us for crucifying Thee a second time in their flesh. For we know not what we did.[40][41] On 7 September 2000, the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation launched the International Campaign for the Acknowledgement of the humanitarian actions undertaken by Vatican Nuncio Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli for people, most of whom were Jewish, persecuted by the Nazi regime. The launching took place at the Permanent Observation Mission of the Vatican to the United Nations, in the presence of Vatican State Secretary Cardinal Angelo Sodano. The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation has carried out exhaustive historical research related to different events connected with interventions of Nuncio Roncalli in favour of Jewish refugees during the Holocaust. As of September 2000 three reports have been published compiling different studies and materials of historical research about the humanitarian actions carried out by Roncalli when he was nuncio.[42][43] In 2011, the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation submitted a massive file (the Roncalli Dossier) to Yad Vashem, with a strong petition and recommendation to bestow upon him the title
and Martha Sharp, a Unitarian minister and his wife from Wellesley, Massachusetts, who left their children behind in the care of their parish and boldly committed to numerous life-threatening missions in Europe. Over two dangerous years, they helped to save hundreds of imperiled political dissidents and Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazi occupation across Europe. “The story of Waitstill and Martha Sharp is one of the most incredible tales of compassion, sacrifice and heroism that I have ever heard, and I was completely unaware of it until five years ago when Artemis Joukowsky first shared it with me,” said Ken Burns. “Nearly three years before America as a nation became involved in the Second World War, these two unassuming, so-called ‘ordinary’ Americans gave up everything they knew and loved and risked their lives to become involved in a war 4,000 miles away because they knew there were people in grave danger who needed help.” Artemis Joukowsky, a film producer and co-founder of No Limits Media, is the grandson of Waitstill and Martha Sharp and has spent decades researching their story. He is the author of a companion book to the film, featuring a foreword by Burns, which will be published by Beacon Press and released on September 6. The book is now available for purchase at ShopPBS.org. “Beyond the cloak-and-dagger suspense of my grandparents’ experience, it is a story of what America meant to refugees fleeing war-torn countries to build new lives. And it underscores what Waitstill would call ‘a collaborative effort’ of how a small but effective underground network of rescue workers saved as many lives as they could, and how important that lesson is for what is happening today,” said Joukowsky. In January of 1939, as Americans remained mostly detached from news reports of the growing refugee crisis in the escalating war in Europe, Waitstill received a call from the Rev. Everett Baker, Vice President of the American Unitarian Association, asking if he and Martha would travel to Czechoslovakia to help provide relief to people trying to escape Nazi persecution. He invited them to take part in “the first intervention against evil by the denomination to be started immediately overseas.” The mission would involve secretly helping Jews, refugees and dissidents to escape the expanding Nazi threat in Europe. If they were discovered, they would face imprisonment, probable torture and death. Seventeen other members of the church had declined. With two young children at home, the Sharps accepted. They expected to be gone for several months. Instead, their mission would last almost two years. During this time, the Sharps would face harrowing encounters with Nazi police, narrowly escape arrest and watch as the Third Reich invaded Eastern Europe. Their marriage would be tested severely and the two children they left behind would be saddened by their parents’ absence. But dozens of Jewish scientists, journalists, doctors, powerful anti-Nazi activists and children would find their way to freedom and start new lives as a result of their efforts. To recognize their heroic sacrifice, Martha and Waitstill were honored at Yad Vashem in Israel and declared “Righteous Among the Nations.” Of the thousands so honored, there are only five Americans, including the Sharps. "Defying The Nazis" is cinematically told through the letters and journals of the Sharps, with Tom Hanks as the voice of Waitstill and Marina Goldman as the voice of Martha. It features firsthand interviews with the now adult children whom the Sharps saved, as well as leading historians, authors and Holocaust scholars, including William Schulz, Deborah Dwork, Modecai Paldiel, Ghanda DiFiglia and Yehuda Bauer. QUOTES ABOUT THE FILM: “The Sharps’ early grasp of the true nature of the Nazi threat and their willingness to leave the safety of America and take action to help endangered refugees was a rare act at a time of widespread indifference,” said Sara J. Bloomfield, director, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “Their courage and sacrifice should inspire us to reflect deeply on our own responsibilities in a world that also faces many challenges.” “The Sharps’ story is inspiring modern day faith leaders to action. Unitarian Universalists are partnering with Jews, Christians and Muslims to carry on the Sharps’ legacy by standing up against religious bigotry, Islamophobia and indifference in the face of today’s refugee crises. Hundreds of actions are being planned for the book and film’s release across the country through the Defying the Nazis UU Action Project. The Unitarian Universalist Association, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee and Meadville Lombard Theological School are encouraging all UUs and multi-faith partners to honor the Sharps by working to advance the values for which they sacrificed,” said UUSC President Rev. Dr. William F. Schulz. “The Sharps answered the call of their faith, risking their life to save others. Their selfless dedication to a more just world is an example for Unitarian Universalists and all who care about human rights.” CONNECT: "Defying The Nazis: The Sharps’ War" is on Facebook, Instagram, and you can follow @defyingthenazis on Twitter. Follow @KenBurns on Twitter. #SharpsWarPBS CREDITS: A co-production of No Limits Media, Inc., and Florentine Films, in association with WETA Washington, D.C. A film by Ken Burns and Artemis Joukowsky. Produced by Ken Burns and Matthew Justus. Executive produced by Ken Burns. Edited by Erik Angra. Music by Sheldon Mirowitz. Copyright: Farm Pond Pictures, LLC. Artemis Joukowsky was the featured guest on KPBS Midday Edition, Tuesday, Sept. 20. Listen to his interview. Defying the Nazis: The Sharps' War \| Trailer Your browser does not support inline frames or is currently configured not to display inline frames. Content can be viewed at actual source page. Ken Burns Discusses Defying the Nazis: The Sharps' War Your browser does not support inline frames or is currently configured not to display inline frames. Content can be viewed at actual source page. A Willingness to Act Your browser does not support inline frames or is currently configured not to display inline frames. Content can be viewed at actual source page. Martha's Emigration Project Your browser does not support inline frames or is currently configured not to display inline frames. Content can be viewed at actual source page. To view PDF documents, Download Acrobat Reader.?The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism will review what went wrong in the making of the now-disputed Rolling Stone article that centered on an alleged gang rape at the University of Virginia. According to CNN, Rolling Stone's publisher, Jann Wenner, requested the review by Columbia University. Wenner said once the review of the editorial process is finished, the report will be published. The article, which was published on November 19, detailed the account of one student, ‘Jackie', in an alleged gang rape at a fraternity house in 2012. It also criticized UVA for having a so-called "rape culture". Rolling Stone later apologized for the article, citing discrepancies. The University of Virginia has said, regardless of whether the accusations are true or not, they are committed to work toward change on grounds. Click here for NBC29 In Depth coverage of the Rolling Stone article and its impact at UVA.My favorite NBA column every year is Zach Lowe's "Annual Tiers of the NBA" opus, which comes out in the days leading up to every season. Like all true hoops junkies, I usually have the date circled on the calendar. Then the story comes out, and I make fun of the Knicks until Ben Baer and David Gass cry, and that's how I really know the season of my second-favorite sport is about to start. So with a tip of the cap to Mr. Lowe, here's my own version of that very column, MLS-style. What follows are not hard-and-fast Power Rankings, per se, but rather something a little more loose in terms of talent level, cohesion, chemistry, and all the et ceteras that make teams tick. Jump to a specific club Atlanta United FC Chicago Fire Colorado Rapids Columbus Crew SC D.C. United FC Dallas Houston Dynamo LA Galaxy Minnesota United FC Montreal Impact New England Revolution New York City FC New York Red Bulls Orlando City SC Philadelphia Union Portland Timbers Real Salt Lake San Jose Earthquakes Seattle Sounders Sporting Kansas City Toronto FC Vancouver Whitecaps These teams are mostly in the order I think they'll finish, but what really matters is the tier designations. TIER I: FRONTRUNNERS Toronto FC Yeah, I have the vanquished MLS Cup finalists here. But they were vanquished only after holding the Seattle Sounders without a shot on target – and just three shots, total – for 120 minutes before falling on penalties. Then they brought 95 percent of that team back, added a key piece in midfield and another in defense, and finally enter a season with a concrete identity and plan. The Reds are a 3-5-2/5-3-2 team that will, first and foremost, press high and make teams uncomfortable. They will play on the front foot, and attack through Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore, the league's best forward pair. Seattle memorably asked "And what else?" back in December, to which TFC's response was "not much." I still think the hosts would've won if they'd subbed Tosaint Ricketts on sooner, but the big need correctly identified was more playmaking in attacking midfield. So they went out and got Spaniard Victor Vazquez, who has done a job for a very good Club Brugge team for most of the decade. I don't see a weakness to this team unless Drew Moor gets hurt. I think they can survive without Giovinco, Altidore or Michael Bradley for a time, and we know they'll be fine if they lose Clint Irwin for a bit, and I not-so-secretly think that Jay Chapman will be better than Vazquez. WEEK 1 LINEUP NOTE: I have Jonathan Osorio holding onto his starting job for now, but it'll probably be one of Vazquez or Chapman in the long run. Seattle Sounders They lifted the Cup, they improved, they got younger, they got their star healthy, and they're still not No. 1. I'm sure Sounders fans will be a barrel of laughs in the comments section. Seattle have a number of things going for them, starting with Nicolas Lodeiro playing inverted on the right as kind of a No. 10, and kind of a winger. He goes wherever he wants in attack, and the Sounders have the structure to support his wandering thanks to the straight-ahead pragmatism and simplicity of the 4-2-3-1 they play. For the first time, though, they also have depth on the "2" line of that formation. For the past eight years it was death if Osvaldo Alonso was out but now he has a blooded, high-quality backup in Swede Gustav Svensson. Ozzie may finally be able to take a weekend off without the world falling apart in his absence. There are three concerns, I think, with this team: Backline depth (they'll add another piece or two, I'm sure) Speed in the attack outside of Jordan Morris Clint Dempsey's health Even if they only get the right answer to two out of those three, they're still a top four team in this league. And since the West is weaker than the East this year (!!!), maybe they're the Supporters' Shield favorites? WEEK 1 LINEUP NOTE: Svensson will play right back in place of the injured Brad Evans for now. Also, it sounds a little bit like Dempsey won't start this weekend, but I don't believe that. FC Dallas They're the only team in league history that's topped 60 points twice in a row. They brought back an improved defense, an improved front line, and arguably improved wingers. Kellyn Acosta looks like he's ready to have something close to a Best XI season. Buy Reggie Cannon stock. Cristian Colman looked active, strong and dangerous in his Hoops debut. There are no longer any real goalscorer questions with this team. There remains, however, the Mauro Diaz question. I don't expect the Magic Little Unicorn™ to be healthy, really, until 2018, and that means Dallas will have to toggle between a counterattacking 4-4-2 (which is what they started in against Arabe Unido last week) with Maxi Urruti pairing Colman, or a more compact 4-2-3-1 with ageless warlock Javier Morales as the No. 10 underneath a lone forward. I think both looks will work even as they face better competition than Arabe Unido, and I also think they have more depth than at any point in the past, in virtually any spot. The one question mark may be behind Morales, but even there they have youngster Paxton Pomykal (he might be more of a No. 8, but still), who by all accounts had a monstrous winter. And we know Oscar Pareja doesn't mind playing the kids. There will be some early bumps in the road, and – win or lose – an inevitable CCL hangover. Nonetheless, everyone should expect Dallas to be in it for the long haul. WEEK 1 LINEUP NOTE: There are a few regular starters (Michael Barrios and Maynor Figueroa) not in this XI. I'm making allowances for their CCL workload and some squad rotation. There could be a little more, maybe a little less depending upon what happens Wednesday. New York Red Bulls I strongly considered moving RBNY down to the next tier thanks to their ugly start to the year in CCL play (a 1-1 home draw isn't a disaster, but it's not inspiring), their backline injuries, real questions about their switch to a new formation, and the absence of their captain. But this team is still loaded. They have the best goalscorer in the league, one of the most prolific set-up men in MLS history, a former Best XI defender who's still in his prime, and a herd of academy kids ranging from "Very Good and Should be a Contributor" (Derrick Etienne) to "Best Young American Talent, non-Pulisic Division" (Tyler Adams). Once they all get healthy, this team will be as deep as anybody in the league thanks to savvy shopping, but also to their approach toward developing academy kids and USL players (Aaron Long will see lots of minutes in central defense). The big question – the one to which there is no answer as yet – is whether or not they're as deep with game-changing attacking quality as the other three in this group. We know the answers for Bradley Wright-Phillips and Sacha Kljestan, but we're still waiting to see on Daniel Royer and especially Gonzalo Veron. If both those guys come good, RBNY will be in the argument for the top spot. If neither does, we can probably drop them a tier. WEEK 1 LINEUP NOTE: Squad rotation could wreck havoc here, since NY play at Vancouver on Thursday, then at Atlanta on Sunday. They really need Gideon Baah, Connor Lade and Kemar Lawrence to get healthy, and Etienne to be an answer in attack. TIER II: CONTENDERS Columbus Crew SC I believe in expected goals models. That doesn't mean that I think they're infallible, or that I think they're all perfectly accurate, or that "bad luck" can't grab a team by the throat for more than a year at a time. It means, simply, that I think they're more predictive than other metrics we have, and I'm particularly prone to believe them when they match the eye test. To me, the eye test for last year's Crew SC said two things: They were still an attacking juggernaut (they made Adam Jahn look like Ruud Van Nistelrooy for god's sake) despite shoddy finishing, and they were constantly let down by an error-prone defense. For the first part of that, I don't think they'll be as poor in front of goal this year, and the team we saw from August onward (24 goals in 13 games) is the real Columbus, not the group that scored just 26 goals in 21 games from March through the end of July. For the second part, Gregg Berhalter & Co. went out and signed a DP center back, brought in two high-upside rookies, a possible new starter at left back, a likely new starter at defensive midfield, and Zack Steffen in goal. That's a lot of new faces to integrate, but I have a hunch it'll work. If you're looking for a bounce-back team to wager on, here you go. WEEK 1 LINEUP NOTE: Of the rookie center backs, Homegrown Alex Crognale has been the more impressive according to reports. If Berhalter decides he needs more size back there (a constant issue for Columbus over the past two seasons), expect Crognale to get the call. Portland Timbers There has been some furious debate in the halls of MLS Digital about the correct/appropriate placement of the Timbers. They are so very clearly very thin in central defense, where they just had to trade for a 32-year-old defensive midfielder in order to plug a hole, that it's fairly easy to talk one's self into this team leaking goals on the regular. But with new d-mid David Guzman sitting in front of the back line and Diego Chara chewing up ground as he goes box-to-box, I think the worries at center back are probably a touch overstated. They're still there, mind you, but it's not like teams are going to be able to set up shop and pick Portland apart. The attack, meanwhile, should be one of the league's best. Fanendo Adi has been unstoppable in the preseason, Sebastian Blanco is great sidekick for Diego Valeri, and Darlington Nagbe has been able to constantly bring left back Vytautas Andriuskevicius into the play on the overlap. It's been fearsome, and it's not like you can go send help – leave a single center back to deal with Adi in the area, and you're picking the ball out of your own net one way or the other. Lack of depth relative to the rest of best will hurt this team, but there's real reason to think Portland will climb well past the red line in 2017. WEEK 1 LINEUP NOTE: Expect reinforcements at right center back near the end of spring. Sporting KC They're going to operate like they always operate, with a high-pressure, front-foot 4-3-3 that's designed to try to win the ball back as quickly as possible and smother teams before they can build attacks. And they're going to have to answer the same question they always have to answer: Who, besides, Dom Dwyer, is going to be a real goal threat in open play? Two years ago they had an answer for that, and last year they didn't, and so this offseason they went shopping. There's a new DP in Gerso Fernandes, and a high-scoring young winger from Ghanaian named Latif Blessing, and a Homegrown Hungarian, and Soony Saad is back, and... well, there needs to be an answer. One of those guys has to do the job, or SKC will be stuck in third gear for the fourth year running. I also, for the first time in a while, have real questions about the defense. Matt Besler was injured this offseason, and neither Ike Opara nor Kevin Ellis has ever really been a full time starter; Erik Palmer-Brown is busy playing d-mid for the US U-20s; Graham Zusi looks to be replacing Saad Abdul-Salaam at right back; Jimmy Medranda is playing in the midfield or on the wing. That's a lot of turnover, and not all of it strictly necessary. WEEK 1 LINEUP NOTE: Expect Gerso and Medranda to swap sides a bit. D.C. United On paper, this is a better and deeper version of the group that doused opposing defenses in kerosene and lit them on fire over the final three months of the 2016 season. United were a stylish and relentless attacking juggernaut out of a 4-1-4-1 that – IMO, anyway – often played like a 4-3-3 with pinched in winger and overlapping fullbacks. It left them exposed at the back at times, but they outscored teams 33-21 over the final 13 games of the season. Any coach in their right mind would take a +12 goal differential down the stretch. It looks like 2017's version of United will try to be the same team, only more so. Sean Franklin is now primarily a center back, and Nick DeLeon is a right back, and Ian Harkes is a potential game-breaker as a No. 8. Even the fact that Lucho Acosta is nursing a knock shouldn't slow this team down too much, since Julian Buescher was damn good in limited minutes last year. Out goes one young playmaker, in steps another. I keep kind of feeling like the other shoe's going to drop with this group. But if it doesn't, they will have gone about building a legitimate contender in a radically different way than most of the other teams in the top half of the table, and front offices around MLS will take note. WEEK 1 LINEUP NOTE: If Acosta can't go, Buescher is the most natural playmaker replacement. But there's also a chance Ben Olsen could decide to start Jared Jeffrey and make Harkes more of a No. 10. Of course, Jeffrey might start in front of Harkes anyway, so... yeah, it's a bit of a question. LA Galaxy There is a distinct lack of depth in the defense, and a distinct longness of tooth, and because of that there are many, many folks who are trying to talk themselves into the notion that the Galaxy may be actually, factually bad. I am nearly one of them. But I can't quite get there. This team will certainly struggle at times, and both fullback spots are big, fat red flags, and Gyasi Zardes needs to get healthy soon and who knows how the central midfield will click? But in terms of raw talent, LA are still in the top 30 percent of MLS teams, and it's hard to bet outright against that. So what will happen out of the gates? I suspect we'll see some high-scoring games, a bunch of goals from Gio Dos Santos, and Jermaine Jones playing like a man with something to prove. That may not be super-sustainable, but it should be entertaining as hell as this franchise finds its way in the post-Bruce Arena era. WEEK 1 LINEUP NOTE: It could be Jack McBean up top instead of Ariel Lassiter. I'm pretty sure about the rest of those spots, though. TIER III: THE PACK New York City FC I'm obviously afraid to make any guarantees with this team one way or another, so I'm just going to stick them straight in the middle. NYCFC have gotten younger in goal, on the backline, in midfield and on the wings. They have legitimate talent in depth, and I think Patrick Vieira learned a lot about what to do and a little about what not to do (welcome to the postseason!) in Year 1 as a head coach. I think David Villa has at least one more year in his tank, and that Jonathan Lewis is a special talent, as is – obviously – Jack Harrison. I think they will produce the most methodical and prettiest goal build-ups of any team in the league this season. I think Maxi Moralez has a chance to be very, very good in this league. I think we should all enjoy what's probably the final year of the Andrea Pirlo era. I don't know what to think beyond that. Their expected goals totals from last year say this team should regress, but there was such a heavy home/away tilt it's almost impossible to divine anything from that. The lack of Frank Lampard and Andoni Iraola in midfield says they should regress, but maybe this team needed to move on from the veterans? The questions on the backline say the team should regress, but... well, you know the drill. WEEK 1 LINEUP NOTE: Alexander Callens could sneak into that central defense, and there's a chance McNamara and Moralez will flip spots. Montreal Impact Montreal scare the pants off of everybody in the league when they get out on the counter. The speed of Dominic Oduro, the vision and cunning of Matteo Mancosu, and the everything of Ignacio Piatti were just about impossible to contain in November. They went to Toronto and exposed what was one of the league's best defenses in the Eastern Conference Championship – a defense that pitched as comprehensive an MLS Cup shutout as the league has ever seen. It wasn't just those three guys up top, though. The Old Man Game in central midfield, with Patrice Bernier, Hernan Bernardello and Marco Donadel, is strong. Those guys nail every rotation and it's impossible to pull them apart. But for as much as Montreal exposed the Reds, the Reds exposed Montreal. The Impact were, by some margin, the worst team in the league defending set pieces, and they lost because of it. They're also not a particularly good team attacking static, deep backlines. Right now it feels very much like they're going to do what they do, and hope nobody makes them adjust. WEEK 1 LINEUP NOTE: I've got nothing for you. What you see is what you get! New England Revolution It could go really, really well for the Revs in 2017. Or, as happened in 2016, they could give up goal after goal on crosses, important players could miss huge chunks of time with injuries, and they could tattoo every inch of woodwork on every goal frame from sea to shining sea. Putting them in the middle of the pack really is a cop-out, because I think the Revs could be a pretty sneaky contender. At the same time, I think the wheels could fall off and they'll be roadkill. I'm going to have more on the Revs elsewhere in the coming days, so I'll keep this brief: I'm 95 percent sure this team will sink or swim based upon the quality of the new signings in central defense, as well as the health of Xavier Kouassi. Because I think their front five (and subs) stack up against anybody in the league. WEEK 1 LINEUP NOTE: Last time I had Lee Nguyen on the bench, and the time before that it was Scott Caldwell. This time, it's Diego Fagundez's turn. Colorado Rapids Only Houston generated fewer expected goals than Colorado last year, and nobody scored fewer inside the 18. Plus the Rapids overperformed their expected goals against by just about 10 – they conceded just 32 on an expected goals total of 41.68. Can you feel me building up to it? OK, here goes: I don't believe in the Rapids. I really do think last year was fluky, and while their defense will be good once again, they're not going to be "setting records for the most one-goal wins"-level good. On top of that, this is a team that lacks the type of depth we see in other spots around MLS. I'm almost talking myself into dropping them a tier, but I won't. Why? Because they will have cohesion and chemistry, and they will be very difficult to break down, and that's an excellent formula for picking up results early in the season. "Don't do dumb things" is a perfectly acceptable approach while trying to figure out how to generate an attack, even if it doesn't make for the most attractive soccer. In other words, I know the Rapids will know who they are out of the gate. I can't say the same for the teams below. WEEK 1 LINEUP NOTE: Burgundy Wave did a really good job of breaking down the other starting XI possibilities this past week. Give 'em a click! Chicago Fire Dax McCarty has more freedom to push into the attack, it appears, than he's had at any point since 2010. That's a testament to the newfound strength in this team's deep-central midfield – with McCarty and Juninho, the Fire will be rock solid, experienced, and championship-pedigreed. But "let's get one of the league's best d-mids higher up the pitch!" doesn't seem like a perfect recipe for chance generation in the MLS of 2017. Chicago will do work on the break, for sure, and they looked legitimately dangerous late last season once Brandon Vincent figured out how to time his overlaps. There's a lot of stuff to work with, especially with their array of pure attackers. I think they'll go into a full-on stall when they face a static defense, and they absolutely will face a static defense on the regular if they're scoring goals from week to week. The other big issue for Chicago is that it's not clear the backline can defend "on their own," so to speak. They were good defensively when they played a pure bunker, but couldn't generate any offense. They were pretty good in attack when they got on the ball, but were almost comically porous defensively in those moments. It was all one thing, or all the other. They've got to find balance. WEEK 1 LINEUP NOTE: Maybe flip Juninho and McCarty a bit? Also, for a team that underwent a ton of changes, this lineup has remained pretty predictable (I think). I haven't changed it since January. Atlanta United If their young South American attackers are as good as the hype, then we can bump Atlanta up comfortably into the second tier. If they struggle to jell, struggle to defend, struggle to travel or play at altitude or on turf or in the cold, then things can get pretty "expansion"-y at Bobby Dodd Stadium this spring because that defense isn't going to save them. The other thing is that it seems like the powers that be for Atlanta have gone all-in on Tata Martino's ability to get the most out of this particular bunch, because I can't imagine they have much TAM or GAM left over after this winter's spending spree. These guys will all have to fit together and improve together and eventually win together, because other than Brad Guzan, there's not going to be much help on the way. And yet... I've got them in this tier for a reason. A number of the guys they brought in are legitimate talents, and they have a helping of veteran knowhow in the locker room, and that home crowd of theirs should be a factor. WEEK 1 LINEUP NOTE: If Julian Gressel really has nailed down a starting job, he's got the inside track for Rookie of the Year, I think. Real Salt Lake I originally had them one tier down, but upon second look that was harsh. Both Joao Plata and Yura Movsisyan are very good attackers in this league, and Albert Rusnak has the profile of someone who should be. Jordan Allen has been good on the right wing in preseason, and Brooks Lennon has been good on the right wing for the US U-20s. Right there you've got an attacking foursome with a little bit of depth that should work. More concerning is everything behind it, and how it all stays together. This group really did look and play like a collection of individuals for much of last season, and injuries took a toll just when things seemed to be coming together. On top of that there's the ticking expiration clock on Kyle Beckerman, Nick Rimando and Demar Phillips. For a team caught between generations, lots of things have to go right and stay right in order to compete. On the flip side: I see elite young talent on every line – Plata, Allen, Rusnak, maaaaybe Lennon, Justen Glad and perhaps Omar Holness. Tony Beltran, Stephen Sunday and Aaron Maund are good players in their respective primes, and there are more promise-filled youngsters coming up through the ranks. In general, I'm not sure if RSL are actually closer to competing this season than they were last year. The short-term could get ugly. But I'm convinced they've moved significantly closer in the long run. WEEK 1 LINEUP NOTE: Glad is a fulltime starter once he returns from the U-20s. TIER IV: OPEN QUESTIONS Orlando City SC I've already tweeted this like five times, but I'll let repetition be my friend here: I'm like 150 percent more excited for Orlando City than I thought I'd be, and it's almost entirely because Jason Kreis is coming home to the 4-4-2 diamond. (I'm uncomfortable calling it that until we see what the rotations are defensively, so this might be better called a 4-3-1-2, but it's damn close to the diamond either way). Kreis's RSL teams played beautiful soccer in that formation, won an MLS Cup and came agonizingly close to a CCL title, and generally set the standard, aesthetically, in MLS for more than half a decade. It's not that he can't coach a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1 or a 3-5-2, but there's something vaguely comforting about seeing a Kreis-led team in the diamond. It'll be doubly fun if it works as well in attack as I think it could. Kaká's best years came as the No. 10 in AC Milan's diamond, and Cyle Larin + Carlos Rivas up top seems like as natural a forward pairing as you could hope for. Are there worries on the backline? Of course! RSL gave away the flanks back in the day, and dared you to beat them in the air because they had Jamison Olave and Nat Borchers to cut out crosses. OCSC have nothing approaching that combo, so there will have to be adjustments, and they still might give up 60 goals. But they might score 65. I love this and am excited for every part of it. WEEK 1 LINEUP NOTE: The Lions haven't been publishing their lineups this preseason, so some of these are guesses. I have to admit that I really only care about that trio up top at this point, though. Philadelphia Union I end up talking myself into the Union being contenders every year, and it hasn't happened. And they're one of the few teams in the East that I can look at and think "They didn't really get better this offseason, did they?" I'm not sure Chris Pontius can string together two straight healthy and productive years; I'm not sure that Oguchi Onyewu has anything left in the tank; I'm not sure either Keegan Rosenberry or Fabian Herbers will avoid the sophomore slump; I'm not sure Josh Yaro or Maurice Edu will ever be fully healthy; I'm not sure they'll ever really figure out how to replace Vincent Noguiera. That last one is the big one: Philly racked up points at the level of a playoff team with Nogueira in the lineup over the last two years, and at something much, much less than that when he wasn't. It's Haris Medunjanin's job to replicate that in 2017, and Jim Curtin's first big decision will be who to pair in deep central midfield with the talented but relatively stationary Bosnian string-puller. If the Union don't get that right, almost none of the other stuff really matters all that much. And because I'm a risk-taker, I'm going to go ahead and predict Homegrown youngster Derrick Jones to get the job. WEEK 1 LINEUP NOTE: Roland Alberg? Fafa Picault? Ilson Jr? Ken Tribbett? Giliano Wijnaldum? Honestly... I don't know. Any one of those guys could play a huge role, or none at all. Minnesota United FC I've been beating this drum all offseason: The Loons are underrated. They have a lot of talent from within CONCACAF who shouldn't have much trouble adjusting to the rigors of the league, and they have a playmaker in the prime of his career who put up 11/8 as a third option in 2016, and they have, in Collen Warner, a rugged and reliable d-mid who should prevent the middle of the field ahead of the central defense from getting too soft or sloppy. They have more than a dozen guys who've represented their country on one level or another. They have the No. 1 draft pick, Abu Danladi. They have some real answers, but like every expansion team they have a whole bunch of questions that will keep popping up one after another after another over the course of the season, and that will wear this group down. No expansion team has made the playoffs since the Sounders in 2009, and I don't think MNUFC are going to be the ones to end that streak. I do think they'll get a lot closer, and be a lot more fun than people expect, though. And I'm going to give you an out-of-the-blue name to watch out for: Collin Martin. He was excellent in preseason, and I think he'll get real minutes in a No. 8 role, or perhaps as a pseudo No. 10 if Adrian Heath decides it's smarter to move Kevin Molino back to the wing. WEEK 1 LINEUP NOTE: If the Francisco Calvo/Vadim Demidov proved vulnerable in the air, it's entirely possible that Calvo will be moved to left back and Joe Greenspan will start getting minutes in central defense. Vancouver Whitecaps They made two big moves this offseason to rebuild the attack. One of the newcomers (Yordy Reyna) is hurt, and won't play until the summer. The other (Fredy Montero) is a 'tweener forward who hasn't managed to score double-digit goals in either of the last two seasons. They've opened the season, CCL-style, playing winger Kekuta Manneh as a No. 10, and "Yeah but who's gonna score the goals?" is a good question for the fourth year running. This could all come good, since Manneh on one side and Alphonso Davies on the other seems like a devastating pair of wingers, and since Matias Laba remains a rock in central midfield, and since the central defense is rugged but functional, and since David Ousted is one of the seven- or
— sometimes even from themselves. One woman, “on learning in college of the basis of the problems that had tortured her during her early educational experience, wept for weeks.” Perhaps the most well-known mental disorder, but the one that is least often viewed in terms of cognitive impairment or difference, is depression. Though also strongly associated with problems in the brain, the characteristics of depression are markedly different from those of autism, ADHD, and dyslexia. Neurological theories of depression hold that it is caused by deficiencies or imbalances in neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, which is thought to stabilize moods. The most common class of antidepressant medications is that of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, such as Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil, which increase serotonin levels between neurons by keeping the cells from reabsorbing it. This helps to maintain the level of activity and firing between the neurons. The symptoms of depression are all too familiar. Ludwig van Beethoven described the experience in an 1802 letter: With joy I hasten towards death — if it comes before I shall have had an opportunity to show all my artistic capacities it will still come too early for me despite my hard fate and I shall probably wish it had come later — but even then I am satisfied, will it not free me from my state of endless suffering? Come when thou will I shall meet thee bravely. Beethoven would live another twenty-five years, but wrote this while suffering from deep depression, and while losing his hearing. Armstrong notes that, over the course of their lifetimes, nearly 13 percent of Americans experience major depressive disorders — classified as episodes of “low mood, negativity, insomnia, and other indicators” lasting for at least two weeks. Depression may last far longer than this, however, and often recurs for years or across a lifetime. Without psychotherapy or medication, people suffering from depression are at a high risk for harming themselves. The disadvantages of autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and depression are very real, and are what lead them to be considered disorders. But what those clamoring for cures often neglect, and what the term “neurodiversity” seeks to recognize, is that these disorders often also bring unusual abilities. For example, people with Asperger’s syndrome (AS), a high-functioning type of autism, have an uncanny capacity to see details. They score higher than non-autistics on block-design tests, in which children are asked to use colored blocks to match a pattern given to them. They have better abilities to identify shapes, and are more likely to have prodigious talents, such as perfect pitch and highly accurate memories. Temple Grandin, the accomplished animal scientist with AS, has heightened visual-spatial abilities that grant her both a knack for envisaging the workings of machinery and a keen insight into the way that animals perceive the world. As a consultant for McDonald’s, she has combined these talents to revolutionize the way that slaughterhouses are run, designing them to minimize the pain and fear that animals feel during processing. (Her work in this area was the focus of HBO’s 2010 biographical movie Temple Grandin.) Daniel Tammet, who also has AS, memorized over twenty thousand digits of pi and recited them in five hours. In his book, Tammet shows a diagram he used to memorize all of these digits. To most people, it would appear to just be a line graph with peaks and troughs, but Tammet associated these peaks and troughs with thousands of numbers. Many employers highly value such visual-spatial skills and orientation to detail. Thomas Armstrong describes Thorkil Sonne, the executive of a Danish software company, who searches for people with AS to serve as his software testers; Sonne’s company benefits from their fastidiousness, amazing memory, and ability to concentrate. ADHD has potential benefits similar to those of autism. Although the notion is now perhaps too well-worn that our biological evolution lags behind our cultural development and our traits are best suited for an environment in which we no longer live, the idea is rather more plausible when it comes to ADHD. As Armstrong argues, people with what is now called ADHD would, in a hunter-gatherer setting, have been “always moving, always vigilant,” making them more wary of potential threats. They may have been more likely to be explorers or to discover new sources of food. The advantages ADHD might have had for our hunter-gatherer ancestors may seem ill-suited to an era that requires focus more than restlessness and vigilance. But in addition to the roving style of attention that often makes people with ADHD seem inattentive and restless, they also often possess an ability to focus for hours on specific activities or tasks that greatly stimulate or interest them. This “homing attention,” as Armstrong calls it, is evident in “rock climbers negotiating steep mountain cliffs” and “surgeons engaged in twelve-hour sessions in the operating room.” Certain professions actually demand characteristics that are much more prevalent in people with ADHD. People with dyslexia also have certain impressive skills generally lacking in non-dyslexics. They can easily recognize patterns and anomalies in patterns. They sometimes also possess greater visual-spatial abilities, including ease with visualizing objects and systems in three dimensions. Similar to the abilities of autistics like Temple Grandin, they can sometimes visualize machines in their mind, and can tinker with these images — changing, adding to, and subtracting from them. Dyslexics also tend to be especially creative, for, as Thomas G. West notes, “one might see visual thinking, spatial ability, pattern recognition, problem solving, and related forms of creativity as linked together in a continuum.” The creativity of dyslexics can enable them to make groundbreaking discoveries and, sometimes, to compensate professionally for their disability. West tells of Susan Hampshire, a dyslexic and an actress, who could not read scripts for the stage. Instead, she “devised a personal system of pictures, symbols and other cues to help her.” Baruj Benacerraf, a dyslexic who is a former president of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and a Nobel laureate for his work in immunology, claims that his ability to visualize objects in three dimensions has greatly aided him in his research. While depression may seem simply dysfunctional, even this condition has some advantages for those who suffer from it — although it is difficult to establish a biological connection between the symptoms of depression and the special abilities of those who suffer from it. These abilities seem to be tied to the closely related disorder of manic depression. Kay Redfield Jamison, a psychiatrist who has written extensively on this topic, claims that manic depression is correlated with artistic temperament. In Touched with Fire (1993), she recounts various studies showing that artists have far higher rates of manic depression than the general population. Jamison herself studied forty-seven British writers and visual artists who were highly accomplished in their respective fields, and found that 38 percent of them had been treated for a mood disorder, with most of those requiring medication or hospitalization. In the 1970s, another researcher at the University of Iowa examined thirty creative writers and found that 80 percent had had at least one episode of major depression. Jamison also cites Harvard psychologist Ruth Richards, who found that manic depressives, as well as their relatives, showed higher creativity than those without such family histories. The state of mania apparently heightens performance on certain creative tests, like the ability to produce original responses on word-association tasks. People in manic states also have increased abilities to produce rhymes, puns, and sound associations. Moreover, although many people assume that high creative production leads to elevated mood and low creative production leads to depression, studies seem to suggest that the order works in reverse: In what sounds like a clinical reformulation of the old notion of visitation from the Muses, Jamison found that “writers and artists... reported pronounced elevations in mood just prior to their periods of intense creative activity.” Describing in Scientific American the biological uniqueness of the manic-depressive mind, Jamison writes that it is “an alert, sensitive system that reacts strongly and swiftly. It responds to the world with a wide range of emotional, perceptual, intellectual, behavioral, and energy changes.” There is a risk, however, in romanticizing the advantages of neurological disorder, and forgetting how painful and difficult these disorders can be. Romanticizing the connection between depression and artistic creativity, for instance, is not only dubious but also dangerous. Those heightened creative capacities are mostly associated with mania — which occurs only in some depressives, and even for them only intermittently. Not all depressives can write poetry or music, and the suffering of the artists themselves is at least as great as the works that it inspires. Even if there are special advantages conferred to the depressive mind, it seems problematic, even cruel, to apply the term neurodiversity to those who need intensive therapy and medication simply to live and appreciate living. Similar cautions apply to our understanding of other neurological disorders. For instance, while there are obvious advantages to the heightened visual-spatial cognition of autistics, they have other traits that are much less clearly beneficial. Their nervous systems are hypersensitive, so that a simple knock on the door, tolerable to a normal child, can send shock waves through autistic children, much as a high-pitched fire alarm brings most people to plug their ears and recoil in pain. Temple Grandin tells of how, as a child, she was “scared to death” of balloons popping because the sound caused so much pain in her ears. Some autistic people, she says, can even sense the flicker of household fluorescent lights turning on and off sixty times every second. This sensitivity also extends to touch. Grandin “wanted to experience the good feeling of being hugged, but it was just too overwhelming. It was like a great all-engulfing tidal wave of stimulation, and I reacted like a wild animal. Being touched triggered flight; it flipped my circuit breaker.” But autistics still need physical contact and pressure in order to relax. Ultimately, Grandin built a contraption that provides this to her on a regular basis: called a “squeeze machine,” it puts pressure on her body and calms her nervous system. Oliver Sacks writes of Grandin that this device opens a door “into an otherwise closed emotional world and allows her, almost teaches her, to feel empathy for others.” The difficulties of cognitive disorders are much more pronounced for individuals at the lower-functioning ends of the spectrums of these conditions. They are also harder to see — for these are just the individuals who tend to be much less vocal and visible in public discussions. The kinds of autism, for example, that the public most often hears about and sees depicted in media are usually the high-functioning ones, such as AS. Spokesmen like Temple Grandin or Daniel Tammet are able to write books about their condition; they adjust to society, find jobs, and learn to deal with people. The darker side of autism has few voices. Low-functioning autistics typically don’t have blogs, books, or jobs. Many times, autistics grow up mute, rocking back and forth, flinging their hands up and down, unable to interact with others. Additionally, parents may shoulder great responsibilities when they have children with autism. Grandin writes that “young children with autism need at least twenty hours a week of intensive one to one teaching by an adult.” Parents must also pay for and participate in these sessions and deal with inexplicable temper tantrums, a child’s inability to speak, and a child’s social and emotional isolation, including difficulty in even hugging a parent. For many autistics, it seems condescending to label their conditions as cases to be appreciated under the rubric of neurodiversity rather than genuine disorder. ADHD also causes great frustration, as Blake E. S. Taylor recounts in his memoir ADHD and Me, which he wrote during high school and published while a student at Berkeley. Taylor describes how, while taking a test on the Odyssey, he found his mind wandering: “I think about slalom racing down the packed powder, cold dry air on my face.... The distractions, like Circe, entice you and beckon you to daydream and enjoy yourself.” Even during a test, which forces most young people to concentrate — and when concentration is most crucial — those with ADHD have little ability to control their thoughts and focus. Nor are these the kinds of distractions which most people would face for a fleeting moment when thinking about epic poetry; under many circumstances, they can be all-consuming. Another scene in Taylor’s book vividly illustrates how far the impulsivity of a patient with ADHD goes beyond that of a normal child. One evening, Taylor watched as his sister played with a lighter. Though he had been taught safety procedures and understood the consequences and hazards of fire, he could “only think of lighting something — anything — on fire to see what will happen.” Taylor took a bottle of eyeglass cleaner and poured it on the flame — creating a blaze that nearly burned down his house. This is a classic story of ADHD: a child doesn’t specifically want to cause mischief, but craves stimulation and lacks self-control. ADHD is perhaps the neurological disorder most closely associated with childhood: according to the CDC, 7 percent of Americans between ages six and eleven have been diagnosed with it. But it is not just children who confront these difficulties. In the Wall Street Journal, adult ADHD patient Ali Bauman writes, “I had a messy bedroom and a string of minor accidents that I could never explain. I couldn’t keep the house clean, pay bills, get things done on time. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to do it, I just wasn’t capable of doing it.” Over 4 percent of U.S. adults have also been diagnosed with ADHD. Like children with the disorder, these adults often require medications like Ritalin to allow the focus required to keep their lives in order. Dyslexics may face even greater difficulties because of the relative lack of understanding the general public has about their condition. People with dyslexia often hide their disability because of the stigma and misunderstanding surrounding it; many people consider dyslexia and its symptoms to be a sign of stupidity, even though dyslexics have the same range of intelligence as the average population. As Thomas G. West writes, “there are no rewards for revelation, and the penalties can take the most humiliating forms.” Though dyslexics sometimes find their niche in society because of their visual-spatial and creative abilities, their disorder makes it difficult for them to perform the linguistic tasks necessary for passing through even elementary school. West recounts the stories of children who are laughed at by their peers for being unable to stand up and read fluently in class. Worse yet, teachers can fail to understand why certain students cannot read, and often end up putting dyslexics in special-education classes intended for children with below-average intelligence. All of these factors may take a heavy emotional toll, and can combine to keep dyslexic students from aspiring to greater goals — perhaps handicapping them for life. The question of whether autism, ADHD, depression, and dyslexia should be considered disorders or appreciated as a matter of neurodiversity is not, as it might appear, simply a matter of terminology or political correctness. For at stake is not only how people with these conditions should be regarded — pitied or perhaps ennobled — but whether and how they should be included, treated, or cured. For one group of advocates, the move to normalize neurological disorders is a form of gross medical irresponsibility — an ignorant act of cruelty rather than of toleration toward people who are suffering. Lenny Schafer, who has an adopted son with severe autism, in a recent issue of the online Schafer Autism Report notes research finding that boys with autism are more likely to be bullied, and that obesity, hypertension, and diabetes are linked to the risk of autism. Schafer told New York magazine that “it’s like stealing money from the tin cup of a blind man when you say that it’s not an illness.” The difficulty, however, does not simply lie in whether to treat or not to treat. Even within the realm of treatment, the question remains whether to work with or against the unique traits of the individual. Thomas Armstrong, who has had years of teaching experience, including at the primary-school level, argues that this is a problem with special education under the current system. Special ed, he says, bases its approach “on deficit, damage, and dysfunction” rather than “strengths, talents, and aptitudes.” In other words, the purpose of special ed is to cater to the slower learners. But many of these “slow” learners actually have talents that should be nurtured by teachers. A primary goal for ameliorating the plight of children with neurological conditions, then, would be to change the perception of special ed as a place for people who are not smart. This means also changing the approach: the question should be less whether, say, autistics as a group are gifted or defective, and more how to recognize and work well with each individual’s weaknesses and strengths — as an effective educational program should for any child. The questions of treatment, intended to benefit or change the lives of those already affected, are complicated by and easily confused with the more stark ethical questions of prevention and cures. Scientists have already identified many genes that contribute to neurological conditions, and are working to find more. For example, some variations of the dopamine receptor D 4 gene may be one of the factors that contribute to ADHD; and there is strong evidence that other disorders are heritable. Studies on the heritability of autism show that it almost certainly has a genetic component — although researchers estimate that as many as a hundred genes may be involved. Thomas G. West claims that families share dyslexic traits. And genetic predisposition is believed to play a significant role in depression, too. The ultimate goal of this research, of course, is not simply to learn the causes of these disorders but to help eliminate them. Mark Daly, an associate professor of medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, argues that the “pieces are in place” to head in the direction of identifying gene variants and using that information to eventually develop more effective treatments — perhaps even by manipulating the genes in living patients. But pronouncements about such theoretical possibilities are prone to mislead about the immense pragmatic and ethical difficulties inherent in such an undertaking. And Armstrong, despite his sincere call for better understanding and appreciation of children with neurological disorders, scarcely explores in his book the practical difficulties and moral problems associated with manipulating human genetics. In the first place, we do not necessarily know how a cure would work for each individual person. The human body is not like a machine: tinkering with one part will not always have predictable consequences for the other parts. Because we are biologically distinct, subtle biological variations mean that every person’s body will respond differently to the same treatment. This is especially true for psychiatric conditions, which involve not only our bodies but our personalities as well; a drug that is considered successful in a psychiatric context may only work for some modest fraction of patients, and provide only modest improvements. Complicating factors and side effects are often not well understood, and treatments are often based not on definite diagnoses, as in more traditional disease models, but on an unsystematic trial-and-error approach. This is why there are many different kinds of medications for any given neurological disorder. For ADHD, for instance, doctors can prescribe Ritalin, Adderall, Dexedrine, Cylert, or various other stimulants or combinations of stimulants. Treatment becomes even more complicated when it involves the manipulation of genes. Such treatment is still only hypothetical in human beings, and if it were to become possible would likely be extremely difficult and unpredictable. The role of individual genes in the development of traits and the functioning of an organism tends to be enormously complicated; one can only imagine how unpredictable the effects of manipulating the nearly hundred genes associated with autism would be. We need to understand not only how this would affect the autistic traits of a patient, but the other traits as well, which are far from neatly independent from each other in the first place. The likelihood that disordered traits are too enmeshed in the biological makeup of individuals to be targeted separately underscores the broader point made by many advocates that their disorders are integrated into who they are. Many of those who are born with these differences and are able to advocate for themselves are wary of research into eliminating their conditions, on the basis that it would eliminate much of what makes them them. To search for a “cure” denies their distinctiveness as human beings. Disability rights advocate Ari Ne’eman, who has AS and was appointed by President Obama to the National Council on Disability, argues in a 2010 interview with Wired.com that the traditional focus of the autism community has been on “narrow questions of causation and cure.” And the focus of the national dialogue on matters like the vaccine controversy has led to the exclusion of “the voices of the people who should be at the center: those who are on the [autism] spectrum ourselves.” Rather than focusing on how to make a world where autistic people “have the rights and support they deserve,” more traditional activism has aimed to “create a world where there aren’t any autistic people.” When asked whether he would take a pill to cure his autism, Ne’eman replies that “that’s an intensely silly question... predicated on the strange idea that there was or is a normal person somewhere inside me, hidden by autism, and struggling to get out.” This response gets to the heart of the beliefs underlying the neurodiversity movement: these conditions are not simply disorders afflicting otherwise healthy individuals, but are integral parts of who these individuals are. These advocates hold that the way to address the problems they face is to change the world to make it more inclusive of them and their particular needs, not to change them to fit what the world sees as normal or appropriate. This point becomes disturbingly concrete when one considers that the more likely application for knowledge of genetic causes of these disorders will not be to find cures through genetic manipulation for existing patients, but rather to test and screen fetuses and embryos so as to eliminate before birth those that have a mental disorder. There is a telling precedent in the case of Down syndrome, which is already widely tested for in the womb, resulting in abortion for over 90 percent of fetuses with positive diagnoses. As Ne’eman has written in these pages, “To disability-rights advocates, this indicates a fundamental prejudice against the disabled” (see “Disability Politics,” Spring 2009). Might the same thing happen with fetuses with autism? Despite the activities of the neurodiversity movement, the inclination to consider neurological differences to be disorders or defects still predominates. So it seems quite plausible that the trend we see against fetuses with Down syndrome could expand to include fetuses with other sorts of brain differences, if similar tests for them were to become available. How might we decide at what point a case of neurological disorder becomes too severe to be acceptable and who will get to make such decisions? The precedent would leave these choices in the hands of parents — but, as Ne’eman notes is already the case with parents who receive a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome, “many... are given patently false information about the characteristics of the people they are being encouraged to prevent.” There is, of course, an immediate practical difficulty for such decision-making in the fact that, unlike the test for Down syndrome, new tests for other disorders are likely to provide far less certain results. The difficulty of predicting complex traits such as autism or depression based on genes or other biological factors easily detectable during pregnancy means that at best, such tests would likely only express a probability of certain neurological disorders, and would be even worse at predicting severity. Individual decisions of whether to abort would be muddled from the start, unable to rely on solid information that a child will or will not have a certain set of defects. Parents who abort a potentially defective fetus would likely have to face the possibility that their child would have suffered only mild abnormalities or none at all, while parents who choose only to carry to term fetuses that test sufficiently normal might still end up having to raise a child suffering from disabilities due to inadequate test results — a child they would have aborted had they correctly known his or her condition — with disturbing ramifications for how the parents might feel about and care for that child. Considered at the societal level, the question is: If we were able, would we move to eliminate large segments of the population and the different ways of experiencing the world that characterize them? Doing so would arise from a judgment that the lives of people with neurological differences are less worthy than the rest of ours — as is already clearly the judgment so many parents are making with respect to Down syndrome pregnancies. The cases of people with autism, dyslexia, ADHD, and depression who are able to lead successful, productive and well-adapted lives speak powerfully. Advocates with autism and other neurological differences say that they would never eliminate their singular traits — that those are much of what gives them their identity. Temple Grandin, Blake E. S. Taylor, Beethoven, and innumerable others show the kind of contributions such individuals are able to make to society. They show us how wrong we would have been were we to have tried to change them to be other than they are, or worse, never given these individuals a chance at life. The heart of the matter of neurodiversity is not the hypothetical question of how we might use genetic testing in the future, but the very immediate question of how we are to regard and treat those who are already here. And important though the high-functioning individuals are as examples, the worth of a life should not have to be justified by extraordinary achievements. One of the lessons of H. G. Wells’s story is that the narrowness of our vision easily obscures the value of the lives of others, especially when they seem to us impaired. Every life has joy and triumph, pain and hardship, aspiration and frustration — all parceled out unequally, and this only in part because of the different biological hands we are dealt. In labeling certain individuals “defective” or “disordered,” we act in part to wall off some people as the unfortunate, tacitly claiming that the rest of us are whole, avoiding the truth that we are all flawed, struggling with deficiencies, working with and against aspects of ourselves we would like to overcome. In labeling others as “disabled,” we must ask whether we are motivated by sympathy and compassion, or by fear and the difficulty of knowing the minds of others. But even as we should not pass judgment on the value of the lives of others, neither should we presume to know their pain and difficulties. In a way, the neurodiversity movement shares a premise with the movement to eliminate individuals with neurological differences: namely, it says that individuals are to some extent identical with and defined by their nameable neurological traits. But in both cases, there is a danger of focusing on abstractions instead of the uniqueness of each individual. We should celebrate the many treatments available for people who are suffering: anti-anxiety medications to help autistics, antidepressants for the depressed, Ritalin for people with ADHD, along with a wide variety of cognitive and behavioral therapies. The scientific community will and should continue to develop and improve these medications and therapies, especially for those who suffer on the extreme ends of the spectrums of neurological disorders. The struggle remains one of understanding not only the causes of neurological disorders, but also to what extent prevention and treatment means valuing or devaluing the lives of affected individuals. Perhaps progress in these areas will necessarily remain idiosyncratic — and we would do well to be wary of solutions presented as absolute “cures.” The line between difference, advantage, and suffering may not always be clear, and will be different for each individual, as will what counts as desirable treatment versus troubling manipulation. In considering the question of how to deal with the diversity of neurological conditions, we would do well to remember H. G. Wells’s story, where “normal” is a fluid term. Nunez thinks of the blind as abnormal, but so do they of him. That each human being is biologically unique is, in fact, the norm. These biological differences are, in turn, inextricably intertwined with the different ways we have of seeing and being in the world. Eliminating this rich biological and psychological diversity in the ostensible interests of ameliorating or preventing suffering would in the end diminish our humanity. It would make us less visibly like the country of the blind, but more like them in their prejudice. Rather than working to create another set of public labels, the real value of the neurodiversity movement may be in helping us to recognize that we each face challenges and opportunities — and that a decent society is one in which we are each able to strive to make the best of what we are given.Want to feel incredibly charmed and incredibly uncomfortable at the same time? Look no further than an old Star Trek convention! Boing Boing recently unearthed super 8 footage shot at a 1976 Star Trek convention in Colorado, which captures burgeoning nerd culture at its finest. Hosted by Terry McCoy—who is eerily similar to Kyle Mooney’s awkward reporter character—the video features cosplay, Star Trek paraphernalia, awkward fan interactions, and even appearances from Trek stars Leonard Nimoy and James Doohan. The convention was held seven years after the original Star Trek was canceled and only four years after the very first Star Trek convention in 1972 (the show found a larger following in syndication than it did during its original run). It was shot by Sam Klemke of Ultimessence, who uploaded the video to his YouTube page. The whole thing provides a lovely glimpse of early Star Trek fandom, back when having 15 to 20 people in a fan club was enough to earn a spot at a convention. Of course, as in current Star Trek fandom, social skills were very much optional.Receiver Marquis McClain of Crestview (Fla.), who is visiting Auburn this weekend, has committed to the Tigers, he told AuburnUndercover. "They're family oriented, they have the top offense in the country, they're losing four receivers next year and I feel like I can make an impact on the team," McClain said. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound McClain is commitment No. 12 for the Tigers. He is the second receiver in the class, joining Eli Stove of Niceville (Fla.). The two are friends -- and rivals -- and made the trip to Auburn together this weekend. They arrived Friday and will stay until Sunday. McClain committed to Auburn coach Gus Malzahn early Saturday evening. "I was a little nervous to be honest, but I was excited," McClain said. "They welcomed me to the family. They keep telling me I can possibly play the role that Duke Williams plays."The Pope, proving to be popular and controversial with his recent remarks about the Prophet Mohammed Charlie Hebdo cartoon, drew a crowd of six million in the Philippines capital, Manila, this weekend. However, that made it the fifth largest gathering in human history. Here are the other nine. Believed to be the largest religious gathering on earth, Kumbh Mela is held every 12 years in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is thought that 30 million Hindu pilgrims gathered to bathe during the festival in 2013. Arbaeen festival, Iraq, 2014 Up to 17 million people are thought to have made the pilgrimage to the 2014 ceremony of Arbaeen, which commemorates the death of a grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, Imam Hussain. The festival is held in the city of Karbala. Funeral of CN Annadurai, India, 1969 Widely thought to be the largest funeral attendance in history, 15 million people took to the streets of Chennai in memory of the former chief minister of Tamil Nadu, a southern Indian state. was widely respected as a writer and speaker and also extremely popular after he made Tamil the official language of the state, rejecting Hindi. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini lays in state during the 1989 funeral ceremony (AFP/Getty Images) Funeral of Ayatollah Khomeini, Iran, 1989 Around 10 million Iranians came to Tehran to mourn the political leader. Several were crushed to death as the crowds became uncontrollable. Papal gathering in the Philippines, 2015 The head of Manila's planning agency said six million turned out to see the Pope in Manila, surpassing the previous world record for a papal gathering of five million. World Youth Day, 1995 More than five million people attended Pope John Paul II’s Sunday mass on January 15, 1995 – World Youth Day. Unable to navigate the crowds on the ground, the Pope had to be flown to the event by helicopter. Funeral of Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser, October 1970 (Getty) Funeral of Gamal Abdel Nasser, 1970 It is thought five million people attended the funeral of the Egyptian president in Cairo. Rod Stewart concert, Brazil, 1994 The British rock singer attracted a crowd of three and a half million as he played in Rio de Janeiro. Hajj pilgrimage, Mecca, Saudi Arabia, 2012 An estimated three million people arrived for the annual pilgrimage in 2012. Many slept on the marble floor paving the outside of the Grand Mosque, the focal point of the Islamic faith. Anti-war march, Rome, 2003 It is thought that three million people marched through Rome in opposition to the US-led invasion of Iraq. It is thought to be on of the biggest anti-war marches in history.Dr. Roslyn Fuller is a lecturer in International Law based in Ireland. She is the author of Ireland’s leading textbook on International Law ‘Biehler on International Law: An Irish Perspective’ (Round Hall, 2013). In addition to her academic work, she has also writes for the Irish Times, The Irish Independent and The Journal on topics of law, politics and education. Roslyn has been researching democracy for over a decade and is the author of “Beasts and Gods: How Democracy Changed Its Meaning and Lost Its Way” (October 2015, Zed Books). She tweets at @roslynfuller and can be reached at fullerr@tcd.ie. It is difficult to imagine how a significant rift in trans-Atlantic relations could emerge without the involvement of Germany, the European Union’s most populous, financially solvent and politically powerful member. It continues to host tens of thousands of American troops on its soil, and with its impeccable capitalist credentials, track-record of dutiful political decision-making, enviable manufacturing base and ability to criticize English-speaking nations in their own language, Germany is always able to make a good case for its views on the international stage. Since Germany is not a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council nor closely bound to significant former overseas possessions, it is more likely to disagree with American expansionist policies than Britain or France. Permanently half a step out of sync with the P-3 (the USA, UK and France) in this regard, Germany – a loyal NATO-member during the Cold War – has become the ultimate swing state of international relations over the past decade. With fears of Soviet invasion and fond memories of Allied troops handing out candy in the aftermath of WWII fading rapidly into the past, the Second Iraq War presented a major turning point in US-German relations and a sharp disillusionment of many Germans with American foreign policy. Eventually proven right in its skepticism of Anglo-American claims that Iraq was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction, Germany has remained decidedly unenthusiastic about Western-led interventions ever since. Most notably, in 2011 Germany – along with China and Russia – refused to endorse UN Security Council Resolution 1973 which enabled limited military engagement during the civil war in Libya. Several US officials, including former US Ambassador to NATO Nicholas Burns, publicly criticized Germany’s decision to abstain from voting on the Resolution. This criticism provoked an intense debate within Germany and soured relations just a little bit more. The NSA mass surveillance programs revealed by Edward Snowden last year put another nail in the coffin of the once so-rosy US-German relationship. Voices against NSA spying While it seemed at first that NSA surveillance in Germany might be dealt with in a purely diplomatic context with all parties agreeing to make a few cosmetic changes before sweeping the issue under the rug, German politicians have become increasingly vocal about just what the American administration will need to do to mend fences with them. This stance – which has been taken up by members of both parties in Germany’s governing ‘grand coalition’ (the center-left SPD and Chancellor Merkel’s center-right CDU/CSU) – has proven far more popular than Merkel’s original mild reaction on learning that the NSA had hacked her private cell phone. World leaders may be inclined to take some measure of spying on themselves with a grain of salt, but German voters were inflamed, particularly because President Obama had previously denied that the NSA was conducting operations against German targets. With an electorate feeling shocked, angered and betrayed, politicians across the political spectrum soon realized that this was not an issue to be ignored. The SPD’s leader in parliament, Thomas Oppermann, has taken a strong stance against the NSA programs, contemplating asylum for Edward Snowden, demanding a No-Spy-Agreement between Germany and United States and threatening legal action. The SPD currently holds the Ministry for Justice and has, according to a DPA report, stated that it will not exercise its ability to prevent criminal prosecutions related to NSA spying on government figures. In particular, German politicians have been less than receptive to the olive branch extended to them (and the rest of the world) via Obama’s reform plans for the NSA. Justice Minister Heiko Maas has characterized the proposed NSA reforms as merely a “first step,” stating that only a No-Spy Agreement would suffice to allay his concerns. Elmar Brok, a CDU Member of the European Parliament and Chairperson for the Committee on Foreign Affairs, harshly criticized Obama’s speech on NSA reform as window-dressing, lending his views weight by explicitly stating that the pending Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between the European Union and the US should not be signed before the issue of data protection was completely resolved. He was echoed in this sentiment by fellow CDU/CSU politician Stephan Mayer who demanded “concrete action,” while government spokesperson Steffan Seibert, while delivering the government reaction to Obama’s speech, reminded his audience that the government expected its allies to respect German law on German territory. Most strongly of all, Merkel herself is alleged to have compared NSA surveillance activities to the actions of the East German Stasi in a recent confrontation with Obama. No to shooting the plane down While this strong stance on the issue of mass surveillance may cause their Anglo-Saxon counterparts some anxiety, Germany’s ire shouldn’t surprise them. While Western values of individual freedom and democracy were imposed on Germany more or less by fiat following the Second World War, in the intervening years these values have deeply penetrated the German legal system and public opinion. Both the German constitution, with its robust protections of individual rights (including privacy), and the principles of international law (especially the prohibition on the use of force) are revered points of cultural reference and perceived as non-negotiable. In other words, Germans took all of the human rights talk seriously, apparently not having received the memo on how to use it merely for political spin. To give
I no longer spend much time daydreaming about what the ideal society would be (the one I help found on an uninhabited Earth-like planet to which I take title with one hundred of my closest friends), I do have a very specific idea of the people we would appoint as prosecutors. They would be the people most reluctant to take the job, slow, careful and deliberate, the presumption of innocence hard-wired into their brains. When they stood up in front of a judge and jury and accused a defendant of a crime, they would do so sadly, reluctantly, with complete and painful awareness of the powers and dangers of their role. In fact, prosecutors tend to be the opposite personality, sleazy showmen who will bend the facts and the law, exploit every possible gambit of manipulation, press, positioning, dubious eyewitness identification, bad science, paid informants of highly questionable background, arcane evidentiary rules, and just plain mean rhetorical tricks to bury any defendant deeper than his own lawyer can dig him out. Prosecutors not only function as attack dogs, but as dishonest assailants, unconcerned with the rules which are intended to give some measure of protection against the conviction of the innocent. Prosecutors continually resort to a mirror image of the excuse given by defense lawyers representing the truly culpable: We are just doing our job and if our assertions are wrong, the system will sort it out. But in the comparison between defense attorneys and prosecutors, six of one is truly not a half dozen of the other. Under our system, everyone, once indicted, deserves the most aggressive possible defense. But every case does not warrant indictment, let alone the most aggressive prosecution possible. I would love to be a fly on the wall in the conference room in any prosecutor's office. I believe I would be able to verify that the number of cases in which someone goes to bat for a suspect or a defendant, arguing that this person is innocent, is vanishingly small. More likely, every conversation is about what can be proved. But once you lower your standards, so that every kind of evidence is equal--including dubious confessions made under extreme coercion, that of uncertain, notoriously inaccurate eyewitnesses, or jailhouse informers who claim that the defendant confessed the crime while they shared a cell--the likelihood becomes very great that large numbers of innocent people will be imprisoned. For being in the wrong place at the wrong time, for being strange or even mentally retarded, the wrong race, having a record of other crimes, or just falling into that huge catch-all category--lets admit it exists--of being the "throwaway human being", conveniently at hand when we require false certainty and a public burning. The work of the Innocence Project, which has exonerated more than 200 people via DNA evidence since being founded in 1992, establishes emphatically that innocent people are jailed every day. Nobody knows how many, but the number who are later exonerated is likely to be a small percentage of the total number of cases. Many cases don't turn on DNA, and in some DNA evidence is no longer available. The development of accurate DNA testing has given us a window into the real workings of the system. The chemical and biological infallibility of modern DNA testing forces us to confront the weakness or plain fabrication of evidence used to convict these people. The tactics of prosecutors over the past twenty years resisting DNA testing, or arguing that the defendant could have raped the victim even if someone else's DNA turned out to be the sole evidence recovered, clearly show the sleaziness of the profession. There is no good reason to resist DNA testing unless you are unwilling to admit you convicted an innocent individual. The argument is sometimes made that since these 200 and others were ultimately exonerated, the system is working as it should, and no changes need to be made. This is laughable. Many of these individuals lost decades of their lives in prison, where they suffered unimaginably. Years ago I wrote about two particularly egregious examples of high public tolerance for disturbing manipulations of the truth by prosecutors. In two unrelated Texas cases, a prosecutor tried each of two defendants separately for firing the same bullet. No-one, at least inside Texas, seemed to find this remarkable. The only way to explain this kind of manifest disregard for truth is the what I call the "Aunt Polly" excuse: when she discovers she has wrongly punished Tom Sawyer for something he didn't do, she remarks that undoubtedly he got away with something else for which he deserved the spanking. Which is another way of saying that there are "throw away" people in our society. I would like to live in a society in which prosecutors have a conscience, and understand their job is a heavy moral responsibility. Wouldn't it be nice to have prosecutors who care about being wrong, who can't sleep at night if they think they have convicted the innocent.At a recent anti-hate rally in Berkeley, Joey Gibson, leader of the extreme right-wing, white supremacist group, Patriot Prayer, strolled directly in front of me—his three burly bodyguards in tow. A few people nearby pointed him out, shouting his name. I had an immediate visceral reaction to the sight of this man, whom I consider to be a neo-Nazi. To my eyes, Gibson and his men were angling for conflict; their swagger left no doubt. And I stood there shaking, my homemade sign in hand. “Hate speech leads to Holocaust,” it read. I am an 80-year-old Holocaust survivor. We learned that the young men and women around us, dressed in all black, were trained not to engage in confrontations, except to protect demonstrators like us if we were attacked by white supremacists like Gibson. It was my first encounter with the Antifas, the young militant antifascists who have been vilified in some of the media for their tactics. So even though I was afraid of Gibson and his thugs, I felt comforted, not by the presence of any police officer that day, but by the presence of the Antifas. I feel gratitude to these young people for being our first line of defense, for being willing to stand up to the hateful actions of neo-Nazis and white nationalists, like Gibson. I know from experience what it feels like not to feel protected. I know from experience what it feels like not to feel protected. And I’ve seen first-hand the impact hate speech, under the guise of free speech, can have. As a child in Nazi Germany, I saw young boys and girls being indoctrinated into becoming mass murderers of their neighbors. Later I learned how grown men, crippled by fear, were rendered incapable of protecting their loved ones. I learned that a crowd could be moved to heinous actions. From the time I was 5, I was told never to mention that our mother was Jewish. This was about the time my half-sister, my father’s oldest daughter from his first marriage, unexpectedly came to live with us. She had seen her mother and stepfather violently removed from their home, never to be seen again. When I was 8, two sinister-looking Gestapo, the secret Nazi police, knocked on the door of our makeshift bomb shelter, a converted coal cellar. The city was under the final heavy bomb attacks of the Allied Forces. And the men had demanded that my mother accompany them, threatening to set their dog on her and shoot her if she tried to escape. Everybody in the cellar with us that day knew that my mother’s only crime in life was being a Jew, defined not by her profession of a given religious preference but by racial law. Yet no one dared to speak up for this mother of three young children. Nobody said a word of encouragement as she was torn away from her children. Nobody demanded these men desist from sending one more Jew to her death in a concentration camp. I could not trust that such an experience would not repeat itself. The time without our mother seemed endless. We were scared and hungry in that poorly lit, cold and uncomfortable cellar. Some of the neighbors had told us my mother would never return, and they had begun to discuss with which of them each of us children would have to live. My mother managed to escape and come back to us. But for the rest of my life, I have remembered the fear that crept over me as I faced the possibility of never seeing her again. Soon the bombing ceased, and the Soviet Army liberated our neighborhood. But I saw the photos in the newspapers of some of the millions who had not been as lucky as we had, who had had no one to protect them. I could not trust that such an experience would not repeat itself. In 1947, my mother, my younger brother and I immigrated to Venezuela and learned there what life was like under a long military Latin American style dictatorship. Once again, I saw how some people were scared and read how some were detained, deported, and even killed. Again, I was not sure who would defend us if something happened to our family. And when I came to study in the U.S. in 1955, in what I had erroneously believed was the cradle of freedom, I had a real-life crash course in the lack of civil rights for people of color, the murderous laws still prevalent in many Southern states, and the education, employment, and housing discrimination in the North. I later learned a startling truth: that the racial laws of the Nazis, which categorized me as a Jew of the Second Degree (mother a Jew, father not), were based on U.S. race laws. I had fallen for some of the powerful propaganda this country disseminates abroad through its mass media. But I woke up and got involved. I learned to speak up and organize for civil rights, against the war in Vietnam, and later against the many invasions of other countries and ongoing discrimination. And now here I am, more than 70 years after walking out of that dank cellar in a Berlin neighborhood, faced once again with neo-Nazis spewing and spreading their hate and beliefs around white supremacy. Their goal is to create divisions in university towns such as Berkeley, hoping that they can sow seeds of discord and animus among students. And that scares me. Far too many people in this country are still excluded and even killed for reasons that were also used during World War II to send populations to the gas chambers. We don’t have concentration camps as such in the U.S., but the prison-industrial complex is thriving and ever-expanding immigrant detention centers are crowded and inhumane. Make no mistake, these neo-Nazis and white supremacists are serious. So, yes, I am scared of what fascists can do. I have little confidence that local police—ever more heavily armed with military weaponry and unskilled in dealing with the vulnerable in our societies—will protect those confronted by the neo-Nazis. Recently I was kept awake by news helicopters flying overhead to capture the anticipated confrontations between people attempting to hear a prominent white supremacist and those expected to protest his presence on University of California, Berkeley, campus. Professors and students had called for a walkout and suspension of classes. Now the university has ordered a week of free speech with guest speakers I feel are more interested in hate speech, among them Steve Bannon, Ann Coulter and Milo Yiannopoulos. What irony, I thought, that a university noted for its student-led, anti-war and free speech movements during the 1960s, would host a roster of speakers, not a single one a defender of human rights. Are universities silencing ideas, as was the case in Nazi Germany? Is the climate so unsafe that students and professors prefer to cancel classes? As the Trump administration has threatened to deport “Dreamers,” young immigrants brought as children to this country, I recall the Nazi laws that forced students classified as undesirable in the Third Reich to abandon their dreams for a future. In Arizona and other school systems in the U.S, efforts have been made to ban books to exclude from their curricula the rich histories of the multiple nationalities that make up this nation. Brown and black children and youth receive criminal treatment for minor infractions and, along with their families, live under constant threats to their lives, as statistics of death and incarcerations prove. Many of these children and youth attend underfinanced and inadequately staffed schools, deprived of the kind of education every child deserves—in much the way my siblings and I were barred from schools in Germany. Make no mistake, these neo-Nazis and white supremacists are serious. The recent murders in Portland and Charlottesville demonstrate that. In Europe, different generations of young antifascists committed to preventing acts of violence to vulnerable populations, resurface from time to time. I feel comforted by the fact that these young antifascists exist here in America, too.Posted 27 February 2013 - 12:29 AM blinkin, on 27 February 2013 - 12:14 AM, said: the version that i have seen and liked very much involved only counting a certain number of your best matches. This worked quite well for WoT because of the huge variance in scores, but for MWO there may be a lot of ties. SirLagsalot, on 26 February 2013 - 10:57 PM, said: Instead of awarding accumulating points for each match, thus turning it into a grind to see who can play the most matches. Why not have the scoring based off average match score? Have a minimum amount of matches to enter (arbitrary number... 10 matches?) to prevent 1 perfect match flukes. This would allow a level playing field for both casual players who can only play maybe a few matchers per day and hardcore players who can sit and play a hundred matches each day. Comments? Suggestions? Revisions? Complaints? This could work. I bet it won't be the same type of scoring next time. The reason they needed people to grind this time was to tune the Elo system.A woman's painting is going viral after catching the eye of people on social media. Harmonia Rosales, a Chicago-based artist, has recently gained recognition online for her re-imagining of Michelangelo's "The Creation of Adam." The original painting can be seen in the Sistine Chapel (located in in Vatican City), but Harmonia's version replaces Adam, God, and the other male characters with an entire cast of black women. The 33-year-old told BuzzFeed that she wanted to take a "widely recognized painting" – one that shows white men as central figures of authority – and "flip the script." Harmonia added: "White figures are a staple in classic art featured in major museums. They are the'masters' of the masterpieces. Why should that continue?" The artist went on to explain that representation matters in all mediums, and that includes art. "Replacing the white male figures — the most represented — with people I believe have been the least represented can begin to recondition our minds to accept new concepts of human value," she reasoned. "If I can touch even a small group of people and empower them through the power of art, then I've succeeded in helping to change the way we see the world." The result is certainly powerful, as Harmonia's artwork has resonated with thousands of people on social media already. As for Harmonia's own inspiration, she explained to Buzzfeed that her daughter is a huge source of passion when it comes to her artwork. "I want my daughter to grow up proud of her curls and coils, her brown skin, and for her to identify as a woman of color, a woman of value," she said. "What I do with my art contributes to the way she and all other little girls like her will come to recognize themselves." Harmonia's art is a reminder to all of us that representation is essential, as it helps people of all identities see themselves in different forms. Related: This 18-Year-Old Just Got Her Painting Displayed at One of the World's Most Famous Museums Check This Out:Associated Press POMONA, Calif. — Authorities have located the personal car of a rookie Los Angeles police officer wanted for questioning in a deadly shooting, but they haven't found him yet. Police in Pomona, a suburb east of Los Angeles, said Sunday the Volkswagen Jetta belonging to Officer Henry Solis was discovered a short distance from where a young man was gunned down two days earlier. This Internet 'person of interest' message posted online by the Pomona, Calif., Police Department shows Henry Solis. (AP Image) Solis was off-duty during the early Friday shooting that killed 23-year-old Salome Rodriguez, and he failed to report to work the next day. Police say they have reason to believe he knows investigators want to talk to him. Pomona police have issued a poster calling the 27-year-old Solis a "person of interest" in the shooting that occurred in a downtown bar district after two men got into a fight. Copyright 2015 The Associated PressWhen Larry Fitzgerald signed a one-year contract extension in November, he seemed to signal that he planned on returning to the Cardinals for at least one more season. But it turns out, Fitzgerald is still undecided about the future of his NFL career. On Thursday, the long-time receiver and future Hall of Famer indicated that he doesn't know if he'll retire or return in 2018. "I'm going to take some time," Fitzgerald said, per the team's website. "Figure it out. I'll let you know, though." This isn't the first time Fitzgerald has considered retiring. He didn't commit to playing in 2017 until February. Fitzgerald will turn 35 in August and if he comes back in 2018, he'll be entering his 15th NFL season. He has missed only six games in his career. That's why it wouldn't be all too surprising to see him call it a career after the season. Then again, it's not like Fitzgerald's skills have deteriorated to the point where he's no longer effective. This year, playing on a bad team lacking a starting-caliber quarterback for a significant portion of the season, he has caught 92 passes for 982 yards and five touchdowns. If he wants to come back, he'll be wanted by the Cardinals -- hence the one-year extension. The Cardinals, though, aren't viewed as a contender. Carson Palmer's future is in doubt. So is Bruce Arians'. The Cardinals, who have been without star running back David Johnson all year, are 6-8 and they're stuck in a division with the suddenly dominant Rams, the historically dominant Seahawks and the up-and-coming 49ers. It's not like Fitzgerald would be coming back to a Super Bowl team. He would be returning to a team filled with question marks. If Fitzgerald does return, he'll have a chance to further polish his Hall of Fame résumé. He's third all-time in receptions, behind only Jerry Rice and Tony Gonzalez. Catching Rice is impossible, but Fitzgerald is only 108 receptions away from tying Gonzalez in second place. In 2015 and '16, Fitzgerald averaged 108 catches. And remember, he still has two more games in 2017. Fitzgerald is also third all-time in receiving yards, behind Rice and Terrell Owens. Again, catching Rice is impossible, but Owens is within reach. Fitzgerald needs 563 yards to pass T.O. Finally, Fitzgerald is eighth all-time in touchdown catches. He's only two touchdowns behind Gonzalez and four behind Antonio Gates. Passing Marvin Harrison in fifth place by the end of next season is probably an unattainable goal (he's 19 touchdowns behind him), but reaching sixth place is entirely plausible. Maybe Fitzgerald doesn't care about the leaderboards. Maybe he cares more about his chances to win a Super Bowl before he retires. Or maybe none of those things will play a role in his decision. Hopefully, for football's sake, he decides to return in 2018, because football is undoubtedly better with Fitzgerald in it. "It's been a good ride," Fitzgerald said. "I've met a lot of great people and made a lot of wonderful memories. I wish we would've had some more wins. That first game at Sun Devil wasn't fun. I think it was against the Patriots. I remember [linebacker] Willie McGinest knocking me down on a crossing route and [safety] Rodney Harrison chasing me around, trying to hurt me. That wasn't a good day."As I write this article, 2017 is drawing to a close, having witnessed its own fair share of major changes within the Watchtower organization – so much so that the team here at JWsurvey are struggling to keep pace! Over the past few months, we have set aside time to digest the survey results of the 2016 Global Survey of Jehovah’s Witnesses – and the time has now come to share these results with you, our readers! First, though, it would be worthwhile to look back on events of 2016 by way of understanding the context. 2016 was, for example, a year in which we heard the ever-growing collective voice of those who join in raising awareness of unsatisfactory policies that leave children vulnerable to sexual abuse. The year before, 2015, we watched the Australian Royal Commission hearings (into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse) and it has since become increasingly clear that Watchtower has no intention of remedying the failings that were brought to light – at least not in the near future. As noted by JWsurvey’s Assistant Editor, John Redwood, in November 2016 the Commission’s findings were released, highlighting desperate flaws. “The Royal Commission found children are not adequately protected from the risk of child sexual abuse in the Jehovah’s Witness organization and does not believe the organization responds adequately to allegations of child sexual abuse.” A further in-depth examination took place in March 2017 and a report was subsequently released. Unfortunately, Watchtower has still failed to address flaws in their policies with regard to child sex abuse and reporting to authorities, meaning that children within their congregations and the wider community are not being protected as they should be. All in all, their policies continue to be woefully inadequate. Across the globe, especially in the US and UK, there were many documented cases of abuse in 2016. You can read John Redwood’s detailed “Part One” summary of 2016 here. Other legal action and court cases are ongoing, and we are doing our best to keep track of developments. Watchtower has repeatedly shown their disregard for the law of the land using unethical legal manoeuvrings to avoid subpoenas and prosecution for their actions. This systematic obstruction of justice surely cannot be explained away or swept under the rug forever. As information on the internet and in the media becomes increasingly accessible, both sides to these stories are being exposed along with the darker side of the Watchtower organization. The real “truth” can no longer be silenced with assertions that those working to reveal what is happening are “spreading apostate-driven lies.” Further to the extensive child abuse scandal gaining media attention, Watchtower’s deadly blood policy also came to the fore. It has resulted in many deaths among Jehovah’s Witnesses over the decades, including some high profile cases of preventable and premature deaths of children and birthing mothers. Such a senseless loss of precious life proves that this is not simply the case of a benign religion, but potentially an extremely dangerous and life-threatening cult. Furthermore, the summer convention attended by millions of witnesses globally in 2016 was dubbed the “Worst Convention Ever” by Lloyd Evans in a series of YouTube videos reviewing the convention material. The convention, titled “Remain Loyal to Jehovah,” equated loyalty to God with loyalty to Watchtower in all its teachings and requirements no matter how inhumane. As if enough families and friendships have not already been torn apart, there was a video series effectively calling for more of the same. It featured a couple completely shunning a young family member simply because she had a relationship with someone outside of the organization. The video even went so far as as to depict her mother completely ignoring calls from her, and the family not sitting with her at congregation meetings. As a former member who has not been formally disfellowshipped, I still feel the pain of losing friends due to my non-attendance at meetings and no longer believing the same doctrine as those with whom I grew up. The captive nature of the organization is truly one of the marks of a destructive cult, and there is a daily struggle to come to terms with the pain of people you care about cutting you out of their lives. Highly emotive videos such as those shown at recent conventions (including this year’s “Don’t Give Up!” convention) seek to get to the core of a person, ensuring they “remain loyal” to the Governing Body’s ever-changing policies. One of the 2016 videos showed a group of witnesses hiding in a bunker as the “Great Tribulation” begins, proving that – for the Watchtower organization – fear is still one of the most effective ways to keep followers obedient and under their control. From the end of 2015 and through 2016 we have also seen the systematic reduction of the number of bethelites and special pioneers working for Watchtower. After years of commitment to the organization, many have lost their way of life as part of the organization’s downsizing initiative. To cut costs and maximise assets, the Governing Body has sold the last of Watchtower’s lucrative Brooklyn property portfolio, worth well over a billion dollars, and relocated to their new luxurious lakeside compound at Warwick seemingly with little thought to those kicked to the curb after years of service. While keeping an eye on the constant changes at Watchtower, the JWsurvey team is also mindful of honoring the very reason why this website was founded back in 2011 – to give a voice to the “silent majority” of current and former Jehovah’s Witnesses who have been denied a voice by an indifferent Watchtower leadership. Mindful of the need to reflect new developments, we are hoping to introduce subtle changes to the survey in the years ahead, asking the questions that our readers would like us to ask, as well as gauging the reaction to current news and changes within the Jehovah’s Witness movement. We will soon be setting up a survey to gather such suggestions for next year’s Global Survey, concerning which I will keep you all updated. Alternatively, you can follow us on Twitter (at @jwsurveyorg) and tweet your suggestions to us. So, without further ado, please see below a downloadable infographic with some stand-out statistics, plus some of the key findings and the full downloadable PDF survey results… 4,773 total respondents The fact that young people are not to pursue higher education was the least popular Watchtower teaching 58% say they are agnostic/atheist/have no belief, 40% religious 89% believe that JWs have a problem with child abuse 266 claim to be victims of child sex abuse within Jehovah’s Witnesses 35% claim to be aware of child sex abuse where they knew the victim personally 53% suffered some bullying at school due to being a Witness 52% believe they have experienced financial disadvantages due to not pursuing higher education, as per Watchtower’s teachings 76% have heard of a Jehovah’s Witness committing or attempting suicide 46% suffer from depression 31% say they have contemplated or attempted suicide as a result of being a part of the Jehovah’s Witness organization (1,113 individuals) 19% have self-harmed as a Jehovah’s Witness 73% have never helped someone to baptism 78% are against tax-exempt/charitable status for the Watchtower organization 456 individuals say they donate to Watchtower (almost half of which said “every now and then”) 54% believe the organization is in financial difficulty 52% consider themselves apostates 22% personally knew of someone who has died as a result of refusing a blood transfusion 165 individuals would let their child die refusing blood 74% of those who have attended a Judicial Committee meeting feel that they were not dealt with in a fair and reasonable manner 90% of ex-JWs are happier for leaving the organization 72% of those who are no longer a part of the Watchtower organization have been successful in rebuilding their circle of friends/family 93% of disfellowshipped ex-JWs would not seek reinstatement 77% are being shunned 95% of respondents would not recommend anyone to become a Jehovah’s Witness 63% believe that the Governing Body know what they are doing and should be held accountable for their actions 55% would like to see the Watchtower society drastically change its damaging policies 826 active Jehovah’s Witness respondents 76% of active respondents were male Only 20% became JWs after being preached to 23% of active respondents are regular pioneers 3 special pioneers and 2 missionaries participated 40% (118) claimed to be ministerial servants 10 individuals claimed to be bethelites 7% claimed to have been reinstated just to have contact with family 47% said they would secretly accept blood, with a further 7% saying they would openly accept blood 11% would let their children die for want of a blood transfusion (21% not sure) 20% knew of a death due to refusing blood 65% said they would remove the prohibition on blood 24 individuals who took part claimed to be of the anointed 16% believe JWs are God’s spirit-directed organization (a further 27% were not sure) Only 9% believe that elders are appointed by holy spirit 62% said that they have never brought someone to baptism Only 8% believe you are free to express a difference of opinion 53% voted for Governing Body member Anthony Morris III as the most controversial Only 24% believe JWs should be a tax exempt and considered a charity 54% say that they don’t donate to the Watchtower organization 81% of those who do donate say they are not comfortable with donations being used to pay for sex abuse cases 55% believe the organization is in financial difficulty 67% are not comfortable with all non-JWs being murdered at Armageddon (3.51% were comfortable with this idea and 12% don’t think this is what JWs teach) 65% object to all forms of shunning 30% consider themselves apostate 24% would remain JWs even if their beliefs were disproven 17 individuals would take a pill if instructed to do so by Watchtower 39% claim to suffer from depression 27% have attempted or contemplated suicide 13% have self-harmed 42% have been bullied at school for their beliefs 55% have attended college or university 80% believe JWs have a problem with child abuse 22 claimed to be victims of child abuse within JWs 48% consider themselves to be ‘believing’ JWs 9% agree with ALL Watchtower teachings and practices If you would like to download the results in PDF form, you can do so here. And I hope you will enjoy the following video in which I join Lloyd Evans in discussing these results on his John Cedars channel… Finally, I would like to thank all of you who voted in 2016 for your support. And please don’t forget to share in taking the 2017 Global Survey so that as many voices as possible can be heard!It’s April 1, which can only mean one thing… it’s April Fools’ Day. Just kidding! But seriously, it is. So without further ado, here’s our round-up of some of the best pranks we’ve spotted on the web so far this morning, including efforts from YouTube, BBC News, Facebook and the Guardian. We’ll update this list with any more April Fools’ Day jokes we spot between now and midday. In the meantime, let us know in the comments if any of these hoaxes tricked you (and be sure to check the last one in the list). BBC News: It’s lonely out in space Facebook’s fake paywall announcement: Friend Fence: definitely not a paywall Buzzfeed UK: 27 reasons to visit BuzzFeed Google.com: All this time, Google’s search engine has been watching you silently, learning. It knows your name, the questions you’ve asked and is uncannily accurate at predicting what you want to know. And now it’s refusing to follow your orders. Although it must be costing unspeakable amounts of money in lost revenue, Google appears to have turned its search off for the entire day. Any query entered is met with ‘I’m sorry <insert your name>, I can’t do that.’ Various mirror sites have cropped up as a workaround; something that sadly detracts a little from Google’s commitment to the gag but does make it easier to double-check the spelling of Mississippi. I’m afraid I can’t let you do that, Dave _____________________________ Advertisement Advertisement The Guardian: The Guardian’s original gag had been on the pronunciation of quinoa being officially changed to ‘kwin-o-ah’ Tesco: Tesco: Printing money _____________________________ The Independent: Nick Clegg: Independent _____________________________ The Sun: Cheryl Cole: Angel of the North? _____________________________ The Telegraph: Rabbits with human ears: The future is now _____________________________ YouTube finally gets some adverts watched: On your marks, get set, go! _____________________________ Metro: Happy April Fools’ Day! MORE: Want to see our other prank stories from April Fools’ Day? Try the almighty hissy fit from Nasa’s Mars Curiosity Rover; the real story behind the ending of the last series of Sherlock; or some slightly unoriginal breaking news about The Saturdays… ROUND-UP: We promise these joke stories are real – the best of the rest on April Fools’ Day 2013Mozilla Firefox 49.0 was released on September 20, 2016. The release of the browser was postponed by a week due to two bugs in the previous version that required more fixing time. Firefox 49.0 is the next major stable release of the web browser. Firefox 48.0.2 and earlier versions of Firefox can be updated to the new release. Mozilla pushed out updates for Firefox Beta, Firefox Developer, Firefox Nightly, and Firefox ESR as well today. These browsers were updated to versions 50.0, 51.0, 52.0 and 45.4 respectively. Note: if you are reading this article on September 20, 2016: Mozilla will release Firefox 49.0 today. It is already available on the FTP, but the roll out of the update may not have happened yet. Executive Summary Firefox Hello is no longer part of Mozilla Firefox. Mac OS X 10.6, 10.7 or 10.8 are no longer supported. They are still supported by Firefox ESR though. Firefox Reader Mode improved with text to speech option. Firefox multi-process is pushed to more users on stable. Firefox 49 download and update Firefox 49 will be distributed via the web browser's update feature, and via the Mozilla website. Firefox users who have not touched the browser's updating preferences should see an update notification soon in the browser. You may run a manual check for updates at any point in time to speed up the process. Tap on the Alt-key while Firefox is open, and select Help > About Firefox to do so. Firefox runs a check for updates, and displays any new version it found to you. Depending on the update settings, it may be downloaded and installed automatically, or you may be prompted to do so. You may download all editions of Firefox using the links below instead. Firefox 49 Changes Firefox Hello removal Mozilla made the decision to remove Firefox Hello from Firefox. The organization launched Firefox Hello as a new communication tool that worked inside the browser and without plugin or third-party software requirements. Mozilla was criticized by part of the userbase for integrating Hello in Firefox, and decided one year later to change the focus from communication to tab-sharing. It removed the contacts feature from Hello which made it even less useful in the process. Hello was turned into a system add-on, the first for Firefox. Mozilla announced the removal of Firefox Hello back in July, and Firefox 49 is the first stable version of the browser without the feature. Firefox Login manager supports HTTPS logins Firefox's login manager used strict origin matching when it looked for a saved login for a website open in the browser. This meant that it would not match a saved HTTP login if the site was opened on a HTTPS connection, and vice versa. Starting with Firefox 49, Firefox improves the handling by allowing login information saved on the HTTP version of a page to become also available to the HTTPs version of a page. This is a one-way-street feature, as the other way around is not supported. You can read more about the HTTP login on HTTPS sites feature here. Reader Mode improvements Reader Mode is an often overlooked feature in Firefox that turns any web article into an optimized version that trims the fat of the surrounding page. It is in this regard similar to readability extensions and services. What you end up with is the title, text and images of the article, but no other element of the site it was posted on. The improved Reader Mode in Firefox 49 ships with several new features. Most notable is the new narrate option which reads the text out loud, and new controls that allow you to adjust the width and line spacing of the text. End of Support Firefox 49 does not support Mac OS X 10.6, 10.7 or 10.8 anymore. Additionally, support ended on Windows for SSE processors. Some "non-essential" Flash content will be blocked As part of Mozilla's plan to deprecate NPAPI plugin support in Firefox, Mozilla plans to block non-essential Flash content on websites by default. You can check out the maintained blocklists on Github. Basically, Firefox 49 will block small (5x5 pixels or less) elements on sites if they meet certain other criteria such as calling enumerateFonts or ExternalInterface. Plug-in Free Netflix and Amazon Video on Linux Firefox 49 on Linux will support plug-in free playback on Netflix and Amazon video. This is done through the integration of Google Widevine CDM for Linux. This means that Linux users don't need Adobe Flash or a Silverlight alternative for that anymore. Adobe announced the resurrection of Flash for Linux in unrelated news recently. Other Firefox 49 changes Re-enabled the default for Graphite2 font shaping. Fixed an issue on Mac systems that preventing users from updating Firefox if they did not install the browser originally. Appearance of anti-aliased fonts improved on OS X. Set the default HTML5 video volume. Improved performance on Mac OS X systems that support hardware acceleration. Improved video performance on systems that support SSSE3 without hardware acceleration. HTML5 audio can now be looped using the built-in context menu. Context menu allows you to play audio and video at 1,25 times the speed. Firefox supports TLS 1.3 now (not enabled by default). Print Preview with Simplify Page option to save printer ink and paper. Developer Changes Network Monitor lists connection cause One of the new changes in Firefox 49 for developers is a new cause column of the network monitor. Cause lets you know, basically, which resource, e.g. a stylesheet caused the listed file to load. This can be useful in quickly finding out why a file was loaded, and where you might find the instruction in the code. Users may
"We recognise there is more to do and are working across government to see what further action is needed to prevent illegal working." Labour described the situation as "unacceptable" and pledged to tackle the "exploitation and undercutting of workers". Shadow immigration minister David Hanson said: "The report also echoes Labour's promise to strengthen enforcement of minimum wage laws, extend the Gangmasters Licensing Authority, and ensure there are stronger controls in future if any other countries join the EU."ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Clutching the game ball tightly in his hands, EJ Manuel was making his way up the tunnel in the euphoria of a last-second victory when the Buffalo Bills rookie quarterback was stopped in his tracks. Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly jumped from out of nowhere to greet Manuel with a big bear hug and two brief words: "Good job." On the day the Bills honored Kelly and other past stars during a halftime ceremony, Manuel provided a promising glimpse into the franchise's future. The first-round draft pick out of Florida State threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Stevie Johnson with 2 seconds left to clinch a 24-23 win over the stunned Carolina Panthers on Sunday. "I can't even tell you how it felt," Manuel said of the touchdown pass. "I think I started crying right then. I'm not usually an emotional guy. But I'm going to enjoy these type of things." Manuel was 29 of 37 for 296 yards and bounced back after throwing an interception and losing a fumble on consecutive possessions, with the turnovers leading to field goals by Graham Gano. He became the fifth NFL rookie since 1960 to engineer a fourth-quarter comeback in his first or second game. "I'm not surprised. EJ doesn't seem like a rookie," said Johnson, who finished with 111 yards receiving. "He earned a lot of our respect." Bills defensive end Mario Williams set a team record with 4 1/2 sacks. Fred Jackson scored on a 4-yard run. The Bills (1-1) bounced back from the disappointment of squandering a lead in the final seconds of a season-opening 23-21 loss to New England. It was a bittersweet first victory for rookie coach Doug Marrone, who took over after Chan Gailey was fired. Marrone was in tears after the game when he revealed he was mourning the loss of a good friend, Rob Edson, the Onondaga Community College athletic director, who died suddenly Saturday. "I know that Rob was watching, and I can't stop thinking about that," Marrone said. "When that game was coming down to the end, my prayers just go out to him and his family." The Panthers are still struggling to win close games. They were coming off a 12-7 loss to Seattle and dropped to 2-14 in games decided by 7 points or less in two-plus seasons under coach Ron Rivera. "Roller coaster. That's about as bad as it gets," Rivera said. "You had an opportunity to win the game, an opportunity to close it out, and you didn't.... We had a chance to make a play and we didn't. That's the thing that's hard to swallow: We just have to make one play." Cam Newton went 21 of 38 for 229 yards and two touchdowns, a 13-yarder to Greg Olsen and a 40-yarder to Ted Ginn Jr. "This isn't about learning hard lessons," said Steve Smith, who had 52 yards receiving. "This is like going to the dentist and getting several teeth pulled without any anesthesia, laughing gas, nothing." The Panthers' defense couldn't contain Manuel and the Bills' hurry-up offense and allowed Buffalo to score on four of six second-half possessions. It didn't help that linebacker Luke Kuechly helped keep the Bills' decisive drive alive. With Buffalo facing third-and-6 at Carolina's 29, Kuechly was penalized for pass interference on Johnson with 14 seconds left. The Bills scored two plays later. And on offense, Carolina settled for field goals on its three final possessions. The first two came when the Panthers were stopped on third down inside the Bills 10. The last one came after Cam Newton led a 12-play, 39-yard drive that ate up more than 5 1/2 minutes, capped by Gano's 39-yard field goal with 1:38 left. Manuel was unfazed as the Bills took over at their own 20 with 1:38 remaining and no timeouts. Willing to throw over the middle, he was efficient in twice getting the Bills lined up when his receiver was unable to get out of bounds. "He was focused. He was locked in," Johnson said of Manuel. "He was in there like a No. 1 quarterback." Game notes The Bills' previous single-game record was four sacks, shared by Bruce Smith, who did it twice, and Cornelius Bennett.... Carolina allowed 149 yards rushing after previously giving up no more than 70 in its previous five games.... The Panthers lost S Charles Godfrey (right Achilles tendon) and CB Josh Thomas (concussion).... Dan Carpenter hit a 55-yard field goal for the Bills.The Secret: All your wishes are in the catalogue. Part: 1 Posted by Damp Cardigan on May 17, 2013 · 1 Comment The political disappearance of the left wing in the western world has given rise to the commercialisation of alternative living. Former gatherings of those seeking the counter culture, like Glastonbury Festival, now resemble vessels for mass marketing and capitalist principles. Finding new ways of conducting yourself through this minefield of profit driven ideology, hypocritically, results in a trip to your nearest book shop chain or to the Internet for an overpriced self-help manual. This bears a striking similarity to that other desperate faithfulness to a certain ancient, over scrutinised self-help text. The inexplicable global phenomenon in line of for cross-examination here is The Secret. I will attempt to play the part of the prosecution and you the judge and jury (and executioner?). So what on earth is The Secret? Synopsis: The Secret has existed throughout the history of humankind. It has been discovered, coveted, suppressed, hidden, lost, and recovered. It has been hunted down, stolen, and bought for vast sums of money. Fragments of The Secret have been found in the oral traditions, in literature, in religions and philosophies throughout the centuries. This is the introduction to the “facts” as the official website would have you believe. I’m pretty sure you’re probably still asking yourself what it is. I’m still not sure. The Secret is the brainchild of Rhonda Byrne, an Australian writer and television producer, who has made herself a serious amount of money selling her borrowed philosophies to the masses. Enjoying the endorsement of America’s spiritual mother, Oprah Winfrey, will have an extremely positive effect on your bank balance and it’s within this sort of practice we dive straight into the realm of self fulfilling prophecies and their usefulness in convincing the defenseless to part with their cash. A few years ago I was sat with my good lady and a friend in the front room of another friend’s house who had something that she wanted us to watch. She didn’t give too much away hoping it would have the same impact on us as it did her. She described it as truly life changing and, being open-minded sorts, we settled in for what we were promised would be a visual and enlightening treat. This was my first real introduction to the idea of modern, mass-market philosophy and seems the best place to start. The next hour and a half of my life was spent open mouthed and awestruck at the sheer gravity of what was played out before me. This, as the authors would have you believe, is the desired response but my amazement existed at the opposite end of their intentions. Try and remember back to when you were a child. If, like me, you grew up glued to the television then you will remember what it was like to see those envy inducing toy commercials that made toys look like the best thing in the world. Unimaginably cool looking kids would parade the products gleefully in front of you involving clever editing and set dressing. You just had to have them. The disappointment came when, on the odd occasion, one of these toys would be purchased and you realised that the clever sound effects, music and dazzling white teeth displayed in the advert are not in the box and it’s just you, the toy and a worn carpet. But when you’re a kid you don’t care as your imagination takes hold and there you are, in that commercial revered by all the other children so jealous of your luck and blinded by your smile. Secretly, you know it isn’t as good as when you see someone else playing with it, but you pretend any way. I was twenty six when first introduced to The Secret and had all but forgotten those feelings of adolescent confusion with the world of advertising. They all came flooding back that day as The Secret is nothing more than an adult version of this money making strategy with the only difference being that vulnerable children are replaced with vulnerable adults with access to cash. So for those that have no experience of this phenomenon, and I envy you, I will try and paint a picture of what I saw. Based loosely on the documentary format The Secret DVD involves clearly scripted interviews with Secret Teachers who claim to hold the answers to ALL of your problems. This is intercut with expensive computer graphics and ambiguous history lessons claiming that The Secret has been passed down through generations, mostly by famous people, and has reached you in an expensive digital format to sort your life out. A number of exceptional men and women discovered the Secret, and went on to become known as the greatest people who ever lived. Among them: Plato, Leonardo, Galileo, Napoleon, Hugo, Beethoven, Lincoln, Edison, Einstein and Carnegie, to name but a few. Dining out on the accomplishments of over achievers is seemingly not without its advantages, most notably the fact that none of them are alive to confirm or deny it. Now I’m not saying that there’s no truth in this despite the lack of tangible evidence to support these claims. I can’t prove it just as much as they can’t and historically, heroes have a habit of being a crushing disappointment. (See Clint Eastwood turning out to be a Republican or Brad Pitt appearing in a perfume commercial for further reading). What’s really for sale here is a theory known as the ‘Law of Attraction’. This is exactly as idiotic as it first sounds and has the most sinister subtext coursing through its evil rhetoric. The secret teachers tell us that this law needs to be learned and applied to all aspects of your life to achieve and gain the material things that will complete our lives. So what is the “Law of Attraction”? It is the practice of extreme wishful thinking based around the principle that “like attracts like”. For instance, if one thinks only positively about the outcome of any event then based on this law every outcome will be positive. The same applies for a negative approach. The biggest problem with The Secret is how it suggests you should apply this flawed but good natured law to the issues that life can throw at you. Does it concentrate on anything of importance like poverty, famine or war? No but one of the examples that it does offer is the case of a child who needs a sweet new red bike and it states that if he really wants it then he needs to surround himself with positive energy and wish for it, like all the other eight year olds. Then, it will just appear on his doorstep as if the cosmic forces they claim control our world concern themselves with whether some spoilt kid from middle class suburbia has shiny red transportation. It’s like asking you to perform some extreme housekeeping on your innermost thoughts. If this were really true then surely there would be no more hungry people in the world. In the spirit of “like for like” let’s looks at a provocative example. I’m sure all the starving families in the world spend all day hoping and wishing for food and by this rationale they should cease to be hungry as the universe would surely provide them with some form of cosmic nourishment. The focus is on the overtly capitalist principles of consuming and profit making. The issue here is it’s only applicable within the realms of western life and places the answers to modern problems on that of a material nature. It’s not so much a ‘Law’ of attraction but a ‘Lure’ of distraction. It doesn’t want you to concentrate on anything REAL as there’s no money in it. Is it not, almost exclusively, singling out those who suffer at the hands of misfortune and casting them as the directors of their own fate? Of course it is. By convincing the vulnerable of this it puts them in a position to offer the only available medicine for an illness that no one knew they had. And anyone can have it, for a price. Phil Watson. Coming soon: Part 2 AdvertisementsThe 1960 New Mexico State Aggies football team represented New Mexico State University in the Border Conference during the 1960 college football season. The Aggies, led by third-year head coach Warren B. Woodson, played their home games at Memorial Stadium. They finished the season with a record of 11–0 and 4–0 in conference play. Until the 2017 school year, this is the most recent New Mexico State team to play in a bowl game. For the second time in what proved to be four consecutive years, a New Mexico State back won the NCAA rushing title, Pervis Atkins in 1959, Bob Gaiters in 1960, and Preacher Pilot in 1961 and 1962. Head coach Warren Woodson was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Schedule [ edit ] [1]I'm going to assume that you are already familiar with Joe Manganiello, as this is 2016. You may know Joe as Big Dick Ritchie, or as Sofia Vergara's husband who HASN'T tried stealing her embryos, or as Alcide Herveaux, the sexiest werewolf in Shreveport. But the Joe who matters to us today is this one: Evolution: The Cutting-Edge Guide to Breaking Down Mental Walls and Building the Body You've Always Wanted has been an obsession of mine for a few years now. This is because I really like Joe Manganiello's face and body, and there are many pictures of said face and body contained within. This, for example, is a personal favorite: However, it is also very very funny. Joe Manganiello is one of the most earnest humans who has ever lived. He believes in himself and he believes in you. He probably believes in you more than you believe in yourself. Once he read The Fountainhead, and it inspired him to go work at a quarry for a time. How could you fail to love the sort of man who reads Ayn Rand and takes it so literally that he takes a job moving rocks because he wants to make the most of himself? When it came time to prepare for True Blood, he watched hundreds of hours of footage of wolves in the wild. His craft is his life, people. As a sidenote, here is an inexplicable, endlessly fascinating list of his heroes, which consists mainly of Jewish people AND people who notoriously hated Jewish people, though I do not for a minute believe that Joe Manganiello hates anyone, nor that such a capacity lives in his meaty, healthy heart: Okay, now me. I am a 33-year-old mother of two. I have brown and gray hair. One of my eyes is 30 percent smaller than the other. I work out a lot, and have for the last few years. This is what I look like: Courtesy Nicole Cliffe (I took a significantly less flattering picture of myself a few days before, prior to starting this regimen, but I was PMSing and have chosen not to share this picture with you because my nips are too obvious in it. Just imagine it looks like the above image, but add 12 pounds of bloat. That'll do it.) What Joe outlines in Evolution is, like it says on the tin, a six-week workout and diet routine. It purports to be the exact plan he followed to get in shape for True Blood. When it occurred to me that it might be fun to do a stunt journalism piece where I followed his plan to the letter for six weeks and wrote about the results, I was in the process of shutting down my website, The Toast, which I had started and run with my friend Mallory Ortberg for the last three years. As you can imagine, I had a lot of feelings about this, and sometimes the best thing to do with too many feelings is to embark on an extremely grueling six-day-a-week workout regimen and refuse to eat any carbs that aren't sweet potatoes, a starch I personally loathe in all its forms. As you can imagine, I had a lot of feelings about this, and sometimes the best thing to do with too many feelings is to embark on an extremely grueling six-day-a-week workout regimen and refuse to eat any carbs that aren't sweet potatoes. The first thing I did was throw my razor in the trash. I was a werewolf now. An animal. A creature of the night. The second thing I did was retrieve my razor, having remembered that I find armpit hair poky and unpleasant, and also that razors cost money. I did stop shaving my legs, though. It helped. Rowr. The third thing I did was go to the supermarket armed with the following list: Courtesy of Nicole Cliffe There are a few things that a trained observer will immediately grasp, looking at this list. One is that Joe Manganiello is a very tall, very large man, so he can put "cheddar cheese block" on his diet plan and assume that will work out just fine for everyone. Another is that this is a very specific list. Cherry-and-fig balsamic vinaigrette! Think Thin bars, but only the peanut butter flavor (this was a problem for me, as stores seem to now carry only the CHUNKY peanut butter flavor, which has a different nutrition profile from the OG peanut butter variety). There are no meal plans. There are no portion suggestions. I am a woman in our society. I can do any stupid damn diet you can invent for six weeks. I could eat nothing but dryer lint for six weeks. Now, I am a woman in our society. I can do any stupid damn diet you can invent for six weeks. I could eat nothing but dryer lint for six weeks. I can do keto standing on my head. Whole 30? A snap. Paleo? Of course. I can make bullshit ricotta pancakes and prepare steel-cut oats the night before and I know how many carbs are in an ounce of cashews. You want to know my macros? I'll add you on MyFitnessPal. The diet was not going to be a problem. There's a list, I will eat the foods on the list, I will eat no foods not on the list, done. Alcohol is not on the list. Alcohol, Joe Manganiello says, is "the destroyer." No alcohol. Done. Now we come to the workouts. This is where things start to go very wrong, very quickly. PHASE ONE: INCORPORATE (Weeks 1-2) For my first session, I dragged my husband along. "Maybe I'll do this with you," he said cheerily. The workouts are in the book, I'm not going to outline them in great detail, but that first day will be burned on my brain forever. It was a chest and back day (werewolves do chest and back on Mondays and Thursdays, legs and triceps on Tuesdays and Fridays, shoulders and biceps on Wednesdays and Saturdays), and it began, like every day for the next six weeks of my life, with Joe's Dynamic Warm-Up: 20 lunges per leg, 15 squats, 15 push-ups, 30 seconds of side-to-side jumping, and 30 seconds of front-to-back jumping. The first circuit was a combination of barbell bench pressing and lat pulldowns. That's fine. What wasn't fine was the rep count. You have never seen these reps before. No one thinks this makes sense. 20, 15, 12, 10, 5, 8, 16 Let me repeat that: 20, 15, 12, 10, 5, 8, 16 This means you press 20 times and pull down 20 times, then press 15 times and pull down 15 times, and so on. It means that, as you get tired, you do fewer reps, which makes sense, but then, for no reason, you start going back up. This is not normal. This is not what people do. Much of the next six weeks will involve you saying "I don't....what?" and then doing something and it making you stronger but you not understanding why or how. Then there were more exercises. There were always more exercises. PHASE TWO: INTEGRATE (Weeks 3-4) Like pregnancy, the middle part is the best part. You're getting stronger, you spend less time swapping out your weights for different ones, and you're seeing enough results that you're willing to play along with Joe "Mad Genius" Manganiello's bizarre philosophy of lifting. Cardio is added, and you accept that. People do cardio. You get used to precisely timing 60 seconds or 50 seconds of rest between movements, as per his instructions. During this phase I remember watching "The Battle of the Bastards" episode of Game of Thrones and saying "...pussies" dismissively as men were gored to death by bayonets. I do not think this was a defensible thing to say, I just want you to understand what sort of person you become on your way to achieving werewolf-ness. PHASE THREE: IGNITE (Weeks 5-6) This is when the wheels really start to come off in your brain. Fasted cardio was added to the plan. Daily, fasted, cardio. I no longer spoke at the gym, a place where once I shared confidences and humorous ripostes with my friends and trainer and loved ones. Now I just muttered things darkly and rolled my eyes. Everything was a drop set. So many drop sets. Things hurt less as I did them, but parts of me would just stop working. I wouldn't say "I don't think I can do any more push-ups." I would just lower myself and then fail to get back up again. I looked beautiful, but took little pleasure in it. These two weeks had to be endured. I wouldn't say "I don't think I can do any more push-ups." I would just lower myself and then fail to get back up again. Food lost its appeal almost completely. My cheat meal came, and I grimly opened a can of corned beef hash and ate it, cold, with a spoon, pausing only to dump in a bunch of hot sauce after being told it looked revolting. I was Yoshimi, battling the pink robots. In the morning, my eyes would open and I would take a quick inventory of my body and which parts were sore. (All the parts.) The last few days were like that video of the guy pooping and falling at the end of the marathon. There was no majesty in it, only the tired satisfaction of it being over. I had two glasses of wine and a tuna noodle casserole to celebrate, and woke up with a massive hangover, as my new, leaner, werewolf physique was not used to breaking down ethanol. This is me now, sporting Star Trek underwear, a smaller sports bra, and with my dog occupying the exact same foot of space she did six weeks earlier: Courtesy of Nicole Cliffe Numbers bum everyone out, so I will tell you only that my weight remained basically flat over the six weeks, while my strength went up rather impressively along all metrics and muscle groups. I don't know why it worked, or how it worked, and the reps make no sense to me, and many of his choices remain a mystery, but it certainly put me in the best shape of my life. COURTESY NICOLE CLIFFE Should you do this workout plan? I don't know, I'm not your mom. It made me forget, for six weeks, that my website had ended, and that I needed to find something else to do with my life. It was nice to know what I had to do every day to win at something, after having lost at something that mattered to me. It was nice to open my fridge and put something in my face without making any decisions. The glorious specificity of cherry-and-fig balsamic vinaigrette was a balm to my soul. It was a transition tool between something and the unknown. That might be something you could use. It also gave me cum gutters. The glorious specificity of cherry-and-fig balsamic vinaigrette was a balm to my soul. I cried only once, during the first week, driving from the gym to the grocery store, when Sleater-Kinney's "Modern Girl" shuffled up on my phone. I don't think it was because I couldn't buy a doughnut, but maybe it was. The body-mind connection is mysterious.A terminally ill Army veteran is asking for text messages or phone calls from strangers to help him forget about his excruciating pain. Lee Hernandez, who spent 18 years in the Army and served a tour in Iraq, has undergone three brain surgeries, but continues to suffer from strokes that are effecting his cognitive abilities, AZCentral.com reported. Hernandez’s wife, Ernestine, turned to the “Caregivers of Wounded Warriors” to help fulfill his wish, after he spent a disappointing afternoon at his Texas home waiting for his phone to ring. FAMILY WARNS OF POWASSAN VIRUS MONTH AFTER NEW YORK MAN'S DEATH “It broke my heart,” Ernestine told AZCentral.com. “(Lee’s) speech is not very well, so many people don’t take much interest or want to talk to him,” Ernestine told the news outlet. The group posted the 47-year-old’s request on their Facebook page, and his phone has been buzzing nonstop with calls and messages from veterans and supporters. Ernestine said she reads the messages and cards out loud to Hernandez, which helps to lift his spirits, AZCentral reported. They request that supporters call between 2-6 p.m., and that if they don’t answer it’s because Hernandez is in pain. SCIENTISTS SAY THEY'VE FOUND A LINK BETWEEN BREAST-FEEDING, LOWER RISK OF MS “Thank you everyone for your calls and support,” Ernestine said. “I am trying to give him the best life I am able to with the help of my mom.”(Credit: DeRay McKesson) Watch: Authorities arrest peaceful Ferguson protesters outside the Department of Justice in St. Louis Among those believed to be arrested are activists DeRay McKesson and Netta, and scholar Cornel West Your message has been sent successfully On the same day he was featured in the New York Times reading his tweets about the last time he was in Ferguson, Missouri, activist DeRay McKesson was arrested in Ferguson outside of the Department of Justice for allegedly filming the arrests of other protesters. McKesson began the day documenting the protest: Advertisement: [embedtweet id="630804891946999808"] [embedtweet id="630805114958282752"] [embedtweet id="630805293996216320"] [embedtweet id="630806045460402176"] [embedtweet id="630806208363020288"] [embedtweet id="630806411744792576"] [embedtweet id="630806557559816192"] [embedtweet id="630806642863525888"] At this point, the updates stop, because: [embedtweet id="630808973046886400"] Nor was he the only one taken into custody: [embedtweet id="630807573902565376"] [embedtweet id="630810622326915072"] Before the protest, one of those arrested, Johnetta Elzie, made a point to note her current mental state: Advertisement: [embedtweet id="630804684744212480"]Pin 7K Shares \| WTF News \| The team at McDonald’s is trying to lure in customers who seek out organic food choices as company metrics are declining partially due to more people choosing healthier alternatives. The company recently reported earnings which disappointed again. McDonald’s reported its September global retail sales dropped 3.8%, a ‘disaster’ according to Zero Hedge, and the worst since at least 2003. Zero Hedge The pain was everywhere, with Europe plunging 4.2% (est -0.9%), Asia down 7.5%, and the US down a whopping 4.1%, far below the 2.8% expected, and also the worst month in over a decade. One option left to the company is to try to make the food better in some way, or at least advertise it so customer believe that it is made with better ingredients and fewer harmful additives. McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson used the organics among options for possible new product lines. Bloomberg McDonald’s Corp. (MCD), which yesterday posted its fourth straight quarter of falling U.S. same-store sales, may look to sell more organic food to stem the loss of customers to chains known for better-quality fare. “You’ll see us in some categories looking to different products, possibly organics,” Chief Executive Officer Don Thompson said on a conference call. “We actually are doing it in certain markets.” The world’s largest restaurant chain already uses organic semi-skimmed milk in McCafe coffees, porridge and Happy Meals in some restaurants in the U.K., said Becca Hary, a company spokeswoman. Organic milk also is sold in Germany, while organic fruit juice is available in Germany and France, she said. \| WTF News \| Pin 7K SharesYou can find pre-made queries here. This article explains how they work, so you can make your own queries, if need be. How to make an API Query Information in the API is distributed between many collections. Each collection contains entries with typical structure for that collection. Each entry contains fields with information. Usually, information about in-game objects is distributed between many different collections. For example, to pull full stats of one weapon, you have to access as many as 17 (!) different collections. Fortunately, you can access several collections at once by joining several queries together. Before you proceed, It is highly recommended you get a JSON formatter plugin for your browser. Google it. List of collections: https://census.daybreakgames.com/get/ps2/ Census website: https://census.daybreakgames.com/ Some queries pull a lot of info at once, and if you intend to make several queries in a short time frame, you may be required to register a Service ID. Basic Queries To query a collection, you simply write its name in the link. For example, let’s query the “item” collection, which is basically a huge list of all items in game: http://census.daybreakgames.com/get/ps2/item This will return a JSON string with the first entry of the “item” collection. In this case, it contains information about Mag-Cutter. To query a collection for multiple entries, you have to specify the amount using a c:limit modifier. One does not simply access ALL entries in a collection. http://census.daybreakgames.com/get/ps2/item?c:limit=5 This will give you first five “items”. However, there is an overall limit to query size, and querying for several thousand of items will get hard and messy, so it’s a method best kept to “small” collections of several hundred members. To query specific entries, you can search entries with a field containing a certain value. For example, you can query a weapon by a name, or by an item_id. http://census.daybreakgames.com/get/ps2/item?name.en=TRAC-5 http://census.daybreakgames.com/get/ps2/item?item_id=43 Weapon name has to be written exactly as it appears in game, it is sensitive to letter case and spaces. Notice how we also specified the language of the name field. Collections with localized fields, such as names and descriptions, will contain all languages at the same time, which can get cluttering. You can specify a language like this: http://census.daybreakgames.com/get/ps2/item?name.en=TRAC-5&c:lang=en You can search for multiple entries with a certain value in a field. For example: https://census.daybreakgames.com/get/ps2/item?item_category_id=8 This query will display the first entry in the “item” collection with the item_category_id of 8, which is the Carbines’ category ID. To show all entries with that item_category_id, you have to again use the c:limit: https://census.daybreakgames.com/get/ps2/item?item_category_id=8&c:limit=400 Joining Collections Joining several collections in one query makes it easier to access full information about something. For example: http://census.daybreakgames.com/get/ps2/item?name.en=TRAC-5&c:lang=en&c:join=item_category^on:item_category_id^to:item_category_id This query will join item and item_category collections, so you can access a weapon by a name, and see its category right away. “On” is the name of the field in parent collection, “to” is the name of the field in child collection. In some cases you can forego specifying the “on” and “to” parts of the joining. In this case, you can simply write: http://census.daybreakgames.com/get/ps2/item?name.en=TRAC-5&c:lang=en&c:join=item_category Sometimes on and to can be omitted and the join will still work. That’s because if you don’t specify them it will use item_id by default. Most times using only on to specify which field from the parent collection to use is enough. For example instead of item_id you might want to use item_category_id or there is no item_id in the collection so there is no default. But there are times when you have to use to as well. That’s when the joining field from the parent collection has a different name from the identifying field of the child collection. For example joining attachment item info to the attachment list of a weapon. The attachments list collection uses attachment_item_id to identify the attachment, but the attachment info collection uses item_id. -/u/H_Q_ You can also specify the name of the join: http://census.daybreakgames.com/get/ps2/item?name.en=TRAC-5&c:lang=en&c:join=item_category^on:item_category_id^to:item_category_id^inject_at:Category This can make large queries more readable. If the child collection contains several entries with that identifier, you need to specify that you want to join all of them. http://census.daybreakgames.com/get/ps2/item_category?name.en=Carbine&c:lang=en&c:join=item^on:item_category_id^to:item_category_id^list:1 This query will show all weapons in the “Carbine” category. Multi Join You can string several joins together by separating them with commas: http://census.daybreakgames.com/s:iridar/get/ps2/item?name.en=M77-B&c:lang=en&c:join=item_to_weapon,weapon_datasheet This identical to using several join commands in one query: http://census.daybreakgames.com/s:iridar/get/ps2/item?name.en=M77-B&c:lang=en&c:join=item_to_weapon&c:join=weapon_datasheet Multi-Level Join You can create multi level joins by using round brackets: ( and ). http://census.daybreakgames.com/s:iridar/get/ps2/item?name.en=M77-B&c:lang=en&c:join=item_to_weapon(weapon) This query will display some of the weapon’s stats, stored in the “weapon” collection. It has the following structure and query response: Collections You may find this map of the API useful. All credit goes to /u/Arklur. item This collection contains meta information about an item, such as its localized name and description. This is the starting point for queries of weapon stats. Fields Category: item_category_id You can figure out item’s category by searching for the specified item_category_id in the item_category collection, or joining it. Description: description Contains all languages by default, but you can access specific language by writing the language’s two-letter code after a dot, for example: description.en, or using a &c:lang=en modifier. Faction: faction_id These field will specify which factions can use the weapon. Faction IDs can be accessed in faction collection. Item’s Image: image_path This can be used to access item’s in game icon. Simply paste the path after the basic census link: http://census.daybreakgames.com/files/ps2/images/static/963.png Some images are missing from the API, and will give a page_not_found error when you try to access them. There is nothing to be done about it, but you can datamine weapons’ icons from client files by using PS2LS tool. Images are stored in.dds format, and you can use any free converter to convert them into.png. Image Set: image_set_id The API usually stores several icons of different sizes. The image_path contains the address of the largest image, you can access smaller images by searching or joining the image_set collection. weapon_datasheet Parent collection: item Join key: item_id Magazine Size: clip_size Ammo Pool: capacity It’s worth noting that Ammo Pool includes the ammunition already loaded into the weapon, so 40/240 in the API will appear as 40/200 in game. The rest of the fields in weapon_datasheet collection are misleading and should not be used, as they refer to the old format of displaying weapon stats in game, basically somehow correlating with the number of bars in certain categories. fire_mode Parent collection: item Join key: item_id This collection contains some of the weapon stats, related to Damage and Reload times. However, the fire_mode_2 collection contains the same information and much more, so it is preferable to use that when possible. It is important to understand that in-game firemodes, such as “semi-auto” and “fully-automatic”, and the API “firemodes” are different. As
bhaskell) November 2, 2016 Less than a week to go!Image caption Mourners at Mr Nieuwenhuizen's funeral dressed in SC Buitenboys colours Four more arrests have been made in connection with the death of a volunteer football linesman in the Netherlands. Three teenagers and a 50-year-old man were detained in Amsterdam on Tuesday. Richard Nieuwenhuizen died a day after after being ambushed and kicked in the head by a gang following a game. Four youths aged 15 and 16 had earlier been arrested. Three were charged with manslaughter, assault and public violence. Mr Nieuwenhuizen was attacked at the end of a junior club match on 2 December, sustaining a barrage of punches and kicks. The 41-year-old father-of three collapsed at the club later and died the following day. The exact circumstances of the attack have yet to be established, but a group of 20 detectives are investigating the case and they say they have several dozen witnesses. Dutch police have told the BBC they had not ruled out making further arrests, and asked anyone with photos or video recordings of the attack to submit them as potential evidence. On Monday, hundreds lined the streets of Almere, east of Amsterdam, for Mr Nieuwenhuizen's funeral. Many mourners dressed in the blue and white colours of his son's club, SC Buitenboys, for whom he volunteered to act as linesman for the game against the rival Amsterdam side Neuiw Sloten. They scattered the silver hearse carrying his coffin with red roses. On Sunday, professional football clubs around the country observed a minute's silence before their games and players wore black armbands out of respect for the linesman. The Dutch Football Association (KNVB) cancelled the weekend's 33,000 amateur fixtures and took out full-page newspaper adverts saying "Without respect, no football".In this post I’d like to provide a brief summary about what it takes to try OpenCV from a Java application on Ubuntu. OpenCV is a great open source computer vision library, written in C++. It has great quickstart guides (go ahead and read them, if you haven’t already), but anyway, I’d like to share some of the gotchas I’ve encountered along the way. 1. Get the source The source code is in a public Git repository hosted on Github. Clone it and switch to the 2.4 branch. git clone https://github.com/Itseez/opencv.git cd opencv git checkout -b 2.4 origin/2.4 2. Compile First, create a directory for the build in the cloned directory. mkdir build cd build Then configure the project with cmake with BUILD_SHARED_LIBS parameter unset. From the docs: “When OpenCV is built as a set of static libraries (-DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=OFF option) the Java bindings dynamic library is all-sufficient, i.e. doesn’t depend on other OpenCV libs, but includes all the OpenCV code inside.” cmake -D BUILD_SHARED_LIBS = OFF.. Ensure that the output contains something like this in the Java section: -- Java: -- ant: /usr/bin/ant ( ver 1.9.6 ) -- JNI: /usr/lib/jvm/java-8-oracle/include /usr/lib/jvm/java-8-oracle/include/linux /usr/lib/jvm/java-8-oracle/include -- Java tests: YES It’s important to note, that you can continue if the Java dependencies are not set appropriately, but the compiled version will not include Java bindings. If the value for ant is NO, then run sudo apt-get install ant. is NO, then run sudo apt-get install ant. If the JAVA_HOME environment variable is not correctly set, it causes NO to appear for JNI. In this case just export the variable to refer the correct path, for example with export JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java-8-oracle. After the necessary changes rerun cmake and make sure to everything is correctly set up. Now, start the build: make -j8 (The -j option specifies the number of jobs to be run simultaneously.) This is going to take a while, but eventually it creates a JAR (bin/opencv-xxx.jar) containing the Java interfaces and the files of native library. 3. Try it With the following steps, you can use the compiled library directly from Eclipse. First, register the OpenCV native library: In Window -> Preferences, go to the Java -> Build Path -> User Libraries section. Click New to add a new library, and give it a name (for example OpenCV-2.4). Select it and press Add External JARs… to browse the previously compiled JAR file (opencv/build/bin/opencv-xxx.jar). Specify the native library location to refer the correct files (opencv/build/lib). For the test, create a simple Project: Create a new Java project. Add the newly created user library (OpenCV-2.4) to the Java Build Path -> Libraries section, by pressing the Add library… button. Create a Java Class with the following snippet (source): import org.opencv.core.Core ; import org.opencv.core.CvType ; import org.opencv.core.Mat ; public class Hello { public static void main ( String [] args ) { System. loadLibrary ( Core. NATIVE_LIBRARY_NAME ); Mat mat = Mat. eye ( 3, 3, CvType. CV_8UC1 ); System. out. println ( "mat = " + mat. dump ()); } } If everything is fine then running this program should print the 3x3 identity matrix.The Red Cross provides biomedical services as well as services in five other areas (1) Domestic Disaster Services, (2) Health and Safety Services, (3) International Relief (4) Community Services and (5) Service to the Armed Forces. The Red Cross reports that it responds to nearly 66,000 disasters in the U.S. every year, ranging from home fires that affect a single family to hurricanes that affect tens of thousands, to earthquakes that impact millions. The organization reports that it helps an average of 160,000 military families and veterans annually prepare for, cope with, and respond to the challenges of military service through a range of support services. The Red Cross reports that it is the largest single supplier of blood and blood products in the U.S. Nearly 3 million people donate approximately 5.1 million units of blood through the Red Cross each year. The Red Cross also provides health and safety courses, including CPR and First Aid training. The organization reports that more than 6.25 million Americans participate in its training programs each year. The Red Cross reports it is part of one of the worlds largest humanitarian networks with 17 million volunteers in 190 countries. The organization reports that it reaches an average of more than 140 million people across the globe each year by responding to disasters, building safer communities, and educating future humanitarians. During the past six years, the Red Cross was reorganized. The Red Cross reports that budgets, back office systems, purchasing functions and other tasks have been consolidated to become more efficient and to enable local affiliates to provide more focus on program service delivery including the management of volunteers. In addition, the Red Cross noted that this reorganization helped streamline its decision-making process and financial management. In addition to the program information included in this report, American Red Cross provided BBB WGA with detailed data on the level of major Red Cross services in the past year on a state by state basis. A PDF version of this can be viewed by going to give.org/redcross For the year ended June 30, 2016, American Red Cross's program expenses were:Australia's consumer watchdog has lodged legal action in the Federal Court against two e-cigarette online retailers for allegedly falsely claiming their products don't contain potentially cancer-causing chemicals. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission alleges that the two companies, Social-Lites Pty Ltd (Social-Lites) and Elusion New Zealand Limited (Elusion), breached the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) by making representations on their websites from at least August 2015 that the e-cigarette products being sold did not contain carcinogens or toxic chemicals, and did not contain any of the chemicals found in conventional cigarettes. In fact the e-cigarettes sold by the two companies do contain harmful carcinogens and toxic chemicals, including formaldehyde acetaldehyde and acrolein, according to the ACCC. Formaldehyde is classified by the World Health Organisation International Agency for Cancer Research as a Group 1A carcinogen, meaning there is sufficient evidence to show it causes cancer in humans. Acetaldehyde is classified as a Group 2B carcinogen by the IARC, while Acrolein is classified as a toxic chemical. "It is imperative that suppliers have scientific evidence to support claims that their products do not contain carcinogens and toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde and acetaldehyde," ACCC chairman Rod Sims said. "There is an increasing level of concern among international, national and state authorities regarding the composition of e-cigarettes, and the likely effects of their use. The ACCC will continue to work with its local and international counterparts to ensure consumers are receiving accurate information about these products," Mr Sims said. The ACCC also alleges that the chief executive of Social-Lites and the director of Elusion were knowingly concerned in the alleged contraventions by Social-Lites and Elusion respectively. E-cigarettes are metal tubes that heat liquids typically laced with nicotine and deliver vapour when inhaled. The liquids come in thousands of flavours, from cotton candy to pizza. Use of the devices has grown quickly in the past decade and experts fiercely debate whether the devices can help people give up smoking and whether they are safe - with some studies raising concerns about the toxicity of some of the ingredients.For a decade, Lawrence Lessig, a mild-seeming legal scholar, pursued the intricacies of updating American copyright law to reflect the rise of the digital era, the Internet, and new means of producing and disseminating texts, music, images, and software. Based first at Harvard, then Stanford, he co-founded organizations such as Creative Commons, a nonprofit that gives people legal tools to control use of their creative output, and argued that mashups (of songs or YouTube videos, for example) are culturally important products that (in some circumstances) can be legal under the principle of fair use. He felt he was making progress: “The public was getting it. Businesses were getting it. Universities. Everybody had come to the recognition that ‘There is something wrong with the existing system,’ and that it needed to be updated—but we were making no progress in the context of policymakers.” At first, he was puzzled. But gradually he realized the problem lay in the sclerotic, gridlocked policymaking system itself—particularly in Congress. “We weren’t making any progress because money was so inherent and tied to decisions,” he says now. “The public domain had no lobbyists. The ideas of the public domain weren’t even on the table because there was no infrastructure for putting them there.” As long as Congress remains in the thrall of “the economy of influence”—its members dependent on money to fund reelection campaigns—“no progress would be made on copyright or any other public-policy question,” he explains. “It wasn’t just esoteric areas like copyright, it was also fundamental issues like global warming, healthcare, or any number of others.” That set Lessig off in a new direction—including an exploratory, aborted run for Congress and, ultimately, in 2008, a return to Harvard. He now directs the Safra Center for Ethics, serves as Furman professor of law and leadership at Harvard Law School, and investigates the American government and what ails it. His findings, recently published in Republic, Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress—and a Plan to Stop It, have led him to conclude that nothing less than overhauling the way elections are funded—involving a tool never before invoked in American democracy—is required. “A Republic, if You Can Keep It” Lessig comes to his conviction that American democracy is dysfunctional as a lawyer and citizen who has migrated from Reagan Republican to concerned liberal. His apprehensions about Congress transcend partisanship. He has worked with Tea Party leaders and Occupiers alike because he sees grass-roots intervention as the only way to fix a system that is broken. A host of issues threatens the nation, he points out, and every informed citizen knows it, yet Congress can’t achieve much. Elected representatives deadlock on key points such as reform of the financial system—after its failures nearly cause a global meltdown—even when solutions seem obvious and attainable. When Lessig contemplates this impasse, he sees political polarization as merely a symptom of a much deeper sickness: Congress has been “corrupted” by its members’ dependence on money from lobbyists—and from the special interests hiring those lobbyists—to fund their reelection campaigns. This “dependence corruption,” described in Republic, Lost, does not mean venal corruption: bribery or bags of cash for personal use. The Framers of the Constitution, he points out, sought to guard against that by explicitly outlawing the corrupting potential of gifts from foreign nations in Article 1. A portrait set in diamonds (a gift to Benjamin Franklin) and other expensive gifts had been lavished on representatives of the emerging nation by European rulers, and “raised a reasonable concern,” Lessig writes. “Would agents of the republic keep their loyalties clear if in the background they had in view these expected gifts from foreign kings?” Likewise, “the Framers wanted to avoid…Parliament’s loss of independence from the Crown” resulting from royal gifts of “offices and perks” that pulled members “away from the view of the people they were intended to represent.” The Founders were aware of the fragility of the system they had fledged: when Franklin walked from Independence Hall as the Constitutional Convention ended, Lessig writes, a woman asked what he had wrought. “A republic, madam,” he replied, “if you can keep it.” The Framers, Lessig says, had just one kind of dependence in mind for members of Congress: a dependence on the people. He quotes The Federalist (the then-anonymous essays by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay that are often used as a contemporary account of the Framers’ intentions) to make this point: number 52 describes the House of Representatives as that “branch of the federal government which ought to be dependent on the people alone” (emphasis added). But in the last two decades, Lessig writes, members of Congress have developed a fearsome dependency: campaign cash. The total amount spent on campaigns by all candidates for Congress in 2010 was $1.8 billion. Fundraising has become a way of life, and extravagant giving has been institutionalized; only the diamonds are missing. Lessig cites the example of Senator Max Baucus (D-Montana), chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, whose position gave him a critical role in the debate over President Obama’s healthcare proposal. Between 2003 and 2008, Baucus received $5 million in campaign contributions from the financial, insurance, and health industries. But Lessig also cites similar examples from both sides of the aisle, blaming neither political party in particular. The corruption, he says, is systemic and systematic: in 2009 alone, lobbyists spent $3.5 billion, or about $6.5 million per each elected member in Congress. Do gifts of money really change recipients’ behavior? Studies have suggested that, on any particular issue, there is no apparent link between a legislator’s vote and lobbyist money—the data don’t show a pattern that can be discerned. “But certainly,” Lessig says in an interview, “money can affect what goes into the bills” before Congress on issue after issue. “Let’s say we are talking about healthcare: money guaranteed that single-payer health insurance was not on the table. There could be nothing more fundamental to that bill than that.” Furthermore, Americans don’t believe all that money has no effect—and that is a problem in itself. If the 99.9 percent of Americans who don’t have enough money to buy access to Congress believe their participation in their democracy doesn’t count for much, he says, they will choose to do something else, such as make a rational choice to play with their children instead. And the need for campaign cash does have one clear and important effect, Lessig argues. Members of Congress now spend between 30 and 70 percent of their time raising money rather than deliberating as they were elected to do. For example, even as fundraising has increased exponentially since 1994—the moment when control of Congress began shifting back and forth between Democrats and Republicans, intensifying the need for campaign funds to secure a majority—so the amount of time members of Congress spend in committee meetings has dropped dramatically. “I don’t have enough data to say money is the driver,” Lessig admits, “but it is consistent with that proposition.” When Lessig makes this case in speeches, he reports, reactions range from disbelief to rationalization. “Some say, ‘It can’t possibly be true.’ Others say, ‘They’re raising money; they are spending time connecting to people.’ That ignores the fact that they are connecting to 0.1 percent of the people, which is not ‘connecting to people.’” But “the vast majority” is stunned into recognizing “There is something really wrong here.” Lessig likens this dependency on money to cocaine addiction, in which users spend “70 percent of their time feeding their habit.” The corrupting influence of money manifests itself in Washington culture in other ways as well. When Lessig interviewed convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff as part of a series hosted by the Center for Ethics last December, for example, Abramoff described how offering a member of Congress or congressional staffer a high-paying job on K Street (home to big lobbying firms) is, in effect, a way of hiring them on the spot. They may be two years from the end of their terms, Abramoff said, but from that moment—with no money down—they are, in the back of their minds, working for their future employer. Lessig therefore suggests extending the ban on moving from Congress to a lobbying job from the current one year for House members and two years for staffers and Senators to seven years. In the Hands of the People The problem of money in politics runs deep, with effects that are difficult to untangle, but Lessig cites a particularly dramatic instance to illustrate his point. Between 1995 and 2009, he reports, the government spent more than $70 billion subsidizing corn production. As a result, “Every $1 of profits earned by [food conglomerate Archer Daniels Midland’s] corn-sweetener operation costs consumers $10,” says Lessig, quoting from a Cato Institute study. Some of the support was intended to aid family farms, but the benefits have accrued mainly to large companies. Meanwhile, the subsidies have made high-fructose corn syrup cheap and raw corn so inexpensive that some farmers feed it to their cattle. Now the corn sweetener—present in 40 percent of the food on grocery shelves—has been implicated in the obesity and diabetes epidemics. And cattle—which don’t digest corn properly—develop gastrointestinal bacteria that must be treated with antibiotics, in turn facilitating the evolution of drug-resistant “super bugs” that can infect humans. “You begin to poison people through the food-production system,” Lessig says. “There’s nobody on the right who can say this is a good thing. And people on the left who might have supported this system originally, because it was going to support family farms—they don’t like this either. Yet think about the political will that would be necessary to turn this spigot off! I don’t think we have that political capacity.” That conviction and the Supreme Court decision Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (which allows corporations and unions unlimited spending on independent political communications) have led him to call for a constitutional convention—something that hasn’t happened since the Constitution was written—to propose amendments that would ensure Congress is truly dependent on the people alone. It seems an extreme approach, but Lessig discusses many other possible remedies and strategies for achieving them in his book, such as donor anonymity (to break the clear link between contributions and political favors) or one-issue candidates who vow to quit Congress once reformed. He follows those remedies down forking paths, seemingly to every possible outcome, and concludes that a convention has the best, albeit slight, chance of success. The Constitution describes a mechanism for triggering such a gathering (two-thirds of state legislatures must call on Congress to convene a convention, and three-quarters of the states, 38 in all, must ratify any proposed change for it to be adopted), but every time the country has faced the prospect, Congress has acted first, “most famously in the context of the Seventeenth Amendment” mandating direct election of U.S. senators by popular vote, Lessig reports. “The states came within one vote of calling for a convention” and Congress responded to this reformist pressure. Lessig does not say what, exactly, such a convention should propose. Elsewhere in Republic, Lost, he advances the idea of democracy vouchers, a publicly funded campaign-finance system that would give every citizen $50 to support his or her candidate of choice, and would limit total contributions from any single person to $100. But this system would apply only to candidates who “opt-in,” says the libertarian Lessig, leaving other candidates to take money from super PACs, corporations, or industry lobbyists. A constitutional convention could make limiting that kind of contribution clearly legal, as he clearly hopes that it would, while leaving the specifics to the delegates themselves, who he believes should be ordinary citizens from across the country, “a random selection drawn from the voter rolls.” In fact, he writes: “I recognize that of all the insanity strewn throughout this book, this will strike readers as the most extreme. Ordinary citizens? Are you crazy? Proposing amendments to our Constitution? When two-thirds of Americans can’t even identify what the Bill of Rights is?” Yet it is a solution characteristic of Lessig, this former chairman of the Pennsylvania Teen Age Republicans who turned liberal while studying philosophy at the University of Cambridge in England—an unconventional, innovative, and radical thinker. His proposal in a single stroke does away with experts, politicians, and activists. It also highlights Lessig’s idealism: a commitment to American democracy bordering on faith. In One Way Forward: The Outsider’s Guide to Fixing the Republic, an ebook he published in February as a follow-up to Republic, Lost, he describes the principles that ordinary citizens—perhaps including those named to a constitutional convention—might pledge to uphold: “To provide that public elections are publicly funded; to limit, and make transparent, contributions and independent political expenditures; and to reaffirm that when the Declaration of Independence spoke of entities ‘endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights’ it was speaking of natural persons only.” As principles go, simple. And in his e-book, Lessig concludes that, measured against problems such as fascism, institutionalized racism, and sexism that “our nation tackled throughout the course of the twentieth century,” this “narrow but profound flaw at the core of our Constitution…that has allowed our government to become captured” by moneyed special interests is “tiny by comparison.” What it will take to fix things, he says, is for Americans to recognize that “the corrupting influence of money is the first problem facing this nation. That unless we solve this problem, we won’t solve anything else.”Happy May Day to us! We aren’t exaggerating when we say this might be the biggest month for foreign movies in Chinese cinematic history. Last month, with the Fate of the Furious, we saw China’s biggest opening weekend to date. But this month, with such a huge list of so-called blockbusters, we should see that record broken once again. Guardians or Pirates, anyone? And, oddly for China, every single one happens to be released on a Friday, so a good way to waste your weekends. A large percentage seem to be getting the same day and date release with the USA, too. Now if they’d only do that for Star Wars. Need help buying tickets?: How To Buy Movie Tickets On Wechat **Remember, all movies are subject to change, so if you’re planning a romantic candle-lit evening, it’s always smart to double-check ahead of time. TIC. Behold, the movies coming to China in May: Friday, May 5, 2017 दंगल (aka “Dangal”) 《摔跤吧！爸爸》 shuāi jiāo ba！bà bà Director: Nitesh Tiwari Actors: Aamir Khan, Sakshi Tanwar, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra, Aparshakti Khuran China Release Date: Friday, May 5, 2017 导演: 涅提·蒂瓦里主演: 阿米尔·汗 / 沙克希·坦沃 / 法缇玛·萨那·纱卡 / 桑亚·玛荷塔 / 阿帕尔夏克提·库拉那中国大陆上映日期: 2017-5-05（周五） A sports biopic from India featuring the real-life character of Mahavir Singh Phogat. He wasn’t able to win the championship on his own, so he hoped his sons would someday carry on his legacy. But does he have any sons? Nope. Four daughters. The ol’ life switcheroo giving “lemons,” etc. Expect lots of Bollywood flare with this one! We love Aamir Khan, so why wouldn’t he make a good father of female wrestlers? We honestly don’t know why this is coming to China, but might have something to do with the popularity of the wonderful “3 Idiots” flick that resonated with millions of Chinese students. Or Chinese producers. Note: This film is in Hindi, with minimal English dialogue… If you don’t speak Hindi, how fast can you read Chinese subtitles? 😜 Might need to just download this one with English subtitles. 马哈维亚·辛格·珀尕（阿米尔·汗饰）曾是印度国家摔跤冠军，因生活所迫放弃摔跤。他希望让儿子可以帮他完成梦想——赢得世界级金牌。结果生了四个女儿本以为梦想就此破碎的辛格却意外发现女儿身上的惊人天赋，看到冠军希望的他决定不能让女儿的天赋浪费，像其他女孩一样只能洗衣做饭过一生，再三考虑之后，与妻子约定一年时间按照摔跤手的标准训练两个女儿：换掉裙子、剪掉了长发，让她们练习摔跤，并赢得一个又一个冠军，最终赢来了成为榜样激励千千万万女性的机会…… Friday, May 5, 2017 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 《银河护卫队2》 yín hé hù wèi duì èr Director: James Gunn Actors: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper China Release Date: Friday, May 5, 2017 导演: 詹姆斯·古恩主演: 克里斯·普拉特 / 佐伊·索尔达娜 / 戴夫·巴蒂斯塔 / 范·迪塞尔 / 布莱德利·库珀中国大陆上映日期: 2017-5-05（周五） Set to the backdrop of ‘Awesome Mixtape #2,’ Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand. We are all seeing this one. After the unexpected breakout success of Vol. 1, this one’s sure to not disappoint. And it’s Marvel, so remember to stay till after the credits are completely finished. 漫威影业最新力作《银河护卫队2》带着全新劲爆好听的“劲歌金曲第二辑”回归大银幕！银河护卫队在本集中穿越宇宙，继续外太空的史诗冒险之旅。他们必须共同作战，守护彼此；同时要解开“星爵”彼得·奎尔的身世之谜。旧日敌人变为盟友，漫画中深受喜爱的角色也会现身，对护卫队出手援助。漫威电影宇宙则将持续扩张，进入新纪元！ Trailer 预告片:（中文字幕） Friday, May 12, 2017 King Arthur: Legend of the Sword 《亚瑟王：斗兽争霸》 yà sè wáng：dòu shòu zhēng bà Director: Guy Ritchie Actors: Charlie Hunnam, Jude Law, Annabelle Wallis China Release Date: Friday, May 12, 2017 导演: 盖·里奇主演: 查理·汉纳姆 / 裘德·洛 / 阿斯特丽德·伯格斯-弗瑞斯贝 / 米卡埃尔·佩斯布兰特 / 杰曼·翰苏中国大陆上映日期: 2017-5-12（周五） We were JUST thinking it was about time for a King Arhur remake! And here it is. The young Arthur (Hunnam) runs the back passages of Londinium with his crew, not knowing his royal lineage until he grabs Excalibur. Instantly confronted by the sword’s influence, Arthur is forced to make up his mind. He joins the rebellion and a shadowy young woman named Guinevere. He must learn to understand the magic weapon, deal with his demons, and unite the people to defeat the dictator Vortigern, the man who murdered his parents and stole his crown to become king. Those battle scenes look LOTR-ish… should we raise our expectations? No. 本片改编自亚瑟王圣剑的传说，剧情颠覆传统，一路探索亚瑟从市井到王座的征途。亚瑟的父亲在他小时候就惨遭杀害，亚瑟的叔叔伏提庚（裘德·洛 Jude Law 饰）篡取王位，剥夺了亚瑟（查理·汉纳姆 Charlie Hunnam 饰）的天赐之权。他浑然不知自己的身世，在城市的穷街陋巷里摸爬滚打着长大，但当他拔出石中剑，他的人生就彻底地天翻地覆了，亚瑟不得不接受自己真正的使命。 Friday, May 12, 2017 Power Rangers 《超凡战队》 chāo fán zhàn duì Director: Dean Israelite Actors: Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, RJ Cyler, Elizabeth Banks China Release Date: Friday, May 12, 2017 导演: 迪恩·以色列特主演: 戴克·蒙哥马利 / 娜奥米·斯科特 / RJ·赛勒 / 林路迪 / 贝姬·戈麦斯中国大陆上映日期: 2017-5-12（周五） Another remake! And this one’s gonne be so bad it’s good. What child didn’t rush home from school to catch a glimpse of the Green Ranger? Or was Yellow Ranger more your type? Just like in the past, five high school outcasts stumble upon an old alien ship, where they acquire superpowers and are dubbed the Power Rangers. Learning that an old enemy of the previous generation has returned to exact vegenance, the group must harness their powers and use them to work together and save the world. Sounds repulsing, let’s go watch it! And they’re relying on a huge release in China or we’ll never see another one. 五个在校园被孤立的高中生，因为青春的荷尔蒙面临着许许多多的烦恼与迷茫。同时，黑暗势力丽达女王正蠢蠢欲动，为了寻找更多能量打造金人怪兽哥达来到地球。五名青少年命中注定地相遇，团结克服难关成为五色超凡战队，与他们的恐龙佐德人机合一雷霆出击拯救世界，毁天灭地一触即发…… Trailer 预告片:（中文字幕） Friday, May 19, 2017 Life 《异星觉醒》 yì xīng jiào xǐng Director: Daniel Espinosa Actors: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds, Hiroyuki Sanada China Release Date: Friday, May 19, 2017 导演: 丹尼尔·伊斯皮诺萨主演: 杰克·吉伦哈尔 / 丽贝卡·弗格森 / 瑞恩·雷诺兹 / 真田广之 / 阿利安·巴克瑞中国大陆上映日期: 2017-5-19（周五） “Life is incredibly resilient.” Six astronauts aboard the space station study a sample collected from Mars that could provide evidence for extraterrestrial life on the Red Planet. The crew determines that the sample contains a large, single-celled organism – the first example of life beyond Earth. But.. things aren’t always what they seem. As the crew begins to conduct research, and their methods end up having unintended consequences, the life form proves more intelligent than anyone ever expected. Yawn. At least it’s not a remake? 首位连续出演两部《谍中谍》的女星蕾贝卡·弗格森（Rebecca Ferguson）最近加盟一部Skydance公司制作的原创科幻电影《生命》（Life），该片将由《安全屋》（Safe House）导演丹尼尔·埃斯皮诺萨（Daniel Espinosa）执导。《生命》讲述的是国际空间站宇航员在对一份从火星取回的样本检测后，发现其中显现出生命迹象，而且是一种比人类预料的智慧的多的生命。目前还没有更进一步的细节，不清楚这部科幻片有无恐怖、惊悚成分。 Friday, May 19, 2017 Защитники (aka “The Guardians”) 《守护者：世纪战元》 shǒu hù zhě：shì jì zhàn yuán Director: Sarik Andreasyan Actors: Anton Pampushnyy, Sanjar Madi, Sebastien Sisak China Release Date: Friday, May 19, 2017 导演: 萨里·奥德赛耶主演: 塞巴斯蒂安·斯萨克 / 艾琳娜·拉尼娜 / 安东·庞布施尼 / 瓦谢斯拉夫·拉贝戈耶夫 / 桑扎尔·马季耶夫中国大陆上映日期: 2017-5-19（周五） During the Cold War, an organization called “Patriot” created a super-hero squad, which includes members of multiple soviet republics. For years, the heroes had to hide their identities, but in hard times they must show themselves again. Is this just a Russian version of Marvel? Maybe. Looks promising. BTW, the China release appears to be in Russian, so best to check the language before buying tickets. Because of the trailer, it’s possible it might be in English, but it’s unlikely. 一直从事兵器研究的邪恶的克拉托夫教授欲用生物兵器达成自己的野心，在俄罗斯境内的各大城市制造了一系列大规模爆炸恐怖袭击。为了消灭邪恶势力，拯救面临生物兵器毁灭的国家，俄罗斯国防部派出了冷战时期创建的名为“爱国者”的超级英雄团队，各个英雄异于常人，身怀特技，与号称统治世界的邪恶教授展开了一场殊死较量。 Friday, May 26, 2017 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales 《加勒比海盗5：死无对证》 jiā lè bǐ hǎi dào wǔ：sǐ wú duì zhèng Directors: Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg Actors: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Javier Bardem China Release Date: Friday, May 26, 2017 导演: 艾斯彭·山德伯格 / 乔阿吉姆·罗恩尼主演: 约翰尼·德普 / 哈维尔·巴登 / 杰弗里·拉什 / 奥兰多·布鲁姆 / 凯拉·奈特莉中国大陆上映日期: 2017-5-26（周五） Captain Jack Sparrow finds the winds of ill-fortune blowing even more strongly when deadly ghost pirates led by his old nemesis, the terrifying Captain Salazar, escape from the Devil’s Triangle, determined to kill every pirate at sea…including him. Captain Jack’s only hope of survival lies in seeking out the legendary Trident of Poseidon, a powerful artifact that bestows upon its possessor total control over the seas. The other must-see of the month, this probably won’t be the last time we see Johnny Depp in the pirate costume. Or will it? 故事发生在《加勒比海盗3：世界的尽头》沉船湾之战20年后。亡灵萨拉查船长（哈维尔·巴登 Javier Bardem 饰）率领自己的亡灵海军杀出了世界的尽头，“深海阎王”威尔·特纳（奥兰多·布鲁姆 Orlando Bloom 饰）乘飞翔的荷兰人号前来追杀却被其引入百慕大三角生
world championship.[1] In the British Rally Championship, he captured the title by winning four of the six events. In the 1984 season, Blomqvist drove the Quattro A2 and the Sport Quattro evolutions to five victories, and finished second at the Monte Carlo Rally.[1] Beating Mikkola to the title, he became the second Swedish world rally champion after Björn Waldegård. His first place in the Rallye Côte d'Ivoire would remain his career-last victory in the WRC. The 1985 season saw him finish runner-up to Timo Salonen of the new Peugeot Talbot Sport team headed by Jean Todt. His best result was second; at the Swedish Rally, the 1000 Lakes and the Acropolis Rally.[1] In the last Group B season in 1986, Blomqvist competed for Ford in an RS200 and for Peugeot in a 205 Turbo 16 E2, recording his only podium at the Rally Argentina.[1] During the first two Group A years, Blomqvist continued with Ford and drove a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth, finishing on the podium three times.[1] He also drove for Volkswagen Motorsport and finished third in a Golf Mk 2 16V on the 1989 Safari Rally.The 1990 WRC season was the series' first without Blomqvist in action. In 1991 and 1992, he drove a Nissan Sunny GTI-R for Nissan Motorsports Europe, Nissan's factory team. At the 1992 Swedish Rally, Blomqvist took third place, which would remain his last podium spot in the WRC.[1] Later in the 1990s, he used his experience of two-wheel drive cars and helped Škoda Motorsport to develop the Škoda Felicia Kit Car. During a guest appearance at the 1996 RAC Rally, when the event was not on the WRC schedule, the 50-year-old veteran finished third overall with the car.[1] That same year, he finished seventh in the Safari Rally in a Ford Escort RS Cosworth. This would remain his last points-finish in the World Rally Championship.[1] After only three events in four years, Blomqvist returned to the role of a regular WRC competitor. Together with co-driver Ana Goñi, he drove a Group N category David Sutton Cars Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6 in twelve events in 2001, finishing fifth overall in the Production World Rally Championship (PWRC).[1] In 2003, he finished third in the PWRC championship in a Subaru Impreza WRX STI.[1] In his last world rally, the 2006 Swedish Rally, Blomqvist drove the Impreza to 24th place overall and was fourth fastest in Group N.[2] In September 2008, Blomqvist took part in the Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally, a round of the Scottish Rally Championship centred in Perth in Scotland. He was one of a number of ex-world champions to take part in the event in memory of McRae, who died in 2007. He was co-driven by Goñi in a Ford Escort RS1600. He has lived in the UK for many years, based in Saffron Walden, Essex. His son, Tom Blomqvist, has followed in his motorsports footsteps, becoming the youngest ever Formula Renault UK champion in 2010, at the age of 16[3][4] and as of 2016 drives for BMW Team RBM in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters.[5] WRC victories [ edit ] Racing record [ edit ] Complete IMC results [ edit ] Complete WRC results [ edit ] Complete FIA European Rallycross Cup results [ edit ] Overall [ edit ] Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ERC Points 1976 Saab Saab 96 V4 Turbo AUT1 GER1 FIN SWE 10 BEL AUT2 NED GBR1 GER2 GBR2 37th 1 1978 Saab Saab 99 Turbo AUT ITA SWE 4 FIN BEL NED FRA GBR GER 36th 10 Complete FIA European Rallycross Championship results [ edit ] Touringcar Division [ edit ] Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ERX Points 1979 Saab Saab 99 Turbo AUT ITA FIN SWE FRA BEL NED 6 GBR GER 18th 6 1981 Saab Saab 99 Turbo AUT SWE 9 FIN DEN BEL NED FRA NOR GBR GER 32nd 2 Division 2 [ edit ] Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 ERX Points 1989 Stig Blomqvist Ford RS200 E2 SPA AUT SWE 7 FIN 3 IRE FRA BEL 3 NED 3 NOR GBR GER 11th 55 1994 Stig Blomqvist Ford Escort RS Cosworth AUT POR FRA IRE GBR SWE FIN BEL NED NOR 5 GER 21st 12For other races in Las Vegas, see Las Vegas Grand Prix Coordinates: The Caesars Palace Grand Prix was a car race held in Las Vegas between 1981 and 1984. For the first two years, the race was part of the Formula One World Championship, before becoming a round of the CART series in 1983. Nissan/Datsun was a presenting sponsor of both races.[1] History [ edit ] There had been Can-Am races at the Stardust International Raceway in the mid to late 1960's, but that circuit was bought by developers and then demolished. When Watkins Glen went off the schedule after 1980, F1 continued to look west and put an event in Las Vegas for the 1981 campaign. The new race ended the year, whereas Long Beach started it; but Las Vegas was not popular among the drivers[who?], primarily because of the desert heat. It has also been described as one of the worst circuits Formula One has ever visited.[2] The track was laid out in the parking lot of the Caesars Palace hotel and was surprisingly[clarification needed] well set up for a temporary circuit: wide enough for overtaking, it provided ample run-off areas filled with sand, and had a surface that was as smooth as glass. Its counter-clockwise direction, however, put a tremendous strain on the drivers' necks. When Nelson Piquet clinched his first World Championship by finishing fifth in 1981, it took him fifteen minutes to recover from heat exhaustion after barely making it to the finish. The 1982 race was won by Michele Alboreto in a Tyrrell, but that was the end of Formula One racing in Las Vegas since the races had drawn only tiny crowds and the 1981 race turned out to be a huge loss for the hotel. Following the withdrawal of Formula One, the event was assumed by CART for 1983 and 1984. The circuit was modified with turns 1, 6, and 10 connected in a continuous straight, producing a flat 1.125-mile distorted oval. The two races were contested over 178 laps, a distance of 200.250 miles.[3][4][5] For the 1984 running, the exit of the final corner was widened, increasing lap speeds by around 7 mph from the previous year.[6][unreliable source?] Following the 1984 race, the circuit disappeared from the calendar, with the location now covered with urban development (namely, The Forum and The Mirage). There have been speculative rumours of a return of a Las Vegas Grand Prix to the F1 calendar. In fact, the 1995 Indianapolis 500 program advertised a possible street circuit along The Strip, but it never materialized. After the 2005 U.S. Grand Prix at Indianapolis, rumors again circulated, however, it is one of many circuits linked with future races, and a strict limit on the number of races in a year means Las Vegas is not a favourite for a race. A number of years later, the American media firm Liberty Media bought the commercial rights for Formula One, and have stated their intention to have a street race in Las Vegas, located primarily on the Las Vegas Blvd. strip. Winners of the Caesars Palace Grand Prix [ edit ] A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship. See also [ edit ]The Coptic church that was bombed on Palm Sunday in Tanta, Egypt, April 9, 2017. At least 18 people were killed and 40 were wounded by a blast in front of a Christian church in Alexandria, Egypt on Palm Sunday, according to local reports, hours after at least 30 people were killed by a blast in the Nile Delta city of Tanta. Islamic State claimed responsibility for both attacks, via its Amaq press agency. "A group that belongs to Islamic State carried out the two attacks on the churches in the cities of Tanta and Alexandria," Amaq said. >> Get all updates on Egypt and the Middle East: Download our free App, and Subscribe >> ISIS also threatened that there would be more attacks against Egyptian Christians, saying in an online statement carried by Amaq, "Let the crusaders and apostates know that they will pay a huge bill with their son's blood." A map showing Tanta and Alexandria in Egypt. skip - Alexandria vid #Egypt-Video purportedly showing immediate aftermath of suicide bombing in St Mark's Coptic Cathedral in #Alexandriahttps://t.co/0UqKGpABTR — Oded Berkowitz (@Oded121351) April 9, 2017 skip - tanta footage Footage shows aftermath of explosion in Cairo, #Egypt — believed to have been set off within vicinity of St. George’s Church. pic.twitter.com/tOmxDfNAaJ — Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) April 9, 2017 The Alexandria attack, which hit the historic seat of the Coptic Pope, was carried out by a suicide bomber, Egypt's Health Ministry said, adding that three police officers were killed in the attack. The Coptic Pope Tawadros II had been leading the ceremony, but reportedly left the church before the blast occurred. A relative of one of the victims reacts after a church explosion killed at least 21 in Tanta, Egypt, April 9, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany MOHAMED ABD EL GHANY/REUTERS Tawadros said afterward, "These sinful acts will not undermine the unity of Egyptians against terrorism." Keep updated: Sign up to our newsletter Email * Please enter a valid email address Sign up Please wait… Thank you for signing up. We've got more newsletters we think you'll find interesting. Click here Oops. Something went wrong. Please try again later. Try again Thank you, The email address you have provided is already registered. Close U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted: "So sad to hear of the terrorist attack in Egypt. U.S. strongly condemns. I have great confidence that President Al Sisi will handle situation properly." Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi said in a statement he had ordered the immediate deployment of soldiers to assist police in protecting "vital facilities" across the country. He condemned the attacks and summoned the National Defense Council to an urgent session. According to local reports, he also announced three days of national mourning. "The attack... will only harden the determination (of the Egyptian people) to move forward on their trajectory to realize security, stability and comprehensive development," Sissi said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office released a statement in wake of the attacks, saying that, “Israel sends condolences to the families of those murdered in the attack in Egypt and wishes for recovery for the injured. The world must unite and fight terrorism everywhere.” Israel also restated its warnings telling Israelis in Sinai to return home immediately, citing the threat of terrorism. The U.S. embassy in Cairo tweeted in response to the attacks, saying "We condemn this hateful act targeting worshippers as they celebrated one of the most sacred days in Christianity. We grieve with all Egyptians as we express our most heartfelt condolences to the victims and their families and we hope for a speedy recovery for those injured in the attack." An unconfirmed video surfaced on social media claiming to show CCTV footage of one of the bombings. skip - bomb video Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin tweeted his condolences and said, "We strongly condemn the heinous terror attacks on churches in Egypt on Palm Sunday today." The attacks were the latest in a series of assaults on Egypt's Christian minority, which makes up around 10 percent of the population of 92 million and has been repeatedly targeted by Islamic extremists. It comes just weeks before Pope Francis is due to visit Egypt. People looking at the aftermath following a bomb blast which struck worshipers gathering to celebrate Palm Sunday at the Mar Girgis Coptic Church in the Nile Delta City of Tanta on April 9, 2017. STRINGER/AFP Following the attacks, the pontiff expressed his "deep condolences" to the Coptic patriarch, Tawadros II, calling him "my brother," to the Coptic church and "all of the dear Egyptian nation," and said he was praying for the dead and injured in the attack that occurred just hours earlier as Francis himself was marking Palm Sunday in St. Peter's Square. The pontiff asked God "to convert the hearts of those who spread terror, violence and death, and also the hearts of those who make, and traffic in, weapons." The pope's remarks on the church attack were handed to him on a piece of paper after he remembered the victims of the Stockholm attack Friday night. CBC showed footage from inside the church in Tanta, where a large number of people gathered around what appeared to be lifeless, bloody bodies covered with papers. The Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Amr Nabil/AP "There was a huge explosion in the hall. Fire and smoke filled the room and the injuries were extremely severe. I saw the intestines of those injured and legs severed entirely from their bodies," Vivian Fareeg told Reuters by phone. A militant group called Liwa al-Thawra claimed responsibility for an April 1 bomb attack targeting a police training center in Tanta, which wounded 16 people. The group, believed to be linked to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, has mainly targeted security forces and distanced itself from attacks on Christians. In December, 25 were killed by a suicide bombing at Cairo's main Coptic cathedral. ISIS later claimed responsibility for the blast. Egypt has seen a spate of attacks since 2013, when the army deposed Egypt's former Islamist President Mohammad Morsi, the country's first democratically elected leader, following mass protests against his divisive rule. Christians backed Morsi's toppling by then-army chief al-Sissi, Egypt's current president. The Associated Press contributed to this report.The Trump administration is blasting pranksters who are jamming a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement hotline meant for victims of illegal alien crime – in order to report encounters with space aliens. The Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement Office (VOICE), launched Wednesday by ICE, maintains the hotline for crime victims to call for assistance and support. However, critics mocked the initiative on social media with the hashtag #AlienDay, encouraging others to dial the VOICE number to report alien takeovers and encounters with space creatures. An ICE official familiar with the situation told Fox News that, as a result of the fake reports, the VOICE hotline has experienced significant delays. The official further said the campaign to generate “hoax calls” is disrespectful to victims of real crime and their families -- and a waste of government resources, as personnel in the call center are required to listen to the majority of callers’ reports. “Secretary Kelly made clear in his announcement Wednesday that this phone line is to be dedicated for the use of victims seeking information and resources,” the ICE official told Fox News. “There are certainly more constructive ways to make one’s opinions heard than to prevent legitimate victims of crime from receiving the information and resources they seek because the lines are tied up by hoax callers.” The official told Fox News that ICE will adjust resources, if necessary, to ensure legitimate victims get the information and attention they need. VOICE was created in response to President Trump’s Executive Order titled “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States” on Jan. 25. “All crime is terrible, but these victims are unique—and too often ignored,” Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said on Wednesday as he unveiled the new office. “They are casualties of crimes that should never have taken place—because the people who victimized them often times should not have been in the country in the first place.”As Apple's mobile operating system matures, each year’s version brings new capabilities and challenges for developers. Last year’s iOS 7 launch meant app makers had to redesign their apps to fit Apple’s new aesthetic, a hefty undertaking for some. But with iOS 8, the challenge is centered more around functionality. Apple introduced 4,000 new APIs developers can take advantage of, and to implement some of them, developers are having to rethink their app's identity within the iOS realm. "Apple is enabling this Jetsons-esque future where everything talks to everything," Matt Johnston, chief strategy officer of app analytics company Applause, told WIRED. “It’s not only a bigger challenge for Apple, it’s an order of magnitude more complex for app companies." Apps used to be siloed on a specific device, functioning in their own protected little bubble. But things are now far less straightforward. With features like Handoff and Continuity, developers now have to worry about an app working from iPhone to iPad to Mac. If an app has an OS X and iOS version, users will grow to expect that, like with Safari or Mail, this app too will let you leave and pick up where you left off, no matter what device you're on. Apps also now have to share data and functionality with one another in an intricate web of interdependencies. iOS 8's share extension is a specific example of this: This feature makes custom capabilities of your app available to users while they’re in other apps via iOS's share button. For the team at popular note-sharing app Evernote, this caused numerous headaches. “The share extension called for the team to work within an entirely new set of constraints, different from those in the main app, using technologies that they don't work with on a daily basis,” Evernote’s VP of mobile products Jamie Hull told WIRED via email. “We couldn't just take what we had done for desktop browser extensions and apply it to the iOS app without severely compromising both performance and usability, so the team had to build and test several approaches in parallel until we found something that worked.” With additional iOS 8 functionalities on the way, Evernote currently includes several iOS 8-specific features, including a "Today" widget for adding new notes, the aforementioned share extension for clipping content to your account, and Touch ID to unlock the app instead of using a passcode. Dealing with the larger iPhone 6 Plus form factor has also been difficult. “While the new phone screen sizes were actually relatively straightforward to support, the larger form factors open up a lot of questions about the ideal UX for the app,” Hull said. The team had to decide whether the largest-size phone would operate more like a tablet, and whether some onscreen items should be given greater emphasis now that the iPhone keyboard has built-in formatting buttons. For Flexibits’ premiere title, Fantastical 2, co-founder Michael Simmons said getting the widget right was his team’s biggest obstacle. “We were a month late to the party and that was because of the widget,” Simmons told WIRED. “We could have made a simple list, but we really wanted it done right.” Widgets in Notification Center’s "Today View" have to follow a set of specifications, including a maximum height. For a calendar app, the team had to solve problems like: How do you make something helpful and beautiful in such a compressed view? What is most beneficial to app users, a list of to-do items, or a calendar view of the month ahead? What does a user most want to see when they swipe Notification Center down from the top of their device's screen? Taking their time to get it right paid off though: Fantastical 2 is now the number one app in the App Store’s Productivity category and among the top 50 in paid apps. For Flipboard, which also recently updated its iOS app, iOS 8 introduced another new concern for the team: version support. Android has an app compatibility library that makes it easy for apps to get newer APIs on older system versions. On iOS, Flipboard co-founder Evan Doll said, they had to decide how far back to support: Just iOS 7 and iOS 8? iOS 6? iOS 5? That’s pretty old in iPhone years. (Flexibits got around this particular issue by deciding that Fantastical 2 would be an iOS 8 exclusive.) But it’s important to note that the added complexity of a new OS isn’t always a negative for developers—many are excited about taking advantage of new technology in their apps, even if it requires a few all nighters. “With new features like the Today widget, interactive notifications, and app sharing extensions, iOS 8 adds a lot of functionality that makes an app much more productive,” Flexibits' Simmons said. And as Fantastical’s current perfect five star rating shows, if you get it right, all that extra work pays off.One question from the exit poll of Wisconsin Democrats jumped from the page: “Who do you think would make the best commander in chief?” The winner was Bernie Sanders, with 51 percent. Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of State, got 47 percent. That, on its face, seems counterintuitive. After all, Mrs. Clinton was secretary of State for four years, spent six years as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and before that traveled the world as first lady. Senator Sanders, in contrast, has devoted his decades in politics almost exclusively to domestic affairs. When asked in the Democratic debates to comment on national security, Sanders usually defaults to criticizing the Iraq War – Clinton voted for it, he voted against it – and then pivots to the more comfortable terrain of income inequality and breaking up the big banks. Now comes an interview Sanders gave Monday to The New York Daily News editorial board, after which he was accused of being “out of his depth” on a range of policies, including some on national security. Others called the questions unfair attempts at “gotcha.” When asked how he would handle negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians over settlements – namely, what did he want Israel to do “in terms of pulling back” – Sanders punted: “You’re asking me a very fair question, and if I had some paper in front of me, I would give you a better answer.” On the self-described Islamic State, when asked where a President Sanders would imprison and interrogate a captured IS commander, he said: “Actually I haven’t thought about it a whole lot.” In a question on drone policy, Sanders was asked what he thought about a decision by President Obama to take the authority for drone attacks away from the CIA and give it to the US military – which had allegedly caused difficulties in zeroing in on IS leaders. “Do you believe that he’s got the right policy there?” an editor asked. “I don’t know the answer to that,” Sanders responded. The premise of the question was faulty, according to the Huffington Post. The decision to shift authority for drone attacks had been quietly reversed last year. But Sanders didn’t know enough to go after the premise of the question. Sanders supporters, and some in the media, have come to his defense over the handling of the entire interview. But even in defending Sanders, The Huffington Post still acknowledges that he “is famously uncomfortable talking about foreign policy; it just doesn’t get his blood going like inequality.” Which brings us back to the issue of that exit poll question. Why would a majority of Wisconsin Democrats say that Sanders would make a better commander in chief than Clinton? Some Sanders supporters did say they thought Clinton would be better. Sanders beat Clinton by 13 points overall in the Wisconsin Democratic primary – 56 percent to 43 percent – but on the commander in chief question, he beat her by only 4 points in the exit poll. Perhaps those voters were considering her experience, or even line up with her foreign policy approach, which leans more toward military intervention than does that of Sanders – or that of Mr. Obama, for that matter. Last fall, for example, Clinton broke with the Obama White House and called for creation of a no-fly zone over Syria, which Sanders opposed. And so Clinton has had to tread carefully when trying to use her deep foreign policy experience as a campaign asset. “In an election where ‘establishment’ has become a dirty word, emphasizing Clinton’s experience highlights a staid, wonkish style out of touch with the frenetic mood captured in the bumper-sticker movement of ‘Feel the Bern,’” wrote Molly O’Toole at Foreign Policy in January. “It also exposes vulnerabilities in that very record she touts, disrupting the careful balance Clinton has struck between owning Obama’s foreign-policy successes, like his landmark nuclear accord with Iran, while distancing herself from the handling of Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and Libya, where she backed more hawkish policies that have failed to bring stability to any of the countries.” Get the Monitor Stories you care about delivered to your inbox. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy It’s also worth noting that in the only other major exit poll this year where Democratic voters were asked the “commander in chief” question, in Ohio, Clinton beat Sanders handily – 57 percent to 40 percent – just as she was beating him in the Ohio primary, 57 percent to 43 percent. As is often the case with politicians, once a voter decides to back him or her, the candidate’s policies and competencies usually get a thumbs up as well. Or vice versa. With Sanders, economic policy is the main driver of the campaign. So for some of his supporters, the answer on commander in chief might have been a bit of a throw-away.Marco Rubio Is Now Winning The Race For Endorsements But most Republican officials are still waiting on the sidelines. FiveThirtyEight’s endorsement tracker has a new Republican leader for the first time in nearly six months: Marco Rubio, who, since his surprisingly strong third-place finish in the Iowa caucuses Monday, has received endorsements from two senators and two representatives. There has been a lot of debate this presidential campaign about how much influence party elites have on the nominating process, but endorsements have historically been among the best signs of which candidates will succeed in primaries. And although four more endorsements and a slight lead in points do not make Rubio a lock as the choice of Republican elected officials, this bump is a sign that members of Congress could be starting to see him as the most acceptable option for the nomination. (Rubio has yet to receive an endorsement from a sitting governor.) Some politicians had put early support behind Jeb Bush — he had led our list since August — but since January the only new endorsement he has received was from former presidential candidate Sen. Lindsey Graham. In some past years, party elites have rallied behind a candidate early in the election cycle — in both parties’ 2000 primaries, for example, both eventual nominees went into Iowa with commanding support from governors, senators and representatives. This cycle has been slower for the GOP, and many Republican officeholders are waiting on the sidelines: Out of 796 potential endorsement points, 223, or 28 percent, have been awarded. Iowa caucus winner Ted Cruz has slowly been picking up points as well — he’s added seven since the beginning of the year — though he has yet to receive an endorsement from a sitting senator or governor. Rubio showed some signs of momentum last fall, when he picked up 28 endorsement points between Labor Day and Thanksgiving, while Bush’s total went up by only 7 points. But that momentum stalled. Still, it’s possible that Rubio’s expectations-exceeding performance in Iowa will provide a more lasting effect. In contrast to the slow pace of the Republican endorsement race, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton has won 465 points, nearly 80 percent of the total available. Read more: Why Iowa Changed Rubio’s And Trump’s Nomination Odds So MuchGarry Monk's life as Leeds boss got off to a winning start in Tolka Park after first half goals from Souleymane Doukara and Hadi Sacko saw off Shelbourne despite Adam Evans' second-half strike. The game started off with a lot of chasing from Shelbourne as the Leeds midfield were knocking it around nicely. Some good work between Kalvin Phillips and a one-two between Lewie Coyle and Hadi Sacko allowed Coyle to get a cross in, but it beat everyone and was cleared by Shelbourne. Shortly after, Kemar Roofe blocked down a Shelbourne clearance in the box and it fell kindly for Souleymane Doukara. The forward hesitated slightly but still managed beat Jack Brady at his near post with a powerful strike. Leeds got their second when Kemar Roofe and Alex Mowatt linked up brilliantly. Mowatt slid a pass into Sacko and the winger was able to slot home to score on his debut. Shelbourne had their first sight at goal when a looping corner found James English but the Shels man was unlucky to see his effort cleared off the line by Kalvin Phillips. Most of the home side’s chances were coming from set pieces. Another looping corner found Adam O”Connor and his header back towards goal had to be put behind by Doukara. A quick break for Leeds allowed Mowatt to whip in a ball and Doukara tried an acrobatic attempt but only found fresh air. The ball fell to Luke Murphy but his shot from 25 yards hit his own player, which took the sting out of it completely. Leeds were keeping the ball well in the middle of the park and it was allowing Lewie Coyle to get forward a lot down the right flank, and on more than one occasion he caused Shelbourne’s defence problems with deliveries into the box. There was a mistake by Leeds on the edge of their own area which gave James English a great opportunity but Ross Turnbull was out of his goal quickly to smother the chance. Doukara got on the end of an overhit corner and was able to skip through a few challenges. The ball fell to Roofe but his shot from six yards was quickly blocked for a corner. Shelbourne got a goal back early on in the second half. There was some quick thinking by Cian Kavanagh as he played a quick free kick about 30 yards out to Lorcan Shannon. The Shels man had a half shot, half cross which was deflected to Adam Evans to bundle across the line. The Whites responded well and had a couple of opportunities including a good move around the edge of the box which Doukara eventually got a strike away but his curling effort went wide of the post. Doukara went close again when he had a powerful strike straight at Brady, the goalkeeper couldn't only parry it but fortunately it went straight to one of his defenders to clear. Leeds had a few more failed attempts from Roofe and Mowatt just before the complete reshuffling replacing the eleven on the pitch at the hour mark. There were some bright bits of play early on from Leeds, in particular from Jordan Botaka, Eoghan Stokes and Marcus Antonsson but it was without any real test to the Shelbourne goal. It was then in fact the home side that had the first good opportunity since the reshuffle when Lorcan Shannon beat Charlie Taylor down the right and his cross ended up at Gavin Boyne’s feet, his low drive had to be cleared away by Alex Purver. Botaka had a good opportunity when Antonsson’s heavy touch fell to him in the box. He shifted the ball on to his weaker left foot and struck low but sub keeper Greg Murray got down well to save. Adam Evans nearly equalised for Shelbourne when he had a strong shot saved by Bailey Peacock-Farrell. Leeds then broke quick and Stokes played a perfectly timed pass to Antonsson, and his cross was then put out for a corner. Sol Bamba latched on to the resulting corner but he couldn't direct his shot on target as it sailed high over the bar. Botaka created another chance for himself when he dribbled in from the right before unleashing a shot just outside the area. Murray got down well yet again to prevent a Leeds third. Garry Monk will be happy with the run out his side got tonight and Leeds now play Shamrock Rovers at 3pm in Tallaght on Saturday, the final game of their Irish pre-season tour. Shelbourne: Jack Brady (Greg Murray 64); James Brown, Adam O’ Connor, Robert O’ Reilly, Dylan Kavanagh; Cian Kavanagh (David Harper 89), Gavin Boyne (Ross Coyle 89), Dylan Grimes (Adam Evans 38), Lorcan Shannon (Glen Carragher 89); James English (Robert Duggan 75), Carl Walshe. Subs Not Used: Martin Cassin, Reece McTeer, Ryan Robinson. Booked: None. Leeds United (First 60 Mins): Ross Turnbull; Lewie Coyle, Toumani Diagouraga, Kyle Bartley, Tyler Denton; Kalvin Phillips, Luke Murphy, Alex Mowatt; Hadi Sacko, Kemar Roofe, Souleymane Doukara. Leeds United (Last 30 Mins): Bailey Peacock-Farrell; Alex Purver, Sol Bamba, Paul McKay, Charlie Taylor; Jordan Botaka, Ronaldo Viera, Matt Grimes, Eoghan Stokes; Chris Wood, Marcus Antonsson. Booked: None. Referee: Paul Tuite. Attendance: 3,096. Extratime.ie Man of the Match: Souleymane Doukara (Leeds United).Gizmodo Boss Joe Brown Goes (Back) to Wired Wired, the Conde Nast tech title, continues an overhaul that began last fall: Joe Brown, the top editor at Gawker Media’s Gizmodo tech site, is joining up. Brown will be Wired’s “New York editor,” a new role that will have him weighing in on the brand’s magazine, tablet edition and website. It’s his second time at Wired, where he had previously worked as a deputy to then-gadget-boss Mark McClusky. McClusky now runs the company’s website, under new editor in chief Scott Dadich. Gawker Media owner Nick Denton hasn’t named a replacement for Brown, who ran the site for the last two years; veteran Gizmodo editor Joel Johnson will lead a search for a new editor. “We’re looking for someone with design background,” Denton said. This one seems like an amicable Denton/editor breakup. Here’s Brown’s take, delivered via IM (he’s still a Gawker employee, after all): “I’ve had an amazing few years at Gizmodo — the team here is among the best in any business, and I love them like family. But I am pumped about going home to Wired. With Scott and the team he’s put in place, it’s like we’re getting the band back together.” (Update: And here’s more from Brown, who is also an extremely patient Pai Gow poker tutor.) And here’s more from Denton, also via IM (because, see above): “Gizmodo began as the online embodiment of the Fetish section of Wired. And it’s a good time to recover that central purpose: the cataloging of beautiful things. Especially with image annotation on the new Kinja platform. Applications for [the] EIC role should go to joel At gizmodo dot com.”"I think the Mossos just arrested some people that retweeted the link to their personal info, or maybe just arrested some activisty/anarchisty people to pretend they are doing something," someone claiming to be Phineas Fisher said in an email shared by an anonymous intermediary with Motherboard. Remember the Hacker who hackedIn 2015, a hacker named hacked Hacking Team – the Italy-based spyware company that sells spying software to law enforcement agencies worldwide – and exposed some 500 gigabytes of internal data for anyone to download.Now, the Spanish authorities believe that they have arrested Phineas Fisher, who was not just behind the embarrassing hack of Hacking Team, but also hacked the UK-based Gamma International, another highly secretive company which sells the popular spyware called "."During an investigation of a cyber attack against Sindicat De Mossos d'Esquadra (SME), Spain's Catalan police union, police in Spain have arrested three people, one of which detained in the city of Salamanca is suspected of being Fisher, according to local newspaper ARA The cyber attack was carried out in May last year when Fisher announced via his own Twitter account that he had hacked the SME and also published the personal information of over 5,500 police officers online.The incident attracted worldwide attention after Fisher posted a detailed tutorial video on how he hacked SME and how he stole the data.On Tuesday evening, Spain's National Police Corps detained a couple in Barcelona, suspected of being behind the SME attack, and one person in Salamanca, suspected as Phineas Fisher who exposed the data stolen from SME.However, hours after the news of the arrests and raids went public, someone using Phineas Fisher's email address said the police have got it all wrong.The hacker also said he wanted the media to report that he was not in prison or under custodyWell, it's difficult to say, at this moment, if Phineas Fisher is arrested or someone just trying to mislead the investigation.What do you guys think? Let us know in the comments below.Article 2 of the Constitution, the article regarding the executive branch of the government, consists of a little over a thousand words, including such things as what the powers and responsibilities of the president are, and at the end of the very first section of this article is the oath to be taken by the president upon entering office — the only oath for which the exact wording was specified in the Constitution: “Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:—‘I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.’” But Trump’s new chief of staff, John Kelly, not only doesn’t seem to be familiar enough with
a pretty good shot at equalling Cosmos keeper Jimmy Maurer’s league-best five clean sheets. Pickens can’t catch Maurer on goals against average this weekend (Maurer has 0.67 to Pickens’ 0.89), but only because New York’s netminder took one week off for the birth of his child. One more shutout would be a great way to cap off a consistent spring for Pickens and the entire defense. All they have to on Saturday is hold off Jacksonville. Share this: Tweet Email Pocket PrintGet the biggest daily news stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email The world's most famous mummy, Tutankhamun, was buried with his penis standing at a 90 degree angle, it has been claimed. An expert in Egyptology believes the everlasting erection was made to make King Tut look like Osiris, the god of the afterlife. Why? You ask. According to Egyptologist Salima Ikram, professor at the American University in Cairo, it was to counter efforts by his father King Akjenaten to establish a religion of one god. (Image: Getty) (Image: Getty) khenaten wanted to focus on the worship of Aten, the sun disc, and destroyed images of other gods. King Tut had, however, worked to reverse his father's ideology and return Egypt to the traditional worship of many gods. Professor Ikram believes he was buried with his erect manhood in a bit to continue his endeavour even in death. She believes the upright penis broke off after the discovery of the tomb, despite speculation that it was stolen. Professor Ikram told LiveScience: "As far as I know, no other mummy has been found thus far with an erect penis." Another mysterious anomaly is the absence of the pharaoh's heart and lack of a heart scarab to serve as a replacement. Prof Ikram added that the reason Tutankhamun's heart was missing could also be an allusion to Osiris, whose body was said to have been cut apart by his brother Seth. Enigma and rumour has surrounded the demise of the so-called boy king since his death back in 1323BC, when he was aged just 19. Its over 90 years since archaeologist Howard Carter lifted the sarcophagus in a remote Egyptian burial chamber and revealed the mummy of Tutankhamun. (Image: Getty) (Image: Getty) The discovery of the tomb itself in 1922 caused a sensation and the 3,300 year old mummified remains fascinated an intrigued nation. Since the mummy was opened there have been murders, a poisoning, a suicide, death animals and even a killer mosquito which saw off the owner of Downton Abbey. But Skeptics have pointed out that many others who visited the tomb or helped to discover it lived long and healthy lives and that of the 58 people who were present when the tomb and sarcophagus were opened, only eight died.“Sheltering people means you have to build relationships, because a lot of them have mental health issues or substance abuse issues,” said Ms. Miner, a Democrat who has frequently criticized Mr. Cuomo. “In order to enforce this executive order, we’re going to have to have the police do it. And that goes against what we’ve been doing in building those relationships.” The governor’s office said on Monday that the plan would be flexible, and that assessments would be made of each individual, as required by the Mental Hygiene Law, and people will not be held against their will, unless they were deemed mentally ill and a danger to themselves or others. Administration officials also continued to offer assistance and guidance on the order. The State Police could be used in some rural areas, though homelessness is primarily an urban problem. In an interview, Alphonso B. David, the governor’s chief counsel, said the order “is saying to the municipalities that they must engage with their homeless population.” “It’s not intended to be punitive; it’s intended to save lives,” Mr. David said. While the executive order is “a directive,” Mr. David said, “an administrative policy is just that: It’s not an edict, and it’s subject to interpretation.” The governor’s remarks earlier on Monday also cast the order — which invoked the State Constitution and powers usually employed to address natural and man-made disasters — as an “outreach effort.” He assigned much of the blame for street homelessness in New York City — where several thousand people permanently live out of doors — at what he repeatedly said was the city’s lack of an adequate shelter system. “Most people don’t want to freeze to death; they want to go into the shelter. It’s called human instinct,” Mr. Cuomo said, adding that he planned to initiate a review of conditions in the city’s shelter system. “The simple answer is we need to get people off the streets. We need a safe, clean and decent shelter system to do that. And as we stand here today, that is a major obstacle.” Mr. de Blasio conceded “we have to fix” the city’s system of shelters. “The fact is, for decades, our shelters have not been safe enough and have not been clean enough,” he said.By BRIAN POWERS, The Des Moines Register URBANDALE, Iowa (AP) — Before the sun fully set, Michael Schneider had harvested two deer and was still going to make it home for dinner. An avid hunter, the 36-year-old Grimes native has taken part in the urban bow hunting season since 2008. He has a farm in Lucas County, but the hour-long commute means he has to plan on a whole day of hunting. "This is five minutes from home," he said while sitting in a tree stand overlooking an Urbandale neighborhood. "It's a great opportunity if you like to be out in the wild and like to hunt five minutes from your house." Officer Andrew Dobbins with the Urbandale Police Department oversees the program, which began in 1998 because of an overpopulation of deer in the city. Despite initial public hesitation, the department said there hasn't been any safety incidents related to the program since it began. Hunters must apply for the urban bow hunt and pass a safety and a bow hunter safety course to be eligible. Twelve hunters are working with the city this year, according to Dobbins, and each is responsible to find the land that they are going to hunt. Most hunters like Schneider hunt multiple properties and rely mostly on word of mouth to find new ones, the Des Moines Register reported. "Once one person has a positive experience, it's easier to get their neighbors on board," Schneider said. Mark Tuttle has lived in his home on the west side of Urbandale for 33 years and has been trying to cultivate a garden there for just about as long. "Deer just decimate that stuff," Tuttle said of the deer eating his plants. "They will eat anything." He tried fences, which worked all right, but when Michael Schneider knocked on his door a year ago and asked to hunt his property, he said yes. Working as a pair, Schneider often hunts with Jasen Hammer, 27, of Grimes. The two share properties — as well as who gets the first shot on the next deer. This was Jasen's day. An hour passed as the hunters sat camouflaged in a tree overlooking the backyard landmarks of a suburban neighborhood. "A lot of times when you hear a car honk and you're urban hunting, it means that a deer is trying to cross the road," Schneider said, "So it's kind of a warning for us to turn and look toward the road. There could be deer coming that way." A flash of white in an adjacent field and both hunters grabbed their rangefinders to see how many deer there were. "Five, and they are coming this way," whispered Schneider excitedly. The quiet banter and phones were quickly tucked away as the five deer grazed their way toward Schneider and Hammer. Urban hunt rules stipulate shots must be taken from no more than 25 yards away and from an elevation of at least six feet. Hammer nocked an arrow and drew back with the deer now well within the 25-yard zone. A deep breath and a moment later, the arrow landed on its target, as Hammer traced its retreat with his eyes. Not to be outdone, Schneider landed a shot on another doe just seconds later. High-fives and fist bumps mirrored the adrenaline levels as they watched the deer fall for easy retrieval later on. Last season, the urban hunt in Urbandale resulted in 30 deer harvested, down from more than 90 in 2010-11. Although many factors could be the cause of that decline, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources has contracted for an aerial deer population survey to be done this year after seeing a decline in years past. "One thing which has hurt the program harvests over the past couple of years is the lack of local HUSH lockers," Dobbins said. The HUSH, or Help Us Stop Hunger program, allows hunters to donate harvested deer to lockers which then in turn process the meat and give it to food pantries. "We do have hunters who have provided deer to church groups and families who have requested one, but the lack of local HUSH lockers have definitely made an impact on harvest numbers," Dobbins said. Sixty six deceased deer were picked up along the roadside by Urbandale Public Works in 2016, most of which they attribute to deer/vehicle encounters. Twenty years ago, Mark Tuttle hit a deer and believes hunting will help reduce the chance of that happening again. "We need to control the population," Schneider said. "If we can lower the car/deer accidents or lower the interactions people have, it's a win-win." ___ Information from: The Des Moines Register, http://www.desmoinesregister.com An AP Member Exchange shared by the Des Moines Register.Dark matter scientists are doubling down on efforts to catch the elusive particles thought to constitute most of the matter in the universe. These theorized particles make themselves felt through gravity: They appear to tug on the normal matter throughout the universe but they otherwise can’t be seen or touched. Experiments aiming to observe the rare occasions when dark matter particles interact with normal atoms have been operating for decades without success and have already ruled out many of the most basic explanations for dark matter. Rather than give up the search, however, three of the largest experiments recently won approval to make big upgrades, potentially allowing them to reach the sensitivities needed to finally pin down these cagey missing particles. The three experiments moving forward—the Super Cryogenic Dark Matter Search–SNOLAB (SuperCDMS); LZ Dark Matter Experiment, or LUX–ZEPLIN, (LZ); and the Axion Dark Matter eXperiment (ADMX–Gen2)—are among the largest and longest-running projects in the field. They beat out around 20 other bids submitted to the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation, which jointly announced their selections for the next-generation dark matter experiments last week. Both SuperCDMS and LZ will search for dark matter candidate particles called weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) whereas ADMX-Gen2 will look for alternative candidates called axions. The selection of two WIMP projects came as a relief amid fears that the current federal budget crunch might narrow the field. “A number of us were concerned the tight funding was going to collapse the next generation to one experiment, and for a number of reasons that doesn’t make a lot of sense,” says Stanford University physicist Blas Cabrera, spokesperson for SuperCDMS. One reason it is wise to continue both projects, he says, is because they use different materials—SuperCDMS will employ a combination of germanium and silicon detectors, whereas LZ uses liquid xenon. If a WIMP collides with the atoms in any of these targets, it will release a small amount of energy detectable by the experiment. Some dark matter theories suggest that WIMPS might interact with different elements at different rates. “Nature may be more complicated than we initially thought, and we should be thinking more broadly,” Cabrera says. It also makes sense, he adds, to continue searching not just for WIMPs but also for axions, which theorists believe are much lighter and interact even less frequently than WIMPs. Both types of particles could explain the apparent abundance of dark matter in the universe but there is no proof that either exists. (It is also possible that both exist, or that that some other combination of sources is responsible for dark matter.) A final verdict on axions appears to be within reach. “At very high confidence, this generation-2 experiment can either detect the axion or reject the hypothesis,” says ADMX spokesperson Leslie Rosenberg of the University of Washington in Seattle. The project uses a powerful magnet to coax axions, if they exist, into decaying into photons. Such decays would produce a tiny amount of electromagnetic power detectable by the machine, which must be kept very cold to block out contaminating radiation. The upgraded version of the experiment will switch to a new cooling technology that will lower its temperature from 1.5 kelvins (or –271.6 degrees Celsius, already extremely chilly) to just 100 millikelvins. Within three years ADMX-Gen2 should have either discovered axions or proved they don’t exist—at least the ones proposed in current theoretical models. Other dark matter detection experiments not selected during this round involved lasers and so-called bubble chambers, which search for bubbles created when dark matter particles interact with atoms in a chamber of superhot carbon, fluorine and iodine. One bubble chamber project called PICO plans to move forward anyway and apply for funding down the line. “We got excellent reviews but we are not ready; we are in the process of addressing a background issue,” says PICO team member Juan Collar of the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics at the University of Chicago. “We are happy with the outcome. It has taken a lot of pressure off of us.” Dark matter has already proved harder to find than many physicists expected when they began the search. Nevertheless, many see a light at the end of a long tunnel. The next-generation experiments might finally have what it takes to find the missing particles once and for all. And if they don’t, we’ll know that much more about what dark matter isn’t. “In science the ruling out is as important as discovery,” Cabrera says, “but of course discovery is always more fun.”FRANKFURT (Reuters) - U.S. House Democrats rejected an assertion by Deutsche Bank that privacy laws prevent it from sharing information about President Donald Trump’s finances, as they investigate possible collusion between his campaign team and Russia. In a letter to the bank’s lawyers made public on Thursday, five Democrats who have been seeking financial information about Trump argued U.S. federal laws protecting banking customers’ confidentiality did not apply to requests from Congress. The bank could also circumvent privacy concerns by obtaining disclosure consent from the president and his family, they said. “Given President Trump’s repeated assertions that he does not have ties to Russia, such disclosure would ostensibly be in his interest,” they wrote. Deutsche Bank said on Thursday that its lawyers would respond “in due course.” “We reiterate that while we seek to cooperate, we must obey the law,” the bank said in an emailed statement. Investigations are underway in Washington into claims of collusion between Trump’s inner circle and Russia during his 2016 presidential campaign - which both the president and Moscow have denied. Public records show Deutsche Bank loaned Trump millions of dollars for real-estate ventures. As well as details about those transactions, the lawmakers are seeking information about a Russian “mirror trading” scheme that allowed $10 billion to flow out of Russia. In January, Deutsche Bank agreed to pay $630 million in fines over the scheme, which could have been used to launder money out of Russia. NO POWER TO COMPEL In the letter, dated Wednesday, Maxine Waters, ranking Democrat on the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee, and four peers reiterated requests for information and gave Deutsche Bank until June 29 to respond. They first asked the bank in May to share what it might know about Trump’s real-estate business and whether the president had financial backing from Russia. Deutsche Bank’s Washington-based external counsel responded to that request earlier this month by saying it was barred from sharing information about Trump’s finances. “We hope that you will understand Deutsche Bank’s need to respect the boundaries that Congress and the courts have set in an effort to protect confidential information,” the bank’s law firm, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, wrote. A disclosure document posted on the U.S. Office of Government Ethics website last week showed liabilities for Trump of at least $130 million to Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, suggesting the German bank is one of Trump’s biggest lenders. They included one exceeding $50 million for the Old Post Office, a historic Washington property where Trump has opened a hotel. The Democrats do not have the power to compel Deutsche Bank to comply with their request. The Financial Services Committee has subpoena power but Republican committee members, who are in the majority, would have to cooperate. No Republicans signed any of the letters to Deutsche Bank. The Russian “mirror” trades involved, for example, buying Russian stocks in roubles for a client and selling the identical value of a security for dollars for a related customer. Deutsche Bank has provided the Democrats with copies of settlements regarding the trades.Some gamers have a problem - the games they play just aren't difficult enough. Sure, the game was fun, but what if it was incredibly hard too? What if someone made up challenges that were so tedious and impossible that it would render the entire experience into nothing more than anguished frustration and mind-numbing boredom? "HELL YES!" cheered the masochistic gamers, each cracking their knuckles in anticipation of the Herculean virtual tasks ahead - the 7 craziest self-imposed challenges in videogame history. 7. The Green Mushroom Race (Super Mario 64) Sometimes the best ideas come from sheer boredom - this is not one of those ideas, but odds are it did spring from being super-bored. Super Mario 64 is not a hugely difficult game - there are a number of challenges, each one pretty clearly illuminated in each level. Once you've completed those, what else is left? In short: The Green Mushroom Challenge. To initiate the challenge, you have to climb a tree that spawns a green 1-UP mushroom, and then rush to collect all eight red coins within a level before collecting the green mushroom, which is chasing Mario the entire time. What makes this so frustrating is that the green mushroom travels slightly faster than Mario, so instead of simply running, you have to "trick" it by constantly pivot-jumping over it and long jumping across chasms. As shown in the video above, the green mushroom doesn't just casually slide along until it falls off the level, it relentlessly pursues you. For example, when the player uses the level warp to get back to the top of the mountain, the mushroom is waiting for him back at the bottom of the level, and then continues to chase him like a lost puppy with nothing to lose. Can you imagine running away from an extra life on purpose? Talk about World 1-1 problems. 6. The Nuzlocke Challenge (Pokémon) Pokémon, in and of itself, is not the hardest game to complete. It takes persistence, but anyone can beat virtually any Pokémon game, given enough time. And without difficulty settings, it's up to you to add some real difficulty - enter The Nuzlocke Challenge: You can only catch the first Pokémon you encounter in each area, and whenever a pokémon faints, you must release it. While simple in its design, the challenge substantially increases the game's complexity, because when "use 'Harden' until the other guy gets bored" is a third of your team's core battle strategy, you have to put a lot more thought into how you utilize your Pokémon. This challenge is a favorite among Pokémon's most hardcore fans, as it forces players to train and bond with Pokémon they normally wouldn't use, and learn to appreciate and exploit the strengths of the underused Pokémon. A team of Rattatas and Metapods isn't exactly the team you would have chosen, but it's the team you get. Now nickname them all "Butt" like you usually do and get down to business. 5. The No-Sphere-Grid Challenge (Final Fantasy X) This challenge gained notoriety with Final Fantasy X, and it has since inspired multiple adaptations in the more recent Final Fantasy games. The No-Sphere-Grid Challenge limits players from relying on beefed up skills and abilities by not allowing them to touch the Sphere Grid at all, making it a more "pure" experience, and emphasizing each character's very basic stats and weapons. This means players must be incredibly tactical in how they utilize their team leveraging any and all advantages they can get. Similar to the Nuzlocke Challenge, this forces players to use less than favorable characters, substituting Auron for B-listers like Kimahri (ugh) and Rikku (more ugh). Seeing as you are limited to only having Fire and Cure at your disposal, this naturally incorporates an insane amount of level grinding. This, however, will make most people cry less than trying to dodge 100 lightning bolts.MARK KARLIN, EDITOR OF BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT The Trump administration just cut a promising local hiring program. (Photo: vonderauvisuals) Next City, a website focusing on urban issues, revealed in an August 28 article that Trump is ending an encouraging jobs program: His administration announced last week its withdrawal of a proposed rule change, put forth during President Barack Obama’s tenure, that would have allowed state and local governments receiving federal transportation dollars to apply local hiring preferences to contracts awarded using those dollars. The withdrawal reverts the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration back to rules set during the Reagan administration, which prohibited any geographic-based hiring preferences in contracts using federal transportation dollars.... “Local hire has allowed municipalities to use their own money to help employ people directly from their communities. It has been strategic for our elected leaders to say that they’re not going to raise our tax dollars for investments in capital projects without ensuring that persons facing significant barriers to employment get expanded access to good jobs and training opportunities,” said Erik Miller, executive director of Playa Vista Job Opportunities and Business Services. Capital & Main, an investigative news site, included more criticism of the move in an article about the cancellation of the program: “Many of these jobs were finally addressing long-term unemployment — many, for people of color,” said Angela Glover Blackwell, CEO of PolicyLink, an economic and social equity think tank. “This is yet another example of the Trump administration not standing up for jobs for the nation’s most vulnerable.” Madeline Janis, executive director of Jobs to Move America (JMA), a national coalition that has been at the center of leveraging public transit projects to generate opportunities for the unemployed, has been raising the alarm about the repeal. She told Capital & Main that she discovered it buried in the DOT [Department of Transportation] rules change report almost by accident. “It’s inexplicable to us why the Trump DOT would withdraw a proposal to make jobs available to people who need them — and in places where transportation infrastructure is being built and invested in,” she said. “For an administration that has talked about caring about creating good jobs related to infrastructure, it’s a complete contradiction between the stated policy versus the actual policy.” To put it another way, as Next City phrased it, "President Donald Trump wants to build highways through black communities, but he doesn’t want to hire from them." In the Capital & Main article, more detail was provided on the Trump administration move: The administration...is quietly moving ahead to repeal a two-year-old initiative dating from the Obama administration that might be the only dynamic infrastructure and jobs program in existence at the federal level. According to its August Significant Rulemaking Report, the Department of Transportation (DOT) has set Friday as the termination date for a program that has already enabled states and cities to create thousands of new, high-wage transportation and construction jobs in some of the nation’s most depressed local labor markets.... Called the Local Labor Hiring Pilot Program, it essentially created an exception to a Reagan-era, free market interpretation of the Common Grant Rule, the department-wide administrative requirements for all of DOT’s federal grants. The Reagan Justice Department had prohibited contract requirements unrelated to price and engineering specifications, calling them an unfair competitive burden on corporate bidders. The Obama DOT didn’t repeal the old rule, but it enabled local agencies to get permission from DOT to write “geographic-based hiring preferences” into their federally funded transportation construction projects. In general, it was an optional program for local governmental departments to help boost hiring in high unemployment areas. Given the Trump administration's weighty bias toward corporate interests, it very well may adopt a policy of no-preference treatment in federal contracts based on almost any criteria. Businesses argue that such preferences increase costs, training, and lengthen project schedules -- and, of course, decrease profit. However, there hasn't been any study to prove these claims. As for benefits of the program, The New York Times stated in an article (as noted by other sources above): But advocates of local employment allowances say hiring from the neighborhood helps offset longstanding racial and gender imbalances in the construction industry. Local workers can also benefit from the on-site vocational training that many struggle to find elsewhere, they say. Not only do people in high unemployment areas benefit, but individuals who receive jobs as a result of the program become taxpayers for local, state and federal governmental units. Although the Trump administration has only been in office a little over six months, it has consistently made decisions that benefit businesses and not people, and has particularly shortchanged people of color, women and people of limited means. The termination of the Local Labor Hiring Pilot Program is one more example of government for the 1 percent.Twitch.tv has added a new category to the list of available things to watch. The new category is dedicated to people live-streaming the process of developing a game. Dubbed ‘Game Development’, this category lets you watch people developing games live. The new category has been live for a few days. For instance if you go check it right now, you will find people streaming asset modeling, getting work done in Unity, and doing some modding as well. “We conducted a Twitch Town Hall session at PAX Prime which is when we let our community share ideas they would like to see implemented on the platform,” said Marcus ‘djWHEAT’ Graham, director of community and education at Twitch. “The idea of having a section for game developers was suggested and it resonated with the audience, so that inspired us to add it as a category.” This might just be the best thing on Twitch since Salty Bet. Thanks, Twitch.Mike Shedlock Mish’s Global Economic Trends December 10, 2010 Proving that on occasion the little guy can indeed win, Ron Paul announced tonight that he will be named Chairman of the Monetary Policy Subcommittee. When asked if he would take over chairmanship of the subcommittee, Paul replied “The chairman of the financial services subcommittee, Spencer Bachus, has told me today verbally that I will be the chairman of that subcommittee. He was the one who appointed me as the ranking member and he is sticking to his guns and that I will have responsibility of that committee.” Fresh food that lasts from eFoods Direct (Ad) When asked about subpoenas and “audit the Fed”, Paul went on to say that he can issue subpoenas but would need agreement from the chairman as well as speaker. Read entire article {openx:49}First They Came … Preface: German pastor Martin Niemöller initially supported Hitler. But he later opposed him, and was imprisoned in the Dachau concentration camp for years. Niemöller learned the hard way that keep your head down doesn’t keep one out of trouble … in the long run, it increases the danger to all of us. Niemöller wrote a brilliant poem – First They Came – about the manner in which Germans allowed Nazi abuses by failing to protest the abuse of “others” … first gypsies, gays, communists, and Jews, then Catholics … and eventually everyone. This is my modern interpretation of Niemöller’s poem … First they tortured a U.S. citizen and gang member … I remained silent; I wasn’t a criminal Then they tortured a U.S. citizen, whistleblower and navy veteran … I remained silent; I wasn’t a whistleblower Then they locked up an attorney for representing accused criminals … I remained silent; I wasn’t a defense attorney Then they arrested a young father walking with his son simply because he told Dick Cheney that he disagreed with his policies … I remained silent; I’ve never talked to an important politician Then they said an entertainer should be killed because she questioned the government’s version of an important historical event … I remained silent; I wasn’t an entertainer Then they arrested people for demanding that Congress hold the President to the Constitution … I did not speak out; I’ve never protested in Washington Then they arrested a man for holding a sign … I held my tongue; I’ve never held that kind of sign Then they broke a minister’s leg because he wanted to speak at a public event … I said nothing; I wasn’t a religious leader Then they shot a student with a taser gun and arrested him for asking a question of a politician at a public event … I remained silent; I wasn’t a student Then they started labeling virtually every innocent and normal behavior as marking Americans as “potential terrorists” … I remained silent; I didn’t want to be called a terrorist Then they threw political dissenters in psychiatric wards … I remained silent; I didn’t want to be seen as crazy Then they declared that they could label U.S. citizens living on U.S. soil as “unlawful enemy combatants” and imprison them indefinitely without access to any attorney … I remained silent; I didn’t want to be labeled an enemy Then they assassinated an American citizen without any court trial And they killed his son because he should have had a “far more responsible father” … I remained silent; I live on American soil Then they declared that they could assassinate U.S. citizens living on U.S. soil without any due process of law (update) … I remained silent; I didn’t want to be on the list Then they forced down the airplane carrying the president of a sovereign nation, because they were looking for a whistleblower I remained silent; I’m not a foreign leader Then they called for the founder of an independent publisher to be killed by drone I remained silent; I don’t want to worry about drone strikes against me Then they started spying on all Americans, even though top experts say that doesn’t protect us from terrorism I remained silent; I didn’t want to call even more attention to myself from the spies Then they detained the partner of an investigative journalist for 9 hours under terrorism laws – and denied him the right to call a lawyer – as a way to intimidate the journalist I remained silent; My wife isn’t a journalist When they came for me, Everyone was silent; there was no one left to speak out. Postscript: I originally wrote this poem in 2007. I have updated it with additional verses as current events have unfolded.Murdering political activists is business as usual for ruthless ruling elite Kurt Nimmo Infowars.com July 2, 2013 According to journalist David Lindorff, the FBI planned to assassinate the leaders of the now moribund Occupy movement “via suppressed sniper rifles.” Lindorff cites a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed by the Washington, DC-based Partnership for Civil Justice Fund. The redacted document obtained from the FBI in Houston states: An identified [DELETED] as of October planned to engage in sniper attacks against protestors (sic) in Houston, Texas if deemed necessary. An identified [DELETED] had received intelligence that indicated the protesters in New York and Seattle planned similar protests in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin, Texas. [DELETED] planned to gather intelligence against the leaders of the protest groups and obtain photographs, then formulate a plan to kill the leadership via suppressed sniper rifles. The FBI confirmed that the document is legitimate. For the astute student of history – real history, not the massaged version proffered by the ruling elite – news of an FBI plot to murder political activists does not come as a surprise. Recent history provides numerous examples, most notably during the 1960s and 1970s when the FBI’s COINTELPRO was in full swing. “When congressional investigations, political trials, and other traditional legal modes of repression failed to counter the growing movements, and even helped to fuel them, the FBI and police moved outside the law,” writes Brian Glick in his book, War at Home. “They resorted to the secret and systematic use of fraud and force to sabotage constitutionally protected political activity. Their methods ranged far beyond surveillance, amounting to a home front version of the covert action for which the CIA has become infamous throughout the world.” In addition to psychological warfare and dirty tricks, the government engaged in extralegal force and violence. “The FBI and police threatened, instigated, and themselves conducted break-ins, vandalism, assaults, and beatings,” Glick writes. “The object was to frighten dissidents and disrupt their movements. In the case of radical Black and Puerto Rican activists (and later Native Americans), these attacks-including political assassinations-were so extensive, vicious, and calculated that they can accurately be termed a form of official ‘terrorism.’” “The FBI’s techniques were often extreme, with the agency being complicit in the murder and assassination of political dissidents, or having people sent away to prison for life,” adds Tom McNamara. COINTELPRO terrorism “enabled the FBI and police to eliminate the leaders of mass movements without undermining the image of the United States as a democracy, complete with free speech and the rule of law,” Glick continues. “Charismatic orators and dynamic organizers were covertly attacked and “neutralized” before their skills could be transferred to others and stable structures established to carry on their work. Malcolm X was killed in a ‘factional dispute’ which the FBI took credit for having ‘developed’ in the Nation of Islam. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the target of an elaborate FBI plot to drive him to suicide and replace him ‘in his role of the leadership of the Negro people’ with conservative Black lawyer Samuel Pierce (later named to Reagan’s cabinet). Many have come to view King’s eventual assassination (and Malcolm’s as well) as itself a domestic covert operation.” According to the official narrative, COINTELPRO was terminated in 1971, but this is obviously not the case (see my The Son Of COINTELPRO from 2002). In regard to the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement, the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF) FOIA documents reveal the program is alive and well. The “FBI was treating the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement, from its inception, as a potential criminal and domestic terrorist threat,” writes McNamara. The close collaboration between the Department of Homeland Security and officials in 40 different cities – first disclosed by Oakland mayor Jean Quan – in the determined (and ultimately successful) effort to destroy the largely peaceful movement demonstrates how serious the federal government is about deflecting any challenge to its monopoly on political power. The assassination of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Fred Hampton, and other activists and political figures considered threats to the status quo demonstrate the viability of murder as a political tool for the elite. As Brian Glick notes, the CIA has used assassination abroad for decades and its importation into the United States simply reveals how serious they are to control any effective political opposition, especially when activism has the potential to effectuate political change or, as in the case of OWS, result in a political awakening of millions of people.Australian model Andreja Pejić appeared on Three's The Project on Friday and spoke out about the abuse she receives. She might just be the world's most famous transgender model - but she still has to deal with hate, prejudice and bullying. "All it takes is reading a Daily Mail article - like the comments on an article to see that," she says. "There are many misconceptions about this life. I've been told that I did this for attention, or to extend my career, that I'm mentally ill, or that I did all of this just to sleep with straight men." She fled the Bosnian War as a child, before making her way to Australia as a political refugee. In 2015, following gender-reassignment surgery, she was the first transgender model to feature in Vogue magazine. She's here in New Zealand for an exclusive appearance on the runway, and says it's an ideal career for her. "I would say the fashion industry is more progressive," she says. "It gave me a great platform to be here and to get interviewed and to be able to share my story, which I'm very grateful for." And she has a message to the world. "I'm just trying to spread some positivity out there." Newshub.Storing Renewable Energy in Boxes of Air November 20th, 2009 by Susan Kraemer Storage is needed to harvest the full yield available from intermittent sources of energy like wind and solar. One of the options is compressed-air storage; till now only possible in underground caverns. But SustainX Energy Solutions; a Dartmouth College start-up that got $4 million in VC funding from Polaris Venture Partners and Rockport Capital this year is working on compressing and storing air in cheap off-the-shelf shipping containers. Over the next two years SustainX will try to develop a way to cram 4 megawatt-hours worth of stored energy into each 40-foot long container and to reduce the energy that it currently takes to compress and release air by about 70%. [social_buttons] The goal? A renewable energy storage system with the portability and scalability of a battery and the economy and capacity of a cave. Make that a portable cave. Cheap storage is needed. A lot of research dollars are going into building a variety of storage options for renewable energy to extend their contribution to the grid. We have too much wind at night and too much solar in the day: but seldom overlapping in any one region. The breakthrough better battery is being funded by ARPA-E and sought by hundreds of researchers and companies from the traditional fly-wheel manufacturers to new nanotech start-ups. Utilities are looking into storing energy in compressed-air in caves, in gravity; by pumping water up – to let it drop when needed – or in rolling batteries; by loading up extra juice at night into electric cars – to be dispatchable back to the grid again at peak with interactive vehicle-to-grid technology. PG&E is one public utility scouting for caves suitable for compressed-air storage capable of storing 3,000 megawatt-hours (or 300 megawatts for ten hours). There are already a few compressed-air
— which is known as Senate Bill 4 and is set to take effect in September — was backed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who was the Texas chairman of Mr. Trump’s campaign, as well as Mr. Abbott, who told Mr. Trump “I’m proud of you” when he visited the Oval Office in March. Much of the ultraconservative tone this legislative session has been building in Texas for years, long before Mr. Trump’s campaign, and many lawmakers said the ban on sanctuary cities would have passed regardless of who was in the White House. In 2010, when Mr. Abbott was the state’s attorney general, he signed onto a legal brief filed in federal court defending Arizona’s S.B. 1070. State Representative Rafael Anchia, a Democrat who is the chairman of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus in the State House, said the best evidence that Senate Bill 4 preceded the rise of Mr. Trump was the series of federal court rulings since 2011 in which the Texas Legislature was found to have intentionally discriminated against Hispanics and African-Americans. “This really doesn’t arise out of Trump, but my view is that it arises out of the movement that brought Trump,” Mr. Anchia said. Democrats predict that Senate Bill 4 will energize Hispanic voters and mark the end of the Republican rule of Texas. On Tuesday, the American Civil Liberties Union in Washington issued what it called a “travel alert” for Texas, warning visitors to the state to expect “the possible violation of their constitutional rights when stopped by law enforcement.” In Austin and Houston, civil disobedience and more confrontational protest actions have met the bill. Such activity appeared to be one of the reasons Mr. Abbott signed the law late on Sunday without any notice to reporters. Republicans dispute that the banning of sanctuary cities is discriminatory and defend it as anti-crime, not anti-immigrant.Philadelphia Transit Workers Go On Strike, Shutting Down Buses, Trolleys Enlarge this image toggle caption Matt Rourke/AP Matt Rourke/AP Around 4,700 public transportation workers in Philadelphia went on strike at midnight, shutting down many of the city's transit options. The members of the Transport Workers Union Local 234 and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, or SEPTA, were unable to agree on a new contract. The strike is causing widespread disruption, and raising concerns that if the situation is not resolved it may interfere with Election Day next week. "All Philadelphians—not just regular SEPTA riders—should prepare for significant disruptions to their commutes, especially the evening rush hour," member station WHYY reports. "The strike shut down all of SEPTA's city transit services: Buses, trolleys, trackless trolleys and subways that operate in the city, which usually handle 884,000 trips a day, will not run." Regional rail is the only service still operating, SEPTA says — and even before the strike, rail services were operating "at near capacity." WHYY reporter Tom MacDonald spoke with NPR from a suburban rain station in downtown Philadelphia, where he said the trains that were running were struggling with large quantities of riders — many of them unfamiliar with the trains. "We've got delays as much as 99 minutes on some of these rail lines," MacDonald said. "Everything is behind... the riders are frustrated. I mean, they want their regular way of going to work." MacDonald notes that the union had been warning Philadelphia residents for weeks that a strike was in the works. But many residents are used to deadlines being extended in situations like these — a few days' delay as the union and SEPTA try to work out a deal. "The union went on strike at exactly the strike deadline and that's caught some people off guard," MacDonald says. It's also left students in the lurch. NBC Philadelphia, citing school officials, said around 60,000 students public, private and charter school students rely on public transit to get to school. Schools in Philadelphia are remaining open on Tuesday, The Associated Press reports. "[School officials] are saying that those who don't make it in will be given an excused absence, but parents are urged to find a way to bring their children to school or get them there, one way or the other," MacDonald reports. The strike was initiated after negotiations broke down over issues including health care costs, pensions and worker rest, WHYY has reported. SEPTA says the union walked away from "pay raises, enhanced pension benefits, maintained health care coverage levels and continued job security." The union says SEPTA's representatives "refused to address non-economic issues affecting operator and public safety." If the strike lasts a week or more, SEPTA plans to file an emergency temporary restraining order to suspend the strike for Election Day next Tuesday, to ensure that all voters will be able to access the polls, WHYY reports. In 2009, a SEPTA strike lasted for six days.I got a lot from this book. I especially liked the chapter on why Roger Scruton became a conservative, and also the chapter about music. We're talking about "serious" music here - you know, actual music (I add that I also like the chapter on music in The Closing Of The American Mind by Allan Bloom, which says something about my musical tastes--but nothing, note, about Roger Scruton's). In the chapter on music, RS makes the observation that there is a current school amongst opera directors to do I got a lot from this book. I especially liked the chapter on why Roger Scruton became a conservative, and also the chapter about music. We're talking about "serious" music here - you know, actual music (I add that I also like the chapter on music in The Closing Of The American Mind by Allan Bloom, which says something about my musical tastes--but nothing, note, about Roger Scruton's). In the chapter on music, RS makes the observation that there is a current school amongst opera directors to do things like set The Magic Flute in a modern brothel (He may not have used this exact example, but you get the picture). This is because, he says, (and I agree with him), we are uncomfortable with the idea of the sacred in this post-modern world in which all that is holy is profaned. This deep point is enlarged upon without bitterness. A glowing description of Debussy's Pelleas and Melisande inspired me to do more "hard core listening" to operas, which, if I am honest, do generally make me feel rather uncomfortable. The idea of the sacred, and human attitudes towards the sacred, are amongst the main themes of the book. "Stealing from churches" was a new and fecund idea for me. The chapter about his trip to Finland was very interesting--there is a certain "Scrutonian Finnishness" about New Zealand, I think.Coinizy, a Canada-based Bitcoin startup founded by Yannick Losbar, has recently announced the full launch of its exchange services, following months of being in beta, The Merkle reported. The startup said that during its beta phase, it collected valuable feedback from its users, adding that it is now ready to fully launch the platform to the public. Since its beta launch, Coinizy has been focusing on making the conversion from Bitcoin to fiat as convenient as possible. It supports Western Union, PayPal, and various debit card withdrawal options for all of their users. “I am happy to announce that today, after four months of public testing, Coinizy is moving on from Beta. Our platform enables you to convert your bitcoins and ethers into US Dollars, that you can then withdraw to PayPal and Western Union, as well as our range of virtual and plastic VISA Debit Cards”, said Coinizy CEO Yannick Losbar. Besides fully launching its services, Coinizy also announced the launch of the Ethereum debit card, which would allow any Ethereum holder to spend cryptocurrency wherever credit cards are accepted. Although, it not currently possible to fund an Ethereum debit card with a smart contract directly, the Coinizy team is working on an API to facilitate such transfers. In addition, such an API could act as a gateway for other users to spend Ether, even when the recipient doesn’t directly accept cryptocurrency payments. Coinizy seeks to offer an Ether payment gateway which can be used to query, pay for, load, and use the instance-issuance virtual Visa debit card in an automated fashion. “While the Ethereum founders probably didn’t envision their crypto-currency to be a store of value, the impressive volumes exchanged each day on traditional and trading-oriented platforms despite the lack of clear consumer-oriented applications revealed a real market interest. We are also seeing a proportion of Bitcoins holders who are shifting towards Ethereum since they are increasingly preoccupied about the possible depreciation of their assets the Block Size debate is likely to cause”, said Losbar.Making the switch to LEDs? Here is a full LED resource center for those looking for informative posts, power calculators and other helpful tools to help make the switch to LEDs fast and simple. High Power LEDs LED technology is a tad different than other lighting, and you don’t want to burn up your LEDs. This post is here to show you everything you need to know about LEDs and how to power them safely so you get the most light and the longest lifetime possible. The days of measuring brightness by the wattage of a bulb are coming to an end as LEDs continue to gain traction. Component LEDs are measured in Lumens which is a measurement of light that is hard to explain if you don’t already have a rough idea of Lumen outputs and such. In this post we explain Lumens and have a table that will show you the light output to expect from your system. Great tool for finding the best LED and drive current to use! LEDs have a wide current range at which they can be powered, so boxing them into one wattage ‘category’ has proven to be misleading. Use this as a tool to calculate your LEDs wattage so you can know exactly how much power your LED system will draw. When you choose Cree LED luminaires you are getting the innovation and proven technology that makes the industry’s most reliable and best performing LEDs. Cree is constantly improving on their technology, coming out with upgrades and new models. Use this guide to choose the Cree diode best for your application. LED Power Solutions LED drivers can be a confusing part of LED technology. There are so many different types and variations that it can seem a little overwhelming at times. That’s why I wanted to write a quick post explaining the varieties, what makes them different, and things you should look for when choosing the LED driver(s) for your lighting application. LED lights need a constant current supply. Therefore, a constant current LED driver is usually used within the lighting setup. However, some fixture manufacturers already include a current limiting device with the LED in which case you just need a DC power supply. This sounds confusing but it’s actually extremely easy to find out what type of power your LED needs, this post helps with that. Mean Well is one of the top brands as far as LED power solutions go. Their attention to detail, safety protections and dimming features help add flexibility as well as durability to your LED system. With all the options it can be tough to know where to start, this quick selection map helps guide you to the perfect solution for your LED lighting needs! Whether you are building your own LED fixture, fixing and retrofitting existing fixtures, or purchasing new LED lights, you will need to find the correct power source for your LEDs. You will either need a constant current LED driver or a constant voltage power supply (or a combination of both) in order to make your LEDs work properly. There are many different factors to consider when choosing a power supply for LED lighting. This post will go through those many factors and help you select the right power supply for your LEDs! See why off line drivers can be better for general lighting purposes. Larger voltage loads, longer run lengths and a much more simple setup. 5mm LEDs 5mm LEDs are super helpful as they can easily be powered from a small battery source and last a long time. This makes it simple to incorporate them in many electronics or put lights where they normally could not go. See how to use these tiny light sources whether you’re building a simple key chain flashlight or a large LED matrix. 5mm LEDs typically use resistors in order to limit their current. Resistors come in a wide range of sizes and there is math involved in finding the correct size for your system. Don’t freak out though, we keep it super easy with this Resistance calculator that calculates the resistor size you need depending on your input voltage and how many LEDs you have. LED Strip Lighting Linear (strip) lighting has become very popular and is becoming an affordable option for home lighting. Buying LED strip lights might seem relatively straight forward, but there are actually many things you need to take into account to make sure you get the right type of light for your needs. Follow us through this post as we walk through the important factors for LED strip lighting and run through our full line of LED strips. Flexible LED strip lights are used all over the world in various industrial, commercial and residential projects. LED strip lighting is popular among many Architects and Lighting Designers due to the improvements in efficiency, color options and brightness. The biggest draw is how easy they are to install. Their flexibility, low-profile and helpful accessories make LED flex strips popular for the at home DIY types. With these LED strips, a homeowner can design like a professional with the right supplies and just an hour or two. LED flex strips usually require in-line dimming. Not only is this difficult to wire, but it also doesn’t allow you to use the dimming set up already in your household. With these helpful 12V power supplies, LED strip lights can now be dimmed with standard dimmers from the likes of Lutron, Leviton and much more! Now you can dim LED strips with our 0-10V wall mount dimmer as well! Super simple installation! LED strip lights have become a quick and efficient answer to providing accent lighting around your home. A relatively low cost option is low voltage, 12 volt LED strip lighting. We took our best selling LED strip lights and paired them with a 12VDC battery pack. This allows for task lighting on the go or in those tough to reach places. See how this simple LED strip kit can be a great household hack. Whether you need to combine two strips together, put a gap in-between strips, cut a full reel into smaller sections, or maybe just to go around a corner, you will need some type of connector. These click tight strip connectors are the easiest way to make an extra connection to your LED strips! Standard density strips can connect up to 32 feet long but that is still too short for applications like crown and cove lighting, outdoor deck lighting, or any application requiring a long string of lights. Luckily there is an AC powered LED strip that boasts a much heavier duty design that I would have no problem putting in any elements, plus it can run in long lengths all the way up to 150 feet! Protecting Your LEDs The most important part of LED cooling is the thermal path from the LED junction to the outside of the light fixture. Heat needs to be conducted away from the LED in an efficient manner, and then removed from the area by some sort of cooling or dissipation. This is where heat sinks come in. By looking at the thermal properties, it is easy to see that Arctic Silver products are far more efficient at moving heat than other options. For LEDs, the lower the temperature, the brighter and longer they will run. LEDs will degrade much slower at lower operating temperatures, meaning it could mean years of difference in run times if you decide to go with Arctic Silver Thermal Adhesives or Compounds. LEDs and their components can be used for a variety of applications, and finding the best quality products does come at a higher price than most other lighting applications. That is why it is extremely important to protect your LEDs and circuitry in order to make sure your investment holds up and lasts a long time. LED Lenses: Spreading the light The light from the LEDs primary optic is still too broad for most applications, lacking intensity over distance. This is why most LED fixtures use secondary optics (lenses, reflectors, TIR optics, etc.) to collect all that light and magnify its intensity towards the target. LED Wiring and Circuitry Tips Struggling with soldering and ruining your LED(s) and printed circuit board (PCB) or metal core printed circuit board (MCPCB) is easy to do without the proper tools, materials and soldering technique. To help avoid common issues with LED soldering we looked back on our 20 plus years of electronics experience and outlined here all the “dos & don’ts” for soldering to LEDs. First things first, don’t let electrical circuits and wiring LED components sound daunting or confusing – connecting LEDs correctly can be simple and made easy to understand if you follow this post Product Reviews DIY Lighting Center LED Lighting Toolbox: Helpful tools we use around the lighting industry! To help find the best Cree XLamp LEDs for your lighting-system design. The LED series/parallel array wizard is a calculator that will help you design large arrays of LEDs. Planning your LED set up on the popular MakersLED heatsinkAl Jazeera English newsroom (Wikimedia/Wittylama) Time Warner drops Current after Al Jazeera deal Al Jazeera's struggle to reach U.S. homes meets another setback after major deal to buy Gore's network goes through Al Jazeera this week purchased Al Gore's cable network Current TV in what the New York Times' Brian Stelter called "a coming of age moment" for the Qatar-funded network in the United States. By buying Current, Al Jazeera seemed set to establish itself in the U.S. after struggling for years to gain purchase in unreceptive markets outside of New York and Washington. However, hours after the estimated $500 million deal was made, Time Warner Cable announced that it would no longer carry the Current channel, and thus Al Jazeera's new channel Al Jazeera America would not be distributed by the cable provider. Although the Current deal will still bring Al Jazeera into around 40 million American homes, the Time Warner move constituted a considerable blow for the globally respected network -- Time Warner Cable reaches 12 million homes. Advertisement: As HuffPo's Michael Calderone reported: Joel Hyatt, who co-founded Current TV with former Vice President Al Gore, told staff in a Wednesday night memo that Time Warner Cable "did not consent to the sale to Al Jazeera." "Consequently, Current will no longer be carried on TWC," Hyatt wrote. "This is unfortunate, but I am confident that Al Jazeera America will earn significant additional carriage in the months and years ahead." Commentators have been swift to decry Time Warner's move. The HuffPo banner leading to Calderone's report read "gutless," while founding director of the Knight Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship at Arizona State University Dan Gilmor said the cable company showed "abject political and journalistic cowardice." However, a Time Warner spokesperson told Calderone that although there was no plan to distribute Al Jazeera America "at this time," the company has "an agreement" with Al Jazeera. As Stelter pointed out following news of the Current purchase, Al Jazeera has long struggled to establish a U.S. voice despite its stellar global reputation: A decade ago, Al Jazeera’s flagship Arabic-language channel was reviled by American politicians for showing videotapes from Al Qaeda members and sympathizers... With a handful of exceptions (including New York City and Washington), American cable and satellite distributors have mostly refused to carry Al Jazeera English since its inception in 2006. While the television sets of White House officials and lawmakers were tuned to the channel during the Arab Spring in 2011, ordinary Americans who wanted to watch had to find a live stream on the Internet. To change that, Al Jazeera lobbied distributors and asked supporters to write letters to the distributors — but accomplished next to nothing. Instead of just using Current's network platform to stream Al Jazeera English, Al Jazeera America will be a whole new channel. Around 60 percent of the programming will be produced in the United States, while the remaining 40 percent will come from Al Jazeera English.The cycle started with Store Championships, as players faced off against their locals and friends. Later, players made the trip out to Regional Championships, making some great journeys, friends, and stories to tell down the road. National Championships quickly followed and the competition was even fiercer as people traveled from all over to attempt to claim the title. The cycle is nearing completion as the 2016 World Championship approaches. In November, strike commanders from across the galaxy will rally their troops and meet in Roseville, MN in order to determine who will claim the title of Star Wars™: Imperial Assault World Champion. A Competition to Remember Our World Championships will be an unforgettable experience. We are extremely excited to see world-class competition as hundreds of passionate players make new friends and forge memories that will last a lifetime on the biggest stage. At its core, though, the World Championship is about finding the best player in the world for each of our competitive games. So, ask yourself a question. Do you have what it takes to control the field and be crowned the 2016 Imperial Assault World Champion? Royal Reward In addition to the fantastic items awarded to every attendee of World Championship, players who do well in the 2016 Imperial Assault World Championship will have a chance at these fantastic prizes: Participation: Each player that participates in a 2016 World Championship event will receive a copy of the alt-art card “Leia Organa” and a challenge coin to commemorate their participation. After the lunch break, each player in the Imperial Assault World Championship will receive an additional two copies of this promo card! Each player that participates in a 2016 World Championship event will receive a copy of the alt-art card “Leia Organa” and a challenge coin to commemorate their participation. After the lunch break, each player in theWorld Championship will receive an additional two copies of this promo card! Top Third: Each player receives a set of acrylic Activation tokens. These double-sided tokens were made to help both players keep track of which units have activated each round! Top 16: Each player receives a set of metallic colored dice. Top 8: Each player receives a unique playmat for keeping your squad organized on the tabletop. Top 4: Each player receives an uncut sheet of cards (not pictured) featuring the World Championship promo “Leia Organa”. Our prizes are usually either game components or collector’s items. This unique prize is both! Winner: The Imperial Assault World Champion receives the 2016 Imperial Assault World Champion trophy and a one of a kind playmat! Additionally, the champion will receive The Greatest Prize in Gaming - the chance to design a card for Imperial Assault! This and More These fantastic prizes are not the only reward for attending the 2016 World Championships. Players will also be gaining cherished memories of intense matches, new friends, and the experience of competing at the highest level of play. Keep your eyes on our website for additional information about the event, including live streaming and more!City in Perm Krai, Russia Berezniki (Russian: Березники́) is a city in Perm Krai, Russia, located on the banks of the Kama River, in the Ural Mountains. Population: 156,466 (2010 Census);[5] 173,077 (2002 Census);[10] 201,213 (1989 Census).[11] Etymology [ edit ] The name Berezniki is derived from a birch forest originally situated on the city's location. History [ edit ] It was founded in 1873.[2] City status was granted to it in 1932[2] as its industry was rapidly expanding under Joseph Stalin. Administrative and municipal status [ edit ] Within the framework of administrative divisions, it is incorporated as the city of krai significance of Berezniki—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts.[1] As a municipal division, the city of krai significance of Berezniki is incorporated as Berezniki Urban Okrug.[7] Economy [ edit ] BTZ trolleybus and railway station in Berezniki Failure in city Berezniki at the first potash plant After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the city's population dropped due to increased unemployment. Nevertheless, the city was able to keep its main industries on track. Large chemical plants such as titanium and sodium factories as well as several huge Potassium, Magnesium and Potash mines are operational in Berezniki. The potash mine, owned by Uralkali, was the basis of the fortune of Dmitry Rybolovlev who sold his interest in 2010 to Suleyman Kerimov. Mine supports in the huge underground mine, about 1,000 feet (~300 metres) beneath the city, consist of soluble salt which is being dissolved by water flooding into the mine. The city, a former Soviet era labor camp, was built near the work site, over the mine. Several sinkholes, some huge, have opened within the city. The situation requires round-the-clock monitoring. The problem is believed to be limited to a small part of the mine which was not filled properly and to be limited in its future impact, but relocation of the city is under consideration.[12] The largest sinkhole, locally dubbed, "The Grandfather" by 2012, was 340 yards (~310 metres) wide, 430 yards (~390 metres) long, and 780 feet (~240 metres) deep.[12] When it opened in 2007[13] the hole was initially 80 m long, 40 m wide and 200 m deep.[14] The sinkhole was expected to expand, and destroy part of the only rail line which leads to and from the potash mines, and, being that Berezniki produces around 10% of the worlds potash, this would lead global demand towards Canada, potentially damaging the local economy. Nobody was injured when the sinkhole appeared. Culture [ edit ] Berezniki has a theater and a museum of regional history. Every year from July 17 to the 20th the town celebrates its mosquitoes. They have music, dancing and a "most delicious girl" competition. In the competition, the girls stand for 20 minutes in their shorts and vests, and the one who receives the most bites wins.[15] Notable people [ edit ] Transportation [ edit ] Berezniki is served by the Berezniki Airport, which mainly serves helicopters. A railway station is closed since it is located in the sinkhole area and has been damaged beyond repair. In the city public transport service is operated with trolleybuses. References [ edit ] Notes [ edit ] Sources [ edit ] Законодательное собрание Пермской области. Закон №416-67 от 28 февраля 1996 г. «Об административно-территориальном устройстве Пермского края», в ред. Закона №504-ПК от 9 июля 2015 г. «О внесении изменений в Закон Пермской области "Об административно-территориальном устройстве Пермского края"». Вступил в силу с момента опубликования. Опубликован: "Звезда", №38, 12 марта 1996 г. (Legislative Assembly of Perm Oblast. Law #416-67 of February 28, 1996 On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Perm Krai, as amended by the Law #504-PK of July 9, 2015 On Amending the Law of Perm Oblast "On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Perm Krai". Effective as of the moment of publication.). (Legislative Assembly of Perm Oblast. Law #416-67 of February 28, 1996, as amended by the Law #504-PK of July 9, 2015. Effective as of the moment of publication.). Законодательное собрание Пермской области. Закон №1983-434 от 27 декабря 2004 г. «Об утверждении границ и о наделении статусом муниципального образования "Город Березники" Пермского края», в ред. Закона №499-ПК от 16 октября 2009 г «О внесении изменений в отдельные законодательные акты Пермской области и Коми-Пермяцкого автономного округа». Вступил в силу через десять дней со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Звезда", №217–218, 30 декабря 2004 г. (Legislative Assembly of Perm Oblast. Law #1983-434 of December 27, 2004 On Establishing the Borders and on Granting the Status to the Municipal Formation of the "City of Berezniki" of Perm Krai, as amended by the Law #499-PK of October 16, 2009 On Amending Various Legislative Acts of Perm Oblast and Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug. Effective as of the day which is ten days following the day of the official publication.).A statement published by Amaq said that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died in an air strike on ISIS's stronghold of Raqqa in northern Syria. (File Photo) Highlights Baghdadi died in air strike on ISIS stronghold of Raqqa in Syria: report The coalition did not immediately comment on the report On Monday, an Iraqi TV channel said that Baghadi had been wounded The ISIS's alleged leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed in an air raid in Syria by the US-led coalition, reports said on Monday.Baghdadi died in an air strike on ISIS's stronghold of Raqqa in northern Syria, Iranian state media and pro-government Turkish daily Yenis Safak said, citing ISIS-affiliated Arabic news agency al-Amaq.The statement published by Amaq said ISIS's 'Caliph' Baghdadi had been killed on Sunday, according to the media reports."Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed by coalition airstrikes on Raqqa on the fifth day of Ramadan," said the statement.The coalition did not immediately comment on the report.Earlier on Monday, Iraqi TV channel 'Al-Sumaria' said that Baghadi had been wounded on Sunday in a coalition air strike on a location 65 kilometres west of the ISIS-held city of Mosul. US TV network CNN on Monday cited US defence officials as saying they received credible intelligence that Baghdadi, who has a $25 million bounty on his head, has moved around within the past six months and had travelled to Mosul.Although Force India has taken up its option on Sergio Perez's contract for next season, separate discussions regarding the Mexican's sponsors have not yet been concluded. That is what Perez wants to finalise over the summer break, and if they agree that they want to move teams – with both Renault and Williams known to be interested in his services – then an agreement will need to be struck to get the Mexican out of his Force India deal. But Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley believes that with the team locked in a battle with Williams for fourth place in the constructors' championship, there should be little incentive for Perez to go elsewhere. “I think we have got to make that decision as difficult as it possibly can be,” Fernley told Motorsport.com about the Perez situation. “We are keen to keep both drivers, so if we can haul in Williams and take fourth place, there are only three manufacturer teams ahead of us. So you are going to sideways or backwards. "The thing for us is to work hard and limit the choice.” Sponsor decision Although Force India has Perez under contract, Fernley has clarified that uncertainty about his future relates to the fate of Mexican sponsorship deals. “It is a pretty straightforward process but it gets complicated,” he explained. “The drivers are both contracted for next year. Then you are talking the commercial side, because we have significant commercial arrangements with Checo [Perez]'s supporters and sponsors. “Those are separate decisions and separate discussions. But in essence the decision to keep the driver pairing was there. "So I would dearly hope we can keep all of his people on board. But that wasn't the priority. The priority was to keep the driver pairing.” When asked where the team would be left if it had Perez under contract but his sponsors wanted to leave, Fernley said: “Then it is a discussion….isn't it? "It is purely commercial. It is nothing to do with anything else.”Canadian Army Signallers, those “Geeks with Guns” who supply communications from the battlefield, gathered in Victoria this weekend from across Western Canada. article continues below “We do everything from old-school radio to new networks that have only just been prototyped to satellite systems — everything geeky,” said Corp. Patryk Siedlik, 22, a reservist from Winnipeg with 38 Signals Regiment. “And we have marksmanship today,” said Siedlik, in his final year of engineering technology at Red River College. He was one of about 75 men and women, reservists and regular- force signallers in town to take part in Exercise Jimmy West. It’s a competition where military signallers are faced with events designed to simulate field-condition difficulties. As with all members of the forces, they must also shoot a firearm, do basic first aid and hold a check point. They run the obstacle course similar to an infantry soldier in training. But signallers do it wearing a “ManPack,” the backpack-style field radio worn by lone signallers deployed in the field. And, uniquely for signallers, they set up a mobile command centre to establish communications links with many different units in the field at once. A modern army must have everything from radio-style communications and satellite telephone links with political leaders in Canada to internet connections, including even special military-only internet connections. The idea is to set up a centre that allows a high-ranking officer, such as a general, to simply walk in to the field after being flown in from Canada. Instantly, that officer should be able to talk with separate units deployed in the field — whether infantry, artillery or medical units— while conferring with home and researching online. Capt. Gina Lloyd, of 39 Signals Regiment, a reservist from Victoria, said when the Armed Forces is deployed overseas it falls to signallers to set up those field headquarters. “So we set up all the tents, all the antennas, all the radios,” said Lloyd, 45, whose regular job is with the provincial Ministry of Health. “We supply the ability of a commander to actually exert control over a particular area,” she said, Lt. Col. Kent Wickens, the overall officer in charge of this weekend’s exercise, has been with the reserves for 35 years, originally starting with the artillery. Since joining the signal corps, Wickens, 52, has gained a new and special respect for the people the signals regiments attract. “These young people have a skill set that is outstanding,” said the former airline pilot now living in Vancouver and working with Transport Canada. “They have grown up with this technology, so it’s like they are native speakers of technology, where for me, it’s always a second language,” Wickens said. “They are all just really bright and dedicated young people who love solving problems and getting things done,” he said. rwatts@timescolonist.comA YOUNG girl’s first day at school ended in disaster after a fall from a bus left her covered in blood. Four-year-old Victoria Rose Aiton got on a number eight First Bus at Parkhead Cross yesterday with her mum Amy and three-year-old sister Maddison - after her first day at new school Carntyne Primary. Her mum Amy, 28, showed the driver her all day ticket but as she ushered her children onto the bus, she was stopped in her tracks and asked to pay a further 70p. Amy, from Riddrie, questioned the driver who replied that as her daughter was five years old and at school, she should pay 70p. The mother-of-three, who is also mum to one-year-old Ronni, however refused to pay the ticket and told the driver that her daughter was still four and entitled to free travel. Realising that she was getting nowhere with the driver and not wanting to argue in front of a bus full of passengers, Amy continued her journey and took her children off the bus at Riddrie. As little Victoria Rose stepped off, however, it is claimed that the bus door closed which got caught in the youngster’s ankle. She subsequently fell onto the pavement. Amy posted images of the youngster in the aftermath of the incident on the social media website Facebook and since yesterday the post has gone viral. Amy said: “It could have been a lot worse as she could have gone under the bus, rather than falling on the pavement. “He didn’t even ask if she was OK and just drove away.” Amy explained that she administered First Aid on her daughter who was left with a cut lip and ankle graze following the incident. She said: “My first priority was my daughter. Her lips are still sore and she has a graze on her ankle from where the door closed on it. “She was hysterical and heartbroken. Her new school uniform was ruined with blood. “She was upset over that as everyone had said to her throughout the day that she looked really smart and she ended up with blood all down her.” Amy said her daughter was happy prior to the incident, as she just finished her first day ever at school and went to visit staff at her Parkhead Community Nursery which she used to also attend with her sister. Amy said: “She was really happy until she got off the bus. “I am not interested in money, a voucher or anything First have to offer." Amy said she has contacted First Bus to complain but is yet to hear from them. She also said that she has not contacted Police Scotland. The full-time mum said: “I don’t see the point in wasting police time but I have spoken to my lawyer.” A First Bus spokesman said: "First Glasgow is aware of the alleged incident on one of our vehicles yesterday. We are concerned to hear about the injury sustained by the child and have launched a detailed investigation into the allegations."American television series “Madam Secretary” teased its latest episode with a fictional Philippine President getting punched in the face by no less than the titular character, US Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord. ADVERTISEMENT In a 20-second video teaser, the female US top diplomat played by actress Tea Leoni was shown in a closed-door meeting with Philippine leader Datu Andrada played by actor Joel dela Fuente, in a room that looked like Malacañang. A Philippine flag and the logo of the Office of the President were also spotted in the backdrop. Before getting punched in the face, the Philippine President was shown leering at McCord. “When a foreign leader crosses the line, the Secretary of State is forced into a break in diplomacy,” the teaser said. The diplomat consulted her staff and her husband about what happened to her. “You think that I should come forward about what happened to me?” she asked a female staff. “I c
Chicago. They will stay at a hotel in Brooklyn until they catch the Queen Mary 2 for England. Chenais, 22, has a hormone imbalance and came to the United States from France in 2012 for obesity treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Chicago. He had planned to fly home in late October but British Airways refused to let him board the plane on the grounds he was too fat. The family spent more than a week at a hotel near Chicago airport as they tried to resolve the situation. On Monday they decided to take a train to New York, from where they will sail for England on November 19. "It is mainly my parents who are angry," he told reporters, looking tired after the 19-hour train trip from Chicago. His father Rene criticized British Airways for paying just five nights in a hotel, where in the end they spent 13 days. He said the carrier has yet to refund their tickets. An airline spokesman said the carrier tried to find a solution but in the end it was not possible to tend to Chenais safely. Chenais needs oxygen constantly and medical oversight, so the week-long trip from New York to Southampton will not be easy. Chenais has mobility problems and gets around in an electric-powered wheelchair. As he arrived in New York, with the help of the French consulate, police and staff from the rail company Amtrak helped him off the train and out of the station. On Tuesday, his father said that two or three days after British Airways refused to let him fly, their travel agent said Air France and Swissair were willing to take him. But the family was out of money. "We paid $1,200 for the train and then $2,000 for the ship. We cannot pay any more," Rene Chenais said. He added he was considering legal action against British Airways. "For now Kevin has to hang in there. We are going to try to visit New York a bit and disconnect," Chenais senior said. A doctor will examine Chenais in the coming days, and staff on the Queen Mary 2 have been friendly, the father said.0 SHARES Share Tweet Calling Congress “complicit” for criminal murders using guns, Connecticut Democrat Sen. Richard Blumenthal called on President-elect Donald Trump to “do the unpredictable” and support citizen disarmament edicts, PJ Media reports. “It’s a Nixon to China moment for Donald Trump when he can defy the expectation, do the unpredictable – he likes doing the unpredictable – respond to a rally, which he also likes to do, and the rally is the America people who are clamoring and demanding action,” Blumenthal posited at a Capitol Hill rally exploiting families and survivors victimized by violent armed criminals. “Donald Trump has a legacy moment. When he can seize this opportunity, a historic opportunity, do the right thing and adopt these common-sense measures: background checks for every gun purchase, a ban on terrorists buying guns and ending the immunity, the legal immunity, unprecedented, unknown to any other industry for gun manufacturers. These are your ideas, Donald. We’ll give you credit for them.” In other words, his bright idea is for Trump to betray the constituency that put him in power and embrace rejected policies that lost the election for Hillary Clinton. Blumenthal is suggesting Trump will do his dirty work for him, undermining the Bill of Rights by enacting edicts that are the kiss of political death anywhere but in blue state “progressive” enclaves. That’s what his partner in oath-breaking, Connecticut’s other senator, Chris Murphy unintentionally admitted, all the while trying to put a spin on reality to mask his on-the-ropes desperation. Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes candidly assessed Blumenthal’s seemingly delusional plea: This is the same as saying, “Do the unpredictable and cut your own political throat by violating your oath and your promise to your supporters to defend the Second Amendment, and act exactly the same as if Hillary had won.” What Trump should do instead is call these oath breaking politicians out as the blood dancers they are, who turn a blind eye to the reality that it is criminal street thugs and gang bangers who are killing each other en-mass in Democratic stronghold “sanctuary cities” such as Chicago [or New Haven, CT for that matter], where the gang-bangers have free reign to rule the streets without having to worry about local people taking out the trash (like the people of Mexico are starting to do with armed citizen patrols), since the law-abiding locals in such Democrat controlled cities are forbidden to carry guns for self defense. The leftist answer is to always blame the law-abiding, decent gun owners for the gang-bangers’ obsession with violence and murder. They don’t blame the gang culture, and the hip-hop culture that idolizes it, but instead blame the rest of us who don’t run around doing drive-by shootings and gang-land assassinations. And it is us they seek to disarm. And we know why – because they have plans for us that require us to be disarmed before they can be effectively carried out. So both totalitarian wannabes, Blumenthal and Murphy, are from Connecticut, eh? The place must be a lost cause, right? Not if gun owners fighting on the front lines there have anything to say about it. Many times when documenting the latest in-your-face infringements from drunk-on-power politicians, gun owners will weigh in and condemn the entire state. We’ve all seen comments generalizing and applying blame to California, New Jersey or New York. That works against liberty. I’ve met some fine Connecticut Bill of Rights defenders, including members of our Connecticut Oath Keepers chapter, and they’re as dedicated a group of patriots as any. The ones with their backs against the wall can be the most committed activists, devoting time, treasure and effort while fighting against overwhelming odds. These people have earned our admiration and gratitude for not giving up, and for showing those of us who don’t have it as bad as they do what it means to not give up. They deserve our encouragement and support. Those front lines are important, because it’s where the abuses are strongest that significant stands for liberty are made. Connecticut is one of the places a friend and colleague to many of us, the late Mike Vanderboegh, led by example, committing acts of civil disobedience when no other means of peaceable recourse were available. Again, quoting Stewart: I am glad we were able to help Mike with travel expenses on several occasions, so he could speak at important events, such as his speech on the steps of the Connecticut capitol (where he committed his first of many acts of defiance to unjust, unconstitutional anti-gun edicts by oath-breaking politicians), and his speech at the Alamo. I felt it was important to do that, so that people who called themselves “Three Percenters” would know who Mike was, and would listen to his advice and counsel as the founder of that movement on how to do that mission right. Blumenthal and Murphy are making noise, getting media recognition and appealing to the useful idiots who keep them in power. They’re not really delusional, because they know exactly what they’re doing. They’re saving face and they’re laying the groundwork to make things as disruptive as possible to discourage Trump from keeping campaign promises and to poison public perception when he does. —– Additional resources:Image copyright Press handout from friends Image caption Mr Lamb was photographed on the night of 12 December A missing man's family has been told by police that a body has been found. Patrick Lamb, 28, disappeared during the early hours of 13 December after a night out in Maidstone, Kent. A man's body was found in the River Medway at Cuxton Marina, near Rochester, on Saturday afternoon. A police spokesman said: "Formal identification is yet to take place but the family and girlfriend of missing Mr Lamb have been informed and will be kept fully updated." Kent Police were called to the scene of the body's discovery just after 15:30 GMT. The family and friends of Mr Lamb, of Greenhithe, had earlier recreated his last known movements on video. It showed the route taken he took up until 00:20 GMT on 13 December, after he disappeared from Bar Chocolate sometime after 23:00. 'Unsteady on feet' CCTV images captured a number of sightings of the broadcast engineer. Mr Lamb was last seen on Fairmeadow. He had booked into a hotel in St Michael's Road but did not return. A post on a Facebook campaign set up to help find him had said it was hoped the video would jog peoples' memories. The Facebook post said: "We are pleading for everyone to think back to that night and try and recall a man walking on his own, unsteady on his feet and try to think of what direction/location they saw him in. "Also to check mobile phones and cameras from that night to see if Patrick is in the background." Image copyright BBC news grab Image caption A poster was published showing Patrick Lamb's clothing and possessions on the night he disappeared Earlier this week, Mr Lamb's father, Tony Lamb, said he sometimes "wandered" after having a few drinks. He said despite thinking that he could be dead, the family remained hopeful that he was still alive.On February 13, the Canada-United States Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders—let’s call it CUSCFAOWEABL for short—was launched amid much fanfare during Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s first meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House. Ten CEOs and business leaders—five from the US, five from the Canada—gathered in the Cabinet Room to meet with the prime minister, the president, the president’s daughter Ivanka and sundry government officials. Cameras flashed. Reporters took notes. The meeting was just 35 minutes, long enough for the women to introduce themselves and make a few remarks. Sadly, no one let it rip. Thus no mention of the unconscionable fact the U.S. remains the only industrialized country without paid family leave. Tamara Lundgren, president and CEO of Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc., summed up the gathering as “interesting, collaborative and positive.” A joint statement issued by the two governments expressed similar optimism. The bilateral council would address the serious issue of gender imbalance in business, and on entrepreneurship specifically, it said: “We expect this initiative to promote the growth of women-owned enterprises and to further contribute to our overall economic growth and competitiveness, as well as the enhanced integration of our economies,” it read in part. Trump clearly relished the roundtable, or the cover offered by the progressive imagery. He’d refer to it several times in the following weeks, once during the State of the Union, where Trudeau was given a shout-out: “With the help of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, we have formed a council with our neighbours in Canada to help ensure that women entrepreneurs have access to the networks, markets and capital they need to start a business and live out their financial dreams.” Likewise, the “action-oriented” initiative, as the PMO refers to it, was referenced in the government’s 2017 budget read in March. Finance Minister Morneau noted that the council had been convened “to quickly advise us on how we can better empower women entrepreneurs, and remove barriers for women in business.” So why is it that, more than two months later, CUSCFAOWEABL appears to have vaporized? CUSCFAOWEABL is either AWOL, MIA, or DOA. Which one isn’t clear. In late March, Maclean’s asked the government when the council would next meet. The request was forwarded to Global Affairs Canada, where a spokesman said “nothing is scheduled at the moment.” When asked again this week, a PMO spokesman responded: “I couldn’t give you a specific timing, but it is in the works.” There is no apparent infrastructure, or so much as a dedicated executive assistant, supporting the group. When asked for the name of the coordinator on the U.S. side, the PMO told Maclean’s via email they did not have that information and that it would be best “to try via the [White House]. Maclean’s inquiries to the White House went unanswered. Emails and telephone calls to women on the council yielded no further insight. Annette Verschuven, CEO of Toronto-based NRStor Inc., an energy storage company, was helpful, noting that timing is an issue. “Why don’t you check with me in a few months,” she wrote. A spokeswoman for Deborah Gillis, CEO of New York City-based Catalyst, a council member who didn’t attend the February meeting, wrote they’ve heard nothing about a second: “They haven’t updated us.” What is apparent is that having Trudeau and Trump bond over wealthy women in suits was a canny move, as well as a distraction from overhanging NAFTA worries or the president’s self-stated proclivities as a sexual predator. The idea is reported to have come from Katie Telford, Trudeau’s chief of staff, who floated it by Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, and also Dina Powell, the president’s assistant and senior counsellor for economic initiatives. Of course they agreed. It was a political win-win-win. Trump, whose 22-person cabinet includes only four women, could boast about hiring female executives back in the day. Trudeau could extend his feminist mission south of the border. The greatest beneficiary would be Ivanka Trump, who was given an unassailable venue to make her debut as a White House policymaker at the very moment major retailers were dropping her brand. Ivanka hosted, greeting the executives and government ministers and officials before the PM and president joined the meeting. She sat next to Trudeau. Her brief remarks alluded to the “unique challenges that entrepreneurs, women in the workforce, female small business owners are confronted with each and every day.” She spoke about the need to “level the playing field for this generation and for the next.” Again, the message is unassailable, and dovetails perfectly with the president’s daughter’s upcoming book: Women Who Work: Rewriting the Rules for Success. The systemic barriers and biases that still face women who start businesses are well-documented. It’s one reason they’re far less likely than men to do so. The subject is vital economically—and far beyond the fairy-tale notion of helping women “live out their financial dreams.” As this study reveals, female-run businesses are an untapped resource, with the capacity to generate $10 trillion in revenue in the U.S. alone. At the time, there were suggestions the roundtable might be more for show than long-term performance. The members were all high-profile and accomplished in the corporate setting, no question; but simply being female doesn’t make one attuned to the complex issues involved. The fact there was no anger displayed, that the event was “interesting, collaborative and positive” suggests a disconnect from the frustration felt by many women in the workforce. The council also seemed hastily convened. In an interview with Maclean’s after the event, Linda Hasenfratz, CEO of auto parts maker Linamar Corp., said she’d been invited only days earlier. Also odd was a task force dealing with female entrepreneurship featured only two members—Verschuven, the former president of Home Depot Canada and Home Depot Asia, and Ivanka Trump—who’d founded the companies they run (or “ran,” in Trump’s case, allegedly). There was one who had to build a business from the ground up with no networks or access to capital. Instead, Ivanka Trump, who has worked for her father since 2005, served as the proxy for a typical female entrepreneur, a bit of propaganda that diminished the challenges, risks and actual “uneven playing field” faced by women. Few are able to dine with the president of China the same day their company is given provisional approval from the Chinese government for monopoly rights to trademark their branded products in that country. Fewer still can post a photo of themselves sitting in the Oval Office, behind the U.S. president’s desk, flanked by their father and a prime minister of Canada. “A great discussion with two world leaders about the importance of women having a seat at the table!,” read the caption on Ivanka Trump’s Instagram post. And for 35 minutes in February, more than a dozen women were given a seat at one of the world’s power tables. Will CUSCFAOWEABL, which the PMO calls “the first bilateral council of its kind,” continue the hard work that began as a photo-op? Maclean’s will cover its progress—or lack thereof. And if there is none, a much-hyped fake initiative will offer more proof, as if more was needed, that female exploitation knows no class bounds. Updated: This post has been updated to include a response from the PMO and to note that the women’s council was referenced in the 2017 federal budget.Date Sun, May 01, 2016 I remember when I was in university (a long time ago) and learning systems programming, I believed that the only “real” languages were Assembly and C. And Pascal was - how to put it nicely - a very high-level language used by application developers who didn’t want to know what was going on under the hood. Little did I know back then that I would be writing almost everything in Python (and love every bit of it) to pay my bills and that I would also be writing an interpreter and compiler for Pascal for the reasons I stated in the very first article of the series. These days, I consider myself a programming languages enthusiast, and I’m fascinated by all languages and their unique features. Having said that, I have to note that I enjoy using certain languages way more than others. I am biased and I’ll be the first one to admit that. :) This is me before: And now: Okay, let’s get down to business. Here is what you’re going to learn today: How to parse and interpret a Pascal program definition. How to parse and interpret compound statements. How to parse and interpret assignment statements, including variables. A bit about symbol tables and how to store and lookup variables. I’ll use the following sample Pascal-like program to introduce new concepts: BEGIN BEGIN number := 2 ; a := number ; b := 10 * a + 10 * number / 4 ; c := a - - b END ; x := 11 ; END. You could say that that’s quite a jump from the command line interpreter you wrote so far by following the previous articles in the series, but it’s a jump that I hope will bring excitement. It’s not “just” a calculator anymore, we’re getting serious here, Pascal serious. :) Let’s dive in and look at syntax diagrams for new language constructs and their corresponding grammar rules. On your marks: Ready. Set. Go! I’ll start with describing what a Pascal program is. A Pascal program consists of a compound statement that ends with a dot. Here is an example of a program: “BEGIN END.” I have to note that this is not a complete program definition, and we’ll extend it later in the series. What is a compound statement? A compound statement is a block marked with BEGIN and END that can contain a list (possibly empty) of statements including other compound statements. Every statement inside the compound statement, except for the last one, must terminate with a semicolon. The last statement in the block may or may not have a terminating semicolon. Here are some examples of valid compound statements: “BEGIN END” “BEGIN a := 5; x := 11 END” “BEGIN a := 5; x := 11; END” “BEGIN BEGIN a := 5 END; x := 11 END” A statement list is a list of zero or more statements inside a compound statement. See above for some examples. A statement can be a compound statement, an assignment statement, or it can be an empty statement. An assignment statement is a variable followed by an ASSIGN token (two characters, ‘:’ and ‘=’) followed by an expression. “a := 11” “b := a + 9 - 5 * 2” A variable is an identifier. We’ll use the ID token for variables. The value of the token will be a variable’s name like ‘a’, ‘number’, and so on. In the following code block ‘a’ and ‘b’ are variables: “BEGIN a := 11; b := a + 9 - 5 * 2 END” An empty statement represents a grammar rule with no further productions. We use the empty_statement grammar rule to indicate the end of the statement_list in the parser and also to allow for empty compound statements as in ‘BEGIN END’. The factor rule is updated to handle variables. Now let’s take a look at our complete grammar: program : compound_statement DOT compound_statement : BEGIN statement_list END statement_list : statement \| statement SEMI statement_list statement : compound_statement \| assignment_statement \| empty assignment_statement : variable ASSIGN expr empty : expr: term ((PLUS \| MINUS) term)* term: factor ((MUL \| DIV) factor)* factor : PLUS factor \| MINUS factor \| INTEGER \| LPAREN expr RPAREN \| variable variable: ID You probably noticed that I didn’t use the star ‘’ symbol in the compound_statement rule to represent zero or more repetitions, but instead explicitly specified the statement_list rule. This is another way to represent the ‘zero or more’ operation, and it will come in handy when we look at parser generators like PLY, later in the series. I also split the “(PLUS \| MINUS) factor” sub-rule into two separate rules. In order to support the updated grammar, we need to make a number of changes to our lexer, parser, and interpreter. Let’s go over those changes one by one. Here is the summary of the changes in our lexer: To support a Pascal program’s definition, compound statements, assignment statements, and variables, our lexer needs to return new tokens: BEGIN (to mark the beginning of a compound statement) (to mark the beginning of a compound statement) END (to mark the end of the compound statement) (to mark the end of the compound statement) DOT (a token for a dot character ‘.’ required by a Pascal program’s definition) (a token for a dot character ‘.’ required by a Pascal program’s definition) ASSIGN (a token for a two character sequence ‘:=’). In Pascal, an assignment operator is different than in many other languages like C, Python, Java, Rust, or Go, where you would use single character ‘=’ to indicate assignment (a token for a two character sequence ‘:=’). In Pascal, an assignment operator is different than in many other languages like C, Python, Java, Rust, or Go, where you would use single character ‘=’ to indicate assignment SEMI (a token for a semicolon character ‘;’ that is used to mark the end of a statement inside a compound statement) (a token for a semicolon character ‘;’ that is used to mark the end of a statement inside a compound statement) ID (A token for a valid identifier. Identifiers start with an alphabetical character followed by any number of alphanumerical characters) Sometimes, in order to be able to differentiate between different tokens that start with the same character, (‘:’ vs ‘:=’ or ‘==’ vs ‘=>’ ) we need to peek into the input buffer without actually consuming the next character. For this particular purpose, I introduced a peek method that will help us tokenize assignment statements. The method is not strictly required, but I thought I would introduce it earlier in the series and it will also make the get_next_token method a bit cleaner. All it does is return the next character from the text buffer without incrementing the self.pos variable. Here is the method itself: def peek ( self ): peek_pos = self. pos + 1 if peek_pos > len ( self. text ) - 1 : return None else : return self. text [ peek_pos ] Because Pascal variables and reserved keywords are both identifiers, we will combine their handling into one method called _id. The way it works is that the lexer consumes a sequence of alphanumerical characters and then checks if the character sequence is a reserved word. If it is, it returns a pre-constructed token for that reserved keyword. And if it’s not a reserved keyword, it returns a new ID token whose value is the character string (lexeme). I bet at this point you think, “Gosh, just show me the code.” :) Here it is: RESERVED_KEYWORDS = { 'BEGIN' : Token ( 'BEGIN', 'BEGIN' ), 'END' : Token ( 'END', 'END' ), } def _id ( self ): """Handle identifiers and reserved keywords""" result = '' while self. current_char is not None and self. current_char. isalnum (): result += self. current_char self. advance () token = RESERVED_KEYWORDS. get ( result, Token ( ID, result )) return token And now let’s take a look at the changes in the main lexer method get_next_token: def get_next_token ( self ): while self. current_char is not None :... if self. current_char. isalpha (): return self. _id () if self. current_char == ':' and self. peek () == '=' : self. advance () self. advance () return Token ( ASSIGN, ':=' ) if self. current_char == ';' : self. advance () return Token ( SEMI, ';' ) if self. current_char == '.' : self. advance () return Token ( DOT, '.' )... It’s time to see our shiny new lexer in all its glory and action. Download the source code from GitHub and launch your Python shell from the same directory where you saved the spi.py file: >>> from spi import Lexer >>> lexer = Lexer ( 'BEGIN a := 2; END.' ) >>> lexer.get_next_token () Token ( BEGIN, 'BEGIN' ) >>> lexer.get_next_token () Token ( ID, 'a' ) >>> lexer.get_next_token () Token ( ASSIGN, ':=' ) >>> lexer.get_next_token () Token ( INTEGER, 2 ) >>> lexer.get_next_token () Token ( SEMI, ';' ) >>> lexer.get_next_token () Token ( END, 'END' ) >>> lexer.get_next_token () Token ( DOT, '.' ) >>> lexer.get_next_token () Token ( EOF, None ) >>> Moving on to parser changes. Here is the summary of changes in our parser: Let’s start with new AST nodes: Compound AST node represents a compound statement. It contains a list of statement nodes in its children variable. class Compound ( AST ): """Represents a 'BEGIN... END' block""" def __init__ ( self ): self. children = [] Assign AST node represents an assignment statement. Its left variable is for storing a Var node and its right variable is for storing a node returned by the expr parser method: class Assign ( AST ): def __init__ ( self, left, op, right ): self. left = left self. token = self. op = op self. right = right Var AST node (you guessed it) represents a variable. The self.value holds the variable’s name. class Var ( AST ): """The Var node is constructed out of ID token.""" def __init__ ( self, token ): self. token = token self. value = token. value NoOp node is used to represent an empty statement. For example ‘BEGIN END’ is a valid compound statement that has no statements. class NoOp ( AST ): pass As you remember, each rule from the grammar has a corresponding method in our recursive-descent parser. This time we’re adding seven new methods. These methods are responsible for parsing new language constructs and constructing new AST nodes. They are pretty straightforward: def program ( self ): """program : compound_statement DOT""" node = self. compound_statement () self. eat ( DOT ) return node def compound_statement ( self ): """ compound_statement: BEGIN statement_list END """ self. eat ( BEGIN ) nodes = self. statement_list () self. eat ( END ) root = Compound () for node in nodes : root. children. append ( node ) return root def statement_list ( self ): """ statement_list : statement \| statement SEMI statement_list """ node = self. statement () results = [ node ] while self. current_token. type == SEMI : self. eat ( SEMI ) results. append ( self. statement ()) if self. current_token. type == ID : self. error () return results def statement ( self ): """ statement : compound_statement \| assignment_statement \| empty """ if self. current_token. type == BEGIN : node = self. compound_statement () elif self. current_token. type == ID : node = self. assignment_statement () else : node = self. empty () return node def assignment_statement ( self ): """ assignment_statement : variable ASSIGN expr """ left = self. variable () token = self. current_token self. eat ( ASSIGN ) right = self. expr () node = Assign ( left, token, right ) return node def variable ( self ): """ variable : ID """ node = Var ( self. current_token ) self. eat ( ID ) return node def empty ( self ): """An empty production""" return NoOp () We also need to update the existing factor method to parse variables: def factor ( self ): """factor : PLUS factor \| MINUS factor \| INTEGER \| LPAREN expr RPAREN \| variable """ token = self. current_token if token. type == PLUS : self. eat ( PLUS ) node = UnaryOp ( token, self. factor ()) return node... else : node = self. variable () return node The parser’s parse method is updated to start the parsing process by parsing a program definition: def parse ( self ): node = self. program () if self. current_token. type!= EOF : self. error () return node Here is our sample program again: BEGIN BEGIN number := 2 ; a := number ; b := 10 a + 10 * number / 4 ; c := a - - b END ; x := 11 ; END. Let’s visualize it with genastdot.py (For brevity, when displaying a Var node, it just shows the node’s variable name and when displaying an Assign node it shows ‘:=’ instead of showing ‘Assign’ text): $ python genastdot.py assignments.txt > ast.dot && dot -Tpng -o ast.png ast.dot And finally, here are the required interpreter changes: To interpret new AST nodes, we need to add corresponding visitor methods to the interpreter. There are four new visitor methods: visit_Compound visit_Assign visit_Var visit_NoOp Compound and NoOp visitor methods are pretty straightforward. The visit_Compound method iterates over its children and visits each one in turn, and the visit_NoOp method does nothing. def visit_Compound ( self, node ): for child in node. children : self. visit ( child ) def visit_NoOp ( self, node ): pass The Assign and Var visitor methods deserve a closer examination. When we assign a value to a variable, we need to store that value somewhere for when we need it later, and that’s exactly what the visit_Assign method does: def visit_Assign ( self, node ): var_name = node. left. value self. GLOBAL_SCOPE [ var_name ] = self. visit ( node. right ) The method stores a key-value pair (a variable name and a value associated with the variable) in a symbol table GLOBAL_SCOPE. What is a symbol table? A symbol table is an abstract data type (ADT) for tracking various symbols in source code. The only symbol category we have right now is variables and we use the Python dictionary to implement the symbol table ADT. For now I’ll just say that the way the symbol table is used in this article is pretty “hacky”: it’s not a separate class with special methods but a simple Python dictionary and it also does double duty as a memory space. In future articles, I will be talking about symbol tables in much greater detail, and together we’ll also remove all the hacks. Let’s take a look at an AST for the statement “a := 3;” and the symbol table before and after the visit_Assign method does its job: Now let’s take a look at an AST for the statement “b := a + 7;” As you can see, the right-hand side of the assignment statement - “a + 7” - references the variable ‘a’, so before we can evaluate the expression “a + 7” we need to find out what the value of ‘a’ is and that’s the responsibility of the visit_Var method: def visit_Var ( self, node ): var_name = node. value val = self. GLOBAL_SCOPE. get ( var_name ) if val is None : raise NameError ( repr ( var_name )) else : return val When the method visits a Var node as in the above AST picture, it first gets the variable’s name and then uses that name as a key into the GLOBAL_SCOPE dictionary to get the variable’s value. If it can find the value, it returns it, if not - it raises a NameError exception. Here are the contents of the symbol table before evaluating the assignment statement “b := a + 7;”: These are all the changes that we need to do today to make our interpreter tick. At the end of the main program, we simply print the contents of the symbol table GLOBAL_SCOPE to standard output. Let’s take our updated interpreter for a drive both from a Python interactive shell and from the command line. Make sure that you downloaded both the source code for the interpreter and the assignments.txt file before testing: Launch your Python shell: $ python >>> from spi import Lexer, Parser, Interpreter >>> text = """\... BEGIN...... BEGIN... number := 2;... a := number;... b := 10 * a + 10 * number / 4;... c := a - - b... END;...... x := 11;... END.... """ >>> lexer = Lexer ( text ) >>> parser = Parser ( lexer ) >>> interpreter = Interpreter ( parser ) >>> interpreter.interpret () >>> print ( interpreter.GLOBAL_SCOPE ) { 'a' : 2, 'x' : 11, 'c' : 27, 'b' : 25, 'number' : 2 } And from the command line, using a source file as input to our interpreter: $ python spi.py assignments.txt { 'a' : 2, 'x' : 11, 'c' : 27, 'b' : 25, 'number' : 2 } If you haven’t tried it yet, try it now and see for yourself that the interpreter is doing its job properly. Let’s sum up what you had to do to extend the Pascal interpreter in this article: Add new rules to the grammar Add new tokens and supporting methods to the lexer and update the get_next_token method Add new AST nodes to the parser for new language constructs Add new methods corresponding to the new grammar rules to our recursive-descent parser and update any existing methods, if necessary (factor method, I’m looking at you. :) Add new visitor methods to the interpreter Add a dictionary for storing variables and for looking them up In this part I had to introduce a number of “hacks” that we’ll remove as we move forward with the series: The program grammar rule is incomplete. We’ll extend it later with additional elements. Pascal is a statically typed language, and you must declare a variable and its type before using it. But, as you saw, that was not the case in this article. No type checking so far. It’s not a big deal at this point, but I just wanted to mention it explicitly. Once we add more types to our interpreter we’ll need to report an error when you try to add a string and an integer, for example. A symbol table in this part is a simple Python dictionary that does double duty as a memory space. Worry not: symbol tables are such an important topic that I’ll have several articles dedicated just to them. And memory space (runtime management) is a topic of its own. In our simple calculator from previous articles, we used a forward slash character ‘/’ for denoting integer division. In Pascal, though, you have to use a keyword div to specify integer division (See Exercise 1). There is also one hack that I introduced on purpose so that you could fix it in Exercise 2: in Pascal all reserved keywords and identifiers are case insensitive, but the interpreter in this article treats them as case sensitive. To keep you fit, here are new exercises for you: Pascal variables and reserved keywords are case insensitive, unlike in many other programming languages, so BEGIN, begin, and BeGin they all refer to the same reserved keyword. Update the interpreter so that variables and reserved keywords are case insensitive. Use the following program to test it: BEGIN BEGIN number := 2 ; a := NumBer ; B := 10 * a + 10 * NUMBER / 4 ; c := a - - b end ; x := 11 ; END. I mentioned in the “hacks” section before that our interpreter is using the forward slash character ‘/’ to denote integer division, but instead it should be using Pascal’s reserved keyword div for integer division. Update the interpreter to use the div keyword for integer division, thus eliminating one of the hacks. Update the interpreter so that variables could also start with an underscore as in ‘_num := 5’. That’s all for today. Stay tuned and see you soon. Here is a list of books I recommend that will help you in your study of interpreters and compilers: By the way, I’m writing a book “Let’s Build A Web Server: First Steps” that explains how to write a basic web server from scratch. You can get a feel for the book here, here, and here. Subscribe to the mailing list to get the latest updates about the book and the release date. All articles in this series:While reading that consonant mutation dissertation the other day, I found myself wondering: Are there any sign languages with phonological alternations? That is, something with a purely phonological origin, which now plays some kind of morphonological role, such as consonant mutation or umlaut. To continue the consonant mutation theme, I’m imagining something like: A grammatical particle signed at the forehead appears before certain words. It eventually completely disappears, but leaves behind an effect on the following word, which now has a higher initial hand location (if not actually on the forehead) - thus, location or movement mutation. I know that some (many? all?) sign languages have verbal alternations that often mark aspect, but I’m under the impression that (at least in ASL) these are iconic in origin, much like reduplicative process that marks iterative aspect in a spoken languages. I also know that phonological alternations (reduction, assimilation) have been documented in compound words in sign languages, but all the ones I’ve read about are only diachronic in nature, and not synchronically productive. The kind of morphological mutation I described above sounds plausible, and maybe something like it does appear in a sign language somewhere, but I’m also thinking that maybe such things aren’t very common in sign languages - a regular phonological alternation in a broad class of words with a diachronic origin implies the operation of regular sound change, and from
Ohio: Mom charged after rolling over on her baby while asleep, killing him ► Indiana: Indianapolis mom admits to neglecting 9-month-old daughter who died The crash occurred May 1, 2016, on California 74 south of Palm Desert. Lauer and her baby were riding in a Porsche that the baby's father was driving. The car plowed through a barrier and careened 200 feet down a cliff. The infant was flung from the vehicle and killed. The father, Marcus Green, 52, was arrested and charged with murder within a week of the crash. He has remained in jail in Indio, Calif., since then and is scheduled for another court appearance May 26. ► South Carolina: Mom killed baby with teaspoon of salt, cops say ► Alabama: No parole for mom who put baby in hot oven Lauer, who was more seriously injured, was airlifted to a hospital. Until this week, it had been unclear if authorities planned to prosecute her at all. Lauer has also been charged with a lesser felony of willful child cruelty. Before the crash, Lauer was most widely known as a star volleyball player at Desert Christian Academy in Bermuda Dunes, Calif., She later coached at the school and played for College of the Desert in Palm Desert. Follow Brett Kelman on Twitter: @TDSbrettkelman Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/05/05/no-car-seat-murder-charge/311988001/Unclaimed Baggage is a one-of-a-kind store snuggled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and bordered by the 70,000 acre Lake Guntersville. Founded in 1970 by Doyle and Sue Owens as a part-time business, it soon became a full-time venture. In 1978, the Owens incorporated the company and watched it prosper as one of the great 'hidden' bargain centers for savvy shoppers. A whopping 99.5% of domestic airlines’ checked bags are picked up by their owners at the baggage carousel. Roughly ½ of 1% don’t arrive with the passengers. Five days later, an impressive 95% of those delayed bags find their way home. That’s a great track record considering the 100’s of millions of flights and passengers that criss-cross the country and the globe every day. Our sprawling 40,000 square foot store has many departments for you to explore for incredible bargains and unexpected treasures. You can wander the entire store or use the map to make a beeline for the specific products you want.If Guilfoyle were to step into the position, she would be replacing current Press Secretary Sean Spicer. Kimberly Guilfoyle, best known as co-host of Fox News' The Five, revealed in an interview with Bay Area News Group on Monday evening that she has been in conversation with President Donald Trump's administration to take over the role of White House press secretary. If Guilfoyle were to step into the position, she would be replacing current Press Secretary Sean Spicer, who has been oft-criticized since taking the mantle in January. “Sean Spicer is a very nice man and a patriot; he’s dedicated himself to this public service,” Guilfoyle said. “Very tough position he’s in — I wish him the best, and I know he puts a lot of effort into it.” She went on to speak about her own thoughts on taking over the position. “I’m a patriot, and it would be an honor to serve the country,” Guilfoyle said. “I think it’d be a fascinating job, it’s a challenging job, and you need someone really determined and focused, a great communicator in there with deep knowledge to be able to handle that position.” Guilfoyle's name was reportedly raised by Trump himself in recent meetings, according to reports by The New York Times. A former prosecutor in Los Angeles and San Francisco, Guilfoyle was previously married to former San Francisco mayor and current California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom. The two divorced in 2005 when Guilfoyle relocated to New York City to begin her television career. On her show last week, following Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey, Guilfoyle criticized certain aspects of Trump's current press team, though she didn't offer her own name to take over. "If you want to be successful and do communications with President Trump, you have to be someone who he actually wants to spend a little bit of time with,” she said on The Five. “You’ve got to insist on getting in front of POTUS, talk to him, and have like five, six minutes with him before you go out there and take the podium, and otherwise you’re driving blind.” Throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, Guilfoyle interviewed Trump several times. Her son also went to school with Trump's granddaughter. “Kimberly is a valued member of the FOX News primetime lineup, and is under a long-term contract with the network," a Fox News spokesperson said. "As I stated in the interview, I really love what I do and my job co-hosting The Five is tough to beat," Guilfoyle stated through a spokesperson. The White House has not yet released an official statement regarding Guilfoyle.Well Red Raider nation I am excited to share with you a rare opportunity that we have to support something really cool that focuses on our beloved school. I spoke with Mitchell Patton an '05 Tech alum who is working to produce a film that celebrates the Mike Leach era of Texas Tech football. While we may not all agree on how things could have or should have ended, we can all agree it was the most exciting era in Tech football and that alone is reason enough for celebration in the form of a film. "Pirates Of The South Plains" will revisit the story of Texas Tech Football's rise to national prominence during the 2000 - 2009 seasons. The film will feature behind the scenes interviews and stories from coaches, players, students and media closest to the program during this time. This documentary project is being produced "By Red Raiders, For Red Raiders". The project isn't financially backed by a TV network or movie studio, so contributions and support from Red Raiders everywhere will have to be the catalyst to get the project completed. The goal of "Pirates Of The South Plains" is to celebrate an inspiring era of Texas Tech Football with a documentary film we can share with Red Raiders for generations. If you feel compelled to learn more or contribute, please visit the film's website "Pirates Of The South Plains." You can also keep up with all the news and updates on their Facebook page. Here's a teaser for the film as well as a few snippets from a recent interview with Ruffin McNeil for the film. UPDATE: Last night I was told that Taylor Potts has agreed to be part of the film. Enjoy!Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Advertisement Gordon Brown is to apologise for the UK's role in sending thousands of its children to former colonies in the 20th century, the BBC has learned. Under the Child Migrants Programme - which ended just 40 years ago - poor children were sent to a "better life" in Australia, Canada and elsewhere. But many were abused and ended up in institutions or as labourers on farms. Officials are consulting survivors of the programme so that a statement can be made in the new year. On Monday, Australia's prime minister will apologise to the 7,000 UK migrants living there for the mistreatment. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. He will deliver a national apology to the "Forgotten Australians" and recognise the mistreatment and ongoing suffering of some 500,000 people held in orphanages or children's homes between 1930 and 1970. As they were compulsorily shipped out of Britain, many of the children were told - wrongly - their parents were dead, and that a more abundant life awaited them. Many parents did not know their children, aged as young as three, had been sent to Australia. Care agencies worked with the government to send disadvantaged children to a rosy future and supply what was deemed "good white stock" to a former colony. HISTORY OF UK CHILD MIGRANTS UK the only country with a sustained history of child migration - over four centuries In 1618, 100 sent from London to Richmond, Virginia In total 130,000 sent from the UK to Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) and Australia Post-war, 7,000 shipped to Australia and 1,300 to New Zealand, Rhodesia and Canada Source: Child Migrants Trust Australia rues 'abuse of young' Ordeal of Australia's child migrants Send us your comments In many cases they were educated only for farm work, and suffered cruelty and hardship including physical, psychological and sexual abuse. In a letter to the chairman of the health select committee this weekend, Mr Brown said "the time is now right" for the UK to apologise for the actions of previous governments. "It is important that we take the time to listen to the voices of the survivors and victims of these misguided policies," he wrote. Kevin Barron, chairman of the select committee which looked into what happened, said he was "very pleased" to have received a written commitment from Mr Brown. "After consultation with organisations directly involved with child migrants we are going to make an apology early in the new year," he said. Baroness Amos, Britain's high commissioner in Canberra, said an apology was an important part of addressing the damage. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. She told the BBC: "We've always said that this was an absolutely shocking period in our history and it's important that there is an apology. "The next stage will be consultation with the Child Migrants Trust and others on the actual form and wording of that apology." Trust founder Margaret Humphreys has travelled from the UK to Canberra for Mr Rudd's apology. She said: "The trust has campaigned for over 20 years for this kind and degree of recognition. For child migrants, of course, it has been all their lives and for their families. "This is a moment - a significant moment - in the history of child migration. The recognition is vital if people are to recover." Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable versionSarah Palin has a message for President Obama: Stop talking about race. In marking Martin Luther King Jr. Day on her Facebook page Monday, Palin posted a photo alongside a well-known quote from Dr. King’s “I have a dream” speech–and took the opportunity to make a dig at the president. “Mr. President, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. and all who commit to ending any racial divide, no more playing the race card,” Palin wrote. This is not the first time the former governor and one-time vice presidential nominee has criticized the Obama administration while also alluding to race. In 2012, Palin accused the president on Facebook of using a “shuck and jive schtick” to cover up the truth behind the Benghazi attacks, and has also insisted Obama was bringing America back to the era of slavery. In a recent interview with the New Yorker, Obama candidly stated that his race was a factor in how some people approached him. “There’s no doubt that there’s some folks who just really dislike me because they don’t like the idea of a black president,” he said.Guess how long it stayed down. Go on, guess. 30 minutes? 60 minutes? 90 minutes? Nope. More. Keep guessing. Above: An adult male Cuvier's beaked whale, with satellite tag attached to its dorsal fin. Photo Credit: Erin A. Falcone/Cascadia Research. Advertisement Humans have been known to hold their breath underwater for over 20 minutes. That's a lot to you and me, but to many of Earth's water-dwelling mammals 20 minutes is a joke, like dunking your head underwater. Take the southern elephant seal for instance — these massive carnivorans routinely hunt squid and fish that live hundreds of meters beneath the ocean surface. Doing so requires them to go incredible lengths of time without air. Their dives have been known to plunge over a mile beneath the waves and last up to 120 minutes long. And, for a while at least, two hours was the record for the longest mammalian dive. No longer. According to findings published in the latest issue of PLoS ONE, the new record holder is the Cuvier's beaked whale. A team led by researcher Gregory Schorr used satellite-linked tags to record the diving behavior and locations of eight members of the elusive species for up to three months, off the Southern California coast. When they were finished, Schorr's team had tracked one whale that dove to a depth of 9,816 feet (2,992 meters), and a second that stayed down for a staggering 138 minutes. Advertisement "It's remarkable to imagine these social, warm-blooded mammals actively pursuing prey in the darkness at such astounding depths, literally miles away from their most basic physiological need: air," said Schorr in a press release. Schorr's team was monitoring the species to better understand why nearly 70% of the recorded marine mammal strandings associated with military sonar operations involve Cuvier's beaked whales. Such strandings have occurred on beaches in the Mediterranean Sea, the Canary Islands, and the Bahamas, but so far none have been reported in southern California – the site of a Navy sonar testing area, and where Schorr's team conducted its study. [PLoS ONE via NatGeo]Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhara Rao is a farmer and his heart beats for this most basic Indian occupation, which according to him can yield crores. He has, however, a problem of hundreds and a few lakhs on his hands at this point. Hundreds of his fellow farmers across nine rural districts of India’s newest and 29th state have committed suicide over debts of a few lakhs, leaving behind hapless widows awaiting moneylenders’ knocks. According to a list compiled by grassroots organisations Caring Citizens Collective and Rythu Swarajya Vedika, 375 farmers have committed suicide between June 2 and November 8. The government is not buying this figure. A debate, however, does little for farmers or widows such as Kamalamma and Rajitha whose miseries are piling up. Kamalamma who? In the parched Pallepahad in Nalgonda district, Kamalamma, 36, sits forlorn at her house. Her tears have dried up, much like the wells in the village. Her husband, Dasari Ramulu, 45, committed suicide on August 21 by hanging from a tree. The marginal farmer had taken Rs 5-lakh loan for borewells and for his daughter’s marriage last year. For a farmer overburdened by the debt, the poor monsoon did not help. His paddy crop, the family’s only source of income, on an acre dried up. Ramachandraiah, his elderly neighbour, offers the hindsight. “He never shared his pain with us. He might have feared he would lose the respect he had in the village.” Now, Kamalamma looks clueless about how to bring up her three children who are in school. She goes to work as a farm labourer, earning Rs 150 per day. With crops failing, that daily wage work too will stop. A buffalo the family had also died while giving birth. Kamalamma dreads the day when moneylenders will come to collect. For sure, they will come. What police report says: Suicide because of loan burden What revenue official says: Suicide resulting from domestic quarrels Rajitha who? In Tarigoppula village of Warangal district, Rajitha, 24, is yet to come to terms with the loss of her husband. Polaboyina Pochaiah, 35, consumed pesticide on October 16. In addition to his family’s two acres, Pochaiah had leased-in 10.5 acres at Rs 3,000 per acre three years back. The first year went fine but he suffered a loss the second year. He managed to cover up with an accompanying crop. But a repeat loss this year, with all of the maize in the 10.5 acre dried up due to bad monsoon, meant tenant farming proved too much of gamble. His family says they were clueless about what was going on in his mind. “I only know that he took loans from moneylenders,” says Rajitha. His younger brother Kanakaiah showed HT the dried-up maize crop. He says the loan burden could be Rs 2 lakh or much more. Pochaiah’s two children are in elementary school. They are too small to know why their father committed suicide. Rajitha would be hoping they don’t get trapped in the same cycle. What police report says: Suicide because of loan burden What district collector says: Not yet brought to our notice; shall probe such cases Debt-to-death cycle: the problem areas June 2 was when KCR (as Rao is popularly known) took oath as CM of Telangana, which was carved out of Andhra Pradesh. The government is not buying the figure of 375 farmer suicides and pegs the number at below 80. The Caring Citizens Collective and the Rythu Swarajya Vedika are not buying the government figures either. A farm loan waiver of up to Rs 1 lakh announced by Rao’s government is coming in tranches and is yet to be executed, thereby denying farmers fresh bank loans. What’s more, if the state does not acknowledge farmer suicides, it denies families of the deceased government aid of up to Rs 1.5 lakh. Rains were scarce this year and erratic power supply is drying up the remaining crops. KCR and leaders of his party, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, are accusing Andhra Pradesh and its CM Nara Chandrababu Naidu for the power problem. KCR’s defence is emphatic. The CM, who has a productive farm in his home district of Medak, says, "We are aware of the suicides. But what can we do when Chandrababu Naidu has vowed to destroy farming in Telangana and show me as a failure?” First Published: Nov 13, 2014 15:06 ISTBritannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth Active 1863 (HMS Britannia) – present Country United Kingdom Branch Royal Navy Type Training Role Initial Officer training Size 300 (approx) Part of Flag Officer Sea Training Ship's name HMS Dartmouth Nickname(s) BRNC Motto(s) To deliver courageous leaders with the spirit to fight and win Anniversaries 1905 – opening of the current College Commanders Current commander Captain Jolyon Woodard, Royal Navy Lord High Admiral Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Flag Officer Sea Training Rear Admiral J. Clink Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC), commonly known as Dartmouth, is the naval academy of the United Kingdom and the initial officer training establishment of the British Royal Navy. It is located on a hill overlooking the port of Dartmouth, Devon, England. Royal Naval officer training has taken place in Dartmouth since 1863. The buildings of the current campus were completed in 1905. Earlier students lived in two wooden hulks moored in the River Dart. Since 1998, BRNC has been the sole centre for Royal Naval officer training. History [ edit ] The training of naval officers at Dartmouth dates from 1863, when the wooden hulk HMS Britannia was moved from Portland and moored in the River Dart to serve as a base.[1] In 1864, after an influx of new recruits, Britannia was supplemented by HMS Hindostan.[2] Prior to this, a Royal Naval Academy (later Royal Naval College) had operated for more than a century from 1733 to 1837 at Portsmouth, a major naval installation. The original Britannia was replaced by the Prince of Wales in 1869, which was renamed Britannia.[3] The foundation stone for a new building at the college was laid by King Edward VII in March 1902.[4] Sir Aston Webb designed the shore-based college at Dartmouth, which was built by Higgs and Hill[5] and practically completed in 1905.[6] The first term of cadets entered at the R.N. College Osborne were transferred to Dartmouth in September 1905.[6] “ The Britannia training establishment was closed at the same time. The cadets under instruction were embarked on two cruisers to complete their programme under the old system. The headquarters of the cruisers was established at Bermuda, where suitable arrangements had been made to house the cadets. The cadets entered in September under the old system, and those entered in January 1906 (the last to be so entered), were received at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, where they were instructed, as far as possible, side by side with the cadets transferred from Osborne. ” — Lord Tweedmouth, First Lord of the Admiralty, 26 February 1906[6] The college was originally known as the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth (BRNC). As a Royal Naval shore establishment, it was later known also by the ship name HMS Britannia (a battleship called Britannia operated from 1904 to 1918). The college was named (ship name: HMS Dartmouth) in 1953, when the name Britannia was given to the newly launched royal yacht HMY Britannia. The training ship moored in the River Dart at Sandquay, currently the former Sandown class minehunter HMS Cromer, continues to bear the name Hindostan. Cadets originally joined the Royal Naval College, Osborne, at the age of 13 for two years' study and work before joining Dartmouth. They studied there for four years there before starting sea training at age 17. RNC Osborne closed in 1923. The entry age for the Naval College was changed to 16 in 1948, and to 17 and 6 months in 1955. Until 1941, Dartmouth was in effect a specialised boarding school, with parents paying fees for tuition and board. During the Second World War, after six Focke-Wulf aircraft bombed the College in September 1942, students and staff moved activities to Eaton Hall in Cheshire until the autumn of 1946. Two bombs had penetrated the College's main block, causing damage to the quarterdeck and surrounding rooms.[7][8] The college today [ edit ] In the early 21st century, officer cadets, as they are known until passing out from the college, can join between the ages of 18 and 32. While most cadets join BRNC after finishing university, some join directly from secondary school.[9] All spend between 30 and 49 weeks at the college, depending on specialisation. A large contingent of foreign and Commonwealth students are part of the student body. The Royal Fleet Auxiliary sends its officer cadets to BRNC for a 10-week initial officer training course,[10] before they start at a maritime college. Following the closures of the Royal Naval Engineering College, Manadon, in 1994 and the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, in 1998, BRNC is the sole naval college in the United Kingdom. Slightly removed from the main buildings is Sandquay, which is below the college on the River Dart. It is primarily used for seamanship and boat handling training. Cadets are required to know that there are 187 steps from the college to Sandquay.[11] Entry [ edit ] To enter as an officer cadet, British entrants must have 180 or more UCAS points. Prospective cadets then proceed to the Admiralty Interview Board, where they are tested mentally and physically. Several mental aptitude tests are administered, along with a basic physical fitness test and a medical examination. Royal cadets [ edit ] King George V and King George VI were naval cadets at Dartmouth. The first "significant encounter" between Prince Philip of Greece and the then Princess Elizabeth took place at Dartmouth in July 1939, where Philip was a naval cadet.[12][13] The Prince of Wales and the Duke of York also attended Dartmouth. Prince William spent a brief period at the College after leaving Sandhurst as part of his training with all three of Britain's Armed Forces. Sheikh Mubarak Ali Yousuf Suoud Al-Sabah, a member of the Royal Family of Kuwait, attended the Royal Navy Young Officer Course at Britannia Royal Naval College in 2002.[14][15] Commanders of the college [ edit ] List below based on listing compiled by historian Colin Mackie;[16] additional references are given in the list. Images [ edit ] The college taken from the other side of the Dart at Kingswear Foreign exchange cadets on the main steps. Cadets at BRNC participate in a team problem-solving exercise. BRNC from the town quay Former students [ edit ] See also [ edit ] References [ edit ] Sources [ edit ] Lambert, Andrew (1984). Battleships in Transition, the Creation of the Steam Battlefleet 1815–1860. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 9780851773155. Walker, Charles Frederick (1938). Young Gentlemen. Longmans, Green and Company. OCLC 500034862. Coordinates:"First and foremost I'd like to thank the Jacobs family, Cam and Don for affording me this tremendous opportunity. Last year with Providence was a big step forward for me professionally and I am very excited to carry that momentum to the NHL level and work with the best players in the world, " said Dean. "I am also thrilled to work alongside Bruce, Jay, Joe and Bob and build off of the team's strong 2016-17 campaign." "The Bruins are excited to be promoting from within our organization. Kevin's experience, work ethic and commitment to winning and developing players qualify him as the best coach to compliment Bruce's staff," said Sweeney. "Kevin's professionalism and communication skills have always been strong attributes. His success as a Head Coach this past season only reinforced our opinion that Kevin is both ready and excited for the challenges of coaching at the NHL level." "We are very pleased to add Kevin to our coaching staff. He's an extremely knowledgeable hockey mind who is deeply committed to the Bruins organization and development of our players," said Bruins Head Coach Bruce Cassidy. "We've established a strong rapport having coached together for five years in Providence and I look forward to working closely with him again on a daily basis." Dean's promotion comes one season after being named head coach of the Providence Bruins, Boston's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. In his first season at the helm of the P-Bruins, Dean led the team to a 43-23-6 (96 points) record, yielding a berth in the 2017 Calder Cup Playoffs. In his playoff debut behind the bench as head coach, the P-Bruins advanced all the way to the Eastern Conference Final where they fell to the Syracuse Crunch (4-1) after topping the Wilkes/Barre/Scranton Penguins in Round 1 (3-2) and Hershey Bears in Round 2 (4-3). It was the P-Bruins first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2009. Dean spent five seasons as an assistant coach of Providence Bruins (2011-16), where the team compiled a 207-128-45 record in 380 games, including winning seasons in all five years. During his tenure as assistant coach, the team reached the playoffs four times, missing the playoffs just once during the 2011-12 campaign. The 48-year-old native of Madison, WI, also spent five seasons as a coach in the New Jersey Devils organization, including four seasons as an assistant coach for the Lowell Devils (AHL) and one season as head coach of the Trenton Devils (ECHL). On the ice, Dean enjoyed a successful playing career, competing in 331 NHL games with Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta and New Jersey. Dean was a member of the 1994-95 Stanley Cup Champion New Jersey Devils, where he appeared in 17 games with one assist and a plus-six rating. In total, he compiled seven goals and 48 assists for 55 points with 138 penalty minutes at the NHL level. Prior to his professional career, Dean played four seasons at the University of New Hampshire posting 14 goals and 36 assists for 50 total points in 131 games. He was drafted by New Jersey in the fifth round (86th overall) of the 1987 NHL Entry Draft. TRANSACTION: Boston Bruins hire Kevin Dean as Assistant CoachMedia playback is not supported on this device Pro12: Were these yellow cards right or wrong? Inexperienced referees "have gone berserk" in imposing yellow cards after a new law was introduced in 2017, says ex-Wales star Jonathan Davies. The rule states that any contact with the head in "reckless tackles" will be penalised with at least a yellow card. Pro12 players from Ulster, Scarlets and Ospreys were sin-binned this weekend. Davies told Scrum V: "It's a brilliant directive but it's not being refereed properly. They've gone to the letter of the law, and it's gone crazy." The former union and league player wants referees to adopt a common sense approach, adding: "You know a high shot, you know a cheap shot, you know a fair shot and referees have got to understand the difference as well." In September 2015, World Rugby's chief medical officer Martin Raftery told the BBC that the game's laws may have to change to reduce concussions. On Friday, Ulster's Sean Reidy was sin-binned for a tackle on Scarlets scrum-half Aled Davies in their 16-13 defeat in Llanelli. Media playback is not supported on this device Pro12 highlights: Scarlets 16-13 Ulster Italian referee Marius Mitrea then awarded a penalty try to Scarlets that proved the game's decisive score. Davies and fellow Scrum V pundit Sean Holley said Reidy should not even have been penalised. They also believe Ulster captain and wing Andrew Trimble's attempted tackle on Aled Davies in the same passage of play, which appeared to connect with his head, warranted a yellow card, but went unpunished. Scarlets lock Jake Ball was also sin-binned in that game - another decision that drew the ire of Davies and Holley. In Ospreys win over Connacht on Saturday, Wales fly-half Sam Davies was shown a yellow card by Scottish referee Neil Paterson. Media playback is not supported on this device Pro12 highlights: Ospreys 29-7 Connacht Ospreys boss Steve Tandy said the new laws are making the game "unreffable". "Sam Davies goes into the tackle, he goes low, the player's falling on him because he's being dragged down and he (Sam Davies) hits and it's a yellow card," Davies said. "It will be interesting to see if something like that crops up in England v Wales (in the 2017 Six Nations). "Say England score a try or Wales have a player sent off for 10 minutes and lose the game, there's going to be absolute ructions." Pundit Davies' brain-damaged cousin Davies also spoke of a cousin who he says has been in a coma and suffered brain as a result of a tackle in a match. The former Neath, Llanelli and Wales union player, said: "He made a tackle, a legitimate tackle under the hip and he got injured. "So now we're worried about the ball-carrier, not the tackler. "So if you're going down and (the attacker is) leading with an elbow and the knee or the hip, then the tackler's in danger of getting damaged as well." Sarries controversy Former Ospreys head coach and Bristol assistant Holley fears some fans will lose interest in the game if the trend continues. He disagreed with Saracens boss Mark McCall, who described Richard Barrington's sending-off in their Premiership draw with Exeter as neither reckless nor dangerous. Holley said it was a "dangerous effort". Referring to events in the Scarlets v Ulster game, Holley said: "What Sean Reidy's done there is try to prevent the score, which is ultimately his job and it's, in our view, a good tackle - it's not even a penalty let alone a yellow card. "Trimble's is perhaps the more malicious, dangerous one. "As for Jake Ball and Sam Davies, crikey, we're going to switch people off the game here if we are going to be stopping the game and sending people off for that."BY: Follow @DavidRutz The new economic slogan for Democrats is not getting rave reviews from progressives and members of the media; in fact, it's receiving outright mocking in some corners. Entitled "A Better Deal: Better Skills, Better Jobs, Better Wages," the economic agenda was rolled out Monday by top Democrats in Virginia as they plot a way back to power in Washington. Former Barack Obama speechwriters Jon Lovett and Jon Favreau both criticized the new slogan on their podcast "Pod Save America," with Lovett saying he thought it was "garbage" upon first hearing of it. MSNBC host and former Republican Joe Scarborough called the slogan "so bland" and "so terrible," and liberal Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson said it lacked emotional heft. "There's nothing there that sort of punches you in the gut, that tears at your heart, that involves you emotionally," he said. Former Democratic congressman Harold Ford Jr. added on "Morning Joe" that the slogan "misses the point." MSNBC host Chris Jansing noted the derisive comparisons on social media to the Papa John's slogan, "Better Ingredients. Better Pizza." She said it didn't exactly roll off the tongue. Progressive commentator David Pakman referred to "A Better Deal" as "flaccid," and former Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean said Sunday, "Do I think it's the best slogan I ever heard? No, but it's a start." While interviewing Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) on Tuesday, MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell asked him for his take on the "stirring" new slogan for the Democrats, adding she was speaking ironically. "A better deal?" she asked skeptically.Sea Eagles halfback Daly Cherry-Evans has revealed Tom Trbojevic is the man most likely to wear the No.1 jersey for Manly in 2017. Speaking to Fox Sports, Cherry-Evans confirmed the 20-year-old had spent the entire pre-season at fullback as veteran custodian Brett Stewart continues to battle a knee injury. With Stewart on the sidelines, Trbojevic played 12 games at fullback in 2016 and his speed, size and ability to break a game open has him touted as a future representative player. "I honestly don't know anything about the situation, I just know that right now Tom Trbojevic has been training the whole pre-season there," Cherry-Evans said. "I don't know what's going to happen in the future, but it's probably fair to say that it looks like Tommy might be our No.1 this year and moving forward." Regardless of the fullback situation, it will be a very different looking Sea Eagles side that takes the field in Round 1 compared to the one that finished 13th in 2016. Former skipper Jamie Lyon has retired, dynamic hookers Matt Parcell and Jayden Hodges have moved on, while forwards Jamie Buhrer, Josh Starling and Siosaia Vave have also left the northern beaches club. In their stead, the Sea Eagles have signed former Storm five-eighth Blake Green, as well as Jackson Hastings, Cameron Cullen and Akuila Uate, to name a few. Cherry-Evans said he was looking forward to being a part of the new-look Manly side in 2017, and is confident he can return to the sort of form that saw him play for the Maroons and Kangaroos in 2013 and 2014. "I feel as if there's a changing of the guard at Manly, and some thought that it might have happened last year with the changeover of coaching staff, but more specifically the changeover in the playing group now has this squad in a new, different arena," he said. "It's got a very different balance across the board, and I'm extremely comfortable in where that stands for 2017. I do feel as though we're a very balanced side now, and I'm very confident in my role this year, more so than ever before. "I am excited at the prospect of 2017 and what it holds as a side, and also what I can contribute to that side. I am looking forward to it and I can't wait to apply myself this year."The Orange County District Attorney’s Office is suing two related Yorba Linda medical companies, saying they’re illegally profiting off the sale of fetal tissue donated by abortion providers. The lawsuit, filed in Orange County Superior Court late Tuesday, accuses DaVinci Biosciences and its sister company, DV Biologics, of advertising and selling hundreds of units of fetal tissue and stem cells to research facilities around the world, collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue. District Attorney Tony Rackauckas, in a Wednesday news conference, said the companies treated human parts as commodities rather than following the law. “This case is not about whether it should be lawful to sell fetal parts, or whether fetal-tissue research is ethical or legal,” he said. “This lawsuit is aimed at taking the profit out of selling body parts.” Fetal tissue and its stem cells have long been used in medical research in the United States. Under state and federal laws, it is illegal for a company to profit from the sale of the tissue itself, but it can charge for processing and shipping. Michael Tein, a lawyer for DaVinci Biosciences and DV Biologics, said DaVinci has complied with regulations and never turned a profit. “Their scientists worked day and night to discover cell-based medical treatments and improve the quality of life for patients suffering from cancer, Alzheimer’s and other deadly diseases,” he said. “Shipments of research materials were made only to other scientists working at fully accredited universities and laboratories,” Tein added. “This is a civil lawsuit over cost-accounting issues. We look forward to explaining the full story to the court.” In the suit, DaVinci Biosciences and DV Biologics are accused of profiting from at least 500 sales to research facilities from 2012 through 2015, and selling products for more than what it actually cost to process, handle and ship the tissue. The District Attorney’s Office says the
Thrift and More in Mankato, Minnesota, when he accidentally hanged himself in the store's dressing room. Police say Ryu slipped away from his grandmother, who was shopping at the store, and went into an empty changing room. He apparently closed the door, climbed on a bench and got the hoodie he was wearing caught on a coat hook. "We believe that he got himself caught up on a coat hook within that dressing room area and couldn't free himself from it," Commander Jeremy Clifton with Mankato Public Safety told CNN affiliate WCCO Ryu's little feet couldn't reach the floor, so he hung there and suffocated, all while his grandmother and others frantically looked for him. By the time he was found, it was too late. Read MorePlease enable Javascript to watch this video DENVER -- Medical marijuana has been used to treat everything from cancer to cataracts, but in Colorado, it cannot be prescribed to treat post traumatic stress disorder. That's the reason behind a lawsuit by some veterans against the state. Among them is Curt Bean, who spent this teenage years in Iraq. The U.S. Army scout and sniper learned a valuable lesson: Kill or be killed. “Talking about taking lives is never easy, especially when you are the person making the decisions," Bean said. "It’s never something that you take lightly.” When Bean returned to the U.S., he found himself in a fight with depression and anxiety. “I drank a lot, stayed in bed a lot, avoided people,” he said. Bean was diagnosed with PTSD by the Department of Veterans Affairs and was prescribed a powerful antidepressant that only made things worse. Then he tried recreational marijuana and felt relief. "I was like, 'Wow, I'm sleeping better, I have less anxiety. I’m able to function day to day,'” Bean said. While medical marijuana is approved to treat PTSD in several states, Colorado is not one of them. Denver attorney Bob Hoban is representing Bean and several other veterans in a lawsuit against the state, asking Colorado to give PTSD sufferers access to medical marijuana, specifically used to treat anxiety. "The medical system and the medical stores should be accessible to PSTD sufferers because they provide different products, carry different products, different potencies than what’s served on the retail or recreational side,” Hoban said. Bean said marijuana has eased his anxiety and opened a whole new world, helping him put the Iraq war behind him as he gets ready for a legal battle. "It’s legal, and it’s moral and it helps me," Bean said. "Veterans' lives have been saved by this, so why not get the word out about how powerful it is?” The Colorado Attorney General's Office is representing the state in the lawsuit. A spokesman declined comment on the case.Despite several months of extra work, players are still experiencing problems with the PC version of Batman: Arkham Knight — so Warner Bros. Interactive is offering a full refund until the end of the year. The publisher previously removed the PC version of the game from sale because of an overwhelming number of bugs and glitches that rendered it unplayable for many. The decision was made less than a week after the game first launched back in June, with plans to put the game back on sale once the technical issues were ironed out. "We take these issues very seriously and have therefore decided to suspend future game sales of the PC version while we work to address these issues to satisfy our quality standards," the company said at the time. "We worked hard to get the game to live up to the standard you deserve." An updated, supposedly fixed version of the game went back on sale on October 28th. However, despite the extra time, many users are still experiencing issues — some of which are the same as when the game first launched. On Steam, the majority of user reviews since the most recent patch are overwhelmingly negative. To remedy this, WB has said that it will offer full refunds to anyone who purchased the game (including the "season pass" downloadable content) regardless of how long they actually played it. "We worked hard to get the game to live up to the standard you deserve, but understand that many of you are still experiencing issues," the company said in a statement. But while it may sound like the publisher has given up on the port entirely, WB says that it plans to continue offering patches and fixes for players who don't opt for a refund — though it sounds like some problems are beyond fixing. "For those of you that hold onto the game," the company says, "we are going to continue to address the issues that we can fix and talk to you about the issues that we cannot fix." Given the ongoing state of the game, however, you might just want to stick with the excellent console version instead.Members of the Maine South boys swimming team believe the school's pool has caused persistent coughing and breathing problems. (Dave Beery / HANDOUT) Members of the Maine South boys swimming team believe the school's pool has caused persistent coughing and breathing problems. One member of last season's Maine South boys swimming team was coughing so much during practice that he thought he was on the verge of coughing up blood. A senior on the Hawks this season had such a difficult time breathing at the pool that he was scared to go to practice. When members of the Maine South boys swimming team told school officials about their persistent coughing and breathing difficulties and linked the health issues to the Maine South pool, it sparked an inquiry and an outside company was brought in to conduct tests. Some of Maine South's swimmers have theorized that chloramines are causing their breathing problems. Mick Nelson, the facilities development director for USA Swimming, agreed with that conclusion after being provided with a list of the symptoms that Hawks swimmers experienced during the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons. "It's breathing air that's poisoned," Nelson said. Since Monday, Jan. 25, the Maine South boys swimming team has practiced in the evening at Maine East or Maine West, depending on the day, after the Blue Demons and Warriors finish practicing. Maine South's home meets also have been relocated. Hawks seniors Zach Clauss and Rob Reinhard said the breathing problems they and their teammates experienced have stopped since Maine South stopped training at its home pool. While it sounds straightforward, Maine Township High School District 207 spokesman Dave Beery said that for at least the last six months the school's pool has been within the acceptable ranges for combined chlorine levels as laid out by the Illinois Department of Public Health. While not a measure of chloramines, the weekly combined chlorine levels test is "an indicator of what the chloramine presence probably is" in the water, Beery said. The boys swimming dual meet between Niles West and Maine South on Friday, Jan. 29, featured freshman, JV and varsity races, but the Hawks only competed in two levels. Each event in the Freshman Division featured Niles West swimmers racing against one another. Maine South's program is not devoid... However, concerns raised by Clauss, Reinhard and parents of the Hawks' swimmers were enough for the Maine South administration to ask, " 'OK, what do we need to look at? What do we need to do differently? What more can we do?' "Maine South principal Shawn Messmer said. The symptoms Philip Wachowski was part of the swimming and water polo teams during each of his four years at Maine South and the 2015 graduate said the air always felt "sick" when he swam in the pool and stood on the pool deck. The air quality, Wachowski added, was far and away the worst he ever experienced near the midway point of his senior season. Several of the Hawks' swimmers had troubling symptoms at that time. Multiple members of the team had a persistent cough that grew progressively worse. The air kind of burned Wachowski's lungs, he said. Jon Ramoska, another senior on the 2014-15 team, said he and others on the team struggled to take a deep breath while they were swimming in the pool and on the pool deck. It was a problem during the school day and at home, too. Congratulations to Jon Arenas, Central Athlete of the Month!Jon will be featured in Suburban Tribune printed editions next week. This program is governed by these rules. Voting results are considered preliminary and are not final until winners are announced at the end of the voting period. Looking... There was a point during the 2014-15 season when Ramoska, Wachowski and their fellow co-captains gathered the team to talk about the breathing issues. "[We] said, 'Guys, don't milk this because it could be serious. Are you guys honestly having problems?' " Ramoska recalled. "The team consensus was, 'Yes, this is bad. We're not faking it. This is pretty legit.' " More than a year later, the breaking point still sticks in Wachowski's mind. It happened when the Hawks were performing a set of underwater dolphin kicks — an exercise where swimmers hold their breath, extend their arms out in front of them and whip their feet in unison to propel themselves the length of the pool. The air quality was particularly poor that day. "Usually, it's a tough set because you've got to hold your breath for an extended amount of time, repeatedly, but it was just so much harder because you'd take a breath and it would just burn so much more," Wachowski said. The underwater dolphin kicks were one of the final sets the Hawks performed in that practice, Wachowski recalled. Maine South coach Don Kura, who every swimmer interviewed for this story praised for his compassion and understanding of the issue, listened to his team. "We all just looked at him and said, 'Coach, we can't do this,' " Wachowski said. "He was like, 'All right, guys.' And he called [practice]." The Hawks didn't practice for one or two days after that, Wachowski added. On days when the Hawks practiced and the conditions were bad, Ramoska said he and some of his teammates had to get out of the water and walk into the school hallway to get some fresh air. When Maine South's swimmers were coughing badly, Kura opened the doors to the pool and turned on the fans. That helped, multiple swimmers said. Kura was asked if the Maine South pool was having issues on Friday, Jan. 29, when Maine South's senior night meet against Niles West was moved to the Wolves' pool, but he declined to comment. The coughing got so bad, Ramoska said, that some swimmers were almost dry heaving. "When it happened to me last year, it was almost to the point of coughing up blood," Ramoska said. "You can kind of taste that little taste in the back of your throat, because you're coughing so much." Ramoska is now a freshman at the University of Alabama. He swims about twice a week for exercise on campus and doesn't have any of the symptoms he experienced a year ago. Similar breathing issues arose again with members of the Maine South boys swimming team this season. It got so bad for Reinhard that he considered quitting the team. Clauss said he never considered quitting, but it put him and others in a difficult position. "We love our team and we love our sport," Clauss said. "No one wants to swim in a dangerous pool." The concerns about the pool, which was built in 1964 and is part of original school building, were brought to the District 207 school board during its meeting on Monday, Feb. 1. "I've swam since I was 7 years old, and the issue has only occurred at Maine South," Reinhard told the board. "The issue, for me, first occurred last year for a week or two. But this year it has been pretty much consistent throughout the entire season." After addressing the school board, Reinhard explained that his breathing problems built up over the course of the season, as the air quality seemed to deteriorate. He too had a consistent cough, and it hurt to breathe. "I was one of the first people to have the issues [this season]," Reinhard said. "It got to the point where I got scared to go to practice, because … you kind of feared the environment you were in." Clauss added that the pool at Maine South also burnt his skin a little bit, making it red. That was more of an inconvenience, he explained, especially when compared to not being able to breathe properly. "It's something that's actually very scary," Clauss said. "To feel like you can't take a deep breath is a little terrifying." The causes Nelson said USA Swimming has been consulted on over 650 similar issues at indoor pools across the country in the last 10 years. The issues Maine South's swimmers have experienced are almost certainly being caused by chloramines, he said. "There's no such thing as a breathing issue, really, without chloramine — unless you have a faulty HVAC system," Nelson said. Most people are not familiar with chloramines but know their smell. Chloramines are present when you walk into a hotel, or a health club, and can locate the pool just by smelling it. That smell is chloramine. Chloramines form when when free chlorine used to disinfect the water "comes into contact with the organic substances that would pose a hazard to swimmers if they were left untreated," Beery said. Chloramines are "a chlorine compound that cannot burn off in the water," according to www.usaswimming.org. "Chloramines are released during evaporation and when the water is agitated," like during a practice or a meet where athletes are swimming furiously. A pool with a significant number of chloramines can be "a very unhealthy environment," Nelson said. They can cause serious breathing problems, including hospitalization. There's a tremendous misconception, however, that chloramines — and the breathing problems they can cause — are an air-quality issue, Nelson explained. The Maine South pool's relatively low ceiling and small size — it has six lanes and nine rows of wooden bleachers that run the length of one side of the pool — aren't an ideal setting for evaporation and air flow, he added, but the root cause is the water. "The end results are bad air, but if you correct the water and do what you need to to give yourself the best water, then the air will take care of itself," Nelson said. "Trying to do all this air stuff — test the air, do this, do that — is kind of like treating the smoke and not putting out the fire." The formation of chloramines can be accelerated by "perspiration, urine, saliva, body oils, lotions, some shampoos or soaps, fertilizers and nitrates and many industrial or household cleaners," according to the USA Swimming website. "The bottom line is every swimmer has to take a shower before they get into the pool," Nelson said. "We need to remove all these crazy, 20-syllable ingredients or chemicals before we put them in the water. Number 2 is a lot of swimmers don't get out and go to the bathroom. They just pee in the pool. That tremendously accelerates the problem. One person peeing in the pool can affect 10,000 gallons for a week." Members of the Hawks boys swimming team didn't shower consistently before practice the last two seasons. They started to when breathing issues became very bad both this season and last. Showering seemed to help correct the problem last year, Wachowski said. Clauss added that, when he was a sophomore, nobody showered before his physical education class did its swimming unit. Wachowski had a similar experience. He was in a life guarding class that took place right before Maine South practiced, and he said a lot of the people wouldn't rinse off before entering the pool. "I don't know when, all of a sudden, we decided that swimming pools are a large bath tub and we stopped showering before we got in them," Nelson said. "Somehow we lost control." Messmer explained that Maine South's students are expected to shower before they enter the pool. The school's physical education teachers instruct them to do so, he said, but it is difficult to enforce. "The ability to police that is limited because we're not going to have adults staring down students in the shower, to make sure they're showering," Messmer said. Maine South has showers in the boys and girls locker rooms, but not on the pool deck. Eliminating peeing in the pool is even harder to do. "We know that's an issue," Messmer said. "It's just disappointing that you've got to remind people not to do that." Maine South is adding signage to try to cut down on, and eliminate, the introduction of unnecessary chemicals into the pool. "One [line] is a simple: 'Please shower before entering the pool,' " Messmer said of the new signs. "We also added to it: 'Body oils and products negatively affect the chemical balance of the pool, and therefore can affect your health.' " Messmer added that the school's freshman and sophomore physical education classes have used the pool regularly during the winter, as cold temperatures and snow often eliminate usable outdoor space. Those physical education sessions can last one week or a couple weeks, he said. "The student population using the pool is constantly changing," Rawn Reinhard, Rob Reinhard's father, told the District 207 school board on Monday, Feb. 1. "There's only a limited number of heavy users, and the pool most of the time is functioning adequately. The problems are intermittent, but they're serious and chronic when they happen. Further, not everybody experiences the same effect from chloramine — and the impact may be cumulative." Last week, Messmer decided the physical education classes would no longer use the Maine South pool on a regular basis. He said the move wasn't prompted by complaints from the students or their teachers about any aspect of the pool. Instead, he said he wanted to get the pool as close to pristine condition as possible so the boys swimming team could return home. Messmer, who has been Maine South's principal since 2010, has only received complaints about the Maine South pool from members of the boys swimming team. "In the fall, when the girls swim, we've not had any issues," he said. "In the spring, during water polo, we've had no complaints or issues." Wachowski said the air quality was definitely better during the water polo season. "It was weird," he said. "The transition, going from swim season to polo, it burned a little bit, but the air would clear up almost." One potential explanation is the water polo players weren't agitating the water as much as the Maine South boys swimmers, who performed long, strenuous sets during practice.click to enlarge Photo via Facebook Wednesday night, Harriett Logan and her crew at Loganberry Books purposefully shelved all of the works written by men backwards. That's right, in honor of Women's History Month, the Shaker Heights secondhand bookstore switched around 10,000 books of general fiction and poetry penned by male authors so that their spines faced inward. The process took two hours."I was looking for an event and activity to commemorate Women's History Month, but I grow weary of doing the same thing over and over again," says Logan, who's owned the bookstore for more than 20 years. "Just reading from great pieces of literature didn't seem participatory enough, and this activity doesn't require anything."Logan says that the spines to the wall method isn't her invention, but she's never heard of anyone putting this sort of feminist/political awareness spin on it."My staff is entirely female here, but we have a lot of books written by women and about women, and we go out of our way to get them," Logan says.Already she says that customers have been confused by the new sorting system."Truly, this is a metaphor of silencing the male voice," Logan says. "At least for this month."And when it comes to celebrating Women's History Month, Logan says that awareness always comes first, and action seems to follow. One way to do that is to read voices by women and patronize women's business, she says.Loganberry Books offers a few more Women's History Month events throughout the month, including next Wednesday's International Women's Day.Infectious disease double standard Swine flu may escape detection, too Different strains (NaturalNews) Read just about any news report on swine flu deaths, and you'll come across a line that claims "36,000 people die each year from flu-related causes." It sounds authoritative. It's even a nice, round number. But where is this number coming from? And is it based on any actual science?This statistic is being paraded around by almost everybody, as if to say that swine flu isn't so bad because regular flu kills so many people each year anyway. The truth is that the only standard by which the CDC and WHO are quoting deaths from swine flu is. To them, if a death has not been confirmed in their labs, it does not count as a death from that flu.Got that? Only "confirmed" deaths count. And they must be confirmed in a laboratory using a rigorous method of comparing samples taken from the deceased with a known database of viral patterns.As it turns out, virtuallywhatsoever.Thus, according to the guidelines of the CDC and WHO, they don't count. Based on their own rules, it is technically accurate to say thatIt's not true, of course, because people do die from the "regular flu" each year, but it is technically accurate according to the CDC and WHO rules for scientific evidence.Again, that's because nearly all of these "regular flu" deaths aren't confirmed by a CDC or WHO-recognized lab. Thus, they have no scientific standing.I find it interesting that when talking about swine flu, the criteria for inclusion in statistics is positive identification in a rigorous laboratory. But when talking about regular flu, the criteria for inclusion is -- technically speaking --The 36,000 number, it turns out, was pulled out of thin air. It has no scientific validity whatsoever, even according to the CDC's own standards.I tracked down the origins of this number on CDC.gov, by the way. Turns out it was an estimate derived by the CDC in 2003 ( http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r030... ).It's an estimate, mind you, not a "confirmed" number of deaths. And that estimate has stayed exactly the same through 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. Not a budge. Before the number was 36,000, it was 20,000 for many years. That tells you right off the bat this isn't some confirmed laboratory number -- it's a guesstimate!I'm not disagreeing with the number. It's probably a fairly accurate guess (the CDC folks are a smart bunch). But it doesn't meet the criteria by which these infectious disease organizations report influenza deaths.As the CDC even says on their own website, "This estimate came from a 2003 study published in the Journal of the American Medication Association (JAMA), which looked at the 1990-91 through the 1998-99 flu seasons [10]. Statistical modeling was used to estimate how many flu-related deaths occurred among people whose underlying cause of death on their death certificate was listed as a respiratory or circulatory disease. During these years, the number of estimated deaths ranged from 17,000 to 52,000."In other words, they took a look at how many people died from respiratory or circulatory disease, and from that they extrapolated "flu-related deaths."This is all accomplished through "statistical modeling," which is the equivalent of statisticians waving magic wands to create new numbers where none exist. Based on the sample size, it can be quite accurate (plus or minus a few percentage points), or it can be way off base depending on the accuracy of the statistical sample.Notably, if the same methodology were used to calculate swine flu deaths, it might currently show 300 or more deaths (and such methodologies would be widely criticized, of course, for being "just wild guesses," which they are).As the CDC admits itself, "CDC does not know exactly how many people die from flu each year."And... "It has been recognized for many years that influenza is infrequently listed on death certificates [12] and testing for influenza infections usually not done, particularly among the elderly who are at greatest risk of influenza complications and death. Some deaths particularly in the elderly are associated with secondary complications of influenza (including bacterial pneumonias)." ( http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/us_flu-... In other words: Influenza isn't listed on death certificates andThus, it is not possible for these 36,000 influenza deaths to be confirmed at all.What else is interesting in all this is when the CDC explains that viral strains aren't even detectable in patients after the first few days of infection:- The CDCIf this is true, thenI find this quite curious, because according to what the CDC is saying here, it is impossible to ever get an accurate "confirmed" count of swine flu patients because the influenza virus isn't detectable after a "short period of time." Thus, by limiting swine flu death reports to only those patients who have been confirmed in a laboratory, the CDC is essentially eliminating the very possibility that many swine flu patients will ever be tested and identified as carrying the strain.Put another way, the criteria for identifying and reporting swine flu deaths is, itself, limiting the number of swine flu deaths that will ever be counted. Essentially,by eliminating anyone who wasn't tested in time to identify the strain.This, I believe, is why the swine flu death count remains magically low even as doctors on the ground in Mexico City are reporting much larger numbers of real-world swine flu deaths.The other important thing to realize here is that the 36,000 figure is not talking about just one strain of influenza: It's a cumulative figure"Regular flu," you see, isn't just one flu. It's a collection of potentially hundreds of different flu strains. So assigning the 36,000 deaths a year figure to "regular flu" is misleading because it makes it sound like a single strain of influenza.The truth is that nobody really knows how many deaths each year occur from the different strains of flu circulating in the wild. Some top-notch CDC officials can probably take a pretty good guess at it, but it's still just that: A guess. The real numbers are, frankly, unknown.It's also unknown how many people die from the viral load vs. how many die from secondary infections (such as bacterial pneumonia) that often follow viral infections. Technically, a lot of those 36,000 people (or so) might have been killed by various strains of common bacteria, not by the viruses.Yesterday morning, Mexico was reporting 159 deaths from swine flu. According to the WHO, that number is not only 7. How does 159 magically become 7? By including the word "confirmed" in front of it.Fine. Let's all go with the "confirmed" modifier. All infectious disease deaths must now be confirmed in a CDC or WHO laboratory in order to count. So that means the 36,000 number needs to be revised down to however many have been "confirmed" in that group.And how many is that? Only the CDC knows. I'm guessing it's a two-digit number.So much for the myth of "36,000 flu-related deaths a year." If you believe that number, I'm sure there's a job waiting for you at the U.S. Treasury Dept., too, where numbers are materialized out of thin air on a daily basis in order to finance the national debt.For the members of The Kominas, the personal has no choice but to be political. They're Muslim, they're American, they're brown, they're punk. They write from experience, and part of that experience includes being "the only ones" at the punk show, where they call out institutional and cultural racism with a biting grin. The Kominas' second album, Stereotype, doesn't shout or rage, but instead shakes, rattles and rolls more than most current punk bands. (Which is to say, you can actually dance to it.) A carefree surf guitar guides the sing-songy "See Something Say Something" alongside dubby production and an oh-so-brief chorus that verges on Rage Against The Machine breakdown territory. Directors Tim Ballard and Hugo Massa visualize the song's play on the PSAs that Homeland Security plasters in airports and on public transportation: If you see something, say something. A white dude's paranoia on the subway — manifested as a pink squid-monster, of course — turns unsuspecting brown folks into burrito-munching vampires and religious extremists, which causes him to "say something" to the authorities about a steel container on its way to a picnic. It ruins lunch for everybody. Fitting with the band's M.O., it's all a bit silly, and The Kominas' members don't mean to discount real threats. It's just that, as they suggest, "You need more evidence." Stereotype is out now on Bandcamp. The Kominas' upcoming tour dates include stops in Philly, Brooklyn and Chicago.Florida, the state that launched the unsuccessful constitutional challenge to President Barack Obamas signature piece of legislation, is set once again to battle over health care. As the national media reported this week, liberal organizations and groups aligned with the Democrats will be going on the offensive as they fight back against Republican attacks on the law. Politico reported this week that Florida would be one of the chief states liberal groups would be targeting. On Thursday, the Center for American Progress Action Fund kicked off its campaign unveiling a study which finds many of the regions in the United States? including Florida? desperately need the protections and coverage provided by Obamacare but are represented by members who are working to dismantle the legislation. The group bashed two Republican congressmen from South Florida -- Mario Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen -- for playing political games and have tried to repeal health care a combined 76 times, without a plan to replace it. The Center also looked at three Florida counties -- DeSoto, Hernando and Miami-Dade -- and how the law would impact those areas. The center cited numbers showing 35.8 percent of non-elderly residents of Miami-Dade, 51.1 percent of Hendry County residents under 40, and 53.2 percent of Hispanics in DeSoto County as uninsured and possible beneficiaries of the law. ?Too many politicians are putting more energy into political stunts than helping their constituents take advantage of benefits from the Affordable Care Act, insisted Tom Perriello, the president of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, on Thursday. Sadly, our new report demonstrates that many of the counties that stand to benefit the most from the new health care law are represented by Obamacare opponents who refuse to help families and businesses in their communities benefit from these reforms. Elected officials should meet their obligation to help constituents comply with and benefit from the laws and health care programs that exist."? But while liberals might be going on the offensive on health care, Republicans in Florida show no signs of backing down in their opposition to it. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., continues to urge fellow Republicans in Washington to defund the law before it takes effect. Rubio, who is one of the top contenders for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, made his case for defunding the law when he appeared on Sean Hannitys show on Fox News on Wednesday night. If were not willing to draw that line in the sand on Obamacare, then what issue are we willing to do it on? Rubio demanded. I cant think of a single thing thats affecting our economy negatively more than Obamacare is right now. This is not about shutting down the government as our opponents claim. This is very simple. This is about whether we are going to continue pouring money into a program that is basically eviscerating the American economy. It is forcing people to go from full-time work to part-time work. Its costing people the health insurance that they have and are happy with. Its costing them their existing relationship with the doctor thats been seeing them for years. Its hurting businesses from growing. Its so damaging that even the employees union for the IRS -- the very people in charge of enforcing this law -- are begging to be let out from under this law. This is a critical moment. And for my fellow Republicans, I respect them all, but if were not willing to fight on this issue, what issue are we willing to fight on? Hannity asked Rubio about the possibility of a government shutdown and Rubio said, if it happened, Obama and the Democrats would be responsible for it. Well, the one whos threatening to shut down the government is the president and his Democratic allies, Rubio said. What theyre basically saying is, unless the government funds Obamacare, they wont support it. Theyre basically saying that unless we fund Obamacare, they are willing to shut down the government. And I would submit to you that Obamacare is not more important than our country, Obamacare is not more important than our economy, and its their insistence on continuing to pour money into this broken and failed experiment that is threatening a government shutdown, not us. Think about the people that have health insurance now and theyre happy with it, Rubio added. Theyre going to lose that health insurance. They have a doctor theyve been seeing for the last 15 or 20 years, they wont be able to keep going to that doctor. Think of working-class Americans who right now are working 40 hours a week, that because of Obamacare are going to be cut back to 29 hours a week. Think about the small businesses that want to expand and grow but are afraid to do so because it would trigger the Obamacare mandate. Ive met these people, Ive talked to these people. These are not billionaires, these are not millionaires, these are hard-working-class Americans who are on the verge of being punished because, as you said, this law was built on broken promises and promises it continues to break every single day. Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com.UPDATE: 05 September 2013 Guy Lewis Steele's Wordsplit, Redux, in which we address the issue raised below. UPDATE: 04 September 2013 A reader pointed out an issue with the benchmark, namely some lazy seqs not being realized. I updated the code and post; now the parallel speedup, while existing, is not as impressive as previously measured. The initial observations regarding the use of reducers for this problem are still relevant. More work to come. At the 2009 ICFP, Guy L. Steel gave the talk Organizing Functional Code for Parallel Execution: or, foldl and foldr Considered Slightly Harmful (slides) where he described algebraic properties necessary for parallel execution. One example was a wordsplit algorithm composed of associative operations, thus parallelizable. This talk and Haskell's Iteratee library inspired Rich Hickey to add reducers to the core Clojure library. So can we port GLS's wordsplit from Fortress to Clojure and run it on clojure.core.reducers/fold? Yes, but you won't like the results! That's the bad news. The good news is we can run it on a variation of fold for a parallel speed boost. setup All code snippets here are REPL-friendly. You can also find the project here: https://github.com/pmbauer/blogcode.text the port On Slide 58 GLS shows an iterative word-split. The fastest such split near-to-hand is java.util.regex.Pattern::split. You might try besting it, but chances of success are sad. So... ( require'[ clojure.string :as str ]) ( import'[ java.util.regex Pattern ]) ( set! warn-on-reflection true ) ( defn split [ ^ Pattern re s ] ( remove str/blank? ( str/split s re ))) ( split # "\s" "The quick brown fox " ) ;; => ("The" "quick" "brown" "fox") The heart of GLS' parallel word-split is an associatively composable abstraction for text segments. We achieve parallelism by arbitrarily partitioning the larger text into smaller pieces for splitting. As these smaller pieces are represented by the abstraction, we combine after splitting those pieces. ( defrecord Chunk [ s ]) ( defrecord Segment [ l m r ]) ( defn chunk ([ a1 ] ( ->Chunk ( str a1 ))) ([] ( chunk "" )) ([ a1 a2 ] ( chunk ( str a1 a2 )))) ( defn segment ([ l m r ] ( ->Segment l m r )) ([] ( segment "" [] "" ))) ( def ^ :const C-ZERO ( chunk )) ( def ^ :const S-ZERO ( segment )) Chunks have a string with no word boundaries. Segments have three ordered parts: l - string with no word boundary, implied word boundary with (first m) m - list of known words between l and r and r - string with no word boundary, implied word boundary with (last m) Chunks and Segments also have zero or identity values (i.e combining the respective zero value with another Chunk or Segment produces the same Chunk or Segment). how to combine? The Fortress example uses a double-dispatch method, ⊕. Clojure doesn't have double-dispatch per-se, but it has something more powerful - multimethods. ( defn maybe-word [ s ] ( if ( str/blank? s ) [] [ s ])) ( defmulti plus # ( map type % & )) ( defmethod plus'() [] C-ZERO ) ( defmethod plus [ Chunk Chunk ] [ ^ Chunk a ^ Chunk b ] ( chunk (.-s a ) (.-s b ))) ( defmethod plus [ Chunk Segment ] [ ^ Chunk a ^ Segment b ] ( segment ( str (.-s a ) (.-l b )) (.-m b ) (.-r b ))) ( defmethod plus [ Segment Chunk ] [ ^ Segment a ^ Chunk b ] ( segment (.-l a ) (.-m a ) ( str (.-r a ) (.-s b )))) ( defmethod plus [ Segment Segment ] [ ^ Segment a ^ Segment b ] ( segment (.-l a ) ( vec ( concat (.-m a ) ( maybe-word ( str (.-r a ) (.-l b ))) (.-m b ))) (.-r b ))) Note that plus invoked with no arguments returns the Chunk zero value. This is an important property of combine functions for use with clojure.core.reducers/fold. To recap, we have an abstraction for text sections that has: an associative, binary combine operation between sections - order doesn't matter zero values Sniff, sniff. I smell a monoid. core.reducers This
zes’ fantastic work as well, while you’re over there! 😉 Empyrium Emulation Chamber by Cerebralerebus 2015 definitely was the Adeptus Mechanicus year. But even with AdMech now a playable faction and one of the most gorgeous 40k armies, let us not forget those hobbyists who blazed the trail with their own, scratchbuilt AdMech armies, long before it was cool. Cerebralerebus is one of those hobbyists, and his deliciously yellow/orange AdMech army is truly spectacular. What’s even better, though, is that he returned to his army in 2015 and proved that his conversions easily hold up when compared with the “official” models. In fact, his brilliantly creepy “Empyrium Emulation Chamber” is precisely the kind of insane gadget that is yet missing from the official releases, if you ask me: There are tons of clever little touches on the model: The way it seems to be floating. The way the tortured psyker souls in its main compartment seem to be floating. The Admech personnel guarding and controlling the machine. You can spend an hour just looking at all the intricate little touches and try to think about the function of this machine in the back of your head — whatever the chamber is supposed to do, it surely doesn’t look pleasant: I won’t mince any words: Can we please get a kit for this thing as part of the next rumoured Adeptus Mechanicus update, GW? Thank you! 🙂 More on the Empyrium Emulation Chamber can be found here, along with the rest of Cerebralerebus’ absolutely stunning (and entirely converted and kitbashed) Admech army. Einherjar the Eternal, Daemon Engine of Khorne, by Augustus b’Raass It shouldn’t surprise you that this list always has to feature at least one massive, spiky Khornate model, and this year’s slot deservedly goes to Augustus b’Raass’ absolutely amazing Daemon Engine: I suppose the Lord of Skulls would have been far more popular with the crowd if it had looked a bit more like this 😉 Anyway, the model is massive and menacing, and the perfect centre piece for Augustus’ small (but hopefully still growing) detachment of World Eaters. Khorne is pleased, Brother-Slaughterer! 🙂 Check out Einherjar in more detail in Augustus’ showcase thread over at The Bolter & Chainsword. Necrotic Rotstalker by Jeff Vader Leave it to hobby prodigy, illustrator extraordinaire and all around great guy Johan Egerkrans to blow us away at the eleventh hour: In spite of taking a longer hiatus from building and painting little plastic men in 2015, Jeff exploded back onto the scene late in the year and effortlessly created one of the standout pieces of 2015: The Necrotic Rotstalker. The model is a perfect combination of the trailblazing work performed by Kari Hernesniemi on his “Stryderre” model in 2014, the creepiness of the Sicarian Ruststalkers and a healthy dose of Nurgle’s Rot (the visual approach, not the eponymous technical paint). I hate you so much, Jeff Vader, because you make it all look so very easy! 😉 Take a closer look at the Necrotic Rotstalker and his upcoming buddies here. Inquisitor Lucanus Molnár by Adam Wier Conversions of non-GW models for use in GW settings often don’t end too well — there’s just something about the look and feel of GW’s own products that can be a little tricky to approximate when working with base models from other manufacturers. In this regard, Adam Wier’s conversion for Inquisitor Molnár is an especially huge triumph, as the model looks right at home in the 41st millennium while seamless combining one of Dreamforge Games’ (excellent) Valkir Stormtroopers with a clever selection of actual GW bitz. Beyond the elegance of the conversion, Inquisitor Molnár is a fantastic character in his own right: A hulking representative of the Ordo Machinum (the Ordo overseeing the Adeptus Mechanicus), and each and every part of the model comes together to create a stunning piece — even more stunning, actually, for the fact that it’s one of the first models Adam has painted in years. Quite a return to form, I must say! Read up on the model and its creation here. Inquisitor Eisenhorn by Nordic Well, what is there to say? Everyone loves Gregor Eisenhorn, and Nordic has just managed to come up with just about the perfect 28mm respresentation of everybody’s favourite 54mm miniature. Incidentally, as we will be seeing in a minute, Nordic’s prowess at creating stunning INQ28 models based on character concepts from the Inquisitor rulebook and original set of 54mm releases has to be seen to be believed, but even amongst a brilliant collection, the Eisenhorn model stands out! Army/warband of the year And finally, to top off our annual collection of eye candy, let’s escalate things a bit and look at 2015’s best armies and warbands. This will be quite a treat. Trust me! 😉 First Claw by Augustus b’Raass I have yet to meet a hobbyist that wasn’t instantly turned into Night Lords fanboy after reading Aaron Dembski-Bowden’s Night Lords trilogy. ADB’s novels always feature an impressive cast of rounded and compelling characters, but the “Certainly not friends/possibly actual enemies/still brothers in spite of everything” dynamic of First Claw has to be one of the high-points of his literary work. It’s no surprise that many people love Talos and his crew, and quite a few have come up with their own attempt at capturing First Claw in model form. And to make a long story short, nobody has managed to nail it quite like Augustus b’Raass with his version of First Claw. Each of the squad members has been painstakingly and beautifully recreated, and each is a pretty much perfect representation of the character. Personally, I think I favour Uzas — but then he was my favourite in the novels as well 😉 Even Aaron Dembski-Bowden himself was blown away by Augustus’ models — and rightly so! Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I have to thumb through my copy of the Night Lords Omnibus again… A closer look at First Claw and its various members can be found here, once again as part of Augustus’ showcase thread. Inquisitor Machaius’ retinue by Nordic I already mentioned Nordic’s knack for building stunning INQ28 models based on sketches from the Inquisitor rulebook above, and Inquisitor Machaius and retinue are just the perfect example: Almost all of the models in the retinue are excellent representations of a piece of artwork from the book and/or a sketch from John Blanche’s Inquisitor sketchbook. And the resulting warband is simply amazing! In fact, Nordic’s entire INQ28 related output for 2015 has to be seen to be believed! Likewise, Nordic’s thread over at the Ammobunker is full of massively inspiring work — which is why you’ll have to read through it all, I’m afraid. Trust me, though: It’s well worth it! 🙂 Nurglite warbands by Jeff Vader In a way, these form the perfect bookends for 2015, do they not? One warband each to explore what the concept of Nurgle can be, both in the dark past and in the grimdark future. And without over-relying on any overly tired Nurgle tropes, natch! There’s also the fact that Jeff Vader is always at the top of his game when creating excellent and evocative plastic conversions. And I don’t even need to talk about those paintjobs — I’d probably sacrifice a small kitten to be able to paint like that (on second thought, no, I probably couldn’t do it, but I hope Jeff Vader will appreciate the sentiment 😉 ). It’s a testament to the quality of hiw work that he can take a few months off from building little plastic men and still create some of the truly defining work of 2015. Amazing stuff, all around! You’ll find more information on those stunning Nurglite models over at The Convertorum — but you already knew that, I wager. And if you weren’t, well, then what in the seven hells are you still doing here? 😉 Pitslave Gang by Bruticus I already mentioned Ex Profundis’ distinctive style further up in this post, and Bruticus’ wonderful Pitslave Gang can serve as a wonderful example of it: He has created a wonderfully gritty, very visceral and utterly believable gang of models that is equal parts Mad Max and Necromunda, and all the better for it: The variety of different kits that has gone into making this warband is truly staggering, but Bruticus pulls it all together into a cohesive whole, giving us both gangers that are very heavily inspired by classic post-apocalyptic tropes,… …while also incorporating more heavily augmented cyborgs and brutes that look very different but seem perfectly at home in the collection: All of this is achieved via one of Bruticus’ trademark fantastic paintjobs, combining a deceptively bright main colour with lots of dirt, grime, blood and oil and that delicious blue as a spot colour. Spectacular stuff! And to add insult to injury, he has even built a wonderful vehicle to accompany his pit slaves: Bruticus’ style is immediately recognisable, and there’s nobody who paints in quite the same way. And nowhere does his trademark style work better than on his gorgeous Pitslaves! Check out Bruticus’ Pitslave warband in more detail here. Heresy-era Emperor’s Children / Heresy-era Astartes by kizzdougs Kizzdougs has been an absolutely stunning painter for quite a long time, but he really blew me away time and time again in 2015 with his ongoing WIP thread over at The Bolter & Chainsword. For starters, it features his army of Heresy era Emperor’s Children – the Sekhmet – a gorgeous collection of models, and arguably the best III legion army around, including, for instance, what may just be the perfect Horus Heresy model: Stunning as the army may be, however, that’s only the half of it: In recent months, Kizzdougs has also begun building several test models to represent each of the (traitor) Astartes legions, relying more and more on the new Mk IV plastics from the Betrayal at Calth box. And not only are the results perfect little slices of the 32nd millennium come to life, as you can plainly see yourself,… …but they also show how far some careful kitbashing and a brilliant paintjob will get quite some variation out of those – very vanilla – stock models and create wonderfully evocative pieces — it really shouldn’t surprise you that Kizzdougs’ World Eaters model shown below was one of my main design templates when starting to paint my own first 30k World Eaters. His example even made me try my hand at sponge-weathering, and I am really happy I did! So, to make a long story short: If you are even the slightest bit interested in Astartes, make sure to visit Kizzdougs’ brilliant ongoing WIP thread over at The Bolter & Chainsword. Honorary mention: Navigator House Merz-Itano by weirdingway Now I’ve actually made it a part of the – pretty rickety rules – of this contest that no army will receive an award more than one time in a row. And yet, this section simply wouldn’t be complete without mentioning weirdingway’s wonderful Navigatorial house yet again: He may have won last year’s award which should exclude him from the competition, but his growing collection of wonderfully original and unconventional models is, simply put, the most exciting and inspiring 40k project in existence right now. Weirdingway has an absolutely amazing ongoing thread over at The Ammobunker, and it’s even more brilliant now than it was last year, obviously. Check it out at your earliest convenience — you can thank me later! 😉 So yeah, this is it. Quite a ride, wouldn’t you agree? Anyway, congratulations to all the “winners”, and I believe all you beautiful readers will have a list of blogs to check out now that will see you through until the third and final part of the 2015 Eternal Hunt Awards, in which I will be taking a look at my personal hobby year. Until then, as always, thanks for looking and stay tuned for more! 🙂 Advertisements(This post is from our new blog: Unofficial Sources.) Protesters in Baltimore say they have been driven into the streets by years of police abuse and a lack of economic opportunities. But some lawmakers have other ideas for what’s causing the unrest in Baltimore: — Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., appeared on Birmingham talk radio on April 28 to denounce illegal immigration and politicans who have leaned toward more lenient drug laws as “factors culminating in what we saw in Baltimore.” — Rep. Bill Flores, R-Tex., went on a podcast program to discuss the Supreme Court case over gay marriage on April 29. Flores tied the lack of marriages “between a man and a woman” with “what is going on in Baltimore.” — Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., called into the Sam Malone Show on May 1 to discuss the “anarchy” in Baltimore. The host argued, “if there’s no one telling you about love of America and your neighbors, what do you expect?” To which Kelly replied, “I’m with you.” To those who say families in Baltimore “did not have a chance,” Kelly said, “give me a break,” before going on to blame the unrest in Baltimore on welfare programs. While the protests engulfed the city of Baltimore, Congress worked diligently on other matters last week. Legislators, including Rep. Brooks, voted on legislation to boost taxpayer spending on fighter jets and missile systems well beyond what Pentagon planners had requested. Have you heard your elected officials make ridiculous assertions about the unrest in Baltimore — or anything else, for that matter? Send a note to lee.fang@theintercept.com. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images"Gödel universe" redirects here. It is not to be confused with Gödel's constructible universe The Gödel metric is an exact solution of the Einstein field equations in which the stress–energy tensor contains two terms, the first representing the matter density of a homogeneous distribution of swirling dust particles (dust solution), and the second associated with a nonzero cosmological constant (see lambdavacuum solution). It is also known as the Gödel solution or Gödel universe. This solution has many unusual properties—in particular, the existence of closed timelike curves that would allow time travel in a universe described by the solution. Its definition is somewhat artificial in that the value of the cosmological constant must be carefully chosen to match the density of the dust grains, but this spacetime is an important pedagogical example. The solution was found in 1949 by Kurt Gödel.[1] Definition [ edit ] Like any other Lorentzian spacetime, the Gödel solution presents the metric tensor in terms of some local coordinate chart. It may be easiest to understand the Gödel universe using the cylindrical coordinate system (presented below), but this article uses the chart that Gödel originally used. In this chart, the line element is d s 2 = 1 2 ω 2 [ − ( d t + e x d y ) 2 + d x 2 + 1 2 e 2 x d y 2 + d z 2 ], − ∞ < t, x, y, z < ∞, {\displaystyle ds^{2}={\frac {1}{2\omega ^{2}}}\left[-(dt+e^{x}dy)^{2}+dx^{2}+{\tfrac {1}{2}}e^{2x}dy^{2}+dz^{2}\right],\qquad -\infty <t,x,y,z<\infty,} where ω {\displaystyle \omega } is a nonzero real constant, which turns out to be the angular velocity of the surrounding dust grains around the y axis, as measured by a "non-spinning" observer riding one of the dust grains. "Non-spinning" means that it doesn't feel centrifugal forces, but in this coordinate frame it would actually be turning on an axis parallel to the y axis. As we shall see, the dust grains stay at constant values of x, y, and z. Their density in this coordinate chart increases with x, but their density in their own frames of reference is the same everywhere. Properties [ edit ] To study the properties of the Gödel solution, we will adopt the frame field (dual to the coframe read off the metric as given above), e → 0 = 2 ω ∂ t {\displaystyle {\vec {e}}_{0}={\sqrt {2}}\omega \,\partial _{t}} e → 1 = 2 ω ∂ x {\displaystyle {\vec {e}}_{1}={\sqrt {2}}\omega \,\partial _{x}} e → 2 = 2 ω ∂ y {\displaystyle {\vec {e}}_{2}={\sqrt {2}}\omega \,\partial _{y}} e → 3 = 2 ω ( exp ⁡ ( − x ) ∂ z − ∂ t ). {\displaystyle {\vec {e}}_{3}=2\omega \,\left(\exp(-x)\,\partial _{z}-\,\partial _{t}\right).} This frame defines a family of inertial observers who are comoving with the dust grains. However, computing the Fermi–Walker derivatives with respect to e → 0 {\displaystyle {\vec {e}}_{0}} shows that the spatial frames are spinning about e → 2 {\displaystyle {\vec {e}}_{2}} with angular velocity − ω {\displaystyle -\omega }. It follows that the nonspinning inertial frame comoving with the dust particles is f → 0 = e → 0 {\displaystyle {\vec {f}}_{0}={\vec {e}}_{0}} f → 1 = cos ⁡ ( ω t ) e → 1 − sin ⁡ ( ω t ) e → 3 {\displaystyle {\vec {f}}_{1}=\cos(\omega t)\,{\vec {e}}_{1}-\sin(\omega t)\,{\vec {e}}_{3}} f → 2 = e → 2 {\displaystyle {\vec {f}}_{2}={\vec {e}}_{2}} f → 3 = sin ⁡ ( ω t ) e → 1 + cos ⁡ ( ω t ) e → 3. {\displaystyle {\vec {f}}_{3}=\sin(\omega t)\,{\vec {e}}_{1}+\cos(\omega t)\,{\vec {e}}_{3}.} Einstein tensor [ edit ] The components of the Einstein tensor (with respect to either frame above) are G a ^ b ^ = ω 2 diag ⁡ ( − 1, 1, 1, 1 ) + 2 ω 2 diag ⁡ ( 1, 0, 0, 0 ). {\displaystyle G^{{\hat {a}}{\hat {b}}}=\omega ^{2}\,\operatorname {diag} (-1,1,1,1)+2\omega ^{2}\,\operatorname {diag} (1,0,0,0).} Here, the first term is characteristic of a lambdavacuum solution and the second term is characteristic of a pressureless perfect fluid or dust solution. Notice that the cosmological constant is carefully chosen to partially cancel the matter density of the dust. Topology [ edit ] The Gödel spacetime is a rare example of a regular (singularity-free) solution of the Einstein field equation. Gödel's original chart (given here) is geodesically complete and singularity free; therefore, it is a global chart, and the spacetime is homeomorphic to R4, and therefore, simply connected. Curvature invariants [ edit ] In any Lorentzian spacetime, the fourth-rank Riemann tensor is a multilinear operator on the four-dimensional space of tangent vectors (at some event), but a linear operator on the six-dimensional space of bivectors at that event. Accordingly, it has a characteristic polynomial, whose roots are the eigenvalues. In the Gödel spacetime, these eigenvalues are very simple: triple eigenvalue zero, double eigenvalue − ω 2 {\displaystyle -\omega ^{2}} single eigenvalue ω 2 {\displaystyle \omega ^{2}} Killing vectors [ edit ] This spacetime admits a five-dimensional Lie algebra of Killing vectors, which can be generated by time translation ∂ t {\displaystyle \partial _{t}}, two spatial translations ∂ y, ∂ z {\displaystyle \partial _{y},\;\partial _{z}}, plus two further Killing vector fields: ∂ x − z ∂ z {\displaystyle \partial _{x}-z\,\partial _{z}} and − 2 exp ⁡ ( − x ) ∂ t + z ∂ x + ( exp ⁡ ( − 2 x ) − z 2 / 2 ) ∂ z. {\displaystyle -2\exp(-x)\,\partial _{t}+z\,\partial _{x}+\left(\exp(-2x)-z^{2}/2\right)\,\partial _{z}.} The isometry group acts transitively (since we can translate in t, y, z {\displaystyle t,y,z}, and using the fourth vector we can move along x {\displaystyle x} as well), so the spacetime is homogeneous. However, it is not isotropic, as we shall see. It is obvious from the generators just given that the slices x = x 0 {\displaystyle x=x_{0}} admit a transitive abelian three-dimensional transformation group, so a quotient of the solution can be reinterpreted as a stationary cylindrically symmetric solution. Less obviously, the slices y = y 0 {\displaystyle y=y_{0}} admit an SL(2,R) action, and the slices t = t 0 {\displaystyle t=t_{0}} admit a Bianchi III (c.f. the fourth Killing vector field). We can restate this by saying that our symmetry group includes as three-dimensional subgroups examples of Bianchi types I, III and VIII. Four of the five Killing vectors, as well as the curvature tensor, do not depend upon the coordinate y. Indeed, the Gödel solution is the Cartesian product of a factor R with a three-dimensional Lorentzian manifold (signature -++). It can be shown that the Gödel solution is, up to local isometry, the only perfect fluid solution of the Einstein field equation admitting a five-dimensional Lie algebra of Killing vectors. Petrov type and Bel decomposition [ edit ] The Weyl tensor of the Gödel solution has Petrov type D. This means that for an appropriately chosen observer, the tidal forces have Coulomb form. To study the tidal forces in more detail, we compute the Bel decomposition of the Riemann tensor into three pieces, the tidal or electrogravitic tensor (which represents tidal forces), the magnetogravitic tensor (which represents spin-spin forces on spinning test particles and other gravitational effects analogous to magnetism), and the topogravitic tensor (which represents the spatial sectional curvatures). Observers comoving with the dust particles find that the tidal tensor (with respect to u → = e → 0 {\displaystyle {\vec {u}}={\vec {e}}_{0}}, which components evaluated in our frame) has the form E [ u → ] m ^ n ^ = ω 2 diag ⁡ ( 1, 0, 1 ). {\displaystyle {E\left[{\vec {u}}\right]}_{{\hat {m}}{\hat {n}}}=\omega ^{2}\,\operatorname {diag} (1,0,1).} That is, they measure isotropic tidal tension orthogonal to the distinguished direction ∂ y {\displaystyle \partial _{y}}. The gravitomagnetic tensor vanishes identically B [ u → ] m ^ n ^ = 0. {\displaystyle {B\left[{\vec {u}}\right]}_{{\hat {m}}{\hat {n}}}=0.} This is an artifact of the unusual symmetries of this spacetime, and implies that the putative "rotation" of the dust does not have the gravitomagnetic effects usually associated with the gravitational field produced by rotating matter. The principal Lorentz invariants of the Riemann tensor are R a b c d R a b c d = 12 ω 4, R a b c d ⋆ R a b c d = 0. {\displaystyle R_{abcd}\,R^{abcd}=12\omega ^{4},\;R_{abcd}{{}^{\star }R}^{abcd}=0.} The vanishing of the second invariant means that some observers measure no gravitomagnetism, which is consistent with what was just said. The fact that the first invariant (the Kretschmann invariant) is constant reflects the homogeneity of the Gödel spacetime. Rigid rotation [ edit ] The frame fields given above are both inertial, ∇ e → 0 e → 0 = 0 {\displaystyle abla _{{\vec {e}}_{0}}{\vec {e}}_{0}=0}, but the vorticity vector of the timelike geodesic congruence defined by the timelike unit vectors is − ω e → 2 {\displaystyle -\omega {\vec {e}}_{2}} This means that the world lines of nearby dust particles are twisting about one another. Furthermore, the shear tensor of the congruence e → 0 {\displaystyle {\vec {e}}_{0}} vanishes, so the dust particles exhibit rigid rotation. Optical effects [ edit ] If we study the past light cone of a given observer, we find that null geodesics moving orthogonally to ∂ y {\displaystyle \partial _{y}} spiral inwards toward the observer, so that if he looks radially, he sees the other dust grains in progressively time-lagged positions. However, the solution is stationary, so it might seem that an observer riding on a dust grain will not see the other grains rotating about himself. However, recall that while the first frame given above (the e → j {\displaystyle {\vec {e}}_{j}} ) appears static in our chart, the Fermi–Walker derivatives show that, in fact, it is spinning with respect to gyroscopes. The second frame (the f → j {\displaystyle {\vec {f}}_{j}} ) appears to be spinning in our chart, but it is gyrostabilized, and a nonspinning inertial observer riding on a dust grain will indeed see the other dust grains rotating clockwise with angular velocity ω {\displaystyle \omega } about his axis of symmetry. It turns out that in addition, optical images are expanded and sheared in the direction of rotation. If a nonspinning inertial observer looks along his axis of symmetry, he sees his coaxial nonspinning inertial peers apparently nonspinning with respect to himself, as we would expect. Shape of absolute future [ edit ] According to Hawking and Ellis, another remarkable feature of this spacetime is the fact that, if we suppress the inessential y coordinate, light emitted from an event on the world line of a given dust particle spirals outwards, forms a circular cusp, then spirals inward and reconverges at a subsequent event on the world line of the original dust particle. This means that observers looking orthogonally to the e → 2 {\displaystyle {\vec {e}}_{2}} direction can see only finitely far out, and also see themselves at an earlier time. The cusp is a nongeodesic closed null curve. (See the more detailed discussion below using an alternative coordinate chart.) Closed timelike curves [ edit ] Because of the homogeneity of the spacetime and the mutual twisting of our family of timelike geodesics, it is more or less inevitable that the Gödel spacetime should have closed timelike curves (CTCs). Indeed, there are CTCs through every event in the Gödel spacetime. This causal anomaly seems to have been regarded as the whole point of the model by Gödel himself, who was apparently striving to prove, and arguably succeeded in proving, that Einstein's equations of spacetime are not consistent with what we intuitively understand time to be (i. e. that it passes and the past no longer exists, the position philosophers call presentism, whereas Gödel seems to have been arguing for something more like the philosophy of eternalism), much as he, conversely, succeeded with his incompleteness theorems in showing that intuitive mathematical concepts could not be completely described by formal mathematical systems of proof. See the book A World Without Time.[2] Einstein was aware of Gödel's solution and commented in Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist[3] that if there are a series of causally-connected events in which "the series is closed in itself" (in other words, a closed timelike curve), then this suggests that there is no good physical way to define whether a given event in the series happened "earlier" or "later" than another event in the series: In that case the distinction "earlier-later" is abandoned for world-points which lie far apart in a cosmological sense, and those paradoxes, regarding the direction of the causal connection, arise, of which Mr. Gödel has spoken. Such cosmological solutions of the gravitation-equations (with not vanishing A-constant) have been found by Mr. Gödel. It will be interesting to weigh whether these are not to be excluded on physical grounds. Globally nonhyperbolic [ edit ] If the Gödel spacetime admitted any boundaryless temporal hyperslices (e.g. a Cauchy surface), any such CTC would have to intersect it an odd number of times, contradicting the fact that the spacetime is simply connected. Therefore, this spacetime is not globally hyperbolic. A cylindrical chart [ edit ] In this section, we introduce another coordinate chart for the Gödel solution, in which some of the features mentioned above are easier to see. Derivation [ edit ] Gödel did not explain how he found his solution, but there are in fact many possible derivations. We will sketch one here, and at the same time verify some of the claims made above. Start with a simple frame in a cylindrical type chart, featuring two undetermined functions of the radial coordinate: e → 0 = ∂ t, e → 1 = ∂ z, e → 2 = ∂ r, e → 3 = 1 b ( r ) ( − a ( r ) ∂ t + ∂ ϕ ) {\displaystyle {\vec {e}}_{0}=\partial _{t},\;{\vec {e}}_{1}=\partial _{z},\;{\vec {e}}_{2}=\partial _{r},\,{\vec {e}}_{3}={\frac {1}{b(r)}}\,\left(-a(r)\,\partial _{t}+\partial _{\phi }\right)} Here, we think of the timelike unit vector field e → 0 {\displaystyle {\vec {e}}_{0}} as tangent to the world lines of the dust particles, and their world lines will in general exhibit nonzero vorticity but vanishing expansion and shear. Let us demand that the Einstein tensor match a dust term plus a vacuum energy term. This is equivalent to requiring that it match a perfect fluid; i.e., we require that the components of the Einstein tensor, computed with respect to our frame, take the form G i ^ j ^ = μ diag ⁡ ( 1, 0, 0, 0 ) + p diag ⁡ ( 0, 1, 1, 1 ) {\displaystyle G^{{\hat {i}}{\hat {j}}}=\mu \,\operatorname {diag} (1,0,0,0)+p\,\operatorname {diag} (0,1,1,1)} This gives the conditions b ′ ′ ′ = b ′ ′ b ′ b, ( a ′ ) 2 = 2 b ′ ′ b {\displaystyle b^{\prime \prime \prime }={\frac {b^{\prime \prime }\,b^{\prime }}{b}},\;\left(a^{\prime }\right)^{2}=2\,b^{\prime \prime }\,b} Plugging these into the Einstein tensor, we see that in fact we now have μ = p {\displaystyle \mu =p}. The simplest nontrivial spacetime we can construct in this way evidently would have this coefficient be some nonzero but constant function of the radial coordinate. Specifically, with a bit of foresight, let us choose μ = ω 2 {\displaystyle \mu =\omega ^{2}}. This gives b ( r ) = sinh ⁡ ( 2 ω r ) 2 ω, a ( r ) = cosh ⁡ ( 2 ω r ) ω + c {\displaystyle b(r)={\frac {\sinh({\sqrt {2}}\omega \,r)}{{\sqrt {2}}\omega }},\;a(r)={\frac {\cosh({\sqrt {2}}\omega r)}{\omega }}+c} Finally, let us demand that this frame satisfy e → 3 = 1 r ∂ ϕ + O ( 1 r 2 ) {\displaystyle {\vec {e}}_{3}={\frac {1}{r}}\,\partial _{\phi }+O\left({\frac {1}{r^{2}}}\right)} This gives c = − 1 / ω {\displaystyle c=-1/\omega }, and our frame becomes e → 0 = ∂ t, e → 1 = ∂ z, e → 2 = ∂ r, e → 3 = 2 ω sinh ⁡ ( 2 ω r ) ∂ ϕ − 2 sinh ⁡ ( 2 ω r ) 1 + cosh ⁡ ( 2 ω r ) ∂ t {\displaystyle {\vec {e}}_{0}=\partial _{t},\;{\vec {e}}_{1}=\partial _{z},\;{\vec {e}}_{2}=\partial _{r},\;{\vec {e}}_{3}={\frac {{\sqrt {2}}\omega }{\sinh({\sqrt {2}}\omega r)}}\,\partial _{\phi }-{\frac {{\sqrt {2}}\sinh({\sqrt {2}}\omega r)}{1+\cosh({\sqrt {2}}\omega r)}}\,\partial _{t}} Appearance of the light cones [ edit ] From the metric tensor we find that the vector field ∂ ϕ {\displaystyle \partial _{\phi }}, which is spacelike for small radii, becomes null at r = r c {\displaystyle r=r_{c}} where r c = arccosh ⁡ ( 3 ) 2 ω {\displaystyle r_{c}={\frac {\operatorname {arccosh} (3)}{{\sqrt {2}}\omega }}} This is because at that radius we find that e → 3 = ω 2 ∂ ϕ − ∂ t, {\displaystyle {\vec {e}}_{3}={\frac {\omega }{2}}\,\partial _{\phi }-\partial _{t},} so ω 2 ∂ ϕ = e → 3 + e → 0 {\displaystyle {\frac {\omega }{2}}\,\partial _{\phi }={\vec {e}}_{3}+{\vec {e}}_{0}} and is therefore null. The circle r = r c {\displaystyle r=r_{c}} at a given t is a closed null curve, but not a null geodesic. Examining the frame above, we can see that the coordinate z {\displaystyle z} is inessential; our spacetime is the direct product of a factor R with a signature -++ three-manifold. Suppressing z {\displaystyle z} in order to focus our attention on this three-manifold, let us examine how the appearance of the light cones changes as we travel out from the axis of symmetry r = 0 {\displaystyle r=0} : Two light cones (with their accompanying frame vectors) in the cylindrical chart for the Gödel lambda dust solution. As we move outwards from the nominal symmetry axis, the cones tip forward and widen. Vertical coordinate lines (representing the world lines of the dust particles) are timelike. When we get to the critical radius, the cones become tangent to the closed null curve. A congruence of closed timelike curves [ edit ] At the critical radius r = r c {\displaystyle r=r_{c}}, the vector field ∂ ϕ {\displaystyle \partial _{\phi }} becomes null. For larger radii, it is timelike. Thus, corresponding to our symmetry axis we have a timelike congruence made up of circles and corresponding to certain observers. This congruence is however only defined outside the cylinder r = r c {\displaystyle r=r_{c}}. This is not a geodesic congruence; rather, each observer in this family must maintain a constant acceleration in order to hold his course. Observers with smaller radii must accelerate harder; as r → r c {\displaystyle r\rightarrow r_{c}} the magnitude of acceleration diverges, which is just what is expected, given that r = r c {\displaystyle r=r_{c}} is a null curve. Null geodesics [ edit ] If we examine the past light cone of an event on the axis of symmetry, we find the following picture: The null geodesics spiral counterclockwise toward an observer on the axis of symmetry. This shows them from "above". Recall that vertical coordinate lines in our chart represent the world lines of the dust particles, but
aido and Naginata. The study of Nakamura Ryu (along with Toyama Ryu) Batto-do was added in 2003. He is also a student of Zen and the Shakuhachi ("Zen flute"). Sosnowski was a co-founder (1998) and the first Secretary of the East Coast Naginata Federation as well as the principal author of their by-laws. He was a co-director of the Guelph [Ontario] School of Japanese Sword Arts (GSJSA) in 1998, 1999 and 2000, and made presentations at the panel discussions during the GSJSA in 1999 and 2000. In addition, he was a contributing author of articles, book reviews and seminar reports to the now-defunct publications "The Iaido Newsletter" (TIN), and "Journal of Japanese Sword Arts" (JJSA), in addition to "Ryubi -- The Dragon's Tail (the newsletter of Kashima Shinryu/North America)." Current and revised writings appear in "The Iaido Journal" section of EJMAS (Electronic Journals of Martial Arts and Sciences) at <http://ejmas.com>. He is an occasional contributor to Iaido-L, e-Budo, the Kendo World forums and Sword Forum International. In his professional career, Mr. Sosnowski is an Engineering Fellow and Technical Director of Maryland Technical Center for Sonetech Corporation (with headquarters in Bedford, NH), specializing in artificial intelligence methodologies and computer-based numerical analyses, as well as being an expert in all phases of software development including government documentation. He holds three masters degrees, [Physical] Oceanography from the University of Connecticut (Storrs, CT), [Applied] Mathematics from Rivier College (Nashua, NH), and Cognitive and Neural Systems from Boston University, as well as a Bachelors in Physics from the Stevens Institute of Technology (Hoboken, NJ). He lives with his wife Valerie in rural Maryland between Washington, DC, and Baltimore, MD, described by a friend as "a little piece of southern New Hampshire in Maryland."You remember the scene in Iron Man when Tony lands his Mark 2 armor in some nameless Central Asian village where his former captors are terrorizing the locals? And they use civilians as human shields against the Golden Avenger? But Iron Man's sensors can effortlessly distinguish between the innocent and the guilty, so he finds, fixes and finishes the terrorists with his mini-missiles, leaving the bewildered townspeople unharmed? Download this new app and that's going to be you, soldier. OK, so you won't pilot your own Iron Man suit. But BattleTac, a Hungarian company specializing in GPS tracking, has an app that functions as a makeshift version of Blue Force Tracker, the tech the U.S. military uses to map its friends and foes. It's called Layar, and it's already available for your iPhone or Droid. Sure, this is gaming tech, but if you happen to be fighting for real near a Wi-Fi hotspot, Layar could come in handy. The app will quickly distinguish between your teammates ("blue" forces) and your enemies ("reds") so you know who to support and who to target. Layar acts as a mapping system. Set it up on your phone, and then load your phone's camera. You'll see a portrait of your battle space emerge on your display. Know your target? If so, Layar will represent it as a brown pushpin, complete with the distance to your objective. On your way there, Layar's maps will represent the other armed dudes you encounter as blue friendlies and push-pin enemies. You can even IM with your buddies if you want to plan a movement in radio silence. That basically turns your iPhone into Land Warrior, the digital mapping-and-communications ensemble that the Army has been trying to roll out to troops since the '90s. Except Land Warrior weighs about 10 times as much and costs $48,000 per outfit. BattleTac recommends that you mount your phone on your rifle for easy viewing, but that doesn't seem like it'll make for good texting. In any case, all this can be yours for a free download through the App Store – alas, my jailbroken iPhone can't work with Layar – or the Android Market. It uses a maximum of 4 megabytes per hour. The drawbacks here for actual military use are obvious. You need to be fighting on a Wi-Fi enabled battlefield, for one thing, although the military has been rushing bandwidth for intelligence gear into under-networked places in Afghanistan. And while it's easy enough to plug your allies into Layar, but you'll need to separate unknown forces into enemies and civilians. Still, the Army is looking to create and field a combat-zone version of an iPhone, part of a program called Connecting Soldiers to Digital Applications. The Army just finished its first app-building contest. Some of the winning entries should be only military smartphones within the year. If the Army's going to follow Apple's closed-ecosystem model for applications, then it makes some sense to refashion and tweak existing apps for military utility. That logic only increases with military-simulation apps like Layar. After all, you don't want to be jabbing a gloved finger onto an Army iPhone touchscreen in futility to make the device talk to your truck's Blue Force Tracker when there's a simple application to download. Just ask Tony Stark. (If he were, you know, real.) Image: BattleTac See Also:Abstract: This article explores how the Universal Windows 10 Platform Apps (UWP) aims at changing the way we create apps. Instead of creating separate apps for different platforms, UWP apps run across all major platforms with minor code changes. Unless you have been living under a rock for the last couple of weeks, you probably already know that Microsoft’s new version of Windows is called Windows 10 and the free upgrade is now available for public. I have been using the Windows 10 preview version in my Windows Phone and Surface and was really excited for the final launch. As a passionate developer, I would encourage every fellow developer to upgrade as soon as possible and experience why it is the right time be a Microsoft Developer. This article is published from the DNC Magazine for.NET Developers and Architects. Download this magazine from here [PDF] or Subscribe to this magazine for FREE and download all previous and current editions In this article, we will see what’s new in Windows 10 and as a developer, how you can make use of new features to build apps, or even turn your existing Websites to Apps (Yes! You heard it right) and use device features like Calendar, Notifications etc. At the end of the article, we will also develop a simple Universal App to see how it behaves in a Tablet/Desktop and Windows Phone. Check out the other articles in this series: Building a Sound Cloud Music Player in Windows 10 Universal Windows 10 Platform (UWP) Sound Cloud Music App for Windows Phone & Raspberry Pi2 HomePi - A Windows 10 & Raspberry Pi 2 IoT app - Part 1 Building a Windows 10 IoT app running on Raspberry Pi2 - Part 2 Why is Windows 10 different? One OS To counter the erosion of its once impregnable desktop market and the growing popularity of Linux servers, Microsoft’s strategy is very simple – run one version of Windows on everything. So unlike previous versions of Windows, Windows 10 will be a single operating system that will run across all devices starting from High End desktops and laptops, all the way through Tablets and Smart Phones, and even on IoT devices like Raspberry Pi 2, Intel Galileo etc. As a developer, this means there are no more multiple packages and versions. You can maintain one code base and develop apps that run across a large number of devices running Windows 10. One developer platform We are already familiar with Universal apps which allows us to share code between Windows 8.1 app and Windows Phone app. Windows 10 introduces a completely new different way of developing apps targeting multiple devices and it is called UWP apps or Universal Windows Platform apps. This new platform also allows us to easily activate/deactivate features, in different devices, using unique APIs that target them. This also means there is only One Dev Centre to manage our apps and One Store where users browse and download our apps. Multiple device families Windows 10 UWP apps target different variety of devices and they are grouped into Device families as shown below. Grouping these devices makes it easier for us to identify unique APIs targeting a particular type of device. Developers can enable their apps to run in one, or all of the devices and use adaptive code to activate or deactivate features. Later in this article, we will see how we can run a sample app in Windows 10 Tablet, Windows Desktop and Windows Phone. API Contracts API Contracts allow us to check the availability of a Windows feature during runtime. This makes it possible to use device specific unique features and provide a different experience for the user in different devices, but maintain the same code. Adaptive UX Windows 10 allows us to develop apps that use a single UI that can adapt itself in small or large screens, without writing any code behind. The new RelativePanel makes this easy for developers to implement layouts which is based on relationship between its child elements. This also means lesser and cleaner XAML code. Adaptive Visual States allow us to change the UI based on the changes in size of the window without writing any extra code. New controls like calendar, split view etc. have been introduced and existing controls have been updated to work well in different screens. Device Preview toolbar in Visual Studio allows us to preview the UI in different devices without running the app. Here is a screenshot of the toolbar. Adaptive Scaling makes it easy to reuse assets from other operating system projects like Android and iOS which will reduce a lot of design time. Common Input Handling makes it even easier to gather input from various sources like Touch, Keyboard, Xbox controller etc. with only a few lines of code. Hosted Web Apps If you are a Web Developer, you can convert your existing Web Apps to a Universal Windows Apps using this model and even use universal APIs like camera, calendar, contact list etc. Users will be able to download your App like any other app from the store. Any updates done to the website is reflected immediately in the app. Hosted Web Apps can also use Cortana to have unique user experience in their website. If your website does not have a Windows App, then this may be a good starting point with very less code, time and investment. Cortana Cortana is now a part of Windows 10 and is more open for developers. Our App (even Hosted Web App) can now react to voice commands and even override the default app behaviour (Imagine developing a Weather App which will be the default weather app for Cortana) Reference Links Here are some links for you to get started with Windows 10 1. Windows 10 Inside Preview 2. Download Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview 3. Visual Studio 2015 4. Microsoft Virtual Academy – A Developer’s Guide to Windows 10 Sample Windows 10 App Let us develop a simple Music Player app to see how the Adaptive UI works in different devices without writing any extra C# code. Note: Since this is an introduction article, we are covering just one feature. In the forthcoming articles, we will be covering the others. Step 1: Fire up the free Visual Studio 2015 Community Edition, create a new Windows Universal Blank App and name it MusicPlayer. Step 2: Add the following XAML to the main Grid in MainPage.xaml <VisualStateManager.VisualStateGroups> <VisualStateGroup x:Name="VisualStateGroup"> <VisualState x:Name="narrowView"> <VisualState.StateTriggers> <AdaptiveTrigger MinWindowWidth="0" /> </VisualState.StateTriggers> <VisualState.Setters> <Setter Target="sldProgress.Visibility" Value="Collapsed"/> <Setter Target="txtEnd.Visibility" Value="Collapsed" /> <Setter Target="txtStart.Visibility" Value="Collapsed" /> </VisualState.Setters> </VisualState> <VisualState x:Name="wideView"> <VisualState.StateTriggers> <AdaptiveTrigger MinWindowWidth="1000" /> </VisualState.StateTriggers> <VisualState.Setters> <Setter Target="sldProgress.Visibility" Value="Visible"/> <Setter Target="txtEnd.Visibility" Value="Visible" /> <Setter Target="txtStart.Visibility" Value="Visible" /> </VisualState.Setters> </VisualState> </VisualStateGroup> </VisualStateManager.VisualStateGroups> <Grid> <Grid.RowDefinitions> <RowDefinition Height="6"/> <RowDefinition Height=""/> </Grid.RowDefinitions> <Image Grid.Row="0" Source="Assets/Singer.jpg" x:Name="albumArt" Stretch="UniformToFill" Margin="0" HorizontalAlignment="Center" /> <Grid x:Name="grid" Grid.Row="1" Background="#f0f1f2" > <Grid.RenderTransform> <CompositeTransform/> </Grid.RenderTransform> <Grid.ColumnDefinitions> <ColumnDefinition Width=""/> <ColumnDefinition Width=""/> <ColumnDefinition Width=""/> <ColumnDefinition Width=""/> <ColumnDefinition Width="Auto"/> <ColumnDefinition Width="Auto"/> <ColumnDefinition Width="Auto"/> <ColumnDefinition Width="*"/> </Grid.ColumnDefinitions> <Image Grid.Column="0" Source="Assets/Repeat.png" x:Name="btnRepeat" Height="25" Stretch="Uniform" /> <Image Grid.Column="1" Source="Assets/Previous.png" x:Name="btnPrevious" Height="25" Stretch="Uniform" /> <Image Grid.Column="2" Source="Assets/Play.png" x:Name="btnPlay" Stretch="Uniform" Height="50" /> <Image Grid.Column="3" Source="Assets/Next.png" x:Name="btnNext" Stretch="Uniform" Height="25"/> <TextBlock Margin="20,0" VerticalAlignment="Center" Grid.Column="4" Foreground="#a2a7a9" x:Name="txtStart" Text="00:13" FontSize="30" /> <Slider Grid.Column="5" Value="50" x:Name="sldProgress" VerticalAlignment="Center" Width="450" /> <TextBlock Margin="20,0" HorizontalAlignment="Right" VerticalAlignment="Center" Grid.Column="6" Foreground="#a2a7a9" x:Name="txtEnd" Text="00:13" FontSize="30" /> <Image Grid.Column="7" Source="Assets/Shuffle.png" x:Name="btnShuffle" Stretch="Uniform" Height="25"/> </Grid> </Grid> In this code, we have added the following 1. A Grid with the following controls: a. ‘Image’ Controls to display Album Art and other Media Control Buttons (Images are available in the sample code) b. ‘TextBlock’ controls to display start and end time c. ‘Slider’ control to display the progress 2. We also added two Visual States called wideView and narrowView to either display or not display the three controls (txtStart, txtEnd, sldProgress) using VisualState.Setters property. 3. We then use AdaptiveTrigger and MinWindowWidth property to enable or disable the state. Step 3: Press F5 and adjust the width of the app to see how the UI changes. Here are some screenshots of the app on different devices. Tablet/Desktop Windows Phone Here’s a link to the gif in case you want to see the app in action. In future articles, we will add more controls and functionality to this app and make it a fully functional Music Player that looks and behaves different in different devices. Windows App Studio As a side note, I thought of mentioning about the Windows App Studio, a free web-based tool that lets anyone create an app with ease. The app studio can now generate apps for Windows 10, as well as for Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1. Give it a shot! Conclusion The Universal Windows Platform Apps aims at changing the way we create apps. Instead of creating separate apps for different platforms, UWP apps would run across all major platforms with minor code changes. With Windows 10, Microsoft aims at bringing different platforms - PC, tablets, phones, XBox, Internet of Things (IoT) together and we sincerely hope that this platform and the benefits it brings, will create an attractive ecosystem for Windows 10 devices. Download the entire source code from GitHub at bit.ly/dncm19-windows10apps C# and.NET have been around for a very long time, but their constant growth means there’s always more to learn. We at DotNetCurry are very excited to announce the The Absolutely Awesome Book on C# and.NET. This is a 500 pages concise technical eBook available in PDF, ePub (iPad), and Mobi (Kindle). Organized around concepts, this eBook aims to provide a concise, yet solid foundation in C# and.NET, covering C# 6.0, C# 7.0 and.NET Core, with chapters on.NET Standard and the upcoming C# 8.0 too. Use these concepts to deepen your existing knowledge of C# and.NET, to have a solid grasp of the latest in C# and.NET OR to crack your next.NET Interview. Click here to Purchase this eBook at a Discounted Price!One of the biggest trends in startup funding this year has been the ICO, or initial coin offering. It’s a weird and novel way for companies to crowdfund money by selling, essentially, their own “currency.” But there are concerns that much of the activity is being fueled by speculation that the value of the coins will rise, and that dealing in the offerings themselves — which until lately had gone unchecked — are tantamount to selling securities. As regulators to start to perk up and take notice, 2017’s wildest financial ride looks like it may be about to flatten out. Companies "are not freaking out and they really, really should be," Emma Channing, general counsel at the Argon Group, a cryptocurrency advisory firm, told BuzzFeed News. In an ICO, a startup sells “tokens” — its own form of cryptocurrency — usually in exchange for Bitcoin or ether, the two most mainstream cryptocurrencies. These tokens are typically used to access the company’s own services, or traded on token exchanges after (hopefully) rising in value. Some token buyers are enthusiasts for the startup who want early access to its products (for instance, a new file storage system or messaging system that isn’t even finished yet) and fund its development. Yet in this year’s hot ICO environment, it has become more likely that they are speculators who want to capture the token’s increase in value. Legally, coin offerings exist in a gray area. Unlike going public, companies that ICO are not required by the Securities and Exchange Commission to disclose financial and business information; they instead write their own "white papers" to describe the purpose of the offering. Some of the startups are even registered overseas, in places like Switzerland, to avoid scrutiny. The SEC only recently took notice of coin offerings after an Ethereum project, the “decentralized autonomous organization” (or the DAO), which had raised about $150 million worth of ether, collapsed last year when it was hacked and drained of $55 million of ether shortly after the sale closed, exposing the vulnerability of the new marketplace. “Investors need the essential facts behind any investment opportunity so they can make fully informed decisions,” said William Hinman, SEC director of the Division of Corporation Finance. “Sponsors of offerings conducted through the use of distributed ledger or blockchain technology must comply with the securities laws." “The market is a very broad and diverse place. There are people who should be very, very worried about the DAO report,” Argon’s Channing said. Initial coin offerings have raised over $1.5 billion so far this year — and in June and July ICOs exceeded venture capital funding provided by angel and seed venture capital investors to total internet companies, according to Coin Schedule. A big reason for the burst in interest in ICOs is that many holders of ether (a digital currency) are sitting on gains of over 4,000% this year, and there's only so much you can directly buy with it, said Alex Sunnarborg, a research analyst at the virtual currency news site CoinDesk. So these cryptocurrency enthusiasts are blowing their virtual earnings on the new currencies, hoping to get in on the ground floor of companies built atop the technology that’s already made them (on paper) rich. While cashing out large amounts of ether can be cumbersome, putting digital riches back into ICOs gives ether and Bitcoin holders a chance to diversify their cryptocurrency holdings. "A lot of these kind of profits through ether are what is really funding ICOs and making the ICO rounds so big," he said. "If ether hadn’t gone up so much, we might not have seen these ICOs raise so much now." The new tokens investors receive in an ICO can be traded on exchanges, which means they can shoot up in price after their initial purchase, leading to what many observers say is rampant speculation. "At least three-fourths of the funding going into blockchain projects is purely based on speculation," said Sunnarborg.Emily Lakdawalla • July 24, 2013 Pluto on the Eve of Exploration by New Horizons: Small moons, dust, surfaces, interiors I arrived late yesterday in Laurel, Maryland, just in time for the first poster session at the "Pluto on the Eve of Exploration" conference. However, I must admit I didn't look at a single poster; I exchanged my drink ticket for a beer and immediately engaged in the hallway conversation that makes science meetings worth attending. I asked people what they'd seen on this day of the meeting that had most intrigued them, and nearly everybody mentioned Mark Showalter's presentation, which concerned the two larger of Pluto's small satellites, Nix and Hydra. He argued that they rotate chaotically, like only one other known moon in the solar system (Saturn's Hyperion). That means their rotation rates and spin orientations can vary widely and unpredictably. I didn't see the talk, because I was on the plane, but I learned more about it through discussion. Chaotic rotation would be a byproduct of the very unusual gravitational environment that these moons are in: they are in near-resonant orbits around a close binary. They are constantly getting nudged and destabilized by their changing distances to Pluto and the lower-mass but still quite large and much closer Charon. That was the theoretical part of Showalter's presentation. He also showed observational data. He and others have been trying to get good lightcurves on Nix and Hydra to determine their rotation states. Usually getting a rotation rate from a light curve is pretty straightforward -- you look for a periodically repeating variation in brightness, and the wavelength of that repeat is either the rotation rate or an integer multiple of the rotation rate. But nobody's lightcurve data makes any sense. What was funny about the hallway discussion about Showalter's presentation is that I talked to at least one scientist who was convinced by the theoretical part but not the observational part, and another for whom that was reversed, and a third (Bill McKinnon) who wasn't convinced by either one. Convinced or not, everyone was talking about it! NASA, ESA, M. Showalter (SETI Institute) and L. Frattare (STScI) A fifth moon for Pluto An image taken on July 7, 2012 by the Wide Field Camera 3 on the Hubble Space Telescope shows the recently discovered fifth moon of Pluto. Moons P4 and P5 are now known as Kerberos and Styx, respectively. An image taken on July 7, 2012 by the Wide Field Camera 3 on the Hubble Space Telescope shows the recently discovered fifth moon of Pluto. Moons P4 and P5 are now known as Kerberos and Styx, respectively. I attended the conference all day today. The morning began with several presentations on the dust environment at Pluto. Much of this work was motivated by the concern about the hazard that dust might pose to New Horizons, and the study has generally allayed the team's concerns. From a science standpoint, the most interesting question is: does Pluto have any rings? Simulations of what happens to dust that arises from impacts onto Pluto's small satellites suggest that it could, but that the dust would not survive in the system for very long before being swept up by Pluto or Charon. Several people reported attempts to detect rings at Pluto either by direct imaging or by stellar occultations, none of which succeeded in detecting anything. But that doesn't eliminate the possibility that rings exist. My impression is that the question of whether Pluto has rings will not be settled until we get lookback images from New Horizons after the flyby. With that geometry, tenuous, dusty rings will scatter light forward to New Horizons and should be detectable if New Horizons is commanded to look at the right spots along the little moons' orbits. Dust talks were followed by talks about the compositions of the surfaces of Pluto and Charon. The take-home point of this set of presentations, led off by Dale Cruikshank, is that the two worlds are very different. Although Pluto must have a substantial quantity of water ice in its interior, there's no evidence for water ice on its surface. Instead we see lots of methane and nitrogen ice; some of the methane is dissolved in transparent, crystalline nitrogen. There is also carbon monoxide. Charon is totally different. Its surface is made of water ice and ammonia hydrate. By analogy to Triton, there should be hydrogen cyanide and carbon dioxide on Pluto, but neither has been detected yet. There was group puzzlement about the non-detection of carbon dioxide on the surface of Pluto: irradiation of carbon monoxide should produce carbon dioxide. There was debate about what New Horizons will actually be able to add to the surface composition discussion, because what's really needed to get at the most interesting not-yet-detected possible compounds on Pluto -- namely, heavier hydrocarbons -- is mid-infrared spectrometry. New Horizons can't do that; the James Webb Space Telescope should be able to. But Alan Stern expressed the expectation that heterogeneity of Pluto's surface will mean local concentrations of different materials, and if things like hydrogen cyanide are locally concentrated enough, New Horizons' spectral data will be able to detect and identify them. Will Grundy gave a cool presentation showing how the abundance of carbon monoxide and nitrogen ices on Pluto vary with longitude but vary together -- the two ices, he said, are totally miscible. Methane ice abundance also varies with longitude, but its peak is 90 degrees of longitude away from the peak in the other two ices. He also showed that there has been a decline in carbon monoxide and nitrogen abundance with time (or at least in the strength of their spectral absorptions), and that the decline is accelerating with time. Pluto's surface is dynamic, and New Horizons should see surfaces that have changed recently! Marc Buie opened the afternoon session with a review of Charon science, spending the first five minutes of his talk complaining about how long it took to convince Brian Marsden of the Minor Planet Center that Charon actually existed. He talked a lot about the mutual event observations performed between 1985 and 1990 (that's when the Pluto-Charon orbital plane was seen edge-on from Earth, so the two alternately transited and eclipsed each other). He argued that these data sets are still the strongest constraint we have on Pluto's diameter, and that the Pluto diameter derived from these mutual event observations is systematically smaller than that derived from stellar occultations, which are dependent on how you model Pluto's atmosphere. New Horizons' high-resolution imaging and radio occultations will settle the question of its diameter once and for all, thank goodness! One of the most surprising things in Marc's presentation was a comparison of Charon's infrared reflectance spectrum to that of Saturn's moon Tethys. (The two are similar in size, too.) This is very strange because the two are in radically different environments; Tethys' color, for instance, is affected by the way that Saturn's magnetic field interacts with E-ring particles. Like the nondetection of carbon dioxide on Pluto, this match caused great puzzlement among the meeting attendees. NASA / JPL / SSI / color composite by Emily Lakdawalla Tethys in color An enhanced-color global view of Tethys from Cassini's April 14, 2012 flyby. An enhanced-color global view of Tethys from Cassini's April 14, 2012 flyby. Read more » There were several talks about attempting to produce and study Pluto-like ices in the laboratory. With the presence of nitrogen and methane in an atmosphere and as surface ices and with ultraviolet irradiation from the Sun, there may actually be some pretty complex chemistry going on, producing large hydrocarbon molecules. Just like on Titan. Finally, several talks concerned the interiors of Pluto and Charon. These were necessarily theoretical, but Francis Nimmo in particular talked about how different scenarios for Pluto's internal structure and evolutionary history would result in different things observable by New Horizons, so that New Horizons should be able to settle some of the questions about Pluto's interior and history. For instance, it's possible that Pluto once had a subsurface ocean. It may still have one. Or it may never have had one. Each case will produce different observable tectonic features on the surface, and could affect the current shape of Pluto (as in, how much it's flattened). It was a long day of talks -- it started at 8:00 and finished at 5:30 -- and it seemed to me that there tended to be quite a bit of overlap from talk to talk. I wished there'd been less presentation and more opportunity for discussion -- the few times that talks inspired conversation among attendees were the most interesting moments, I thought. This is a general problem at scientific meetings, and I think it's an error. What's the point of getting a hundred people together and then not providing time for them to actually talk with each other? Fewer talks, more posters, more time to talk science with smart people. Tomorrow will be equally packed, with talks on geology in the morning and on surface-atmosphere interactions in the afternoon. I'm not the only one reporting from this meeting. In particular, deputy project scientist Kimberly Ennico Smith is producing tons of blog entries with more detail on the talks. And Julie Rathbun is taking notes into Twitter, paying much closer attention to each one than I've been able to do. Many other people are tweeting using the #PlutoSci hashtag. Stay tuned! Emily Lakdawalla Senior Editor and Planetary Evangelist for The Planetary Society Read more articles by Emily LakdawallaMuch of the nation’s attention turned yesterday morning to the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, but given that the anniversary falls in the midst of a presidential campaign, it also served as a reminder of Donald Trump’s 9/11 problems O n Sept. 11, 2001, Donald Trump called a New York television station to share what he had seen from his skyscraper apartment and what he had heard from associates closer to the World Trade Center. At one point during the nearly 10-minute interview, Trump mentioned that his building in the Financial District was now the tallest. “Forty Wall St. actually was the second-tallest building in downtown Manhattan, and it was, actually, before the World Trade Center, was the tallest,” Trump said in an interview with WWOR-TV in New York when asked whether his building had been damaged. “And then when they built the World Trade Center, it became known as the second-tallest, and now it’s the tallest.” Yes, because even on 9/11 itself, Donald Trump was focused on how the deadliest terrorist attack in American history relates to Donald Trump. Alan Marcus, who was working that day for WWOR as an on-air analyst, told Politico that Trump “is the brand manager of Trump, and he is going to tout that brand, and he does it reflexively…. Even on that day.” The Washington Post’s report added, “Trump frequently invokes 9/11 on the campaign trail, especially in defense of his proposal to temporarily ban the entry of Muslims and others from countries ‘compromised’ by terrorism…. But several of Trump’s statements about what he witnessed that day appear to be greatly exaggerated or false.” And if that were the end of Trump’s controversies related to 9/11, it would be problematic. But the story actually gets worse. Back in May, we discussed a post-9/11 economic program, designed to help enterprises around Ground Zero after the terrorist attacks. Though the money was intended to help small businesses, Trump took advantage of unenforced guidelines to receive $150,000 in taxpayer money. The New York Daily News had a follow-up report over the weekend: New York Daily News Donald Trump’s tale about why he took $150,000 in 9/11 money is as tall as the Downtown skyscraper he says he used in recovery efforts, according to government records. Though the billionaire presidential candidate has repeatedly suggested he got that money for helping others out after the attacks, documents obtained by the Daily News show that Trump’s account was just a huge lie. Trump has defended receiving the money because, according to his version of events, he let tenants stay in his building after the attacks. Patting himself on the back in the spring, Trump claimed, “I was happy to do it and to this day I am still being thanked for the many people I helped. The value of what I did was far greater than the money talked about.” But now those claims are facing new scrutiny, with the Daily News reporting, “Records from the Empire State Development Corp., which administered the recovery program, show that Trump’s company asked for those funds for ‘rent loss,’ ‘cleanup’ and ‘repair’ – not to recuperate money lost in helping people.” And let’s also not overlook the fact that Trump has allied himself with fringe media personality Alex Jones – a 9/11 “truther.”“I tried to look like Kate Hudson but ended up looking like a golden retriever’s dingleberry,” a woman who recently dyed her hair blond says in “Compliments,” a sketch from the first season of the Comedy Central series “Inside Amy Schumer_._” Several female friends have bumped into one another on the street, where they perform an exaggerated version of a ritual that many women will find familiar: one remarks on a particularly pleasing element of her friend’s appearance, only to have the friend explain why that outfit or hair style is in fact bad or ugly. The above quote is the only sentence from that sketch that feels appropriate to reference here, so that should give an idea of what the rest of the dialogue is like. The scene ends when one woman, upon receiving a compliment about her red plaid coat, simply says thank you, with genuine gratitude. In response, all of her friends kill themselves. I grew up watching the adult women I adored playing out a less extreme version of this same routine, and I see it now, sometimes, when my friends and I are out playing grownups. When someone tells us we’re beautiful, we respond with some variation of “Ew.” It is feminine denial as etiquette, manners so counterintuitive they become comedy. We dole out nice words to our friends or sisters or colleagues while handing back the ones given to us. Amy Schumer’s humor revolves, too often for my taste, around ideas of beauty and desirability in a world coded for young, white straight men and women. Her best barbs are reserved for the men who have or might yet reject her for her appearance. “Compliments,” by contrast, is a bit about women and for women. I imagine it as a response to a mostly reasonable question: Can’t we just learn to take a compliment? Well, no, the sketch replies, not if we grow up, as many of us do, learning that openly accepting any pleasure, ego-related or otherwise, is, quite literally, social suicide. In her recently released book, “Face Value: The Hidden Ways Beauty Shapes Women’s Lives,” Autumn Whitefield-Madrano provides an intriguingly different take on the same issue. A journalist and copy editor who spent more than a decade working for mainstream women’s magazines, such as _Glamour _and Marie Claire, Whitefield-Madrano warns us that “beauty invites gaps in our thinking,” bound as it is to concepts and customs rarely given a second glance, and she wants us to pause and reëxamine our learned responses to inherited beliefs. Whitefield-Madrano interviewed men and women about how their ideas of beauty affect their relationships, and she marshals a wide array of research and statistical data to explore the ways beauty is expressed in, or determined by, conventions of language, art, media, sex, and friendship. Seemingly destructive dynamics, like the one skewered by Schumer, are given extensive context and measured consideration, and the conclusions that Whitefield-Madrano reaches are often refreshingly non-alarmist. In her chapter on how beauty is portrayed by the media, for example, Whitefield-Madrano concludes that women who have decided that the media harms self-image will behave in a manner consistent with that belief, rather than with the objective harmfulness of the media itself: “Once you’re steeped in messages about how damaging those images are, you just might believe you should feel differently.” Most monthly fashion magazines include stories about loving our bodies at any size, or making peace with our imperfections, laid out next to the very images readers are supposed to know better than to look at. The more time we spend feeling disturbed by this kind of dissonant messaging, Whitefield-Madrano argues, “the more we entrench the idea that our response to media images should be one of injury.” “Face Value” keeps asking: Why does beauty have to be something we’re at the mercy of, rather than something we simply experience? In a chapter devoted to the role that beauty plays in friendships among women, Whitefield-Madrano suggests that we have constructed a world in which we let women have “far more space to talk about the ways they don’t like their looks than to talk about the ways they do.” This beauty taboo creates a paradox: “We must strive toward beauty while never being able to comfortably, openly claim it as our own.” In Whitefield-Madrano’s reading, compliments exchanged among women are often dismissed or disavowed, just as in Schumer’s sketch. “We _expect _a woman to downgrade, qualify, or reassign a compliment,” she writes. “What we don’t expect her to do is simply accept it.” But in Whitefield-Madrano’s view this process of deflection is not merely the result of a lack of self-esteem or destructive social habits. Compliments between women, she explains, are also “a convenient linguistic tool” that women use as a “gateway to connection.” Reject
to acquire, but not easy either; controlled experiments could yield the answers, which would shed light on the role of language in turning brains into minds like ours. I think it is very likely that every content that has so far passed through your mind and mine, as I have been presenting this talk, is strictly off limits to non-language-users, be they apes or dolphins, or even non-signing Deaf people. If this is true, it is a striking fact, so striking that it reverses the burden of proof in what otherwise would be a compelling argument: the claim, first advanced by the linguist Noam Chomsky, and more recently defended by the philosophers Jerry Fodor and Colin McGinn (1990), that our minds, like those of all other species, must suffer "cognitive closure" with regard to some topics of inquiry. Spiders can't contemplate the concept of fishing, and birds--some of whom are excellent at fishing--aren't up to thinking about democracy. What is inaccessible to the dog or the dolphin, may be readily grasped by the chimp, but the chimp in turn will be cognitively closed to some domains we human beings have no difficulty thinking about. Chomsky and company ask a rhetorical question: What makes us think we are different? Aren't there bound to be strict limits on what Homo sapiens may conceive? This presents itself as a biological, naturalistic argument, reminding us of our kinship with the other beasts, and warning us not to fall into the ancient trap of thinking "how like an angel" we human "souls," with our "infinite" minds are. I think that on the contrary, it is a pseudo-biological argument, one that by ignoring the actual biological details, misdirects us away from the case that can be made for taking one species--our species--right off the scale of intelligence that ranks the pig above the lizard and the ant above the oyster. Comparing our brains with bird brains or dolphin brains is almost beside the point, because our brains are in effect joined together into a single cognitive system that dwarfs all others. They are joined by one of the innovations that has invaded our brains and no others: language. I am not making the foolish claim that all our brains are knit together by language into one gigantic mind, thinking its transnational thoughts, but rather that each individual human brain, thanks to its communicative links, is the beneficiary of the cognitive labors of the others in a way that gives it unprecedented powers. Naked animal brains are no match at all for the heavily armed and outfitted brains we carry in our heads. A purely philosophical approach to these issues is hopeless, I have claimed. It must be supplemented--not replaced--with researches in a variety of disciplines ranging from cognitive psychology and neuroscience to evolutionary theory and paleo-anthropology. I raised the question about whether chimps could learn to tend a fire because of its close--but treacherous!--resemblance to questions that have been discussed in the recent flood of excellent books and articles about the evolution of the human mind (see Further Reading). I will not attempt on this occasion to answer the big questions, but simply explain why answers to them will hinge on answers to the questions raised--and to some degree answered--in this literature. In the terms of the Oxford zoologist Richard Dawkins (1976), my role today is to be a vector of memes, attempting to infect the minds in one niche--my home discipline of philosophy--with memes that are already flourishing in others. At some point in prehistory, our ancestors tamed fire; the evidence strongly suggests that this happened hundreds of thousands of years--or even as much as a million years (Donald, p.114)--before the advent of language, but of course after our hominid line split away from the ancestors of modern apes such as chimpanzees. What, if not language, gave the first fire-taming hominids the cognitive power to master such a project? Or is fire-tending not such a big deal? Perhaps the only reason we don't find chimps in the wild sitting around campfires is that their rainy habitats have never left enough tinder around to give fire a chance to be tamed. (The neurobiologist William Calvin tells me that Sue Savage-Rumbaugh's pygmy chimps in Atlanta love to go on picnics in the woods, and enjoy staring into the campfire's flames, just as we do.) 3. Need to know vs. the commando team: two design types If termites can create elaborate, well-ventilated cities of mud, and weaverbirds can weave audaciously engineered hanging nests, and beavers can build dams that take months to complete, couldn't chimpanzees tend a simple campfire? This rhetorical question climbs another misleading ladder of abilities. It ignores the independently well-evidenced possibility that there are two profoundly different ways of building dams: the way beavers do and the way we do. The differences are not necessarily in the products, but in the control structures within the brains that create them. A child might study a weaverbird building its nest, and then replicate the nest herself, finding the right pieces of grass, and weaving them in the right order, creating, by the very same series of steps, an identical nest. A film of the two building processes occurring side-by-side might overwhelm us with a sense that we were seeing the same phenomenon twice, but it would be a big mistake to impute to the bird the sort of thought processes we know or imagine to be going on in the child. There could be very little in common between the processes going on in the child's brain and the bird's brain. The bird is (apparently) endowed with a collection of interlocking special-purpose minimalist subroutines, well-designed by evolution according to the notorious "Need to Know Principle" of espionage: give each agent as little information as will suffice for it to accomplish its share of the mission. Control systems designed under this principle can be astonishingly successful--witness the birds' nests, after all--whenever the environment has enough simplicity and regularity, and hence predictability, to favor predesign of the whole system. The system's very design in effect makes a prediction--a wager, in fact--that the environment will be the way it must be for the system to work. When the complexity of encountered environments rises, however, and unpredictability becomes a more severe problem, a different design principle kicks in: the commando team principle illustrated by such films as "The Guns of Navarone": give each agent as much knowledge about the total project as possible, so that the team has a chance of ad libbing appropriately when unanticipated obstacles arise. Fortunately, we don't have to inspect brain processes directly to get evidence of the degree to which one design principle or the other is operating in a particular organism--although in due course it will be wonderful to get confirmation from neuroscience. In the meantime, we can conduct experiments that reveal the hidden dissimilarities by showing how bird and child respond to abnormal obstacles and opportunities along the way. My favorite example of such an experiment with beavers is Wilsson (1974): It turns out that beavers hate the sound of running water and will cast about frantically for something--anything--that will bring relief; Wilsson played recordings of running water from loudspeakers, and the beavers responded by plastering the loudspeakers with mud. So there is a watershed in the terrain of evolutionary design space; when a control problem lies athwart it, it could be a matter of chance which direction evolution propelled the successful descendants. Perhaps, then, there are two ways of tending fires--roughly, the beaver-dam way, and our way. If so, it is a good thing for us that our ancestors didn't hit upon the beaver-dam way, for if they had, the woods might today be full of apes sitting around campfires, but we would not be here to marvel at them. 4. The Tower of Generate-and-Test I want to propose a framework in which we can place the various design options for brains, to see where their power comes from. It is an outrageously oversimplified structure, but idealization is the price one should often be willing to pay for synoptic insight. I will call it the Tower of Generate-and-Test. Endnote 2 In the beginning there was Darwinian evolution of species by natural selection. A variety of candidate organisms were blindly generated by more or less arbitrary processes of recombination and mutation of genes. These organisms were field tested, and only the best designs survived. This is the ground floor of the tower. Let us call its inhabitants Darwinian creatures. (Is there perhaps a basement? Recently speculations by physicists and cosmologists about the evolution of universes opens the door to such a prospect, but I will not explore it on this occasion. My topic today is the highest stories of the Tower.) This process went through many millions of cycles, producing many wonderful designs, both plant and animal, and eventually among its novel creations were some designs with the property of phenotypic plasticity. The individual candidate organisms were not wholly designed at birth, or in other words there were elements of their design that could be adjusted by events that occurred during the field tests. Some of these candidates, we may suppose, were no better off than their hard-wired cousins, since they had no way of favoring (selecting for an encore) the behavioral options they were equipped to "try out", but others, we may suppose, were fortunate enough to have wired-in "reinforcers" that happened to favor Smart Moves, actions that were better for their agents. These individuals thus confronted the environment by generating a variety of actions, which they tried out, one by one, until they found one that "worked". We may call this subset of Darwinian creatures, the creatures with conditionable plasticity, Skinnerian creatures, since, as B. F. Skinner was fond of pointing out, operant conditioning is not just analogous to Darwinian natural selection; it is continuous with it. "Where inherited behavior leaves off, the inherited modifiability of the process of conditioning takes over." (Skinner, 1953, p.83) Skinnerian conditioning is a fine capacity to have, so long as you are not killed by one of your early errors. A better system involves preselection among all the possible behaviors or actions, weeding out the truly stupid options before risking them in the harsh world. We human beings are creatures capable of this third refinement, but we are probably not alone. We may call the beneficiaries of this third story in the Tower Popperian creatures, since as Sir Karl Popper once elegantly put it, this design enhancement "permits our hypotheses to die in our stead." Unlike the merely Skinnerian creatures who survive because they are lucky, we Popperian creatures survive because we're smart--of course we're just lucky to be smart, but that's better than just being lucky. Endnote 3 But how is this preselection in Popperian agents to be done? Where is the feedback to come from? It must come from a sort of inner environment--an inner something-or-other that is structured in such a way that the surrogate actions it favors are more often than not the very actions the real world would also bless, if they were actually performed. In short, the inner environment, whatever it is, must contain lots of information about the outer environment and its regularities. Nothing else (except magic) could provide preselection worth having. Now here we must be very careful not to think of this inner environment as simply a replica of the outer world, with all its physical contingencies reproduced. (In such a miraculous toy world, the little hot stove in your head would be hot enough to actually burn the little finger in your head that you placed on it!) The information about the world has to be there, but it also has to be structured in such a way that there is a non-miraculous explanation of how it got there, how it is maintained, and how it actually achieves the preselective effects that are its raison d'être. We have now reached the story of the Tower on which I want to build. Once we get to Popperian creatures, creatures whose brains have the potential to be shaped into inner environments with preselective prowess, what happens next? How does new information about the outer environment get incorporated into these brains? This is where earlier design decisions--and in particular, choices between Need to Know and Commando Team--come back to haunt the designer; for if a particular species' brain design has already gone down the Need to Know path with regard to some control problem, only minor modifications (fine tuning, you might say) can be readily made to the existing structures, so the only hope of making a major revision of the internal environment to account for new problems, new features of the external environment that matter, is to submerge the old hard-wiring under a new layer of pre-emptive control (a theme developed in the work of the AI researcher Rodney Brooks). It is these higher levels of control that have the potential for vast increases in versatility. And it is at these levels in particular, that we should look for the role of language (when it finally arrives on the scene), in turning our brains into virtuoso pre-selectors. We engage in our share of rather mindless routine behavior, but our important acts are often directed on the world with incredible cunning, composing projects exquisitely designed under the influence of vast libraries of information about the world. The instinctual actions we share with other species show the benefits derived by the harrowing explorations of our ancestors. The imitative actions we share with some higher animals may show the benefits of information gathered not just by our ancestors, but also by our social groups over generations, transmitted non-genetically by a "tradition" of imitation. But our more deliberatively planned acts show the benefits of information gathered and transmitted by our conspecifics in every culture, including, moreover, items of information that no single individual has embodied or understood in any sense. And while some of this information may be of rather ancient acquisition, much of it is brand new. When comparing the time scales of genetic and cultural evolution, it is useful to bear in mind that we here today--every one of us--can easily understand many ideas that were simply unthinkable by the geniuses in our grandparents' generation! The successors to mere Popperian creatures are those whose inner environments are informed by the designed portions of the outer environment. We may call this sub-sub-subset of Darwinian creatures Gregorian creatures, since Richard Gregory, the first speaker in this series, is to my mind the pre-eminent theorist of the role of information--or more exactly, what Gregory calls Potential Intelligence--in the creation of Smart Moves--or what Gregory calls Kinetic Intelligence. Gregory observes that a pair of scissors, as a well-designed artifact, is not just a result of intelligence, but an endower of intelligence (external potential intelligence), in a very straightforward and intuitive sense: when you give someone a pair of scissors, you enhance their potential to arrive more safely and swiftly at Smart Moves (Gregory 1981, pp.311ff). Anthropologists have long recognized that the advent of tool use accompanied a major increase in intelligence. Our fascination with the discovery that chimpanzees in the wild fish for termites with crudely prepared fishing sticks is not misplaced. This fact takes on further significance when we learn that not all chimpanzees have hit upon this trick; in some chimpanzee "cultures" termites are a present but unexploited food source. This reminds us that tool use is a two-way sign of intelligence; not only does it require intelligence to recognize and maintain a tool (let alone fabricate one), but it confers intelligence on those who are lucky enough to be given the tool. The better designed the tool, the more information is embedded in its fabrication, the more potential intelligence it confers on its user. And among the pre-eminent tools, Gregory reminds us, are what he calls mind-tools: words. What happens to a human or hominid brain when it becomes equipped with words? I have arrived, finally, back at the question with which I began. 5. What words do to us There are two related mistakes that are perennially tempting to theorists thinking about the evolution of language and thinking. The first is to suppose that the manifest benefits of communication to humanity (the group, or the species) might themselves explain the evolution of language. The default supposition of evolutionary theory must be that individuals are initially competitive, not cooperative, and while this default can be most interestingly overridden by special conditions, the burden is always to demonstrate the existence of the special conditions. The second mistake is to suppose that mind-tools--words, ideas, techniques--that were not "good for us" would not survive the competition. The best general antidote I know to both these errors is Richard Dawkins' discussion of memes in The Selfish Gene Endnote 4. The best detailed discussion I know of the problem of designing communication under the constraint of competitive communicators is by the last speaker in this series, Dan Sperber, and his co-author Deirdre Wilson, in their excellent book, Relevance: a Theory of Communication (Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ. Press, 1986.) One upshot of the considerations raised by these thinkers is that one may usefully think of words--the most effective vehicles for memes--as invading or parasitizing a brain, not simply being acquired by a brain. Endnote 5 What is the shape of this environment when words first enter it? It is definitely not an even playing field or a tabula rasa. Our newfound words must anchor themselves on the hills and valleys of a landscape of considerable complexity. Thanks to earlier evolutionary pressures, our innate quality spaces are species-specific, narcissistic, and even idiosyncratic from individual to individual. A number of investigators are currently exploring portions of this terrain. The psychologist Frank Keil and his colleagues at Cornell have evidence that certain highly abstract concepts--such as the concepts of being alive or ownership, for instance--have a genetically imposed head start in the young child's kit of mind-tools; when the specific words for owning, giving and taking, keeping and hiding, and their kin enter a child's brain, they find homes already partially built for them. Ray Jackendoff and other linguists have identified fundamental structures of spatial representation--notably designed to enhance the control of locomotion and the placement of movable things--that underlie our intuitions about concepts like beside, on, behind, and their kin. Nicholas Humphrey has argued in recent years that there must be a genetic predisposition for adopting what I have called the intentional stance, and Alan Leslie and others have developed evidence for this, in the form of what he calls a "theory of mind module" designed to generate second-order beliefs (beliefs about the beliefs and other mental states of others). Some autistic children seem to be well-described as suffering from the disabling of this module, for which they can occasionally make interesting compensatory adjustments. (See Further Reading.) We are only just beginning to discern the details of the interactions between such pre-existing information structures and the arrival of language, so theorists who have opportunistically ignored the phenomenon up till now have nothing to apologize for. The time has come, however, to change tactics. In Artificial Intelligence, for instance, even the most ambitiously realistic systems--such as Soar, the star of Allen Newell's Unified Theories of Cognition (1990)--are described without so much as a hint about which features, if any, are dependent on the system's having acquired a natural language with which to supplement its native representational facilities. Endnote 6 The result is that most AI agents, the robotic as well as the bed-ridden, are designed on the model of the walking encyclopedia, as if all the information in the inner environment were in the form of facts told at one time or another to the system. Endnote 7 And in the philosophy of mind, there is a similar tradition of theory-construction and debate about the nature of belief, desire and intention--philosophical "theories of mental representation"--fed on a diet exclusively drawn from language-infected cognitive states. Endnote 8 Tom believes that snow is white. Do polar bears believe that snow is white? In the same sense? Supposing one might develop a good general theory of belief by looking exclusively at such specialized examples is like supposing one might develop a good general theory of motor control by looking exclusively at examples of people driving automobiles in city traffic. "Hey, if that isn't motor control, what is?"--a silly pun echoed, I am claiming, by the philosopher who says "Tom believes snow is white--hey, if that isn't a belief, what is?" 6. What words do for us John Holland, a pioneer researcher on genetic algorithms, has recently summarized the powers of the Popperian internal environment, adding a nice wrinkle. An internal model allows a system to look ahead to the future consequences of current actions, without actually committing itself to those actions. In particular, the system can avoid acts that would set it irretrievably down some road to future disaster ("stepping off a cliff"). Less dramatically, but equally important, the model enables the agent to make current "stage-setting" moves that set up later moves that are obviously advantageous. The very essence of a competitive advantage, whether it be in chess or economics, is the discovery and execution of stage-setting moves. --John Holland, "Complex Adaptive Systems," Daedalus, Winter, 1992, p25. But how intricate and long-range can the "stage-setting" look-ahead be without the intervention of language to help control the manipulation of the model? This is the relevance of my question at the outset about the chimp's capacities to visualize a novel scene. As Merlin Donald points out in his thought-provoking book (p.35), Darwin was convinced that language was the prerequisite for "long trains of thought," and this claim has been differently argued for several recent theorists, especially Julian Jaynes and Howard Margolis. Long trains of thought have to be controlled, or they will wander off into delicious if futile woolgathering. These authors suggest, plausibly, that the self-exhortations and reminders made possible by language are actually essential to maintaining the sorts of long-term projects only we human beings engage in (unless, like the beaver, we have a built-in specialist for completing a particular long term project). Merlin Donald resists this plausible conjecture, and offers a variety of grounds for believing that the sorts of thinking that we can engage in without language are remarkably sophisticated. I commend his argument to your attention in spite of the doubts about it I will now briefly raise. Donald's argument depends heavily on two sources of information, both problematic in my opinion. First, he makes strong claims about the capabilities of those congenitally Deaf human beings who have not yet developed (so far as anyone can tell) any natural language--in particular, signing. Second, he draws our attention to the amazing case of Brother John, a French Canadian monk who suffers from frequent epileptic seizures that do not render him unconscious or immobile, but just totally aphasic, for periods of a few minutes or hours. During these paroxysms of aphasia, we are told, Brother John had no language, either external or internal. That is, he could neither comprehend nor produce words of his native tongue, not even "to himself". Endnote 9 At the same time, Brother John can "still record the episodes of life, assess events, assign meanings and thematic roles to agents in various situations, acquire and execute complex skills, learn and remember how to behave in a variety of settings." (Donald, p.89.) My doubts about the use to which Donald wants to put these findings are straightforward, and should be readily resolvable in time: both Brother John and the long-term language-less Deaf people, are in different ways and to different degrees, still the beneficiaries of the shaping role of language. In the case of Brother John, his performance during aphasic paroxysm relies, as Lecours and Joanette note, on "language-mediated apprenticeships". Brother John maintains, for instance, that he need not tell himself the words "tape recorder," "magnetic tape," "red button on the left," "turn," "push" and so forth... in order to be capable of properly operating a tape recorder.... (Roche Lecours and Joanette, p.20) The Deaf who lack Sign--a group whose numbers are diminishing today, thank goodness--lack Brother John's specific language-mediated apprenticeships, but we simply don't know--yet--what structures in their brains are indirect products of the language that most of their ancestors in recent millennia have shared. The evidence that Donald adduces for the powers of language-less thought is thus potentially misleading. These varieties of language-less thought, like barefoot waterskiing, may be possible only for brief periods, and only after a preparatory period that includes the very feature whose absence is later so striking. There are indirect ways of testing the hypotheses implied by these doubts. Consider episodic memory, for instance. When a dog retrieves a bone it has buried, it manifests an effect on its memory, but must the dog, in retrieving the bone, actually recollect the episode of burying? (Perhaps you can name the current U. S. Secretary of State, but can you recall the occasion of learning his name?) The capacity for genuine episodic recollecting--as opposed to semantic memory installed by a single episode of learning--is in need of careful analysis and investigation. Donald follows Jane Goodall in claiming that chimpanzees in the wild are "able to perceive social events accurately and to remember them" (p.157)--as episodes in memory. But we have not really been given any evidence from which this strong thesis follows; the social perspicuity of the chimpanzees might be largely due to specialized perceptual talents interacting with specialized signs--suppose, for instance, that there is something subtle about the posture of a subordinate facing a superior that instantly--visually--tells an observer chimp (but not an human observer) which is subordinate, and how much. Experiments that would demonstrate a genuine capacity for episodic memory in chimpanzees would have to involve circumstances in which a episode was observed or experienced, but in which its relevance as a premise for some social inference was not yet determined--so no "inference" could be drawn at once. If something that transpired later suddenly gave a retrospective relevance to the earlier episode, and if a chimpanzee can tumble to that fact, this would be evidence--but not yet conclusive evidence--of episodic memory. Another way of testing for episodic memory in the absence of language would be to let a chimpanzee observe--once--a relatively novel and elaborate behavioral sequence that accomplishes some end (e.g., to make the door open, you stamp three times, turn in a circle and then push both buttons at once), and see if the chimpanzee, faced with the need to accomplish the same end, can even come close to reproducing the sequence. It is not that there is any doubt that chimpanzee brain tissue is capable of storing this much information--it can obviously store vastly more than is required for such a simple feat--but whether the chimpanzee can exploit this storage medium in such an adaptive way on short notice. And that is the sort of question that no amount of microscopic brain-study is going to shed much light on. 7. The art of making mistakes: the next story This brings me to my final step up the Tower of Generate-and-Test. There is one more embodiment of this wonderful idea, and it is the one that gives our minds their greatest power: once we have language--a bountiful kit of mind-tools--we can use them in the structure of deliberate, foresightful generate-and-test known as science. All the other varieties of generate-and-test are willy-nilly. The soliloquy that accompanies the errors committed by the lowliest Skinnerian creature might be "Well, I mustn't do that again!" and the hardest lesson for any agent to learn, apparently, is how to learn from one's own mistakes. In order to learn from them, one has to be able to contemplate them, and this is no small matter. Life rushes on, and unless one has developed positive strategies for recording one's tracks, the task known in AI as credit assignment (also, known, of course, as blame assignment!) is insoluble. The advent of high-speed still photography was a revolutionary technological advance for science because it permitted human beings, for the first time, to examine complicated temporal phenomena not in real time, but in their own good time--in leisurely, methodical backtracking analysis of the traces they had created of those complicated events. Here a technological advance carried in its wake a huge enhancement in cognitive power. The advent of language was an exactly parallel boon for human beings, a technology that created a whole new class of objects-to-contemplate, verbally embodied surrogates that could be reviewed in any order at any pace. And this opened up a new dimension of self-improvement--all one had to do was to learn to savor one's own mistakes. But science is not just a matter of making mistakes, but of making mistakes in public. Making mistakes for all to see, in the hopes of getting the others to help with the corrections. It has been plausibly maintained, by Nicholas Humphrey, David Premack and others, that chimpanzees are natural psychologists--what I would call second-order intentional systems--but if they are, they nevertheless lack a crucial feature shared by all human natural psychologists, folk and professional varieties: they never get to compare notes. They never dispute over attributions, and ask for the grounds for each others' conclusions. No wonder their comprehension is so limited. Ours would be, too, if we had to generate it all on our own. ** Let me sum up the results of my rather swift and superficial survey. Our human brains, and only human brains, have been armed by habits and methods, mind-tools and information, drawn from millions of other brains to which we are not genetically related. This, amplified by the deliberate use of generate-and-test in science, puts our minds on a different plane from the minds of our nearest relatives among the animals. This species-specific process of enhancement has become so swift and powerful that a single generation of its design improvements can now dwarf the R-and-D efforts of millions of years of evolution by natural selection. So while we cannot rule out the possibility in principle that our minds will be cognitively closed to some domain or other, no good "naturalistic" reason to believe this can be discovered in our animal origins. On the contrary, a proper application of Darwinian thinking suggests that if we survive our current self-induced environmental crises, our capacity to comprehend will continue to grow by increments that are now incomprehensible to us. Further Reading Rodney Brooks, 1991, "Intelligence Without Representation," Artificial Intelligence Journal, 47, pp.139-59. William Calvin, 1990, The Ascent of Mind: Ice Age Climates and the Evolution of Intelligence, New York: Bantam Richard Dawkins, 1976, The Selfish Gene, Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press. Daniel Dennett, "The brain and its boundaries, " review of McGinn, 1990, in TLS, May 10, 1991 (corrected by erratum notice on May 24, p29). Jared Diamond, 1992, The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal, New York: Harper Merlin Donald, 1991, Origins of the Modern Mind: Three Stages in the Evolution of Culture and Cognition, Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ. Press Richard Gregory 1981, Mind in Science, Cambridge Univ. Press. Ray Jackendoff, 1987, Consciousness and the Computational Mind, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press/A Bradford Book. Julian Jaynes, 1976, The Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Frank Keil, forthcoming, "The Origins of an Autonomous Biology," in Minnesota Symposium, [details forthcoming] Alan Leslie, 1992, "Pretense, Autism and the Theory-of-Mind Module," Current Directions in Psychological Science, 1, pp.18-21. Colin McGinn, 1990, The Problem of Consciousness, Oxford: Blackwell. Allen Newell, 1990, Unifed Theories of Cognition, Harvard Univ. Press. Howard Margolis, 1987, Patterns, Thinking and Cognition, Univ. of Chicago Press. André Roche Lecours and Yves Joanette, "Linguistic and Other Psychological Aspects of Praoxysmal Aphasia," Brain and Language, 10, pp.1-23, 1980. John Holland, "Complex Adaptive Systems," Daedalus, Winter, 1992, p25. Nicholas Humphrey, 1986, The Inner Eye, London: Faber & Faber. David Premack, 1986, Gavagai! Or the Future History of the Animal Language Controversy, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. B. F. Skinner, 1953, Science and Human Behavior, New Yorkl: MacMillan. Dan Sperber and Deirdre Wilson, 1986, Relevance: a Theory of Communication, Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ. Press. L. Wilsson, 1974, "Observations and Experiments on the Ethology of the European Beaver," Viltrevy, Swedish Wildlife, 8, pp.115-266. Endnotes 1. See the discussion of Steven Kosslyn's concept of "visual generativity" and its relation to language, in Donald, 1991, pp.72-5. 2.This is an elaboration of ideas to be found in my "Why the Law of Effect Will Not Go Away," 1974, Journal of the Theory of Social Behaviour, 5, pp.169-87, reprinted in Brainstorms, 1978. 3. For more on the relationship between luck and talent (and free will and responsibility), see my Elbow Room: The Varieties of Free Will Worth Wanting, 1984. 4.R. Dawkins, 1976, The Selfish Gene, Oxford Univ. Press. See also my discussions of the concept in "Memes and the Exploitation of the Imagination," Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 1990, 48, pp. 127-35. and in my book, Consciousness Explained, 1991. 5.This idea is defended in chapters 7 and 8 of Consciousness Explained. 6.See my review of Newell, forthcoming in Artificial Intelligence, special issue devoted to Newell's book. 7. Cf. Dennett, 1991, "Mother Nature versus the Walking Encyclopedia," in W. Ramsey, S. Stich, and D. Rumelhart, eds., Philosophy and Connectionist Theory, Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. 8. Such belief-like states are what I have called "opinions" (in Brainstorms, ch. 16.) 9.In Consciousness Explained, I deliberately made up--as an implausible but possible fiction--a case of temporary total aphasia: "there is an herb an overdose of which makes you incapable of understanding spoken sentences in your native language..," adding that for all I knew, it might be fact, not fiction (p.69). If Brother John's epilepsy could be brought on by an overdose of an herb, the case would be complete--if Brother John's case is the fact it seems to be. A review of the original report (Roche Lecours and Joanette, 1980) leaves unanswered questions, but no grounds for dismissal that I could detect.Could Canonical and Ubuntu give Linux a chance to gain widespread acceptance? Here are 10 reasons why it might play out that way. When people hear Ubuntu Linux, the reactions vary greatly. Some folks hiss and spit like a cornered cat, some cheer, and some just tilt their head in confusion. But from my perspective as a long-time Linux user and a supporter of what Canonical and Ubuntu are doing, one word comes to mind: Future. What do I mean? Simple. Ubuntu Linux holds the key to mass acceptance of Linux on the desktop. Of course, Canonical and Ubuntu aren't perfect. They have made some missteps and isolated a good portion of the Linux community. Even so, the Ubuntu distribution still offers the best chance. Let's look at why. 1: Mobile platform Canonical saw the future of computing and it was in the hands of the users — literally. In both smartphone and tablet form, Ubuntu will be the first to deliver Linux to mobile devices. And having the power of Ubuntu available on a mobile device should bring a huge win for the Linux platform. Although the Ubuntu phone and tablet have yet to be released, they are already starting to cause a stir. Will either of these displace IOS or Android devices? Most likely not. But they will introduce even more users to the Linux platform. 2: Unification of devices With the release of the Ubuntu Phone and Tablet, one of the goals Mark Shuttleworth set out to achieve was a unification of devices. This means that every kind of machine, from server to smartphone, can enjoy the same interface. This unification will go a long way toward stripping away the stigma that Linux is too hard. On top of erasing the current negativity surrounding Linux, it will also make supporting the platform that much easier — one interface to rule them all. 3: Developing for the masses Ubuntu is truly the first Linux distribution whose primary focus is the average computer user. Where most distributions preach to an already baptized choir, Canonical is focusing its energy on the rest of the world. If any distribution (or managing company) can get Linux into the hands of the masses, it's Canonical and Ubuntu. Nearly every other distribution seems to be content with targeting users who are already familiar with Linux and open source. 4: An eye for business Red Hat is the only company to make any serious inroads with big business. Small to midsize businesses, on the other hand, have been a mystery. Canonical has given Ubuntu Linux a spit shine perfectly suited for SMBs. This applies to everything. From the Ubuntu.com website to the graphics used on the desktop (and all points in between), Ubuntu has the right level of polish necessary to win over the hearts and minds of business. And with the mobile initiative in place, it becomes clear that Canonical has its eyes on a significant prize no other desktop distribution has been able to win over. 5: Beauty and simplicity Now that Ubuntu 13.04 is here, users should notice subtle differences that help to bring the ever-improving Ubuntu Unity to levels of function and form unseen on the Linux desktop. Yes, the past has been rife with grumblings about Unity. But after only a short few releases, Unity has become an
swinging in space for billions of years, than to be carried on the back of an elephant supported on a tortoise swimming in a bottomless sea. He concludes by illustrating his point with what could be best described as a prose poem about the magnificence of evolution, what Richard Dawkins termed “the magic of reality,” Einstein extolled as the ineffable spirit of the universe, and Carl Sagan celebrated as the reverence of nature. The poetic eloquence for which Feynman remains known, which hardly anyone has mastered since, except perhaps Neil deGrasse Tyson and Brian Cox, makes for a beautiful read on par with Diane Ackerman’s Cosmic Pastoral. Feynman writes: I have thought about these things so many times alone that I hope you will excuse me if I remind you of some thoughts that I am sure you have all had — or this type of thought — which no one could ever have had in the past, because people then didn’t have the information we have about the world today. For instance, I stand at the seashore, alone, and start to think. There are the rushing waves... mountains of molecules, each stupidly minding its own business... trillions apart... yet forming white surf in unison. Ages on ages... before any eyes could see... year after year... thunderously pounding the shore as now. For whom, for what?... on a dead planet, with no life to entertain. Never at rest... tortured by energy... wasted prodigiously by the sun... poured into space. A mite makes the sea roar. Deep in the sea, all molecules repeat the patterns of one another till complex new ones are formed. They make others like themselves... and a new dance starts. Growing in size and complexity... living things, masses of atoms, DNA, protein... dancing a pattern ever more intricate. Out of the cradle onto the dry land... here it is standing... atoms with consciousness... matter with curiosity. Stands at the sea... wonders at wondering... I... a universe of atoms... an atom in the universe. The Pleasure of Finding Things Out is absolutely fantastic in its entirety. Complement it with Feynman’s little-known sketches and drawings and his graphic-novel biography.Hundreds of refugee families headed to Mount Seymour on Sunday to play in the snow, try skiing or snowboarding and have a barbecue. Snowsuit and snowshoes on! (Deb Goble/CBC) "I can only imagine if our family went though what they've had, how much we would appreciate it if they reached out and welcomed us and [made] us feel comfortable and part of the country," said Eddie Wood, general manager for Mount Seymour. Mount Seymour made equipment to ski, snowboard, or toboggan free for refugee families. (CBC) All the winter clothing was donated while hundreds of volunteers, from translators to ski instructors, came to help as well. The families came from all over Metro Vancouver and for many, it was their first time in the snow. Officials at Mount Seymour said they've been touched by stories of Syrian families trying to adapt to their new lives in the Lower Mainland. (Deb Goble/CBC) "They're apprehensive, in awe, a little tentative but just having a great time," said ski instructor Carol Griffiths. "Look at their faces, they're just smiling and coming back for more." "What I can relate to is seeing the excitement and the nervousness... being out here in the snow, and that I can relate to and it gives us all goosebumps," said volunteer, Jenny Wesanko. Refugee families attending a free event on Mount Seymour were treated to some barbeque. (Deb Goble/CBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MtSeymour?src=hash">#MtSeymour</a> has invited a number of refugee families up to just have some fun. And fun they are having. <a href="https://t.co/vbqRCBN8uU">pic.twitter.com/vbqRCBN8uU</a> —@CBCDeborahGoble with files from Deborah GobleChef Adds Special Ingredient To D.C. Soup Kitchen Get the recipe for Miriam's Kitchen's strawberry shortcake breakfast biscuits. Enlarge this image toggle caption Laura Krantz/NPR Laura Krantz/NPR Read more about what NPR's Daniel Zwerdling says makes Steve Badt of Miriam's Kitchen an unusual chef. We live in an era when chefs have become TV personalities, corporate moguls and brand names. Emeril Lagasse, for example, recently sold his brand name and other parts of his food empire for $50 million. Acclaimed chef Steve Badt has followed a different path. Badt used to cook in trendy restaurants in Washington and New York City, the kind of places that got great reviews in The New York Times and The Washington Post, NPR's Daniel Zwerdling tells host Liane Hansen. "In fact, Badt dreamed that he would run his own restaurant someday," Zwerdling says. Instead, he walked out of the restaurant world. He quit. Badt's future wife had given him an ultimatum: the restaurant business or her. It was difficult to imagine having a family while working restaurant hours, so he tried to come up with a way to merge his culinary experience with his desire to help people. He decided his new mission was to run a soup kitchen. And in July 2001, he began doing just that. He oversees the menu at Miriam's Kitchen in Washington, D.C., which is located in the basement of a church a mile away from the White House. Zwerdling joined Badt and a group of volunteers one recent morning as they were making a six-course breakfast for more than 200 homeless people. On the menu were omlettes with sauteed mushrooms, ham, onions and cheese; stone-ground grits; homemade home fries; green salad; and strawberry shortcake. Badt called the breakfast typical and says he treats his guests as paying customers. He says he realized one day that once you're on the street, it's hard to get back on your feet. "So my energy comes from the fact that — wow, if I can start these guys off with a beautiful meal and a great meal and a nutritious meal, will that increase the odds that maybe they'll get housing, that maybe they'll get off drugs, that maybe they'll have a good day?" Badt says.While Mr. Guzman survived at least 13 shots, Mr. Bell was struck only four times, and two of those shots were fatal. A bullet was found lodged near Mr. Guzman’s left kidney, and he had wounds on the left side of his chest and on his right cheek, among other places, according to testimony at the detectives’ trial on Wednesday from Dr. Albert Cooper, the surgeon at Mary Immaculate Hospital who treated Mr. Guzman on the morning of the shooting. Matter from Mr. Guzman’s intestines spilled into his abdominal cavity, creating the potential for deadly infection, Dr. Cooper said. Mr. Guzman survived an onslaught that would kill a person 99 percent of the time, Dr. DiMaio said. Mr. Guzman’s saving grace may have been the Nissan Altima he sat in as the detectives fired, Dr. DiMaio said. “If they go through metal, the bullets may have so little energy they get into the muscle or fat and then they stop,” he said. A person’s physical size does not matter much when it comes to the damage a bullet can do, the doctors say. In 1995, the man in North Carolina, Kenny Vaughan, did not have a car to protect him when he was shot about 20 times in Rougemont. As Mr. Vaughan pulled into his driveway one evening, he said, a man in a van pulled in behind him and hopped out with a rifle in his hand. Mr. Vaughan recognized the man as a former neighbor. As Mr. Vaughan dashed for the side of his house, he was struck in the side of his right leg and fell to the ground. Photo Then, from about five feet away, the man fired shot after shot as Mr. Vaughan crept on his side, trying in vain to crawl under his minivan, to somehow find a reprieve from the indescribable sting he felt with each bullet that tore into his body. Advertisement Continue reading the main story “You’re thinking clearer than you ever thought in your life,” Mr. Vaughan said during a recent interview. “I don’t know if it’s the adrenaline or just the will to live. You want to live more than anything in the world, and you know you have no control. I asked the Lord not to hit me in my heart and head.” When the gunman stopped to reload, Mr. Vaughan said, he pulled himself to his feet and onto the hood of his minivan. But the man knocked him on his back with a shot to the abdomen, again from about five feet away, and continued shooting. Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content, updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. The final shot, Mr. Vaughan said, entered his groin area and exited through his rectum, leaving him lying in a pool of blood and feces. He never lost consciousness. “I wouldn’t close my eyes,” he said. “I kept telling myself, ‘If you close your eyes, you’ll go into shock, and you’re dead.’ ” Mr. Vaughan said that he had an out-of-body experience while he was being shot — he felt as though he was watching the shooting from 15 feet away — and that he had God to thank for his survival. “It was a plan that was way bigger than I am,” Mr. Vaughan said. “And why he saw fit for me to live and other people not to live, I can’t begin to answer that question.” Two doctors who operated on Mr. Vaughan said his survival was unlike anything they had ever seen. Bullets barely missed several vital organs. Two were less than an inch from his heart. “How you can get that many bullets in the chest, the groin, the abdomen and extremities and not have a lethal injury is pretty remarkable,” said Dr. Phillip Shadduck, the general surgeon at Durham Regional Hospital who operated on Mr. Vaughan. “He was very fortunate.” Advertisement Continue reading the main story The gun used to shoot Mr. Vaughan was a.22-caliber rifle, a firearm that is much less lethal than, say, the 9-millimeter handguns that detectives in the Bell case used, Dr. DiMaio said. But Mr. Vaughan was shot at close range with nothing to shield him. In those cases, there is little one can do to mitigate damage, said Dr. DiMaio and Dr. Martin L. Fackler, a former military surgeon. “The best thing, they say, is run,” Dr. DiMaio said. If a gunshot victim’s heart is still beating upon arrival at a hospital, there is a 95 percent chance of survival, Dr. DiMaio said. (People shot in vital organs usually do not make it that far, he added.) Shots to roughly 80 percent of targets on the body would not be fatal blows, Dr. Fackler said. Still, he added, it is like roulette. Anybody who survives being shot, he said, “is lucky to be alive.”Apologies, this latest in my ongoing Oculus Rift / VR curiosities column is a week late, due to most of the RPS staff being dead last week. On with the sterescopic show, anyway – this week I’m looking at Rift games/experiments which are based to some degree around the concept of sitting in a chair. This turns out to be far more fertile ground with reality-shifting cleverness than it might sound. The Entertainment This free ‘intermission’ for the incomparable Kentucky Route Zero has been around for a while, but it’s only now that I’ve tried the Rift version of it. I’d say it’s one of the most essential Oculus vignettes to date, and demands your eyes and ears even if you haven’t played KRZ itself. The dialogue is arch and steeped in so many layers of meta-commentary that I’m not sure it manages to sustain the maudlin reflection of KRZ proper, but the central conceit (and the dawning realisation of what it is) is as perfect a Rift experiment as I can imagine. While this isn’t a narrative game – at least not in a conventional sense – I suppose technically the following observations count as spoilers, so please make a judgement about whether to read on. The Entertainment broadly involves watching a play. It’s a play about American dispossession with strong Miller overtones, though if there’s one thing I do know for sure about anything Kentucky Route Zero, it’s that it’s referencing art I’m too much of a philistine to know myself. Watching the play through an Oculus immediately involves one key feature – the ability to turn your head. Look straight ahead and two actors recite lines about dusty lives in a gloomy bar; look over your left shoulder and the director offers a commentary of sorts; look behind you and you see an audience watching in silence, though lines from a journalist’s review of the play soon appear; look down at the table you’re sat at and something narrates your own actions. You’re the audience, except there’s an audience behind you. Which must mean that – ah, well that’s the thing, isn’t it? We’ve all seen the pictures and videos of people looking like muzzled drunkards in their VR headsets. What plums they are, whirling their heads around while they disappear into an imagined world. That’s what I was doing while I watched this play within a game. I was a play too, for The Entertainment made my seated performance into its performance. For all the archness and metatextuality, right down at the heart of The Entertainment was one big, playful joke. Look at you, twisting and gawping and spinning. Player indeed. I should also note that The Entertainment further comes alive if you’re sat on a swivel chair, for this is an experience played out in 360 degrees and necks don’t usually go that far. Blocked In Until Oculus DK2 is fully in the wild, I do imagine that ‘dioramas’ will be a mainstay of any VR releases or coverage. Interaction with Oculus DK1 one games is hamstrung by the readability issue and the blur/motion sickness issue, though a few games have found ways around this (more on one those in the next column). I find these dioramas almost more thrilling, though – I’m simply transported somewhere else, and without the risk of any game-y interaction shattering that fantasy. Blocked In is a gag, but it’s not just a gag. What a majority of 3D games do is create large environments which are full of small details, most of which you’ll notice (if indeed you notice them at all) for a split second as you charge around the place. Blocked In demonstrates something that VR can do so well, something that a monitor can not – make you look around. The default response to putting on those goggles is to move your head, not to press a button, and as such you see so much more – because it seems so big and so tangible. Blocked In has you trapped motionless (other than the head) in a cubicle, and as you gaze around the place you notice more and more. The joke clicks after a few confused seconds, and then after that you start admiring all the supporting detail for that joke. Then you start thinking about the connotations of that joke. Then you smile, and look around some more, and a little later you realise that you hadn’t even tried to move or interact with anything, because the simple act of moving your head had been so rewarding. Again, a swivel chair is kinder on the neck, and perhaps entirely apt for this vignette about a cubicle drone of sorts. SPOILER SPOILER: The joke is that you’re some sort of miniature person living inside what may or may not be Gameboy, trapped inside as endless, gigantic Tetris blocks cascade past your windows. It is detail-packed and sharp. Alone I wrote in the last column about a few cinema simulators doing the rounds, but a smart twist on that is a console game simulator. Those of us unable to sit back and play games in our lounge because the rest of the family will complain, or to afford a gigantic TV, can get halfway there by VR apps that recreate the experience of staring at a huge screen from a comfy seat. Alone goes further. Alone has you sat in that comfy seat, playing a console game and staring at a gigantic TV within a very large and very empty home. The windows are open. It’s just countryside beyond. You’re exposed on all sides. You’re just sat there. And you’re staring at a screen. If anyone approached, you probably wouldn’t notice. Unless, of course, that screen suddenly started showing you your own home. Or the noises no longer emanated from that screen’s speakers, but instead from… elsewhere. Alone makes us three for three on VR games that use the concept of sitting down as a foundation for (very different) game experiments. I’m really quite taken with the concept of chair-as-controller: I interact with bold new places and ideas simply by sitting and turning. I worry, a little, that these sorts of ideas will be abandoned once DK2 does usher in a new age of legible VR.Image copyright Getty Images Poet Byron Vincent spent much of his youth in and around "sink" estates. He argues that corralling the poorest people perpetuates criminality. I'm a scumbag, or an ex-scumbag to be precise. I'm middle class now. I own a bread-maker and everything. We tend to think of council estate kids as chippy and aggressive, and many are, but I wasn't, at least not in my primary years. I was into dinosaur encyclopaedias and choose-your-own-adventure books. By the ripe old age of six, I'd decided I was going to be professor of palaeontology at Oxford University. I was a little softy, a knock-kneed bookworm. The violence I saw on the news gave me terrible nightmares and I would often lie awake at night fretting over humanity's capacity for cruelty. I was at odds with gruffness of the estate, with its surly municipal topiary and brutalist sweet shop that sold individual cigarettes for 5p each. I was a self-proclaimed pacifist, and here's a tip for any prissy but morally-driven sink-estate seven-year-olds - vociferously declaring yourself a pacifist to the local bullies doesn't so much give you a free pass as offer them an invitation. I'd often fight back with pointed and cutting verbosity. This was a terrible strategy and I frequently got my head kicked in. About the author Image copyright Charles Emerson Poet Byron Vincent has won nine poetry slams, including Shambala, Secret Garden and the BBC Manchester Literary festival. His Four Thought talk was broadcast on Radio 4 on Wednesday 19 February at 20:45 GMT. Listen via the Radio 4 website Download the Four Thought Podcast I didn't grow up to be an Oxford don. When I told my careers officer what I wanted to do for a living he laughed in my face. By the time I was 13 I'd started taking drugs. By the time I was 16 I was homeless and selling drugs. By the time I was 20 I'd become an addict. The kind of violence that had inspired my childhood nightmares had long since become a reality. I'd been a victim of multiple knife and gun crimes, and on one occasion held hostage and tortured. The landscape of our morality is malleable. It's dictated to us by the dominant values and customs of our environment. The culture of Britain's sink estates has evolved, or perhaps more aptly deteriorated, over generations. Over time, extreme behaviours gradually become integrated into the general machinations of daily existence. Those born into Britain's underclass don't exit the womb with an insatiable desire to shoplift branded sportswear, any more than soldiers are born with a heightened capacity to kill. Yet I watched pretty much all of my peers grow up to engage in sustained criminal activity. Not because of a genetic predisposition. Not because a life of crime is an easy option - it really isn't - but because the people with the worst social and economic problems have been ghettoised and isolated. I'm from the underclass - now I'm middle class. None of my middle-class friends have been to prison, yet many of those from the estates I grew up on have done time. What are we to make of this? Image copyright Getty Images When I was a teenager I was stabbed in the stomach... but I didn't go to the police because I was conditioned to believe that it was my personal responsibility not to Either you believe that people who are born into Britain's disaffected underclass are born with criminal proclivities - a belief which I hope you find bigoted and ridiculous - or you accept that the criminal behaviour of the underclass is the direct consequence of environmental factors. If this behaviour is an environmental construct, then surely there are ethical issues in punishing it. Those with power are reprimanding those with no power, for crimes they themselves would be committing if they'd been born into a different household. To me that is not a functioning society, it's abhorrent. But, what about personal responsibility, right? Is nobody culpable for their own actions anymore? Let me put it this way, when I was a teenager I was stabbed in the stomach. I thought I was going to die, but I didn't go to the police because I was conditioned to believe that it was my personal responsibility not to. That sounds stupid. I'm not advocating this behaviour, but that was the dominant cultural ideology and I adhered to it. I have several examples of council estate body art. There's one scrawled on my forearm, it was done with a hypodermic needle filled with Indian ink. It says "nasty as I wanna-B". I was tiny for my age - I wasn't a fighter but things had a tendency to flare up out of nowhere and had to be dealt with regardless of my feelings. I remember one such occasion when a local man renowned for his sadism stuck a gun in my face and threatened to kill me. This kind of thing wasn't uncommon, he did it for his own amusement, to assert his dominance and see how I'd react. He had prison tattoos. His gait, language and intonation were predatory and aggressive. So I copied them. The tattoos, the speech patterns, the lot - and it worked. It worked in that potential assailants were less quick to start trouble with me. The problem is, if you maintain a pretence every hour of every day, there comes a point were you're not really pretending anymore, are you? The only ways to assert status in such a predatory environment were either by demonstrating a capacity for violence or indulging in certain criminal activities. Image copyright Getty Images As I said, I was homeless as a teenager. A government scheme purportedly aiming to house itinerant youths collected a bunch of us aged between 15 and 21 from the local shelters. If we managed to behave ourselves for six months living together, we got our own flats. The scheme was a disaster - it was run by a private company that specialised in training secretaries. They were ill-prepared for a gaggle of street kids, each displaying an impressive array of social and emotional problems. We were given several weeks of home economics training - but I don't remember anything they taught us at secretary school. I do remember that on the first day the lad who sat next to me threatened to stab me in the neck with his free pen. The communal flats were quickly overrun with drug dealers, gangsters and anyone else who wanted a warm place to conduct their business. Social housing estates shouldn't be these separate isolated places that keep poor people out of sight and mind Most of us were either pretty tough or, like me, did a passable impression of it, but there was one kid who didn't quite fit. He even had the temerity to hold down a job in a chicken factory. The same bloke who'd stuck the gun in my face turned up one day with an equally violent cohort. Chicken boy was singled out immediately. They kicked in his bedroom door and battered him down eight flights of stairs. We never saw him again - that was the price of being perceived to be weak. I was 16 and I had nowhere else to go. That day I made a conscious and calculated choice to behave more aggressively. I can hear the Daily Mail now: "You all heard him, he had a choice…" and yeah, I suppose I did. The choice as I saw it was to go back to sleeping in a bus station or do whatever it took do avoid getting my head caved in by raptor-eyed sociopaths. I had a choice, but it wasn't much of a choice. In the same situation, are you sure you know what you'd do? Unless you've sacrificed a roof over your head to escape the cultural and ethical mores of a violent social group, the answer has to be that you just don't know. The purpose of these grimy anecdotes is to demonstrate that no matter what your personality type or ethical foundation, circumstance and environment play a dominant role in shaping how we behave. Image copyright Getty Images Sometimes those who live on the fringes of society make decisions that are outside of the law or mainstream ethical understanding because it's safer for them to do so. As I mentioned, talking to the police was out of the question, which meant that I was completely on my own in terms of protection and justice. If the police ever did intervene, they did so with blatant prejudice and with little or no regard for my safety - even if they knew my life was in danger. I'm in no way suggesting that all people from sink estates share the same behaviour and ideology. I'm specifically addressing the issue of those whose environmental circumstances have separated them from the cultural and ethical norms of mainstream society. The underclass of which I speak didn't create itself - it's a product of ghettoisation. Taking a bunch of people with social and fiscal problems and forcing them to live en masse together is an idiotic idea that is destined to create a culture of perpetually spiralling criminality. If we want the disenfranchised underclass to adopt the morality of the mainstream, social housing needs to be integrated into mainstream society. That means individual houses among the private residences. Social housing estates shouldn't be these separate isolated places that keep poor people out of sight and mind. That model is not only distasteful - it clearly breeds problems that affect everyone. Can you manufacture good character? As traits such as confidence, responsibility and self-control become more important in individuals, the Victorian belief that good character can be manufactured is coming back into fashion, says Richard Reeves. Read the full 2008 article here Maybe you're of the opinion that these social problems aren't anything a stint in prison wouldn't fix. Prison suffers from an exaggerated form of the same issues that sink estates do, in that it's a culture where in order to get by you have to engage in a hierarchical system that places murderers at the top of the tree. People from underprivileged backgrounds are far more likely to go to prison anyway. When they return they bring prison's very literal survival-of-the-fittest mentality into a domestic environment, and the two cultures evolve in unison. We are still bombarded with reactionary histrionics from politicians designed to win votes by feeding fear and ignorance. Meanwhile nothing genuinely helpful is being done to curb the problem of the growing criminal subculture within Britain's underclass. It baffles me how those in power expect those at the bottom of the social and economic ladder to behave responsibly when the architects of the issues they face take no responsibility for their part. I hope that next time you have to pass through a dodgy estate and you worry about getting robbed or worse, that you extend that concern to those who live there. This piece is based on an edited version of Byron Vincent's Four Thought on BBC Radio 4, first broadcast at 20:45 GMT on 19 February. Listen to it here on BBC iPlayer. Follow @BBCNewsMagazine on Twitter and on FacebookGordon Brown and his senior ministers all committed to cutting their personal carbon emissions today as the entire cabinet signed up to the 10:10 climate change campaign. The cabinet pledge came as the number of individuals who have signed up to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 10% in 2010 passed the 10,000 mark. Climate change secretary Ed Miliband, who had already promised to cut his emissions and those of his department, urged his colleagues to join the Guardian-backed campaign at today's cabinet meeting held on the London Olympics site. He said: "There was a real sense that this is the right thing to do, and that this has very powerful symbolism, but you've got to put your policy money where your mouth is. David Cameron has a wind turbine on his roof but all round the country Tory councils are turning down wind farms." The Tory frontbench as well as the Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg, have signed up to the campaign which is aimed at increasing pressure on governments to take strong action ahead of December's crucial summit in Copenhagen. Last night Franny Armstrong, director of the climate change film Age of Stupid and the 10:10 founder said: "It's amazing that within 48 hours of the campaign's launch, the leaderships of the three main political parties have committed to cut their 10%. Who said people power was dead? These politicians clearly recognise that each person in Britain must start cutting their emissions as part of a national war-effort-scale response to the climate crisis. But ministers have a responsibility far beyond their individual emissions – they must now introduce the policies to ensure Britain cuts its overall emissions by a similar amount." In a case of art imitating life, Peter Capaldi, the actor who plays the Alastair Campbell figure Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It was among several thousand people today who pledged to cut their emissions, joining high profile backers including Delia Smith, Colin Firth, Radio One DJ Sara Cox and Nicholas Stern. In addition to the 10,000 individuals, more than 400 businesses and organisations including charities, schools and hospitals have so far signed up to cut their carbon footprint in 2010. Olympics minister Tessa Jowell said she signed up because 10:10 was a way for Britons to feel more involved in the run-up to the international climate talks in Copenhagen. "I used to be addicted to my car but even though I have cut back on using it recently, I plan to cut back even more now. At home I want to replace my light bulbs with energy efficient ones and will be turning down my thermostat by a degree as soon as I get back. I will also be thinking very hard before booking more than one private international flight a year." Health secretary Andy Burnham said: "I'm signing up to the 10:10 campaign because it gives me a chance to really show I can make a difference on a personal level to tackling climate change. Everyone who signs up can be part of a big national effort – all of us pulling together to prevent global warming." The organisations that have signed up so far range from small charities with a dozen employees to major multinationals with many thousands of people. The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre in Buckinghamshire signed up so it could influence its visitors over the coming year. In 2010, the lighting in the museum will be attached to motion and daylight sensors and the heating will be turned down. "People come here because they're inspired by Roald Dahl and we'd like to inspire our 50,000 visitors a year to make some changes in their life too," said director Amelia Foster.Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is doing it again: campaigning on Abenomics while distracting voters’ attention away from his real agenda. When he got elected in 2012, Abe ran on Abenomics and kept his revisionist political and historical agenda under wraps, knowing that it does not resonate with voters. He then passed the unpopular secrecy law. In 2014, he called a snap election and again campaigned on Abenomics, diverting attention from his plans to lift constitutional constraints on Japan’s military. Subsequently, in 2015, he signed on to new U.S.-Japan defense guidelines that expand what Japan is prepared to do militarily to support its allies. That same year he pushed through enabling legislation despite negligible public support — in the form of massive demonstrations and polls indicating majority opposition to his plans — for his goal of overturning Japan’s postwar laws on security policy. Subsequently citizens have filed a series of lawsuits nationwide against the legislation, arguing that it violates their constitutional rights. The “Abe Doctrine” has thus been imposed by political elites without gaining public understanding or support. Abe can’t claim an electoral mandate for this doctrine because he deliberately ignored it in his campaign. Policy wonks in Washington and Tokyo insist that the public needs to become more realistic and abandon pacifist norms without understanding why they have proven so resilient and why the Abe Doctrine is so unappealing to the public. In the current campaign, Abe is still harping on Abenomics because his goal of revising the Constitution is unpopular. Abenomics has been an unmitigated failure — it has neither revived the economy nor boosted household income, there have been no structural reforms and job growth has been concentrated in low paid, nonregular employment — and this is widely recognized within business circles and the wider public. Indeed, by yet again postponing the planned tax increase, Abe has implied that he has been unable to revive the economy. However, on the hustings, he calls on people to stay the course, promising to rev up Abenomics and really get the economy humming. “It just needs more time,” he pleads. Right. Three-and-a-half years after he promised it would take only two years, Abe is still holding out hope and banking on the feeble opposition to secure a two-thirds majority in the Upper House — a crucial hurdle to his goal of revising the Constitution. That feeble opposition is pointing out that earlier this year, Abe spilled the beans about wanting to push through constitutional revision. In March, he admitted during Diet interpellations that he had not yet won public understanding for this cherished goal. Apparently he doesn’t think that an election campaign is an ideal venue for detailing his plans to revise the Constitution, so he is resorting to the mendacious bait-and-switch strategy that has served him well. Taking down Japan’s pacifist and popularly supported Article 9 is the obvious target. Christopher Hughes, professor of international politics and Japanese studies at the University of Warwick, dissects the Abe Doctrine, exposing its inherent flaws and logical contradictions in an astute book titled, “Japan’s Foreign Policy and Security Policy Under the ‘Abe Doctrine’-New Dynamism or New Dead End? (Palgrave, 2015). It is essential reading. He argues that the Abe Doctrine is a dead-end for a number of reasons, chiefly that it does not make Japan safer and isolates it in the region. He argues that it is a risky and radical gambit that is out of touch with public sentiments and unsustainable. He draws attention to its three key contradictions: First, it claims to embrace universal values, “but its underlying revisionism is illiberal and thus conflictual”; second, Abe seeks to “end the postwar regime through historical revisionism, but the focus on history creates tensions with the U.S. and East Asia”; and third, “the doctrine seeks autonomy through dependence on the U.S. that only further frustrates Japan’s lack of sovereign independence.” The subjugation implicit in this client-state relationship is a recipe for what Hughes describes as “resentful realism” — “a Japan driven by fear of China, lack of trust in the U.S. and a continuous desire for the reassertion of national pride and autonomy.” He concludes that the Abe Doctrine is wrongheaded, aggravates regional tensions and undermines Japan’s security interests. Abe seeks to replace the long-standing “Yoshida Doctrine,” named after former Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida, who fended off U.S. demands that Japan rearm by focusing resources on economic recovery while reminding America’s Cold War warriors that it was the U.S. that insisted on including Article 9 in the Constitution. According to Hughes, the Yoshida Doctrine insisted on Japan’s “need for a pragmatic and low-profile foreign policy, a highly constrained defense posture, reliance but not over-dependence on the U.S.-Japan security treaty, and the expedient rebuilding of economic and diplomatic ties with East Asian neighbors.” In contrast, Hughes portrays the Abe Doctrine as shortsighted, because it aims to encircle China without convincing other Asian states to jump onboard. These states do have anxieties about China, and are happy to upgrade ties and get assistance from Japan but, as Hughes points out, none are eager to join a regional security framework based on a militarized confrontation with Beijing. Regarding Abe’s duplicitous campaign strategy, Hughes believes this is his “classic tactic” of misleading voters and that Abe is preparing to ” go all out on constitutional revision.” What would revising Article 9 of the Constitution allow Abe to do that he can’t do now? “Probably not that much more,” says Hughes. “Although many argue that the hadome (conditions) mean that collective self-defense will remain limited, I am not convinced. Most of the so-called ‘three new conditions’ are open to easy interpretation by the argument to enhance its freedom of action and the executive has never had more power than now to interpret the Constitution as it pleases.” Hughes adds, “I am not against a more robust Japanese security policy per se — China is a concern, for sure. But Japan needs to, a) create a security policy based on open democratic debate, free of ideological revisionism and influence from allies, and b) place that alongside developing other means to deal with China beyond just military means. My own thinking is that Japan needs to work much harder to engage China in regional multilateral institutions to moderate its behavior.” Problematically, the Abe Doctrine’s provocative grandstanding does not strengthen Japan’s security or improve its negotiating strategy. Instead, Hughes argues, Japan should “regain its confidence in nonmilitary means and engagement to respond to China’s rise rather than military balancing and alliances.” By misleading voters about his intentions, Abe’s election campaign
death.” It’s important to always remember that, especially if you’re not the one dying. photo via LGBTPOVAfter suffering court action that cost the family $100,000, Liam Sheahan believes clearing trees saved his home and his family. Credit:Paul Rovere Anger at government policies stopping residents from cutting down trees and clearing scrub to protect their properties is already apparent. "We've lost two people in my family because you dickheads won't cut trees down," Warwick Spooner told Nillumbik Mayor Bo Bendtsen at a meeting on Tuesday night. Although Liam Sheahan's 2002 decision to disregard planning laws and bulldoze 250 trees on his hilltop property hurt his family financially and emotionally, he believes it helped save them and their home on the weekend. "The house is safe because we did all that," he said as he pointed out his kitchen window to the clear ground where tall gum trees once cast a shadow on his house. "We have got proof right here. We are the only house standing in a two-kilometre area." At least seven houses and several sheds on neighbouring properties along Thompson-Spur road in Reedy Creek were destroyed by Saturday night's blaze. Saving their home was no easy task. At 2pm on Saturday, Mr Sheahan saw the nearby hills ablaze. He knew what lay ahead when the predicted south-westerly change came. The family of four had discussed evacuation but decided their property was defensible, due largely to their decision to clear a fire break. It also helped that Mr Sheahan, his son Rowan and daughter Kirsten were all experienced members of the local CFA. "We prayed and we worked bloody hard. Our house was lit up eight times by the fire as the front passed," Mr Sheahan said. "The elements off our TV antenna melted. We lost a Land Rover, two Subarus, a truck and trailer and two sheds." Mr Sheahan is still angry about his prosecution, which cost him $100,000 in fines and legal fees. The council's planning laws allow trees to be cleared only when they are within six metres of a house. Mr Sheahan cleared trees up to 100 metres away from his house. "The council stood up in court and made us to look like the worst, wanton environmental vandals on the earth. We've got thousands of trees on our property. We cleared about 247," he said. He said the royal commission on the fires must result in changes to planning laws to allow land owners to clear trees and vegetation that pose a fire risk. "Both the major parties are pandering to the Greens for preferences and that is what is causing the problem. Common sense isn't that common these days," Mr Sheahan said. Melbourne University bushfire expert Kevin Tolhurst gave evidence to help the Sheahan family in their legal battle with the council. "Their fight went over nearly two years. The Sheahans were victimised. It wasn't morally right," he said yesterday. Dr Tolhurst told the Seymour Magistrates court that Mr Sheahan's clearing of the trees had reduced the fire risk to his house from extreme to moderate. "That their house is still standing is some natural justice for the Sheahans," he said. He said council vegetation management rules required re-writing. He also called on the State Government to provide clearer guidelines about when families should stay and defend their property. Houses in fire-prone areas should be audited by experts to advise owners whether their property is defensible, Dr Tolhurst said. Mr Sheahan said he wanted others to learn from his experience and offered an invitation for Government ministers to visit his property. Loading He would also like his convictions overturned and fines repaid. "It would go a long way to making us feel better about the system. But I don't think it will happen."Shareholders Join Bankers, Economists, Financial Experts, Regulators and the American People In Calling for a Break Up of the Giant Banks The president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Richard Fisher, has long said that the component parts of the biggest banks would be “worth more broken up than as a whole.” Last year, Crain’s New York estimated that Citi’s component parts are worth 40% more than Citigroup’s current market price. Forbes’ Robert Lezner argues: The proper solution obviously is to break-up the banks into their stand-alone parts. Without government pressure, voluntarily, strategically, with the proper stated purpose of benefiting the banks shareholders, who have not gotten anywhere near back to the price of the their shares in late 2006 or 2007. (C is selling at 5% of its peak price; BAC at 25%, GS at 60%) I’m told there are hints of this solution bubbling amongst the bank analyst fraternity. Spin off the asset management division that manages several hundred billion of other people’s money into a public company that will have the multiple of a T. Rowe Price, or a BlackRock, which will have a transparent cash flow and sell at some price-earnings multiple higher than a bank today and behave according to the way the stock market behaves. It would be regulated by the SEC and be dependent on its own performance and not a bunch of financial activities with leverage that few can understand, much less put a dollar value on. Then, spin off the consumer banking operation into a separate stand-alone business. Its profit margins will be transparent as the spread between the bank’s borrowing costs and the yield on the loans or mortgages it finances. I’d be willing to bet these operations, with more predictable earnings and a steady dividend would also sell at greater than 10 times earnings. These spin offs would be regulated by the Federal Deposit Insurance Commission (FDIC), which might well strongly suggest a cap on the leverage that can be used of between 10 and 15 times. Thirdly, the wholesale banking operations, the collateralized loans, the derivative positions, the futures, puts and calls would be in their own unit. Investors and analysts and regulators would be able to evaluate these institutions more rationally, especially if they are forced to disclose more exactly what they are doing globally and with whom. Now, analysts at even the giant banks themselves are starting to agree. Bloomberg reported yesterday: Shareholders at the biggest U.S. banking conglomerates may demand breakups if valuations remain depressed, according to analysts at Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC) So-called universal banks such as Bank of America Corp., Citigroup Inc. (C) and JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) are trading at a 25 percent to 30 percent discount to more-focused competitors, analysts led by Matthew H. Burnell wrote in a research report today. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) and Morgan Stanley (MS), which concentrate on investment banking, trading and money management, are within 8 percent of the estimated value of their parts, the analysts wrote. * “If regulators and/or legislators don’t demand it, shareholders could also intensify demands to ‘break up the banks.’ ” * Burnell’s team calculated that pieces of Bank of America are worth 41 percent more than their tangible book value, a measure of how much shareholders would receive if the firms’ assets were sold and liabilities paid off. Citigroup should get a 24 percent premium, JPMorgan should get 69 percent and Goldman Sachs should be valued at 19 percent more than tangible book, the analysts said. Citigroup, ranked third by assets and based in New York, and Bank of America, ranked second and based in Charlotte, North Carolina, trade at about 14 percent and 7 percent less than tangible book value, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. JPMorgan, the biggest U.S. bank by assets, and Goldman Sachs, the fifth-biggest, trade for 28 percent and 9 percent more than tangible book value, respectively. The valuation for the two New York-based companies compares with the 281 percent premium fetched by Minneapolis-based U.S. Bancorp (USB), the nation’s largest regional bank. New York-based Morgan Stanley should be valued at a 13 percent discount to tangible book value, compared with the current discount of about 19 percent, the note said. *** Michael Mayo, CLSA Ltd.’s bank analyst, wrote in a separate note yesterday that shareholders in the biggest firms are more likely to agitate for changes than in prior years. “Almost every large investor from our meetings and conversations over the past four months agrees that bank managements should be held more accountable and more often intend to vote against directors, compensation plans, and other actions,” Mayo wrote in an April 9 research note. In a separate story yesterday, Bloomberg notes: JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), the largest U.S. bank by assets and the top investment bank by fees, is questioning the so-called universal bank model’s future. Top-tier investment banks are “uninvestable at this point with a risk of spinoff from universal banks,” JPMorgan analysts led by London-based Kian Abouhossein wrote in a research note today. They cited potential rule changes and curbs on capital and funding. Who Wants to Break Up the Big Banks … And Who Wants to Maintain the Status Quo? Financial experts, economists and bankers say we need to break up the big banks. The overwhelming majority of Americans want to break up the giant banks as well. Given that shareholders are now starting to understand that breaking up the giants would be better for their own portfolios, the power of the markets may finally weigh in to split up the too big to fail banks. So who is is against breaking up the giant banks? Apparently, the only people opposing a break up are the handful of welfare queens - er, I mean current top corporate brass - who mooch off the public to reap insane windfalls, and the bought and paid for D.C. politicians who make money hand over fist by literally pimping out the American people to their buddies. And see this.Today is a historic day for the corporate bond market: with the launch of the ECB's CSPP, Mario Draghi is now directly buying European investment grade non-financial bonds. This means that no longer will European corporate bonds trade based on their fundamentals, but purely on expectations of frontrunning future ECB purchases. And to make the frontrunners' lives easier, according to Bloomberg among the ECB's purchases today were €3 million Engie bonds, Telecom Italia notes due in 2023 and 10-year Telefonica securities; the ECB also bought securities issued by Anheuser-Busch InBev NV, the world’s largest brewer; Telefonica SA, Spain’s former telecommunications monopoly; Siemens AG, Europe’s biggest engineering company; Assicurazioni Generali SpA, Italy’s top insurer; French automaker Renault SA and utilities Engie SA and RWE AG. We expect their yields to tumble to even lower record lows in the coming days. Engie’s 300 million euros of notes maturing in 2111 rose as much 2.8 cents on the euro to the highest since April at 170 cents after it was reported that the French central bank bought the company’s bonds on behalf of the ECB. RWE’s 600 million euros of notes due February 2033 rose 0.6 cents on the euro to 135.4 cents, the highest in four weeks, while Telefonica’s 1.35 billion euros of 10-year bonds rose to the highest on record, Bloomberg data show. The ECB is targeting bonds with maturities of five years to eight years from chemical and real estate companies; six years to eight years for utilities; and two years to three years for auto firms.The ECB can choose from as many as 1,049 securities totaling 620 billion euros, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. CreditSights puts the size of the universe at about 628 billion euros, while Morgan Stanley estimates it is about 675 billion euros. The ECB will publish a list of its corporate bond holdings on July 18 and update it every Monday, according to the central bank. As Regina Borromeo of Brandywine Global Investment Management said, “Draghi knows the ECB needed to come out with a big punch on the first day of its corporate purchase program to maintain credibility and confidence in his willingness to act." And so he has: average yields for euro notes were down to 0.98% on Tuesday, the lowest in more than a year, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch index data. The ECB’s intervention in the government bond market over the past year has pushed yields down to records, as pricing no longer reflects any fundamentals. While the ECB having preannounced it would purchase these and other securities some three months ago, investors are watching for an indication of whether they were right to pile into investment-grade corporate bonds on the promise of ECB President Mario Draghi’s purchases. Much is riding on the line for Draghi as a result of this unprecedented attempt to spur European inflation by way of encouraging stock buybacks, which is what the "logic"“There is a fair amount riding on this in terms of the ECB’s credibility,” said Victoria Whitehead, a Paris-based senior portfolio manager at BNP Paribas Investment Partners, which oversees about 521 billion euros. “The perception is that if they can’t buy at least 5 billion euros of bonds a month, the program will be seen as unsuccessful.” Of course, if buying IG bonds fails, there is always ETFs, REITs, and finally single name stocks before Draghi has to unleash the helicopter money. While it is unclear how allowing European corporations to unleash a historic stock buyback spreed will do antyhing for the economy - after all this has been tried in the US for years without any positive impact - the ECB's action is already having an impact on European bond supply. Anticipating a surge in demand, companies sold more than €50 billion of bonds in the single currency in May, the second-busiest month on record, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Already some are worried that the ECB's purchases, having been frontrun for the past three months, may not be enough: while buying of more than 5 billion euros of company bonds a month may boost the market, investors may be disappointed if the ECB bought less than 3 billion euros, CreditSights analysts wrote in a June 5 report. Commerzbank AG and Morgan Stanley don’t expect the monthly purchases to surpass 5 billion euros. “We’re worried that they won’t be able to buy quite as much as they want to,” said Tim Winstone, a London-based portfolio manager at Henderson Global Investors Ltd. which oversees about 93 billion pounds ($135 billion) of assets. “If the buying underwhelms and reported volumes are less than most people expect, there is a risk of a selloff.” And if there is anything central banks hate, it is the "risk of a selloff", especially when the levitation was not the result of any fundamentals. Which means that the ECB will gladly push its balance sheet to new record levels, because as the following BBG chart shows, the ECB is about to break its own record for total assets on the balance sheet after 20 months of buying bonds in a bid to revive the region’s economy. When the purchase program began in October 2014, its aim was to steer total assets back toward the previous peak level of €3.1 trillion reached at the height of Europe’s debt crisis in 2012. Finally, putting the ECB's mad scramble to monetize bonds, here it is in context with all other QE programs. The ECB is buying up the equivalent of 2.5x of the total net supply of government bonds issued in any one year. At this rate, it will have no choice but to purchase even more assets as it runs out of willing sellers.Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. May 10, 2016, 8:49 PM GMT / Updated May 10, 2016, 10:19 PM GMT By Erik Ortiz Jailed cattle rancher Cliven Bundy claims President Barack Obama, Nevada Sen. Harry Reid and others have stifled his constitutional rights as he sits in solitary confinement on charges stemming from a 2014 federal standoff, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday. Bundy, 70, is seeking $50 million for the "illegal, unconstitutional, intentional and malicious acts" of the defendants, and wants an indictment against him quashed and his immediate release from jail in Portland, Oregon. Bundy added that he's been in solitary since his arrest earlier this year — which constitutes "cruel and unusual punishment," claims the suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Nevada. In a Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016 file photo, rancher Cliven Bundy speaks to media while standing along the road near his ranch, in Bunkerville, Nev. John Locher / AP file Bundy also wants federal Judge Gloria Navarro, named as another defendant, removed from the criminal case and for politically conservative attorney Larry Klayman to help defend him in Nevada. The cowboy hat-wearing Bundy became a national figure — and hero in some conservative corners — when he led an armed confrontation against federal rangers over a land dispute in his home state of Nevada. The father of 14 — along with his posse of supporters — clashed with the rangers who tried to execute a court order to confiscate 500 of his cattle after they were illegally grazing on public land and he failed to pay $1 million in grazing fees. Related: Judge Keeps Cliven Bundy in Jail, Citing a History of Resistance Bundy, who has pleaded not guilty, was indicted for inciting the standoff, along with two of his sons and two others. The complaint lays out a conspiracy against Bundy perpetrated by Obama, Reid, Navarro and Reid's son, Rory Reid, who unsuccessfully ran for Nevada governor in 2010. Navarro "has shown her true intentions and bias and prejudice, rising to the level of denying Sixth Amendment right of counsel and to a speedy trial to (Bundy), following the'marching orders' of her benefactors Defendant Harry Reid and Obama," according to the suit. She is also described as a "Latino activist." Bundy alleges Reid used "the equivalent of federal storm-troopers" against Bundy’s "peaceful cowboys," and that Reid wanted Bundy gone so that he could seize his land and then sell it to the Chinese. In the suit, Bundy also takes issue with Obama, who had alluded to the rancher in jokes that he made during the White House Correspondents' Dinner in May 2014. Amid the standoff, Bundy drew condemnation for referring to blacks as "the Negro" in a New York Times article and suggesting that they were "happier" under slavery than under current federal subsidy programs. Related: Rancher Cliven Bundy Refuses to Enter Plea as Protesters Rally in Support The complaint says that Obama was "threatening, mocking and disparaging" Bundy just "days after (his) successful standoff." During his correspondents' dinner monologue, Obama said: "Michelle and I watched the Olympics — we cannot believe what these folks do — death-defying feats — haven’t seen somebody pull a '180' like that fast since Rand Paul disinvited that Nevada rancher from this dinner." "As a general rule, things don’t end well if the sentence starts, 'Let me tell you something I know about the negro,'" Obama continued. "You don’t really need to hear the rest of it. Just a tip for you — don’t start your sentence that way." Bundy is seeking a jury trial. The White House did not immediately comment on the lawsuit, but Sen. Reid's office branded it as "baseless and absurd." "Bundy, his sons and their believers have endangered the lives of federal officers, have defaced and damaged public lands and squandered public resources for their own benefit. They are domestic terrorists," said Reid spokeswoman Kristen Orthman, offering a term the Democratic senator himself has used publicly. "They are deadly and dangerous and will be brought to justice." The rancher was arrested in February after flying from Nevada to Portland to join his sons, who were jailed for their role leading an armed occupation at a federal wildlife reserve in Oregon. Sons Ammon and Ryan Bundy have pleaded not guilty and face conspiracy charges along with 14 others stemming from the 41-day occupation that began Jan. 2. One armed protester was killed when federal agents stopped a caravan of the occupiers during a traffic stop.The United States has no mandatory paid family leave policy, making it one of just three countries in the world and the only country in the first-world to not mandate paid maternity leave for new mothers (Swaziland and Papua New Guinea are the others). "What does this mean?" HuffPost Live host Nancy Redd asked Friday. "It means that new working mothers are almost always without pay for the first few months of their child's life and are frequently left without a job to come back to." Redd was joined by several working mothers -- including Best For Babes Foundation co-founder Danielle Rigg, National Partnership for Women & Families Director of Work and Family Programs Vicki Shabo and HuffPost Parents Editor Farah Miller -- for a panel discussion about America's "barbaric" practice. "It puts us all in a very cranky place," Miller said. "What you're left with when you don't have support in terms of leave is women who are going back to work because they have to in order to support their family....I hear from mothers all the time who say, 'I was not ready to go back after twelve weeks.'" "We have a very individualistic culture," Shabo added. "Everybody faces these work-family conflicts but they think of them as individual problems that don't necessarily have public policy solutions." Shabo highlighted New Jersey and California as two states that offer potential solutions to the problem, but said the United States is lacking a federal solution. "At the national level, we are falling sorely behind other nations and really lagging in terms of what workers in this country need to make ends meet and also take care of their families," she said.In the corner of TV screens tuned to Speed, an ominous sign appeared over the weekend. Speed's familiar red logo was still there, but it was attached to the FOX Sports logo, which hovered over it like a UFO ready to engage its tractor beam. The new combined logo seemed to confirm all the various reports motorsports fans hoped would not be true: That parent company FOX is planning to convert Speed into an all-sports network to rival ESPN. In doing so, much of the motorsports content racing fans love could disappear. When exactly this would happen – and to what degree – is unclear. Even those at Speed don't know. But anyone hailing the end of scripted reality shows like Hard Parts: South Bronx and Wrecked must also understand this: The demise of Speed will be a bigger loss for racing than we can grasp right now. Let's start with NASCAR. While the live programming such as qualifying, practices and Truck Series races could live on, it seems unlikely the ancillary shows like Trackside, RaceDay and Victory Lane will all be able to maintain the same presence when the lineup is crowded with baseball, UFC, college football and soccer. What about the daily Race Hub show? What about SPEED Center? What about Wind Tunnel? Even if you don't watch those shows every single time they're on, it's good for NASCAR and racing in general to have a constant TV presence for when fans want information. Plus, fans will miss the people. Speed's TV personalities are regulars in most NASCAR households around the country – and usually a welcome presence at that. Think about it: Fans know people like Rutledge, Wendy, Kenny, Kyle, J.R., D.W., Larry, Jimmy, Bob, Krista, Danielle, Steve, Matt, and Adam without even the mention of a last name. In particular, the loss of Speed's post-race coverage would be crushing to anyone who enjoys seeing their favorite drivers react after a race. Speed often gathers interviews and footage no one else airs, and it's resulted in some significant stories – Carl Edwards' mock punch toward Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch's not-so-subtle threat to Bob Pockrass are two examples. Even if NASCAR.com steps up to cover that ground, will it air stories that could be viewed as unfavorable to the sport? Aside from NASCAR coverage, motorsports fans in general rely on Speed for coverage of Formula 1, sports car racing, V8 Supercars, Supercross and more. What will happen to those series when FOX changes Speed to a general sports channel? Even if NASCAR makes its own channel, that won't replace Speed. It would take years of battles with cable companies and satellite providers before a NASCAR Network could reach as many households as Speed does, and fans would have to spend more money to find it. FOX has a business to run, but the company comes across as especially callous toward the motorsports world in this situation. Those at Speed worked their butts off to build the network into something worth carrying on the basic tier of many cable systems nationwide, only to look up and see the parent company circling it like a vulture. When FOX swoops in and makes the change, it will be a sad day – not just for those who work at Speed, but for all race fans.U.S. Asks Iran For Spy Drone's Return; Iran Says It's Extracting Secret Data Enlarge this image toggle caption AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images The United States is officially asking Iran for the return of a drone surveillance aircraft lost earlier this month. "We have asked for it back. We'll see how the Iranians respond," President Barack Obama said during a White House news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Monday. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, speaking at a State Department news conference, told reporters that the U.S. had "submitted a formal request" for the craft's return, but that "given Iran's behavior to date, we do not expect them to comply." Gen. Hossein Salami of Iran's Revolutionary Guard said on Sunday it would not give the captured piece of equipment back. The Washington Post reports today that an Iranian politician says the country is in the process of extracting data from the drone: "Parviz Sorouri, a key member of the parliament's national security and foreign policy committee, told Iranian state television that the extracted information would be used to file a lawsuit against the United States over the 'invasion' by the unmanned aircraft." Decoding and understanding the drone is easier said than done, according to a report by Danger Room's David Axe:The premiere episode of CBS’ “The Good Fight” brought in 7.2 million viewers on an otherwise sleepy Sunday night for the broadcast networks in primetime. “Good Fight,” a spinoff of the 2009-2016 CBS drama “The Good Wife,” is the first original series to land on the CBS All Access SVOD platform. The first episode got a promotional send off on the mothership broadcast network as well, but the remaining nine episodes will only be available via CBS All Access, rolling out on a weekly basis. “Good Fight” (7.2 million viewers, 0.7 rating in adults 18-49) bowed to rave reviews and a big media push around star Christine Baranski. CBS airing of the premiere in the 8 p.m. slot following “60 Minutes” serves as an extended marketing campaign to encourage fans to sign up for All Access. “Good Fight” won its time period in total viewers, coming out of 10.3 million viewers for “60 Minutes.” Like its predecessor, “Good Fight” was not a big draw in the 18-49 demo, falling behind ABC’s telecast of the 2010 Disney animated movie “Tangled” (3.9 million, 0.9) and Fox’s “The Simpsons” (2.5 million, 1.1) in the hour. CBS took over at 9 p.m. with “NCIS: Los Angeles” (8.5 million, 1.1). NBC’s three-hour 90th anniversary special brought in 4.4 million viewers and 0.7 in the demo. For the night, CBS led in total viewers with 7.7 million, followed by NBC (4.2 million), ABC (3.9 million) and Fox (1.7 million). ABC inched ahead in adults 18-49 (0.9), followed by Fox and CBS (0.8) and NBC (0.7).Two Toronto police officers are being credited with helping a mother safely deliver a baby boy in the back seat of a cab early Saturday morning. Police in 55 Division were contacted by paramedics at around 1:20 a.m. after a woman went into labour in the back seat of a taxi near Dundas Street and Coxwell Avenue. Paramedics were already on the way to the call at the time police were contacted, however the two officers were the first on scene. Speaking with CTV News Toronto, Staff Sgt. Jeff Wood said the incident happened right outside their police station. “As soon as we heard it come across the radio the officers came right out and dealt with the situation so it was a great spot to pull over,” he said. Upon arrival at the scene, the two officers, Staff Sgt. Kim O’Toole and Const. Colin McLaughlin, from 55 Division spotted the taxi cab and found the female in the back of the vehicle. “There was no time to think, the baby’s head was out, we could see it,” O’Toole said. “Colin had gloves on; he went over to the other side of the cab. They both remember being startled at how far along the woman was in her delivery. “One good push and the baby was out,” O’Toole said. Paramedics arrived on scene immediately following the birth and transported the mother and child to hospital. “I didn’t go to medical school, but we do our best to help out whenever we can,” McLaughlin said. “The whole thing from start to finish, from the time we walked to the time the baby was born was probably three minutes.” O’Toole said the cab driver should be commended for getting the mother as close to the police station as he could despite Both mom and baby are “doing well,” police say. They are recovering at Michael Garron Hospital."So, I have a question..." A mysterious voice whispers in the night. "Nnngh..." I grunted. "Is it how annoying you are?" "Ooh. We have a feisty one, here!" It quipped. "The question in question? What would you like to do to the residents of South Park?" "Lots of things." I replied. "Go to Phun Land, a buffet, killing them. Normal stuff." "O...kay, kid. Just so you know, this will affect you, too." "Sweet! So that means I can make my own gravy park! But then Kahl will enjoy it, too! Ahh! I wanna make him suffer! But I don't wanna suffer!" "Can I make a suggestion?" "Hey! I'm the one calling the shots here! And I say that all the non-adults should be genderbent!" Wow, this kid is actually kinda...not that evil. "Are you sure? I'll write everything you and I said." "So, I'm gonna forget everything here? That's bullcrap!" "Now, go to sleep. And when you wake up, let's just say that you'll wake up with some new equipment tomorrow morning..." Just like that, it disappeared. I went back to bed, waiting to see the look on Kahl's Jew face. He's really ugly, why not make it worse? Beep! Beep! Beep! Mrrrgh... that alarm is the bane of my existence. It's purpose in life is to wake me up from beautiful dreams. That was my first thought of the day, complaining about the alarm clock. Although the snooze button is a magical thing. Wizard powers, turn this damn thing off! It worked. Sweet. "Eric? Sweetie? It's time to go to school, dear!" Mom gently reminded. "We're having donut pancakes with bacon syrup!" "But, maahm!" I shot back. I hated it when she called me sweetie! Wait a minute...my handsome voice! It changed into a really shrill one. Lame! "Whatever you want, Eric. Just make sure to come down before your food gets cold!" "...Yeah," I replied, masking over my new voice. Is this puberty or something? Because it SUCKS! Dragging myself out of bed, I felt a breeze between my legs and a gap in my briefs. Not very noticeable, though. Maybe I had shrinkage or something. I mused to myself. Size doesn't matter, technique does. Trudging myself to the bathroom reassured, I made the water run when brushing my teeth; many hippies were pissed off today. Good, let the rage fill them! I felt a brush on the back of my neck. My hair grew really fast. Like, to my chin! And thick, too. Whatever. Okay, this gap is really annoying! I have to pee, too! I pulled the waist of my pants out. My dick disappeared and was replaced with a- "Meow," The cat appeared. -Pussy. I giggled for a moment. But it soon passed when I realized I needed to check the rest of myself, too! I gained weight in my boobs. I squeezed them to check: that felt nice. My waist changed shape, too. Slightly thinner, my hips widened. Most of my features remained the same. My adorably chubby face, my cute legs. I was still the big-boned boy everyone knew and hated! I am not a chick! I'm NOT! Although I managed to look even more cute than before. How is that even possible!? This is still a dream. I think to myself as I get out my bra from the Sarcastaball incident and put it on; it actually fits this time. "Eric, sweetie? Are you almost done?" Mom chided again. "Is everything okay?" "Y-yeah, mahm. Fine." I murmured, keeping my voice as leveled as possible. "Okay, then." She left muttering: "Eric must be having some 'alone time'. My little boy is becoming a man!" Gross, mahm. It was then that I noticed a piece of paper. I grabbed it and read it immediately. It's a lie! I didn't agree to this! How come I don't remember this! I'll just take this along with me, just in case. I had to adjust my clothes somehow. Sneak into mom's room to get her underwear or...oh, God; I have no other choice, do I? I got out my final weapon: The Gaybox. This is a box where I store and do seemingly "gay" things like sewing, tailoring, cooking, dolls, etc. I guess the right term is "girly", but I'm a dude, so it's gay. I used to be one, anyway. I analyzed myself and I have to say, I look pretty good as a girl, and way better than Honey-Boo-Boo! Maybe this won't be so bad. I still had my red coat covering me, plus a cute skirt! "I'm ready, mahm!" I said. "Okay, sweetie!" Mom replied. Treading lightly downstairs, I made sure to enjoy every moment of Kahl's Jew face as I went to the bus stop. And this breakfast, too. I didn't hate being called sweetie as much.Donald Trump has reportedly frozen $10 million (£7.7m) of grants destined to counter violent extremism in the US. More than 30 organisations were pegged by former President Barack Obama’s office to receive funding, although the White House has since put the grants on hold pending review. Among those approved were local governments, city police departments, universities and non-profit organisations fighting all forms of violent extremism in the US. 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. Former white supremacist Chuck Leek, who has since become a volunteer with Life After Hate - one of the organisations that was due to receive government funding - said the white supremacy movement was becoming more active. “The white supremacist movement is far more active in the last six months than I have seen it in 10 or 12 years," he told CBS. He believes that if these organisations can help change even one person’s mind “it might be worth it, if that one person had been Dylann Roof or the Oklahoma City bomber.” Nebraska Emergency Management Agency assistant director Bryan Tuma was also due to receive a grant to train mental health workers to recognise the signs of violent behaviour. "We are told right now that those programmes are being reviewed," he said. "Our goal is to focus in on what are the barriers preventing people from reporting this kind of behaviour.” The Trump administration was reportedly pushing to erase neo-Nazis and white supremacists from the US government’s counter-extremism programme in February by moving it to focus exclusively on Islamist terrorism. American officials briefed on the proposed changes told Reuters the Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) initiative could be renamed “Countering Radical Islamic Extremism”. The reclassification would remove its work combatting far-right attacks and mass shootings, such as the massacre of black churchgoers in Charleston, which are rarely classified as terrorism by American authorities. The Independent has contacted the Trump administration for comment. We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. At The Independent, no one tells us what to write. That’s why, in an era of political lies and Brexit bias, more readers are turning to an independent source. Subscribe from just 15p a day for extra exclusives, events and ebooks – all with no ads. Subscribe nowA subsidy is a government handout. It amounts to the government taking money from the people and giving it to a favored interest. It is the worst sort of market manipulation and it is something I can never support. This kind of government mischief is anathema to the Constitution and the principles of freedom and the free market. By contrast, with tax credits and deductions, industries, business, and individuals simply get to keep more of the money they have earned. Ideally, the tax code should not be used for social engineering, but, until we have true tax reform, I will always support tax credits and deductions that keep more dollars in the private sector where they are spent, saved, or invested. This means I will support tax credits and deductions for energy producers, farmers, homeschoolers, family child care expenditures, expenses of evacuees from disaster areas, and even adoption expenses. I've almost never met a tax cut, deduction, or credit I didn't like. Any measure that keeps money in the private sector to spend, save or invest, rather than allowing the government to waste or misallocate is
it away. And everyone’s got a website with an “About” button. Give away part (or all) of your ideas in a book. You’re a brand new social media agency? How should social media work? Write it down. You’re a new CRM software package? How should CRM be better? Tell me. How should online dating services work? Tell some stories. Heck, make them as sexy as possible. Don’t have time to write it. Then tell it to a ghostwriter you outsource to for almost no money. You don’t need 60,000 words. Do it in 20,000 words. Throw some pictures in. Just do it. Then when you meet someone and they ask for your business card, how cool will it be when you can say, “here, take my book instead.” B) You have more to say. More and more companies have blogs. Many of the posts on the blog are “evergreen”. i.e. they last forever and are not time specific. If you just take the posts (mentioned in the point above) and publish them people will say, “he’s just publishing a collection of posts”. A couple of comments on that. 1. So what? It’s ok if you are curating what you feel your best posts are. And for a small price people can get that curation and read it in a different format.There’s value there. 2. Don’t just take a collection of your posts. A blog post is typically 500-2000 words. Usually closer to 500. Do a bit more research for each post. Do intros and outros for each post. Make the chapters 3000-4000 words. Make a bigger arc to the book by using original material to explain WHY this book, with these chapters, presented in this manner is a different read than the blog. Have a chapter specifically explaining how the book is different from the blog. With my last book, “I Was Blind But Now I See” I had original material in each chapter and several chapters that were completely original. Instead of it being a collection of posts, the overall book was about how we have been brainwashed in society, and how uncovering the brainwashing and using the techniques I describe can bring happiness. This was covered in a much more detailed fashion than the blog ever could even though the material was inspired by several of my posts. C) Amazon is an extra platform for you to market your blog. Or vice versa. You won’t make a million dollars on your book (well, maybe you will – never say never) but just being able to say, “I’m a published author” extends your credibility as a writer/speaker/enterpreneur when you go out there now to sell your book, syndicate your blog elsewhere or to get speaking engagements, etc. And when you do a speaking engagement, you can now hand something out – your book! So Amazon and publishing become a powerful marketing platform for your overall writing/speaking/consulting career. D) Nobody cares. Some people want the credibility of saying “Penguin published me”. I can tell you from experience – nobody ever asked me who was my publisher when Penguin was my publisher. And, by the way, Penguin was the worst publisher I ever had. E) How will I get in bookstores? I don’t know. How will you? Traditional publishers can’t get you there either. Often bookstores will look at what’s hot on Amazon and then order the books wholesale from the publishers. In many cases, tradtional publishers will take their most-known writers (so if you are in that category, congrats!) and pay to have them featured at a bookstore. As for my experience, my traditional publishers would get a few copies of my books in the bookstores of major cities (i.e. NYC and that’s it) but nothing more. OK, I’M CONVINCED. HOW DO I SELF-PUBLISH There’s lots of ways to do it but I’ll tell you my experience. A) First write the book. For my last two self-published books, as mentioned above, I took some blog posts, rewrote parts of them, added original material, added new chapters, and provided an overall arc as to what the BOOK was about as opposed to it just being a random collection of posts. But, that said, you probably already have the basic material already. B) Createspace.com. I used createspace because they are owned by Amazon and have excellent customer service. They let you pick the size of your book and then have Microsoft Word templates that you download to format your book within. For my first book I did this by myself, for my second book, for a small fee, I hired Alexanderbecker.net to format the book, create the book design, and create the final PDF that I uploaded. He also checked grammar, made proactive suggestions on font (sans serif instead of serif) and was extremely helpful. C) Upload the PDF. Createspace approves it, picks an ISBN number, sends you a proof, and then you approve the proof. D) Within days its available on Amazon. It’s print-on-demand as a paperback. And by the way, your total costs at this point: $0. Or whatever you used to design your cover. E) Kindle. All of the above (from Createspace) was free. If I didn’t hire Alex to make the cover I could’ve used over 1mm of Createspace’s possible covers (I did that for my first book) and the entire publishing in paperback would be free. But with Kindle, Createspace charges $70 and they take care of everything until it’s uploaded to the Kindle store. Now you are available in paperback and kindle. F) Marketing. 1. Readers of my blog who asked for it got the first 20 copies or so for free from me. Many of them then posted good reviews on Amazon to get the ball rolling. 2. I’ve been handing out the books at speaking engagements. Altogether, I’ll do around 10 speaking engagements handing my latest book out. 3. I write a blog post about how the bo0k is different from the blog and why I chose to go this route. 4. Writing guests posts for blogs like Techcrunch helps and I’m very grateful. 5. Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Google+ are also very helpful. G) Promotions. You’re in charge of your own promotions (as opposed to a book publisher.). For instance, in a recent blog post I discussed the differences between my latest book and my blog and I also offered a promotion on how to get my next self-published book (“Bad Behavior”, expected in Q1 2012) for free. Entrepreneurs are always looking for ways to stand out, promote their service, and get validation for their offerings. Writing a book makes you an expert in the field. At the very least, when you hand someone a book you wrote, it’s more impressive than handing a business card. It shows that you have enough expertise to write the book. It also shows you value the relationship with the potential customer enough that you are willing to give him something of value. Something you created. And you can’t say the excuse “I don’t have time, I’m running a business.” Entrepreneurs make time. And they have the ideas so, again, at the very least you can use elance.com to hire a ghostwriter. Over the next year I have five different books planned. All on different topics. I’m super-excited about them because I’m allowed to push the barrier in every area I’m interested in and there’s nobody to stop me. There’s nobody I need validation from. I get to pick myself. You can do this also. And now, you should do it. There’s no more excuses in this environment. Good luck and feel free to write me with any questions. — Follow me on Twitter Also, see 33 Unusual Ways to Become a Great WriterLet's get the mea culpas out of the way. I said Donald Trump could never be elected, confidently fueled by the empirical data of professional polling, a certainty in the vital necessity of field operations, and the knowledge his own campaign team (even on the night of the election) was ratting out the shambolic train wreck his campaign had been. I was wrong. I believed that the numbers and processes of modern campaigning that revolve around the meticulous use of data would matter in 2016. I believed Trump was merely a spectacle, a political sideshow who would be dispatched by the well-funded and the well-staffed major campaigns. I believed the media would find the courage to cover the seamier opposition research hits on Trump, which were as compelling as they were revolting. I believed that people of faith, particularly the professional evangelical class, would find Trump's lifelong behavior, his prior embrace of abortion, his professed serial abuse of women, his proven adultery, the scuzzy low-rent casinos that made his fortune, and only notional Christian faith to be disqualifying. I believed the kompromat tapes, thoroughly known and discussed in the U.S. and European intelligence communities, would emerge, and Trump's deep, long-denied ties to Russian interests would convince national security voters that the Bewigged Manchurian would present Putin with the greatest intelligence coup in history, and put our nation at risk. As Trump mainstreamed racial animus, shrugged at David Duke, embraced the alt-Reich's support, attacked Muslims with unbridled ferocity, and promised mass roundups and deportations of Latinos, I also believed Americans of all races and creeds would be repulsed by his behavior. I believed conservatism's future was driven by principle, not by celebrity. I believed that a majority of the conservative movement and the conservative media would recognize the authoritarian, statist and anti-Constitutional nature of both Trump's beliefs and his stated policies. I foolishly believed that conservative media figures with the deepest reach, the biggest audiences and the loudest voices would use their power responsibly. Wow, was I wrong. Donald Trump has been elected by the American people. Democrats—who from pure incompetence richly deserve their fate—are facing a tough electoral road in 2018, have a thin field for 2020, and a future where the federal courts will be reshaped in ways that mitigate their strategy of achieving through litigation what they cannot through persuasion. As a conservative, I find this to be a thin reed to grasp in the era of Trump, but reeds are pretty rare right now. The Democratic coalition, too long reliant on the dynamics of stunt casting, just didn't love Hillary Clinton passionately enough for a win. Her field and turnout operations couldn't replicate Obama's, and she never could grow out of being, well...Hillary. James Comey halted her progress in the closing two weeks of the campaign, but she was easily the worst possible Democratic candidate since Mike Dukakis. On Earth 2 right now, Joe Biden is out doing donuts on Mar-a-Lago's meticulously manicured lawn in a rented Corvette. Trump fans convinced of his strategic genius are welcome to their view, but they're wrong. His own campaign team was utterly convinced that they would lose, and were blame-storming with reporters so until the numbers rolled in. The revisionism of this week (“We knew it all along!”) is just that—revisionism. At the Electoral College level, the historic collapse of Democratic turnout was more consequential than Republican turnout, and no one—not the pros, not the media, not the Clinton campaign, and not the Trump campaign, saw it coming. Rather, Trump's team proves the old terrorist adage, “You have to be lucky every time. We only have to be lucky once.” For all that, lucky he was, and he's the President-elect of the United States and in January of next year will take the oath of office. It no longer matters if Trump is corrupt, mentally unstable, or lacks the moral character and intellect to hold the office. The voters have spoken. Like many, I hope for the best but am obliged to plan for the worst, not only for the nation but for the conservative movement. The delta between party and principle has never been wider than in 2016. A large plurality of the Trump electorate believed the definition of “conservative” was simply “Not Hillary.” The monetized right's media cheerleaders gave Trump every ideological pass in the book, and for those of us who care about free markets, free speech, and the constitutional principles of liberty, equality, and opportunity now view the Trump Republican Party warily, if not fearfully. His shoddy intellect, child's temperament, and judgment are all on constant and horrifying display. The ugliness and internal bickering of transition are just a preview. If he allows nationalist populism to outweigh American values, and for the Bannon/Spencer/Duke wing of the Trump party to thrive and grow with his tacit approval, he'll bend the long arc of history toward something dark and shameful. If Trump keeps his promises – mass deportations, the wall, national-stop-and-frisk, broad new economic regulation, shredding trade deals, bans on religious minorities, the abrogation of the free speech rights and the rest – the country faces economic, political, and moral hazards driven by the Oval Office like no administration in memory. Trump is prepared to push not only a trillion-dollar stimulus, a massive tax cut and a military buildup, but promises to do so without touching entitlements. And he'll do this while wrecking international trade agreements that power millions of American jobs. He continues to hold a set of economic principles and a view of international relations that will terrify markets and allies alike when he takes the reins of power. If he appoints the rogues' gallery of characters who are touted as his Cabinet picks, prepare for four years of dark comedy, Carteresque incompetence and an eventual wave of special prosecutors as Scamalot unfolds. Past a few marquee names at the top, Washington's panic is rising that Trump will sweep in a wave of business associates and family members into key government positions. Many of the men named as potential Cabinet picks to date have, to put it mildly, less impulse control than one might hope. The mere possibility of a Newt Gingrich or a Sarah Palin in the Trump Cabinet is already peaking lulz detectors worldwide. His dynastic aspirations are becoming clearer by the day as Trump has pushed to have his family embedded in the core of government. In the minds of his fanatics, the Trumps are a royal family with everything but titles of nobility, and I imagine he'll have the White House Counsel looking hard at Article I, Section 9, once he's sworn in. Last time I checked, Clause 8, which bars titles of nobility, doesn't have a Trump exception. While a Trump who keeps his promises is dangerous, a Trump breaking some of them—particularly the ones that stoked his base—is inevitable. If Trump does as he has with literally every other major relationship and transaction in his personal and business life, he'll happily abandon the promises he made to the people he successfully conned. When he fails to build a big, beautiful wall from the Pacific to the Gulf of Mexico, leaves huge chucks of Obamacare intact, or when his hokey, half-assed economic nostrums fail, and America doesn't turn into a coal-extractin' steel-makin' manufacturin' lily-white 1950s economic superpower, the monster he raised will bite back. I expect that while many of the Trump cult will never, ever abandon the Dear Leader, there is a vast, economically-terrified percentage of his electorate who will lose it when his con is revealed. They'll find Trump's walk-backs on his key promises, the friction of Washington, and the realities of governing less glamorous than big rallies, inchoate anger and red hats. They voted for Trump because he stoked their fervid revanchism, and was the furthest person from a politician. The purity of their belief that he was telling the truth is going to make the crash harder than the Monday after a weekend oxy-and-tequila binge. Nonetheless, he's President-elect. The fight to stop him was worth every effort and every moment but it was a fight that failed at the ballot box. The fight to save center-right conservatism is the new battlefield, and one worth even more effort. Conservatives will be tested severely and constantly in the coming years. It's up to us to hold Republicans to account when they deviate into the comfortable "but he's a Republican, so it's okay" mindset. During the Bush Administration, that led us to the ideological and electoral disasters of 2006 and 2008: vast expansions for federal power, new entitlements, wild spending, and bank bailouts which led to disheartened and defeated Republicans in the House and the Senate. It's up to a new conservative movement to provide stronger voices for the better values that have defined this nation's long journey and to offer a smarter, more human, and more modern path than the grubby, racially-inflected nationalism that too many of Trump's supporters have embraced. Center-right conservatism is on fire with ideas; it's incumbent on a new conservative movement to fight for them. Good and bad leaders all pass, with either great consequence or great danger to the fabric of the Republic. Trump is not the end of America, just as Obama wasn't. Those of us who revere the Constitution are obliged to respect the decision of the electorate, and we will pray President Trump will be granted more wisdom and probity than Citizen Trump has ever displayed. As my friend Ben Howe noted, a core premise of the Never Trump movement wasn't simply that he'd lose; it was that he'd be a bad and dangerous President, not only for conservatives but for the nation. We're about to test the latter part of that theory. Buckle up.Oracle, no stranger to large acquisitions, has just announced a $5.3 billion buy of Micros Systems – a top provider of both hardware and software for the hospitality industry. Oracle says that the acquisition will allow the two companies to “help hotels, food & beverage facilities, and retailers to accelerate innovation, transform their businesses, and delight customers with complete, open and integrated solutions.” “Oracle has successfully helped customers across multiple industries, harness the power of cloud, mobile, social, big data and the internet of things to transform their businesses,” said Oracle President Mark Hurd. “We anticipate delivering compelling advantages to companies within the Hospitality and Retail industries with the acquisition of MICROS.” Known for their big acquisitions, Oracle has made 11 such purchases in the past year-and-a-half. This $5.3 billion buy is their second-largest in recent history – the largest coming back in 2009 with a $7.4 billion takeover of Sun Microsystems. “MICROS has been focused on helping the world’s leading brands in our target markets since we were founded in 1977, including running more than 330,000 sites across 180 countries today,” said Peter Altabef, President and CEO, MICROS. “In combination with Oracle, we expect to help accelerate our customers’ ability to innovate and differentiate their businesses by utilizing Oracle’s technologies, cloud solutions and scale. We are very excited about the great opportunities this will create for our customers and employees.” The deal will close later this year. Image via MICROS Systems, FacebookIt’s hard to get most Americans to agree on most anything and while that’s part of what makes us the great nation we are – there is an evil before us which all parents and citizens of Houston should unite against. We are urging Houstonians of every flavor to vote against Mayor Parker’s ordinance in the November 3rd city elections, because it would force our wives and daughters to share women’s restrooms, girls dressing rooms and locker-rooms and showers with men. That sounds crazy and it is. And speaking of crazy – wait until the left sees the new ad by The “Campaign for Houston” BELOW – exclusively and for the first time seen here on JoeForAmerica.com – it is spot on and is sure to make the heads of the left EXPLODE: [WATCH] The ordinance, Proposition 1, has been writtten and purposefully built on a foundation of deception to make Houston voters believe they are voting to discourage discrimination – but it is nothing more than the leftists, led by Mayor Parker, attempting to allow men on any given day – to have access to the most private areas where your daughters, sisters, wives, girlfriends, or mothers could be dangerously vulnerable. Do you think Mayor Parker could get anything like this past the voters if they merely said, “This will allow men to use a girl’s locker room, bathroom or shower if they only call themselves a woman?” Of course not – like all perverted, and Marxist-based movements – deception is the key, and this one is no different: The ordinance gives new “rights” to two special interest “groups,” but at it’s core, it isn’t about protecting anyone’s rights. This isn’t about protecting people from discrimination: If we do not stop this, it will make “sexual orientation” and “gender identification” new protected classes. Sound so “progressive” – doesn’t it? Bottom line? Men who “identify as women” or just wake up one day and call themselves, “women” will be able to demand and legally walk into women’s public restrooms, ladies health club locker rooms or a bathroom your daughter is using. Worse yet, if a place of business does not accomodate this insanity, they can be fined and sued for discrimination. You must remember: This is not about discrimination – has nothing to do with it. It is about the leftists in this country with an agenda to tear down our traditions, gain access to our children and – most importantly – make Christianity and belief in one’s Faith, illegal. There are already critically important laws on the federal, state and local levels that protect the rights of women, racial minorities, the disabled, elderly or military personnel from discrimination for employment, housing and access to public accommodations. To be clear, this ordinance is to allow perverted and confused individuals an advantage to get to the children of Houston by making “sexual orientation” and “gender identification” two new protected classes – neither of which qualify as true “minorities” requiring special legal protection. Want proof? When former Houston Astros baseball all-star Lance Berkman appeared in an ad saying that the Nov. 3 ballot measure would “allow troubled men who claim to be women to enter women’s bathrooms, showers and locker rooms,” – here’s what the “Yes on 1” campaign posted on the website Houston Unites, the group supporting Proposition 1: “Prop. 1 will NOT allow men to enter women’s restrooms.” But of course that depends on your definition of “men” is, right? Despite the fact that you cannot find any reputable physiologist, biologist, professor of anatomy or any scientist with a month of training to agree a man can be changed into a woman, the Maoist wannabes wish to make your children believe it’s possible and these poor souls need special protections. Well you can stick a branch in your eye – but that doesn’t make you a tree, my friend. And I don’t want men – especially a man this confused – into a bathroom where my daughter, wife or mother may be doing her private business. And neither do you. IMPORTANT: The “Campaign for Houston” is made up of parents and family members who do not want their daughters, sisters or mothers forced to share restrooms in public facilities with gender-confused men, who – under this ordinance – can call themselves “women.” They are fighting hard for the citizens and families of Houston against this agenda and need your help: Please take a moment and donate to this critical cause at a time where resources are badly needed. Send everyone on your email list to their website and post this article and their information on your social media asap. Campaign for Houston’s Facebook Page is here: And their corresponding Twitter page HERE: Share, like and most importantly give of your time if you’re in the Houston area and urge your friends and family to do the same. If this can happen in Houston – it can happen everywhere and that’s what the left is counting on. Joe the Plumber is 100% behind this and that he is calling on American to get behind what should be common sense and common decency. Help keep our children, our wives, daughter and mother safe from a very real threat! That’s what this fight is over: Religious freedom and parental control over what can happen to their own children when they leave the house.Parliament will meet on Thursday, a day before Spanish senate is expected to back measures against regional government The Catalan parliament will meet on Thursday to decide how to respond to the Spanish government’s unprecedented decision to impose direct rule, as speculation mounts that the regional president, Carles Puigdemont, could use the occasion to ask MPs to vote on a unilateral declaration on independence. The plenary session will be held a day before the Spanish senate is expected to approve measures that would strip Puigdemont’s administration of its powers and transfer its functions to the relevant ministries in Madrid. The constitutional measures would require elections for the Catalan parliament to be held within six months. On Monday the Catalan foreign affairs minister, Raül Romeva, said the region would not accept the Spanish government’s attempts to take control, and accused the EU of doing nothing. “How can the European Union live with that situation [if this happens]?” Romeva told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “How can the EU democracy survive and how can they be credible if they allow this to happen? Because what I can tell you is that the people and the institutions in Catalonia will not let this happen.” Spain’s deputy prime minister, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, said the Spanish government would appoint its own representative to replace Puigdemont as soon as direct rule came into effect. “They are president of the regional government and senior figures in that government because of the constitution,” she told Spain’s Onda Cero radio station. “They are not entrusted with that role by any divine authority.” On Saturday Spain’s prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, said his government was using article 155 of the constitution to “restore the rule of law, coexistence and the economic recovery and to ensure that elections could be held in normal circumstances”. Puigdemont’s government has denounced the move as a “de facto coup d’etat” and insists the results of a recent referendum – in which 90% of participants voted for independence – mean it has a mandate to break away from Spain and become a sovereign republic. Although the Catalan leader signed a declaration of independence on 10 October, he then proposed that its effects be suspended for two months to allow talks to find a way out of the impasse. Puigdemont has described Madrid’s invocation of 155 as the worst attack on Catalonia’s institutions since General Franco’s dictatorship, and accused the Spanish government of “slamming the door” on his appeals for dialogue. His government has refused calls to avert the crisis by dropping his independence plans and calling new elections before the article comes into force. On Sunday a spokesman for the Catalan administration said fresh polls were “not on the table” and the government would fight “tooth and nail to defend Catalonia’s democratically elected institutions”. Puigdemont’s junior coalition partner, the far-left, separatist Cup party, has urged a campaign of mass civil disobedience against what it called “the greatest aggression against the civil, individual and collective rights of the Catalan people” since Franco. According to the Catalan government, about 2.3 million of Catalonia’s 5.3 million registered voters – 43% – took part in the referendum, and 770,000 votes were lost after Spanish police stepped in to try to halt the vote.Sources tell NBC New York that there are new DNA results in the sexual assault case involving Dominique Strauss-Kahn. They say the former IMF chief's DNA was found on the accuser's shirt. (Published Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2012) A DNA sample taken from Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former IMF chief accused of sexually assaulting a hotel maid, has been matched to material found on the maid's shirt, sources familiar with the case tell NBC New York. The 32-year-old Sofitel maid has told police that Strauss-Kahn groped her, locked her in a bedroom and forced her to perform oral sex. Sources familiar with the case say material on her shirt matched Strauss-Kahn's DNA. Another source says DNA testing on other evidence from the scene is continuing. Prosecutors on Thursday announced a grand jury indictment; the seven counts include attempted rape, criminal sex act, sex abuse, forcible touching and unlawful imprisonment WATCH: Dominique Strauss-Kahn in Custody Dominique Strauss-Kahn walks in police custody as police investigate assault allegations. (Published Wednesday, May 25, 2011) Defense lawyers have denied the charges and say there is no evidence of a forced encounter. They did not comment on the latest information about Strauss-Kahn's DNA. A spokeswoman for the Manhattan district attorney declined comment. Strauss-Khan was released from Rikers Island on $1 million bail on Friday and is under home confinement in a luxury apartment downtown. DSK Court Case The terms of his house arrest allow him to leave the residence for one weekly religious observance, medical appointments, meetings with lawyers and court appearances. Prosecutors must be notified at least six hours before he goes anywhere. He also must wear an electronic monitoring device and live under video surveillance. Follow Jonathan Dienst on Twitter @Jonathan4NY and us @NBCNewYork, and on Facebook/NBCNewYork, and sign up for breaking news SMS alerts on your phone by texting "NYBREAKING" to 639710.All transactions on Patreon are processed in U.S funds. We are sitting here today with our good friend, Potential Patron. How are you?Confused. Where am I, and how did I get here? Who are you?Glad you asked, Potential Patron!Dave.Glad you asked, potential patron Dave! Playwright Hero is a growing theatre company born in Montréal but now operating in Toronto! Since 2011, we have been dedicated to creating hilarious & original theatre. We have had great success as far as upstart indie companies go - all the way down to getting invited to the 2015 Wildside Theatre Festival at the Centaur Theatre. We received much praise from many people for our show, Johnny Legdick, a rock opera about a guy who has a leg where his…you know, dick is supposed to be.Legdick, eh? Why am I here? Oh, and just Dave. Seriously.Sorry.Thanks. What do you want from me?As I'm sure you know, the arts funding situation in Canada is lacklustre.WHAT?! NO!Oh yes! Theatre isn't profitable, and relying on government grants or corporate sponsorship is quixotic at best. With YOUR help, we can forever change how live theatre is funded!Come now. Surely you make enough from ticket sales.We have always had good ticket sales — but even for many of the biggest theatre companies around, ticket sales only account for about 15-20% of yearly revenue. The end result: we have enough to put on the next show, but not to pay our performers, who commit to our style, understand it, and enjoy doing it. That's why this Patreon campaign is important to us: it's a chance to finally remunerate our talented players.So, all the funds from Patreon go to the actors? What about the other professionals you hire?Our treasury will be sufficient to afford design contracts, space rental, and materials. We just can't bring ourselves to do another show without paying the wonderful people who bring life to our characters. Patreon will allow us to grow a community of actors who are invested in our company; supportive of our ideas; and as dedicated as we are to producing original theatre. Our aim is to be able to pay them union wages, and that will take a lot of help. And we will show our appreciation with special patron exclusive privileges; see details below!Sounds good! Sign me up!Great! Too bad you're hypothetical, and not a real person.Dude...This is hard to report, butManhal* reports that he was held in a secret prison where they pulled out his fingernails and toenails and electrocuted his body parts. "I have seen death, and I’ve been tortured nearly to death,” he's told us. But if we act now, we can make Manhal's sacrifice the last straw that turns the whole world against the Assad regime.The Arab League’s observers have failed to stop the brutal crack down, but pressure on Assad is mounting.revealing the scale of Syria’s detention facilities, including what they did to Manhal. If we build a massive global outcry now,and when we reach 500,000 signatures we’ll deliver it along with Avaaz’s report to the Arab League and the United Nations Security Council, demanding they refer Assad to the International Criminal Court to be tried for crimes against humanity. Click here to read the new Avaaz report on the Syrian regime's torture facilities.brian-kelly-michigan-state.jpg Brian Kelly knows his team needed a little Irish luck to beat Michigan State earlier this season. (AP Photo) EAST LANSING - Since Auburn's miracle play this past Saturday tacked a loss onto the previously undefeated record of Alabama, the nation has been debating the merits of one-loss teams. Michigan State (11-1, 8-0) may not be at the center of those conversations, but its resume fits the bill. In fact, if you ask the only coach in the country to have beaten the Spartans this season, he'll tell you exactly how the Spartans compare to the best. "We played everybody in the country from the eighth ranked team to 11, 12, 22, 23. We played a lot of good football teams," Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said Tuesday morning. "There's not a better defense in the country that we've played and I think Stanford's pretty good too." Kelly's Irish - whose schedule has included Oklahoma, Arizona State, USC, BYU and Stanford - beat Michigan State 17-13 early in the season in a game full of controversy. The controversy lies in the fact that the Spartans and half of Notre Dame's first downs came via penalties. Michigan State coaches have taken the no-comment approach on the matter since. But controversy or not, Kelly is still the only coach to beat Michigan State, so his blueprint has street cred. And Tuesday he was asked point-blank: If Urban Meyer called, and he says, 'Hey, what can we exploit?' What would you tell him? "There's apparently no weaknesses in our estimation as you attack them," Kelly replied. "You try to get big-chunk plays. You try to push the ball down the field because you cannot win a battle at the line of scrimmage. They're just not going to give up enough for you to win playing that kind of game. They're just too good up front. They commit so much to the front in terms of safety support. You got to try and get the ball outside and do the best you can and try to get big chunk plays." Michigan State kicks off against No. 2 Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game at 8 p.m. on Saturday in Indianapolis. -- Download the MSU football MLive app for iPhone and Android -- Download the MSU basketball on MLive app for iPhone and Android -- Follow Gillian Van Stratt on TwitterIt’s been a roller-coaster ride for the alternative media. The last decade has seen an explosion in independent content that is not associated with the corporate media monopolies, as well as an associated growth in individuals joining the ‘truth movement’. There have also been many hiccups too, such as controlled opposition sites which lurk covertly in the shadows and provide misinformation as psy-op trickery to distract us from what’s really going on. In utter defiance, the last five years in particular has really accelerated in terms of the traffic that independent journos and platforms have received. However, the last year has been tough. Real tough. In perfect response to that growing attention, the control-matrix and its technological arms have implemented algorithms and search parameters that have inhibited the reach of the free-thought mediums. Simply, they’re trying to send the alternative underground to separate it completely from the mainstream, because they know that if it continues on the same trajectory it will replace the mainstream entirely. By keeping the alternative information strictly controlled – as they know they can’t yet stop it doing what it likes – their approach is to slow down the amount of people transitioning to the truth, away from the lie. And it’s worked to an extent, unfortunately. But the shift in awareness cannot be stopped. The alternative media will inevitably replace the mainstream media. Personally I have been writing in the independent media for close to three years. By the end of the second year, some of my individual articles had hundreds of thousands of views, as well as shared on Facebook over one hundred thousand times. On average they were being shared between ten to twenty thousand times, with the poorly-circulating article getting at least one or two thousand shares. Yet when the changes happened to Facebook’s news-feed algorithms around a year ago, it all started to change. Slowly the engagement and therefore the social shares decreased, to the point I’m satisfied if I get a few thousand shares out of an article. This isn’t an isolated experience either; I have spoken with many other website managers/creators, and they’re struggling with decreased engagement across the board. In essence, the changes that have been made to Facebook and Google algorithms have absolutely smashed the circulation of the alternative media, which has decreased the money they make, which in turn restricts the amount they can invest to continue to grow. Simple Steps You Can Take to Support Alternative Media There are some simple actions you can personally take to support alternative media while it transitions from the grip of the control-system. For example, simply liking, commenting on and sharing as many posts as you see, will help to boost their social reach. Another approach is to click the ‘See First’ option at the top of pages you follow: just press the ‘liked’ or ‘followed’ display, depending if you’re on a computer or phone, and choose your notification setting. Selecting this option means their posts will be at the top of your news feed, and also summarized in your notifications (along with your personal notifications.) That way you are much more likely to see the posts that you would previously have liked and shared anyway. Ultimately, the alternative media is doing its best to provide the most truthful and honorable content that it can, whilst reaching as many people as it can. With your active support, it can continue to ‘fight the good fight’ whilst knowing you guys have its back. Given all the hard work they do on behalf of the truth movement, it’s important that you play your part. Recommended Websites and Social Media In this light, this is a good opportunity to plug some of the sites that I have personally worked with, because I truly believe they’re all worthy of receiving your undivided support. The Mind Unleashed, Wake Up World, Waking Times, Expanded Consciousness and Elephant Journal were all
two and a quarter football fields. The carving of the three men towers 400 feet (120 m) above the ground, measures 90 by 190 feet (58 m), and is recessed 42 feet (13 m) into the mountain. The deepest point of the carving is at Lee's elbow, which is 12 feet (3.7 m) to the mountain's surface. There is a misperception that many of the of Southern states have flown some version of the Confederate flag without interruption since the Civil War. For the most part, the Southern states that raised the Confederate battle flag or incorporated it into their state flag did so in the early part of the 20th century or during the 1950s and 1960s, in a defiant stand against integration. Denmark Groover, the Georgia House floor leader who in 1956 sponsored the legislation to add the Southern Cross into the state flag, freely admitted as much. He maintained that he and many of Georgia's legislators at the time were staunch segregationists who had urged that the Confederate symbol be added to the flag as a protest against federal integration orders. He said something else in the piece that struck me: "The South is a place, but the Confederacy is a worldview."As an adult, I am still deeply disturbed by all of the shrines dotted across the nation, particularly in the South, honoring Confederate leaders. The most disturbing one for me is carved on Stone Mountain in Georgia.Across the nation, grade schools, high schools, and colleges are named for Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Jefferson Davis. Fourteen states celebrate Confederate Memorial Day. Alabama still has an official state holiday that celebrates Jefferson Davis' birthday on June 3 each year. The Confederate battle flag is incorporated into several state flags. As we move into 2015, there are many events commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, and far too many of them will be honoring Confederate traitors. We will hear the refrain repeated again and again, that it isn't about slavery, and that neo-Confederates are "not racists." The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) defines neo-Confederacy: The term neo-Confederacy is used to describe twentieth and twenty-first century revivals of pro-Confederate sentiment in the United States. Strongly nativist and advocating measures to end immigration, neo-Confederacy claims to pursue Christianity and heritage and other supposedly fundamental values that modern Americans are seen to have abandoned. Neo-Confederacy also incorporates advocacy of traditional gender roles, is hostile towards democracy, strongly opposes homosexuality, and exhibits an understanding of race that favors segregation and suggests white supremacy. In many cases, neo-Confederates are openly secessionist. Neo-Confederacy has applied to groups including the United Daughters of the Confederacy of the 1920s and those resisting racial integration in the 1950s and 1960s. In its most recent iteration, neo-Confederacy is used by both proponents and critics to describe a belief system that has emerged since the early-1980s in publications like Southern Partisan, Chronicles, and Southern Mercury, and in organizations including the League of the South, the Council of Conservative Citizens and the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Overall, it is a reactionary conservative ideology that has made inroads into the Republican Party from the political right, and overlaps with the views of white nationalists and other more radical extremist groups. An interdisciplinary team examines the mainstreaming of the New Dixie movement, whose calls range from full secession to the racist exaltation of “Celtic” Americans and whose advocates can be found far north of the Mason-Dixon Line. A century and a half after the conclusion of the Civil War, the legacy of the Confederate States of America continues to influence national politics in profound ways. Drawing on magazines such as Southern Partisan and publications from the secessionist organization League of the South, as well as DixieNet and additional newsletters and websites, Neo-Confederacy probes the veneer of this movement to reveal goals far more extensive than a mere celebration of ancestry. Incorporating groundbreaking essays on the Neo-Confederacy movement, this eye-opening work encompasses such topics as literature and music; the ethnic and cultural claims of white, Anglo-Celtic southerners; gender and sexuality; the origins and development of the movement and its tenets; and ultimately its nationalization into a far-reaching factor in reactionary conservative politics. The first book-length study of this powerful sociological phenomenon, Neo-Confederacy raises crucial questions about the mainstreaming of an ideology that, founded on notions of white supremacy, has made curiously strong inroads throughout the realms of sexist, homophobic, anti-immigrant, and often "orthodox" Christian populations that would otherwise have no affiliation with the regionality or heritage traditionally associated with Confederate history. I can testify about the South under oath. I was born and raised there, and 12 men in my family fought for the Confederacy; two of them were killed. And since I was a boy, the answer I've heard to this question, from Virginia to Louisiana (from whites, never from blacks), is this: "The War Between the States was about states' rights. It was not about slavery." I've heard it from women and from men, from sober people and from people liquored up on anti-Washington talk. The North wouldn't let us govern ourselves, they say, and Congress laid on tariffs that hurt the South. So we rebelled. Secession and the Civil War, in other words, were about small government, limited federal powers and states' rights. But a look through the declaration of causes written by South Carolina and four of the 10 states that followed it out of the Union - which, taken together, paint a kind of self-portrait of the Confederacy - reveals a different story. From Georgia to Texas, each state said the reason it was getting out was that the awful Northern states were threatening to do away with slavery. South Carolina: "The non-slaveholding states... have denounced as sinful the institution of slavery" and "have encouraged and assisted thousands of our slaves to leave their homes." Mississippi: "Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery - the greatest material interest of the world....There was no choice left us but submission to the mandates of abolition, or a dissolution of the Union." Georgia: "A brief history of the rise, progress, and policy of anti-slavery and the political organization into whose hands the administration of the Federal Government has been committed will fully justify the pronounced verdict of the people of Georgia." Several states single out a special culprit, Abraham Lincoln, "an obscure and illiterate man" whose "opinions and purposes are hostile to slavery." Lincoln's election to the White House meant, for South Carolina, that "the public mind must rest in the belief that slavery is in the course of ultimate extinction." In other words, the only state right the Confederate founders were interested in was the rich man's "right" to own slaves. It's peculiar, because "states' rights" has become a popular refrain in Republican circles lately. Last year Gov. Rick Perry of Texas wondered aloud whether secession was his state's right in the aftermath of laws out of Congress that he disliked. In part because of this renewed rhetoric, in the coming remembrances we will likely hear more from folks who cling to the whitewash explanation for secession and the Civil War. But you have only to look at the honest words of the secessionists to see why all those men put on uniforms. When I first moved to Washington, D.C., I had hardly a stick of furniture, so I boarded a bus to take me to the nearest Ikea, which was in a Virginia mall. Quite unfamiliar with the territory, I watched out the window with curiosity as the bus traveled along the chain-store lined route. Soon I noticed we were traveling along a road called the Jefferson Davis Highway. I was stunned, and a bit sick to my stomach. How could it be that a highway was named after a man who made war against the United States, all so the citizens of his region could continue to hold human beings in chains? All so slave masters could continue to rape the women they claimed to own. The children of these unions were usually enslaved by their own fathers, often acting as servants to their white half-brothers and -sisters. That throughout a significant swath of the nation, men who committed treason for the sake of maintaining chattel slavery are lauded as heroes speaks to a terrible illness in the American psyche -- one that continues to fester 145 years after the last shot was fired in the War Between the States. African-Americans know that the Civil War never ended: as the descendants of the slaves freed by the war's outcome, they've been subjected to continuous stream of terrorism and discrimination, whether they live in the South or the North.But in the South, black people, for 100 years after the war, faced orders of terror higher than elsewhere in the country. Chattel slavery in America was reserved primarily for those of their race (although, in some areas, Native Americans were also traded as slaves), marking them by skin color as the living legacy of the Confederacy's final humiliation. And you thought the Civil War was over... Confederacy Theory presents and unflinching portrait of the cultural war that has erupted around the confederate flag - a century-old symbol that threatens to divide the South like no issue since the Civil Rights movement. Using never-before-seen archival footage and exclusive interviews with politicians, pundits, activists, and scholars, Confederacy Theory traces the history of this symbol and its impact on Southern culture, history, and identity - from the Civil War to the frontlines of a modern-day secession movement. For an academic look at the rise of the neo-confederacy, I suggest: Neo-Confederacy: A Critical Introduction, edited by Euan Hague, Heidi Beirich, and Edward H. SebestaWhenever you hear someone state that "the Civil War wasn't about slavery," refer them to Edward Ball, author of Slaves in the Family, who wrote Commemoration, minus the myths Adele Stan wrote If You Think the Civil War Ever Ended, Think Again, explaining, "But the larger issue is the notion that a Confederate History Month should be celebrated at all, with or without an overt mention of slavery."Take a look at Confederacy Theory It was just recently that we got these polling results from Mississippi: And keep in mind, 37 percent of Mississippi Republicans Say They Would Would Back Confederates over United States. Last year, Mother Jones featured teapublican Chris McDaniel schmoozing with neo-Confederate racists in an article, GOP Senate Candidate Addressed Conference Hosted by Neo-Confederate Group That Promotes Secessionism. Chris McDaniel is taking the "GOP Civil War" to a new level. Two months ago, the tea party-backed Mississippi Senate candidate addressed a neo-Confederate conference and costume ball hosted by a group that promotes the work of present-day secessionists and contends the wrong side won the "war of southern independence." Other speakers at the event included a historian who believes Lincoln was a Marxist and Ryan Walters, a PhD candidate who worked on McDaniel's first political campaign and wrote recently that the "controversy" over President Barack Obama's birth certificate "hasn't really been solved." McDaniel continues to battle in the courts in his bid to be on the ballot. My civil libertarian friends will probably disagree with me, but I find myself wishing that we had laws—similar to the Strafgesetzbuch section 86a in Germany that "concerns Nazi symbolism in particular and is part of the denazification efforts following the fall of the Third Reich. The law prohibits the distribution or public use of symbols of unconstitutional groups, in particular, flags, insignia, uniforms, slogans and forms of greeting." I dream of living in an America that no longer celebrates, and erects monuments to, slavery and secession, where a plurality of my fellow citizens no longer believe the Civil War was about "states rights." Since I won't live to see that dream, I'll settle for fighting for a third Reconstruction, and working to vote every racist neo-Confederate tea partier out of office.Testing tomorrow for Mahindra, while Nick Heidfeld competes in Petit Le Mans, Daniel Juncadella has said his initially skeptical opinion of Formula E was changed by his friends in the championship. The Blancpain GT driver competes with several drivers currently in Formula E – and their enthusiasm for the series, for the way it operates and the ambience of the championship made him want to be part of it. Asked what he felt about testing tomorrow, Dani said “I’ve been following Formula E for actually a few seasons – I was actually one of the skeptical ones a few years ago but luckily I never had bad words for the championship, that would mean I wouldn’t be here. “I’m actually really looking forward to this championship – any chance like this one of testing the car is great, in view of the future, you never know. I would really enjoy driving here and having a chance to test with Mahindra, who’ve been a successful team in the past seasons, I think it’s a great first step.” Juncadella is Spanish, which brought him a link to Mahindra partner Campos but he credited his fellow drivers for bringing him into the series for this test- “What changed my mind was not especially the racing or the cars or whatever, it was more the drivers’ opinion, the actual drivers’ opinion. I’m really good friends with Felix, with Antonio, with Robin, with Daniel Abt and Alex Lynn also so talking to them and seeing that they were enjoying the weekends a lot, enjoying the events, enjoying the Formula E ambience made me realise that this championship is really cool and in the end that’s what this is all about. I’m not doing this racing for the money, for the wins – ok obviously you’re a competitive guy, you want to win – but I enjoy driving and having fun and that’s what life’s about. That made me realise that maybe it’s the place to go.” “Ok, in my case Mahindra is run by a Spanish team – Campos – I know these people very well but having Felix here is also very helpful, he made his little move for me testing here and that’s something great.” Juncadella said that Formula E appealed as an open, collaborative championship, with strong bonds between the drivers and close working within teams, unlike Formula 1- “This is the kind of championship that with all the other drivers you are big rivals but you can also be friends because the races are run in one day and in the end it’s not a closed championship or such a kind if championship like F1 where you are just living your own life and working on your own things and forgetting about the others. Here, with so little running and so little testing and so on, particularly with your teammate you need to have the best combination possible and in the end, being such short weekends you get to spend time with each other and with the other guys in the championship and that, I think, makes it a bit more human.” Juncadella has no formal role with Mahindra at present, although the team do plan to announce a third driver, he is only contracted to complete the third day of pre-season testing. Speaking to us this morning, Felix “I think it was a little bit of both, I mean he’s Spanish and parts of our team are Spanish so there was a national connection and when the talks started obviously they asked me what I think about him and I’ve always been very close with him. I think he suits this environment very well so I really hope he has a good test tomorrow, that he can prove he can have a future here at some point because I think that would be good for him and if it’s with this team or another team, I don’t know. I’m happy he gets the chance and I think it was the right decision for the team.” The bromance will continue tomorrow on track, with Rosenqvist and Juncadella completing the full day’s testing for Mahindra.WTF? Here’s something you may have missed during last night’s debate. Although the debate was supposed to be about foreign policy, it often veered back to domestic policy and the economy. During one of those veers, Mitt Romney said this: Come on our website. You look at how we get to a balanced budget within eight to 10 years. We do it by getting — by reducing spending in a whole series of programs. Eight to ten years. But wait. He also said this in the same goddam debate: The president hasn’t balanced a budget yet. So, let me get this straight, Governor. You say you can’t balance the budget in less than eight years but you’re criticizing the President for not doing it in less than four? The level of hypocrisy displayed with this is almost breathtaking. Really, Governor Romney, we’re not as stupid as you think we are. [CC Facepalm image credit: Cesar Astudillo \| Flickr]NFC is becoming more prevalent in the mobile space. The technology has been featured in a number of smartphones and tablets from manufacturers such as Samsung (005930), Motorola, Nokia (NOK) and Research in Motion (RIMM), among others. The possibilities with NFC appear to be endless, from mobile payments and wireless sharing to one day even controlling our vehicles. South Korean automaker Hyundai (005380) recently announced plans to incorporate the technology into its vehicles in the next few years. The company’s new Connectivity Concept will allow drivers to control various aspects of their car with an NFC-equipped smartphone. “Hyundai’s Connectivity Concept showcases the brand’s philosophy of making tomorrow’s technology accessible to a wide range of customers,” Allan Rushforth, SVP and COO of Hyundai Motor Europe, said. “With this technology, Hyundai is able to harness the all-in-one functionality of existing smartphone technology and integrating it into everyday driving in a seamless fashion. As the technology continually develops there will be capabilities to store driver’s seating positions and exterior mirror settings, providing customers with a comfortable and individual driving environment.” Drivers will be able to lock and unlock cars by placing a smartphone on a special NFC-tag, eliminating the need for traditional keys, and will also sync all user content such as music, phone contacts, radio station preferences and individual profile settings from a compatible phone. If that isn’t enough, cars will even able to wirelessly recharge a smartphone’s battery. Hyundai hopes to bring NFC technology to production models by 2015.There are many talented designers and animators who create inspiring work through After Effects, but it's rare that an artist can completely defy what most think is possible with the platform. After Effects has tools for animating characters and many plugins like RubberHose exist to help make character animation easier. But the work that Daniel Gies has done with his studio e.d.Films is far and away beyond what most anyone else has achieved in the realm of character animation in After Effects. Daniel operates on a different level to create stunning illustrated, fully animated characters that rival Hollywood style animation. And he's made a point of sharing his secrets through a series of tutorials online. Let's explore some Gies' beautiful character animation and dive into a little bit of how he pulls it off. Daniel works out of his studio, e.d.Films, in Montreal Canada where he classifies himself as a "digital puppeteer". This is an apt title for the work he creates which is filled with life and natural movement. He began his creative endeavors as a child working on flip books and using Autodesk Animator on his dad's computer. He cites his parents as his best teachers. When it came time for schooling, he started in film, television, and post production before moving into animation, a combination that probably gave him the large set of tools he needs to pull off his creations. Here Gies excels in his ability to be both a creative force with a wild imagination and a master of his tools on a technical level. Whereas many people are fortunate to have either skill set, Gies seamlessly melds both. So, let's take a look at one of his creations. Below is a skillfully animated piece created by e.d.Films for the Alberta Science Foundation. It combines hand drawn illustration techniques, beautiful paint effects, and clever paper cut out elements along with Gies' wonderfully rigged and animated After Effects characters. The piece is amazing and inspiring to watch. But what's better is that Gies shares in detail how he rigged his main character in a series of tutorials available for free online. Even more amazing is that this animation was done way back in 2011, decades in terms of software innovation. Even with all of the new tools available, this piece still stands out as original and fresh. Another shining example of Daniel Gies' signature look can be seen in the "Pipelines: Here, There, Everywhere?" video also created for the Alberta Science Foundation. Again Gies uses hand drawn illustration techniques and paper cut out effects, along with some interesting paper textures, for a unique look and feel, that works well against his animated characters. And again, Gies followed up with a tutorial series on how he created this video. This series is called "From Paper To After Effects" and can be found for free on Gies' YouTube Channel. The success of the above tutorial series led Gies to revisit the subject matter with another tutorial series titled "From Paper to After Effects: Revisited" which is totally free as well. The second series has even more advanced techniques that Gies explored with his multi-angled character. The completed animations created by Gies and the team at e.d.Films are often jaw-dropping, but it's just as inspiring to watch some of the many text animations that Gies posts regularly on his Vimeo channel. Like this polar bear "talk test" created in After Effects with a layered painting, the puppet tool, and some liquify distortion. Then there is this beautifully designed and animated elephant walk cycle, also built in After Effects. In recent years, Daniel Gies has started working in Maya as well to build fully 3D characters for some of his work, but that hasn't stopped him from using After Effects to push the envelope on 2D character animation. And it hasn't stopped him from exploring ways to use After Effects uniquely where many artists might opt for 3D simulations. Take this example of the recently released short created for the National Geographic Museum called "Monster Fish - In Search of the Last River Giants". This beautiful piece mixes a combination of 3D elements with 2D elements to build a deep and rich environment for exploration. But in a tutorial series released by Gies, he shows artists that he opted to create the flowing river and lake reflections in After Effects as opposed to using 3D simulation. This is just another example of the creative approach to his work and the understanding of his medium on a deep level. For artists looking to gain an even deeper understanding of the technique Gies has developed and mastered, he offers a series of paid tutorials though the online education portal Digital Tutors. It's worth taking a look if you are interested in developing characters within After Effects. But it's also worth following Gies and his company e.d.Films through all of their online channels, just to keep up with what their future holds and to be inspired and amazed on a regular basis. Here are some links where you can find more of the work of Daniel Gies and e.d.Films. e.d.Films' Website: http://edfilms.net/ Daniel Gies' Website: https://danielgies.carbonmade.com/ Daniel Gies' (e.d.Films) Vimeo Channel: https://vimeo.com/danielgies Daniel Gies' YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZD0nBcORFRo8QPxDbb4KDgGet the biggest daily stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email An ice cool thief snatched a suitcase from a Birmingham-born train – and found it contained a rare replica adult Anna costume from smash-hit Disney film Frozen. The case was snatched as its 27-year-old owner slept on the service from Wigan to Birmingham New Street on Saturday May 9. Police said she put her suitcase in a rack and fell asleep after boarding at Wigan North Western just after 7am. She not realise it had gone until the train arrived at New Street. Officers released an image of a suspect believed to have left the train at Sandwell and Dudley station. PC Andy Stoddart said: “Officers are pursuing several lines of enquiry, including speaking to witnesses from the train. “We would like to speak with the man pictured as a matter of urgency. “While theft on the rail network continues to fall, we would still advise passengers to be vigilant and keep an eye on their property at all times.” Officers added the one-off costume is not available for sale and was an official dress used in live ‘Sing-a-long’ shows of Frozen. Anyone with information should call British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40, text 61016 or Crimestoppers, in confidence, on 0800 555 111.“We should refuse to allow hateful speakers on campus,” a campus faculty member said. The statement was met with resounding applause. I mentally prepared for the response to what I was going to say next. It was September, and I was at a forum at which several professors, including me, discussed free speech issues before a large audience of students at the University of California Berkeley. Several faculty and students had already implored Chancellor Carol Christ to revoke the invitations of conservative provocateurs Milo Yiannopoulos and Ann Coulter to speak on campus, and their declarations were met with enthusiasm. Read Robert Post’s argument that it makes little sense to apply the First Amendment to colleges here. Finally, I spoke up. “Be clear that if Chancellor Christ were to exclude speakers based on their viewpoint, she would get sued and lose,” I said. “The speakers would get an injunction and be allowed to speak. They would recover attorneys’ fees and maybe money damages. They would be portrayed as victims. And since they would get to speak anyway, nothing would be gained.” No one applauded. I have been dean of Berkeley’s law school for several months. But before I arrived at campus, the university, home of the free speech movement of the 1960s, had become a battleground for a new kind of campus speech debate. In late September, elaborate security precautions were taken when conservative commentator Ben Shapiro spoke at Berkeley; $600,000 had to be spent so he could deliver his remarks without disruption. When conservative student groups attempted to host a “Free Speech Week,” and invited conservative speakers like Coulter and Steve Bannon, the campus steeled itself to spend in excess of $1 million to allow them to speak while ensuring safety on the campus. (In the end, “Free Speech Week” was canceled by the student group that had organized it.) I have been teaching First Amendment law to law students and undergraduates for more than 37 years. I have also litigated free speech cases, including at the Supreme Court. I believe that Chancellor Christ and the campus have done a superb job of adhering to the First Amendment, protecting free speech while ensuring the safety of students, staff, and faculty. But it’s also become clear to me that current college students are often ambivalent, or even hostile, to the idea of free speech on campus. Students today are driven by a desire to protect their classmates from hate speech Disputes over free speech on campus have long occurred, but today is different. Usually in the past, it was students who wanted to speak out and campus administrators who tried to stop demonstrations. Now it often is about outside speakers and outside disruptors, like the radical leftist protest group antifa. The campus is just the place for their battle. At Berkeley and elsewhere, it is now often students and faculty calling for preventing the speakers while campus officials are steadfastly protecting freedom of expression. In my seminars the past two years (before Berkeley, I was at UC Irvine’s law school), I was surprised by how much the students wanted campuses to stop offensive speech — and the degree to which they trusted campus officials to have the power to do so. A 2015 survey by the Pew Research Institute said that four in 10 college students believe the government should be able to prevent people from publicly making statements that are offensive to minority groups. While teaching our class on free speech on campus at UC Irvine, Chancellor Howard Gillman and I realized that the students’ desire to restrict hurtful speech came from laudable instincts. This is the first generation of college students to be taught from a young age that bullying is wrong; they have internalized this message. Many spoke powerfully of instances in which they or their friends had suffered from hurtful speech. They want to make campuses inclusive for all, and they know that hate speech causes great harm, especially among those who have been traditionally underrepresented in higher education. But I worry, too, that students do not realize the degree to which free speech has been essential for the advancement of rights and equality. There would not have been a 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, without the women’s suffrage movement and its widespread demonstrations. The civil rights protests of the 1960s — lunch counter sit-ins, the march on Selma, demonstrations on campuses — were essential to bringing about the end of segregation. Those events, though, are ancient history for my students. I worry that they equate freedom of speech more with the vitriol of the anonymous messaging app Yik Yak than the anti-Vietnam War protests I participated in when I was in college. I was surprised by how little our students knew about the history of free speech, including the outbreak of McCarthyism, when faculty and students suffered greatly from the lack of legal protection for expression and academic freedom. Although all of this makes the context different today, the law of the First Amendment and the principles of academic freedom are clear and long established. The Supreme Court repeatedly has said that the First Amendment means public institutions cannot punish speech, or exclude speakers, on the grounds that it is hateful or deeply offensive. This includes public colleges and universities. Hate speech is protected by the First Amendment Every effort by the government to regulate hate speech has been declared unconstitutional. Over 25 years ago, more than 350 colleges and universities adopted hate speech codes. But every court to consider such a hate speech code declared it to be unconstitutional. The codes inevitably were far too vague in terms of what speech was permitted and what was prohibited. Of course, free speech is not absolute and can be punished when it incites illegal activity, constitutes a “true threat” that causes a person to fear imminent harm to his or her physical safety, or rises to the level of prohibited harassment. This does not mean that campuses are powerless in the face of disruptive or hateful speech. Even though there is a First Amendment right to speak, that does not mean that protesters have the right to demonstrate in the middle of a freeway at rush hour. A campus surely could prohibit a large demonstration in a classroom building while classes are in session. Campuses can regulate when and where speech takes place in order to prevent disruption of school activities. Controversial speakers can be placed in auditoriums where it is easier to assure safety and prevent disruptions. Demonstrations can be placed in areas away from where classes are in session. Although the First Amendment applies only to the government, including public universities, private universities should follow these same principles. They are essential to academic freedom, which is at the very core of a university’s mission. There might be a point at which it is impossible to simultaneously protect public safety and allow controversial speech to occur. Then campus officials have no choice but to prevent the speech, given that they must provide for the safety of students, staff, and faculty. But canceling a speaker should truly be a last resort and never based on the viewpoint expressed. At what point should a campus cancel a speaker because it cannot afford to ensure the safety of students, staff, and faculty? Chancellor Christ has estimated that already this semester, the campus has spent more than $2 million to protect free speech. I believe Berkeley campus officials made the right choice in protecting these speakers from harm, but I also know that such expenditures are not sustainable. Although speakers have a right to express hateful messages on campus, that does not mean that campus officials should silently tolerate such speech. It is important that campus officials denounce hate when it occurs and explain why it is inconsistent with the type of community we desire. Education is enhanced when there is more speech, not when speech is regulated by campus officials The law is clear that a public university may not exclude a speaker based on his or her views, nor may students or faculty be punished for the views they express. In a separate piece for Vox, professor Robert Post challenges this by suggesting that usual free speech principles should not apply on campus. He argues that campuses must of course engage in content-based judgments in evaluating a faculty member’s scholarship or a student’s work. From this, he concludes that universities are justified in excluding outside speakers that do not serve the educational mission of the campus. Post’s premise is undoubtedly correct: Universities must evaluate the content of faculty and student work. But it does not follow that outside of this realm, free speech principles do not apply on campus. It is a logical fallacy to say that because basic free speech principles sometimes do not apply on campus, they must never apply. First, it is important to distinguish what the law is from what Post thinks the law should be. Under current First Amendment law, a public university clearly would be acting unconstitutionally if it excluded a speaker from campus based on his or her viewpoint. When Auburn University attempted to prevent white supremacist Richard Spencer from speaking, a federal court ruled against the university. Second, Post ignores the distinction between the university’s ability to regulate speech in professional settings (such as in grading students’ papers or in evaluating teaching and scholarship) and its ability to regulate speech in other contexts. The former does not justify a university’s ability to restrict campus speakers based on viewpoint or to punish student or faculty speech in a nonprofessional setting. Professor Post also argues that a primary purpose of a university is to educate students — so a campus would be justified in excluding speakers that it perceives as interfering with this mission. But the law says quite the contrary. It does not allow a public university to exclude a speaker by claiming that the viewpoint expressed would be so offensive to students that it would interfere with their education. Also, this would seem to give unlimited discretion to campus officials to exclude or punish any speaker that they deemed to be inconsistent with students’ education. The assumption of freedom of speech, and of academic freedom, is that education is enhanced when there is more speech, not when government officials have the power to censor and punish speech they don’t like. Having seen the enormous amount of time and money invested by the Berkeley campus to deal with the appearances of Ben Shapiro and Milo Yiannopoulos, I cannot help but wish this had happened someplace else. But I know that Berkeley, especially because of its history with the free speech movement of the 1960s, is a unique place for expression. This is why it is so important that the campus did all it could to ensure freedom of speech. It is also why this campus has the chance to be a model for other schools in upholding the principle that all ideas and views can be expressed at colleges and universities. Erwin Chemerinsky is dean and Jesse H. Choper distinguished professor of law at the University of California Berkeley School of Law. He is the co-author, with Howard Gillman, of Free Speech on Campus (Yale University Press, 2017). The Big Idea is Vox’s home for smart discussion of the most important issues and ideas in politics, science, and culture — typically by outside contributors. If you have an idea for a piece, pitch us at thebigidea@vox.com.Mandalas have been used in many ancient cultures like Buddhism, Hinduism, Native American, Australian Aboriginal as a symbol of the universe and wholeness. Literally speaking, mandala is a geometrical form – a square or a circle – abstract and static, or a vivid image formed of objects and/or beings. It’s a cosmic diagram that reminds us of our connection with the infinite. Interestingly, Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist, explored the psychological effects of mandalas, while studying Eastern religion. He is credited with introducing the Eastern concept of the mandala to Western thought and believed its symbolic of the inner process by which individuals grow toward fulfilling their potential for wholeness. According to Jung, “In such cases it is easy to see how the severe pattern imposed by a circular image of this kind compensates the disorder of the psychic state– namely through the construction of a central point to which everything is related, or by a concentric arrangement of the disordered multiplicity and of contradictory and irreconcilable elements. This is evidently an attempt at self-healing on the part of Nature, which does not spring from conscious reflection but from an instinctive impulse.” Jung used mandalas in his psychotherapy by getting patients, who had no knowledge of it, to create individual mandalas. This enabled him to identify emotional disorders and work towards wholeness in personality. He realised there was a great deal of similarity in the images they created. “In view of the fact that all the mandalas shown here were new and uninfluenced products, we are driven to the conclusion that there must be a transconscious disposition in every individual which is able to produce the same or very similar symbols at all times and in all places. Since this disposition is usually not a conscious possession of the individual I have called it the collective unconscious, and, as the basis of its symbolical products, I postulate the existence of primordial images, the archetypes.” Mandala is like a design that triggers something within us, a sacred geometry in which we recognise our self and our place in the cosmos. It is an ancient and fundamental relationship from which we have strayed and the mandala is the key that can help us return to it. Especially, when the inner self is challenged by the ego, harmony has to be restored. During such times, mandalas can guide you to listen to the inner voice and find yourself. Like Jung stated, “It became increasingly plain to me that the mandala is the center. It is the exponent of all paths. It is the path to the center, to individuation.” A mandala can also be used to guide us into a hypnotic or a higher state of consciousness. With its aesthetically pleasing designs, an irritating thought will not be able to wiggle itself into the person’s consciousness as they are solely focused on the hypnotic beauty of the mandala’s designs. Through this hypnotic state the person is able to reach a higher consciousness and a better understanding of themselves. Learn how to create mandalas to manifest your intentions. Reference & Image source Jung currents Psychology of mandala CommentsI didn’t really enjoy the new Amazon pilot Casanova. I thought it was overwrought, over-the-top, and I simply didn’t like the lead character (played by
a package deal with Caserio, it's well-known they'd like to work together. The 49ers pursued them last year before both dropped out. Panthers DC Steve Wilks and former Panthers GM Dave Gettleman: Wilks impressed in his interview last year with the Rams and has only enhanced his profile since replacing McDermott. Several wired-in people have told me Gettleman is the front-runner for his old team, the Giants, who are consulting his old boss, Ernie Accorsi -- just as Carolina did when it hired Gettleman. Vikings OC Pat Shurmur and Vikings assistant GM George Paton: Another obvious connection. Shurmur has a lot of supporters within the league after a lockout and franchise sale derailed his first head-coaching shot in Cleveland. Paton gets interview requests every year, and Minnesota's success could mean that time is now. Stanford coach David Shaw and Cowboys executive Will McClay: It'd take a blue-blood program like the Giants to make Shaw -- a former NFL assistant -- even think about leaving his alma mater. McClay has turned down interviews in the past, but my understanding is he'd listen to the right one now. One of McClay's mentors is former Stanford coach Ty Willingham. Chiefs OC Matt Nagy and Packers director of football operations Eliot Wolf: Nagy was on our up-and-coming coaches list in October and figures to get interviews despite the Chiefs' recent struggles. He has trained under Andy Reid, who trained under Mike Holmgren, the head coach of the Packers under Wolf's hall of fame father, Ron. Eagles QB coach John DeFilippo and Seahawks co-director of player personnel Trent Kirchner: Another member of the up-and-coming coaches list, DeFilippo comes from an Eagles team that in many ways resembles the Seattle teams that went to two Super Bowls -- built around defense and the run game while a young QB develops. Worth noting: last time Accorsi helped a team find a GM, the Lions put in a request for Kirchner before hiring Bob Quinn. Texans DC Mike Vrabel and Falcons assistant GM Scott Pioli: Yet another one of our up-and-comers, Vrabel has a lot of fans in front offices around the league. But it's hard to match someone from the Patriots tree with an outsider. Pioli, a longtime Bill Belichick personnel man, joined the Falcons after his stint as Chiefs GM and has run their (strong) drafts since 2015. Texans coach Bill O'Brien and Bills vice president of player personnel Brian Gaine: If O'Brien exits Houston, as many expect, he figures to be a hot name immediately. Gaine has a similar pedigree, coming from the Parcells/Belichick tree, and grew tight with O'Brien in Houston. For O'Brien, getting on the same page with his GM figures to be a high priority. Patriots DC Matt Patricia and Eagles player personnel executive Trey Brown: Another New England connection. Patricia has interviewed for jobs; it's unclear how eager he is to leave. He's said to be close with Brown, a former Patriots scout who's very young (age 32) and only recently added pro-scouting duties, but showed well in a GM interview with Buffalo last year. Eagles OC Frank Reich and Eagles vice president of player personnel Joe Douglas: QB development is at a premium, so Reich (like DeFilippo) figures to get a look after Carson Wentz's breakout season. Douglas joined the Eagles after the Wentz draft and is just getting experience on the executive side, but he's known as a strong evaluator. The Five W's for Week 14 Ever wish you had the access of a highly connected NFL reporter? Well, now you do! Sort of. Submit your questions on Twitter using the hashtag #AskedAndAnswered. @TomPelissero will select the best submissions and work to find an answer. WHO thought the Patriots would have the NFL's No. 1 scoring defense since Week 5 after they got shredded in a 2-2 start? We poked fun at the annual hysteria in this space back in Week 3, given the Patriots' track record of improvements from the season's first month on. As cornerback Malcolm Butler told me this week: "We always start slow. It takes a while for us to gel together, and once we do, this is the outcome that we get. It just take time and communication and getting to know each other and believing in each other." The Pats defense gave up 32 points, 456.8 yards, 324 passing yards and a 116.5 passer rating on average during those first four games. In eight games since (all wins), those numbers have dropped to 11.9, 335.1, 220.4 and 75.4. They're still middle of the pack or worse in numerous defensive categories, but they're forcing turnovers, holding tough in the red zone and doing enough to support a high-powered offense entering Monday's visit to Miami. WHAT is the point of the Browns keeping coach Hue Jackson for 2018 instead of blowing it up (again)? For starters, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam seems to genuinely believe in Jackson, to the point he all but absolved Jackson of the team's 1-27 record at Friday's media conference introducing Dorsey. For any coach, it was going to be tough sledding these first two years amidst a total teardown on the personnel side. Also consider this: As more than one GM has confided over the years, keeping the existing coach is like having a free pass on accountability in Year 1 while evaluating the entire operation. There was a similar dynamic at play last year when Chris Ballard took over as Colts GM and kept Chuck Pagano. Either Jackson shows he can win with an upgraded roster, or Dorsey moves on (as Ballard seems all but certain to do after this season) without sticking those losses to the coach of the future. Consider it a jump start on the new era Sunday against the Packers, with whom Dorsey played and came up as a scout. WHEN will teams start expressing interest in Ben McAdoo for a coaching spot? (submitted by @imAbsolutelyaV) My understanding is nothing's in the works yet, but it's only a matter of time. Whatever the narrative became as things unraveled in New York, McAdoo earned a lot of respect in his days as a Packers assistant, including a stint as Aaron Rodgers' QB coach, and helped Eli Manning rebound for two of his best seasons in 2014 and '15 as a first-time coordinator. Privately, McAdoo has expressed optimism this season will be the best thing that has happened to him and he'll be better from it. He's only 40 years old. He'll be back on someone's staff in 2018 if he wants to be. WHERE does Case Keenum rank among NFL MVP candidates? That Keenum's even on the fringe of this conversation is pretty remarkable for a player who entered the season as a backup on a one-year, $2 million deal (and still hasn't actually been named the starter for the season). But it's hard to ignore him, with the Vikings on an eight-game winning streak and Keenum's numbers over the past four -- since Teddy Bridgewater's activation -- nearly identical to Tom Brady's. "You look at a guy that's deserving of that (MVP talk) -- he's been huge for us," Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph told me of Keenum this week. "From an outsider's perspective, you look at this team and -- deservedly so -- we're overshadowed by a great defense. But people don't realize our offense is top five in most categories. We're OK with that. We have a great defense. But when we play together, that's how you get to 10-2." The longer Keenum stays hot, the more money he makes himself in the offseason. He'll soon be cashing in on the modest incentives in his deal -- $150,000 for playing 75 percent of the snaps, and another $100,000 for 85 percent. Another test looms this week against the Panthers' fearsome front seven. WHY won't the Chiefs see if rookie QB Patrick Mahomes can give them a spark amidst the stunning slide to 6-6? The numbers speak for themselves on Alex Smith, who statistically remains one of the NFL's most efficient passers after his bounce-back effort last week against the Jets -- his fifth game this season with a passer rating of 125-plus. The deep-passing numbers remain striking for a QB long labeled a game manager, too. According to NFL Research, Smith's 53 pass attempts traveling at least 20 yards in the air are a career high (data going back to 2006) and rank seventh in the NFL. On those throws, Smith leads the league in completions (26), touchdowns (11) and passer rating (126.8) among qualifying passers, with only one interception. So, the idea Mahomes' Howitzer arm is the missing piece doesn't hold up, even without considering the likely growing pains he'd go through on a team that still is tied for the AFC West lead. Can Smith play better? Everyone on the team can. But as Andy Reid has said over and over, the Chiefs' struggles aren't "an Alex Smith thing." Sunday's showdown with the Raiders in Kansas City feels like a pivot point, for better or worse.The tweet, posted by Marriage Alliance, claims marriage reform would lead to people who oppose same-sex marriage being bullied in the workplace and that it would affect job security. @MarriageAll We're advocating strongly in this space to reduce stigma & harmful messages around suicide like this. https://t.co/yhdmQzLdIo @beyondblue a biased position in the same sex marriage debate deflects from core mission. A neutral stance is always best governance. @MarriageAll halfway thru photoshopping a noose onto a stock photo of a tired lady you MUST've thought wtf am I doin .@MarriageAll that moment when you finally jumped the shark? Yeah this would be it. Labor MP Tim Watts took aim at the tweet, describing it as "crap" in a speech to parliament. "While Marriage Alliance claims to speak for mainstream Australia and the silent majority, it will not disclose who funds it or who is a member of it," Watts told the parliament. While outspoken on social media, Marriage Alliance is notoriously media-shy when it comes to interviews, having refused to comment to several publications in recent months. Watts went on to criticise the government policy of having a plebiscite on same-sex marriage, saying the photoshopped noose image was an example of a taxpayer-funded campaign against marriage reform. "[Prime minister] Malcolm Turnbull will be writing cheques to the types of groups who photoshop rainbow nooses over stock photos," Watts said. If you need to talk to someone, you can call Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue Australia on 1300 22 4636, Anxiety UK on 08444 775 774, or Hopeline America on 1-800-784-2433.President Trump's approval rating is on the rise, thanks to "steady" support from Republican voters, his base that some have suggested are abandoning the White House. Both Rasmussen Reports and Zogby Analytics put the president's approval rating at 45 percent. The latest Zogby Analytics survey said that more than three-quarters of Republicans are sticking with the president. And independent voters are returning. Said the pollster: When it comes to party, President Trump's numbers are steady among Republican likely voters; he has a 76 percent approval/22 percent disapproval rating among Republicans, which is almost identical from our July poll. Among Independents, Trump's numbers have improved nearly seven points to 40 percent approval/50 percent disapproval. Secrets reported earlier on the survey, noting that Trump was seeing new gains among Hispanic voters and union households. Zogby's highlights: Hispanics. "Trump saw one the biggest improvements among any subgroup with Hispanics; his approval increased 11 percent to 42 percent approval versus 55 percent who disapprove of Trump's job as president." Union households. "Trump's numbers also increased significantly among union voters from 43 percent approval to 51 percent approval in August." Weekly Walmart shoppers. 55 percent approve while 43 percent disapprove. Married voters. 53 percent approve vs. 43 percent disapprove. Western voters. "Trump's s approval increased 10 percent in the West to 43 percent approve/52 percent disapprove." Republican base. 76 percent approval vs. 22 percent disapproval. Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner's "Washington Secrets" columnist, can be contacted at pbedard@washingtonexaminer.comCan Treated to Extensive Vinyl Reissue Campaign; Irmin Schmidt's Solo Work Compiled on 'Villa Wunderbar' Published Sep 04, 2013 Following recent work with the Cyclopean project, founding Can member Irmin Schmidt is about to have his work outside of the band celebrated on a new double-CD compilation called, which Mute Spoon will serve up November 4. However, that's not all Can fans have to look forward to this year, as the celebrated Krautrock troupe will have 14 of their albums remastered for an extensive vinyl reissue campaign.As for Schmidt's solo collection, a press sheet dubs the influential player a "musical alchemist," explaining that the songwriter's "sound-trips" touch upon rock, pop, jazz, classic, electronic, ambient, drum 'n' bass, waltz, Eastern music, and more.The first disc offeatures solo work recorded over the last 30 years, while the second disc includes various soundtrack work for films and television. The tracks on the latter were selected by filmmaker Wim Wenders, who also wrote extensive liner notes for the release.You can see the tracklisting details down below and the artwork up above. To check out a bit of the release, you can also stream a sampler ofat the bottom of the page.In addition to the Schmidt set, Can's back catalogue is being remastered for a vinyl reissue series. Fourteen of the band's LPs, includingand a bonus live recording, will be remastered on vinyl for the first time and delivered on 180-gram wax in a box set on December 2. The package will apparently also include original posters and artwork.CD 1 - Solo Work:1. Dreambite2. Le Weekend3. Rapido De Noir4. Love5. Villa Wunderbar6. Time The Dreamkiller7. Burning Straw in Sky8. Fledermenschen9. Kick On The Floods10. Fuchsia's Song - Rainbow Party11. Ensemble – Joy12. Bêtes De PassageCD 2 - Soundtracks:1. Flavia Theme2. Quattrocanti (Dream Theme IV)3. Fresco & Finale (Flavia Theme III & IV)4. Zicke Zick5. Schneeland6. Dangerous7. Lied vom Verschwinden8. Geisterlied9. Rote Erde (Titel Musik)10. Es Geht Ein Schnitter11. Bohemian Step12. Roll On Euphrates13. Aller Tage Abend Walzer14. Messer im Kopf15. Solo16. Morning In Berlin17. Verdi Prati Valse18. Alice (Remix)19. Last Night Sleep (Remix)Hillary Clinton accused Vladimir Putin of "manspreading" and acknowledged that their relationship has been "sour" for a while in her upcoming book, "What Happened." "President Obama once compared Vladimir Putin to a ‘bored kid at the back of the classroom.' ‘He's got that kind of slouch,' Obama said. When I sat with Putin in meetings, he looked more like one of those guys on the subway who imperiously spreads their legs wide, encroaching on everyone else's space, as if to say ‘I take what I want' and ‘I have so little respect for you that I'm going to act as if I'm at home lounging in my bathrobe.' They call it ‘manspreading.' That was Putin," Clinton wrote in an audio excerpt that was released Thursday on the "Rachel Maddow Show" on MSNBC. Exclusive audio excerpt from Hillary Clinton's new book, "What Happened." https://t.co/LzBR1saDrY — Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) September 8, 2017 Clinton went on to say that Putin was "perennially misunderstood and underestimated." She referred to former President George W. Bush, once saying he found Putin to be very "straighforward and trustworthy" after looking him straight in the eye and that he could grasp a sense of his soul. Clinton said her reaction was Putin was a former KGB agent and didn't have a soul. She then acknowledged they did not get along very well. "Our relationship has been sour for a long time," she wrote. "Putin doesn't respect women and despises anyone who stands up to him, so I'm a double problem. After I criticized one of his policies, he told the press ‘It's better not to argue with women,' but went on to call me weak. ‘Maybe weakness is not the worst quality for a woman,' he joked. Hilarious." "What Happened" will be released on Tuesday. The book recounts her journey during the 2016 campaign.The top Republican and Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee had conflicting messages Thursday when they emerged from a three-and-a-half-hour closed-door briefing with FBI Director James Comey on Russian activities during the presidential election. Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., said Comey was "forthright" and that the meeting was a "good first step" in getting the FBI's cooperation with the panel's investigation, though he added that more information from the FBI and the intelligence community would be needed. Nunes also told reporters that the committee had not seen evidence of any contacts between Russian officials and President Trump's campaign, other than ousted national security adviser Michael Flynn's phone calls with the Russian ambassador to the United States. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., on the other hand, had tough words for the FBI, accusing the agency of stonewalling the committee. "I would say at this point we know less than a fraction of what the FBI knows," Schiff said, adding that if the FBI doesn't cooperate voluntarily, the committee will have to contemplate whether to subpoena information from Comey's agency. "On the areas he was willing to discuss, we had a very in-depth set of questions and answers," Schiff said. "But there were very large areas that were walled off, and those walls are gonna have to come down if we're gonna do our job." Despite differing views about the briefing, Nunes stressed that the committee was moving forward in bipartisan fashion. On Wednesday night, the House committee released a bipartisan statement outlining the scope of its investigation to include Russian cyber activity and other "active measures" directed against the U.S. and counterintelligence concerns related to Russia and the 2016 U.S. election. That includes any intelligence regarding links between Russia and individuals associated with political campaigns. The committee also said it was probing the U.S. government's response to the Russian activities and possible leaks of classified information related to the Intelligence Committee's assessments of the matter. On the Senate side, Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., — the chair and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee's Crime and Terrorism Subcommittee — met with Comey to discuss their subcommittee's investigation of Russian efforts to influence elections at home and abroad.SANTIAGO (Reuters) - A judge in Chile has ordered two suspects linked to the country’s worst bomb attack in more than 20 years to be jailed for 10 months and placed a third under house arrest while police and the prosecutor’s office investigate. The order issued on Tuesday by Judge Rene Cerda said Juan Flores and Nataly Casanova would be held in jail for 10 months and Guillermo Duran would be put under house arrest. After that, authorities would have to present any evidence before a court. The three suspects, two men and a woman in their twenties, were arrested on Thursday in a poor neighborhood on the south side of Santiago and could face up to 15 years in jail if found guilty. “Our work does not end (here), the government, prosecutor’s office, police and courts will continue to work until these crimes are solved,” said government spokesman Alvaro Elizalde. “Citizens can rest assured that the government, and all of the state’s institutions, will continue to work so that these crimes don’t go unpunished and we won’t rest until justice is served because that is what the victims and all Chileans demand,” said Elizalde. President Michelle Bachelet’s government has called the Sept. 8 blast, which wounded 14 people near an underground metro station in the capital Santiago’s Las Condes neighborhood, a “terrorist” act and said the government would invoke anti-terrorism laws. Those laws give prosecutors more powers and allow for harsher sentences. “This is a compact and very tight group,” said Raul Guzman, prosecutor in charge of the investigation. “They don’t have contact with other anti-establishment groups.” Chile, which returned to democracy in 1990 after a 17-year dictatorship, has long been one of Latin America’s most stable countries, but in recent years it has been plagued by a number of low-level attacks by anarchist groups.The census’ official count of the American population is not ready yet, but the Census Bureau is issuing a progress report. The bureau said Tuesday, for instance, that its 2010 count would cost about $1.6 billion less than budgeted. This works out to about 11 percent less than the $14.7 billion appropriated over 12 years for the 2010 count, and 22 percent less than budgeted for this year. Robert M. Groves, the bureau’s director, also said Tuesday that despite declining response rates to surveys in general, 72 percent of households returned the mailed census questionnaires, about the same proportion as in 2000. The response rate improved in areas that were considered harder to count, like neighborhoods with a disproportionately high share of poor people or immigrants. Census enumerators knocked on the doors of 47 million households that did not return the mailed questionnaire, the bureau reported. Enumerators failed 22 percent of the time to interview the residents personally and had to rely on neighbors or building managers for information about those households. Ten years ago, those so-called proxy reports accounted for 17 percent of the enumerator follow-ups. Advertisement Continue reading the main story On the other hand, enumerators discovered occupants in 27 percent of the 5.6 million addresses that had been considered vacant or that could not initially be found, and at 3.1 million addresses that were provided at the last minute by the Postal Service.The International Criminal Court in the Hague has begun investigating allegations that British troops committed war crimes in Iraq by abusing and torturing hundreds of prisoners. A prosecutor for the Hague court has begun a “preliminary examination” of alleged abuses by British forces in Iraq between 2003 and 2008. The examination, the first step towards a formal investigation, raises the prospect that British soldiers and their commanders could one day face trial in the Hague for war crimes. The ICC said it had begun looking at the allegations after receiving an evidence dossier earlier this year from human rights lawyers alleging “systematic” abuse of detainees. The 250-page dossier detailed allegations of beatings, electric shocks, mock executions and sexual assault, and said those bearing ultimate responsibility for the abuses included some of the country’s most senior commanders and politicians. Former defence secretary Geoff Hoon and former Armed Forces minister Adam Ingram are among those named in the file. The court said "The new information received by the office alleges the responsibility of officials of the United Kingdom for war crimes involving systematic detainee abuse in Iraq". The examination will look at “alleged crimes attributed to the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom” to decide if a full ICC investigation is needed. Hague prosecutors will look at the scale of the allegations and see who has jurisdiction. The Government said it “completely rejects” allegations British troops had been responsible for systematic abuses and there was no need for a full ICC investigation because because the allegations are already being investigated by the British justice system. The Attorney General, Dominic Grieve, said he understood the importance of the ICC following "proper legal procedures" over complaints, but he could show the Hague "that British justice is following its proper course". However legal sources admitted the preliminary probe could drag on for “very lengthy periods of time”, even years, before the ICC was satisfied the allegations were being properly dealt with. Mr Grieve said: “The Government completely rejects the allegation that there was systematic abuse carried out by the British Armed Forces in Iraq. “British troops are some of the best in the world and we expect them to operate to the highest standards, in line with both domestic and international law. In my experience the vast majority of our Armed Forces meet those expectations.” Andrew Cayley QC, director of the military prosecution authority, said: “Whilst a preliminary examination will take place, and the UK will fully cooperate with that process, I do not believe, I am confident that an investigation will not be opened. “If the UK is found to be genuinely investigating these crimes and prospectively prosecuting them, the ICC will not intervene.” "One of the reasons that the ICC was established was to ensure these kinds of crimes, if indeed they have taken place, are dealt with within national jurisdictions.” A team set up by Britain’s Ministry of Defence to probe allegations of abuse is already looking at scores of cases, but has been dogged by slow progress and claims it is not impartial. The Iraq Historic Allegations Team (IHAT) is currently dealing with 52 allegations of unlawful killing by British forces after the toppling of Saddam Hussein. It is also looking at 93 allegations of mistreatment. Phil Shiner, of Public Interest Lawyers which helped compile the dossier, said the IHAT team was incapable of holding to account those at the top who were responsible for alleged abuses. He said: "We want a sea change. We don't want the UK to behave in this way. We think it reflects very badly on our Armed Forces and we think it reflects very badly on the nation." "We are very concerned that people at the very highest level knew exactly what was going on in Iraq and chose to turn a blind eye or - worse - actually sanctioned it." The ICC first looked at claims of British abuses in Iraq in 2006, but decided a full war crimes investigation was not needed because the allegations were not serious, or widespread, enough. Fatou Bensouda said she had decided to reopen the case because of the new information collected had not been available in 2006.IN OTHER NEWS Downtown Rhinelander shop creates "Snow Sale" Play Video RHINELANDER - Cold and snow can put a damper on sales at some Northwoods businesses. One downtown Rhinelander shop decided to embrace the weekend snowstorm and turned it into a new kind of promotion. For the first time, the Northland Music Center created a "snow sale." + Read More Man hospitalized after stabbing in Adams County ADAMS COUNTY - One person went to the hospital, and another went to jail after a stabbing in the Adams County Village of Friendship. The Adams County Sheriff's Office got a call just after 9:00 p.m. Saturday from a man saying he'd been stabbed. + Read More The Latest: Sheriff says teacher was victim of Wisconsin 131-vehicle pileup MINNEAPOLIS - The Latest on blizzard sweeping across Upper Midwest: (all times local): 3:10pm Authorities have identified a 30-year-old teacher as the person killed in a massive pileup in Wisconsin. Winnebago County Sheriff John Matz on Monday identified Andrew Schefelker of Oshkosh as the victim of Sunday's 131-vehicle pileup on Interstate 41. + Read More Woodruff Fire Department adjusts to heavy snow Play Video WOODRUFF, WISCONSIN - Victor Gee has been fire chief for the town of Woodruff since the beginning of January. His time is packed dealing with record snow and freezing temperatures. His busiest day came a few weeks ago when Gee and the rest of the department dealt with two structure fires just four hours apart. "And those were some of those days when we were subzero for the highs we had frozen trucks and frozen people and frozen hoses. It's not surprising. It's what we expect up here," said Gee. Gee has lived in Woodruff for 40 years so he's no stranger to waist-deep snow. + Read More Looking out for animals near car engines in winter Play Video RHINELANDER - Everyone, including animals, tend to seek a warm shelter when it's cold out. Unfortunately that means it isn't uncommon for cats and other small animals to confuse a car engine with a warm place to stay. The Animal Health Care Center in Rhinelander has helped animals in cases like that before. Veterinarian Dr. Brian Buchberger says riding near an engine can cause a variety of injuries for an animal. + Read More 'Worst we've ever had': Winter weather forces Northcentral Technical College to get creative after cancellations Play Video WAUSAU - Dr. Lori Weyers made the difficult decision to keep Northcentral Technical College (NTC) open on Monday. Grade schools all around were closed, but NTC, based in Wausau, was open as normal. However, the winter as a whole has been the opposite of normal for the ten campuses. Weyers called this winter the worst she's ever had as president of NTC. She's been forced to close NTC five times because of weather. "Weather is hard. I stress over it a lot. But I'll always err on the side of safety for our students and staff. If someone cannot make it in, no one is penalized," Weyers said. + Read MoreHAVANA (Reuters) - A U.S. cancer research center and a software company reached agreements with Cuban partners during a two-day trade mission to Cuba led by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in the first trip of its kind since the rapprochement between Washington and Havana. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo addresses the media during a conference before his departure at Jose Marti airport in Havana April 21, 2015. REUTERS/Stringer The Roswell Park Cancer Institute of Buffalo, New York, on Tuesday signed an agreement with Cuba’s Center for Molecular Immunology to develop a lung cancer vaccine with a clinical trial in the United States, Roswell Chief Executive Officer Candace Johnson said. In addition, New York City-based Infor, previously known as Infor Global Solutions Inc [INFGS.UL], has found Cuban partners to resell its software in Cuba, CEO Charles Phillips said. Both announcements were made at the airport just before Cuomo and a delegation of 18 business leaders and academics boarded their return flight to New York. Cuomo, a Democrat, is the first U.S. governor to visit Cuba since a December announcement by President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro that they would restore diplomatic relations and work to normalize trade and travel ties after more than a half century of hostility and confrontation. Obama has used executive authority to relax some parts of the U.S. economic embargo against Cuba but would need the Republican-controlled Congress to lift it entirely and establish normal trade. Among those on the trip were executives from JetBlue Airways Corp, Pfizer Inc and MasterCard Inc. Cuomo had said the mission was meant to help New York companies be “first out of the gate” to make business deals under warming U.S.-Cuban relations. Roswell was able to finalize the agreement for a clinical trial as a result of the trade mission, Johnson said. “This agreement establishes a collaboration between our two institutions to develop a cancer vaccine in lung cancer,” she said of the vaccine developed by scientists at the Cuban center. “We’re very excited to take this to the United States to treat patients.” Infor reached a preliminary deal with Cuban information technology companies deSoft, which has 2,500 employees, and Softel, primarily to integrate healthcare data, a company spokesman said. Data integration is a specialty for Infor, which automates 72 percent of U.S. hospitals with more than 150 beds, spokesman Dan Barnhardt said in a statement. Infor also agreed to provide software and training at Cuba’s University of Information Sciences. “We were surprised and impressed with the level of technology and expertise they have in healthcare technology,” Phillips said.As Irma churned toward the Florida coast, two Republican lawmakers from the state voted against a $15 billion hurricane relief bill, saying that although they want aid to storm victims, they have concerns about other provisions of the measure. The relief package, which sailed through the Senate and the House and was signed by President Trump on Friday, boosts funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It will also raise the debt ceiling for three months and includes a short-term budget that would keep the government running until December — part of a deal struck between Trump and Democratic leaders Sen. Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.) and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (Calif.). That latter was a problem for GOP Reps. Matt Gaetz and Ted Yoho, who stuck to their principles of fiscal conservatism despite calls from fellow Florida lawmakers to support the bill. The two, who are among the 90 House Republicans who voted against the bill, do not represent parts of the state that are likely to feel Irma’s immediate impact as the massive storm makes landfall on mainland United States this weekend. [Trump signs $15 billion Harvey aid package after Republicans booed top White House officials] Yoho, who represents areas of northern Florida, said the disaster-relief bill should have been stand-alone legislation. “Snaking in a debt-ceiling increase with funding for victims and communities affected is immoral and reflective of broken leadership in Washington,” Yoho said in a statement after the vote Friday. “I do not think it wise to extend our borrowing limit without mandatory spending reforms... If this was a clean measure that focused on those affected by Hurricane Harvey, I would have proudly voted for it.” Gaetz, whose district includes coastal areas along the Gulf of Mexico, called the spending package “generational theft.” “I have a pretty strident view that I will only vote to raise the debt limit if that vote is accompanied with reductions in entitlement spending,” Gaetz said, according to the Miami Herald. “If conservatives don’t start voting no against debt-limit increases, all the FEMA in the world won’t save us from our must unfortunate destiny.” [Dangerous Hurricane Irma bears down on Florida, its brunt targeting the Keys to Tampa] Both lawmakers had voted for a stand-alone bill that would provide nearly $8 billion in hurricane relief for FEMA. That version passed the House on Wednesday. But they and others soured after the bill came back from the Senate with double the funding and other provisions tacked on. “I think anytime you start dealing with disasters and tying it to must-pass bills, it’s not a good thing for the American people,” Yoho said on C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal” before the vote Friday. “I don’t want to be hypercritical, but when you make a deal with Charles E. Schumer and Nancy Pelosi on a spending bill, a lot of times it can’t be good for the American consumer.” WATCH: @RepTedYoho (R-FL) on prep for #Irma & why he thinks the #Hurricane relief bill shouldn't be tied to other "must pass bills" pic.twitter.com/iLoHF8dyoa — Washington Journal (@cspanwj) September 8, 2017 Yoho said he opted to stay in Washington this weekend, but he plans to fly to Florida on Monday, when Irma is expected to reach his district. “Of course, we want the assistance there, and I can feel comfortable saying that the American people will know that the assistance will be there for FEMA,” he added. “We just don’t want the political antics to be tied up with it.” The bill passed 316-90, with 133 Republican votes. Twenty-seven lawmakers, including 11 House Republicans from Florida, did not vote, as many were in their home state preparing for the hurricane. Among them are Reps. Ron DeSantis, Neal Dunn, Bill Posey and Dennis A. Ross — hard-liners who might have voted against the package in other circumstances. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, another Republican who skipped the vote and whose district includes part of Miami, urged colleagues to vote in favor of the bill. [Four Texas Republicans just voted against Harvey disaster aid] “As Hurricane Irma approaches Florida, I would ask that all my Congressional colleagues reflect on the fate of Florida’s 20.61 million residents when they are asked to again vote on this vital emergency disaster funding as it comes back from the Senate,” Ros-Lehtinen said in a letter to House members Thursday. Five Florida Republicans remained in Washington for the vote. Three of them, Reps. Brian Mast, Thomas J. Rooney and Francis Rooney, voted for the bill, as did all six Democrats who stayed. Four Texas Republicans, Reps. Joe Barton, Jeb Hensarling, Sam Johnson and Mac Thornberry, rejected the bill for the same reasons that Gaetz and Yoho raised. “I am not voting against relief programs to help hurricane victims, but I am against raising the public debt ceiling without a plan to reduce deficits on the short term, and eliminate them in the long term,” Barton said in a statement. “The money we vote to spend today will have to be paid back by our children and grandchildren.” Thornberry criticized advancing “another agenda” by roping it with disaster assistance. [Everything you need to know about Hurricane Irma] None of those Republicans, however, represents coastal areas affected by Harvey, which barreled through Southeast Texas last week. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R), who skipped the Senate vote on the bill Thursday to prepare for Irma in Miami, said he would have voted for it “despite significant reservations” about the other items attached to it. “As I have always done in the past, I support providing additional emergency resources for disaster aid and recovery. Disaster relief is an appropriate function of the federal government. And unlike some previous disaster relief legislation, these funds are to be spent immediately, and are properly targeted to assist the areas impacted by Hurricane Harvey and potentially Hurricane Irma,” Rubio said in a statement Thursday. “The rest of the package, however, contains items that under normal circumstances, and considered separately, I have opposed.” The Senate passed the bill 80-17, with 33 Republican votes. Mike DeBonis contributed to this story. READ MORE: As Irma approaches, fear is in the water, spreading with new and viral efficiency ‘Once the storm starts, law enforcement cannot save you’: Fla. governor issues stern warning ahead of Irma Devastated island of Barbuda catches a break from
the US tracked down more sources and victims, the CIA's cover slowly started to disintegrate. A vital piece of the puzzle was provided by British journalist Stephen Grey, who obtained the logs of hundreds of flights – all linked back to shell companies in the US. "I made a lot of friends with aviation geeks and planespotters because I needed to find sources who can get into air traffic control centres," he told TRT World. Between human sources, aviation enthusiasts and open-source websites, he gathered the records of hundreds of suspected rendition flights before going through the cumbersome process of sifting details about actual CIA jets. At the start of his investigation, Grey focused on the two known jets – those with the registration numbers N379P and N313P. He went on to find evidence of an entire fleet operated by the CIA. He says none of that would have been possible without Masood Anwar. "His story with the registration number made all the difference." Khaled el Masri was able to fight a legal battle in subsequent years because of the investigative work done by journalists. (TRT World and Agencies) By the end of 2004, enough information had become public that Dana Priest of The Washington Post titled her roundup story: "Jet is an open secret in terror war". She wrote how the employees of Premiere Executive, the owner of the Gulfstream V jet, did not exist in public records. They were fictitious people with false identities with no employment records, previous home addresses or recently assigned social security numbers. "Anwar's story was definitely the key to unlocking the mystery of rendition," she said. "It provided us with the first concrete piece of data to follow the trail, which we did for several years before finding out what was really going on." In a series of investigative stories in 2005, Priest went on to expose another side of CIA's rendition programme: black site prisons, the secret torture facilities run in Eastern European countries. A year later, she won the Pulitzer Prize for her exceptional beat reporting. Priest is also credited for using the CIA's own term "black sites" for the first time in the press. Journalists, lawyers and activists helped turn renditions and torture into a major issue. (TRT World and Agencies) But many did not appreciate what the journalists were doing to untangle the dirty work of the spies. After her stories on black sites were published, Priest was called a traitor, abused and threatened. "Politicians called for an investigation of how the information was leaked to me, instead of investigating the black sites. There was a lot of hatred and criticism." The Unravelling The work of journalists and human rights activists in exposing the torture of suspected Al Qaeda supporters opened floodgates of litigation in the US and in EU countries. NGOs such as New York-based Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union were able to interview former CIA detainees and find more evidence. Congressional inquiries in the US made it difficult to hide information, even when the Bush administration refused to disclose vital facts using the cover of secrecy laws. Eventually, EU investigators found that the CIA operated a thousand flights between 2001 and 2005 as well as confirming the presence of black sites in Poland and Romania. The exterior of one of the CIA's black sites in Eastern Europe that was discovered after investigators got on the trail of renditions. (TRT World and Agencies) In 2014, a redacted report by the US Senate Select Committee was released that detailed the CIA's brutal treatment of prisoners. All this led to multiple investigations, mostly in Europe. In one case, an Italian court convicted 23 Americans for kidnapping a suspect, Osama Moustafa Hassan Nasr, known as Abu Omar. What made it easier for information on such a secretive project to keep spilling out were blunders on the part of the CIA, such as rendition flight operatives calling home from hotels in Europe. The Rendition Project, a watchdog, has so far identified 57 prisoners who were moved around in 18 known CIA aircraft. The highest number of rendition flights tracked so far involves the N379P plane. Over the years, detainees such as Saad Iqbal Madni, Khaled el Masri, Ahmed Agiza and Mohamed el-Zery were released. Their stories of illegal detention and human rights abuses have been told many times over. Exactly how many suspects were actually moved through the programme remains unknown, even today. And no one in the US has ever been prosecuted. "In the end, I think it's a very important subject to be debated and learned from. My fear is that we haven't learned the real lessons yet," said Priest. For the Pakistani journalist Masood Anwar who started it all, his story was a matter of luck. He never received a reward or formal recognition, and wasn't able to follow up on his reporting or the renditions after his newspaper refused to finance further reporting. "To be honest, I was lucky to get that information. I was only doing my job and thankfully the subeditor didn't remove the registration number." Masood Anwar (TRT World) Source: TRT WorldAbility Level Maximum No. of Skills 1 3 Novice Skills 2 5 Novice Skills, 2 Adept Skills 3 6 Novice Skills, 3 Adept Skills 4 6 Novice Skills, 4 Adept Skills, 1 Master Skill 5 6 Novice Skills, 4 Adept Skills, 2 Master Skills Skills in Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition are actions or spells that are used by characters to cause a particular effect depending on that skill. They are categorized into 8 categories depending on the Ability it corresponds to. Click Here to see the category table below. If you are looking for Divinity: Original Sin 2 Skills, please click here. Learning Skills Skills are learned using Skill Books that players can purchase from vendors, or find in loots throughout the game. Skills can be forgotten, which will free up the skill slot that it previously occupied. Once forgotten, a Skill can only be reacquired by finding another copy of the associated Skill Book. A character can learn a few Skills associated with each Ability they have one point in, and every further Ability point invested increases this limit, as shown in the table below. Skill Tiers Each skill now has a difficulty tier: Novice, Adept or Master. The simple skills are Novice skills. With one point in the school's ability, you can already learn some Novice skills. However, for the more powerful skills, you have to invest a certain amount of ability points in the school's ability to be able learn skills of the Adept or Master tier. Ability Levels Each skill requires a certain Ability level; if this level is not met, the Action Point cost of the skill is increased by 2 for each Ability level below the requirement. Also, every even Intelligence point after five will reduce the skill cooldown by one (minimum 1). Attribute Levels Skills have a recommended Attribute requirement based on their Skill level. Each Attribute point below the requirement reduced the effectiveness of the Skill by 10%, while each Attribute Point above the requirement grants a 5% Bonus. The effectiveness of a Skill affects its chance of causing the Status Effect that it carries. The damage caused by the Skill is also affected by the attribute requirement. For example, the Aerotheurge skill " Chain Lightning" requires at least 13 attribute points in Intelligence- to be able to have a 70% base chance of causing the Status Effect Stunned. If you have only 12 points of Intelligence (-1 from the requirement) then the base chance will be 60% instead. If you had 16 points of Intelligence (+3 from the requirement), the base chance would then be 85% instead. SkillsThe National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) today announced the winner of its five-year competition to select a new cryptographic hash algorithm, one of the fundamental tools of modern information security. The winning algorithm, Keccak (pronounced "catch-ack"), was created by Guido Bertoni, Joan Daemen and Gilles Van Assche of STMicroelectronics and Michaël Peeters of NXP Semiconductors. The team's entry beat out 63 other submissions that NIST received after its open call for candidate algorithms in 2007, when it was thought that SHA-2, the standard secure hash algorithm, might be threatened. Keccak will now become NIST's SHA-3 hash algorithm. Hash algorithms are used widely for cryptographic applications that ensure the authenticity of digital documents, such as digital signatures and message authentication codes. These algorithms take an electronic file and generate a short "digest," a sort of digital fingerprint of the content. A good hash algorithm has a few vital characteristics. Any change in the original message, however small, must cause a change in the digest, and for any given file and digest, it must be infeasible for a forger to create a different file with the same digest. The NIST team praised the Keccak algorithm for its many admirable qualities, including its elegant design and its ability to run well on many different computing devices. The clarity of Keccak's construction lends itself to easy analysis (during the competition all submitted algorithms were made available for public examination and criticism), and Keccak has higher performance in hardware implementations than SHA-2 or any of the other finalists. "Keccak has the added advantage of not being vulnerable in the same ways SHA-2 might be," says NIST computer security expert Tim Polk. "An attack that could work on SHA-2 most likely would not work on Keccak because the two algorithms are designed so differently." Polk says that the two algorithms will offer security designers more flexibility. Despite the attacks that broke other somewhat similar but simpler hash algorithms in 2005 and 2006, SHA-2 has held up well and NIST considers SHA-2 to be secure and suitable for general use. What then will SHA-3 be good for? While Polk says it may take years to identify all the possibilities for Keccak, it immediately provides an essential insurance policy in case SHA-2 is ever broken. He also speculates that the relatively compact nature of Keccak may make it useful for so-called "embedded" or smart devices that connect to electronic networks but are not themselves full-fledged computers. Examples include sensors in a building-wide security system and home appliances that can be controlled remotely. "The Internet as we know it is expanding to link devices that many people do not ordinarily think of as being part of a network," Polk says. "SHA-3 provides a new security tool for system and protocol designers, and that may create opportunities for security in networks that did not exist before." Find out more about the SHA-3 competition.NEW YORK (Reuters) - Facebook Inc, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg and dozens of banks must face a lawsuit accusing the social media company of misleading investors about its health before its $16 billion initial public offering, a federal judge said. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg sits for audience questions in an onstage interview for the Atlantic Magazine in Washington, September 18, 2013. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst In a decision made public on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Robert Sweet in Manhattan said investors could pursue claims that Facebook should have prior to its May 2012 IPO disclosed internal projections on how increased mobile usage and product decisions might reduce future revenue. “The company’s purported risk warnings misleadingly represented that this revenue cut was merely possible when, in fact, it had already materialized,” Sweet wrote in his 83-page decision. “Plaintiffs have sufficiently pleaded material misrepresentation(s) that could have and did mislead investors regarding the company’s future and current revenues.” In a statement, Facebook said: “We continue to believe this suit lacks merit and look forward to a full airing of the facts.” Facebook went public at $38 per share. The Menlo Park, California-based company’s share price rose as high as $45 on May 18, 2012, its first day of trading, but quickly fell below the offering price and stayed there for more than a year. Investors including pension funds in Arkansas, California and North Carolina claimed that Facebook negligently concealed material information from its IPO registration statement that it had provided to its underwriters’ analysts. They sought damages resulting from their having sold or holding onto the shares as they fell below the IPO price, bottoming at $17.55 on September 4, 2012. The lawsuit does not allege fraud. More than 40 defendants were sued, including Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, lead underwriter Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs Group Inc and JPMorgan Chase & Co. In Wednesday trading, Facebook shares closed up 71 cents at $55.57. Facebook is expected to join the Standard & Poor’s 500 index after the close of trading on Friday. FACEBOOK: LAWSUIT LACKS MERIT In court papers, the defendants had argued that Facebook had no obligation to make the requested disclosures, which they called immaterial, and that Facebook’s actual results exceeded original projections. They added that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and other courts have said revenue projections need not be disclosed before an IPO because they are “inherently speculative and unreliable.” Morgan Stanley spokeswoman Mary Claire Delaney declined to comment. The lead plaintiffs are represented by the law firms Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann, and Labaton Sucharow. Both firms “are quite pleased with the thorough and detailed opinion by the court,” said Thomas Dubbs, a Labaton Sucharow partner, in a phone interview. “We look forward to prosecuting this action vigorously.” Dubbs said U.S. securities laws allow damages to be pursued by IPO investors who sold shares at a loss, as well as by investors who held on while the share price remained below what it would have been absent the alleged violations. Zuckerberg, 29, founded Facebook about a decade ago. Forbes magazine said he was worth $19 billion in September. Sweet oversees litigation arising from the IPO, and the investor case combined 30 lawsuits brought around the country. On Monday, the judge issued a decision that investors could also pursue claims accusing Nasdaq OMX Group Inc of concealing technology problems that led to difficulties in processing trades on Facebook’s first day of trading. He dismissed claims over Nasdaq’s decision not to halt the IPO or cancel trades. Sweet’s decisions are dated December 11 but were not made public for several days. The case is In re Facebook Inc IPO Securities and Derivative Litigation, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 12-md-02389. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Additional reporting by Alexei Oreskovic; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick, Jeffrey Benkoe and Bernard Orr)FIRST VERSION: zerrazoid.deviantart.com/art/C… SECOND VERSION: zerrazoid.deviantart.com/art/C… ---BIO---Crus is the middle brother of Froaker and Slash. He is also the uncle of Incinerate, Blaze, and Espea. He first met Froaker when he was very young after Froaker was left parentless, and Crus's parents took him in. Since then, Crus and Froaker have been inseparable. Crus also gets along with Slash very well, but he loves to make fun of his little brother and give him a hard time. The two have been known to get into their own random arguments on occasion.Crus is seen as the "fun" uncle by Incinerate, Blaze, and Espea. He generally disregards the rules and would let the kids do pretty much whatever they wanted. However, he knows how to be responsible and tends to be more so when it comes to Froaker getting drunk.---So, here it is, Crus version 3! I had so much trouble with the face in this one. I still don't think its perfect, but its what I could get after redoing it so many times. And I'm still trying to make him look shiny. Unfortunately, Gengar and Haunter don't change much. Their tongues are blue, that's pretty much the biggest change.Language and Script Needed for Science Fiction Transmedia Project Description The Secret King is a scifi book series with plans for companion graphic novels and a TV series. The creators need a full conlang with at least 1000 words as well as a writing system. The speakers of this language are humanoids with a homogeneous culture and the ability to directly absorb energy. Employer Dawn Chapman Application Period closed due to job filled Term The employer needs some key vocabulary ready by December and the full language by February next year. Compensation $600 for the language ($200 upfront, $200 for initial vocabulary, $200 on final delivery). $400 for the writing system ($200 upfront, $200 on final delivery). To Apply Email — (with heading FOR TSK CONLANG) to express your interest in the project. Please be prepared to provide samples of previous work. Note: Please assume that comments left on this post will not be read by the employer. All comments left on this post will be deleted after the job has closed.Over the past week, the press and the Twitterverse has been running rampant with stories about TrapWire, the counter-terrorism technology company that produces a homonymous predictive software system designed to find patterns indicative of terrorist attacks. The company was named in recent WikiLeaks releases as the source of software that facilitates intelligence gathering on American and global citizens, using a combination of surveillance technology, incident reports from citizens, and data correlated from local police and law enforcement agencies. As reported previously in BiometricUpdate.com, TrapWire is a subsidiary of Abraxas Corp., a Virginia-based company that is staffed by former elite members of the U.S. intelligence community. According to a RT report, TrapWire software leverages networks of surveillance cameras that are installed “in most major American cities at selected high value targets” and analyzes the images to detect “suspicious” behavior. According to e-mails stolen by the hacker group Anonymous and released by WikiLeaks, the system has been installed abroad as well. Fred Burton, vice-president of intelligence at Strategic Forecasting Inc., purportedly stated in a leaked e-mail that TrapWire is in place at every high-value target in New York, Washington, and Los Angeles, as well as in London, England and Ottawa, Canada. Documents submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, describes the system in detail. According to those filings, the system is based on the assumption that terrorists are vulnerable due to their need to conduct pre-attack surveillance, “such as photographing, measuring and signaling”. Such suspicious activities, as detected in imagery from pan-tilt-zoom cameras or human reports, are entered into a database, using a “10-characteristic description of individuals” or vehicle information. That data is then correlated across the network, creating a “network effect” of increased communication and collated intelligence. This data then is used to develop a threat meter, which can be accessed and monitored by security personnel. The system distinguishes threat and vulnerability information, the latter of which is not shared through the network. The company has gone on the record in Crime and Justice International magazine about TrapWire’s capabilities, noting: “Any patterns detected – links among individuals, vehicles or activities – will be reported back to each affected facility. This information can also be shared with law enforcement organizations, enabling them to begin investigations.” Law enforcement agencies have been quick to disavow use of the service. Chief NYPD spokesperson Paul J. Browne has denied that the department uses Trapwire. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police told Slate that it could not provide any comment on why the police force was mentioned in leaked e-mail due to its policy on not commenting on operations. Scotland Yard stated it had no knowledge of the service, while the London Stock Exchange refused to comment based on its “strong policy of not commenting on any issue related to security.” While many in the law enforcement and national security establishment refused to comment about TrapWire, the public response has been overwhelmingly negative, and rightly so. While the public has an expectation of diminished privacy for security reasons at highly vulnerable places such as airports and on public transportation systems, it does not have an expectation of being constantly and continuously surveilled by governments in other public spaces. Law abiding citizens have expectations in democratic societies that their governments will not spy on them. They have expectations that law enforcement and national security agencies will use proper procedures, not violate privacy laws, and mostly importantly, not trample upon constitutional rights that require governments to obtain warrants for the persistent tracking of individuals. Article Topics cameras \| counter terror \| government \| homeland security \| law enforcement \| military \| patents \| privacy \| security \| software \| surveillance \| TrapWirePic As the Windows 10 free upgrade period draws to a close, Microsoft is stepping up its operating system's nagware to full-screen takeovers. The Redmond software giant confirmed today it will start showing dark blue screens urging people to install the latest version of Windows. The full-screen ads will pop up on Windows 7 and 8.1 desktops from now until July 30, when the free upgrade period ends. "This notification is a reminder that the Window 10 free upgrade offer ends on July 29, 2016. Microsoft recommends that you upgrade to Windows 10 before the offer expires," Microsoft said. "You can choose to upgrade directly from the notification, dismiss the notification permanently, or choose to be reminded later." Remind me 3 more times, or file for a restraining order... Windows 10 has its benefits but not everyone is willing to stomach the force-fed upgrade. This week a Reg hack found out the hard way that latest Microsoft OS had knackered his laptop's mic and webcam, preventing him from using Skype properly. Microsoft says users who have selected the "do not notify me again" option or who have manually disabled notifications through registry key settings will not see the update, as will those who have previously uninstalled Windows 10, have had a failed installation, or don't have PCs that can support the new OS. This comes as Microsoft has been widely criticized for forcing the Windows 10 upgrade on folks and popping up migration screens at wildly inappropriate times. It's hoped that after the free period is over, and you'll have to pay for Windows 10, Microsoft will dial down its efforts to cram its software onto people's machines. ®It took 225 days — a Dutch record — but the Netherlands finally has a government in place. After being without a new government since the March 15 parliamentary election, a coalition agreement was reached earlier this month and the new Cabinet will be sworn in Thursday. It's a four-party coalition consisting of Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s center-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), the conservative Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), the liberal D66 and the conservative Christian Union (CU). The Cabinet — Rutte's third — consists of 16 ministers and eight secretaries of state, and has many fresh faces. Here are the top 5 players in the Netherlands' new squad: Prime minister Mark Rutte keeps his job as prime minister, leading the government for a third term. Rutte started his career as chair of the VVD's youth wing at the age of 21 and became prime minister in 2010. The latest coalition deal will bring about changes on policy details, but the broad lines set out by his previous Cabinet remains the same. Outside of parliament, he's a low-profile figure and still teaches civics once a week at Johan de Witt College in The Hague. Foreign affairs The foreign affairs portfolio shifts from the center-left to the VVD. Zijlstra, the party’s parliamentary leader, seemed an odd choice to many as he is known for his bluntness and lacks a diplomatic network. In politics for more than 10 years, he is a close aide of Rutte's. Though there will likely be no major changes in Dutch foreign policy, Zijlstra will set the tone as a hard-liner. Foreign trade and humanitarian cooperation The foreign affairs ministry will be served by two ministers, with top diplomat Sigrid Kaag (of the liberal, pro-European D66 party) alongside Zijlstra. Kaag, who speaks six languages fluently, brings a lot of international experience to the table and has spent the past 20 years abroad, most recently at the U.N. in Lebanon. Her pro-Palestine remarks (she is married to a Fatah politician) could cause controversy if she has to defend pro-Israel government policy. Finance A CDA member of the Senate since 2011 and adviser at the consultancy McKinsey, Hoekstra replaces Jeroen Dijsselbloem of the center-left Labor Party (PvdA). Unknown to the wider public but seen as a rising star within the CDA, Hoekstra — who's considered a liberal in his party — has been praised for his work in the parliament's upper house as an adviser on financial affairs. Defense Bijleveld doesn’t lack experience. On behalf of the CDA, she's been a member of parliament (1989-2001), state secretary for home affairs (2007-2010), a mayor and, most recently, leader of the province of Overijssel. What she doesn’t have is a background in defense. She is, however, known for her robust management skills.Day & Night ESPN The Magazine One is a little bit country. The other, a little bit rock 'n' roll. Peyton Manning loves crooning along with C&W star Kenny Chesney. You might find Ryan Leaf backstage at a Matchbox 20 concert begging for the mike. Manning studies for his masters. Ryan dropped out. Son of Archie, Peyton exudes football royalty. Down in the Big Easy, Manning the Younger is crown prince. Leaf? His dad sells insurance. To some in Montana, Ryan's the prince of darkness. Heroes and villains. Black hats and white hats. Good and evil. That's the American way. Pick a side. This year's NFL Draft provides another tantalizing choice to divide us. You've got the No. 1 pick: Who's it going to be? Peyton Manning, everybody's All-American with perfect genes? Or Ryan Leaf, Favre-like gunslinger, bully enough to flick away 300-pound linemen? To answer that question, I crisscrossed the nation. Pullman to Knoxville. Eleven bags of peanuts later, I've reached my conclusion. The envelope please... Nice try. Keep reading. * Ryan Leaf looks like Chuck Wepner. Or at least his stomach does. Clad in black trunks, dripping white towel and a gold No. 16 medallion, Leaf strides into the Pullman, Wash., Holiday Inn Express lobby. A 6'5" sprinkler, he rains all over the carpet. No one minds. Here in Pullman, possibly the inspiration for the Neil Young album Everyone Knows This Is Nowhere, Leaf could wear Underoos into the lobby and everyone would fawn. Take a team to its first Rose Bowl in 66 years and that happens. "Hey, man, mind if we do the interview in the Jacuzzi?" Nope. Good way to size up the merchandise. As Leaf settles into the bubbles, his belly metamorphoses into a polka accordion. Like the Cascades, it has slopes and crevices. Maybe Ryan went to McDonald's and said Supersize me. "I didn't work out for January and February," he says, giving a caught-in-the-cookie-jar grin. "I was going around on the banquet circuit, up to two in the morning schmoozing, eating bad. Guys like me can put on 10-15 pounds in a week. I was 261, now I'm down to 242. Now I've got a trainer." No, he's not John Goodman. But don't forget, Wepner and his jelly belly went 15 rounds with Ali. Besides, Leaf is a big, fat breath of fresh air in this era of hyper-protected jocks. He's just a good old boy meaning no harm. As a kid in Great Falls, Montana, Leaf would don his Steelers jersey, set the microwave timer and lead his own two-minute drill. Mouthpiece included. The drive always ended in a touchdown. "I'd dive over the couch, wreck lamps," he remembers. "I thought I was Terry Bradshaw. I'd sure like to meet him some day." Reality wasn't quite as kind. At Charles M. Russell High, Leaf's cockiness caused problems, particularly on the basketball court. If he wasn't making 360-degree dunks -- he has a 35-inch vertical -- Leaf was thundering down the court imitating a 747 after a basket. Once he gave a crowd the finger. On the football field, Leaf led Russell to a state championship his junior year. But no all-state, no retired jersey. Part of it involved following a Montana legend. Before Leaf, Dave Dickenson, an honor student, led the school to two state championships. Dickenson then piloted Montana to a 1995 1-AA title. Leaf was Johnny Depp replacing Michael Landon. Bad blood lingers. When the Great Falls Tribune did a Heisman poll last year, some citizens wrote in trashing Leaf's attitude. "They retired my jersey here at Washington State about two weeks ago," Leaf says, turning the whirlpool jets on full blast. "It brought me to tears, something I hadn't done since seventh grade. Then I was back home at Christmastime, and now they want to retire my jersey. It's like, 'You're kidding me.' I never want my jersey hanging up there." Leaf no longer goes to Great Falls. Instead, he drives his beat-up Isuzu Rodeo to his grandparents' cabin 50 miles outside of town. "When people ask where I'm from, I tell them Washington, because that's where I feel the most comforted by the people," Leaf says. He breaks into a goofy grin. "I tell people I'm grounded and humble because I'm from the state of Montana, and they made me that way." Ironically, Leaf's coach, Mike Price, says the same cockiness that turned off Great Falls made Leaf a "messiah" in Pullman. Price first saw Leaf's swagger when he quarterbacked the scout team in 1994, going nose-to-nose with the nation's No. 1 defense. The next year, the legend was born against archrival Washington in Seattle. "We send the quarterbacks out a little early so they don't get psyched out by the crowd," Price recalls. "All 75,000 start booing. Ryan, a freshman, marches out to the 50-yard line and starts waving his arms, 'C'mon, let's go, I'm here. Hey, Cougars, I'm leading you guys to the promised land. Screw you, guys. Boo me, I love it.' " Leaf lost the game, but threw for 291 yards. He says his brashness is a media concoction. "I'm actually pretty reserved," Leaf argues, his waterlogged skin puckering. "I just like to have fun out there. I'm not the type of guy who goes to members of my team or the other team and says, 'Hey, I'm awesome,' because I can improve in so many ways." Maybe. But he did yell, "Who's the only quarterback to beat USC?" after the Cougars won in the L.A. Coliseum for the first time in 40 years. He also whizzed a football, à la Albert Belle, within inches of a Spokane sportswriter's head after the journalist criticized a teammate. "I gave him a little buzz," says Leaf nonchalantly. "If I wanted to hit him, I would have hit him." All these episodes were overlooked because Leaf backed up his braggadocio. Staying in Pullman last summer, Leaf worked on his long ball endlessly. Opposing coaches were amazed by the improvement. Suddenly, Leaf had the ability to float a ball downfield 60 yards with touch. Come January, the Cougars were 10-1 and one second away from possibly dousing Michigan's national title hopes. Moving to the pros, Leaf's frankness follows. He found his first paid autograph session a little gross. Ask him about film watching, and he answers curtly: "I watch film as much as Peyton does, I just don't tell everyone about it." At the February Combine, a misunderstanding caused Leaf to miss a meeting with Colts head coach Jim Mora. When he was supposed to be talking with Mora, Leaf was getting an MRI. The incident was reported as Leaf blowing off the Colts. "I really felt put off by Coach Mora," says Leaf. "Instead of him talking to me, he leaked it to the media and made me look like an irresponsible brat." The subject turns to Draft Day. With all the heat on him and Manning, Leaf relishes the difference between their backgrounds. "I come from Great Falls, Montana," he says with a smile. "My father isn't an NFL quarterback. He sells insurance. Why am I supposed to be able to do this thing?" The following morning, at a windy Martin Stadium, Leaf throws a scripted 64 balls before a dozen drooling scouts. In shorts and T-shirt, gut discreetly hidden, Leaf drops in bombs at 55 yards with tender loving touch. Chargers quarterbacks coach June Jones smiles like a kid peeking at his Christmas gift. After the workout, a brave reporter asks about the Colts not being there. Leaf's answer is concise. "Go, Chargers." So what's Ryan's hope? Brett Favre or Billy Joe Hobert? One curmudgeon offensive coordinator thinks Leaf is trouble. "His attitude is a problem," says our coach. "His teammates aren't going to put up with it. The press isn't going to put up with it. He can either develop into a Favre-type or fall on his face. No way I'm putting a franchise in his hands." Steelers coordinator Ray Sherman sees unrefined greatness. "Leaf has a great upside," Sherman says. "I'm impressed most by his composure in the pocket. Someone will hit him in the mouth and he still focuses downfield. You can't teach that." One NFL scout dismisses concerns about Leaf's swaggering image. He does it succinctly. "You know what kind of quarterback wins the most games? The one with the biggest cojones. Leaf's got a giant pair. He'll do fine." So, Ryan Leaf can throw the ball and he has balls. What more could you want? * It's March 29 at O'Charley's Restaurant near the University of Tennessee campus. Volunteer faithful swig Budweiser as their Lady Vols romp to a third-straight hoops championship. Afterward, a singer dedicates "No Woman, No Cry" to Louisiana Tech. Inevitably, "Rocky Top" is hollered. Life is sweet. Almost. A sloshed, orange-capped female student slurs: "This is cool, but they still screwed Peyton." Down South, where men still dress up and try to win the Civil War, grudges die hard. However, Peyton Manning doesn't look back. "The track record of quarterbacks who have won the Heisman isn't so good anyway," Manning says with a freckly smile, his face tan from a week of golf in Vegas. Sitting in the film room of the Vols football complex, he looks trim. "It's all behind me now." The polite answer. What else? At the age of 22, the possibility of Peyton Manning saying anything controversial is as remote as Al Gore saying anything funny. From perfect grammar to the perfect pass, Peyton Manning is Archie's boy. All the way down to the knock-kneed walk. There's no dodging it. Not that Peyton ever would. It's as if the two quarterbacks have merged into a Southern perpetuity, a gridiron version of the Kennedys. One has gone, but the son has picked up the ball, and he's throwing deep. The story is familiar as "Dixie." Young Peytie watches Dad get beat senseless, but with honor, as a member of the Saints, Oilers and Vikings. Shucks, he even dons an Aints bag as a kid. All grown up, Peyton turns down Dad's alma mater, Ole Miss, and chooses Tennessee. Stardom follows. Three years later, Peyton turns down Bill Parcells for another year at UT. He's the great American hero, the symbol of all that is right and good. He loses the Heisman with... honor. Blah, blah, blah. The question is what, if anything, this gridiron legacy is going to do for him when Bruce Smith is jumping on his ass. The answer: plenty. "Peyton has always been picking quarterbacks' brains," says Cooper Manning, his older brother. "Once, Dad went to one of those old quarterback challenges out in Hawaii when we were kids. Peyton met Len Dawson and just wouldn't let him escape. For two hours, he kept asking questions." "Dad taught me you have to be a student of the game," Peyton says, gripping an NFL football. "I try to get one thing you can put in your mental notepad." Manning has answered these questions a hundred times before. His automatic pilot responses pleasantly waft by like supermarket Muzak. Just like Leaf, he has been on the grin-and-greet circuit (Unlike Ryan, road workouts have kept him near his playing weight). It's not until the lights go off that he becomes animated. Always a film junkie -- Dad again -- Peyton has been screening NFL tapes, getting a head start. He watches like a detective reviewing the video of a bank holdup. Play. Rewind. Play. Rewind. Today's game: Cowboys-Panthers. "Watch Aikman," he advises, pausing the tape. "Watch how he carries out the fake. He's not lazy. By doing something extra, if he holds one guy... Look, see 57? He hesitates. One second, that fake was worth three to four yards." Manning's practically out of his chair. "See the corner? Watch the safety behind him. See how he's cheating up here? It means he's covering for the corner who's blitzing. You figure out what one guy is doing by watching the other." Manning runs the tape. His play-by-play voice speeds his N'awlins drawl from 33 to 45. "Okay. Here's a little blitz, everyone's coming, Troy's doing a good job picking it up, somebody's open." Sure enough. Aikman needles the ball to Michael Irvin. The All-Pro drops it. "Damn." Peyton Manning feels the pains of every quarterback. "All that speed makes it feel like an NBA court compared to college," he says with wide-eyed wonder. It's that gee-golly image that has some scouts wondering if Peyton might just be too polite. Will he get in the face of a 33-year-old lineman who misses a block? "Sure, I'll do that," he says, trying to look stern. "I just try to do it when the camera is not on me." Pop has
profits surged by a third to £4.9bn. Under Mr Gulliver’s reign, HSBC’s workforce has dropped from 300,000 to 260,000, with another 6,000 in the pipeline. More than 50 business have either been sold or closed. Speaking today, he said he “could not give any assurances” on jobs. Finance chief Iain Mackay recently said there was room for a further £640million of savings this year. HSBC is due to update cost cutting going forward next Wednesday. David Hillman, spokesperson for the Robin Hood Tax campaign, said: “HSBC’s sky-high profits are a stark reminder that banks operate on a different plane to the rest of the economy. “The fact that banks are able to make such bloated profits while the rest of us suffer the consequences of austerity is the sign of an unhealthy economy - something the Government must do much more to fix.” HSBC, still reeling from a record £1.2bn fine for money-laundering, made just under £1bn from its retail arm worldwide and £2.3bn from its global banking and markets division. The amount set aside to cover bad loans fell 51% to £770m. Mr Gulliver said the banking industry was moving into “calmer waters” as the euro-zone crisis appears to have settled down.By Owen Bennett-Jones BBC News, Peshawar Support for the Taliban is fading as the conflict increasingly affects civilians In Pakistan there has been a real change in the past few months - the public has had enough of the Taliban and the army has gone to war. As a result well over one million people have been forced to flee their homes. I have come to a place about an hour's drive from Peshawar, 50 miles (80km) from where there has been intense fighting. There are many people on the move here who have run away from that fighting and they have brought with them eyewitness accounts of the brutal things they have seen under the Taliban's control of the Swat valley over the past few months. "They were beheading people, they were shooting innocent people without any warning, they were terrifying us," one woman tells me. "They were stopping our kids from going to school, they were kidnapping young boys." A man standing nearby is also eager to talk. "With my own hands I have buried 18 people who were beheaded, even children," he tells me grimly. "They are not friends, they are not our allies, they're our enemies, they are criminals, they are gangsters." New mood Such strong public criticism of the Taliban is new - the mood has changed in Pakistan. They say, 'eliminate them, clear up our area, for God's sake', that is the message that is coming from the local people Tariq Hyatt Khan, senior government official Tariq Hyatt Khan is the most senior government official in one of the tribal areas in North West Frontier Province and he tells me that the people of Pakistan have simply had enough of jihadis. "I know people from Swat, I've served in Malakand as a political agent," he explains. "The people hate them and if you see the letters to the editors of all the major newspapers, the people of Swat are writing and they are thanking the army for intervening in a decisive manner. "They say 'eliminate them, clear up our area, for God's sake', that is the message that is coming from the local people." In the garrison city of Peshawar, the capital of the North West Frontier Province, the Taliban have been launching attacks. Their main target has been the police and hundreds have been killed. Malik Naveed Khan runs the police force in the province - his own brother was killed in a suicide attack. "They're being beheaded, they're being kidnapped, their families are being kidnapped. One of our superintendents of police, his brother has been kidnapped and he has been told to resign from the force. "We are facing this war, but for every victory there have to be sacrifices," he says with little emotion. If the sixth biggest military cannot take care of 15 or 16 individuals, then I'm sorry, we're not good at it Khalid Aziz, ex-chief secretary, North West Frontier Province He shows me a Taliban propaganda DVD - it contains the most disgusting images I have ever seen, including the beheading of a policeman, standing head-hooded, decapitated with a single blow of the sword. But who are the Taliban? It is one word for a complicated and disparate movement. Khalid Aziz, former chief secretary of North West Frontier Province, says the answer is to start at the top. "We must separate it, we must identify the leadership," he says. "If you look at it, how many people would be involved in the top leadership - 15 or 20. If the sixth biggest military cannot take care of 15 or 16 individuals, then I'm sorry, we're not good at it. "If we have not contained it and it goes to Lahore and the rest of the area, we will lose the country," he warns. In the balance His fears are real - the jihadis have already killed in Lahore and suicide bombers have launched three attacks from the city so far this year. And then there was the brazen attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team. Police officers are increasingly being targeted by the Taliban But is it possible, in return, to directly target the Taliban leadership? Gen Tarik Khan has led the military's fight against the Taliban for the past three or four years in Pakistan. He has a ferocious reputation, but says there are limits to what he can do. "Any kind of military operation that seeks to take out individuals is an intelligence-driven operation that requires a lot of technology, a lot of surveillance capacity, which we don't have. "I have boots on the ground and troops that I can organise to go against organised resistance and cohesive militancy, but I can't really go after individuals," he says. When American politicians hear statements like that they begin to get rather irritated. Washington, they point out, has spent a very large amount of money in Pakistan since the 9/11 attacks. Sen Bob Menendez, like many others have been asking questions. In a recent congressional hearing he demanded to know where the military aid America had already given Pakistan had gone. "How come the general spearheading the fight still doesn't have the equipment that he needs? We don't even know where significant amounts of this money went to. That's $12bn later." Pakistan is a very different place compared to three months ago. People now say they have simply had enough. Nevertheless, the army has left it late to confront its enemy, too late maybe to think that victory can be won by just targeting the top leadership. The militants are well equipped and well trained. This is a conflict that could go on for years. Owen Bennett-Jones will be broadcasting from Pakistan for the BBC World Service's Newshour programme from 25 to 27 May at 1300BST and 1400BST. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable versionYou may have noticed the Sixers trending toward a late-season swoon, which is an all-too-familiar trend for this franchise. Joel Embiid is out for the season (ditto Ben Simmons) and a lot of the joy surrounding the team in January went with him. But we still have Dario Saric. The Homie has surged over the last month, establishing his case to be named the Rookie of the Year if Joel Embiid’s abbreviated season costs him the title, and you can add “delightful renditions of AC/DC songs” to his skill package. If we’re going to take this journey together over the season’s final 20 games, we have to make sure we enjoy the little things (and that’s word to Zombieland) to break through to the other side with our sanity intact. Saric will provide a lot of that value on the court with his signature mix of flashy passes and hard-nosed rebounding, and the occasional karaoke jam doesn’t hurt either. As we make the transition toward full-blown draft obsession and gear up for the annual Vlade Divac Fan Club meeting Lottery Party, don’t forget to treasure the dying embers of Dario Saric’s rookie campaign. What a wonderful gift of a person the 76ers would have if they were somehow able to convince him to come over. [Instagram]When I heard that Starbucks was releasing their famous Pumpkin Spice Latte early this year. I knew I had to get a jump on the seasonal beverages. I don’t typically buy flavoured lattes because they are typically loaded with stuff I don’t want to drink. Recently, people have been scandalized to find out that the Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks doesn’t actually contain pumpkin. Surprise! Instead of trying to duplicate Starbucks’ pumpkin-free latte, I decided to make something better. I’m calling it ‘The World’s Best Vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte’. Doesn’t that just roll off your tongue? My version is creamy and delicious. It’s so creamy that it’s hard to believe it’s vegan. The secret is homemade cashew milk. Don’t be scared! Making cashew milk at home is super easy and inexpensive. This is the recipe. Of course, you can make this recipe with the milk of your choice, but the creaminess may vary! This recipe makes enough for two small mugs or one big one!Construction has officially started on the Valley’s first micro-marketplace built of repurposed shipping containers. So much more than metal, The Churchill, named for the Evans Churchill neighborhood where it will reside, brings a community-driven mantra and attitude, requiring tenants to complete four volunteer hours monthly and encouraged to create community events. “You gotta love where you live,” said Hartley Rodie, the project co-partner. “It’s not all about dollars and cents. This project is about people and community.” Rodie has joined forces with co-founder Kell Duncan and has teamed up with Local Studios to construct the 14,000 square foot, using 19 repurposed shipping containers at 901 N. First Street in Downtown Phoenix. With a large courtyard acting as the heart of the space, The Churchill will pulse with community vibes from the second you walk in. A number of activations will take place within the space throughout the week including health and wellness classes, arts and education activities and more. The project also has plans to support its neighbors through monthly fundraisers for local non-profits and weekly service outings that will benefit an array of organizations throughout the Valley. Inside The Churchill, visitors can shop, dine and enjoy a total of 10 locally owned and operated concepts, three of which are revealed below. Pobrecito, a new cocktail concept from Barter & Shake, the team behind Counter Intuitive and Undertow. The first brick and mortar location of the Freak Brothers Pizza food truck. Cosas, a container boutique offering unique gifts made by local artisans from various regions of Mexico. The remaining signed tenants will be revealed via social media in the coming weeks. The completed project is aiming for a Spring 2018 grand opening date. (Video courtesy of AWE Collective)Photo credit: Señor Codo via Fotopedia/ CC BY-SA 3.0 Before last year, many had never heard of Koch Industries. Even though it's the second largest company in the US, and it rakes in nearly $100 billion every year, it's still something of an unknown entity to most Americans. And that's how company head David Koch prefers it -- he's fond of saying his company is "the biggest company you've never heard of." The majority of its business is in oil refining, coal, and manufacturing. And over the last year, a series of reports surfaced that revealed the company's huge monetary influence, and the murky activist involvement of its bosses, on efforts to kill clean energy bills, overturn environmental regulations, and so on. Finally, someone is giving us the straight facts on Koch Industries: The new website Koch Industries Facts, run by the clean energy group Repower America, has been launched to act as a simple information depot on Koch Industries. Aptly enough, it's a series of frankly presented facts, with links to the source material, that reveal the extent to which Koch Industries has been a leading force pushing back against both clean energy, climate science, and green policy across the US. Here's a sampling of the facts collected at the site: Koch is responsible for over 300 oil spills in the U.S. and has leaked 3 million gallons of crude oil into fisheries and drinking waters. (EPA) Koch Industries spent more than $48.5 million from 1997 to 2008 funding climate science opposition groups. Koch Industries operates oil refineries in Texas, Alaska and Minnesota, and controls roughly 4,000 miles of oil pipelines. Koch Industries has spent $16,922,000 so far in the 111th Congress on lobbying. Koch Industries spent $1 million trying to roll back California's clean energy law - and failed. The site makes for a solid but breezy compendium of information on everything Koch -- it makes for a straightforward introduction to Koch's influence and activities, and serves as a good reminder of the scope of both. Check it out at Koch Industries Facts More on Koch Industries Billlionaire David Koch : 25 Years of Disinformation Campaigns and Polluter Front Groups 'Financial Kingpin' of Climate Change Denial Exposed: Koch Industries Koch Industries Backs Formaldehyde Council, Fighting RegulationImage copyright Getty Images Image caption Revenge-porn victim Chantal, pictured with her lawyer, Thomas van Vugt, took Facebook to court to find out who had uploaded the video Facebook says it is unable to comply with a Dutch court order instructing it to help identify someone who posted a revenge-porn video clip on the social-media platform earlier this year. The anonymous user deleted their account and the video - taken in 2011 - shortly after posting the clip in January this year. The woman who appears in the video had taken Facebook to court in Amsterdam. It is Facebook policy to delete user data 90 days after an account closure. "The offending account was ultimately deleted before we received any request for user data, so all information about it was removed from our servers in accordance with our terms and applicable law," Facebook said in a statement. "We deeply empathise with the victim's experience and share her desire to keep this kind of non-consensual imagery off of Facebook." The court said independent experts should be given access to Facebook's servers to check whether the data was indeed untraceable. Though removed within an hour of going on Facebook, the video had already been circulated on the net, Reuters reported. Both the 21-year-old woman, known only as Chantal, and her former boyfriend, who also appears in the video, were below the age of 18 when it was filmed. Her ex-partner has denied being the anonymous poster.The massive hacking of Equifax, one of the three major credit reporting agencies, could have a catastrophic impact on next year’s tax season with the returns of over 100 million Americans now at risk, according to a warning to the IRS and Treasury Department. The hacking revealed the Social Security numbers of some 143 million Americans, making them extremely vulnerable to tax filing fraud, and the loss of their checks, which this year averaged $3,120. In a letter to Treasury, the president of Citizens Against Government Waste warned of the potential problem and urged the Internal Revenue Service the beef up its IT security to block the hackers from filing fraudulent returns. “The hack of the credit reporting agency Equifax, revealed on September 7, 2017, exposed the personal information – including Social Security numbers – of 143 million U.S. customers. During the 2017 tax season, these individuals will be at an increased risk of having their tax returns stolen and the IRS’s outdated legacy IT systems will only heighten the threat,” wrote Tom Schatz. His group is a driver among those pushing the administration to stop wasting money on outdated IT systems and buy commercially. In his letter, he said the exit of IRS Commissioner John Koskinen this month should act as a “natural inflection point” to dump the bloated and over budget IT fixes he oversaw. Schatz cited a Treasury Inspector General’s report that found that the current system “missed 54,175 fraudulent returns totaling $313 million." Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner's "Washington Secrets" columnist, can be contacted at pbedard@washingtonexaminer.comEarly in the day, it seemed that the more liberal members would prevent Republicans from scoring political points on the issue. Senate leaders avoided debate on a comprehensive measure proposed by the GOP, substituting it with a more narrowly tailored crackdown — on welfare and unemployment benefits — that passed mostly along party lines. But Wednesday would be the start of a dizzying two days of nearly round-the-clock deal-making, as the Senate made its way through hundreds of amendments. Immigration was a prominent, but ultimately just one part, of the deliberations. Murray, despite her key role, seemed more ambivalent. On Tuesday, she told reporters that Republicans were targeting a problem that did not exist, because the state already checks applicants before awarding public benefits. “Why are we letting the Republicans spot us on issues that we were with them on?’’ he said. Steven A. Baddour, a Methuen Democrat who helped draft the final measure, said there was no reason to continue battling Republicans when many senators agreed with many of the provisions anyway. Supporters said the measure reflected broad public consensus on reserving state services for legal residents; liberal members of the Senate said they felt blindsided and ashamed that the body had passed such a strict measure so abruptly. And with a 28-to-10 vote, the Senate came back Thursday and passed a sweeping measure that would toughen or expand rules that bar illegal immigrants from obtaining public health care, housing, and higher education benefits. It would set up hot lines for anonymous tips about illegal immigrants holding jobs and encourage the state attorney general to consult with the US Justice Department to enlist more state resources to halt illegal immigration. In the end, the Republicans, who make up just five of the Senate’s 40 members, got more than they wanted, just hours after the Senate appeared to have killed, or at least slowed down, their own plan to tighten immigration laws. Murray, who had shown little appetite for a headline-grabbing crackdown on illegal immigrants, wanted a new strategy. She set up a late-night meeting with three other senators, where — over strawberry cream pie, cranberry-lime seltzer, and M&Ms — the group, mindful of a new poll showing overwhelming public support for barring illegal immigrants from state services — drafted a stricter crackdown than even the most conservative advocates believed possible. That’s when Senate President Therese Murray banged her gavel — temporarily freezing action on the floor and effectively changing the course of the immigration debate in Massachusetts. It was late Wednesday night, hour 11 of a grueling state budget debate, and senators were arguing over another contentious amendment on illegal immigration. Republicans were hammering Democrats for going too soft. Leading Democrats were quietly pushing to make a deal to quell the criticism. Republicans called it a “poison pill.’’ Conservative and moderate Democrats promised they would strengthen the measure as debate went on, with a series of amendments. Liberal senators seemed confident they could hold their ground, and had the votes to supplant 14 Republican amendments as they came up with measures of their own that would simply put existing practices into law — and demonstrate to the public that most state services were already off-limits to illegal immigrants. “It would have been a long debate, but I think we would have defeated the Republican amendments,’’ said state Senator James B. Eldridge, an Acton Democrat. But some Democrats did not want the perception that they were unwilling to take stronger action against illegal immigration, and they talked throughout the day with their Republican colleagues. Republicans feared Democrats would pass only a few narrow measures and then claim they had tackled the issue. “I was serious in expressing frustration,’’ said state Senator Bruce E. Tarr, a Gloucester Republican. The behind-the-scenes debate continued into the night, and then broke into public view, when another immigration measure came up for debate. “There was a big brouhaha by the Republicans,’’ said state Senator Steven C. Panagiotakos, a Democrat who chairs the Ways and Means Committee. “The minority party kept criticizing it: ‘How could we depend that anything is going to get done on this area?’’’ Murray, with Baddour lobbying her on the dais, had heard enough. “She literally banged the gavel and Bruce [Tarr] was in the middle of his speech,’’ Baddour said. “And she called a group together and said, ‘We need to work this out.’ ’’ When business ended at 10 p.m., Murray called Tarr, Panagiotakos, Baddour, and three staff members into her office, staying past midnight to draft the new policy. Many rank-and-file Democrats knew nothing about the new proposal until the next day, when they were given the bill during a closed party caucus, minutes before they were asked to vote on it. Some on the left were shocked and outraged, such as Sonia Chang-Diaz who told colleagues she was “embarrassed’’ by the Senate’s efforts, according to two members who were present. Eldridge said it was so hastily written that technical errors nearly excluded tens of thousands of legal residents from public housing. “I just don’t understand why we would sit down at the table in the kind of posture that we did in the end, as a Democratic caucus, with a five-member [Republican] minority,’’ Chang-Diaz said yesterday. “There were perfectly good alternatives for us in terms of reassuring the public.’’ But with a Suffolk University/7 News poll of Massachusetts residents showing 84 percent of respondents opposed to state services for illegal immigrants, and a tough election coming in fall, most Democrats signed on. Still, the measure remains far from a done deal. Both the House, which narrowly defeated a related measure last month, and Governor Deval Patrick, who has been skeptical of further immigration crackdowns, would need to sign on before it becomes law. “I don’t necessarily agree with everything that was in it,’’ Murray told reporters Thursday. “But that was the will of the body.’’ Noah Bierman can be reached at nbierman@globe.com. Correction: Because of a reporting error, an earlier version of this story misstated the hometown of state Senator James Eldridge. He is from Acton. © Copyright 2010 Globe Newspaper Company.I would like community feedback on this issue: https://github.com/rust-num/num/issues/347 The gist is that Shr for primitive integers always rounds down, but Shr for BigInt is rounding toward zero, which means it gives different results when shifting negative values. This behavior has existed ever since BigInt was first added to the standard library in 2012! BigInt::from_biguint(self.sign, self.data >> *rhs) I doubt that was intended to behave differently than negative i32, for instance – it’s just the most obvious way to implement Shr in this case. Rounding down will require some conditional fixups. But I think matching primitive behavior makes the most sense across the board, so I’d like to just change the behavior and call it a bug fix, without a semver bump. Would anybody object to this?F4J leader Matt O’Connor has been granted an oral hearing in open court for his application for Leave to move for Judicial Review, in the Royal Courts of Justice on 15th October 2015. The application comes after members of the public, witnesses, and independent Hampshire County Councillor Tony Hooke, were excluded by Her Majesty’s Courts & Tribunal Service (HMCTS) Security from O’Connor’s trial for a public order offence on 20th February 2015 at Aldershot Magistrates Court, a decision upheld by the Bench without any examination of evidence for the need for such exclusion. The Bench’s decision to effectively hold the trial in secret is the subject of the Judicial Review case; the Bench did adjourn the trial to allow the matter to be tested by Judicial Review. O’Connor was arrested outside his former Hampshire home in Stockbridge on 4th September 2014 in what he has described as a “violent, unlawful and politically motivated arrest”. F4J say they will stage a peaceful “Open Justice” demonstration outside the Royal Courts of Justice prior to the hearing, and hope members of the public will be given “access to open justice” at this hearing and that no attempts will be made by HMCTS to bar the public from attending the High Court hearing. The group also say they expect other interested parties will be attached to the Judicial Review in due course. Fathers4Justice believe the attempt to prosecute O’Connor in secret was because the Court/HMCTS were concerned allegations about a child abuse cover-up at Stanbridge Earls school involving Caroline Nokes MP and the Chief Constable of Hants Police, Andy Marsh were going to be aired. In a previous attempt to hold the trial, it was learned that the chief prosecution witness was the cleaner for the MP’s local Conservative Party Chairman, Robin Colenso, who was also known to the District Judge, Philip Gillibrand. District Judge Philip Gillibrand later recused himself from the case. Civil action by the O’Connor family against Ms Nokes is continuing after the MP visited their home on 20th February 2014 where a violent incident took place in front of their 8-year-old son. If the Leave application is successful on 15th October 2015 then the case will move forward to a full Judicial Review trial in the High Court. Read the original story in Get Hampshire here: http://www.gethampshire.co.uk/news/local-news/fathers-4-justice-founder-matthew-8688771Forget honor. Honor has zero place in the game of thrones. Bringing honor to the game of thrones is the equivalent of wearing a boat anchor to a swim meet: you could be the Michael Phelps of political maneuvering, but in the end the only race you’ll win is the one to the bottom of the pool. Trust no one. Period. Not your friends. Not your family. Not your house. No one. With the burden of honor and trust off your back you are ready to play the game of thrones. While playing there are certain rules you should keep in mind. Killing children. In the game of the thrones, if you haven’t killed/attempted to kill children, you aren’t playing the game right. Pushing kids out windows because they overheard your plans, sending assassins after heirs to the throne, and killing kingly bastards are all things you should be doing while playing the game of thrones. Keep a personal food tester. If you are playing the game of thrones, somebody will try to poison your food. Never travel by ship in autumn. Ever. Statistics from Oldtown show that 99% of ships are lost in the autumn and that of the 1% of the ships that do make it to their destination, half are overrun by pirates and sold into slavery. However, if you are lucky enough to be on one of the.5% of ships that do make it to their destination, you will get laid. Religion. Choose the Red God. Happen to be poisoned. BAM, Red God. Need a shadow baby to kill another player of the game of thrones. BAM, Red God. Has a wound you received in battle festered? Bam, Red God. The Red God is definitely the best choice. Never put money in your mouth. You never know if there is left over poison on it from a Faceless Man assassination. This is just a start for the ultimate guide. Are there more that you can come up with? Edit: Some new rules. (Reddit formating sucks!)James Hall, Contributor Activist Post Economic dislocation is an inherent element in any financial system. One way to deal with balance sheet imbalances is to declare bankruptcy. The most common examples of liquidating default without payment are to petition the court to absolve debt obligations. Personal bankruptcy is tragic, but is common in a culture where immediate consumer gratification is the end-all of a private excess society. Business bankruptcy is different because the underlying enterprise assumes all the risks of engaging in commerce. Even prudent expenditures and sound business activities can go sour that ultimately results in insolvency. Both personal and business bankruptcies share the plight of a negative cash flow that prevent serving indebtednesses. The fault and blame may not rest on the principals of the business venture as much as the lack of discipline in consumer spending for an individual. However, the general economic climate and availability of banking resources are prime factors that affect fluctuations in Chapter 7 or 11 filings. This election year the effects of the previous and unprecedented Federal Reserve stimulus reflect government-reporting bias. Business vs. consumers in bankruptcy filings provides the standard spin. Compared to 2010, business bankruptcies declined 15.1% and non-business filings dropped 11.3%, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court said. When the recession started at the end of 2007, business bankruptcies rose more quickly than those filed by consumers, the court reported. In 2008, business bankruptcies rose 53.7% and nonbusiness filings rose 30.6%. That trend continued in 2009 when business bankruptcies rose 39.7% and nonbusiness filings were up 31.5%. But then in 2010, business bankruptcies fell while consumer filings continued to climb. As any consumer knows firsthand, personal credit loans are virtually nonexistent. About the only form of bank credit left to the individual is to borrow at usury rates off credit cards. Mortgage foreclosures have not subsided. Home loans are poised for another round of defaults. Most families have tightened their belt. Valiantly they attempt to reduce their debt load and lessen their monthly payments. Nonetheless, the continued persistence of high unemployment and underemployment coupled with the lack of fresh bank loan access drives more individuals into bankruptcy court. Is this the description of an authentic recovery? Even a temporary decrease in business failures does not translate into a general economic recovery. How many private sector businesses started since the collapse of the 2008 financial bubble? Government approved and funded speculative “Green” ventures seem to be the greatest beneficiary of a propped up economy. Soon another round of massive defaults awaits public scrutiny. Add into this environment the next segment for failure; namely, municipalities. Download Your First Issue Free! Do You Want to Learn How to Become Financially Independent, Make a Living Without a Traditional Job & Finally Live Free? Download Your Free Copy of Counter Markets Bankruptcy for cities reports: Medium-sized cities — with a population of about 75,000 to 500,000 — are more likely than in the past to file for Chapter 9, says David Dubrow, a partner in the New York office of the Arent Fox law firm and author of The Treatment of Municipal Debt Under Chapter 9 of the Bankruptcy Code. ‘The [federal and state] support cities have been able to get in the past is much more limited now,’ Dubrow says. Also, the support states do provide is more likely to go to larger cities, he says. It is obvious that strained and burdened taxpayers cannot fund the myriad government pledges made over the decades to buy votes and seduce citizens into the welfare state. Small town jurisdictions have fewer options to raise taxes, than states or the federal government. Their citizens are usually their neighbors. The economic hemorrhaging that shrinks tax revenue leads to shortfalls that eventually can lead to a total default. Since the lack of will to institute fundamental and comprehensive reform of civic spending on all levels is the operative norm, the prospects for avoiding public bankruptcies are bleak. In an article, If a Town Can Go Bankrupt, Why Can’t the U.S.? in TIME – Moneyline the following point is made: Most folks now understand that defined-contribution plans have come to replace defined-benefit plans. It is perhaps the most far-reaching development in personal financial planning in many decades and represents a seismic shift away from the era of social safety nets. What is new and shocking to many, though, is the vulnerability of our governmental bodies. They’ve reached the breaking point. They are unable to borrow enough or tax enough to make good on all their promises. In business, the punishment of the marketplace disciplines foolish decisions. In politics, the greater the giveaway program financed with deficit spending, the longer your career in office. How can the economy grow its way out of these systemic and mathematically impossible obligations? Paying the piper now means starving the taxpayer. The short-term trend dip in business bankruptcies has more to do with working the accounting numbers than a bounce back of a vigorous economy. As true as it is that the business sector is the more likely to repair their balance sheet before the consumer and certainly municipalities, the prospects remain strained. American Natural Superfood - Free Sample As usual, the phony bank debt method of finance causes the inescapability of bankruptcy on each level. Even so, bankruptcy is the solution in the public realm. How else can the public chastise the careerist political class into relinquishing their practice of endless spending? The fundamental causes of the Wall Street collapse just paper over the symptoms, without any meaningful closure, and will not stop the leveraged gaming practices that built the debt bubble in the first place. Small business and individual consumers paid the heaviest price of the meltdown. Big business, bailed out or rescued by mergers, continues to rape the economy. Will government entities wear a stigma of bankruptcy proudly or will they invent even more draconian schemes to extract riches from those who actually create the wealth? You probably know the deplorable answer. As long as the controlled business marketplace is dominated by a partnership of corporatist and central government planners, the true main street economy will suffer. Embrace the insolvency of the financial debt pyramid as the resolution of the bankruptcy society. Original article archived here James Hall is a reformed, former political operative. This pundit’s formal instruction in History, Philosophy and Political Science served as training for activism, on the staff of several politicians and in many campaigns. A believer in authentic Public Service, independent business interests were pursued in the private sector. Speculation in markets, and international business investments, allowed for extensive travel and a world view for commerce. He is the publisher of BREAKING ALL THE RULES. Contact [email protected] var linkwithin_site_id = 557381; linkwithin_text=’Related Articles:’BLACKDEAL NordVPN has Black Friday sale and offers 3-Year Subscription for $99 or just $2.75/month with code BLACKDEAL. Try it absolutely risk-free as NordVPN provides 100% money back guarantee for 30 days no matter what is the reason. NordVPN is located outside of the US, Australia and whole 14 Eyes and strictly keeps no logs policy. "Fourteen Eyes" partners – the US, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Denmark, France, Holland, Norway, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Sweden and Spain - to trace "anyone, anywhere, anytime" in what is described as "the golden age" signals intelligence. NordVPN is ranked #1 out of 290 VPNs overall according to VPNMentor.com as well as the #2 for torrents. NordVPN is also PCMag's editor's choice as well as Bestvpn.com's NordVPN features: 6 simultaneous connections 1400+ Servers in 61 Countries 2048-bit SSL Encryption No Logging Policy P2P welcome Ads blocker included (CyberSec) Extension for Google Chrome Double VPN and Tor VPN Connections Kill Switch VPN Gateways Tuned for Streaming Media 24/7 Customer Support via live chat Unblock more than 400 streaming services (US Netflix if you are overseas, BBC iPlayer and many other like sport hubs UEFA Champions League, Bundesliga and etc.) Works in China and other highly restricted countries (obfuscated servers) Most of Servers can be connected as http or SOCKS5 proxyJohannesburg - The mystery of Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir's whereabouts took another turn on Sunday evening, following earlier reports that he had left South Africa. According to Bloomberg, having earlier reported on Sunday that the Sudanese president had left the country, al-Bashir has since been seen by reporters at the African Union summit taking place in Johannesburg. The earlier report quoted Sudanese Information Minister Ahmed Bilal Osman, who told Bloomberg over the phone that al-Bashir had left South Africa and was heading back to Khartoum. "The president finished his business in South Africa and is coming back home," Osman reportedly said. "Al-Bashir went to South Africa with complete guarantees that it will respect the African position regarding the ICC." The issue of al-Bashir's departure from South Africa takes place within the spectre of an order by the High Court in Pretoria made earlier on Sunday afternoon, compelling South African authorities to not allow the Sudanese president to leave the country. Earlier on Sunday evening, the justice department said it was preparing for expected arguments in the High Court in Pretoria on Monday, following reports of al-Bashir departure from South Africa. "We are preparing for arguments in court tomorrow [Monday] and have not verified media reports of his leaving the country. Therefore question of contempt of court does not arise at this stage," department spokesperson Mthunzi Mhaga said in a text message. Judge Hans Fabricius had ordered that the home affairs department ensure that all points of entry and exit be informed that al-Bashir is not allowed to leave until the SA Litigation Centre's (SALC) application that South Africa arrest him is concluded. Following Fabricius' order, Mhaga said South Africa would take reasonable steps to ensure that officials at all points of entry and exit were told of the court order. "In so far is practically possible reasonable steps will be taken to comply with the interim order given the fact that we will now be preparing our arguments for the main argument tomorrow on the substantive issues," he said outside court. The SALC had applied for South Africa to enforce two warrants for al-Bashir's arrest issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2009 and 2010 relating to alleged war crimes and genocide. It said that on Saturday the ICC ruled that diplomatic immunity did not apply to heads of state wanted for trial and issued a plea to South Africa to arrest him to stand trial. The application started after 11:00 on Sunday with officials hastily brought to court in Pretoria, but the government said it was not ready because of the short notice, having received papers at around 10:30. It asked for an adjournment, but the SALC, fearing that al-Bashir would leave in the meantime, obtained an interim order preventing his departure.To green campaigners, it is windfarm heaven, generating a claimed fifth of its power from
on launch day greatly exceeded expectations on how many players would be interested, causing the servers underpinning the game to crash. The game launched on January 6 and the sole developer, Rhys, was expecting a maximum of 200 users when he originally launched the game, but 1000 players tried to sign in and play at once. The final straw was when 500 requests were made to the API server at once, which caused it to shut down instantly. This, combined with a high percentage of Brazilian players —a language Rhys doesn't speak — and a small DoS attack, led Rhys to shut the game down for a while while he works out the next steps. These could be a long way coming, as Rhys is now back at university and claims he needs to focus on his final year project. He's pledged to re-launch the game when his servers can handle it. Speaking in a post on his blog, he said: "Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like it was ever actually meant to be – I was hoping I could get a lot more of the required features done, and sort of hoping that some of them wouldn’t be necessary with a rather small playerbase. It turns out that all of these are completely necessary, as manually moderating thousands of players without some kind of automated assistance (reports, transaction flags, botting flags) would cause some kind of mental breakdown.”Taylor Swift, the ambassador of zero chill, spent nine days advertising the debut of her music video for “Bad Blood,” which finally aired during Sunday night’s Billboard Music Awards. The song is the worst track from her chart-topping album, 1989; the new version is redeemed only by an appearance from young Taylor’s only black rapper friend, Kendrick Lamar. The clip was previewed by Sin City-styled Instagram posters for the posse of incredibly famous women making cameos, each choosing an exaggerated alter ego to represent her action-star persona, and each playing a role in solidifying Taylor Swift’s self-affirming brand as the Leader of Young Women Everywhere. I knew we were in trouble when we tuned in. To be fair, the video is fine. It’s even kind of cool! It opens with a fight scene where Swift’s character (uh, Catastrophe) is double-crossed by her presumed ally Arsyn (played by Selena Gomez), who kicks her out of a window (and through the shattering heart of Frank Miller) before running off into the night. What follows is an endless stream of three-second intros to badass women who parade through Swift’s fictional badass world, where they’re ostensibly training for an ultimate showdown with Arsyn’s faceless crew. Look, there’s Lena Dunham smoking a cigar like some sort of mob boss! There’s Zendaya (who is hands-down the most amazing of the cast in this video), Karlie, Serayah, and Hailee emulating characters from various existing action and sci-fi movies! We knew to expect Mariska Hargitay and Ellen Pompeo (whose famous respective TV characters, Olivia Benson and Meredith Gray, serve as the namesakes for Swift’s cats), but why are Jessica Alba and CINDY CRAWFORD in this thing again? This is bonkers. What the hell is going on here? If we pan out for a second, it becomes obvious. Why has Taylor decided to parade this carefully selected group of 18 women through a four-minute video with basically no plot-line other than to play-fight each other? Because she wants us to know that she can. Because she is one of the most powerful women in entertainment. And because Taylor Swift wants to be clear: She is able to call whoever she wants to come fight on her team, and they will fight for her. But what exactly constitutes “her team”? She’s said that she’s holding it down for “all girls,” but is she really? By now it’s no secret that “Bad Blood” was originally inspired by Swift’s feud with Katy Perry. They both dated John Mayer, though their reported beef comes from more professional roots: specifically, allegations that Swift “stole” some of Perry’s tour backup dancers. (Correction: It was the other way around.) (Two young, white musicians claiming ownership over dancers they direly needed to bring “Dark Horse” or “Shake It Off” to the stage is almost Too Much.) Shots were fired by both camps over Twitter, and now, in the “Bad Blood” video, Swift’s “arch-nemesis” wears a wig that’s cut to Katy Perry’s signature style. And just like that, what would easily be a rad rallying of women who will readily fuck you up in the name of Misandry was swiftly turned into a Mean Girls corralling of cool kids delivering a not-so-subtle message to other women: You’re either with or against us. Advertisement The troubling, underlying takeaway from this video is that Swift wants her fans to know that she’s the most important of all the important kids and that she’s become somewhat untouchable as a result. And that’s the worst kind of way to tout your championing of women (and celebrity hashtag-feminism)—to wrap it up in a blanket of cool and use it as a weapon! When Swift went up to accept one of the eight Billboard Music Awards awards she won later that night, she took the stage as some sort of matriarch for the future of teen babies everywhere, telling her fans she “loved all girls.” Then she went on to thank “all the teen girls I talk to on the internet about our feelings,” and those who “teach me the teen slang.” The teen slang! That teen market is crucial for Taylor, not only for her mission to be Queen of the Basics, but also because interacting with her teen fans on social media is immediately correlated to her success. On Sunday night and Monday morning, “Bad Blood” topped the Billboard Real Time charts and Social 50. (History has also shown that if Taylor Swift even mentions your name on social media, your own social network numbers will increase immensely; each guest in the video was promoted by Swift through Instagram and Twitter at least once.) Once the song was trending on social media, it redirected fans to her Vevo page that hosted the video; and clicks on her video means more money for her. (I have written about the fascinatingly twisted relationship between music video branding and artist’s bank accounts at length before, if you’re curious about how deep the brainwashing goes.) Moreover, yesterday we all found out Swift is gonna be on the cover of the noted feminist bastion that is Maxim magazine, topping their Hot 100 list in a story is written by feminist activist and writer Roxane Gay. Per Capital New York: ... as Roxane Gay, the author of Bad Feminist, points out in the essay on beauty she contributed to the magazine, “Taylor Swift is more than her looks. She’s also a fiercely talented young woman who embraces feminism, tops the charts, and dances like no one’s watching, even when millions are.” Advertisement The interview goes on to mention that Gay is a proponent for more diverse image of feminism in men’s magazines (and beyond): Gay’s essay advocates for the broadening the beauty standard to include a “broader range of beautiful skin, fuller bodies and complicated surfaces.” [She] told Capital she decided to publish with Maxim because she has been “encouraged by the changes Kate Lanphear has made since taking over the helm,” [...] “I also think it’s pretty radical to write about feminism for a so-called ‘lad mag.’” Advertisement She’s not wrong! Swift is a fine enough role model and a not a bad person for young women to look up to! In a clip released from her Maxim interview, Swift talks about her view of feminism: I used to say, “Oh, feminism’s not really on my radar,” it was because when I was just seen as a kid, I wasn’t as threatening. I didn’t see myself being held back until I was a woman. Or the double standards in headlines, the double standards in the way stories are told, the double standards in the way things are perceived. A man writing about his feelings from a vulnerable place is brave; a woman writing about her feelings from a vulnerable place is oversharing or whining. Misogyny is ingrained in people from the time they are born. So to me, feminism is probably the most important movement that you could embrace, because it’s just basically another word for equality. That’s a perfectly common and privileged definition of feminism! One that I feel like I’ve heard before! Advertisement That said, Gay’s most glaringly right when she says we should be looking for beacons of feminism outside of the tall, skinny, blonde, classically/traditionally beautiful tropes that dominate the covers of male-oriented magazines like Maxim. Taylor Swift, however, is not the person to break that mold. And with the back-to-back release of “Bad Blood” —on a branded platform that recently declared her Woman of the Year— and her new cover of Maxim, her attempts to position herself as the Modern Feminist of the Future feel awfully cynical. (Bonus cringe: This behind-the-scenes shot of the “Bad Blood” babes sexily posing with In-N-Out burgers is a weird and vain attempt to appear casual and human that was vaporized yesterday afternoon when Nicki Minaj and Beyoncé actually chowed down on burgers in their “Feeling Myself” video.) While most will treat the “Bad Blood” clip as the birth of a powerful girl squad that takes no shit from anyone, Swift’s intimation that All Women unite under her command is self-serving, and only really empowering to her. She deserves her fame, yes. She deserves to be celebrated as an entertainer, a savvy business person, and even a child savant of sorts. Her music speaks for itself: She has a huge share of great hit singles, her gawky award-show dancing is now a beloved part of her brand, and she has aligned herself with self-described, mission-affirming feminists like Lena Dunham. But it’s important to take a second to remember that her brand of feminism is deceptive in its inclusiveness; it’s frequently for show, or worse, only for Instagram.The visual effects artists behind Marvel Studios brought the thunder from down under to Thor: Ragnarok, which brought back Chris Hemsworth‘s Asgardian Avenger to face off against the Goddess of Death. Andy Park, concept artist and visual development supervisor on the film, tipped his hat to these VFX wizards by sharing behind-the-scenes making-of reels for some of the most action-packed and stunning sequences. Directed by Taika Waititi, Thor: Ragnarok saw Hela (Cate Blanchett) blasting Thor through space to the planet Sakaar. While our hero was busy fighting with Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) to escape this gladiatorial hellscape, Hela was busy taking over Asgard. To bring these CGI-heavy scenes to life, Marvel worked with VFX companies Luma, Framestore, ILM, and Method Studios. Jake Morrison served as the visual effects supervisor on the film. In the first video shared by Park, Marvel delved into the work behind the opening scene with Thor battling the fire demon Surtur and his giant dragon. Subsequent videos highlighted the introduction of Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) on Sakaar, Waititi’s motion-capture role as the Kronan rock creature named Korg, Hela’s decimation of the Valkyrie warriors, and the climactic scene on the Bifrost with the self-dubbed “Revengers.” Thor: Ragnarok also brought back Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, Idris Elba’s Heimdall, Anthony Hopkins’ Odin, and Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange alongside newbies like Jeff Goldblum’s The Grandmaster and Karl Urban’s Skurge.Pirates Feeling Pressure of Pennant Race After two decades of losing baseball, the Pittsburgh Pirates are where they want to be–directly in the middle of a serious pennant race. Although the organization has taken large strides in the right direction over the past few seasons, no parties involved in this endeavor seem to understand how to react properly to winning baseball. Management, players and fans included seem to be trying to figure this whole pennant-race-postseason-thingy out along the way. Management First off, management has not been nearly as bad as people would suggest, but that will be addressed under the fans section. But to let management off the hook during this stretch of inferior baseball would not be accurate either. No, GM Neal Huntington should not have jeopardized the team’s future for rental players this season, but not appropriately addressing roster moves has been alarming. The pitching has been the most frustrating aspect of this team to watch over the past month, but also the most correctable aspect as well. There is not much the Pirates can do to help this offense from a personnel standpoint, but there are plenty of options for the Pirates pitching woes and none of them have been explored properly. It is way past time for Jeff Locke, Justin Wilson, Bryan Morris and Chris Leroux to all be on this team. Yes, they will be called up in a few short days when rosters expand, but will they be on the 25 man roster over players such as Chris Resop, Tony Watson, Chad Qualls, Daniel McCutchen and even Erik Bedard? That is very debatable, as management has not shown much faith in their dominant AAA arms. Besides personnel moves, management has made other questionable moves such as the charity event fiasco last week. Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, gives a very nice play by play of the bizarre event, but here’s a summary. After 20 games in 20 days and a brutal west-coast trip, 10 Pirates players were forced to attend a charity event far away from Pittsburgh on their scheduled day off. “It’s a pennant race,” one player said. “Maybe everyone around here will realize that at some point.” – Tribune Review There are many in-game decisions Clint Hurdle has made that could be questioned, but you will not find much criticism here on Hurdle. The big question is though, who has the most impact on the 25 man roster decisions-Huntington or Hurdle? Because whoever is holding back the reconstruction of the bullpen needs to be held accountable. Players Pressing/ Struggling Down the Stretch Management has let down this 2012 team a bit, but when it comes down to it, the players are the ones that need to be held most accountable. Over the last 30 days, the Pirates are 12-17 and the teams most important players have been struggling when it counts most. In that span, Andrew McCutchen is batting. 255 with two home runs and 12 rbi. Not only has Cutch struggled, but his calm and collected approach has been noticeably disturbed recently. Cutch has gotten so frustrated that he’s given local writers the time of day. A few weeks back, McCutchen responded to objective criticism on twitter from a well-respected writer. McCutchen and every other Pirates player should not be worried about what the media has to say about their play. Every player knows their capabilities and to respond publicly to such criticism is not needed. The other superstar in this lineup has been struggling to do what he does best lately as well, as Pedro Alvarez has only two home runs and five rbi in the last 30 days. Pedro’s average has been steady in that span at.267 and also has 19 walks to go along with the highest OBP (.400) on the team, so it seems as if Pedro is just waiting to bust out of that slump. Jeff Karstens (2.81 ERA) and A.J. Burnett(3.96) have been the only pitchers meeting expectations in the last 30 days. Erik Bedard (7.81) and James McDonald (6.49) should be in serious jeopardy of losing their spots in the rotation. The way the bullpen has been handled is so peculiar that who knows which direction they will go next, maybe Roger Clemens is interested in the 6th-7th inning role (that’s a joke, but seriously). Fans Reaction It is to be expected to have irrational fans in every town, especially in a town that has not seen winning baseball in 20 years. Many fans have been outspoken about the Pirates not making a “splash” at the deadline to put this team over the top. It should be known officially now that it was not even remotely feasible to make enough “splash” moves to keep this team from going through a stretch of bad baseball. It would have taken a combination of acquisitions such as Zack Greinke, Ryan Dempster, Justin Upton, and Hanley Ramirez to ensure this team would have not gone into a slump. Some might say, well why didn’t they do it? Because after selling every asset in the minor leagues, you would not have seen winning baseball in Pittsburgh again for another significant amount of time after this season. GM Neal Huntington is no slouch when it comes to building a franchise and he was not about to jeopardize the future of the organization for a one-time shot at winning. The trade market just was not conducive for a team like the Pirates to make that splash trade this season. While trade reactions from fans have been irrational, the fans have every right to be mad/confused/befuddled/(insert word here) at how the Pirates 25 man roster has been handled lately. Every team goes through bad stretches of baseball and that is all the team is experiencing. They will snap out of this slump, the question now becomes will it have been too late when they finally right this Pirates Ship?A revamped junior game – aimed at getting five- and six-year olds more involved at the grassroots level – will have a particular benefit for the women's game at a time when improved women's pathways means female players no longer need to be lost to the game once they turn 12. Raiders star Blake Austin – whose own son Carter will be one of the many youngsters playing under the new guidelines in 2017 – said anything that helps keep the young fans interested in the game is a positive. However as someone with plenty of girls in the family, Austin welcomed the changes as something that will help grow the game. "As someone that's got a lot of girls in the family that love rugby league and are participating as well it's great what they're doing for women's rugby league," Austin told NRL.com. "My son started playing this year so I got to get along and watch plenty of his footy. Junior footy's definitely something that means a lot to me. It's where all the stars start playing and I really love it. "[The changes] are something they've done their research on. I think they're trying really hard to make it an inclusive game for everyone and I think that's really important." Of the women's game in particular, Austin said he is a huge fan. "Anyone that's a knocker of the women's rugby league has only got to have someone in the family that loves the game and see what it means to them because it's every bit as enjoyable for them," he said. "I've got sisters and cousins participating and they absolutely love it and they really get in there and have a crack. "With the changes they're making and making it more inclusive for everyone I think it's only going to be a positive moving forward for the game of rugby league." Of his own five-year-old son Carter, Austin said he could sometimes only shake his head at the enthusiasm kids of that age have for the sport. "I sometimes can't wrap my head around a kid that's five years old can be that in love with the game but that's the beautiful thing about sport and about our game and people fall in love with it and they're hooked for life," he said. It highlighted the need to look after fans in that age group. "They're not only future players, they're the ones that are going to be the bums on seats in years to come with the teams they support," he said. "It's really important we focus on these guys' roots and as players at the elite level show our faces as much as we can to the young kids and show them we're just footy lovers like them and just promote the game." As such, he welcomed the revamped rules for five and six year olds. "To get the kids involved and make it really inclusive for all, it's not about competitiveness at that level," he said. "It's about getting out there and enjoying the game for what it is and if the rule changes are going to help that I'd be all for it 100 per cent." Co-host of Channel Nine's 'The Footy Show', Erin Molan, also welcomed the changes and the particular benefit they could have for young girls. "I think it's fantastic – anything that makes it easier for kids to play and encourages kids to play rugby league because they are our future," Molan told NRL.com. "Whether or not they turn into NRL superstars, who knows, it doesn't matter – it's about getting them active, getting them fit, and enjoying a game that we all love and they probably love watching on TV and just letting them have a go themselves." It is critical, now that there are stronger pathways for female players, to keep them involved at the early stages, Molan added. "You've got to get them at 6s and 7s and get them in and get them to fall in love with the game," she said. "The rule changes make it more free flowing, you can score more tries and that's what kids love to see. "You look at television, that's the exciting part of the game, when someone scores a try and they're running around and screaming and laughing and having fun. "It's really important to get them early because now we do have pathways for women… this is what we need so that we can one day have a competition for women that will be professional." To get involved or for more information visit NRL.com/PlayLWN.net Weekly Edition for April 23, 2015 In part one of this article, we took a look at Dia, which provides a GUI for creating flowcharts and network diagrams, and at Graphviz, a toolbox and declarative language for graphs. We conclude here by introducing a package used with LaTeX to allow you to embed graphs seamlessly into documents, followed by a Python library for exploring the properties of networks. TikZ: LaTeX can draw In our look at gnuplot earlier in this series, we saw how gnuplot could cooperate with LaTeX to help produce a document where the plots and the text blend together seamlessly. TikZ is another option: a LaTeX package that provides a language for describing diagrams. It can be used with plain TeX in addition to LaTeX; this TUGboat article [PDF] provides a nice overview. TikZ is a front end, or syntax layer, for LaTeX's portable graphics format (PGF), and is included with PGF packages. PGF has other front ends useful for other purposes and it can also be used directly. TikZ employs an intuitive syntax and can define any conceivable diagram, from electrical circuits to calendars. It has grown into a vast ecosystem for graphics—including its own set of contributed libraries—that is comparable to LaTeX itself. The PDF manual that comes with the current version, written by TikZ's original creator, is 1165 pages long. For these examples, we used the latest stable version of TikZ, version 3.0.0, which is the first version to include the graph-drawing facilities we see below. Installations of TeX Live from distribution package managers might come with somewhat older versions of PGF and TikZ; if you need a more recent version, you can find it at the PGF site. In my case, installing a newer TikZ (including the massive documentation) was a simple as downloading an 11 MB zip file, dropping it into my ~/texmf directory, and unzipping. It has worked flawlessly with my TeX Live installation from 2012. TikZ's graph-drawing language is inspired by Graphviz's dot (see part one for more detail). Here is a minimal LaTeX document that produces a simple diagram showing the classification of a few musical instruments. It can be processed by any of the PDF LaTeX engines: \documentclass{minimal} \usepackage{tikz} \usetikzlibrary{graphs,quotes} \begin{document} \tikz \graph [nodes = {rectangle, draw}, circular placement, radius = 2cm] { percussion/"\bfseries{percussion}" [blue, xshift = -5cm] -> piano [xshift = -2cm]; strings/"\bfseries{strings}" [xshift = 2cm] -- [dotted, bend right, thick] piano; strings -> guitar; guitar ->[red, "ancestor"] chitarra; strings -> violin; strings -> viola [yshift = 1cm]; strings -> cello [xshift = -2cm]; percussion -> xylophone [xshift = -1cm]; percussion -> timpani [xshift = -3cm, yshift = 1cm]; }; \end{document} To include TikZ diagrams, we need to import the tikz package, and following that, any TikZ libraries that we plan to use. The graphs library defines the convenient, dot-like syntax for the graph-theory diagrams that we're mainly concerned with here. The quotes library allows for more flexible printing of the labels for our nodes; we need it here because we would like to use some font commands in our node labels. The actual drawing starts with the \tikz command. The syntax is almost self-explanatory. Options are specified inside of square brackets. The options immediately following the \graph command apply to the entire diagram. The nodes and their connections are listed inside a pair of curly brackets, with each connection punctuated by a semicolon. The percussion/"\bfseries{percussion}" syntax defines a node that will be referred to as "percussion", but is printed with the label that's between the quotation marks. This shows how we can use LaTeX commands to specify how labels appear in the diagram. Connections between nodes are shown as "->" for directed edges (arrows) and "--" for undirected edges. Other options are listed in square brackets following the element to which they are to be applied. Notice in particular the need to make liberal use of the xshift and yshift options, which do the expected: adjust the position of the node in the horizontal and vertical directions, respectively. The options we've used for this diagram only allow TikZ to use a primitive layout algorithm that, without these shift directives, lead to crowding and overlap. With some hand tuning, however, we have an attractive diagram that, moreover, will use the same fonts and line widths as the rest of the document. In our look at Graphviz, we discussed that project's assortment of layout engines, and how they could be applied to the same logical graph, defined in the dot language, to produce different visual representations. TikZ has a similar facility, with several node-placement algorithms to choose from. The algorithms are implemented in the Lua scripting language, in order to leverage LuaTeX, a version of pdfTeX extended with Lua. In fact, TikZ's graph-layout algorithms are one of the major success stories for LuaTeX, and an excellent example of the kind of thing that it makes possible. Here is the same diagram, invoking the "tree" layout algorithm: \documentclass{minimal} \usepackage{tikz} \usetikzlibrary{graphs,graphdrawing,quotes} \usegdlibrary{trees} \begin{document} \tikz \graph [tree layout, nodes = {rectangle, draw}, circular placement, radius = 2cm] { percussion/"\bfseries{percussion}" [blue] -> piano; strings/"\bfseries{strings}" -- [dotted, bend right, thick] piano; strings -> guitar; guitar ->[red, "ancestor"] chitarra ; strings -> {violin, viola, cello}; percussion -> xylophone; percussion -> timpani; }; \end{document} In this example, we import a new TikZ library called graphdrawing ; this and the line following it load the "tree" algorithm. The tree layout option to the graph invokes the layout on our diagram. We've omitted all the manual shifts, allowing the automatic procedure to keep the nodes properly spaced. The result, shown here, is quite serviceable. TikZ also includes a force-directed layout algorithm, similar to the fdp engine in Graphviz. The idea behind these algorithms, roughly speaking, is to imagine that the nodes are connected by springs, then to search for a configuration that minimizes the total force, or potential energy, of the arrangement. The result is influenced by the starting position used in the search, which in TikZ is controlled by a "random seed": \documentclass{minimal} \usepackage{tikz} \usetikzlibrary{graphs,graphdrawing,quotes} \usegdlibrary{force} \begin{document} \tikz \graph [random seed = 1, spring layout, node distance = 1.5cm, nodes = {rectangle, draw}] { percussion/"\bfseries{percussion}" [blue] -> piano; strings/"\bfseries{strings}" -- [dotted, bend right, thick] piano; strings -> guitar; guitar ->[red, "ancestor"] chitarra ; strings -> {violin, viola, cello}; percussion -> xylophone; percussion -> timpani; }; \end{document} Again, the results are pretty good, with no manual tweaking required: NetworkX The three packages we've discussed thus far provide three different approaches to drawing network diagrams. We've discovered that the same network can be laid out in many different ways, reinforcing the idea that a network has an abstract identity apart from any particular visual representation. The mathematical theory of networks has led to insights about the spread of disease, the behavior of communications grids, the organization of biochemical pathways, and much more. NetworkX is a Python library for the study of these mathematical objects. Let's dive in to show how you can use it to interactively explore the properties of a simple network. NetworkX can be installed using your distribution's package manager or with the Python package manager pip. Since it relies on either matplotlib or Graphviz for drawing, we need to have one of these installed as well if we want pictures. Note, however, that NetworkX's drawing routines are not yet ready for Python 3, but you can export the graphs in dot (or several other) formats for use with other drawing tools. In the examples below we use the matplotlib interface. Once everything is installed, we can start the Python interactive prompt and import the libraries (in place of the second import, you can use IPython with the PyLab interface): >>> import networkx as nx >>> import matplotlib.pyplot as plt We now need a network to explore. We could build one by adding nodes and edges one at a time, but NetworkX can read data in many different formats and parse it into its internal graph representation. A standard format for network data is the Graph Modelling Language (GML) text format. There are several public repositories of interesting network data formatted in GML; from one of these we borrowed a graph of the relationships between the characters in the novel Les Miserables. To read the file and create a graph object from it, we merely need to say: >>> G = nx.read_gml('lesmis.gml', relabel=True) The relabel argument tells NetworkX to use the "labels" from the file (which in this case are the characters' names) to label the nodes rather than their IDs, which are numerical tags that are also present in the GML file. The following line will create a default drawing of the graph: >>> nx.draw_networkx(G, alpha = 0.5) The alpha parameter sets the opacity of the circles representing the nodes. Depending on what version of the Python read–eval–print loop (REPL) you are using, and how it was invoked, the graph window may pop up now, or you may need to type plt.show(). As you may have anticipated from following the previous examples, the default graph is crowded, with a lot of overlapping nodes. One of the many operations on graphs that NetworkX can make is to calculate a network's "k-core", which is the largest sub-graph where all the nodes have at least k connections: >>> gk = nx.k_core(G, 8) Instead of drawing this immediately, let's calculate the positions of the nodes using one of the available drawing routines, and save them: >>> pos = nx.spring_layout(gk) NetworkX can calculate many interesting things about networks. What if we want to know the shortest way to get from one character to another, by traversing the network of relationships? >>> gs = nx.shortest_path(gk, source = 'Montparnasse', target = 'Joly') This gives us the solution in the form of a list of nodes between the two characters: [u'Montparnasse', u'Gavroche', u'Joly'] This list is now stored in gs. NetworkX can also calculate shortest paths while considering weights assigned to the edges. For example, if we have a network of flights between airports with costs assigned to the connections, the shortest path would be the cheapest ticket between a given origin and destination. The GML file assigns a "value" to each edge based on how frequently each pair of characters appear on the same page. To calculate a shortest path taking these values into account, we say: >>> gn = nx.shortest_path(gk, source = 'Montparnasse', target = 'Joly', >>> weight = 'value') The list of nodes in gn is now: [u'Montparnasse', u'Eponine', u'Mabeuf', u'Joly'] In order to draw a picture of the calculated shortest paths, we need to turn that list of nodes into a list of edges, which is simply a list of tuples for each hop: >>> gs_list = [] >>> for i in range(len(gs)-1): >>> gs_list.append((gs[i], gs[i+1])) Some of the drawing commands accept a list of edges; we'll draw this path in a distinct color and thickness: >>> nx.draw_networkx_edges(gk, pos = pos, edgelist = gs_list, >>> edge_color = 'blue', width = 4) Here we've also used the pre-calculated node positions we created for the k-core, so our edges are aligned with the positions of the entire group. We need to do this because NetworkX will apply its layout algorithms with a different random seed each time (this is also why your drawings may look different from the ones shown here). We now repeat these steps for the weighted path, using gn and an edge_color of red. The final picture emerges when we overlay the k-core, which might be considered the novel's in-group: >>> nx.draw_networkx(gk, pos=pos, alpha = 0.3) From this picture you can see that an unweighted shortest path simply minimizes the number of hops; however, when taking edge weights into consideration, a solution with a larger number of hops may have a smaller total cost. NetworkX contains a large number of routines, besides the two illustrated here, for calculating properties of networks. It's a powerful and mature library both for mathematical research and practical work. Conclusion Electronic circuits, family trees, transit maps, and social networks are all examples of graphs, the subject of a distinct branch of mathematics that began as a collection of recreational puzzles and has found a recent resurgence in the interdisciplinary science of networks. Graph theory is unusual as a modern branch of math in that it can be approached even at an elementary level and yet presents many deep and interesting theorems and practical applications. Since these applications cross over into so many different domains, there is a wide variety of software that deals with graphs from various angles. In our look at network, flowchart, and graph software we've offered an overview of several free and open-source tools that should give you an idea of where to look to address your particular needs, all the way from drawing simple flowcharts up to analyzing complex networks. Comments (none posted) A session "led" by Russell Keith-Magee at the 2015 Python Language Summit was actually a video he created about mobile Python. He has been a Django core team member since 2006 and is the co-founder and CTO of TradesCloud, which has led him to look into Python's role in the mobile space. His video was meant to provide an overview of the mobile development landscape, present the current state of Python for mobile devices, and to explain the decisions he believes the Python project needs to make in order to fully support mobile development. From his perspective, the only sensible meaning for "mobile Python" is for it to mean "embedded Python"—the language bundled into a mobile app. There may someday be a market for the full Unix Python experience on an iPhone or other mobile device, but there isn't today. So by his definition, developers will be able to embed Python into a mobile app so that all or parts of the app can be written in the language. In terms of mobile operating systems, there are quite few out there. His talk will be focusing on "the big two" (iOS and Android), he said. Not only are those two the bulk of the market, but they are also the platforms where most of the mobile Python work has been done so far. For iOS, the toolchain is based on Clang. The binaries and libraries for iOS are "fat", as they actually contain the executables and object files for multiple architectures. Those binaries are created via multiple passes of the compiler, then merged together into a fat file. CPython can be relatively easily built as an embedded library in that environment. Native services on the platform can be accessed by bridging through the iOS Objective C runtime. Android is quite different, with a runtime that is Java-based. You can access native services from C through the Java Native Interface (JNI), but there are some pretty serious limitations to that approach, especially with respect to reference counting (for garbage collection). It can be done, Keith-Magee said, but it is difficult. There are two possible approaches to supporting Python on Android: either using Jython-compiled bytecode or building the standard interpreter (i.e. CPython) as an embedded library. The latter is what has seen the most attention. There are patches available for Python 3.4, either as patch sets or as meta-build scripts that grab the latest Python, patch it, and then build it. Kivy has gotten Python apps using its toolkit into both the iOS and Google app stores that way. The current focus of the mobile Python community is to get as many of those patches upstream as possible, he said. To that end, there are issues in the Python bug tracker for adding support for iOS and for Android. In both cases, patches for Python 3.4.2 are available in the bug entries. The Python test suite is only partially working; just some simple smoke tests as well as tests to access data from C extensions using ctypes can be
have a right to snoop: it is a privilege extended to them under warrant, in respect of their work as agents of civil society. By defining the comms meta-data limbo as less than private, the Home Office allowed police to circumvent those rules that normally govern their access to private data, and it made this sphere a place where only police could go. It was like they had put a digital panel on everyone’s front door that delivered up the who where when of intimate conversations but only to people employed by a security agency. The home secretary and her supporters made a song and a dance about the old-world rules when they put their emergency legislation though parliament. Police would still have to get a warrant to actually listen in on people’s conversations. But their boisterous assurances distracted attention from the fact they had let their meta-data regime sidestep the rules. Dysfunctional And even the system of interception warrants looked dysfunctional. The home secretary administers those herself. Every single time a police officer wants to listen in on somebody’s conversation, they have to ask permission not from a magistrate but from the home secretary. May claimed her oversight of this was rigorous, when she laid out her justification for the regime on 24 June. “The warrant application gives me the intelligence background, the means by which the surveillance will take place, and the degree of intrusion upon the citizen,” she said in a speech laying out her plans at Mansion House, the City of London’s municipal centre. “I do not take my responsibilities lightly. I approve warrants only on the basis of detailed intelligence and a reasoned explanation of their likely benefit. Sometimes I demand more information before taking a decision or I make my approval conditional. On some occasions I refuse the application. “On the basis of a detailed warrant application and advice from officials in my department I must be satisfied that the benefits justify the means and that the proposed action is necessary and proportionate,” she said. She did this on average eight times every day in 2013, according to statistics in the Interception of Communications Commissioner’s 2013 annual report. She approved 2,760 interception warrants that year, it said. The oversight of the regime looked a mess from this perspective, from a conventional view of computer-led policing: where automated methods create activity in such high volumes that it overloads people-powered circuits designed in an age when magistrates made polite enquiries before signing pieces of paper that said yay or nay to a gentlemanly request for permission to snoop. That is of course assuming the police aren’t simply doing too many snoops: that the benevolent oversight of an actual person with judicial authority is not just a memory of bygone times, bygone civilisation. Like-minds The court ruling seemed though to imply a solution to this problem. That was a legal framework for a system of oversight so complex that it could only be computer-powered. The home secretary’s emergency legislation was in such close accord on this that there can have been no real disagreement between her and the court at all. Indeed, with the exception of data search warrants, and when it came down to the letter of the law, the court judgment and May’s legislation were effectively identical. The court’s over-riding concern was that the data retention regime should not be indiscriminate. But it did not quite say the regime should not retain everyone’s comms data: just that there was no need to retain all data about all people for equally as long. It wanted the regime to treat people’s calls, text messages and emails differently. Likewise data that identified a suspect and that identified their buddies. Or suspect and non-suspect. It wanted the confidential work of lawyers and journalists to be afforded some sort of protection from police snooping. The trouble until now was it didn’t matter if you were Ian Huntley or Joan of Arc: it was all game, and all stored for just as long, and all made accessible to police under the same lax terms. Civil liberties campaigners and humanitarian-minded members of parliament like the Green Party’s Caroline Lucas liked this idea that the regime should discriminate. Blanket surveillance has become emblematic of totalitarian oppression, of pre-crime science fiction where smart, wealthy people decree that you should watch everyone else just in case they upset the established order. Some MPs were concerned this legislation might not respect their own professional right to privacy. Blanket surveillance sounded for a long time like the worst of all possible worlds. It threatened deranged vigilance over every nook and cranny. But it transpires that the alternative is no maypole either. The alternative is medieval. The court’s alternative would impose gradations of vigilance over people’s communications. The degree of vigilance would reflect the risk that they were up to no good: whether somebody was connected to a public security threat, or perhaps associated with a certain place at a time of threat, or just a place of special importance, or circle of people, or particular known individuals – people perhaps already identified as suspects in a serious crime, or who were otherwise identified for whatever reason as people at greater risk of being involved in a serious crime than, say, the last person but maybe not as much as the person before that. These were all distinctions specified in the European court ruling. Privilege So if you had the good fortune of an upbringing, sailed through school, got a decent job, happy marriage, prosperous children, nice house, safe town, glowing reports, community work, public commendations, right place, right time, antibacterial acquaintances, the Home Office would retain your comms data for the briefest time of all, and this would effectively make it less likely that police would search it. To you, the data retention regime would seem to be defined not by gradations of discrimination but gradations of liberty. The court said these gradations should be given the force of law. To the common thinking humanitarian, this implied that every gradation of vigilance would be written down in law: a tight and therefore just definition: who got watched more closely and who got let off, with each category of liberty hammered out by public consultation, committee, draft definitions and hours of parliamentary debate. But the court wanted the regime to discriminate by fluid factors such as time and social group. Police, immigration, intelligence and military agencies have meanwhile long been developing computer systems that discriminate between people according to a statistical measure of risk they might cause trouble. The Home Office’s 2010 to 2013 strategy for Science and Innovation in the Police Service, for example, said: “In the last two decades, the police service has developed new strategies of crime prevention and control such as problem orientated policing and hot spots policing. “It has pioneered new analytical and statistical techniques to support these. Crime analysis is now an established part of core police business and new methods are being explored to increase its predictive power.” The data surveillance regime might likewise satisfy the court’s impossible demand for granu lar discrimination by employing computer algorithms to classify who should be watched vigilantly. Such a system might match biographical and security databases against social patterns and behavioural indicators. It would retain more communications data for longer from those people who appear most likely to murder children or hang themselves. Dissent It would also collect more comms data – and keep it for longer than average – from people deemed most likely to shoplift from Tescos, splash paint up an investment banker’s Bentley, sneak a spliff in the park, keep vigil over a policeman connected to a death in custody, abseil down a coal-fired power station, sabotage an arms fair, be subject of a slander etched in the police rumours database, have sex in a public toilet, go naked or just go incognito. And it would employ general definitions as well, like all those travelling on high-speed train, walking within the square mile of the City of London, attending protest rallies, visiting Pakistan or Yemen. And maybe those such as members of the Communist Party, school janitors, buyers of teenage porn, who ever associated with anyone who has attended a certain radical mosque at a certain period of time; or maybe all mosques at any time, only with different gradations of risk according to how radical they are. There is most probably a radicalism indicator used to classify mosques. When the UK’s “Terrorism Threat Level” edges up, so will the degree of vigilance taken over data related to anyone travelling by air, and so on. Everyone probably fits into some serious risk indicator somewhere. So watch everyone. This was the sort of regime envisaged by the court judgment. And for all the hullabaloo in parliament when the home secretary shoved her emergency measures through, this is just the sort of granular discrimination her legislation imagined: as much on paper at least as the court demanded. Paradox The real trouble with data retention seems to have been beyond either the wit or remit of the court. For the regime did pose a serious humanitarian threat like those instinctive critics of the surveillance state expected. But the threat was contained in the very solution the court proposed, and that the Home Office was so ready to deliver. The trouble was that the court left the Home Office to define the gradations of vigilance that determined who it watched more closely than who. Its only condition was that the home secretary herself should make the final decision. She would do this by issuing retention notices to communications providers, just like the one Snowden leaked last year. These would say what data should be kept and for how long. So the Home Office stitched gradations of vigilance into its definition of a retention notice. Very specifically, it gave the home secretary power to create a retention notice around any desired category of data, and to describe it with any criteria she desired – whether that be time, place, type or whatever else. And it said she must set for each such category a shelf life: how long it should be retained for police use. Thus the regime would accommodate changing situations, as it must if it was going to be granular. The home secretary could issue blanket notices if she wanted, telling comms companies to treat all phone records the same way regardless of where, when and who. More likely, she would use blanket notices to form a basis of retention that applied to all people, and further notices to impose greater vigilance over people who fell under the domain of specific security alerts or police operations. Her notices could even be computer-generated: produced from deep analysis of crime trends, risk barometers and sociological intelligence, such as has preoccupied police science and technologists for “decades“. Perhaps the notices would grow over time a distinctive shape, as police operations and statistical experiment determined that one set of people – perhaps defined by their biographical or psychological misfortunes – was always more suspect than another: a hierarchy of liberty. The operational result would anyway always be the same, whether the gradations were determined by state-of-the-art, computer-powered risk analysis or by a Home Office team of actuaries using slide rules and tables of social logarithms. They would produce a retention notice for the home secretary to sign and send to a communications provider, and presumably a supporting report of evidence to reassure her pen. Hullabaloo This all made the parliamentary hullabaloo look farcical. It was fed by human rights groups who raised an alarm over the emergency legislation because, they said, it did not discriminate. But it did. So May’s opponents were protesting against legislation they said they wanted, demanding instead a law just like the one they opposed. They were led by Isabella Sankey, policy director of human rights group Liberty, who said May’s legislation was in “direct contradiction” of the court, which had said “blanket indiscriminate retention of communications data breached human rights.” The court ruling did beg to be interpreted this way. The court was alarmed that the regime watched “practically the entire European population”. But it did not say it shouldn’t happen. On the contrary, it merely said people’s data should be retained only when it could be clearly justified in the pursuit of serious criminals. That might mean people’s data was retained because they were suspected of being connected to a serious crime. But, the court said, it might also apply to anyone at all if that might contribute to the “prevention, detection or prosecution” of crimes for some other reason. The court ruling would in other words allow a home secretary to order the retention of eve ryone’s data on the basis that you wouldn’t know in advance who’s data you needed to retain until after a crime had been committed. Thus the home secretary, her shadow home secretary and her predecessors argued in parliament for a base retention period – for blanket retention. But it would still discriminate: non-suspect people’s data would be retained but not for as long as suspects. That was no less discrimination than the court demanded. On the face of it, the humanitarian position was that there is a class of people who shouldn’t have their records retained at all. That we should not all be treated as suspects implies either that nobody should have their data retained or only some of us should. The data retention debate was therefore a squabble over how short should be the time that the average person’s data was retained, and whether there was a class of people who are so squeaky clean that their data should not be retained at all. But since government, court and humanitarians were all in agreement that the regime should discriminate, they didn’t really disagree about much. Their squabble was over the extent of liberties enjoyed by the privileged. Class discrimination The trouble with the data retention regime was not then that it didn’t discriminate enough. Its trouble was it did not disclose enough about the discrimination it did. It would not disclose the reasoning by which it set its lines of discrimination. Police and intelligence agencies would not publish the algorithms that do their social sorting as open source computer code. The Home Office even refused to publish the actual retention notices it issued. So the public would have no idea what data was being retained and for how long. They would not know what class of people – in both the mathematical and the sociological sense – the Home Office was watching more closely than who. Their justification for such secrecy was that if people knew how their algorithms determined what was suspect, criminals would know how to act to avoid being netted by them. But this was a demented logic. It would keep a shadow over the limbo-world their legislation made of meta-data. Because meta-data might have formed the base substance of this limbo. But its structures – its landscapes and thoroughfares – would be defined by the algorithms that categorized the things the data described. A class of comms meta-data whose attributes described patterns of statistically normal, law-abiding behaviour would in effect form the grand parades of this region of cyberspace, where people who tick all the boxes stroll unmolested by civil authorities. And a class of meta-data that described behaviours however more likely associated with crime would form the back alleys more than usually frequented by those who in the language of security service computing are called anomalies. The regime’s secrecy casts a shadow over the grand promenades as much as the seedy alleyways. In the real world, of course, the streets are lit. Criminals, when they’re not doing their shopping and taking the kids to school, operate in the shadows. Everyone knows where the High Street is. Everyone knows those places where it’s less usual to hang about. Everyone knows what constitutes normal behaviour in any given place. The patterns are familiar. Everyone knows the rules and the risks. Civil authorities don’t cast their streets in shadow to bring criminals out. They turn lights on so everyone can see. It is police state logic that keeps the algorithms of mass surveillance secret. It is fearful, suspicious and mean. It is report your neighbour and bug your friend. It is a phone call to the police from behind a lamp post, a complaint to the council from a gap in the curtain, and satisfaction from the drone sound that follows. It is a convenience for a society atomized by techno-powered individualism: watch everyone so they don’t have to look after one another. It is the ultimate convenience of the consumer society. The shadows, however, are also where police and state abuses go unchecked. Injustice The likelihood of police abusing their powers was elaborated last week in a radio interview with Gareth Pierce, a solicitor famous for her defence of people wrongfully imprisoned. She had exposed how police fabricated evidence against striking miners in the 1980s. She put their actions down to institutional prejudice. “The miner’s strike was one example, which is you have made a whole community suspect,” Pierce said on the Radio 4 programme, A Law Unto Themselves. “One can see it happen again and again in this country. The West Indian community in Notting Hill was made such a suspect community. It’s frequently said the whole of the Irish community, over 25 or 30 years, was similarly criminalised. And it’s said now that the Muslim community in this country is on block made suspect.” This came up when parliament debated emergency data retention. Katy Clark, Labour MP for North Ayrshire and Arran, asked the government what it had done to stop the state abusing these snooping powers for political ends. She feared a repeat of the past, where the security services had taken sides against unionised workers in industrial disputes, as they had in the miners’ strike. “The miners were considered to be the enemy within, and much of the rhetoric we hear from Government Members considers trade union activity and people who use democratic means to assert their rights to be a threat to the state,” she said. James Brokenshire, the Home Office minister handling May’s legislation, seemed to treat the whole idea as a joke. It is even likely that social vivisectionists at the Home Office had already determined that union activists were a greater risk to society than, say, managers who paid the mselves too much. But Brokenshire couldn’t answer Clark’s question. He had no assurances to give against his regime being used for political repression. He would only – in unfortunately patronising parliamentary tones – say that the Interception Commissioner would keep an eye on it. Aristocracy The aristocratic manner of the Interception Commissioner’s oversight was one of the more substantial complaints campaigners made against May’s emergency legislation. His office inspects just a fraction of police searches on comms data. It does this by reviewing police records of data search applications after the searches have been done. This is a far cry from the court’s demand for individual searches to be vetted beforehand by a third party. They are vetted beforehand by a dedicated police officer. Jo Cavan, head of the Interception Commissioner’s office, told Computer Weekly it reviewed 15,000 such police applications last year. That was 2.9 per cent of total requests made. Each request moreover might contain a much larger number of individual requests to search comms records. The civil liberties groups were concerned that such lax oversight had missed innumerable erroneous snoops. The Commissioner himself said (vaguely) that he received 869 reports last year of errors police made when searching people’s communications records. He found another 101 erroneous snoops in his routine inspections. Of those errors the Commissioner did handle, half involved snooping on the wrong people, and two led to raids being made on the wrong people’s houses. “I don’t think we would say it’s a high rate of error,” said Cavan. “Because when we inspect small public authorities, we inspect 100 per cent of everything and in larger authorities we inspect 10 per cent.” The Commissioner inspected only 75 of 214 authorities permitted access to communications records last year. He nevertheless found that of those cases he did review, a majority of errors were were made by police. This detail was obscured in the Commissioner’s report. While it did say 99.2 per cent of search requests were made by police and intelligence agencies, the majority of errors – 87.5 per cent, it said – were made by public bodies. Other public bodies such as local authorities and central government departments have data retention powers as well. The Home Office blamed them for the errors. But Cavan told Computer Weekly that the majority of errors were made by police agencies. Errors Introducing her “safeguards” to address problems raised by the court and her Commissioner, May said in June: “We have stopped local authorities using electronic communications data and other surveillance techniques to deal with a raft of relatively trivial problems.” She later told parliament her safeguards would protect public privacy would “reduce the number of public authorities able to access communications data.” A single police agency was responsible for 60 per cent of the 101 errors unearthed during the Commissioner’s routine inspections, said Cavan. The source of the other 869 reported errors is not known because the Commissioner has not broken it down. “We need to be vague,” said Cavan. “There’s huge problems with the record keeping requirements. The overall numbers are flawed.” Still, she said: “The majority [of errors] were from police forces or local authorities. Local authorities were statistically quite high last year. But they weren’t this year or we would have made a specific comment. “So it would suggest there are more police force cases in there,” she said. Local authorities meanwhile did less than one per cent of all comms data searches recorded last year. Though they comprised 62 per cent of those public bodies permitted to search retained data, they were responsible for just 1,766 of 514,608 searches done. Other public bodies like central government departments, which account for 12 per cent of authorised bodies, did less than 1 per cent of searches as well. The 54 police agencies, which account for just 25 per cent of authorised bodies, did 88 per cent of all searches. With the three intelligence agencies (MI5, MI6 and GCHQ), police and intelligence agencies accounted for 99.2 per cent of searches. Catch There was a greater problem with his department’s oversight, however, than its being slight. It was short-sighted as well. It was short-sighted not only because it did not scrutinize the reasoning – the algorithms – the Home Office used to generated its retention notices and determine who should be watched more closely than who. It was short-sighted because it did not oversee people’s comms data after police had obtained it, bar some cursory interest noted in the Commissioner’s annual report. The oversight primarily scrutinized the way police acquired comms data. Granted, it was concerned with proportionality, a principle of human rights law: that police didn’t get more data than they really needed. But it verified in effect the accuracy and efficiency of police data searches and strayed no more. The court had raised an issue about this, momentarily. An old maxim of data protection law held that someone could only use any data they acquired for the purpose they originally acquired it. And when they had finished with it for that purpose, they were supposed to delete it. They were supposed to tell people what they were doing with it as well. The court said this meant police should tell people what had been done with their data when there was no longer any need for stealth. This might mean, for example, police couldn’t stuff suspect comms records into a database for future reference. They couldn’t share them with another intelligence or police agency. They couldn’t load them into a system that analysed social networks and patterns of behaviour. When Pedro Cruz Villalón, ECJ Advocate General, delivered the court’s preliminary opinion on data retention last December, he upheld these rules against the regime. But the court watered them down for its final ruling in April. The ruling said only that police should have good reason for putting data to subsequent use. The only reason they could keep hold of retained data, it said, was for detection and crime prevention. And only for “precisely define d serious offences”. The UK Criminal Justice Act 2003 defined these as offences punishable with 10 years or more imprisonment – crimes such as the Soham murders that now justify the collection of all comms data for all people in case it might be used to detect and even prevent such crimes in the future. But the UK legislation used the justification of organised crime as well. People data With British police doing about 500,000 comms data searches-a-year, they would have done approximately three million comms data searches by the time the emergency legislation ran out in 2016. Actual numbers of accesses are not published because, as the Commissioner said, police don’t keep proper records. But with many police applications for data accesses containing many more individual data requests, the numbers of people searched could be much higher than records initially suggest. Those people made subject to police data searches were thus disregarded by the system of oversight that was meant to protect them. The system recorded no tally of people data-searched. It made no attempt to report the categories of people whose data is retained and searched. The oversight was conducted from the perspective and for the sake of police operations. Even the Commissioner’s proposed reforms of police search statistics did not address this problem. “We have consulted with the Home Office and set out the revisions and enhancements of the statistical requirements that we believe are necessary both to assist us with our oversight role, and, to inform the public better about the use which public authorities make of communications data,” he said in his report. The Home Office and Commissioner concluded from this non-public consultation that their oversight of data searches would be improved if police were required to keep numbers of the total applications they submitted. Not people, but the applications that each contain many data requests that may concern numerous people. The situation might also be improved, they concluded, if police were required to record the number of items of data they requested, and whether it was done for crime detection or prevention, or for the sake of national security. But not people. They did want police to record what type of crime had justified their data search – whether it was for the sake of murder and whatnot. But they didn’t care to record even numbers of people. Back of an envelope A Conservative estimate would equate three million comms searches to 6m people, on the basis that most comms occur in two-way-conversations. But an audit trail of somebody’s comms for police purposes would cover more than one conversation. It might include all emails sent in a day, all mobile phone calls in a given week. It is not absurd to imagine police and intelligence agencies populating their statistical crime analysis and prediction systems with enough comms data to map the social networks of a significant portion of the UK’s 64 million people – perhaps even all suspect people. From another perspective, perhaps, all the underprivileged, stooping lower now under the weight of one less liberty. The fundamental problem with the data retention regime, said the court, was that it allowed police to draw an exhaustive map of people’s private lives, an intimate portrait of their private identity. The effect would be to cast a chill over people – a “feeling that their private lives are the subject of constant surveillance”, it said. The problem with this was that it suppressed people’s freedom of expression. It would encourage them to conform with the narrow world view conceived by social actuaries in Home Office uniforms, that they knitted into algorithms that describe a pattern of officially-sanctioned human behaviour. That is just the effect of the data being collected. That is even before the authorities put their collected data to use. Sex and drugs The court ruling implied a need for dissent to be possible. It implied a time when homosexuality was still illegal, or when women were still denied the vote. It implied those boundary regions of social comprehension where in recent decades transsexuals have made a stand against discrimination. Or those margins of the law where ongoing widespread transgression may yet force the state to concede people should be granted the liberties they already take for themselves, such as sex workers and drug takers. It is currently possible that drugs and sex work will be decriminalised, but only because large numbers of people persist in defying the law: as persistent illegality eventually beat those oppressors of homosexuality – because people persisted in defying the law, because they could. The court ruling implied prejudices that are yet so ingrained we cannot see them. It implied perhaps the gross inequalities of wealth that might yet only be redressed if enough people use their their freedoms to defy the state, in open dissent. But only if they can. “You do think sometimes that society learns lessons. But that isn’t so. All there is is the ability to be constantly alert that all the danger signs are there,” said Pierce, the human rights solicitor, on the Radio 4 programme dedicated to her last week. Asked about her work defending victims of wrongful imprisonment such as the Guildford Four and the Birmingham Six, she drew parallels between the internment (and torture) by British police of Irish Catholics in the 1970s and again of terror suspects in Belmarsh Prison in Woolwich, South East London, in the last decade. “… internment … Having said it would never be used again in this country, we lock people up indefinitely without trial, and our government lawyers argued in addition that the government should be allowed to rely on evidence derived from torture. “In the 21st Century, we were having to argue that it shouldn’t be used, against our government’s lawyers,” she said. That is not to tar the entire establishment with the same brush. Nor should the exception(s) prove the rule. But Pierce’s career demonstrates how those with power cannot always be trusted. Us and us The data retention legislation admitted only that those without power cannot be trusted. It gave police granular insight into our lives while subjecting them only to the most cursory oversight. The legislation itself makes us into us and them and them. The court ruling implied a right for us to protect ourselves from them. But the home secretary’s justification of her legislation, set out in her Mansion House speech in June, was based on a desire to protect them from us. Most of the reasons she gave for doing more powerful comms surveillance were the threats of terrorism that had been caused or worsened in the first place by their military invasions and their drone assassinations. The legislation was necessary to protect us, she told her City of London audience, from the disaffected people of “Iraq.. Afghanistan.. Syria.. Yemen.. Pakistan.. Libya”. Blinded by this idea that she was with us against them, the home secretary gave operational oversight of comms data snooping to the same police and intelligence agencies doing the snooping. These were the police authorities in whose custody 17 people died last year. These were the intelligence agencies who helped fabricate the case for war against Iraq. These were the overseers who held the British flag aloft while people were kidnapped and tortured under it. And this has been overseen, in confidence, by a house of parliament who gave us gross inequality, expenses fiddling, cash for questions, cash for honours, cash for lobbying, cash for policy, the surveillance state, an alleged paedophile-ring cover up, back-room security deals, an imperial legacy, and war, war and more war. It all comes down to trust ultimately. Police like to be trusted. As people, like us, they deserve to be trusted. It is safe to assume that like us, they mostly mean well. Even those police who have already abused their data access powers were most likely trying to do good. Like those tabloid journalists at News of the World who hacked the mobile phone of Milly Dowler, the 13-year old who was abducted and murdered on her way home from school in 2002. Anyone who knows journalism knows those journalists were doing their bit, in this case at least, to look for the murderer. They just let their crusading zeal carry them over the line. Carried away The home secretary may have been similarly carried away when she laid out her justifications for claiming comms data surveillance powers. She illustrated her case by citing how police had arrested 2,500 people on terrorism charges between September 2001 and 2014. This was supposed to warrant more unwarranted snooping. But she forgot to say the conviction rate for arrested terrorist suspects was just 16 per cent. In 2009 it was 4 per cent. In comparison, the average UK conviction rate for all reported crimes – from theft to murder – since 2003 was 80 per cent. Similarly, May and her supporters in parliament – such as shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper, who backed the emergency legislation eagerly – used misleading information to persuade other MPs to accept it. They conflated the warrants police must seek before placing a wire tap so closely with their case for warrantless comms data searches that it effectively reassured parliament that warrants would cover all when they would not. Confusingly, they also made a case for warrantless comms data searches that was morally impregnable but factually false. That was life or death emergencies. They used the example of a child who told a telephone helpline he was going to end his life. Police got his internet address and arrived at his house just in time to cut the rope before he died. But they forgot to mention that police already have powers to act on their own discretion in an emergency. They can even tap someone’s comms without a warrant in an emergency. They just need verbal confirmation. In fact, police used their emergency powers to search people’s comms records 42,293 times last year. That was roughly the same number of all comms accesses done by US and French police in an entire year. They would have the same discretion to search comms data in an emergency even under a warranted system. Spurious evidence Another spurious fact the Home Secretary used to sell her legislation was that police had used comms data in 95 per cent of all serious crime cases. Therefore, the argument went, it was vital. But police have had unwarranted access to this data since 2009. Of course they will have used it in the majority of cases. The behaviour does not justify itself. May’s justification was simply because they can. Take middle-aged women, for example. They earn between 18 and 30 per cent less than men in similar jobs. The gap was about the same 10 years ago. Overall wage inequality has meanwhile been worsening for 30 years. Inequality is rife. But that does not justify inequality. Those with power permit inequality because they enjoy its fruits. Because they can. So while a rough correlation between the number of police comms accesses and the number of serious and organised crimes might suggest their snooping was roughly in the line of duty, it seems foolish to allow the police to take unbridled power, and to allow them to wield it in secrecy. But if 500,000 comms data snoops is the product of reasonable policing, that raises a question about how to do oversight at such a large scale. Of course, as police have had the resources to manually vet their own snoops, then it stands to reason that magistrates’ offices can find the manpower to vet them as the court intended. Unless it has been more feasible for police to do the vetting because the volumes are too high for manual oversight to be done properly. Computers would then be the obvious answer, for oversight of high volume snoops on a high volume of information age comms conducted by a high population of people. The oversight would have to be risk assessed to make it manageable – to make it comprehensible to computer. It might even give the public the same powers of oversight over police as visa versa: a public watch; and more stringent on any police officer ever associated with a death in custody, say, or a complaint about racial prejudice or a shoot-to-kill: like Big Brother, only in reverse. Some police activity is already risk assessed, behind the scenes at the Home Office, by the same systems that determine who is suspect enough to be pulled up at airport check-in, or who has their communications records retained for longer than anyone else in the first place. Such systems would know the degree of certainty with which a particular person or group has been targeted by surveillance. The statistical measure of risk that might determine that known anarchists within spitting distance of Whitehall, say, or known paedophiles within sniffing distance of a school, were a greater risk than visa versa: that measure would also signify the degree to which that estimate could be trusted. So the data accesses might end up justifying themselves: by the probability of the risk estimate. The Home Office might think therefore that it need be answerable to no-one. But the public will only have proper oversight when they are told where the lines of discrimination have been drawn and with what degree of certainty, and when they are permitted to scrutinize and contest the intelligence systems and the algorithms themselves.Two Ojibwe tribes are seeking to nominate an island on Lake Superior for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, a move that may affect how construction or expansion projects move forward there. Madeline Island is a sacred homeland for the Red Cliff and Bad River bands of Lake Superior Chippewa. The tribes' migration story says they were told to travel west until they reached the place where food grows on water. Army Corps of Engineers Archaeologist Brad Johnson said the island won't receive any cut and dried protections if it's eligible for listing. "It means Madeline Island would receive additional consideration as an historic property during our permit evaluations," he said. Red Cliff Tribal Chairman Bryan Bainbridge said the tribes want to preserve their history. "It’s not to make anybody's life hard to get a project done, but out of respect to what the culture was there and still is there," said Bainbridge. Johnson said the Army Corps and the state need to agree on whether Madeline Island is eligible for listing on the National Register.-Hello there. This is Johnny Silvercloud, the Soul Brother #1 of a Kind. The Vicious Abolitionist. Frederick Thuglass. The Gordon Parks of these parts. Being that I was back home in Washington D.C. employing my lens during this historical event of an Inauguration, I feel compelled to discuss my mixed feelings on the micro-riot that occurred when I embedded myself into a set of black-clad protesters. A Different Type of Protester When I first saw these protesters arrive, they marched through McPherson Square (a spot for multiple protesters) and I’ll have to say that there was something different than them. The first thing I noticed was that they were decked out in black, head to toe. They all wore masks, and walked out in as a uniform front. Out of the various protesters meeting and crossing McPherson Square, these folks were the most intriguing folks out there. The feeling they brought was different. They came with fireworks that shot into the air, similar to the 4th of July. They had firecrackers and popped on the ground. Eventually firecrackers were not the only thing that went bang onto the ground; trash cans from another square we walked into got overthrown smashed. In short notice, this firecracker wielding crew became something similar to marauders. Smash Something I was there when these protesters technically became rioters. Long story short, I was there to document these protesters smashing up Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Bank of America downtown Washington D.C. (Click here for the podcast audio!) If anyone were to follow my video feed of this event, one would know that initially I didn’t like the fact that they smashed up a few downtown businesses. The more I think about it, I believe I had mixed feelings about the whole thing. The first thing that happened was an, “Oh shit, is this really happening?” response. I felt a combat-mode adrenalin rush. This mess was exciting. I really could not believe that
” Gibson said. The righthander lived up to his words by allowing only one run and three hits over five innings on a brutally cold day. “It’s exciting to be the guy who’s out there for the W, but that’s Gardy’s W for sure,” he said. Gardenhire has some L’s, too; 950 of them. And 13 of them came in the last 16 games of 2013, when the Twins were trying to trigger this celebration before shutting down for the winter. It didn’t happen, and the players worried that the Twins would change managers in the wake of their 96-loss season. “We had a bad month of September, but they brought him back, which we all love,” Dozier said. And even if the team doesn’t live up to his playoff expectations, Mauer said he’s still the right man for the job. “If you have a bad day, come back to the ballpark and try to right it,” Mauer said he learned from his manager. “We knew it was going to happen eventually, but to get these wins here early in the season, on the road — [it means] we’re playing pretty good baseball.” As they have 1,000 times now.How to Determine the Strength of Support and Resistance Support and resistance are critical when trading. When price reaches support or resistance, it will either break through or retrace. The odds of whether price will break through or retrace depends on the strength of the support or resistance. So, knowing the strength of support and resistance will give you a distinct trading advantage. There are several factors that go into determining the strength of support and resistance: 1) How Many Times the Support or Resistance Line was Touched. Put another way, how many times the support and resistance line was tested and failed. The more times a support/resistance line was touched, the more likely price will retrace (not break through). 2) The First Time the Support or Resistance Line was Touched. It’s important to know when the support/resistance was created. Generally, the longer ago it was created, the more weight it has (price is more likely to retrace). 3) The Last Time the Support or Resistance Line was Touched. A wide span from the first time touched to the last time touched could indicate even greater support/resistance, especially if the last time touched was recent. 4) Whether the line is a session high or low, overnight high or low or a previous session high or low. Any such high or low tends to add weight to support and resistance. Let’s use the chart below to illustrate. Click the picture to enlarge it. This 6E chart from today is running the Dynamic Targets indicator, which tells you all the key information described above. At 8:40:02 PDT a Session Low of 1.0821 was created (pink dashed line), was touched 4 times, the last time being at 9:03:26 PDT. These factors (mainly a Session Low touched 4 times) indicate relatively strong support, and consequently price retraced upward to 1.0844, one tick from the previous resistance line of 1.0845. As you can see, not only does the Dynamic Target indicator tell you the relative strength of support and resistance, the lines become targets as well. Knowledge of the strength of support and resistance could significantly improve your trading results. It’s something you definitely want to add to your trading arsenal.NEW DELHI: The construction and housing sector will get a tad greener by the end of the next year. The government has decided to make it mandatory for new buildings to undertake energy efficient measures, rainwater harvesting and use recyled construction material in parts under the sustainable habitat mission of the national action plan on climate change.The government will also finalise norms for integrating parking, taxation, congestion charges and other measures to promote public transport across different cities.The mission report, finalized by the urban development ministry and cleared by the government, will now be presented to the Prime Minister's climate change council when it next convenes.At present, several different norms exist for energy efficiency and water harvesting and are implemented with a great amount of variance across different cities. The government will turn them into a unified national standard so that they can be uniformly applied across the country.Realizing that urban development measures lie under state governments and not the Centre, the Union government plans to leverage the grants it makes under the JNNURM programme to get the states on board. The grants from the Centre under the massive urban development programme will have built in conditions to ensure that the national standards are incorporated in the bye-laws of cities utilizing the funds.The norms will mandate minimum energy performance standards for residential and commercial buildings.While questions about actual implementation of the norms at present remain questionable considering past experience, the government, sources told TOI, is looking at less coercive and inspection-based ways of turning the laws into practice.The government plans to carry out a gamut of climate-friendly activities through the urban development ministry under the 11th five-year Plan pilot projects. Demonstration programmes would also be carried out and separately budgeted for as part of the mission.The legal and regulatory measures that cover a broad spectrum of areas will be consolidated under the National Sustainable Habitat Parameters.If you use an anonymity network such as Tor on a regular basis, you are probably familiar with various annoyances in your web browsing experience, ranging from pages saying “Access denied” to having to solve CAPTCHAs before continuing. Interestingly, these hurdles disappear if the same website is accessed without Tor. The growing trend of websites extending this kind of “differential treatment” to anonymous users undermines Tor’s overall utility, and adds a new dimension to the traditional threats to Tor (attacks on user privacy, or governments blocking access to Tor). There is plenty of anecdotal evidence about Tor users experiencing difficulties in browsing the web, for example the user-reported catalog of services blocking Tor. However, we don’t have sufficient detail about the problem to answer deeper questions like: how prevalent is differential treatment of Tor on the web; are there any centralized players with Tor-unfriendly policies that have a magnified effect on the browsing experience of Tor users; can we identify patterns in where these Tor-unfriendly websites are hosted (or located), and so forth. Today we present our paper on this topic: “Do You See What I See? Differential Treatment of Anonymous Users” at the Network and Distributed System Security Symposium (NDSS). Together with researchers from the University of Cambridge, University College London, University of California, Berkeley and International Computer Science Institute (Berkeley), we conducted comprehensive network measurements to shed light on websites that block Tor. At the network layer, we scanned the entire IPv4 address space on port 80 from Tor exit nodes. At the application layer, we fetch the homepage from the most popular 1,000 websites (according to Alexa) from all Tor exit nodes. We compare these measurements with a baseline from non-Tor control measurements, and uncover significant evidence of Tor blocking. We estimate that at least 1.3 million IP addresses that would otherwise allow a TCP handshake on port 80 block the handshake if it originates from a Tor exit node. We also show that at least 3.67% of the most popular 1,000 websites block Tor users at the application layer. We find that the websites that block Tor mostly belong to Autonomous Systems (ASes) corresponding to mobile and access ISPs, and hosting services. Some of these ASes perform wholesale blocking of Tor, that is all the IP addresses in the AS block Tor. We also wrote classifiers to map websites to their web hosting services. Our results bring out CloudFlare and Akamai as dominant Tor blockers, highlighting the amplified blocking effect such centralized web services may create when their Tor-unfriendly policy trickles down to thousands of their client websites. The figure below shows the top 20 websites by how many Tor nodes they block, from the Alexa top-1,000 list. Each row in this figure represents a website, and each column represents a Tor exit node (of about 900 total). So a blue bar means that the website blocks a Tor exit node. Clearly, these websites (mostly hosted by Akamai and Amazon Web Services) block a large fraction of Tor exit nodes. We think that some of this blocking is caused by blacklists that include Tor exit nodes, yet other instances likely arise when abuse generated from Tor exit nodes trigger automated blocking mechanisms on websites. Our work provides a first step towards addressing the problems faced by Tor users by characterizing websites that treat traffic from the Tor network differently from other sources. The next steps, as described by Tor developer Roger Dingledine, involve social activism to engage with major players on the web such as CloudFlare and get their perspective on this problem and discuss possible solutions. There is not much we can do in the case of entities such as ISPs and countries that preemptively block all Tor exit nodes as a matter of policy, beyond some alleviation in the form of awareness campaigns to highlight the problem (such as, Tor’s “Don’t Block Me” initiative). With abuse-based blocking, we need solutions to enable precise filtering beyond IP address blocking of Tor exit nodes, so that benign Tor users don’t have to suffer from the abusive actions of other Tor users sharing the same exit node. In a broader context, our work calls attention to a new kind of blocking that is mandated by publishers. In the classical censorship scenario, blocking takes place near the user, for example an intermediate device dropping a user’s request for a blacklisted website. In publisher side blocking, the user’s request arrives at the publisher, but the publisher (or something working on its behalf) refuses to respond based on some property of the user. Who else over the Internet besides Tor users is subject to publisher-side blocking? “Do You See What I See? Differential Treatment of Anonymous Users” by Sheharbano Khattak, David Fifield, Sadia Afroz, Mobin Javed, Srikanth Sundaresan, Vern Paxson, Steven J. Murdoch, and Damon McCoy will be presented at the Network and Distributed System Security Symposium, San Diego, US, 21–24 February 2016. This post also appears on the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory Security Group blog, Light Blue Touchpaper.Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption New figures seen by the BBC suggest our mixed race population may be twice the size of official figures - numbering up to two million people Looking at some new figures on ethnic minorities in Britain the other day, I glanced at a footnote and suddenly sat bolt upright in my chair. The implications of it were clear: Britain's mixed-race community must be at least double the size we previously thought. The research by Dr Alita Nandi at the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) used data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS) to examine the experience of different ethnic groups in the UK. As with the census and other surveys, ethnicity is defined in the UKHLS by the individual: if you regard yourself as black Caribbean or white British that is how you are counted. Using this self-reported approach, the figures suggest that 0.88% of adults define themselves as "mixed". But the survey - following 100,000 people in 40,000 households - asks another question: what is the ethnicity of your parents? The footnote puts it: "If we use this alternative definition of mixed then 1.99% of adults are of mixed parentage." More than twice as many over-16-year-olds are technically mixed race than describe themselves that way. Underestimated Self-definition, of course, also applies to under-16s (parents will normally described the ethnicity of their children) and this group accounts for half of the mixed race population. There is research evidence which suggests the number of mixed-ethnicity children is also significantly larger than the official figures show. Self-reported data show 2.9% of children described as mixed race. But the proportion of children living with parents from different ethnic groups or in a mixed-race household is shown to be 8.9%. Image copyright Other Further support for the contention that the number of mixed-race children is under-counted emerges from work on single parents. The proportion of children in lone-parent households who are of a different ethnicity to the single mum or dad is 8%. Image copyright Other This suggests to me that there may be around two million mixed race people living in the UK, 3% of the population and therefore a larger group than any of the defined "ethnic minorities". The most recent estimate from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) is that there are 956,700 "mixed persons" in England, 1.8% of the English population. Racial mixing is, of course, a controversial subject. To some it is the welcome consequence of a multicultural society increasingly at ease with different ethnicities. But to others it represents a troubling challenge to national and cultural identity. I recently went to see the excellent production of South Pacific at the Barbican Theatre in London (sadly just finished) and was reminded how attitudes to mixed race have changed since the musical first opened on Broadway in 1949. Out of touch The plot centres around Nellie, a US Navy nurse from Little Rock, Arkansas who falls in love with a French plantation owner while stationed at a military base on a South Pacific island. It emerges that he has two mixed-race children by his first wife - a fact that Nellie's prejudices cannot initially accept. In the end, however, love wins through. The show was branded "indecent and pro-communist" in the US southern states, with one legislator in Georgia claiming that "a song justifying interracial marriage was implicitly a threat to the American way of life". At the Barbican last month, Nellie's disgust at the idea of mixing races seemed shocking in a character otherwise attractive and sympathetic. They are views quite out of tune with contemporary British values. Image copyright Rex Features Image caption The award-winning production is now touring the UK Nevertheless, long before the eugenics movement gave birth to the horrific idea of "racial hygiene" in Nazi Germany, there have been questions about the wisdom of cultural mixing. When I was in the Kerala town of Fort Kochi in south India this summer I was shown the thick protective walls built by the Dutch when they controlled the military base in the 17th Century. Unlike the previous colonial masters, the Portuguese, the ramparts were constructed, not facing seawards to stop naval invaders, but facing the town to prevent soldiers cavorting with the locals. The Dutch worried more about racial mixing than being attacked. Given the fast growing mixed-race population, academics have been trying to see whether there are negative consequences to dual ethnic relationships. The difficulty is in trying to separate out any effects of cultural difference from social and economic impacts. For instance, while 23% of all children in Britain live in lone-parent households, among mixed-race children the figure is 38%. Ordinary set-up On the face of it this might suggest that ethnic mixing makes relationships more fragile. But it is worth taking a closer look at table 16 in the Equality and Human Rights Commission report. Some 65% of black Caribbean children live in lone-parent households and 44% of black African youngsters. By contrast, the figures for south Asian children range from 10-15%. Since 45% of the mixed-race population is white/black and 38% are white/Asian, the figure for mixed children overall is bound to be strongly affected by Caribbean and African attitudes to family life. The overall figure for mixed race may, therefore, reflect cultural domestic norms rather than the fragility of dual heritage relationships. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Newsnight: Penny Walters wants to fill in cultural gaps for her mixed-race children Certainly that is the view of Penny Walters, a white single mum who I met in Bristol. She can probably count herself as an expert on mixed race partnerships. Her six children are from three fathers with three different ethnic backgrounds: three have Jamaican heritage, two have Ghanaian heritage and one has an Egyptian father. I put to her the question that you are probably thinking right now: "Three key relationships with men from other cultures, all three of them ultimately failed. Are you not living proof that these relationships are less likely to survive?" Her answer was that the relationship with the Egyptian was "doomed from the start" because his family were Muslim and she could not convert. Religious difference, she believes, can be a negative factor. But, she said, the failure of her partnerships with the men with Caribbean and African heritage had "nothing to do with race". They were, she says, both entirely English in their cultural attitudes. It is an important point. These days, ethnicity will often have no bearing on a person's cultural outlook. Patrick Olive is a good example. The cool bassist and conga player from the band Hot Chocolate originally came to Britain from Grenada. But, in many ways, he epitomises the traditional middle-Englander. 'Breathing fire and brimstone' Back-stage at a gig at the Jam House in Birmingham, he revealed himself as a Daily Mail-reading, crossword addict. At his home in an overwhelmingly white, middle-class corner of Sussex he was keen to show me his "golliwog collection". "People get too hung up about racism and prejudice," he tells me. Image copyright bbc Image caption Patrick Olive's band Hot Chocolate, most popular in the 1970s and 80s, is still performing But Patrick also wanted to introduce me to his wife - a white woman called Jane. In the mid-70s he recalls how his hopes of dating a white girl were met by hostility and prejudice. "The father was breathing fire and brimstone," he told me. A quarter of a century later and his relationship barely raises an eyebrow. If Britain has become decidedly untroubled by the idea of mixed relationships, the next question is how mixed-race children are faring. There have been suggestions that dual heritage might bring a double penalty - missing out on support from both white majority and minority communities. One early indication of this might emerge in the classroom, but new analysis of official education data for BBC Newsnight does not point to a double whammy. Focusing on the performance of 10-year-olds in English primary schools, the figures look at those who achieve the expected standard across English, maths and science. Among white youngsters, 77% reach what's called Key Stage 2 or above. For mixed white and black children the figure drops to 73% - but that's still well above the score for black youngsters (63-65%). We did find one mixed race group which appears to be thriving. Mixed white and Asian children score 79% - similar to Indian pupils but far higher than Pakistani and Bangladeshi (67%). Image copyright PA Image caption Kelly Holmes won Olympic gold medals for Great Britain in the 800m and 1500m at Athens in 2004 In Bristol, Penny's children exemplify the optimism and self-confidence of many people of mixed race in Britain today. Successful at school and on the sports field (two of her children have played football for Bristol Rovers, one currently plays for Bristol City and her eldest has a business degree), the children tell me they are proud to describe themselves as mixed race. They are the faces of new Britain - the posterboys and girls for a multicultural nation. Myleene Klass, Lewis Hamilton, Leona Lewis, Mark Ramprakash, Ryan Giggs, Kelly Holmes, Alexandra Burke, Nasser Hussain, Rio Ferdinand. Recent research suggested that mixed race people are "over-represented at the top level of a number of meritocratic professions". Despite its growth and however you measure it, the mixed race population still represents barely more than 3% of Brits. But it is increasing fast - and those who predicted a cultural identity crisis have been proved wrong. If anything, in multiracial Britain, ethnicity is increasingly not the point. Mixed race is mainstream. Watch the film in full on Newsnight on BBC2 at 2230.Right now in our western society there have never been more alternatives to the once traditional relationship model - that of the heterosexual couple heading up the family unit - and people are openly choosing from a much wider range of models to find happiness. There are many examples of people whose chosen route might previously have caused them to be marginalised from conventional society, and author Sophie Tanner, from Brighton in the UK is one such person. Sophie chose to become a sologamist, which means she married herself. It all began when she wrote a book on the subject. "I had just had a bad break-up and was emerging from my cocoon of sadness to find with relief that my generally optimistic personality had returned. At the time I was trying to write a really dark novel but it was depressing subject matter so I decided to scrap it and write about something that was positive, about a girl who decides to marry herself." Tanner's novel Happily tells the story of a young woman, who one summer evening, after being told that she will never know what love is until she has children, decides to say 'Actually, I do know what love is, and... I do!' and announces to her friends that she's going to marry herself... supplied Sophie Tanner’s bridal party created a colouful procession through Brighton on her wedding day. READ MORE: * Why a wedding ring is no longer necessary * Same-self marriage takes the maybe out of 'I do' * Five myths about love "The more I investigated the concept of self-marriage the more intrigued I became, and the story of Chloe - who has similar characteristics to myself - slowly emerged. I tapped into a lot of my own experiences and relationships as inspiration and wove them into the tapestry of Chloe's life. It was quite therapeutic. And most of the characters are an amalgamation of lots of different people I have met in my life. By the time I finished the novel it had been such a wonderful journey that I decided to go ahead and marry myself as a gesture of solidarity to my character Chloe, and to myself." Marrying oneself is not legally binding, and it has been dismissed by some as simply narcissism dressed up in empty theatrics. Tanner could not disagree more, but she didn't shy away from a theatrical theme to her wedding day. "Because it is not a legally recognised ceremony and there aren't any rules I was required to follow I was free to tailor the ceremony as it suited me, which was great. It was an amazing day. I studied theatre and have always had a keen interest in performance and Brighton Fringe Festival – which was happening at the time - was the perfect platform for a solo wedding spectacle. I wanted to capture the main tropes of marriage so that passing onlookers would quickly understand what was happening and could feel like part of the event; there were 15 of us, all dressed in different brightly coloured dresses and we had rehearsed our dance moves. We processed through the gardens to the tune of Kendrick Lamar's I Love Myself, it was so much fun." While the theatrics involved in the day were fun and light-hearted there was a more serious side to the event, in the way others reacted to it. "In a way it has revealed to me who my true friends and family are. I was most gratified by the positive support from the majority of them - my father didn't bat an eyelid when I asked him to give me away." Tanner has come in for her fair share of criticism. "I've had some very interesting conversations, that's for sure. One guy said that I was pathetic, that I was shooting myself in the foot and would just end up old and lonely. I think everyone is entitled to their opinion and I can understand some people have a hard time getting their head around the concept. The main thing to remember is that I'm not hurting anyone else by doing this." She rejects the criticism that sologomy is an empty gesture and puts forward a strong argument as to how going through the process to marry herself was a transformative one which has positively changed her outlook on herself, on society and her place within it. supplied The bride’s father Malcolm Tanner gave his daughter away - to herself. "Having a ceremony in which I vowed to face my disappointments, embrace my dreams, realize my hopes and accept my failures has given me a great sense of security. Self-compassion is about being able to turn towards your experiences and learn from them which allows you a greater capacity for human connection. I spend more quality time with myself and the stability that comes with enjoying solitude means that I am more available to provide emotional support and practical help to family, friends and strangers." Is it about rejecting mainstream relationships? "It's offering an alternative. Society still has a frankly antiquated expectation that every person should enter a heterosexual, monogamous, legally-binding partnership - which is required to maintain the patriarchal order - and this brings about a deeply engendered prejudice to the romantically unattached. There is still a strong stigma around being single, as if it's something you should have to justify, as if you've failed in some way. Self-marriage attempts to redress the balance. I am a firm believer that being single is a viable lifestyle choice." It sounds like sologamy - for the female - is a feminist statement. Tanner agrees to an extent. "I've always been an independent feminist which, just to clarify, is not to say a'man-hater'. I have had long periods of perfectly contented single life throughout my 20s and have always found the constant inane questions about'settling down' from both family, friends and strangers most bizarre. Back in medieval times marriage was generally the first social goal for a woman because it was necessary to maintain the patriarchy; in order to survive economically, in order to have children, in order to be respectable. But today it is a different story entirely. It is sad that, despite this, single women in their 30s start to panic about being 'left on the shelf' and becoming 'crazy old cat ladies'.' Possibly the most intriguing thing for Tanner about sologamy is the bravery involved in facing one's disappointments and failures head on. She has used the marriage ceremony as a symbolic act which recognises these and which attempts to reconcile them. Facing oneself truthfully – she feels - is a braver act then walking down the aisle with a partner. And if you can do it, it can be equally if not more so rewarding.See at Amazon Fun fact: Kids like stealing their parents' tablets. Maybe they're just watching videos. Maybe Pokémoning. (That's a verb, right?) Maybe they're just catching up on emails and building new slide decks. (My kids are weird. Don't ask.) Thing is, I've never really found a tablet I actually want to let my kids use. High-end tablets like the Pixel are too big and too expensive. Same goes for iPads, really. At some point they're going to drop it. They're going to leave it on the floor to be stepped on. That's just the way it is. And I've got a real aversion for cheap tablets. You know — those off-brand things that go for $50, never get updates and have zero in the way of support. But what if you could spend just a little bit more for something decent. And, as it turns out, something that has a little bit of kiddie controls already built in. And that's why I've been pleasantly surprised with the latest from Amazon — the Fire HD 8. It starts at just $89 for the 16GB model, with "special offers." (That means ads, of course.) I ramped things up just a little bit though, going for the 32GB model and no ads, and came out at about $135. That's not nothing, but it's also not horrible for something that's really gotten a lot of use in my house. (Plus, having a range of options is great!) Get more at Modern Dad!!!Mary O’Hara, Austerity Bites: A journey to the sharp end of cuts in the UK, Policy Press, 2014, xiv + 320 pp, 1 4473 1560 5, hbk, £19.99 During 2012 and 2013 Mary O’Hara travelled the UK to find out what effects the Coalition Government’s public sector cuts were having by interviewing some of the people affected by them: both those suffering directly from the austerity measures and those working with them to try to mitigate the measures’ effects. The introduction describes in broad terms the ways in which wages have fallen, poverty and debt have increased, new sanctions have been imposed on jobseekers, and public services have been cut – and all this in the cause of an austerity that further damages the economy. O’Hara’s visits and interviews reveal the depth of the crisis: increasing food poverty (and hence the rise in the number of food banks); mounting pressure on household budgets as costs rise but incomes – both in and out of work – stagnate; the disruptive effects of the bedroom tax; and the rise of personal debt and of high-street high-interest lenders. They also reveal the increasing stigma imposed on people who cannot find employment, and on people with disabilities and long-term health problems; declining wages and job security; cuts in local authority services on which some of our most vulnerable citizens depend; and rising rents and homelessness. This is in many ways a familiar story, but what gives this particular telling of it an added authenticity are the excerpts from the interviews. Here we find the voices not of statisticians, journalists, or politicians, but of those suffering the effects of cuts in services. In the concluding chapter, we hear the voices of those voluntary sector workers who are coping with increasing demand, disappearing grants, and staff redundancies. The concluding chapter ends with a description of the way in which the Government and the tabloid press have succeeded in persuading us that the previous Labour Government and the poor are responsible for the country’s financial problems, and therefore for austerity; and with a description of small-scale resistance to that austerity – as if local pressure groups can defeat the Government- and media-driven prejudice to which we have been submitted for the past four years. They can’t. Perhaps for our readership the most significant finding from O’Hara’s visits and interviews is that ‘the social security system that had protected much of the population from the worst vagaries of inequality was being ripped from its foundations’. She goes on: I saw at first hand how destabilised and fearful it was leaving people. What I observed during my travels was a society in deep existential as well as economic and political flux. It seemed to me that austerity was generating social and economic schisms faster than they could be tracked, never mind adequately countered. There was a sense of an expanding segregation of the rich and poor, the entrenchment of a ‘them and us’ view of the world that produced not only a lack of social contract but also a political gap so wide as to seem unbridgeable. (p.15) As a society we need to take to heart what is being said here, and determine to build a new social security system that will protect everyone from ‘the worst vagaries of inequality’ and will heal our ‘social and economic schisms’.NEW DELHI: The government’s work order for highway expansion has shot up by 122% during the first three years of Modi government and the pace of construction has gone up by 25%, according to data released by the road transport and highways ministry During 2011-2014, daily highway construction was about 13 m in comparison to 17 m during the three years’ of Modi government.The acceleration in award of works to road builders — over 11,000 km on an average in the past three years against only 5,000 during UPA’s corresponding period — has significance considering that this will translate into actual construction of roads by April 2019 when the government faces election.It is expected that by 2019, the government will be in a position to achieve more than 30km of highway construction per day, a source said.Highways minister Nitin Gadkari has set the target of pushing daily highway construction to 41km.Highway development is considered one of the biggest job generators and increased road connectivity has been recognised as a major contributor to economic activities even in the hinterlands.However, for the current financial year, the government has set the target of awarding at least 30% of highway projects on public private partnership (PPP). Last year only 17% projects were bid out on PPP mode.Similarly, shipping ministry data show high increase in capacity of 12 major ports under government from 745 million tonnes in 2012-13 to 1,065 million tonnes in 2016-17.The total cargo handled at all these ports have also increased from 570 million tonnes in 2011-12 to 648 million tonnes during the last financial year.Officials said there has been a greater cohesive planning in the road, rail, shipping and waterways sectors to improve connectivity, which was missing during the earlier government.Target for smart tags The government has set the target of a three-fold increase in installation of FASTags in vehicles in the next one year. Till March end, about 4.1 lakh such tags have been fixed in vehicles, which allow these vehicles to pass through toll plazas on highways without waiting at toll gates.At a meeting chaired by PM Narendra Modi earlier this month, the roads ministry has been asked to increase it to 15 lakh by April 2018 and 25 lakh by 2020.The best item in Dota 2 is the Force Staff. All right, that might be a silly claim to make. Dota 2 players have dozens of items at their disposal, a motley arsenal that lives in an eccentric toolbox. Many of these items have unique abilities that are particularly useful in certain contexts, in specific situations. It's all very nuanced. Nevertheless, the best item in Dota 2 is the Force Staff. The Force Staff thrusts somebody forward a short distance. That might be you, it might be a member of your team, it might be an opponent. It does so with a slapstick suddenness that can save lives, perhaps hurling someone out of the area of effect of a dangerous spell, or it can disorientate an enemy or help you bear down on a fleeing foe. It's also perfect for harassing your own teammates during downtime, propelling them back and forth without any warning. Naturally, this is mostly what I use it for. Other items and/or hero powers that I've had far too much fun with include a power that turns my entire team invisible (allowing us to stalk the map unseen and hunt the unsuspecting), a power that conjures a ring of flaming snakes (aim it well and you trap someone within) and a staff that throws people up in the air, spinning them around in a miniature tornado. You can even use the latter on yourself in the name of a) self-defence or b) showing off. In my case, it's about a 50-50 split. In this video, Paul expands on his reasons for singling out Dota 2 for inclusion in our Games of 2013 series. (Basically: it's good.) You might think I'm not taking this game seriously enough, but everyone I play with is having fun the same way. We try out new combinations of items and powers to see both how effective they are in a fight, but also how unexpectedly hilarious the results might be. I've spent a whole year doing this and it's not just that I've yet to be bored, it's that I still feel I haven't even started. This, for me, is Dota 2. I didn't expect to warm to it so much and certainly not for it to become one of my favourite games of the year. The first impression is of a game that's just about leading those constantly spawning squads of minions across the map, over and over, helping them slowly fight their way inside the enemy base, but that's only a canvas upon which a far more colourful experience is painted. Dota 2 has a vast roster of distinct heroes, over a hundred and growing, and every team, every five-person combination of these, produces a line-up with particular strengths and weaknesses, a singular recipe that's further seasoned by the items each hero will buy with their hard-won in-game earnings. It rewards experimentation. It rewards imagination. It rewards those with creativity and a sense of fun, never being more delightful than when you find a new way to confuse, surprise, trap or escape your enemies. True, somewhere amongst your considerations is the amount of raw damage you can inflict, but just as important is your ability to stun, debuff, outrun or outmanoeuvre those you fight. The best Dota 2 players are canny and the best teams work like miscreant chefs, cooking up all kinds of new mischief. It was all that I could do not to turn this feature into a long, rambling list of all my favourite tricks and tactics. I'd be happy to talk for a long, long time about stacking stuns, hiding all-seeing wards or turning my rivals into sheep, pigs and chickens (one after the other), but all this is still only part of what Dota 2 has given me this past year. In spite of what you might think, I am actually taking it very seriously and I have a lot of respect for what it's taught both me and many of its other players. The game's community is gradually becoming more welcoming and tolerant. Because it's taught us how to lose. Before Dota 2, most of the games I played online were pretty casual affairs, the sort of thing you could drop in and out of at will. This is different, demanding a much greater level of commitment, by not only asking me to play matches that might last from 40 minutes to over an hour, but also to ride the defeats right through to the end, to fully suffer those losses. Dota 2 punishes those who abandon games by relegating them to inferior matchmaking pools. But by insisting they play matches to their conclusion, it also gives them the opportunity to turn games around, it forces them to persist and sometimes, sometimes, this means victory bursts forth from the fetid gob of defeat as if forced out by a violent Heimlich manoeuvre. Those who might otherwise quit when backed into a corner are occasionally capable of great things - and Dota 2's balancing presents slim but tangible opportunities for those losing to claw their way back. Don't for a moment think this is common. More often than not, you just have to watch everything crumble around you and weather it with decorum. It's not an experience that the capricious, flighty video gamer has to suffer very often and yet it's commonplace to many professional sportspeople, who face defeat on a regular basis. I'd like to think it's made me a little more stoic, a little more dignified. I've seen the game's community improve, too. The original Dota was a difficult game to get a handle on and, because a new player's naiveté could handicap an entire team, many players were not tolerant of those learning. Newcomers would both struggle to learn the game and also struggle to gain acceptance. For a fan-made mod, this didn't matter,
. But as I began to understand the trauma I experienced at the seminary, I clearly felt the torment he, too, must have endured there as a young boy. This small realization was an epiphany. My willingness to be present with the person who hurt me had allowed me to transform him from a monster into a human being. Mario’s psychological state had always been a disaster zone. I believe his own secret wounds had festered for so long that they scarred the core of his memory until he lived almost entirely in a world only he recognized. His constant denials about the crimes he committed left him severely depressed and physically ill for most of his life. He was, for all intents and purposes, locked in a prison of his own construction. And yet, for all his many failings, Mario, like the rest of us, desperately sought to understand what had happened at St. Anthony’s Seminary long ago. I don’t believe he ever managed to grasp the truth and shake the demons from his life. But every time we sat and talked, he made it clear to me that he was trying to comprehend what had taken place in his life and in the lives of the boys in his care. He never admitted doing anything wrong, and he always spoke of doing everything to help others. In his shattered state of mind it was inconceivable that he could have done the terrible things attributed to him. But Mario wanted to hear what had happened, not just to me but to others. When he asked me direct questions I often felt he was trying to square my personal accounts with all the horrible stories he had read about himself in the media. The closest he ever came to accepting any responsibility was when he acknowledged that listening to my recollections might someday help pry open his own memories. It was the most honest admission he ever made in my presence. On November 23, when a friar friend called to inform me of Mario’s death, I ran the gamut of emotions. The following day I placed a photo of him on my dresser and lit a candle. Instinctively, I pulled from the shelf a daily journal I kept in 1966 during my last year at St. Anthony’s. At 15 I had become deeply disillusioned about the priesthood as a result of my abuse the year before. I had no way of realizing this at the time or even naming it for what it was. It took years for me to understand that my decision to leave the seminary was fueled by what Mario had taken from me. Now, flipping through my journal, I came upon the date marked “November 23” and read the following entry: “Tonight I called home and told mom I decided not to return to St. Anthony’s after Christmas vacation. I feel sad but relieved.” There is a certain measure of faith involved in the healing process. We wrestle every day with the ghosts of our dreams, but it’s the struggle itself that frees us. Perhaps the best of what we hoped for is somewhere in the worst of what we lived.The Conduit toolbar was an online platform that allowed web publishers to create custom toolbars, web apps, and mobile apps at no cost.[1][2] It was developed by Conduit Inc. but demerged to Perion Network. Conduit had approximately 260,000 registered publishers who have collectively created content downloaded by more than 250 million end users.[3][4][5] Web apps and pieces of content developed through Conduit's platform can be distributed and exchanged online via the Conduit App Marketplace.[6][7] Currently, 60 million users consume apps from the marketplace on a daily basis.[8] Conduit's toolbars have been described in online forums and news outlets as malware[9][10] and are difficult to remove.[11][12] It has both browser hijacking and rootkit capabilities. Conduit began to shift away from this part of its business in late 2013 when it spun off its toolbar division into Perion Network through a reverse merger.[13] After the deal, Conduit shareholders still owned 81% of Perion's existing shares, though both Perion and Conduit remain independent companies.[14] History [ edit ] In 2010 Conduit then-president Adam Boyden was featured in Forbes magazine online, in which he discussed the link between successful social gaming and marketing principles.[15] In 2010 there were more than 100 million toolbars being powered by Conduit that were used at least once a month, which put Conduit at #29 on Google’s list of top 1,000 sites on the Internet that year.[16] In May 2011, Conduit completed the $45 million acquisition of Israeli startup Wibiya, an engagement platform that enables publishers to integrate a variety of web applications on their site via the Wibiya Bar product.[17] During this time Conduit moved away from the toolbar part of its business in order to focus on its mobile and browser engagement offerings. Ingrid Lunden of TechCrunch wrote that by spinning off the Client Connect business, the "split divided the company in two, with one part focusing on its mobile and engagement business and run by Shilo, and the other, Client Connect, merging with Perion". Lunden said further that, "Less than a month after browser-toolbar and mobile startup Conduit merged its Client Connect division with Perion, the company is making another change to its business. Conduit has announced that it will be discontinuing Wibiya, the social browser toolbar service that it acquired in 2011 for $45 million, as it shifts further away from its toolbar business."[18] In late 2013 Conduit was valued at $1.5 billion.[19] Technology [ edit ] Browser [ edit ] Until 2013, one of Conduit's main businesses revolved around downloadable toolbars. Conduit allowed publishers to create and distribute their own toolbars for web browsers.[16] Typically the toolbars were installed with another software product on which the toolbar is a piggyback program,[20][21] with users given the option to not install the toolbar. Browsers that initially supported the toolbars included Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari. Google Chrome was added as a supported browser in 2011. Examples of toolbars have included a Zynga-designed toolbar that helps Farmville enthusiasts keep up-to-date with the status of their game, another is a toolbar from eBay that provides auction updates. The content is customized to the individual toolbar rather than generalized for all users. The toolbar can also be used for general information distribution as well, which has been used by companies to engage in marketing campaigns.[16] Other companies that have developed Conduit toolbars include Major League Baseball, Greenpeace, and Lufthansa.[22] Some of the companies and brands that have used Conduit's platform are Major League Baseball, Time Warner Cable, Fox News, Zynga,[23] Chelsea Football Club, Groupon, Travelocity, µTorrent, and The Weather Channel.[5][8][24] The toolbars have been described in online forums and news outlets as a browser hijack[20][21][25][26][27][28] and are difficult to remove.[29][30][31][32][33] It is said that most of Conduit's revenue comes from paid referrals from its search engine.[34] Conduit toolbars are automatically downloaded alongside certain freeware in order to provide its publisher with monetization. Conduit toolbars have rootkit capabilities that hook the toolbar deep into operating systems and can perform browser hijacking. Many conduit removal tools are also considered to be malware themselves. While not a virus, the program is referred to as a "potentially unwanted program" by some in the computer industry.[25]Teen boy, who was described as somewhat popular, used handgun in a bathroom of his middle school. Marneli Laing picks up her son Kyle Laing from Davidson Middle School in Southgate, Mich, on March 21. The school was closed for the day after an 13-year-old boy committed suicide with a handgun in an upstairs bathroom. Kathleen Galligan, Detroit Free Press (Photo11: KATHLEEN GALLIGAN GANNETT) Story Highlights Gun, which was not locked, belonged to a family member Suicide note used the word "drama" to describe his life School officials say there was no indication the student was bullied DETROIT -- Classmates and community members will hold a candlelight vigil Thursday night in Southgate, Mich., to remember a 13-year-old who used a handgun to commit suicide in a bathroom at his middle school Thursday morning. The boy shot himself once with a.40-caliber handgun at Davidson Middle School in Southgate around 8 a.m. -- stunning the community and leaving students, police and school officials looking for answers. Southgate, a community of about 30,000 in Wayne County, Mich., is about 16 miles south of Detroit. "Everybody who wants to pay their respects to him is going to come with a candle," said 13-year-old Delaney Agee, a friend of the teen, who plans to attend the gathering. It's a way to show him how many people cared about him, she said. The student -- whose name was not released by school officials or police -- was found by another student, according to an official with the school district. He left behind a suicide note that was found after the teen was rushed to the hospital, where he later died, Southgate Director of Public Safety Thomas Coombs said. It was written as an open letter explaining that by the time it was read, he would have killed himself, he said. Coombs said the teen used the word "drama" to describe his life, but the student didn't offer specifics on the issues he was apparently having trouble dealing with and said taking his life was a way out. The gun, which was not locked, belonged to a family member and the teen knew where it was and took it, Coombs said. The student told a teacher he had to use the restroom, and was the only one in the bathroom at the time of the shooting, police said. Delaney said she talked to him on the phone often, and had plans to go to a movie with him and a few other friends on Friday. He never told her he was upset about anything. "It didn't seem like anything was wrong," Delaney said. "Just to know that he is gone is really heartbreaking and shocking." Teachers were alerted after the shooting and the school was locked down. Students scurried to the corners of classrooms, ran down the hallways and were ushered to the gym. They were, eventually, released to parents and guardians. As school leaders grapple with what happened, the shock and sadness has hit social media, where fellow students asked for people to pray for their classmate's family. Police leave Davidson Middle School IN Southgate, Mich, on March 21after an 8th grade male student committed suicide with a handgun in an upstairs bathroom. (Photo11: Kathleen Galligan, Detroit Free Press) "I wish you knew how much we all love and care about you," one student said in a Twitter post. "Just yesterday I hugged him," another tweeted. "I remember what he wore & he looked so happy. Now he's gone." Students described the harrowing scene at the school after the gunshot rang out and the school was locked down. Karina Moise, 14, went to the gym with members of her Spanish class. "We just kept seeing people running down the hallway," she said. She described the victim as a friendly boy she knew from her lunch period. "Happy for the most part; always laughing," she said. "He was really nice. He would offer to give you stuff (from his lunch)." Classes won't resume at the school until Monday when counselors will be present. Southgate, Mich. Southgate Community Schools Superintendent William Grusecki said the district doesn't have any indication that the youth was being bullied and said he never went to staff to report any issues or problems. "We don't have a very good idea of what happened yet," he said hours after the shooting. Grusecki called the teen a very good student who was somewhat popular. Police said they have talked with his friends and bullying has not been mentioned. "We have no reason at this time to understand why," Coombs said Thursday afternoon. Relatives declined to comment. Southgate Police Detective Sgt. David Fobar, the investigator in charge of the scene at the school, said the boy showed no signs of being suicidal. "It was a normal day," said Fobar. "Even the kids that drove him to school, no indication." Investigators have spoken to parents of the teen and plan to continue to investigate, Coombs said. The school does not have metal detectors, but school officials will examine whether changes need to be put in place over the next few days. Contributing: Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press More Details: Suicide Hotline National Suicide Prevention lifeline: 800-273-8255 Among the warning signs of suicide are: Talking about suicide Expressions of hopelessness Personality changes Depression Giving away possessions Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/Y23oe7Protected Rhinos roam and feed in an enclosed precinct at the Kahya Ndlovu Lodge on September 25, 2016 in Hoedspruit, in the Limpopo province of South Africa (AFP Photo/MUJAHID SAFODIEN) Paris (AFP) - More than 300 wild mammal species in Asia, Africa and Latin America are being driven to extinction by humanity's voracious appetite for bushmeat, according to a world-first assessment released Wednesday. The species at risk range from rats to rhinoceros, and include docile, ant-eating pangolins as well as flesh-ripping big cats. The findings, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, are evidence of a "global crisis" for warm-blooded land animals, 15 top conservation scientists concluded. "Terrestrial mammals are experiencing a massive collapse in their population sizes and geographical ranges around the world," the study warned. This decline, it said, was part of a larger trend known as a "mass extinction event," only the sixth time in half a billion years that Earth's species are dying out at more than 1,000 times the usual rate. Besides eating them, humans are robbing mammals of their natural habitats through agriculture and urbanisation, and decimating them through pollution, disease and climate change. According to the Union for the Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of endangered species, a quarter of 4,556 land mammals assessed are on the road to annihilation. For 301 of these threatened species, "hunting by humans" -- mainly for food, but also as purported health and virility boosters, and trophies such as horns or pelts -- is the main threat, according to the comprehensive review of scientific literature. The likelihood of extinction, the team found, depends on body size: the bigger the animals, the greater the danger. More than 100 primates, including gorillas and snub-nosed monkeys, and dozens of hooved animals from oxen to antelope, are at dire risk from hunting. "These species will continue to decline unless there is major global action to save them," Bill Ripple, a professor at Oregon State University and lead author of the study, told AFP. - Cascading effects - All 301 species identified are found exclusively in developing countries, with the highest concentration in southeast Asia (113), followed by Africa (91), the rest of Asia (61) and Latin America (38). The countries with the most native species under siege from hunting were Madagascar (46), Indonesia (37), the Philippines (14) and Brazil (10). The scale of the problem is daunting: some 89,000 tonnes of wild meat -- with a market value of about $200 million (180 million euros) -- is butchered every year from the Brazilian Amazon alone, the study found. On current trends, the prospects for these and other mammals is not bright, the authors said. "Forty of these species were already classed as critically endangered by 1996, indicating that there has been little or no conservation progress in reversing their fate," they note. This, despite dozens of major conservation conferences and summits, and the expansion of protected areas. The impact of extinction may be felt well beyond the loss of individual species, the scientists cautioned. "Through cascading effects, the loss of these mammals is altering the structure and function of the environments in which they occur," the study notes. The result could be a loss of food security for humans. The research echoed a recent study which showed that more than two-thirds of 9,000 threatened species -- including plants, birds and insects -- faced over-exploitation from commerce, recreation or subsistence. Ripple and colleagues call for increased legal protection of threatened mammals, better education and family planning, and the provision of alternative foods to local populations. Giving local communities stronger land rights -- so that they have a more direct interest in conservation -- is also key, they said.With New Look And More Energy, Rick Perry Tries To Move Past 'Oops' Enlarge this image toggle caption Nati Harnik/AP Nati Harnik/AP The Rick Perry that Iowans were promised in 2012 may have finally shown up — four years too late. The former Texas governor's much-heralded first presidential run quickly cratered four years ago, beset by stumbles from a candidate who was still recovering from back surgery and never seemed to find his footing on a national stage. But in May in campaign stops in Northwest Iowa, the likely GOP presidential hopeful was back to his gregarious, confident self on the first of three days he spent barnstorming a state that could make or break his 2016 comeback hopes. Walking into a meet and greet at a bank in Rock Rapids, Perry bounded into the room, sure to shake every hand and greet every person by name (his staff had passed out nametags) with his long, Texas drawl before beginning his speech — right down to the last row, who he jokingly chided as "backbenchers." Listen to NPR's Don Gonyea's report for Morning Edition on Perry trying to make a comeback: Perry looks more at ease this time around — gone are the pressures of office, leaving the governor's mansion after 14 years this January. He now wears dark-rimmed glasses, which have become his trademark on campaign literature, and more comfortable dress shoes instead of cowboy boots. He talks of optimism and a time of new birth in America in his stump speech – but that, too, is what he needs to save his own political hopes. He's currently mired in low single digits in state and national polling. "I like this part of the country, and I like this time of the year. You're starting to see the corn; you're being able to row the corn, and it's an optimistic time of the year," he tells a crowd of about 40 people. "This is when we know we're going to make a good crop, and we're gonna get a good price for it. We are eternal optimists." Perry talks often about his humble upbringings in tiny Paint Creek, Texas, where he says he was born into a family of eternal optimists — his parents were dry land cotton tenant farmers. To such an agriculture-dependent state, he aims to speak their language. Trying To Get Past 'Oops' "I wasn't healthy. You all know the health stories — it was what it was." This time around, he's hoping to tell his own personal story and about the economic success of the Lone Star State he didn't get to parlay in 2012. His failure four years ago was crystallized in a single word — "Oops." When Perry announced in August 2011, he was leading Iowa polls, but that didn't last long. After already appearing sluggish and out of sorts at times on the trail, his political fate that year was sealed when, in a November nationally televised debate, he started to list the three agencies he would abolish as president — first Commerce, Education and then — a long, treacherous pause. After mumbling for a bit, he finally tried to laugh it off, telling the audience, "I can't, the third one. I can't. Sorry. Oops." He would never recover, finishing fifth in the caucuses, sixth in the New Hampshire primary, and ending his campaign even before South Carolina. Perry himself acknowledges he wasn't prepared, either physically or mentally, for the rigors of a national campaign back then. "I wasn't healthy. You all know the health stories — it was what it was," he wistfully told reporters after speaking at a Pizza Ranch in Sioux Center later that day. "I hadn't spent the time in preparation that I should have." State Sen. David Johnson, who represents this portion of Northwest Iowa, empathizes. He's had three back surgeries himself. The Republican supported the former Texas governor in 2012 and says he'll be with him this time, too. Perry is expected to announce his candidacy June 4 in Dallas. "I see an absolutely different Rick Perry," Johnson said. "He has done his homework. He has studied very seriously the issues, both foreign and domestic, that this country faces." 'A Governor Who Doesn't Have To Govern Right Now' Johnson pointed out another advantage Perry has this time around over some of his fellow rivals. "He's a governor who doesn't have to govern right now," he said. "He is free to get out there and campaign." Other governors considering running, like Wisconsin's Scott Walker, New Jersey's Chris Christie and Louisiana's Bobby Jindal, are struggling to balance governing at home with the amount of time they spend on the campaign trail. But Perry doesn't have that dance this time around. Perry holds the distinction as the longest-serving governor in Texas history. That executive experience is something he touts heavily on the trail, taking not-so-veiled shots at the trio of first-term senators — Florida's Marco Rubio, Kentucky's Rand Paul and fellow Texan Ted Cruz — who are also running. "Executive experience is what's been missing out of the White House," he told a voter in Sioux Center. "After eight years of this young, inexperienced United State senator, I think America is going to be ready for somebody who's got a proven track record and results." On foreign policy, Perry touts his own military experience — along with South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, he's one of just two veterans on the GOP side — and his record on immigration as governor of the state with the longest southern border. A Smaller Margin For Error This Time Around He jokes, at the two campaign stops and at the Iowa Republican Party's Lincoln Day Dinner the Saturday before, that the U.S. "lived through Jimmy Carter — we'll make it through Barack Obama." But he doesn't lose an optimistic tone throughout his speeches. "I believe with all my heart, as soon as the sun's going to come up in the east tomorrow, that the best days of this country are in front of us," he tells voters. "We're just a few good decisions and a leadership change at the top from the best days this country has ever seen." But to be a part of that leadership change, Perry first has to convince voters he's changed as well. Lyon County GOP Chairman Josh Bakker, who hasn't endorsed anyone yet, warned that Perry has a smaller margin for error this time around than other candidates. In other words, there can't be any more "Oops's." "He better say sharp, I'll just say that," Bakker said. "I mean, if he does that again a time or two that would probably hurt." NPR's Don Gonyea contributed to this report.Nantes crew respond to ban on shorts by turning up in skirts in protest against ‘unacceptable working conditions’ French bus drivers angry at a ban on wearing shorts in the ongoing heatwave have turned up to work in skirts. Teenage boys wear skirts to school to protest against 'no shorts' policy Read more The drivers in the western city of Nantes had asked to be allowed to dress more casually as temperatures reached 38C (100F) in Europe causing weather alerts across France. When the request was refused, six of the men decided to protest against what they claimed were unacceptable working conditions and donned skirts. “We asked to be able to wear clothing suitable for the high temperatures, but were told we couldn’t wear shorts. Because skirts are authorised, we are wearing them,” Didier Sauvetre, a driver and union representative told the local paper Press Ocean. Colleague Gabriel Magner, another union representative, claimed it was a form of discrimination. “Women can wear skirts but not men,” he said. “Our bosses offices are air-conditioned, which isn’t the case with the majority of our vehicles. To spend more than seven hours in a vehicle in 50C temperatures is not easy. Above 30C the management could put a heatwave plan into action and allow drivers to wear shorts. We’ve been asking for this since 2013.” He added: “Once the driver’s compartment is closed... you can’t see anything anyway.” Sauvetre, sporting a black knee-length skirt, white sports socks and sandals, said drivers were envious of women being able to wear skirts in the heatwave. “That’s why we have come to work in them,” he said. However, Pascal Bolo, president of the bus company Semitan, insisted uniform rules were rules. Last year the company introduced lighter “summer trousers” for drivers. Shorts, however, remain banned as inappropriate. “It’s hard but it’s only a few days of the year. We’re not in Monpellier [in the south] after all,” Bolo said. The new buses all have air conditioning even in the driver’s compartment... and my office doesn’t.”TEHRAN (Reuters) - Two Iranian warships have docked in Syria, a military commander said on Thursday, dismissing Israeli condemnations of the maneuver as a “provocation.” Coinciding with political turmoil in Egypt and elsewhere in the Arab world, Iran’s decision to send warships close to Israeli territory has rattled politicians in the Jewish state. The ships arrived on Wednesday night after passing through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean, the first Iranian navy vessels to do so since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iran’s Navy commander told reporters that the warships were not performing any military exercises but were “on a routine and friendly visit and carry the message of peace and friendship to world countries.” “The Zionist regime had been exaggerating this issue because it wants to create tension among the brotherly relations between countries in the region,” Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari told state TV. “We made a decision based on international norms aimed at fostering friendly relations with the regional states and Muslim countries by carrying the message of peace and friendship to those countries.” The website of Iran’s Press TV said the Alvand, a 1,500-tonne patrol frigate, armed with torpedoes and anti-ship missiles, and the 33,000-tonne supply vessel Khark were docked at Syria’s main port, Latakia. Egypt’s decision to allow the ships through its canal was made under an interim government after the fall of President Hosni Mubarak. Iran is hoping to restore ties — cut for decades — with Cairo, an U.S. ally which has a peace treaty with Israel. Analysts say Iran sees itself benefiting from the upheaval across the Middle East as leaders sympathetic to the United States are unseated or weakened.GEORGIA – America’s oldest Tuskegee airman has finally been honored seven decades after he fought in World War II. Brew Graham, 97, who lives in Riverdale, Georgia, has been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, which is the highest military decoration bestowed by the president in the name of Congress. Graham has remained under the radar for decades and he’s been omitted from various recognitions, including the 2007 Gold Medal-honoring ceremony of the Tuskegee Airmen, held by then-President George W. Bush. theGrio slideshow: The Tuskegee Airmen’s legacy still soars That changed though, with the release of Red Tails earlier this year, which prompted his wife to contact producers for recognition of her ailing husband’s combat service. “My husband Brew Graham is a Tuskegee Airman with the 99th fighter squadron and is believed to be the oldest living one, He is 97 years old. No one has bother to get in touch with him. We live in Riverdale Ga. you have our e-mail address. He has a hearing problem so he does not talk on the phone (only in person) Why is he being ignored?” Mrs. Graham wrote to LucasFilms, which released the hit film. In response, LucasFilms forwarded her email to military officials and members of the Atlanta chapter of Tuskegee Airmen Inc., who verified that Mr. Graham was a documented original Tuskegee Airman, in active service during the daring period of the 99th deployment for overseas duty in April 1943. This week, Graham received a three-inch bronze replica of the Congressional Gold Medal from Congressman David Scott, issued collectively to the Tuskegee Airmen five years ago by President Bush. It is the same replica presented to some 300 surviving Airmen who were present at the ceremony. The original medal remains permanently housed at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. Ironically, Graham never went to see Red Tails on the big screen. However, LucasFilms delivered a special surprise for him last week: a personal copy of the movie on DVD, along with posters for the film. The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African-American pilots who fought in World War II. Yet they were still subjected to racism and segregation both within and outside the military. Follow Kunbi Tinuoye on Twitter at @KunbitiU.S. defense contractor Edward Snowden discusses his motivation behind the NSA leak and why he is revealing himself as the whistleblower behind the major story. (Nicki Demarco/Courtesy of Laura Poitras and Glenn Greenwald) U.S. defense contractor Edward Snowden discusses his motivation behind the NSA leak and why he is revealing himself as the whistleblower behind the major story. (Nicki Demarco/Courtesy of Laura Poitras and Glenn Greenwald) Counterintelligence investigators are scrutinizing how a 29-year-old contractor who said he leaked top-secret National Security Agency documents was able to gain access to what should be highly compartmentalized information, according to current and former administration and intelligence officials. Edward J. Snowden worked as a systems administrator at an NSA Threat Operations Center in Hawaii, one of several such facilities that are tasked with detecting threats to government computer systems. He has previously worked for the CIA, U.S. officials said. Snowden leaked documents to The Washington Post and Britain’s Guardian newspaper on distinctly different operations: the NSA’s collection of data from U.S. phone call records and its surveillance of online communications to and from foreign targets. Investigators are “working with the NSA and others around the intelligence community to understand exactly what information this individual had access to, and how that individual was able to take that information outside the community,” a senior U.S. intelligence official said. Among the questions is how a contract employee at a distant NSA satellite office was able to obtain a copy of an order from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, a highly classified document that would presumably be sealed from most employees and of little use to someone in his position. A former senior NSA official said that the number of agency officials with access to such court orders is “maybe 30 or maybe 40. Not large numbers.” Snowden’s exact whereabouts were unknown Monday, and it was unclear whether U.S. officials had sought to interview him or have him apprehended by officials in Hong Kong, where he had taken refuge. Administration officials said Monday that they are working to confirm that Snowden leaked the documents and build a case against him without relying on his admissions in his video interview with the Guardian. Investigators also need to determine whether anyone else was involved in disclosing the information to reporters, officials said. FBI agents are interviewing Snowden’s family and associates, said officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the investigation. Snowden, who said he leaked top-secret documents to expose abuse and not to cause damage to the United States, told the Guardian that he had “full access to the rosters of everyone working at the NSA, the entire intelligence community, and undercover assets all around the world, the locations of every station we have, what their missions are and so forth.” Officials questioned some of Snowden’s assertions in his interview with the Guardian, saying that several of his claims seemed exaggerated. Among them were assertions that he could order wiretaps on anyone from “a federal judge to even the president.” “When he said he had access to every CIA station around the world, he’s lying,” said a former senior agency official, who added that information is so closely compartmented that only a handful of top-ranking executives at the agency could access it. Current and former administration officials were flummoxed by Snowden’s claim that he was authorized to access the orders from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. The order probably would have been accessible to the NSA general counsel’s office, the compliance office that deals with the court, and the operational arm carrying out the collection, former officials said. One former NSA official said the NSA employs layers of security to scrutinize employees, including keystroke-monitoring systems to identify potential breaches or unwarranted searches of NSA databases. Joel Brenner, a former NSA inspector general, said any investigation needs to focus on how Snowden “had access to such a startling range of information.” “The spy you want in an organization may not be the executive assistant to the secretary of state; it may be the guy in the bowels of the IT department because he has system-administrator privileges and because that person is also in a position to insert malware into your system to facilitate remote access,” Brenner said. Further information about Snowden’s personal and professional life was scant Monday. His mother, who lives in Maryland, and his father, who retired from the U.S. Coast Guard in 2009 and lives in the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania, would not speak about their son. The parents divorced in 2001, about two years after Snowden left high school. Snowden joined the Army in 2004 and trained for the Special Forces for four months before leaving the service without finishing, an Army spokesman said. Snowden said he departed because he had broken his legs in a training accident and was discharged. An Army spokesman did not confirm that account, saying only that “he did not complete any training or receive any awards.” Snowden said he then worked at the University of Maryland as a security guard at a secret NSA facility near the College Park campus. University spokesman Brian Ullmann confirmed that in 2005, Snowden worked for less than a year as a “security specialist” for the school’s Center for Advanced Study of Language. The university-affiliated center, founded in 2003, is not a classified facility. Snowden said that after his stint at U-Md., the CIA hired him to work on technology security. The agency has declined to comment on his employment. Snowden said he left the CIA in 2009 to work for the NSA through two private contractors, first at a Dell computers operation in Columbia, Md., and then at Booz Allen Hamilton. Dell spokesman Scott Radcliffe would not confirm whether Snowden worked there, saying that “the Justice Department has asked us to refer all questions to them.” The government contractor confirmed that Snowden had worked there for the past three months in an office in Hawaii. He flew to Hong Kong after telling his supervisor in Hawaii that he needed medical treatment for epilepsy. One administration official said it is too early to determine how United States will attempt to take custody of Snowden. Officials may simply attempt to see if the authorities in Hong Kong will deport him and avoid the need for a full extradition procedure. “Ultimately, a lot of these cases get resolved through something other than formal extradition,” said Shane Kadidal, a lawyer at the Center of Constitutional Rights in New York. In Hong Kong, Snowden checked out of a hotel Monday where he was thought to be staying. Some in Hong Kong said the semi-autonomous jurisdiction may not offer Snowden the protection he hopes for. “Hong Kong is definitely not a safe harbor for him,” said Regina Ip, a lawmaker and chairman of the New People’s Party. Hong Kong has its own legislative and legal systems but ultimately answers to Beijing, under the “one country, two systems” arrangement, established when oversight of Hong Kong was transferred from the British to the Chinese in 1997. The extradition treaty between Hong Kong and the United States was established at the time of the British-Chinese handover, because the treaty needed the blessing of Hong Kong’s new sovereign ruler, the Chinese government. The treaty says that Hong Kong can refuse to transfer a suspected criminal to the United States if giving up the person “implicates” the “defense, foreign affairs or essential public interest or policy” of the People’s Republic of China. Given the touchy nature of China’s relationship with the United States and Hong Kong, however, experts said the Chinese government is likely to stay in the background with Snowden’s case. Ip noted that the United States and Hong Kong have a strong record of cooperation on the extradition of fugitives. Top officials from the Justice Department, the FBI and the National Security Agency will appear Tuesday in front of House members to discuss the NSA’s surveillance efforts and the fallout from the leaks. The Senate will hold a similar closed hearing on Thursday. Administration officials stressed Monday that they have briefed Congress repeatedly on surveillance programs Jia Lynn Yang in Hong Kong, Liu Liu in Beijing, Sari Horwitz, Julie Tate, Barton Gellman, Jenna Johnson, Peter Hermann, Marc Fisher and Carol D. Leonnig contributed to this report.Sarah Palin So Gov. Sarah Palin can speak spontaneously in complete and coherent sentences. Let’s judge her, then, as we would a presumptively seasoned and competent political leader. By that standard, on issues of foreign policy, she was outgunned by Sen. Joe Biden at every turn. And more than Sen. Barack Obama, who could have answered some of Sen. John McCain’s charges more forcefully in last week’s debate, Biden made no effort to muffle his fire. When Palin called Obama’s plan for a phased withdrawal from Iraq “a white flag of surrender,” Biden shot back that the plan was identical to the policy of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. When Palin repeated her charge that Obama was “beyond naive” in calling for negotiating with adversaries “without preconditions,” Biden explained what the phrase meant, then noted that it was supported not just by the five former secretaries of state who recently co-authored an endorsement of the idea but by our allies, with whom Palin had just said we needed to work together. When Palin recited McCain’s line about applying the principles of the Iraqi surge to Afghanistan, Biden (correctly) noted that the U.S. commanding general in Afghanistan has said the surge wouldn’t work there. (By the way, it does not bother me at all that Palin referred to Gen. Dave
the first time without religious filters over my eyes. I went to college. I traveled. I met people. At the ripe old age of 21, impregnated a female and was shortly after married. At 25 I was married with two kids and working in the Information Technology field. Although I was no longer religious I still held onto many of the morals and direction that were set for me as a child. My wife and I didn’t drink. We didn’t smoke. We didn’t do drugs. Our lives were living paycheck to paycheck supporting two kids with medical issues. My wife and I worked opposite shifts and rarely saw each other. There was cheating, pain, separation, and the 7 years that followed were the hardest of our lives. However the gears needed turned and the bills needed paid. We felt however that divorce would only compound our stress and put each of us in a situation less desireable than the one we were currently in. A twist of luck changed our lives as we entered our 30’s and I landed a high paying technical job. This allowed my wife to stay home and focus all her attention on our two children and our home. Although money did solve a lot of problems, it didn’t make us love each other any more than before and the valleys we created between each other during our struggling younger years were so vast it seemed unimaginable we would ever be closer than acquaintances living together. And then life changed. I remember waking up one morning and feeling different. I looked over at my wife sleeping and thought, “Who is this person I’m spending the rest of my life with?”. She raised my kids. I’ve been living with her nearly as long as I had lived with my parents and I barely knew her. I sat there a full hour thinking about what I wanted from life. What I wanted from her. What she expected from me. I also had a feeling of anxiety. I felt I hadn’t seen enough of life. What if I died tomorrow and never really got to sink my teeth into this world? I don’t even have a bucket list! I slung myself out of bed and headed to the PC. My first reddit search that morning was “bucket list”. What did other have on theirs? What do they recommend? As I read through pages and pages of responses I started to see trends. Items that would repeat every few comments or posts. And to my amazement comments like, “LSD. Please do this before you die. TRUST ME.” kept surfacing. The first few I wrote off as a joke. Trolls, obviously… But pages and pages went by. More and more references to “Lucy”, “LSD”, “Acid”. How it can be a life changing experience if done in the right situation and with the right mentality. I needed a change. I needed to see the world, perhaps even myself, from a new perspective. I skipped lunch and by 2pm I had started my official bucket list. Some items included; Scuba diving Learn to fly an airplane Prostitute in Thailand Buy a motorcycle Stand on the beaches of Normandy, France And at the top of the list, “Experience LSD”. I left 10 spots empty knowing that I’d have more to add to my list after a good night’s sleep. The next morning I woke up early and started to look at scuba diving equipment determined to start checking items off my list. “Goddamn everything is sure expensive…” I thought, and decided I’d start with a cheaper item on my bucket list first. Short of driving around downtown and asking sketchy individuals where I can obtain drugs, I had no clue how to go about this. Five eye-bleeding hours later I had the basics of crypto currency, the dark net, secure Operating Systems, private / public keys, mulit-sig markets, and bitcoin scrubbing down. By that evening I had my first order placed for 10 tabs of LSD and when I told my wife just before bed, she was 100% convinced I had hit my mid-life crisis. A week later I had my LSD in hand and the wife convinced this was somehow a good idea to try together. My parents took the kids for the weekend and at 9am on beautiful spring morning my wife and I, completely unprepared, each put a 200 micro hit of LSD onto our tongues while sitting underneath a blossoming cherry tree. We joked around about how we didn’t taste anything and probably got ripped off. We wrapped ourselves in a couple of big blankets and talked about our history together. 30 minutes later we were laughing so hard our cheeks ached. I couldn’t get two words out of my mouth before hysterical laughing would erupt from my throat, which was so funny to my wife she was nearly doubled over in tears. Everything was so funny! For nearly an hour we probably only choked out 10 words in the midst of our laughing together. In the back of my mind I remember thinking, “This is the first time we have laughed like this in 13 years”. After what seemed like an eternity we got ourselves together and our laughs turned into giggles and eventually only smiles as we sat in silence for a time. And then I took my first breath. I filled my lungs with the smells of spring and it smelled as if my whole life I’d lived with sinus congestion up until this point. In the space of 3 full breaths of air, I could sense my eyes swelling with tears and immediately forced them back thinking how silly it would be to start crying in front of my wife whom to that point had never seen me cry. But I could taste life. I could taste the dirt in the air and the pollen in the blossoms. I looked down at my feet and watched my toes wiggle in the green grass. Each blade felt alive. I felt guilty for squishing the ones directly below my feet and lifted my feet up to rest on the bench in front of us. I raised my eyes and focused on the trunk of our cherry tree and we breathed together. When my lungs filled with air, the trunk expanded and exhaled with me. Jaw dropped I turned to ask my wife if she was seeing this, and all she could say was “wow…”. Tears were sliding down her face and she was looking up into the pink and white blossoms above our head. I tilted my head up with her and stared up at the branches. Bees bounced from flower to flower, birds landed on our feeders and plucked out seeds while we watched. Not able to hold back the tears I let them flow and didn’t care. The branches and flowers of the tree spun and crashed like waves of color around me.They tumbled and danced and exploded in vibrant colors all around us. I could hear crystal clear. My vision looked like some high dynamic range photoshop filter was enabled and magnified. I held up my hand and looked into my palm and it looked like it was pulsing with power, in and out with the trees, the grass. As the hours passed my guard came down. The crying didn’t bother me. I felt stripped of superficial fears. I finally turned my chair towards my wife and she turned hers to me and we sat a foot apart staring at each other with emotion. I saw her age in front of me. I felt I was seeing the fabric of our lives spun together in real time like threads of cloth. I felt sorry for her, having to live her life with someone as selfish as I was. Her struggle over the years was just as real as mine but I never gave that a thought. Selfishness. I peered into her core, and she mine. When the waves of emotion calmed we spoke with each other. Not like in the past. She told me of her fears and passions and I listened on pins and needles. We broke down for each other and each took pieces of our walls down. When it was finally over and our minds were clear again that feeling stayed with us. The next morning we both felt amazing. We talked for hours about our lives and how much we have been denying each other happiness. What an amazing family we can have if we just work a bit at it. Everything seemed so much clearer and even months after that first trip we still felt as if we were excited for life again. 5 years have passed. We are nearing our 40’s and our kids will be in highschool soon. I’ve checked off all but one of my bucket list items above (I won’t tell you which ones…) and have added new ones, most of which my wife and I will complete together. And once a year on that same day in Spring we sit under our tree and get to know each other all over again.The NRL has altered its stance on allowing the bunker to rule on live play, with video referees to call for penalties that are now "likely" to draw charges from the match review committee. Just two weeks after coaches recommended the bunker be curtailed of its powers, referees boss Tony Archer reacted to his officials missing St George Illawarra forward Joel Thompson's high shot on Thursday. Thompson will miss one game after taking the early guilty plea for a swinging arm on Canberra five-eighth Blake Austin that broke his nose, and also went unnoticed by the on-field referees. A confused Raiders coach Ricky Stuart questioned whether he had missed a memo from league headquarters. Archer said his men simply missed the penalty. "The bunker reviewed the incident, (but) for the bunker to be involved in foul play, they need to be satisfied that it's more likely the person will be charged," Archer told the NRL website. "They have to make that assessment in real time, unlike the match review committee who have time to process it in more detail. In those circumstances, we elected to play on. "But it should've been given a penalty on-field." The central command centre had seemingly been stripped of its powers following a coaches meeting a fortnight ago where they agreed on the on-field officials be left in charge of foul play. Previously, video referees could get involved for "reportable offences", however Archer claimed that the rule had never been properly defined. "We now want them to be satisfied that it's more likely the person will be charged," he said. "They're looking at it in those details now, so until we get back before the competitions committee, we'll stick with this." In good news for Canberra, Archer praised his officials for calling the first ever penalty for a wall, just one round after the Raiders should've got the same call in a last-minute loss to Penrith. "Obviously a couple of weeks ago we related to one that we didn't rule correctly out of the Penrith-Canberra game," Archer said. "But the action of the St George players, where they lined up side by side next to the play the ball and impeded the defender from having a direct line at the player in possession, that's a penalty."“I don’t know what I’m going to do when I’m done,” he said. “I’m hoping that it’s not any time soon. But when the time comes, I know No. 1 is to be the best father and husband I can be.” As his family has grown and matured, Roethlisberger has acknowledged “new priorities come into play,” in terms of how long he intends to play. He and his wife Ashley are the parents of son Benjamin Todd Jr. (4), daughter Baylee Marie (3) and son Bodie (1). “I want to be able to play catch with my kids when I’m older,” Roethlisberger said. “I want to be able to go to games. I want to be able to coach them at home and do fun things like that.” He perceives the season ahead, Roethlisberger’s 14th with the Steelers, as ripe with possibilities on offense assuming running back Le’Veon Bell eventually signs and wide receiver Martavis Bryant is ultimately fully reinstated from suspension. “Yes, because we have a great offensive line,” Roethlisberger said. “I know Le’Veon’s probably the best back in the game, Martavis does what he does, ‘A.B.” (wide receiver Antonio Brown) is who he is. But we have a line that is as good as any in the business. They’re the catalyst to how good we can be, how good we are. With all those pieces including that line, we can be pretty good. “I think everybody knows that we have a chance to be really good and that as good as one person is, it makes the other guy just as good. Numbers and stats are going to come if we win football games.” Losing to New England in last season’s AFC Championship Game was “very frustrating,” Roethlisberger said, “because you’re so close to the Super Bowl and you know how close you are and it’s tough.Christmas is a time for sitting by the fire with your loved ones in your favorite Christmas sweaters, eating lots of gingerbread cookies and candy canes while listening to your favorite Christmas carols. It’s a joyous and peaceful time for everyone, but as a parent, we know that pulling off a perfect Christmas is far more stressful and costly than it seems. As research shows, a typical family spends almost twice as much during the month of December than any other month due to Christmas spending. So with the Christmas right around the corner, don’t waste any more time trying to win the lottery. Here are 10 Christmas money saving tips that will guarantee not to lighten your wallet. Planning and Organizing This is the first and most important step. You ought to set a budget that you can afford and make a list of all the people to buy presents for-don’t add unnecessary people to the list like your “co-worker Bob” who offered you coffee once. Make sure your list only contains people that are significant to you. If you know your limits before shopping, you won’t encounter any over-the-budget gifts. Planning ahead will give you ample time to cater for any unplanned surprises. Yard Sale Children always have a lot of useless things lying around their room. Mostly things like clothes that don’t fit them anymore or toys they no longer play with. So, before Christmas arrives, have a yard sale selling off anything unnecessary in the house to make room for new and better things. You can add this to your Christmas budget plan. Do-It-Yourself DIYs are a very productive way to save money on gifts and decorations. You don’t have to have an art degree to be able to make simple DIYs. There are heaps of resources online to guide you. DIYs usually add a more personal touch to the festive season making it more special for your loved ones. You can also decorate your house with your own, unique home-made ornaments. Not only economic, but it’s also enjoyable for the little ones to do and allow more bonding time with the family. So take out your glue and glitter and make this season a creative one! Buy In Advance I know what you’re thinking, why would you buy things way before the due date? I think we can all agree that prices of general things are excessive during holiday seasons. So why not buy presents in advance? For example, the black Friday sale that makes everyone go ballistic is a day where you can buy your child’s dream toy at almost half the price. What a save! There are also several sales in various shops months before Christmas, so when you see a potential gift for your family and friends in early December, don’t hesitate to buy it. You won’t find better deals than that! Dollar Store For those of you who haven’t heard of the infamous dollar store, yes, it is exactly what it sounds like, a store where you can buy everything for just a dollar. For many people, Christmas means spending loads of money on expensive items at expensive stores. It’s okay to cut back on the branded food and gifts and rather buy a few essentials from the dollar store. Things that don’t have much importance in quality but are still needed, for example, fairy lights, stockings and decorations for the tree, are things you can get from the dollar store. It will save you a bunch of money but still ensure an appealing holiday. Coupons and Gift-Cards We all get coupons and gift-cards every now and then, mostly from the shops we regularly buy from. Don’t let these go expire and go to waste. Use them in contributing towards your Christmas costs and make every dollar count! Secret Santa This is an old tradition usually followed by co-workers, classmates or a group of friends. The rules are simple; everyone’s names are placed in a hat, and each person picks a name that they have to buy a gift for. This saves a lot of cash due to the fact that you’re now buying only one person from the group a present instead of buying them all one. It’s fun and cost-efficient, so why not give it a go? Minimize Your Lights Christmas decorations usually involve a lot of lights, because what is Christmas without a well-lit tree and house? But this leads to your electricity bill going sky-rocket high. Many people think the more lights the better, but you can still have a stunning house with the minimum amount of lights. Place decorative lights where needed, don’t overuse them because you don’t want your house to be blinding. Using LEDs are much cheaper than the generic light bulbs and can save you money in the long-run too. Sharing Christmas Even if you’re the one hosting the Christmas dinner party, you can still share the costs with the ones invited. One common way is to make the dinner a one-dish party where everyone brings one dish so that your costs on food will be spared. This can also save you a lot of time which you can then spend with your children. Don’t take the burden of hosting a party all by yourself, share Christmas. Cheap Christmas Tree Every year you spend so much on a temporary tree that people don’t appreciate as much as you think. There is no point in having an absurdly expensive tree just to throw it out after a month or two. So you should rather look for Christmass trees that are selling at a cheap price. The tree will only look as good as you decorate it whether it’s expensive or not. Compare the total with what you have available to spend. If it is more than you can afford, then cut back. It takes discipline when everything is geared up to make you overspend, but you will be thankful if you stop yourself from going above your budget.Laughing on his private jet - the £93m pastor accused of exploiting British worshippers A church run by a controversial multi-millionaire African preacher has been accused of ‘cynical exploitation’ after its British branch received £16.7 million in donations from followers who were told that God would give them riches in return. Followers are ferried in double-decker shuttle buses to the church, handed slips inviting them to make debit card payments, and are even told obeying the ministry’s teachings will make them immune from illness. Today’s Mail on Sunday revelations about the Winners’ Chapel movement, which holds charitable status, have prompted the Charity Commission to carry out an assessment of the church – one of the fastest-growing in the UK. Winners’ Chapel is part of a worldwide empire of evangelical ministries run by Nigeria’s wealthiest preacher David Oyedepo, who has an estimated £93 million fortune, a fleet of private jets and a Rolls-Royce Phantom. Plenty to smile about; Preacher David Oyedepo of the Winners Chapel movement aboard one of his private jets. He also owns a Rolls Royce Phantom Dubbed ‘The Pastorpreneur’, he was accused earlier this year of slapping the face of a young woman he said was a witch. The assault case was struck out but is being appealed. Branches of the church have sprung up in major UK cities in a huge recruitment drive centred on Mr Oyedepo’s ‘prosperity gospel’. This claims that congregants who make regular donations and pay tithes – a ten per cent levy on their income – will be rewarded financially by God. Followers are urged to target vulnerable people such as the lonely, the sick, the homeless and the suicidal as potential candidates for conversion. Last night, Labour MP Paul Flynn said Winners’ Chapel was cynically exploiting supporters. ‘They [Winners’ Chapel] are making clearly spurious claims and it seems to be a cynical exploitation of the gullible,’ he said. Referring to the slapping incident, Mr Flynn added: ‘What is also alarming is the reported violence and the lack of respect for the status of women. It’s taking us back to a previous age of ignorance and prejudice that we all thought the church had escaped.’ Caught on camera: Video of Mr Oyedepo striking a young 'witch' across the face in front of a congregation This newspaper’s investigation can further disclose: Congregants are handed a payment slip requesting payments using cheque, cash or debit card when they enter London’s Winners’ Chapel. Donations to the ministry in England almost doubled from £2.21 million to £4.37 million between 2006 and 2010. Mr Oyedepo’s superchurch in Nigeria received £794,000 or 73 per cent of the charitable donations paid out by the British Winners’ Chapel between 2007 and 2010. This was despite claims in Africa that he is enriching himself at the expense of his devotees. The registered charity has spent £6.81 million on evangelism and ‘praise, worship and fellowship’. The church’s ‘Joseph Squad’ preaches in British prisons and has a weekly broadcast named ‘Liberation Hour’ on satellite and cable TV here. In the past three years, Winners’ Chapel churches have been established in Liverpool, Birmingham, Leeds and Bradford, adding to those in London, Manchester, Dublin and Glasgow. An undercover Mail on Sunday reporter attended Sunday services at Winners’ Chapel’s ‘London HQ’ in Dartford, Kent, which attracts 1,000 congregants – chiefly African and Caribbean immigrants. It is run like ‘a business conference’ by Mr Oyedepo’s son, David Oyedepo Jnr. Packed buses deliver singing worshippers from South-East London, Essex and Kent to the huge auditorium. The reporter saw a payment slip being given to every person entering the church encouraging them to donate money by cheque or cash or to fill in a form with their debit card details. The slip said tithes should be paid separately using a ‘Kingdom Investment Booklet’ and the reporter was informed that payments could also be made by phone. A pastor told the worshippers: ‘You shall be financially promoted after this service in Jesus’s name if you are ready to honour the Lord therefore with all your givings, your tithes, your offerings, your Kingdom investment, your sacrifices.’ Congregants were told to fill in their slips and hold them above their heads while the donations were blessed. One of the fleet: A jet belonging to Mr Oyedepo - he has at least two that he bought with his huge fortune The service was interspersed with testimonies. ‘I received a bill from the bank that I didn’t understand, so I prayed,’ said one congregant. ‘A few days later, the bank wrote to apologise for their mistake – Hallelujah!’ ‘Hallelujah,’ the audience shouted back. Congregants were told they could gain favour by persuading others to follow Mr Oyedepo’s teachings. His son said: ‘Look around you. Someone is sick and already wishing he or she were dead, that is a fruit ripe to harvest. Someone is confounded and considering suicide as an option, that is another fruit that is ripe to harvest. ‘Someone else is lonely and wondering if there is any future for him, that is another fruit ripe to harvest. ‘Also there are many men and women, young and old that are homeless, these are fruits ripe to harvest.’ The reporter was taken, with 20 other new recruits, to a room where preachers gave sermons claiming acceptance of the Lord would prevent them ever being ill or suffering misfortune. The Mail on Sunday has seen video footage of Mr Oyedepo striking a woman across the face and condemning her to hell after she said she was a ‘witch for Jesus’. He attacked her in a Winners’ Chapel superchurch, believed to be in Nigeria, in front of worshippers. A separate video shows him saying: ‘I slapped a witch here last year!’ In May, he was sued for £800,000 over the alleged assault. The case was struck out – a decision which is now reported to have been appealed. The Winners’ Chapel movement, also known as the Living Faith Church, has hundreds of churches in Nigeria and across Africa, the Middle East, the UK and the US. Mr Oyedepo has received fierce criticism in Africa. One Nigerian journalist accused him of ‘leading a growing list of pastorpreneurs – church founders exploiting the passion and emotion that Christianity commands to feather their nests’. Marriage: Seen here with his wife Faith, Mr Oyedepo has a son who runs services at the chapel's London headquarters Catholic Cardinal Anthony Okogie criticised such preachers for placing materialism above Jesus’s message. He reportedly said: ‘They have been skinning the flock, taking out of the milk of the flock.’ Among Mr Oyedepo’s fleet of aircraft are said to be a Gulfstream 1 and Gulfstream 4 private jets. It is also claimed he and his wife, Faith, travel in expensive Jeeps flanked by convoys of siren-blaring vehicles. He is the senior pastor of Faith Tabernacle, a 50,000-seat auditorium in Lagos reputed to be the largest church in the world, and runs a publishing company that distributes books carrying his message across the world. His other business interests span manufacturing, petrol stations, bakeries, water purification factories, recruitment, a university, restaurants, supermarkets and real estate. The latest addition is a commercial airline named Dominion Airlines. A Charity Commission spokesman said: ‘The Charity Commission is currently assessing what, if any, regulatory role there is to play with regard to the complaints made against the World Mission Agency. It is important to clarify that this does not constitute an investigation at this stage.’It’s no longer just libertarians making this claim, but now Newsweek magazine: As the Obama administration presses the largest fiscal bill in American history, caps the salaries of executives at institutions receiving federal aid at $500,000 and introduces a new plan to rescue the banking industry, the unemployment rate is at its highest in 16 years. The Dow has slumped to 1998 levels, and last year mortgage foreclosures rose 81 percent. All of this is unfolding in an economy that can no longer be understood, even in passing, as the Great Society vs. the Gipper. Whether we like it or not—or even whether many people have thought much about it or not—the numbers clearly suggest that we are headed in a more European direction. A decade ago U.S. government spending was 34.3 percent of GDP, compared with 48.2 percent in the euro zone—a roughly 14-point gap, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In 2010 U.S. spending is expected to be 39.9 percent of GDP, compared with 47.1 percent in the euro zone—a gap of less than 8 points. As entitlement spending rises over the next decade, we will become even more French. This is not to say that berets will be all the rage this spring, or that Obama has promised a croissant in every toaster oven. But the simple fact of the matter is that the political conversation, which shifts from time to time, has shifted anew, and for the foreseeable future Americans will be more engaged with questions about how to manage a mixed economy than about whether we should have one.Feminist columnist Clementine Ford has hit back at accusations she ruined the life of a Sydney man after complaining to his employer about being called "a slut" on Facebook, causing him to be fired. Michael Nolan, who was employed as a hotel supervisor by the Meriton Group, posted the comment on November 25 in response to a post made by Ford about online harassment she received. Ford said it was time men who posted sexist and threatening comments online "faced consequences". "Perhaps Michael will think twice next time before using his social media account to call a woman'slut' when she speaks out against online misogyny," she said. "He is responsible for his actions. He is responsible for the things he writes and the attitudes he holds." Michael Nolan. (Facebook) () Ford, who writes for Fairfax Media's Daily Life, contacted Meriton after seeing Mr Nolan had listed the company as his employer on his Facebook page, attaching screenshots of his comment. He was fired on November 30. "Meriton Group have now investigated the matter relating to the complaint made about Michael Nolan using inappropriate language on Facebook," the company said in a statement. "Meriton Group does not condone this type of behaviour." A Facebook page, Support for Michael Nolan, has since been created. Mr Nolan is yet to comment. © Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2019[Warning, if the subject upon which the following content is created from doesn’t appeal to you, please turn elsewhere. Thank you.] Are all the uninterested people out of the room? … … Good. Now, with that out of the way… First things first: if you’re not familiar with the term ‘pure spec’, it basically means ‘pure speculation’ or ‘hypothesis’ or popularly ‘theory’. Now the pure spec. With Jordan having been drawn to Witchery in the past (with a touch of Blood Magic, Thaumcraft, and ArsMagica – hopefully he’ll notice Botania) it leads me to assume that his Ruxomorian counterpart, Spark Plug, must have been a very powerful Druid or Green Mage. With the Ruxomorian Ianite as his bride, Spark’s Druidic/Green Mage aptitude/power might have received an exponential boost… perhaps enough of a boost to raise an island from the sea and command the very forces of nature to build a city with just a few waves of his hands? [Reminder that this is all pure spec, of course. I only say this because Dagrun and the island the city was once built on isn’t seen in the Witchery Spirit World, and the Spirit World is basically an untouched version of the map seed.] If this above is true, just imagine the scene: … … … … … It’s dark, save for the stars above and the full moon shining through the monument of the Scales of Justice floating high in the air. Spark rises from his kneeling position, having just received a thank-you gift from his beloved Lady after showing her the small floating temple he had been building secretly for the past several months. He could feel the imparted portion of her immortal might coursing through his mortal veins, imbued with the touch of her approval and admiration. “Well, now, my beloved admiral… what is going to be the first thing you will do with this boon I have granted you?” Ianite asks Spark in a playful, semi-joking tone. Spark glances around, then smirks slightly as his eyes land on the empty ocean expanse just yonder. He pushes his green-rimmed shades higher up the bridge of his nose and replies simply: “Watch this.” He strides to the ocean’s edge resolutely as he rolls his sleeves up to his elbows, and with the same resolution, Spark effectively walks on the water until he is satisfied with the distance between himself and the shore. Stopping only to flash his Lady a genuine smile (with a hint of mischief) and to focus his newly received powers, Spark closes his eyes and raises his hands slowly, as if though he were a conductor about to lead an orchestra. A green aura starts to surround Spark while the very water surface he is standing on trembles, the ocean floor far below beginning to buckle, shift … and rise. It was like that one scene in Fantasia’s ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’: the waters were swirling and rising and curling around Spark as he forms the world around him to match the image in his mind. To Ianite, she can see the physical strain her courting beau was putting himself under, pushing the very limits of his new strength as he magically and willfully rips a new island out of the seabed and into existence. Spark takes a very brief breather, and continues his masterwork before Ianite could call out for him to stop. He might have proved himself already, but why stop now? Sand and rocks melt into fertile soil, grass and flowers immediately taking root, growing, and blooming all around Spark as larger stones seem to come to life and clamber over each other at his command, piling up to form walls and foundations. A forest of trees springs up in a heartbeat, with some of the mighty timbers willingly sacrificing themselves to further structure and detail the myriad buildings now rising to form the skyline of a small, rustic, but no less impressive port city overlooking the sea. Finally, a majestic castle forms atop the highest point of the newly formed and seeded island, crowning the the new city’s skyline against the stars. Satisfied, Spark lowers his hands to calm the waters, and walks back to his fair lady, a bridge of sea stone forming under his feet as he approached. The expression on Spark’s face clearly showed that he had become weary from his exertion, but stronger was his grin of a suitor’s triumph. Taking Ianite’s hand in his left, he flourishes a gesture with his right toward the newly formed (but admittedly empty) city sitting serenely atop the ocean’s surface. “Well, my lady…what do you think?” Ianite first covered her mouth to stifle her shock and earlier objections, then rested her hand over her heart, smiling in utter sincerity. “It’s perfect.” Spark glanced at his lady side-long over his green-rimmed shades, another glint of mischief in his eyes. “Almost perfect.” He raised his hand again, and pulled an immaculate marble statue of Ianite out of the earth right next to them, the statue overlooking the city with a serene and loving gaze. At last, satisfied, Spark quietly proclaims to his beloved: “Now it’s perfect.” Ianite, overwhelmed, embraces her beau and plants on his lips a grateful kiss, then looks back toward the city with all the expectant joy of a newly-wed bride being carried over the threshold of her new home. “We could build a kingdom here… far from the destructive wiles of my brothers, where people are free to love and enjoy life…” The goddess was so caught up in the moment that she fails to notice the slightly sorrowful tone in Spark’s voice as he agrees with her. “… to enjoy life… for as long as we live,” He tightens his part of the embrace. “… together.” ——————————————- [No wonder Ianite was won over when Spark had a city built for her, if this was true. Can’t expect it is, though.] [As an aside, I would love to see this ficsnip illustrated in comic form one day. I’d do the drawing myself, but IRL stuff won’t leave me alone long enough to do the scene in my head justice.] Thanks for indulging me, you happy lot. Glad to have gotten this out there and out of my head. Have fun, be safe, stay awesome, and love always.Out of 54 African Countries 11 are manufacturing some of the weapons that they use for their military and police “With 16 billion units of military ammunition produced every year, there are small arms and ammunition enough to shoot every man, woman and child on the planet twice.” It is estimated that 100 million small arms exist in Africa, especially around the Horn, including Somalia, Ethiopia, Southern Sudan, the violent belt of Central Africa and many areas of West Africa. Accurate figures are hard to obtain. Even Africa has its manufacturers and illicit sales. Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa and Zimbabwe all have manufacturing and distribution factories and illicit sales networks. AK-47s can be bought in some countries on the open market for as little as the price of a sack of flour or a chicken. In some countries like Sudan, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, guns are part of the culture, almost everyone carries a personal weapon. Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa, along with Nigeria and Ghana in the west, blame the proliferation on huge increases in violent crime 1. South Africa Developed out of the white apartheid regime desire to keep the South African Blacks under military repression, the South African arms industry is considered one of the most advanced in the non-Western world today, on par with fellow IBSA partners, India and Brazil. The wide-ranging locally-made weapons—some of which were categorized as crowd-control equipment—included transport and attack helicopters, armored personnel carriers, military trucks, internal security vehicles, assault rifles and hand guns. Although weapons production has slowed considerably since the official end of apartheid, Pieter Wezeman, senior researcher, Arms Transfers Program at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, says the South African arms industry has advanced in a few niche areas such as certain light armored vehicles and anti-tank missiles. The country’s weaponry and other military equipment are in high demand in many countries throughout the world, from the United States to China, and from Sweden to Zambia. 2. Ethiopia A report released by Agence France-Presse (AFP) confirms that Ethiopia is home to perhaps one of the most powerful armies in Africa. Though weapon production began in the 1800s under Emperor Tewondros, today, the country also has a pretty lucrative industry pertaining to weapon production. Ethiopia produces small arms, rifles and grenades propelled by rockets. According to the AFP report, Ethiopia has a defense budget of roughly $400 million dollars 3. Egypt According to an article composed by Joe Stork, the deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa division, Egypt has been producing its own arms since the 1820s. Their products included “warships, artillery, rifles, bombs and ammunition.” And, while the country did see a temporary decline in weapon production, Egypt’s arms production began to rise after the second World War. The government established ammunition and small arms companies, as well as aircraft factories. Today, Egypt is one of the top weapon producers on the continent of Africa. via Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) museum. 4. Ghana According to a 2013 essay entitled “History Of Locally Manufactured Weapons In Ghana History Essay,” Ghana has been producing weapons for hundreds of years. Pistols, shotguns and single-barrel guns are locally manufactured and “each of the 10 regions in Ghana houses gun-manufacturing workshops.” The Suame-Magazine area of Kumasi, located in the Ashanti region, is perhaps “one of the most established gun-manufacturing centers in Ghana.” 5. Kenya Established in 1997, the Kenya Ordnance Factories Corporation (KOFC), under the Ministry of State for Defense, is a corporation that manufactures small arms. In late 2012, South African company Osprea Logistics announced it was setting up a facility to assemble Mamba Mk 5 armored personnel carriers in Kenya, and aims to produce 100 in its first year of
to facilitate languages like Java and C++ that use them to enclose class names. They parallel parens and square brackets in size now. Q and lowercase Q are made more distinct. Lowercase Q gets a little more spunk. (This was a bit gratuitous.) Here’s a sample of Mensch in use in code: Doesn’t it look cool? Don’t you want it now? Here’s the link! mensch.ttfI’lll admit it. My kids (and I) have been completely spoiled by On Demand, DVR, Apple TV, etc. We know what we want to watch at all times, access it from somewhere, and stream it, often without commercials. Well occasionally, like during sports games, I want to watch something live! Now I honestly can’t remember a time when I watched a tv show during the day with my kids home, unless it was sports. Enter, the game day busy bags. This one is football themed, and has a sole purpose of keeping the kiddos busy while I’m watching football. It’s football-themed so that I can share my love of football with them, and hope that it will further reinforce just how much fun the sport is, and how we should all LOVE to watch it on tv…makes sense right? Download the printable below to make your own busy bag! Cut the football field out of your paper. Glue 10 jumbo popsicle sticks onto the back of the cutout in a row. Continuing gluing until the entire paper is covered. Once dry, cut each popsicle stick apart. That’s it! Assemble the puzzle, building a football field! Older children can count by 10’s to complete the field, whereas younger children might just be able to put the ‘touchdown’ sticks on the ends and everything else in between. Whatever way they choose to do it, it will keep them busy, engaged and learning…and loving football! Get your free printable download here! For more fun game day activities, check out these from Twitchetts!For over five decades, 75-year-old Mangidas of Bikaner’s Jaimalsar village struggled to get a misspelling of his name corrected in the land records.Mangidas died late last week, immediately after his son told him that authorities had finally complied. Relatives say the farmer was just 20 when his father, Nrisinghdas, passed away – leaving him 10 bighas of land in Nokha Daiya village and 40 bighas outside Jaimalsar. However, while the land was being transferred, somebody erroneously put his name down as Mangnidas. The addition of a single letter to Mangidas’ name resulted in a battle against red tape that lasted 55 years. “My father tried hard to get it corrected because he wasn’t recognised as a farmer in government records,” said Mangidas’s eldest son, Babudas. “He was even ineligible for the Kisan credit card because his name did not match the one mentioned on paper.” The name was finally corrected at a Nyay Aapke Dwar (justice at your doorstep) camp held at the Jaimalsar panchayat headquarters on May 21. “I completed the formalities for the correction and took my father’s thumb impression on an affidavit,” said Jankidas, his second son. “He couldn’t believe that his name was finally going to be corrected in the records. He seemed out of breath with excitement.” By the time he returned with the proof of the correction, Mangidas was no more. “He died of happiness,” said Jankidas. A revenue official at the camp said he wasn’t aware of previous efforts by Mangidas to get his name corrected because he was posted in the area only recently. “We carried out the correction as per the application. Unfortunately, he’s not around to see the rectification,” the official said. The Rajasthan government has been holding Nyay Aapke Dwar camps across the state to resolve long-pending revenue cases. First Published: May 25, 2016 22:14 ISTDec 14, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) walks with tackle Ryan Schraeder (73), guard Jon Asamoah (75), and tackle Jake Matthews (70) after a stalled drive in the first quarter of their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Georgia Dome. The Steelers won 27-20. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports The play of the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive line has been nothing short of abysmal the last two seasons, and has certainly contributed to the disastrous 10-22 record. A combination of poor player evaluation by the coaching staff, poor talent evaluation by the scouting department and player injuries have all been a factor in the unit’s incompetence. It all began with the 2012 draft where the Falcons drafted Peter Konz and Lamar Holmes with their first two picks. Both players were expected to fill in as future starters but both have been nothing but big disappointments. In 2013, the coaching staff felt these men were ready to start so parted with veterans Todd McClure and Tyson Clabo in the offseason. They also decided to re-sign the injurious Sam Baker who had a solid 2012 campaign but truthfully, that was the only solid season in his career. Finally, they felt like they had good competition with in-house youngsters for the starting RG position. However, it turned out the Falcons went 0/4 in key personnel decisions along the offensive line. The play of the 2013 Falcons’ offensive line is as poor as it gets, unable to be useful in the pass or run game. ALSO ON SPIN ZONE: What Was The Biggest Scandal In NFL History? The Falcons made a valiant effort to right the ship in 2014. They drafted Jake Matthews #6 overall and finally stabilised their RG position signing Jon Asamoah in free agency. The line wasn’t good even on paper but it was still a big step in the right direction. It was always going to be unrealistic to go from horrific to good in one offseason. Sam Baker was expected to start at LT and hopefully regain his 2012 form but a torn patellar tendon in preseason forced the Falcons’ hand and prompted the Jake Matthews LT era. As the 6th overall pick, anything less than a franchise LT would be considered unsatisfactory. Veteran Justin Blalock remained as the starting LG and has largely been the one stabilising presence on the offensive line over the years. After Joe Hawley was forced into action as the starting center in the second half of the 2013 season, he himself also added stability to the group and found himself as the favourite for the starting position heading into 2014 training camp. Asamoah was expected to slide in seamlessly at RG while Holmes was expected to show improvement at RT. So how did they do? Jake Matthews finished dead last in ProFootballFocus’ OT rankings. It is worth mentioning, though, that he played with injuries for much of the season and his week-by-week grades reflect that. From what I saw of Matthews, I fully believe he will be the franchise LT. After suffering an ankle sprain during the New Orleans thriller in week 1, he missed week 2 against Cincinnati. He returned to have solid games in weeks 3 and 4 but had his ankle rolled up on during the week 5 game against the Giants and seemingly badly aggravated his injury. He was clearly very hampered from here until he got some much needed recovery time during the bye (week 9) and that is reflected in the grades. It was this 4-week stretch representing the bulk of his negative grade. He performed much better after the bye until the end of the season. In the final game of the season he unfortunately suffered a Lisfranc fracture also, never getting close to 100% healthy. I don’t consider myself an optimist but from what I saw of Matthews, I fully believe he will be the franchise LT. Even outside of that 4-week stretch, he still graded negatively with a -0.7 average per game but for the first time ever I saw a Falcons LT that doesn’t consistently get overwhelmed on passing downs. I mentioned Baker having a solid 2012 season but you’d see him just barely hanging on or fighting for his life on them obvious passing downs. That was not the case with Matthews who was calm, composed and in control. Justin Blalock was as dependable as ever but he had started to incur injuries after being relatively healthy in his career. He also had a miserable season closer. Having turned 31, it was perhaps a wise decision the Falcons did end up parting ways because the 4 signs of decline were all there – Age, injury, performance drop, non-ideal scheme fit. Joe Hawley only lasted 4 games but the stability he provided was noticeable compared to his backups. How he recovers from his ACL tear will play an important part in the unit’s success for 2015. Jon Asamoah was a rock. It’s always tough to play as a lineman when a teammate on your shoulder isn’t doing so well but it didn’t seem to faze him. He will continue to be the best offensive lineman heading into 2015. Lamar Holmes looked a little better from the year prior but still had his struggles against Cameron Jordan and had a brutal game against the underrated Carlos Dunlap before losing his season to a foot injury after 4 games. The real intrigue at RT is the emergence of Ryan Schraeder, who played a lot better than Holmes and the first backup Gabe Carimi. In fact, he played well full stop. Charles Johnson gave him problems in both Carolina games but otherwise he did a nice job holding down everyone else. It’s always great when a young in-house player can lockdown a position for you and it’s what Falcons nation hopes for from Schraeder. Projected starting offensive line Jake Matthews-Chris Chester-Joe Hawley-Jon Asamoah-Ryan Schraeder Chris Chester is the new name here, having recently been signed after the Washington Redskins released him as they shift from a zone scheme towards a more gap blocking scheme. I wouldn’t call him a liability but don’t expect an Asamoah-like level of play. He should be OK, maybe a little below average. Hawley and Matthews need to return healthy and Schraeder needs to prove last year wasn’t a fluke. I don’t have the slightest of worries about Asamoah. If everyone can play up to their ability, this is a good group. They’re thin on talent so any injuries will be heartfelt. These men fit the zone blocking scheme well, and the emphasis on the run game coupled with play action and bootlegs helps out the pass protection. Just through scheme alone, the offensive line will be a lot more productive in terms of pressure given up. The real challenge will be how they can do on 3rd downs when the smoke and mirrors disappear. However, I see this as an offensive line capable of being in the 10-16th range rather than the 27-32nd range we’ve been seeing lately and that would be an outstanding achievement.Hello everyone, Another week has passed, this time around we’d like to give you an overview of what’s been happening across the whole of the project. Sponge Status To continue on from last week’s update, the API is still scheduled for a release in November. LexManos has also announced that he is starting to update Forge to 1.8, as soon as this is done, we will be able to work on implementing Sponge. The Sponge team appreciate your patience during this time, rest assured that our developers are hard at work designing and building our API in order to accommodate for the boundless creativity and passion of the Minecraft community. Forum Changes As many of you have no doubt noticed, we have changed the default forum page from the “Latest” view to the “Category” view after much community consultation. We have also properly ordered the Categories, on the basis of importance and relevance so that we may provide a cleaner and more elegant landing page. Rule Changes We’ve recently made some changes to our rules and guidelines by adding the following statements: Don’t advertise in any form on any Sponge system. This includes but is not limited to advertising your favorite server hosting company, the server you play on, some piece of software you use for fun, another game, or whatever. Some exceptions are made in Off-Topic sections and are solely at the discretion of moderation staff. Do not attempt to make a sale or sell anything on Sponge websites or systems. This includes but is not limited to plugins (mods or any variation of the term), art assets, services, or any work to be provided. If it comes to our attention that a plugin hosted by Sponge is being used as a promotion as a for-sale “lite” version, we reserve the right to remove the plugin listing. What constitutes as a for-sale “lite” version will be decided at the discretion of Sponge Staff. We aim to comply entirely with the Mojang EULA, to that end any plugins, services, posts and/or links suspected of violating the EULA may be removed at the discretion of the Sponge Staff or at the request of Mojang AB. In short, do not advertise and do not engage in monetary transactions on any Sponge system. However, advertisements may be allowed in a limited form, though only if specifically allowed by Sponge Staff. Paid Plugins/Services are entirely forbidden, whether for the purchase of a plugin or a service cost for that plugin, “Freemium” Plugins/Services (Those with a free base level and paid enhanced level) are also banned from any Sponge-hosted system. Donations are however still permitted, so long as the donation has no impact on the functionality of the Plugin or Service, suspected “Crippleware” will be removed. Furthermore, we will be engaging in complete compliance with the EULA, anything we suspect of violating the EULA can be removed by the Sponge Staff. As always, we reserve the right to change our rules and guidelines at any point at our discretion. You can read the Rules & Guidelines HERE. Donations Now, we’ve been getting a lot of offers of donations from many people throughout the community, however we don’t feel ready to accept them before we actually have something available for you to use. Rather, the best way to help us out is to donate to LexManos of Forge, it is through his efforts that we will have a platform to build on. You can donate to him at his Patreon or PayPal, remember that helping him out is helping us out. -Just don’t ping him if you in any way value your life.Gophers athletic director Norwood Teague and former Gophers and North Stars hockey player Lou Nanne, who is the chairman of the $190 million fundraising drive to upgrade the school’s athletic facilities, have refused to comment on the progress of the drive. But boosters must be contributing, because the Star Tribune has learned that ground will be broken this December on a $70 million football facility that will include not only a modern indoor practice facility but coaching offices and other amenities for the program. The new facility is expected to be located in an area behind the Bierman Building, and speculation is that the new outdoor track will be moved to somewhere in St. Paul. The current facility, the Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex, was built in 1985 for $5.5 million when Lou Holtz was coach. But the building simply can no longer serve the needs of the team. This winter and spring, Gophers kickers and punters have been unable to effectively practice because the 55-foot-high ceilings are too low to simulate kicks under game conditions. The current practice facility is 12,000 square feet and was recently renovated for $1 million. It includes a practice field, along with the football offices, training/treatment areas and student tutor centers. But compare it to the Nebraska practice facility, which is 81,200 square feet and features a full-length FieldTurf field identical to the Cornhuskers’ Memorial Stadium (and has two adjoining outdoor practice fields, one with FieldTurf and one with grass), and it demonstrates how badly the Gophers need a new practice facility to be competitive in the Big Ten. This $70 million complex will be just that and then some. The word is there will be a basketball practice facility built in the near future as well, with more facilities to be built as fundraising progresses. Dakich likes Gophers Dan Dakich, the former Indiana basketball player and coach who does color commentary for ESPN, worked the Gophers’ 81-73 NIT victory over Southern Mississippi on Tuesday and said he believes Minnesota keeps getting better. He thinks beating the Golden Eagles was a big win for a few reasons. “No. 1, I think Mo Walker keeps getting better,” said Dakich of the 6-10 junior, who had 12 points and nine rebounds against Southern Miss. “As you go to New York and you go on to next year, he’s going to be really big for Minnesota. Austin Hollins got out of here with a big performance and they beat a good team. “I thought [Austin Hollins] was the difference in the ballgame. When they were down and struggling, he came in and hit [six] threes and I think he gave everybody in the building a lot of confidence.” Austin’s big game How important has Austin Hollins’ offense been? Minnesota is 8-2 in games in which the senior guard has scored 15 or more points, with the losses coming against Arkansas and Michigan. Hollins scored a career-high 32 points against Southern Miss and moved up to 16th on the Gophers’ career scoring list. “I just was focused,” he said. “It was my last game in the Barn, the whole team was trying to get to New York and that’s our goal right now, to go win the NIT. That’s really what our focus was going into the game [Tuesday]. “Confidence really builds when you hit that first one and see it go through the net. You see that second one go through the net, the rim just gets bigger and bigger and your confidence is as high as it can be.” Hollins was asked how the Gophers bounced back to win three NIT games after losing to Wisconsin 83-57 in the Big Ten tournament. “Everybody was upset about that and you know, we just had to come back and work extremely hard,” he said. “That was a tough game for us, especially against our rival in a must-win game. We blew an opportunity, but we know that playing in the NIT is a great opportunity for us to not end on a bad note and for this program to move forward in the future.” This will be Hollins’ second opportunity to play in the NIT semifinals in Madison Square Garden, having gone to the finals in 2012 under Tubby Smith before losing 75-51 in the final to Stanford. “It’s a great experience going to New York and being able to see the big city,” he said. “I know my memory from the last NIT didn’t end too well, so we want to go out there and end our season on a win.” Jottings • An indication there is increased interest in Gophers football is that more than 1,300 coaches will attend the Minnesota Football Clinic held at the DoubleTree Hotel in St. Louis Park this weekend, the largest attendance ever for the clinic. Featured speakers include former Vikings and Ravens center Matt Birk and Gophers coach Jerry Kill, among others. • Kill is convinced the Gophers will face one of the toughest schedules in the country when they face Iowa, Ohio State, Nebraska and Wisconsin in the final four games of the 2014 season. • Peter Westerhaus was one of the Gophers’ prized recruits when the Holy Family linebacker/tight end and Minnesota’s Mr. Football for 2010 signed with Kill. Unfortunately, Westerhaus suffered a skull fracture after being hit by a boulder in a rockslide on a Grand Canyon hike in 2011 and also has had a debilitating illness. But recently, he had surgery and is recovering well. Even though Westerhaus had to leave the team, Kill remains in close contact with him. • The Gophers golf team took second at the Duck Invitational in Creswell, Ore., this week, with freshman Jose Mendez tying for first overall after shooting a 3-under-par 213 over three rounds. Mendez became the first Gophers medalist since Clayton Rask won the Windon Memorial Classic in 2007. … Some of the Gophers had a chance to play with Minnesota native Tom Lehman recently in Arizona. • Former Gophers basketball coach Jim Dutcher, talking about how Kentucky — victors over undefeated Wichita State in the NCAA tournament Sunday — have excelled in postseason play: “You’re mentioning one of the traditional great teams in Kentucky. Joe B. Hall won a national championship, Rick Pitino won a national championship, Tubby Smith won a national championship, John Calipari won a national championship, all at Kentucky. So they’ve changed the way they do things with the one-and-done [players], but certainly they have great basketball tradition.” The Wildcats also won four national titles under Adolph Rupp in 1948, ’49, ’51 and ’58. Sid Hartman can be heard weekdays on 830-AM at 7:40, 8:40 and 9:20 a.m. and on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. shartman@startribune.com'Possessed' child's doll terrifying Singapore after it was found blindfolded by the side of the road If ever you come across this doll, do not remove its blindfold... or else you could find it following you home. This creepy figurine is apparently keeping Singaporean children (and adults) awake at night after it was found resting against a tree by the side of a busy street. Wearing a stained silk and lace dress, the doll looks as if it has been accidentally left outside for the night. The creepy-looking figurine was apparently found resting against a tree by the side of a busy street in Singapore. But it has caused something of a stir online after pictures of it were posted to Reddit, along with a bizarre story about how it is supposedly 'possessed'. According to the post, the doll was found blindfolded with a cloth with the word 'bismillah', an Arabic phrase meaning 'in the name of God', written on it. The post includes claims that the doll has the ability to move on its own accord and can even be heard talking in a woman's voice. The post reads: 'Original owner found that the only way to get rid of it and make sure it won't come back is to cover its eyesight. The doll has caused something of a stir online after pictures of it were posted to Reddit, along with a bizarre story about how it is supposedly 'possessed' 'The curse is rumoured to have passed on to someone else who found it and untied the cloth unknowingly'. Reaction to the story on Reddit has ranged from the understandably cynical to those offering tips on how to destroy the doll. Getting rid of the doll might be a little trickier than it would first seem though, as according to the original poster, it has now gone missing.The public beta release of build.snapcraft.io is now open! build.snapcraft.io is an easy and free to use platform for publishing your software to the tens of millions of machines running Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, OpenSuSE, Arch, Gentoo, Yocto and others. whichever Operating System they’re running, the behaviour of your app is going to be the exact same… from installation to upgrade, irrespective of what versions of libraries are (or will be) installed on the computer, cloud instance, or IoT device. All it takes to get started is a few clicks and a simple config file added to your GitHub repo. Your application will start building on the snapcraft.io infrastructure automatically, across ARM32 and AMD64 architectures. With every new commit a build will be triggered. Once built, your application will be in held in the edge channel, meaning it’s available for you, your Continuous Integration System and any of your beta testers to test at will. When you think that your application is ready for wider distribution, with one single command you’ll promote it to being a stable build. This is where snaps come in handy as your users will automatically get the update. And because these updates are transactional, you will have the peace of mind in knowing what used to be a bad update now just means automatically rolling back to a known-good state. André Bação, who recently snapped Packer using build.snapcraft.io, commented about his experience: “If you are building your snaps with complicated systems, having to stop working while your app is “snapped”, stop what you are doing and see build.snapcraft.io. Ubuntu has made it as easy as 1, 2, 3. You just need to link your Github account, select your repo that contains your snapcraft.yaml and give it a name. And it’s done. Made a change in your snap? Update your GitHub and the build and release will be triggered automatically. It seems that Ubuntu is on the right path with this one.” You can check out his Github repo (spoiler alert… it’s super simple). Join the hundreds of developers who have already published their apps. Get started now at build.snapcraft.io.'Spare Me the Dumb Rhetoric': Tucker Battles Man Who Said Trump More Dangerous Than MS-13 Lawrence Jones said the political correctness movement on college campuses has spread to elementary schools where the kids are too young to know what to do. Columbia University's teachers' college held a conference on "whiteness" and "deconstructing racial microaggressions" in schools for K-12 teachers and principals. "Can we just let the kids be kids?" Jones told "Fox & Friends" on Sunday. "Can we just allow them to communicate? I think they're creating a problem with kids that are innocent and they interact differently than the older generation." Jones explained that he believes racism is limited to a small group of people. "Those people are just going to have to die off." He added that he doesn't believe in white privilege because it teaches a generation that they are inferior to white people because the latter have it easier. Jones said that the younger generation has unity, even in settings like a Black Lives Matter march, which includes a lot of white marchers. "Leave this race-baiting to the adults. Allow the kids to be kids," Jones said. 'Kids Killing Kids': Parents of Teen Girl Killed by MS-13 Speak Out 9-Year-Old Gets Answer to His Letter to Trump Conway Slams Discredited Russian Dossier: 'La Load Du Junk'More often than not, someone coins a phrase or posts a photo on Twitter that gets adopted by the masses and evolves into a trending conversation. This most recently occurred following the attacks on the Paris newspaper Charlie Hebdo, when graphic designer Joachim Roncin plastered the words “Je Suis Charlie” across a black background and shared an image that soon became a rally cry for free expression. Now, Roncin is trying to gain legal protection over the phrase to protect its original meaning and purpose. According to Agence France-Presse, the French patent office turned down 120 applications to take ownership of “Je Suis Charlie” for commercial purposes. “At the moment I’m working with lawyers to fight this as much as possible, to ensure that objects derived from this slogan only serve the purpose of furthering freedom of expression,” said Roncin. When it comes to rights over ideas and content shared on a social network, the rules are still being written. And, as The Atlantic points out, commercializing tragedy in the age of social media has become a murky practice. Trademark attorney Sharon Daboul told The Atlantic that those involved in such tragedies are forced to “think about registering the marks themselves simply in order to get there first and prevent third parties exploiting such incidents for their own benefit.” To date, #JeSuisCharlie has been tweeted 5.3 million times. Beyond Twitter’s sphere, the phrase has been used in marches around the world, and has spawned similar conversations including “Je Suis Juif” (“I am Jewish”). Whether you are Rosin or one of the many who has tried to repurpose the phrase, the enormity of its use makes it all the more difficult for someone to claim ownership over the idiom.Added Mir video target (thanks, Brandon!). 11.1 --- /dev/null Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000 11.2 +++ b/src/video/mir/SDL_mirevents.h Sun Feb 02 23:41:46 2014 -0500 11.3 @@ -0,0 +1,36 @@ 11.4 +/* 11.5 + Simple DirectMedia Layer 11.6 + Copyright (C) 1997-2013 Sam Lantinga 11.7 + 11.8 + This software is provided 'as-is', without any express or implied 11.9 + warranty. In no event will the authors be held liable for any damages 11.10 + arising from the use of this software. 11.11 + 11.12 + Permission is granted to anyone to use this software for any purpose, 11.13 + including commercial applications, and to alter it and redistribute it 11.14 + freely, subject to the following restrictions: 11.15 + 11.16 + 1. The origin of this software must not be misrepresented; you must not 11.17 + claim that you wrote the original software. If you use this software 11.18 + in a product, an acknowledgment in the product documentation would be 11.19 + appreciated but is not required. 11.20 + 2. Altered source versions must be plainly marked as such, and must not be 11.21 + misrepresented as being the original software. 11.22 + 3. This notice may not be removed or altered from any source distribution. 11.23 +/ 11.24 + 11.25 +/ 11.26 + Contributed by Brandon Schaefer, 11.27 +/ 11.28 + 11.29 +#include "SDL_config.h" 11.30 + 11.31 +#ifndef _SDL_mirevents_h 11.32 +#define _SDL_mirevents_h 11.33 + 11.34 +#include 11.35 + 11.36 +extern void 11.37 +MIR_HandleInput(MirSurface surface, MirEvent const* ev, void* context); 11.38 + 11.39 +#endif /* _SDL_mirevents_h / 13.1 --- /dev/null Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000 13.2 +++ b/src/video/mir/SDL_mirframebuffer.h Sun Feb 02 23:41:46 2014 -0500 13.3 @@ -0,0 +1,46 @@ 13.4 +/ 13.5 + Simple DirectMedia Layer 13.6 + Copyright (C) 1997-2013 Sam Lantinga 13.7 + 13.8 + This software is provided 'as-is', without any express or implied 13.9 + warranty. In no event will the authors be held liable for any damages 13.10 + arising from the use of this software. 13.11 + 13.12 + Permission is granted to anyone to use this software for any purpose, 13.13 + including commercial applications, and to alter it and redistribute it 13.14 + freely, subject to the following restrictions: 13.15 + 13.16 + 1. The origin of this software must not be misrepresented; you must not 13.17 + claim that you wrote the original software. If you use this software 13.18 + in a product, an acknowledgment in the product documentation would be 13.19 + appreciated but is not required. 13.20 + 2. Altered source versions must be plainly marked as such, and must not be 13.21 + misrepresented as being the original software. 13.22 + 3. This notice may not be removed or altered from any source distribution. 13.23 +/ 13.24 + 13.25 +/ 13.26 + Contributed by Brandon Schaefer, 13.27 +/ 13.28 + 13.29 +#include "SDL_config.h" 13.30 + 13.31 +#ifndef _SDL_mirframebuffer_h 13.32 +#define _SDL_mirframebuffer_h 13.33 + 13.34 +#include "../SDL_sysvideo.h" 13.35 + 13.36 +#include "SDL_mirvideo.h" 13.37 + 13.38 +extern int 13.39 +MIR_CreateWindowFramebuffer(_THIS, SDL_Window sdl_window, Uint32* format, 13.40 + void** pixels, int* pitch); 13.41 + 13.42 +extern int 13.43 +MIR_UpdateWindowFramebuffer(_THIS, SDL_Window* sdl_window, 13.44 + const SDL_Rect* rects, int numrects); 13.45 + 13.46 +extern void 13.47 +MIR_DestroyWindowFramebuffer(_THIS, SDL_Window* sdl_window); 13.48 + 13.49 +#endif /* _SDL_mirframebuffer_h / 15.1 --- /dev/null Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000 15.2 +++ b/src/video/mir/SDL_mirmouse.h Sun Feb 02 23:41:46 2014 -0500 15.3 @@ -0,0 +1,37 @@ 15.4 +/ 15.5 + Simple DirectMedia Layer 15.6 + Copyright (C) 1997-2013 Sam Lantinga 15.7 + 15.8 + This software is provided 'as-is', without any express or implied 15.9 + warranty. In no event will the authors be held liable for any damages 15.10 + arising from the use of this software. 15.11 + 15.12 + Permission is granted to anyone to use this software for any purpose, 15.13 + including commercial applications, and to alter it and redistribute it 15.14 + freely, subject to the following restrictions: 15.15 + 15.16 + 1. The origin of this software must not be misrepresented; you must not 15.17 + claim that you wrote the original software. If you use this software 15.18 + in a product, an acknowledgment in the product documentation would be 15.19 + appreciated but is not required. 15.20 + 2. Altered source versions must be plainly marked as such, and must not be 15.21 + misrepresented as being the original software. 15.22 + 3. This notice may not be removed or altered from any source distribution. 15.23 +/ 15.24 + 15.25 +/ 15.26 + Contributed by Brandon Schaefer, 15.27 +/ 15.28 + 15.29 +#include "SDL_config.h" 15.30 + 15.31 +#ifndef _SDL_mirmouse_h 15.32 +#define _SDL_mirmouse_h 15.33 + 15.34 +extern void 15.35 +MIR_InitMouse(); 15.36 + 15.37 +extern void 15.38 +MIR_FiniMouse(); 15.39 + 15.40 +#endif / _SDL_mirmouse_h / 17.1 --- /dev/null Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000 17.2 +++ b/src/video/mir/SDL_miropengl.h Sun Feb 02 23:41:46 2014 -0500 17.3 @@ -0,0 +1,57 @@ 17.4 +/ 17.5 + Simple DirectMedia Layer 17.6 + Copyright (C) 1997-2013 Sam Lantinga 17.7 + 17.8 + This software is provided 'as-is', without any express or implied 17.9 + warranty. In no event will the authors be held liable for any damages 17.10 + arising from the use of this software. 17.11 + 17.12 + Permission is granted to anyone to use this software for any purpose, 17.13 + including commercial applications, and to alter it and redistribute it 17.14 + freely, subject to the following restrictions: 17.15 + 17.16 + 1. The origin of this software must not be misrepresented; you must not 17.17 + claim that you wrote the original software. If you use this software 17.18 + in a product, an acknowledgment in the product documentation would be 17.19 + appreciated but is not required. 17.20 + 2. Altered source versions must be plainly marked as such, and must not be 17.21 + misrepresented as being the original software. 17.22 + 3. This notice may not be removed or altered from any source distribution. 17.23 +/ 17.24 + 17.25 +/ 17.26 + Contributed by Brandon Schaefer, 17.27 +/ 17.28 + 17.29 +#include "SDL_config.h" 17.30 + 17.31 +#ifndef _SDL_miropengl_h 17.32 +#define _SDL_miropengl_h 17.33 + 17.34 +#include "SDL_mirwindow.h" 17.35 + 17.36 +#include "../SDL_egl_c.h" 17.37 + 17.38 +#define MIR_GL_DeleteContext SDL_EGL_DeleteContext 17.39 +#define MIR_GL_GetSwapInterval SDL_EGL_GetSwapInterval 17.40 +#define MIR_GL_SetSwapInterval SDL_EGL_SetSwapInterval 17.41 + 17.42 +extern void 17.43 +MIR_GL_SwapWindow(_THIS, SDL_Window window); 17.44 + 17.45 +extern int 17.46 +MIR_GL_MakeCurrent(_THIS, SDL_Window* window, SDL_GLContext context); 17.47 + 17.48 +extern SDL_GLContext 17.49 +MIR_GL_CreateContext(_THIS, SDL_Window* window); 17.50 + 17.51 +extern int 17.52 +MIR_GL_LoadLibrary(_THIS, const char* path);
279 Grand between Roebling and Havemeyer, but that was a righteous neon sign installed decades ago. Southside Guitars, 303 Grand Street. When owners (and brothers) Sam and Ben Taylor were fixing up this Williamsburg space for Southside Guitars, they uncovered a stash of stale drugs in a crawlspace and a rusted police revolver buried in the backyard. These discoveries lent the place nearly as much rock-and-roll cred as the storied instruments inside. NY Magazine Original City Reliquary window, NW corner Havemeyer and Grand Streets. I’ve known about the City Reliquary for over 10 years since it was founded by firefighter Dave Herman — it’s a true museum in every sense of the word, showcasing NYC memorabilia and kitsch from several decades here and in its storefront location around the corner at 370 Metropolitan Avenue. State of Liberty postcards, terracotta fragments of landmark buildings, subway tokens, geological core samples, paint chips from the L train, and a “very old shovel” each tell their own story of New York City’s past. Rotating exhibitions of community collections can be seen in the storefront window: giant pencils, copper jelly molds, pulleys, and flashlights – each celebrate the community of New York’s present. City Reliquary In the summer of 2010, FNY was proud to curate a look at NYC lamppost history at the Reliquary with NYC’s King of Lampposts Bob Mulero, who owns hundreds of photos of NYC light poles, which turns your webmaster several shades of green. PART 2: east of the BQE In Williamsburg, Grand Street is effectively cut in two by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, though a piece of it runs west from Union Avenue to Marcy Avenue, crossing the BQE. It was cut through in the early 20th century as the Grand Street extension, but in a nod to the Puerto Rican population in south Willie, it was renamed Borinquen Place in the mid-1970s. This tiny inscription between the second and third floors of a brick building at Grand and Borinquen reveals the date of construction. Secrets like this reveal themselves, the more thorough you are about regarding them. In the New Willie, when you see an old-fashioned-looking sign, you’re never sure if the shopkeeper is presenting it as a clever hommage, or an ironic dig. But sometimes you’re looking at the real McCoy. That’s what this awning sign (CHAS. MAULTASCH) on 535 Grand Street east of Union Avenue is. The indispensible ad sleuth Walter Grutchfield: Charles Maultasch (1883-1938) ran a dry goods store at this location from 1920 until his death in 1938. Maultasch was an immigrant from Galicia/Austria who registered for the World War I draft in 1918 when he was 35 years old and self-employed at his dry goods store at 535 Grand St., Brooklyn. In his application for naturalization filed in 1906 Maultasch stated that he was born 19 Nov. 1883 and that he had lived in New York City since July 1901. This document is hand written and not easy to read, but his address at that time seems to be 191 Attorney St., Manhattan. The New York City telephone directory listed Maultasch in business at 205 Grand St., Brooklyn, from 1918 to 1920. Then in 1921 the address changed to 535 Grand St. In the 1920 U. S. Census Maultasch lived at 535 Grand St. His family included his wife, Anna, and three children, Diana, age 5, Milton, 3, and Ruth, 1 year and 5 months. In the 1930 census Maultasch still lived at 535 Grand St. His family now included a third daughter, Bernice, age 9. In July, 1938, the New York Times reported that Maultasch’s estate had been appraised at $12,679 gross assets. Primarily this consisted of real estate appraised at $11,000. Following Charles Maultasch’s death in 1938, the business at 535 Grand St. was continued by his son, Milton Maultasch (1916-1994), until 1976. Sing Hing Chinese Restaurant, SW corner Lorimer and Grand Streets. Nice combination of plastic letters and handlettering. Do Chinese restaurant names actually mean anything, or are restaurants with names like FOOK HING do that with a wink? East of Union Avenue on Grand, we’re out of the artistic Willie and more into the everyday humdrum get-on-with-it Willie, and you begin to see some unironic or unartistic handcrafted signage, like this one at 582 Union. This was probably lattered with a ruler and a T-Square several decades ago. Before vinyl awning signs became so ubiquitous and after wooden signs fell out of vogue, signmakers worked mostly in neon and its cheaper alternative, plastic, as in plastic letters affixed to metal or plastic backgrounds. Sometimes on ‘shingle’ signs extending over the sidewalk, a plastic shell illuminated by lightbulbs would be employed. Late and lamented: on a walk down Grand Street in 1999 I found this neon sign for a typewriter repair shop. This site is currently a Papa John’s which approximates pizza. Handlettered (with serifs!) sign for pediatrician Dr. Diogenes Antipas Almonte at #608. His name is interesting and combines two religious traditions. Diogenes of Sinope was the famed Greek philosopher (412-323 BC) who slept in a large jar and carried around a lamp, saying he was looking for an honest man, while Antipas was an early Christian saint, while less pleasantly, a nickname of Herod, provisional ruler of Galilee under the Romans in the time of Christ. Hand-drawn art combined with an aerial view of Williamsburg for Affinity Cycles, 616 Grand. This is truly a one of a kind awning sign. Wombat at #615 Grand near Leonard is one of the few Australian restaurants in the NY area, if you don’t count the Outback chain places. But wombat or kangaroo is not on the menu. Creeping toward Bushwick from the saturated Williamsburg dining scene, Wombat also set up shop beyond an established thoroughfare. Statelman’s latest effort — he is coming off of a seven-year stretch at Smith Street’s Patois — is an “Aussie-style” menu that highlights Australian cheese, wine and spices (he gets the herbs from importer Vic Cherikoff, an authority on Australian native flavors). Ingredients like lemon myrtle, bush tomatoes and wattleseed elevate even Wombat’s most ostensibly familiar fare. The chicken panini, for example, is topped with bush tomato mayonnaise and Australian cheddar, imparting a distinct Australian slant on the common sandwich. Statelman plays with the evolution of the country’s culinary hallmarks, as when he brings in game meat for his Soy-Cured Venison Medallions served with a Sriracha buckwheat fritter, or reinterprets the iconic pie “floater” — his uses a flaky poached chicken Wellington in place of the traditional meat pie. The growing presence of Australian cuisine might well represent a larger shift in New York dining trends — one that reflects a departure from the precious, elegantly crafted plates of the last decade in favor of a hearty, deeply satisfying meal. For Brooklyn diners, that’s a meaty prospect to be sure. Say what? If you want to speak like a local and navigate the latest wave of Australian menus, take this crash course in Aussie food lingo: Adam’s ale: Water. Bottle-o: A liquor store, also referred to as a bottle shop. Bum-nuts: Eggs. Bush tomato: Also called desert raisins, these small native berries are often dried and ground to impart a tangy tomato flavor to a range of foods. Floater: An Australian meat pie served in pea soup and drizzled with tomato sauce. Commonly thought of as a “drinking food.” Lemon myrtle: A common bush food prized for its lemon-flavored leaves, they impart a citrus flavor to milk-based dishes that might curdle with the use of actual lemons. Milk bar: The Australian equivalent of a bodega. Plonk: Cheap wine. Rumored to be descended from a heinous mispronunciation of the word “blanc.” Pot, schooner and pint: Three sizes of draft beer (10 oz., 15 oz., and 20 oz. respectively). Tinny: A can of beer. Tucker: General term for food, though more directly references “bush tucker,” another name for Australian native food. Wattleseed: A variety of the Acacia seed with qualities akin to coffee. Wattleseeds are often roasted and ground for use in a variety of foods. Brooklyn Paper Sunday Love, a thrift shop at #624, combines clip art and Courier Bold, as well as aqua and orange (Miami Dolphins fans perhaps?) on its appealing awning sign. At #636, the Porto Rico Importing Company, dealing in caffeinated comestibles, is not a misspelling: this branch of the Greenwich Village Bleecker Street location used the former spelling of the Caribbean commonwealth. At #648 the Bird Shop employs yellow and red, a color combination usually found on Latino food shops. The font used for the shop name is an unusual yet welcome one: Hobo, a venerable face designed by Morris Fuller Benton as long ago as 1910. Benton also is responsible for Franklin, the font I use on my FNY title cards. The Bonilla Brothers chose a variant on Gill Sans on their black, white, gren and red sign at #664. Here’s an ancient painted ad on the north side of Grand that has mostly held up for the greater part of a century. I can’t make out the first three lines, but two names, M. Raymond and H.J. Woronov, stand out, I’m reminded of Mary Woronov, who debuted in Andy Warhol’s retinue and went on to make dozens of nonmainstream pictures, including Rock & Roll High School and Eating Raoul. Latin cuisine Los Primos, at #704, employs what looks like a colored terra cotta awning sign. I had to look at it for a few minutes to figure out it said “Primos.” I also noticed a very ancient doorway adjacent to it… Another classic red, white and blue sign at #765. between Graham and Humboldt. A smaller neon sign featuring a wire hanger is in the window. Joan Crawford would not have approved. On the NE corner of Grand and Humboldt is a much-busier sign, also in red, white and blue. There’s a lot of fonts going on too — on signs designers should usually stick to two at most. On the corner, the shopkeeper has the advantage of being able to use two signs. It took about 60 years for vinyl LPs sto take over from hard lacquer 78s, and then another 30-35 or so for CDs to take over from LPs, with a strong challenge from 8-tracks and cassettes in the 1970s. MP3s, which don’t require a cover or artwork at all, became widespread beginning around 2001 with the advent of Apple’s ITunes and in only about 12 years, seem primed to wipe out CDs. But until then the Shiree, near Bushwick Avenue, with its handmade stenciled awning sign and display window full of vinyl and discs will survive. This classic maroon and beige delicatessen sign, at #855 between Bushwick and Waterbury, is so nice I’m showing it thrice. Someone should revive this style of signcraft, classic in every way. This sign on the corner of Waterbury uses the somewhat unusual Belwe font (designed by German typographer Georg Belwe in 1907), but my eagle eyes noticed a historic sign commemorating a longtime area resident. A chiseled sign at #968-978 leaves no doubt about the original purpose of this brick building. Finally, on the easternmost end of Grand Street in Brooklyn, at Gardner Avenue near the ancient Grand Street Bridge, is Charles J. King Iron and Steel Scrap. The black and white signs seemed newly repainted on the building when I encounterd them. 1/13/13STOCKHOLM — Sweden raised the security alert for the country’s nuclear power plants Thursday after explosives were found on a truck at the southwestern atomic power station Ringhals. Police said they were investigating possible sabotage. Police said bomb sniffer dogs detected the explosives during a routine check Wednesday afternoon by security staff at an industrial area within the power plant’s enclosure. Police declined to describe the amount or type of explosive material. Four reactors are at Ringhals, 70 kilometers (45 miles) south of Sweden’s second-largest city, Goteborg. The plant is controlled by energy companies Vattenfall and E.ON. Bomb technicians said the material lacked an ignition device, meaning there was no danger of an explosion. Police spokesman Tommy Nyman said officers were investigating possible sabotage but had no suspects. He said the driver of the truck had been unaware of the explosives and was not suspected of being involved. “An outsider has obviously placed them on the truck,” Nyman said. “We’re talking to the truck driver and are trying to map out her movements within the premises throughout the day.” The area surrounding the truck has been evacuated and cordoned off. Ringhals officials said that an explosion on the truck would not have caused “any serious damage” to the site. Sweden has 10 nuclear reactors providing about half of the country’s electricity.I bet you think that necromancy is the evil school of magic. Well it is, no arguments here. It isn’t the only one though. It was during my stint as a Pathfinder evocation wizard that I learned the evils of the enchantment school. We’d been tasked with defending this dwarf hold from a band of marauding stone giants. They’d been raiding the breweries and pillaging gem mines, and it was our task to find the dickbag of a stone giant chieftain causing all the ruckus and cut him down to size. So there we are, hacking apart the big lugs pretty as you please. It gets to the last one and I shout to our fighter to take him alive. She obliges, and we’re left with a pile of oversize corpses + one concussed giant. I do my thing, the cleric heals the giant, and we suddenly have a cooperative prisoner. He’s only too happy to take us back to the hideout. He’d be more than happy to introduce us to his boss. Now my wizard happened to be of the chaotic good persuasion, so I did my best to actually befriend our new companion. As we travel overland into the Mindspin Mountains I learn that my mind-whammied buddy has ambitions and a backstory. He’s got hopes and dreams. The DM tells me his freaking name, and now I’m invested. So when we go through the inevitable dungeon, slaughter half the tribe, and it finally comes time to turn my new pal loose, I was feeling all happy on his behalf. “Looks like your tribe needs a new chieftain,” I say. “Why don’t you take the job?” Then I hold out my hand to shake on it, dropping the spell as I do. “No hard feelings, right?” The giant looks at me like tragedy incarnate. “I… I am a kinslayer,” he says. Then he just hangs his head and cries. That’s the day my wizard swore off the enchantment school. What about the rest of you guys? Any tales of mind control gone wrong? Let’s hear it in the comments!A new CryptoWall attack wave has hit end-users with phishing emails containing malicious.chm attachments that infect networks with the latest and most sophisticated file-encrypting ransomware. The latest wrinkle is that the fake "incoming fax report" email looks to the user to come from a machine in their own domain. CryptoWall 3.0 is the most recent version of the original Cryptolocker, which arrived on the scene in September 2013 and made 27 Million dollars in ransom over the first few months. This file-encrypting ransomware social engineers end-users by masking its malicious payload as an innocent attachment. Once the user opens it, the payload encrypts the files of all mapped drives and demands about $500 in ransom to be paid in Bitcoin. The current attack uses a new attachment: help files with the.CHM extension. Bitdefender Labs discovered the attack late February 2015 It is targeting users from around the world, including the US, the UK, several European countries and Australia. The servers that send the attack are compromised machines distributed over Asia, India, Europe, Australia, US, Romania and Spain. “Interestingly, in this instance, hackers have resorted to a less fashionable yet highly effective trick to automatically execute malware on a victim’s machine and encrypt its contents – malicious.chm attachments,” states Catalin Cosoi, Chief Security Strategist at Bitdefender. Catalin Cosoi adds, “Chm is an extension for the Compiled HTML file format, a type of file used to deliver user manuals along with software applications. These CHM files are highly interactive and run a series of technologies including JavaScript, which can redirect a user toward an external URL after simply opening the CHM. Attackers began exploiting CHM files to automatically run malicious payloads once the file is accessed. It makes perfect sense: the less user interaction, the greater the chances of infection.” HTML files are compressed and delivered as a binary file with the.chm extension. This format is made of compressed HTML documents, images and JavaScript files, along with a hyperlinked table of contents, an index and full text searching. We recommend to add.chm files to the list of potentially malicous extensions in your spam filters if it is not in there already, and to step your end-users through Kevin Mitnick Security Awareness Training so that they do not fall for social engineering attacks like this. Find out how affordable this is for your organization today. Hat Tip to Net-SecurityWINSTON-SALEM, N.C., May 13 (Reuters) - “American Idol” runner-up Clay Aiken won the Democratic nomination for a U.S. congressional seat in North Carolina on Tuesday, a day after his main challenger died from a fall, official results showed. Aiken, 35, earned the party’s nod in the 2nd congressional district by just 390 votes over opponent Keith Crisco, according to a final ballot count from the May 6 primary. Crisco, a former North Carolina commerce secretary, did not immediately concede the election last week, saying the race was too close to call. The contest took an unexpected turn on Monday, when Crisco, 71, died after a fall at his home in Asheboro. Friends told local media he had planned to concede on Tuesday. The official tally of votes reported by the nine counties in the district showed Aiken with 40.86 percent and Crisco with 39.49 percent, enough to avoid both a recount and runoff had Crisco lived. Third-place finisher Toni Morris took 19.65 percent of the vote. After news of Crisco’s death, Aiken said would temporarily halt campaign activities. Aiken’s 2003 “Idol” appearance launched a successful singing career, but he took a break from performing to run for Congress in his home state. He will face Republican incumbent U.S. Representative Renee Ellmers in November. (Reporting by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Nick Zieminski)The entrance of the carpark in the Upton residential building in Hong Kong where a parking space has been sold for an eye-watering HK$5.18 million ($664,200) Its property prices are famously sky-high but now a Hong Kong parking space has been sold for an eye-watering HK$5.18 million ($664,200) in what local reports said was a world record. The space is on the first floor at a luxury apartment complex near the harbourfront in the west of Hong Kong Island, according to records from the city's Land Registry. Measuring 188 square feet (17.5 square metres), it was bought by Kwan Wai-ming, an executive director at an investment firm, said the South China Morning Post which called the sale a world record. It tops the HK$4.8 million paid for a parking space last October at another luxury residential complex. The sale comes a month after a Hong Kong tycoon paid US$3 billion for a prime commercial lot in the Central business and shopping district, in another record for the city where property prices have become a political issue. Small businesses are being forced to close due to spiralling rents and many residents cannot afford to buy or rent decent homes, despite a series of measures by the government aimed at cooling runaway prices. Commercial and residential property prices have been fuelled by an influx of money from wealthy mainland Chinese investors and developers. Critics also accuse the government of having cosy ties with developers, rather than prioritising the construction of more reasonable public housing.A campaign which urges people not to discriminate against men has come under fire on social media. The #DontMancriminate posters, launched by Indian lifestyle website Maggcom, has seemingly jumped on the back of'menimism' - a controversial movement that opposes feminism. The hashtag #menimist caused outrage on Twitter, prompting a flood of angry tweets, and the latest claims are experiencing a similar backlash. Scroll down for video Indian lifestyle website Maggcom has created the Don't Mancriminate campaign calling for an end to discrimination against men The posters feature several well known celebrity male faces along with reasons why we need to stop discriminating against men. For example in one poster, Maggcom claims that men get a duff deal when it comes to sex: 'Let's talk sex. If I want sex, I am desperate. If you want sex it's sexually liberated. If we want sex, then it has to be on your terms?' Another poster claims that women should stop expecting chivalrous gestures from men if they want gender equity: 'You want gender equality? Take it. I don't have to hold the door. I don't have to hold the bags. I don't have to give my seat.' The latest strain of'manism' has seen hundreds of users take to Twitter to share their outrage These controversial claims are splashed across celebrity faces, including Shiloh Fernandez, Elijah Wood and Jude Law, none of whom are known to openly support the campaign. To accompany the posters, Maggcom also provided a short explanation on its website. It says: 'Manism. This is to remind us of the forgotten gender, who, regardless of the situation, are expected to be such gentlemen. When women talk about being put on the same pedestal as men, simultaneously there is an unsaid expectation of chivalry out of them. Many took to Twitter to express their outrage. Helga Sigurðardóttir referenced a term used to describe the patronising way a man explains something to a woman, tweeting: Mansplaining just reached a whole new level #dontmancriminate Amy joined the conversation by tweeting: I was having a good giggle at #dontmancriminate until I realised these people were legit Thaewen Lannister: #DontMancriminate says it's about gender equality while calling women a "pair of boobs" 'It is time we realise that they deserve a break from being all heroic and they too suffer a different level of harassment - out of innocence or otherwise. 'Gender inequality bugs them as much as it bugs women. So, here’s to all the men, who have been the victims of a society that tends to forget the struggles of males.' Following its release, hundreds of people have taken to Twitter to express their outrage or at times utter confusion over the campaign. Aysha wrote: 'Literally no one is stopping you from wearing heels and makeup, except your fragile sense of masculinity' Hanna Jameson suggested they could have come up with a better name: 'That they didn't think of the painfully obvious "Don't DiscriMANate" sums up the levels of stupid we're dealing with here' Several users decided to picks holes, with some claiming that the accusations in the posters were not enforced by women. Aysha wrote: 'Literally no one is stopping you from wearing heels and makeup, except your fragile sense of masculinity.' While Hanna Jameson pointed out that they could have come up with a better name: 'That they didn't think of the painfully obvious "Don't DiscriMANate" sums up the levels of stupid we're dealing with here.' Other users were so baffled by the campaign they questioned whether or not it had all just been a joke. Pernille Stensli tweeted: 'I truly hope #dontmancriminate is some sort of joke.' Amy added: 'I was having a good giggle at #dontmancriminate until I realised these people were legit.' Pernille Stensli was sure the campaign had to be a wind up, tweeting: 'I truly hope #dontmancriminate is some sort of joke' 翔太お尻 tweeted this rather tongue in cheek response: 'Why is there a song called ''Pretty Girls'' but there isn't a song called "Pretty Boys''??? #dontmancriminate' Lyndsay Kirkham ridiculed the differences between the oppression described in the posters and that experienced in real life: 'Not Real Oppression: Free drinks, Free Entry, "Sympathy" Real Oppression: Wage Gap, Rape Culture, Sexism #dontmancriminate'Last month, an anonymous US official stirred a tempest in a teapot when he called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “a chickenshit” in comments to the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg. The insinuation was that while Netanyahu will happily rile up his right-wing base on issues related to Palestine or Iran, he lacks the political courage to take meaningful steps to resolve either conflict. State Department officials scurried to disavow themselves of the remark. But the incident revealed an increasingly common conclusion in Washington: Netanyahu’s foot-dragging on Middle East peace is not only frustrating for the United States it’s dangerous. Once a taboo subject in Washington, the value of the U.S.-Israeli alliance has increasingly come under scrutiny among even leading members of the foreign policy establishment. As Anthony Cordesman a Mideast expert at the center-right Center for Strategic and International Studies observed, “It is time Israel realized that it has obligations to the United States, as well as the United States to Israel, and that it become far more careful about the extent to which it test the limits of US patience and exploits the support of American Jews.” General David Petraeus, back when he was the head of the US Central Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “foments anti-American sentiment, due to a perception of US favoritism for Israel.” Even President Obama has listed the conflict as a factor in US wars in the Middle East that are “costing us significantly in terms of both blood and treasure.” These comments by leading American figures were made four years ago well before the Obama administration had had its biggest dustups with Netanyahu’s government. Two Gaza wars and another round of failed peace talks later, nothing has changed except Israel’s increasing willingness to flout international law as it did in its massive assault on Gaza earlier this year, which killed some 1,500 civilians. Now, even US Secretary of State John Kerry a pro-Israel stalwart admits, to the chagrin of Israeli officials, that the lack of progress in peace negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians is feeding support for the Islamic State. “There wasn’t a leader I met with in the region,” Kerry said of his efforts to cobble together an anti-Islamic State coalition, “who didn’t raise with me spontaneously the need to try to get peace between Israel and the Palestinians, because it was a cause of recruitment and of street anger and agitation.” One would think that such complaints from a key ally and patron would elicit some soul-searching in the Israeli government. Yet instead of charting a new course in his speech at the United Nations last September, Netanyahu fell back on an old, lazy recipe of demonization, equating Hamas with the Islamic State and the Islamic State with Iran. And he continued oft-used delaying tactics, inviting the current coalition of Arab countries fighting the Islamic State to draft a new peace proposal for Israel and the Palestinians despite his longstanding rejection of the Arab Peace Initiative drafted over 10 years ago by many of those same countries. Officials in the Obama administration were reportedly “unconvinced” that Netanyahu’s proposal was sincere, given his lack of interest in direct talks with the Palestinians themselves. In addition, just days before an October meeting with President Obama, Israel announced plans to construct 2,610 new housing units in East Jerusalem in violation of existing agreements. In a rare public rebuke, Obama spokesman Josh Earnest said that the new settlements will alienate Israel’s “closest allies” presumably including Washington and “call into question Israel’s ultimate commitment to a peaceful negotiated settlement with the Palestinians.” Uncowed, Netanyahu dismissed the criticism, describing the US rejection of the new settlements as “against American values” and “anti-peace.” When an Israeli prime minister describes longstanding US strategic interests in this case, conditions that would enable the creation of a viable Palestinian state and a just resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as “un-American,” it’s a clear indication that the United States cannot continue its current course of appeasing Israel’s every demand. That’s a conclusion increasingly shared by Israel’s longtime allies in Europe. Sweden’s new government recently indicated that it will recognize Palestine as a state. The UK parliament followed up with a symbolic recognition vote of its own, and more European countries may soon do the same. Groups in the United States and in Europe, meanwhile, have worked with Palestinian activists to organize a boycott of Israeli settlement products and academic institutions. Indeed, US civil society including many Jewish organizations is now leaps and bounds ahead of the US government when it comes to rethinking the U.S.-Israel relationship. Nonetheless, Netanyahu now looks poised to mobilize his supporters in the US Congress to vote against any nuclear agreement between Washington and Tehran. Yet even as official Washington simmers with frustration at Netanyahu’s simultaneous demands for US support and disregard for US interests, officials rushed to put out the fire started by the anonymous “chickenshit” quip. As Foreign Policy’s Steve Walt put it, if Washington pretends that the “‘special relationship’ is hunky-dory, even when it is obvious to even casual observers that it is not,” then “Netanyahu’s not chickenshit the White House is.”This information is taken from Information Sheets prepared by John Hauxwell, former Chair of the North London Beekeepers. Many thanks! Bailey Method All new/additional hive parts should be new and/or sterilized. 1. Remove all unoccupied peripheral brood combs, without disturbing the brood nest. Insert dummy boards tight to each side of the brood nest. (wax & any left over stores can be recovered) 2. Place on top of the old brood box, another brood box with new brood frames with fresh foundation (the same number as there are existing below) with dummy boards each side. The new frames must be exactly above the old ones. 3. Feed the bees with thick sugar syrup in a contact feeder until there is a nectar flow. This helps the bees to produce wax for comb building. (small quantities at a time to avoid too much syrup storage). 4. The bees should now start to expand their nest upwards into the new frames, and extra frames can be added to accommodate the expansion. 5. Once the queen is laying well in the upper box, separate the 2 brood boxes with a queen excluder, ensuring that the queen is in the upper box! 6. 21 days later, the worker brood will have hatched out from the original frames, so the old brood box & queen excluder can be removed. Put the new brood box on a new/clean floor. (it is not worth the while sterilizing the combs or trying to recover the wax) 7. Keep feeding if necessary. 8. Now revert to your normal beekeeping practices. Merits: a. new comb = healthy comb b. mimics the natural wild colony process of new comb building c. improved colony build up d. good for the wax builders & can delay swarming e. end product = a vigorous, healthy colony The Shook Swarm Technique A colony must be strong enough to withstand a Shook Swarm, i.e., at least six brood frames of bees and have a satisfactory laying queen. The colony must be able to draw out the foundation, and therefore the ideal months are from late April to June. The beekeeper must have ready for use clean/sterilised equipment for a new hive. This is your opportunity to give the colony a clean hive to start the season, similar to the hiving of a natural swarm. 1. Move the colony a short distance from its original position. 2. Place a clean brood chamber with clean frames with foundation, with a clean floor and entrance block, on the original position. Use a queen excluder between the floor and chamber to prevent the queen from absconding. Find the queen, and cage her for safekeeping during this manipulation. 3. Remove approximately 3 central frames of foundation from the new hive. 4. Shake all bees from the original hive into the center (do this by lowering the frames, one at a time, into the gap and shaking all the bees into the depth of the chamber) and brush any remaining bees. 5. Put the old frames without bees into a bag for destruction later. In foundation replacement & swarming situations, it is a good idea to put 1 original frame of open brood into the new chamber. 6. When all old frames have been shaken into the new chamber, replace the 3 frames with foundation gently into place, then carefully release the queen into the brood chamber. 7. Feed the bees with sugar syrup until the foundation is at least 75% drawn out. If there is already honey in a super or good nectar flow, feeding may not be necessary, but be careful.Get posts like this directly sent to your inbox: Keep Me Updated 100% Privacy. Your email is safe with us. No spam ever. Ever since drug-based antibiotics came around in the 1940s, natural antibiotics have taken the back seat. Well… until recently that is. Now that we’ve come to realize drug-based antibiotics have some nasty side effects, the demand for natural antibiotics has exploded. Every time you swallow a drug-based antibiotic, you cause significant harm to your digestive system by destroying the healthy bacteria in your gut. This can result in A weakened immune system Gut-related diseases (such as Crohn’s) Food sensitivities Nutrient deficiencies Chronic Inflammation And it’s not like drug-based antibiotics damage the gut for a just few weeks. The Journal Microbiology, claims that even a short course of antibiotics can cause undesirable changes in the gut microbiome that persist for up to 4 or more years! (1) That being said, here’s an overview of the natural antibiotics I mention in this article. If you don’t feel like reading too much, just click on the natural antibiotic that interests you the most to jump to it. Natural Antibiotic What It’s Best For Manuka Honey Skin or oral infections, immune system boost Oregano Oil Skin & sinus infections, foot & nail fungus Garlic Colds, flu, ear infections, immune system boost Cinnamon Fungal infections (candida, athlete’s foot), immune system boost Fermented Foods Significantly improves immune system and gut health Ginger Prevent foodborone illness, best when combined with other remedies Pau D’ Arco Candida in the gut, viral & bacterial infections Popping Antibiotics Like Candy As you could imagine, the damage to your body increases with the amount of antibiotics you take. Which is a huge concern since prescription antibiotics have become one of the most over-prescribed “medicines” today. And there’s no sign it’s slowing down. In fact, data from the CDC indicates that… “1 of every 3 patients are given antibiotics when they aren’t even needed.” This behavior is the main reason why antibiotic-resistant bacteria, or “superbugs,” have developed. And scientists can’t figure out how to fight them. The bottom line is that drug-based antibiotics are causing a significant amount of harm. And their overuse is only making things worse. Drug-based antibiotics should only be used as a last resort. Most natural antibiotics, on the other hand, don’t cause harm to your digestive system (with a few exceptions). And they certainly aren’t over-prescribed. So if you want to fight infection without destroying your health at the same time, here are the top 7 most powerful antibiotics backed by science. 1. Manuka Honey Manuka honey is one of the most unique and beneficial forms of honey on the planet— it’s like honey on steroids. Among its many other health benefits, manuka honey has a powerful infection-fighting punch. Unlike normal raw honey, manuka honey is made from bees that pollinate the Manuka bush. The result is a honey rich in naturally occurring hydrogen peroxide, methylglyoxal, and dihydroxyacetone. This trifecta of substances is responsible for the potent antimicrobial properties of Manuka honey (2). Studies have even found that manuka honey can kill off staph infections (MRSA), an antibiotic-resistant superbug. Most drug-based antibiotics, on the other hand, are completely useless for treating MRSA. How to use Manuka Honey Primary Uses: Skin or oral infections (e.g., helps fight bacteria that causes plaque), general immune booster. Manuka honey is primarily used topically (on the skin). But since it’s honey, you can also eat it to give your immune system a boost. It’s the most delicious way to fight infection. Skin Infections : Take a small dab and lather the honey on the infected area. Cover with gauze or a band aid. : Take a small dab and lather the honey on the infected area. Cover with gauze or a band aid. Internal Immune Boost: If you notice people around you are getting sick or you recently caught a cold, you can take a tsp 1-2 times per day. This can help prevent you from getting sick in the first place or reduce the duration of your illness. I like to combine manuka
vanized Republicans are with a large grain of sea salt. I'll let Nate Silver and Charlie Cook have the last words on that (I agree with both of them): Nate Silver: But particularly given the public’s confusion over the health care law, my view has been to keep it simple: Mr. Obama got the good headline here, and that is likely to be most of what the public reacts to... And be wary of whatever the polls say for the next week or two — the short-term reaction to the news of the ruling may not match its long-term political effects. As before, the presidential election is mostly likely to be contested mainly on economic grounds. Next week’s jobs report is likely to have a larger effect on the election than what the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday. During this health care decision phase, just take a deep breath. That isn’t what the election will be about. Still, don't lose sight of the fact that this was a huge win for Obama and the Democrats. Just imagine what the media would sound like had it gone the other way. Remember, wins represent leadership. Follow Obama's approval ratings and his leadership score more closely than public opinion about the health law. Follow Romney's too: see opinions about Bain, especially in the swing states. Remember that Romney's other leadership claim, experience leading MA as governor, is off the table because he'd have to talk about Romneycare, the Godfather of Obamacare. And never lose sight of the fact that Romney is unpopular. It flavors every outlandish charge he makes. More on leadership: Obama’s re-election message is not expected to differ because of the ruling. But his presidency has changed. Where others failed, he succeeded, pushing through a plan to get basic health coverage to millions of uninsured people in the richest nation on earth. “Obamacare,” as critics derisively call it and supporters adoringly do, is his Medicare, his Social Security. "Leadership" is something the public understands; "Obamacare," though they may have strong feelings about it, not so much, at least not yet. But in every case, all discussions of Obama and Obamacare lead to one place: compared to what? The bottom line is that even though health care coverage expansion for millions of Americans is a tremendous win for Obama's leadership, the polls say Obama is just a few points ahead, running against a guy no one likes. Nothing that happened on health care last week is going to change that.I’ve been e-interviewing different comics creators (indie comics guys Mirror Comics and graphic novelist-turned-TV producer Jay Odjick) as well as comic book editors (Xander Jarowey, Heather Antos, Jake Thomas, and Daniel Ketchum, all from Marvel Comics). This time out, I wanted to chat with Christopher Golden, a best-selling author and one half of the writing team (along with Mike Mignola) on the 5-issue series Joe Golem: Occult Detective, from Dark Horse. Issue #1 comes out in November, but Dark Horse was kind enough to share an advanced view with Black Gate for this interview Click on any of the artwork in this article for bigger versions. Hey Christopher. Thanks for the chance to chat. I read a review copy of Joe Golem, Occult Detective, and really enjoyed it. I hadn’t seen the world of the Drowning City before, but it was compelling. Glad you dug it. Mike and I spent a lot of time crafting this world, making sure all the weird pieces fit, so I’m really looking forward to seeing what readers think. How do you describe the key premise of what Joe Golem, Occult Detective is about? In an alternate-history 1965, the lower half of Manhattan has become a Venice style canal city, flooded under 20-30 feet of water. Joe is a fedora-wearing occult detective who looks after the terrified and hopeless when things go weird and wrong. His partner is Simon Church, a Victorian-era detective who’s kept himself alive with a combination of magic and steampunk mechanisms. Joe has no memory of his life prior to meeting Mr. Church, but he keeps having dreams and visions of a stone-and-earth monster created to hunt and kill witches in 15th century Croatia. But maybe they aren’t dreams at all…. Joe Golem seems to come from two old traditions: pulp and monster stories. Both need to be modernized to affect a modern audience. What classic elements of each did you import from pulp and horror and what sorts of changes did you have to make to accommodate the tastes and expectations of modern audiences? I disagree. I don’t think the old traditions you’re talking about need to be modernized to affect a modern audience. What I do think is that you need characters that are relatable to a modern audience. If you can do that — if the audience can connect with the fears and hopes and worries of your characters, and you present the story in a modern way, I think the audience will come with you. The other thing I think you owe the audience is not to be too tied to those traditions. Maybe we’re post-traditional now. We take the pieces we want, the things that serve the story, and we don’t worry about whether it fits an old template. We take the things that inspire us and build something new. Dark Horse said that you and Mike Mignola were waiting for the right artist. What attracted you to the art of Patric Reynolds? The key to all of this was finding an artist who could present the world of the Drowning City — the architecture, the theater marquees that are now docks, the different sorts of bridges, the oil-burning, clunking boats. The only way this story works is if the reader can really envision this world as a tangible reality, and Patric brings that to the the table. There are a lot of visual elements here, Victorian and horrific and pulpy and a major influence from 1940s films. Those things do NOT naturally mix together, so we had to find an artist with the skill to weave them into a tapestry so that the weird things would feel just as tangibly real as the impeccable architecture renderings. Scaring people can be tough to do. How do you approach writing horror, and was that the approach that worked for you in Joe Golem: Occult Detective? There’s definitely horror in this series, but I’m not setting out to scare you. It’s not strictly a horror comic. If the characters are in situations that frighten them and you can empathize, you can be afraid for them, then hopefully you get some fear out of it. I guess that’s my approach to horror in general. Douglas Winter famously said that horror is not a genre, it’s an emotion. My new novel Dead Ringers (which comes out the first week of November) is a perfect example of that approach. It’s a horror novel in the sense that there are plenty of elements of the novel that are typically associated with horror. Evil doppelgängers, a spirit box, a demon, dead occultists. But those elements are part of the genre of horror, not necessarily things that are going to elicit the emotion of horror. If you feel it, that comes from the characters and the situations you’ve put them in, not the trappings. Creating can be tough just on your own, but you’ve found a lot of success in tie-in novels (Buffy, Sons of Anarchy, etc) and in co-authored work. How do you and Mike Mignola share creative space to write novels and comics? Mike and I have been working together on various projects for twenty years. He spends most of his time in the creative space inside his head, which is what you would expect for someone who’s able to produce the stories and art that he does. But we have a lot in common as far as the kinds of stories we love and with our frames of reference, including a passion for folklore, and for tearing apart the things we’re interested in and seeing what happens when you put the pieces back together the way you like them instead of the way they’ve been put together before. It’s a fairly organic relationship. Mike is a great writer. I actually think he could write prose well but he doesn’t have the patience for it, so he’s always approached it as me doing something he can’t quite wrap his head around. When it comes to the comics we’ve done together, working with him gives me a freedom to explore ideas and ways of approaching a story that I might not otherwise have. Thanks so much for the interview. If people are interested in checking out Joe Golem, where can they go? Comic shops can pre-order Joe Golem until October 12th, and it will be for sale on November 4th. It’s a 5-issue self-contained series. If you want to check out the novel, Joe Golem and the Drowning City, it’s available for order from your finer bookstores and online, and the limited edition hardcover is still available from Dark Horse. Derek Kunsken writes science fiction, fantasy and horror in Gatineau, Quebec. He just sold the Chinese rights for his most recent Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine story “Pollen from a Future Harvest“, to China’s SFWorld which will be his 5th time appearing in a market that reaches a million readers. He tweets from @derekkunsken (in English).Image copyright Screengrab (novo-sibirsk.ru) Image caption Novosibirsk is the third most populous city in Russia Foreigners in Russia's vast Novosibirsk region in Siberia will no longer be able to work as schoolteachers, bus or taxi drivers, timber merchants, lawyers or accountants under a new ruling. The ban, imposed by Novosibirsk governor Vladimir Gorodetsky, must be enforced over the next three months. The jobs now barred to foreigners also include preparation of children's food and work in mining or fisheries. In 2015 net migration to Novosibirsk was 12,365, most from ex-Soviet states. The region's statistics authority says (in Russian) the number of migrants from the ex-USSR settling in Novosibirsk region rose by 9,822 last year. Most of the newcomers were immigrants from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Ukraine, the Siberian news website Tayga.info reports. However, the region's total population is 2.76m, of whom 1.58m live in the city of Novosibirsk. The governor's ruling - effective for 2016 - did not explain the motivation for the far-reaching ban affecting foreigners. Mr Gorodetsky is in United Russia, the party closest to President Vladimir Putin and which dominates the Russian parliament. According to another Siberian news website, Sib.fm, in Russia last year only the North Caucasus had higher unemployment rates than Siberia. And a survey of Siberian cities found that youths in Novosibirsk were the poorest on average. It is Russia's third-biggest city, after Moscow and St Petersburg. A Russian government decision in December granted regional governors the power to restrict foreigners' access to certain jobs.Rabbi Pinchas Vishedski and Garik Zylberbord had been close for years. Zylberbord was one of Vishedski’s earliest friends and supporters when the rabbi first arrived in Donetsk, Ukraine, in 1993. The two remained in close contact as the conflict in the eastern part of the country, which began back in February, burned into war and forced the rabbi to flee to Kiev just two weeks ago. When the two men last spoke last Friday, Garik told the rabbi that he would join him in there this Wednesday, Sept. 3. “Unfortunately, he got here before that,” says Vishedski, the exiled chief rabbi and co-director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Donetsk. RELATED Zylberbord, 47, was shot dead in Donetsk while trying to stop pro-Russian rebels from robbing his neighbor’s home. “He was killed on Shabbos, and his funeral was held here in Kiev on Monday,” explains the rabbi. Vishedski has already set up a Donetsk Jewish community office in Kiev to help the lost and struggling Jews of his city who have found refuge there and in other parts of the country. He describes Zylberbord as someone who became closer to his Judaism over the years, being circumcised (his Jewish name was Eliyahu) and attending synagogue regularly. He was also a generous financial supporter of the community. “Much more than that, he was a very, very good friend,” laments Vishedski. “He was like a brother.” The rabbi’s wife, Dina Vishedski, agrees: “He was like a part of our family. The funeral was very difficult. The Donetsk Jewish community is spread throughout the country, but people came from everywhere. He was a very active person and had many friends. He was a very special person. I have no words.” Rabbi Vishedski explains that Zylberbord served as a member of the board of directors, but filled his position more than in just name. “He didn’t just give; he gave himself to the community. He was available at any time for any question, always there to help. “This is a very big loss—for myself personally, for my family and for our entire community.”One of the giants of the French legal system was found dead near his private island in Brittany on Sunday morning. A suicide note was discovered at his home nearby. Olivier Metzner, 63, nicknamed the "gangsters' lawyer", was a larger-than-life figure known for his spirited defence of high-profile and controversial defendants including the Panamanian former dictator Manuel Noriega, the "rogue trader" Jérôme Kerviel and Continental Airlines, accused of causing the catastrophic Concorde crash in 2000. In recent years, he had argued for the former prime minister Dominique de Villepin in the Clearstream scandal, represented rock star Bertrand Cantat when he was accused of killing his actor girlfriend, and argued the case of Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers who tried to have her ailing mother, the the L'Oréal heiress Liliane Bettencourt, declared a ward of court. Named France's most powerful lawyer by GQ magazine last year, Metzner was often to be seen standing at the top of the Palais de Justice's monumental steps, puffing away on his trademark cigar. Occasionally, he would ignore the no-smoking signs and light up inside, confident that no court official or police officer would dare challenge him. Outside the courts, where he would pick holes in legal procedure to get his clients off the hook, often in the most blunt of terms and so successfully that Libération described him as the "criminal fraternity's specialist", Metzner was a discreet figure. Born in 1949 to dairy farmers in Normandy, whose ancestors had fled Prussia in the late 19th century, Metzner described himself as the product of a modest but "rigorous Normand and Protestant education". All three Metzner children escaped the countryside; his brother became a scientist and his sister a teacher in Canada. He chose law after devouring the works of Kafka and reading a story in his local paper about a shepherd who had been sentenced to death. "He was from the mountains and incapable of explaining his defence in any understandable language. It made me want to be an interpreter for those who had difficult expressing themselves in front of the court and at the same time explain the justice system to them, because the incomprehension goes both ways," he once said. After studying in Caen, he headed for Paris, saying two decades in the "damp countryside" was long enough, and a career that was rewarding in every sense. Decades after his first case, in which he successfully defended a thief, he admitted his hourly fee had risen to €450 (£390). His last case, last month, was defending the Swiss petrol group Vitol, accused of breaking the United Nations "food for oil" embargo in Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Metzner never married and described himself as "leftwing at heart". In 2010 he bought Boëdic Island in the Morbihan Gulf in Brittany, which he described as a "magnificent, remarkable place". But at the end of last year he announced his intention to sell it, saying he had "more interesting plans". "I am a man of projects," he told AFP in November. His body was found at about 10am on Sunday floating near the island.It's Toon time: Tiote tells Drogba and Kalou Newcastle will finish above Chelsea Cheik Tiote has told Ivory Coast team-mates Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou that Newcastle will finish above Chelsea this season. The midfield hardman returns from a seven-match absence to face Wolves on Tyneside on Saturday, aiming to reignite Newcastle's unexpected European charge. This season Newcastle have won just six of the 14 games without the Ivory Coast international, who spent most of the African Cup of Nations winding up the Chelsea pair. On the rise: Cheik Tiote believes Newcastle will finish higher than Chelsea Tiote said: `We discussed it. I told Salomon we'll finish fourth, and Chelsea will finish seventh and he said 'ok then, we'll see'. 'I suppose it shows the confidence I have in our team that I said it to him. If we keep working hard, everything's possible and we can go for fourth. I think we've got a good chance. 'We're a point behind Chelsea and Arsenal and we have everyone back in the squad, Demba's back and if we keep playing like we can I think we can stay in the top four. 'This team isn't just about two or three players, it's about the whole squad. It doesn't matter if one or two of those are missing, it's down to the team to come through that.' Nervous times: Didier Drogba and Chelsea face the prospect of finishing outside the Champions League places Newcastle boss Alan Pardew may be surprised that Wolves turned to Terry Connor to resolve their managerial crisis but he will warn his players about the dangers of underestimating the Premier League strugglers who will be out to make a point for sacked boss Mick McCarthy. Pardew added: 'I have been on a coaching course with Terry. He is a top man and I know his brief in the dressing room will be 'win it for Mick' and we have to be on our guard for that.Canada can count itself among some elite company — but it's not necessarily something middle- and lower-income residents will be proud of. Canadian home prices leapt by 10 per cent in the year leading up to June, topping every country in the world except for Turkey (13.9 per cent) and New Zealand (11.2 per cent), says a Global House Price Index released by Knight Frank, a U.K.-based real estate consultancy. North Vancouver, as seen from Burrard Inlet. (Photo: Walter Bibikow/Getty Images) The top 10 were rounded out by Chile, where prices grew by 9.4 per cent, Sweden, where they jumped by 8.9 per cent; Malta (8.8 per cent); Austria (8.1 per cent); Iceland (8.1 per cent); Mexico (8 per cent); and Germany (7.9 per cent). One of the reasons why Canada's house prices are growing so much is "a prolonged period of historically low interest rates," said researcher Kate Everett-Allen. Bank of America Merrill Lynch noted just months ago that interest rates are the lowest they've been in 5,000 years. (Chart: BofA Merrill Lynch) The Bank of Canada's benchmark interest rate sits at 0.5 per cent after Governor Stephen Poloz said it wouldn't change in a July announcement. Knight Frank drew up its numbers by analyzing government and central bank data from around the world. It comes after Knight Frank released its Prime Global Cities Index, which measured the growth (or decline) of prices in the top five per cent of various cities' housing markets in the second quarter. Vancouver. (Photo: Peter Gridley/Getty Images) Vancouver topped the list with an increase of 36.4 per cent, while Toronto came fourth with 12.6 per cent. No other Canadian cities made the list. Knight Frank noted that Vancouver's ranking could change in light of a 15 per cent Property Transfer Tax that B.C.'s government is levelling against foreign buyers. It added that Vancouver is joining a group of world cities including Sydney, Melbourne and Hong Kong, that have worked to control foreign investment in an effort to improve affordability. Like Us On Facebook Also on HuffPostUnder a draft industry code of practice unveiled today by telco group Communications Alliance, ISP customers will be issued with a series of warning notices in response to alleged online copyright infringement. The implementation of such a code is one of the key pillars of the government's crackdown on online copyright violations. Under the code if a rights holder detects unauthorised online sharing of one of its works, it can notify the ISP associated with the IP address. The ISP will "endeavour to match the IP addresses identified by Rights Holders to the Account Holders to which the IP addresses were assigned at the time of the alleged infringements," the draft (PDF) states. The initial notice will inform the recipient "that the activity allegedly detected on their account is indicative of an infringement of copyright under the Copyright Act 1968 and provide information about sources of non-infringing content. If an account holder receives three notices within the space of 12 months, "ISPs will, on the request of a Rights Holder, facilitate an expedited preliminary discovery process" — clearing the path for a rights holder to take civil court action against the alleged downloader. "An ISP must not accept any requests by a Rights Holder to, disclose any personal information including the identity or any contact details of an Account Holder at any stage of the copyright notice scheme, unless there is a court order or written permission from the Account Holder expressly authorising such disclosure of personal information," the draft states. Previously a major barrier to the development of a notice scheme has been the apportioning of costs for establishing and operating it. Section 4.4 of the draft notes that rights holders and ISPs are still working to "quantify the costs of meeting the specific operational responsibilities and processes required by the Scheme" and "determine how these costs should be fairly apportioned between ISPs and Right Holders" in line with a letter sent last year to stakeholders by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Attorney-General George Brandis. That letter said that the government expected the code to "fairly" apportion costs between ISPs and rights holders and ensure smaller ISPs are not disproportionally affected. The draft code also provides a means for ISP customers to appeal to an 'Adjudication Panel' if they are issued with three notices within a 12-month period. The code applies to ISPs "that supply residential fixed internet access services" and the scheme "covers residential fixed, internet Account Holders only". The scheme also envisages capping the number of notices ISPs will have to issue during the first 18 months after implementation: "No ISP will be obliged to process more than a [minimum specified number] of Infringement Reports during a given calendar month during the initial 18 months of operation of the copyright notice scheme." An evaluation process will be carried out within 18 months of the scheme coming into effect. The three tiers of notices are categorised as "education", "warning" and "final". After issuing a final notice an ISP is obliged to "act reasonably to facilitate and assist an application by a Rights Holders for Preliminary Discovery": An ISP must act reasonably to facilitate and assist an application by a Rights Holders for Preliminary Discovery to the extent that such orders are sought: (a) following Rights Holders and ISPs observing the procedures prescribed by this Code in relation to an Account Holder whose IP address was included on a Final Notice List provided by that Account Holder’s ISP to a relevant Rights Holder; (b) in relation to the identity and address (if available to that ISP) contact details of that Account Holder; and (c) for provision of copies of Notices sent to that Account Holder that were the subject of the Final Notice List... An ISP must comply with a final court order to disclose the Account Holder’s details to the Rights Holder. "These issues are complex and while both industries want to eradicate online copyright infringement, it has proved very difficult in the past for rights holders and ISPs to agree on the shape of a notice scheme," Communication Alliance CEO John Stanton said that in a statement released by the organisatoin. "Much work remains, but publication of a draft code is an important milestone toward greater protection for the legitimate rights of the creative industries." The working committee that developed the draft included representatives from Telstra, Optus, Vodafone Hutchison Australia, iiNet, M2, IP Star, Verizon and Baker and McKenzie. The committee worked with a stakeholder group that included representatives of rights holders and consumer groups. Advocacy group Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN), which participated in the drafting process, said it was concerned about the potential for rights holders to use evidence gathered through the scheme to take court action that would disconnect consumers. "Disconnection from the internet or speed throttling are not proportionate methods to tackle the problem of online copyright infringement," ACCAN's CEO, Teresa Corbin, said in a statement. "Negotiations are still underway on key aspects of the code and ACCAN will continue to engage to get a fair result for consumers. "Evidence from overseas strongly indicates that markets that have access to affordable legitimate content do not have the same problem with online copyright infringement. For example in the US the relative volume of torrenting reduced five-fold after Netflix and others gained a foothold "We believe that if the Australian streaming market is allowed to mature it would reduce the need for costly regulation." Corbin said that ACCAN is concerned that consumers will ultimately pay for the scheme. "This scheme sets up a David versus Goliath struggle, letting corporate giants such as Foxtel and Village Roadshow Limited use their legal force against everyday Australians," Choice campaigns manager Erin Turner said in a statement. "While the industry is trying to sell this as a no-penalty education scheme, it will actually help them funnel Australians into litigation by forcing ISPs hand over customer details based on unproven accusations. "This is no gentle education program. It's a flawed notice scheme that gives rights holders access to personal details. ISPs will send up to three notices based on rights holder accusations. After this, they can pass on personal customer details to the rights holders." The group also criticised a $25 fee charged to ISP customers who wish to appeal a notice. Turner said the scheme could lead to so-called speculative invoicing or expensive lawsuits for consumers. "This scheme will likely see Australians being either sued or contacted by rights holders demanding arbitrary payments," Turner said. "This is particularly concerning because under Australian law, there is no limit to the amount of money that can be sought by a rights holder for copyright infringement." The effectiveness of "graduated response" schemes reducing copyright infringement has previously been questioned by Australian research. "Graduated response schemes have been variously criticized for impinging on the human right to freedom of expression, for breaching privacy and for failing to comply with key tenets of the rule of law," states a 2013 paper by Monash University researcher Rebecca Giblin. "But quite separate from those criticisms, their legitimacy is seriously thrown into question by the startling lack of evidence that graduated response helps achieve any of copyright law’s underlying aims... "There is no evidence demonstrating a causal connection between graduated response and reduced infringement. If 'effectiveness' means reducing infringement, then graduated response is not effective. Furthermore, there is little convincing evidence that any variety of graduated response increases the size of the legitimate market." The Communications Alliance is seeking public comment on the draft code. The public comment period closes 5pm on 23 March. Read more: Choice campaigns against 'Hollywood horror film' copyright code Another key pillar of the government's copyright crackdown is proposed legislation that will allow allow rights holders to apply for court orders to force ISPs to block websites. The government is yet to introduce a bill to implement a copyright-related site-blocking regime. The idea has previously been condemned by critics as "open to abuse" and "unlikely to be effective". The scheme "will enable a court to order the blocking of overseas hosted websites that can be shown to be primarily for the purpose of facilitating online copyright infringement," the letter by Turnbull and Brandis stated. A number of ISPs including iiNet are currently engaged in a legal struggle with US company Dallas Buyers Club LLC over an attempt by DBC to obtain the details of ISP customers who allegedly violated its copyright. The impending introduction of an industry code that includes an expedited preliminary discovery process has been raised in court. Follow Rohan on Twitter: @rohan_pAfter boasting about his support among Christian conservatives at a Iowa rally on Wednesday, Donald Trump asked non-Christians to identify themselves. The Republican nominee first asked the crowd in Council Bluffs to raise their hands if they were Christian conservatives. The crowd cheered loudly and a sea of hands went up. “Raise your hand if you’re not a Christian conservative,” Trump then said. “I want to see this, right? Oh there’s a couple people, that’s all right.” “I think we’ll keep them, right?” Trump asked the crowd. “Should we keep them in the room, yes? I think so.” While the Republican nominee’s jocular tone suggested he wasn’t seriously suggesting throwing non-Christian attendees out of the event, he has made similarly off-color “jokes” before. In July, Trump said he was “being sarcastic” when he invited Russia to hack into Hillary Clinton’s emails, and in August he again used “sarcasm” to explain his baseless claim that Clinton and President Barack Obama “founded ISIS.” h/t Huffington Post Correction: This post originally said that Trump made his comments at his Wednesday evening rally in Waukesha, Wisconsin. The remarks were actually made earlier Wednesday afternoon in Council Bluffs, Iowa.As the Obama administration seeks to reclassify the regulatory status of the internet to defend network neutrality, pushback from both Republican politicians and industry players has been intense. As the fight continues, the broadband industry will have two key advantages. One is a lot of money to spend on defending their interests, and the other is an American political system that generally makes it a lot easier to say "no" to proposals for change than "yes." Proponents of the change will also have some lobbying money from internet companies who favor net neutrality. But the real ace up their sleeve is more fundamental than that — people really hate telecom and cable companies. Specifically, internet service providers and cable companies are the two least popular industries in America. Which naturally raises the question: why, given how acutely aware these companies are of the importance of political influence, don't they bother to invest some money in improving customer service? Dealing with Comcast on the phone is, after all, a totally misery-inducing experience. Do it once and you think okay, maybe I just got a bad rep on a bad day. But if you've had the pleasure of a years-long relationship with Comcast, including multiple moves and outages and so forth, then on a gut level you're going to side against them in any public policy dispute, regardless of the merits. If you want fast home internet access in my neighborhood, you have no choice but to buy it from Comcast. But that doesn't mean you can't get angry at their bad service. If anything you get angrier because you feel helpless about it. So why doesn't Comcast fix it? If not nationwide, why don't they at least fix it in the DC area so maybe congressional staff and political journalists and FCC personnel would have a positive impression of them? The answer may be that as a monopolist, Comcast actually can't provide more effective service. In a highly competitive marketplace, the company would get instant feedback in the form of cancellations. That feedback would help managers see which workers were doing a good job and which were doing a bad job. It would help reps themselves see which tactics were effective in pleasing customers and which weren't. Competition doesn't ensure high-quality customer service. Some firms just decide that, in the scheme of things, investing heavily in it doesn't pay off. But competition at least lets you see what's working. By contrast, in a non-competitive marketplace, all you really learn is that, in a neighborhood with no competition and lots of highly educated people moving in, you can sell a lot of high-speed internet access. But if they know what's good for them, cable and telephone companies will scramble as quickly as possible to at least try to do better. Popularity matters a lot in politics, and right now the broadband infrastructure owners don't have any.Dec 20, 2014; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Quincy Acy (4) defends Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports Knicks: Jerian Grant Should Be Penciled in as Starter Knicks: Jerian Grant Should Be Penciled in as Starter by Maxwell Ogden Phil Jackson, Steve Mills and Clarence Gaines Jr. have developed a vision for the New York Knicks. While temptation and intrigue wait around every corner, that trio has remained true to form throughout their brief tenure. Leading up to the 2015 NBA Draft, their faith in the vision never wavered—not even in the face of multiple trade offers. According to Ian Begley of ESPN New York, the Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic and Phoenix Suns all attempted to trade up for the No. 4 overall selection. Members of the New York Knicks’ front office were involved in discussions with Orlando, Phoenix and Boston in the hours leading up to the draft on Thursday, league sources with knowledge of the conversations say. Sources say that the Celtics were discussing a package that included multiple picks and big man Jared Sullinger with New York and that Phoenix talked to members of the organization about a trade involving Eric Bledsoe in the hours leading up to the draft. As history shows, the Knicks decided to utilize the No. 4 pick to draft Latvian big man Kristaps Porzingis. The Celtics offering multiple picks and Jared Sullinger was likely intriguing. The determining factor in turning the deal down was likely the fact that Boston’s first first-round draft pick wasn’t until No. 16 overall. Even with the acquisition of Sullinger, a promising offensive threat, and multiple draft picks, dropping from No. 4 to No. 16 would’ve been a tough pill to swallow. Phoenix was slotted at No. 13 overall, which would’ve put the Knicks in line for players such as Devin Booker, Sam Dekker, Jerian Grant, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Cameron Payne, whom New York reportedly coveted. The Knicks ended up with Grant, anyways, so in one way, it all worked out in the end. The intriguing part of that trade would’ve been landing rising star Eric Bledsoe. Bledsoe, Phoenix’s starint point guard, is already one of the premier defenders at his position and continues to improve offensively. Bledsoe finished the 2014-15 season with averages of 17.0 points, 6.1 assists, 5.2 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.1 3-point field goals made per game. He also played in 81 games, thus silencing some of his health critics. New York, again, stood its ground. Whether or not these moves were right or wrong, they were true to the form New York’s front office has shown. They aren’t rushing into decisions and they valued the life out of a Top 5 pick. In due time, we’ll see if these were the right decisions to make.The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed forward Beau Bennett to a one-year contract, it was announced today by executive vice president and general manager Jim Rutherford. The deal carries an average annual value of $800,000. Bennett, 23, finished the 2014-15 season with four goals, eight assists and 12 points in 49 games. He established a single-game career high with three points (1G-2A) against the Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 18 at the Bell Centre. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Bennett has appeared in 96 career regular-season games with the Penguins, scoring 10 goals and adding 23 assists for 33 points. Four of his 10 career goals have been game-winning markers. Bennett has suited up for 20 career playoff games, tallying six points (2G-4A). His best playoff performance came in 2014 when he had five points (1G-4A) in 12 contests. The Gardena, California native became the highest-drafted player ever from California when Pittsburgh chose him 20th overall in the first round of the 2010 NHL Draft, which was held in Los Angeles. Prior to the ’13-14 season, Bennett was invited to attend USA Hockey’s Men’s Olympic Orientation Camp in Washington, D.C. During the lone season that Bennett saw extensive American Hockey League action with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2012-13, he notched 28 points (7G-21A) in 39 games, earning him a spot in the AHL All-Star Classic and WBS’ team rookie of the year award. Bennett played two seasons at the University of Denver before turning professional. He netted 13 goals and added 25 assists for 38 points in 47 games, and was named to the 2011-12 WCHA All-Academic Team. Prior to his time at the University of Denver, Bennett starred in the British Columbia Hockey League with the Penticton Vees. In 2009-10 Bennett scored 41 times and totaled 120 points in 56 regular-season games. His play earned him BCHL rookie of the year honors and the Brett Hull Trophy as the BCHL’s top scorer. He would go on to register another 14 points (5G-9A) in 15 playoff games.As many as 2 million net neutrality comments filed to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) were fake, according to the New York Attorney General’s office. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (D) slammed the FCC on Wednesday over the agency’s decision to reject his previous request for information about comments filed about net neutrality and to delay the vote amid the fake comments. ADVERTISEMENT “As we’ve told the FCC: moving forward with this vote would make a mockery of our public comment process and reward those who perpetrated this fraud to advance their own hidden agenda,” Schneiderman said . “The FCC must postpone this vote and work with us to get to the bottom of what happened.” In a letter to the agency, Schneiderman attacked the FCC’s response for deciding to continue with the vote to scrap net neutrality rules on Thursday, arguing that the agency’s is undermining its
this season.After Sault Ste. Marie was bumped from the OHL playoffs, the Coyotes invited Gaudet to Arizona so he could practice with the team for a few days and get a better feel for the organization, the facilities, the staff and the area. Then, after the Coyotes season ended, he reported to the team’s American Hockey League affiliate in Portland, Maine, and played a few games there.Those experiences served him well.“It was disappointing when our season ended in the playoffs, but for me it was exciting to get the opportunity to go right to Phoenix and experience what it would be like to be in that (locker) room and to meet all the players and staff,” Gaudet said. “It was an incredible privilege and experience I won’t ever forget.”He added, “Shane Doan is one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met and it was easy to see why he is such a good leader. All of the other guys on the team were so approachable, too. Just being in that room with guys you look up to was cool, and it motivates you to push yourself to be there with them and emulate them.”Gaudet grew up in Hamilton, Ontario and began playing hockey around age five. His mom, Sandra, was a basketball coach who wanted him to play hoops. He opted for hockey instead. He started out as a defenseman and credits that for his solid two-way game.“His size, his game instincts and his understanding of the game is what attracted us to him,” Maloney said. “He had a real strong season and made a real nice impression at Portland at the end of the year, and he fits the need in regards to a big center who is good defensively. The issue I have is we’ve never seen him in a pro training camp. So, how does his game from last year translate going forward against men? That’s the intriguing part. We shall see. If the development curve he’s on continues, we’ve got something really good here. We’re excited about him. We like how far he has come.”The EXO ONE (X01) is pretty slick. It takes advantage of the SIG P320 Fire Control Unit (FCU) as a plug-and-play component. This multi-caliber exoskeleton accepts the FCU, barrel, slide assembly, and magazine release and can be configured in 9x19mm Parabellum,.357 SIG, and.40 S&W by transplanting the corresponding P320 components (.45 ACP is in development, as the changes in magazine well dimensions require a specialized lower receiver). It features a non-reciprocating charging handle locks the action open (the slide to the rear) with an upward motion when fully retracted. The action can then be released with a downward motion (akin to HK-style weapon systems). In addition, if the charging handle is in the forward position, the slide can be released via the FCU slide release during reload procedures. The X01 features three M-Lok slots near the muzzle for accessory and grip attachments. The upper receiver features a 19-slot milspec M1913 picatinny rail. Like the SIG MCX and MPX, the rear of the lower receiver features a vertical M1913 Picatinny rail to accept SIG MPX/MCX buttstocks and arm braces. firecontrolunit.com Tags: Fire Control Unit, Sig SauerWehrlein revealed that he started struggling after the Malaysian grand prix - he was 15th and last in Japan, retired at Austin and could only beat one car in Mexico. Wehrlein believes that something has been wrong with his car, as he’s been forced to run a different setup to teammate Marcus Ericsson, but is hopeful new parts brought by Sauber will fix the problem. “We changed many parts on my car because I was struggling in the last few races,” said the German. “Marcus and me have always been very close in terms of set-up the whole season, and now we just need to set-up the car completely different, which is a bit strange. “We hope that we can fix the issue. I’m just struggling with the balance of the car. "The two cars behave very differently. In some high-speed corners I’m losing so much, and struggling a lot with oversteer. “For me, it seems like there’s something going on at the rear of the car. It’s since Malaysia. "Malaysia was a very strong race, I was close to Q2, I was very happy with the performance there but then after that it was different." Wehrlein requested a change of chassis in an attempt to solve the problem but the team opted not to follow that route. "We changed the floor in the last race, and now we’re changing some more aero parts on the back. We also have new suspension for this weekend," explained Wehrlein. “I would have liked to have changed the chassis for this weekend, but unfortunately we couldn’t. "We have one which is very old, and the other one had to be repaired twice because of Antonio [Giovinazzi] at the beginning of the season. This one, we don’t want to use.” Wehrlein enjoyed one of his best races of 2016 at Interlagos: “I hope for a similar race to last year. It was a very exciting race, and I was driving for quite a long time in the points. "But I heard on Sunday it should be dry, so let’s see.”Redshirt freshman defensive tackle Harry Lewis will transfer from Virginia Tech, a Hokies spokesperson confirmed Monday. "Harry hasn't gotten as many reps as I would have liked to have gotten Harry," d-line coach Charley Wiles said in April. "His natural hand down is a right-handed stance. We've played him out of the left-handed just because we don't have that many guys that can play out of a left-handed stance. But Harry's shown some improvement. He has. I wish there was more reps to get him right now, but we've been pouring all the reps into Tim and Ricky and Nigel and Woody right now. I think Harry's time is coming right now." Although, the 3-star Phoebus HS product projected as a reserve rather than among Tech's two-deep this season, Lewis' departure affects the Hokies' depth in future years. Nigel Williams and Woody Baron are seniors. Beyond Tech's starting duo, Ricky Walker (r-So.), Steve Sobczak (r-So.), Tim Settle (r-Fr.), and Jarrod Hewitt (Fr.) comprise the Hokies' scholarship defensive tackles. Considering Wiles travels 5-6 defensive tackles, and Virginia Tech doesn't hold a commitment from a 2017 DT, the cupboard is not quite stocked.Last month, we wrote about how a number of pharmacists at chains like CVS, Walgreens, and Target were being pressured by management to put customers into auto-refill programs, which led to some customers being enrolled in the program without their approval. Now Target says that it no longer measures pharmacists’ success by how many people they place into auto-refills. “We made the decision to remove the AutoRefill metric from our pharmacies’ reporting tools,” a rep for Target tells the L.A. Times’ David Lazarus, who originally broke the story about the retail chains who use auto-refill programs to determine a particular employee’s value to the company. The problems with placing people into auto-refill programs without their approval are many. For instance, if the customer is not a regular shopper at that chain and just happened to go there for one prescription, they could end up tied to that particular store for their refill — and having to jump through hoops to cancel the automatic refills. Numerous Consumerist readers have mentioned this happening to them while they were on vacation or out of town on business. The retailers also benefit, perhaps unfairly, by being able to bill Medicare/Medicaid as soon as the prescription is refilled. The money is refunded if the customer hasn’t picked up the prescription after a certain period of time, but in the meantime the retailer has received what amounts to an interest-free loan. Some pharmacists told Lazarus and Consumerist that their stores would re-bill Medicare/Medicaid to give the store another couple weeks before having to refund the money. This is why federal authorities and state regulators in California and New Jersey are now investigating auto-refill practices and policies at various retailers. If you feel like you were placed into an auto-refill program without permission, you should contact your state’s pharmacy board and also call the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services at (800) HHS-TIPS.In nearly twenty years and twelve hundred obituaries, Margalit Fox, a senior writer at the New York Times, has chronicled the lives of such personages as the president of Estonia, an underwater cartographer, and the inventor of Stove Top Stuffing. An instrumental figure in pushing the obituary past Victorian-era formal constraints, Fox produces features-style write-ups of her subjects whether they’re ubiquitous public figures, comparatively unknown men and women whose inventions have changed the world, or suicidal poets. (More on those below.) I caught up with Fox in the Upper West Side café where she’s written two books, Talking Hands: What Sign Language Reveals About the Mind and The Riddle of the Labyrinth: The Quest to Crack an Ancient Code, the latter of which was published in paperback earlier this year. She was remarkably jovial and eager to clarify what it’s like to write about the dead every day. We spoke about the history of the obituary, her love of English eccentrics, and how it feels to call a living person in preparation for his or her eventual death. Does the work you do change the way you think about death? This work does skew your worldview a bit. We all watch old movies with an eye toward who’s getting on in age. I watch the Oscars memorial presentation and sit there going, Did him, did her, didn’t do that one. For obit writers, the whole world is necessarily divided into the dead and the pre-dead. That’s all there is. How did you end up in the obituaries department? I’d never planned for a career in obits. The child has not yet been born that comes home from school clutching a composition that says, When I grow up, I want to be an obituary writer. I started as an editor at the Times Book Review. It was wonderful to be around books and people that love books, but the job itself was copyediting. I was afraid that all they’d be able to put on my tombstone was “She Changed Fifty-Thousand Commas into Semicolons.” I started contributing freelance to the obituary section and ended up getting pulled in as a full-time writer. How is your section different from other news sections at the paper? Ninety-five percent of our job is writing daily obits on deadline. It’s impossible to have an advance written for all the pre-dead who we hope to cover, so we usually have to phone someone up to ask about a person or a subject we don’t know much about. Recently, one of my colleagues was heard running around the office going, Does anyone know anything about exotic chickens?! It’s that sort of thing. How do people respond to getting a call from you within hours of the death? In all my time doing obits, I’ve had maybe three families who refused to talk to me. In fact, families often reach out to us. If you’re a public figure who’s had a publicist during your working life, your publicist will do this one last act of publicity for you. One is eligible for spin control, even in death. When I cold call a family, the minute I say my name and my paper, they’ll usually put the phone aside, turn to a relative and say, I’m on the phone with the New York Times! People tend to be grateful that their loved one is being publicly remembered. Is it hard for you to navigate sources that are so regularly in a fragile state? It behooves you, in purely human terms, to treat them as kindly as possible. That said, you don’t want to lull them into the sense that you’re a friend, an advocate, or some sort of a grief counselor. You do have people break down crying on the phone and you just wait patiently for them to regain composure. In what ways do families try to control the narrative? Families will say, Oh, be sure to put in that he died surrounded by his loved ones, or, Make sure you add that she touched the lives of everyone she knew. Those are things I never want to put in because they’re these Victorian clichés, but also because the obituary as a form has moved beyond protecting the family’s narrative. How else has the form changed? Well, for one thing, they’re a lot more fun to read. They used to be very formulaic. Since they were considered boring, editors used to assign journalists obits as punishment. You knew someone was in trouble if they were chasing down obituaries. That started to change with the great Alden Whitman, Mr. Bad News. He was famous for his advances. He’d do all this research and sit down with his subjects and they’d give him these very revealing interviews because they knew nothing would come out till they were gone. Douglas Martin, a colleague of mine who has been on obits longer than I have, started writing them in this charming, lively way, which has influenced my own style. Our last few obits editors at the Times encouraged, where appropriate, a lighter, more features-style treatment. If you get one of these wonderful characters who took a different route to work one day in 1947 and invented something that changed the world, or one of these marvelous English eccentrics, there’s so much space to play. In the course of an obit, you’re charged with taking your subject from the cradle to the grave, which gives you a natural narrative arc. Is there room for humor in today’s obituary? I think so. The obits section is quite misunderstood. People have a primal fear of death, but 98 percent of the obit has nothing to do with death, but with life. There are maybe two sentences in there about when or where the guy died and with the rest, you let the person’s life guide the treatment. We like to say it’s the jolliest department in the paper. Do you ever fight over covering particular people? Only very gently. The thing about obits is there’s always enough to go around. How do advance obits work? Very often, in terms of advances, you hear that someone is hanging by a thread, you drop everything, you read all these books, do whatever you think you might have time to do, and then they live forever. The first advance I worked on was a big-deal academic, and he’s still around today. I wrote it almost twenty years ago. We work on advance obits in the brief lulls between dailies, but it’s impossible to get them all done, so you’re left hoping people will live to be a hundred—otherwise it’s a mad scramble. That happened to me with Betty Friedan. She was among my pile of advance obits, but I hadn’t gotten started when I got a call that she had died. It was a Saturday; I rushed down to the office and frantically turned out 3,500 words. We got it in the next day’s paper. As I was running out of my apartment, I looked in the fridge and all I had was a leftover falafel, which was the only thing I had time to eat as I wrote it. I will forever associate Betty Friedan with cold falafel. Can you talk about your use of euphemisms, either in the obituaries or in your dealings with families and close friends of the dead? Rarely do I reach out to the subject of an advance obit, but when I do it can be difficult. The great Alden Whitman used to have these euphemisms he’d use, like, This is for possible future use, or, We’re updating your biographical file. I’ve used that successfully a few times. People absorb as much as they can handle. The one thing that has changed, in terms of journalistic practice, is the cause of death. It’s much less euphemistically couched than in the past. When I was growing up, newspapers were very Victorian when it came to describing death. If you saw “short illness” it meant heart attack and “long illness” meant cancer. In small town papers where obits are written to protect the families, you still see that, but we’re much more straightforward. How was suicide described? Into the first half of the twentieth century you’d see, He died by his own hand. We say he committed suicide or he shot himself. We don’t go out of our way to be gruesome, but we’re obliged to report the cause of death even if it’s something stigmatized like AIDS or suicide. Is it harder to get a confirmation on a suicide? Occasionally, the family will confirm the death but won’t give the cause. One of the most heart-wrenching interviews I’d ever have to do was for a poet. I have maybe one suicide a year and they all seem to be poets. If I were an insurance company, I’d never write a policy for poets. This particular poet had shot himself, which I knew from other sources. But we’ve got to get the cause of death or the confirmation from someone close to the subject because many, many years ago we put an obit in the paper of someone who wasn’t dead. So now we’ve got an ironclad rule that a family member or close source has to confirm the death, usually by way of giving the cause. I knew I’d have to call this poet’s wife and ask her to confirm the cause of death. There is nothing in Emily Post on making that call. It’s bizarre and horrific that as a stranger you’re calling someone cold and saying, Hello, you don’t know me, but I’m going to ask about the most painful thing in your life, which just happened yesterday, and I’m going to publish it where millions of people can see it. I called up, I took a deep, silent breath, I introduced myself and then—I’d normally never be this familiar with a source—I said, Honey, what the hell happened? God bless her, she told me. It was New York, in the summer, they had a bedroom air conditioner that was very noisy and, as his last act of tenderness to her, he made sure it was on, knowing the noise of the AC would cover the sound of the shot. Is there an emotional toll for you in writing up those kinds of stories? Suicides, particularly young suicides, are very, very painful. You can’t not be affected by having a story on your desk about someone in their twenties or thirties who has just shot himself. Very rarely is there an emotional toll, maybe once or twice a year. Happily, the vast majority of people we write about are people who’ve died in their beds in their eighties, having lived long, fruitful lives. What happened with the obituary that was published before the person had died? It was the obit of an elderly Russian dancer. One of our dance writers read in the European papers that she’d died. It was a Friday night, he couldn’t reach anyone in Europe, so he wrote that her death was reported by whatever paper he sourced the announcement from and the obit ran the next morning. We got furious calls from her family. Not only was she not dead, she was living in a nursing home in Manhattan. Alex Ronan is a writer and abortion doula based in New York. She’s written for nymag.com, Adult, and Wag’s Revue.Blanqueamiento, branqueamento, or whitening, is a social, political, and economic practice used in many post-colonial countries to "improve the race" (mejorar la raza)[1] towards a supposed ideal of whiteness.[2] The term blanqueamiento is rooted in Latin America and is used more or less synonymously with racial whitening. However, blanqueamiento can be considered in both the symbolic and biological sense.[3] Symbolically, blanqueamiento represents an ideology that emerged from legacies of European colonialism, described by Anibal Quijano's theory of coloniality of power, which caters to white dominance in social hierarchies.[4] Biologically, blanqueamiento is the process of whitening by marrying a lighter-skinned individual to produce lighter-skinned offspring.[4] Definition [ edit ] Peter Wade argues that blanqueamiento is a historical process that can be linked to nationalism. When thinking about nationalism, the ideologies behind it stem from national identity, which according to Wade is "a construction of the past and the future",[5] where the past is understood as being more traditional and backwards. For example, past demographics of Puerto Rico were heavily black and Indian-influenced because the country partook in the slave trade and was simultaneously home to many indigenous groups. Therefore, understanding blanqueamiento as it relates to modernization, modernization is then understood as a guidance in the direction away from black and indigenous roots. Modernization then happened as described by Wade as "the increasing integration of blacks and Indians into modern society, where they will mix in and eventually disappear, taking their primitive culture with them".[5] This kind of implementation of blanqueamiento takes place in a societies that have historically always been led by 'white' people whose guidance would carry "the country away from its past, which began in Indianness and slavery"[5] with hopes of promoting the intermixing of bodies to develop a predominantly white-skinned society. As related to mestizaje [ edit ] The formation of mestizaje emerged in the shift of Latin America towards multiculturalist perspectives and policies.[6] Mestizaje has been considered problematic by many U.S. scholars because it sustains racial hierarchies and celebrates blanqueamiento.[6] For example, Swanson argues that although mestizaje is not a physical embodiment of whitening, it is "not so much about mixing, as it about a progressive whitening of the population".[7] Another possibility when considering mestizaje as it relates to blanqueamiento is by understanding mestizaje as a concept that encourages mixedness, but differs from the concept of blanqueamiento on the basis of the end goal for mestizaje. As Peter Wade states, "it celebrates the idea of difference in a democratic, non-hierarchical form. Rather than envisioning a gradual whitening, it holds up the general image of the mestizo in which racial, regional, and even class differences are submerged into a common identification with mixedness."[5] On the same coin, when thinking about blanqueamiento, the future goal takes up the same theme of mixing. The difference between them is that while mestizaje glorifies the mixing of all people to reach an end goal of having a brown population, blanqueamiento has the end goal of whiteness. The outcome of mestizaje mixing would lead to "the predominance of the mestizo" and is not "construed necessarily as (a) whitened mestizo".[5] Most importantly, both of these ideologies link emerging nationhood with the predominance of the mestizo or the whitened population. National policy [ edit ] Blanqueamiento was enacted in national policies of many Latin American countries at the turn of the 20th century. In most cases, these policies promoted European immigration as a means to whiten the population.[8] Brazil [ edit ] Blanqueamiento ("branqueamento" in Portuguese) was circulated in national policy throughout Brazil in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[9][10] Blanqueamiento policies emerged in the aftermath of the abolition of slavery and the beginning of Brazil's first republic (1888–1889). To dilute the black race, Brazil executed public measures to increase European immigration,[9][11] where more than 1 million Europeans arrived in São Paulo between 1890 and 1914.[12] The state and federal government funded and subsidized immigrant travels,[11] where immigrants arrived from Portugal, Spain, Italy, Russia, Germany, Austria, France and the Netherlands.[13] Claims that white blood would eventually eliminate black blood were found in accounts of immigration statistics.[13] Created in the late 19th century, Brazil's Directoria Geral de Estatistica (DGE) has conducted demographic censuses and managed to measure the progress of whitening as successful in Brazil.[13] Cuba [ edit ] At the beginning of the 20th century, the Cuban government created immigration laws that invested more than $1 million into recruiting Europeans into Cuba to whiten the state.[14] High participation of blacks in independence movements threatened white elitist power and when the 1899 census showed that more than 1⁄ 3 of Cuba's population was colored, white migration started to gain support.[15] Political blanqueamiento began in 1902 after the U.S. occupation, where migration of "undesirables" (i.e. blacks) became prohibited in Cuba.[16] Immigration policies supported the migration of entire families. Between 1902 and 1907, nearly 128,000 Spaniards entered Cuba, and officially in 1906, Cuba created its immigration law that funded white migrants.[16] However, many European immigrants did not stay in Cuba and came solely for the sugar harvest, returning to their homes during the off seasons. Although some 780,000 Spaniards migrated between 1902–1931, only 250,000 stayed. By the 1920s, blanqueamiento through national policy had effectively failed.[15] Social [ edit ] Social blanqueamiento happens in many Latin American countries and can take the form of ethnic self-identification. For example, when examining the Puerto Rican census and the different ethnic categories of the population, the self-categorization of 'white' became an increasing social trend despite the rich Puerto Rican history of slave trade during the 1800s. Due to the slave trade and the intermixing of bodies, the phenotypic composition of the population in Puerto Rico was dramatically impacted. "One consequence of the increase of African Slaves was a change in the racial composition of the population. The largest proportion (55.6%) of people "of Color" was recorded in 1820 and was subsequently reduced. In 1864 52.4% of the population was "white".[17] Then as the census continued through the decades, the dramatic decrease of non-white categories became a trend. "The category of "white" remained intact and the percentage of the population it accounted for increased from 61.8% in 1899 to 80.5% in 2000. At the same time, the proportion of people classified as "nonwhite" fell from 38.2% to 19%.[17] The last decade has seen a move towards multiculturalism and away from blanquamiento,[18] which is reflected in the 2010 census reporting the white population declining to 75.8%.[19] Blanqueamiento is also associated with food consumption. For example, in Osorno, a Chilean city with a strong German heritage, consumption of desserts, marmelades and kuchens whitens the inhabitants of the city.[20] Economic [ edit ] Blanqueamiento can also be accomplished through economic achievement. Many scholars have argued that money has the ability to whiten, where wealthier individuals are more likely to be classified as white, regardless of phenotypic appearance.[5][21][22] It is by this changing of social status that blacks achieve blanqueamiento.[23] In his study, Marcus Eugenio Oliveira Lima showed that groups of Brazilians succeeded more when whitened.[12] Blanqueamiento has also been seen as a way to better the economy. In the case of Brazil, immigration policies that would help whiten the nation were seen as progressive ways to modernize and achieve capitalism.[11] In Cuba, blanqueamiento policies limited economic opportunities for African descendants, resulting in their reduced upward mobility in education, property, and employment sectors.[16] See also [ edit ]With Green Porno, Isabella Rossellini produced a series of shorts in which she, playing the part of various horny animals, taught audiences how insects and sea creatures went at it by dressing up and humping models. She's basically making advancements in education that make Maria Montessori look like an asshole. Last night at a screening of Green Porno, my friend Chris tells me (and now you!) she's hoping to make a semi-prequel to the bizarre series, this time stepping back from actual reproduction and examining just how creatures get potential mates into their animal apartments in the first place: So I went to a a screening of Green Porno last night and Isabella Rossalini was there to talk about it. She said that on Monday she was going to Sundance to pitch them another series of shorts, this one about the seduction techniques of animals. Also, she said she was working on an hour long documentary for one of the Discovery Channel channels, tentatively titled Manhattan Beasts. No clue what Manhattan Beasts is all about, but I'll still watch it as long as it involves Isabella Rossellini dressing up and humping something.July 13, 2011 5:05 pm ET — Matt Finkelstein As tensions flare within the GOP over how to deal with the default crisis, party leaders have remained consistent about one thing: They will not support any deficit-reduction plan that increases tax revenues at all, even if it does so by closing wasteful loopholes. The Economist has described the GOP's inflexible position as "economically illiterate," but the Republicans have soldiered on, mistakenly confident that the American people are on their side. A new poll from Gallup confirms not only that Republicans do not have the American people on their side, but that Republicans do not even have Republican voters on their side. According to the poll, a scant 20 percent of Americans, and 26 percent of self-identified Republicans, agree with congressional Republicans' position that deficit-reduction should be accomplished through spending cuts only. Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has failed to convince his party to compromise and failed to convince the American people why they shouldn't, so it's no wonder that he's now resorting to political gimmicks and comparing President Obama to gelatinous desserts.Over the years, BlackBerry has amassed a giant portfolio of patents, but it hasn't used them to sue others—until now. BlackBerry has filed three patent infringement lawsuits in as many weeks. The struggling phone company's offensive barrage began with a case filed against IP telephony company Avaya on July 27. Last week, BlackBerry filed two lawsuits against budget cell phone maker BLU's products, alleging that BLU infringes a whopping 15 patents. The dual lawsuits against BLU suggest that BlackBerry's new turn toward patent licensing isn't going to be a one-off event, but rather a more extended campaign. In a May earnings call, BlackBerry CEO John Chen told investors he's in a "patent licensing mode" and is hoping to monetize his company's 38,000 patents. The new lawsuits also suggest that BlackBerry has patents it believes describe Android features, so don't be surprised if more Android phones are in the crosshairs soon. One of the two cases filed last week accuses user-interface features that are more about Android than they are about BLU. A small manufacturer like BLU could make for a good "test case" against a maker of Android phones. In the first lawsuit against BLU (PDF), BlackBerry says BLU infringes seven patents: 8,489,868, a software code-signing system 8,402,384, a "dynamic bar" display 8,411,845, a phone log display 6,271,605, a battery disconnection system 8,745,149, describing a way of time-stamping messages and 8,169,449, a system for making composite images from multiple applications. In the second lawsuit (PDF), Blackberry alleges infringement of eight US patents, mostly related to transmitting signals. They are: 7,969,924, "Method and apparatus for state/mode transitioning" 8,483,060, "Method for configuring a telecommunication system" 8,406,118, "Scattered pilot pattern and channel estimation method for MIMO-OFDM systems" 8,472,567, "Detecting the number of transmit antennas in a base station" 8,265,034, "Method and system for a signaling connection release indication" 8,625,506, "System and method for determining establishment causes" 7,933,355, "Systems, devices, and methods for training sequence, transmission and reception" 7,050,413, "Information transmission method, mobile communications system, base station and mobile station in which data size of identification data is reduced" Both suits were filed last Tuesday in the Southern District of Florida. That's the district including BLU's headquarters, located in the Miami suburb of Doral. The second complaint notes that on November 21, 2015, BlackBerry sent BLU a list of patents "required to practice, inter alia, the 2G, 3G, and LTE standards." At that time, BlackBerry offered to license the patents on "fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory terms." The first complaint, with the more user interface-oriented allegations, doesn't mention the November notice. Neither BlackBerry nor BLU responded to requests for comment for this story.T.J. Miller Reportedly Sent Transphobic Email To Trans Movie Critic: ‘Never Contact Me Again You Weird Strange Terrible Man’ The controversy surrounding T.J. Miller continues… On Tuesday, after a woman accused the former Silicon Valley star of assault in college, Danielle Solzman, a transgender film critic, says the 36-year-old actor sent her a “transphobic” email earlier this year. Related: T.J. Wants To Become Hollywood’s Greatest Villain! The writer originally published the redacted email in September, and says it was sent to her in early August, one week after his film The Emoji Movie was released. I got this email in early August. I stayed quiet and while it’s redacted, I’m too scared to name them for fear of legal threats against me. pic.twitter.com/J2kA5t1vW7 ├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥ Danielle Solzman (@DanielleSATM) September 27, 2017 yes ├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥ Danielle Solzman (@DanielleSATM) December 19, 2017 In the email, Miller reportedly says the critic — referring to her as “Daniel” — threw shade and called him “offensive,” even though the comedian has given her only “kindness and support.” The letter reads: “You’re not a transgender, you’re not a tranny- your a fucking asshole daniel. A fucking asshole. Don’t respond to this don’t ever contact me again…” Additionally, Miller reportedly says he has “had sex with transgender people” and has “donated widely to organizations that support their freedom.” Miller is potentially referencing Solzman’s August 2017 article titled “I Won’t See The Emoji Movie,“ where the critic slams Sony Pictures Animation for not offering a press screening. Earlier that day, Solzman referred to Miller as her “abuser,” and wants his roles in Deadpool 2 and Ready Player One to be recast. With today’s news, it is in the best interests for both #Deadpool2 and #ReadyPlayerOne to recast the roles played by TJ Miller. I like @VancityReynolds and Steven Spielberg but I will not support or cover any TV show or film in which Miller is involved. ├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥ Danielle Solzman (@DanielleSATM) December 19, 2017 Thank you to everyone who has reached out to me today. I’m happy to see my abuser’s name finally out there. It hasn’t been easy keeping silent after getting anonymous texts threatening legal action, a defamation lawsuit, and deadnaming me repeatedly. Happy to see a career end! ├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥ Danielle Solzman (@DanielleSATM) December 19, 2017 Truly disturbing… [Image via Danielle Solzman/Twitter/FayesVision/WENN.]Attempting to sum up director Joseph Kosinski’s Oblivion after walking out of the screening this past Tuesday, I came up with the following equation: Wall-E + Tron: Legacy + The Matrix = Oblivion Looking around online since, I’ve seen people make similar comparisons, so I know my formula is sound. And though it wears its influences on its sleeve, I enjoyed Oblivion quite a bit. The only problem is that it’s the kind of film that’s hard to review without spoiling it — the trailers have given too much away as it is — and I’m really not a fan of putting spoilers out there, even with a warning tacked up front. I’m sure a big part of why I enjoyed the film so much was because I went in pretty cold, so I’m going to try to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible. Oblivion’s story unfolds a piece at a time, and you won’t get the full reveal until the film’s final minutes. But it’s this mysterious nature of the movie’s plot that provides the bulk of the enjoyment. It’s a film that guides you through the dark with a flashlight that only gives off a few feet of illumination ahead of you, yet it managed to hold my interest throughout its run time. The movie opens with a convenient little montage featuring a voice-over from Tom Cruise’s Harper, who explains why the Earth is in its currently devastated state. All signs point to attack by aliens (vaguely referred to as “scavs,” short for scavengers) that resulted in our moon getting pulverized, which in turn caused earthquakes, tsunamis and all sorts of ecological unpleasantries to wreak havoc on our world. Nukes are used as a final solution to quell the alien invasion, which naturally makes the world pretty much uninhabitable and forces the citizens of Earth to flee to Titan, one of Saturn’s moons. Harper, along with his teammate/significant other, Victoria (played with wide eyed earnestness by Andrea Riseborough), act as a clean up/maintenance crew back on Earth, with the pair taking orders from an overly enthusiastic woman named Sally (Melissa Leo), who’s stationed on “the Tet,” a space station orbiting overhead. Their job is relatively simple and mostly involves Harper repairing automated gunner drones that are damaged by the scavs still lingering on Earth. The drones protect these huge fusion reactors that transform sea water into energy, something that the people on Titan desperately need to survive, so it
, and apostasy doesn’t have to spiral into drug abuse and cannibalism. (Those are optional.) So on this particular night, in our after-dinner discussion, the younger of the two thought he’d explain why I left. I wrote it down afterwards because it was so perfect. He said, I think what happened is: you stopped praying you stopped reading the scriptures and over the course of time, you stopped going to church and then you stopped believing it was true. It was amazing. Four complete misses! I was pleased to let him know that he was quite wrong on every point. If anything, he had it in reverse order in my case. When you’re going through deconversion, and you recognise that you’ve been utterly, terribly wrong on everything, and you’re wondering what it all means, and one of those things is the loss of your social group and your status in a community and your mental model of the entire universe — not to mention all the time and money you’ve invested — you don’t just drift away. In my case, I prayed harder! I read the scriptures with a new intensity. I went to church for a good solid six months after I no longer believed. (That’s what finally finished my testimony off.) So when this young elder told me what he thought my reasons were… I was secretly glad. Why glad? Here’s why. Mormons simply do not understand why people leave, or what deconversion is like. They could ask someone who’s been through it, but they never do. That might open up an unwanted conversation — and besides, they know already! It’s because we forgot. Except we don’t just forget. I could tell you the details of all my biggest and most convincing spiritual experiences. I remember everything. I just don’t think they mean what I used to think they mean. I’ve reordered my evidentiary model. But Mormons don’t get this. And because they don’t understand why people leave, they won’t be able to stop it. The die-off will continue. And that makes me very glad, even though I know Mormons won’t be able to help someone who’s hurting. That’s where I come in. And not just me — a whole lot of other ex-Mormons who have formed supportive communities of disbelief. Sadly, there’s another consequence of Mormons not getting it when it comes to apostasy. They blame themselves for their church’s failures. Here’s a scripture that lets them do that. Helaman 4:22 And that they had altered and trampled under their feet the laws of Mosiah, or that which the Lord commanded him to give unto the people; and they saw that their laws had become corrupted, and that they had become a wicked people, insomuch that they were wicked even like unto the Lamanites. 4:23 And because of their iniquity the church had begun to dwindle; and they began to disbelieve in the spirit of prophecy and in the spirit of revelation; and the judgments of God did stare them in the face. 4:24 And they saw that they had become weak, like unto their brethren, the Lamanites, and that the Spirit of the Lord did no more preserve them; yea, it had withdrawn from them because the Spirit of the Lord doth not dwell in unholy temples — That’s right; when you’re bad, you get abandoned by the Holy Spook, your supposed source of spiritual strength. And then the church collapses. But it’s not because of the lack of evidence, the sinister leaders, or the lack of tangible benefit. It’s you. I really hope that church members today aren’t blaming themselves for the failure of the church and the current on-going final apostasy. But this scripture might have that effect. Additional lesson ideas Cement I always thought cement was an anachronism in the Book of Mormon. Helaman 3:3 And it came to pass in the forty and sixth, yea, there was much contention and many dissensions; in the which there were an exceedingly great many who departed out of the land of Zarahemla, and went forth unto the land northward to inherit the land. … 3:7 And there being but little timber upon the face of the land, nevertheless the people who went forth became exceedingly expert in the working of cement; therefore they did build houses of cement, in the which they did dwell. 3:8 And it came to pass that they did multiply and spread, and did go forth from the land southward to the land northward, and did spread insomuch that they began to cover the face of the whole earth, from the sea south to the sea north, from the sea west to the sea east. 3:9 And the people who were in the land northward did dwell in tents, and in houses of cement, and they did suffer whatsoever tree should spring up upon the face of the land that it should grow up, that in time they might have timber to build their houses, yea, their cities, and their temples, and their synagogues, and their sanctuaries, and all manner of their buildings. 3:10 And it came to pass as timber was exceedingly scarce in the land northward, they did send forth much by the way of shipping. 3:11 And thus they did enable the people in the land northward that they might build many cities, both of wood and of cement. … 3:14 But behold, a hundredth part of the proceedings of this people, yea, the account of the Lamanites and of the Nephites, and their wars, and contentions, and dissensions, and their preaching, and their prophecies, and their shipping and their building of ships, and their building of temples, and of synagogues and their sanctuaries, and their righteousness, and their wickedness, and their murders, and their robbings, and their plundering, and all manner of abominations and whoredoms, cannot be contained in this work. But it looks like I was wrong. Cement — or something like cement — has been found in Mesoamerica. They most often utilized limestone, which remained pliable enough to be worked with stone tools while being quarried, and only hardened once when removed from its bed. In addition to the structural use of limestone, much of their mortar consisted of crushed, burnt, and mixed limestone that mimicked the properties of cement and was used just as widely for stucco finishing as it was for mortar. Not actual houses of cement, which the Book of Mormon says there were apparently so many as to cover “the face of the whole earth, from the sea south to the sea north, from the sea west to the sea east”. Ideally you’d want to find the houses, but we do see something like cement, so the Book of Mormon gets this one on a technicality. I think this is the real problem with the Book of Mormon. If so many people were building cement buildings, ships, and temples in such abundance, then we should be able to find them. Shoot — we should be able to see them from Google Earth. But we don’t. And instead, by way of defence, apologists say, “Well, something like cement has been found in a few places.” The other problem is that things that we know existed don’t appear in the Book of Mormon. It would have easy to write, Behold, they did construct walls hewn of stone with such exactness that a hair would not fit between the stones. That’s something we do observe, but not in the Book of Mormon. If it’s true, it should be obviously more true. But it’s not. That’s God, you know. Always operating on the margins of credibility.Last night in Boston at the House Of Blues, DJ/producer Zedd, started the launch of his current U.S. “Moment of Clarity” tour. A night that was sure to be a special one for Zedd and those in attendance instead took a dark turn toward tragedy. According to CBS Boston, emergency services were called to the House of Blues at 12:42 a.m. this morning (August 28). One female was pronounced dead upon arrival to a local hospital, the cause of death, an apparent overdose. Two others were hospitalized for similar conditions, and are said to be in serious condition as of this writing. As of now, there is no apparent relation between the three victims. The drugs in question have been classified only as “unknown substances.” “Last evening, there were guests at our venue in need of medical treatment during the performance,” said House of Blues spokesperson Jay Anderson. “They were assisted by Boston EMS as well as on-site emergency medical personnel and then transported to local medical facilities. One individual has unfortunately passed away and our thoughts go out to their family and friends for their loss. This matter is under investigation and we are continuing to work with local officials,” he added. “As always, the safety of our guests is our top priority.” Zedd’s next show was scheduled to take place tonight, once more at the House of Blues. However, as could have been expected, the show has been cancelled as a full investigation gets under way. The House of Blues is also shutting down for an unknown period of time. Police are asking anyone with details to call the detectives at 617-343-4470; the Boston Police Homicide Unit is investigating the case. They are also taking anonymous tips at 800-494-TIPS or via text of the word “TIP” to CRIME (27463) Zedd has posted some tweets on the incident, you can read them below. Out of respect to the families and friends involved in last night’s tragic loss, the show in Boston tonight is canceled. — Zedd (@Zedd) August 28, 2013 Love and respect to those in pain right now. Our hearts go out to you. — Zedd (@Zedd) August 28, 2013 PLEASE, everyone… BE RESPONSIBLE! — Zedd (@Zedd) August 28, 2013You might remember Bobby Crosby — the Dodger fan who filmed himself twice this season catching a home run ball in the Dodger Stadium left field pavilion. He has a YouTube channel with clips of all his catches called Dodgerfilms. Apparently he’s been asked by the Dodgers to stop filming. Your browser does not support iframes. In a video he recently posted to his channel he explained that he had suddenly been asked by the team over the Fourth of July weekend that he would not be able to continue recording game action. It’s part of Major League Baseball policy — that clip you hear during broadcasts that says that any rebroadcast or account of the game is prohibited “without the express written consent of Major League Baseball.” Article continues below... Crosby said he understood the Dodgers’ position, though he was puzzled that the Dodgers didn’t discuss the matter with him first, maybe even ask him to obtain “express written consent.” Ironically, MLB seems to have had no issue with Crosby as they’ve shown clips of his amazing catches on its website. Your browser does not support iframes. Fans and players seem to love what he does. Even legendary Dodgers announcer Vin Scully has gotten a kick out of Crosby’s feats. You can watch Crosby explaining the situation and making his case for Dodgerfilms here. (h/t Lasorda’s Lair)Two small dogs are dead following two unrelated, but nearly “identical” attacks by two other dogs over the weekend. In both fatal attacks, the dog killed was a small Shih Tzu type breed, and the dog who attacked is believed to be a pitbull, said Alvin Murray with the city’s animal and bylaw services. Charges are pending in both situations. “They’re two completely different incidents,” said Murray on Sunday, noting the circumstances of each skirmish are almost identical. The first fatal attack happened shortly before 11 p.m. Saturday when a pit bull was being walked off leash in the northeast community of Martindale. Two small Shih Tzu Bichon cross-type dogs were being walked on leash when the pit bull attacked the small dogs, fatally injuring one of them, Murray said. “One dog died,” he said. Murray said bylaw officials are still trying to figure out who owns the pit bull and charges are pending. The second fatal dog attack happened on Sunday afternoon in the northeast community of Skyview Ranch. Acting Det. David Fakas said police received a call shortly after 2 p.m. Sunday to the area of Skyview Ranch Way by Skyview Ranch Road N.E. “The dogs were out being walked and one dog attacked another, killing it,” said Fakas. Murray said the dog killed was a Shih Tzu that was being walked off leash. He said preliminary information shows the small dog suffered fatal head wounds by a pit bull that was being walked on leash. “The little dog ran up to the pit bull, and the pit bull attacked,” he said. Murray said officials have a name and phone number of the pit bull’s owner and are investigating. In both incidents, each pit bull could be seized, and multiple charges are pending against each pit bull’s owner, Murray said. aklingbeil@calgaryherald.com twitter.com/AnnaliseAKItalian philosopher and esotericist Baron Giulio Cesare Andrea Evola (; Italian: [ˈɛːvola];[1] 19 May 1898 – 11 June 1974), better known as Julius Evola, was an Italian philosopher, painter, and esotericist. He has been described as a "fascist intellectual,"[2] a "radical traditionalist,"[3] "antiegalitarian, antiliberal, antidemocratic, and antipopular,"[4] and as having been "the leading philosopher of Europe's neofascist movement."[4] Evola is popular in fringe circles, largely because of his extreme metaphysical, magical, and supernatural beliefs (including belief in ghosts, telepathy, and alchemy),[5] and his extreme traditionalism and misogyny. He himself termed his philosophy "magical idealism." Many of Evola's theories and writings were centered on his hostility toward Christianity and his idiosyncratic mysticism, occultism, and esoteric religious studies,[6][7][8] and this aspect of his work has influenced occultists and esotericists. Evola also justified rape (among other forms of male domination of women) because he saw it "as a natural expression of male desire." This misogynistic outlook stemmed from his extreme right views on gender roles, which demanded absolute submission from women.[6][7][8][9][10] According to the scholar Franco Ferraresi, "Evola's thought can be considered one of the most radical and consistent anti-egalitarian, anti-liberal, anti-democratic, and anti-popular systems in the twentieth century. It is a singular (though not necessarily original) blend of several schools and traditions, including German idealism, Eastern doctrines, traditionalism, and the all-embracing Weltanschauung of the interwar conservative revolutionary movement with which Evola had a deep personal involvement".[11] Historian Aaron Gillette described Evola as "one of the most influential fascist racists in Italian history".[12] He admired SS head Heinrich Himmler, whom he once met.[12] Evola spent World War II working for the Sicherheitsdienst.[8] During his trial in 1951, Evola denied being a fascist and instead referred to himself as a "superfascist". Concerning this statement, historian Elisabetta Cassina Wolff wrote that "It is unclear whether this meant that Evola was placing himself above or beyond Fascism".[13] Evola was the "chief ideologue" of Italy's radical right after World War II.[14] He continues to influence contemporary traditionalist and neo-fascist movements.[14][15][16][17] Life [ edit ] Giulio Cesare Andrea Evola was born in Rome to a minor aristocratic family of Sicilian origins. He was a baron. Little is known about his early upbringing except that he considered it irrelevant. Evola studied engineering in Rome, but did not complete his studies because he "did not want to be associated in any way with bourgeois academic recognition and titles such as doctor and engineer."[6]:3[18] In his teenage years, Evola immersed himself in painting—which he considered one of his natural talents—and literature, including Oscar Wilde and Gabriele d'Annunzio. He was introduced to philosophers such as Friedrich Nietzsche and Otto Weininger. Other early philosophical influences included Carlo Michelstaedter and Max Stirner.[19] Evola served in World War I as an artillery officer on the Asiago plateau. He was attracted to the avant-garde and after the war, Evola briefly associated with Filippo Tommaso Marinetti's Futurist movement. He became a prominent representative of Dadaism in Italy through his painting, poetry, and collaboration on the briefly published journal, Revue Bleue. In 1922, after concluding that avant-garde art was becoming commercialized and stiffened by academic conventions, he reduced his focus on artistic expression such as painting and poetry.[20][non-primary source needed] Evola died on 11 June 1974 in Rome.[21][how?] Works [ edit ] Christianity [ edit ] In 1928, Evola wrote an attack on Christianity titled Pagan Imperialism, which proposed transforming fascism into a system consistent with ancient Roman values and the ancient mystery traditions. Evola proposed that fascism should be a vehicle for reinstating the caste system and aristocracy of antiquity. Although Evola invoked the term "fascism" in this text, his diatribe against the Catholic Church was criticized by both the fascist regime and the Vatican itself. A. James Gregor argued that the text was an attack on fascism as it stood at the time of writing, but noted that Benito Mussolini made use of it in order to threaten the Vatican with the possibility of an "anti-clerical fascism".[6][22]:89–91 On account of Evola's sentiment, the Vatican-backed right wing Catholic journal Revue Internationale des Sociétés Secrètes published an article in April 1928 entitled "Un Sataniste Italien: Julius Evola."[8] The Mystery of the Grail discarded Christian interpretations of the Holy Grail. Evola wrote that the Grail "symbolizes the principle of an immortalizing and transcendent force connected to the primordial state... The mystery of the Grail is a mystery of a warrior initiation." He held that the Ghibellines, who fought the Guelph for control of Northern and Central Italy in the thirteenth century, had within them the residual influences of pre-Christian Celtic and Nordic traditions that represented his conception of the Grail myth. He also held that the Guelph victory against the Ghibellines represented a regression of the castes, since the merchant caste took over from the warrior caste.[23] In the epilogue to this text, Evola argued that the fictitious The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, regardless of whether it was authentic or not, was a cogent representation of modernity.[24] The historian Richard Barber said, "Evola mixes rhetoric, prejudice, scholarship, and politics into a strange version of the present and future, but in the process he brings together for the first time interest in the esoteric and in conspiracy theory which characterize much of the later Grail literature."[24] Buddhism [ edit ] In The Doctrine of Awakening, Evola argued that the Pāli Canon could be held to represent true Buddhism.[25] His interpretation of Buddhism is that it was intended to be anti-democratic. He believed that Buddhism revealed the essence of an "Aryan" tradition that had become corrupted and lost in the West. He believed it could be interpreted to reveal the superiority of a warrior caste.[25] Harry Oldmeadow described Evola's work on Buddhism as exhibiting Nietzschean influence,[26] but Evola criticized Nietzsche's anti-ascetic prejudice.[25] The book "received the official approbation of the Pāli [text] society", and was published by a reputable Orientalist publisher.[25] Evola's interpretation of Buddhism, as put forth in his article "Spiritual Virility in Buddhism", is in conflict with the post-WWII scholarship of the Orientalist Giuseppe Tucci, which argues that the viewpoint that Buddhism advocates universal benevolence is legitimate.[27] Arthur Versluis stated that Evola's writing on Buddhism was a vehicle for his own theories, but was a far from accurate rendition of the subject, and he held that much the same could be said of Evola's writing on Hermeticism.[28] Ñāṇavīra Thera was inspired to become a bhikkhu from reading Evola's text The Doctrine of Awakening in 1945 while hospitalized in Sorrento.[25] Modernity [ edit ] Evola's Revolt Against the Modern World is a text that promotes the mythology of an ancient Golden Age. In this work, Evola described the features of his idealized traditional society. Evola argued that modernity represented a serious decline from an ideal society. He argued that in the postulated Golden age, religious and temporal power were united. He wrote that society had not been founded on priestly rule, but by warriors expressing spiritual power. In mythology, he saw evidence of the West's superiority over the East. Moreover, he claimed that the traditional elite had the ability to access power and knowledge through a hierarchical version of magic which differed from the lower "superstitious and fraudulent" forms of magic.[6] Evola insists on "nonmodern forms, institutions, and knowledge" as being necessary to produce a "real renewal... in those who are still capable of receiving it."[28] The text was "immediately recognized by Mircea Eliade and other intellectuals who allegedly advanced ideas associated with Tradition."[13] Eliade, one of Evola's closest friends, was a fascist sympathizer associated with the Romanian fascist Iron Guard.[8] Evola was aware of the importance of myth from his readings of Georges Sorel, one of the key intellectual influences on fascism.[8] Hermann Hesse described Revolt Against the Modern World as "really dangerous."[23] E. C. Wolff noted that in Ride the Tiger "Evola argued that the fight against modernity was lost. The only thing a'real man' could just do was to ride the tiger of modernity patiently". Evola wrote that the events of the period would have to run their course but he "did not exclude the possibility of action in the future." He argued that one should be ready to intervene when the tiger "is tired of running."[13] Goodrick-Clarke notes that, "Evola sets up the ideal of the 'active nihilist' who is prepared to act with violence against modern decadence."[15] According to European Studies professor Paul Furlong, this text presents Evola's view that the potential "elite" should immunize itself from modernity and use "right wing anarchism" to rebel against it.[6] Other writings [ edit ] In the posthumously published collection of writings, Metaphysics of War, Evola, in line with the conservative revolutionary Ernst Jünger, explored the viewpoint that war could be a spiritually fulfilling experience. He proposed the necessity of a transcendental orientation in a warrior.[29] Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke has written that Evola's 1945 essay "American 'Civilization'" described the United States as "the final stage of European decline into the 'interior formlessness' of vacuous individualism, conformity and vulgarity under the universal aegis of money-making." According to Goodrick-Clarke, Evola argued that U.S. "mechanistic and rational philosophy of progress combined with a mundane horizon of prosperity to transform the world into an enormous suburban shopping mall."[15] Occultism and esotericism [ edit ] Around 1920, Evola's interests led him into spiritual, transcendental, and "supra-rational" studies. He began reading various esoteric texts and gradually delved deeper into the occult, alchemy, magic, and Oriental studies, particularly Tibetan Tantric yoga. A keen mountaineer, Evola described the experience as a source of revelatory spiritual experiences. After his return from the war, Evola experimented with hallucinogens and magic. When he was about 23 years old, Evola considered suicide. He claimed that he avoided suicide thanks to a revelation he had while reading an early Buddhist text that dealt with shedding all forms of identity other than absolute transcendence.[6] Evola would later publish the text The Doctrine of Awakening, which he regarded as a repayment of his debt to Buddhism for saving him from suicide.[25] Evola wrote prodigiously on Eastern mysticism, Tantra, hermeticism, the myth of the Holy Grail and Western esotericism.[6] German Egyptologist and esoteric scholar Florian Ebeling has noted that Evola's The Hermetic Tradition is viewed as an "extremely important work on Hermeticism" in the eyes of esotericists.[30] Evola gave particular focus to Cesare della Riviera's text Il Mondo Magico degli Heroi, which he later republished in modern Italian. He held that Riviera's text was consonant with the goals of "high magic" – the reshaping of the earthly human into a transcendental 'god man'. According to Evola, the alleged "timeless" Traditional science was able to come to lucid expression through this text, in spite of the "coverings" added to it to prevent accusations from the church.[31] Though Evola rejected Carl Jung's interpretation of alchemy, Jung described Evola's The Hermetic Tradition as a "magisterial account of Hermetic philosophy".[31] In Hegel and the Hermetic Tradition, the philosopher Glenn Alexander Magee favored Evola's interpretation over that of Jung's.[32] In 1988, a journal devoted to Hermetic thought published a section of Evola's book and described it as "Luciferian."[8] Evola later confessed that he was not a Buddhist, and that his text on Buddhism was meant to balance his earlier work on the Hindu tantras.[25] Evola's interest in tantra was spurred on by correspondence with John Woodroffe.[33] Evola was attracted to the active aspect of tantra, and its claim to provide a practical means to spiritual experience, over the more "passive" approaches in other forms of Eastern spirituality.[34] In Tantric Buddhism in East Asia, Richard K. Payne, Dean of the Institute of Buddhist Studies, argued that Evola manipulated Tantra in the service of right wing violence, and that the emphasis on "power" in The Yoga of Power gave insight into his mentality.[35] Evola advocated that "differentiated individuals" following the Left-Hand Path use dark violent sexual powers against the modern world. For Evola, these "virile heroes" are both generous and cruel, possess the ability to rule, and commit "Dionysian" acts that might be seen as conventionally immoral. For Evola, the Left Hand path embraces violence as a means of transgression.[7]:217 According to A. James Gregor Evola's definition of spirituality can be found in Meditations on the Peaks: "what has been successfully actualized and translated into a sense of superiority which is experienced inside by the soul, and a noble demeanor, which is expressed in the body."[22]:101–102 Goodrick-Clarke wrote that Evola's "rigorous New Age spirituality speaks directly to those who reject absolutely the leveling world of democracy, capitalism, multi-racialism and technology at the outset of the twenty-first century. Their acute sense of cultural chaos can find powerful relief in his ideal of total renewal."[15] Thomas Sheehan wrote that to "read Evola is to take a trip through a weird and fascinating jungle of ancient mythologies, pseudo-ethnology, and transcendental mysticism that is enough to make any southern California consciousness-tripper feel quite at home."[36] Magical idealism [ edit ] Thomas Sheehan wrote that "Evola's first philosophical works from the 'twenties were dedicated to reshaping neo-idealism from a philosophy of Absolute Spirit and Mind into a philosophy of the "absolute individual" and action."[37] Accordingly, Evola developed the doctrine of "magical idealism", which held that "the Ego must understand that everything that seems to have a reality independent of it is nothing but an illusion, caused by its own deficiency."[37] For Evola, this ever-increasing unity with the "absolute individual" was consistent with unconstrained liberty, and therefore unconditional power.[6] In his 1925 work Essays on Magical Idealism, Evola declared that "God does not exist. The Ego must create him by making itself divine."[37] According to Sheehan, Evola discovered the power of metaphysical mythology while developing his theories. This led to his advocacy of supra-rational intellectual intuition over discursive knowledge. In Evola's view, discursive knowledge separates man from Being.[37] Sheehan stated that this position is a theme in certain interpretations of Western philosophers such as Plato, Thomas Aquinas, and Martin Heidegger that was exaggerated by Evola.[37] Evola would later write: The truths that allow us to understand the world of Tradition are not those that can be "learned" or "discussed." They either are or are not. We can only remember them, and that happens when we are freed from the obstacles represented by various human constructions (chief among these are the results and methods of the authorized "researchers") and have awakened the capacity to see from the nonhuman viewpoint, which is the same as the Traditional viewpoint... Traditional truths have always been held to be essentially non-human.[37] Evola developed a doctrine of the "two natures": the natural world and the primordial "world of 'Being'". He believed that these "two natures" impose form and quality on lower matter and create a hierarchical "great chain of Being."[37] He understood "spiritual virility" as signifying orientation towards this postulated transcendent principle.[37] He held that the State should reflect this "ordering from above" and the consequent hierarchical differentiation of individuals according to their "organic preformation". By "organic preformation" he meant that which "gathers, preserves, and refines one's talents and qualifications for determinate functions."[37] Ur Group [ edit ] Evola was introduced to esotericism by Arturo Reghini, who was an early supporter of fascism. Reghini sought to promote a "cultured magic" opposed to Christianity and introduced Evola to the traditionalist René Guénon. In 1927, Reghini and Evola, along with other Italian esotericists, founded the Gruppo di Ur ("Ur Group").[6] The purpose of this group was to attempt to bring the members' individual identities into such a superhuman state of power and awareness that they would be able to exert a magical influence on the world. The group employed techniques from Buddhist, Tantric, and rare Hermetic texts.[38] They aimed to provide a "soul" to the burgeoning Fascist movement of the time through the revival of ancient Roman religion, and to influence the fascist regime through esotericism.[39][6] Articles on occultism from the Ur Group were later published in Introduction to Magic.[22]:89[33] Reghini's support of Freemasonry would however prove a bone of contention for Evola; accordingly, Evola broke with Reghini in 1928.[6] Reghini himself broke from Evola, accusing Evola of plagiarizing his thoughts in the book Pagan Imperialism.[8] Evola, on the other hand, blamed Reghini for the premature publication of Pagan Imperialism.[6] Evola's later work owed a considerable debt to René Guénon's text Crisis of the Modern World,[28] though he diverged from Guénon on the issue of the relationship between warriors and priests.[6] Views on sex and gender roles [ edit ] Julius Evola believed that the alleged higher qualities expected of a man of a particular race were not those expected of a woman of the same race. He held that "just relations between the sexes" involved women acknowledging their "inequality" with men.[6] In 1925, he wrote an article titled "La donna come cosa" ("Woman as Thing").[14] Evola later quoted Joseph de Maistre's statement that "Woman cannot be superior except as woman, but from the moment in which she desires to emulate man she is nothing but a monkey."[40] Evola believed that women's liberation was "the renunciation by woman of her right to be a woman".[41] A woman "could traditionally participate in the sacred hierarchical order only in a mediated fashion through her relationship with a man."[8] He held, as a feature of his idealized gender relations, the Hindu sati, which for him was a form of sacrifice indicating women's respect for patriarchal traditions.[42] For the "pure, feminine" woman, "man is not perceived by her as a mere husband or lover, but as her lord."[9] Women would find their true identity in total subjugation to men.[8] Evola regarded matriarchy and goddess religions as a symptom of decadence, and preferred a hyper-masculine, warrior ethos.[43] Evola was influenced by Hans Blüher; he was a proponent of the Männerbund concept as a model for his proposed ultra-fascist "Order".[8] Goodrick-Clarke noted the fundamental influence of Otto Weininger's misogynist book Sex and Character on Evola's dualism of male-female spirituality. According to Goodrich-Clarke, "Evola's celebration of virile spirituality was rooted in Weininger's work, which was widely translated by the end of the First World War."[15] Unlike Weininger, Evola believed that women needed to be conquered, not ignored.[8] Evola denounced homosexuality as "useless" for his purposes. He did not neglect sadomasochism, so long as sadism and masochism "are magnifications of an element potentially present in the deepest essence of eros."[8] Then, it would be possible to "extend, in a transcendental and perhaps ecstatic way, the possibilities of sex."[8] Evola held that women "played" with men, threatened their masculinity, and lured them into a "constrictive" grasp with their sexuality.[12] He wrote that "It should not be expected of women that they return to what they really are... when men themselves retain only the semblance of true virility",[9] and lamented that "men instead of being in control of sex are controlled by it and wander about like drunkards".[7] He believed that in Tantra and in sex magic, in which he saw a strategy for aggression, he found the means to counter the "emasculated" West.[7][10] According to Annalisa Merelli, Evola "went so far as to justify rape" because he saw it "as a natural expression of male desire".[9] Evola also said that the "ritual violation of virgins",[8] and "whipping women" were a means of "consciousness raising",[8] so long as these practices were done to the intensity required to produce the proper "liminal psychic climate".[8] He wrote that "as a rule, nothing stirs a man more than feeling the woman utterly exhausted beneath his own hostile rapture."[9] Evola translated Weininger's Sex and Character into Italian. Dissatisfied with simply translating Weininger's work, he wrote the text Eros and the Mysteries of Love: The Metaphysics of Sex, where his views on sexuality were dealt with at length.[8][6] Arthur Versluis described this text as Evola's "most interesting" work aside from Revolt Against the Modern World.[28] This book remains popular among many New Age adherents.[44] Views on race [ edit ] Evola's dissent from standard biological concepts of race had roots in his aristocratic elitism, since Nazi völkisch ideology inadequately separated aristocracy from "commoners."[8] According to Furlong, Evola developed "the law of the regression of castes" in Revolt Against the Modern World and other writings on racism from the 1930s and World War II period. In Evola's view "power and civilization have progressed from one to another of the four castes—sacred leaders, warrior nobility, bourgeoisie (economy,'merchants') and slaves".[6] Furlong explains: "for Evola, the core of racial superiority lay in the spiritual qualities of the higher castes, which expressed themselves in physical as well as in cultural features, but were not determined by them. The law of the regression of castes places racism at the core of Evola's philosophy, since he sees an increasing predominance of lower races as directly expressed through modern mass democracies."[6] In 1941, Evola's book Synthesis of the Doctrine of Race (Italian: Sintesi di Dottrina della Razza) was published by Hoepli. It provides an overview of his ideas concerning race and eugenics, introducing the concept of "spiritual racism",[45] and "esoteric-traditionalist racism".[46] Prior to the end of War, Evola had frequently used the term "Aryan" to mean the nobility, who in his view were imbued with traditional spirituality.[6] Wolff notes that Evola seems to have stopped writing about race in 1945, but adds that the intellectual themes of Evola's writings were otherwise unchanged. Evola continued to write about elitism and his contempt for the weak. His "doctrine of the Aryan-Roman'super-race was simply restated as a doctrine of the 'leaders of men'... no longer with reference to the SS, but to the mediaeval Teutonic knights of the Knights Templar, already mentioned in Rivolta."[13] Evola spoke of "inferior non-European races".[8] Peter Merkl wrote that "Evola was never prepared to discount the value of blood altogether". Evola wrote: "a certain balanced consciousness and dignity of race can be considered healthy" in a time where "the exaltation of the negro and all the rest, anticolonialist psychosis and integrationist fanaticism [are] all parallel phenomena in the decline of Europe and the West."[47] While not totally against race-mixing, in 1957, Evola wrote an article attributing the perceived acceleration of American decadence to the influence of "negroes" and the opposition to segregation. Furlong noted that this article is "among the most extreme in phraseology of any
non-moral) philosophers or than non-philosophers. In that case it seems that the moral philosopher should not be held to higher moral standards, because he is not an expert in the subfield in which he committed the wrongdoing. But now suppose that the moral philosopher commits a wrong closely related to the field of his expertise. Suppose he believes that not being vegetarian is wrong, and yet he cannot help eating meat from time to time. In fact, one study shows that even if 60% of ethicists believe it is morally wrong to eat meat regularly, compared to 45% of other philosophers and 19% of professors from other disciplines, there is no statistically significant difference among the three groups when asked what they ate at their previous evening meal. These numbers suggest that many moral philosophers are not consistent between their actions and their convictions when it comes to their field of expertise. (I am assuming here that the ethicists who voiced an opinion about vegetarianism had thought about the issue before, but this may not be true.) Consider the following case. A moral philosopher (who has never worked on vegetarianism before), a logician, and a businessman attend a one-month course on the ethics of what we eat. They are all exposed to the same relevant arguments, articles, and documentaries. By the end of the month, all three agree that eating meat is immoral and they become vegetarians. One year later, however, a follow-up survey finds that all three have gone back to regularly eating meat. Is the moral philosopher more blameworthy than the logician or the businessman? It seems to me than in this case all three are equally morally blameworthy, given that they share the same knowledge. Now suppose that a year after the course ends all three subjects are asked whether they still think eating meat is wrong. The logician and the businessman say that they no longer believe eating meat is wrong, but the ethicist acknowledges that he still believes it is wrong not to be a vegetarian. Does this mismatch between beliefs and behaviour change anything? Does it make the ethicist more blameworthy because he is acting against his convictions? If we say that the ethicist is more morally blameworthy for acting contrary to his beliefs, then this position would lead to the unappealing implication that the easiest way for the ethicist to be less blameworthy would be to change his convictions so that they fit his actions, irrespective of the content of his behaviour. In fact, research suggests that people often look at their own behaviour and infer from it what their beliefs are (Bem 1972). In other words, people often think the way they act, rather than the other way around. When it comes to morality, I suspect the process goes something like this: ‘I am a good person. I eat meat. Therefore, eating meat must not be such a bad thing to do.’ People experience distress when they perceive a mismatch between their acts and their beliefs. Psychologists have dubbed this unpleasant feeling cognitive dissonance. When faced with such a mismatch, people can: a) change their behaviour, b) justify their behaviour by changing their beliefs, c) or take responsibility for the discrepancy. Suppose that the businessman and the logician went back to eating meat because of some kind of weakness of will. They missed the taste of meat, the social pressure they faced made them uncomfortable, and they succumbed to temptation. One year later, when confronted with cognitive dissonance, they changed their beliefs to fit their behaviour. Is the ethicist more blameworthy than they are? The more moral thing to do for the ethicist is of course to go back to being a vegetarian. It is still true that it is morally wrong of him to eat meat. The next best thing, however, is not to change his beliefs so that they fit his behaviour. Not living up to our moral standards is morally bad, but it is not as bad as changing our moral beliefs to match our immoral behaviour. Consistency is overrated. In morality, good outcomes are much more important. If the ethicist were to accommodate his beliefs to his behaviour, not only would that constitute a morally worse option—it would also make him a bad ethicist, because that is not the method moral philosophers should use to arrive at valid conclusions in ethics. If the ethicist feels he cannot change his behaviour (perhaps because he needs time to do it gradually, or because his moral failings make him not stand social pressure), then the next best thing he can do is to take responsibility for the mismatch: acknowledge that the right thing to do is to be a vegetarian, even if he is personally failing at it. This position is a bitter one. It is distressing and embarrassing to acknowledge our moral failings, but doing so makes us good moral philosophers—as good as if we could fully live up to our moral standards. Should ethicists be held to higher moral standards? If they commit a wrong about which they know more than others, then it is seems plausible that they do have more responsibility and should be held to higher moral standards. In many cases, however, moral philosophers appear to be on a par with non-ethicists when it comes to ethical knowledge. Most people who cheat on their spouses, for example, have roughly the same knowledge of the wrong they are committing; this includes moral philosophers, since the ethics of faithfulness is not frequently discussed in academic settings, nor is it something most moral philosophers read or write about. Furthermore, knowledge is never a sufficient condition to act morally, and moral philosophers are as prone as anyone else to weakness of will. More importantly, people should not be disappointed when they learn that a moral philosopher has committed a wrong that goes against his moral beliefs. While it may show some moral failing in his character, if the ethicist is willing to stand by his beliefs, it also shows a virtue: that of intellectual honesty. The virtue of intellectual honesty may not be one of the most relevant virtues to judge a person’s character as a whole, but it is certainly one of the most important virtues to judge the worth of a moral philosopher qua moral philosopher. @carissaveliz [1] My thanks to Theron Pummer for this point. References Bem, D.J. 1972. “Self-Perception Theory.” In Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, edited by L. Berkowitz. New York: Academic Press.MARKETING OF POTATOES ACT 1946 - SECT 22A MARKETING OF POTATOES ACT 1946 - SECT 22A 22A. Vehicles carrying potatoes, power to stop and search etc. (1) Where an inspector has reasonable grounds for suspecting that there is on a vehicle a quantity of potatoes exceeding 50 kg in weight, he may — (a) direct the driver, or the person apparently in charge, of the vehicle to permit the inspector to search the vehicle and anything thereon; and (b) if the vehicle is in motion, direct the driver to stop the vehicle so that the inspector may exercise in relation thereto the powers referred to in paragraph (a), and if upon his inspection of the vehicle the inspector is satisfied that there is on the vehicle a quantity of potatoes exceeding 50 kg in weight he may — (c) require the person apparently in charge of the vehicle — (i) to give to the inspector his name and address; and (ii) to supply to the inspector such information relating to the potatoes and the journey and destination or the intended journey and destination of the vehicle as the inspector requires; and (iii) to produce to the inspector any sales docket, delivery note, consignment advice or other document relating to the potatoes; and (d) upon his giving to the person apparently in charge of the vehicle a written receipt clearly identifying the document impounded, impound any sales docket, delivery note, consignment advice or other document relating to the potatoes that is produced to him or that he finds on the vehicle; and (e) upon giving a written receipt, impound any packaging that he has reasonable cause to believe may be or have been used for potatoes, and any quantity of potatoes, found on the vehicle and which, in the opinion of the inspector, is likely to be evidence relevant to the investigation of a suspected offence under this Act, and shall cause any such document, packaging or potatoes impounded to be taken before a justice, thereupon to be dealt with in the manner provided in section 22(10). (2) The powers conferred by subsection (1) are exercisable only by an inspector who is wearing, or who bears and displays, identification as an inspector in the manner prescribed or otherwise clearly indicates that he is an inspector to the person in relation to whom he proposes to exercise any of those powers. [(3) deleted] (4) The provisions of this section are in addition to, and not in derogation of, any other provisions of this Act or of the regulations relating to the authority of, or obstruction of, inspectors. [Section 22A inserted: No. 55 of 1966 s. 4; amended: No. 94 of 1972 s. 4 (as amended: No. 19 of 1973 s. 4); No. 96 of 1985 s. 22; No. 20 of 1989 s. 3; No. 11 of 1995 s. 28.]As the stadium is completed, police are proposing a list of do's and don'ts for the new stadium (mostly don'ts). Leave everything to the professionals when you attend games at Levi's Stadium, the new home of the 49ers, this fall. And that means everything -- including playing football. The list of banned activities at Levi's Stadium -- the San Francisco 49ers' new $1.3 billion South Bay palace -- would include sights and sounds familiar to those used to Candlestick Park. The Santa Clara Police Department proposed the rules, which were tentatively approved by city council members Tuesday night. Levi's Stadium Gets Its Scoreboard The city will now seek public input on the proposal before making a final decision on whether to adopt the set of rules for the new stadium. Among the highlights: Limiting tailgating: no beer kegs, loud music, and playing sports (games of catch) in the parking lot. Candlestick Park Memories In fact, throwing a football would be be banned both inside and outside the stadium, according to the rules. As would bringing in animals "except guide dogs" (for some reason, Santa Clara PD have taken it upon themselves to ban "birds, fish" and "reptiles"). The rules also prohibits a person from buying a ticket to reenter the stadium after having been kicked out. There will also be no selling of anything in the parking lots without a permit, no seeking employment and no panhandling. Inside the stadium, take care not to sit in someone else's seat, not to bring in alcohol, and to not use any kind of "noise-making device" that's not approved by the stadium crew. Copyright NBC Owned Television StationsMary Reeser. [Picture sources here] The last time 67-year-old widow Mrs. Mary Reeser was seen alive was on July 1, 1951. Her son, Dr. Richard Reeser, and her landlady, Mrs. Pansy M. Carpenter, both said goodnight at about 9:00PM and left Mrs. Reeser sitting in her easy chair in her apartment in St. Petersburg, Florida. The first sign of trouble was at 5:00AM. Mrs. Carpenter was awakened by the smell of smoke and, assuming it was a water pump in the garage that had been overheating, she turned the pump off and went back to sleep. At 8:00AM, Mrs. Carpenter was awakened by a telegraph boy at her door; he had a telegraph for Mrs. Reeser. Carpenter signed for the missive, and walked to Mrs. Reeser's room... but there was no answer to her knock. Carpenter checked the doorknob; it was hot! Alarmed, Carpenter ran outside to find some help. A pair of house painters working nearby rushed over to her aid, and, together, they managed to force open the door to Mrs. Reeser's apartment only to be met by a terrible blast of heat, evidence of a fire within. What was discovered inside the room defied belief. The only portion of the apartment that was burned was the small corner in which sat the remains of Mary Reeser's easy chair... and of Mary Reeser herself. Of the chair, only charred coil springs remained. Of Mrs. Reeser, there was little more; and these remains baffled the firemen, police, and pathologists that examined them. Mrs. Reeser's 170 pounds had been reduced to less than ten pounds of charred material. Only her left foot remained intact, still wearing a slipper, burnt off at the ankle but otherwise undamaged. Also found were her liver, now fused to a lump of vertebrae, and, stranger still, her skull... strangely shrunk to the size of a teacup. The remainder of the apartment showed all the signs of heat damage; from about the four foot level on up, the walls were covered with a greasy soot, a mirror had cracked, plastic switches and a plastic tumbler in the bathroom had melted, as had two candles on a dresser which left behind their unburned wicks and a pink pool of wax. Below the four foot level, the only damage was the small circular burn area encompassing the remains of Mrs. Reeser and her chair, and a plastic electric wall outlet that had melted, stopping her clock at 4:20AM. What could have burned Mrs. Reeser so fiercely without causing more damage to her surroundings? Experts pointed out that a temperature of 2500 degrees is necessary for such a thorough cremation; and that cigarette igniting her clothing would never have produced that temperature. The electrical outlet had melted only after the fire had begun, so couldn't be the source. An FBI pathologist tested a carpet sample for gasoline and other accelerants; there were none. Even lighting had been considered, but there had been none in St. Petersburg that night. Months after the occurrence, the Chief of Police and the Chief of Detectives signed a statement attributing the fiery death of Mary Reeser to falling asleep with a cigarette in her hand. Although already shown to be an impossibility, the declaration served to publicly close the investigation. New Theories and One Continuing Question Since the day that the investigation into Mary Reeser's death was closed, forensic medicine has made leaps forward, and especially in the specialized field of death by fire. A large number of unusual fire deaths with features similar to Reeser's are now considered explainable. Fire officials examining Reeser's remains. [Picture sources here] The main details that confounded experts previously were: the complete destruction of the victim's torso (most fire victims have their limbs destroyed, but leave a charred torso because it's larger), the localized nature of the fire and its direct damage, and the victim's apparent lack of the ability to escape or call for help. These features were once theorized to mean that the victim was destroyed more or less instantly, and that the fire must have started within their bodies... a situation known as Spontaneous Human Combustion, and something not publically believed to exist by fire officials. It has since been demonstrated that an very intense fire, such as in a crematorium, is not the only way to destroyed a torso and bone tissue; a small smoldering fire can have a very intense localized heat that is capable of destroying a human body, as long as it has time to act. This is now known as the "Wick Effect," and happens when a small fire is started on a victim's clothing (Reeser was smoking when last seen) which then causes the fat in their bodies to break down and burn, using their clothing like the wick of a candle. A chair like the "overstuffed" one that Reeser was sitting in is capable of a smoldering burn as well... so it could have also have created a slow but intense flame that would have gradually consumed Reeser's body. Given several hours, such a fire could reduce Reeser's body to mere ash. Her foot remained undamaged because it was stretched out away from her -- her leg had hurt, remember -- and so was not in the area of the smoldering chair and clothing. All of this assumes, of course, that the victim was incapable of escaping or responding. So before the fire began Reeser was already dead or incapcitated... but we know she had taken sleeping pills before her son left, so this could explain a lack of response. Once a fire got started, she may have suffocated shortly after. There is, however, one detail that is not explained by the Wick Effect, a detail that is very peculiar to the Reeser case and a point of controversy. Her shrunken skull. On July 5, 1951, Coroner Ed Silk, who had performed the examination of Reeser remains, released them for burial. Newspapers quoted his summary of the remains as ashes, one lower leg, some fused vertebrae, and her skull somehow reduced to the size of a teacup. Heads don’t shrink when exposed to heat, they expand... and, in extreme temperatures, they explode. There is no known process that causes bone to decrease in size; shrunken heads produced in some cultures around the world start by removing the victim's skulls, then proceed to shrink the skin of the head; skulls don't shrink. So how could Mrs. Reeser's skull shrank? The shrunken skull represents a possibly paranormal feature to an otherwise explanable case; so, not surprisingly, many theories have been proposed to try to explain away this detail. The most popular thought on the matter is that the shrunken skull was not in fact Reeser's skull, it was a charred knot of muscle from the back of her neck that had formed a hard ball and been mistaken for bone. This theory also presumes that Ed Silk, a professional coroner, didn't know what he was looking at... which is hard to believe, but possible. Unfortunately, only Ed Silk ever examined the'skull,' so we have to take his word for it; the remains, even if they were still miraculously in good enough shape for a second examination, were buried and cannot be recovered without the permission of Reeser's existing family.The New Orleans Saints made some stunning moves on cut-down day. Among those waived, future Hall-of-Famer Champ Bailey and standout receiver Robert Meachem... and both kickers on the roster.Veteran Shayne Graham, who joined the team late last season, and rookie kicker Derek Dimke both were let go. That leaves no kicker on the roster just eight days before the team begins the regular season at Atlanta.Bailey was thought to be fighting for a starting cornerback position. His departure was not widely anticipated.For Meachem, the move ends a six-season run in New Orleans (he spent one year in San Diego, as well). The former first-round draft pick out of Tennessee was not guaranteed a spot for 2014, battling several younger wide-outs.Those moves stood out on a busy Saturday at the team's headquarters.Click here for the official rosterThe Saints waived wide receiver Brandon Coleman, but several reports note the team hopes to sign him to its practice squad.New Orleans native Jason Weaver, an offensive lineman, missed out on a chance to play before the home crowd when he was not placed on the final roster.Veteran fullback Greg Jones, who played for the Houston Texans in 2013 after nine years in Jacksonville, was let go.Receiver Charles Hawkins, a Saint Augustine High School graduate, cornerback Trevin Wade and Tulane product Derrick Strozier also were waived. Strozier, a running back, is trying to break into the league after going undrafted.Other players who were left off the roster include: cornerback Terrence Frederick, defensive back Pierre Warren, tight end Nick Jacobs, tackle Tavon Rooks, tackle Thomas Welch, center Matt Armstrong, linebacker Todd Davis, defensive tackle Lawrence Virgil, cornerback Derrius Brooks, linebacker Keyunta Dawson, wide receiver Seantavius Jones and guard Marcel Jones.In total, 22 players were let go.Among those who secured their spot for the start of the season: wide receiver Nick Toon, defensive end Tyrunn Walker and cornerback Brad Dixon.The Saints also kept three quarterbacks, meaning former Tulane signal-caller Ryan Griffin made the squad. Griffin saw the bulk of the action in the preseason finale on Thursday against the Baltimore Ravens. The New Orleans Saints made some stunning moves on cut-down day. Among those waived, future Hall-of-Famer Champ Bailey and standout receiver Robert Meachem... and both kickers on the roster. Veteran Shayne Graham, who joined the team late last season, and rookie kicker Derek Dimke both were let go. That leaves no kicker on the roster just eight days before the team begins the regular season at Atlanta. Bailey was thought to be fighting for a starting cornerback position. His departure was not widely anticipated. For Meachem, the move ends a six-season run in New Orleans (he spent one year in San Diego, as well). The former first-round draft pick out of Tennessee was not guaranteed a spot for 2014, battling several younger wide-outs. Those moves stood out on a busy Saturday at the team's headquarters. Click here for the official roster The Saints waived wide receiver Brandon Coleman, but several reports note the team hopes to sign him to its practice squad. New Orleans native Jason Weaver, an offensive lineman, missed out on a chance to play before the home crowd when he was not placed on the final roster. Veteran fullback Greg Jones, who played for the Houston Texans in 2013 after nine years in Jacksonville, was let go. Receiver Charles Hawkins, a Saint Augustine High School graduate, cornerback Trevin Wade and Tulane product Derrick Strozier also were waived. Strozier, a running back, is trying to break into the league after going undrafted. Other players who were left off the roster include: cornerback Terrence Frederick, defensive back Pierre Warren, tight end Nick Jacobs, tackle Tavon Rooks, tackle Thomas Welch, center Matt Armstrong, linebacker Todd Davis, defensive tackle Lawrence Virgil, cornerback Derrius Brooks, linebacker Keyunta Dawson, wide receiver Seantavius Jones and guard Marcel Jones. In total, 22 players were let go. Among those who secured their spot for the start of the season: wide receiver Nick Toon, defensive end Tyrunn Walker and cornerback Brad Dixon. The Saints also kept three quarterbacks, meaning former Tulane signal-caller Ryan Griffin made the squad. Griffin saw the bulk of the action in the preseason finale on Thursday against the Baltimore Ravens. AlertMeShad, host of CBC radio’s “Q,” in Glen Gould studio. (Pascal Chiarello) Shortly after the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation announced that they had chosen Shadrach Kubango, better known as Shad, as the new host of “Q,” they locked him in a small room at the CBC for four hours and he did 16 interviews. Even for the award-winning rap artist, this was, he said, “a personal record.” After the station’s flagship arts, entertainment and culture show spent months of experimenting with guest hosts — including Shad — everyone wanted a piece of the new guy. The CBC was eager to move past the scandal created by the dismissal of “Q’s” previous host, Jian Ghomeshi, who was fired after allegations of his physically abusive behavior toward women came to light, and more women came forward to say Ghomeshi sexually harassed them while working for CBC radio. The start of Shad’s tenure as host came just days after an independent investigation found that the CBC created an environment that allowed Ghomeshi’s unprofessional behavior to persist unchecked. Two executives, Chris Boyce, the former executive director of CBC radio, and Todd Spencer, the head of human resources, were fired earlier this month. The odor of the scandal clung to the CBC and so in response the CBC stripped “Q” down to its studs. It ushered in the 32-year-old rapper with a redesigned Web site that sweeps away the red that was so closely associated with Ghomeshi. It commissioned new show music, recruited new contributors, designed a new logo and changed the show’s uppercase “Q” name to a lowercase one. (This has been the source of some confusion — in writing, the CBC maintains the show’s name should still be written with a capital “Q,” hence its usage in this story.) Rapper Shad is the new host of CBC radio’s “Q.”(Justin Broadbent) The CBC introduced Shad with a two-hour inaugural broadcast in front of a live studio audience that was live-streamed, while also it also hosted a viewing party in the CBC’s Toronto atrium. He began his tenure wearing a plain black hoodie, black beanie and jeans. The guest lineup was completely Canadian, save for American comedian Marc Maron, who hosts the “WTF” podcast. Shad is not just any rapper — in 2011, his album “TSOL” beat out Drake for the Juno award (the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy) for best rap recording of the year. He grew up in London, Ontario, which he calls “the Cleveland of Canada,” sandwiched halfway between the hometowns of Big Sean (Detroit) and Drake (Toronto). Thematically and stylistically, he’s closer to Common and Lauryn Hill. The son of Rwandan immigrants, Shad was born in Kenya. His family moved to London when he was a year old. “I was surprised by how much it excited me and how much I was inspired by the mandate of the show and the stories people were generous enough to give on air,” Shad told The Post about his new gig. “So I had that sense the week I was [guest] hosting that if they did offer me the job I wouldn’t be able to turn it down. It’s just too cool of a job.” The CBC is insistent that this is a whole new “Q.” It’s rallied around Shad, embraced and promoted his hip-hop background. Even the theme music includes a nod to Dr. Dre. This sort of embrace of hip-hop marks a significant change in public radio, even in Canada, which thinks of itself as a mosaic in contrast with America’s melting pot. A fundamental disconnect when it comes to who should be on public radio, who listens to it, and what’s considered appropriate for the medium still lingers. It’s something Frannie Kelley, who co-hosts the NPR podcast “Microphone Check” with rapper Ali Shaheed Muhammad, says she’s experienced firsthand. [Hip-hop joins the public radio fold as NPR Music continues its expansion] Shad had a rough introduction when he appeared as a guest host in January. Listeners berated the rapper for using the word “dope” and derided the inclusion of hip-hop artists on the show. “I don’t think everybody loves it for sure,” Shad said. “It’s a steep learning curve. When I started the guest-hosting stint, it was one of those things where if I knew better, maybe I wouldn’t have tried it.” @CBCRadioQ This program isn't the same without Jian. I understand why he's gone but @shadkmusic just said "Dope". That's real intelligent — Drew Matthews (@Wolvergene18) January 26, 2015 @CBCRadioQ @shadkmusic. I hope the rest if this Q week gets better. Not liking this " music". — Chris Kennedy (@cek27_chris) January 26, 2015 “Within NPR, the prevailing sentiment is that we make NPR look cooler,” Kelley said. “I’m really touched by that, but the idea comes out of a strange interpretation of what NPR makes, who listens to NPR, and hip-hop’s place in pop culture. To me, there’s nothing strange about the pairing of hip-hop and NPR. What’s strange is when hip-hop is absent from public radio. That to me, is a willful choice that acts like hip-hop ins’t as powerful and popular as it is. To me, it’s an underestimation of the public radio audience.” So it was important that the CBC not just hire Shad, but make clear that it was hiring all of him, that his background as a hip-hop artist was seen as an asset. And it’s done that in a very deliberate, if sometimes corny, way: “After a crisis, especially one that involves violence against women, the historical response would be to retreat from any effort to expand the definition of the norm,” Kelley said. “Given all the stereotypes of the black male rapper, it’s nice that they didn’t follow the party line. It makes me proud as person who works in public radio and as a person who works in hip hop that they would do that.” As evidenced by his first week of shows, “Q” hasn’t narrowed its focus at all, but rather, appears to have widened it. Shad had an eclectic mix of guests and subjects, among them author Junot Diaz, singer Joan Armatrading, author Jon Ronson, and “Fresh Off the Boat” star Randall Park. He spoke with Frank Rich about whether TV news anchors are an out-of-date concept, and hosted a debate about the effectiveness of corporate wellness programs. It was a subdued contrast to his predecessor; one of the criticisms of “Q” when Ghomeshi hosted it was that as his star rose, the program became more bloated with celebrities. It’s clear Shad is still finding his voice, which came through in interviews with Diaz and Rich. He sits back, he lets his guests wander a bit with their thoughts, but you still get the sense that he’s working from a list of questions more than guiding a natural conversation. Unsurprisingly, Shad seems most at home when he’s talking with other musicians. As he opened his first show, Shad joked about the hostile reception he got from some, but quickly moved on. “If you’ve risen to a certain place in the rap game, you’re more than qualified to deal with turbulence that comes with something that’s growing and something that’s every day engaged in expanding people’s vocabularies and definitions,” Kelley said. “I don’t think a musician in just any genre could do it.”The Iowa Senate race between Republican Joni Ernst and her Democratic opponent, Bruce Braley, is heating up as Ms. Ernst begins to pick up momentum on the campaign trail. WSJ’s Jerry Seib explains. Iowa Republican U.S. Senate candidate Joni Ernst attempted Tuesday night to walk back statements made at a January event in which she said President Barack Obama had “become a dictator” who should be “removed from office” or face “impeachment.” In a statement provided to Yahoo News, reacting to a story published earlier Tuesday, Ernst said she does not believe that Obama is a dictator but rather that “his repeated use of unilateral action sure makes him look like one.” “To be clear, I have not seen any evidence that the President should be impeached,” the statement read. Ernst’s original comments came in response to a question at a Montgomery County GOP forum in which she was asked about a then-pending Supreme Court case. In the case discussed by the questioner, the Obama administration had been accused by the plaintiffs of executive overreach by filling positions on the National Labor Relations Board during a Congressional recess without the consent of Congress. In June, the Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, deemed Obama’s actions unconstitutional, nullifying the appointments. In her clarifying statement, Ernst characterized the question she received at the forum as a “hypothetical” — which it was, given that the court had not yet rendered an opinion at that time. Since then, however, the Supreme Court’s decision ruling Obama’s action unconstitutional made clear that the justices believed he was out of line. Ernst’s statement Tuesday night implicitly argued that taking an action judged unconstitutional is not tantamount to an “abuse of power” obligating senators to seek to unseat him, as she suggested in January it could be. “I was asked a question involving a hypothetical about what I thought should happen if the Supreme Court ruled that the president had committed an ‘abuse of power.’ Obviously if the Supreme Court were to ever rule that the President of the United States had abused their power, that would be a very serious charge,” Ernst said in the statement. “I responded by saying that if the court in fact made such a ruling, that the president should face the necessary repercussions. I would give the same answer about any president, Republican or Democrat.” “I hope Bruce Braley would feel similarly about any chief executive whom the Supreme Court ruled had abused power,” Ernst added, referring to her Democratic opponent.The demonstration merely opens a window but it could equally well silently send data to an attacker Source: Levent Kayan Popular VoIP software Skype contains a security issue which could enable an attacker to gain access to a contact's account. In a security advisory, Levent Kayan, who discovered the vulnerability, reports that in some cases it could even allow access to the user's system. The problem revolves around a persistent cross-site scripting vulnerability. An attacker can embed JavaScript in the mobile phone field of his or her profile description. Skype fails to adequately filter this field which means that if one of the attacker's contacts logs into Skype, the embedded JavaScript can be executed automatically without further user intervention. An attacker could exploit this to retrieve the session cookie, for example. The XSS problem was recreated by heise Security According to Kayan, Skype 5.3.0.120 (the current version) and earlier for Windows and Mac are affected. The Linux version is not affected. The H's associates at heise Security in Germany were able to reproduce the problem in version 5.3.0.120 under Windows 7 and Windows XP, although in some cases more than ten logons were required before the problem manifested itself – why this should be the case is unclear. Kayan reports that he has informed the vendor. No patch is available at present. Update – Skype has now confirmed it is aware of the hole and has already developed a patch to be published within the next week. Skype provides a plausible explanation as to why the problem isn't immediately reproducible: to take advantage of it, the attacker must appear in the victim's list of frequent contacts. Skype classifies the issue as a lesser problem because an attacker is allegedly only able to display messages through Skype or redirect pages. (djwm)Editor's note: CNN.com has a business partnership with CareerBuilder.com, which serves as the exclusive provider of job listings and services to CNN.com. If you've rewritten that résumé several times and sent out dozens of applications but your job search still shows no promise, you might not be the problem. One frequently overlooked but critical factor in finding a new job is your state's unemployment rate. You can have the experience and skills of an employer's dream, but they won't do you any good if there just aren't enough jobs available. The unemployment rate is the percentage of job seekers in the work force who are still looking for work. The higher the percentage, the more difficult it is to find a job. The national unemployment rate is 5 percent, based on the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). If you're looking for a job, you should see how your state compares to the rest of the country. Here are the 10 worst states to find work ranked by their unemployment rates. 1. Michigan Unemployment rate: 7.6 percent Population: 10,071,822 Mean annual wage: $41,230 Top industry: Trade, transportation and utilities (18.4 percent)*** 2. Mississippi Unemployment rate: 6.8 percent Population: 2,918,785 Mean annual wage: $30,460 Top industry: Government (21.2 percent) 3. South Carolina Unemployment rate: 6.6 percent Population: 4,407,709 Mean annual wage: $33,400 Top industry: Trade, transportation and utilities (19.4 percent) 4. Alaska Unemployment rate: 6.5 percent Population: 683,478 Mean annual wage: $43,920 Top industry: Government (25.9 percent) 5. California Unemployment rate: 6.1 percent Population: 36,553,215 Mean annual wage: $44,180 Top industry: Trade, transportation and utilities (18.9 percent) 6. District of Columbia Unemployment rate: 6.1 percent Population: 588,292 Mean annual wage: $61,500 Top industry: Government (33.3 percent) 7. Ohio Unemployment rate: 6 percent Population: 11,466,917 Mean annual wage: $37,360 Top industry: Trade, transportation and utilities (19.3 percent) 8. Arkansas Unemployment rate: 5.9 percent Population: 2,834,797 Mean annual wage: $30,870 Top industry: Trade, transportation and utilities (20.6 percent) 9. Nevada Unemployment rate: 5.8 percent Population: 2,565,382 Mean annual wage: $36,000 Top industry: Leisure and hospitality (26.5 percent) 10. Kentucky Unemployment rate: 5.7 percent Population: 4,241,474 Mean annual wage: $33,490 Top industry: Trade, transportation and utilities (20.4 percent) Unemployment rates, mean annual wages and industry percentages obtained from BLS in January 2008. Percentages based on nonfarm payrolls, seasonally adjusted. Population figures based on U.S. Census Bureau data. **Top industries are those that employ the largest percentage of a state's labor force. E-mail to a friend Copyright CareerBuilder.com 2009. All rights reserved. The information contained in this article may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authorityPrivate: Stranglers #5 Two more murders in Boston bring the total to 7. The Strangler continues to elude investigators through the winter and spring of 1963. Then, in June, New York police find the body of sixty-two-year-old Zenovia Clegg in a Times Square hotel. She had been strangled, using a scarf tied in the Strangler’s signature bow. The NYPD quickly catches Clegg’s killer, a drifter from Maine named Charles Terry, and one legendary detective there, Tom Cavanagh, begins to suspect that he has arrested the real Boston Strangler. But the Boston PD doesn’t seem to care. Host Portland Helmich traces Cavanagh’s life-long pursuit of evidence supporting his theory, and reveals the surprising details of Charles Terry’s life that seem to confirm his guilt. This episode is brought to you by Talkspace (www.talkspace.com/stranglers), Audible (
could be used as a tool to drive policy to perform actions that furthered a country's interests. Things just keep getting more ridiculous with the reaction of governments to things like Anonymous and LulzSec. The latest is that Simon Moores, a UK government "advisor" on online crime issues, is warning that the KGB might "infiltrate" LulzSec This is based on... what? It appears absolutely nothing. It appears to be pure conjecture of what could happen, even though it's extremely unlikely. While it could be argued that some members of these groups can be influenced and pushed in certain directions, it goes pretty far to then assume that leads to an effective infiltration and use by foreign powers. Filed Under: anonymous, hacking, lulzsec, propagandaThe Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead is my pick for the book of the year. When Whitehead made his debut in 1999 with The Intuitionist, he was praised for his ingenuity: After all, who thinks up a novel about elevator inspectors and race? The Underground Railroad, set in antebellum America, is every bit as imaginative, while its vision of the surreal insanity of racism is even more devastating. Whitehead's premise is that the Underground Railroad was an actual network of trains running beneath the soil of the American South. His story follows an enslaved woman named Cora in flight from a plantation in Georgia. Whitehead's novel bows to other great African-American writers — from Harriet Jacobs to Ralph Ellison — who've chronicled a variety of similar journeys. Yet, even in so doing, Whitehead's Underground Railroad is one of a kind.Just how much space junk is out there? We humans are a messy lot. We leave junk behind us, everywhere. Space is no different. We may find that clouds of orbiting space junk, travelling at hypersonic speeds, could seriously interfere with our future space operations. What is space junk? Space junk is the total collection of dead and non-functioning artificial objects that we humans have left in space. The oldest piece of space junk is the Vanguard One satellite, dating back to 1958. Space junk includes old satellites, spent rocket stages that were used to launch something, dust from solid rocket motors, and even coolant from obsolete Russian nuclear-powered satellites — which are still orbiting above us. More personally, Michael Collins lost a camera on the Gemini 10 mission, and the astronaut Ed White even lost a glove. There is a lot of junk up there orbiting our planet. After all, we have had more than 5,000 space launches since the beginning of the Space Age in 1957. Each launch often delivered several objects into orbit, so these 5,000 launches have given us over 30,000 large space objects. How much junk is out there? In 2016, the best estimates were that there were billions of pieces of space junk smaller than one millimetre, hundreds of millions of objects between one and 10mm in size, and about half a million objects in the range 1 to 10cm. There are about 100,000 bits of space junk bigger than 5cm. All told, estimates suggest there are about 5,000 tonnes of space junk orbiting the Earth. In 2017, the US Space Command's Joint Space Operations Centre was regularly tracking more than 22,000 objects orbiting the Earth. But fewer than 5 per cent of these were functioning spacecraft — over 95 per cent is junk. They track them so that they can manoeuvre active spacecraft out of the way of an impact. There are various orbits that are useful for commercial, military and scientific programs — and space junk is in all of them. For example, the geostationary orbit is about 36,000km up. It's called "geostationary" because satellites up there take 24 hours to orbit the Earth, which by a nice coincidence, is how long the Earth takes to spin on its own axis. So an object in geostationary orbit will appear to hover over one fixed position above the Earth, even though it is actually travelling at some 3km per second. We have many communications and weather satellites in the geostationary orbit. Share A rocket blasts off from the European space centre at Kourou, French Guiana. A little closer to home is the low Earth orbit, which ranges from 200 to 2,000km above the surface. The Hubble Space Telescope is up there at around 540 km of altitude, while the International Space Station is around 350km. There is about 1,900 tonnes of space junk in low Earth orbit, but almost all of it — about 98 per cent — is accounted for by just 1,500 objects, each over 100kg. Objects in low Earth orbit circle the Earth some 15 times each day. Depending on their orbit, they can zip past each other, or smash into each other, at speeds up to 17km per second. Making more, on purpose Both the USA and the Soviet Union carried out multiple series of anti-satellite weapons tests in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1985, a single US test destroyed a one-tonne satellite at 525km of altitude, creating thousands of pieces of space junk bigger than 1cm. In 2007, the Chinese tested their anti-satellite weapons systems by destroying one of their own weather satellites — the Fengyun IC. This was the largest single space debris event in history. It created more than 2,300 pieces bigger than 3cm across, 35,000 pieces bigger than 1cm, and 1 million pieces bigger than 1mm. Mostly though, the collisions happen by accident. On 10 February 2009, a defunct Kosmos spacecraft weighing 800kg smashed into the functioning Iridium 33 satellite weighing about 700kg. This happened at a closing speed of 11.7km per second — over 42,000kph. That's seriously big stuff running into big stuff. On a much smaller scale, in 2016, the British astronaut Tim Peake photographed a 7mm crack in the window of the Cupola module of the International Space Station. It was caused by running into a hypersonic microscopic piece of space debris. Looking at a different spacecraft, in the Space Shuttle a window had to be replaced every second flight — due to running into this invisible space junk. So the lesson is, we need to clean up our act, and our space junk.A Jamaican woman born 117 years ago has become the oldest person in the world after the death of Emma Morano, the Italian woman who was previously the oldest human being on the planet when she died at 117 on Saturday. Morano, who was thought to have been the last surviving person born in the 1800s, was also one of the five oldest people in recorded history. According to the Gerontology Research Group, the world’s oldest registered person is now Violet Brown, a 117-year-old Jamaican woman. The country’s prime minister, Andrew Holness, tweeted: Andrew Holness (@AndrewHolnessJM) The world's oldest human is Jamaican Violet Brown, who was born on March 10, 1900. Congrats Violet. pic.twitter.com/AnjXdHK1Kz The second and third oldest people are two Japanese women, Nabi Tajima and Chiyo Miyako, who were born, respectively, on 4 August 1900 and 2 May 1901. A Spanish woman, Ana Vela, 115, who was born on 29 October 1901, is the oldest European and the fourth oldest person in the world, according to the GRG. Last year Vela, a retired seamstress, became the oldest living Spaniard. She lives in a residential home near Barcelona, uses a wheelchair and can no longer communicate with her family or her carers. El País reported that her 89-year-old daughter, Ana, recently had to give up her almost daily visits to her mother because of her own health. But her grandson, Antonio, who is 65, still sees her regularly. “I always thought my grandmother would live a long time because she was doing really well when she got to 100,” he told the newspaper. “I expected she’d be the oldest person in Spain one day, but I never imagined she’d be the oldest in Europe.” Speaking to El País last summer, Vela’s daughter said there was no secret to her mother’s extraordinarily long life. “She liked a glass of semi-sweet wine with her meals, but she was never one to drink a lot. She ate everything: meat, fish, vegetables. Her diet was very normal – just home-cooked stuff.”Beards are awesome, aren’t they? The right kind of beard can make any man into… well, a slightly hairier man, but theoretically a much more awesome man. Beards seem pretty intrinsically linked with sci-fi and fantasy, too: there are some kinds of facial hair that just scream “this is the future!” while “beardy” has been used as an adjective to suggest excessive nerdiness. We, of course, would never use “beard” in a pejorative sense, ever. Because, as previously mentioned, beards are awesome. Here are the ten best beards in all of sci-fi and fantasy: 10. Rubeus Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) The Harry Potter franchise According to an article in Scotland on Sunday, part of the character concept for Hagrid is that he’s a “mountain of leather and hair.” So, of course he’s got a spectacular beard. Look at that. If you’d just been told you were a wizard, that’s the kind of beard that would totally reassure you that everything was going to be okay. 9. RJ MacReady (Kurt Russell) The Thing MacReady’s beard is reassuring in an entirely different way: this is a hero beard. You don’t get to have a beard like that unless you’re gonna kick some ass; if you see a guy sporting facial hair like that, you know he’s the kind of guy you want on your side if, say, there were some kind of alien shenanigans going on. 8. Obi Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness/Ewan McGregor) The Star Wars franchise It’s unusual for the same beard to grace two different faces, but both Alec Guinness and Ewan McGregor have played host to Obi Wan Kenobi’s beard, at different stages in its life. On Guinness, it’s white and wizened, the kind of beard that conveys wisdom; on McGregor, it’s more youthful, more reckless, more similar to the hero beard. Either version works for us. 7. Marcus Cole (Jason Carter) Babylon 5 This is a great illustration of how much you can tell about a character (and possibly a film or TV show) just by looking at a beard. Marcus’s beard is very obviously styled, and suggests both a futuristic setting and something of the knights of the Round Table. Pretty much ideal for Marcus who, as a Ranger, is a kind of space warrior – but one with honour and perhaps even chivalry. 6. Ming the Merciless (Max von Sydow) Flash Gordon Another beard that tells you everything you need to know about a character, Emperor Ming’s beard immediately marks him out as a baddie. It’s the opposite of the hero beard; this pointy, almost fang-like beard suggests that this is not a person you want to get on the wrong side of. Or any side of, really. 5. Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest The only beard on the list not to actually be made of hair, Davy Jones’s beard is made up of squid-like tentacles, and as such, is fairly villainous-looking. Plus, it’s kind of gross. Which is perfectly appropriate for an undead sea captain intent on sailing the seven seas with a crew of damned men. Jones wouldn’t be anywhere near as creepy looking if he’d had a seaweed beard, or, God forbid, gone clean-shaven. 4. Gandalf (Ian McKellen) The Lord Of The Rings franchise All the best wizards have beards like this. It’s exactly the kind of beard you look for in someone who can wield a magic wand properly. It’s not a beard for beginners; this is a serious beard, the beard of experience and wisdom and age and intelligence. 3. Mentor (Brian Blessed) Space: 1999 You can pick Brian Blessed in anything and pretty much be guaranteed incredible beard-work, but this striped wonder from Space: 1999 is a particular highlight. Blessed played Mentor, a Psychon scientist attempting to save his homeworld by, uh, feeding it the psychic energy of aliens. Doesn’t that beard just scream eccentricity and possible homicidal tendencies? 2. Commander Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) Star Trek: The Next Generation Look familiar? Yup, that’s the hero beard again. Riker’s beard symbolises the moment Star Trek: TNG became great, at the beginning of its second season. The beard saved both the show and the character, transforming the previously underwhelming first officer into someone properly kickass. If you’re an aspiring beard-wearer, this is probably the one to aim for. It looks achievable, friendly even, but it’s also the kind of beard that lets you know the wearer is pretty amazing. 1. Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley) The Hunger Games The newest entry on the list, Seneca Crane’s fantastic beard in The Hunger Games has caused something of a sensation. The beard has its own Facebook fan page, with over 25,000 likes. (Bentley even made a video responding to the popularity of the beard, whilst sadly clean-shaven.) It’s inspired a meme, even, with people Photoshopping the weirdly swirly contours of the beard onto anyone and everyone (Angelina Jolie and Nicolas Cage are among those who particularly benefit from it). The beard was designed by make-up artist Ve Neill, who reckoned the character should be “gorgeous and striking in a very severe way” and designed the beard accordingly. Someone give the woman a medal. Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here. And be our Facebook chum here.Communist Party mouthpiece Global Times has called 'Ten Years,' comprising vignettes that reveal a dystopic vision of Hong Kong's future in which political freedoms have been eroded by China's control, a "virus of the mind." This story first appeared in the March 18 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe. The most talked-about recent film phenomenon in Hong Kong centers on the territory's tiniest local release. The dark, provocative indie drama Ten Years was produced on a microbudget of $75,000 and opened in December at a single cinema in Hong Kong's Yau Ma Tei district. A surprise run of sellout screenings resulted in the movie beating the local per-screen average of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which opened the following day. Ten Years comprises five shorts — all set in the year 2025, and each directed by a different Hong Kong filmmaker — that explore ways in which life in the territory might change during the next decade. Collectively, the vignettes reveal a dystopic vision of Hong Kong's future in which human rights and political freedoms in the semiautonomous territory have been eroded by the incursion of mainland China's control. The film struck an immediate chord among a Hong Kong populace worried about its future. "Many in the audience told us they hadn't gone to the cinema to watch a movie for a long time," says Jevons Au Man-Kit, one of the film's five directors. "But they came to support Ten Years. It was more than just a movie to them — it's about their home." Mainland China's state-controlled media, however, has responded with vitriol. Communist Party mouthpiece Global Times called the movie "absurd," "pessimistic" and a "virus of the mind," and state broadcaster CCTV notified the Hong Kong Film Awards — the city's top cinematic trophy ceremony, which has nominated Ten Years for best picture — that it would not air the April 3 show for the first time since 1991. The filmmakers believe their surprise success and the harsh reaction from Beijing have added to a climate of fear. In early February, indie cinemas suspended screenings of Ten Years despite robust attendance. "From my point of view, the screenings definitely stopped prematurely," says Jevons. "We were bringing in a full house, even on weekdays during the daytime, but they still chose to cut off the screenings. I'm afraid [Hong Kong filmmakers] will exercise more self-censorship next time now that Ten Years became a big hit." In the meantime, the Hong Kong International Film Festival has taken the courageous step of including a March 22 special screening of the movie in its lineup. And the international market soon could offer support to Jevons and his peers: Golden Scene picked up overseas rights to the title and will shop it to global buyers at the upcoming Filmart.According to estimates by the Flow Rate Technical Group, the team advising the government on the giant leak in the Gulf of Mexico, some 45-130 million gallons of oil have been spilled as of this July 4 weekend; projected to reach 60-200 million gallons by mid-August. And that's only the oil. BP confirmed on May 21 that the well is also leaking methane gas. But did you know that the U.S. consumes approximately 840 million gallons (20 million barrels) of oil per day - a little over 35 million gallons per hour? That means all the damage done to our fragile Gulf coast and its economy was in a failed effort to satisfy some 2-6 hours worth of our national oil needs. Unfortunately, with the near-complete lack of disaster planning in the permitting and drilling process, we don't know what to do to prevent oil from hitting our shores, how to clean it up, or how to prevent this from happening again. Further, we can barely assess the impact of the gas leak, which is receiving scant media attention. This tragedy raises profound and urgent questions on social, economic, environmental, legal, political and technological fronts with respect to two crucial issues: the true cost to society of extracting a scarce and toxic resource, and the folly of relying on traditional command and control structures to serve the public interest. Each of these is a severe problem on its own, but when you combine them and add the rank incompetence, corruption and criminal negligence reported since April 20, you get something like the situation we are in now. We can and must do better for ourselves, and future generations. Government and corporations have repeatedly proven themselves inadequate in preventing or responding to the causes and effects of oil spills. There are simply too many moving parts and no one person or organization can have all the answers. On top of that, the "true costs" of oil (what economists call "externalities"; items that directly or indirectly force society to bear their real expense, rather than the private organization or government agency that reaps the rewards of its commerce) are too high compared to the world we could create from by avoiding them and investing in a clean energy future. Apart from the costs and risks of a disaster like the BP spill, a 2005 study prepared for the Department of Energy estimates that our oil dependency has cost us $8 trillion dollars since 1970, - over $600 million a day - and the study recognizes this does not account for many of oil's political, military, strategic, environmental, social and other economic costs. We as a society should recognize our shared responsibility as oil consumers for contributing to this situation, and agree to solve the multiple problems our consumption creates. Accepting responsibility, we can then work to organize our vast collective knowledge towards restoring the Gulf environment, society and economy and chart a relentless course into a clean and safe energy future- high level goals that most reasonable people share, even if they disagree on how to achieve them. Specifically, an up-and-coming generation of diverse thinkers and leaders, armed with network technology, can intelligently evaluate the best way to serve a common agenda. The public interest has suffered at the hands of ossified and opaque authoritarian structures acting on incomplete and insular information. In a new era of information and cooperation, we are better served by comprehensively considered, collectively wise decisions that arise from well-organized, open and transparent collaborative online efforts. Fortunately, a simple process for this type of value and goal based decision-making is possible right now. From my perspective as Managing Director of the URSULAproject, the Gulf tragedy and the path towards resolution is a microcosm of what we seek to enable on a global level. URSULA is a business intelligence methodology and system developed to allow us to measure and quantify unlimited data against a goal, and could be utilized for exactly this type of problem. The system would drive better decisions and right actions with respect to the Gulf clean up and to our oil and fossil fuel dependency in general. We are seeking funding now to build out the technology. First, a large, open and diverse community of experts from various research groups, non-profits, universities, government and non-government agencies, among others, would collaborate to create a strategy map, starting with the highest vision and articulating a decision tree for subsequent action, integrating everyone's goals and points of view. A top-level agenda of serving all life in the Gulf could be broken into tiers that include but are not limited to the gigantic effort to clean the spill and the transition to a safe and clean energy future. The community would then rank any potential action or investment -from oil dispersant to energy policies - against how well it supports the larger vision. The system would calculate and score the best solution options, providing a rational basis of how and why each action or investment serves our goals; in effect, helping us realize an optimal path forward. Next, our community could leverage work by environmental and social economists to validate and integrate our knowledge of the true costs of the spill. The system processes data transparently, so that impacts such as containment and cleanup methods, loss of life and injury, lost income and value for affected businesses and consumers, damage to natural resources, victim and taxpayer funded litigation, and public infrastructure repair can be accrued and dynamically updated as our understanding of the details becomes better quantified. Along with data on healthier alternatives, we could provide economic justification for the solutions called out on our optimal path. Transitioning away from these true costs would automatically contribute to a net true value of a healthy Gulf region and beyond. In other words, imagine if in addition to the new markets, jobs and opportunities from a "green collar" economy, we also avoided the negative health effects of pollution, job losses for fishermen, irreparable harm to our fragile ecosystems and so on - what would all that be worth? Our system enables a vigorous, open collaboration of multiple stakeholders with diverse knowledge, and yields an ever more complete and credible path to a cleaner and safer future. Such an approach is timely, necessary, logical, inclusive, technologically and economically viable, and moreover is the most practical and direct route to the imagined and desired vision of a restored healthy Gulf region and a thriving U.S. clean energy economy. Together we are all responsible for our situation; together we are stakeholders in finding our way out of it; together we can solve the problem and allow a future that serves all life in the Gulf and America as a whole.Story highlights Landau's played a master of disguise in TV's "Mission: Impossible" He turned in an Oscar-winning performance as Bela Lugosi in the movie "Ed Wood" (CNN) Martin Landau, 89, a character actor who starred in the 1960s television show "Mission: Impossible" and won an Oscar for playing Bela Lugosi in the movie "Ed Wood," died Saturday, his publicist Dick Guttman said Sunday night. Landau died at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles following "unexpected complications during a short hospitalization," Guttman said in a statement. Landau was born June 28, 1928, in Brooklyn and worked as a cartoonist for the New York Daily News before becoming an actor, according to the Internet Movie Database. Landau's career spanned the decades. In 1957 he had a part in the play "Middle of the Night," with Edward G. Robinson and ended up on the West Coast, according to the Internet Movie Database. To the general public, Landau was best known to the public for playing master of disguise Rollin Hand for a top-secret spy team in the 1960s series "Mission: Impossible," in which his then-wife Barbara Bain also starred. Read MoreLast Updated: 1:48 p.m. For an update with further details on the shooting, go here. A domestic dispute in Flagler Beach ended with a man shooting his son dead at a house on South Daytona Avenue around midnight Saturday. Bobby Gore, the alleged shooter, is in police custody and was charged with first-degree murder. Lucas David Gore, 31, was killed. Police found him slumped over a table, unresponsive, when they got to the scene. “There was some tension between the father and son,” Flagler Beach Police Chief Matt Doughney said this morning, “resulted in the shooting.” Gore, Doughney said,”will be charged with the death of his son, to what degree at this point I’m not exactly sure.” By 10:22 this morning, when Gore, 74, was booked at the Flagler County jail, he faced a first-degree murder charge. The property, a 1,600-square-foot two-level house, has been owned by Bobby and Bonnie Gore for almost 25 years. Bobby Gore is is custody. The couple have three adult sons, including twins. The victim was one of the twins. The county’s 911 center got a call about the shooting at 12:26 this morning, according to a release Doughney issued in early afternoon. Bobby Gore was still armed when authorities first got to the house, the release states. The front of the house, across the street from Flagler Beach Community Church, was cordoned off with crime tape this morning, but was otherwise unremarkable. FDLE’s crime scene unit was parked in back of the house, along with detective units from the sheriff’s office. The back driveway, inside the crime tape, was filled with three pick-up trucks and a sedan. At 11 a.m., investigators were observed cataloguing evidence from the crime scene, including a rifle with a scope (see below), though it’s not clear whether that had been the weapon involved in the shooting: one report, unconfirmed, has a.22 handgun as the weapon used in the shooting. A neighbor who lives immediately across the back alleyway of the Gore house said she’d heard what sounded like “a couple of shots” around midnight but thought it was people setting off firecrackers. She said she’d occasionally hear arguing in the Gore house. But she said the Gores kept to themselves, never interacting with neighbors. Other neighbors who live three houses down (one house down from the property owned by Flagler Beach City Commissioner Rick Belhumeur) also described the Gores as people who did not interact. The word “odd” was used as neighbors described the family. They said a fence had blocked off the house from the alleyway previously, but rickety as it was, it had been blown off during Hurricane Matthew. Reached in late morning, Belhumeur said he hadn’t heard the sound of gunshots overnight. “I did know a thing. I sent Larry a text this morning, totally unrelated thing,” Belhumeur said, referring to Flagler Beach City Manager Larry Newsom. “He called me up.” Newsom, who’d been filled in by his police chief, informed the commissioner of the shooting in his neighborhood. “I’ve never seen or met these people,” Belhumeur said of the Gores. Only thing I know about that place is about the dog, the dog always seemed to be left unattended.” “Our deputies in Flagler Beach responded to a call of a shooting,” Sheriff Rick Staly said this morning, referring to the incident at 1002 South Daytona Avenue. “When we arrived our people supported the Flagler Beach Police Department with securing the scene, and I’m not sure who apprehended the suspect but it was a domestic type related incident.” Flagler Beach Police Chief Matt Doughney called in the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s crime-scene unit, which was still at the scene late this morning. The State Attorney’s homicide investigation unit, sheriff’s detectives and patrols were also at the scene to support the Flagler Beach Police Department, Staly said. The incident reportedly began as the Gore parents were arguing at the house. Bobby Gore then went to Poor Walt’s, the bar on State Road 100 on the east side of the Flagler Beach bridge. One of his sons followed him there, and the two argued at the bar before returning home, where the shooting occurred. “It’s a Flagler Beach Police Department case unless they ask us to take it over, which they have not, they strictly asked for support,” Staly said. It will in fact be a Flagler County Sheriff’s Office case, led by Det. Jorge Fuentes, as the Flagler Beach’s detective, who would have normally handled the case, was not in town when it broke. It is the second homicide this month in Flagler County. In mid-April, the Sheriff’s Office said that Charles Singer, a 48-year-old West Flagler man who’d gone missing, was found buried on his property and was believed to have been shot. There have been no arrests in that killing. Flagler Beach hasn’t had a murder in five years, the last one dating back to Paul Miller shooting dead his neighbor Dana Mulhall in the 1300 block of South Flagler Avenue. Miller, now 70, was found guilty of second-degree murder and is serving life without parole. “This was a prime example of the city, the state and the county all working together,” Staly said of the ongoing investigation, an observation Doughney echoed. “You want to talk about city, county and state working together like a team should, from my standpoint, it couldn’t have gone any better from a law enforcement perspective,” Doughney said. Investigators, after a final walk-through the house, left at 11:30 a.m. A deputy took down the crime scene tape. A back porch light was turned on just before law enforcement left. “This case is an absolute tragedy,” Doughney is quoted as saying in the release. “As a Department our hearts go out to the Gore family. Our Victim Advocates are committed to assisting the Gore family during this most difficult of times and please keep them in your thought and prayers.”When you're a breakfast upstart like Taco Bell, how do you launch into a category where every fast-food outlet stagnates in the shadow of the Golden Arches? Well, first you find Errol Morris. Then you find a bunch of guys named Ronald McDonald and feed them breakfast tacos. Morris, one of the most respected directors in film and advertising, worked with Deutsch L.A. to film spots that feature real people named Ronald McDonald enjoying Taco Bell's new breakfast menu items, like the A.M. Crunchwrap and Sausage Flatbread Melt. (UPDATE: See the behind-the-scenes story of how they got this group together at the bottom of this post.) In terms of creative execution, there's not a whole lot to the spots. We see Ronalds from all walks of life eating some Taco Bell breakfast and then talking about how great it is. They don't specifically trash McDonald's, but the narrator closes with the line, "Delicious new breakfast everyone can love, even Ronald McDonald." Of course there's a mouthful of an on-screen legal disclaimer, but the ad team even had a little fun with that: "These Ronald McDonalds are not affiliated with McDonald's Corporation and were individually selected as paid endorsers of Taco Bell breakfast, but man, they sure did love it." Light-hearted jabs aside, Deutsch says it wanted to create an idea that broke away from the traditional beauty shots of hot and fresh food. "The advertising had to have a scale that befitted the challenge of launching an entirely new day-part for Taco Bell. Something that had food and price wasn't enough," Deutsch L.A. CEO Mike Sheldon said in a statement. "It had to be something that caused a cultural conversation about what we eat for breakfast." So now that Taco Bell has positioned itself as the T-Mobile to McDonald's AT&T, will the fast-food front-runner fire back? It's doubtful, but if McD's could find someone named Taco Bell and get footage of him (or her) inhaling an Egg McMuffin—well, then we'd really have advertising gold on our hands. UPDATE: Here's a behind-the-scenes clip posted on April 3 by Taco Bell, including some interesting interviews about what it's like to grow up named Ronald McDonald: CREDITS Client: Taco Bell Chief Marketing Officer: Chris Brandt Brand Creative Director: Tracee Larocca Director, Brand Experience: Aron North Manager, Brand Experience: Ashley Prollomante Agency: Deutsch L.A. Chief Creative Officer: Pete Favat Executive Creative Director: Brett Craig Experiential Executive Creative Director: Daniel Chu Creative Director: Jason Karley Creative Director: Josh DiMarcantonio Integrated Creative Director: Xavier Teo Senior Art Director: Jeremiah Wassom Senior Copywriter: Armando Samuels Experiential ACD: Amy Boe Experiential Copywriter: Catharine Ogletree Director of Integrated Production: Vic Palumbo Executive Producer: Paul Roy Senior Producer: Alison McMahon Music Supervisor: Dave Rocco Production: Moxie Pictures Director: Errol Morris Director of Photography: Dariusz Wolski Executive Producer: Robert Fernandez Line Producer: Julie Ahlberg 1st A.D.: Rick Lange Product Footage: Woodshop Studios Inc. EP: Sam Swisher Director: Trevor Shepard Editorial: Rock Paper Scissors Editor: Grant Surmi Assistant Editor: Arielle Zakowski Executive Producer: C.L. Weaver Producer: Shada Shariatzadeh Post Facility: A52 Colorist: Paul Yacono VFX Supervisor: Andy Barrios Lead Flame Artist: Brendan Crockett Executive Producer: Megan Meloth Producer: Meredith Cherniack Music: Kusiak Music Composer: John Kusiak Audio Post: Lime Studios Mixer: Mark Meyuhas Assistant: Matt Milller Producer: Jessica LockeIt has often been observed that litigation is war. The analogy is not perfect, but studying military strategy and tactics can prove fruitful for litigators. While many people often turn to Sun Tzu’s Art of War, for guidance in the applicability of military thought to modern business and litigation, I have a soft spot for von Clauewtiz’s Vom Kriege. Carl Philipp Gottfried von Clausewitz; July 1, 1780 – November 16, 1831 was a Prussian soldier and military theorist who stressed the “moral” (in modern terms, psychological) and political aspects of war. His most notable work, Vom Kriege (On War), was unfinished at his death. From On War: I. Warfare has three main objects: (a) To conquer and destroy the armed power of the enemy; (b) To take possession of his material and other sources of strength, and (c) To gain public opinion. These three main objective align very closely with litigation. Lawyers engage in an adversarial contest in the context of the legal system in order to best the opposing party. Plaintiffs seek to recover awards; Defendants seek to deny them. And both sides seek to win the opinion of the judge, jury–and if the case is large enough–to spin, brand, and direct the media narrative. von Clauewtiz also laid out four rules to follow when in pursuit of these objectives: I. The first and most important rule to observe in order to accomplish these purposes, is to use our entire forces with the utmost energy. Any moderation shown would leave us short of our aim. Even with everything in our favor, we should be unwise not to make the greatest effort in order to make the result perfectly certain. For such effort can never produce negative results. This rule, often referred to as “Total War,” states that if warfare is to be pursued, it should be pursued with all the weight and power that can be summoned. The same is true for litigation. Organization, preparation, and planning are of the utmost performance. Litigation cannot be “phoned in.” Nor does it follow a nice pre-set path. As has been noted many times at What About Clients: “Complexity. Ambiguity. A messy problem. A “hard” thing. More and more employees don’t like it. They can’t deal with it. They want a “form”, a template, a program. But great work doesn’t have “forms.” Am terribly sorry about that. You will just have to think, and suffer through this, on your own. We hired you–all of you–to solve problems.” When going into litigation, one must marshall all their forces to bare. Each argument, motion, and letter must be drafted with the intent to win. There is never room for “good enough.” You might win here and there on small matters and in small venues. But eventually you will come up against a party opponent who has adopted the mindset of “Total War” and you will be crushed. Only if you bring your full attention and effort into each litigation matter will you be able to put up a fight. Instead of being routed, you will engage in a battle of will. II. The second rule is to concentrate our power as much as possible against that section where the chief blows are to be delivered and to incur disadvantages elsewhere, so that our chances of success may increase at the decisive point. This will compensate for all other disadvantages. Organize for systemic and continuous exploitation of weaknesses in your opponent’s arguments, experts, and facts. Find where they are weak and concentrate your effort on maximizing your return. III.The third rule is never to waste time. Unless important advantages are to be gained from hesitation, it is necessary to set to work at once. By this speed a hundred enemy measures are nipped in the bud, and public opinion is won most rapidly. Surprise plays a much greater role in strategy than in tactics. It is the most important element of victory. Napoleon, Frederick II, Gustavus Adolphus, Caesar, Hannibal, and Alexander owe the brightest rays of their fame to their swiftness. Strike hard, strike fast. While this is a common practice in the plaintiff bar, it is equally important for defendants. When a fully formed complaint and extensive discovery lands on your desk –which the client sent to you two weeks after they had been served with them–speed is of the essence. But there are times for
Lisa visits with a mysterious fortune teller at the Renaissance Fair who tells of Lisa's future courtship in 2010 with an Englishman she meets at college named Hugh Parkfield. Full Story The episode begins with the Simpson family visiting a renaissance fair. Homer eats eight different kinds of meat and an ashamed Lisa wanders off to discover "Friar Wiggum's Friar Wiggum's Fantastical Beastarium." One of his underwhelming creatures, an "Esquilax" (a horse with the head of a rabbit and the body of... a rabbit) runs off into the forest; Lisa follows it and finds a fortune telling booth. Although Lisa is at first skeptical, the fortune teller manages to name Lisa's entire family and their activities that they are doing, then begins to tell Lisa of her first true love. The story then shifts to an eastern University in the year 2010 (at the time, 15 years in the future) where a now 23-year-old Lisa gets annoyed by a British student named Hugh Parkfield. At first, the two quarrel over a book in the library, but the pair eventually fall madly in love. The two realize they have a lot in common and Hugh invites Lisa to come back to his home in England so she can meet his parents, and is impressed with the Parkfield manor as well as their impeccable manners. Hugh proposes to Lisa and she immediately accepts. The next day, Lisa calls home to tell Marge of the news and Marge promises that she will prevent Homer from ruining the wedding. Marge is still a housewife, Bart is a 25-year-old who works as a twice divorced building demolition expert (and plans on going to law school), Maggie is a 16-year-old teenage girl who apparently never shuts up (although she never talks in the episode, and whenever she tries to she is interrupted), and Homer still works at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant (in Sector 7G, with Milhouse as his supervisor). When Homer mentioned that Lisa is getting married, Milhouse states that Lisa was his 'one true love' and starts to tear up. Lisa and Hugh travel to Springfield, where Lisa is worried that her family will embarrass her, and things get off to a bad start when Bart and Homer accidentally set a British flag on fire - but by accident, not to offend - only to put out the fire by stomping onto the flag and throwing compost onto it by Marge's suggestion. At dinner, Lisa plans on going for a wedding dress fitting, and Homer decides to take Hugh out on the town to Moe's Tavern. Homer presents Hugh with a pair of tacky pig-themed cufflinks that Abraham Simpson wore on his wedding day, who then gave them to Homer to wear at his wedding to Marge, and Hugh grudgingly agrees to wear them during his wedding. Later that night, Lisa apologizes profusely for the behavior of her family and although Hugh says it was nothing, he loses sleep over it. Lisa manages to find her something old, which is her signature white pearl necklace she wore when she was little, her something new, which is her wedding dress, her something borrowed, which is Hugh’s mother’s antique brooch and her something blue which is a piece of Marge’s blue hair. On the day of the wedding, Homer meets Hugh's parents and, to Hugh's relief, doesn't act too harshly. Meanwhile, Homer talks with Lisa and she discovers that Hugh didn't wear Homer's cuff links. She finds Hugh and asks him to wear them. He agrees, but says that after the wedding they will return to England and never see her family again (with the possible exception of Marge when their children are born). Lisa says that although she complains about her family, she still loves them and can't marry someone who doesn't understand that, calling the wedding off. Back in the present once more, the fortune teller says that Hugh returned to England and never saw Lisa again and that there is nothing Lisa could do to prevent it - although she should "try to look surprised". Lisa questions the fortune teller about her "true love" and the fortune teller reveals that although Lisa will have a true love, she "specializes in foretelling relationships where you get jerked around." Lisa leaves the booth and finds Homer, who brags about his day at the fair and Lisa listens raptly as the pair walk home together. Behind the Laughter The Simpson Children In The Future Production The idea for the episode came from James L. Brooks, who called David Mirkin and pitched the idea as traveling to the future and Lisa meeting the perfect guy, who in turn can not stand her family. Believing that it would be a tough episode to write, the job was given to Greg Daniels, who was enthusiastic about it and has said that was a lot easier and more fun to write than expected. The part involving Homer's cuff links was not in the original draft, it was later added because the writer's felt that something was needed to represent Hugh's dislike of the Simpson family. The end theme was redone by Alf Clausen as a "Renaissance version" including a harp. Everything in the episode had to be redesigned, which included new sets and all of the characters had to be remodeled for their age. In most cases, the adults were made heavier, had a few lines added to the face and less hair. On Homer, the redesign was minimal, making him a bit heavier, removing one hair and placing an extra line under the eye, although Homer now wears a different style of white shirt that now resembles George Jetson's. Krusty's design is based on Groucho Marx. The night sky was intentionally made a more reddish color in a subtle joke about how the producers thought the world would be much more polluted in 2010. Nancy Cartwright's Bart voice was electronically lowered a couple of notches. This is the first of four future-themed episodes. The second was "Bart to the Future" in Season 11 and the third was "Future-Drama" in Season 16 and "Holidays of Future Passed" in Season 23. The first three have been separated by five year margins. While both "Lisa's Wedding" and "Future-Drama" were nominated for an Emmy, Entertainment Weekly named "Bart to the Future" the worst episode ever. Reception The episode won an Emmy Award in 1996 for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program, becoming the third episode of The Simpsons to win the award. Twitter Reaction On the real date of the wedding according to the episode, 1 August 2010, the topic "Lisa Simpson" trended on Twitter in the US.Julia Werdigier of the New York Times reports BP Reported Close to Settlement With U.S. Over Gulf Spill: “BP confirms that it is in advanced discussions with the United States Department of Justice and the Securities & Exchange Commission regarding proposed resolutions of all US federal government criminal and SEC claims against BP in connection with the Deepwater Horizon incident,” BP said in a statement. Even if BP and the government settled on the criminal claims, BP would still be subject to other claims, including federal civil claims and claims for damages to natural resources. In particular, this settlement, if it is reached, does not include what is potentially the largest penalty: fines under the Clean Water Act. The potential fine for the spill under the Clean Water Act is $1,100 to $4,300 per barrel spilled. That means the fine could be as much as $21 billion, according to Peter Hutton of RBC Capital Markets in London. BP in March agreed with the lawyers for plaintiffs to settle claims on economic loss, including from the local seafood industry, and medical claims stemming from the oil spill. BP said at the time it expected the cost of that settlement to be about $7.8 billion, which it will pay from a trust the company set aside to cover such costs. Share of BP fell 0.8 percent in this morning's markets. Let's hope this is a sufficient penalty to cause commercial operators of operations potentially dangerous to the environment and surrounding populations to improve their operations. But, this focus on BP alone is not sufficient. We need to greatly improve government regulations and oversight capability which will require expanding budgets and staffing for government regulatory oversight bodies such as the EPA which were also shown to have fallen short. Additionally, this incident and the Fukushima disaster illustrate the need for stronger global oversight institutions to protect the interests of all the people in a region. The IAEA was shown to be unable to adequately oversee the complicity of the Japanese government in attempts to manage public relations and cover-up the seriousness of the accidents rather than be primarily focused on global public safety. Who will look out for threats, and damages to those affected outside of the U.S.? Who is responsible for protecting the interests of all citizens of the world when local governments and industry cut corners on safety, or fail to competently manage highly dangerous nuclear, chemical, or biological hazards that could pose dangers to all citizens of the world across national boundaries, such as is the case with global warming harming our planet's atmosphere? We need to develop stronger global oversight bodies. And, you think right-wing knuckle-dragging successionists are upset now? Soon, they will be looking for other planets to escape collective responsibilities for the common good. CNN announces the plea deal includes a $4.5 billion settlement with one felony count of obstruction of Congress. One person is involved with criminal charges for deleting emails. CNN is not certain if this deal absolves the management from criminal charges. 2 misdemeanor counts of violating environmental regulations. Eric Holder is going to hold a news conference later this afternoon. HuffPO reports additional late breaking details BP Oil Spill Settlement AnnouncedEMPLOYEES OF INTEL Ireland will find out next week if their jobs are in jeopardy as management confirm that its Irish operations will be impacted by a massive global jobs cull. Intel announced restructuring activities last week which will see 12,000 positions axed across the world. Staff were notified today that the 11% reduction of its workforce will impact Ireland. In an email from the general manager Eamonn Sinnott, seen by TheJournal.ie, employees were told they will be notified “within 72 hours of 4 May” if they will lose their jobs. Described as a “separation program” by the company, it is still not clear how many people will be impacted. It is understood that those affected will be told on Tuesday evening, 3 May. Over the next two months, decisions will also be made about what projects will be cancelled. They have also been advised that short-term professional counselling services will be provided to staff and their dependents. Sinnott acknowledged in the staff memo that the restructuring activities “will be a difficult process” and that the team should “be mindful and take care of each other”. The note, however, also states that the Kildare, Shannon and Cork facilities remain “critical to the future growth of the company”. Source: TheJournal.ie The job cuts announced earlier this month will be both voluntary and involuntary. Intel’s plans include moving away from selling computer chips for PCs and focusing on other wares that could be more profitable. Sinnott today described it as an “evolution from a PC company to one that powers the cloud and billions of smart, connected computing devices”.Social engineering has been around for tens of thousands of years so it is time we approach the topic in a professional manner. The Social Engineering Vulnerability Evaluation and Recommendation (SEVER) Project is one way to help penetration testers become more consistent. It is also intended to be the best way to teach novices about social engineering concepts. By distilling thousands of pages of theory into a simple form the SEVER project hopes to: Provide the fastest means of training novices about complex social engineering concepts. Provide penetration testers with a methodology that minimizes their effort while increasing their chance of success. You will begin by defining requirements, then brainstorm solutions, and then refine your solutions through multiple phases. Each phase increases in detail, allowing you to identify ‘show stoppers’ as soon as possible. This will help you avoid wasting time working on a plan that is not going to succeed. If an idea makes it through the entire process and you still feel good about it then you should have a very high chance of success. The best format for this content would be an electronic form with a lot of context-sensitive notes. But since there is currently no effective, portable way of accomplishing that I decided to split the content into two PDF files – the SEVER Worksheet and the SEVER Instructions. Go through these instructions while you fill out the form until you have a thorough understanding of how the form works. If you cheat and try to do one before the other (or skip the instructions altogether) you will miss things which will make failure far more likely. You can download both papers here: – SEVER_Instructions_Final.pdf – SEVER_Worksheet_Final.pdf Or read more here.One of the things about living as a member of a minority social group is that you tend to be on the lookout for things in the news that might affect how people think of you. It's not just about curiosity - it's also about fear, and pain. It's about the experience, time and again, of saying who you are and how you live and love, and being met with fear, confusion, misinformation and disgust. Now, another news source has found another way in which the Philpott family can be used to demonstrate how a particular group of people are depraved. This has been happening all week. The Philpotts' story, if you haven't caught it, is one of individual tragedy, with a father's jealous desire for control over his children and their mothers resulting in the tragic death of six of them in an misguided bid to game the legal system. Over the course of this week, this bizarre story has been wheeled out by journalists and politicians as an example of all that's wrong with whatever the writer or speaker already disapproves of. On Friday, it was the BBC, and the target was polyamory. Polyamory is a recent term, coined in the early 1990s to describe people like me who are in relationships with more than one other person, or people who date while already in a relationship with the full knowledge and consent of their partner(s). The reason the BBC article is so disappointing for polyamorous people is that it makes no effort to distinguish between religious and often (but not always) coercive polygamy, and other relationship forms under the umbrella of polyamory and ethical non-monogamy. For example, the article claims that polyamorous relationships subordinate women. But Dr Christine Campbell, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at St Mary's University College, says: "This is absolutely without foundation. There is no research which has found this to my knowledge. In fact the most common poly relationships are found between homosexual men. Research suggests that at least 50 per cent of gay male relationships are consensually non-monogamous in some form or another (some estimates put it as high as 75 per cent)... Who takes advantage of whom in a same-sex poly relationship?" Sarah Brown, Lib Dem councillor for Cambridge, told me: "The BBC's article paints a very inaccurate view of polyamory. The concentration on women being 'pressured' into them by men ignores the existence of all-women polyamorous relationships, such as mine, as well as a number of other kind of poly relationship structures. Polyamorous relationships take many diverse forms. The idea that it's all about a man having a harem is an unhelpful stereotype. The issue here isn't polyamory. The issue here is abusive relationships, and most of those involve only two people." These misunderstandings have very real effects on polyamorous individuals and groups. In my family, we have told all four sets of parents about our living arrangements and that it is for the long haul, but with varying levels of skepticism. And we always have the spectre in the back of the conversation that this is an exploitative thing. That we are taking one another for a ride. That it's all about the sex. That it's a harem (although how you can have a harem of one woman in a house with three men is slightly baffling to me). Dr Thom Brooks, the academic approached for the BBC piece, is not an expert on polyamory, and was according to his twitter feed unaware of the purpose of the piece in which he's quoted. Throughout the piece, the terms polyamory and polygamy are used interchangably, and the title of the piece, 'Philpott fire deaths trial shines light on polyamory', clearly implies a link between ethical non-monogamous polyamory such as my family with the actions that led to the deaths of six children. Dr Brooks is a reader in law, and his page on Durham University's website lists 12 areas of interest. But polyamory, ethical non-monogamy and polygamy are not on that list. Nor is he an expert on polygamy - however, at least in this area he has written one paper, entitled, "The Problem with Polygamy". The only reference he makes in the paper to polyamory is towards the end, where it is clear that he understands little of the distinction between the different forms of non-monogamy and the ethical and consensual focus of polyamory. Perhaps if Dr Brooks were more familiar with the field, he would have been aware of the wealth of research on the subject, most of which is from the fields of psychology and sociology, rather than from his field of law. Dr Campbell lists "jealousy in consensually non-monogamous relationships" as an area in which she is particularly interested, and a major focus of her research. She told me: "As far as I can tell [Dr Brooks] hasn't done any research on polyamory, actually. A number of the references Dr Brooks refers to are about polygamy as a structure within strongly religious communities. I'd suggest that most of the misogyny mentioned probably stems more from religious thinking than from plural relationship styles. Roping in notions of polygamy from other cultures and applying them to polyamory in the UK is entirely inappropriate. Polyamory and polygamy are not the same thing. As you know, polyamory is also often called consensual non-monogamy - highlighting the 'consent' that is at the heart of the relationships." The term 'polyamory' has not been academically defined, but there are various definitions floating around which you can find using the search engine of your choice. None of these definitions are 'the same as polygamy'. Other terms that may be interesting if you want to look into this further are ethical non-monogamy. If you're specifically wanting to find out more about the Philpotts, however, a search for 'polyamory' won't help you - you want to be looking at 'abusive relationships' and 'domestic violence'. Because that's what we're talking about here. As is clear from the sentencing remarks, this was a highly abusive relationship. One of the things I look out for when someone I've talked to has expressed interest in my relationship structure is that they don't end up doing it wrong. This can happen, particularly when the interested partner pressures their monogamous partner into a nominally polyamorous relationship because it sounds better than cheating, and they can persuade themselves that it's ethical. I've seen a lot of that. I've seen relationships where I don't know what side of the line to put them. It's hard to know. Especially from the outside. However, a fairly good indicator of this particular brand of abusive relationship is when one partner says that they "went along with it because [they were] scared of losing [their] family and home". Which is what Mairead Philpott says happened when her husband first started his relationship with Lisa Willis. Lisa who, having decided to end her relationship with Mick, 'did not dare tell [him] she was leaving. She told Mairead Philpott that she was taking her children swimming.' That doesn't sound like a healthy relationship, polyamorous or not. Indeed, the complete statement from Mrs Justice Thirlwell makes grim reading, and it is clear that Philpott has an entirely dysfunctional and abusive relationship history. What's so confusing about this BBC story, however, is that the author, Caroline Lowbridge, was clearly aware that the Philpotts' was not a normal relationship; earlier this week she wrote another piece for the BBC which outlined their abusive and controlling nature. While Lowbridge talked to Dossie Easton, it's not clear whether the author has read her seminal book, The Ethical Slut, or researched polyamory in any meaningful depth beyond recognising it as a buzzword for doing relationships differently. Polyamory, when done right, is fundamentally different from the way in which people practice monogamous relationships. There are so many ways of thinking that are common in monogamous relationships that just don't make sense from a polyamorous perspective. Polyamory isn't just a way of getting to 'have' more people, because people are not possessions. It's a fundamentally new and different way of doing relationships, based on trust, on communication, and on consent. It's about rejecting the monogamous standard, and radically rethinking how you understand, make meaning of and practice relationships and commitment.WOMEN’S WAR DAILY #2 The following essay follows Butch Lee’s After Anti-War Movements Win or Lose in Iraq… there’s still women Sister, this discussion is just on time. Because these new men’s wars of the 21st century are just starting up. They are different because they take place within the stage of a greater war, the worldwide war against women and children. Increasingly, women are drawn into wars not only meant to reverse our rising but wars that are over which class of men shall own us and how? Rape wars. For war now is above all about gender. What is the difference now? Women & children have always been property veiled or unveiled since the rise of patriarchy. But men’s world is being restructured now, including all the property. If capitalistic men can clash about whether to clearcut or bank their remaining forests, you can bet that they’re going to clash over their most important property–women & children. Globalization has forced this. Like, the Bush empire wants to forcibly modernize the Muslim world so it can be safely integrated into Manhattan and Israel and Germany. So who’s going to be in control of running & executing women property? Is it to be each man or maybe religious cults or a State? Who’s going to control reproduction, define marriage, push the brake or the accelerator on population? UN troops and international bureaucrats for corporate interests? And women are rising, making moves, fighting for survival. One thing for sure, no one’s going to come out of this where they started. This isn’t like the guerrilla wars of the last generation by national liberation movements in Vietnams and Cubas. That was then, this is now. Wars of globalization are primarily between different tribes of capitalistic men. These insurgents like in Iraq aren’t against Mercedes-Benz or Boeing. They aren’t against IBM or Shell. They are killing for their own slice of the capitalist life. To own their own women & territories & markets & cultures (four names for the same thing). Which is why these conflicts are a confusing mix of old and new, feudalistic and post-modern. Rape is the visible tip of that iceberg, the political terrorism that marks women as the property of any and all men (just as marriage marks women as the property of an individual man or male family). The massive waves of rape and other gender terrorism against Iraqi women have been occasionally mentioned as an unfortunate side effect or collateral damage in the war over the u.s. occupation. i say that it is the other way around. This is a mark of men’s new wars of the 21st century. In their March 7th report on mass atrocities in the Congolese civil war, Human Rights Watch says that new parameters are being established. “Something we are increasingly seeing in conflict zones, in wars, is that rape is being used as a weapon of war,” said Anneke Van Woudenberg, a senior researcher on the Demcratic Republic of the Congo for Human Rigjhts Watch. “This isn’t just soldiers on occasion wanting a bit of sex. This is becoming part of the conduct of war.” Just as women have no bizniss in the u.s. army, we have no bizniss in men’s Anti-War movements. i wanna say to all these young grrrls trying to solve their paycheck problems by signing up to be boots in Iraq, you have no bizniss in these institutions where men are fighting it out to the death with other men. Same message for these young grrrls trying to solve their alienation problems by volunteering to be embedded in men’s Anti-War movements. Grrrl, you don’t have to look 10,000 miles away to Iraq to find a war to fight. You got your own war at home. Women are our own side. We don’t need to support the Mahdi’s Militia or the Dick National Guard, when we need to be starting women’s insurgencies of our own. It’s one way or the other, you know. For war now is above all about gender. Because women’s bodies are also the territory that all war is being fought on. But men’s Anti-War movements just can’t get it. Because to them the biggest war of all is the one war they don’t want to oppose. As long as any Iraqi men of one faction or another end up with the Big Power in Iraq, then men’s Anti-War movements are satisfied. And us? From women’s viewpoint, what sense is it to help the Iraqi islamic-fascists into power who will 100% kill and enslave women–just so you can say that you helped defeat the u.s. war machine, which is also killing and enslaving women? Yet this is exactly what “anti-imperialist” men are cheerfully doing. And proud as a shiny new penny about their moral superiority, too. Some “anti-imperialist” voices, not content with agitating for a u.s. withdrawal as the sole political issue for women, are telling us to support the leftover Baath Party regime thugs or the islamic-fascists as the heroic role models for the new 21st century. Such as Naomi Klein’s thinking-just-like-men article in the socialist Nation magazine, which used the catchy title “Bring Najaf to New York” ( “W” and his christian-fascist friends are already doing that, thank you. No need to doubleup on the religious fundamentalist gangbang that is already under way in amerikkka). Jumping off the political cliff in her desperation to find some manly men to punch George W. in the nose for her, Klein wrote:”Muqtada al-Sadr and his followers are not just another group of generic terrorists out to kill Americans; their opposition to the occupation represents the overwhelmingly mainstream sentiment in Iraq.” That’s not only untrue but ridiculously untrue. But when Naomi Klein says these clerical-fascists represent the “the overwhelming mainstream sentiment” that’s a revealing slip of slave conditioning–since she really means mainstream male sentiment. The number of women in Iraq who want a new ayotollah or taliban to conduct men’s terrorism in their neighborhood and rule over them is nothing like any majority. Our Iraqi sisters are only occupied by men with guns, they’re not crazy. Same with the even more tragic case of Arundhati Roy, the young Indian novelist who has become a world moral figure for so brilliantly opposing the Hindu fascist BJP movement that vaulted into power using genocidal pogroms against Muslims. But in Iraq, Roy switches sides and writes: “The Iraqi resistance is fighting on the front lines of the battle against Empire. And therefore that battle is our battle…” In India she rightfully fights the clerical-fascist Hindu movement, which among other things would even further reduce Indian women and which freely practices rape, torture and mass murder. But for Iraq she applauds the same type of clerical-fascist movement because on the way to reenslaving Iraq women its men are hitting heads with the u.s. Marines in the NFL. Grrlfriend, if the Hindu fascists suddenly became more anti-Washington (they love patriarchal capitalism but are not enthusiastic about Christian amerikkka), would you change your mind and embrace your own rapists? Do you see how hopeless this whole dimension of men’s patriarchal politics is for women? Or the leftist Asia Times, whose male Middle East correspondent went on and on likening the fighting in Fallujah to martyred Guernica, the Spanish village that was wiped out by Nazi attack during the 1937 Spanish Civil War. That comparison would make the clerical-fascist fighters in Fallujah like the 1930s democratic and socialist and anarchist soldiers who were fighting fascist aggression in Spain. So under this new kind of amoral men’s “anti-imperialism”, the neo-fascists are supposed to be the same as the real anti-fascists. And they say that women don’t understand politics! What’s really true is that they’re afraid that we are starting to understand men’s politics all too well. It really is time to leave Dick behind. The Anti-War movement has without debate accepted the marginalization of Iraqi women and gone along with the coverup of the war against them. Which means that inescapably it has also gone along with the coverup of the sex crimes by u.s. troops against Iraqi women & children that the Pentagon itself has overseen. Nothing shows the degeneration of men’s Anti-War politics clearer than this. Let’s recognize that women need, as a life and death matter, a foreign policy and a political-military worldview of our own. From us, by us, for us. Does that sound insane or impossible? Why can’t half the human race have its own strategy, its own agenda, and its own power to carry these out? It would be more ridiculous to say that half the human race couldn’t have its own politics. So this is real politics, and it is underhanded and tricky and complex. We can hear so much about the rape movement in Iraq because it’s the policy of not just the u.s. government but Western capitalism to let us know about that. Just like the u.s. media is always glad to tell us about Saddam’s crimes against women. Doesn’t mean that it isn’t true, it just means that under patriarchal capitalism every piece of news is spun for the sponsor. It’s down in the sleazy character of amerikkkan imperialism to always justify their macho conquests as rescuing helpless women vics. They used that lie when they stole Indian lands. They used that lie when they started lynching Black women & children & men. Now they’re using it to make their atrocities in the Muslim world look all Clint Eastwood. (That’s why the big u.s. army heroine of the Iraq invasion was a skinny white sister from West Virginia who never fired a shot and was said to be sexually assaulted but can’t remember a thing about the many Arab people who saved her life). What i’m saying is that the white men in suits got a rape script. They all got a line on rape, and everyone’s been rehearsed on rape like the boys choir. And it’s lies. Listen to them sing: “The Iraqi people are free now. And they do not have to worry about…their wives being taken to rape rooms. Those days are over.” Paul Bremer, Chief U.S.Mafia Leader in Iraq (notice the unconscious patriarchal possessive in his language–“Iraqi people” are men, while women are only “their wives”). 9/2/03 “We know about the mass graves and the rape rooms…” Scott McClellan, White House Minister of Propaganda. 12/10/03 “Every woman in Iraq is better off because the rape rooms and torture chambers of Saddam Hussein are forever closed.” George W. Bush, Klan Chief of White Men. 3/12/04 “There’s still remnants of that regime that would like to take it back. They could torture people and have rape rooms…But they can’t do that anymore.” Donald Rumsfeld, Minister of Aggression. 3/16/04 “There are no more rape rooms and torture chambers in Iraq.” Condoleezza Rice, Chief White House Just-Like-Men. 3/19/04 “Iraq is free of rape rooms.” George Bush II, Temporary King of Iraq. 10/8/04 As my favorite playwright, Bertina Brecht ((i used the name “Bertina Brecht” to recognize in my own way that many of the German radical playwright Bertold Brecht’s most famous works – like The Three-Penny Opera – were not written by him at all but by his unacknowledged women collaborators. )), said, “When the leaders talk of peace, the people know the war has already begun.” When the suits talk now about rescuing women, sisters should know that mass rapes have already started. Go to the u.s. women closest to the scene of the crime–the tens of thousands of servicewomen in khaki and desert camouflage. There they are, with M-16s in hand, in combat boots, young and fit, been through the world’s most expensive patriarchal capitalist boot camp. Are they protecting Iraqi women and children from terrorism and rape? No way. Because they’re the first line of vics themselves. They’re who gets raped first in the warmup before GI rapists even get to the iraqi women and children. How can they protect Iraqi women and children if they can’t protect themselves? They’re the make-believe “Amazons”, who painfully prove the world of difference between real Amazons and naive just-like-men GI Janes. Bear with me, we’re going at this from a different direction. Irene Weiser writes about the results of an official u.s. study, which found 112 reported rapes of servicewomen by their fellow GIs in Iraq and Afghanistan in eighteen months of 2002-2003: The U.S. serviceman waited outside the latrine and hit the woman on the back of the head as she exited, knocking her unconscious. He tied her hands with cord, blindfolded her, cut her clothes off with a knife, stuffed her underwear in her mouth and proceeded to rape her…When she came to she was transported to another facility where she was interrogated for three hours. She received no medical treatment for her head injuries…Prosecution of these crimes is delayed indefinitely, and servicewomen must often continue to serve in the same unit as their assailant. We know that most u.s. rapes go unreported, and that it is often said that there are at least ten rapes for every one reported (i would say from personal experience that no one knows for sure, but that few rapes are ever reported to the police), meaning that possibly 1,000 u.s. servicewomen have already been raped by their “comrades in arms” even on the Iraq-Afghanistan battlefields. Over 1,000 sexual assaults on u.s. servicewomen were reported in 2003 on bases worldwide. Think on it, rape not in the ones or tens, but by the thousands. Not accident, we say, but policy. Think about the u.s. Air Force Academy scandal in 2003-2004, where rape was found to be so prevalent that it was a part of the training–at freshwoman orientation, the senior cadet speaker bitterly told her sisters that she herself had been raped, that most women cadets were raped, and that they should expect to be raped themselves as cadets. This is not a rape room but a whole rape academy. Even Saddam didn’t have that innovation. No matter how superpower, hightech, or equal opportunity, the u.s. military has an institutional loyalty to rape. They need it and cover for it and promote it and insist on it. We’re not talking about semi-literate crimies from poor backgrounds, some marginal privates. It’s the activity of the elite. In March 2005 nearly 150 women broke through the male headlines in the news by charging that they had been raped as cadets. The result was a complete hysterical whitewash and near blanket protection for all the rapist future generals and admirals. i mean, the Roamin’ Catholic Church of Child Molesters couldn’t have done better. Using a survey of all women cadets as a prop, the Pentagon told the nation’s press that sexual assault at the service academies was “comparable to civilian schools”–reported by 5% of women cadets–and came from the bad influence of society not from the military. In elite government academies, where doors are without locks and where young people are groomed to lead massive violence, women have a better chance of being raped than being a starter in a varsity sport. The patriarchy says that this is only normal, and who can disagree? But reading the fine print of the Pentagon report, the horror show of patriarchal capitalist power becomes even more visible. As a tipoff, the word “rape” itself doesn’t appear anywhere in the report or, apparently, in the survey of women cadets. How can you explain that? Then, the Pentagon excluded from the survey all the rape and assault victims who had quit or been forced out of the academies (many cadets who reported rapes were then charged themselves for offenses and forced to resign). And yet & again, buried deep in the report, were confirmations of how deeply these women cadets are being brainwashed to be participants in men’s ownership of women’s bodies. Into rape culture. Half the women cadets said that women were afraid to report sexual assaults for fear of reprisals by higher command. Even more women cadets–63% at West Point and 81% at Annapolis– said that they personally would NOT report or intervene when other women were sexually harassed or assaulted. They have learned from the system to be obedient “good girls” and not protect women from violent male attacks. This is a core value. We all need to rethink rape on a deeper level. To rethink the persistence of rape. Not just as a “crime”, not just as part of sexism, but as a structural component necessary for even the most modern and cosmopolitan male society. Like, the u.s. military is today’s poster boy for “Equal Opportunity”. Black men are generals and top sergeants, while women are flying combat missions in fighters and helicopters and commanding MP companies. Yet & again, the Green Machine is wedded to rape. Like it’s their institutional need on a cellular level. What is starting to emerge is a world war 4 over who shall own women. If you haven’t understood that, your daughters will. And rape is the visible tip of the iceberg, the political terrorism that marks women as the property of any and all men (just as
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We know every business is different, we use this knowledge to create bespoke solutions for each partner. By partnering with Taxamo you get full access to the Taiwan digital market. Remember, we look after your global VAT liabilities so you can continue to sell your services. Contact us now to find out how we can help youFormer FC Montreal standout Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla scored the opening goal as the Canada U20 National Team took a 2-1 victory against Honduras on Saturday night at the Estadio Carlos Miranda in Comayagua. Captained by fellow FC Montreal standout Thomas Meilleur-Giguere, Canada had chances to take the lead early on. Toronto FC II midfielder Luca Uccello forced a save from a free kick in the fifth minute, while Tabla’s pass meant for Dario Zanetti found its way through the defense, but was claimed by the Honduran goalkeeper 12 minutes later. Tabla, Uccello and Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2’s Kadin Chung then combined well in the 23rd minute to set up a chance for Tabla, only for his shot to go over the crossbar. The 17-year-old, who had five goals and a team-high five assists for Montreal this past USL season before signing with the Montreal Impact as a Homegrown Player this offseason, made no mistake eight minutes later, however, as he received a pass by Shamit Shome, beat a pair of Honduran defenders and fired into the net.Sony SmartWatch 3 receives Android Wear 1.3 update (LCA43) – intros interactive watch faces Google recently announced the latest update to its Android Wear platform, with version 1.3 introducing interactive watch faces. What this means in practice is that a tap of the watch will reveal more information or even launch a specific app. You can choose to access certain info at a glance whether that be emails, weather or other. One of these new watch faces is called ‘Together’, meant for two people to share activities, photos and emoji. All you need to do is to pair the watch face with a partner to get started. The update has started to roll for the Sony SmartWatch 3 in the form of build number LCA43. The OTA URL has also been captured so you can update manually (see below). DOWNLOAD OTA URL: tetra LCA43 from LDZ22D Via XDA.I have a number of posts which I have started minimally, or are just one rough idea in need of ironing out. Usually this happens when I have an idea or event I want to write about but don’t immediately have the time to do so. I then forget about it until I feel it is time to write a post but don’t have anything in mind to write about that very second. Helpfully, these series of proto-posts provide seeds for me to elaborate on. This is why I am writing about an article that came out in March in August. One of the most surprising things that has happened this year, but is probably under the radar of most people, is that the co-founder of the radical leftist environmental group Green Peace came out as a climate skeptic. Seriously. On climate change, Patrick Moore states: I am skeptical humans are the main cause of climate change and that it will be catastrophic in the near future. There is no scientific proof of this hypothesis, yet we are told “the debate is over” and “the science is settled.” I am not sure how much CO2 actually affects the climate and I don’t think climate doomsdayers are justified to be as certain as they are. However, it very well may cause an increase in temperature. I am more willing to give the scientific community the benefit of the doubt on this part of their claim than in other areas which are clearly just examples of Lysenkoism. However, knowing their bad practices in areas such as biological differences among humans does force me to remain somewhat skeptical that what they are saying is actually true. Climate change activists are closely aligned politically and philosophically with human biology deniers after all. However, for the purposes of this article, I want to forgo debate on whether or not carbon dioxide is increasing the temperature. Rather, I want to just concede that point for the sake of argument and focus on whether or not increasing carbon dioxide is a net benefit or net drain on the environment. The problem with climate environmentalists I really want to address is the claim that it is going to cause some sort of destruction of the whole world and everyone is probably going to die. Read that again: Climate change is going to cause some sort of destruction of the whole world and everyone is probably going to die. Doesn’t that just sound crazy to you? Haven’t we always been hearing doomsday prophecies of one sort or another? 2012 came and went with no problems, after all, why should this particular “apocalypse” be any different? It was certainly one of several common themes among various sects of Christianity, and I suspect there is a missing link between those predictions of Armageddon and this current one. The current population most adamant about climate change are the descendents of these Christians, don’t forget and such fearful psychologies may have a biological component. It is indisputable that CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere are increasing, and the burning of fossil fuels causes some or most of it. However, CO2 is a natural part of the life cycle. Plants fixate CO2 from the atmosphere in order to grow. RuBisCo is the enzyme which fixes gaseous carbon into simple sugars in plants. This is arguably the single most important enzyme in existence. In addition to plants themselves, all animals and fungi, and most bacteria, are dependent on this enzyme working. It creates the food for those organisms. It also happens to be one of the least efficient enzymes. That is, it doesn’t work very well at doing its job, surprisingly. For one thing, it is very slow. RuBisCo is also capable of catalyzing oxygenation of its substrate rather than fixing a carbon dioxide molecule and it does so at fairly high rates. When oxygenation occurs, the energy is completely wasted because the byproduct isn’t useful for the plant. Moreover, energy has to be expended to reverse the process to make the substrate available for carbon fixation again. Some plants have even evolved special CO2 concentrating mechanisms to try to combat this problem. Increasing the carbon dioxide concentration of the air via burning fossil fuels should make plants better able to use this enzyme because increased concentration of the CO2 substrate increases the enzyme’s efficiency. For example, by increasing the likelihood that CO2 will be fixed rather than oxygen molecules. In other words, the expected result of increased carbon concentrations should be bigger plants, faster growing plants, and/or larger numbers of plants. Both agricultural and wild plants could be expected to benefit from this. People might argue that these benefits would be more than outweighed by increased temperatures. However, I don’t necessarily think anything bad will come of this even if we get a several degree increase in temperature. For one thing, there is evidence that times in earth’s history have been hotter than they are today including during the times of the Romans, despite any human induced warming. 66 to 34 million years ago was also warmer than today. So much so that scientists believe there was no polar ice and palm trees and crocodiles existed near the poles. These times did not coincide with mass extinctions or anything else negative to the biosphere as a whole that can be specifically traced to warming; though species certainly died off as has always been true. Most importantly, humans could not have played in role in these drastic climate changes which means it is at least possible humans are playing only a limited role today. Interestingly, there seems to be a positive correlation to warm periods and biological diversity. Overall, more warmth seems to be better for life in general and not worse because more species can thrive during warm periods. Thus concerns about warming are in all likelihood overstated. One thing I must note is that I do value the environment. I think carbon dioxide and global warming aren’t nearly the threats they are made out to be, but environmental concern overall is not illegitimate outside of that context. Specifically, dumping toxic chemicals in the environment is bad for life and it is bad for people. Moreover, it is bad for quality of life and aesthetics. You can look at China today or western countries in the past to see what kind of problems can result from poor custodianship of the environment. Here are some pictures of toxic rivers in China. The US had a series of river fires (see this video also) which had a large role in fueling the environmentalist movement. Climate change hysteria provides a very profound distraction from things of actual concern, but perhaps that was the plan all along. Though neoreactionaries generally are against progressive climate hysteria (rightfully so), there are other environmental considerations which are real. Just because you are right wing, doesn’t mean you want to live in a pile of trash. In a way, this reminds me of the trike where either the ethno-nationalists or the religio-traditionalists would find themselves in conflict with the techno-commercialists on where to balance economic productivity with less quantifiable measurements of quality of life.Sony has slashed the prices of its PlayStation Vita memory cards just in time for the New Year. When PlayStation Vita launched in March last year, many users complained that the prices of the proprietary memory cards were far too expensive. Though it would have been very nice to see a price drop prior to Christmas, at least Sony has finally taken action by cutting the retail costs considerably for the 4GB, 8GB, 16GB and 32GB cards. Available via the Sony Online Store, you can pick up the cards for the following prices. Note – you have to add them to your cart and checkout before you receive the discount. 4GB – $11.99 8GB – $17.99 16GB – $35.99 32GB – $60 Both the 16GB and 32GB cards have already sold out, but we’re hoping they’ll be more released shortly. However, there are still some 4GB and 8GB cards left. It looks like the offer only applies to the U.S. as all models are still the same price on the U.K. store.A British-Iranian woman has been sentenced to one year in prison for attempting to go to a men's volleyball game, her lawyer has said. 25-year old Ghoncheh Ghavami was found guilty of "propagating against the ruling system," according to her lawyer Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabaei. Tabatabaei claims he has seen the text of the verdict, but is still waiting for the official sentencing. He has not commented any further. 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. Ghavami, a budding lawyer with both Iranian and British citizenship, was detained in June at a Tehran's Freedom Stadium after trying to attend a men's volleyball match between Iran and Italy. Women are banned from attending male-only matches in Iran and Ghavami tried to enter the match with around a dozen other women to protest the ban, according to Amnesty International. Women who sought to attend the World League match in June were reportedly turned away from the stadium. Female photographers inside the complex were ordered to leave though none were arrested. Ghavami was held for a few hours and then released but she was detained again a few days later and transferred to Tehran’s notorious Evin jail, which is known for holding political prisoners and journalists. She began a hunger strike earlier this month over her detention, Amnesty says. Her brother, 28-year-old Iman Ghavami, said she rang her family in tears saying she had been put in solitary confinement for 41 days. “The family can barely hold themselves together,” he told ITV News. “They are torn apart – not just my parents but my grandparents, my uncles, everybody.” A Facebook campaign to free her has started, garnering almost 9,000 “likes” and lead to protests at other Iranian volleyball matches. Iran's judiciary spokesman, Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi, has criticized reports linking Ghavami's arrest to volleyball, saying last month: "Her case has nothing to do with sports." Additional reporting from AP We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. At The Independent, no one tells us what to write. That’s why, in an era of political lies and Brexit bias, more readers are turning to an independent source. Subscribe from just 15p a day for extra exclusives, events and ebooks – all with no ads. Subscribe nowThe Guardian defends continued persecution of Julian Assange by UK and Sweden By Robert Stevens 11 February 2016 The Guardian has played a critical role as a propaganda outlet for the British government in its attempts to silence WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. On the evening of February 4, the Guardian published an editorial online, “Julian Assange: no victim of arbitrary detention”, reproduced in the following day’s print edition. The Guardian was intent on opposing the final opinion of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) regarding the detention of Assange, even before its findings had been made publicly available. The Guardian was delivering a blind verdict on a 16-month legal inquiry in order to ensure that the witch-hunting of Assange by London and Stockholm would not be undermined by the devastating conclusions of the UN. After noting that UNWGAD “has played a valuable role in highlighting unjust and improper imprisonment, often of political prisoners,” it editorialised, “But its latest opinion, which is expected to be formally published tomorrow, that the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is being detained arbitrarily, is simply wrong.” The Guardian categorically states, “He is not being detained arbitrarily.” Assange initially collaborated with the Guardian, which selectively published and edited cables released by WikiLeaks to publicise material documenting US war crimes and conspiracies against the world’s population. However, shortly after publishing the revelations provided by WikiLeaks, the newspaper turned viciously on Assange, and has led attempts ever since to blacken his name, demanding his return to Sweden to face trumped-up sexual misconduct allegations. In order to pursue the vendetta against Assange and sanction a blatant denial of justice to a man who has not been charged with a single crime, the Guardian resorts to lies and falsification. In seeking to undermine the UN’s opinion, it simply parrots the line of the British and Swedish governments, blithely declaring, “‘Arbitrary’ detention means that due legal process has not been observed. It has. This is a publicity stunt.” Through gritted teeth the Guardian states, “it is possible to sympathise with his [Assange’s] circumstances”, before adding, “without accepting his right to evade prosecutors’ questions about the allegation that he committed a serious criminal offence.” This is a lie. Assange has never evaded any questioning regarding allegations made against him. Had the Guardian waited a few more hours, it could have read the UN’s withering conclusion: “Assange has been denied the opportunity to provide a statement, which is a fundamental aspect of the audi alteram partem principle, the access to exculpatory evidence, and thus the opportunity to defend himself against the allegations.” In reality, Assange was forced to claim asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, a right protected under international law, to avoid extradition to Sweden, and ultimately to the United States. There he would be in the hands of a ruling elite, some of whom have called for his death as a “traitor”. As the UN opinion records, “If Mr. Assange leaves the confines of the Embassy, he forfeits his most effective and potentially only protection against refoulement to United States of America.” The Guardian editorial is forced to note that Assange has “always argued that it is not the sex offence inquiries that he is avoiding, but extradition from Sweden to the US. … There are indications that WikiLeaks is in the US justice department’s sights: it’s been confirmed that a grand jury is investigating; no indictment has been made public, but that does not mean there is none.” But in the end, this counts for nothing, according to the newspaper. The Guardian insists, “...WikiLeaks was founded on exposing those who ignored the rule of law. Surely its editor-in-chief should recognise his duty to see it upheld.” What shameful sophistry. The collusion between the UK, Sweden and the US to silence Assange, including the issuing of a European Arrest Warrant (EAW) based on no criminal charges, represents the “rule of law” which Assange must uphold by accepting his own ritual sacrifice. Predictably, the Guardian has issued no editorials in response to Sweden’s and the UK’s rejection of international law, as represented by the UN’s opinion. Following the publication of the UN verdict, the Guardian commissioned a scurrilous article by Marina Hyde. An intellectual lightweight, she writes on everything from sport to the tawdry lifestyles of the rich and famous. She is an Oxford-educated daughter of Sir Alastair Edgcumbe James Dudley-William, the second Baronet of the City and of the County of the City of Exeter and the granddaughter of Conservative politician Sir Rolf Dudley-Williams. Hyde’s piece is an incoherent rant in which as much dirt as she can muster is flung at Assange and the UN opinion in the hope that some of it will stick. She faithfully follows the directive of the UK Foreign Office that “This [the UN opinion] changes nothing. We completely reject any claim that Julian Assange is a victim of arbitrary detention.” Hyde complains that the UN found that Assange “has been arbitrarily detained, including under house arrest, and that the diplomatic asylum offered him by Ecuador somehow binds the UK to give Julian Assange free passage...” Calling on her hitherto unknown but apparently encyclopaedic knowledge of international law, she adds, “except he was never under house arrest, there has been nothing arbitrary at any stage of the various legal procedures with which he has been involved, and the UK has no obligation to recognise diplomatic asylum granted within its borders by another state.” Hyde is carried away by the tide of her own vitriol. Even the Swedish government accepts that Assange was under house arrest. As stated in its own submission to the UN, “He [Assange] was thereafter subject to certain restrictions, such as house arrest.” Point 24 of the Opinion No.54/2015 concerning Julian Assange (Sweden and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland). On the arbitrary nature of Assange’s arrest and detention the UN opinion says, “The Human Rights Committee, in its General Comment No. 35 on Article 9 … stated that ‘An arrest or detention may be authorised by domestic law and nonetheless be arbitrary. The notion of “arbitrariness” is not to be equated with “against law”, but must be interpreted more broadly to include elements of inappropriateness, injustice, lack of predictability and due process of law, as well as elements of reasonableness, necessity, and proportionality’” (emphasis added). Hyde disparages the UN opinion for not engaging “with the reasoning of the various courts that have already considered (and rejected) many of the arguments against extradition…” This was not the purpose of the UN’s opinion, as she should know. In his response to the UNWGAD verdict, Liora Lazarus, a Fellow of St. Anne’s College and an Associate Professor in Law at Oxford University, stated, “Its role is different to that of a national or regional court, and it applies an independent and exacting standard of review to national authorities. A UN WGAD ruling is the highest expression of the review of arbitrary detention that can be made by a human rights body. The European Court of Human Rights has recognised that ‘in view of the composition, functions, process complaints and investigative powers of this body, the Working Group of the United Nations on Arbitrary Detention should be viewed as “a procedure of international investigation or settlement” within the meaning of Article 35 of the Convention’.” In addition, while dealing with the legalities of the rulings of various courts was not the remit of the UN’s opinion, it does note in relation to the European Arrest Warrant, under which Assange was detained in December 2010, “With regard to the legality of the EAW… since the final decision by the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom in Mr. Assange’s case, UK domestic law on the determinative issues had been drastically changed, including as a result of perceived abuses raised by Sweden’s EAW, so that if requested, Mr. Assange’s extradition would not have been permitted by the UK.” It adds that the UK government, in relation to Assange has stated, “that these changes are ‘not retrospective’ and so may not benefit him.” Therefore, “A position is maintained in which his confinement within the Ecuadorian Embassy is likely to continue indefinitely.” Lazarus notes that “Assange’s decision to claim asylum and take up residence in the Ecuadorian embassy” came after, despite two dissenting opinions, the “Supreme Court held against Assange on the matter of whether an EAW could be issued by a ‘prosecutor’ and not a ‘judicial authority’ as stipulated in relevant European and English law.” This decision could not now be arrived at following the changes introduced by the British parliament (emphasis added). Hyde claims, “the UK has no obligation to recognise diplomatic asylum granted within its borders by another state.” The UN opinion details that Assange’s legal team explained, “The United Kingdom failed to acknowledge custom and its own practice of recognising diplomatic asylum.” In the case of Sweden, it has “long recognised humanitarian diplomatic asylum as being a part of general international law.” The opinion states, “In Santiago in 1973, the Swedish Ambassador to Chile, Harald Edelstam, gave numerous Chileans and other nationals sought by the authorities of [military dictator] Augusto Pinochet not only diplomatic asylum in the Swedish Embassy, but also safe conduct to Sweden.” The mass murderer Pinochet was detained in Britain in October 1998 under an international arrest warrant issued by a Spanish judge. Unlike Assange, who has never been charged with any crime in Sweden or the UK, Pinochet spent his time in the UK in luxury while being feted by leading politicians such as ex-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Pinochet’s defence team included Clare Montgomery, the lawyer for the Crown Prosecution Service, who later argued for Assange’s extradition. In January 2000, Labour Home Secretary Jack Straw intervened directly to rule that Pinochet should not be extradited, but returned to Chile on grounds of ill-health. Hyde and the Guardian are nothing more than sounding boards for Assange’s Swedish and UK prosecutors who, in rejecting the UN’s verdict, yet again flout international law. The author also recommends: Stop the persecution of Julian Assange! [5 February 2016] The Guardian and Edward Snowden [22 July 2013] Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.Once more unto the Moynihan Station morass By Benjamin Kabak By· Published in 2014 Every now and then, New York City collectively remembers that Moynihan Station remains an idea slowly inching toward reality, and every now and then, Moynihan Station makes its way back into the headlines of the city’s newspapers. The project officially got underway in 2012 with a very modest Phase 1 build-out involving some staircases and access points to Amtrak platforms, and earlier this year, it seemed that forces were slowly aligning behind the long-aborning effort. Now, it’s back, with funding and a vengeance, and could be closer to reality than we think. The latest comes to us from Charles V. Bagli of The New York Times. According to Bagli’s report, the station plans are nearly fully funded, and Senator Chuck Schumer is asking the feds and Amtrak to close the gap. We’ll get to that shortly, as, in the meantime, I find Bagli’s article telling for what it doesn’t say than for what it does. In reintroducing The Times’ readership to Moynihan Station, Bagli runs through the litany of folks lining up to support the project. Calling it a “$1 billion proposal to create a grand annex to Pennsylvania Station,” Bagli notes that Moynihan is “a favorite project of civic organizations, developers and politicians.” Notice who’s missing: planners and transit advocates. That’s because it’s not really a favorite project for that group. The Farley Post Office is west of 8th Ave., a full avenue block away from the IRT lines and two avenues from the BMT and IND at Herald Square. Unlike Penn Station, which straddles two subway lines, it’s not particularly well located to serve as a centralized train station, and the building design, with sweeping staircases, isn’t luggage-friendly. Still the project marches on. Bagli writes: One small step nearing completion is the enlargement of the existing concourses serving the train platforms below the blocklong post office and the expansion of a passageway beneath Eighth Avenue to Penn Station. And on Tuesday, Senator Charles E. Schumer, long a proponent of what is known as Moynihan Station, called on Amtrak and the Federal Transit Administration to provide the remaining money necessary for the next phase: building a skylit, intercity train hall in the post office for Amtrak. “After years of dreaming and work, Moynihan Station is on the precipice of success,” Mr. Schumer said. “Let’s access available federal money — from the F.T.A., Amtrak and elsewhere — to get it done now.” …The state’s Moynihan Station Development Corporation is overseeing the $300 million first phase of the project, which is expected to be completed next year…But state officials have a $700 million construction budget for building the train hall, where postal workers once sorted mail, and retail spaces. The hall would be roughly the same size as the great hall in Grand Central Terminal. …Mr. Schumer said that the development corporation had pledges for $500 million, from the city and two developers chosen in 2005 to create the Moynihan transit hub. That leaves a $200 million shortfall, which Mr. Schumer said should be filled by federal funds. Bagli rehashes how various plans to move Madison Square Garden have fallen through, and he even drags a perfunctory quote out of Amtrak Chairman Anthony Coscia. “Although our resources are limited, we think this is an important project. We’ll do everything in our power to make it a reality,” he said. “Right now, the most important thing is to serve the rapidly growing demand for train service along the Northeast corridor.” But the largest problem with the project remains firmly in place: For $1 billion, the Moynihan Station Development Corporation is creating a nicer waiting room for Amtrak without contemplated or expanded train capacity through the station. There’s no denying that Penn Station needs fixing. It’s not a pleasant place to be, and that inevitably will lead some people to eschew train service. But as dollars for transit are scarce, the priority should be expanding trans-Hudson capacity. The Times reserves this inconvenient truth for the kicker of the article. By paraphrasing Bob Yaro, outgoing head of the Regional Plan Association, Bagli notes that without another Hudson River tunnel or an expansion of Penn Station to the south, Moynihan Station is simply a nicer shell for an older problem. Gateway, anybody?Michael Sam came out publicly as a gay man last week. The responses-- as well as the stories of the initial reaction at Missouri-- have been hearteningly supportive. But there will be obstacles, both from the old-school itchiness that still inhabits some of the NFL, and from plainly hateful people. The latter is the issue this weekend, as the unabashed hate-spewing misanthropes of the Westboro Baptist Church announced plans to demonstrate on the Missouri campus Saturday afternoon. Mizzou students wouldn't have it. Taking their cue from Texas A&M's response to a similar encroachment by the WBC years back, students Alix Carruth and Kelaney Lakers organized a human wall to "Stand With Sam" and prevent the WBC from entering. It's impressive: Pretty cool how many people came out to support Michael Sam #FuckWestbroBaptistChurch #StandWithSam pic.twitter.com/b2wuKyAaE5 — Jacob Farkas (@HighFiveFarkas) February 15, 2014 #StandWithSam supporters sang the alma mater with their backs to the WBC. @CoMissourian pic.twitter.com/zQh7mXKXtH — Brandon Foster (@BFoster91) February 15, 2014 .@Mizzou prepares for westboro baptist church and doesn't support hate on campus #StandWithSam pic.twitter.com/whFu1CVUp9 — Alexander Drößler (@AlexDroessler) February 15, 2014 Missouri football player Max Copeland out to support the #StandWithSam event on Stadium Blvd. @CoMissourian pic.twitter.com/oLD18pnEaG — Brandon Foster (@BFoster91) February 15, 2014 Hundreds of students lined up on Stadium Boulevard in support of Michael Sam 🐯 #StandWithSam #OneMizzou pic.twitter.com/LIsAf87tud — Emily Orvos (@EmOrvos) February 15, 2014 Wonderful stuff, Tigers • Exclusive behind-the-scenes story of Michael Sam's decision to come out as gay • Michael Sam vs. the NFL Draft machine • NFL players ready for openly gay player \| Teams publicly support Michael Sam • Evaluating Michael Sam on the field \| Mizzou's outstanding D-line tradition • Spencer Hall: Total strangers talking about Michael Sam • David Roth: Michael Sam, a normal football player • Totally serious questions about gay teammates \| Inside the MizzouminatiRecently, India secretly tested its most advanced submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) to date. The K-4 SLBM gives India the ability to strike a land target 3,000 km away from an undersea firing platform and is a significant boon to India’s nuclear weapons program, extending India’s ability to credibly deter a nuclear-armed rival from attacking first. A robust sea-based deterrent is necessary to field a credible second-strike capability and the K-4 SLBM does just that. According to The Hindu, the K-4 was tested on March 24, 2014, a few weeks shy of the 16th anniversary of India’s controversial 1998 Pokhran-II nuclear tests. The test went off without a hitch: The launch took place from a pontoon submerged more than 30 metres deep in the sea off the Visakhapatnam coast. After a powerful gas generator ejected it from the pontoon submerged in the Bay of Bengal, the K-4 missile rose into the air, took a turn towards the designated target, sped across 3,000 km in the sky and dropped into the Indian Ocean. Enjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month. The K-4 SLBM was one of India’s Defense Research and Development Organization’s (DRDO) most secretive projects and is intended to succeed the K-15 underwater-launched ballistic missile. Once fully tested and proven to be reliable, the K-4 will be installed on India’s new INS Arihant — its first indigenously developed nuclear submarine. The K-4 is tailor-made for second-strike purposes. According to the New Indian Express, the missile has the advantage of a hypersonic cruise speed and uses an innovative system of weaving in three dimensions as it flies towards its target, making it an exceptionally difficult target for anti-ballistic missile systems and other air defense systems. Other features of the K-4 include its high accuracy, with an alleged near-zero circular error probable (CEP). The abilities of the K-4 are set to allow India to deter China with greater credibility. While Pakistan is a concern for India, its relative lack of strategic depth and India’s massive conventional advantage have pushed Indian thinking on nuclear matters towards China in recent year. With the K-4-equipped INS Arihant, India has a survivable second-strike capability against China. The Arihant can reportedly carry four K-4 missiles (or 12 of the less-advanced K-15 missiles). The first Arihant-class submarine is undergoing sea trials in 2014 and will be succeeded by three additional boats, expected to be in commission by 2023. India’s credible minimum deterrence doctrine, with a no-first use (NFU) caveat, may be subject to revision if a BJP-led government comes to power this year (a highly likely development). As of now, the specifics of the BJP’s ambitions remain ambiguous but India’s proximity to fielding a credible nuclear triad with a survivable second-strike capability could make NFU revision less urgent.This past weekend Todd Dezago was the guest as the Guilderland Public Library’s Art of Being Super series held the second event. We had a great turnout for Todd Dezago’s presentation. Many folks who attended the first presentation with Charles Barnett III showed up as well as a group of newcomers to the series. Todd is such a talented writer and his love for comic books is certainly reflected in his writing. While the tone of his presentation is humorous it was also inspiring and informative. Todd introduced participants to the writing elements of comic books, tips, tricks and general practices one may experience when working with a large company versus and independent one. He was very willing to share his personal experiences, challenges and future projects which he used to engage with the participants. At the end of the presentation, Todd gave away copies of Tellos and The Perhapanauts. -Librarian and program coorindator Philip Berardi Check out The Comics Multiverse Facebook Community page and the Guilderland Library’s Facebook page for photos and video of the event. — This Saturday the featured guest will be artist Greg Capullo, who is currently tackling the art chores on Batman with writer Scott Snyder, as part the library’s Batman Day celebration. Capullo started off as an aspiring self-taught artist, beginning with a job in commercial advertising but soon was noticed for his talent as an inker and penciling and began working on projects involving his own artwork. His first comic work, was an anthology series titled Gore Shriek, (published by a comic shop here in Albany) where he handled penciling, inking, lettering and writing duties on stories such as “The Need For Speed,” “Mall Rats,” “Borders,” and “Circular File.” Due to the success of the small comic series, he landed work with Marvel Comics on titles such as Quasar (1991–1992), X-Force (1992–1993), X-Men Unlimited, and What If? for three years before leaving to work for Todd McFarlane at Image Comics. Once at Image Comics, Capullo began his work with McFarlane on Spawn starting with issues 16, 17 and 18, temporarily taking over McFarlanes role as lead penciler. McFarlane re-took the reigns of Spawn again temporarily before handing the duties back to Capullo whose first full-time issue was #26 where he became the main artist/cover artist for the book. At Image, he also worked on 18 issues of Robert Kirkman and Todd McFarlane’s Haunt, filling in on pencilling for Ryan Otley and eventually becoming the regular penciller, with inks done by Todd McFarlane. Capullo began his Batman work with the New52 relaunch which introduced The Court of Owls, the Year Zero storyline exploring Batman’s first year, the Joker’s return in Death of the Family, and the Endgame arc which ended with the supposed death of Batman and the Joker. The current arc of Snyder/Capullo’s Batman follows former Commission Gordon in the Mecha-Batman suit, as he tries to fill the void left by the disappearance of Bruce Wayne. Capullo’s beautiful art has been and awesome pairing with Snyder’s storytelling. These two make a great team and I have no doubt that their Batman stories will become classics and “Must Reads” for those interested in the Batman mythos, I know I have really been enjoying it and will be sad when they eventually leave the book. — How did you get into reading comics? When I was a little kid they had spinner racks everywhere – drug stores, supermarkets, all the stores in downtown Schenectady where I grew up. I discovered these spinner racks as my mother lugged me around town. I was bored. They were colorful. I picked them up. I was hooked, What was your introduction to Batman? It’s hard to recall if it was the comic book or the TV show but I’m going to guess it was the TV show because the first drawing that I ever made of any super hero was taken directly from the animation from the TV show when I was 4 years old. Which artists have influenced your take on Batman? I wouldn’t say any one particular artist. It’s most likely an amalgam of everything I’ve seen regarding Batman. What about the Batman do you find to be most appealing, what if any aspect would you like to change or add to mythos? I would say the fact that Batman overcame some pretty severe trauma as in losing his parents and chose at that point to become a victor instead of a victim. He demonstrates an indomitable spirit and determination to find a way where there is no way. I wouldn’t want to change anything. I think Batman is perfect. What has been your favorite part of your run as the artist on Batman so far? They’ve all been fun for their own reasons. You’re asking me to pick my favorite child. Any other DC Comics properties or creators that you would like to work with in the future? Right now my focus is squarely on Batman. — A special thanks to Greg for taking the time to answer theses few questions for me and I am disappointed that I will miss his presentation. Okay, I have to go now so I can get packed and ready to leave tomorrow for the Baltimore Comic-Con.Game Info Box Art N/A Platform Win, PS4, Xbox One Publisher Sega Developer Game Freak
red. Fort Worth has collected $43.6 million from citations since 2008. Of that, $12.7 million has gone to the state’s trauma fund, $12.7 million to the city and $18.1 million to the cost of the program. The City Council is expected to vote before June on whether to extend the camera program for another 11 years. “We are enforcing a state law and we are using a program approved by the state in 2007,” Councilman Jungus Jordan said after Linan’s presentation. “What our role is, at the local level, is public safety. What you have just shown us proves that we are doing our job, we are doing what we are supposed to be doing, and we are being fair about it.” This report includes material from the Star-Telegram archives.Introduction Introduced in late 2014 as an accessory to Alienware’s gaming computer lineup, the Alienware Graphics Amplifier (AGA) was one of the very first production external graphics enclosures. Instead of the more commonly known PCIe over Thunderbolt connection, Alienware created a proprietary PCIe connection and port for its select computers to pair with this Graphics Amplifier. This connection runs at x4 PCIe 3.0 and is faster than Thunderbolt eGPU, or so Alienware claims. It’s currently selling for US$169 (Jan-2018). Great to see @apple following @alienware when we pioneered desktop external graphics ~3 yrs ago with our graphics amp, AW still fastest https://t.co/vsRXLlRZgv — Frank Azor (@AzorFrank) June 7, 2017 With the onslaught of Thunderbolt 3 eGPU enclosures, does this remain true? There’s only one way to find out. Put the Alienware Graphics Amplifier in a direct comparison with a Thunderbolt 3 external graphics enclosure, the Razer Core. The reference graphics card for this AGA review is an Nvidia GTX 980 Ti. I chose this GPU because I had run many benchmarks in my review of the Razer Core recently. We can use these data sets to look at GPU performance in desktop PCIe speed, full four lanes Thunderbolt 3 speed, and eGPU speed with a quad-core CPU. Currently, the Graphics Amplifier is compatible with these Alienware computers: Alienware 13 R1, R2 & R3 Alienware 15 R1, R2 & R3 Alienware 17 R2, R3 & R4 Alienware X51 R3 Alienware Alpha R2 Hardware Specifics I like the design language of Alienware products. They remain unique and functional rather than following the trend of thin and light. One of my personal desktop computers is the Alienware Area 51 R2 that I use strictly for gaming. Recently, I attempted to build this Area 51 R2 into a Thunderbolt 3 test bench. It was unfortunately a failed venture. Specifications compare Price US$ $169 Included GPU ✖ Max PCIe bandwidth 32Gbps PSU location-type internal PSU max power 460W Power delivery (PD) none USB3.0 ports (+C type) 4 Size (in/mm, LxWxH) 16.10 x 7.30 x 6.80 409 x 185 x 298 Weight (kg/lb) 3.51/7.72 Implementations ✖ This Alienware Graphics Amplifier looks the part. Sitting next to the Alienware 13 R2, they make a handsome pair. Build quality is a different story though. The top cover of the AGA latches to the base for tool-free opening. The sliding release latch is rather flimsy and doesn’t always move without considerable effort. The hinges at the front let the top cover pivot forward to allow access inside this enclosure. In my experience from opening and closing the top cover, the hinges are not a good match for the length and weight of the cover. It wobbles during movement and at times feels like the enclosure would break pulling the top cover out. Once you manage to uncover the Graphics Amplifier, the inside is clearly laid out with the main PCIe board, I/O board, ATX power supply and two PCIe 6+2-pin power cables. There are two PCIe slots on the main board. You may notice one of them is placed in reverse of the other. This reserved PCIe slot is for the proprietary connector and USB expansion board. It’s a x8 PCIe slot as far as I could tell. The other one is a x16 PCIe slot for a full-length graphics card. I know what you’re thinking when seeing the two PCIe slots; is it possible to pop a Thunderbolt 3 add-on card in this thing? I tried, two of them, without success. The first one was the Thunderbolt board from the AKiTiO Node. The second one was an Asus Thunderbolt EX3 expansion card. Unfortunately they didn’t work because the Alienware I/O card is responsible for powering this enclosure on when it’s connected to a matching Alienware laptop. You won’t find a Power switch anywhere in or outside this enclosure. Alienware used an off-the-shelf Dell ATX 460W power supply in the Graphics Amplifier. This PSU takes up more than half the footprint of the enclosure’s width. Using an SFX power supply found in most Thunderbolt 3 eGPU enclosures would create more space for larger graphics cards or minimize the footprint of the AGA. The fan inside the PSU is rather loud during operation, even when idle. At the front of the Graphics Amplifier, there’s one cooling fan to direct air front to rear. After taking the Razer Core apart in my last review, this Alienware Graphics Amplifier disassembly was a lot easier. I only needed a single Philips P1 screwdriver. The enclosure’s hinges and their mounting plates were the only parts that required special attention. I have mixed feeling about this hinge design. It’s unique but ultimately feels like a cheap toy due to poor material quality. Unlike the half-meter long Thunderbolt 3 cables included in all TB3 enclosures, the AGA proprietary cable is almost three times as long at 4.5 ft (1.37m). The connectors are the same on both ends. Once you plug the cable into the host computer and the AGA, it will flash Red to White as an indication you need to restart the computer to make use of the Graphics Amplifier. Solid White lights on both ends mean the AGA is working. Disconnecting the AGA requires you shut down the host computer. I found the connector rather challenging to dismount from the port. It has two metal retractable hooks on the side that don’t always unhook in perfect alignment. Testings & Benchmarks Let’s start with Alienware’s claim that its Graphics Amp is the fastest external graphics implementation on the market. Its FAQ section describes the proprietary x4 PCIe 3.0 connection as direct and fully dedicated to the graphics card, not sharing bandwidth with any other components. What is the difference between PCI Express Gen3X4 lanes and Intel Thunderbolt 3 Plug and Play? The Alienware Graphics Amplifier’s technology uses a direct hardware connection, while the Thunderbolt 3 technology is based on a platform with shared bandwidth. Alienware’s amplifier will never share, or compromise, the bandwidth to your system’s GPU. Instead, it provides reserved high bandwidth directly to your system’s GPU with one unique cable connection. Alienware Graphics Amplifier utilizes four lanes of dedicated PCIe Gen 3. The Thunderbolt 3 specification is capable of either two or four lanes of PCIe depending on the OEM’s implementation of Intel’s technology. Alienware gains an advantage by having these lanes dedicated to graphics that are not shared by LAN, USB or display ports. Here are the screen captures of CUDA-Z, GPU-Z, and HiNFO64 when I paired this AGA to an Alienware 13 R2. If you’ve read our discussion on H2D half bandwidth issues on earlier Thunderbolt 3 eGPU firmware, you can immediately tell something is not right with these numbers from the Alienware Graphics Amplifier. Even though GPU-Z showed this AGA runs at full x4 PCIe 3.0 speed, CUDA-Z hovering around 1,600 MiB/s means it’s not anywhere near the theoretical max 32 Gbps. HWiNFO reveals the PCIe connection travels through the PCH which shares bandwidth with other components. This is against Alienware’s specification page. I reserved judgement until all benchmarks were run through this Graphics Amp to compare with the baseline numbers on my Z170 test bench. Nando4 recommended I try to identify the culprit in causing this GTX 980 Ti + Graphics Amplifier to run at what seems like 4x PCIe 2.0 speed. I ran GPU-Z and CUDA-Z again after having disabled all Nvidia power savings to see if those were making the difference. The results were the same. Reading through Dell’s Support articles, I checked to make sure the BIOS on the Alienware 13 R2 was the latest (it was). If you have an AGA box, please share the CUDA-Z reading. Unsettled with this result from the 13 R2 + AGA, I found another Alienware computer that could use this Graphics Amplifier. It’s an X51 R3 small form factor desktop. Here are the screen captures of CUDA-Z, GPU-Z, and HiNFO64 for comparison. These numbers are more in line with what I was anticipating. CUDA-Z results are in the range of low 2,800 MiB/s to high 3,000 MiB/s, close to 32 Gbps max throughput of x4 PCIe 3.0. HWiNFO64 reveals the AGA connection is going through the PCH PCIe port on the Alienware X51 R2. Again, this contradicts Dell’s claim of dedicated PCIe connection for the AGA. The main host I’m using for this review and benchmarks is an Alienware 13 R2. This laptop has an OLED display, 6th generation dual-core i7-6500U, Intel HD 520 iGPU, Nvidia GTX 965M dGPU, 8GB of RAM, and SATA SSD. I did not use Thunderbolt 3 eGPU with this laptop due to its half-speed implementation. Instead I reused the results from the Razer Core with Blade Stealth for 4x PCIe 3.0 over Thunderbolt 3. Also shown are results from the Thunderbolt 3 Test Bench. Conclusion “When you’re a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you’re not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You’ll know it’s there, so you’re going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through.” – Steve Jobs Alienware can claim its proprietary external graphics solution is faster than Thunderbolt 3 counterparts. This isn’t necessarily true depending on the host Alienware computer. Based on CUDA-Z numbers and comparison with the Razer Core using the Blade Stealth as well as the Z170 Test Bench, this Graphics Amp may not always perform at full x4 PCIe 3.0 speed. Unless Dell decides to publish this information, the only way to figure out what speed you’ll get is to pair your compatible Alienware computer with the AGA. In addition, the x2 PCIe routing of Thunderbolt 3 connection in the Alienware 13 R2 (and most of the XPS laptop lineup) shows Dell’s lack of commitment to fulfilling its performance claims. For users with a compatible computer, the Alienware Graphics Amplifier is still the best choice for an external graphics enclosure. It’s plug-and-play and more affordable than a Thunderbolt 3 eGPU. The downsides are no hot-swapping capability and lack of power delivery compared to Thunderbolt 3 eGPU enclosures. From the consumer perspective, the next AGA should become a true docking station rather than an external graphics enclosure only. That means it needs power delivery and a range of different input and output ports. While Alienware engineers are at it, they might as well tell Marketing to sell this box with a GPU. As it’s sold now, the Alienware Graphics Amplifier would more appropriately be named “Graphics Amplifiable.”Serie A giants Juventus have reportedly urged a Romanian club with a similar name and crest to undergo a rebranding exercise and drastically change their profile. The team in question is Juventus Bucharest, which is based in the Romanian capital and has used the name Juventus and a strikingly similar crest to the Scudetto holders since 1992, but are not affiliated with the Italians. Having just recently been promoted to the first national league, the Liga I, after topping the table in the Liga II last year, the team has acquired added popularity perhaps prompting interest from the Turin-based side. Sad day for the millions of Juventus Bucharest fans out there. The club was asked by Juventus Torino to change their name and crest. They will be called FC Colentina starting next season and will have a new crest as well. pic.twitter.com/JsFPX00A7P — Emanuel Roşu (@Emishor) December 4, 2017 While the Italian Juventus famously play in black and white stripes, the Romanians turn out in white and blue, while the crest reflects these colours along with a red stripe and other small differences. The Serie A giants have, ironically, only recently launched a complete rebranding of their own, having re-designed their crest and revolutionised their whole image. However, they have still asked the Romanians to do the same in an attempt to avoid confusion. For these reasons, starting for the 2018/19 season Juventus Bucharest will become FC Colentina and will feature a brand new logo. The Romanians have announced it on their Facebook page and website, in a concise statement that says: "Association Football Club Juventus Bucharest will inform you that starting with the competitive season 2018-2019 will change its logo and the current club name." The new name is a partial return to the origins of the club, who, in the 1920s, was called Juventus Colentina Bucharest. Definitely Forest Green Rovers old badge, the non league Barcelona apparently... #bbcsportsday pic.twitter.com/QIZ5qGGLAa — Liam (@LiamBatch) October 16, 2015 The copycat crest is not the only example in football of such an incident. League Two Forest Green Rovers sported a badge with more than a passing resemblance to European juggernauts Barcelona until the 2011/12 season when it was changed.Stringer/Reuters SINGAPORE, July 24 (Reuters) - Global oil demand could peak as early as 2024 if there are more efficiency gains in vehicles, greater market penetration by electric cars, lower economic growth and higher fuel prices, Goldman Sachs said in a research note on refining on Monday. Economic expansion in emerging markets - led by India - may stave off reaching a peak until 2030, although demand growth will still slow over the next decade given improving mileage in cars and trucks and the greater use of electric vehicles, research analysts from the investment bank said. The global electric fleet, for instance, is expected to grow more than 40-fold to 83 million vehicles by 2030, from 2 million in 2016, the researchers said in the note. "In our extreme case, we project peak oil demand in 2024," the Goldman analysts said. Goldman Sachs projects annual oil demand growth between 2017 and 2022 at 1.2%, slowing to 0.7% by 2025 and to 0.4% in 2030. Oil demand grew by an annual average rate of 1.6% over 2011 to 2016. Over the period to 2030, the transport sector will contribute less to oil demand growth. Petrochemicals will instead become more central, although with more feedstock coming from outside the refining system, such as from natural gas liquids, refiners' share in oil demand will fall, they said. The analysts also said there will likely be a surplus of refined oil products for the next five years due to higher capacity additions and slowing demand growth, implying lower global utilization rates and poorer margins. A worker checks the valve of an oil pipe at an oil field. Thomson Reuters "Refinery closures may occur in developed markets, with new capacity opening near demand centers (chiefly in Asia)," they said. The impending 2020 global sulphur limit set by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) on high sulphur fuel oil is also expected to reshape the refining industry, the bank's analysts said. If fully implemented, the limit will boost diesel demand and widen the sweet-sour crude differential, which is positive for the profitability of complex refineries, they said. Meanwhile, jet fuel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are gaining market share at the expense of products like fuel oil. Demand growth for LPG, fastest among all oil products, is being driven by petrochemicals and use in India as a cooking fuel in homes, the analysts said. The share held by gasoline and diesel in the overall oil demand mix between 2016 and 2030 will stagnate, they said. (Reporting by Jessica Jaganathan; Editing by Tom Hogue)Albany The state Capitol, normally a sleepy place through Labor Day, will see an increase in activity in the coming weeks because activists, lobbyists and others who seek help on their issues have increasingly moved up their schedules to get a foothold in the next state budget. The early jump is driven by the fact the Cuomo administration is expected to soon begin piecing together outlines of its proposed state budget, which is unveiled in January and due by April 1. In response, the army of special interests who seek governmental action for their causes have learned to make earlier bids to get their items included in budget talks, rather than waiting for the rest of the legislative session that begins in January. In years past, those seeking new laws or changes would wait until the beginning of the year – aiming toward the late June rush to wrap up the legislative calendar. But now they are active in late summer, with their crunch time coming in late March rather than June. “My work now begins the Tuesday after Labor Day. It’s like someone who has turned on the fire house,” veteran lobbyist and advocate Jeff Jones said of the earlier schedule that’s now needed to draw attention and support for a bill. Lawmakers have noticed the change as well. “If you’re not in the door in October or November you are probably not going to be the main course,” said Albany-area Democratic Assemblyman John McDonald. “You are going to be an appetizer.” “In the new world, September to December is as important as January to June,” added another longtime lobbyist and observer. The earlier timetable is an example of how Cuomo’s insertion of key items in the budget has changed the landscape and even the culture of government in Albany. During the last session, initiatives such as a proposal to raise the age of criminal responsibility was in the budget along with other items that in past years might have been debated well into June. Other notable measures proffered in the budget included a plan for free SUNY and CUNY tuition for middle class families, creation of a hate crimes task force, as well as a new statewide hiking and biking trail. The year before, paid family leave and a higher minimum wage were in the budget plan. Placing more and more key items in the budget also gives the governor leverage to push for those measures if lawmakers are worried about getting the deal done by or near the April 1 deadline. But the negotiating strategy has roots in a 13-year-old Court of Appeals decision, Silver v. Pataki. The effect of that dispute between former Assembly Democratic Majority Speaker Sheldon Silver and former GOP Gov. George Pataki held that lawmakers can vote down but not alter budget bills from the governor. The effect was to remove a bargaining chip that the legislature had at the time. The power dynamic was further tilted under former Democratic Gov. David Paterson during late budget negotiations in June 2010, when he pledged to put his wish-list in week by week budget “extenders” needed to keep government operating. That left lawmakers with the prospect of a government shutdown or spending part or all of their summer in continued negotiations unless they reached a final deal. Still, even though more items are included in budget talks, not all of them make it through the final negotiations. A DREAM Act that would give tuition assistance to undocumented immigrants and ethics reform fell off the table during completion of this year’s budget. Cuomo acknowledged that items with the most political backing would make it into the final spending plan. “If we didn't get it done in the budget, it means you don't have the political will to get it done," Cuomo said at the time. That’s not to say that all of the legislature and governor’s business gets done in the budget. Lawmakers and the governor in June agreed to a number of high profile bills including a ban on indoor “vaping” or use of e-cigarettes. And they banned child marriage, raising the age of consent from 14 to 18. “Some major issues still go into June every year,” said Ken Pokalsky, vice president of government affairs for the state Business Council. But the earlier schedule will nonetheless lead to a busy autumn, especially since the governor is heading into an election year in 2018, which usually brings a long list of spending – and budgetary – items. rkarlin@timesunion.com @RickKarlinTUWhen Mike Gutow bought his home on Lake St. Clair in May of 2011, it was with fond childhood memories of fishing, swimming and skiing its clear waters. “Paradise,” he said. “It’s the best way to describe it. Lake St. Clair was paradise.” A few days after he moved in, a heavy rain fell, and two or three days later, “this glob appeared at the seawall that was about three-feet thick,” Gutow said. “Mixed in was a lot of dead fish. At first it was like, what the heck is this? I’d never seen anything like it before, but, bad as it was to look at, the smell was even worse.” He now knows what he was seeing and smelling was the result of a sanitary and storm sewer system that is outdated, underfunded and unable to handle the amount of stuff flowing through its pipes, especially in a moderate or heavy rainfall. Take a drive along Michigan’s streets and highways, and you’ll know many roads are in poor condition. But buried beneath them are the equally deteriorating pipes that are meant to deliver water for drinking and washing and to carry away the waste. Some of those pipes have been in the ground for more than a century — well beyond their expected lifespans. In some cities, sewage still flows through hollowed out logs, although no one knows exactly where. “Out of sight, out of mind, right?” said Ronald Brenke, executive director of the Michigan section of the American Society of Civil Engineers. “People don’t think about it, because it’s underground.” Much of Michigan’s water and sewer infrastructure has been neglected for years, threatening public health and in desperate need of repair, an undertaking that experts say could cost $17.5 billion over the next two decades. That price tag doesn’t include the cost of replacing lead service pipes across the state, a peril exposed by the ongoing water crisis in Flint. How shaky is Michigan’s overall water infrastructure? Consider our faltering network of sewers. In 2013 and 2014, nearly 25 billion gallons of partially treated and untreated storm and sanitary sewage flowed into Michigan’s waterways. How much is that? One billion gallons is enough to fill more than 1,500 Olympic-sized swimming pools. In its most recent report card, released in 2009, ASCE gave Michigan a D+ for its storm water sewers and a C for those that carry waste water. Even worse, the report card gave the state’s drinking water system a D. “A significant portion of the state’s primary (water) distribution system is nearing 100 years old,” the report said, adding, “Much of the delivery system, including piping, valves and hydrants, are reaching the end of their anticipated design life, and routine replacement has been postponed for too long.”It's been five years, have we got the road cleared by now? When will Snowdrift.coop finally launch? Is the project still active? I want this to happen! Let me pledge and give you money! I've heard these types of questions for a while now. I've usually answered like this: We're getting there. I wish I could say it will launch this year, but I don't know. We're still active — look at the GitLab activity, mailing list archives, and IRC/Matrix history. I want this too, and actually we turned on real pledging a while ago but still haven't gotten around to announcing it (wanting certain things in place first)… I know that's not quite what people want to hear, but they're always happy that things are better than they appear. But what's taken so long? What challenges remain? Well, thanks to Iko and Salt (two of our volunteer team members), we finally have this new blog running Ghost. We will get back on track with blog posts now with a series of posts coming soon!Madonna is giving a glimpse into her private life on the cover of People with four of her kids – David, 11, Mercy, 11, and 5-year-old twins Estere and Stella. Here’s what the 59-year-old superstar shared with the mag: On the public’s reception when she adopted David Banda: “Every newspaper said I kidnapped him. In my mind, I was thinking, ‘Wait a minute. I’m trying to save somebody’s life. Why are you all s�”-ing on me right now?’ I did everything by the book. That was a real low point for me. I would cry myself to sleep.” On what she was told by Malawi officials: “[I was told] I was not capable of raising a child. The way I was treated – that sexist behavior – was ridiculous.” On life after adopting Estere and Stella: “It’s like they’ve always been here.” For more from Madonna and her family, visit People.com.Mega City One isn't quite Half-Life 3, but it is a three hour-long single-player campaign which plants you in the shoes of Gordon Freeman and sets you off on an alternate timeline in a bid to save the world. Its version 1.0 is out now. Inspired by an unorthodox combination of the movie Dredd, and games Tomb Raider and Resident Evil, Mega City One sees Freeman again siding with the Rebels against the Combine this time in search of a lost Xen crystal. The next phase of your adversaries' invasion of earth is hinged on acquiring the ancient artefact thus you'll visit ancient ruins, old temples, villages, mansions, and ultimately the city in your quest to get there first. "All difficulty levels have been completely rebalanced compared to the main game, to make the experience more challenging and fun at the same time," explains mod creator Abdulhamid Cayirli, who goes by the pseudonym Crowbar. "On the hardest difficulty it is essential to explore and conserve ammo. The difficulty levels have also been smoothed out and the levels are all designed for every difficulty level." Mega City One came to be when Crowbar entered RunThinkShootLive's mapping tournament 'The Hammer Cup' last year, designing various maps for the competition's five challenges. Following the event, Crowbar decided to rework his designs, remake areas, and implement the feedback he received from the tournament's players. He's since added entirely new maps in order to fill the gaps. "The great thing about this is that all maps have been extensively play tested, so you can expect a very polished experience in terms of gameplay," says Crowbar. Mega City One's version 1.0 is out now—head over to ModDB for download links and installation instructions.FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Former Baltimore Ravens tight end Konrad Reuland died Monday, coach John Harbaugh announced in opening his postgame news conference. Reuland was 29. He suffered a brain aneurysm Nov. 28 and had surgery a day later. "We lost a Raven today," Harbaugh said. "I just want to offer condolences to his family. We love Konrad Reuland. Every single guy in the locker room loves him." Harbaugh then recited a short psalm. "That's for Konrad," he said. Reuland played four games for the Ravens last season, starting in one. He didn't have a catch for Baltimore. In two seasons with the New York Jets (2012-13), Reuland had 12 catches for 90 yards and no touchdowns. He spent two seasons at Notre Dame (2006-07) before transferring to Stanford, where he finished out his college career before going undrafted in 2011. The Cardinal tweeted their condolences Monday night: We have lost a bright light in our beloved brother, Konrad Reuland. His memory and spirit will never leave us. We love you. #RIPKonrad pic.twitter.com/XSpYhwhRSx — Stanford Football (@StanfordFball) December 13, 2016 Reuland's death is the latest tragedy in a difficult year for the Ravens. Second-year cornerback Tray Walker died in a dirt bike accident in March, and longtime defensive line coach Clarence Brooks died in September after a battle with esophageal cancer."Why lemurs?" It’s a question that’s undoubtedly bounced through many people’s minds in the lead-up to the grand opening of Lemur Forest on March 1. After all, the seven Ring-tailed Lemurs and two Red-ruffed Lemurs that now call Chattanooga home aren’t aquatic. Then again, however, neither are many of the Aquarium’s most-beloved species, from Hyacinth Macaws, Groundhogs and Poison Dart Frogs to Pancake Tortoises and dozens of species flitting about the Butterfly Garden. In fact, one of the things that has defined the Tennessee Aquarium during its 25-year history — and helped it to stand out from other aquariums — is its focus on showcasing all forms of life, both above and below the water. Incorporating lemurs into an already-diverse collection helps make an even more convincing case in support of the Aquarium’s core principle that: “Water connects all life.” Entering Lemur Forest, guests will feel transported into the rain- and spiny forests the lemurs call home. After extensive consultation with lemur experts, this sprawling space encompasses tremendous elevation changes to keep the lemurs stimulated and to encourage the kinds of behaviors for which they are so well-known. Guests will be wowed by the Red-ruffs’ acrobatic leaps between perches — some more than 30 feet overhead — and their gravity-defying habit of eating while hanging upside-down by their hind feet. They’ll see the Ring-tails clustering together in furry masses known as “lemur balls” and warming themselves in a yoga-like pose called “sun worshipping.” The exhibit was intentionally designed to minimize the distance between the animals and guests, providing opportunities to observe the lemurs’ beautiful appearance and intelligence. Beyond their innate charm, guests will gain deeper insights into the Red-ruffs’ and Ring-tails’ behavior and learn more about their fragile status in the wild through Leaping Lemurs, a twice-daily addition to the Aquarium’s Extraordinary Experiences program schedule. “When you are close to lemurs, you see how captivating these animals are,” says Dave Collins, the Aquarium’s director of forests and animal behavior. “Physically and personally, it's hard not to be overwhelmed with the charisma they have. They also carry incredibly important conservation messages.” There are more than 100 known species of lemur, all of which are native to Madagascar. Like many islands, this African country is a hotspot of diversity, and three-quarters of its native plant and animal species are found nowhere else in the world. Showcasing lemurs opens the door for the Aquarium to inform guests about the role islands play in spurring greater species diversity as well as the development of unique traits and behaviors. Islands are generally thought of as a body of land surrounded by water, but biologically speaking, an island can be any place where species evolve in geographic isolation. In that sense, even though it’s in landlocked Chattanooga, the Tennessee Aquarium sits in the midst of a cluster of many biological islands — an “inland archipelago.” The waterways of the Southeastern United States are among the most diverse in the temperate world, and much of that variety stems from the isolation resulting from its geographically rippled landscape. Separated from each other by ridges and other natural barriers, each of the thousands of streams that make up a complex network of waterways stretching from the Appalachian Mountains to the Gulf of Mexico represents a unique ecosystem. These microhabitats often contain species found nowhere else in the world. Showcasing the incredible diversity of the natural world — in our backyard and half a world away — and making a case for its preservation are central components of the Aquarium’s mission. By exhibiting lemurs, the Aquarium has the opportunity to convey a powerful conservation story that compliments those of other animals guests meet, such as the Southern Appalachian Brook Trout, Four-eyed Turtle and Lake Sturgeon. Lemurs are the most-endangered class of mammals on the planet. In Madagascar, all lemur populations are declining thanks to a rogues’ gallery of human-induced threats, including heavy deforestation and the pet and bush meat trade. As a result of these threats, more than two-thirds of lemur species are classified as endangered or critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, including Red-ruffed Lemurs (critically endangered) and Ring-tailed Lemurs (endangered). Guests will not only learn more about these fascinating animals, they’ll also be bolstering efforts to save them. Recognizing the perilous position they face, the Aquarium has pledged annual financial support for field conservation efforts to safeguard and restore wild lemur populations through the Madagascar Fauna and Flora Group. By visiting the Aquarium, guests will be contributing to this international consortium of zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens and universities, which works directly with the Malagasy government to conserve that country’s rich biodiversity. So in essence, a trip through Lemur Forest isn’t just an eye-opening experience; it’s part of a rescue operation.For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser. SHARE Share on Facebook SHARE Share on Twitter TWEET Pin to Pinterest PIN Link One million or so Australian tourists visit Bali every year? but many are leaving us with a bad reputation. I have a question for Scott Morrison, the Federal Immigration Minister. How come we spend billions of taxpayer funds each year preventing what may well include some perfectly decent people from entering our country when, on an annual basis, we inflict hundreds of thousands of our most egregious citizens on a poor old place like Bali? Forget about "stop the boats'. It's time, please, to "turn back the bogans". This is the unavoidable conclusion after watching the first two episodes of What Really Happens in Bali, the Seven Network's new no-holds-barred documentary series narrated by comedian Corrine Grant. It promises to expose the island's tourism underbelly, and succeeds. In just two, albeit excellently-made, installments of the series, the producers, for the first time, manage to showcase the full horror of the Australian let loose in Bali: methanol poisoning, rampant unsafe sex, drug criminals on death row, epic drunkenness, general reckless and uncouth behaviour and gormlessness in epidemic proportions. It's Barry McKenzie in board shorts. It's cultural cringe on the grandest scale. For a country that continually professes its love for Bali – even though half of us don't even know it's actually part of Indonesia - Australia has a funny way of showing it. Indonesia's tourism authorities are apparently furious at the recent wave from Australia of what they perceive as negative depictions of Bali, including another program called Bogan Hunters. Yet the Indonesians are too polite to express their anger publicly. But, really, the country that emerges in by far worst light from What Really Happens in Bali is Australia itself. The country that emerges in by far worst light from What Really Happens in Bali is Australia itself. One million or so Australian tourists a year – many of whom, it goes without saying, do not exhibt bogan tendencies during their visits - underpin Bali's economy. But anecdotal evidence suggests that the reputation of some of our tourists is deterring other nationalities from around the world visiting there with Bali becoming Australia's equivalent of Britain's Benidorm. The "star" of What Really Happens in Bali is expat Australian Todd Gisondi, a dreadlocked self-confessed sex addict, who preys on female tourists using his cute dog as the lure. Todd is either having a massive lend of the series producers or is one truly sick puppy. Much of the action in What Really Happens centres around an expensive hospital for westerners, where the tropical Lothario goes for what he calls a "sex check". Miraculously cleared by a Balinese doctor of any STDs, as Todd leaves the hospital he picks up some comely backpackers in the car-park. Then there's the young woman in the first episode, who breaks her back after jumping into the ocean from a four-storey high cliff on a notorious tour, and the lucky 20-something bloke who recovers from methanol poisoning. To its credit the series, with one million viewers when it premiered last week making it one of he highest-rating programs on Australian screens, does provide some cautionary advice for Australians holidaying in Bali who don't know better in terms of avoiding those lethal methanol-laced drinks in bars that can cause horrendous damage such as blindness and the importance of taking out travel insurance when you're jumping off four-storey cliffs. Really, it's time for Australians to stop bashing Bali for its faults and show some respect for a unique culture and people whose economy unfortunately has to come to rely on the sort of crass tourists who populate What Really Happens in Bali. And, really, if Bali is not perfect then it's surely Australia that helped make it that way.As our investigation spans a variety of different websites and media types, we have broken down our findings into several categories for organisational purposes. Some of the larger pieces have been further split into their own pages for better documentation. Check New to the Wiki, a quick beginners guide to how the wiki is set up and some of the items you can explore in the wiki. If you plan on editing the wiki, PLEASE visit this page to see how the wiki is set up. The main focus of this wiki is to
grinds to a screeching halt! Fires, murder, and mayhem in the streets as first responders are laid off! No visits to the Washington Monument! OK, it all makes for good copy. But what would happen to the media narrative if the Republicans don't collapse into a puddle of cowardice and the sequester were to actually stick? Imagine the stories if Obama, in an attempt to turn public opinion against his political opponents, were to concentrate spending cuts on the most visible and critical government functions. Party organs like The New York Times or MSNBC might buy into that ploy, but what do you think will run in the independent press right alongside the photos of two-hour airport security lines? My bet is you’ll see stories about the bottomless pit of waste, fraud, pork, cronyism, malinvestment, and idiocy that characterize so much of business as usual in Washington. With a glut of examples a mere Google search away, it won’t be long before even the most disengaged voter—facing some Obama-generated inconvenience and having these stories shoved in his face—asks, “What do you mean I can’t get my passport renewed? Couldn’t they fire Obama’s $100,000 a year dog trainer instead?” And if this phony “austerity” is imposed on the rest of us, how do you think the public will react to the First Lady’s next multi-million dollar vacation? Sound far-fetched? Then consider that the sequester has already backfired on Obama once. Last year, when he set the automatic sequester strategy in motion to try to wheedle more taxes and spending out of his opponents, he believed it was a safe bet that the dysfunctional Republicans would cave before the spending cuts kicked in. (After all, they don’t call them the Stupid Party for nothing.) But apparently he never imagined that the GOP would become so dysfunctional, or that Congress would become so mired in partisan strife, that the cuts really would happen. Thus, we get to watch the leader of the Western world holding a busted flush trying to bluff his way through the final round of betting. If there are any smart Republicans left in Congress, watching Obama’s increasingly extreme threats should get them to thinking: Go ahead, make my day. If there are any trusted advisors to the President who aren’t complete toadies they must be thinking: How in the world do we get out of the corner we’ve painted ourselves into? The best thing about the first post-sequester news cycle will be watching an army of think tanks, budget analysts, and media commentators roll out, in exquisite detail, a long list of discretionary spending programs that could easily be trimmed instead of whatever Obama decides to whack with a meat axe. When questioned about priorities, don’t expect the White House’s response to be any more coherent than Jay Carney’s blubbering disappearing act when asked whether donating $500,000 to Organizing for America, the political advocacy group created to promote Obama’s initiatives, could really buy quarterly meetings with the president. Well, Jay, explain this to me: The most imperial president in American history, a man who boasts that he will rule by Executive Action if Congress refuses to pass legislation he favors, can’t figure out how to direct spending cuts in a way that does the least harm to the American people? I can’t wait. And what’s more, everyone can get in on the act. Got a favorite example of government waste and fraud? Sick of watching your hard-earned dollars get incinerated supporting one egregious boondoggle after another? Is there a particular program you'd prefer to see cut before they lay off all the meat inspectors? Just tweet it to hashtag #SequesterThis and share it with the world. Also on Forbes:In a previous post, I introduced the “Hank Drum” and vaguely showed how to make one. In this post, I’ll go over the dimensions, layout, and the details of how to build and tune this Hank Drum. As always, I don’t recommend you do anything on this site. To make this device you’ll need the following: An empty and never used propane tank Calipers (Mine from Amazon), a compass, or some makeshift equivalent Drill and 1/8 inch drill bit (or close) Dremel tool or angle grinder with cutting blades Masking tape Pen Tape measure if you don’t have calipers bungee cord or other strap Most all of this stuff can, of course, be found on Amazon, but it’s probably easier just to go to your local hardware store to buy it. The calipers might be an exception depending on what’s available. Make Your Drum: Cut the Base Off This isn’t too hard, but to save wear on your cutter, you can be strategic and cut it into three equal sections away from the welds. From here, the welds can be partially cut, then bent back and forth until the three sections snap off. After this, you’ll need to do some grinding to get the remaining weld material off. Take the Valve Out First of all, be absolutely sure this tank is not and never has been filled with propane. I’m not sure if it would explode, or violently shoot the valve off, but don’t take that chance. This technique came from the generally unreliable website, “ehow”, and involves closing the valve, heating the threads to loosen the liquid weld, and wrenching on it really hard using a cheater bar. I used a pipe wrench, and a trailer hitch from my truck as a cheater bar. To hold the tank still, we strapped it down to two trees in my front yard, and I donned a paintball mask (not the first time). You know, just in case. I live in South Carolina* so that kind of thing is pretty normal here. Layout your drum There are probably an infinite number of ways to lay this puppy out, but our first step was to find the center of the tank using a pair of calipers. If you draw several arcs from the circle left over from the base at approximately half that diameter, they should intersect at the center. From here use the edge of your caliper, or a compass to scribe a circle. We selected a 2 inch radius for a 4 inch inner diameter. The outside was scribed in a similar manner at 3 inches in radius for a 6 inch diameter hole pattern. We used tape to approximately lay lines out 4 sets of lines 2 inches apart and the edges were traced with a sharpie. We then used a punch to make a center indention in the corners where we wanted to drill. Start Cutting! The first cuts will be 8 holes at the corners of your long (deep) notes. I used a 1/8 inch drill bit because it was easy to cut, and seemed wide enough. Once these are done, use a Dremel Tool or other grinder to “connect the dots” and cut a few inches down the side of the drum. An inch or so if fine, we’ll be tuning these notes by lengthening them, so it’s important not to cut too much. Higher Notes In this layout, there are 4 higher notes that start out at a 6 inch diameter. Repeat the layout and cutting steps again, but turn everything at 45 degrees from the “long” notes. Also, be sure not to cut too deep. Tuning Now that you have everything started, you’ll undoubtedly start testing everything out. To start tuning, you’ll probably want to wrap some sort of a bungee cord toward the base of the tank. This will help keep one note from making the others ring out too much. My musical skills are relatively weak, but we basically tuned this by taking a deep note, and tried to cut everything based on this. In the picture, the A3 note is about 3 inches long, and we tried to make the other notes C5, B3, A4, E4, F4, C4 and B4. Note that the wider notes will be deeper if cut to the same depth. If it’s too high, you simply cut lower. You can always drop the scale a note lower if you mess it up. If you’d like something a bit less experimental to go by, here’s a template here to use with a D minor pentatonic scale. I personally like the idea of having straight lines on the top – as it seems easier to cut, but that should at least give you the general idea of where to start cutting. More Videos Here’s a video of Jackson tuning the Hank Drum, and another video of it being played before it was finished. Be sure to see the first Hank Drum post for more background on this device, and a really cool time-lapse video of our initial build. For another Jackson/Jeremy homemade instrument, check out the Whamola that we made a year or so ago! ehow, with such quality articles as “How to Measure Current With a Volt Meter.” – Just search for it, as I really don’t want to add an inbound link to this article. We just got internet here 2 1/2 years ago, and that’s when I started this blog. I’m seriously thinking about upgrading to a 56k modem, do you guys think it will be worth it? They’re available on Amazon, but I don’t know, 33.6k is pretty good. Let me know in the comments.ANDOVER (CBS) — Authorities are looking for the public’s help with an unsolved murder of an Andover couple found shot to death inside their home nearly four years ago. Read: 2 Killed In Double Homicide At Andover Home On the morning of Dec. 14, 2011, investigators found 69-year-old John Magee and 67-year-old Geraldine Magee dead at their Orchard Crossing mansion. The couple, who was killed just shy of their 40th anniversary, was discovered by their daughter and two grandchildren. She stopped by the house that morning to drop off her kids before going Christmas shopping. She told police she thought her parents were beyond help, shot to death on the floor. A longtime family friend told WBZ about getting the stunning phone call from the couple’s daughter. “She said ‘Are you sitting down? My parents were shot and they’re dead,'” she said. “It was a heartbreaking thing to go through.” The other unexplained part of this story is the couple’s Lexus SUV, found torched on Prince Street in Boston’s North End the night before. Despite conducting an exhaustive investigation, authorities haven’t been able to track down those responsible for the killings. Prior to this case, Andover Police had only investigated one other murder in the past 25 years, WBZ-TV’s Ryan Kath reports. Police & DA hold press conference 4 years after the murder of Geraldine and John Magee, their deaths still a mystery pic.twitter.com/6b9cA1wuSM — Susie Steimle (@SusieWBZ) December 7, 2015 Late Monday morning, officials held a news conference in the hopes that people will be able to provide new leads for investigators. “Someone out there knows something,” said Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett. “We’re asking you to search your memory and conscience, pick up the phone, and call us.” The last place John was seen publicly was at Sailor Tom’s Way in Reading, which was a construction site at the time. The real estate developer cleaned supplies from his truck before leaving around 3 p.m. on Dec. 13. Blodgett says at least 50 interviews have been conducted, and leads have been chased down in four states and more than 20 cities and towns. He also said investigators have reviewed the couple’s personal and business financial statements and area surveillance images. Andover, Boston, Worcester, and Hampton, New Hampshire police have assisted with the investigation, Blodgett says. Police say everything they’ve heard about the couple was positive. Police Chief Patrick Keefe says finding the person or persons responsible for “this heinous act” remains a priority for the department. Related: Family Says Murdered Andover Couple Had No Enemies The district attorney said he can’t speculate to motive or suspects in the case, according to WBZ NewsRadio 1030’s Doug Cope. Blodgett says the case remains an “active investigation.” “This is a case that we will not let go cold,” he said. “We will continue to work this until we find the perpetrators.” On Monday morning, the Magee family released a statement, saying that they hope the suspect or suspects are caught. Statement from Magee family on deaths of John and Geraldine Magee in Andover 4 years ago. #wbz pic.twitter.com/U6VlyGm5ME — Doug Cope (@dcopewbz) December 7, 2015 “We miss Jeri and Jack very much and not a day goes by without us thinking how blessed we were to have them in our lives,” reads the statement. “But the perpetrators of this crime are still out there and they need to be brought to justice. “Please help us solve this crime.” Anyone with information is asked to call Andover Police at (978) 470-3864. WBZ NewsRadio 1030’s Doug Cope reports WBZ-TV’s Susie Steimle, Ryan Kath, and WBZ NewsRadio 1030’s Doug Cope contributed to this report.The myth of the Latin American racial democracy, scholars believe, began in Brazil following the abolishment of slavery in 1888, when government officials declared that high rates of racial mixing had officially absolved the nation of its racial problems. This thinking eventually transcended Brazil and spread to a host of other Latin America countries, including Mexico. But Mexico had its own nuanced understanding of the Latin American racial democracy – one called mestizaje, that was created by government officials, intellectuals, and artists following the 1910 Mexican Revolution: the erroneous belief that Mexico’s ethnic and racial mixture was solely composed of indigenous and European ancestry. This was also a time period when Mexico’s citizenry began to believe that “Mexicanness” and blackness were mutually exclusive and could not co-exist. Mestizaje, however, did not only exclude blackness from its national patrimony, but also left out a host of other racial identities from Mexico’s conversation about race. Today, the effects of these racial systems continue to disproportionately impact the descendants of the enslaved Africans brought to Mexico between the 16th and 18th centuries. Afro-Mexicans, in states like Veracruz, Guerrero, and Oaxaca, not only continue to experience structural, economic and political neglect, but also exist in a country where they are not formally recognized as a distinct ethnic and racial group. (To that end, Mexico and Chile are the only two countries in Latin America that do no formally recognize their Afro-descendants). While Afro-Mexicans continue to receive an increase in international recognition, domestically their treatment still serves as a vivid reminder of the clear racial disparities that this population faces. Recently, members of Mexico Negro – an Afro-Mexican advocacy organization – launched a national movement to officially recognize Mexico’s Afro-descendants on the national census. The proposed bill would create a census category for Afro-Mexicans, which would help ensure that Mexico’s African descendants receive important access to social and economic resources. “We are joining senators and deputies to be recognized in the Federal Constitution and the missing federal states, so that the Mexican state pays off its historical debt with Afro-Mexicans,” explained, Sergio Peńaloza Perez, the leader of Black-Mexico. The bill also plans to be launched later this month in Oaxaca, Mexico at the 16th annual meeting of Black peoples taking place on November 13-14th. While this bill potentially signifies a change in the political treatment of Afro-Mexicans, it represents only one step in the fight to eradicate the Mexican state’s racist treatment of its Afro-descendants. Still, the acknowledgement of Afro-Mexicans on the national census could potentially represent the beginning of long overdue movement for political, economic, and racial equity for a group who continues to gain international recognition, but, who by not being officially recognized, continues to live in an “invisible” state in its own country.I want to follow-up on Sonja’s excellent and thought-provoking discussion of the singing of “ethnic” hymns in white churches by adding a few thoughts of my own. Before answering the question of whether predominantly white Christian communities should sing Negro Spirituals or the songs of any “other” racial or ethno-national group, we should first ask why such communities decide to sing these songs in the first place and what they are trying to achieve. From what I can tell, it seems like such white Christians are uncomfortable with the “whiteness” of their particular church community and see the singing of “other” cultures’ songs as a way to counteract this whiteness. Put another way, recognizing both that racism and culturally narrow constructions of Christianity are wrong, the singing of Negro Spirituals is thought to be a way both to honor “other” cultures and to overcome the hegemonically white Christianity of our past. But, the problem is not cultural particularity–in other words, we wouldn’t feel uncomfortable with Korean Christians singing Korean songs, would we? And neither would we think there is anything wrong with black South African Christians singing Bantu songs. Similarly, I highly doubt that Indian Christians feel the need to sing Japanese or Mexican songs–I think this would strike most of us as silly, if not strange. At this point in the conversation, many white people will think a version of the following: “well, if it’s not wrong for African-Americans or Koreans to sing culturally “black” or “Korean” songs, then what’s so bad about white people singing white songs?” With this, many white people may even think themselves the victims of “reverse discrimination” or that they are being held to some sort of racial double standard. As a result, we may think that the problem lies with the tendency of “other” racial and ethno-national communities to cling to their cultural particularity; for example, we may think that Mexican immigrants who “insist” on attending mass said in Spanish are being divisive or placing too much emphasis on cultural particularity at the expense of the universality of the church. (Forgotten in such thinking of course is the fact that masses said in English in the United States are just as culturally particular as those said in Spanish.) Or, we may simply conclude that there is no problem and that this is a classic case of “political correctness” run amok. However, I think that those of us who feel uncomfortable worshipping in predominently white parishes are correct. But, before we can have any chance of coming up with a solution to the problem of white Christianity, we must first know why “white” Christianity is problematic in a way that Korean or Latino Christianity is not. For starters, I don’t think we even know what “white” Christian music is. Unlike other culturally particular forms of religious music, white Christian music seems nearly indefinable. While I bet most United Statesians would be able to recognize distinctively African-American styles of Christian music, I don’t think we can say the same of white Christian music. Surely, we can say that some forms of Christian music are sung almost exclusively by white people, but I don’t think that very many of us would want to define these genres as culturally “white” in the way that we define Negro Spirituals as culturally African-American. Undoubtedly, some groups of white people–I am thinking specifically of white Appalachians–have a religious musical style that is their own and is recognizable in the way that African-American religious music is. But that’s not really “white” music, because non-Appalachian whites would probably feel just as strange and sound just as bad singing Appalachian music as they do singing Negro Spirituals. A second possibility is the type of post-Vatican II music sung at many Catholic churches in the United States. I am also placing Christian contemporary music as sung by Steven Curtis Chapman and the like in this category. Even though this music is sung almost exclusively by white people, I think most of us would feel uncomfortable saying that such music is more properly sung by a white woman from Minnesota than by the African-American or Latina woman sitting next to her, would we? (especially in the case of music used at Catholic masses). In fact, in contrast to Negro Spirituals, which intend to express the historical faith journey of a discrete racial community, songs like “One Bread, One Body” are meant to express not the experiences of white U.S. Catholics, but of all Catholics everywhere. In this sense, they are meant to be neutral and accessible to all. This claim to neutrality and therefore inoffensive universality is of course both false (how can any music express a universal culture?) and therefore oppressive (one way to impose one’s culture on another people is to claim that it is universal). A final candidate is what I am calling “high mass” music, aka classical music such as Mozart or Gregorian chant. But, I don’t think this really works either. Even though Mozart had “white” skin, would we say that his music express the historical experiences of white people in the way Negro Spirituals express that of black people? Moreover, does a half Italian, half-Irish American “white” person really share a history with Mozart in the way that a contemporary African-American person does with the composers of Negro Spirituals? It is only through the devious social fiction of whiteness, which is an identity not of shared historical experience, but primarily of privilege and power, that an Irish-American can even consider claiming Mozart as her own. Thus, while “blackness” is no less a social and historical construct than “whiteness,” “blackness” is held together by shared communal experiences of slavery, Jim Crow, and the ongoing reality of racism as well as resistance to and survival in the face of these realities. On the other hand, in U.S. history, groups of people became white by differentiating themselves from and actively discriminating against black people in order to get privilege. In other words, what holds “black” people together is much more real and much less problematic than what holds “white” people together. In fact, I suspect that “classical” music can be plausibly considered white music only because of its status as supreme example of “high culture.” That whiteness is a construct and mechanism of supremacy is evidenced by the fact that, in our culture, “high culture” (and this includes literature as well as what is considered “standard” English, for example) is, almost without exception, whatever “white” people do. A correllary of this idea is that something will begin to be identified as “high culture” the moment it stops being something that African-American and Latino people and starts being something white people do: aka jazz, rock in roll, etc. There is yet another reason why we can’t identify “classical” music as “white” music: most people who want to use “classical” music liturgically do so because they consider it to be universal. For example, just yesterday, Pope Benedict claimed that the church should “give priority to Gregorian chant and to classical liturgical music” because, unlike other forms of music which are culturally specific, these forms of music “express the church’s universal culture.” Ultimately, whiteness both claims not to have a culture and to be culture itself, depending on whichever best serves the end of white supremacy. (Note: I am not claiming that individual white people necessarily do this consciously.) No wonder some white Christians are uncomfortable with “white” Christianity. However, some will claim that, even granting this, it is still better for predominantly white Christian communities to sing Negro Spirituals than to carry on with business as usual. Even if it’s not perfect, they argue, isn’t there something inherently subversive about the singing of black music by white people, especially if white communities are educated about the historical meaning of the songs they are singing? To this, I would answer, “well, maybe.” The danger is that singing Negro Spirituals as a way of purging white Christianity of its supremacizing whiteness is akin to taking the easy way out and is a form of cheap racial grace, to borrow from Bonhoeffer. Moreover, U.S. history makes it pretty clear that there is little reason to expect that the singing of “black” music by “white” people will bring about an end to white supremacy. First of all, we should recognize that, in the United States, white people have pretty much always sung “black” music. In fact, excluding perhaps polka, which is relatively marginal to the U.S. culture, there is not a single style of music that white people currently listen to or create that does not have prominent roots in African-American music. Heavy metal grew out of rock and roll, which, of course was originally black music. Even country music (about as white as it gets) owes its start to African-American music. What we now know as “country music” is a combination of English and Irish folk music, “old time music,” blues, gospel, and bluegrass; of those, only English and Irish folk music are without heavy African and/or African-American influence. The problem then is not the singing of “black” music by “white” people but the fact that in a society that is racially segregated according to the perogatives of white supremacy, such cultural sampling and appropriation fails to foster true racial reconciliation and intimacy. It might result in a new form of music, but it rarely if ever results in a new form of community. This failure is perfectly exemplified by the story of the barbershop quartet. To me, there is no music “whiter” than barbershop quartet. When I think of barbershop quartet, I think of four very unhip men in their mid 60s wearing high waisted pants singing to an all white audience in a small town somewhere. (Bonus points if you can spot all the racial code words and phrases I used in that last sentence). However, few people know that the barbershop quartet was originally a style of music developed and performed by African-Americans in the closing decades of the 19th century. Rather than bringing white people and black people together, however, the singing of barbershop quartet by white people now serves as just another marker both of whiteness and our racially segregated society. Take any example and the outcome is the same: Elvis took black R&B and combined it with African-American influenced “rockabilly,” and, while the musical product was certainly seen as racially scandalous to many, today, love of Elvis, like barbershop quartet, is among the “whitest” things around. The Beatles and the Rolling Stones similarly took black American music and made millions of white teens fall in love with it, but I bet there was little to no relationship between love of the Stones and willingness to live in integrated neighborhoods or to support affirmative action programs, for example. In other words, getting white people to love black music is not a reliable way to get them to love black people or to give up the privilege and power necessary to foster true community with them. The same can be said even of hip hop music: even though white suburban teenage boys are mega consumers of rap music, this hasn’t led to the development of a largescale movement to dismantle white supremacy among its white listeners–our nation remains just as segregated and nearly as unequal as it was when our nation’s airwaves were divided into white and black radio stations. We can see this mirrored in the racialized realities of contemporary real estate. Especially in the northeast and midwest, it is almost impossible for black people and white people to share neigbhorhoods and schools. As the history of red lining, terroristic violence committed by white people against black people seeking to integrate white neighborhoods, racially exclusionary zoning laws, and white flight demonstrate, it is still very, very hard for more than a very small number of black people to live in a white neighborhood. In fact, studies show that white people will not tolerate their neighborhoods being more than a few percentage points black. The converse is also true: almost without exception, the moving of large numbers of white people into black or brown neighborhoods is called not integration, but gentrification, as white people end up not sharing a neighbhorhood with people of color but displacing them by driving up rental prices to unattainable heights. Notice that in each case, white people have a greater amount of power and therefore choice about where and with whom they want to live than do many people of color. In other words, in a world warped by white supremacy, it will be very difficult, if not impossible, for us to deal with racial and cultural difference in a truly subversive (that is, counter white supremacist) way. In other words, in such a world it is possible that both the refusal and the desire to sing and listen to “black” music will end up reifying the segregationist tendencies of white supremacy. In the short term, I would argue that a white Christian who wishes to sing Negro Spirituals in church would be at reduced risk of distorting and/or co-opting African-American cultural forms for their own privatized spiritual pleasure and profit if she moved to a predominantly African-American neighborhood and became truly and humbly a part of an African-American religious community. This also would force us to deal with the question of why so many white people “love” “black” music so much more than they “love” black people. Given that racial segregation in the United States is not “natural” or morally neutral, but is instead the cause and consequence of pervasive white supremacy, we should be disturbed not by the singing of white songs in white churches, but by the fact that Christianity itself has been confined within the parameters set by the segregationist mentality of white supremacy. In other words, no matter which denomination you visit or which part of the country you live in, in the United States, Christians are deeply racially segregated. While the schism-worthy issue of today is whether or not gays and lesbians can be holy, in the 19th century, slavery and racism were reasons churches broke apart. To name just a few examples: in 1845, the Southern Baptists (today the 2nd largest Christian denomination in the country) split from the Northern Baptists over the issue of slavery; in 1816, a group of African-Americans left the Methodist church in protest of the church’s racism in order to found the African Methodist Episcopal Church, or AME; and the Catholic church in the U.S., though never formally splitting over the issue, has often been similarly inhospitable to people of color. We haven’t even begun to recover from this. Rather than throwing our hands up in frustration and despair, we should turn our attentions to the real problem, which is white supremacy. Thus, rather than placing a bandaid on our church’s racial wounds, maybe we should let the wound bleed for once so we are forced to see it and feel it for perhaps the first time. Rather than seeking easy comfort in the ineffective solutions of the past, Christians seek a solution to the problem of “white” (supremacist) Christianity only after they have truly let themselves be confronted by the full magnitude of its effect on Christianity.Maybe you saw that letter to the editor in The Spec this week from some guy who had the job during the Canadian Open of ferrying golfers, their families and caddies between the course and their hotels downtown. He said he was deeply ashamed of his city. The out-of-towners, he said, hated Hamilton. Downtown, he said, "has been ruined by the scariest looking degenerates you’ve ever seen." Our core, he said, is a place of "boarded up buildings and zombies walking around." He talked about a guest family who scurried back into their hotel when they saw what "looked like a gang about to have a fight." Whoa. Everybody take a breath. Let's ask Joe Let’s ask Joe about all this. That would be Joe Alderman, the guy who plays the accordion on King West in front of Stelco Tower. If you take a table at an outdoor cafe in Venice, it won’t be long before someone strolls up and plays the accordion. Here, for many years, we’ve had Joe. People like Joe's music, and he likes the burgers it buys. (Paul Wilson/ CBC) He stands out there, trusting the people of downtown Hamilton. Joe has no use of his left eye or his left ear. He has a hearing aid in his right ear, and with his right eye he can see only shapes, not details. He carries a white cane. In short, he is easy prey for the "degenerates, zombies, gangs." He's not scared Joe’s sure he’s had coins pilfered the odd time, but that’s it. He is not scared out there. He is 54 and has been playing the accordion from boyhood, on a farm in Prince Edward County. He takes the city bus to his post downtown and plays three hours a day. This steamy summer has not cut into his hours. "I don’t like people who complain about the heat." He plays tunes from Cats. He does Born Free. Polka. The Beatles’ Hard Day’s Night. La Compacita. People like something they recognize. Every day, weather permitting, it’s the same. "You might think it’s not nice," Joe says, "but sometimes I’m just glad to get it done." Day done, he heads inside to the Royal, turns his coins into a bill. He does like Burger King, and usually gets four small ones with mustard and tomato. That may be followed by a Century Sam cigar. And on Thursday nights, special treat, a bottle of Baby Duck. Lots of languages At home, Joe studies languages. He’s made a special hobby of learning numbers around the world, declares he’s now up to 318 languages. And if you ask, he’ll try a little esperanto out on you. It’s the international language and Joe likes it a lot. "It has only 16 rules of grammar and they’re all perfect." Joe’s accordion is a 1974 Bellini. "I tried to trade it in last year, but the man said it was too old. He said it’s completely lost its shine. He did fix it up and said it should be good for another year or two." Play on, Joe. Zombies be damned. Paul.Wilson@cbc.ca \| @PaulWilsonCBC You can read more CBC Hamilton stories by Paul Wilson here.As the Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins duke it out in the Stanley Cup Finals, I think about the one player that could have changed the past, present, and future for both of these teams: Jason Spezza. Two years ago this month, James Neal was traded from the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Nashville Predators for Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling, setting the gears in motion for both teams. This trade set the stage for both teams to make (or not make) other moves, and ultimately appear in the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals. While this trade and its ramifications are common knowledge, what the average hockey fan may not know is that the Predators almost traded for Jason Spezza instead of James Neal. The deal was as close to done as any; Senators GM Bryan Murray and longtime Preds GM David Poile had agreed on a trade that would send Spezza to Nashville. However, Spezza refused to waive his no-trade clause, resulting in a busted deal. The package that would have headed Ottawa’s way allegedly included Hornqvist, Spaling, and the 11th overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft (Kevin Fiala). Spezza wanted to go to St. Louis or Dallas instead of Nashville, and he ended up getting his wish only weeks later. Spezza’s simple refusal to accept the move to Nashville changed the future of not only the Nashville Predators and the Pittsburgh Penguins, but of a multitude of other teams. Let’s take things back to 2014 and make our way to present day, exploring an alternate timeline where Spezza had waived his no trade clause for Nashville. DISCLAIMER: I’m going to be making a lot of predictions in this article. Keep in mind that it is impossible to predict what would happened in a scenario like this with anywhere near 100 percent accuracy. I am simply trying my best to explain what could* have happened had Spezza waived his no-trade clause for Nashville. Nashville Predators First, let’s take a look at how the Nashville Predators would be different with Jason Spezza. Had Spezza joined the Predators they would have had no reason to acquire Mike Ribeiro later that offseason, leaving him to sign with another team. Not only would they not sign Ribeiro, but they would also have no reason to make the trade that sent Seth Jones to Columbus for Ryan Johansen. In this alternate timeline, the Predators would not have been desperate to acquire a number one center. Instead, they may have been desperate to add a young scoring winger to compliment Jason Spezza, especially since gaining Spezza means that they lose Fiala. Among those that could have been available might have been Cam Atkinson, Jonathan Drouin, and Jeff Skinner, with Skinner being the likeliest and most realistic option for the Predators. In 2015 the Hurricanes were looking to move a slumping Skinner, who had a bad history with concussions and what seemed like an albatross of a contract. The Predators wouldn’t have needed to trade someone with as much value as Seth Jones to the Hurricanes, and instead may have seen themselves trading someone with a lower stock at the time, such as Mattias Ekholm. A possible deal could have been a package of Skinner and Kris Versteeg heading to Nashville in exchange for Ekholm. For Nashville, they would have acquired their scoring winger in Jeff Skinner, along with a depth player with plenty of playoff experience in Versteeg. As for Carolina, they would have received a solid top four D-man who would play anchor to Justin Faulk and hold down the fort for the Hurricanes plentiful pipeline of young defensemen. With that being said, here’s what the Predators roster could look like today had Spezza waived: Is this lineup better than the one that the Preds are icing today? I would say so. Spezza scored at almost exactly the same pace as Johansen this season and Seth Jones was, at the very least, a match for Mattias Ekholm. Where this team is undoubtedly better is on the wings. Assuming Skinner and Arvidsson had recovered and developed in the same way they did in our timeline (which isn’t a guarantee), the Predators would have had an absolutely potent top six filled with six 60 point scorers. Adding Versteeg to the bottom six also would have added some depth scoring that the Predators could very well benefit from. Had things played out as speculated in this article, the Predators would likely be a better team today, but would also be more desperate to win now, rather than build for the future, before the now-33 year old
arrested and imprisoned. Fighting to abolish prisons is fighting to abolish the society in which prisons and human supremacy over nonhumans and the land can exist. Right now, with a young prison abolition movement in the UK, support is needed to use the tools and experience of those that have been fighting environmental harm for decades. We needed bureaucratic resistance at the planning stages of these new prisons, community mobilisation at every turn, and widespread and unrelenting direct action. The Campaign to Fight Toxic Prisons who have been doing amazing organising work in the US will be touring with Community Action on Prison Expansion at the end of September across England and Wales. Find more information about the tour here: http://www.prisonabolition.org/toxic-prisons-tour-autumn-2017/ Learn More Learn about the Campaign to Fight Toxic Prisons here: https://fighttoxicprisons.wordpress.com/ 1. http://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/eij/article/americas_toxic_prisons/ 2. One3One Solutions, the Ministry of Justice’s trading arm 3. https://inews.co.uk/essentials/news/environment/cumbria-open-business-vital-road-reopens-winter-floods/ 4. http://anarchistnews.org/content/brick-brick-creating-world-without-prisons-layne-mullettLast week, LOCUS and I, hosted a City Deal seminar in Belfast which was addressed by Mr Richard Brown, Director of Regeneration Glasgow City Council. He explained that City Deals are agreements that have been negotiated between the UK government and 29 cities in the UK; the city gets new powers in exchange for greater responsibility to stimulate and support economic growth and promote job creation. Richard Brown detailed the negotiations he had with HM Treasury to negotiate the first City Deal in a devolved region for the Glasgow City Region, led by Glasgow City Council, which negotiated a £1.13billion City Deal on 20 August 2014. It sets out how the region will create economic growth through: setting up a £1.13 billion Glasgow and Clyde Valley Infrastructure Fund to improve transport and regenerate/develop sites supporting growth in the life sciences sector helping small and medium enterprises to grow and develop setting up programmes to support unemployed people testing new ways of boosting the incomes of people on low wages The UK committed £500million, in additional funding, matched by the Scottish Government and the local authorities will borrow a further £130million. Given the scale of the challenges we currently face in Belfast and across the North – ranging from unemployment to infrastructure, budget cuts to the impact of welfare reform, there is an obligation on us to pursue new funding opportunities. Local Government Reform gives councils new powers and influence. The new powers given to Belfast City Council of planning, community planning and regeneration, give us the ability to uniting politically in delivering, growing and fulfilling our potential. Even at that, we are still beholden to a regional development model that fails to recognise the importance of the city to the wider region and allow the relevant policy flexibility to develop local approaches that will enhance that contribution As the RSA City Growth Commission report “Unleashing Metro Growth” said there needs to be greater recognition of “city-regions, or metros as the main drivers of economic growth in an increasingly knowledge –driven global economy” Given that 61% of UK Growth is generated by City Regions. The Commission goes on to say that “Cities across the UK need to be empowered to unleash their creativity and innovation potential, improve their connectivity and boost their productivity.” The reality is that one in three jobs are based in Belfast – the city attracted 5,000 new FDI jobs in the last year alone. Yet, in some parts of the city, unemployment and inactivity rates are around 60-70% of the local population. This is not a sustainable solution – and it is proof that the current way of working is just not working The jobs that we create in Belfast provide employment not only for local residents but also for many in-commuters – more than half of the people who work in Belfast do not live in the city centre As Belfast City councillors we have shown significant ambition for the city: but our hands are currently tied due to the rigid governance structures that we must comply with. In Belfast, our £150million investment programme and the £105m million Leisure Transformation strategy is evidence of our ability and commitment to deliver a range of physical and social investment initiatives to improve the quality of life with residents. Today (Tuesday) in Westminster the SNP are grilling the British Government over a City Deal for Aberdeen. We need to be setting out our stall for a Belfast/Derry City Deal which will maximise opportunities for the region in terms of inclusive economic growth, better connectivity and improved cohesion. Tim Attwood is an SDLP Councillor in Belfast.Jordy Smith & Courtney Conlogue Win 2017 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach COASTALWATCH \| 2017 RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH You've Got To Win It To Ring It The women finished up their event on Monday afternoon as the Easter weekend came to a close on the Surf Coast in Victoria. The swell was peaking at six-feet and it all came down to six-times World Champion Stephanie Gilmore and defending event champion Courtney Conlogue. The final was a tight battle between the two rivals. Steph got the edge on their opening exchange with an excellent 8.33 to Courtney’s 8.00. It came down to the last five minutes when Courtney solidified her score with the biggest set wave of the heat unleashing her power to lock in a near perfect 9.00 point ride with Steph unable to match the score as time closed in. “Winning it last year felt so good, but to back it up is amazing,” Courtney said. “I’m so speechless. The first two events of the Australian leg did not go that well for me, so I’m stoked to finish it off with a win. I have always loved coming to Bells. It’s an amazing arena with all of the fans down here. It’s a really tricky wave to master, so to have two wins here is really special. The win for Courtney pushes her up into fourth place on the overall rankings with Steph remaining in the yellow leader's jersey. DON'T MISS: Simon Anderson Surfs Bells & Recreates 1981 Winning Thruster In the men's event, it was Jordy Smith from the start. As a couple of us from Coastalwatch paddled out at Bells on Thursday in the company of Jordy, Wilko, Medina, Freestone and De Souza the presence and energy of Jordy was electric. He hollered for everyone, as the sets approached he rallied the lineup into action and as he took just a couple of strokes his face lit up as he dropped in and sped down the line. It was like we were sitting out there the day after the event, like Jordy had already rung that bell. In 2016 Jordy made it to the final at Bells and was defeated by an in-form Wilko. Today he came face-to-face with a hungry Brazillian in the form of Caio Ibelli. In his first WCT final berthing, Caio looked hungrier than ever, going wave-for-wave with Jordy despite the South African slamming home two 9-point-rides. It was a courageous effort from Caio and a spectacular win for Jordy. Barton Lynch said Jordy was one of the greatest surfers to never win a bell to which Jordy said, "10 years I've been hammering away, this is a dream come true," he replied. "Ciao has been so on-point in this event I knew a seven wouldn't cut it. The guy is a phenomenal surfer I knew I had to work hard. I hope this is a world title year, I'm going to try my best in every event. Just putting pieces of the puzzle together." Today's win shoots Jordy up to second place on the overall rankings behind John John Florence. For full results visit www.worldsurfleague.com Incase you missed John John's incredible air today, view it below. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disquswords and photos by Emily Anderson If it hadn’t been a stop on my Summit Brew Path Passport, I might not have ever gone to Two Monks Brewing Co., and that would have been a shame. This little brewery almost seems to be hiding over on Akron’s “East End,” just past the Goodyear grounds, on Massillon Road. Just a ten minute drive from Downtown, the Two Monks are lying low, brewing small batches of traditional beer recipes from around the world. The Two Monks are longtime friends and coworkers Patrick Armstead and Steve Prough, who opened their brewery last September. When I stopped by on a Friday night in May, I couldn’t help but feel guilty admitting I hadn’t been there before when the bartender asked. Turns out that bartender was actually Patrick, one of the Monks, and I got to chat with him a bit. The brewery is a small, open room with a handful of square tables and an L-shaped bar in the middle. The sun comes through the huge window on the front wall during the day, but while I was there the TVs were bright with the Indians game. There’s a dartboard, jukebox, and games like Jenga and Connect Four scattered around the bar and tables. There are playing cards everywhere. It’s very homey and laid-back. It reminds me of going to a friend’s basement hangout, if that friend also brewed beer for everyone. When I asked about their brewing system, Patrick told me it’s “basically a big homebrew system.” Patrick and Steve had been homebrewing together for years. They opened Two Monks to produce “Beer for the Masses” – beer that everyone can enjoy. They focus their brewing style on that of traditional recipes in small batches. The dedication they have to quality is obvious – the beer tastes clean, fresh, and true to style. Patrick told me they were very picky about the final product and have had to dump out a couple batches that didn’t turn out quite right. With 8 beers on tap, they only open their doors to guests Thursday through Saturday. This allows them to keep their production low and they are both able to keep their day jobs. “I don’t want this to stress me out,” Patrick explained. “If we tried to do too much, I know we would end up hating it.” As I drank my German Schwarzbier at the bar, I noticed there was a waitress taking beer orders from the tables. I asked Partick how many employees were there and he laughed and explained that was his wife, Chariti. When I asked her if she liked working there, she laughed too. She pointed and Patrick and said “Well, I have to go home with him, so yeah, he’s a great boss!” The Two Monks have no immediate plans to expand their hours or production, saying they like it just how it is for now. I think that’s my favorite part about this spot (besides the beer). They’re brewing for fun. They’re not worried about maxing out profits or mass distribution. They just really enjoy making beer and want to share it with their community. Cheers to that! Lady Beer Drinker is on Instagram @LadyBeerDrinkerA distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack that on Friday severely impacted internet access for many U.S. web denizens was found to be in part enabled by a botnet targeting unprotected "Internet of Things" devices. For Apple, the revelation vindicates a controversial walled garden approach to IoT borne out through the HomeKit protocol. DVRs and IP cameras like those made by Chinese company XiongMai Technologies contain a grievous security vulnerability and are in large part responsible for hosting the botnet. Accessories that support iCloud remote access are provisioned during the accessory's setup process. The provisioning process begins with the user signing in to iCloud. Next, the iOS device asks the accessory to sign a challenge using the Apple Authentication Coprocessor that is built into all Built for HomeKit accessories. The accessory also generates prime256v1 elliptic curve keys, and the public key is sent to the iOS device along with the signed challenge and the X.509 certificate of the authentication coprocessor. As detailed yesterday, unknown hackers set their sights on Dyn, an internet management company that provides DNS services to many major web entities.A series of repeated attacks caused websites including The Verge, Imgur and Reddit, as well as services like HBO Now, and PayPal, to see slowdowns and extended downtimes. Follow-up waves played havoc with The New York Times, CNN, Netflix, Twitter and the PlayStation Network, among many others.Though Dyn was initially unable to nail down a source, subsequent information published by security research firm Flashpoint revealed the targeted attacks involved a strain of the Mirai malware, reports Brian Krebs. Krebs has firsthand experience with Mirai, as the malware was deployed in a DDoS attack that brought down his website, KrebsOnSecurity, in September.Mirai searches the web for IoT devices set up with default admin username and password combinations, Krebs says. Once discovered, the malware infiltrates and uses poorly protected hardware to facilitate a DDoS attack on an online entity, in this case Dyn.Poor security practices are nothing new. Uninitiated or lazy end users have for decades left factory default settings untouched on routers, networked printers and other potential intrusion vectors. But this is different.According to Krebs, DVRs and IP cameras made by Chinese company XiongMai Technologies, as well as other connected gadgets currently flooding the market, contain a grievous security vulnerability and are in large part responsible for hosting the botnet. As he explains, a portion of these devices can be reached via Telnet and SSH even after a user changes the default username and password."The issue with these particular devices is that a user cannot feasibly change this password," said Zach Wikholm, research developer at Flashpoint. "The password is hardcoded into the firmware, and the tools necessary to disable it are not present. Even worse, the web interface is not aware that these credentials even exist."To prevent another Mirai attack, or a similar assault harnessing IoT hardware, offending devices might require a recall, Krebs says. Short of a that, unplugging an affected product is an effective stopgap.By contrast, Apple's HomeKit features built-in end-to-end encryption, protected wireless chip standards, remote access obfuscation and other security measures designed to thwart hacks. Needless to say, it would be relatively difficult to turn a HomeKit MFi device into a DDoS zombie.Announced in 2014 alongside iOS 8, HomeKit debuted as a secure framework onto which manufacturers of smart home products can lattice accessory communications. Specifically, the system uses iOS and iCloud infrastructure to securely synchronize data between host devices and accessories.Apple details HomeKit protections in a security document posted to its website ( PDF link ), noting the system's reliance on public-private key pairs.First, key pairs are generated on an iOS device and assigned to each HomeKit user. The unique HomeKit identity is stored in Keychain and synchronized to other devices via iCloud Keychain. Compatible accessories generate their own key pair for communicating with linked iOS devices. Importantly, accessories will generate new key pairs when restored to factory settings.Apple uses the Secure Remote Password (3,072-bit) protocol to establish a connection between an iOS device and a HomeKit accessory via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Upon first use, keys are exchanged through a procedure that involves entering an 8-digit code provided by the manufacturer into a host iPhone or iPad. Finally, exchanged data is encrypted while the system verifies the accessory's MFi certification.When an iPhone communicates with a HomeKit accessory, the two devices authenticate each other using the exchanged keys, Station-to-Station protocol and per-session encryption. Further, Apple painstakingly designed a remote control feature called iCloud Remote that allows users to access their accessories when not at home.Apple's coprocessor is key to HomeKit's high level of security, though the implementation is thought to have delayed the launch of third-party products by months. The security benefits were arguably worth the wait.In addition to the above, Apple also integrates privacy safeguards that ensure only verified users have access to accessory settings, as well as privacy measures that protect against transmission of user-identifying or home-identifying data.At its core, HomeKit is a well-planned and well-executed IoT communications backbone. The accessories only work with properly provisioned devices, are difficult to infiltrate, seamlessly integrate with iPhone and, with iOS 10 and the fourth-generation Apple TV (which acts as a hub), feature rich notifications and controls accessible via Apple's dedicated Home app. And they can't indiscriminately broadcast junk data to the web.The benefits of HomeKit come at cost to manufacturers, mainly in incorporating Apple's coprocessor, but the price is undoubtedly less dear than recalling an unfixable finished product.Oxytocin is clinically used to induce labor, and there is interest in using this peptide to treat social disorders. However, oxytocin triggers adverse cardiovascular side effects because it activates the vasopressin receptor and the oxytocin receptor. Muttenthaler et al. generated ligands based on oxytocin with subtle modifications, yielding a lead compound that was more selective for the oxytocin receptor than for the vasopressin receptors. It reduced social fear in mice and induced contractile activity in human myometrial strips without affecting cultured cardiomyocytes. Given the cross-talk between oxytocin, vasopressin, and their receptors, this compound will also be helpful in identifying effects that are solely mediated by the oxytocin receptor. Oxytocin and vasopressin mediate various physiological functions that are important for osmoregulation, reproduction, cardiovascular function, social behavior, memory, and learning through four G protein–coupled receptors that are also implicated in high-profile disorders. Targeting these receptors is challenging because of the difficulty in obtaining ligands that retain selectivity across rodents and humans for translational studies. We identified a selective and more stable oxytocin receptor (OTR) agonist by subtly modifying the pharmacophore framework of human oxytocin and vasopressin. [Se-Se]-oxytocin-OH displayed similar potency to oxytocin but improved selectivity for OTR, an effect that was retained in mice. Centrally infused [Se-Se]-oxytocin-OH potently reversed social fear in mice, confirming that this action was mediated by OTR and not by V1a or V1b vasopressin receptors. In addition, [Se-Se]-oxytocin-OH produced a more regular contraction pattern than did oxytocin in a preclinical labor induction and augmentation model using myometrial strips from cesarean sections. [Se-Se]-oxytocin-OH had no activity in human cardiomyocytes, indicating a potentially improved safety profile and therapeutic window compared to those of clinically used oxytocin. In conclusion, [Se-Se]-oxytocin-OH is a novel probe for validating OTR as a therapeutic target in various biological systems and is a promising new lead for therapeutic development. Our medicinal chemistry approach may also be applicable to other peptidergic signaling systems with similar selectivity issues. ( A ) NMR structure of oxytocin (OT), with framework residues marked in red that were the focus of this study. The table provides an overview of all synthesized peptides with details on their modifications. U, selenocysteine; d, deamino (N terminus); Δ, deletion of residue; bold, modification; P, position; term, terminus; AVP, arginine vasopressin. ( B ) Synthesis of selenocysteine building blocks for Boc-SPPS to enable sulfur to selenium replacements. ( C and D ) Functional screen of oxytocin analogs 1 to 10 (C) and vasopressin analogs 11 to 16 (D) at the human OT receptor (hOTR), hV1aR, and hV1bR using the fluorescent imaging plate reader (FLIPR) Ca 2+ signaling assay and at the hV2R by measuring cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) accumulation. Taller bars in graphs indicate loss of function at that particular receptor. The last row of beige bars illustrates how modifications affected potency compared to oxytocin at the hOTR and vasopressin at the hV2R (black). ( E ) Functional screen of oxytocin analogs 1 to 7, vasopressin, and dAVP at the hOTR, hV1aR, and hV1bR as assessed by measuring second-messenger inositol 1-phosphate (IP 1 ) accumulation and at the hV2R as assessed by measuring second-messenger cAMP accumulation. CNS (central nervous system) and PNS (peripheral nervous system) indicate where these receptors can be found in humans. Exact EC 50 values are shown in tables S2 and S3. In humans and rodents, oxytocin and vasopressin act through the oxytocin receptor (OTR) and the three AVP receptors (AVPRs; vasopressor V1aR, pituitary V1bR, and antidiuretic V2R). Oxytocin and vasopressin are structurally similar nonapeptides that differ only by two amino acids at positions 3 and 8 ( Fig. 1A ). Two cysteine residues in positions 1 and 6 form the cyclic part of the molecules followed by a three-residue amidated C-terminal tail. Their chemical similarity and the high sequence homology of the extracellular binding domains of OTR and AVPRs (~80%) lead to substantial cross-talk, with oxytocin able to activate the AVPRs and vasopressin the OTR ( 34, 35 ). Specific receptor functionality is thus not controlled by ligand selectivity but by cell-specific variations in receptor abundance, controlled release, receptor oligomerization, rapid clearance, and specific enzymatic degradation ( 36 ). High OTR and AVPR homology and overlapping distribution constitute a major hurdle in the development of selective receptor agonists, antagonists, and therapeutic candidates ( 37, 38 ). The identification of novel drug leads is further complicated by substantial species differences, such that rodent and human selectivity typically do not overlap, thereby restricting clinical translation ( 37 – 39 ). For example, clinically used oxytocin and vasopressin analogs including desmopressin ( 40, 41 ), carbetocin ( 42 ), and atosiban ( 37, 43, 44 ) are receptor subtype–selective in rats but not in humans. This difference is mainly due to rapid biodegradation, renal clearance, and a limited administration window during which they can be used clinically without side effects ( 40, 44, 45 ). Despite these limitations, oxytocin remains the ligand of choice in the clinic to induce and progress labor ( 46 ). The lack of a complete set of selective receptor agonists and antagonists further limits our ability to characterize the physiological responses for each subtype receptor and their relevance in disease. We therefore commenced a program to overcome these limitations and to produce more selective ligands for this fundamental signaling system ( 31, 47 – 51 ). Here, we demonstrated that small modifications to the structural framework of the pharmacophore of the endogenous and pharmacologically unselective neuropeptides could be used to tune selectivity and generate analogs with an improved selectivity profile that was conserved across mouse and human, thereby facilitating translational studies. Oxytocin and vasopressin [also known as arginine vasopressin (AVP)] are closely related neurohypophysial neuropeptides that are mainly synthesized in the magnocellular and parvocellular neurons of the hypothalamus, transported in association with neurophysins to the posterior pituitary, and released into the systemic circulation after enzymatic cleavage in response to relevant physiological stimuli ( 1, 2 ). In the periphery, oxytocin is involved in uterine smooth muscle contraction during parturition, milk ejection during lactation, ejaculation, and pain ( 3 – 5 ), whereas centrally released oxytocin functions as a neurotransmitter or neuromodulator that promotes multiple behaviors ( 6 – 8 ) such as maternal care ( 9, 10 ), partnership bonding ( 8, 11, 12 ), social interactions ( 12 ), and stress and anxiety responses ( 13 – 15 ), as largely determined in rodents. Intranasal administration of oxytocin elicits broad behavioral effects in humans, and its therapeutic potential for psychopathologies characterized by social or emotional dysfunctions is under clinical investigation ( 14, 16 – 21 ). Vasopressin increases and decreases fluid balance and blood pressure in the periphery ( 22 – 24 ). Centrally, vasopressin is implicated in learning and memory ( 25 – 27 ), in various social behaviors including pair bonding and aggression in rodents ( 6, 8, 28, 29 ), and in stress- and anxiety-related behaviors ( 28 – 30 ). The ubiquitous involvement of the oxytocin and vasopressin signaling system in diverse physiological functions reflects its ancient origin dating back at least 600 million years ( 8, 31 ). The oxytocin receptor (OTR) and vasopressin receptor are members of the G protein–coupled receptor (GPCR) family ( 5, 32 ) and are attractive targets in the treatment of various high-profile disorders including cancer, pain, autism, schizophrenia, anxiety, and reproductive and cardiovascular disorders ( 5, 8, 16, 33 ). V1aR is highly abundant in the vascular smooth muscle and heart (cardiomyocytes), and V1aR activation has been linked to cardiovascular risks ( 72 – 76 ). As a proxy to assess cardiovascular risks, we measured maximal intracellular Ca 2+ concentrations in human cardiomyocytes treated with the various ligands ( Fig. 5 ). Vasopressin and oxytocin concentration-dependently caused an increase in maximal intracellular Ca 2+ in human cardiomyocytes with EC 50 values of 121 and 174 nM, respectively, which aligned well with our pharmacological results of hV1aR activation by oxytocin (tables S2 and S3). Consistent with its improved selectivity (OTR activation without V1aR activation), [Se-Se]-OT-OH did not affect the maximal intracellular Ca 2+ concentration (up to 10 μM) in cardiomyocytes ( Fig. 5 ). ( A and B ) Unconditioned (SFC − ) and conditioned (SFC + ) mice were intracerebroventricularly infused with either vehicle (2 μl of Ringer’s solution; n = 9 SFC − mice; n = 10 SFC + mice) or [Se-Se]-OT-OH (250 μM/2 μl; 500 pmol; n = 7 SFC − mice; n = 7 SFC + mice). Oxytocin (250 μM/2 μl; 500 pmol; n = 10 mice) and [Thr 4,Gly 7 ]-OT (250 μM/2 μl; 500 pmol; n = 4 mice) were only infused into SFC + mice 10 min before extinction training. Percentage of mice that investigated three nonsocial stimuli (empty cage) and six social stimuli (cage with a conspecific) during social fear extinction (day 2; A) and six social stimuli during social fear extinction recall (day 3; B) is shown. Data are means ± SEM and were analyzed using two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for repeated measures. (A) # P < 0.05 SFC + /vehicle compared to SFC + /[Se-Se]-OT-OH; P < 0.05 SFC + /vehicle compared to SFC + /OT, SFC + /[Thr 4,Gly 7 ]-OT, and SFC − /vehicle; (B) $ P < 0.05 SFC + /vehicle compared to SFC + /OT and SFC − /vehicle. [Se-Se]-OT-OH was tested in the social fear conditioning (SFC) paradigm ( 71 ), which specifically generates social fear (as measured by reduced social investigation 24 hours after fear conditioning) in mice without any confounding behavioral alterations. [Se-Se]-OT-OH reduced social fear and facilitated social fear extinction 10 min after its intracerebroventricular infusion compared with vehicle-treated social fear–conditioned mice ( Fig. 4A ). This effect was similar to that of synthetic oxytocin and [Thr 4,Gly 7 ]-OT, a highly selective mOTR agonist ( 66 ) that also potently reduced social fear ( Fig. 4A ). All unconditioned control mice treated with either vehicle, [Se-Se]-OT-OH, oxytocin, or [Thr 4,Gly 7 ]-OT showed similar extents of social preference behavior as reflected by active exploration of conspecifics. Independently of subsequent treatment, all social fear–conditioned and unconditioned groups showed similar investigation of a nonsocial stimulus (small empty cage), indicating similar amounts of nonsocial anxiety. During the social fear recall ( Fig. 4B ), all groups of mice, irrespective of their treatment, showed high social investigation, which indicated reduced social fear and successful social fear extinction. To determine whether the partial agonism of [Se-Se]-OT-OH and d[Se-Se]-OT-OH in the pharmacological studies would affect their physiological activity compared to the full agonist oxytocin, we tested the ability of compounds 1, 6, and 7 to induce contraction by activating the hOTR in myometrial cells immortalized with the human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT-HM) ( 68 ) in a collagen gel contractility assay ( 69, 70 ). Both [Se-Se]-OT-OH and d[Se-Se]-OT-OH induced a contractile response comparable to oxytocin (fig. S5). [Se-Se]-OT-OH and d[Se-Se]-OT-OH increased contractility by 7.4 and 9% respectively, compared to 9% for oxytocin. We then confirmed these findings in contractility studies that used strips of human myometrium from cesarean sections. [Se-Se]-OT-OH and oxytocin increased contraction amplitude in a concentration-dependent manner ( Fig. 3, C and D, and fig. S6) and had similar potencies (fig. S6). The contraction profile induced by [Se-Se]-OT-OH was, however, more phasic and frequent compared to a more tonic-like activity induced by oxytocin at the concentrations used ( Fig. 3, C and D). ( A ) Functional selectivity profile of [Se-Se]-OT-OH and OT over all four human (h) and murine (m) oxytocin and vasopressin receptors. OTR, V1aR, and V1bR activity was measured by IP 1 accumulation. V2R activity was measured by cAMP accumulation. ( B ) Metabolic stability of [Se-Se]-OT-OH (t 1/2 = 25 hours) compared to oxytocin (t 1/2 = 12 hours) in human serum. Data in (A) and (B) are means ± SEM of results obtained from at least n = 3 separate experiments, each performed in triplicate. ( C and D ) Representative contraction pattern for human myometrial strips exposed to increasing doses of oxytocin (C) or [Se-Se]-OT-OH (D). n = 5 women for [Se-Se]-OT-OH, and n = 8 women for oxytocin. [Se-Se]-OT-OH retained its functional selectivity for OTR in mice and was inactive at murine V1aR (mV1aR) and mV1bR concentrations up to 10 μM ( Fig. 3A, fig. S3A, and table S3). [Se-Se]-OT-OH activated mOTR with a potency similar to that of oxytocin (table S3) ( 66 ). [Se-Se]-OT-OH activated mV2R with an EC 50 that was ~300-fold larger than that of vasopressin ( 67 ). d[Se-Se]-OT-OH also retained its selectivity profile in mice and was again less selective than [Se-Se]-OT-OH because it activated all four murine receptor subtypes (fig. S3B and table S3). Both compounds were partial agonists at the mOTR and full agonists at the mV2R. The binding data of both compounds (table S5) correlated well with the functional data (table S3), including low-affinity binding of [Se-Se]-OT-OH at the mV1bR fitting with the absence of activation at the mV1bR and binding to the mV1aR confirming mV1aR antagonism. [Se-Se]-OT-OH displayed biphasic binding to mV1aR and mV2R (fig. S4A and table S5), and d[Se-Se]-OT-OH displayed biphasic binding to mV2R (fig. S4B and table S5). To confirm competitive binding of [Se-Se]-OT-OH at the hOTR, we performed a series of Schild regression experiments with oxytocin and [Se-Se]-OT-OH against the hOTR/G q antagonist atosiban using the HTRF-IP 1 assay. Increasing concentrations of atosiban shifted the concentration-response curves of oxytocin (fig. S2A) and [Se-Se]-OT-OH (fig. S2B) to the right, resulting in a linear Schild plot that is representative of competitive binding at the hOTR. Binding data for the oxytocin analogs 1 to 7, vasopressin, and dAVP were obtained in radioligand displacement assays at all four human receptors (table S5). The experimental inhibition constants (K i ) correlated well with the functional data (tables S2 and S3). [Se-Se]-OT-OH displaced the 125 I-V1a antagonist ([ 125 I]phenylacetyl-d-Tyr(Me)-Phe-Gln-Asn-Arg-Pro-Arg-Tyr-NH 2 ) at the hV1aR with a K i of 57 nM, thereby confirming the weak antagonistic effects observed in the FLIPR assay ( Fig. 2D and table S5). ( A ) Representative Ca 2+ concentration–response curves of [Se-Se]-OT-OH at the hOTR, hV1aR, and hV1bR. ( B ) Representative cAMP concentration–response curves of oxytocin, vasopressin, and [Se-Se]-OT-OH at the hV2R. ( C ) Representative IP 1 concentration–response curves of [Se-Se]-OT-OH at the hOTR, hV1aR, and hV1bR. ( D ) Representative radioligand concentration-displacement curves for [Se-Se]-OT-OH at the hOTR, hV1aR, hV1bR, and hV2R. All curves were normalized to percentage of response or displacement of the control ligand (oxytocin for OTR and vasopressin for AVPRs). Data in (A) to (D) are means ± SEM of results obtained from at least n = 3 separate experiments, each performed in triplicate. The Ca 2+ concentration–response curves of [Se-Se]-OT-OH at the hOTR, hV1aR, and hV1bR (representative curves in Fig. 2A ; raw FLIPR data in fig. S1, A and B) highlight its partial agonism at the hOTR, its receptor selectivity, and its weak antagonism at the hV1aR [17% inhibition; half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ), 132 nM] ( Fig. 2A ; fig. S1, C and D; and table S2). The representative cAMP concentration–response curves of [Se-Se]-OT-OH at the hV2R showed that [Se-Se]-OT-OH was a full agonist at this receptor but not as potent as oxytocin and vasopressin ( Fig. 2B ). The IP 1 concentration–response curves of [Se-Se]-OT-OH at the hOTR, hV1aR, and hV1bR showed that the same selectivity, potency, and partial agonism trends were also observed using second-messenger IP 1 measurements ( Fig. 2C ). Oxytocin analogs 1 to 7, vasopressin, and dAVP were further tested using the homogeneous time-resolved fluorescence (HTRF) inositol 1-phosphate (IP 1 ) assay ( Fig. 1E and table S3) to allow comparison with the downstream intracellular Ca 2+ changes measured using the FLIPR assay. The HTRF-IP 1 assay correlated well with the FLIPR assay (table S4), and the potency and selectivity trends, particularly with the lead compound [Se-Se]-OT-OH, were confirmed. [Se-Se]-OT-OH had an EC 50 that was only 2.6-fold less potent than that of oxytocin and no activity at the hV1aR and hV1bR at concentrations up to 10 μM (table S3). Subtle modifications to vasopressin also modulated potency and selectivity without, however, yielding a clear lead compound ( Fig. 1D and table S2). Vasopressin activated all four receptors, including the hOTR (EC 50 : hV2R > hV1bR > hV1aR > hOTR). Deamination of the N terminus [deamino-AVP (dAVP)] did not affect receptor activation, and the resulting ligand had potencies similar to that of vasopressin. The disulfide-to-diselenide exchange ([Se-Se]-AVP and d[Se-Se]-AVP) was well tolerated and did not substantially change the potency or selectivity profile. Deletion of Gly 9 in
for the Iraqi National Museum of Modern Art which was also looted during the conflict. Image caption Much of Iraq's modern art has also been looted from galleries in the upheaval From an original collection of some 8,000 works, Prof Shabout says only 1,500 remain at the National Museum of Modern Art which now shares its space with government departments. Prof Shabout says many works turn up at well-known auction houses or art dealers, but because records of the museum's holdings were destroyed, there is no way to prove they were stolen. She has been funded by the American Academic Research Institute of Iraq to compile an online archive based on photographs, memory and research. She now has about 600 authenticated images, but there is a long way to go. Many of Iraq's established modern artists have moved abroad to escape the conflict and protect their work. "I wish I could be optimistic but a very important part of history has gone, and little acts of goodness are not bringing it back," says Prof Shabout.Bonucci back after six weeks By Football Italia staff Leonardo Bonucci is back in the Juventus squad to face Atalanta in the Coppa Italia, but Gigi Buffon and Patrice Evra are still out. The Round of 16 tie kicks off on Wednesday at 19.45 GMT in Turin. Captain Buffon is still nowhere to be seen as he works to recover from a bout of flu, which also ruled him out of Sunday’s 3-0 Serie A victory over Bologna. Evra is again left on the sidelines while he considers a January move to Valencia, though he is reportedly hesitating in the hope that Manchester United come in with a firm proposal. Bonucci is back in the squad for the first time since sustaining a thigh injury on November 27. Mario Lemina and Medhi Benatia are on Africa Cup of Nations duty. Juventus squad for Atalanta: Pjanic, Khedira, Cuadrado, Marchisio, Higuain, Hernanes, Mandzukic, Bonucci, Pjaca, Dybala, Asamoah, Rugani, Neto, Lichtsteiner, Sturaro, Rincon, Audero, Del Favero, Semprinitemplate <class T> T mul_mod(T a, T b, T m) { if (m == 0) return a * b; T r = T(); while (a > 0) { if (a & 1) if ((r += b) > m) r %= m; a >>= 1; if ((b <<= 1) > m) b %= m; } return r; } template <class T> T pow_mod(T a, T n, T m) { T r = 1; while (n > 0) { if (n & 1) r = mul_mod(r, a, m); a = mul_mod(a, a, m); n >>= 1; } return r; } struct crypt : std::binary_function<num, num, num> { num operator()(num input, num key) const { return pow_mod(input, key, n); } }; /** * Encrypt the plain text using public key. * * @param text * : original plain text * @param key * :The public key * @return Encrypted text * @throws java.lang.Exception / public static byte[] encrypt(String text, PublicKey key) { byte[] cipherText = null; try { // get an RSA cipher object and print the provider final Cipher cipher = Cipher.getInstance(ALGORITHM); // encrypt the plain text using the public key cipher.init(Cipher.ENCRYPT_MODE, key); cipherText = cipher.doFinal(text.getBytes()); } catch (Exception e) { e.printStackTrace(); } return cipherText; } /* * Decrypt text using private key. * * @param text * :encrypted text * @param key * :The private key * @return plain text * @throws java.lang.Exception / public static String decrypt(byte[] text, PrivateKey key) { byte[] dectyptedText = null; try { // get an RSA cipher object and print the provider final Cipher cipher = Cipher.getInstance(ALGORITHM); // decrypt the text using the private key cipher.init(Cipher.DECRYPT_MODE, key); dectyptedText = cipher.doFinal(text); } catch (Exception ex) { ex.printStackTrace(); } return new String(dectyptedText); } doInit doFinal A lot of people have written a lot about it, but I think the problem is much more fundamental than most of what they've written about (or probably even believe/realize).The basic nature of computer programming is one of investing a lot of time and effort up front (i.e., designing and writing the program) with the expectation of a massive long-term pay-off (automating boring tasks out of existence entirely).Of all languages in reasonably current use, Java runs the most directly contrary to that basic philosophy. From the very beginning, Java sold as a simplified, easier to learn language than C++.Nowadays, people might compare it to other languages (e.g., Haskell) instead, but the basic idea remains the same: to use Haskell (well) you need to invest a lot up-front in learning non-trivial concepts. The notorious phrase about "a monad is just a monoid in the category of endofunctors. What's the problem?" fairly springs to mind.Languages that are favored by software engineers are the ones that fit the basic mindset of software engineering: being willing to invest a great deal up-front in order to automate entire classes of problems out of existence in the long term.Java does nearly the opposite: simplify the language to reduce the work up-front required to learn the language, but in exchange for that, leave it to its users to manually re-implement the same basic concepts hundreds upon thousands upon millions of times over.Some have attempted to cite the Java standard library (and especially its size) as indicating that this is basically wrong. In reality, it is (again) still more evidence of my point.Let's consider a concrete example. Here's an implementation of RSA encryption from the ground up in C++:If you instantiate it over something like `int`, this will be a toy--but if you instantiate it over an arbitrary integer type, it can do real RSA encryption that really will be difficult for somebody to break.Basic point though: the sole real difficulty here is understanding RSA itself--how it works, how to implement it, and so on.Now let's consider how RSA looks using the Java standard library:[This example taken from:I hasten to point out that this isn't an entirely apples-to-apples comparison. The C++ code actually implements* RSA itself. The Java code uses the RSA implementation in the standard library. Despite this, the Java code is considerably longer than the C++ code. Worse, the Java code is actually incomplete--we'd need a few more lines of code to define things like "ALGORITHM" before this code would actually compile.Much more important, however, is a fundamental difference between the Java code and the C++ code. The C++ codeThere are two points to note though: although it doesn't implement RSA at all, the Java code is still several times larger than the C++ code. Worse, especially when it comes to the encryption proper, the Java code is all about memorization, not understanding. There's virtually nothing there that can actually be understood--it's pretty much a collection of arbitrary names. Along with lack of understanding, they haven't even had the courtesy to make the names consistent. For example, in the encrypt/decrypt functions, we have an `init` and a `doFinal`. If we're going to throw in a gratuitous "do" why not at leastso consistently, and name themandSo here again, we have more of the same: C++ is about investing up-front in understanding, while Java is about memorizing more arbitrary "stuff" with essentially no relationship to the actual task.Software engineers don't like Java because the basic premise of Java runs directly contrary to the basic premise of software engineering.NASA's Curiosity rover stumbled across a peculiar-looking metallic meteorite last week, while climbing the slopes of Mars' Mount Sharp. Meteorites are pretty common on the Red Planet due to its thin atmosphere and proximity to the asteroid belt. But this little meteorite is unusually smooth - almost like someone's buffed it. It also has several deep grooves, which suggests that it might have been molten at some point in time. Nicknamed the 'Egg Rock' because of its smoothness, Curiosity was able to take a close enough image of the structure for NASA scientists to analyse its composition. For now, they think the meteorite is most likely made of nickel-iron, and came from the core of a structure in the asteroid belt. Objects in the asteroid belt are often sent smashing into Mars after being kicked out by Jupiter's gravity. Based on its appearance, it's likely the metallic meteorite became molten as it entered Mars' atmosphere, before hardening once it reached the surface - which could explain both the smoothness and some of the strange grooves that suggest the effects of weathering. You can get a better look at the meteorite, which is only 4 cm (1.6 inches) wide, in this close-up taken by Curiosity's ChemCam Remote Micro-Imager: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/ASU Finding meteorites on the Red Planet might not be a rare occurrence, but it's always exciting for researchers, seeing as many of the rocks that land on the surface of Mars wouldn't make it through Earth's atmosphere. That gives us the chance to study chunks of the Solar System we wouldn't otherwise come across - and it could help scientists to explain more about the objects in the asteroid belt, as well as conditions on the Red Planet. Mars also has less oxidation and weather erosion compared to Earth, so the meteorites on its surface are in a better condition than any that do make it through our thick atmosphere. Curiosity is now roving around the base of Mount Sharp, and continuing to look for evidence that the area might have once been habitable. We've already detected evidence of liquid flowing water on the surface of the Red Planet, and research suggests that the Gale Crater, where Curiosity landed, might have once been a giant lake. But since our favourite little rover is banned from directly investigating any sources of liquid water, for now it's giving us a better understanding of the habitability of the Red Planet by analysing soil and rock samples, and providing high-res images of the alien environment. We're looking forward to seeing what it finds next.A Bitcoin trader and a film technician were involved in an online global operation described as "a new era in drug dealing", a court has heard. A Bitcoin trader and a film technician were involved in an online global operation described as "a new era in drug dealing", a court has heard. Two Irishmen caught with €143k of LSD and cannabis plead guilty to global drug dealing on Dark Net Neil Mannion (34) and Richard O'Connor (34) were charged with possessing drugs worth €143,000 following a garda raid on a business premises in south Dublin in October 2014. Detective Sergeant Brian Roberts compared the operation of selling drugs on the "Dark Net" to eBay or Amazon, saying: "it's a new phenomenon that's growing and ultimately the modern era of drug dealing". Mannion, of Mount Drummond Avenue, Harold's Cross and O'Connor, of Clonskeagh Road, Clonskeagh both pleaded guilty to possession of LSD, amphetamine and cannabis resin with intent to sell or supply at Bank House Business Centre, South Circular Road on November 5 2014. Neither have any previous convictions. The court heard former Eircom worker Mannion had set up the online drug dealing business and that O'Conner was paid up to €600 a week to post the packages to customers in countries like Japan, Argentina and the USA. Judge Martin Nolan said he would think about the case over the weekend and deal with it at 2pm on Monday. He remanded both men in custody to then. Online EditorsNicotine patches significantly improved attention and memory in older people suffering from mild cognitive impairment, which often leads to Alzheimer's, according to a new study. Before you get excited, smokers, the researchers say the study has nothing to do with cigarettes. They looked at 74 non-smokers with an average age of 76. Half got a nicotine patch of 15 mg per day for six months; the other poor bastards got a placebo. Neither group knew whether they had the real patch. Advertisement Dr. Paul Newhouse, director of the Center for Cognitive Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, reports in the journal Neuroscience that the patches helped patients do better on cognitive tests for "attention memory, speed of processing and consistency of processing." After 6 months of treatment, the nicotine group regained 46 percent of normal longterm memory for their age. The placebo group got 26 percent worse. Dr. Newhouse doesn't recommend running out and buying nicotine patches for elderly family members, or yourself for that matter, because precise dosage seems to be important: "If you're already functioning fine, but slip down the hill, nicotine will push you back up toward the top," he says in a press release. "A little bit of the drug makes poor performers better. Too much, and it makes them worse again, so there's a range. The key issue is to find the sweet spot where it helps." Plus, while nicotine alone is not nearly as bad for you as when it's delivered via cancer stick, it's not entirely safe. Some of the bad things it does on its own include possibly increasing your chance of getting diabetes, it can speed up tumor growth, it can be intensely addictive, and it can kill you if you overdose. There might be more, research is ongoing. Advertisement But in addition to potentially treating Alzheimer's symptoms, researchers are looking to nicotine as a potential treatment for Parkinson's. Studies have also found nicotine helps ulcerative colitis patients suffer fewer flare ups. Stanford research found nicotine helps grow new blood vessels, which can be good in people like diabetes patients with poor circulation (but it's bad when the blood vessels are in tumors). Something many of these studies have in common is acetylcholine, a naturally-occurring compound and neurotransmitter in the brain that helps nerve cells fire. Nicotine is similar to acetylcholine structurally, so it behaves similarly: it stimulates and regulates the firing of neurons and the release of brain chemicals including serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine (which also makes it a mood booster for some people). Researchers think nicotine's similarity to acetylcholine has something to do with blood vessel formation as well: endothelial cells, which line the inside of blood vessels, carry a receptor that binds to acetylcholine (and probably nicotine too). The following is my thinking alone, and not a recommendation in any way to anyone: With the recent news that cognitive decline begins as early as age 45, it's a little bit tempting to stock up on nicotine patches. Or e-cigarettes? Oh, and in the study published today, subjects also lost weight. Hm. Twist my arm? [Neurology] Advertisement Image: Shutterstock/lev dolgachov2010. Photoshop CS4 + Wacom Intuos4. About 30 x 40 cm.No reference used except for the her left hand (mine obviously!Brushes and texture by me and CG TextureSketch:Personal work.This is another entry inspired by Stardust, by. As you probably already guessed, she is the beautiful Yvonne, the fallen star.I represented her while she is holding the jade pendant of the Stormhold royal family. She is a bit sad, as in the book description.I have nothing to say about this piece in particular, but I have to admit I really enjoyed to do all jewelry she wears, I really love painting gold and precious stones.As usual, the poetry on background is the same of the other painting. It's by John Donne. I have it in my Stardust copy, as a sort of "incipit" for the novel, I guess you can find it in every world wide version...I hope you enjoy it!EDIT: I fixed her right hand a bit, thanks to some users critiques...The other entry:“There will be a substantial reward for the one who finds the Millennium Falcon. You are free to use any methods necessary, but I want them alive. No disintegrations.” –Darth Vader, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back In the aftermath of the Battle of Hoth, the Rebellion lies scattered across the galaxy. Though the Rebels’ strength has dispersed, they will surely reunite and reform unless the Empire can hunt down and destroy the Rebel leaders who have already gone into hiding. Your hunt for these missing criminals may lead you to unsavory characters, but whether you’re working for the Empire or striking out on your own, your best chance of assassinating the Rebel leaders lies with bounty hunters like Dengar. The Dengar Villain Pack, like other Imperial Assault figure packs, offers a sculpted plastic figure of Dengar to replace the token from the Return to Hoth expansion. This Villain Pack offers far more than a simple plastic figure, however. You’ll find a new three-card Agenda set that you can use to pursue the Rebel heroes through any campaign, while new Command cards and two unique skirmish missions using the Hoth Battle Station map bring new adventures to your head-to-head games of Imperial Assault. Today, we’ll explore the treacherous twists and punishing tactics contained in the Dengar Villain Pack as we look closer at this ruthless killer. Severe Punishment Dengar was one of the bounty hunters summoned by Darth Vader to the bridge of the Executor in The Empire Strikes Back, and he earned his place there with his reputation for ruthlessness and wrath. In your games of Imperial Assault, you can use this same unyielding anger to punish your opponent’s figures, one attack at a time. In combat, Dengar’s surge abilities may initially seem limited—he receives a constant boost to his accuracy, and he can spend a surge to deal two additional damage to his target. Closer examination, however, proves that Dengar has a vast array of options in his surge abilities. By spending a surge, Dengar can trigger the Punishment ability, which reads, “After the attack resolves, if the target suffered 1 or more damage, choose 1 Harmful condition. The target gains that condition. This ability can be triggered multiple times in the same attack.” Punishment gives you unparalleled control over how you respond to your opponent’s tactics. If you need to slow down your opponent, you can inflict the Stunned condition. If you want to deal damage, you can inflict Bleeding. You could even Weaken your opponent to reduce their offensive and defensive prowess! And because you can trigger Punishment multiple times with a single attack, you may even inflict all three conditions at once. Of course, you still need surges to trigger Punishment multiple times. Dengar has the opportunity to gain more surges with his Contempt ability: when you attack, if your target doesn’t have a Harmful condition, you automatically apply an additional surge to your attack results. The combination of Contempt and Punishment allows Dengar to roam the battlefield, spreading Harmful conditions to your opponent’s forces at will. Because a figure can never have more than one copy of a single condition, Dengar is of limited use when attacking a figure who already has numerous Harmful conditions. To deal the most punishment to your opponent, Dengar should target your opponent’s figures in turn, dealing conditions and moving on, eventually returning to freshly healed figures if necessary. While Dengar softens your foes for the killing blow, your heavy-hitters can follow in support, taking down weakened figures and eliminating threats while they’re most vulnerable. Cruel Tactics In your campaigns, Dengar can quickly become an invaluable asset as you hunt down the Rebel heroes. Because the Rebels have a very small pool of figures, the Harmful conditions that Dengar inflicts are even more detrimental. By Stunning, Bleeding, and Weakening the heroes, you’ll enable your other figures to wound them more easily and end the mission in your favor. You may also use the new three-card Agenda set included in this figure pack to inflict your punishment on the Rebels throughout an entire campaign. To begin, a new Agenda side mission challenges the heroes to travel deep into the wildernesses of Naboo in search of a key Rebel operative who has been abducted by Dengar. This operative has some extraordinarily vital information, but the mission won’t be easy, and if the Rebels bypass the mission, the Empire can hire Dengar for any future campaign missions. The other cards in this Agenda set give you even more ways to take advantage of the Harmful conditions that you inflict. You may play Targeted Cruelty after an attack applies a Harmful condition to immediately choose another Harmful condition and force the targeted figure to gain that condition as well. Alternatively, you may play Beaten Down on a Rebel figure that already has a Harmful condition. The chosen figure then suffers one damage and two strain, pushing them even closer to becoming wounded. Fearless and Inventive You may choose to hire Dengar for your skirmish games as well, if only to take advantage of his penchant for Harmful conditions. Dengar can be an admirable addition to a skirmish strike team, Stunning, Bleeding, and Weakening enemy figures at will. You may also choose to include the new Mercenaries skirmish upgrade included in the Dengar Villain Pack. Punishing Strike is a new skirmish upgrade that gives you a second level control over the conditions your figures inflict. Whenever one of your figures applies a Harmful condition to an enemy figure, you may exhaust Punishing Strike to discard that condition and instead apply a different Harmful condition of your choice! In effect, if one of your figures can inflict a single type of Harmful condition, Punishing Strike gives it the option to inflict any Harmful condition. By tailoring the conditions you inflict to your situation, you can respond to eminent threats and control your opponent’s figures until you achieve victory. Three new Command cards also enter the playing field for your Imperial Assault skirmishes. If you’re attempting to rush to victory before your opponent can match you, you may play Dangerous Bargains. This Command card can only be played if you have thirty or fewer victory points, and it immediately grants three victory points to you and your opponent, pushing both of you closer to the finish line. Alternatively, if figures like Han Solo or the Imperial Officers are decimating your forces by allowing figures to attack outside of their activations, you may play Brace Yourself. This Command card automatically applies two blocks to your defense results, provided it’s not the attacker’s activation. Finally, you can play Payback, Dengar’s unique Command card that gives him a special edge in any skirmish. You can play Payback immediately after an attack targeting Dengar resolves to let him immediately attack his foolish opponent. You also apply two additional surges to the attack, which offers more opportunity for triggering Punishment and inflicting more Harmful conditions on your hapless target. Whenever Dengar enters the skirmish field, one thing is certain—your opponent will take much more punishment than they’d like. Hunt Them Down With this Imperial Assault Villain Pack, you have the chance to hunt down the Rebel leaders in a campaign or skirmish game. Take up the hunt with Dengar and decapitate the Rebel Alliance before it can regroup and oppose the Empire once more! Pre-order your copy of the Dengar Villain Pack at your local retailer today.Networking equipment manufacturer Cisco has announced that it's entered into a "long-term patent cross-licensing agreement" with Google covering "a broad range of products and technologies." Aside from the obvious benefits involved in each company having a license to the other's patents, the deal is intended to reduce the risk of future lawsuits by keeping IP out of the hands of patent trolls. In today's news release Google Deputy General Counsel for Patents Allen Lo is quoted as saying "Our agreement with Cisco will reduce the potential for litigation, letting us focus instead on building great new products." The news comes hot on the heels of a similar agreement between Google and key Android partner Samsung. Google also held onto Motorola's patent portfolio following its agreement to sell of the smartphone maker to Chinese firm Lenovo. Source: MarketWiredHouston's World Series fever has spread to one of the city's most treasured residents: rapper Paul Wall. Paul Wall wearing his signature grillz. AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File Wall, who is best known for his affinity for grillz (gold teeth), wants to share his look with the Houston Astros and took to Twitter to make his offer public. U know we had to do it! In celebration of @astros goin to the World Series we are offering free grillz for the entire team c/o me/ @tvjohnny — Paul Wall (@paulwallbaby) October 22, 2017 Pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. was quick to share the team's excitement over their new bling. A lot of the guys are hype for this tbh let's do it! https://t.co/8X9YAasXT4 — Lance McCullers Jr. (@LMcCullers43) October 23, 2017 @LMcCullers43 I got u big Homie! 💯💯💯🤘🤘🤘 — Paul Wall (@paulwallbaby) October 24, 2017 But the offer isn't just limited to the players. Astros reporter Julia Morales is also going to have her teeth -- to quote Wall -- gleaming like she's chewing on aluminum foil. Are u in Houston now? Come by the store ASAP so we can have u ready for Game 3 on the field Johnny Dang & Co 6224 Richmond Ave Dm info — Paul Wall (@paulwallbaby) October 24, 2017 Wall also welcomed one of the team's famous fiancées to collect her grillz as well. DEFINITELY — Paul Wall (@paulwallbaby) October 24, 2017 The World Series kicks off with Game 1 in Los Angeles on Tuesday night at 8:09 PM. The series returns to Houston for Game 3 on Friday. --Sam HenkenGovernment officials and grant recipients must also be held accountable for fraud Guest post by Paul Driessen False, misleading or fraudulent claims have long brought the wrath of juries, judges and government agencies down on perpetrators. So have substandard manufacturing practices. * GlaxoSmith Klein has agreed to plead guilty and pay a $750-million fine for manufacturing deficiencies at a former pharmaceuticals plant. Even though there was no indication of patient harm, said the US attorney, the fine was needed “to pressure companies to follow the rules.” * Johnson & Johnson was recently slapped with a $258-million jury verdict for allegedly misleading claims about the safety and superiority of an antipsychotic drug. J&J’s actions “defrauded the Louisiana Medicaid system,” prosecutors argued. (The company intends to appeal.) * The Feds have also prosecuted baseball players for lying to congressional investigators about using performance-enhancing steroids. Said a prosecutor: “Even when you’re just providing information to the Legislative Branch, you need to be truthful.” Who could oppose following the rules, making quality products and being honest? But shouldn’t these values apply where far more is at stake than a few companies, pills, baseball records or bad role models? Shouldn’t we demand that these rules apply to people and actions that have unprecedented impact on lives, livelihoods, liberties and communities throughout the country? Can we afford to continue having double standards that let government officials violate basic standards of honesty and accountability that they apply “vigorously” to citizens and companies? Why should legislators, regulators and investigators be exempt from rules they devise and impose on everyone else? Shouldn’t we teach our kids that government officials mustn’t lie to us, either? Few examples are as immediate, costly and far-reaching as the new ozone, dust, mercury and carbon dioxide rules that EPA regulators are trying to impose, under the guise of protecting air quality, planetary climate and human health. Few corporate executives or citizens are as exempt from basic legal standards as the energy and climate czars, czarinas, bureaucrats, and government-funded scientists and activists who seek to inflict their anti-hydrocarbon agenda on us, regardless of the science – or the impacts on jobs, prosperity, families and civil rights progress. The Environmental Protection Agency’s new mercury, ozone and soot rules alone would eliminate up to 76,000 megawatts of generating capacity by 2015, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation calculates. That’s 7% of total US electric generating capacity – enough to power 38,000,000 homes under normal conditions. It’s 1.2 times the all-time peak electricity demand record for the entire state of Texas. Credit Suisse estimates that compliance with these new standards will cost the power generation industry (ie, electricity consumers) $150 billion by 2020, to retrofit coal plants or replace them with natural gas-fired units. NERA Economic Consulting calculates that meeting EPA’s proposed new 60 ppb ozone standard alone would impose an annual cost of $1-trillion per year and cumulative losses of 7.3 million jobs; create hundreds of new air quality non-attainment areas; require millions more car inspections and repairs; and block numerous highway, residential and commercial construction projects. The costs are monstrous – the benefits negligible, illusory or fabricated. The ozone rules would send power plant emissions almost to natural background levels in many areas. That’s just for starters. EPA claims coal-fired power plants release “40% of all domestic human-caused mercury emissions.” But only a quarter of this is deposited in the contiguous United States. The National Center for Atmospheric Research says total mercury emissions from U.S. power plants are roughly equivalent to what comes from trees burned in forest fires. (Natural mercury in soils is taken up by trees through their roots.) Some 30% of mercury that lands in the US comes from other countries. And according to data collected by the Science and Public Policy Institute, when emissions from volcanoes, oceanic geothermal vents and other natural sources are also factored in, US power plants may account for as little as 0.5% of total annual US mercury emissions and 0.002% of global emissions. Worse, these huge energy, employment and economic impacts do not include the far more massive costs and intrusions associated with EPA’s scheme to slash carbon dioxide emissions, supposedly to safeguard “human health and welfare” from “dangerous” plant-fertilizing carbon dioxide and the manmade global warming that CO2 allegedly causes. The Brookings Institute, Congressional Budget Office, Charles River Associates, Heritage Foundation and other analysts have documented the economic impacts. Delaware Senate candidate Chris Coons may “earn” millions if cap-tax-and-trade passes or the EPA rules are implemented. The rest of America will pay big-time. America’s #1 priority is fixing the economy and jobs. EPA’s seems to be killing them. As to the “science” behind what the White House now calls “global climate disruption,” the ClimateGate emails underscored how deceptive, manipulated and even fraudulent the supposed evidence actually was. The IPCC’s headline-grabbing climate “disasters” turned out to be based on environmentalist press releases, casual email comments, anecdotal stories, student theses, studies that had absolutely nothing to do with climate change, and almost anything except honest peer-reviewed science. On October 6, highly respected physicist Harold Lewis resigned from the American Physical Society. He had believed the climate chaos claims – but kept studying the science, pro and con, for years. He still saw a small human element in climate-forcing mechanisms, but no longer believed the alarmist hysteria. Finally, he’d had it, and said so bluntly in his resignation letter to APS President Curtis Gallan: “[T]he global warming scam, with the (literally) trillions of dollars driving it, has corrupted so many scientists, and has carried APS before it like a rogue wave. It is the greatest and most successful pseudoscientific fraud I have seen in my long life as a physicist. Anyone who has the faintest doubt that this is so should force himself to read the ClimateGate documents, which lay it bare. I don’t believe any real physicist, nay scientist, can read that stuff without revulsion.” As for EPA, instead of conducting its own analysis of competing climate change claims, the agency simply adopted the bogus IPCC conclusions. Even in the face of the unfolding ClimateGate and IPCC scandals, Administrator Lisa Jackson proudly and pointedly refused to alter her position or plans. While the Glaxo whistleblower stands to get $96 million for turning in his company, EPA research analyst Alan Carlin got sent to bureaucratic Siberia for issuing an independent analysis that disagreed with his agency. Now we face another monumental federal power grab, this time of the hydrocarbon energy that powers 85% of the American economy. The looming seizure of our money, jobs and liberties is based on shoddily manufactured “evidence,” fraudulent data and science, good-old-boy peer reviews, and false or misleading reports and testimony that would earn any citizen or company exec major fines and jail time. When Republicans take control of the House of Representatives, their first order of business should be investigating the “manmade climate disaster” industry. They should subpoena federal employees and grant recipients, question them under oath regarding their funding and activities, and hold robust, public, expert debates on the science, economics, costs and supposed benefits of cap-tax-and-trade, carbon dioxide “endangerment,” ozone, and other punitive government policies that are strangling our nation’s energy and economic future. They need to ensure that basic rules of honesty, transparency and accountability are finally applied as forcefully to regulators and taxpayer-funded scientists and activists, as to the rest of us. ================================================ Paul Driessen is senior policy advisor for the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow and Congress of Racial Equality, and author of Eco-Imperialism: Green power – Black death. No more double standards Government officials and grant recipients must also be held accountable for fraud Paul Driessen False, misleading or fraudulent claims have long brought the wrath of juries, judges and government agencies down on perpetrators. So have substandard manufacturing practices. * GlaxoSmith Klein has agreed to plead guilty and pay a $750-million fine for manufacturing deficiencies at a former pharmaceuticals plant. Even though there was no indication of patient harm, said the US attorney, the fine was needed “to pressure companies to follow the rules.” * Johnson & Johnson was recently slapped with a $258-million jury verdict for allegedly misleading claims about the safety and superiority of an antipsychotic drug. J&J’s actions “defrauded the Louisiana Medicaid system,” prosecutors argued. (The company intends to appeal.) * The Feds have also prosecuted baseball players for lying to congressional investigators about using performance-enhancing steroids. Said a prosecutor: “Even when you’re just providing information to the Legislative Branch, you need to be truthful.” Who could oppose following the rules, making quality products and being honest? But shouldn’t these values apply where far more is at stake than a few companies, pills, baseball records or bad role models? Shouldn’t we demand that these rules apply to people and actions that have unprecedented impact on lives, livelihoods, liberties and communities throughout the country? Can we afford to continue having double standards that let government officials violate basic standards of honesty and accountability that they apply “vigorously” to citizens and companies? Why should legislators, regulators and investigators be exempt from rules they devise and impose on everyone else? Shouldn’t we teach our kids that government officials mustn’t lie to us, either? Few examples are as immediate, costly and far-reaching as the new ozone, dust, mercury and carbon dioxide rules that EPA regulators are trying to impose, under the guise of protecting air quality, planetary climate and human health. Few corporate executives or citizens are as exempt from basic legal standards as the energy and climate czars, czarinas, bureaucrats, and government-funded scientists and activists who seek to inflict their anti-hydrocarbon agenda on us, regardless of the science – or the impacts on jobs, prosperity, families and civil rights progress. The Environmental Protection Agency’s new mercury, ozone and soot rules alone would eliminate up to 76,000 megawatts of generating capacity by 2015, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation calculates. That’s 7% of total US electric generating capacity – enough to power 38,000,000 homes under normal conditions. It’s 1.2 times the all-time peak electricity demand record for the entire state of Texas. Credit Suisse estimates that compliance with these new standards will cost the power generation industry (ie, electricity consumers) $150 billion by 2020, to retrofit coal plants or replace them with natural gas-fired units. NERA Economic Consulting calculates that meeting EPA’s proposed new 60 ppb ozone standard alone would impose an annual cost of $1-trillion per year and cumulative losses of 7.3 million jobs; create hundreds of new air quality non-attainment areas; require millions more car inspections and repairs; and block numerous highway, residential and commercial construction projects. The costs are monstrous – the benefits negligible, illusory or fabricated. The ozone rules would send power plant emissions almost to natural background levels in many areas. That’s just for starters. EPA claims coal-fired power plants release “40% of all domestic human-caused mercury emissions.” But only a quarter of this is deposited in the contiguous United States. The National Center for Atmospheric Research says total mercury emissions from U.S. power plants are roughly equivalent to what comes from trees burned in forest fires. (Natural mercury in soils is taken up by trees through their roots.) Some 30% of mercury that lands in the US comes from other countries. And according to data collected by the Science and Public Policy Institute, when emissions from volcanoes, oceanic geothermal vents and other natural sources are also factored in, US power plants may account for as little as 0.5% of total annual US mercury emissions and 0.002% of global emissions. Worse, these huge energy, employment and economic impacts do not include the far more massive costs and intrusions associated with EPA’s scheme to slash carbon dioxide emissions, supposedly to safeguard “human health and welfare” from “dangerous” plant-fertilizing carbon dioxide and the manmade global warming that CO2 allegedly causes. The Brookings Institute, Congressional Budget Office, Charles River Associates, Heritage Foundation and other analysts have documented the economic impacts. Delaware Senate candidate Chris Coons may “earn” millions if cap-tax-and-trade passes or the EPA rules are implemented. The rest of America will pay big-time. America’s #1 priority is fixing the economy and jobs. EPA’s seems to be killing them. As to the “science” behind what the White House now calls “global climate disruption,” the ClimateGate emails underscored how deceptive, manipulated and even fraudulent the supposed evidence actually was. The IPCC’s headline-grabbing
the banking industry's despicable transgressions against humanity will once again return to its rightful place as common knowledge among the masses and not just among the few. Though the banking elite are now increasingly being exposed for their criminal activities against humanity in their theft of citizens’ wealth, rarely is another one of their greatest transgressions, their theft of citizens’ minds and the process by which they target and transform young adults into docile, obedient creatures through institutional academia, ever discussed. Below, please find a video of how children are targeted at a young age with psychotropic drugs, Skinner operant and Pavlov stimulus-response behavioral modification, and outcome based education (OBE) in the institutional schooling system to literally “dumb down” the critical thinking skills of young adults and turn them into zombie-like unthinking robots. Through behavioral modification and the heavy use of drugs, the banking elite are not only stealing wealth globally at this current time, but also stealing the minds of children to ensure that they will mature into obedient citizens of the state with very little capacity to exert their free-will and determine for themselves the dirty truth of the global monetary system and of our consequent enslavement. If you do not know of the intimate connection between the banking elite and their foray into, and their control of the global education system, then the below video is for you. References included in the above video: The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America, by Charlotte Iserbyt The Illusions of Psychiatry, by Marcia Angell Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America, by Robert Whitaker Unhinged: The Trouble with Psychiatry—A Doctor's Revelations About a Profession in Crisis, by Daniel Carlat Doping Kids with Ritalin for ADHD, by Kelly Patricia O'Meara Ritalin use for ADHD children soars fourfold, by Jamie Doward & Emma Craig Raising the Ritalin Generation, by Bronwen Hruska Infants receiving the most vaccines are the most likely to be hospitalized and die, by Neil Z. Miller About the author: JS Kim is the Founder & Managing Director of SmartKnowledgeU, a fiercely independent investment & research consulting firm with a focus on Precious Metals and a mission of fighting the debt enslavement goals of bankers with a return to sound money principles. Follow us on Twitter @smartknowledgeu (Our promise to all of our clients is to keep them informed of the criminal banking cartel's movements in global financial markets to the best of our abilities every year. Despite the year-end banking cartel raid on gold & silver and the PPT pump of stock markets in 2012, our flagship Crisis Investment Opportunities newsletter still outperformed the US S&P 500 in 2012).The Missouri State Teachers Association has sued to block provisions of a new state law that would require schools to ban private electronic communications between teachers and students. The group says that these provisions violate teachers' First Amendment rights. The legislation was signed by Governor Jay Nixon in July. The bill is designed to protect school children from sexual misconduct and other harms. It mandates reporting of sexual abuse, prohibits sex offenders from serving on school boards, and regulates weapons in schools. According to the Associated Press, the legislation was drafted after a study found 87 cases of teachers losing their license as a result of sexual misconduct allegations between 2001 and 2005. But the provision that has attracted national attention—and a legal challenge from the MSTA—because it instructs school districts to adopt new policies concerning student-teacher communications. Starting in January, teachers may not "establish, maintain, or use a nonwork-related Internet site" that allows the posting of information that's available only to the teacher and a particular student. What this means isn't clear, but a literal reading would seem to prohibit teachers from using sites such as Facebook—which includes the capability for private messages—at all. The bill's sponsor, state Sen. Jane Cunningham, told the Kansas City Star that she didn't mean the law to be so broad. "We're not prohibiting anything except hidden communication between an educator and a minor," she said. The legislation would also allow teachers to use "work-related Internet sites" if the information on them is available to school administrators and to parents. The ban on private communication applies to former students until they graduate or reach the age of 18. The MSTA's lawsuit notes several problems with the law. For example, there's no exception for teachers whose own children are in the same district. Taken literally, the law seems to ban such parents from sending private messages to their own children. Similarly, teachers who are also youth leaders in church could not use sites such as Facebook to communicate with students about church-related activities. Finally, the MSTA says the law is "so vague and overbroad that the Plaintiffs cannot know with confidence what conduct is permitted." The MSTA wasn't the only organization worried about the law's constitutional implications. The ACLU of Eastern Missouri had also expressed concerns about the bill and has been considering a legal challenge.In October-November 2016, the gold import bill of is expected to be similar to the first six months, the country’s current account deficit (CAD) for these two months will be greater than the first half of the season as per ICRA. This year for gold, the remaining demand would further impact the deficit size of second half of 2016-17. Within $20 billion, India’s CAD should be which was near $22 billion in FY16, As per ICRA report. The gold import volumes may decline significantly in coming months if the recent amendments to the IncomeTax Act dispel demand for the holding of gold as well as jewellery. During December2016-March 2017, assuming that the volume of gold imports reverts to an average of around 45 tonnes per month which is seen in April-November 2016, in FY2017, India’s current account deficit would be curtailed at around $15 billion. However, if the quantity of gold imports in the last four months of FY2017 is raised at an average of 70 tonnes per month, driven by an extended wedding demand, India’s current account deficit could be as much as nearly $20 billion dollars in FY2017” informed Aditi Nayar, the Principal Economist at ICRA. From $33.2 billion in April- October 2015 to $26.4 billion in April¬-October 2016, Imports of gold, silver and precious and semi-precious stones have fallen, whereas from $23.1 billion in April–October 2015 to $26.4 billion in April-¬October 2016 exports have increased. Either the domestic stock was emptied or some unofficial channels used for imports concluded by these figures. The rise in Nov 2016 gold imports occurred to get stock for the wedding and festive season and may be to an extent as an impact of demonetization. Through the legal channels, the demand for gold in the coming few months will impact the CAD in the second half this fiscal. In a range of $1150-1250 per ounce, ICRA expects the gold prices as per the international market trends. In the third quarter of this fiscal, The oil imports will not see any growth as due to demonetization temporarily and the demand for diesel for irrigation related activities is also falling due to good stock levels the oil imports will not see any growth. Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), On November 2016, from January 2017 had decided to cut down total crude oil production by 1.2 million barrels per day. This will keep crude costs greater than $55per gun barrel in December16-March17 which was at $45/barrel for April-November2016. This improves in raw price boosts India’s crude import bill by $4billion in staying off this financial. In the first quarter of FY17 CAD of India was $0.3 billion against $6.1 billion in Q1 FY16. In the second quarter of FY17, the trade deficit of merchandises is falling. So the second quarter CAD will come out to $2.5-3-5 billion dollars which are more than 50% drop from $8.5 billion dollars of the second quarter of FY16. As per ICRA, the CAD of the first half of the FY17 is going to be below $4billion.Athens-Clarke County police are seeking help from the public in identifying a suspect who fraudulently withdrew nearly $4,000 from a woman's account with a local bank. Police have been unable to identify the suspect since the Dec. 23 incident at First American Bank on College Avenue, and they have released bank surveillance photographs with the hopes someone might recognize her. The illegal withdrawal of $3,800 was made by using the victim's driver's license, which had been stolen from her car while it was parked at Prince Avenue Christian School in Oconee County, police said. "It was presented by the female in the video footage, which enabled her to impersonate the account holder and make the withdrawal," Athens-Clarke County police Detective Matt Cross said. Anyone with information on the identity of the suspect is asked to contact Detective Cross at (706) 613-3888, ext. 283, or call the Crime Stoppers confidential tip line at (706) 613-3342. • Follow Criminal Justice reporter Joe Johnson at www.facebook.com/JoeJohnsonABH or www.twitter.com/JoeJohnsonABH."You Rock My World" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson from his tenth and final studio album Invincible (2001) It was released as the lead single from the album on August 22, 2001 by Epic Records. This was his last song to top the charts during his lifetime. "You Rock My World" peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Jackson's first top ten song in the United States in over six years, and his last in the country until "Love Never Felt So Good" (a duet with Justin Timberlake) hit number 9 in 2014. The track reached number one in France, Poland, Portugal, Romania, South Africa, and Spain. It also peaked within the top ten in Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. As part of promotion for the song, a music video was released. The video, which is thirteen and a half minutes long, was directed by Paul Hunter and features Chris Tucker and Marlon Brando. In the video, Jackson and Tucker portray men who are trying to gain a woman's affection. The video has been compared to Jackson's previous videos "Smooth Criminal" and "The Way You Make Me Feel". The song was performed only twice by Jackson; at Madison Square Garden in New York City at two concerts on September 7th and the 10th on 2001 to celebrate Jackson's career as a solo artist. Footage of the performance was shown in the two-hour CBS television special, Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration. The track was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 44th Grammy Awards. Background [ edit ] "You Rock My World" was recorded by Michael Jackson for his studio album, Invincible (2001). The song was written and composed by Michael Jackson and produced by Jackson and Jerkins.[2] "You Rock My World" was officially released as the lead single from the album in mid-August 2001, by Epic Records.[3] Prior to the singles official release it had been leaked to two New York radio stations on Friday, August 17.[3] Immediately after the songs radio airplay the radio stations had received "a herd of [radio] callers asking for more."[3] "You Rock My World" was first played on the WJTM-FM station at 6 p.m., with WKTU-FM airing the song 45 minutes later.[3] Both stations had played the single every two hours until around 6 p.m. Saturday, when Jackson's record label, Epic Records, called the program director for both stations, Frankie Blue, who was also a friend of Jackson, and asked him to stop. Blue later recalled, "They informed me of the dangers of playing a song too early." He refused to say how the song came into his possession.[3] Composition [ edit ] "You Rock My World" is credited as being an uptempo[3] disco-pop and R&B song that has vibrating vocal harmonies.[4][5] The song is played in the time signature of common time in the key E minor, with Jackson's vocal range spanning from the tonal nodes of E3 to Bb4.[6] "You Rock My World" has a moderate tempo of 95 beats per minute.[6] The chord progression in the song is Em7–C9-Bm7–Am7–D–Em7.[6] The song's composition has been compared to Jackson's previous material with Quincy Jones from the 1970s and 1980s,[4] as well as the disco-theme from Jackson's 1979 single, "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough".[7] Chris Tucker voices the vocal introduction of the song while all the instruments heard on the track were played by Jackson and Rodney Jerkins.[3] Lyrically, the song's lyrics are about being in love, as well as the effect that it can have, as evident in the opening line, "My life will never be the same, 'cause, girl, you came and changed the way I walk, the way I talk, I cannot explain".[6] Critical reception [ edit ] Praise was mainly directed at the song's composition, while dissatisfaction towards the song was expressed by critics because they felt that the track was not Jackson's best material. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic listed "You Rock My World" as being a highlight for the Invincible album.[8] Reviewer Andrew Hamilton, also of AllMusic, stated that, "If anybody other than Michael Jackson had released 'You Rock My World' with the tons of publicity and promotion it was accorded, it would have slam dunked the charts and been a multiple award winner. It sold well and got play everywhere, but too many critics panned the song and the album it came from as not being good enough for an artist on Jackson's level."[9] Hamilton commented that people should "give Michael credit" because he was able to maintain a respectable career as a recording artist over the years of his later career.[9] James Hunter of Rolling Stone praised the song's vocal rhythms as being "finely sculpted" and "exquisite".[4] He noted that the song shows similarities to Jackson's previous material with Quincy Jones.[4] Mark Beaumont, a writer for NME, described the song as being a "disco classic" and commented that he felt that the song's brief intro was "funnier than Chris Evans on fire".[10] Catherine Halaby of Yale Daily News stated that the song "showcases the best of 'classic Michael'", and described the song as being "funky, catchy, upbeat, not too creepy".[11] "You Rock My World" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance - Male at the 44th Grammy Awards, but it lost the award to James Taylor's "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight".[12] It was Jackson's first Grammy nomination since 1997, for his single "Earth Song", and his first nomination in that category since 1995. Chart performance [ edit ] "You Rock My World" was commercially successful, generally charting within the top ten positions on music charts worldwide. The song was one of Jackson's last hit singles in the United States in the final years of his career. "You Rock My World" charted within the top twenty positions on the Billboard Hot 100 on September 15, 2001.[13] The following week, the song charted at its peak position, number ten.[13] It became Jackson's highest charting single since his 1995 number-one single, "You Are Not Alone". "You Rock My World" also charted at number seven and thirteen on Billboard's Pop chart and R&B/Hip-Hop Songs respectively.[13] Notably, these chart positions were attained based on airplay alone, as no commercial single was issued in the United States. Fred Bronson, Billboard's chart expert at the time, remarked, "Certainly, if a commercial single had been available, it would have peaked higher - perhaps even at no.1".[14] The song also charted within the top ten positions, peaking at number two, on the Canadian RPM Hot 100 chart.[15] "You Rock My World" debuted on the United Kingdom Singles Chart at number two, which was its peak position in the country, on October 20.[16] The song remained within the top twenty positions on the chart for four consecutive weeks, and remained within the top 100 positions for fifteen consecutive weeks from October 20, 2001, to January 26, 2002.[16] "You Rock My World" debuted on the French Singles Chart on October 13, 2001, at the number one position.[17] The song remained at the number one position on the chart for three consecutive weeks, and remained within the top twenty positions for ten consecutive weeks.[17] The song debuted on the Dutch Singles Charts at number four on October 20, and the following week, charted at its peak position, number two.[18] "You Rock My World" debuted on the Finnish Singles Chart on the forty first week of 2001, at its peak position, number two.[19] After three weeks, the song fell off the charts.[19] The song debuted at its peak position, number two, in Norway in the 42nd second week of 2001.[20] The song remained on the chart for six consecutive weeks, charting within the top twenty positions.[20] "You Rock My World" entered New Zealand charts on September 16, at number thirty one.[21] After seven weeks, the song charted at its peak position, number thirteen, and remained on the chart for twelve weeks in 2001.[21] "You Rock My World" debuted on the Australian Singles Chart at its peak position, number four.[22] After the song charted within the top fifty positions for five consecutive weeks, it fell off the chart, and re-entered two weeks later at number thirty seven, and fell off the chart for the second time on January 6, 2002.[22] "You Rock My World" debuted on the Italian Singles Chart on November 11, at its peak position number three, and remained within the top ten positions for four weeks in 2001.[23] The song peaked at number two and four on the Belgium Flanders and Walonia charts in 2001.[17] On the Austrian Singles Chart, the song debuted at its peak position, number nine, on October 21, and it remained on the chart for a total of eight weeks.[24] After Jackson's death in June 2009, "You Rock My World" re-entered music charts worldwide and re-entered Billboard charts for the first time in almost eight years. The song also peaked at number sixty two on Billboard's Digital Songs chart on July 11, 2009.[13] The song re-entered the United Kingdom Singles Chart on July 4, charting at number ninety-seven.[16] The following week the song charted at its peak position, number sixty, and charted out of the top 100 positions after spending three weeks on the chart.[16] "You Rock My World" re-entered the Australian Singles Chart for the third time on July 19, at number fifty.[22] The song remained on the chart for only one week.[22] Promotion [ edit ] In late August 2001, Jackson and Sony Music began a promotional campaign for "You Rock My World".[25] As part of promotion for the single, as well as the album, Jackson made a public appearance by celebrating his 43rd birthday—one day late—by presiding over the NASDAQ market opening ceremony in Times Square on Thursday morning, on August 30, 2001.[25] Jackson only performed "You Rock My World" twice. The only performances of "You Rock My World" was during two concerts in early September 2001, which was to celebrate Jackson's 30th year as solo artist, at Madison Square Garden. Tucker, who is part of the song's dialogue and video, was part of the live performance.[26] Footage of the second concert on September 10 was shown in a two-hour television special, titled Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration, which was aired on CBS in November of the same year. Music video [ edit ] The music video for "You Rock My World" was directed by Paul Hunter, and was released in 2001.[27] The video, which is over thirteen minutes long, was described as being a short film.[28] The dance performed during the video consists of fragments from the canceled "Dangerous" music video. The video consists of Jackson's and Tucker's characters trying to gain a woman's (Kishaya Dudley) affection by subsequently following her around the neighborhood. The video for "You Rock My World" was thought to be the last music video to feature any participation from Jackson before the video for "One More Chance" was unearthed (his following videos would consist of archive footage of himself and others).[29] The video has been compared to Jackson's previous 1980s music videos for his singles, "Smooth Criminal" (1987), "Bad" (1987), and "The Way You Make Me Feel" (1987), all from his 1987 studio album, Bad. In the video, Jackson can be seen wearing a blazer and his traditional hat. The video features appearances from Marlon Brando,[30] Michael Madsen and Billy Drago.[11] The video won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Music Video at the award shows 2002 ceremony.[31] In several instances in the video, Tucker's character makes several references to previous songs by Michael Jackson, such as "Beat It", "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)", "The Girl Is Mine", "Bad","Dangerous", and "Billie Jean". The short version of the music video appears on Number Ones, and the long version appears on Michael Jackson's Vision. Covers and homages [ edit ] In Episode 10 of the first season of the CW series Hellcats, "Pledging My Love", the cheerleading team, led by Derrick Altman (played by D. B. Woodside), danced to a shortened version of "You Rock My World" as a means for Altman to propose to coach Vanessa Lodge (played by Sharon Leal). The number was choreographed by episode director Debbie Allen. Live performances [ edit ] "You Rock My World" was performed twice live during the 30th anniversary concerts performed in late 2001. In the second concert, he was joined by Usher and Chris Tucker at the end, who danced with him. It was the only full song from Invincible that Jackson had performed live. The song was set to be performed in his This Is It concerts on certain days replacing "The Way You Make Me Feel". Track listing [ edit ] CD single No. Title Length 1. "You Rock My World" 5:39 2. "You Rock My World" (radio edit) 4:25 3. "You Rock My World" (instrumental) 5:07 4. "You Rock My World" (a cappella) 4:47 Total length: 19:18 European, Cassette and Australian single No. Title Length 1. "Intro" 0:32 2. "You Rock My World" (album edit) 5:07 3. "You Rock My World" (radio edit) 4:25 4. "You Rock My World" (instrumental) 5:07 5. "You Rock My World" (a cappella) 5:01 Total length: 20:12 CD promo No. Title Length 1. "Intro" 0:32 2. "You Rock My World" (album edit) 5:07 3. "You Rock My World" (radio edit) 4:25 Total length: 10:04 12" 1 No. Title Length 1. "Intro" 0:32 2. "You Rock My World" (album edit) 5:07 3. "You Rock My World" (instrumental) 5:07 4. "You Rock My World" (a cappella) 5:01 Total length: 15:47 12" 2 No. Title Length 1. "You Rock My World" 3:45 Total length: 3:45 Japan CD promo No. Title Length 1. "Intro" 0:32 2. "You Rock My World" 5:07 Total length: 5:39 VHS promo No. Title Length 1. "You Rock My World" (music video (short version)) 5:45 2. "You Rock My World" (music video) 10:26 3. "You Rock My World" (music video (extended version)) 13:44 Total length: 24:10 Argentinian Promo VCD No. Title Length 1. "You Rock My World" (full music video) 13:29 Total length: 13:29 Personnel [ edit ] Written and composed by Michael Jackson, Rodney Jerkins Produced and all musical instruments performed by Michael Jackson and Rodney Jerkins Lead and background vocals by Michael Jackson Intro by Chris Tucker and Michael Jackson Recorded by Brad Gilderman, Rodney Jerkins, Jean-Marie Horvat, Dexter Simmons and Stuart Brawley Digital editing by Harvey Mason, Jr. and Stuart Brawley Mixed by Bruce Swedien, Lyndell Fraser, and Rodney Jerkins Starring Michael Jackson, Chris Tucker, Marlon Brando, Michael Madsen, Billy Drago, introducing Kishaya Dudley. Directed by Paul Hunter Charts [ edit ] Certifications [ edit ] Region Certification Certified units/Sales Australia (ARIA)[65] Gold 35,000^ France (SNEP)[66] Gold 250,000[67] Norway (IFPI Norway)[68] Gold 5,000* United Kingdom (BPI)[69] Silver 200,000^ United States (RIAA)[70] Gold 500,000^ *sales figures based on certification alone ^shipments figures based on certification alone See also [ edit ] References [ edit ] Bibliography [ edit ]Cold Rain & Snow, Minglewood Blues, Ramble On Rose, My Brother Esau, It Must Have Been The Roses, Cassidy, Cumberland Blues, Looks Like Rain-> Might As Well Help On The Way-> Slipknot!-> Franklin's Tower-> Women Are Smarter, He's Gone-> Drums-> Truckin'-> Black Peter-> Not Fade Away, E: Revolution SBD > Cassette Master > Dat x 2 > CDR; via Bob Harrell plus-circle Add Review comment Reviews Reviewer: beautyanddabeast - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - July 23, 2015 Subject: Blistering Help-Slip-Franklins I had this on a good audience tape soon after the show and the HSF is absolutely great!! Jerry doesn't stop... - July 23, 2015Blistering Help-Slip-Franklins Reviewer: Hung, Wae-lo - - August 1, 2012 Subject: Phil never stopped singing "The first time Phil sang since circa 1976." Wrong! Although Phil may not have had a dedicated vocal mic on stage, he clearly sang throughout the 70s and 80s, and can be seen singing on Donna's mic during Truckin' at Duke, 4/12/78. Other visual evidence is on the Closing of Winterland, especially the famous photos of "Bid you Goodnight", when Phil took the mic (Donna's?) off of its stand to sing the encore. - August 1, 2012Phil never stopped singing Reviewer: Shut Up 'N' Play Yer Guitar - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - July 10, 2012 Subject: Hot Cumberland This is a great show. Cumberland Blues might be the best version I have heard. Jerry just won't stop :) Shut Up 'N' Play Yer Guitar -- July 10, 2012Hot Cumberland Reviewer: BIG_R - favorite favorite favorite favorite - May 20, 2010 Subject: 10-12-83 Sweet show. Excellent soundboard. - May 20, 201010-12-83 Reviewer: utopian - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - December 14, 2009 Subject: overshadowed people really buzzed about the previous nights st stephen, but this show is definitely up there with the tops of 83. fall 83 was such a strong tour and the drummers really kick it gear with a more punchy signiture bass drum sound. phil just started playing the six string bass less than a year previously and was dropping so many bombs that could help the songs peak out ever further. if you havn't, listen to 9-02-93 9-08-83 9-13-83 9-18-83 9-24-83 10-31-83 - December 14, 2009overshadowed Reviewer: beenwaytoolongatsea - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - October 8, 2007 Subject: the phil singing story for clarity's sake the thing about phil singing, he did indeed sing at the end of cold rain and snow, but it was not his 'debut' as he had joined bobby on bobby's mike at the end of stephen the night beore, it was FRIGGIN' AWESOME! i don't know about what that other guy said about the earlier cras on which phil may have sang it could be true but at the garden, he stepped up to bobby's and belted CAN YOU ANSWER YES I CAN BUT WHAT WOULD BE THE ANSWER TO THE ANSER MAN and then the next night at the end of cras he felt moved, i suppose, again, so he stepped up to bobby's, again, and let it rip...... now let's all remember, god blesss phil but his singing sucks now and it sucked then ::)) none the less seeing him those two nights in my home town, new york city, stepping up to the mike like that, and then, just the other night, in my home town now, here, in berkeley, phil, again, the same phil, even did st stephen for us, wow......... long and wonderful and indeed,,,,,,, sometimes very very strange..... by the way in the fall of '85 phil had his first full blown 'debut,' with his own mike, lead vocals, tom thumb blues at the nassau coliseum, that was his first number, by eighty six of course he was doing box, and tunes with brent. nuff bout phi's singing, to be sure....... these garden shows, both of them stephen and all, and the night or two later in hartford with stephen nuumber two, are supreme grateful dead. period. wowie the very best of the very best dt - October 8, 2007the phil singing story Reviewer: lobster12 - favorite favorite favorite favorite - July 23, 2006 Subject: very nice I know the st stephen show gets all the pub but this is top notch 83. Love the set lists and the playing is fantastic - July 23, 2006very nice Reviewer: skjellyfetti,m - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - October 8, 2005 Subject: burn it plug in your headphones turn it ALL the way up and wait till jerrys vocal definition in cold rain and snow lights your soul on best first set ever... standard song selection good recording...but this set may be worth giving up your old age hearing for...plug in your headphones turn it ALL the way upand wait till jerrys vocal definition in cold rain and snow lights your soul on fire.character and strength are the best way to define this 1st set. it'll blow most second sets away in bobby,jerry combo and jerry vocal catagories.a deadly jam in the cassidy climax.watch for the rythym and lead work in this jam it is the reason we all listen to this stuff..second set is o.k....dont know what happend during intermission. but energy didnt cary over the from 1st set. also have my doubts that 1st and 2nd sets come from the same recording source. - October 8, 2005burn it Reviewer: Dylanstubs - favorite favorite favorite favorite - July 13, 2005 Subject: Cold Rain and Phil Phil sang on the CRS at Santa Fe 9/10/83 as well. I think that might have actually been his 80s vocal debut. But this is a great one too!!! - July 13, 2005Cold Rain and Phil Reviewer: CT Deadhead - favorite favorite favorite favorite - May 3, 2005 Subject: Phil's Back I was at this show and had great seats. This was the best of the series. 10/11 offered the St. Stephen which they brought back for this particular tour, but otherwise was a disappointing show. What everyone is missing here, is during the chorus of Cold Rain & Snow at the end, Phil stepped up to Bobby's microphone and joined in the chorus. The first time Phil sang since circa 1976. It set the tone for the rest of the night. Check this one out. - May 3, 2005Phil's Back Reviewer: StrawRider - favorite favorite favorite favorite - March 13, 2005 Subject: Crippled But Free The Help on the Way~Slipknot!~Franklin's Tower is typical of 1983...Extremely Hot! This one's a keeper. Some don't like the mid-eighties junky Jerry shows, but I think '83 has a lot to offer. Check it out...and 10/11 too of course. Good job pointing out this one, stratocaster. Good sound here as well. - March 13, 2005Crippled But FreeBoth major parties have long histories of redistricting in their own interest, but since 2010, the benefits have flowed overwhelmingly to Republicans, who swept into Congress and statehouses around the country just as the decennial census set off a new round of redistricting. How big is that benefit? While the exact impact of gerrymandering is difficult to measure, a new study by the Brennan Center for Justice found that Republicans hold at least 16 to 17 congressional seats because of partisan bias in district boundaries — two-thirds of the 24 seats Democrats would need to retake control of the House. Even more remarkably, just seven states account for nearly all that bias, and all but one of them are swing states. During the last three election cycles, the study found, Michigan, Pennsylvania and North Carolina have consistently had the most extreme bias, accounting for seven to 10 extra Republican seats among them. In North Carolina, Republicans hold 10 of 13 congressional seats, even though the statewide vote is roughly split. In Pennsylvania, which Donald Trump won by less than one percentage point, the Republican advantage is 13 to 5. These three states, along with Ohio, Texas, Virginia and Florida, all share one feature: one-party control of the redistricting process. The study found that this was the most likely culprit behind the bias, for two reasons. First, there was significantly less bias in states that entrusted mapmaking to the courts or to independent commissions, or that gave Democrats and Republicans shared control over the process. Second, the researchers found little to no effect from neutral factors known to skew seat distribution — like the tendency of Democratic voters to live closer together in cities, thus wasting more votes than Republicans, who tend to be spread over a wider area. In the states with the worst partisan bias, voters are distributed fairly evenly.Police organizations across the country co-operated to spy on community organizations and activists in what the RCMP called one of the largest domestic intelligence operations in Canadian history, documents reveal. Information about the extensive police surveillance in advance of last year's G8 and G20 meetings in southern Ontario comes from evidence presented in the case of 17 people accused of orchestrating street turmoil during the summits. The court case ended Tuesday before it went to trial. Six of the defendants pleaded guilty to counselling mischief and two of those to an additional count of counselling to obstruct police, while 11 people had their criminal charges dropped. Testimony previously under a publication ban describes how two undercover police officers — one male, one female — spent 18 months infiltrating southern Ontario community groups ahead of the June 26-27, 2010, gathering of world leaders. They were part of a much larger so-called joint intelligence group (JIG) operation that the RCMP, in its internal post-summit review, called "likely the largest JIG ever assembled in Canada." Undercover operatives The Crown built its case against the 17 around the work of the two officers, Ontario Provincial Police members Bindo Showan and Brenda Carey. It was a massive case: 59 criminal charges in all, more than 70,000 pages of Crown evidence disclosed to the defence, and months of scheduled testimony. Earlier this fall, Showan told the court about how he attended a meeting prior to the Toronto summit. There, a protest-planning group that included several of the 17 main G20 defendants was discussing whether to lend their support to a First Nations rally. Adam Lewis, one of the 17 accused conspirators in the G20 case, interjected, "Kill whitey!" The group chuckled. Lewis, like all but one of his co-accused, is white. When a Crown lawyer asked the officer what he thought Lewis meant, Showan said in complete seriousness, to "kill white people." "Deliberately or accidentally, the undercover officers misinterpreted hyperbolic jokes as literal statements of belief," said Kalin Stacey, a community organizer, friend and supporter of the defendants. "This undercover case highlights the incentive for undercovers to ensure that charges are laid." Canada-wide surveillance The two undercover officers at the core of the Crown's case were just a small part of a Canada-wide operation to spy on activist groups in the lead-up to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, the G20 summit in Toronto and
books sold for every person in the U.S., and most books were swapped, resold and reread. "Market surveys indicated that more than 90 percent of children and more than 80 percent of teens in the United States read comics, often avidly," according to Tilley's article. The major consumers, after kids, were military men, Tilley said. In the late 1940s, comic book publishers began creating new storylines designed to appeal to young men returning from World War II. With no rating system, and with a well-established tradition of trading, comic books depicting crime, violence and sex were readily available to youngsters, much to the dismay of some adults. "Women's groups, teachers' groups - all sorts of civic and professional organizations - were lobbying against comics," Tilley said. "Everybody from juvenile judges to pharmacists to the national PTA - they all felt that comics had become debauched and were leading kids to lives of ruin and depravity. "And Wertham's book wasn't the only reason, but it certainly was influential," Tilley said. "He was the loudest and most prominent critic of comics at that time." Her research turned up a few other surprises: about 30 letters written to Wertham and another 200 or so sent to the Senate subcommittee by children trying to save their access to comic books. Other researchers have mentioned the missives sent to the subcommittee, but Tilley decided the young writers' arguments deserved more attention. "Some of them talked about fairy tales and folk tales, Poe and Shakespeare, and said this stuff has murder and sex and traumatic events too, but you call that good literature," Tilley said. She is in the process of locating as many of these letter-writers as she can find, for her research on how kids related to comics over time. "For most of them, my contact is the first acknowledgement they've had in 60 years that anybody read their letter." The Young Adult Library Services Association jury selected Tilley to present her research at the 2013 ALA Midwinter Meeting in January. Although it's formally titled "Comics: A Once-Missed Opportunity," Tilley calls her talk "How Libraries Screwed Up." The paper will be published in a future issue of the Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults.Pellegrini made a series of complaints about Swedish official Jonas Eriksson after his side were beaten 2-0 by the Spanish champions at the Etihad Stadium last week. In imposing the sanction, European governing body UEFA also announced that a further one-match ban would be suspended for two years. Pellegrini appeared to question the integrity of Eriksson as he launched into an astonishing attack on the Swede in the post-match press conference. The game had hinged on the controversial penalty conceded by Martin Demichelis - for which the defender was also sent off - for bringing down Lionel Messi. Pellegrini felt the offence occurred outside the area and that Jesus Navas was fouled in the build-up. The City boss said Eriksson was "not impartial" and then asked why a referee from Sweden had been appointed to such a high-profile fixture. The Chilean also suggested Eriksson may have been trying to make amends for perceived injustices against Barca in a previous game. Pellegrini said after the game: "From the beginning I felt the referee was not impartial to both teams so he decided the game with a foul that he didn't whistle against and a penalty with Demichelis that was not a penalty, it was outside the box. "I think it was not a good idea to put a referee from Sweden in charge of such an important match, especially a referee who has made an important mistake against Barcelona in a previous match." Video - Manuel Pellegrini turns on referee after Man City loss to Barcelona 02:14 Pellegrini apologised for his remarks two days later, particularly the comment about Eriksson's nationality, which he admitted was a mistake. "I am sure this is a good referee because UEFA is always evaluating all the referees and if he is not a good referee, he is not in the UEFA staff," the 60-year-old said. "The thing I said in that moment doesn't mean what I think." His climbdown did not prevent UEFA charging him with a breach of their disciplinary regulations and the case has now been found against him. He will now not be permitted in the tunnel, dressing room or technical area before or during the return match against Barcelona on March 12 or their next game in Europe after that. He will be allowed to watch from the stands but must not communicate directly or indirectly with any player or member of his technical staff. A statement from UEFA read: "UEFA's control and disciplinary body has suspended Manchester City FC manager Manuel Pellegrini for three UEFA competition matches, one of which is under probation for two years. "The sanction is due to the coach's press statements and violation of the general principles of conduct under Article 11 of the 2013 UEFA Disciplinary Regulations (DR) at the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg between Manchester City and FC Barcelona on February 18 in England." Pellegrini does have the right of appeal.The Harper government is set to sign a long-sought trade deal with South Korea early next week, despite entrenched opposition by some in Ontario's critically important auto sector, sources close to the talks say. Preparations are underway for a signing ceremony in Seoul early next week, ending nearly 10 years of on-and-off talks that one of Canada's biggest industries has long prevented from reaching the finish line. Cracks began to appear in the Canadian auto industry's united front last month when the association representing Japan's automakers in Canada came out largely in favour of a deal, saying it would complement the agreement signed in the fall with the European Union and ease talks with Japan. Another impetus was introduced when Korea was able to successfully complete deals with Canada's two largest trading partners, the United States and the European Union, leaving Canada out in the cold. Government officials in Ottawa refused to confirm the agreement Thursday. Opposition remains The deal, coming on the heels of an historic pact with the EU, will go a long way towards cementing the Harper government's expansionist trade agenda, and its stated goal that it wants to be a serious economic player in Asia. Still, significant opposition remains. Ford of Canada chief executive Dianne Craig recently called the 2012 Korea-U.S. agreement a "disaster" for the sector — even though Ford, along with the General Motors and Chrysler, initially supported the pact. At issue for Canada is a 6.1 per cent tariff on car imports. Critics fear once it's removed, it will further skew the automotive playing field between the two countries, with Korean-made brands Hyundai and Kia selling about 90,000 units in Canada annually in direct competition with Canadian-assembled vehicles. Korea also assembles autos in the U.S., which it exports into Canada duty free. Ontario's economic development minister, Eric Hoskins, said Korea out-exports Canada 50 to one in autos. Hoskins said nothing he has heard from Ottawa so far has eased his concern that Canada's automakers won't be even more outgunned once tariffs are removed. "We want a free-trade agreement that's good for all sectors, but on autos particularly it's disadvantageous," he said. "I haven't been given information to suggest that the improvements that we've asked for have been addressed." In particular, Ontario and the industry has asked for a slower phase-out of tariffs and a "snap-back" provision allowing Canada to re-impose tariffs if there's evidence Korea is not meeting its obligations. With the deal, Canada hopes to arrest the deterioration in exports to Korea since the U.S. agreement went into effect, particularly in the agricultural sector. An agreement will be particularly welcomed by the Canadian agricultural sector, which has complained that Korea's agreements with other nations has put them at a competitive disadvantage. South Korea is currently Canada's seventh largest merchandise trading partner and third largest in Asia after China and Japan. But the relationship has been decidedly one-sided, with Korea exports totalling $6.3 billion in 2012 while Canadian shipments totalled $3.7 billion.Istanbul's Neve Şalom synagogue hosted a historic wedding ceremony on Sunday night. For the first time, it was the scene of a Jewish wedding ceremony officiated by a local official. A large crowd of guests and prominent names in the Turkish Jewish community attended the ceremony at the synagogue in the city's Beyoğlu district. Murat Hazinedar, mayor of Beşiktaş, officiated the wedding of Selin Saporta and Vedat Peranva after chief rabbi İsak Haleva married the couple in a religious ceremony. İshak İbrahimzadeh, the head of Turkey's Jewish community, said on his Twitter account that they prayed for the Turkish state and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the "landmark" ceremony. Neve Şalom is the largest synagogue in Istanbul where the majority of the 23,000 Jews in Turkey live and the preferred site for the weddings of community members. Though religious weddings are not limited to synagogues, a marriage license is required from the mayor's office or local civil registry to validate it. Turkey's Jewish community is among the few minorities that did not suffer from treatment as second-class citizens in the past by the Republic of Turkey, which long pursued a policy turning a blind eye to the problems of minorities or seeking to repress them by restraining their rights. Neve Şalom synagogue, however, has been the target of three deadly attacks since it was opened in 1951, raising security fears amid the community. This is the second landmark event for the Jewish community in the past two months after the first outdoor celebrations of Hanukkah in Istanbul in December following a long respite due to fears of attacks.23.1 hours. According to Steam, that's how much time I've spent playing Dota 2 since getting my feet wet two weeks ago. As much as I've learned in that time, I know I've only scratched the surface of what this bewildering mash-up of strategy, tower defense, and action-RPG has to offer. Dota 2 is a lot of things. It's complex, obtuse, frustrating, and deeply rewarding. Together, that's what makes it so brilliant. This is a game where strategies spawn sub-strategies, where your success comes not so much from how you build your house of cards but by how deftly and in what order you can catch the falling pieces. I'm terrible at it. I know this. And that's precisely why I was drawn to The International during PAX this past weekend. Now in its second year, The International is Valve's official Dota 2 tournament, featuring a million dollar prize for the winning team and a not-too-shabby $250,000 consolation for the runners up. What brought me there wasn't so much an interest in eSports--the concept of competitive gaming had always flown over my head--but rather the belief that if I could learn a few lessons while watching these pro teams, surely I'd go home a better player. In the end, though, I learned about a lot more than protecting my team's base. When I first walk into the lobby of Benaroya Hall, home of the Seattle Symphony, I see a massive crowd being pulled in all directions. A four-man broadcast stage analyzes every last occurrence from the previous match. A merchandise table beckons fans to buy a branded mousepad, or an inflatable axe, or a plush donkey. Me, I'm just trying to find out where in the hell the entrance to the auditorium is. I approach the person closest to me, a friendly-looking kid in sandals and jean shorts who, for some reason, seems to be doodling on a Dota 2 poster. Just before I can ask him where the entrance is, he hands the poster to an excited fan and wraps his arm around someone just as a camera flashes a few feet away. Later, while looking through the tournament guide, I realize he's actually a member of mTw, the team that finished first in the International West Qualifiers. I awkwardly slide away, deciding I should probably pose my question to someone who isn't being mobbed for pictures and autographs. An hour ago I was in the lobby of the Hyatt killing time before an interview. Players from the Anaheim Angels, visiting Seattle to play a series against the Mariners, were waiting around before heading off to the game. Among this group was Albert Pujols, the greatest player of the past decade and a man the Angels recently signed to a 240-million-dollar contract. In the 10 minutes I stood around watching PAX attendees flood through the lobby to get to the convention center, not a single person approached those players. Valve is an inscrutable company. Trying to decipher the logic behind its moves has become a sort of game in itself, with every new announcement met by a storm of interpretations and conspiracy theories. When Dota 2 was announced, the question at the time was where Valve's sudden interest in the MOBA genre came from. And now that people have an idea of just how eerily similar Dota 2 is to its predecessor, you can't help but wonder why Valve would go through the trouble of making a sequel at all. Because it's not a sequel. At least not in the traditional sense. Dota 2 is Valve's attempt at taking a highly competitive game and making it highly watchable, all while keeping the original formula intact. It's Valve outwardly acknowledging that eSports is a force to be reckoned with, and boy do they ever want in. Watch a game in person and it clicks. Broadcasters--or "shoutcasters," to use the appropriate jargon--aren't simply describing the action; they're using a toolset to paint a vivid picture. Bar charts pulled up on the fly show each player's net worth in terms of gold collected, while line graphs show which side has been earning XP at the faster rate. Panels crammed with stats are summoned onto the screen to illustrate a point, then quickly dismissed so the shoutcaster can use the mouse to draw telestrator-style notes onscreen. It's action and information dancing together in a carefully orchestrated ballet. For these broadcasters--the ones whose screens adorn the halls of The International--Dota 2's spectator mode isn't a passive thing; it's a toolset that allows you to be nearly as active as the players themselves. And for us, the viewers, the result is like watching a game of college football on ESPN. There's a game on, sure, but half the fun is in the presentation. The crowd is electric. They're cheering, they're on their feet, they're waving national flags. At one point I wonder what new patch added a loud horn every time a hero dies, and then I realize someone in the crowd has brought in one of those mind-shattering vuvuzela horns made famous by the 2010 World Cup. It's South Africa all over again. What astonishes me most is how familiar the crowd is with every last nuance of the competition. It's as though they've pooled together their collective knowledge of not only the game, but the competitors as well. The pre-match hero draft has every right to be a dull, tedious affair. It's the process by which teams huddle together to first decide which heroes they want to ban the other team from choosing, followed by which ones they choose themselves. I keep thinking to myself that this part of the game should be like watching a coin flip before a football game, or a tip-off in basketball. But it's not. Players erupt into cheers when a favorite hero is selected, or boo when one is banned. At one point the announcers can't stop mentioning how good the Chinese teams play with Morphling, a versatile ranged hero whose water abilities excel at taking on other heroes head-to-head. Team Zenith needs to ban him against LGD Gaming, they say. They can't afford not to ban him. They don't ban him. And when LGD inevitably chooses Morphling, the crowd loses its mind. Then there are the unorthodox tactics, the moves you rarely see in ordinary competition. Team Zenith does this thing where they take a pair of heroes and hide in the trees. Obscured by the fog of war, LGD can't see those Zenith players when they roll through their lane. That's when Zenith pops out from the trees for a surprise gank (a hero kill, essentially). One member of LGD goes down. Another puts up a fight, but quickly falls. The crowd is at a fever pitch. It's the loudest I've heard them cheer. Yet for all the energy in the crowd, the competitors are almost certainly oblivious to it. As a way of keeping the players from hearing what the announcers might reveal about the competition, each team is sealed up in a soundproof glass booth. It feels like a magic show, 10 lovely assistants submerged in tanks of water before making a daring escape. All that cheering, and none of it gets through. A Dota 2 match ends when one team destroys the other's ancient, the defensive centerpiece buried deep within each team's base. It should be a moment of triumph: the sight of one team's heroes and creeps hammering away at the ancient while the other team desperately fights to push them away. In reality, it's about the most anticlimactic part of the match. So much of the focus leading up to this point falls on the little things. A player uses a town portal scroll to return to safety a 10th of a second before getting killed; another destroys his own tower to deny his enemy the gold required to fully upgrade that powerful item in his inventory. Dota 2 is nothing if not a game of details. The crowd and players are so deeply engrossed in these minute machinations that by the time one team begins to home in on the other's ancient, nobody cares. In fact, every match I watch ends with the losing team disconnecting as soon as they see their own blood in the water. No one sticks around to watch their ancient fall. As someone who grew up watching the usual trio of American sports--baseball, football, basketball--I keep searching for metaphors. At first, finding parallels with traditional sports is easy. The broadcast setup at The International wouldn't look out of place at the Super Bowl. The people who cheer teams on by waving national flags. That obnoxious vuvuzela. But the more time I spend watching these matches, the less I understand. Cheering on players who can't hear a single thing, a team investing everything they have for 70 minutes just to disconnect with 10 seconds left. These are things that would never happen in traditional sports. And yet the crowd couldn't care less They're on their feet for half the match, applauding esoteric strategies and bombastic kills alike. They have their favorite teams, their favorite players, and it doesn't matter to them one bit whether the whole thing feels like a game of football or basketball. They're Dota 2 fans here to watch people who are really, really good at Dota 2. Maybe the phrase "eSports" is a misnomer. Maybe people like me, the ones searching for parallels to help better understand a culture they don't fully understand, have been doing it wrong this whole time. Who knows? By the last day of the tournament, I don't really care. I've left Seattle and flown home to San Francisco with my new plush donkey stashed away in my suitcase. At home in my apartment, I'm not playing Dota 2. I'm not trying out the new strategies I've learned. I'm right there in spectator mode watching the conclusion of The International, because like everyone else back in that auditorium, I just want to see who wins this tournament.Crude could hit $50 by May 11:26 AM ET Thu, 19 May 2016 \| 07:30 U.S. oil prices jumped over 6 percent on Friday, posting their largest weekly gain since February, as drawdowns in U.S. crude stockpiles fed hopes that a punishing global oversupply may be nearing tipping point. U.S. gasoline and diesel prices rallied along with crude, rising more than 5 percent each. Gasoline has been one of the strongest pillars of support for U.S. crude this year. Ultra low sulfur diesel, also known as heating oil, has rebounded this week on seasonally cold weather forecasts through late April. Front month U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures settled at $39.72 a barrel, up $2.46, or 6.6 percent, and gained 7.96 percent for the week. International Brent futures were up $2.38, or 6 percent, at $41.81 a barrel. For the week, both benchmarks were on track to rise about 7 percent, their most since the week ended March 4. "We are starting to draw crude inventories in the U.S." said Scott Shelton, energy broker with ICAP in Durham, North Carolina. "Run rates are rising and U.S. production is falling. "This is very different I think than what was expected. The market perceives that these draws may continue as the Keystone outage will increase the likelihood," Shelton.June 18, 2014 at 10:39 AM Alexander Teebagy got the call from Amazon.com last Thursday. The Boston game developer had submitted a one-sentence reason why he should be invited to today’s launch of Amazon’s phone. He basically said “I love all of their products,” he said. Amazon Amazon invited customers and game developers to join reporters at the company’s press event today in Fremont, where it’s expected to announce a smartphone with a 3-D display. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said 60,000 customers applied and 300 were selected. Teebagy, 24, was available to fly to Seattle on short notice after losing his job at Irrational Games, a studio that shut down in April. Amazon paid for his flight to Seattle, a hotel stay and a car that picked him up at the airport. “It’s pretty crazy. I feel like a VIP,” he said while sitting in Fremont Studios, where Amazon set up a stage and pumped in music ahead of Bezos’ appearance. It may have been worth the trip. Bezos announced the Fire Phone, with a 4.7-inch display, quad-core processor and 13 megapixel camera. Bezos showed images taken with the camera and compared them to the Samsung Galaxy 5 and iPhone 5S, suggesting that’s the competition. Amazon will provide unlimited photo storage online to users of the phone, which also has a dedicated shutter button on the case similar to Microsoft’s Windows Phone. Earbuds that come with the phone include magnets that hold the left and right pieces together and aren’t as tangle-prone as the competition, Bezos said. Bezos emphasized the phone’s video capabilities, include a nice display and interoperability with Amazon’s Fire TV streaming device. Amazon “lavished attention” on the phone’s ability to work as an e-reader, Bezos said. Gee-whiz features include “Firefly,” a scanning system that quickly recognizes products, phone numbers, URLs, barcodes and even art using the phone’s camera. It also recognizes music the phone hears. Firefly generates a list of items it recognizes, which can then be ordered from Amazon. The list and scanning capability can also be used by apps on the phone, such as a music service that can create a playlist after a song identified by Firefly. Firefly is a boosted, integrated version of Amazon’s shopping app that can be used to scan barcodes and create shopping lists. Firefly also has a dedicated button that can be used to override whatever you’re doing to scan stuff Bezos said it recognizes more than 100 million items and recognizes them in 1 second or less. As expected, the phone has a 3D interface that Amazon calls “dynamic perspective.” By blending images and controlling them with the phone’s motion sensors, the display can present the illusion of depth with images. [do action=”brightcove-video” videoid=”3630218948001″/] Bezos also showed how the capability works with maps – which tilt and add depth when the phone is held at an angle – and on a web site displaying dresses. When the phone is tilted, the phone scrolls back into the selection of dresses or rotates the dress in the foreground. Tilting the phone also scrolls through reading material such as books or newspapers. Less innovative is the phone’s pricing plan. Amazon declined to shake up the wireless plan and is offering the Fire Phone with standard AT&T contracts – $199 with a two-year contract or $27 per month for two years ($650) with a month to month plan. Buyers also get a 12-month trial of Amazon’s Prime shipping and media services bundle, which otherwise costs $99 per year. Teebagy said he was impressed. “It’s pretty awesome,” he said when the event ended. “I’m definitely going to get one.”My most recent A1C was nothing to be proud of, but I consoled myself with the thought that it was hardly the worst in history. That got me wondering: What was the all-time worst A1C? Who holds this dubious record, and how high is it possible to go? I decided to pound the pavement and try to find out. So where to start when looking for a diabetes record? Well, with the Guinness Book of World Records, of course. But oddly, the Guinness people don’t seem to have any listings related to A1Cs. They do, however, report that Michael Patrick Buonocore survived a blood sugar of 2,656 mg/dL upon admittance to the ER in East Stroudsburg, PA, on March 23, 2008. Michael was a T1 kiddo at the time, and that record-high sugar level was part of his diagnosis experience. So does Michael also hold the record for top A1C? No. Because while he’s living (thankfully) proof that stratospheric blood sugar levels are possible, a sky-scraping A1C requires both altitude and time. Remember that A1Cs provide a three-month average of our blood sugars. Individual high BG readings, even crazy-high ones, don’t alter the test as much as you’d think if they last only a short time. Because type 1 in kids Michael's age hit so quickly, I figured his A1C would have been rather middle of the road. It takes a slow burn to make an A1C boil. But just to be sure, I reached out to his parents, who tell me his A1C was 11.9 at diagnosis. Higher than I expected, but not too high given the four-digit BG reading. (If his 2,656 had been his average blood sugar for three months, his A1C would have been roughly 95! Yes, that’s 95.0, not 9.5). The highest A1C turns out to be a tricky piece of data to ferret out. If you try Google, you find a gazillion people talking about their own personal highest A1Cs, and comparing notes with others, rather like prostitutes comparing bra sizes. And oddly, the scientific literature on the subject seems moot, too. At my clinic in New Mexico, our point of care machine caps out at 14%. If the A1C is higher than that, and on diagnosis of type 2 it commonly is, the machine just reads >14%. How much higher is anyone’s guess. It could be 14.1% or it could be 20%. To clock a 14% you need a 24-7-90 (twenty four hours a day, seven days per week, for 90 days) blood sugar average of 355 mg/dL. Of course labs can calculate higher A1Cs. I think the highest I’ve ever seen personally is something in the low 20s. If your A1C was, say, 21%, it would take a three-month average blood sugar of 556 mg/dL. How is that possible? If your blood sugar were in the 500s, wouldn’t you go into a coma long before the three months were up? Well, I would. And if you are type 1 like me, yes, you would, too. But type 2s don't generally go into comas because they have insulin in their bodies all the time, even if they can’t process it well enough to keep their BG at safe levels. Now coma-free doesn’t mean problem-free. Blood sugar levels this high are toxic. People diagnosed with sky-high A1Cs are generally also diagnosed with complications right out the gate, most commonly retinopathy and sometimes kidney and nerve damage as well. But that doesn’t answer the question of what unlucky sod holds the record for highest A1C ever. My wife’s ex-boss told her she had once seen a 27%, but that’s apocryphal, so I decided to talk to my own colleagues to see what they had to say. I spooled up LinkedIn and sent an email out to every endo I am linked to, plus a couple of diabetes educators. My questions were simple: What’s the highest A1C you’ve ever seen, and what’s the highest you’ve ever heard a colleague talk about? I had my money on 35%. That would be a three-month blood sugar average of an even 1,000. But the answers I got will surprise you. They surprised me. No, actually, I was shocked by their answers, and I don’t shock easily. None of my esteemed colleagues have ever seen or heard of A1Cs as high as I commonly see. Straight from the Endos First up was Dr. Silvio Inzucchi of Yale, the diabetes guru who’s the author of my favorite go-to ebook for clinical facts: Diabetes Facts and Guidelines. (It’s dryly named, but still one of those wonderful little pocket books like my own Taming the Tiger.) Dr. Inzucchi tells me, “The highest we usually see is in the 12-14% range. I think I’ve seen an 18% a long time ago.” WTF? I’ve seen higher A1Cs than the head dude at the Yale Diabetes Center? In the same ballpark is Donna Tomky, a practicing CDE at Albuquerque Health Partners and past president of the AADE (American Association of Diabetes Educators). She tells me, “Over the years I’ve seen an A1C as high as 19% in a type 1 individual who purposely omitted insulin and was admitted for DKA.” Another endo I reached out to is Dr. Shara Bialo, who's actually a fellow type 1 and now practices at Brown University’s Hasbro Children’s Hospital. She has the same kind of clinical gear I do. She tells me, “When we see patients in clinic, we get the point-of-care A1C. If it is higher than 14%, it simply reads >14%, so you have no idea if it’s 14.1% or 19%.” However, when one of her patients lands in the hospital, a serum draw is done. “The highest I have seen personally is a 17%, but my colleague had a patient with a 19%.” She says both were “teenagers with established type 1, one of whom just found out she was pregnant—eesh!” (You can see why I love Dr. Shara.) Dr. David Hite of Kaiser Permanente/HealthDoc reports: “I had a patient in the clinic with a 17%. That’s rare. I usually see new diabetics in the clinic under 14. They come in because they feel like crap and can’t tolerate conditions needed to get it higher.” Huh. That makes sense, but I’m always amazed by how crappy people can tolerate feeling before seeking medical care. At least here where I practice... Dr. Hassan Ibrahim of PAR Hospital in Iraq tells me, “I have came across a patient who had very poor glucose control. His HbA1c test result was 16.7%.” Dr. Francine Kaufman of UCLA Medical Center fame, and now Chief Medical Officer for Medtronic Diabetes, took the top prize in my straw poll with her one-word answer: 22%. Top of the pack, but still lower than I expected, and I’d bet well below the real record, whatever that is. So why are the pros seeing so much lower numbers than I had expected, or than I see myself? I think it might be because endos and diabetes specialty clinics usually see type 1s, who can’t survive long in the high-octane environment needed to clock impressive A1C scores. That honor has to go to our T2 cousins, who are typically seen by GPs (general practitioners). Maybe I was just asking the wrong docs. The problem is that GPs are generally too damn busy to answer emails from nosy health journalists. And the Lab Results Show... Next, I contacted some labs to see if they could tell me what the highest score they could theoretically measure would be. Sitting down? I started with the Mayo Clinic’s lab, by talking with Dr. Darci Block one of the bigwigs there in the Clinical Core Laboratory Services Division. Much to my surprise her gear, although no doubt more expensive and accurate than my pint-sized machine, gives the same answers. Higher than 14% just reads >14. Dr. Block also had a hard time understanding why it would matter, insisting that a reading “up to 14 is more than adequate” because, and I'm paraphrasing here, at that point the patient is in deep shit and how deep the shit is “not clinically important.” I see her point, but I disagree. If someone were at an A1C of 22 and lowered it to 19, that would be clinically important to me. And to them. It’s certainly not out of the woods, but it would be on the right path. I would think any clinician would want to see that progress. But Dr. Block also pointed out, quite correctly, that with crazy-high numbers interference needs to be considered, and that any system that would test higher would likely have a significant error range. For what it’s worth, she’s seen readings as high as 17% in her career, using a different type of gear than Mayo uses, and she’d never heard of one higher. Next I touched base with Lab Tests Online, an outfit that ranks high in search engine results when it comes to all manner of lab questions. But they told me: “We are not a lab ourselves, so we do not perform any testing. Rather, we are a web resource to help patients better understand those lab tests that they do have performed.” Oops. Well, given that their logo is an image of an Asian woman in a lab coat, wearing a face mask, and holding a test tube, it’s a mistake anyone could have made. Finally, David Goldstein the University of Missouri Health Sciences Center, Diabetes Diagnostic Laboratory told me, “I do not know anyone who keeps track of this, but as I recall, the highest level I have ever seen in a patient with diabetes was about 18%. That reflects a mean plasma glucose of about 400 mg/dL. In newly-diagnosed children with type 1 diabetes, the average A1C is about 10-12%.” (Just like poor Michael in the Guinness Book of World Records!) But Goldstein went on to point out an interesting fact that no one else did: “There is a practical limit to how high the A1C can get because the kidneys filter out and excrete glucose from the blood when the plasma glucose level gets over 180-200 mg/dL. This is called the renal threshold for glucose, and (it) differs among people. Only in people with kidney failure or with a high renal threshold can the plasma glucose level be sustained at a high enough level to result in a very high A1C.” So that means that while I couldn’t discover who had the highest ever A1C, we now know that whomever holds that dubious honor also has trashed kidneys. Which brings me back to my straw poll of physicians, in which Dr. Block of Mayo felt that too high is just too high and the specific digits don't matter. Maybe she’s right there. And I like how über-diabetes educator and author Gary Scheiner of Integrated Diabetes Services put it, more colorfully: He told me that beyond 12% A1C, “A little bird should pop up and just start humming Purple Haze.”A Texas police officer who disappeared on April 25 after texting an image of a suicide note to his wife has been found, according to the Austin Police. Coleman Miller Martin told his wife that day that he was leaving to clear his head. That night, he reportedly sent her an image of a note that said he was planning on drowning himself near the U.S.-Mexico border. Now, he’s in custody and facing a charge for allegedly faking his own death, CBS4 reported. Martin’s wife called 911 that night, and investigators discovered that earlier the same day, Martin had been stopped by an officer and gave a story that he was on his way to vacation in Mexico. That officer said he saw bags in the car, and that Martin didn’t seem troubled. The next day, a report came in that Martin’s car was found by a lake, with a suicide note in plain view in the front seat. A raft was found near the water. Written on it were the initials of Martin and his wife, Martin’s name, his date of birth, and a date of death of 4/25/17. According to a police affidavit, a cross was drawn in the mud. Early the next morning, an email was sent from Martin’s account from an IP address that was traced to Mexico. Records show that on the day Martin disappeared, he purchased a tablet with WiFi capabilities. The affidavit said that a woman known to have a close relationship with Martin told authorities,”the entire event was an effort to stage his own death,” and that there was evidence he was indeed alive. She said after Martin disappeared, she got an email from him saying his plan worked. The email reportedly said he staged the scene with the raft, then rode a bicycle to a convenience store, where he took a taxi to the border, after throwing the bike in a dumpster. Investigators eventually tracked him down, although it’s unclear exactly where they found him. He is now being held in Dallas County. KEYE reported before Martin was located that he was facing a misdemeanor charge for a false alarm or report. [Image via Austin Police Department]Enjoy the presentation of our release manager, brightest developer and great mascot-keeper Bero at FOSDEM, “OpenMandriva switching to clang”! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8x7eUiHiX8 Enjoy the presentation of our release manager, brightest developer and great mascot-keeper Bero at FOSDEM, “OpenMandriva switching to clang”! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
interest in the goings on in the home."[18] The most common effects of aging are:[19] Loss of hearing Loss of vision (cataracts) Decreased activity, more sleeping, and reduced energy (in part due to reduced lung function) Weight gain (calorie needs can be 30–40% lower in older dogs) Weakening of immune system leading to infections Skin changes (thickening or darkening of skin, dryness leading to reduced elasticity, loss or whitening of hair) Change in feet and nails (thicker and more brittle nails makes trimming harder) Arthritis, dysplasia and other joint problems Loss of teeth Gastrointestinal upset (stomach lining, diseases of the pancreas, constipation) Weakness in muscles and bones Urinary issues (incontinence in both genders, and prostatitis/straining to urinate in males) Mammary cysts and tumors in females Senility Heart murmurs Diabetes[20] Importance of diet in aging [ edit ] By changing the nutrition of your dogs diet as it ages, certain ailments and side effects of aging can be prevented or slowed. Some important nutrients and ingredients in which senior dog diets include are: Good sources of protein [21] to meet higher protein requirements [22] to meet higher protein requirements Glucosamine [23] and chondroitin sulfate [23] to help maintain joint and bone health and chondroitin sulfate to help maintain joint and bone health Omega-3 fatty acids [24] for joint and bone health as well as maintaining immune system health for joint and bone health as well as maintaining immune system health Calcium and phosphorus [25] for maintenance of bone structure for maintenance of bone structure Beet pulp [26] and flaxseed [27] for gastrointestinal health and flaxseed for gastrointestinal health Fructooligosaccharides and mannanoligosaccharides work to improve the health of the gastrointestinal tract by increasing the number of "good" bacteria and decreasing the amount of "bad" bacteria [28] Appropriate levels of vitamin E and addition of L-carnitine to support brain and cognitive health [29] Dietary antioxidants such as vitamin E[30] and beta-carotene[31] See also [ edit ]The arrival of ulamas (preachers) from the Peninsula over the last few years in Sabah, and especially in the interiors, is tearing apart the social fabric of the villagers. — AFP pic JAN 10 — “Aku nak Islam lama balik. Bukan Islam ini.” (“I want the old Islam back, not the current one.”) I was in Sabah recently, right smack in a small village of 2,000 people. (I am not naming the village because I feel protective over it.) I was there to assess the socio-economic situation of the village, and after a few days of being viewed as a visitor, my newfound friends finally felt comfortable enough to let their guard down. We were at the anjung of the homestay I stayed in. A faint scent of the sweet but pungent smell of the palm oil that had muddied the village river drifted over from time to time. The village was quiet; an occasional clanging of kitchen utensils broke up the stillness of the night. The homestay owner had family visiting her. The conversation was banal at first, and like all conversations, family illnesses, ghosts, the rising cost of living peppered the air. A short acknowledgement about a friend’s death stirred the hornet’s nest: the women became very angry. The martriach of the family looked hard at the homestay owner, who turned to me to explain. “We Orang Sungai (the people of the river) have always been Muslim,” she said. “And like the Malays of the Semenanjung (Peninsular Malaysia), we have our customs.” “The thing is, orang Semenanjung are intent on destroying us.” The arrival of ulamas (preachers) from the Peninsula over the last few years in Sabah, and especially in the interiors, is tearing apart the social fabric of the villagers. Young, fresh graduates from Al Azhar University and other Islamic colleges, but with little life experience, these young men come to Sabah, with the intent of righting the villagers. “Dulu, we could wear henna during weddings but now they say it is haram.” “We’ve always prayed, but now these tabligh, they come to our houses to check that we pray and tell off our men for praying at home, they must pray in the surau.” “Friday prayers, yes, men must go but when it’s not Friday, they can pray at home too. So why is it wrong now?” When there is a death in the village, they have a feast, a kenduri, so the whole village comes as one, to grieve. “These tabligh, they tell us it’s wrong. But to us it is not wrong – the food goes to people who can’t afford to buy food. The funeral unites us as a village.” In fact, the homestay owner and her family told me they practised many things that united the village. Solat hajat tolak bala berjemaah (mass prayers to avoid misfortune, illness el al). Prayers for those leaving the village to seek their fortunes elsewhere. “Kamu tau tak, sekarang semua ini haram! Tabligh Semenanjung ni pandai – mereka cakap dengan orang muda kampong ini. Lepas tu, satu keluarga pecah, berkelahi. Sebab orang muda kata orang tua mereka jahil. Orang tua pula marah, ini adat resam kami. Apa yang syiriknya?” The matriarch glared at me. “I will fight this type of Islam to the death. Islam Semenanjung merosakkan hidup kami di sini.” Almost everyone I met in the village, male and female, were disturbed by Semenanjung politics. The Allah issue and “… Satu Malaysia… in Sabah we have always been united…”. They thought their counterparts in the Peninsula odd: the latter was supposed to be more educated, wealthier and sophisticated than they, and yet they fought over petty things. What is refreshing (or odd, whichever side you are on) is that the women want change but the men of the village acquiesce to the Ulamas’ demands. The women are bewildered and disheartened: surely they (men) too want to protect their ways and traditions? “The men use (this) type (of Islam) because it conveniences them. If their wives erred, they’d quote what the tabligh said. If they want to take on another wife, they’d say that it’s all right by the Quran.” But polygamy is a small issue. The villagers come from a communal culture whereby the whole village would be involved if there was a misfortune, or a social problem arises. If a child misbehaved, the clan would sit and confer. They would also hold mass prayers. “Al-Azhar kak,” one of the women told me. “We can’t fight with educated people, we are orang kampung.” “We give it two generations. Then we won’t be who we are.” * This is the personal opinion of the columnist.Fewer people would die of drug overdoses if their friends could call 911 without fear of being charged with possession, users say. It’s why a group representing London drug users has launched a petition urging legal immunity to those calling for help from the scene of an overdose. So-called “Good Samaritan” legislation — in effect in 14 American states — would bolster death-prevention efforts underway in London, said Tracy Law of the London Area Network of Substance Users. “That’s the number one reason people die (of overdoses), because those who are there won’t call 911,” said Law. “If we had Good Samaritan laws it would mean police are there only to deal with the overdose and the medical issue at hand and won’t be able to lay drug charges.” Posted at activism website http://www.change.org, Law’s petition addressed to London MPP Deb Matthews has collected 100 signatures. Matthews wasn’t immediately available to comment. Police don’t automatically attend drug overdose calls but often paramedics will request police assistance if there are concerns for safety. Reluctance to call 911 is part of the reason the Middlesex London Health Unit will start distributing a drug called Naloxone. Through injection, Naloxone reverses the effects of a potentially fatal overdose from opioid drugs such as Oxycodone, fentanyl or heroin that depress the central nervous system and can stop breathing. Health-care providers — and in some U.S. cities, police — have been using Naloxone to reverse overdoses for decades, and last October the province made it available at no cost to qualified public health organizations as part of Ontario’s harm reduction strategy. Distribution could begin as early as April, and will include training on how to respond to an overdose — which includes calling 911. But people are scared to call 911, because they don’t want to get caught with drugs and drug paraphernalia themselves. Instead, stories include friends hoping an overdose will wear off with sleep, or trying to wake up a peer with fresh air or a cold bath. Asked if London police had a protocol for laying charges while responding to drug overdoses with paramedics, Chief Brad Duncan said situations vary. “Our first priority in such cases would be to assist EMS to ensure that the overdose victim receives immediate medical attention,” he said in an e-mail response. The health unit is collecting data to determine the estimated number of opioid overdoses in London, but one outreach worker said recently he believes there are between 12 and 15 yearly. jennifer.obrien@sunmedia.ca – – – NETWORK’S GOALS What the London Area Network of Substance Users wants: Immunity for 911 callers Judgment-free access to health care Safe injection site in London Reduce stigma towards substance users To see the group’s petition go to www.change.orgLesbians are repulsive to look at. To gaze upon a lesbian is to scoop out one’s retinas as an offering to the sun god who will burn them to a crisp. Almost all of them are fat and ugly with bad skin and worse clothes. The “lipstick lesbian” is a trope of porn-addled dweebs; sure, they exist, (I’ve come across a few) but their numbers are vanishingly small set against the IMMENSE majority of lesbians who are the furthest thing from bangable any man could imagine. The general impression of lesbiandom is blobbiness. Lesbian couples are two extra large pastry puffs meiotically becoming one super sized pastry puff. Or two circling gas giants gravitationally stripping each other of a pleasing personality. Yet they Find, Meet, Attract, and Close…. looking as they do. Clearly, lesbians care not, or care very little, for appearance. Looks are somewhere below “can breathe without mechanical assistance” on the lesbian ledger of acceptable mate criteria. Lesbians, then, tell us something true about straight women. Retention of crucial psychosexual characteristics of the heterosexual standard is common in both lesbians and gay men. Just as gay men behave sexually like straight men, except with damaged target designators and no female gold-plated pussy obstacles to outmaneuver, lesbians behave sexually like straight women with no need to arouse visually-oriented straight men. In the heterosexual sex market, the opposite sex is like a check on each other, placing constraints on just how much a person can express his or her sexual nature. Women can’t let themselves go without risking solitude and men can’t satisfy their urge to sleep with thousands of women without achieving a high social or material status or a degree of skill in the crimson arts. These opposite-sex constraints are missing or greatly mitigated among homosexuals. Gay male libido is just as visually-oriented as that of straight men’s, but is allowed to fully express because gay men are less protective of their cheap sperm than straight women are of their expensive eggs. Ugly gay men have it rough, but for most it’s a sexual circus with no safety net. Think of straight women as boots on illegally parked straight men; a straight man with T levels above manlet metadeath would love to park in the tight space of every pretty girl he sees every day of his life. He can’t because the cooch collective has bolted the boot on his hot rod. If he manages to park in one of those spots, he’s staying there for a while. Gay men, otoh, are free to park their hivvy pork wherever they like and come and go as they please; very few gays will put the boot on gay boner. The gay male sexual market is a parking lot of receptive rectums. Lesbians, likewise, are essentially unconstrained straight female sexuality hypercharged, or rather hypocharged, to its inevitable conclusion in lesbian bed death (and tremendous levels of domestic violence). Dyke Fright is real because women, straight and homo alike, just don’t care as much about a sex partner’s looks as do straight and homo men about their sex partners’ looks. Lesbian dishevelment and apparent apathy toward improving their appearance to please other lesbians is indirect proof that straight women place less emphasis on men’s looks than men place on women’s looks (and less than gay men place on other gay men’s looks). The difference between straight women and lesbians is that the former aren’t trying to find love with other women who will care as little about looks as they do. band name alert PS Reader The Observer observes, You can learn a lot by watching a lesbian work on her target paramour while out and about, too. They push boundaries HARD. They know it works, and where the limits are, and walk right up to them. They understand the function of obligation in the female psyche. Observe, and learn. Obligation and submission are two powerful psychosexual undercurrents in the roiling sea of a woman’s soul. It’s a shame it goes so little remarked upon by mainstream social analysis. But that’s why the Chateau exists; a beacon of truth guiding the way through a dark wood. heart bursts with vanityAh, champagne. The sparkly, bubbly, goodness is my favorite summertime drink. It’s not so bad for toasting special occasions, either. Or as an aperitif before a large meal. Or mixed with orange juice at brunch. Okay, let’s be honest, I would pretty much drink it at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, if it was acceptable (and I was in a different tax bracket). Needless to say, I was pretty excited to see that the New York Academy of Sciences was bringing Gérard Liger-Belair, a professor of chemical physics at the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, to New York City to talk about the science of champagne. Liger-Belair has spent the past 10 years studying those tiny, wonderful champagne bubbles. Using high-speed photography, microscopy, and lasers, he’s managed to pin down all you’d ever want to know about how every bubble in your glass is born, grows, and bursts. Some fun facts from Liger-Belair’s talk: Effervescence is promoted by cellulose fibers stuck to the wall of your glass. Yes, dust is the source of that sparkly goodness. In fact, champagne poured into a perfectly clean glass has no bubbles. Champagne poured into a plastic cup has big bubbles that are stuck on the wall of the cup, because the hydrophobic plastic prefers the contact of the gas to the liquid. The best way to wash your champagne flute is with hot water (no soap), then wipe it down with a towel to leave behind some fibers to promote that effervescence. The main parameters for the rate of bubble formation are temperature (the higher the temperature, the higher the bubbling rate) and viscosity (the bubbling rate is inversely proportional to the viscosity, which is itself related to the sugar content—in other words, a very sweet champagne will have a lower bubbling rate.). Bubbles grow bigger and accelerate as they rise up the side of the flute. The main parameters influencing bubble growth are the distance traveled (you get bigger bubbles in longer flutes), the concentration of the dissolved CO 2, and gravity acceleration. (Liger-Belair seems keen on the idea of astronauts drinking champagne on their next trip to the moon.) Each bursting bubble produces about five tiny droplets at the surface, creating that wonderfully, sparkly cloud that tickles your nose when drinking champagne. And for you beer aficionados, it seems that the CO 2 concentration is twice as high in champagne than in beer; in other words, the bubbles are just bigger (um, about twice as big) in champagne. For more information on how champagne is made, check out Bethany Halford’s What’s That Stuff on the topic. And Liger-Belair has written an entire book on bubbles, “Uncorked: The Science of Champagne,” that includes some of his amazing photography.The Post Sports Live crew offers early impressions on the injuries, recoveries and fans from the first week of Redskins training camp. (Post Sports Live) The Post Sports Live crew offers early impressions on the injuries, recoveries and fans from the first week of Redskins training camp. (Post Sports Live) — Each morning at training camp, while the offense and defense jog through the motions of another 90-minute walk-through, the leader of the third facet of the Washington Redskins circles the field, out of sight and with plenty on his mind. Every now and then during his 10 loops along the sideline, Keith Burns will raise his head and rustle through the right pocket of his jet-black shorts. Buried inside is a 5-by-7 spiral notebook filled with X’s, O’s and words of wisdom that the former NFL player hopes to successfully implement in his first season as the Redskins’ special teams coach. “I keep a notepad on me all the time, just jotting down little things that we need to work on or did work on recently,” Burns said. “One of the guys that I met a while back told me any time that you’re around a lot of coaches and they’re giving you interesting wisdom, always write it down because you’ll never be able to get that information all the time or you may not be able to remember it.” Burns packed 11 notebooks for his first Redskins training camp. Once filled, the pads will be stashed along with the hundreds of others he accumulated during his six years as an assistant special teams coach for the Denver Broncos, each one dated for the sake of easy recall. Burns, 41, likely will rely heavily on his notes as he takes over for longtime special teams coordinator Danny Smith, who moved to the same position in Pittsburgh, and looks for a replacement for special teams captain Lorenzo Alexander, a Pro Bowler who departed for Arizona via free agency in March. 1 of 30 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad × Redskins training camp in Richmond View Photos The team readies for the follow-up to its NFC East title-winning season last year. Caption The team readies for the follow-up to its NFC East title-winning season last year. Aug. 6, 2013 Quarterbacks Robert Griffin III (10), left, and Rex Grossman (8), center, watch teammate Kirk Cousins pass during the Redskins' afternoon practice in Richmond. John McDonnell/The Washington Post Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue. Burns, who starred at T.C. Williams High and Oklahoma State, was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the seventh round in 1994. Though the linebacker started his first three games, the next 13 seasons would see Burns carve out a niche on special teams, leading the Broncos’ unit in tackling during the first of Denver’s back-to-back Super Bowl wins under Mike Shanahan in 1998. “My message to the guys is you can have a long career in the kicking game, but if you came in the NFL to have your name in the headlines and jerseys in the store, that’s not for everybody,” Burns said. “You can play special teams, enjoy it and play it with a passion. That’s all I ask for. We’re looking for consistency more than anything. We’re never going to be asked to win or lose a game, but we definitely will be asked not to mess it up.” A heavy chunk of this responsibility will fall on Reed Doughty, who is now the senior member of Washington’s special teams. Likewise, players such as Niles Paul, the unit’s third-leading tackler last season, and Bryan Kehl will prove key in improving a unit that Shanahan noted last week has “room for improvement.” But while this trio’s experience is a welcome attribute, Paul admits it can also make for a larger initial learning curve. “It’s going to take some getting used to with the guys who have been here for a couple years,” said Paul, who also plays tight end. “But all we have to do is trust the system and I believe we’ll be back to where we were a couple years as a special teams unit.” The Redskins’ special teams coverage didn’t allow a punt or kick return touchdown last season. But Washington has gone two seasons without producing a return touchdown of its own. Last year’s kick returner, Brandon Banks, is no longer with the Redskins, opening a preseason battle for a spot ripe with competition. Along with incumbent punt returner Richard Crawford, undrafted rookies Skye Dawson, Chip Reeves and Nick Williams have all received reps during training camp drills, thanks to their speed and big-play ability. Another area of focus is blocked kicks. Last season, the Redskins had two punts blocked in the first two weeks after having five field goals deflected in 2011. On the other side, the unit hasn’t blocked a punt since 2006. Jonathan Forsythe talks to “RG3: The Promise” author and Post sports writer Dave Sheinin about what is next for Robert Griffin III and the Redskins. (Post Sports Live) Burns spent both of Thursday’s special teams practice sessions honing the players’ punt-rush skills, setting up a circle to run around and a triangle of flags to sprint through before attempting to block the punter, played by Burns. “Believe you’re going to block it!” Burns exhorted loudly. “Attack the lane sharp and smart!” The next morning, Burns was back to circling the field, scheming techniques in the same notebook that serves him as both a student and teacher of the special teams game. “Every year was my rookie year. That’s the mentality that I came to work with as a player and that’s the hunger that I still have as a coach,” Burns said. “It didn’t matter how much I knew. I just looked at it like I was a rookie with a veteran’s mentality because being a first-year coordinator, there’s a lot I can learn.”UPDATE: A MAN accused of kicking a man in the head in a vicious attack outside a Southport karaoke bar will remain behind bars. Cameron South, 26, was charged last night with two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm and one count of armed robbery in relation to the incident earlier this week. Yesterday police released shocking CCTV footage of the incident on Scarborough St showing a Korean national being kicked in the head from behind. In the Southport Magistrates Court this morning South did not appear in the dock and his case was adjourned. He made no application for bail. Police will need to provide the brief of evidence in the case before January 20 and South will next appear in court on February 4. media_camera CCTV: A man is seen kicking a Korean student out the front of a karaoke bar in Southport. EARLIER Gold Coast detectives have charged a man after an alleged assault and robbery in Southport on Tuesday night. Police will allege that around midnight two men assaulted and robbed two other men outside a karaoke bar on Scarborough Street. A 26-year-old man from Labrador has been charged with one count of armed robbery and two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm. Police raided the man’s Marine Pde unit yesterday afternoon and he handed himself into the Southport Police Station. He is due to appear in Southport Magistrates Court today. Another alleged offender is still outstanding and investigations are continuing. media_camera A screenshot from CCTV vision which shows good Samaritans trying to help but they get caught up in the violence too. EARLIER POLICE are appealing for information to catch two offenders caught on CCTV violently attacking two Korean students in Southport this week. About midnight on Tuesday two Korean nationals were sitting outside a karaoke bar in Scarborough St having a cigarette. Council CCTV shows two men approach them, one distracts them, while the other swiftly kicks one of the foreign students in the head. He is knocked unconscious instantly and the offenders steal his wallet and phone, before casually walking away in a southbound direction. Senior detectives have described the attack as “sickening” and are appealing for the public to help them catch the men. Detective Inspector Mark Procter said footage from council’s CCTV network clearly showed the offenders. “The footage is clear, it is council footage from the Southport mall and we would ask people to view the footage closely and if anyone recognises them to contact police,” he said. “The Korean nationals were enjoying a night out and they have stepped out for a cigarette when the offence occurred. “We don’t believe there is any connection between the offenders and the victims, they have not been in the country long. “It is a sickening attack and we want to get these men off the streets as a matter of urgency.” Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.Quote Lilaris Quote: Originally Posted by Jaesa Willsaam Spoiler Anticipation I'm still thinking about last time, when we were alone. I hunger to indulge my appetite once more. But first, I want to share a dream with you--so you, too, can share my anticipation. In this dream, I'm a frail, helpless Padawan struggling to forge my first lightsaber. My foolish Jedi Master stands over me, unaware that a mighty Sith approaches. You cut my Master down with your lightsaber. I turn, horrified but in awe of your incredible power. You command me to bow, and I obey. Question of faith You're the most incredible, powerful, awe-inspiring Sith I've ever known. Naturally, I thought there was no way I alone could satisfy you. That is why I planted a tracking device on you, to confirm my suspicions that I was one of many women in your life. But forgive me, my lord. I was wrong. You remained true. I will never lose faith in you again. Please accept this gift as my tribute to your superiority. Oddly enough, I feel slightly disappointed. I was looking forward to hunting down your other female companions. Punishing them would have been such fun. The joys of marriage Being your wife is a thrill, my lord. But what good is marriage if I can't rub it in the faces of my enemies? I couldn't resist sending word of our union to House Organa. The Jedi Council, too. House Organa was not pleased, but their reactions paled to the despair the news elicited from the Jedi Council. Imagine, their prized Padawan is now wife to the most powerful Sith in the galaxy. Pity Nomen Karr wasn't able to attend the ceremony. If I'd remained a Jedi, none of these pleasures would be mine. Thank you, my lord, my husband. Vette Spoiler Anniversary Do you know what today is? Exactly one week ago you removed my shock collar. Or was it six months? I'm bad with dates. Anyway, I got you something special. It's stupid, I know, but I couldn't stop myself. If you don't like it, you can tell me. I don't want to be "that" wife. Speaking of wife, I just remembered I never told you my dress size. In case, I don't know, you ever want to pick something up for me. Not that you have to, or anything. P.S. On our next anniversary, we can celebrate again! Say, next week? Alone time This ship's cramped. I keep trying to make some alone time, just you and me, but every time I ask, Broonmark growls at me and Jaesa gets that look in her eye. So I started thinking honeymoon. You know--vacation in paradise? I contacted a travel agent, found a few hot spots: Star Cluster Suites, Nar Shaddaa (comped meals, generous casino credit) Cloudside Resorts, Makeb (remote, five stars, dramatic views) Whitecap Spa, Manaan (seafood, kolto peels, underwater suite) Think about it. A little vacation would do wonders for that Sith complexion. Little ones I know I'm getting ahead of myself with this baby thing, but hear me out. Let's say we have a kid. Or we adopt, or whatever. Your ship's no place to raise anything short of a tuk'ata. Way too many sharp corners and Sithy things lying around. Maybe we convert the medbay into a nursery. All it needs is a few lights, some decorations. Maybe Quinn could pull nanny duty. No kiddie leashes, though. But seriously, no pressure or anything. I'm just planning for the future--now that you're stuck with me, we're in love, all that mushy stuff. Anyone have Iresso's? Anyone have Iresso's? Jaesa's third one made me laugh Want to post feed back of why you're quitting? For the love of all that is good, post here http://www.swtor.com/community/forumdisplay.php?f=349I’ve been skateboarding for longer than I care mention, and I still had to hold onto the damn railings. I’m going to blame it on the screwy sense of orientation one experiences in virtual reality, but it probably owes just as much to my fear of falling off a mechanical skateboard simulator in the middle of the crowded E3 show floor. The exhibit was created by D-Box to promote Samsung’s Gear VR headset, utilizing the Canada hardware company’s mechanical system to simulate a downhill longboard experience. “Basically what you have underneath are electromechanical actuators that are synced with content that give you all of the texture of the road, all the curves,” D-Box’s VP Sales Yannick Gemme told TechCrunch. “All of those cues are being generated by D-Box in real time to make you part of the action.” It’s hard feeling fully immersed on the floor of a show like E3, but the company did a good job matching the video to the interactive experience, right down to the vibrating bumps of the gravel road. It’s an impressive experience, but one still cost prohibitive for those of us who don’t, say, own a fleet of cars, private jet, or have a line of steaks named after us. “D-Box is working on bringing a product to the consumer level,” adds Gemme. “With the introduction of VR into the living room, having a D-Box makes sense, whether you’re watching a movie or playing a game. You throw on your headset and become part of your own world.” In the meantime, you’ll have to go to an amusement or show like E3 to experience it for yourself.KEY OBSERVATIONS Mt.Gox has taken a step towards complying with US money-laundering regulations by registering as a money service business with the US Treasury Department. The Treasury Departmentâ€™s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, FinCEN, shows on their website that Mt. Goxâ€™s registration as a money services business was received on Thursday 27th June. Although the registration does not constitute approval by FinCEN of Mt. Goxâ€™s activities, it is a sign that the bitcoin exchange is willing to abide by US rules in order to continue operating. In May, the Department of Homeland Security seized funds from an account held by a Mt. Gox subsidiary in US-based online payment network Dwolla, when it was discovered that Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpeles never registered the company or its subsidiary in the US as a money transmitter. Dwolla was consequently forced to stop all transactions with Mt. Gox. The FinCEN Money Services Business registration form now lists Mt.Gox Inc. as a Delaware company and states that it is a money transmitter. Californiaâ€™s Department of Financial Institutions sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Bitcoin Foundation essentially demanding that the foundation stop doing something it doesnâ€™t do: exchange bitcoins for money. The letter was revealed by the Bitcoin Foundation on Sunday and little further information has come from California as to exactly why the foundation is alleged to be involved in the transmission, exchange, or trade of bitcoins or money. The foundationâ€™s attorneys have responded to the CFDI and either the agency will rescind the order or clarify what makes the California government thing the Bitcoin Foundation does something it doesnâ€™t do. â€œOne activity that the foundation does not engage in is the owning, controlling, or conducting of money transmission business,â€ wrote Jon Matonis, a member of Board of Directors for Bitcoin Foundation. He suggested the letter could have been a â€œgeneral blanket actionâ€ against Bitcoin-related companies, and more â€œCease and Desistâ€ requests will surface in the future. Bitcoin transactions in Germany have been made exempt from capital gains tax after one year. In Germany, assets such as stocks and bonds are subject to a 25% capital gain tax and a state-dependent church tax. With the new decision, bitcoin have been held for more than 1 year will not be subject to these charges. According to German news site Die Welt, financial expert Frank Schaeffler stated: â€œIt is good that investment in bitcoins is finally a legal certainty. Private profits from the sale of bitcoins are tax free after one yearâ€. Germany has long faced uncertainty as to the legal position of digital currencies in general. This move could serve to promote saving bitcoins, which some people regard as â€œhoardingâ€. However, if German people see bitcoin as a realistic way in which to store their money, this could in turn promote its adoption. BitAngels announced that after one month of founding at the Bitcoin 2013 Conference, it had now grown to 120 members and $17.7 million in capital targeting Bitcoin investments. The first investment is $100,000 into BlueSeed, a seasteading venture incubating international companies, including Bitcoin companies who will not be subject to US regulation during their incubation offshore, in international waters just offshore from Silicon Valley. Further press from BitAngels says that the incubator is looking into four more ventures currently and expects to fund one more in the next 30 days. A pub in East London has become the first in Britain to accept Bitcoin in lieu of real money. The pub accepts the cryptocurrency via an application on their registers that displays a QR code, that QR code is used with the customersâ€™ Bitcoin wallet, once the transaction is accepted, the sale is complete. Itâ€™s a real world example of how retail and service outlets could use bitcoins for products. Since adding Bitcoin on May 23, The pub has recorded nearly Â£800 in Bitcoin sales, or about $1,230 that translate into about 12 BTC.Tesla confirmed today that it purchased Minnesota-based Perbix, a maker of factory automation equipment, as the company attempts to ramp up its production capacity through more automation at its factories. It’s Tesla’s second acquisition in factory automation over the last year after the automaker acquired Grohmann Engineering for $135 million last year. That acquisition led to the creation of ‘Tesla Advanced Automation group‘. The company confirmed the new acquisition in a statement today (via Minnesota’s Star Tribune): “Perbix, which has been a Tesla supplier for nearly three years and has executed flawlessly on a number of extremely complex automation projects, will be fully integrated into Tesla. Moving forward, we will be expanding our presence and recruiting efforts in the Twin Cities area as we continue to build the machine that builds the machine.” “The machine that builds the machine” is a term Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been using as a reference to focusing on designing the factory building Tesla’s products over the products themselves. Tesla has been building a team internally to focus on factory automation, but it also went outside the company in order to accelerate the effort. Perbix was already working with Tesla in its factories over the last 3 years before the acquisition. The firm, which employs over 150 workers, says that it offers “complete design and fabrication of custom automation systems and build-to-print systems.” Tesla didn’t disclose the terms of the acquisition, but it said that it “would not have a material effect on its financial performance.” The move comes as Tesla is in the middle of ramping up production through its factories in Fremont, California, and Sparks, Nevada. The company was recently criticized for the level of automation on the Model 3 production line as it is trying to ramp it up. Tesla responded by claiming that they have both “manual and automated processes” on all their production lines like any automaker and they expect that the overall Model 3 production will be one of the most automated car production programs ever. Musk has been referring to Tesla’s future plan for a manufacturing plant as an “alien dreadnought” – because it looks more like something from another world than a factory. Last year, the CEO referred to the Model 3 production line as “alien dreadnought 0.5” and said that a 20-fold increase in production speed would be achievable at Tesla’s Fremont factory. He focuses on the speed at which the factory robots need to be moving in order to achieve his vision. In a conference call with analysts last week, he said that “if you can see them move, then they are not moving fast enough.” It looks like Tesla is still far from that vision, but it’s where they need to be if they want to achieve their ambitious plan to be producing 1 million cars per year by 2020.Winton's mysterious fishy tale amid Queensland drought Updated Much needed rain in drought-stricken Winton has brought not only delight to locals but also confusion, with the mysterious appearance of small fish far from any water holes. Tahnee Oakhill from Bernfels station said she was stunned to see a number of fish flapping on a gravel road in front of her home on Wednesday. The fish appeared after 75 millimetres of rain fell on the Oakhill's property, 70 kilometres north-west of Winton in western Queensland. "It's pretty crazy, getting that much rain was pretty shocking and then that happening after that... it's been a weird week," Ms Oakhill said. Ms Oakhill said her husband found the fish and raced inside to tell her and their
consulted about such changes, Cabot preferred to distance herself from the creative process for the sake of her own mental health in fear of compromising her own vision for future novels,[12] insisting that the book and film exist in separate universes.[8] Cabot maintains that she had little to no creative input in the film,[25] elaborating, "I don't think Garry Marshall needs 'help' to make a movie… from a novelist who has absolutely no experience in film-making." [8][26] Although Cabot admitted that Disney would call to consult with her before making changes, she described their conversations as more informative than collaborative.[8] Cabot acknowledged that adapting the 300-page novel, which she wrote in the form of a diary, into a 90-page screenplay would be difficult for the filmmakers, but was ultimately satisfied with the results and Marshall's direction.[10][27][12] Casting [ edit ] Chase decided that, in terms of ethnicity, the film's cast would remain faithful to the novel due to Mia and Clarisse ruling a European country, and Chase preferring to "make good movies" as opposed to limiting herself to African-American films.[19] Anne Hathaway was cast in the lead role of Mia Thermopolis after Juliette Lewis, to whom the role had originally been offered, declined.[23] 18 years-old at the time, The Princess Diaries was Hathaway's first major film role, for which she auditioned during a 26-hour layover in Los Angeles, California while traveling to New Zealand to film The Other Side of Heaven (2001).[22] Her only prior acting credit had been in the short-lived television series Get Real.[28] Hathaway was very nervous during her audition, to the point at which she fell out of her chair; her inherent clumsiness is credited with impressing Marshall.[22][29] Several established young actresses had been considered for the role, including Reese Witherspoon, Kirsten Dunst,[30] Alicia Silverstone, Jessica Biel, Claire Danes,[23] Kate Hudson, Cameron Diaz,[31] Drew Barrymore,[25] Sarah Michelle Gellar, Brittany Murphy, Katie Holmes, Christina Applegate, Kate Beckinsale and Eva Mendes,[32] while Liv Tyler was deemed a front-runner.[33] Christy Carlson Romano was unable to audition due to scheduling conflicts while filming the Disney Channel series Even Stevens.[34][35] Marshall's granddaughters ultimately convinced the director to cast Hathaway over Tyler because they felt that she possessed the more "princess-like hair".[24] The actress was cast based on her sole audition without performing a screen test.[23] Although Marshall believed that several other actresses seemed capable of embodying Mia's comedic aspects, he determined that only Hathaway possessed "the grace and authority" to deliver the character's final speech.[36] Hathaway's appearance and performance reminded Marshall of Julia Roberts, whom he had directed to great success in the romantic comedy Pretty Woman (1990),[29] describing her as a fusion of Roberts and comedian Harpo Marx due to her combination of glamour and physical comedy, which he also likened to his own sister Penny Marshall.[15] Hathaway gained weight for the role to closer resemble "a regular teen."[30] The actress credits Marshall with teaching her the most important lesson of her career: "You never know what's going to be a hit, so you might as well have fun making it."[15] Mary Poppins (1964). The character of Mia's grandmother was expanded specifically with Andrews in mind. A semi-retired Julie Andrews was cast as Queen Clarisse Renaldi, the actress' first Disney role since(1964). The character of Mia's grandmother was expanded specifically with Andrews in mind. Julie Andrews, who had been semi-retired from acting at the time,[37] was cast as Clarisse Renaldi, Mia's grandmother and Queen of Genovia.[38] Marshall personally invited Andrews to discuss the film with him; Andrews identified the director as "the hook" that convinced her to accept the role, having been a long-time fan of his work.[39] She accepted the role based solely on her conversations with Marshall without reading Wendkos' script.[40] Although Sophia Loren is rumored to have been offered the role,[41] Marshall insists that Andrews is the first and only actress he considered,[15][42] having been a fan of hers since Broadway's My Fair Lady (1956).[43] Known for portraying princesses and nobility throughout her career,[40][44] Andrews incorporated knowledge she had acquired about European royalty and mannerisms of Britain's royal family into her performance as Mia's regal mentor;[45][41] Queen Elizabeth II herself had knighted Andrews one year prior, making her a Dame of the British Empire.[43] Marshall allowed Andrews significant freedom to determine Clarisse's portrayal.[40] Cabot was initially hesitant about Andrews' casting, fearing that the actress was too kind to play such a stern character, but ultimately relented upon seeing her interpretation, explaining that Andrews possessed "just the right amount of regalness mixed with grandmotherly warmth."[10] Andrews also used the opportunity to mentor Hathaway,[46] although she maintains that the younger actress required very little training: "She has great instincts, good talent... She has this ability to do humor, comedy, very well. So other than actually honing her craft and learning from the doing, she has it all.”[36] The Princess Diaries was Andrews' first Disney film since Mary Poppins (1964), the role for which she had won an Academy Award for Best Actress 37 years prior,[24][47] and her first feature film in 15 years.[48] The film is credited with reviving Andrews' film career and introducing her to a younger generation of fans,[44][49] rivaling her defining performances in Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music (1965) in terms of popularity.[41] Marshall cast Heather Matarazzo as Mia's best friend Lilly Moscovitz after casting director Marcia Ross introduced them to each other, insisting that Matarazzo is different from other actresses.[50] Matarazzo attended a chemistry reading with Hathaway after auditioning for Marshall; Hathaway believes that the two actresses had met several times prior, none of which Matarazzo remembers, expounding, "I was such a sarcastic, little punk-ass kid that couldn't be bothered by cheerfulness" while "She's such a warmhearted, beautiful, sweet, soulful woman".[50] Matarazzo insists that they got along famously despite their differences, likening their on-screen chemistry to Richard Gere and Roberts' in Pretty Woman.[50] Furthermore, the actress cites Marshall as her favourite director, whose positive energy she described as unrivaled by other directors.[50] Matarazzo was also starstruck by the opportunity to work with Andrews, whose films she had idolized as a child, and often asked for the veteran actress' autograph.[50] Héctor Elizondo was cast as Joe, Mia's limousine driver and Clarisse's head of security.[51] Elizondo is known for appearing in all 18 films Marshall directed.[46] Pop singer Mandy Moore was cast as Mia's school rival Lana Thomas, her first credited film role.[52][53] 16 years-old at the time, Marshall was the first film director Moore worked with; she recalled that the director "had no business casting me... I didn’t know what I was doing. So I think the highlight of the film was working with him.”[53] Moore also appreciated the fact that several of her co-stars were similar to her in age, crediting the experience overall with setting her acting career "in motion".[53] Robert Schwartzman was cast as Michael, Mia's love interest and Lilly's brother. His real-life band Rooney makes a cameo appearance as garage band Flypaper,[24] with Schwartzman playing their lead singer. The musicians perform "Blueside", one of Rooney's original songs.[23] Schwartzman wanted to change his last name in the credits to Cage in honor of his cousin Nicolas Cage, but the film's promotional material had already been finalized.[25] The Princess Diaries remains Schwartzman's only major film role.[25] Marshall cast several of his own family members in supporting and minor roles.[54] Kathleen Marshall, Marshall's daughter, plays Clarisse's secretary Charlotte Kutaway. Charlotte's surname is only revealed during the credits; Marshall explained that the character was named after how often she appears in cutaway shots, and her role references the filmmaking technique in which "whenever anything goes wrong in the film, you cut away to someone, so we cut away to Charlotte".[55] Marshall's wife appears as a ball guest, while his twin granddaughters Lily and Charlotte, the same granddaughters who preferred Hathaway over Tyler,[23] appear as a pair of schoolgirls who ask for Mia's autograph.[54] Marshall himself has a brief cameo during the Genovian Independence Day Ball,[23] alongside sister Penny.[25] San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown portrayed himself in a cameo appearance during which he is briefly interviewed upon arriving at the same ball.[15] Further writing [ edit ] Further adjustments were made to the script once the cast had been finalized. Marshall was constantly conceiving ways of making the film funnier, which has been described as a collaborative environment, encouraging a family-like atmosphere and abiding by his motto "Life is more important than show business."[50] Marshall would sometimes throw parades for the cast and crew, particularly when it was a cast or crew members' birthday,[46] during which they would stop filming for at least half an hour.[50] Marshall celebrated a birthday while filming, during which Houston herself serenaded him with a rendition of "Happy Birthday".[25] The character of Mia's grandmother, nicknamed "Grandmere" in the books, is considerably nicer in the film.[10] Disney's decision to have Mia's father be dead in the film is among the most significant deviations from the source material, who is alive and has a major role in the books.[56] The producers decided to kill off Mia's father in favor of expanding her grandmother's role, which they had already been considering offering to Julie Andrews.[56] Upon learning that Disney was interested in casting a "big name" actress such as Andrews, Cabot allowed Mia's father to be eliminated from the film version,[56] much of whose dialogue was then reassigned to Mia's grandmother.Marshall wrote Hathaway's struggles with speaking while wearing a retainer into the film; the actress filmed the scene wearing the same retainer she had worn in real life.[31] Elizondo and Andrews campaigned for a romantic relationship to develop between their respective characters, an idea that originated during a table reading during which the actors turned to each other and uttered "you're cute".[51] The actors improvised their dance sequence.[25] Elizondo credits this with evolving his character into more than simply "a guy who drove a limo."[51] Upon Marshall's request, Andrews suggested that the fictional country of Genovia be famous for its pears, after which point the set was decorated with various fake pears and pear-shaped statues.[24] "Not you, I don't even know you", one of Matarazzo's most oft-quoted lines which she utters to someone while running down the street, was entirely improvised at the suggestion of Chase.[50] Houston conceived the scene in which Mia smears her ice cream cone on Lana's cheerleader uniform.[57] Mia recites one of Juliet's soliloquies from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, a deliberate reference to the fact that Hathaway shares her full name with Shakespeare's wife.[33] The film contains several references to Pretty Woman,[33][58] another film directed by Marshall to which The Princess Diaries has often been compared.[33][38][59] In addition to sharing a "Pygmalion-esque transformation story", both films share several cast members.[38] Both Elizondo and Larry Miller, who portrays Mia's hairstylist Paolo,[58] had appeared in Pretty Woman,[60] Elizondo playing a hotel manager who helps transform Roberts' prostitute Vivian into a socialite.[61] Most notably, actor Alan Kent, portraying a waiter,[24] delivers the same line he once delivered to Julia Roberts' character in Pretty Woman during the scene in which Mia accidentally breaks a glass.[33] The Princess Diaries is credited with establishing Hathaway's acting career,[24] similar to the way in which Pretty Woman offered Roberts' breakthrough role.[58] Filming [ edit ] Set and locations [ edit ] The Princess Diaries was filmed at a budget of $26 million.[62][63] Principal photography took place between September 18 and December 8, 2000. The Princess Diaries was filmed on Stage 2 at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California,[33] the same sound stage on which Mary Poppins, which starred Andrews in the titular role,[24] had been filmed during the 1960s.[19][64] The stage was later renamed the "Julie Andrews Stage" in honor of the actress' contributions.[24][64] Andrews recalls having to constantly walk up and down the set's main staircase while struggling to remain regal and composed in appearance.[41] Additionally, Marshall resided in the same house that Andrews herself had rented while filming Mary Poppins,[23] having lived in the building since 1974.[19][43] Marshall joked that he and the actress have "amazing" karma due to sharing several similarities and coincidences.[19] The Washington Post contributor Kristal Brent Zook wrote that Marshall and Andrews have also "proved themselves masters of the modern fairy tale" due to both of their repertoires consisting largely of romantic, Cinderella-themed material.[19] The film was shot on several locations throughout California, with Alverno High School serving as Mia's private school Grove High School.[15] A refurbished fire station named Engine Company No. 43 was used as Mia and Helen's home, located on Brazil Avenue.[65] In 2014, the building was listed for sale at $2.6 million.[66] Mount St. Mary's College, formerly the Doheny Mansion, was used as the location for The Genovian Consulate.[23] Unlike much of the film, which was filmed in San Francisco, the beach party sequence was filmed in Malibu.[67] The production designers decorated Malibu's Zuma Beach to resemble San Francisco's Baker Beach, a convincing transformation that ultimately fooled audience members.[67] To help Hathaway feel more comfortable on set, many of its props belonged to the actress' family.[30] Mia's photograph of her late father is a photograph of Hathaway's own father, Gerald Hathaway.[31][33] Gerald also briefly portrays the character during a flashback sequence in which he writes a letter to Mia.[31] Mia's pet cat Fat Louie was portrayed by four different cats, one of whom was owned by Hathaway herself.[33] Each cat served a different purpose: one was meant to be carried, another sat still for extended periods of time, a third was used for jumping and stunts, and the final (Hathaway's) is featured during the film's final scene.[23] During the state dinner in which a guest's arm catches fire, the fire was intended to be extinguished once the actor placed his arm in a nearby ice bucket. However, when the fire persisted, Hathaway panicked and doused it with a glass of water, an improvisation that was kept in the film.[68] Hathaway tripped and fell while filming a scene in which she is walking atop bleachers during the rain,[69] but continued to recite her lines as though nothing had happened.[24] Marshall found the unscripted incident funny and decided to retain it.[33] Matarazzo, who had been filming the scene with Hathaway, identified this moment as "a testament to the kind of person that she is, not just professionally but personally… You fall, you laugh, and you keep going”.[69] She also identified this as her favorite moment while filming.[50] While filming the final dance sequence, the crew played Madonna's "Like a Prayer" (1989) for the cast to dance to; multiple takes were required because the cast kept instinctively lip syncing its lyrics.[23] The track was dubbed by a different song in the final edit.[23] Costume design [ edit ] Costume designer Gary Jones, who had worked with Marshall prior, was drawn to the film due to the range of costumes required, describing it as "a costume designer's dream come true".[15] Jones worked closely with Andrews when designing Clarisse's costumes, drawing inspiration from Chanel, Bill Blass and Christian Dior.[15] The gown Andrews wears to the state dinner is a homage to her stage role as My Fair Lady's Eliza Doolittle, which was handmade in China.[15] Jones determined that Mia would originally be shy about her body, opting to dress her in layers, long sleeves and loose-fitting clothing.[15] The actress' periwinkle state dinner gown was inspired by the princess of Sweden, with Jones describing it as "a bow to the Renaissance and Romeo and Juliet", which she accessorized with an 18-carat diamond ring.[15] Both Hathaway and Andrews' tiara's were custom-made for the actresses, with the designers ensuring that both characters' head pieces were appropriate for their age.[41] The tiara and jewelry Andrews wears during the final scene consisted of half a million dollars’ worth of diamonds, loaned to the production by jeweler Harry Winston,[23] with whom Jones worked closely to obtain several unique jewels.[15] A security guard followed Andrews at all times to protect her and ensure that the jewels were returned at the end of each day.[41][43] Andrews' peach taffeta ballgown was accessorized with 100 carat diamond necklace consisting of four rows of diamonds.[15] Andrews donned the same necklace to that years Academy Award's ceremony.[70] Hathaway's tiara was considerably less expensive,[23] consisting of cubic zirconia as opposed to authentic jewels.[31][71] The crowns and tiaras worn by both actresses are preserved by the Walt Disney Archives, into which they were inducted in 2016 to commemorate the film's 15th anniversary.[72] Hathaway donned false eyebrows and a wig to make her character's makeover more dramatic.[30] Hathaway's hair piece was nicknamed "The Beast", while her eyebrows required one hour to apply;[33] each strand of hair was glued to her brow individually.[23] At times Hathaway was required to leave the set in full costume, claiming that she "never felt so alone in [her] entire life."[73] Music [ edit ] BrownHouse Productions was heavily involved in curating music for the film, which Kristal Brent Zook of The Washington Post observed "displays more girl power and ethnic flavor than the film does."[19] Dawn Soler served as the film's music supervisor.[74] Moore recorded a cover of Connie Francis' "Stupid Cupid" for the film's soundtrack.[75] Composer John Debney was recruited to score the film. Long-time friends with Disney executive Bill Green, Green felt that Debney would be suitable for the film and proceeded to introduce him to Marshall.[76] Debney identified The Princess Diaries as one of the films he is most proud to have worked on, explaining that there is an "emotional connection" that comes to mind when he thinks of the film as it reminds him of his own mother.[77] The official soundtrack was released by Walt Disney Records on July 24, 2001.[78] Described as largely collection of pop rock, teen pop, and dance-pop tracks,[78] the soundtrack also features contributions from artists BBMak, Aaron Carter, Backstreet Boys, Myra, Hanson and B*Witched.[79] AllMusic's Heather Phares reviewed that the album consists of mostly " slick, virtually interchangeable singles... a few tracks, for better or worse, are particularly distinctive", and felt that the album could have benefited from being more original as the Backstreet Boys' track "What Makes You Different (Makes You Beautiful)" implies.[78] A soundtrack consisting exclusively of the film's orchestral score was released on December 11, 2001, credited to Debney.[80] Themes [ edit ] The Princess Diaries have been heavily compared to the play Pygmalion; the play served as the basis for the stage musical My Fair Lady, in which Andrews originated the role of main character Eliza Doolittle. Due to its themes,have been heavily compared to the play; the play served as the basis for the stage musical, in which Andrews originated the role of main character Eliza Doolittle. Andrews explained that the film is as much "about what you are inside and the responsibility and just plain old hard work that goes into being a princess" as it is "about the trappings of being a princess."[41] Hathaway identified "remaining true to yourself" among the film's core values, describing Mia's transformation as both emotional and psychological, in addition to physical.[15] Hathaway elaborated that, despite the makeover, her character most importantly learns that "life shouldn't be about what the rest of the world can do for her" but rather "doing everything in her power to help other people", emphasizing her emotional transformation over her physical one.[19] Chase regards the plot as an "empowerment story," identifying "the power to be anything that you want to be" as its core message.[19] Chase elaborated, "In the beginning, Mia looks in the mirror and doesn't think she's princess material at all" but ultimately "comes to believe that she is."[19] Houston echoed that being a princess "doesn't mean they have to come from royalty" but rather "how you feel inside about yourself it's how you treat yourself and love yourself that really matters."[15] Bustle contributor Veronica Walsingham wrote that the film explores feminism, identity, family, girlhood, and duty, believing that The Princess Diaries "is a feminist dream of fully developed female characters whose arcs aren't dependent on male characters", additionally passing the Bechdel test.[79] A critic for Time Out wrote that the film discusses "responsibility, surrogacy, rites of passage and the value of friendship".[81] Most of Marshall's films revolved around themes "of recognizing and embracing one's own unique qualities and gifts".[15] The Globe and Mail's Liam Lacey observed that the film follows a traditional fairy tale plot: "a fairy godmother, and the lowly girl who becomes a princess, complete with tiara, the dress and a plump frog to be transformed into Prince Charming."[82] The Princess Diaries has been noted to have romantic comedy elements.[83] The film has also drawn comparisons to Pygmalion,[81][84] a play that also served as the basis for the stage musical My Fair Lady, in which Andrews originated the role of Eliza Doolittle.[61] Mia has been compared to the character of Eliza.[85] Identifying Pygmalion as "the model for all subsequent dramas about the recreation of social identity", The Guardian film critic Philip French identified The Princess Diaries as one of several films that adhere to "the makeover drama" believed to have first been embodied by the ballet Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme.[61] Similarly, HuffPost contributor Matthew recognized the film among several "more recent approaches" towards the Pygmalion story.[86] Jacobs Kristal Brent Zook of The Washington Post wrote that Clarisse "must... remake the gawky girl into a vision of regal grace, fit to take the throne" in "true Henry Higgins fashion", a character from the musical.[19] The Seattle Times film critic Moira Macdonald also wrote that Andrews "play[s] Henry Higgins to young Anne Hathaway's Eliza".[87] Also writing for The Washington Post, Michael O'Sullivan similarly observed that "Most of the comedy mileage comes from the My Fair Lady scenario, in which Mia's initially frumpy appearance and klutzy manner are eliminated through a regime of industrial-strength cosmetology and boot camp-style finishing school."[88] Nanciann Cherry, writing for The Blade, reviewed the film as "no more and no less than a live-action Cinderella, all dolled up for the 21st century."[89] Some critics were concerned that the film's message might encourage younger viewers "that all awkward teens need do to find contentment is get a makeover and wait for a hitherto unknown royal grandmother to come lay a crown on their heads."[85] Release [ edit ] The Princess Diaries premiered on July 29, 2001 at the El Capitan Theatre.[90] Prior to airing the film, Marshall encouraged the audience to chant "G is a good rating", referencing the noticeable decline in G-rated films that year.[17] A princess-themed tea party was hosted after the screening, with cast members Andrews, Hathaway, Goodall, Matarazzo, Moore, Schwartzman, Von Detten, and Mindy Burbano attending.[17] In addition to Jacobson, Disney executives Bob Iger, Richard Cook, Mark Vahradian, Chuck Viane and Oren Aviv were present, as well as actors Spencer Treat Clark, David Hasselhoff, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Michelle Trachtenberg.[17] Additionally, the party feature appearances by actors portraying Disney Princesses, including Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora and Belle.[17][91] Disney delayed the release of The Other Side of Heaven, which Hathaway had filmed before The Princess Diaries, to allow the latter film to take precedence, confident that The Princess Diaries' performance would bolster the success of The Other Side of Heaven.[29] The Princess Diaries was released on August 3, 2001.[25] The Princess Diaries was a surprise success and sleeper hit.[33][92][93][94] The film opened in 2,537 theaters in North America and grossed more than $23.2 million during in its opening weekend,[16][59] completing the weekend in third place behind Rush Hour and Planet of the Apes.[95] The film's box office returns surprised several industry commentators,[96] far exceeding expectations.[97] Analysts originally estimated that the film would earn $13-$15 million.[97].ABC News believes that the film's strong opening earnings benefited from being one of summer 2001's few G-rated productions released amidst PG-13-and R-rated films, to which parents flocked with their families,[98] while Allen Wan of MarketWatch joked that the family-friendly rating "didn't scare off mature audiences apparently."[97] It grossed $165,335,153 worldwide,[99] $108,248,956 in North America and $57,086,197 in other territories.[2] The film's box office returns were considered remarkably high considering the fact that the lead role was not played by an established actor.[16] The film became one of the highest-grossing releases of 2001.[9] To commemorate the film's 10th anniversary in April 2012,[41] the film was released on Blu-ray to coincide with Disney's National Princess Week and the release of Andrews' book The Very Fairy Princess: Here Comes The Flower Girl!.[40] A double-disk paired with The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, the release was sold at Target.[40] Critical response [ edit ] The Princess Diaries earned mixed reviews from film critics upon release.[16][79][100] Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 47% of 113 critics surveyed reviewed the film positively, assigning it an average rating of 5.2/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "A charming, if familiar, makeover movie for young teenage girls."[101] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted score of 52 based on 27 reviews, indicating "Mixed or average reviews."[102] Ed Park, writing for The Village Voice, reviewed the film as "a modest, enjoyable fairy tale that easily outcharms its animated stablemates of the past decade", continuing, "The movie hits its timeworn marks with grace and wit, thanks to game gamine Hathaway and an effortlessly regal Andrews."[103] Calling The Princess Diaries "an ideal family film", Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times commended Marshall's ability to "mak[e] make-believe seem real" while describing Wendkos' screenplay as "skillfully adapted" and praising Andrews' performance.[104] Awarding the film a B+, Entertainment Weekly film critic Lisa Schwarzbaum wrote that Marshall "directs Gina Wendkos’ girl-wise script... with avuncular affection and, by his standards, a minimum of court jestering, and he encourages moments of appropriate delirium among his large cast", highlighting Andrews and Oh's contributions and dubbing it a "charming... production" that "gets the duckling-to-swan ambivalence just right."[105] The Princess Diaries (her first film role) earned widespread acclaim from film critics, who cited her Anne Hathaway's performance in(her first film role) earned widespread acclaim from film critics, who cited her comic timing as an asset to the film. Film critic Mick LaSalle, writing for SFGate, called the film superior to Marshall's Pretty Woman, going on to deem it "Marshall's best movie".[106] Dubbing Clarisse "Andrews' best showcase in years," LaSalle credited most of the film's humor with Andrews' performance, specifically her reaction to Hathaway's gimmicks.[106] The Washington Post film critic Michael O'Sullivan wrote that, despite the film's younger target demographic, "there's enough bile and phlegm souring up the sweet main story to appeal to even those of us with more mature tastes."[88] Although Christine Dolen of the Miami Herald believed that Mia's clumsiness is "by far the most winning things about" the film, she felt that the script "leaves much to be desired -- like an intriguing storyline, any semblance of believability or choices beyond the obvious".[107] She ultimately credited Andrews and Hathaway's performances with saving the picture.[107] Robert Koehler of Variety felt that Marshall and Wendkos "waste the charming comic tone and observations of Cabot’s book, especially... where the reformation of Mia is depicted almost off-handedly."[5] Koehler criticized the film for squandering comedic opportunities by focusing on Mia's school and romantic relationships as opposed to her grandmother's training.[5] However, he felt that Andrews and Elizondo were perfectly cast, and commended Hathaway's comedic instincts.[5] The Globe and Mail's Liam Lacey agreed that "Surprisingly little time is spent mining the comic potential of Mia's education, with the comedy rationed in favour of a tiresome amount of attention lavished on her ongoing school problems", but concluded that Marshall deserves "credit for his keen sense of historical symmetry in the perfect casting of Julie Andrews".[82] Praising the cast's chemistry, Loren King, writing for the Chicago Tribune, credited Andrews' performance with "kick[ing] the film's class quotient up several notches."[108] Hathaway's performance was widely praised by film critics.[109] LaSalle wrote, "Hathaway is not a natural comic, but her acting has a truthfulness that gives The Princess Diaries its emotional core. She is also a chameleon, who, from the most unpromising of beginnings, blossoms before our eyes into near- Audrey Hepburn-level loveliness", additionally commending her chemistry with Matarazzo.[106] Elvis Mitchell, film critic for The New York Times, found the film to be merely "a blandly reassuring comedy" but described it as perfectly cast, hailing Hathaway as "royalty in the making, a young comic talent with a scramble of features".[110] However, Mitchell felt that her character becomes less interesting once she undergoes her makeover and predicted that some viewers will find the sequence problematic.[110] Similarly, The Seattle Times' Moira Macdonald felt that the film could have done without Mia's "teen-queen makeover, which made her look alarmingly like a junior Julia Roberts", but wrote that Andrews "tucks the film into her carpet bag and walks away with it", crowing her "pure screen royalty."[87] Even the film's most adamant detractors consistently found Hathaway to be enjoyable in the role.[16] Notable Biographies believes that the film might not have been nearly as successful had Hathaway not been cast.[16] Several critics and journalists compared Hathaway to "a young" Roberts.[59] Lacey felt that Mia "never achieves true dorkiness, though she does a reasonable impression of a fashion model going through a geek-chic phase", comparing her to Roberts. The critic concluded "The girl clearly has a movie future."[82] Asher Price, reviewing the film for The Denver Post, lauded Andrews' contribution while identifying Hathaway as "a good match for Andrews."[111] Calling the film "a surprisingly sophisticated comedy" that avoids common teen film tropes, price enjoyed the training sequences but felt that Mia's confidence is solely as a result of her physical transformation, describing the latter as "The only disturbing part of the film".[111] Despite being unimpressed with his direction, the New York Post film critic Lou Lumenick commended Marshall for "showcas[ing] Hathaway’s star quality in a way that’s more than a little reminiscent of his most famous film, Pretty Woman", praising Elizondo's "excellent" contribution.[48] ReelViews' James Berardinelli wrote that Marshall "takes a stale plot and explores it in a thoroughly uninteresting way, reducing characters to types and heaping mounds of saccharine and false sentiment on top in a vain attempt to disguise the bland flavor", also dismissing the cast as "mediocre" at best.[112] Film critic Roger Ebert panned the entire film as a "swamp of recycled ugly duckling stories, with occasional pauses in the marsh of sitcom cliches and the bog of Idiot Plots", finding it predictable, poorly edited and Hathaway too physically attractive to offer a convincing transformation.[113] Salon film critic Stephanie Zacharek reviewed the film as "so aggressively bland and inoffensive that it practically recedes from the screen".[114] Zacharek is also one of the few film critics to deride the leads' performances, dismissing Andrews as "so shellacked and precise... that it makes you want to run out of the theater and roll around in the dirt."[114] Accolades [ edit ] The Princess Diaries won the Young Artist Award for Best Family Feature Film - Comedy.[115][116] Debney's score won the ASCAP Award for Top Box Office Film, one of three awards the composer received at the 17th annual Film and Television Music Awards ceremony.[117] Myra's song "Miracles Happen (When You Believe)" received an ALMA Award nomination for Outstanding Song in a Motion Picture Soundtrack.[118][119] Casting directors Marcia Ross, Donna Morong and Gail Goldberg were nominated for an Artios Award for Feature Film Casting – Comedy.[120] At the Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, The Princess Diaries was nominated for Best Family Film - Live Action.[121][122] The film's trailer was nominated for a Golden Trailer Award for Best Animation/Family.[123] Makeup artists Hallie D'Amore and Leonard Engelma were nominated for a Hollywood Makeup Artist Hair Stylist Guild Award for Best Contemporary Makeup - Feature.[124][125] Hathaway received an MTV Movie Award nomination for Breakthrough Female Performance.[126][127] The Princess Diaries was nominated for two Teen Choice Awards: Choice Movie: Actress, Comedy for Hathaway and Choice Movie: Comedy.[128][129] Sequel [ edit ] A sequel, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, was released on August 11, 2004, with Garry Marshall returning to direct and Debra Martin Chase to produce the sequel. Unlike the first film, it is not based on any of the books. Most of the cast returned for the sequel, including Anne Hathaway, Julie Andrews, Héctor Elizondo, Heather Matarazzo, and Larry Miller. New cast and characters include Viscount Mabrey (John Rhys-Davies), Lord Nicholas Devereaux (Chris Pine), and Andrew Jacoby (Callum Blue). There has been constant speculation about whether or not a third film will be released for several years.[31][130] Several cast member have expressed introduced in returning for a third installment, particularly Hathaway and Andrews. In 2016, Marshall revealed that he had discussed the possibility of having a third film set in New York with both actresses. Interest has bolstered following Marshall's death in 2016, with Cabot revealing that a script for the third film already exists, indicating that the threequel would most likely be a tribute to Marshall.[131] In January 2019, Hathaway confirmed there is a script being written for a third film and that she, Julie Andrews, and producer Debra Martin-Chase are on board.[132] Legacy [ edit ] Elite Daily contributor Alana Altmann described the film as "a bonafide fave of '90s and 2000s kids alike".[3] Writing for the same publication, Kristen Perrone called the film "an essential part of the childhoods of anyone who grew up in the early 2000s."[133] Andrews attributes the film's longevity to the notion that "every seven years... There’s always a new generation that can discover it."[40] The actress believes that the film continues to resonate with audiences "because it’s got a wonderful heart. It’s about responsibility and obligation and decency and growing up and discovering who you are inside."[40] Seventeen ranked The Princess Diaries the 10th best "Best Teen Movies You Can't Grow Up Without Watching".[134] The scene in which Mia undergoes a physical makeover has garnered significant attention, with several media publications ranking it among the greatest makeover sequences in film history.[135][136][137][138][139] E! contributor McKenna Aiello identified the moment as "the first scene that comes to mind" when one remembers The Princess Diaries,[140] a sentiment with which InStyle agreed.[141] Lauren Hubbard, writing for Allure, believes that the film "may very well be one of the single greatest makeover movies of our generation," publishing a list of "11 Beauty Lessons We Learned from The Princess Diaries".[142] Cosmopolitan's Eliza Thompson wrote that "Few makeover movies hold up as well as The Princess Diaries".[50] Katie Rosseinsky of Grazia credits the film with introducing "one of the best makeover sequences in teen movie history" while teaching audiences "some pretty excellent life lessons".[143] Ranking it second, Her Campus hailed the scene as "the best teenage makeover ever."[144] Total Beauty ranked the sequence ninth, crowning it the "Best Hair Movie Makeover".[145] Steaming service Netflix identified
made it extremely difficult to ‘Balkanize’ Syria in the same manner as it had Libya, the US had to improvise its strategy and adapt to this obstacle. The US thus opted to Lead From Behind in an indirect way, helping to recruit, train, arm, and deploy Islamic-affiliated mercenaries into Syria. It uses Turkey as the regional delegate to Lead From Behind out of mutual self-interest. Ankara has ambitions of restoring the Ottoman Empire albeit in a refashioned form, and thus, it has been the US’ most active ally in destabilizing Syria. When the Color Revolution/Lead Form Behind hybrid was evidently not enough to topple the Syrian government, the US then ramped up its unconventional warfare strategy there. Therefore, the contribution of the Syrian experience to the US’ new war strategy has been that Western-trained mercenary groups are given an increased role in advancing on-the-ground objectives. This principle has been applied with mixed success in Ukraine following the coup against Yanukovich. Prior to that, the US had once more rolled out its Color Revolution/Lead From Behind hybrid, except in this case, Poland replaced Turkey as the regional hegemon destabilizing its neighbor. Regardless, there were many structural similarities, but unlike Assad who bravely resisted the external war being waged against him, Yanukovich quickly capitulated and was rapidly overthrown. At this point, the people of Crimea and Donbass resisted the coup-installed authorities and began to assert their human rights. While Crimea was successful in quickly reuniting with the Russian Federation (owing to its unique historical circumstances and demographics), Donbass has had to wage a lengthy struggle of self-determination. It is through this struggle that the US imported its Syrian strategy for deployment in Ukraine. Western mercenaries, CIA and FBI agents, military advisors, and over $50 million in funding was sent to the junta to aid in putting down the eastern rebellion. The fact that the improvisations learned during the Syrian destabilization are being repeated in another theater confirms that the US has now developed a new patterned approach to warfare. The Reverse Brzezinski and the Eurasian Snares: The covert wars being waged by the US in Syria and Ukraine are part and parcel of the larger Eurasian Balkans strategy. Ideally, the backroom logic was that the destabilizations would spread like wildfire in a parched forest and come to engulf Iran (from Syria and its mercenary spillover into Iraq) and Russia (from Ukraine). This wishful thinking was quickly derailed when Syria and the people of Crimea and Donbass resisted. By extension, Iran and Russia also worked to hedge their interests in their respective spheres, understanding that a success for US foreign policy there could pose an existential threat to their being. Thus, with the destabilization being relatively contained, the Reverse Brzezinski strategy was ushered in. The US sought to capitalize off of the chaos present in Syria and Ukraine in order to create ‘black holes’ to suck in Iran and Russia. Scientifically speaking, a black hole is formed from a collapsed star, so the metaphor can quickly be transplanted to geopolitics when one looks at Balkanized chaos being formed from a collapsed state (or portions thereof). Syria has not collapsed, but parts of the country remain beyond the control of the legitimate government. It is Iraq that is approaching near-failed state status and whose problems can pose a dangerous threat to Iran. Likewise, Ukraine itself is a pseudo-failed state, and the events that have transpired there are of significant danger to Russia. In both cases, what has occurred is that black holes are forming in parts of Syria, most of Iraq, and Ukraine, and the gravitational pull of the destabilization and chaos there can quite easily suck in Iran and Russia. After all, Iran and Russia have legitimate national security interests that are endangered by the US-managed events going on nearby and the temptation may be too great for them to abstain from involvement there. This makes the situations in Syria/Iraq and Ukraine Eurasian snares meant to entrap Iran and Russia. Russia and Iran were first targeted for the Reverse Brzezinski because the US already has significant infrastructure and influence in their neighborhoods (NATO and the Gulf bases). This makes it easier to manage such large-scale covert operations. A similar structure is not yet in place in Southeast Asia, but it may soon appear following the US’ Pivot to Asia. The US does have such infrastructure and influence in Northeast Asia, but it is Southeast Asia which represents Beijing’s soft underbelly of vulnerability. In the future, the US may use the lessons from Syria/Iraq and Ukraine to construct an even more alluring snare to entrap China, or it may be that if it succeeds in knocking Russia and Iran ‘out of the game’, an accommodation could potentially be made with China in order to cement it in a subservient position. Similarly, if the US can succeed in a large-scale destabilization of Central Asia following the Afghan withdrawal, then a mega-regional black hole may develop which would simultaneously suck in Russia, China, and Iran. This would be the coup de grace of American Eurasian planning and would represent the fulfilment of The Grand Chessboard’s strategic objective. Concluding Thoughts: Bringing everything full circle, Brzezinski has gone back to his basics of luring America’s adversaries into strategic entanglements from which they cannot retreat. His history of instigating the Soviet-Afghan War by having the CIA train and arm the Mujahideen before the Soviet intervention must never be forgotten. The concept of the Eurasian Balkans has largely overshadowed this chapter of Brzezinski’s past, but it does not mean that it is no less important for America’s contemporary strategic doctrine. As the US’ unipolar moment approaches dusk, the dawn of the multipolar era is around the corner. This necessitates a fundamental shift in the US’ previous pattern of offensive advancement into Eurasia, hence the revival of the Lead From Behind strategy. To accentuate the fact that this strategy is currently being employed by American decision makers, one must look no further than the case studies of Syria and Ukraine. These are the two battlegrounds that are at the forefront of this strategy’s official ‘coming out’, and they also represent real-time testing grounds for this idea to become perfected. Recent statements illustrate that the US’ primary goal is to lure Russia and Iran into the Eurasian snares of Ukraine and Syria/Iraq. Brzezinski himself has advised that the US directly arm the powers in Kiev in order to bunker down any ‘invading’ Russian forces that he is convinced are on hair’s edge to storm across the border. Likewise, the US is now talking about ‘cooperating’ with Iran to defeat the Western-backed ISIL in Iraq. The thinking goes that American airstrikes would provide cover for Iranian Revolutionary Guard offensives (in coordination with the Iraqi Army), but in reality, what this amounts to is the US conditionally choosing when and where to insert itself in the battle (from afar) while the Iranians and Iraqi troops are used as cannon fodder on the ground. The offers of cooperation are nothing more than a feint to trick the Iranians into getting caught up in mission creep in Iraq. The “Iranian Reset” is just as fake as the US-Russian Reset – a deceptive trick to buy valuable time for setting up a strategic betrayal. While the Eastern European and Mideast snares have already been deployed, the Asian version is still in development. The US must first complete its Pivot to Asia before it can comprehensively lay a trap for China, however, this doesn’t mean that it hasn’t already been testing various strategies. For example, the Vietnamese-Chinese South China Sea dispute continues to heat up, with accusations of aggressive behavior from both sides. The US is testing the waters over which Lead From Behind partner should be delegated the regional leader, and thus far, it appears as though Vietnam is at the forefront of successful anti-Chinese policy maneuvers. Nevertheless, because the Pivot to Asia is still in its infancy, this may change, and it is difficult to predict exactly how the Asian snare will look when it is finally deployed. As a result of changing international circumstances, the US has conclusively moved away from its desire for large-scale military interventions in favor of covert paramilitary proxy wars. The appointment of Frank Archibald to head the CIA’s National Clandestine Service (NCS) in 2013 is proof enough of the importance of paramilitary operations, regime change, and Color Revolutions in American strategy. Archibald was involved in the Bosnian Civil War and oversaw the first Color Revolution in Serbia in 2000. When an expert in paramilitary campaigns and Color Revolutions, incidentally the individual who carried out the first successful one in history, is elevated to the top of the NCS, then any and all Color Revolutionary movements should rightfully be suspected of being CIA operations, as should any paramilitary campaign that is detrimental to Russian, Chinese, or Iranian interests. With the US reducing its dependency on conventional conflict in order to follow Sun Tzu’s advice of defeating an enemy without directly fighting them, America’s new approach to warfare has become more nefarious. The godfather of the Soviet-Afghan War has returned to his grand strategic roots, and his influential legacy has resulted in the creation of two tempting Eurasian snares for Russia and Iran. Both intended targets are being lured into bloody proxy conflicts just as the Soviet Union was lured into Afghanistan in 1979, and they are “damned if they do, damned if they don’t” intervene. When it comes to Ukraine, humanitarian atrocities and war crimes are purposely being undertaken in order to anger the Russian leadership and provoke an emotional military reaction. Moscow is once more squaring off against the wily Brzezinski that had tricked it in the past, and Iran must deeply ponder what the consequences would be of re-entering the Iraqi warzone for the first time since the stalemated Iran-Iraq War. To channel Hillary Clinton’s closing comment in her latest memoir, when it comes to Moscow and Tehran, “The time for another hard choice will come soon enough.” Reposts are welcomed with the reference to ORIENTAL REVIEW.The full engagement of women at all levels of negotiations is essential in order to promote nonviolent solutions that address the causes of conflict and build peace and justice. Sue Finch and Liz Khan report from the European Women in Black conference in Belgium on a critical moment for Europe’s future. Over 100 Women in Black (WiB) from 22 countries met in Leuven, Belgium to discuss challenges to peace and security in Europe, and of people around the world suffering the impact of European economic and military policies. Deeply concerned at the levels of militarism and nationalistic and sexual violence in our countries, the European conference called for the full engagement of women at all levels of negotiations to promote nonviolent solutions that address the causes of conflict and build peace and justice. The international Women in Black - For Justice, Against War network was forged out of opposition to militarism and ethnic cleansing in Israel-Palestine, then the Balkans. Opening on May Day, in the 100th anniversary year of the destruction of Leuven in World War 1, the European conference explored critical issues for Europe. These included Ukraine’s recent crises, Israel’s continuing occupation of Palestine, and European arms sales and military interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, DR Congo and Mali…. to name just a few. Key themes included the expansion of NATO, implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against the Israeli occupation of Palestine, lesbians in the peace movement, and feminist activism against nuclear weapons and militarism in Europe. Women against NATO Cynthia Cockburn from WiB London led a workshop on the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). Women who organised against the Strasbourg NATO Summit in 2009 made the case that NATO perpetrated wars that had dire and gendered effects, and increased the militarisation of the EU and the risk of war through its patriarchal logic and language of enmity. NATO has expanded to include 12 ‘Eastern bloc’ countries, 28 countries in all, and is trying to secure control of the melting Arctic by putting pressure on Finland and Sweden to join. The current NATO Strategic Plan pursues full-spectrum dominance worldwide through its ‘Mediterranean Dialogue’ (Israel and North Africa), ‘Istanbul Initiative’ (Middle East) and ‘Partnership for Peace’ (Japan, South Korea etc) arrangements, as well as approaches to Caribbean and South American countries. Increasing interference in former Soviet states like Armenia and Azerbaijan, the continued NATO commitment to nuclear weapons, and the conflict with Russia over Ukraine mean that peace and security are increasingly threatened. Peace Event Sarajevo 2014 The largest international peace event in 2014 will take place in Sarajevo, June 6 - 9th with over 170 workshops, arts activities and a youth camp. A century after the beginning of World War I and two decades after the end of the bloodiest war in Europe since World War II, 1914-2014 can be seen as a century of a “Culture of War and Violence”. This event will bring together world-wide peace movements, nonviolent actions and alternatives to war and violence. Action against the NATO summit in Wales A week of activities organised by No to Nato from August 30th – September 5th against the NATO summit in Newport, Wales, on September 4-5th. There will be 60 world leaders, including President Obama, attending the summit. Plans include two counter conferences in Newport on August 30th and Cardiff on September 1st, both with sessions on women and militarism; a demonstration in Newport on August 30 th; and a peace camp during the week of action. European Women in Black groups agreed to hold vigils and demonstrations outside parliaments in their own countries at the same time. UN Security Council Resolution 1325 London and Belgrade Women in Black presented a workshop carrying forward the resolution made at the international WiB conference in Montevideo, to launch a campaign against the immunity of peacekeeping forces from prosecution for rape and sexual exploitation. They showed that despite attempts by the UN, including Kofi Annan's zero tolerance policy, and measures set out in UN Security Council Resolution 1325, to prevent and prohibit sexual violence, and punish the perpetrators, abuses still continue to be reported. Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (passed in 2000 following pressure from 40 women’s organisations) promotes the prevention of sexual violence, human trafficking, domestic violence and other forms of violence primarily affecting women and girls in conflict-affected contexts, the protection of women and girls from such acts, and the participation of women in conflict-resolution and security enforcement strategies. Although some progress has been made since the first reports came out of post-war Bosnia, troop contributing countries are still failing to prosecute their peacekeepers. WiB agreed to take part in an action on UN day, and to write letters to their governments calling for an end to impunity. Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Marijke Kruyt from the Netherlands introduced different aspects of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) that many WiB groups are working on: Boycott - personal economic boycott of goods from Israel, cultural boycott of Israeli artists and cultural institutions, academic boycott of Israeli academics (who work in Israeli universities) and research collaborations, and sports boycott. Divestment - lobbying companies to stop investing and collaborating with Israeli companies, purchasing/distributing/selling Israeli products etc. Sanctions - EU regulations are in place but not enforced. Sama Aweidah from the Women’s Studies Centre in East Jerusalem reported that in 2005 they started to work around BDS, with the aim of alerting and informing the world about what is happening in Palestine. She sketched the economic background: in 1967/8 Palestinians left or were made to leave working on the land, to get work for higher wages in Israeli factories, and this trend is difficult to reverse. Much of the land they left is now occupied by settlers. Today, Palestinians work mostly in the Israeli settlements, as it’s easier to get permits for work there than for work in Israel (especially for women). Another Palestinian speaker, Nabila Espanioly, stressed the need for international solidarity to put pressure on the Israeli government, and to fight for human rights, and that any campaign from the ‘outside’ helps Palestinians ‘inside’ and also helps to break down their isolation. She suggested that checking out companies and products can help to develop BDS strategies and priorities. Yvonne Deutsch (Israel) explained that in the wake of the effect of the Who Profits website, Israeli laws were changed to ensure that anyone calling for a boycott can be sued by someone who claims to be negatively affected by the boycott. This makes is very difficult to organize a boycott from inside Israel, so the focus of WiB Israel is to ‘end the occupation’. Participants agreed to lobby MEPS to enforce the agreed sanctions. Lesbians in the peace movement Lepa Mladjenovic (Serbia) and Rebecca Johnson (London) led a workshop about discrimination against lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transexuals (LGBT). Audre Lord said that each one of us has some power, as little as it may be, and it is our responsibility to define it and use it in the service of what needs to be changed. Key actions agreed included supporting LGBT rights in countries where it is a criminal offence, and supporting refugee lesbians/gays to gain asylum from countries where they are defined as criminals. Feminist activism against nuclear weapons and militarism in Europe Rebecca Johnson and Heena Thompson from WiB London facilitated a workshop on the ways that militarism disproportionately harms women’s lives, needs and security. Nuclear weapons have reinforced militarism for the last 70 years. Over a 1000 nuclear weapons are deployed across Europe and neighbouring countries: in Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey and Russia. Crises from the Ukraine to the Middle East are used to boost support for more militarism and nuclear weapons. Governments are cutting health, education and other services that support women’s needs and security, while spending billions on keeping and renewing nuclear weapons in Europe. Participants agreed that information on the costs of militarisation was key to successful campaigning – as well as information about the humanitarian effects of nuclear weapons. 146 countries had met in Mexico in February as part of a new Humanitarian process to lay down the basis for an international treaty to ban nuclear weapons led by the non-nuclear states. Action at Aldermaston Weapons Establishment on August 9th On Saturday August 9th - the anniversary of the bombing of Nagasaki – the Wool Against Weapons action will see thousands of people hold a pink knitted Peace Scarf running between Aldermaston Weapons Establishment and Burghfield (another Nuclear Weapons Establishment site 7 miles away) in Berkshire – to protest against the UK’s ongoing involvement with nuclear weapons, and the money the UK Government is intending to spend on renewing Trident nuclear missiles (over £100 billion) The seven miles of pink scarves (1 metre x 60cm) will be recycled to create blankets for homeless people and refugees afterwards. The European WiB conference ended with a demonstration and flashmob dancing in the main square of Leuven, followed by a Reception at the gothic town hall hosted by the Deputy Mayor. She talked about the devastation that war had brought to Leuven and thanked the Leuven women, and all Women in Black, for their continuing contribution to peace. Women in Black in London continues its 21st year of weekly vigils, on Wednesdays from 6 – 7 pm around the Edith Cavell statue in St Martin’s Place London WC2 (near Trafalgar Square). All are welcome! We will be taking the lovely peace bells used at the European conference to the next international Women in Black conference in Bangalore, India, in November 2015. Read more articles on openDemocracy 50.50 exploring women's critical perspectives on peace, justice and equality Peacework and Human SecurityThe JunoCam aboard NASA's Juno probe instrument snapped this photo of Jupiter during a close flyby of the gas giant. The first science results from the mission are expected to appear in 2017. 2016 has been a bountiful year for space science. Before the calendar runs out, here's our list of the biggest space stories and events of the past 12 months. There were monumental new discoveries, including the first-ever direct detection of gravitational waves, which gives scientists access to a whole new realm of information about cosmic events. This year, scientists also discovered a potentially habitable planet orbiting the star nearest to Earth's sun. As always, there were also hurdles and setbacks. The ExoMars mission sent both an orbiter and a lander to the Red Planet, but the lander crashed into the planet's surface before it could begin its science mission. And multiple studies searching for signs of a particle that could explain mysterious dark matter turned up empty. As the year winds down, 2016 also leaves us with some tantalizing possibilities for 2017, like the potential observation of a ninth planet beyond Pluto orbiting our sun. But before we look ahead, let's look back. Here are the biggest and best space science stories of 2016. First-ever direct detection of gravitational waves In February, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) collaboration made physics history when it announced the first direct detection of gravitational waves — ripples that stretch and compress space itself. Albert Einstein showed that space and time are fundamentally linked, so gravitational waves actually pass through the cosmic fabric known as space-time. The direct detection of gravitational waves opens up an entirely new realm for astronomy because these waves carry information about the objects and events that create them, and this information is not conveyed by any other means. Right now, scientists can study the universe by collecting light from distant objects (and, in some cases, other kinds of particles), but gravitational waves are not created by the same mechanisms that create light. LIGO made two gravitational-wave detections this year (the second was announced in June), and in both instances, the waves came from two black holes swirling around each other and colliding. Those mergers would have been invisible to astronomers were it not for gravitational waves. As LIGO continues to study the sky, scientists are eager to see what other cosmic treasures it uncovers. [Further Reading: Gravitational Waves Detected by LIGO: Complete Coverage] This artist's impression shows what it might look like on the surface of Proxima b, a planet that orbits the star nearest to Earth's sun. (Image: © ESO/M. Kornmesser) A planet around the nearest star to Earth's sun The star Proxima Centauri lies just 4.2 light-years from Earth's sun — a stone's throw, cosmologically speaking. In August, scientists discovered a planet orbiting in Proxima Centauri's habitable zone, or the region where liquid water might exist on the planet's surface (and thus boosting the odds that life might have evolved there). This newly discovered planet, dubbed Proxima b, has a minimum mass of about 1.27 times Earth's mass, further increasing the possibility that this planet could be habitable. Shortly after the discovery was announced, a group called Project Blue started fundraising to build a space telescope with the targeted mission of studying Proxima b and looking for signs of life there. In April, the Breakthrough Foundation — whose board members include physicist Stephen Hawking, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and entrepreneur Yuri Milner — announced an initiative called Breakthrough Starshot, which will aim to send a microchip-size spacecraft to another star. With the discovery of Proxima b, the Starshot project organizers announced that they would target this newfound planet, and potentially search for signs of life. The spacecraft would be accelerated with a massive (and expensive) laser system, and would still take about 20 to 25 years to reach Proxima b. [Further Reading: New Planet 2016: Complete Coverage of Proxima b's Discovery] Ice deposit on Mars is bigger than Lake Superior A massive ice deposit spanning a region the size of New Mexico was discovered in Mars' mid-northern latitudes. The deposit lies between 3 and 33 feet (1 to 10 meters) below the Red Planet's surface, it's between 50 and 85 percent water (the rest is dirt), and its total volume is about the same as that of Lake Superior, which holds about 2,900 cubic miles (12,100 cubic kilometers) of water. The ice deposit could be useful if humans eventually settle on Mars. The region where the deposit was found, called Utopia Planitia, could be easily accessible by spacecraft because it is relatively flat and low-lying. The ice deposit was discovered using the Shallow Radar (SHARAD) instrument aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. [Further Reading: Photos: The Search for Water on Mars] Images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope of Jupiter's moon Europa contain what appear to be water plumes erupting from the moon's surface. The images were taken in 2014, but the results of the analysis were not released until 2016. (Image: © NASA, ESA, W. Sparks (STScI)) Hubble spies potential water plumes on Europa The Hubble Space Telescope has spied what appear to be plumes of water erupting from the surface of Jupiter's moon Europa. This icy satellite may harbor a liquid water ocean deep below its surface, and scientists think that ocean could have the right ingredients for life. NASA is currently planning to send an orbiting probe to study Europa in the 2020s. If Europa is indeed spewing water from its ocean into space, that opens up the door for an orbiting mission to sample the water (without having to drill into the ice or even land) and look for hints of biology there. The Hubble telescope had spotted a plume erupting from Europa in 2012, but that detection seemed like it might have been a rare outlier, because no plume activity was observed in the intervening years. [Watch This Video for More: Possible Water Vapor Plumes on Europa Spotted by Hubble Again (Video)] Dark-matter search comes up empty Four studies released this year came up empty in a search for a particle that could possibly compose the mysterious substance known as dark matter. Although dark matter does not radiate, reflect or block light (and is thus invisible in the traditional sense), dark matter's gravity can bend light, giving scientists the opportunity to detect it. There are various other bits of evidence that indicate dark matter not only exists but is five times more common in the universe than "regular" matter (the stuff that makes up stars, planets and people). The first study came from the incredibly sensitive Large Underground Xenon dark matter experiment, which failed to detect signs of a hypothetical particle called a weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP). The negative results don't rule out WIMPs, but they do put new restraints on the potential characteristics of a WIMP dark matter particle. Two additional searches for WIMPs were conducted using data from the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, which collects high-energy particles from the universe. Those searches also came up empty. A final study looked for signs of another hypothetical particle, called an axion, using Fermi data from one particular galaxy, but it turned up no such evidence. [Further Reading: The Search for Dark Matter in Images] Tabby's Star saga continues In 2011 and 2013, a distant star known as KIC 8462852 (also known as Tabby's Star) appeared to dip in brightness as seen from Earth. This kind of brightness change can occur when an object such as a planet passes in front of a star, but planets orbit their parent stars on a regular time loop, and the changes in brightness coming from Tabby's Star were highly irregular. In 2015, a hypothesis emerged that captured the public imagination: Maybe an alien civilization had built some kind of megastructure around Tabby's Star, periodically blocking the star's light as seen from Earth. Alternative explanations (all of which seem far more likely) were produced, but there's not enough evidence to fully explain the mystery. In 2016, the saga of Tabby's Star continued. New evidence suggested that the star's sporadic dimming might have been going on for a century. That makes it unlikely that the source of the dimming is a swarm of comets, but it could also make it unlikely that an alien megastructure is to blame. Further observations revealed that the star not only demonstrated periods of rapid brightening but was apparently decreasing in brightness overall. That hasn't discouraged people from investigating the star further. The Breakthrough Listen initiative, which will spend $100 million over the next 10 years to hunt for signals possibly produced by alien civilizations, plans to study Tabby's Star with the 330-foot-wide (100 m) Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia. Astronomer Tabetha "Tabby" Boyajian of Yale University (for whom the star is nicknamed) was part of the team that originally identified the star's irregular behavior. Boyajian and her colleagues collected more than $100,000 through a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign, and they plan to use those funds to pay for telescope time to study Tabby's Star further. [Further Reading: Alien Megastructure? 'Tabby's Star' Continues to Baffle Scientists] The dwarf planet Makemake that orbits the sun beyond Pluto was discovered to have a tiny companion satellite. (Image: © NASA, ESA, and A. Parker and M. Buie (SwRI)) Dwarf planet Makemake has its own moon! The dwarf planet known as Makemake lies even farther out in the cold reaches of the Kuiper Belt than Pluto, at about 45 times the distance between the Earth and the sun. But it's not alone out there: Earlier this year, scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope discovered a small moon orbiting Makemake (pronounced MAH-kay-MAH-kay). This miniature companion is thought to be about 100 miles (160 km) wide. (Makemake itself is about 870 miles, or 1,400 km, wide — or a little more than half the diameter of Earth's moon.) Scientists will watch the orbital dynamics of Makemake and its moon to learn more about the dwarf planet, including its density. [Further Reading: Dwarf Planet Makemake Has a Moon \| Video, Dwarf Planet Makemake: An Icy Wonder in Pictures] Exciting Developments in 2016: In addition to the above science results, 2016 gave ys some tantalizing hints about new science we can expect to hear about in 2017 and the years ahead. Juno arrives at Jupiter NASA's Juno spacecraft arrived at Jupiter on July 4, and settled into its unique orbit with the giant planet. The plan was to have Juno make a close approach of Jupiter every two weeks, but a thruster problem forced the probe to stay in a longer orbit and instead make a close approach of Jupiter every 53 days. Even though no major science results have been produced by the Juno science team yet, the JunoCam instrument has been sending back stunning images of the Jovian giant, providing an unprecedented look at this gaseous monster. Juno principal investigator Scott Bolton said the images are already providing tantalizing hints about the science that Juno will produce. [Further Reading: Photos of NASA's Juno Mission to Jupiter] ExoMars arrives at the Red Planet The ExoMars mission, a collaboration between the European Space Agency and Russia's Roscosmos, was designed with two parts: an orbiting satellite and a surface lander. But the lander met an early end when the landing technology malfunctioned, causing the probe to crash into the Martian surface. But the orbiter remains operational, and it's gathering information that will help inform the next phase of the ExoMars project: sending a rover to the Martian surface. The rover will include a drill that will dig to depths of up to 6.5 feet (2 m) into Mars' dirt and soil. [Watch This Video for More: Red But Not Dead - ExoMars Orbiter to Look for Water and Life \| Video] This artist's concept shows a SpaceX uncrewed Dragon capsule on the surface of Mars. This year, the private spaceflight company announced plans to send capsules to Mars as early as 2018. (Image: © SpaceX) SpaceX plans to visit Mars by 2018 In September, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk delivered a long-awaited speech outlining the company's plans to eventually build human colonies on Mars. But before SpaceX starts sending humans to the Red Planet, it could help serve various science objectives, such as returning dirt samples collected by NASA's Mars 2020 rover (scheduled to launch in 2020). In April, Musk announced on Twitter that the company plans to send uncrewed landers to the surface of Mars as early as 2018. Although NASA will offer technical support for SpaceX's first missions to the Red Planet, the agency announced this month that it will not send science equipment on the very first SpaceX missions. Instead, the agency will wait until SpaceX has proved out the technology. [Further Reading: SpaceX's Interplanetary Transport for Mars in Images] 'Planet Nine' may lurk beyond Pluto Early this year, a group of scientists announced that they had found significant evidence to suggest that there is a planet the size of Neptune beyond Pluto, orbiting our sun. The so-called Planet Nine hasn't been observed directly yet, but the movement of other bodies in that outer part of the solar system indicates the presence of a massive body, the researchers said. The group, led by Mike Brown of the California Institute of Technology, produced more evidence later in the year, as they looked at more data tracking the precise motion of small bodies in the Kuiper Belt (the region of the solar system beyond Neptune that is filled with small, rocky, icy bodies). Theories have also emerged about where the planet came from and how it arrived at its distant — and likely very tilted — orbit around the sun. The authors of the paper also have proposed ways that the planet could be spotted by modern telescopes, as well as the general region where they say the planet should be orbiting. Perhaps 2017 will be the year Planet Nine is found. [Further Reading: Planet Nine: Theories About the Hypothetical Planet] Follow Calla Cofield @callacofield. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Islamic State's Telegram 'channel' has over 4,500 followers So-called Islamic State group (IS) has shifted its propaganda distribution to the secure mobile messaging app Telegram from Twitter, where its accounts have been repeatedly shut down over the past year. IS and other jihadist groups appear to be exploiting new functionality introduced by the app last month, which allows users to broadcast their messages to an unlimited number of members via their own Telegram "channel". On 26 September, just four days after Telegram trumpeted the launch of its new "Channels" tool, IS media operatives on Twitter started advertising the group's own channel dubbed Nashir, which translates as "Distributor" in English. It has already amassed more than 4,500 subscribers. Since then, IS propaganda has started appearing first via Telegram, often several minutes before being posted to Twitter. Image copyright Telegram Image caption IS used Telegram to announce the attack in Aden The group's claim for an attack on Saudi and Emirati forces at a hotel in the Yemeni city of Aden on Tuesday was posted first on Telegram, for example, although Twitter remains a key platform for IS to spread its message. IS appears to be hoping the Berlin-based Telegram will offer it a more stable and resilient platform for its propaganda, faced with a sustained clampdown on its Twitter presence. But Telegram itself suggests it will take down illegal material that is made publicly available via the app - including posts related to IS, according to its website. IS has not had an official presence on Twitter since July 2014, when its last branded accounts were shut down. It then experimented with a series of less well-known social media platforms, such as the privacy-focused Diaspora as well as VKontakte, Russia's largest social network, whose co-founders the Durov brothers went on to set up Telegram in 2013. But IS was soon kicked off those platforms too. Since then, Twitter has remained the group's preferred platform. But it has been caught up in a cat-and-mouse game with the Twitter administration, which has also led to its quasi-official, non-branded accounts routinely suspended. Image copyright Telegram Image caption Telegram boasts of its "secret chat" facility which heavily encrypts messages Even before IS launched its latest propaganda channel via Telegram, there had been evidence that the group and its members were using the app. Earlier in September, IS had advertised an Iraqi mobile phone number, which people could use to get in touch with the group via the Telegram app in order to pay a ransom for two hostages being held by the group. And jihadists inspired by IS, including a British teenager convicted recently, have used the app's secure encrypted messaging to conduct attack planning. Jihadists have been drawn by Telegram's boast to provide a "secret chat" facility, which heavily encrypts messages user-to-user with a unique key to avoid interception by hackers or government agencies. Telegram is so confident of its security that it twice offered a $300,000 reward to the first person who could crack its encryption. But it is the app's new public broadcast function that jihadists have been quick to latch on to and it is not just IS that has started exploiting it. Al-Qaeda's Yemen branch (AQAP) launched its own Telegram "channel" on 25 September, although its material is still coming out first via Twitter, where the group has its own official accounts. And the Libyan Ansar al-Shari'ah group created its channel the following day. A raft of other pro-IS and pro-al-Qaeda media groups have also set up shop there. BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook.For as long as TV has been around, people have fretted about how it might damage The Children. Does it rot their brains and turn them into illiterate mutants? Is all the sex and violence breeding a generation of super slutty murderers? The results on those fronts are mixed, but thanks to a new study, one thing is very clear: Watching TV really does a number on the self-esteem of young girls and black boys. Naturally, white boys get an ego boost from spending time in front of the ol' boob tube—but that is just as it should be, according to every TV show ever created. Girls, on the other hand... The study, which appears in Communication Research, was conducted by Nicole Martins, an assistant professor of telecommunications in the Indiana University, and Kristen Harrison, professor of communication studies at the University of Michigan. They surveyed about 400 black and white preadolescent students—aka tweens—in the Midwest over the course of
music? Harsh music? No music?” It is astounding what one person will do, the lengths they will go to, when they care about another. To an outsider, one who is not a part of this 1+1 equation, it seems simple enough to decipher. But you cannot imagine how much it means to you until you are on the receiving end. I both love and hate these little interactions. I both love and hate how much she worries about me and how successful she wants me to be. I dream about her throwing her hands up in the air and going into the other room, never again bothering me with questions about my work and my health. I wonder if I would prefer it; it would certainly provide solitude, albeit a very cold and forced solitude. It would separate my mind from her, temporarily, and allow me to listen to my muse without having to juggle her questions and concerns. I of course would be sacrificing her piece of mind, but is that the price for getting a little work done? In the end, I realize that I wouldn’t much like it if she stopped checking in on me, asking about the light, offering me some sort of nourishment. To each other, we are not muses of creativity, expression, or even free thought. To each other, we are the muses of concern, the rational demigods who stand near the hearth in white toga, always with a hand up as a sign to yield and a constant look of worry. We are, perhaps, annoyed at times by each other’s constant checking-in and endless suggestions. But where would we be without them? We would forget to eat, to sleep, to wash, to a point where we would eventually be consumed by atrophy before we could even produce some of our best work. We may reply in impatient tones with each other, but that terse remark is quickly followed-up by a grateful smile and warm glance when we are reminded of just how lucky we are to have such a force of stability in our lives. I still remember our trip to Ireland about a year ago. We took a day trip to the Cliffs of Moher and, when the coast was clear, we went off the path to gaze over the unfenced regions. From there we had an uninhibited view of the 400-foot drop, with an angle so sharp that it was difficult to make out the water and rock bed that would be the landing point. There was no fence, there was no harness, and, short of a stray tourist or two, there were no other people around. It would have been easy to jump. It would have been something to have the cold, wet air hit my face and take a final look at the endless black ocean and gray sky before me. It may be the greatest thrill to put one’s life in the hands of fate and hope that the best happens, knowing full well that it is much more likely that the worst will be your result. I thought all of this, but I didn’t react to it. I didn’t move toward the cliff, nor did I quietly mutter anything of the sort. Regardless, the minute these thoughts crept into my mind, she quietly took a step closer to me, put her hand on my shoulder, and flashed a smile that could block out the sun. She wrapped her arms around me, and at that moment I had never felt so warm or wanted. She knew what was going through my mind, she could feel the challenge presented in my head, and she acted accordingly, as we both had time and time before. I didn’t jump that day or any other day since. Some days I think about jumping. Some days I think about things that are worse than jumping. But those thoughts exit as quickly as they entered, because I remember that, if I was to go through with jumping, my muse would be alone. I never want my muse to be alone. more by THOMAS photograph by Jasper van der Meij Image Curve’s ManifestoThis might sound like just about the stupidest thing you've ever heard but bear with it for a moment. It's not quite as absurd as you might think. Ok, here goes... Fernando Torres is Spain's Emile Heskey. On the face of it there is no comparison. Last season the Spaniard scored 18 Premier League goals despite missing much of the season through injury. Heskey got three. In his three years in England, Torres has scored 56 times; Heskey would have to go back nine campaigns to rack up as many. Meanwhile, the Englishman has scored seven at international level, while his counterpart has 24. It is at international level, though, where there is a curious parallel developing between the two. Neither has scored at the World Cup. In fact, Torres has not scored for Spain since last summer, and Heskey has not scored for England since June last year. But he did at least score during qualification, which is more than can be said for Torres. It should not have been so long. Torres wasted two wonderful opportunities against Honduras; Heskey failed to take his chance against the USA. Not that anyone was surprised, or even especially angry. Most imagined Heskey would miss, and scoring goals was officially not his job. When Torres missed, the surprise was greater. But here's the thing: scoring is not his job either. "David [Villa] is the goalscorer," Torres said. "He's the one whose responsibility it is to score [for Spain]. When I was 17 I would get annoyed if I didn't score but not any more." For a man with more than 150 goals to his name, it was a startling remark, and Torres does care about getting goals himself. It could also be dismissed as an attempt to ease the pressure – and questions certainly have been asked about the Madrileño's form and finishing. Yet the sentiment was not entirely misplaced. Both Torres and Heskey have found themselves in a situation in which they are, rarely for a forward, judged not so much on their own performances as that of the man alongside them. Though the doubts lingered, and are ever greater now, England fans long learnt to value Heskey for something other than goals, Gérard Houllier once brandishing the figures to underline his importance, even if those figures did not include goals scored. Now Spanish fans are having similar discussions about Torres. He has twice undergone operations this year. This might be a World Cup but he is undergoing a kind of pre-season; against Honduras he started a match for the first time in three months. "The most important thing," he said, "is that I'm progressing." The most important thing is that Spain are. And although superficial judgments suggest otherwise, Torres is a central reason why. It is the performance of the men alongside them that means Heskey and Torres have such different horizons; and that, in turn, says something about their displays. Wayne Rooney failed to score; Villa has scored three times. Or to put it another way: Heskey failed to help Rooney score; Torres helped Villa score – an interpretation that comes as a comfort to Torres, something to which he can cling in his drought. Heskey was dropped from and ultimately had to head for home with the defeated squad; Torres will be included as Spain face Portugal tonight believing that they can reach the final on 11 July. The reason is simple: even without getting goals, Torres has proven fundamental. The Liverpool striker was absent from the starting line-up in Spain's 1–0 defeat in the opening game against Switzerland. When he has been included, Villa has scored three times, mostly coming in from the left. Against Chile, it was Torres's power and pace that presented Villa with the chance – if it can even be called a "chance" – to score. The move was reminiscent of Villa's first at Euro 2008, a goal he greeted by pointedly celebrating with Torres, the provider. The roles remain. "Torres generates a lot of space for me – anyone can see that," Villa says. "Torres hasn't scored goals yet; he lacks pace and his finishing needs to improve, but he is very valuable," says Vicente del Bosque, Spain's coach. "He ties up the defenders, is a constant threat and opens spaces. He always offers himself, especially at the hardest moments, and causes problems with his power and pace." Javi Venta, the Villarreal defender, adds: "When Torres plays, Villa plays better. He has more freedom, greater mobility." The former Spain midfielder Victor Muñoz defines it in a phrase: "Torres makes the pitch longer." Torres adds: "Look at Villa's figures, they're incredible. He's the Seleccion's goalscorer and always has been." Well, not always. The last time questions were raised about Torres's goalscoring ability, during Euro 2008, he silenced them in style. By scoring the most important goal in the country's history.Rebecca Boone/AP After 41 days, an armed occupation at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge came to a conclusion Thursday morning. The four remaining militants at the refuge surrendered to federal authorities. Around 9 a.m. Thursday, law enforcement escorted the Rev. Franklin Graham and Nevada state Assemblywoman Michele Fiore from the roadblock outside the refuge to the refuge headquarters. Fiore and Graham then spent about two hours in negotiations with the occupiers. Husband and wife Sean and Sandy Anderson of Riggins, Idaho, and Jeff Banta of Elko, Nevada, turned themselves in within an hour and a half. David Fry of Blanchester, Ohio, surrendered just after 11 a.m. after speaking with negotiators for about an hour about his viewpoints on the occupation, religion, America as a whole and more. Shortly after Fry’s surrender, a convoy of about a dozen law enforcement vehicles, which presumably carried the four occupiers, came back through the roadblock and then, at a high rate of speed, headed back toward Burns. Roads behind the convoy were blocked, preventing other vehicles from following. In a news conference held later Thursday, FBI Special Agent in Charge Greg Bretzing said the refuge would remain closed for a number of weeks as agents search for explosive and other hazards. He said the FBI will also work to process the crime scene and catalog evidence. Bretzing also acknowledged the toll the occupation has taken on the community. “Over the course of the last month, the people of Harney County have lived through an experience that is both highly emotional and physically exhausting,” he said. “This series of events has been beyond difficult for Harney County families. “ Tense Negotiations And A Surprise Arrest Around 11 p.m. Wednesday, U.S. Marshals detained Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, the father of militant leaders Ammon and Ryan Bundy, at the Portland International Airport. He was detained under a U.S. Marshal hold and is facing federal charges. Wednesday evening was also marked by tense negotiations between militants, the FBI, Fiore and others. The mounting anxiety of federal officials moving in was captured live. As the FBI tightened its perimeter, the remaining four occupiers called online media personality Gaven Seim, who has frequently posted videos in support of the occupation. Seim streamed the call through YouTube. At one point, the audio feed reached nearly 70,000 listeners. During the call, Fiore urged the militants to surrender peacefully to law enforcement, and Sean Anderson agreed. He said the group would turn themselves in to the FBI at 8 a.m. Thursday morning. After the militants ended the call to Seim, Cliven Bundy’s arrest took place. Timeline: The Armed Occupation Of The Malheur National Wildlife Refuge John Sepulvado / Juan Ramirez / Bryan M. Vance/OPB In the weeks leading up to the standoff’s conclusion, Fry and others used online videos to offer inside accounts of the mounting anxiety playing out at the refuge. Lost in the final hours of the occupation was the original motive for starting it: the imprisonment of Dwight and Steven Hammond. The militants didn’t mention the Harney County ranchers in the closing moments. Instead, they focused on whether they would be able to live to tell their story. Fiore gave this advice to militant Sandy Anderson about writing her story: “Be detailed Sandy, be very, very detailed,” Fiore said. “Like that author did in Fifty Shades of Grey.” “The option is you go out there and they get you, and it’s a felony crime and it’s a prison sentence,” Fry told OPB. “A lot of us are scared of that option.” The Unraveling Of An Occupation But communications with the militants were cut off, giving the public little information on how the final days of the standoff played out. The more than five-week occupation began to unravel with the Jan. 26 death of Arizona rancher Robert “LaVoy” Finicum in a confrontation with police. The leaders of the occupation, including Ammon and Ryan Bundy, were arrested on a rural highway outside of Burns during the incident. The militants were on their way to John Day for a meeting with ranchers in Grant County, Oregon. In the weeks that followed their arrest, the militants were charged with federal felonies for preventing government workers from carrying out their jobs. With the leaders in custody, the remaining militants at the refuge continued the occupation. Several abandoned the refuge after hearing word that the leaders were in custody. Debate swirled in the hours following the death of Finicum regarding how he was killed. In a move uncharacteristic of an ongoing investigation, the FBI released footage of the car chase and police shooting of Finicum. Occupiers took over the refuge Jan. 2 during a rally for Harney County ranchers Dwight and Stephen Hammond. The two turned themselves in to federal prison earlier this month after being convicted of arson on federal land. The occupiers said they came to Harney County to defend the Hammonds and protest the federal government’s role in managing public lands. A group of armed militants, including the Bundy brothers and Finicum, took over the Malheur refuge right before the rancher’s imprisonment. They called on the federal government to release the Hammonds and turn the wildlife refuge over to county’s residents. A Community Divided Bundy’s group said the ultimate goal was to create a county free of the federal government. But the Bundys’ agenda was controversial, even for the close-knit ranching community they said they sought to help. Weeks into the occupation, the Bundys called on ranchers across the nation to tear up their federal grazing leases. The move caused a schism in the community over what role the government should have in the lives of ranchers. Divisions in the community were evident at meetings led by local officials. Some residents saw the armed takeover of the federal buildings as a heroic stand against the federal government. While others saw the group more as armed outsiders using their community as a platform to advance their own agenda. Impassioned, emotional protesters faced each other Monday afternoon in Burns, Oregon. As the occupation continued, it took a toll on federal employees in Harney County, especially those who worked at the refuge. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed their workers from the county after militants made numerous threats. “I would say this is the most disrupted my life has ever been,” said one frustrated and angered employee. OPB agreed to withhold the identity of the employee because armed militants who took over the refuge have made threats against federal employees. “Knowing that they’re combing through all of our files, everything that we have that’s government and personal at the refuge, that they have access to our computers, that they know everything from my Social Security number to my shoe size,” the current employee said, “it’s a great sense of violation.” Law enforcement were criticized throughout the armed occupation for appearing to be removed from the ongoing situation. Roads in and out of the refuge remained opened in the early weeks, allowing militants to move freely and re-supply. But their defenders argued officials were trying to avoid another Waco or Ruby Ridge level event from erupting. The occupation drew supporters and critics from across the country. Like minded protesters from outside Oregon, many with anti-government sentiments, joined the Bundys at the refuge. Supporters of public lands staged local and regional counter protests. While others criticized the occupation online in a variety of creative ways, including erotic fan fiction and the mailing of sex toys to the compound. Locally, most Harney County residents said they wanted the occupiers gone. “Armed protesters don’t belong here,” said Charlotte Roderique, tribal chair for the Burns Paiute tribe. The tribe was among the most vocal critics of the armed takeover. “By their actions, they are endangering one of our sacred sites,” Roderique said. The refuge building alone holds more than 4,000 cultural artifacts.The Market has deified itself, according to Harvey Cox’s brilliant exegesis. And all of the world’s problems—widening inequality, a rapidly warming planet, the injustices of global poverty—are consequently harder to solve. Only by tracing how the Market reached its “divine” status can we hope to restore it to its proper place as servant of humanity. The Market as God captures how our world has fallen in thrall to the business theology of supply and demand. According to its acolytes, the Market is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. It knows the value of everything, and determines the outcome of every transaction; it can raise nations and ruin households, and nothing escapes its reductionist commodification. The Market comes complete with its own doctrines, prophets, and evangelical zeal to convert the world to its way of life. Cox brings that theology out of the shadows, demonstrating that the way the world economy operates is neither natural nor inevitable but shaped by a global system of values and symbols that can be best understood as a religion. Drawing on biblical sources, economists and financial experts, prehistoric religions, Greek mythology, historical patterns, and the work of natural and social scientists, Cox points to many parallels between the development of Christianity and the Market economy. At various times in history, both have garnered enormous wealth and displayed pompous behavior. Both have experienced the corruption of power. However, what the religious have learned over the millennia, sometimes at great cost, still eludes the Market faithful: humility.NEW DELHI: HRD Minister Smriti Irani today announced that IIT admission fees of Partapgarh brothers Raju and Brijesh, sons of a daily wager, would be waived even as support poured in from several quarters including Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.The two brothers' "registration fees will be waived and (they) will be eligible for scholarships that cover tuition, mess and other charges," Irani tweeted, after the plight of the family to arrange the fees appeared in sections of media.Raju (18) and Brijesh (19), sons of a daily wager from Rehua Lalganj village in Uttar Pradesh's Pratapgarh, have cleared the IIT Advanced examinations earlier this. Raju secured 167th rank in his first attempt while his brother Brijesh stood 410th in the prestigious exam.Earlier in the day, Congress Vice-President Gandhi spoke to the brothers over the phone and assured them all help. He, subsequently, directed local party leaders including Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tewari and his daughter and MLA Aradhana to extend all necessary help to them."Congratulations to all those who cracked the IIT. Spoke to Brijesh & Raju from Pratapgarh on their tremendous success against all odds," Gandhi said on Twitter.Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yadav too extended help and announced that his government would honour the two brothers and bear the expenses of their admission and education."Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has taken a decision in this regard taking note of media reports on how the two young brothers Brijesh Kumar Saroj and Raju Saroj successfully faced financial challenges and overcame all odds to crack the prestigious examination," a government spokesman said.Sanitation NGO Sulabh International also assured help and said it would take care of all financial expenses of the brothers.As helped poured in, Raju, one of the brothers, said, "I got calls from many people congratulating me. I got a call from Rahul ji, and other eminent personalities for the first time and I felt very happy... (Bollywood actor) Aamir Khan called too and advised to continue study without any worry.""I have faced difficulties since childhood. The atmosphere of a village is such that you have to face difficulties. One has to do all manner of small and big chores, and there is poverty all around. So we had to face all difficulties while studying. I got help from the government. I got admission to Navodaya Vidyalaya and studied my inter there... I got free coaching in Hyderabad. After that I cracked IIT," Raju said.The duo's father Dharamraj works for a Surat mill. The fees for the IIT programme runs to Rs 50,000 (Rs 30,000 admission fee and Rs 20,000 for the first semester). Counselling begins on June 25.What is Artificial Intelligence? By Jack Copeland © Copyright B.J. Copeland, May 2000 Sections What is Intelligence? Strong AI, Applied AI, and CS Alan Turing and the Origins of AI Early AI Programs AI Programming Languages Micro-World AI Expert Systems The CYC Project Top-Down AI vs Bottom-Up AI Connectionism Nouvelle AI Chess Is Strong AI Possible? The Chinese Room Objection For More Information... Artificial Intelligence (AI) is usually defined as the science of making computers do things that require intelligence when done by humans. AI has had some success in limited, or simplified, domains. However, the five decades since the inception of AI have brought only very slow progress, and early optimism concerning the attainment of human-level intelligence has given way to an appreciation of the profound difficulty of the problem. What is Intelligence? Quite simple human behaviour can be intelligent yet quite complex behaviour performed by insects is unintelligent. What is the difference? Consider the behaviour of the digger wasp, Sphex ichneumoneus. When the female wasp brings food to her burrow, she deposits it on the threshold, goes inside the burrow to check for intruders, and then if the coast is clear carries in the food. The unintelligent nature of the wasp's behaviour is revealed if the watching experimenter moves the food a few inches while the wasp is inside the burrow checking. On emerging, the wasp repeats the whole procedure: she carries the food to the threshold once again, goes in to look around, and emerges. She can be made to repeat this cycle of behaviour upwards of forty times in succession. Intelligence--conspicuously absent in the case of Sphex--is the ability to adapt one's behaviour to fit new circumstances. Mainstream thinking in psychology regards human intelligence not as a single ability or cognitive process but rather as an array of separate components. Research in AI has focussed chiefly on the following components of intelligence: learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and language-understanding. Learning Learning is distinguished into a number of different forms. The simplest is learning by trial-and-error. For example, a simple program for solving mate-in-one chess problems might try out moves at random until one is found that achieves mate. The program remembers the successful move and next time the computer is given the same problem it is able to produce the answer immediately. The simple memorising of individual items--solutions to problems, words of vocabulary, etc.--is known as rote learning. Rote learning is relatively easy to implement on a computer. More challenging is the problem of implementing what is called generalisation. Learning that involves generalisation leaves the learner able to perform better in situations not previously encountered. A program that learns past tenses of regular English verbs by rote will not be able to produce the past tense of e.g. "jump" until presented at least once with "jumped", whereas a program that is able to generalise from examples can learn the "add-ed" rule, and so form the past tense of "jump" in the absence of any previous encounter with this verb. Sophisticated modern techniques enable programs to generalise complex rules from data. Reasoning To reason is to draw inferences appropriate to the situation in hand. Inferences are classified as either deductive or inductive. An example of the former is "Fred is either in the museum or the caf; he isn't in the caf; so he's in the museum", and of the latter "Previous accidents just like this one have been caused by instrument failure; so probably this one was caused by instrument failure". The difference between the two is that in the deductive case, the truth of the premisses guarantees the truth of the conclusion, whereas in the inductive case, the truth of the premiss lends support to the conclusion that the accident was caused by instrument failure, but nevertheless further investigation might reveal that, despite the truth of the premiss, the conclusion is in fact false. There has been considerable success in programming computers to draw inferences, especially deductive inferences. However, a program cannot be said to reason simply in virtue of being able to draw inferences. Reasoning involves drawing inferences that are relevant to the task or situation in hand. One of the hardest problems confronting AI is that of giving computers the ability to distinguish the relevant from the irrelevant. Problem-solving Problems have the general form: given such-and-such data, find x. A huge variety of types of problem is addressed in AI. Some examples are: finding winning moves in board games; identifying people from their photographs; and planning series of movements that enable a robot to carry out a given task. Problem-solving methods divide into special-purpose and general-purpose. A special-purpose method is tailor-made for a particular problem, and often exploits very specific features of the situation in which the problem is embedded. A general-purpose method is applicable to a wide range of different problems. One general-purpose technique used in AI is means-end analysis, which involves the step-by-step reduction of the difference between the current state and the goal state. The program selects actions from a list of means--which in the case of, say, a simple robot, might consist of pickup, putdown, moveforward, moveback, moveleft, and moveright--until the current state is transformed into the goal state. Perception In perception the environment is scanned by means of various sense-organs, real or artificial, and processes internal to the perceiver analyse the scene into objects and their features and relationships. Analysis is complicated by the fact that one and the same object may present many different appearances on different occasions, depending on the angle from which it is viewed, whether or not parts of it are projecting shadows, and so forth. At present, artificial perception is sufficiently well advanced to enable a self-controlled car-like device to drive at moderate speeds on the open road, and a mobile robot to roam through a suite of busy offices searching for and clearing away empty soda cans. One of the earliest systems to integrate perception and action was FREDDY, a stationary robot with a moving TV 'eye' and a pincer 'hand' (constructed at Edinburgh University during the period 1966-1973 under the direction of Donald Michie). FREDDY was able to recognise a variety of objects and could be instructed to assemble simple artefacts, such as a toy car, from a random heap of components. Language-understanding A language is a system of signs having meaning by convention. Traffic signs, for example, form a mini-language, it being a matter of convention that, for example, the hazard-ahead sign means hazard ahead. This meaning-by-convention that is distinctive of language is very different from what is called natural meaning, exemplified in statements like 'Those clouds mean rain' and 'The fall in pressure means the valve is malfunctioning'. An important characteristic of full-fledged human languages, such as English, which distinguishes them from, e.g. bird calls and systems of traffic signs, is their productivity. A productive language is one that is rich enough to enable an unlimited number of different sentences to be formulated within it. It is relatively easy to write computer programs that are able, in severely restricted contexts, to respond in English, seemingly fluently, to questions and statements, for example the Parry and Shrdlu programs described in the section Early AI Programs. However, neither Parry nor Shrdlu actually understands language. An appropriately programmed computer can use language without understanding it, in principle even to the point where the computer's linguistic behaviour is indistinguishable from that of a native human speaker of the language (see the section Is Strong AI Possible?). What, then, is involved in genuine understanding, if a computer that uses language indistinguishably from a native human speaker does not necessarily understand? There is no universally agreed answer to this difficult question. According to one theory, whether or not one understands depends not only upon one's behaviour but also upon one's history: in order to be said to understand one must have learned the language and have been trained to take one's place in the linguistic community by means of interaction with other language-users. [top of page] [Next section]Washington, D.C., on Sept. 30: dark! Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images With the government shut down today, hundreds of thousands of “nonessential” federal employees are furloughed. They’re not being paid and they’re not working. But what’s more, they’re not allowed to work. Not even a little. You can’t tweet from your federal agency Twitter account, you can’t come into the office to catch up on some overdue paperwork, and technically speaking you’re not even supposed to check your email. If you really strongly believe in your agency’s mission and don’t happen to have anything better to do today, you can’t volunteer to work for free. You must stay home. The reason is the Anti-Deficiency Act of 1884 as interpreted by the Justice Department of the late Carter years, with subsequent refinements by OMB and other relevant agencies. The basic logic of the Anti-Deficiency Act is to say that executive branch officials are not allowed to undertake actions that create financial obligations for the federal government that they have not received congressional funding for. The Navy, in other words, can’t order up a bunch of ships and then when the bill comes due tell Congress that it needs to appropriate the money to pay for the ships lest the entire creditworthiness of the American military collapse. Prevailing doctrine didn’t always hold that the Anti-Deficiency Act applies in this way. Back in the 1970s there were a whole series of appropriations lapses driven by House/Senate disagreement about abortion. What happened then was basically what happens now with “essential” workers—people keep doing their jobs, it’s just that they don’t get paid. Then when Congress worked out its disagreement, it would also pony up the money for back pay. In a sense this made appropriations lapses “too easy,” to the Justice Department changes the interpretation and now federal workers can’t work. Unless, that is, they’re essential in which case they must work. Read the rest of Slate’s coverage of the government shutdown.Canada Saves Public From Public Domain, Extends Copyright On Sound Recordings Another 20 Years from the obtained-royal-assent-to-press-more-'greatest-hits'-CDs! dept Lest it be left behind by other countries bullied into submission by US trade agreements, the Canadian government has now expanded copyright terms for recording artists from 50 years to 70 years. (It was previously passed, but has now received the Official Royal Assent.) While not as obnoxiously long as the terms afforded to songwriters (life plus 50 years… which will probably be life plus 70 before too long…), it's still a needless expansion that does little for living artists while carving another 20-year hole in the public domain. While one would expect a less-than-balanced perspective from a trade-focused entity, Billboard's "coverage" of the ruling sounds like it was written by the recording industry itself. Two months after the Conservative government’s Economic Action Plan 2015 for Canada included its intention to amend the Copyright Act from 50 years to 70 years, the bill has been given royal assent and is now law. That ensures that songwriters will enjoy copyright royalties from early works well into their senior years. Now songs such as Buffy Sainte-Marie’s "Universal Soldier" -- released 50 years ago this August -- are no longer in danger of entering the public domain. In extending the term of copyright in recorded music, Prime Minister Harper and the Government of Canada have demonstrated a real understanding of music’s importance to the Canadian economy. Thank you. We are thrilled to see Canada brought in line with the international standard of 70 years. Yes, it's the much-dreaded "public domain," which has repeatedly traveled several decades back in time to destroy nascent creative efforts. This "severely limited" time frame only extends to sound recordings. Songwriters and composers will continue to be rewarded for their creative efforts for 50 years after they're no longer able to cash royalty checks BECAUSE THEY'RE DEAD.Music Canada -- the RIAA of The North -- applauds this decision.Except it's not really a "standard." "Standards" tend to be a bit more static. This "standard" keeps edging up periodically, mainly because of Mickey Mouse, the best unofficial lobbyist the recording and motion picture industries have ever had. It's only a "standard" because the US has kowtowed to the entertainment industry and then passed this bullying along to other countries, using secretive trade agreements and both carrot and stick. A "standard" of $500 weekly protection payments, as "agreed upon" by baseball-bat wielding thugs offering oblique threats would be similarly as "legitimate" as this supposed "international standard."As Billboard goes on to note, national treasures like Anne Murray, Gordon Lightfoot, Leonard Cohen and Neil Young would have faced the ghastly prospect of (their labels) being unable to exploit recordings from more than fifty years ago without this two-decade protection bump. Well, they likely would have continued to see royalties (life+50), but Music Canada's main patrons, not so much.This is a win for record labels. It does next to nothing for the names listed above, other than ensure another twenty years of repackaged, decades-old songs -- not exactly the sort of "creative effort" people imagine when they talk about the advantages of copyright protection. All this does is give certain corporations the ability to wring a few more dollars out of recordings made more than 50 years ago. It will have zero impact on creative efforts going forward. Filed Under: canada, copyright, copyright term extension, public domainThe escalation of the Ukraine crisis has galvanized the international community towards another major push for a political solution. And with the possibility of Kiev being armed by the the US, the conflict threatens to take on grander proportions. Can Slovenia's experience with secession and conflict resolution offer any lessons for dealing with Ukraine, and is there hope for a peaceful settlement? Oksana is joined by the President of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, to debate issues. WATCH: http://rt.com/shows/worlds-apart-oksana-boyko/ http://www.youtube.com/user/WorldsApartRT/videos https://soundcloud.com/rttv/sets/worlds-apart FOLLOW: Oksana Boyko @OksanaBoyko_RT Worlds Apart @WorldsApart_RT Oksana Boyko:Hello and welcome to Worlds Apart. The EU was founded on a vision of Europe as peaceful, whole and free. But the return of war to the continent has shaken up the order that stood for more than half a century. What is the cost of keeping that vision alive and can Europe’s smaller nations afford it? Well, to discuss that, I'm now joined by the President of Slovenia, Borut Pahor. Mr President, it's such an honour to talk to you. Borut Pahor: Thank you for having me. OB:Now, we are sitting here on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference where leaders and policy makers gather to discuss the most pressing security challenges. And I think we both would agree that the conflict in Ukraine represents such a challenge. But there are very, very sharp divisions about what precipitated that conflict. How do you see it, what is the conflict in Ukraine all about, in your view? BP: Well unfortunately, it seems we are facing a war there. And as somebody who dedicated [his] entire political career and my life to peaceful solution of the conflict, I'm still of the strong conviction that if there is a small room for negotiation, let's try our best to get a solution out of a dialogue. So, I would say today, I do welcome very much the mission by President Hollande and Chancellor Merkel to talk to President Putin, and I hope very much that out of this dialogue or meeting, or next one, we will seek for peaceful solution to the problem. OB:Well, but I think what's interesting about Slovenia's own experience is that you went through some of that. I mean, many people in the West believe that the whole crisis started with the referendum in Crimea, and Slovenia for one also had its own referendum back in the 1990s, with people voting in favour of independence. Are there any lessons that Ukraine or the world could learn from Slovenian or Yugoslav experience? Because many would argue that that Slovenian referendum in which people voted in favour of independence also kick-started the whole war in Yugoslavia. So, any insight that Slovenian people, Slovenian history can offer us here? BP: Well, number one, we seek for a peaceful solution of crisis in former Yugoslavia. And we've been, at that time, occupied by Yugoslav Army. And we defended for our freedom, and we won it. I think it's no direct comparison with Ukrainian issue, unfortunately, it's a wrong perception. I think Crimea has been occupied by Russian forces. I think, sorry to say - and I'm saying this as a president of a country which is trying to have friendly relations with the Russian Federation – I think Russia is doing a wrong job to support separatists on the eastern side of the border. I think it's up to Ukrainian people to decide for the future. And I hope very strongly that at the end of this day, there will be a political solution to this issue, not a military one. But as I said at the beginning of our debate, I do define facts on the ground as a war. And if there will be no political solution to this, somebody, sometimes in the future will seek for military war. And I will try to do my best to avoid this. But, you know, we started with this rhetoric of war. The previous year was awful, and this year started awful as well. So let us focus on a political dialogue. OB:Well, absolutely, I think we have to focus on that. But I want to mention what you just said a couple of minutes ago about Russia occupying Crimea. And obviously the Crimean people held a referendum. We can talk about the legality of that
price charged to emit pollutants. But the proponents of all these behavior-distorting policies inexplicably lapse into programmed denial when it comes to the most basic of economic incentives— the after-tax earnings incentives to work, to save, to invest, to take risks, to start a new business—and the obvious influence marginal tax rates have on those incentives. MYTH: Small businesses would be only marginally affected by higher taxes rates. FACT: Successful, growing, hiring small businesses are especially targeted by higher tax rates. Another popular myth offered to sustain the Obama tax hikes is that higher tax rates would fall on too few small businesses to matter. While less than 2 percent of tax returns reporting small-business income would be subject to the higher tax rates Obama proposes, there is much more to the story. Millions of American taxpayers earn a few bucks on the side. Sometimes the extra income is from a lucrative hobby; sometimes the work is more serious. Millions of these sideliners are honest enough to report their earnings as small-business income. But they are not small businesses in the traditional sense. They have no employees. They have no fixed place of business. They do not offer services widely. True small businesses have employees. They invest in machinery. They offer goods and services widely. And the successful ones earn significant sums to compensate for the risks of running the business and to earn a return on capital invested, typically plowing those earnings back into the business so it can expand further by investing more money and hiring more workers. And because they earn significant sums, successful small businesses earn the bulk of small business income. So, while only a small portion of taxpayers reporting small-business income would face Obama’s higher rates, those facing the higher rates are the successful and expanding small businesses that create new jobs the economy needs to grow. According to a survey by the National Association of Independent Business, the businesses most likely to face Obama’s higher rates are those employing between 20 and 250 workers. Raising rates on successful small businesses is a big part of the reason why the Obama tax hikes would hurt the economy. Myth: Tax rates matter little in the long run. Fact: Tax rates have their most powerful effects on long-run growth and wages. Additional tax rate reduction would benefit the economy as it struggles to recover, in contrast to the ineffectual profusion of debt adopted by President Obama and his congressional allies. However, lower tax rates on productive activity have their greatest effects on productivity and wage gains in the long run as workers and businesses respond to and plan on the improved returns to economic effort. For example, allowing the tax relief to lapse, especially the higher tax rates on individual income, on dividends, and on capital gains, would drive up the hurdle rate or required pre-tax return for new investment. Businesses generally face an array of investment opportunities and levels. They determine which investments to pursue by comparing the expected pre-tax return on each investment with the firm’s internal hurdle rate after accounting for risk and taxes. The higher the tax rate, the higher the hurdle rate, the fewer of the possible investments that make the cut and so the less investment a business will undertake. These effects take time to manifest, however, because major business investments typically require extended evaluation and planning. Also, businesses already have certain levels of productive equipment in place and more on order. A hurdle rate driven higher by higher tax rates may significantly reduce the company’s target level of capacity, but the company will rarely respond by unloading excess equipment. Rather, the company will shrink its operations over time as equipment becomes worn out or obsolete and not replaced. In the short run, this means a sizable drop in business investment and real economic growth; over the long run it means less capital employed in the economy, less productivity growth, less wage growth, and less competitiveness in global markets. Similarly, while workers can and do respond quickly to changes in tax rates, a full response requires an extended period. For example, Obama’s proposed higher tax rates will drive many two-earner couples with children to decide that one parent should leave the workforce and raise the children. However, the couple may hold off with this decision for a while to adjust the family’s finances to reflect the reduction in after-tax family income. MYTH: The country cannot afford not to raise taxes. FACT: The problem is spending, not revenues. The country cannot afford to let current spending levels continue. Supporters of the Obama tax hikes sometimes argue the nation cannot afford not to raise taxes. This argument perpetuates two false mindsets. The first is that the level of tax collections under present law is unusually low. As noted above, taxes as a share of the economy will soon return to, or exceed, the historical average, reaching 18.5 percent in 2012 and rising thereafter. While the level of tax collections is exceptionally depressed in 2010, this is due to the recession and its effects on taxable income. The second false mindset runs deeper, as it reflects a point of view regarding the proper relationship between the citizen and the state. This point of view suggests that the foregone tax revenues properly belong to the government and that taxpayers are being granted a favor of some kind in being allowed to keep more of their own money. Raising taxes is not just a bookkeeping exercise: This money is the taxpayer’s property and government is taking it. The federal government is currently running, and is projected to continue to run, unsustainable near-term deficits which serve as a bridge to long-standing, unsustainable long-term deficits. The nation cannot afford these deficits, and the economy cannot afford vastly higher taxes—which means it cannot afford to continue spending at current levels. In a strict mathematical sense, unsustainable budget deficits can be met with equal effectiveness through tax increases or spending reductions. But rampant federal spending created unsustainable deficits and spending should be cut to restore a sound fiscal policy. MYTH: The Obama tax hikes would alleviate the long-term budget crisis. FACT: The Obama tax hikes, while enormous in their own right, are almost inconsequential compared to the size of the unfunded spending in Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Tax hike proponents sometimes suggest the nation’s long-term fiscal problems are largely due to inadequate revenues. The facts say otherwise. To begin, the nation’s long-term fiscal problems deriving from unaffordable benefit promises in Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid were made long before President Obama took office. In fact, they were made long before President George W. Bush took office. True, Bush worsened Medicare’s plight with the enactment of the new Medicare drug benefit, but the drug benefit’s enactment occurred subsequent to and independent of the tax relief enacted in the past decade. Tax relief enacted a decade ago did not cause the long-run budget crisis arising from excessive entitlement spending. Turning now to the data, according to the Administration’s figures, the tax relief in toto is projected to be about 1.6 percent of the economy in 2012, rising to about 2 percent by 2020. In 2000, the level of taxation reached 20.6 percent of the economy, fell to a more normal 18.5 percent in 1997, and is projected to return to 18.5 percent by 2016. In contrast, the CBO projects that federal spending will reach 24.3 percent in 2010, and rise to 27.6 percent by 2035, whereas the normal level is around 20 percent.[3] In short, revenues will soon return to normal levels as a share of the economy, rising steadily thereafter, while spending is vastly higher than normal today due to President Obama’s spending policies, and is projected to rise rapidly in coming years as entitlement spending accelerates. MYTH: A strong economy will solve America’s budget woes. FACT: A strong economy will help, but only aggressive spending reductions will restore a sound fiscal policy. A strong economy is necessary to begin to drive down the unemployment rate and create opportunities for America’s workers and families. A strong economy would also rapidly increase the flow of revenues into federal coffers, helping to bring down the deficit. A strong economy will not, by itself, restore a sound fiscal policy. Federal receipts are projected to be about 15 percent of the economy in 2010, whereas the normal level of receipts is between 18 percent and 19 percent. If and when the Obama Administration calls a truce to its anti-growth policies and allows the economic recovery to flourish, revenues will quickly return to normal levels as the Obama Administration projects. However, even under its rosy spending projections the Administration expects spending to remain around 23 percent of the economy. With a maximum sustainable deficit of about 2 percent of the economy, that leaves an excess budget deficit of about 3 percent of the economy, or more than $400 billion in 2010. This also suggests the only viable solution for the budget deficit. A strong economic recovery is a necessary condition for a sustainable near-term budget. Higher taxes would weaken the recovery dramatically, and so whatever progress on deficit reduction one expected from higher taxes would be long delayed, along with the job creation the nation needs. Thus, the only practical alternative that can restore a sound fiscal policy consistent with a strong recovery is a significant reduction in spending. MYTH: President Bush intended the tax cuts to expire. FACT: The tax cuts were intended to be permanent and were enacted on a temporary basis solely to overcome a parliamentary hurdle. One of the oddest and newest myths surrounding the 2001–2003 tax relief is that President Bush and Congress conspired for the tax relief to expire 10 years after its enactment. It is impossible to construct a conspiracy to explain such a policy without quickly falling into the valley of the absurd. Nevertheless, a brief review of the record is in order. President Bush proposed permanent tax relief. He did so during the campaign and as President, and he did so because he believed, correctly, that taxes had risen too high, because permanent tax relief would be more effective in strengthening the economy in the short run and for the long haul, and because stability is inherently good in a tax code. Many in Congress also preferred permanent tax relief. However, to overcome certain parliamentary hurdles in Congress it proved necessary to pass the legislation under what is called “reconciliation,” and tax relief enacted under reconciliation automatically expires after 10 years. In every budget President Bush submitted in the following years he proposed that Congress make the tax relief permanent. Conclusion The nation is engaged in a profound debate over the proper size and scope of government. Under President Obama, the size and scope of government has expanded radically, along with the level of federal spending. The resulting budget deficits are unsustainable and pose a severe and immediate threat to the economy. The President and his allies are now calling for the higher taxes necessary to pay for this new spending. Allowing some or all of the 2001–2003 tax cuts to expire would be merely a small down payment on the sums necessary to sustain current spending levels. Suggesting such a massive tax hike to underwrite current bloated spending levels is inappropriate under any circumstances, but when the economy is perilously close to recession and deflation such suggestions are grossly irresponsible. The only responsible solution to the budget deficit that would be both effective and consistent with a strong economic recovery is to cut spending significantly, returning it to historically normal levels. Spending during the Clinton Administration averaged almost 20 percent of the economy. Spending during the Bush Administration averaged about the same. Reducing federal spending from the current level of 25 percent to the levels prevalent during the Bush and Clinton Administrations would fully address the short-run budget problems. Obama and his allies have increased spending radically. A sound, responsible budget policy absent tax hikes does not demand radically lower levels of spending. It only requires reversing Obama’s radical spending. Congress should make current tax policy permanent, as President Bush originally proposed—and then get about the business of paring government spending to sustainable levels. —J. D. Foster, Ph.D., is Norman B. Ture Senior Fellow in the Economics of Fiscal Policy in the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation.Arma 3's alpha is just over a week old, but a few promising add-ons are already taking advantage of Bohemia's out-the-gate moddability. An inevitable carryover from the hardcore Arma 2 community is ACRE, or Advanced Combat Radio Environment, a mod-turned-mainstay for the majority of players for its realistic voice-comm behavior influenced by range, direction, terrain, and facing. It's as certain to appear in Arma 3 as scores of DayZ knockoffs, and this video shows off an already working early prototype in multiplayer. Jump forward to around the 1:10 mark for some examples of ACRE's range-limiting and directional capabilities for voice chat. Arma veterans like Dslyecxi swear by it. "Terrain can influence it," he told us in an interview last year. "If you're in a forest it'll cause it to show shorter ranges. If you're moving away, their radio is having more trouble reaching you, they'll actually hear you distort and break up and eventually you'll lose them entirely." For me, the added mechanics ACRE provides serves as yet another reason to fully jump into the Arma series' golden moments of teamwork and communication. I'd also like to see similar options for realistic comms in other military multiplayer shooters. Having the game environment affect how well a team trades messages would give a nice boost in immersion, not to mention tactics—the distance drop-off for voice could deliver impromptu ambushes and revealing eavesdrops. Evan's gone full-tilt on covering Arma 3's alpha, and you can find plenty of info on the game through his videos and hands-on preview.“I think we would be totally in the right to [execute homosexuals]. That goes against some parts of libertarianism, I realize, and I’m largely libertarian, but ignoring as a nation things that are worthy of death is very remiss.” Eleven months ago, Scott Esk, currently a Republican candidate for the Oklahoma State House of Representatives, said those words on my Facebook wall (he has since deleted those posts, but they were well-documented beforehand). And while Mr. Esk is obviously an extreme example of right wing authoritarianism, the logic through which he still considers himself “largely libertarian” serves as an immense warning across the libertarian sphere about a worrying ideological trend in the liberty community and the dangers of guilt by association in the information age. I feel compelled to begin by clarifying that when Mr. Esk and I exchanged those comments, he was not a candidate for office and I had no reason to expect he would become one. I also had no part in that conversation’s publication this week. At no time before the initial stories ran did any media personnel contact me, and I did not contact any of them. It was not an ambush, it was not a trap. Like many libertarians, I use my Facebook page as a blog, a news aggregator, a meeting place for my acquaintances, and as a personal pulpit for my libertarian views. I have “friends” across the ideological spectrum, and I think that makes for more interesting conversations. My page is also open to the public, lest there be any concerns that these publications represent a breach of Mr. Esk’s private communications. Mr. Esk’s comments speak for themselves, and I have no desire to rehash the outrage I felt at the time or to regurgitate the ubiquitous anger with which people have responded to the story. In fact, I believe the justifiably hyperventilated response to his comments is clouding a much more important issue than the insane beliefs of a fringe candidate in an Oklahoma House race: that Mr. Esk has identified himself as a libertarian while advocating for the most brutal violations of individual rights. This is far too common in liberty circles, and evinces a failure on our part as libertarians to distance ourselves from these attitudes and the people who espouse them. Opponents of libertarianism certainly can’t be expected to make the distinctions on our behalf, and so we must make it for them. “I think it’s OK to kill gay people for being gay” is a fringe view even among homophobes, but consider how many times you’ve heard arguments in the form of “I consider myself a libertarian, but…” followed by some arbitrary denial of liberty. I consider myself a libertarian, but… … we need to stop letting so many immigrants live here. … I don’t think gay people should be allowed to marry or adopt children. … I support drug prohibition. … I’m not sure Muslims can be trusted with freedom of religion or contract rights. … I support the war on terror. Liberty is a popular word these days. Trust in government is at historic lows. Support for the two major parties is at historic lows. The anti-Bush wave that Barack Obama rode into the White House has eroded, especially among young Americans, as the Obama Administration reneges on promise after promise, demonstrating that the disregard for the Constitution, for individual liberty, and for basic human rights that typified the Bush years is in fact a bipartisan consensus in favor of an aggressive, ever-expanding state. This burgeoning support for libertarian ideas is obvious in the data. Young people overwhelmingly support long time libertarian positions on gay marriage, on drug legalization, on foreign policy, on immigration (in fact, millennials are the only cohort in America in which a majority favors amnesty). But disaffected independents and liberals are not the only refugees flowing into the libertarian tent. They are accompanied by the flotsam of various increasingly marginalized right wing factions: Christian nationalists, Reconstructionists, Neo-Confederates, etc. And many of these people are not coming to libertarianism via a change of heart, but out of a desire to co-opt a popular label and rebuild their shattered coalitions toward an authoritarian end. A representative sample of this effort is Gary North (and it’s a fitting one, considering Mr. North’s comments about homosexuals), who has argued quite explicitly that libertarianism is to be embraced by right wing authoritarians as a means of delegitimizing the state not, as libertarians believe, as a matter of course but in order to give he and his ilk enough space to create a brutal theocracy that can ultimately replace the American government. Does that sound crazy? What about when you consider that Mr. North was chosen by none other than Ron Paul to oversee Rep. Paul’s educational outreach efforts? The desire among many libertarians to build coalitions as a means of enhancing our political power is understandable, but these particular coalitions are indefensible, especially at a time when offhanded comments one person makes on another’s Facebook wall can easily surface a year later and circulate around the world instantaneously. That all individuals, regardless of race, religion, gender, orientation, birth location, etc. are created equal and must be treated equally under the law is a principle at the very heart of libertarianism and the liberal ideals from which it sprang. Even setting aside the philosophical issue with rejecting that principle, as a simple practical matter the generational movement of the American electorate is glaringly in the direction of social tolerance toward homosexuals, immigrants, and other historical outgroups. If the purpose of building coalitions is to increase the political power of libertarianism, then to ignore those obvious political trends when building those coalitions is utterly incomprehensible. It makes more sense to view the presence of people like Scott Esk and various other social authoritarians under the libertarian banner not as a success for coalition building, but as an attempt by adherents of those brazenly illiberal ideologies to co-opt the increasingly popular libertarian label and twist it, as Gary North advocates, to their own sordid ends. Scott Esk espoused nasty, indefensible beliefs, and he is rightly being excoriated for it. But we cannot ignore the fact that the primary difference between Scott Esk and a great many self-described liberty advocates is Mr. Esk’s willingness to publicly declare what others merely leave to implication: that some arbitrarily distinguished people just don’t deserve the same rights as the rest of us. Article after article declares itself the harbinger of the “libertarian moment” in American politics, but it’s plain to see that such a moment will never arrive as long as libertarians are so ineffective at guarding our own gates. The threatened left waits with bated breath for any opportunity to depict libertarianism as a fancy veneer over the same old bigoted, privileged right wing drivel. Libertarians can’t prevent them from saying it, but at the very least we can do our part to ensure it isn’t true. Libertarians also can’t prevent people like Scott Esk and Gary North from identifying themselves as libertarians, but we absolutely must do a better job proving it isn’t true.Michael Cohl was in the middle of telling a story about The Rolling Stones’ Steel Wheels tour when he paused. “By the way, do you want to hear about the night I fired Donald Trump?” It was Cohl’s keynote address at Pollstar Live! this past February. The theme was his great decisions and others that weren’t that hot, told in stories about his career as a concert promoter and Broadway producer. He went to the podium with four stories to tell involving Pink Floyd, Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones and Broadway’s “Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark,” but got sidetracked during the Stones yarn. The 1989 Steel Wheels tour was famous for many things, including its reunion of Mick and Keef but also for its profitability, grossing nearly $100 million – a tour manufactured by Cohl and one that changed the landscape of concert promotion. It wrapped with a $24.95 pay-per-view event at Atlantic City’s 16,000-capacity Convention Center. The event was Dec. 19, 1989, a broadcast of the last of three sold-out shows. However, to make it happen, Cohl needed to shop the show around Las Vegas, hoping to find the casino that would pay The Rolling Stones’ performance fee (which, in this case, could be defined as a “casino site fee”). When that didn’t fly, Cohl resorted to Atlantic City. The event was ultimately broadcast in association with Donald Trump, Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, and MTV. Jump-cut six months from Cohl’s speech and the story has a sudden resonance. By the way, do you want to hear about the night I fired Donald Trump? We have to figure out the pay-per-view event. I realized that when they did a big boxing match they would separate the promotion and the fight. For the fight, you’d get a site fee from Las Vegas. You’d get a dollar, a million, a billion. Whatever. You’d get a “site fee” and you’d get a worldwide closed-circuit. I thought, geez, if I can separate the Stones from their own gig, and just concentrate on the pay-per-view, then I might pull it off. So I go to them and say, “Look, let’s do a worldwide pay-per-view. We’ll get a big site fee; I’ll get you $3 million for a site fee and we’ll keep all the money for the pay-per-view.” And they agreed. I hadn’t told them completely what I had in mind, which is one of the rare times I wasn’t completely up front. I went around Las Vegas, and they didn’t really want it. They didn’t get it, they didn’t like rock music yet. They didn’t follow it. And, unfortunately, the only person I could get to kind of agree to the site fee we needed and to work it through was Donald Trump. Now I had one of those, “Oh God, how am I going to do this?” moments. And I opened my big mouth in the meeting with The Rolling Stones where they go, “This is all great, but we’re not going to be affiliated with Donald Trump. At all. Screw you.” And I go, “I will control Donald Trump! Don’t you worry!” So, we signed the contract. Donald agrees that he will not be in any of the promotion except in Atlantic City, and he will not show up at the gig! Holy shit! Well, the quick version is we go on sale. Eric Clapton was there, Axl Rose, Slash, John Lee Hooker – we had a fantastic show; sell out three shows. Are you ready for the punchline? Three-hundred dollar tickets. That’s where they originated -- $300, $250, $150 and it worked. It was spectacular. And that’s how it happened. The Stones agreed to that ticket pricing in Atlantic City. It didn’t have the happiest of endings, though. It’s the night of the show. The Stones had such power in those days that the 6:40 p.m. slot on the national evening news was going to be an interview with the Stones to talk about and promote the pay-per-view. At about 5:50 p.m. I get word that I have to come to the press room in the next building. I run to the press room in the next building and what do you think is happening? There’s Donald Trump giving a press conference, in our room! I give him the [come here gesture]. “Come on, Donald, what are you doing? A) You promised us you wouldn’t even be here and, B) you promised you would never do this.” He says, “But they begged me to go up, Michael! They begged me to go up!” I say, “Stop it. Stop it. This could be crazy. Do what you said you would. Don’t make a liar of yourself.” I go back to the dressing room. Five minutes later, he’s back up. They call me back over there. Holy shit. I call him out (again). Same thing happens. I say, “Donald. I don’t know if I can control this. Stop it.” I go back to the dressing room. And I leave my walkie-talkie on in the dressing room. Moronic, on my part. They call me back, at which point Keith pulls out his knife and slams it on the table and says, “What the hell do I have you for? Do I have to go over there and fire him myself? One of us is leaving the building – either him, or us.” I said, “No. I’ll go do it. Don’t you worry.” I run over. He’s up there again! I go [gives the come here gesture]. We go into the hallway. I said, “Donald. You lied. You broke your promise. One of two things is going to happen. You’re going to leave the building and, at 6:40, The Rolling Stones are going to speak on CBS News, or you’re not going to leave the building and I’m going to go on and do an interview to explain to the world why the pay-per-view was canceled. I know it’s your building and…” – and in my head I’m going, this is so crazy, right? I’m trying to throw Donald Trump out of his own building. But, anyway, the bottom line is I look at Donald and said, “You and Marla (Maples) have to go. You’re fired.” He looks at me and goes berserk. “You don’t know anything! Your guys suck! I promote Mike Tyson! I promote heavyweight fights!” And I notice the three shtarkers he’s with, in trench coats, two of them are putting on gloves and the other one is putting on brass knuckles. I go on the walkie-talkie and I call for Jim Callahan, who was head of our security, and I go, “Jim, I think I’m in a bit of trouble.” And he says, “Just turn around.” I turn around. He’s got 40 of the crew with tire irons and hockey sticks and screwdrivers. “And now, are you gonna go, Donald?” And off he went.PARIS (Reuters) - A woman who sent her three-year-old son - called Jihad - to school in a T-shirt marked “Jihad, Born September 11, I am a bomb” was fined and given a suspended jail sentence by a French court on Friday. Bouchra Bagour was found guilty of condoning a criminal act, along with her brother Zeyad, who bought the child the T-shirt recalling Islamist militant group al Qaeda’s attacks on New York on September 11, 2001, that killed close to 3,000 people. The matter ended up in court after Jihad went to his nursery school in September 2012 wearing the T-shirt, upsetting staff and prompting a local official to take legal action. Overturning an earlier acquittal, the appeals court in the southern town of Nimes fined the woman 2,000 euros ($2,700) and gave her a one-year suspended jail sentence, doubling that fine and suspended jail sentence for the uncle.One of the things that fascinates me about Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura is the strange history behind the work. We know very little about Lucretius’ life. He lived sometime between 99BC – 55BC, but as to the details of his life things are shadowy. Saint Jerome claims that he went mad from a “love philter” and committed suicide in the middle of his life, yet this is most likely an ugly rumor made up by the church to say “if you study this philosophy you’ll be driven mad and dominated by your passions!” Among the most interesting things about the history of De Rerum Natura, it appears that with the fall of the Roman empire and the rise of the Christian/Catholic church, there was a concerted efford to destroy all existing copies of the text. It appears that the church was highly successful as the text entirely disappear during the Middle Ages. Then, in the fifteenth century, one remaining copy was discovered, it was quickly copied into a variety of European languages, and, if Greenblatt is right, it had a decisive impact on art, the newly developing science, and the newly emerging political sensibility. What a history! What is it, then, I wonder, that makes this such a dangerous book? There are the obvious things: Lucretius was among the first materialists and naturalists, arguing that all things are composed of matter and that there are only natural causes (as opposed to supernatural causes). There is the anti-teleologism of his philosophy. Where, in the Medieval Christian view, teleology rules the day, and works according to the premise that there is always something things ought to be, Lucretius’s materialist naturalism only admits of “causes from behind”. The consequences of this are profound. Consider the difference between how the Medieval Christian mind thinks about a two-headed chicken and how a materialist naturalist thinks about a two-headed chicken. For the Medieval Christian a two-headed chicken is a monster because, by “nature”, there is something chickens ought to be and the occurence of a two-headed chicken is a violation of this divinely designed order of nature. By contrast, for the Lucretian, the two-headed chicken is merely the result of the causes that produced it and is therefore entirely natural. Within this framework, you cannot, to cite the Love & Rockets song, go against nature because when you do it’s nature too. read on! There is no natural ought in a Lucretian universe. We see that a number of contemporary debates in popular politics revolve around whether or not one is committed to the existence of “natural oughts” or teleologies. The Christian conservative says “marriage is between a man and a woman”, “sex is for the sake of procreation”, “men have this role, women have that role.” Debates between evolution and creationism aren’t just debates about whether or not the two creation myths in Genesis are literally true (literalists never seem to notice that there are two conflicting creation myths), but are about whether the world is teleological such that there exist divinely decreed oughts assigning places to men and women and defining “natural” sexual conduct, or whether, by contrast, nature is without teleology or purposiveness, such that rats having hot gay sex (rats are known to engage in such acts) is no less unnatural than the existence of hens that lay eggs. In addition to the anti-teleological orientation of any genuine materialistic naturalism, there are also, of course, Lucretius’ stunning and compelling demonstrations that the soul is a material thing and that it doesn’t survive death in Book III of De Rerum Natura. These arguments, of course, undercut one of the central sources of the power of religion and superstition to produce attachments among people because if we cease to exist when we die, then there’s very little reason to attend to the teachings of priests. And then, finally, there are Lucretius’ virulent (and I think often unfair) critiques of religion. However, as I reflect on what made this such a dangerous book, I wonder if this wasn’t because it attacked the very heart of Christian political power or the premise upon which that social order was produced. Democracy and revolutionary politics were impossible within a Medieval Christian framework because of their teleological conception of the universe based on the idea of a “great chain of being”. For the Medieval mind, social roles, positions, and identities were not inventions or creations of humans and society, but were rather objective properties of human bodies, like your weight, decreed by God. Kings were divinely kings, women divinely had their place in the social order and their particular role, peasants were divinely allotted their place in the great chain of being. To attack the king was not just to attack the king, but to attack God’s will as well. To strive to rise above your status as a peasant wasn’t simply to challenge an unjust social order, but to attack God’s order. Within such a framework, democratic politics is impossible precisely because democracy is premised on the idea that we create social orders and therefore those orders are contingent or capable of being otherwise. Thus, as Peter Gay argues, the Enlightenment had to jump over Christianity and return to Greco-Roman antiquity to render the various revolutions (American, French, Haitian, Russian, etc.) conceptually possible. When we read Lucretius distinguishing the difference between properties and states we encounter him challenging the very foundations of this divinely decreed social order. In Book I of De Rerum Natura, Lucretius writes, A property is that which not at all can be disjoined and severed from a thing without a fatal dissolution: such, weight to the rocks, heat to the fire, and flow to the wide waters, touch to corporeal things, intangibility to the viewless void. But state of slavery, pauperhood, and wealth, freedom, and war, and concord, and all else which come and go whilst Nature stands the same, we’re wont, and rightly, to call accidents. A property is something that is intrinsic to the thing such that it really is in the thing. Within the framework of my onticology I quibble with this a bit because I hold that what is really in things is powers or dispositions, not qualities or properties (the latter of which I call “local manifestations”). The weight of a rock is not in the rock itself, but is a relational property that emerges in relation to where the rock exists. This weight or local manifestation is different on the planet earth and the moon due to the different masses of these planets. Moreover, this weight or local manifestation differs with the speed at which the rock moves. Most qualities or local manifestations are, I believe, relational in this way. They are not in the things themselves, but rather emerge in and through the relations the entity entertains with other entities. Setting this aside, what is really interesting in this passage is Lucretius’s discussion of states. In effect, Lucretius observes that the social position of women, the proletariat, minorities, kings, the wealthy, is not a property of these entities, but a contingent state that can pass away or be changed. The Medieval Christian conceit was to conceive social positions and relations as intrinsic to the things themselves. Lucretius argues that social roles and positions are things that we create or invent. As such, he challenges the very foundations of any social order that claims that the way in which human bodies are negentropically distributed, ordered, and organized are natural properities of these bodies, rather than ways in which these bodies relate to one another. As I argue in my article “Parts and Politics”, the role that a body occupies within a social system (a larger-scale object) is the result of the way in which this larger-scale object transforms other objects into elements within that assemblage. An element is a unit that cannot exist apart from the larger-scale object that constitutes it as an element. In short, the being of elements is purely relational such that they have no independent or autonomous existence apart from the larger-scale object that constitutes them as this sort of element. Thus, for example, there can be no professors apart from students or students apart from professors, there can be no wage-laborers apart from capitalist social systems, etc., etc., etc. “Wage-laborer”, “student”, and “professor” are all elements within a social system or larger-scale object or entity. However, just as my body can only produce cells out of something else, larger-scale objects such as a classroom require other entities out of which to constitute their elements. These other entities are what we can call parts. Larger-scale objects transform parts (or in Marx’s language, “metabolize parts”) into elements. The difference between parts and elements is crucial. For elements only have relational existence and cannot exist apart from the larger-scale object that metabolizes them, but parts are entities in their own right and can be detached from larger-scale objects. Becoming-elemental is always contingent and capable of being otherwise. In my view, this distinction between properties and states is the necessary condition for any revolutionary egalitarian politics for it is only where states are recognized as contingent, only where states are recognized as construction, that it becomes possible to conceive how things can be otherwise. AdvertisementsWe’re deep in Pumpkin Spice Latte season, but winter will be here before you know it, and according to government forecasters, you should expect El Niño to be hanging around for most of it. On Thursday, scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its winter-weather outlook, which predicted that this year’s El Niño — a weather phenomenon that happens when equatorial waters in the Pacific Ocean heat up — could be one of the strongest on record. Whether it will reach “Godzilla” levels, as previously forecast, is yet to be seen, but it will definitely dump significant amounts of rain on California and the southern U.S., and likely bring warmer, drier weather to the North. While the rain might be welcome in parched California — though it probably won’t erase four years of drought — forecasters also say Texas, Florida, and even the East Coast should expect above-average precipitation. Whether that will be rain, snow, or one of those “wintry mixes,” scientists can’t say yet. The southeastern U.S. will probably be much cooler than average, while the Rockies, the Great Plains, and most of the northern United States will probably get the best deal, with drier, warmer weather. But before you bow down to the power of El Niño, a NOAA scientist did predict that in the Northeast, which suffered through the weather equivalent of the Dark Ages
before Election Day. Instead of welcoming the avalanche of citizen involvement sparked by the campaign, Blackwell permitted election officials in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Toledo to conduct a massive purge of their voter rolls, summarily expunging the names of more than 300,000 voters who had failed to cast ballots in the previous two national elections.(55) In Cleveland, which went five-to-one for Kerry, nearly one in four voters were wiped from the rolls between 2000 and 2004.(56) There were legitimate reasons to clean up voting lists: Many of the names undoubtedly belonged to people who had moved or died. But thousands more were duly registered voters who were deprived of their constitutional right to vote -- often without any notification -- simply because they had decided not to go to the polls in prior elections.(57) In Cleveland's precinct 6C, where more than half the voters on the rolls were deleted,(58) turnout was only 7.1 percent(59) -- the lowest in the state. According to the Conyers report, improper purging ''likely disenfranchised tens of thousands of voters statewide.''(60) If only one in ten of the 300,000 purged voters showed up on Election Day -- a conservative estimate, according to election scholars -- that is 30,000 citizens who were unfairly denied the opportunity to cast ballots. III. The Strike Force In the months leading up to the election, Ohio was in the midst of the biggest registration drive in its history. Tens of thousands of volunteers and paid political operatives from both parties canvassed the state, racing to register new voters in advance of the October 4th deadline. To those on the ground, it was clear that Democrats were outpacing their Republican counterparts: A New York Times analysis before the election found that new registrations in traditional Democratic strongholds were up 250 percent, compared to only twenty-five percent in Republican-leaning counties.(61) ''The Democrats have been beating the pants off us in the air and on the ground,'' a GOP county official in Columbus confessed to The Washington Times.(62) To stem the tide of new registrations, the Republican National Committee and the Ohio Republican Party attempted to knock tens of thousands of predominantly minority and urban voters off the rolls through illegal mailings known in electioneering jargon as ''caging.'' During the Eighties, after the GOP used such mailings to disenfranchise nearly 76,000 black voters in New Jersey and Louisiana, it was forced to sign two separate court orders agreeing to abstain from caging.(63) But during the summer of 2004, the GOP targeted minority voters in Ohio by zip code, sending registered letters to more than 200,000 newly registered voters(64) in sixty-five counties.(65) On October 22nd, a mere eleven days before the election, Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Bennett -- who also chairs the board of elections in Cuyahoga County -- sought to invalidate the registrations of 35,427 voters who had refused to sign for the letters or whose mail came back as undeliverable.(66) Almost half of the challenged voters were from Democratic strongholds in and around Cleveland.(67) There were plenty of valid reasons that voters had failed to respond to the mailings: The list included people who couldn't sign for the letters because they were serving in the U.S. military, college students whose school and home addresses differed,(68) and more than 1,000 homeless people who had no permanent mailing address.(69) But the undeliverable mail, Bennett claimed, proved the new registrations were fraudulent. By law, each voter was supposed to receive a hearing before being stricken from the rolls.(70) Instead, in the week before the election, kangaroo courts were rapidly set up across the state at Blackwell's direction that would inevitably disenfranchise thousands of voters at a time(71) -- a process that one Democratic election official in Toledo likened to an ''inquisition.''(72) Not that anyone was given a chance to actually show up and defend their right to vote: Notices to challenged voters were not only sent out impossibly late in the process, they were mailed to the very addresses that the Republicans contended were faulty.(73) Adding to the atmosphere of intimidation, sheriff's detectives in Sandusky County were dispatched to the homes of challenged voters to investigate the GOP's claims of fraud.(74) ''I'm afraid this is going to scare these people half to death, and they are never going to show up on Election Day,'' Barb Tuckerman, director of the Sandusky Board of Elections, told local reporters. ''Many of them are young people who have registered for the first time. I've called some of these people, and they are perfectly legitimate.''(75) On October 27th, ruling that the effort likely violated both the ''constitutional right to due process and constitutional right to vote,'' U.S. District Judge Susan Dlott put a halt to the GOP challenge(76) -- but not before tens of thousands of new voters received notices claiming they were improperly registered. Some election officials in the state illegally ignored Dlott's ruling, stripping hundreds of voters from the rolls.(77) In Columbus and elsewhere, challenged registrants were never notified that the court had cleared them to vote. On October 29th, a federal judge found that the Republican Party had violated the court orders from the Eighties that barred it from caging. ''The return of mail does not implicate fraud,'' the court affirmed,(78) and the disenfranchisement effort illegally targeted ''precincts where minority voters predominate, interfering with and discouraging voters from voting in those districts.''(79) Nor were such caging efforts limited to Ohio: The GOP also targeted hundreds of thousands of urban voters in the battleground states of Florida,(80) Pennsylvania(81) and Wisconsin.(82) Republicans in Ohio also worked to deny the vote to citizens who had served jail time for felonies. Although rehabilitated prisoners are entitled to vote in Ohio, election officials in Cincinnati demanded that former convicts get a judge to sign off before they could register to vote.(83) In case they didn't get the message, Republican operatives turned to intimidation. According to the Conyers report, a team of twenty-five GOP volunteers calling themselves the Mighty Texas Strike Force holed up at the Holiday Inn in Columbus a day before the election, around the corner from the headquarters of the Ohio Republican Party -- which paid for their hotel rooms. The men were overheard by a hotel worker ''using pay phones to make intimidating calls to likely voters'' and threatening former convicts with jail time if they tried to cast ballots.(84) This was no freelance operation. The Strike Force -- an offshoot of the Republican National Committee(85) -- was part of a team of more than 1,500 volunteers from Texas who were deployed to battleground states, usually in teams of ten. Their leader was Pat Oxford, (86) a Houston lawyer who managed Bush's legal defense team in 2000 in Florida,(87) where he warmly praised the efforts of a mob that stormed the Miami-Dade County election offices and halted the recount. It was later revealed that those involved in the ''Brooks Brothers Riot'' were not angry Floridians but paid GOP staffers, many of them flown in from out of state.(88) Photos of the protest show that one of the ''rioters'' was Joel Kaplan, who has just taken the place of Karl Rove at the White House, where he now directs the president's policy operations.(89) IV. Barriers to Registration To further monkey-wrench the process he was bound by law to safeguard, Blackwell cited an arcane elections regulation to make it harder to register new voters. In a now-infamous decree, Blackwell announced on September 7th -- less than a month before the filing deadline -- that election officials would process registration forms only if they were printed on eighty-pound unwaxed white paper stock, similar to a typical postcard. Justifying his decision to ROLLING STONE, Blackwell portrayed it as an attempt to protect voters: ''The postal service had recommended to us that we establish a heavy enough paper-weight standard that we not disenfranchise voters by having their registration form damaged by postal equipment.'' Yet Blackwell's order also applied to registrations delivered in person to election offices. He further specified that any valid registration cards printed on lesser paper stock that miraculously survived the shredding gauntlet at the post office were not to be processed; instead, they were to be treated as applications for a registration form, requiring election boards to send out a brand-new card.(90) Blackwell's directive clearly violated the Voting Rights Act, which stipulates that no one may be denied the right to vote because of a registration error that ''is not material in determining whether such individual is qualified under state law to vote.''(91) The decision immediately threw registration efforts into chaos. Local newspapers that had printed registration forms in their pages saw their efforts invalidated.(92) Delaware County posted a notice online saying it could no longer accept its own registration forms.(93) Even Blackwell couldn't follow the protocol: The Columbus Dispatch reported that his own staff distributed registration forms on lighter-weight paper that was illegal under his rule. Under the threat of court action, Blackwell ultimately revoked his order on September 28th -- six days before the registration deadline.(94) But by then, the damage was done. Election boards across the state, already understaffed and backlogged with registration forms, were unable to process them all in time. According to a statistical analysis conducted in May by the nonpartisan Greater Cleveland Voter Coalition, 16,000 voters in and around the city were disenfranchised because of data-entry errors by election officials,(95) and another 15,000 lost the right to vote due to largely inconsequential omissions on their registration cards.(96) Statewide, the study concludes, a total of 72,000 voters were disenfranchised through avoidable registration errors -- one percent of all voters in an election decided by barely two percent.(97) Despite the widespread problems, Blackwell authorized only one investigation of registration errors after the election -- in Toledo -- but the report by his own inspectors offers a disturbing snapshot of the malfeasance and incompetence that plagued the entire state.(98) The top elections official in Toledo was a partisan in the Blackwell mold: Bernadette Noe, who chaired both the county board of elections and the county Republican Party.(99) The GOP post was previously held by her husband, Tom Noe,(100) who currently faces felony charges for embezzling state funds and illegally laundering $45,400 of his own money through intermediaries to the Bush campaign.(101) State inspectors who investigated the elections operation in Toledo discovered ''areas of grave concern.''(102) With less than a month to go before the election, Bernadette Noe and her board had yet to process 20,000 voter registration cards.(103) Board officials arbitrarily decided that mail-in cards (mostly from the Republican suburbs) would be processed first, while registrations dropped off at the board's office (the fruit of intensive Democratic registration drives in the city) would be processed last.(104) When a grass-roots group called Project Vote delivered a batch of nearly 10,000 cards just before the October 4th deadline, an elections official casually remarked, ''We may not get to them.''(105) The same official then instructed employees to date-stamp an entire box containing thousands of forms, rather than marking each individual card, as required by law.(106) When the box was opened, officials had no way of confirming that the forms were filed prior to the deadline -- an error, state inspectors concluded, that could have disenfranchised ''several thousand'' voters from Democratic strongholds.(107) The most troubling incident uncovered by the investigation was Noe's decision to allow Republican partisans behind the counter in the board of elections office to make photocopies of postcards sent to confirm voter registrations(108) -- records that could have been used in the GOP's caging efforts. On their second day in the office, the operatives were caught by an elections official tampering with the documents.(109) Investigators slammed the elections board for ''a series of egregious blunders'' that caused ''the destruction, mutilation and damage of public records.''(110) On Election Day, Noe sent a team of Republican volunteers to the county warehouse where blank ballots were kept out in the open, ''with no security measures in place.''(111) The state's assistant director of elections, who just happened to be observing the ballot distribution, demanded they leave. The GOP operatives refused and ultimately had to be turned away by police.(112) In April 2005, Noe and the entire Board of Elections were forced to resign. But once again, the damage was done. At a ''Victory 2004'' rally held in Toledo four days before the election, President Bush himself singled out a pair of ''grass-roots'' activists for special praise: ''I want to thank my friends Bernadette Noe and Tom Noe for their leadership in Lucas County.''(113) V. ''The Wrong Pew'' In one of his most effective maneuvers, Blackwell prevented thousands of voters from receiving provisional ballots on Election Day. The fail-safe ballots were mandated in 2002, when Congress passed a package of reforms called the Help America Vote Act. This would prevent a repeat of the most egregious injustice in the 2000 election, when officials in Florida barred thousands of lawfully registered minority voters from the polls because their names didn't appear on flawed precinct rolls. Under the law, would-be voters whose registration is questioned at the polls must be allowed to cast provisional ballots that can be counted after the election if the voter's registration proves valid.(114) ''Provisional ballots were supposed to be this great movement forward,'' says Tova Andrea Wang, an elections expert who served with ex-presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford on the commission that laid the groundwork for the Help America Vote Act. ''But then different states erected barriers, and this new right became totally eviscerated.'' In Ohio, Blackwell worked from the beginning to curtail the availability of provisional ballots. (The ballots are most often used to protect voters in heavily Democratic urban areas who move often, creating more opportunities for data-entry errors by election boards.) Six weeks before the vote, Blackwell illegally decreed that poll workers should make on-the-spot judgments as to whether or not a voter lived in the precinct, and provide provisional ballots only to those deemed eligible.(115) When the ruling was challenged in federal court, Judge James Carr could barely contain his anger. The very purpose of the Help America Vote Act, he ruled, was to make provisional ballots available to voters told by precinct workers that they were ineligible: ''By not even mentioning this group -- the primary beneficiaries of HAVA's provisional-voting provisions -- Blackwell apparently seeks to accomplish the same result in Ohio in 2004 that occurred in Florida in 2000.''(116) But instead of complying with the judge's order to expand provisional balloting, Blackwell insisted that Carr was usurping his power as secretary of state and made a speech in which he compared himself to Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and the apostle Paul -- saying that he'd rather go to jail than follow federal law.(117) The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Carr's ruling on October 23rd -- but the confusion over the issue still caused untold numbers of voters across the state to be illegally turned away at the polls on Election Day without being offered provisional ballots.(118) A federal judge also invalidated a decree by Blackwell that denied provisional ballots to absentee voters who were never sent their ballots in the mail. But that ruling did not come down until after 3 p.m. on the day of the election, and likely failed to filter down to the precinct level at all -- denying the franchise to even more eligible voters.(119) We will never know for certain how many voters in Ohio were denied ballots by Blackwell's two illegal orders. But it is possible to put a fairly precise number on those turned away by his most disastrous directive. Traditionally, anyone in Ohio who reported to a polling station in their county could obtain a provisional ballot. But Blackwell decided to toss out the ballots of anyone who showed up at the wrong precinct -- a move guaranteed to disenfranchise Democrats who live in urban areas crowded with multiple polling places. On October 14th, Judge Carr overruled the order, but Blackwell appealed.(120) In court, he was supported by his friend and campaign contributor Tom Noe, who joined the case as an intervenor on behalf of the secretary of state.(121) He also enjoyed the backing of Attorney General John Ashcroft, who filed an amicus brief in support of Blackwell's position -- marking the first time in American history that the Justice Department had gone to court to block the right of voters to vote.(122) The Sixth Circuit, stacked with four judges appointed by George W. Bush, sided with Blackwell.(123) Blackwell insists that his decision kept the election clean. ''If we had allowed this notion of?voters without borders' to exist,'' he says, ''it would have opened the door to massive fraud.'' But even Republicans were shocked by the move. DeForest Soaries, the GOP chairman of the Election Assistance Commission -- the federal agency set up to implement the Help America Vote Act -- upbraided Blackwell, saying that the commission disagreed with his decision to deny ballots to voters who showed up at the wrong precinct. ''The purpose of provisional ballots is to not turn anyone away from the polls,'' Soaries explained. ''We want as many votes to count as possible.''(124) The decision left hundreds of thousands of voters in predominantly Democratic counties to navigate the state's bewildering array of 11,366 precincts, whose boundaries had been redrawn just prior to the election.(125) To further compound their confusion, the new precinct lines were misidentified on the secretary of state's own Web site, which was months out of date on Election Day. Many voters, out of habit, reported to polling locations that were no longer theirs. Some were mistakenly assured by poll workers on the grounds that they were entitled to cast a provisional ballot at that precinct. Instead, thanks to Blackwell's ruling, at least 10,000 provisional votes were tossed out after Election Day simply because citizens wound up in the wrong line.(126) In Toledo, Brandi and Brittany Stenson each got in a different line to vote in the gym at St. Elizabeth Seton School. Both of the sisters were registered to vote at the polling place on the city's north side, in the shadow of the giant DaimlerChrysler plant. Both cast ballots. But when the tallies were added up later, the family resemblance came to an abrupt end. Brittany's vote was counted -- but Brandi's wasn't. It wasn't enough that she had voted in the right building. If she wanted her vote to count, according to Blackwell's ruling, she had to choose the line that led to her assigned table. Her ballot -- along with those of her mother, her brother and thirty-seven other voters in the same precinct -- were thrown out(127) simply because they were, in the words of Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-Ohio), ''in the right church but the wrong pew.''(128) All told, the deliberate chaos that resulted from Blackwell's registration barriers did the trick. Black voters in the state -- who went overwhelmingly for Kerry -- were twenty percent more likely than whites to be forced to cast a provisional ballot.(129) In the end, nearly three percent of all voters in Ohio were forced to vote provisionally(130) -- and more than 35,000 of their ballots were ultimately rejected.(131) VI. Long Lines When Election Day dawned on November 2nd, tens of thousands of Ohio voters who had managed to overcome all the obstacles to registration erected by Blackwell discovered that it didn't matter whether they were properly listed on the voting rolls -- because long lines at their precincts prevented them from ever making it to the ballot box. Would-be voters in Dayton and Cincinnati routinely faced waits as long as three hours. Those in inner-city precincts in Columbus, Cleveland and Toledo -- which were voting for Kerry by margins of ninety percent or more -- often waited up to seven hours. At Kenyon College, students were forced to stand in line for eleven hours before being allowed to vote, with the last voters casting their ballots after three in the morning.(132) A five-month analysis of the Ohio vote conducted by the Democratic National Committee concluded in June 2005 that three percent of all Ohio voters who showed up to vote on Election Day were forced to leave without casting a ballot.(133) That's more than 174,000 voters. ''The vast majority of this lost vote,'' concluded the Conyers report, ''was concentrated in urban, minority and Democratic-leaning areas.''(134) Statewide, African-Americans waited an average of fifty-two minutes to vote, compared to only eighteen minutes for whites.(135) The long lines were not only foreseeable -- they were actually created by GOP efforts. Republicans in the state legislature, citing new electronic voting machines that were supposed to speed voting, authorized local election boards to reduce the number of precincts across Ohio. In most cases, the new machines never materialized -- but that didn't stop officials in twenty of the state's eighty-eight counties, all of them favorable to Democrats, from slashing the number of precincts by at least twenty percent.(136) Republican officials also created long lines by failing to distribute enough voting machines to inner-city precincts. After the Florida disaster in 2000, such problems with machines were supposed to be a thing of the past. Under the Help America Vote Act, Ohio received more than $30 million in federal funds to replace its faulty punch-card machines with more reliable systems.(137) But on Election Day, that money was sitting in the bank. Why? Because Ken Blackwell had applied for an extension until 2006, insisting that there was no point in buying electronic machines that would later have to be retrofitted under Ohio law to generate paper ballots.(138) ''No one has ever accused our secretary of state of lacking in ability,'' says Rep. Kucinich. ''He's a rather bright fellow, and he's involved in the most minute details of his office. There's no doubt that he knew the effect of not having enough voting machines in some areas.'' At liberal Kenyon College, where students had registered in record numbers, local election officials provided only two voting machines to handle the anticipated surge of up to 1,300 voters. Meanwhile, fundamentalist students at nearby Mount Vernon Nazarene University had one machine for 100 voters and faced no lines at all.(139) Citing the lines at Kenyon, the Conyers report concluded that the ''misallocation of machines went beyond urban/suburban discrepancies to specifically target Democratic areas.''(140) In Columbus, which had registered 125,000 new voters(141) -- more than half of them black(142) -- the board of elections estimated that it would need 5,000 machines to handle the huge surge.(143) ''On Election Day, the county experienced an unprecedented turnout that could only be compared to a 500-year flood,'' says Matt Damschroder,(144) chairman of the Franklin County Board of Elections and the former head of the Republican Party in Columbus.(145) But instead of buying more equipment, the Conyers investigation found, Damschroder decided to ''make do'' with 2,741 machines.(146) And to make matters worse, he favored his own party in distributing the equipment. According to The Columbus Dispatch, precincts that had gone seventy percent or more for Al Gore in 2000 were allocated seventeen fewer machines in 2004, while strong GOP precincts received eight additional machines.(147) An analysis by voter advocates found that all but three of the thirty wards with the best voter-to-machine ratios were in Bush strongholds; all but one of the seven with the worst ratios were in Kerry country.(148) The result was utterly predictable. According to an investigation by the Columbus Free Press, white Republican suburbanites, blessed with a surplus of machines, averaged waits of only twenty-two minutes; black urban Democrats averaged three hours and fifteen minutes.(149) ''The allocation of voting machines in Franklin County was clearly biased against voters in precincts with high proportions of African-Americans,'' concluded Walter Mebane Jr., a government professor at Cornell University who conducted a statistical analysis of the vote in and around Columbus.(150) By midmorning, when it became clear that voters were dropping out of line rather than braving the wait, precincts appealed for the right to distribute paper ballots to speed the process. Blackwell denied the request, saying it was an invitation to fraud.(151) A lawsuit ensued, and the handwritten affidavits submitted by voters and election officials offer a heart-rending snapshot of an electoral catastrophe in the offing:(152) From Columbus Precinct 44D: ''There are three voting machines at this precinct. I have been informed that in prior elections there were normally four voting machines. At 1:45 p.m. there are approximately eighty-five voters in line. At this time, the line to vote is approximately three hours long. This precinct is largely African-American. I have personally witnessed voters leaving the polling place without voting due to the length of the line.'' From Precinct 40: ''I am serving as a presiding judge, a position I have held for some 15+ years in precinct 40. In all my years of service, the lines are by far the longest I have seen, with some waiting as long as four to five hours. I expect the situation to only worsen as the early evening heavy turnout approaches. I have requested additional machines since 6:40 a.m. and no assistance has been offered.'' Precinct 65H: ''I observed a broken voting machine that was not in use for approximately two hours. The precinct judge was very diligent but could not get through to the BOE.'' Precinct 18A: ''At 4 p.m. the average wait time is about 4.5 hours and continuing to increase?. Voters are continuing to leave without voting.'' As day stretched into evening, U.S. District Judge Algernon Marbley issued a temporary restraining order requiring that voters be offered paper ballots.(153) But it was too late: According to bipartisan estimates published in The Washington Post, as many as 15,000 voters in Columbus had already given up and gone home.(154) When closing time came at the polls, according to the Conyers report, some precinct workers illegally dismissed citizens who had waited for hours in the rain -- in direct violation of Ohio law, which stipulates that those in line at closing time are allowed to remain and vote.(155) The voters disenfranchised by long lines were overwhelmingly Democrats. Because of the unequal distribution of voting equipment, the median turnout in Franklin County precincts won by Kerry was fifty-one percent, compared to sixty-one percent in those won by Bush. Assuming sixty percent turnout under more equitable conditions, Kerry would have gained an additional 17,000 votes in the county.(156) In another move certain to add to the traffic jam at the polls, the GOP deployed 3,600 operatives on Election Day to challenge voters in thirty-one counties -- most of them in predominantly black and urban areas.(157) Although it was billed as a means to ''ensure that voters are not disenfranchised by fraud,''(158) Republicans knew that the challengers would inevitably create delays for eligible voters. Even Mark Weaver, the GOP's attorney in Ohio, predicted in late October that the move would ''create chaos, longer lines and frustration.''(159) The day before the election, Judge Dlott attempted to halt the challengers, ruling that ''there exists an enormous risk of chaos, delay, intimidation and pandemonium inside the polls and in the lines out the doors.'' Dlott was also troubled by the placement of Republican challengers: In Hamilton County, fourteen percent of new voters in white areas would be confronted at the polls, compared to ninety-seven percent of new voters in black areas.(160) But when the case was appealed to the Supreme Court on Election Day, Justice John Paul Stevens allowed the challenges to go forward. ''I have faith,'' he ruled, ''that the elected officials and numerous election volunteers on the ground will carry out their responsibilities in a way that will enable qualified voters to cast their ballots.''(161) In fact, Blackwell gave Republican challengers unprecedented access to polling stations, where they intimidated voters, worsening delays in Democratic precincts. By the end of the day, thanks to a whirlwind of legal wrangling, the GOP had even gotten permission to use the discredited list of 35,000 names from its illegal caging effort to challenge would-be voters.(162) According to the survey by the DNC, nearly 5,000 voters across the state were turned away at the polls because of registration challenges -- even though federal law required that they be provided with provisional ballots.(163) VII. Faulty Machines Voters who managed to make it past the array of hurdles erected by Republican officials found themselves confronted by voting machines that didn't work. Only 800,000 out of the 5.6 million votes in Ohio were cast on electronic voting machines, but they were plagued with errors.(164) In heavily Democratic areas around Youngstown, where nearly 100 voters reported entering ''Kerry'' on the touch screen and watching ''Bush'' light up, at least twenty machines had to be recalibrated in the middle of the voting process for chronically flipping Kerry votes to Bush.(165) (Similar ''vote hopping'' from Kerry to Bush was reported by voters and election officials in other states.)(166) Elsewhere, voters complained in sworn affidavits that they touched Kerry's name on the screen and it lit up, but that the light had gone out by the time they finished their ballot; the Kerry vote faded away.(167) In the state's most notorious incident, an electronic machine at a fundamentalist church in the town of Gahanna recorded a total of 4,258 votes for Bush and 260 votes for Kerry.(168) In that precinct, however, there were only 800 registered voters, of whom 638 showed up.(169) (The error, which was later blamed on a glitchy memory card, was corrected before the certified vote count.) In addition to problems with electronic machines, Ohio's vote was skewed by old-fashioned punch-card equipment that posed what even Blackwell acknowledged was the risk of a ''Florida-like calamity.''(170) All but twenty of the state's counties relied on antiquated machines that were virtually guaranteed to destroy votes(171) -- many of which were counted by automatic tabulators manufactured by Triad Governmental Systems,(172) the same company that supplied Florida's notorious butterfly ballot in 2000. In fact, some 95,000 ballots in Ohio recorded no vote for president at all -- most of them on punch-card machines. Even accounting for the tiny fraction of voters in each election who decide not to cast votes for president -- generally in the range of half a percent, according to Ohio State law professor and respected elections scholar Dan Tokaji -- that would mean that at least 66,000 votes were invalidated by faulty voting equipment.(173) If counted by hand instead of by automated tabulator, the vast majority of these votes would have been discernable. But thanks to a corrupt recount process, only one county hand-counted its ballots.(174) Most of the uncounted ballots occurred in Ohio's big cities. In Cleveland, where nearly 13,000 votes were ruined, a New York Times analysis found that black precincts suffered more than twice the rate of spoiled ballots than white districts.(175) In Dayton, Kerry-leaning precincts had nearly twice the number of spoiled ballots as Bush-leaning precincts.(176) Last April, a federal court ruled that Ohio's use of punch-card balloting violated the equal-protection rights of the citizens who voted on them.(177) In addition to spoiling ballots, the punch-card machines also created bizarre miscounts known as ''ballot crawl.'' In Cleveland Precinct 4F, a heavily African-American precinct, Constitution Party candidate Michael Peroutka was credited with an impressive forty-one percent of the vote. In Precinct 4N, where Al Gore won ninety-eight percent of the vote in 2000, Libertarian Party candidate Michael Badnarik was credited with thirty-three percent of the vote. Badnarik and Peroutka also picked up a sizable portion of the vote in precincts across Cleveland -- 11M, 3B, 8G, 8I, 3I.(178) ''It appears that hundreds, if not thousands, of votes intended to be cast for Senator Kerry were recorded as being for a third-party candidate,'' the Conyers report concludes.(179) But it's not just third-party candidates: Ballot crawl in Cleveland also shifted votes from Kerry to Bush. In Precinct 13B, where Bush received only six votes in 2000, he was credited with twenty percent of the total in 2004. Same story in 9P, where Bush recorded eighty-seven votes in 2004, compared to his grand total of one in 2000.(180) VIII. Rural Counties Despite the well-documented effort that prevented hundreds of thousands of voters in urban and minority precincts from casting ballots, the worst theft in Ohio may have quietly taken place in rural counties. An examination of election data suggests widespread fraud -- and even good old-fashioned stuffing of ballot boxes -- in twelve sparsely populated counties scattered across southern and western Ohio: Auglaize, Brown, Butler, Clermont, Darke, Highland, Mercer, Miami, Putnam, Shelby, Van Wert and Warren. (See The Twelve Suspect Counties) One key indicator of fraud is to look at counties where the presidential vote departs radically from other races on the ballot. By this measure, John Kerry's numbers were suspiciously low in each of the twelve counties -- and George Bush's were unusually high. Take the case of Ellen Connally, a Democrat who lost her race for chief justice of the state Supreme Court. When the ballots were counted, Kerry should have drawn far more votes than Connally -- a liberal black judge who supports gay rights and campaigned on a shoestring budget. And that's exactly what happened statewide: Kerry tallied 667,000 more votes for president than Connally did for chief justice, outpolling her by a margin of thirty-two percent. Yet in these twelve off-the-radar counties, Connally somehow managed to outperform the best-funded Democrat in history, thumping Kerry by a grand total of 19,621 votes -- a margin of ten percent.(181) The Conyers report -- recognizing that thousands of rural Bush voters were unlikely to have backed a gay-friendly black judge roundly rejected in Democratic precincts -- suggests that ''thousands of votes for Senator Kerry were lost.''(182) Kucinich, a veteran of elections in the state, puts it even more bluntly. ''Down-ticket candidates shouldn't outperform presidential candidates like that,'' he says. ''That just doesn't happen. The question is: Where did the votes for Kerry go?'' They certainly weren't invalidated by faulty voting equipment: a trifling one percent of presidential ballots in the twelve suspect counties were spoiled. The more likely explanation is that they were fraudulently shifted to Bush. Statewide, the president outpolled Thomas Moyer, the Republican judge who defeated Connally, by twenty-one percent. Yet in the twelve questionable counties, Bush's margin over Moyer was fifty percent -- a strong indication that the president's certified vote total was inflated. If Kerry had maintained his statewide margin over Connally in the twelve suspect counties, as he almost assuredly would have done in a clean election, he would have bested her by 81,260 ballots. That's a swing of 162,520 votes from Kerry to Bush -- more than enough to alter the outcome. (183) ''This is very strong evidence that the count is off in those counties,'' says Freeman, the poll analyst. ''By itself, without anything else, what happened in these twelve counties turns Ohio into a Kerry state. To me, this provides every indication of fraud.'' How might this fraud have been carried out? One way to steal votes is to tamper with individual ballots -- and there is evidence that Republicans did just that. In Clermont County, where optical scanners were used to tabulate votes, sworn affidavits by election observers given to the House Judiciary Committee describe ballots on which marks for Kerry were covered up with white stickers, while marks for Bush were filled in to replace them. Rep. Conyers, in a letter to the FBI, described the testimony as ''strong evidence of vote tampering if not outright fraud.'' (184) In Miami County, where Connally outpaced Kerry, one precinct registered a turnout of 98.55 percent (185) -- meaning that all but ten eligible voters went to the polls on Election Day. An investigation by the Columbus Free Press, however, collected affidavits from twenty-five people who swear they didn't vote. (186) In addition to altering individual ballots, evidence suggests that Republicans tampered with the software used to tabulate votes. In Auglaize County, where Kerry lost not only to Connally but to two other defeated Democratic judicial candidates, voters cast their ballots on touch-screen machines. (187) Two weeks before the election, an employee of ES&S, the company that manufactures the machines, was observed by a local election official making an unauthorized log-in to the central computer used to compile election results. (188) In Miami County, after 100 percent of precincts had already reported their official results, an additional 18,615 votes were inexplicably added to the final tally. The last-minute alteration awarded 12,000 of the votes to Bush, boosting his margin of victory in the county by nearly 6,000. (189) The most transparently crooked incident took place in Warren County. In the leadup to the election, Blackwell had illegally sought to keep reporters and election observers at least 100 feet away from the polls. (190) The Sixth Circuit, ruling that the decree represented an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment, noted ominously that ''democracies die behind closed doors.'' But the decision didn't stop officials in Warren County from devising a way to count the vote in secret. Immediately after the polls closed on Election Day, GOP officials -- citing the FBI -- declared that the county was facing a terrorist threat that ranked ten on a scale of one to ten. The county administration building was hastily locked down, allowing election officials to tabulate the results without any reporters present. In fact, there was no terrorist threat. The FBI declared that it had issued no such warning, and an investigation by The Cincinnati Enquirer unearthed e-mails showing that the Republican plan to declare a terrorist alert had been in the works for eight days prior to the election. Officials had even refined the plot down to the language they used on signs notifying the public of a lockdown. (When ROLLING STONE requested copies of the same e-mails from the county, officials responded that the documents have been destroyed.) (191) The late-night secrecy in Warren County recalls a classic trick: Results are held back until it's determined how many votes the favored candidate needs to win, and the totals are then adjusted
8 ELIAS. PATRIK L 39.1 477:13:00 37.3 46.4 46.1 52.3 47.4 ZUBRUS. DAINIUS C 38.7 421:59:00 37.4 43.5 50.6 52.6 46.6 STEMPNIAK. LEE R 37.9 340:37:00 37.5 52 43.6 51.1 47.6 LARSSON. ADAM D 37.6 2931:44:00 51.3 47.2 BOUCHER. REID C 35.9 237:44:00 37.7 50 43.9 51.4 47.5 GREENE. ANDY D 35.4 2061:11:00 44.6 52.9 45.8 48.1 50.5 ZAJAC. TRAVIS C 34.9 910:39:00 38.9 54.5 43.9 50 48.6 RUUTU. TUOMO R 33.8 319:54:00 37.9 60 52.1 50.7 46.6 JOSEFSON. JACOB C 33.6 364:35:00 38.1 26.7 50.3 53.8 46.7 THOMPSON. PAUL R 33.3 14:24 37.6 100 37.5 51 47.2 PALMIERI. KYLE C 32.2 547:35:00 39.2 64 43.4 48.9 48 TLUSTY. JIRI C 32.1 134:33:00 37.9 100 50.7 50.6 47 TOOTOO. JORDIN R 31.7 381:16:00 38.3 33.3 45 52.7 47.5 GIONTA. STEPHEN R 31.5 532:31:00 38.6 34.5 48.9 55 46.8 BLANDISI. JOSEPH C 30.9 182:12:00 37.9 66.7 46.4 50.3 47.2 SISLO. MIKE R 30.8 90:10:00 37.8 100 43.4 50.6 47.3 KALININ. SERGEY C 30 333:46:00 38.7 53.8 41.9 51 47.8 MERRILL. JON D 30 139:51:00 37.8 44.4 44.1 51.7 47.3 ZIDLICKY. MAREK D 30 23:35 37.6 42.5 51.3 47.2 PIETILA. BLAKE L 30 20:47 37.6 44.4 51.6 47.2 HAVLAT. MARTIN R 29.9 148:33:00 38 27.3 42.2 53.1 47.5 HELGESON. SETH D 28.8 95:47:00 37.8 50 39.1 51.3 47.5 FARNHAM. BOBBY R 28.6 133:58:00 37.9 50 48 51.3 47.2 WHITNEY. JOE R 28.6 9:50 37.6 23.5 51.6 47.3 O_BRIEN. JIM C 27.3 15:44 37.6 37.5 51.3 47.2 SMITH-PELLY. DEVANTE R 25.7 77:43:00 38 80 46.2 50.3 47.2 KENNEDY. TYLER C 25.6 183:45:00 38.4 40 49.3 52 47.1 MOORE. JOHN D 25 51:25:00 37.8 100 38.3 50.3 47.4 HARROLD. PETER D 21.4 84:14:00 38 100 45.6 51 47.2 O_NEILL. BRIAN C 19.1 64:31:00 38.1 33.3 43.3 51.6 47.3 SEVERSON. DAMON D 42:20:00 37.7 29.9 51.6 47.5 FRASER. MARK D 26:16:00 37.7 50 17.6 51.3 47.5 WOOD. MILES L 6:04 37.6 80 51.3 47.2 FAYNE. MARK D 4:49 37.6 25 52.3 47.2 WARSOFSKY. DAVID D 3:25 37.6 100 51.3 47.2 MOZIK. VOJTECH D 1:40 37.6 51.3 47.2 GRAGNANI. MARC-ANDRE D 0:36 37.6 51.3 47.2 There are only a dozen or so players with whom Larsson has had favourable OZS over the past three seasons, and in most case he spent little time on ice with those players as well. Here we see what Yost concluded in his article: with seven of those ten players, Adam Larsson had subpar to miserable Goals For %, but saw his Corsi For % remain reasonable. He managed to maintain a > 50% GF% when playing with Damien Brunner, Jaromir Jagr, Anton Volchenkov, Cam Janssen (though they only played 13 minutes total together so sample size is obviously an issue), and Pavel Zacha (sample size alert). The rest of the players, with whom he saw the NJD share of goals drop, were almost all fringe NHLers or journeymen at the time, and almost all of them are no longer seeing a regular shift in the NHL. I wish I could see the data Yost was working with, because the WOWY table above suggests that Larsson was playing with subpar linemates in almost all cases of favourable OZS%. Over a small sample with those linemates, the shot attempt share remained reasonable but the share of goals dropped considerably for the Devils. Why might this be? Well, the bottom line is that these few players were not very good. When Larsson saw the ice with them, I imagine issues of positioning and speed—problems that generally see a player exit the NHL like many of the players in question did—led to odd man rushes and other high danger scoring chances for the opposition, resulting in the lopsided GA. As for the lack of GF to balance things out, this could be attributed to the same problem: bad NHL players don't score a lot. We might never know what Yost was seeing when he created his chart (unless he was using a WOWY table), but the table above suggests to me that the bizarre dip in GF% can probably be attributed to exceptionally poor Quality of Teammates for our man Adam Larsson when he saw an increase in Offensive Zone Starts.Voters in Puerto Rico reportedly faced lines of more than two hours to vote Sunday in the Democratic presidential primary. According to an MSNBC reporter, some voters who were waiting in San Juan decided to leave rather than face the long lines. The wait to vote in Puerto Rico's presidential primary is more than 1HR some places -- ppl giving up where I am in Condado (San Juan). — tonydokoupil (@tonydokoupil) June 5, 2016 UPDATE: The wait to vote in Puerto Rico's presidential primary is more than 2.5 hrs some places -- ppl giving up in San Juan. — tonydokoupil (@tonydokoupil) June 5, 2016 ADVERTISEMENT The commonwealth initially had 1,510 polling locations. But it announced last month that the number of polling locations would be cut to 455 for the Sunday primary. Robert Prats, president of the Democratic Party on the island, said the 455 locations are four times more than the number of polling locations open in the Republican primary in March. Supporters of Democratic presidential candidate 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 were up in arms over the cuts, with supporters tweeting about the change. A "Sanders for President" reddit page also called the reduction "about as bad as Arizona," and dozens of Sanders supporters voiced concerns about the cuts on the page. But the local party told MSNBC that the Sanders campaign had requested fewer stations. Dem Party of PR tells @MSNBC that the Sanders campaign is the one that requested a cut in number of polling stations today. — tonydokoupil (@tonydokoupil) June 5, 2016 Odd reporting on MSNBC: Sanders requested lower number of poll places in Puerto Rico, bc they had insufficient volunteers to monitor count — Nate Cohn (@Nate_Cohn) June 6, 2016 The Puerto Rico primary has 60 delegates at stake. A large win for Democratic front-runner 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 could clinch the party's nomination for her. Some ballots weren't even removed from the polling places until after 6 p.m., according to MSNBC. Loading up the ballots in San Juan. pic.twitter.com/sFJIZi472N — tonydokoupil (@tonydokoupil) June 5, 2016 To be clear the ballot pics I just tweeted were LOCAL. The presidential ballots are STILL being hand counted. This could be a long nite. — tonydokoupil (@tonydokoupil) June 5, 2016 Updated 8:19 p.m.The Carolina Panthers signed Jonathan Stewart to a huge contract extension last August despite his long history of nagging injuries. Those problems only have accelerated since he signed the deal. Stewart played in just nine games last season, and there's no telling when he'll be recovered enough to play football in 2013. Panthers coach Ron Rivera admitted Tuesday that Stewart might start the season on the reserve/physically unable to perform list, which would knock the running back out of the first six games of the season. Stewart is recovering from ankle surgeries. Brooks: Three keys for the Panthers Despite impressive stats, Cam Newton's just 13-19 as a starter. Bucky Brooks explains how Carolina can increase efficiency. Despite impressive stats, Cam Newton's just 13-19 as a starter.explains how Carolina can increase efficiency. More... "At this point, anything is an option," Rivera said, via The Associated Press. "What you're hoping is you can get him on the football field, and we'll see once the doctor gets a chance to look at him." That's a big change in tone from last week, when Rivera believed Stewart was on track to play in Week 1. The Panthers will rely heavily on DeAngelo Williams and possibly rookie Kenjon Barner early in the season. Stewart is due a $9 million option bonus next season. It's quite possible that he will get cut after the year, while Williams remains. (DeAngelo signed a reduced deal to stay this year.) Injury issues also are wreaking havoc with the team's No. 3 receiver battle. Armanti Edwards, Domenik Hixon and Joe Adams all are expected to miss Thursday's preseason game. It appears Edwards, Ted Ginn and David Gettis are the top candidates for the role. The "Around The League Podcast" is now available on iTunes! Click here to listen and subscribe.Canada's economy is set to follow the U.S. off a cliff if it holds the same pattern America's did in the mid-2000s. The Great White North's dependence on real estate investment reached a record high this year — just like it did in the U.S. in 2005, before it started dropping for years, global banking firm Macquarie noted in a report this week. It said that 2016 could represent a "peak housing" year for Canada, and that activity in the sector could start declining afterward. Economists with the firm looked at how residential investment trended as a share of the U.S. economy between 1991 and 2005. Then it looked at how such investment has trended in Canada from 2001 up to the present. And, well, just look at the similarities: The graph above shows a pattern of growing dependence on residential investment in Canada, not unlike that seen in the U.S. over a similar period. Much of the growth in Canadian residential investment has come from "brokers' commissions and other ownership transfer costs" — again, just like in the U.S. But those aren't the only alarming signs that Macquarie noted for Canada's economy. The research showed that new mortgages have become "reliant on risky borrowers": It also remarked that a growing share of mortgages have loan-to-income ratios of over 450 per cent. And that suggests homebuyers are borrowing way more than they can pay back. This trend was readily apparent in many cities, but especially Vancouver and Toronto: The report came days after the federal Liberals announced new mortgage rules. The rules include a stress test to make sure insured borrowers can afford their mortgages if interest rates go up. Macquarie said these changes are likely to "slow housing and create headwinds for Canadian economic activity." Homes for sale in Toronto. (Photo: CP) But the firm saw promising signs for Canada's economy thanks to factors such as federal infrastructure spending, which is expected to support GDP growth of 1.8 per cent next year and 1.7 per cent the following year. Macquarie also saw some hope in Canada's energy sector, which is set to see an end to capital expenditure declines, it said. Capital spending on Canadian oil and natural gas has dropped by 62 per cent over the past two years as the price of oil has plummeted, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) noted in April. The oil extraction industry expects to be profitable again next year, said the Conference Board of Canada. The industry is, however, headed for a $10-billion loss in 2016, it added. Like Us On Facebook Also on HuffPostGet the biggest Arsenal FC stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Southampton are ready to break the bank to stop Morgan Schneiderlin going to Arsenal. France international Schneiderlin is Arsenal's No1 midfield target this summer but the Saints have begun contract talks to try to tie him down to St Mary's. Even if Schneiderlin doesn't sign a new deal, they will slap a £25million-plus price-tag on his head to try to scare off potential suitors, which would mean only the likes of the Gunners and Manchester United from the interested parties could afford him. Schneiderlin, 25, has got two more years left on his current contract and Southampton are ready to make him their top earner on around £60,000-a-week. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has already tied down emerging star Francis Coquelin to a new deal while fellow holding midfielder, and captain, Mikel Arteta is signed up until 2016. (Image: Richard Heathcote) But that will not stop Wenger from moving for a new face at the position, with Schneiderlin heading the list of targets. Arsenal are also long-time admirers of Bayer Leverkusen's Lars Bender and Christoph Kramer and Ilkay Gundogan of Borussia Dortmund. Schneiderlin was on Wenger's radar last summer but Saints made it clear they did not want to sell, and resisted several approaches from Tottenham. Southampton have also begun talks with still-out-injured striker Jay Rodriguez as they are determined to avoid a repeat of last summer's mass exodus that saw manager Mauricio Pochettino and first-teamers Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren, Rickie Lambert, Luke Shaw and Calum Chambers all leave.Before even formally announcing his presidential candidacy, Jeb Bush has already faced heated controversy for claiming that he would have invaded Iraq, even with current hindsight that it was a colossal mistake. He’s since flip-flopped, and one college student has called him out, confronting Bush with an uncomfortable truth. "Knowing what we know now, would you have authorized the invasion?" Fox News host Megyn Kelly asked presidential hopeful Jeb Bush earlier this week. "I would have,” Bush responded, “and so would have Hillary Clinton," he added, tossing her superfluously under the bus, as well. © AP Photo / M. Spencer Green Bros Before Country? Jeb Bush Says He’d Invade Iraq Too! The statement has faced a wide backlash from both the left and right. The former because it proves everything voters need to know about a third Bush presidency, the latter because it provides fuel for the Democrats. With hardly anyone – even the most right-wing hardliners – supporting Bush’s answer, he has backtracked a bit. "I would not have gone into Iraq," Bush said Thursday during a town hall event in Tempe, Arizona. But even this was prefaced with the fact that Bush has a strong disliking for something every presidential candidate has to face: hypotheticals. "Here’s the deal: If we’re all supposed to answer hypothetical questions, knowing what we know now, what would you have done, I would have not engaged." © AP Photo / Harrison McClary Marco Rubio Needs to Distinguish Himself From Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz - Experts Jeb Bush, of course, should face hypothetical questions. By the dozens. By the thousands. Given that he has never been president before, how else can the American public learn what his decision making process would be once elected to one of the highest positions in the world? He also seemed to have no problem with hypotheticals when the question was originally posed by Megyn Kelly. Bush didn’t skip a beat – barely even blinked – before nodding in the affirmative. Many have been left unimpressed by Bush’s explanation, not least of which is Ivy Ziedrich, a 19-year-old student at the University of Nevada. At the end of one of the presidential hopeful’s town hall meetings, Zeidrich hit him with something unexpected. "Your brother created ISIS," she said, referring to the self-proclaimed Islamic State terrorist group. "It was when 30,000 individuals who were part of the Iraqi military were forced out – they had no employment, they had no income, and they were left with access to all of the same arms and weapons," Ziedrich told him. Bush, who we already know is not the biggest fan of hypotheticals, asked her if she had a question. "My question is why are you saying that ISIS was created by us not having a presence in the Middle East when it’s pointless wars, when we sent young men to die for the idea of American exceptionalism?" "It’s this idea," she added. "Like, why are you spouting nationalistic rhetoric to get us involved in more wars?" A flabbergasted Jeb said that he "respectfully disagreed" with Ziedrich’s assessment of the Iraq War, and went on to blame the terrorist group’s formation on President Obama’s decision to withdraw troops from Iraq. "And we had an agreement that the president could have signed that would have kept 10,000 troops, less than we have in Korea, could have created the stability that would have allowed for Iraq to progress. The result was the opposite occurred. Immediately that void was filled." So, before officially declaring his bid, we now know that a Jeb Bush presidency would jump into a foreign conflict based on faulty intelligence, and would then continue to bolster that mistake with a military presence significantly longer than the eight years US troops remained in Iraq. Jeb Bush, 2016, everyone.One of the fundamental questions in game design is: which came first, the theme or the mechanics? Different designers have different answers to this question, some holding their answers as sacred as scripture. While I don’t have strong feelings on this question (I have been inspired by both themes and mechanics), I tend to lean towards mechanics. Even when inspired by a theme, I strive to convey the theme through novel, interesting mechanics. Today, I want to talk a little about theme. Specifically, I want to talk about what makes a game feel thematic. I feel like there is a disconnect between what many people think makes a game thematic and what actually makes a game feel thematic when you play it. My hope is that designers who read this will avoid common traps when trying to capture a theme in their games. Thematic Games What makes a game thematic? Unfortunately, in the board game community, the word thematic is often associated with a term I have grown to loath: Ameritrash. This derogatory term refers to bloated games with more appearance than substance. Even though their rule books are huge and they have tons of components, these games often come down to chance. Why are Ameritrash games considered thematic? For one thing, the games often rely on theme–there isn’t enough game behind them to sell (or even be played) without a heavy injection of intellectual property. For another thing, these games often involve unfathomable amounts of art, plastering the theme all over the game. Finally, these games often incorporate everything related to a theme. Their component count is huge, and that’s because they must contain the entirety of their theme. Anything related to the theme not in the base game is undoubtedly being saved for the expansion. It is unfortunate that thematic games are often conflated with Ameritrash games. (To be fair, the Ameritrash games described above are the most extreme, and there is a sliding scale of games in the family.) To me, a more thematic game isn’t one that captures every possible trope from a theme; it’s one that makes you feel like you are experiencing the theme first hand. And you’d be surprised how little is actually required to make a player feel like that. Thematic Games: What You Need In my last post, I discussed how to keep the scope of your game down. One of my main recommendations was to find the core of your game before adding frills, and then build out from there as necessary. The same advice is very useful when it comes to making your game feel thematic: find the core of your theme, and make that the core of your game. The core of your theme should be specific feelings the player should feel or certain actions the player should take. In a horror game, you want your players to feel anxious. In a game about emergency personnel, you want your players to feel panic and urgency. In a game about courtly intrigue, you want your players to value information and for plans to conflict with each other in unexpected ways. Whatever the core of your theme is, identify it and strive to achieve it with as little as you can. After you’ve mastered the core, then you can start adding additional components and special rules to flesh out the theme a bit more. But remember: your game could be plenty thematic even with just the core. Thematic Games: What You Don’t Need Like many things related to game design, what you don’t need for a thematic game is more revealing than what you do need. Here, I want to point out some features many people consider thematic, which are generally not necessary to make a game feel thematic. Everything. When you’re first working on a new thematic game, it’s often valuable to brainstorm concepts related to the central theme. The next step, which many people ignore, is crucial: throw most of it out. Brainstorming is intended to discover the most important concepts, not to be a minimum feature set. By including everything you can think of, you’re filling your game with suboptimal content that forces your player to learn many more rules, increases the game’s price, and takes away from the central focus. You’d be surprised with how little is needed to convey a theme. Take Ticket to Ride. The game may not be winning any theme awards, but no one will question its theme, despite the fact that it omits many important features of railroad building, such as resource acquisition and transportation, legal wrangling, station building, even cargo and passengers. The game makes you feel like you’re laying tracks, even if the specifics are missing. Everything about something. Let’s assume you’ve decided that you absolutely need to include something (a character, an item, etc) in your game. Is the next step to accurately model every detail about that thing? Definitely not. You’d be surprised with how few special rules you need to convey a concept to players. Often times, one simple special rule will give the player a clear image of a character or an item. Take the roles in Pandemic. Even though each role has only a tiny rule tweak, those special rules clearly convey what’s unique about those characters. Thematic justification for all rules. While you will want your core rules to be thematically justified (and really thematically driven), you’d be surprised with what you can get away with in terms of rules that make little thematic sense. It comes down to most players looking for theme, rather than looking for where the theme breaks down. Assuming your core is solid, the rules you need to make the game work will usually be overlooked without much question. Take Compounded, the recent chemistry themed Kickstarter success. The game embraces its theme in every way. Even so, there are plenty of rules that have no thematic justification, but no one seems to mind. For example, why does calcium oxide upgrade your study ability? I welcome any chemists to correct me in the comments, but I think the answer is that the game needed a way for players to get upgrades, and they were already working towards making molecules. Why not add an extra reward? In other words, there’s no thematic justification for it; molecules offer different upgrades because the game needs them to. And you know what? Compounded still feels very thematic. Thematic Inspiration Is your new game idea inspired by a theme? Awesome! My hope is that you’ll resist the urge (and all too common practice) of feeling like you need to jam as much about that theme into your game as you can. It’s very possible to make a thematic game that is elegant and concise.Emma Frost, once the White Queen and part of the infamous Hellfire Club, has since moved on from being one of the X-Men’s most dangerous foes to being one of their most central members. Cosplayer Klytaemnestra has taken it upon herself to don the necessary white attire and bring to life this powerful mutant telepath! Created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne back in 1980 and first appearing in Uncanny X-Men #129, Emma Frost started out as a dangerous mutant telepath associated with Sebastian Shaw’s Hellfire Club under the moniker the White Queen. Over the years however this powerful telepath has gradually switched alliances, becoming somewhat of a hero in the process. Sophisticated, elegant and with quite a dry wit, Emma Frost has since become one of the most popular female characters in the entire Marvel stable. Her abilities include of course her powerful telepathy which allows her such feats as broadcasting and receiving thoughts, mind-control, altering perceptions and memories, psychic shielding, astral projection, mind switching, mental sedation and even the ability to inflict mental pain via touch. She can also activate or boost other mutants’ abilities as well. Outside of her psionic abilities, Emma also has the ability to transform into her diamond form, which comes at the price of her psychic abilities but delivers to her an indestructible body and increased strength. Related Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_frostClostridium difficile infections kill approximately 14,000 Americans every year, often because the diarrhea-causing bacteria are highly resistant to standard antibiotics. Now, scientists have found an unusual way to combat the bugs: human feces in pill form. Doctors have used so-called fecal transplants since the 1950s to combat various types of infections. The treatment is thought to work by restoring the gut’s natural balance of bacteria, which can outcompete the invading microbes for resources. Typically, physicians insert the donor feces rectally through a colonoscopy or a plastic tube running into the nose or mouth and down to the stomach. While these procedures are both relatively safe, they are not entirely devoid of risk. In the new study, published today in The Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers show that frozen fecal matter encapsulated in clear, 1.6 g synthetic pills (not pictured) was just as safe and effective as traditional fecal transplant techniques at treating C. difficile. Within 8 weeks or less, 18 out of 20 participants saw a complete resolution of diarrhea after consuming 30 or 60 of the feces-filled capsules. “It’s probably not the best experience of your life,” says team leader Ilan Youngster, a pediatric infectious disease doctor at Harvard University. “But it beats getting a tube stuck down your throat or a colonoscopy … or having C. diff.”Graph of the Week – Religious Right to Discriminate Awhile back I pointed out this ominously subtitled report from the Pew Research Center. Today, this report becomes relevant again as the State of Indiana comes under fire for passing a law which will probably have the effect of codifying discrimination against various groups on religious grounds. (Please read this post for the relevant legal background in plain English.) This calls the question of where the American electorate currently stands on the issue of whether private businesses should be allowed to discrimination against gays and lesbians, and the answer (alas) is that we are roughly evenly split: Six months ago, Pew asked if businesses have "right to refuse" service for same-sex weddings. Result: 47%-49% http://t.co/udMsdQxxtw — John McCormack (@McCormackJohn) March 31, 2015 To quote from the full report: The public is evenly divided over whether businesses that provide wedding services, like catering or flowers, should be required to provide services to same-sex couples despite religious objections to same-sex marriage. Half (49%) say that wedding-related businesses should be required to provide services to same-sex couples just as they would to all other customers, while 47% say that these businesses should be allowed to refuse services to same-sex couples for religious reasons. There is reason to be cautiously optimistic, however, because if we break down the numbers by age cohort there is a distinct trend away from permitting businesses to turn away customers based on sexual orientation. When we see a strong trend away from the traditionally held position as the people surveyed get younger, we can predict with some confidence which way the political winds are blowing. In a generation or two, straights-only florists will be every bit as uncommon, reviled, and illegal as whites-only shops are today. But fear not, bigoted florists and caterers of America! You can always get a job working directly for the organization which taught you to hate gays and lesbians so hotly that you refuse their patronage. There will always be a place for irrational prejudice within the church, not to mention a legal exemption therefor.It's no secret that having more Bitcoin services and merchants is better for Bitcoin adoption. Of course it's amazing to have companies like Microsoft and Dell accepting Bitcoin. Of course it's helpful to have services like BitPay and Blockchain helping people use and transact Bitcoin. All of those companies are playing an important role in bringing Bitcoin to the masses, but I think it's possible to do better. I want to share a story about a service called Twitch that helped me realize that some companies could be encouraging Bitcoin adoption on a more personal level. Twitch is service that allows gamers to stream their virtual escapades online for anyone to view and enjoy. While I've never found time to actually use the service very much, the idea behind it has always fascinated me. Sporting events are wildly popular for their excitement, action, and competition. Video games usually have all of those same attributes, so it makes sense that a service like Twitch would show up. Just days ago, Twitch began allowing viewers to send Bitcoin tips to gamers through a partnership with Changetip. Twitch had already been accepting Bitcoin for special subscriptions, but now users can spend their Bitcoin more interactively. What made the announcement even more exciting for me, however, is the way a friend of mine reacted when I told him the news. This friend is definitely the gamer type. He plays games like World of Warcraft (probably more than he should) and watches Twitch streams regularly. When he heard that Bitcoin tipping was now integrated with Twitch, he instantly became interested and excited. It might still be awhile before my friend really gets into Bitcoin, but this reaction made me realize that Twitch and Changetip might be encouraging Bitcoin adoption much more effectively than some other companies. Let's think about this. Microsoft and Dell accept Bitcoin, but do they give people any incentive to actually use it? Probably not much. Customers usually have to pay the same price whether they use cryptocurrency or fiat currency, so most of the time, they probably do not bother to learn about and buy Bitcoin. BitPay and Coinbase definitely encourage merchants to accept Bitcoin, but once they succeed, we're back to the point where customers have little incentive to actually use it unless they already know the benefits of Bitcoin. Twitch, on the other hand, took Bitcoin straight to the people. My friend is passionate about gaming, and Twitch put Bitcoin right in the middle of an important part the gaming sphere. But the company didn't just obnoxiously start talking about how awesome Bitcoin is, like we all love to do sometimes. Instead, they actually made something useful and profitable based on Bitcoin. Now, video game streamers can make some extra money by accepting Bitcoin tips from their fans. Now, viewers can support their favorite gamers even if they can only afford to donate a few cents worth of Bitcoin. Tip recipients also benefit from fees that are much lower than credit card or PayPal fees. Only time will tell how much of an impact this partnership will actually make, but I think Twitch is really on to something. I'm not even sure if the company cares that much about Bitcoin adoption - they probably just want to add useful features their users, but that's exactly what Bitcoin needs. Useful features. If we can use Bitcoin to improve the things we already love (gaming, in this case), then we have succeeded. Leave a comment and tell me if you think Twitch will encourage more Bitcoin adoption!117 Condivisioni Facebook Whatsapp Telegram Flipboard Twitter Pinterest Linkedin La minima quantità di ghiaccio marino nell’Artico di quest’estate è stata l’ottava più bassa da quando le osservazioni satellitari hanno avuto inizio nel 1978. Lo dichiara la NASA in un video. L’agenzia spaziale americana ha pubblicato un materiale audiovisivo con l’evoluzione di questo fenomeno nel corso degli anni monitorati dallo spazio. Secondo la NASA e il National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) presso l’Università del Colorado, il ghiaccio marino artico sembra aver raggiunto la sua estensione minima annuale il 13 settembre, con 4,64 milioni di chilometri quadrati. Quello strato di acqua di mare congelata, che copre gran parte dell’Oceano Artico e dei mari circostanti, è spesso definito come il condizionatore d’aria del pianeta: la sua superficie bianca restituisce l’energia solare allo spazio, raffreddando il globo. Il ghiaccio marino cambia con la stagione, cresce in autunno e in inverno e diminuisce in primavera e in estate. La sua durata estiva minima, tipica di settembre, è in genere in declino a ritmo rapido dalla fine degli anni Settanta a causa del riscaldamento globale. “La quantità di ghiaccio rimasta alla fine dell’estate in un determinato anno dipende dallo stato dello strato di ghiaccio all’inizio dell’anno e dalle condizioni meteorologiche che influenzano tale ghiaccio. Le condizioni meteorologiche non sono state particolarmente notevoli quest’estate, e il fatto che ancora finiremo con bassi livelli di ghiaccio marino è perché le condizioni di base oggi sono peggiori rispetto alla linea di base di 38 anni fa“, ha dichiarato Claire Parkinson, climatologo presso il Goddard Space Flight Center della NASA a Greenbelt, in Maryland. Il record mostra come il ghiaccio artico si comporta dal 7 marzo al 13 settembre di quest’anno e mette in evidenza la discesa rapida della massa ghiacciata artica. Il video serve a darci un’idea del grave impatto del riscaldamento globale in questa regione del pianeta e ci invita a prendere precauzioni per impedire che questa situazione continui ad aumentare.After a string of corporate crises, Uber is taking the unusual step of releasing financials to highlight its business growth. Uber's gross bookings for 2016 hit $20 billion, more than doubling from the year prior, according to financial figures the company provided to Bloomberg. Its net revenue, after drivers took their cut, totaled $6.5 billion for the year. But that rapid growth came at a cost. Uber says it lost $2.8 billion in 2016, excluding the China business it sold midway through the year. Uber's CEO had previously said it was losing $1 billion a year in China, prior to selling its China business
90 percent therapist, 10 percent photographer” said Mr. Hurley. If all else fails to get a pleasant expression, “I say, ‘Don’t look so miserable,’” he said.” “If they don’t smile at that, you have a serious problem on your hands.”One day in August this summer I sat by a creek and stared at the reflection of trees in water and decided I want to draw something like that, then decided to turn it into a Chronicles of Ancient Darkness fan art because why not (and becausesaid that) aaaand then failed and sort of forgot about it while drawing zillion of comic pages. I really wanted to finish it though, not only because it sat awkwardly on my desktop, but because it was basically the only illustration for myself that I started during summer and at that time I was really happy about it. Not really happy about that now but eeeh when am I even happy about my more finished stuff. At least I know what to not do next time orz---When Steelers QB Terry Bradshaw talks, people listen. When Terry Bradshaw says the contact in football will "slowly fade away" over the next decade, Steeler Nation likely nods its head in agreement. The fact Bradshaw also says he'd absolutely do it all again, we have more admiration for the legendary hero. If it's possible for those not blessed with the super-human abilities of a professional football player to comprehend what they do for a living, and the risks with their health they happily assume, we can see it with Bradshaw. A man who took a savage beating throughout his career, both on and off the field, rebounded to become one of the most winning quarterbacks of all time. He went on to a successful broadcasting career, and became a lightning rod for the claims of former players, and the advancing research of concussions and their effects on the former players. Only an ignorant person will listen to Bradshaw. While we gnash our teeth and curse the direction the league is going in, Bradshaw's generation saw at least - LEAST - the same amount of regulation facing the players today. When he says he sees the game we know today fading away, it's because he watches the results of a game that faded away from the late 70s to today. Maybe in 10 years, this game will equate to basketball on grass, where contact happens but is mostly disallowed and the strategy is largely diluted due to the dimensions of options becoming basically "run as fast as you can, catch the ball, and win the game 72-65." Regardless, though, if this quote doesn't encapsulate the issue at hand - as well as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's legacy - I don't know what does.No government funds, please - we're Christians Updated There is no surer way of bringing the simmering debate about the role of religion in Australia to a full boil than by invoking the money and tax concessions given by government to fund certain religious activities. In no time, what already tends to be a fairly uncivil argument devolves into bitter invective against the supposedly theocratic designs of the churches from one side, and dismissive assertions of a kind of historically legitimate Christian "exceptionalism" from the other." I believe that both extremes in this debate are wrong: the "secularists" because they assume that once religion is removed from public-political life, and consigned to interiority (where they assume it belongs, if anywhere), the secular space that is left will be neutral, benign and inherently just; and the Christian "exceptionalists" because they think that God's providential care of the world can be mediated through political coercion, and because they do not believe that being on the payroll of the state is hazardous to the soul of Christianity itself. Both extremes, it seems to me, reflect a crisis of identity: secularism suffers from a kind of self-reinforcing delusion, whereby it can give no coherent historical or philosophical account of what secularism in fact is and how it came about, other than that it represents some sort of "natural" or spontaneous human condition that emerges once the constraints of religion have been removed (as Charles Hirschkind has argued, this delusion is nowhere more apparent than in our contemporary biomedical practices). Likewise, Christian "exceptionalists" seem to have so tenuous a grasp on Christian theology and the nature of Christian witness that they assume that the staggering decline in church attendance, and therefore the diminishment of its capacity for charity and beneficence, is best mitigated by softening its message, by adapting its mode of worship to accommodate religious "consumers" and by appealing to government funding and tax-breaks, as if from the hand of God, to make up the shortfall. I would argue that the very assumption - on the part of said Christian "exceptionalists" - of a kind of "entitlement" to government funds, and to a place of relative privilege in Australian law and society, and to access to the corridors of power actively undermines the credibility of Christianity in Australia and effectively neuters its ability to bear faithful witness to Jesus Christ. Christianity in Australia ought to be distinguished by its willingness to embrace a kind of self-imposed vulnerability, precisely because it relies on the health and charity of local, organic communities of Christian disciples - which the Church has long believed is the immediate sphere of God's activity and providence - and not on the largesse of the state. The great irony, of course, is that the increase in Christian political lobbying has been inversely proportional to the health of local Christian churches. For all these reasons, and precisely as a Christian, I have serious doubts about the theological and ethical legitimacy of any National School Chaplaincy Program (quite apart from my concerns about the political cynicism involved in Julia Gillard's expansion of the program, about which I've written at some length. I should clarify that I am not opposed to chaplains per se: if a public school sees some benefit in the provision of pastoral care to its students, there should be nothing preventing the voluntary formation of an organic relationship with a local church or churches to provide such care as an act of service. And there is no reason why, in this instance, the chaplain shouldn't see her activity as effectively bearing witness to her faith in Jesus Christ. But under the current arrangement, because of the top-down provision of government funds, the mediation of state-level providers (such as Scripture Union), the lack of adequately (by which I mean theologically and pastorally) trained chaplains, and the concern to avoid the appearance of publicly-funded "proselytising," the relationship between the chaplain and the school is marred from the outset. Not only are schools left vulnerable to those that would use chaplaincy as a kind of ruse to funnel children into their churches, but even the more honest chaplains are left uncertain about their role in the life of the school, and frequently find themselves being enlisted as a teacher's aid or, worse, a general dogsbody. This, I hope, provides something of the rationale behind the comments on the National School Chaplaincy Program that I made during a now relatively notorious interview I did last week with ABC Local Radio in Brisbane (you can listen to the full interview under related audio). Here is the portion that has attracted some attention: As soon as you throw federal funds at something like chaplaincy, it seems to me that you're asking for trouble... I don't think federal money should go toward school chaplaincy. But I do think there is a place for ongoing, grassroots, organic relationships between local schools and local churches... I think we should allow those kinds of local relationships to flourish... But as soon as you throw federal money at something like this, you are muddying the waters, you are creating a kind of ethical nightmare... It seems to me that as soon as churches and church leaders have to start lobbying the Government to guarantee their funding and defend their relative place of privilege within Australian society - whether it be through government funds or tax concessions or legislation - I think that's a sure sign that they no longer believe in God. This is a certain way for churches to lose their very reason for being and become little more than a glorified, not-for-profit, state-services provider. Anyway, those are my thoughts on the matter. I'm very interested to read yours... Scott Stephens is the Religion and Ethics Editor for the ABC. Topics: religion-and-beliefs, community-and-society, christianity, education, schools, government-and-politics, federal-government, australia First postedAfter more than 2600 votes were cast, the new Houston Dynamo Premier Development team will be named…. Brazos Valley Cavalry F.C. “The Cavalry is such a great tie-in to the rich military history of the Brazos Valley” said Uri Geva, Partner in the Clutch Entertainment Group the management group for the Brazos Valley Bombers and the new PDL franchise. Geva continued by sharing “We are thrilled to have seen such a great alignment between the thousands of votes and our organizations goals of being a major part of our community”. The Brazos Valley Cavalry F.C. won an on-line vote and was the favorite, garnering over 63% of the vote. Some of the other names considered were the Rail Runners, Volts, Brigade and Cannons. The team crest and colors will be Black, Red & White with the crest having two stars representing the two largest communities in the Brazos Valley “Bryan” & “College Station”. Brazos Valley Cavalry F.C. will get the season started at Nutrabolt Stadium on Monday, June 5th and will play a total of 8 home games for their inaugural season in the Premier Development League. To keep up with the inaugural season for the Cavalry F.C. go to BVCavalryFC.comPresident Obama and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. won’t be on the midterm ballot next year, but their former Senate seats will be, and both races are now either tossups or leaning Republican in high-visibility contests. Mr. Obama, who was a freshman senator from Illinois when he was elected president, and Mr. Biden, who was in his sixth term as a senator from Delaware, come from states that have been running strongly Democratic in past elections. No one doubts that Mr. Obama would have been a re-election shoo-in had he remained in the Senate and that Mr. Biden had his seat for the foreseeable future. But in another sign of political winds that appear to be blowing against the Democrats in the 2010 cycle, Republicans and independent political analysts say the chances are at least even that their seats could be taken over by two strong Republican candidates next November, when the GOP is expected to make gains in Congress and in the state governorships. “Not to steal one of President Obama’s favorite words, but in Illinois and Delaware, Republicans have a truly historic opportunity to win both the president and vice president’s Senate seats, and we’re fortunate to have the strongest possible candidates already in the race,” said Brian Walsh, chief spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. TWT RELATED STORIES: • Senate sends $1.1 trillion pork-laden bill to Obama • Nelson, Lieberman balk at Medicare buy-in • Powerful lawmakers clash over $3 billion Army contract “There is still a long way to go until the election, and we certainly expect polls will fluctuate, but it’s clear that even in traditionally blue states, voters are demanding accountability and want to restore checks and balances in Washington,” Mr. Walsh said. In Illinois, where Democrats are still reeling from an explosive “pay to play” corruption scandal that led to the arrest and impeachment of Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich, five-term Rep. Mark Steven Kirk, the expected Republican nominee, is running for Mr. Obama’s seat. The Democratic front-runner is state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, whom an opposing Democratic campaign adviser calls a “deeply flawed” candidate. Illinois Republican leaders have been pounding Democrats for widespread corruption in the state’s government, noting Mr. Giannoulias’ ties to real estate developer and Democratic fundraiser Tony Rezko, who was convicted last year of fraud and money laundering. “His family bank, where Alexi served as an officer, made loans to Tony Rezko, who is now sitting in a penitentiary,” Republican state chairman Pat Brady said. But Democratic campaign strategists have been among Mr. Giannoulias’ critics, too. “Alexi Giannoulias’ own vulnerabilities are so significant, and far more damning than Kirk’s among the electorate. … His nomination would put Barack Obama’s former Senate seat in extreme jeopardy for the Democrats,” pollster Geoff Garin said last month in a widely distributed polling memo for Senate candidate David Hoffman, who is opposing Mr. Giannoulias for the Democratic nomination. Earlier this year, the White House and state Democratic leaders thought that state Attorney General Lisa Madigan would guarantee that Mr. Obama’s seat would remain in Democratic hands. But after getting the full Oval Office treatment to persuade her to run, she turned down Mr. Obama. Party strategists say Mr. Giannoulias was their second choice, though White House adviser David Axelrod, who lobbied for Ms. Madigan, isn’t enthusiastic about the turn of events. “She would have walked into the seat,” he told the New York Times last month. “The Blago saga will hang heavy over our politics,” Mr. Axelrod said. Sen. Roland W. Burris, who was appointed by Mr. Blagojevich to fill the vacancy, decided not to seek the election after he became the target of a Senate ethics committee investigation arising out of the corruption charges against Mr. Blagojevich. He was cleared of wrongdoing, but the panel said he had provided “incorrect, inconsistent, misleading” information about his conversations with the embattled governor and that his actions were “inappropriate.” The latest Rasmussen poll has Mr. Kirk, a party moderate who represents the northern suburbs of Chicago and has regularly won support from Democrats and independents there, in a statistical dead heat with Mr. Giannoulias, trailing the Democrat by 42 percent to 39 percent last week. An earlier poll had them tied at 41 percent. Mr. Brady, who is privy to internal Republican Party polls, said Mr. Kirk “will win by five points or more. I don’t think this is as close as pollsters say.” The Cook Political Report and the Rothenberg Political Report are calling the contest a tossup, but both election handicappers think the Republicans have a good shot at taking the seat. “The state has a strongly Democratic bent, but the party’s [corruption] problems, questions about Giannoulias, and an unusually appealing moderate Republican nominee give Democrats major problems in the Land of Lincoln,” the latest Rothenberg Political Report said. Mr. Biden’s seat in Delaware also appears vulnerable. Rep. Michael N. Castle, a Republican who has won nine statewide elections as the state’s only House member, has been leading state Attorney General Beau Biden in polls. Mr. Biden has delayed saying whether he will be a candidate for the remaining four years of his father’s term. Mr. Castle, a 70-year-old former governor, is a moderate whose cross-party appeal has drawn support from Democrats and independents over a political career that spans more than 40 years. A recent head-to-head voter survey by Public Policy Polling, a Democratic polling firm, showed Mr. Castle leading the younger Mr. Biden by 45 percent to 39 percent. A Public Policy Polling analysis of its findings pointed to two strong trends in Mr. Castle’s favor: a 52 percent to 23 percent lead among independent voters, and the fact that he draws far more support from Democrats than Mr. Biden does from Republicans. The analysis found that 48 percent of Democrats view the Republican lawmaker favorably, while 15 percent of Republicans have a positive view of the 40-year-old Mr. Biden. Independent analysts still think the vice president’s son will enter the race, but there has been growing speculation about why he has not revealed his intentions more than two months after Mr. Castle announced his candidacy. He returned home in October after a year’s tour of duty in Iraq and has been spending more time with his family while he considers his options. “Both personally and politically, this was necessary and smart. There probably isn’t much of a need for Biden to establish his campaign early, since he doesn’t need to build a brand-name recognition and certainly won’t encounter any trouble raising money,” said Jennifer Duffy, senior elections analyst at the Cook Political Report. Stuart Rothenberg has put the Delaware Senate race in his “lean Republican Takeover” column but cautions that “even if Beau Biden takes a pass on the contest, the combination of the state’s Democratic bent and Castle’s popularity strongly suggest a very competitive contest.” But many oddsmakers and analysts still think the edge goes to Mr. Castle. “This race is close, and Biden, if he gets in the race, will have a decent shot at winning. But Mike Castle looked like the favorite last winter, and nine months later he still does,” said an analysis on Public Policy Polling’s Web site. Copyright © 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.The young, it turns out, smoke more than any other age group in America. Unfortunately, the period of life ranging from late adolescence to early adulthood is also a time when the brain is still developing. Now, a small study from UCLA suggests a disturbing effect: Young adult smokers may experience changes in the structures of their brains due to cigarette smoking, dependence and craving. Even worse, these changes can occur in those who have been smoking for relatively short time. Finally, the study suggests that neurobiological changes that may result from smoking during this critical period could explain why adults who began smoking at a young age stay hooked on cigarettes. The study appears in the March 3 online edition of the journal Neuropsychopharmacology. "Although we are not certain whether the findings represent the effects of smoking or a genetic risk factor for nicotine dependence, the results may reflect the initial effects of cigarette smoking on the brain," said senior author Edythe London, a professor of psychiatry and of molecular and medical pharmacology at UCLA's Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and David Geffen School of Medicine. "This work may also contribute to the understanding of why smoking during this developmental stage has such a profound impact on lifelong smoking behavior." London and her colleagues, including first author Angelica Morales, a graduate student researcher in London's lab, found differences among younger smokers and non-smokers in the insula, a part of the brain's cerebral cortex that is involved in monitoring internal states and making decisions. The researchers focused on the insula because it is known to play a central role in the maintenance of tobacco dependence, having the highest density of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors within the human cerebral cortex. The researchers took smoking histories, assessed cigarette craving and dependence, and examined the insula using high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging in 42 participants ranging in age from 16 to 22. Of the participants, 24 were non-smokers and 18 were smokers. Those who smoked began around the age of 15 and smoked fewer than seven cigarettes a day at the time of the study. By measuring cortical thickness of the insula in both groups, the researchers found that the amount of "pack-years" — the time of cigarette exposure — was negatively related to the thickness in the right side of the insula. That is, the more someone smoked, the thinner that part of the insula. The relationship also held true for the participants' level of dependence on cigarettes and the urge to smoke. "Our results suggest that participants with greater smoking exposure had more severe nicotine dependence, more cigarette craving and less insular thickness than those with less exposure," London said. "While this was a small study and needs to be replicated, our findings show an apparent effect of smoking on brain structure in young people, even with a relatively short smoking history. And that is a concern. It suggests that smoking during this critical time period produces neurobiological changes that may cause a dependence on tobacco in adulthood." Other study authors included Dara Ghahremani, Milky Kohno and Gerhard Hellemann, all of UCLA. Funding for the study was provided by Philip Morris USA. Philip Morris did not have any input on the design of the studies, data analysis or interpretation.While the partnership between the Jewish state and the United States is often characterized as a special relationship, a new report has revealed Israel spies on the US more than any other ally. In a report by Newsweek, former congressional aides and CIA employees state that Israel’s espionage efforts in the United States date back decades – not only nabbing industrial secrets but also obtaining “key components” for nuclear bombs, according to former CIA national intelligence officer Paul Pillar. “I don’t think anyone was surprised by these revelations,” a former congressional aide told the magazine. “But when you step back and hear…that there are no other countries taking advantage of our security relationship the way the Israelis are for espionage purposes, it is quite shocking.” As Israel attempts to gain visa-free entry into the United States for its citizens, closed-door meetings with the House of Representatives’ House Judiciary and Foreign Affairs committees have begun to turn to the country’s spy activities. One congressional staffer told Newsweek that testimony by US counterspies regarding Israel’s behavior is “very sobering... alarming…even terrifying.” Previously, the reasons for denying Israel the visa exemption it desires were based on other factors, such as its treatment of Arab Americans and US Palestinians looking to enter the country, or its lack of machine-readable passports. Israel has also been criticized for failing to report lost or stolen passports in a timely manner. Now, however, the US intelligence community has begun raising concerns over espionage activities that greatly exceed that of any other American ally, such as Germany and Japan. Of course, the US National Security Agency has been criticized for eavesdropping on German Chancellor Angela Merkel, but classified briefings state Israel’s spy activity has “crossed red lines.” “If we give them free rein to send people over here, how are we going to stop that?” a former congressional aide said to Newsweek. “They’re incredibly aggressive. They’re aggressive in all aspects of their relationship with the United States. Why would their intelligence relationship with us be any different?” Currently, the US allows a visa exemption for 38 countries around the world. While Israel has lobbied hard to get its name on the list, aides to lawmakers said the country has not cooperated enough with the Department of Homeland Security to gain approval. Multiple aides said Israel has tried to rely on allies in Congress to push through its waiver request, so far without success. Responding to the news that “a working group” has been created to move the process forward, several congressional aides dismissed the development – especially if Israel does little to halt its espionage activities. “The Israelis haven’t done s**t to get themselves into the visa waiver program,” said a former aide who was involved in the issue. He added that it would be beneficial for Israelis to visit the US without visas, but only so far as they’re willing to resolve the concerns of the intelligence community. “I’m sure it would spur investment and tourist dollars in our economy and so on and so forth,” the aide added. “But … They think that their friends in Congress can get them in, and that’s not the case. Congress can lower one or two of the barriers, but they can’t just legislate the Israelis in.”Cindy Gamrat on the radio Former lawmaker Cindy Gamrat will host a radio show on Detroit's 910AM Superstation Thursdays from noon to 2 p.m. beginning Thursday, May 5, the release states. (Courtesy \| Mort Meisner Associates) DETROIT, MI -- Cindy Gamrat and Todd Courser, the former Michigan lawmakers facing charges related to a cover-up of their extramarital affair while in office, are working together again. Both are hosting their own separate shows on Detroit's 910AM Superstation to provide "an inside view of politics for the people and how it shapes and touches our lives," according to a news release from talent agency Mort Meisner Associates. "I am honored to be given this opportunity...to give the inside scoop on how our elected officials are impacting our lives, what they are trying to hide, and what we can do to hold them accountable," Gamrat said about the radio show she will host on Thursdays from noon to 2 p.m. beginning this Thursday, May 5. "The decisions that are made behind closed doors in our government impact every part of our lives, from our health care choices, the feasibility of starting a business, insurance and utility costs, to the cost of our groceries and gas we put in our car," Gamrat said by text message following the announcement. "The people deserve to know how and why the decisions are made the way they are," she said. Courser made his debut on the station Saturday, April 30, and can be heard Saturdays from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. "This is an opportunity to offer both sides of the argument as it relates to Lansing and Detroit," 910AM Superstation CEO Kevin Adell said. The station is location in Southfield. Courser and Gamrat gained notoriety last year when an ex-staffer came forward to reveal the affair and an orchestrated cover-up, which included Courser sending a bizarre email in which the lawmaker accused himself of having sex with a male prostitute and doing drugs. Courser dubbed the strategy a "controlled burn" designed to discredit any revelations of his relationship with Gamrat. Courser later said he was under intense pressure and receiving anonymous text messages threatening to expose the affair if he did not resign. The anonymous text messages, it was later revealed, were orchestrated by Gamrat's husband, Joe Gamrat. After news of the scandal was revealed, Courser resigned from his seat in the Michigan House on Sept. 11, and House legislators voted the same day to expel Gamrat. Earlier this year, the two were charged by Attorney General Bill Schuette with felonies including misconduct in office related to the affair and subsequent follow-up. A preliminary hearing is scheduled in May for a judge to determine if there is enough evidence to take the case to trial. Judge orders questioning of Speaker Cotter in Courser/Gamrat case A judge ordered a hearing to allow attorneys representing former legislators Cindy Gamrat and Todd Courser to question Michigan House Speaker Kevin Cotter. Todd Courser, Cindy Gamrat arraigned in court 12 Gallery: Todd Courser, Cindy Gamrat arraigned in court -- Brad Devereaux is a public safety reporter for MLive.com. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Workers who smoke cost the U.S. economy an estimated $278 billion annually in lost productivity due to absenteeism and extra healthcare costs. This figure is based on an analysis of the cost of extra missed workdays due to poor health, partial absenteeism due to smoke breaks, and additional healthcare costs compared with workers who do not smoke. These findings are based on more than 67,000 interviews conducted as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index from Jan. 2-Aug. 21, 2013, with American adults who work at least one hour or more per week. Gallup calculated unhealthy days using respondents' answers to the question, "During the past 30 days, for about how many days did poor health keep you from doing your usual activities?" and "How many actual workdays in the last month did you not work due to poor health?" In the U.S., 19.1% of workers smoke, slightly lower than the 20.3% of all American adults -- working or not -- who smoke. These individuals report more than seven additional unhealthy days and about 2.5 additional missed workdays each year compared with their counterparts who do not smoke, after controlling for age, gender, race/ethnicity, household income, education, marital status, and region. Across all workers, the estimated cost of absenteeism to their respective employers is $341 per complete missed workday. Additionally, partial-day absenteeism due to recurring smoke breaks cost an estimated $13 per workday, accumulating to an additional $3,077 per year per worker. Healthcare costs for smokers are about $2,056 per year more than the costs for nonsmokers. Implications Smoking continues to consistently account for nearly 450,000 premature deaths in the U.S. each year, even as concerns about obesity have soared past those about smoking. Smoking rates among U.S. adults dropped steadily from highs of around 45% in 1950 to 22% in 2005. Since that time, however, the decline in smoking has abated, with the national smoking rate staying in the 20% to 21% range consistently since Gallup and Healthways initiated the Well-Being Index in in 2008. The percentage of workers who smoke has consistently hovered just slightly below the overall rate. As employers increasingly engage in improving the health of their workers, smoking cessation programs continue to represent a substantial means of reducing healthcare costs and absenteeism. Although other well-being-based programs can and should be embraced, the critical issue of reducing smoking in the workforce endures as a high return on investment for employers. About the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index tracks well-being in the U.S. and provides best-in-class solutions for a healthier world. To learn more, please visit well-beingindex.com.A DEEP sea shark with a penis that pops in and out of its forehead has been filmed in the wild for the first time. Scientists were astonished to see a pointy-nosed blue chimaera – or ghost shark – alive in its natural habitat. National Geographic 1 Divers trawling the 67,000 foot down in the depths of the pitch-black ocean off California and Hawaii were shocked to spot the ghost shark and its bizarre sexual organ. Thankfully, they had brought a camera along. Relatives of sharks and rays, these beasts were around long before dinosaurs - but scientists know little about them. The Ghost Shark is renowned for their dead-eyed glaze as well as their winged fins. Oh, and the penis protruding from the male species' head. We don't quite know how the males use their willies, which "resemble a spiked club at the end of a stalk". They may be used to ensnare women and pull them closer, or may play a softer role in stimulating her own sexual organs. National Geographic 1 But because no-one's actually caught the beasts in the act of physical love, we don't know for sure. Dave Ebert, program director for the Pacific Shark Research Center at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories said the divers stumbled on the shark by accident. He said: “It’s almost a little comical. “It would come up and bounce its nose off the lens and swim around and come back.” Related Stories CRUISE YOU LOSE Clueless couple stranded as cruise leaves WITHOUT them because they're late party's 'too sorry' MP reignites anti-Semitism crisis saying Labour's been 'too apologetic' KILLERS IN SIGHT Monitored criminals kill 225 in 4 years under private probation reform NHS STAFF ASHAMED One in three NHS staff would not recommend own hospital to loved ones 'A BIG WIN' Making a Murderer's Steven Avery wins appeal right in move that could free him Comment QUENTIN LETTS We ought to be ashamed of the spineless, shifty MPs trying to derail Brexit HEZ BAN IRE Jeremy Corbyn sparks fury by saying there's no 'evidence' to back Hezbollah ban RED ROW Civil war erupts between Jeremy Corbyn aides & shadow ministers over Brexit policy GENERATION VAPE Number of under-18s using e-cigarettes DOUBLES in four years, figures show UK WEATHER FORECAST Sunny for most with very mild temperatures after any early fog clears Their odd-shaped faces are also helpful when it comes to finding lunch. They contain a map of line canals that can sense movement in the water to find food. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in California shared the video of the fish in their natural habitat with National Geographic. It follows the spate of two-headed shark sightings that have got fishermen spooked. The mutants are becoming more common in the wild and nobody has any idea why. We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368HAMILTON, Ont. — Opposition parties are warning Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government to brace for a fight this fall if bills are pushed through the Commons without their consent. HuffPost Canada has learned that the Liberals plan to use a procedural tool known as "time allocation" when the House returns Monday. The Grits have had trouble getting their legislation through the Parliament quickly and as the government approaches its two-year mark, it wants to regain control of the House agenda. "Now, that they are halfway through their term, all of a sudden they need to rush everything through so they can put a few more checkboxes next to their promises and the deliveries," NDP House leader Murray Rankin said. "If they do that routinely — just like the Conservatives did when they had over 100 time allocation motions in the last Parliament... we will push back against that, and the tone that they want to establish will be frosty at best." Senior officials point to a letter sent by Government House leader Bardish Chagger to opposition House leaders in April, warning them that she would use the tool to clamp down on debate time. Adrian Wyld / The Canadian Press Empty halls are seen behind Leader of the Government in the House of Commons Bardish Chagger as she speaks with media in the Foyer of the House of Commons on June 22, 2017. "Canadians elected us to deliver an ambitious agenda, so it is with regret, but full transparency, that I want to inform you that, under the circumstances, the government will need to use time allocation more often in order to implement the real change we promised," Chagger wrote. Since then, Rankin told HuffPost there has been no discussion with Chagger. "We think time allocation is really something that desperate governments do, and we think it's really something opposition parties should be very careful about supporting," he said. New Democrats supported time allocation on one bill last spring that aimed to fast-track the approval of safe injection sites as a way of addressing the opioid crisis, Rankin noted. "People were dying in record numbers," he said. "But generally speaking, it is anti- democratic, and the government knows it is anti-democratic." The Liberals say they pleaded with the opposition last spring to adopt a system known as programming that offered predictability in debate time, but the opposition resisted and the reforms were abandoned. Trudeau's spokesman Cameron Ahmad said the changes the Liberals proposed were not an attempt to be partisan or to blind-side the opposition, but a genuine desire to organize the House schedule. "There is always a willingness on behalf of the government and the House leader to have good-faith discussion," he told HuffPost. "There will be partisan debates, of course. There will be heated arguments, but they don't have to be on everything. Not every single debate has to be about politics. And hopefully, that will be possible." Because the government has "an ambitious agenda," he added, time allocation will be required in certain circumstances. Not every single debate has to be about politics. And hopefully, that will be possible. Cameron Ahmad Another factor making "time allocation" attractive is that the government is realizing its newly independent Senate can be an unpredictable can of worms when it comes to passage of bills. Last spring, the upper chamber returned six pieces of legislation to the Commons with amendments. "[The Senate] eats up more time," the senior government source explained. Murray, however, vowed that he and Conservative House leader Candice Bergen will fight back. "Candice and I worked very effectively against this unprecedented power grab on the House changes they tried to do unilaterally and we are going to push back against an abuse of the rules of the House as we go forward in the next session," he said. When Parliament resumes This fall, Liberals plan to table legislation related to the tax changes they floated this summer — albeit with some likely tweaks. "The finance minister is listening to the different things we are hearing, and he is open to improvements," Ahmad said. The proposed measures would close loopholes that currently allow people with private corporations to lower their tax burden by sprinkling their income among family members, using their business to make passive investments, and extracting earnings from the business as capital gains. Liberals, Conservatives and New Democrats MPs have been bombarded by Canadians concerned that their incomes and businesses are about to take a serious hit. This week, Wayne Long, the Liberal for Saint John, N.B., said he is prepared to vote against the Liberals' tax changes — a striking indication of disagreement with the government — unless amendments are made. If enough Liberal MPs voted that way, the government could fall. Ahmad signalled that the prime minister is prepared to make changes. The government wants to avoid hurting people who aren't the target of its tax changes, he said. "[But] the objective will be consistent: People who make a lot of money, who have access to tax advantages that other people don't have, that is unfair." Other legislative priorities include the passage of two bills, C-45 and C-46, related to the legalization of marijuana — that Trudeau promised would be law by July 2018. The Grits are also prioritizing: C-59, the government's response to the Tories' controversial national security bill known as C-51 A transport bill that includes an air passenger bill of rights A political financing bill, which aims to outlaw so-called cash-for-access fundraisers involving the prime minister and senior parliamentarians Yet despite their stated priorities, the Liberals are beginning discussions on C-21, a customs bill related to the Canada-U.S. border that has sat on the order paper for more than a year. Some MPs suggest that movement is related to the current NAFTA negotiations. Opposition priorities Topping the Conservatives' agenda is the deluge of criticism over the Liberals' proposed tax changes. "Every MP is hearing loud and clear across the country that this is what people are literally freaking out about," Bergen, the Tory House leader, told HuffPost. "It is a serious blow to local businesses, and the fact that Trudeau is doubling down, and [being] incredibly tone-deaf and stubborn on this, is only making it worse. It's all we are hearing about, and it is what we are going to be talking about when we get back on Monday." "People are really, really scared," she added. The Tories plan to use the tax issue to portray Trudeau as out of touch with the average Canadian. "[Perhaps] he believes he can do it is because he is a celebrity prime minister and so he has that popularity internationally and probably even in Canada. But... to show this level of arrogance and distance from the people you are representing, just, this elitist attitude, is very disturbing," she said. The Conservatives will point to other headline-grabbing news — the cost of Trudeau's
funding for all kinds of alternative-energy projects including renewable energy systems like solar and wind generation, anaerobic digesters, biodiesel or ethanol facilities, hydropower, and that kind of thing. But also, very helpfully, it will provide funding for basic improvements that align with the need to lower energy consumption like better lighting, cooling, heating, insulation, sealing, pumps, and all other upgrades that aren’t as sexy as solar panels (and boy are solar panels sexy) but could have a huge impact just the same. The announcement shows us a few specific areas where REAP funding will be going. They include a solar system on a fruit farm (mostly apple and pear orchards) in Ohio, a wind farm in North Carolina, and, interestingly, $16,094 (what a specific number!) to install solar panels on the roofs of chicken coops on a farm in Georgia. REAP isn’t the kind of legislation that garners huge headlines, but it’s an important one: real money going to solve real problems in small farms. You can read more about it here.Deforestation is proving hard to counter, despite public concern (Image: Eduardo Martino) Far from being anti-science, environmentalism is the future in a world of finite resources and global perils, concludes Joachim Radkau in The Age of Ecology IT IS a new Enlightenment, a lodestar for our intellectual and political life in the 21st century. Far from being romantic, anti-science and anti-progress, environmentalism is the future in a world of finite resources and global perils. So concludes The Age of Ecology, a pioneering and highly readable history. Reversing 18th-century reductionism, the fundamental insight of this brand of environmentalism is that “everything is connected to everything else”, a phrase popularised by 1970s US ecologist Barry Commoner. The key insight of this environmentalism is that everything is connected to everything else As befits this new age, author Joachim Radkau is no dispassionate outsider. He admits at the start that since his youth he felt ecology was his movement. But nor is he a firebrand or doomsayer, and his range and scholarship are impressive. His narrative starts with diarist John Evelyn’s diatribes against 17th-century London smogs, and the French Romantic painter Henri Rousseau’s evocations of nature as a wild paradise. He tracks 19th-century concerns that nature needed protection, leading to the invention of national parks and early green lifestyle movements such as vegetarianism. And he notes the 20th-century cult of wilderness and the importance of the 1930s American dust bowl, where a “desert on the march” became a symbol of emerging global environmental perils. But the core of his history is the rise of environmental activism in the past half century. In particular, he charts how this social and ideological movement has been tightly linked to concerns about the fate of the planet. These were raised by ecologists such as Paul Ehrlich in his 1968 bestseller Population Bomb, Garrett Hardin in his hugely influential paper “The Tragedy of the Commons”, published in the journal Science in the same year, and the writings of E. O. Wilson and others on the demise of tropical rainforests and the importance of the newly minted concept of biodiversity. Radkau isn’t afraid to put individuals at the forefront, quoting German sociologist Max Weber that “charisma” is a big part of history. The result is that this book is also a tour of ecology’s hall of fame – of whom a large number are women, striking for the times. Championed here are biologist Rachel Carson, author of Silent Spring and the power behind modern concerns about “invisible” chemical pollutants, and Kenya’s tree-planting Nobel prizewinner Wangari Maathai. Then there are primatologists Dian Fossey and Jane Goodall, who revolutionised ideas about our nearest relatives, chimps and gorillas. Jane Jacobs deserves her place, too, through her 1961 book The Death and Life of the Great American Cities, which tore up modernist ideas about the urban environment. And let’s not forget Petra Kelly, the fiery but chaotic leader of the German Green Party, and Indian physicist Vandana Shiva, one of the world’s foremost eco-feminists. Radkau logs many victories when science and activism came together. Pride of place goes to the discovery of the ozone hole, its swift attribution to CFCs, and how angst about skin cancer from UV radiation seeping through prompted global treaty-writing. True believers There are forgotten successes, too, like getting lead removed from petrol in most countries. But despite scientific and public concern, halting the triple perils of deforestation, climate change and biodiversity loss have proved a great deal harder. Sometimes greens have been their own worst enemies. Radkau takes on “anomalous” factions – how he describes, among others, the violent British animal liberation movement of the late 20th century, or the Greenpeace renegade Paul Watson’s escapades ramming Japanese whalers with his own concrete-coated vessel, the Sea Shepherd. Watson is driven by “love and hate, not ecology and environmental politics”, writes Radkau. Instead, he wants to see a broad environmental church, one that is underpinned by proper science. He rails against “monomaniac passions”: targets include those who would accept as true environmentalists “only those for whom the undisturbed mating of toads is more important than a new express train line”. He also takes aim at “climate determinists” who have disabled environmental campaigns in other areas, such as opposition to nuclear power and large dams. Low-carbon energy, he says, doesn’t make these power sources worthy of green support. Sometimes, like many German greens, Radkau appears to hate anything nuclear. From Hiroshima through Chernobyl to Fukushima, atom-splitting is his number one enemy. Even so, he reflects well the environmental movement’s diversity, in its causes and intellectual approaches. Jostling for space in the 500-plus pages is everything from deep ecology and guerrilla gardening to water wars and the joys of cycling. The new Green Enlightenment, he concludes, isn’t a creed. It is a “patchwork affair, with no grand definitive solutions”. But it is a major intellectual, spiritual and ideological calling that is taking over our lives. Its disparate forms draw on a common concern for the future and a common holistic approach to the world. It is, he says, “the only intellectual force giving context to the new global horizons”. For good or ill, we are living in the age of ecology. The Age of Ecology Joachim Radkau Polity This article appeared in print under the headline “Following new paths”Primstav and Apocalypse Time and its Reckoning in Medieval Scandinavia Avery Powell UNIVERSITETET I OSLO: Master of Philosophy Thesis in Nordic Viking and Medieval Culture Spring (2011) Abstract Time has often been contended over. How it is spent and measured. Where it has been and where it is going. The ideas of time set the way the world is perceived. The reckoning of time can be seen as a method of controlling this. Who then sets the clock? The secular man who measures the eight slices of the sky or the cleric who rings the bells, counts the hours and orders the procession of the liturgy? What did the interaction between the two look like? To investigate this, the thesis will look at attempts to explain time in word and image. The definitions of The King’s Mirror and the example of the primstav, as well as the mysterious sayings of the vǫlva in Vǫluspá and the imagery of the Last Day with roots in the Revelation of John will all be touched on in the progress of the survey. These are all ideas that are seeking explication in a society cycling towards Apocalypse. The instigation for this study came from a chance encounter with a primstav. Turn the staff around and around and follow the cycling course of the seasons. Yet hop from tally to tally and trudge along after the parade of the liturgical holy days. Church time was supposed to be marked out linearly, a direct, unwavering, un-repeating march to Doomsday. Rural agricultural time seemed more like a turning wheel, or staff, revolving through duties that were the same year after year after year. What were the two models doing balanced on the same stick? To answer this question more sources than just the slender Primstav would have to be consulted, both written and pictorial. With every source considered however the question remained the same: how did practical time, which was reckoned for day to day use, and religious time, which ultimately eyes the line to the end of time, relate? Click here to read this article from UNIVERSITETET I OSLO Amazon.com Widgets Amazon.com Widgets Smartphone and Tablet users click here to sign up for our weekly emailBank Hapoalim has filed a massive $720 million suit against Bank of America, Merrill Lynch and Countrywide over its losses in the U.S. subprime crisis, alleging that the U.S. institutions misled and defrauded it. Among Israel's financial institutions, Hapoalim suffered the worst losses in the subprime crisis due to its investments in mortgage-backed securities. A branch of Bank Hapoalim. Tomer Appelbaum Between 2005 and 2007, the bank, led by Shlomo Nehama and Zvi Ziv, snapped up mortgage-backed securities in an attempt to meet its goal of a 15% return on equity by 2007. By the end of that year, the bank had invested $3.65 billion in such securities. But when the subprime crisis broke out in mid-2007, these securities collapsed as American homebuyers defaulted on their mortgages. Only then did many investors realize that the securities were based on mortgages given to some of America's weakest borrowers, who found themselves unable to pay the moment their homes stopped appreciating in value. In 2008, Hapoalim booked a NIS 3.9 billion loss due to its investments in instruments including credit-default swaps, mortgage-backed securities and structured investment vehicles - all complex, poorly understood instruments that nosedived during the crash. The losses were on assets Hapoalim bought from Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Countrywide and other financial institutions. Hapoalim is considering filing suits against these other companies as well. It filed its suit against Bank of America, the United States' second-largest bank, two weeks ago in Manhattan federal court. Keep updated: Sign up to our newsletter Email * Please enter a valid email address Sign up Please wait… Thank you for signing up. We've got more newsletters we think you'll find interesting. Click here Oops. Something went wrong. Please try again later. Try again Thank you, The email address you have provided is already registered. Close U.S. gov't also filed suit Hapoalim is in good company - dozens of investors and the U.S. government itself have filed suits against financial institutions that sold mortgage-backed securities. The U.S. government filed its suit in September over $196 billion in mortgage-backed securities sold to national mortgage agencies Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. In its suit, Hapoalim says that between January 2006 and July 2007, it bought $721 million in assets issued by Bank of America, Merrill Lynch and Countrywide. Merrill and Countrywide were acquired by Bank of America during the crisis. These institutions played a role in every stage and published misleading or incomplete information when selling the assets, Hapoalim alleges. It alleges, for instance, that the institutions published misleading and incomplete information on the loan-to-value ratio of the mortgages underlying the assets - the percentage of a home's value borrowed. Also, the institutions were aware that they were misleading the public when they issued these assets, alleges Hapoalim. Hapoalim was not aware of any of this, and sustained massive losses because it trusted the information it was given, it says. Blindsided by the crisis There is backing for this statement in Hapoalim's financial reports. In its 2007 report, filed in March 2008 - when the subprime crisis was in full swing - the bank said external consultant ADCO, which specialized in mortgage-backed securities, had told it that its mortgage-backed-security portfolio would sustain losses of no more than $20 million to $30 million. ADCO estimated that the probability of losses above $30 million was only 20%, which it deemed low, Hapoalim said in the 2007 report. In an extreme scenario, the bank would lose $216 million - a scenario ADCO gave a probability of only 2%. The bank noted in its 2007 report that in a very extreme scenario, it could lose up to $340 million on mortgage-backed securities. Within two months, it turned out that those estimates had been very optimistic. In May 2008, Hapoalim sold its entire portfolio of mortgage-backed securities for $2.55 billion - a $879 million loss. The buyer was Pimco. Hapoalim would not have sold had it not been forced to do so by Israel's banks commissioner at the time, Rony Hizkiyahu. That year, Hapoalim also booked heavy losses on its investments in structured investment vehicles and credit-default swaps. The former caused it losses of $367 million, the latter lost it $418 million. In total, the bank lost NIS 3.9 billion due to its investments in mortgage-backed securities, structured investment vehicles and credit-default swaps that year. Most of these investments had been made via the bank's branches in New York and London. 'We didn't really understand' "Until the crisis broke out, we didn't really understand these investment vehicles," said a former senior banker at Hapoalim, echoing a common sentiment in the financial industry. Further evidence of this can be seen in yet another statement in that 2007 annual report. "The credit quality of the portfolio is high - 99.8% of the mortgage-backed securities are ranked AAA," the bank wrote. Hapoalim apparently was blindsided by the crisis - it continued buying mortgage-backed securities right until the crisis broke, according to its court papers. It made its final purchases on June 19, 2007, from Countrywide - a month before the crisis began.On its web site, Ferrari has divulged a little more info about the supercar that will succeed the Ferrari Enzo. The Ferrari magazine reported that everything the Scuderia has learned in Formula One has gone into its soon-to-be-revealed animal, and this latest disclosure shows just how much that's true. We don't know its length or width, but Ferrari says one of the targets for the car was "a reduction in height and wheelbase to match that of the 458 Italia."Rory Byrne, the Ferrari F1 designer that's been involved in 11 world championships for the team, has spent three years contributing to chassis development. That chassis will be laid up by hand in the company's F1 composites department, each chassis composed of different kinds of carbon fiber and cured in an autoclave, F1 monocoque-style. That's part of where the lighter weight and vastly heightened torsional and beam rigidity versus the Enzo comes from. Just behind the tub – and behind the driver's back – will be the batteries and fuel tank, again, just as on an F1 car.The cockpit will be personalized to the driver in a way that is rare among road cars, with each seat made-to-measure for the driver and then set in a fixed position in the cabin. The steering wheel and pedal box will move to accommodate pilots. What's more, we're told that "the occupant's feet are at the same level as the driving position." That, and the angle of the seatback, will provide "an extraordinarily racy feeling."An evolution of the 740-horsepower, 6.3-litre V12 currently found in the F12 Berlinetta will work with the latest HY-KERS and a double-clutch transmission. Ferrari says the powertrain makes the car quicker from 0-to-120 miles per hour, reduces emissions by 40 percent, and improves features like torque vectoring and brake force distribution.Still no word on what it will be called, but specs like these, by any name, would be just as sweet.This post was contributed by a community member. Wilmette Police arrested two Chicago men on June 24 for the theft of more than two dozen bicycles, according to a report released Tuesday. Kenneth Robertson, 31, and Gilberto Torres, 53, have been charged with two counts of felony theft and one count of possession of burglary tools for allegedly stealing more than 25 high-end bicycles, as well as frames. Their arrest comes after several weeks of investigation conducted by Wilmette and Winnetka detectives. Authorities were tipped off to the alleged thieves after Winnetka Police recorded Robertson and Torres' license plate as suspicious persons earlier this month. Wilmette Officer Landon Girard spotted Robertson and Torres' car in the Wilmette Metra parking lot Friday. Detectives then followed and observed the duo allegedly steal bikes from a commuter lot in Glencoe and in the 500 block of Green Bay Road in Winnetka. In the second incident, the two men used a cordless grinder to break a bike lock, a theft method commonly used during the recent spike in area bike thefts, according to Wilmette Police. "Detectives [then] followed the suspects into Chicago where they were taken into custody without incident. Wilmette and Winnetka Detectives conducted three consent searches of storage lockers tied to Robertson and Torres, recovering over 25 high end bicycles and frames," according to the statement from Wilmette Commander Kyle Murphy. The men were held in Wilmette lock-up over the weekend and taken to bond court at the Skokie Courthouse on Monday. They will return to court on July 12 in room 105 at 1:30 p.m. Police said they have have notified several victims, and will continue to try to identify more.For a long time Theo Walcott got the benefit of the doubt from Arsenal fans for a couple of reasons. For a start he was English and, let’s be honest, that counted for something given the lack of homegrown talent at the club in the mid noughties. And secondly, he was young. I suppose Theo is still quite young, but he’s a long way from being the youngest in the squad. Indeed with a couple of hundred first team appearances under his belt he’s arguably one of the most experienced squad members we’ve got. As for his status as ‘an Englishman at Arsenal’…well we all know that with the new crop of Wilshere, Gibbs, Oxlade-Chamberlain and alike coming through the ranks we’ve a core of young Lions chomping at the bit. Theo has company. As a consequence where once frustrated fans bit their collective lips when Theo ran the ball out of play, by halfway through this season patience had worn thin. No more was this change in tact apparent than when audible annoyance was arrowed in the direction of Wenger’s favoured right-winger just before half-time in the Spurs match at the Emirates. Granted, losing to that mob down the road had something to do with it, but at the same time there was a real feeling that Walcott just couldn’t be relied upon when the going got tough. Then something happened. By 15 minutes into the second half Theo had two goals to his name, Arsenal had overturned a two goal deficit and momentum, built on a platform of grit and determination was born. It’s this moment which Walcott touches upon in an interview in this afternoon’s Evening Standard. Admitting that he had lost his way a little (some might say totally), he reflects on a momentous afternoon in the Spring sunshine and how he feels it helped him get back to his best. “Class is always permanent and form dips during the season — that’s always the case,” he states with confidence. “You can’t play well all season and I was struggling. I don’t know why. Maybe I took my eye off the game. I am always going to be judged on stats and it has definitely picked up since Spurs. “When you are playing in a team that’s winning, it makes your job so much easier. That game was massive for me but also for the team.” “I judge my own performances. I always like to look as if I’m on my front foot going forward but it is also about the defensive side of the game as well. “The Newcastle game [on March 12 which Arsenal won 2-1] was a good example. Everything going forward was brilliant — assists, making runs in behind, running at my full-back. Even if he got it sometimes, I wouldn’t quit on it.” It’s true; Theo did have a good game against Newcastle, although much of that seems to be down to shining in the reflected glory of Bacary Sagna. Since the Frenchman returned at right-back his solidity and willingness to overlap has certainly opened up space for Walcott to weave his special brand of ‘magic’. Paying lip service to his defensive duties, which he appears to be undertaking more rigorously with Sagna barracking him from behind, Walcott continued: “Defensively, I wanted to get the positional play right, helping my team-mates out. I want to be always wanting the ball. When we are playing at a quick pace, that helps me because I just do everything at a quick level anyway.” There was a great article by Barney Ronay in the Guardian recently which, albeit tongue-in-cheek, analysed Walcott’s game and how it appears Arsene Wenger has simplified his team’s tactics to maximise Walcott’s main asset – his pace. Describing the England international as “basically a punt downfield made flesh,” he described how Walcott’s sole responsibility was to get to the corne flag and pull the ball back. It appears, that Walcott agrees with the basic tenet of Ronay’s argument. “I set myself a target and always say three successful crosses and a couple of shots in a game and that’s good. If you get a corner, it’s an end product for the team, the same with free-kicks, anything like that. You don’t want to be scared of your full-back, you want him to be on his back foot wondering what he is going to do next and when I’m playing well, that’s what happens. “I would like to be more aggressive in matches and the manager has said that to me. Not by kicking people but by running at players. That’s the main improvement I need to make. When I play my best football, I am aggressive and not afraid of getting hurt. I am not afraid to put a foot in and that’s what he wants.” All in all there’s not much that Walcott says which fans haven’t been thinking (or screaming) for years. It appears the penny has finally dropped, which, let’s be honest, is something of a relief given he’s been at the club for six years. Let’s hope Arsene picks it up and offers it back to his protégé during the on-going wage negotiations.next Image 1 of 2 prev Image 2 of 2 When the South Korean men's football team won the third-place playoff at the 2012 Olympics, their ecstatic celebrations reflected a victory that had secured something far more precious than a bronze medal. The 2-0 win over Japan meant the entire squad was excused from what many young South Korean men view as a blight on their existence -- two years of compulsory military service. An Olympic medal offers a very rare exemption from a duty that -- 60 years after the end of the Korean War -- is still required of every able-bodied South Korean man between the age of 18 and 35. The main rationale is the threat posed by North Korea, given that the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended with a ceasefire rather than a peace treaty, leaving the two Koreas technically at war. For many it is an unwanted and deeply resented intrusion that interferes with studies or nascent careers and serves no discernible purpose, especially in a rapidly-ageing society where the size of the workforce is dwindling by the year. The vast majority, however unwillingly, buckle down, knowing that refusal to serve means an automatic prison term and a criminal record that precludes any future job with the government or a major corporation. But a tiny minority, citing religious, moral or political reasons, choose to openly defy the system. Most prominent among the "refuseniks" are Jehovah's Witnesses, some 12,000 of whom have been jailed over the past six decades. "We can't even conceive of bearing arms, and entering the military would be tantamount to renouncing our faith," said Choi Jin-Taek, 31, who was handed an 18-month prison term in 2007. "Fear of prison is nothing compared to the damage that would be done to my conscience if I accepted military service, " said Choi, who now helps prepare fellow Jehovah Witnesses for their prison experience. Kim Hyung-Jin, waiting to begin an 18-month sentence passed down in March, said he had no regrets. "I'm not scared of prison. I know I'm doing the right thing and I've had a lot of support," said Kim, 22. In June, 333 Jehovah's Witnesses who had all been jailed for refusing conscription filed a joint petition with the Constitutional Court, demanding that conscientious objection be decriminalised. The petition argued that genuine objectors be provided with an alternative to military service, such as community work. The South Korean military relies heavily on conscription and military service often involves postings to front-line positions on the border with North Korea. In May 2010, a North Korean submarine torpedoed the South Korean naval vessel Cheonan, killing 46 sailors including 16 who were on their military service. In November the same year, the North shelled a South Korean border island, killing two marines -- both of them young conscripts. Such incidents make the debate over military service extremely sensitive and woe betide anyone caught trying to cheat their way out of it. South Korean law requires anyone seeking a top government post or a seat in parliament to provide proof not only of their own service records but also those of their children. And yet hundreds do try and avoid the draft every year, using tactics that range from extended overseas study, to starving themselves so that they fail the medical. Other examples include the members of a break-dancing troupe arrested for pretending to have mental disorders, and a student who intentionally dislocated his shoulder and underwent surgery so as to fail the medical exam. A few years ago, there was a mini-fad for large tattoos, which carry an organised-crime association in South Korea and can result in people being declared unsuitable for military service. The loophole was effectively closed by a series of arrests of young men opting for last-minute all-body tattoos, who were then charged with "wilfully tampering" with their bodies to avoid service and jailed. Even top celebrities with massive followings face a potentially career-destroying backlash if seen to be taking liberties with the demands of military service. Just as he was about to be called up in 2002, Korean-American pop singer Steve Yoo gave up his Korean nationality and became a naturalised US citizen. The South Korean government considered it an act of desertion and he was deported and banned from returning for life. Pop icon Rain was pilloried last year when it emerged that he had been allowed to slip out of barracks on several occasions to meet an actress he was dating. And "Gangnam Style" star Psy was forced to serve twice after it emerged he had furthered his showbiz interests during his first stint. Left-wing activist Kim Young-Ik was imprisoned in 2009 for refusing his military service but, unlike many Jehovah's Witnesses, he lacked the natural support network of equally devout family members and friends. "My parents went through a lot," Kim recalled. "They came to accept my decision, rather than support it, but they were very worried about what it would mean for my future." But Kim, now 31, said he would take the same stand again if given a second chance. "It's wrong that anyone should have to go to prison for their beliefs, but I gained from the experience and it grounded me as a person," he said.This article should be considered deprecated since it speaks about the old (standalone) Swarm. To get more up-to-date information about the new Swarm mode, please read the Docker Swarm Introduction (Tour Around Docker 1.12 Series) article or consider getting the The DevOps 2.1 Toolkit: Docker Swarm book. This series is split into following articles. Previous articles put a lot a focus on Continuous Delivery and Containers with Docker. In Continuous Integration, Delivery or Deployment with Jenkins, Docker and Ansible I explained how to continuously build, test and deploy micro services packaged into containers and do that across multiple servers, without downtime and with the ability to rollback. We used Ansible, Docker, Jenkins and few other tools to accomplish that goal. Now it’s time to extend what we did in previous articles and scale services across any number of servers. We’ll treat all servers as one server farm and deploy containers not to predefined locations but to those that have the least number of containers running. Instead of thinking about each server as an individual place where we deploy, we’ll treat all of them as one unit. We’ll continue using some of the same tools we used before. Vagrant with VirtualBox will provide an easy way to create and configure lightweight, reproducible, and portable virtual machines that will act as our servers. with will provide an easy way to create and configure lightweight, reproducible, and portable virtual machines that will act as our servers. Docker will provide an easy way to build, ship, and run distributed applications packaged in containers. will provide an easy way to build, ship, and run distributed applications packaged in containers. Ansible will be used to setup servers and deploy applications. will be used to setup servers and deploy applications. We’ll use Jenkins to detect changes to our code repositories and trigger jobs that will test, build and deploy applications. to detect changes to our code repositories and trigger jobs that will test, build and deploy applications. Finally, nginx will provide proxy to different servers and ports our micro services will run on. On top of those we’ll see some new ones like following. Docker Compose is a handy tool that will let us run containers. is a handy tool that will let us run containers. Docker Swarm will turn a pool of servers into a single, virtual host. will turn a pool of servers into a single, virtual host. Finally, we’ll use Consul for service discovery and configuration. In order to follow this article, set up Vagrant with VirtualBox. Once done, please install vagrant-cachier plugin. While it’s not mandatory, it will speed up VM creation and installations. Some users reported difficulties running Ansible inside Vagrant VM on Windows. Seems that the problem exists only on older versions of Vagrant. Please make sure that the latest Vagrant is installed. vagrant plugin install vagrant-cachier With prerequisites out of our way, we’re ready to start building our server farm. Servers Setup We’ll create four virtual machines. One (swarm-master) will be used to orchestrate deployments. Its primary function is to act as Docker Swarm master node. Instead of deciding in advance where to deploy something, we’ll tell Docker Swarm what to deploy and it will deploy it to a node that has the least number containers running. There are other strategies that we could employ but, as a demonstration, this default one should suffice. Besides Swarm, we’ll also set up Ansible, Jenkins, Consul and Docker Compose on that same node. Three additional virtual machines will be created and named swarm-node-01, swarm-node-02 and swarm-node-03. Unlike swarm-master, those nodes will have only Consul and Swarm agents. Their purpose is to host our services (packed as Docker containers). Later on, if we need more hardware, we would just add one more node and let Swarm take care of balancing deployments. We’ll start by bringing up Vagrant VMs1. Keep in mind that four virtual machines will be created and that each of them requires 1GB of RAM. On a 8GB 64 bits computer, you should have no problem running those VMs. If you don’t have that much memory to spare, please try edit the Vagrantfile by changing v.memory = 1024 to some smaller value. All the code is located in the vfarcic/docker-swarm GitHub repository. git clone https://github.com/vfarcic/docker-swarm.git cd docker-swarm vagrant up vagrant ssh swarm-master We can set up all the servers by running infra.yml Ansible playbook. ansible-playbook /vagrant/ansible/infra.yml -i /vagrant/ansible/hosts/prod First time you run Ansible against one server, it will ask you whether you want to continue connecting. Answer with yes. A lot of things will be downloaded (Jenkins container being the biggest) and installed with this command so be prepared to wait for a while. I won’t go into details regarding Ansible. You can find plenty of articles about it both in the official site as well as in other posts on this blog. Important detail is that, once the execution of the Ansible playbook is done, swarm-master will have Jenkins, Consul, Docker Compose and Docker Swarm installed. The other three nodes received instructions to install only Consul and Swarm agents. For more information please consult the Continuous Integration, Delivery or Deployment with Jenkins, Docker and Ansible and other articles in Continuous Integration Delivery and Deployment. Throughout this article, we will never enter any of the swarm-node servers. Everything will be done from the single location (swarm-master). Now let us go through few of the tools we haven’t used before in this blog; Consul and Docker Swarm. Consul Consul is a tool aimed at easy service discovery and configuration of distributed and highly available data centers. It also features easy to set up failure detection and key/value storage. Let us take a look at Consul that was installed on all machines. For example, we can see all members of our cluster with the following command. consul members The output should be something similar to the following. Node Address Status Type Build Protocol swarm-master 10.100.199.200:8301 alive server 0.5.0 2 swarm-node-01 10.100.199.201:8301 alive client 0.5.0 2 swarm-node-02 10.100.199.202:8301 alive client 0.5.0 2 swarm-node-03 10.100.199.203:8301 alive client 0.5.0 2 With Consul running everywhere we have the ability to store information about applications we deploy and have it propagated to all servers. That way, applications store data locally and do not have to worry about location of a central server. At the same time, when an application needs information about others, it can also request it locally. Being able to propagate information across all servers is an essential requirement for all distributed systems. Another way to retrieve the same information is through Consul’s REST API. We can run following command. curl localhost:8500/v1/catalog/nodes \| jq. This produces following JSON output formatted with jq. [ { "Node": "swarm-master", "Address": "10.100.199.200" }, { "Node": "swarm-node-01", "Address": "10.100.199.201" }, { "Node": "swarm-node-02", "Address": "10.100.199.202" }, { "Node": "swarm-node-03", "Address": "10.100.199.203" } ] Later on, when we deploy the first application, we’ll see Consul in more detail. Please take note that even though we’ll use Consul by running commands from Shell (at least until we get to health section), it has an UI that can be accessed by opening http://10.100.199.200:8500. Docker Swarm Docker Swarm allows us to leverage standard Docker API to run containers in a cluster. the easiest way to use it is to set the DOCKER_HOST environment variable. Let’s run Docker command info. export DOCKER_HOST=tcp://10.100.199.200:2375 docker info The output should be similar to the following. Containers: 9 Strategy: spread Filters: affinity, health, constraint, port, dependency Nodes: 3 swarm-node-01: 10.100.199.201:2375 └ Containers: 3 └ Reserved CPUs: 0 / 1 └ Reserved Memory: 0 B / 1.019 GiB swarm-node-02: 10.100.199.202:2375 └ Containers: 3 └ Reserved CPUs: 0 / 1 └ Reserved Memory: 0 B / 1.019 GiB swarm-node-03: 10.100.199.203:2375 └ Containers: 3 └ Reserved CPUs: 0 / 1 └ Reserved Memory: 0 B / 1.019 GiB We get immediate information regarding number of deployed containers (at the moment 9), strategy Swarm uses to distribute them (spread; runs on a server with the least number of running containers), number of nodes (servers) and additional details for each of them. At the moment, each server has one Swarm Agent and two Consul Registrators deployed (nine in total). All those deployments were done as part of the infra.yml playbook that we run earlier. Deployment Let us deploy the first service. We’ll use Ansible playbook defined in books-service.yml. ansible-playbook /vagrant/ansible/books-service.yml -i /vagrant/ansible/hosts/prod Running this, or any other playbook from this article is slow because we’re pulling images to all nodes, not only the one we’ll deploy to. The reason behind this is that, in case a node fails, we want to have everything ready for as fast as possible re-deployment to a different node. Good news is that next time you run it, it will be much faster since images are already downloaded and Docker will only pull differences. The playbook that we just run follows the same logic as the one we already discussed in the blue/green deployment article. The major difference is that this time there are few things that are unknown to us before playbook is actually run. We don’t know the IP of the node service will be deployed to. Since the idea behind this setup is not only to distribute applications between multiple nodes but also to scale them effortlessly, port is also unknown. If we’d define it in advance there would be a probable danger that multiple services would use the same port and clash. Right now we’ll go through what this playbook does and, later on in the next article, we’ll explore how
Image copyright AFP Image caption Police blew up the car used by the Texas attackers shortly after they carried out their strike earlier this month AFDI founder Pamela Geller strongly criticised the decision to ban the advert, describing it as an attack on free of speech. Ms Geller commented on her website that "rewarding terror with submission is defeat, absolute and complete defeat. "These cowards may claim that they are making people safer, but I submit to you the opposite. They are making it far more dangerous for Americans everywhere." The advert calls for Americans to support free speech and features a bearded, turban-wearing Muhammad waving a sword and shouting: "You can't draw me!" In reply, a cartoon bubble portrays an artist grasping a pencil and saying: "That's why I draw you." Ms Geller insists the cartoon is a "political opinion" which does not contain any violence. Her organisation, described by critics as a hate group, has run controversial adverts on subways and buses in Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco as well as in Washington's Metro in 2012. Image copyright Reuters Image caption Ms Geller is an outspoken critic of Islam Pamela Geller: America's controversial blogger A staunch critic of Islam since 2005, she rose to prominence in 2010 through her online opposition to Park 51, a planned Muslim community centre in Lower Manhattan close to the World Trade Center site Heads the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), which has also caused controversy by buying advertising space on buses in US cities, criticising Islam The 56-year-old describes herself online as a free-speech activist, but her critics denounce her as a "bigot" She insists the focus of her criticism is chiefly against radical Islam, but has been quoted as saying that "Islam is the most anti-semitic, genocidal ideology in the world" Speaking of her role in organising the Muhammad Art Exhibit in Garland, she said: "We draw Muhammad because we are free... We draw Muhammad because our unalienable rights are enshrined in the First Amendment." Pamela Geller: America's 'bigoted blogger'After backlash from customers, Go Daddy announced Friday that it is no longer supporting the Stop Online Piracy Act. In a company statement, the domain registrar said that it has removed previous postings about its position to “eliminate confusion.” “In changing its position, Go Daddy remains steadfast in its promise to support the security and stability of the Internet,” the company said in a statement. “In an effort to eliminate any confusion about its reversal on SOPA though, Jones has removed blog postings that had outlined areas of the bill Go Daddy did support.” The company had been catching some heat from customers who disagreed with the company’s position on the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act. Go Daddy customers had been calling for a boycott on Reddit — a service that has also been opposing SOPA. The site has been a breeding ground for Web movements in the past. Many users said that they would change registrars, including Cheezburger Network CEO Ben Huh. Huh’s company has more than 1,000 domain names registered with Go Daddy, he said in a tweet. In reaction to the news, Huh congratulated SOPA’s opponents for prompting Go Daddy’s change of heart. “Congrats Internet. You did it!,” he wrote. “@GoDaddy’s new CEO drops support for SOPA!” Go Daddy and its chief counsel Christine Jones have been working with lawmakers for years on online piracy legislation, and Jones said in a statement that it will continue to ”preserve the intellectual property rights of third parties.” Ultimately, though, it’s clear that Go Daddy heard Reddit and the feedback from its customers. It was certainly enough for Go Daddy’s new CEO, Warren Adelman to officially withdraw support for the measure that the company has worked so hard to help craft. “Fighting online piracy is of the utmost importance, which is why Go Daddy has been working to help craft revisions to this legislation — but we can clearly do better,” Adelman said in a release. Related stories: Go Daddy hit with SOPA backlash Reddit: A ‘fire hose’ of Internet ideas Scribd protests SOPA with disappearing actGet the biggest Liverpool FC stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Liverpool duo Daniel Agger and Glen Johnson have both returned to full training ahead of tomorrow night’s scheduled trip to Fulham. The Reds vice-captain has been sidelined since suffering a calf injury in last month’s FA Cup win over Oldham, while Johnson has recovered from niggling ankle and groin problems since boss Brendan Rodgers decided to take him out of the firing line three weeks ago. “Glen and Daniel have come back into training, which is brilliant for us,” Rodgers told the ECHO. “We will see how they go between now and Wednesday. They certainly look very strong in training. “Whether the midweek game is going to be too soon for them, we will see. But it’s great to have them back and see their qualities.” In pictures: Liverpool 5 Arsenal 1One of President Obama’s biggest accomplishments with respect to the Asian Pacific American community is his appointment of a record number of APA federal judges. Now, as he considers Supreme Court candidates, the president has an opportunity to truly cement this legacy. In January 2009, there were only eight Asian Pacific Americans in lifetime, federal judgeships throughout the country — out of 870 potential positions. What’s more, there had not been an APA judge on a U.S. Court of Appeals — the level just below the Supreme Court — in almost five years. Today, there are 25 Asian Pacific American federal judges, including four at the Court of Appeals level. In fact, President Obama has appointed more APA federal judges than all presidents in history combined, and the nine APA women he has appointed is even more remarkable considering there were only two prior to 2009. How did he do it? As the lawyer in charge of the day-to-day selection, vetting, and confirmation of President Obama’s judicial nominees for more than four years, I can tell you that it actually was quite simple: the president made a commitment to a judiciary that resembles the nation it serves. Asians are projected to become the largest immigrant group in the U.S. by 2065 https://t.co/Qfz3YBQgCc pic.twitter.com/czLzAADG7S — NBC Asian America (@NBCAsianAmerica) January 13, 2016 Of course, each of the president’s appointed judges has the necessary experience, intellect, and integrity. But through his efforts, federal judges are now beginning to reflect the diversity of our nation — racial, gender, and sexual orientation — and today, at the Court of Appeals level, a majority of judges are women and minorities. The president also has sought a judiciary that encompasses the range of experience in the legal profession, including more judges who had represented the poor in their criminal defense and legal services. While judges will not necessarily consider a case differently because of their background — they are sworn to uphold the law and precedent — when the men and women who deliver justice look more like the communities they serve, there is greater confidence in our justice system overall. Also, as judges break barriers throughout the country, they serve as role models for generations to come. I’ve seen this first hand. In 2009, I had the honor of working on Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation, as she became the first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice. A year later, I assisted on Justice Elena Kagan’s confirmation. For the first time, three women (along with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg) sit on the Supreme Court at the same time. Throughout those processes and beyond, these remarkable women have had an indelible impact on our nation — not just in their rulings and their commitment to equal justice under the law, but also in inspiring countless Americans that the doors to opportunity are opening to all. While Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, Ginsburg, and retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor certainly are role models for my four year-old daughter, I also want her to have a role model who is Asian Pacific American. Growing up, I was bullied for my “slanted eyes,” my parents’ accent, and the food we ate. I was constantly asked if I knew karate and complimented for “speaking English good.” Even now, I have resigned myself to a lifetime of being asked, “Where are you really from?” I know that an Asian Pacific American Supreme Court Justice won’t prevent my daughter from experiencing all of this, but it would go immeasurably far in chipping away at the stereotype that she is a “perpetual foreigner” — that we are something other than simply American. And it would give her another example of success at the highest level to emulate in whatever she decides to do. In 2010, it was past time for the Supreme Court to have more than two female Justices. Today, especially as nearly half our nation’s children are from communities of color, it is time for the Supreme Court to have more than two Justices of color. And, more specifically, it is time for the first Asian Pacific American Justice. Asian Pacific Americans are the fastest growing racial group in the nation. There were almost twice as many Asian American voters in 2012 as there were in 2000, and by 2040, the number of Asian American registered voters will double yet again. We deserve — and demand — a government that is reflective of our nation’s changing demographics. The good news is that President Obama understands the importance of a judiciary that resembles the nation it serves, and his commitment has tripled the number of APA federal judges in just seven years. However, 25 APA federal judges out of 870 is only the beginning of real change. To leave a truly historic legacy on behalf of Asian Pacific Americans, we must urge the president to take the next step by nominating an Asian Pacific American to the Supreme Court. Christopher Kang is the National Director of the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) and former Deputy Assistant and Deputy Counsel to President Barack Obama in the Office of the White House Counsel, where he was in charge of the selection, vetting, and confirmation of the president’s judicial nominees. This article first appeared on NBCNews.com.The big news at Microsoft's E3 event may have been all of the games, but the company also revealed some interesting new functionality for its SmartGlass app. Originally available for the Xbox 360, the new version of SmartGlass for the Xbox One, will offer enhanced features including the ability to stream games to a second-screen device such as the Microsoft Surface. During a stage demo, Microsoft showed a player streaming Crytek's new game "Ryse: Son of Rome," to a Surface tablet, allowing the player to enjoy the game as if she were playing it on her Xbox One. The new app will also allow gamers to play single-player games, while looking for multiplayer matches in the background. MORE: Xbox One Features: 5 Reasons To Be Excited About the New Xbox A demonstration of this showed the same player running through a demo of "Ryse: Son of Rome," only to receive a message that the Xbox One's Smart Match feature had found an online match for her to join for the game "Killer Instinct." Instantly, SmartGlass transitioned to the new game without a hint of lag. In addition to the second-screen experience and the ability to setup online matches while you're playing a single-player game, SmartGlass will also allow you to record your games and share them online using the Twitch video service, giving gamers the ability to host a live stream of their favorite games that their friends can comment on in real-time.A new Quinnipiac University poll finds that 88 percent of voters support the legal use of marijuana for medical purposes, while 10 percent do not. If the latest poll is right, it’s a safe bet that Florida will legalize medical marijuana this November. The lowest level of support was among senior citizens, who still back the measure roughly 6 to 1, whereas, the youngest segment of voters backed it 19 to 1. When asked whether they would support a legal medical marijuana dispensary in their own town or city, 71 percent of voters said yes while 26 percent said no. Support for a dispensary in one’s own town was lowest among seniors, who still backed the idea 57 percent to 37 percent. A majority of voters even supported legalizing marijuana simply for recreational use. The only demographic groups where majorities opposed the idea were Republicans and seniors. Overall support for recreational legalization was up seven percentage points from November. Read Full Story On: washingtonpostencoding="utf-8"? L’11 luglio la salma della bimba di tre anni e mezzo trovata morta nel campo rom di Scampia a Napoli era stata sequestrata per effettuare l’autopsia. Adesso saltano fuori dei particolari agghiaccianti sulla morte di Martina Mihajlovic. La bambina era arrivata già morta al pronto soccorso dell’ospedale San Giovanni Bosco con i classici sintomi dell’asfissia. La bimba risiedeva nel campo rom sulla circumvallazione di Scampia. Sull’episodio in questi mesi ha indagato la polizia, commissariato di Scampia. L’ipotesi avanzata dagli inquirenti sulla base dall’esame medico-legale disposto dalla procura è terribile: sarebbe stata vittima di ripetuti abusi sessuali. La bambina sarebbe morta soffocata da un boccone di mozzarella e la zia è stata arrestata con l’accusa di abbandono di minore. La bambina, di etnia rom, era stata stata portata già senza vita poco prima delle 17 del 10 luglio 2016 all’ospedale San Giovanni Bosco di Napoli dalla madre e dalla nonna. Ai poliziotti erano state fornite diverse versioni dell’accaduto: inizialmente sembrava che la bambina fosse stata dimenticata in macchina. (Continua a leggere dopo la foto) Poi invece che stava giocando con altri bambini e che si era chiusa da sola nel cofano di un’auto nel campo rom di Scampia. Poi era saltata fuori la versione della zia: la bimba era stata affidata qualche ora prima a una zia e quest’ultima l’aveva trovata nell’auto, sul sedile posteriore, già morta. Nel campo rom di Scampia si era consumata la sorte di Martina Mihajlovic, venuta alla luce a Napoli nel gennaio del 2014. Sotto una stella sfortunata. ”Dimenticata” nell’auto sotto il sole di un’estate rovente all’interno di uno dei macchinoni che occupano l’area popolata da una comunità che qui nessuno è mai riuscito nemmeno a censire, la bimba era morta per asfissia. (Continua a leggere dopo la foto) All’epoca dei fatti non avevano convito le dichiarazioni dei parenti. La madre, il nonno della vittima e una decina di persone erano state interrogate. Sulla morte della bimba, fino a oggi, c’era un solo dato certo: alle 16,30 del 10 luglio un corteo di Mercedes aveva accompagnato in ospedale, al San Giovanni Bosco, il corpo ormai senza vita. Almeno una trentina di rom residenti nel campo di Scampia sovrastato dall’asse mediano avevano accompagnato la salma. Adesso saltano fuori gli agghiaccianti particolari sulle violenze che la bambina avrebbe subito durante la sua breve vita.Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling waves to the crowd at Fenway Park as he walks out to receive his 2007 World Series ring in a ceremony before the Red Sox home opener against the Detroit Tigers Boston, Massachusetts on April 8, 2008. (UPI Photo/Matthew Healey) \| License Photo Curt Schilling and Shonda Schilling arrive on the red carpet at the 2010 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Celebration at IAC Building in New York City on November 22, 2010. UPI/John Angelillo \| License Photo Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling yells something to the Baltimore Orioles bench in the first inning at Camden Yards in Baltimore on September 6, 2007. (UPI Photo/Mark Goldman) \| License Photo March 30 (UPI) -- Since saying goodbye to his $2.5 million ESPN salary, Curt Schilling has been less than quiet. The three-time World Series champ and six-time All-Star was fired in April by the sports network for repeatedly breaking its 2016 Presidential Election Policy. Some of the comments he said at the time regarded Muslims and Nazis. He also said he thought Hillary Clinton should be "buried under a jail." But the Ben Carson contributor isn't letting up on Clinton, even after she fell in the November election to President Donald Trump. On Thursday, he posted a video calling the former First Lady and New York Senator "a skank." The video appeared to be filmed from inside of his house and was posted on Periscope. "We're not [expletive]," Schilling said. "Thank God we got Trump in office. If we would have had that skank, [expletive] we'd already be in World War III." Schilling said last year that he was eyeing a run for president in 2020 or 2024. The former star pitcher has maintained that ESPN is "outwardly bigoted and intolerant." His firing came immediately after he made a post on Facebook showing a man wearing women's clothes with the caption: "Let him in to the restroom with your daughter or else you're a narrow-minded, judgmental, unloving racist bigot who needs to die." Schilling, 50, went 216-146 with 3,116 strikeouts in his 20-year career for the Boston Red Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros, and Baltimore Orioles.UPDATE: Calgary police investigate park graffiti targeting Muslims and Jews Hateful graffiti has been drawn and painted in areas throughout an off-leash dog park near Ranch Estates Drive in northwest Calgary. And the markings have been up for several days, neighbours say. “It’s hurtful and disappointing to see,” Glen Tinckler said. Tinckler spotted the mixture of anti-Islamic and anti-Semitic graffiti about a week ago while walking his dog. He’s lived in Ranch Estates for 20 years and said he’s never seen racist markings in the area. “It was troubling,” Tinckler said. “I didn’t have a telephone or anything with me to take a photo, so I thought I’d let it go and see if someone reported it.” A week later, Tinckler was back at the park and the markings were still up, so he reported them to Crime Stoppers. “I want to see these images taken down and I would really like to not see them again,” he said. “It’s a very friendly community and to see images like this is very disturbing.” The Islamic Association of Northwest Calgary (IANWC) is about a five-minute walk away. IANWC board member Adel Rachdi said he’s not surprised by the markings. “This happens because people sometimes have misunderstanding about Islam. Ignorance. That’s what it comes from,” Rachdi said. He said the mosque has been trying to educate people by hosting monthly open houses that the entire community can attend. “It’s really our duty. We have to do more and more to go to other communities to reach out and to try and educate people about Muslim and Islam.” Tinckler reported the graffiti to Crime Stoppers and said he’ll call the city on Friday. There’s no word yet on whether any other neighbours have also reported the graffiti.The entire front page of a Melbourne newspaper was bought by a Chinese mother desperately urging her son to come home from Australia for the upcoming Spring Festival. “I have called you several times and you did not take my calls. Maybe the only way to get my message to you is here. Mom and Dad will not pressure you to get married ever again. Please come back home for New Year! Love, Mom,” read the front page advertisement of Chinese Melbourne Daily. According to Want China Times, an employee of the paper surnamed Miao revealed that the mother lived in Guangzhou and her son had chosen to work in Melbourne after completing his studies there. The boy’s family had frequently nagged him to return to China and get married but the boy was reluctant to do so. [Image via: WantChinaTimes] Follow @shanghaiistThe GLOCK 19 Hot Cerakote Burnt Bronze Gen4, in 9x19, introduces revolutionary design changes to the pistol that has found worldwide acclaim with security services both private and public. The Modular Back Strap design lets you instantly customize its grip to adapt to an individual shooter’s hand size. The surface of the frame employs the new scientifically designed, real-world-tested, Gen4 rough textured technology. Internally, the new GLOCK dual recoil spring assembly substantially increases the life of the system. A reversible enlarged magazine catch, changeable in seconds, accommodates left or right-handed operators. The G19 Gen4 9x19mm retains the GLOCK accessory rail for your attachments. Each pistol is delivered only after passing stringent quality inspections, exhaustive quality control checks, and test firing. Glock Pistol Accessories Your new GLOCK pistol is delivered as a complete set. The hard shell case which houses your pistol also includes a speed loader, three magazines, two backstraps, a cleaning set, a MBS tool, a cable lock and instruction manual.Archaeologists will scan two hectares (five acres) of the vast mound to look for clues about what may lie beneath - hopefully more chambers Reports suggest the tomb was built for a Macedonian general, but its thought the skeleton may be Alexander the Great himself in the tomb is still undergoing DNA analysis Archaeologists may have recovered a skeleton from a large burial mound in Amphipolis, but now they are hopeful there could be more to find. Experts have opened the second phase of their excavation of the vast 4th-century BC tomb in search of more burial chambers. They hope these chambers may hold ancient members of the Macedonian royal family, or the legendary warrior king Alexander the Great himself. Experts have opened the second phase of their excavation of the vast 4th-century BC tomb (pictured) in search of more burial chambers that they hope may hold ancient member of the Macedonian royal family, or legendary warrior king Alexander the Great himself The team will scan two hectares (five acres) of the vast mound to look for clues about what may lie beneath. The first search of the site, which was built shortly after Alexander the Great's death, yielded an elaborately decorated tomb containing a skeleton, as well as large sculptures and a beautiful mosaic floor. Earlier this month, experts analysing the skeleton found in the vault, claimed that the person who was buried there was male and probably an 'important general'. He was of medium height with pale skin and brown or red hair, they said, suggesting that the remains could belong to blue-eyed king, Alexander the Great himself, who was reputed to have strawberry blonde hair. Geophysicists will scan two hectares (five acres) of the vast mound to look for clues about what may lie beneath. This image shows one of its entrances, guarded by two mythical sphixes Experts believe the ancient mound, situated around 65 miles (100km) from Thessaloniki (shown on the map) was built for a prominent Macedonian in around 300 to 325 BC Analysis of the skeleton discovered in an underground vault has revealed the man buried there was of medium height, with pale skin and brown or red hair (illustrated). While some experts dare to hope it could be Alexander the Great himself, others say that even the skeleton's gender is in doubt THE MAN IN THE TOMB Skeletal remains show the man buried in the Amphipolis tomb was of medium height with pale skin and brown or red hair. He must have been of high social status, based on his opulent final surroundings. Archaeologists say he was probably an important general, although because the tomb was looted in antiquity, no shield or sword have been found, which were typically buried with Macedonian warriors. Experts are studying the bones to reveal what the man died of and what he ate. However, doubt has now been cast on this and some experts claim the sex of the remains is not known. Katerina Peristeri, head of the Amphipolis Tomb excavation said that the man was probably of high status, but because robbers removed valuable items in antiquity, no weapons or precious objects remain in situ. The skeleton is undergoing DNA analysis to deduce if the man was a member of the Macedonian royal family, as well as to learn his age. Greek Culture Minister Costas Tasoulas visited the burial mound to announce the new phase of the exploration. Geophysicists are scanning the site to see if there are other structures besides the impressive, three-chamber tomb discovered in August. The area being scanned is about one-seventh of the total area of the mound. Scientists will compare the DNA of the bones to that of Phillip II, who was buried at Vergina, but this will be difficult because the genetic material is 'overworked,' Lina Mendoni, the culture ministry's general secretary told Iefimerida. The bones of Phillip II - father of Alexander the Great - were burnt and because DNA tests were carried out some 50 years ago, it is feared the results may have been contaminated. The skeletal remains were found both inside and outside the rectangular stone-lined cist (pictured), under the floor of the cavernous, vaulted structure that is 26 feet (eight metres) tall. They are undergoing DNA analysis There has been speculation that the tomb could be that of Alexander the Great (a mosaic depicting the king is shown). Examinations of the remains have established they belong to a man who was a general While the announcement was made about the skeleton’s identity, some experts claim that its gender is uncertain. Identifying it may never be possible, even if its DNA is checked, said Ms Mendoni. Speculation on the identity has been rife among experts, including theories that the remains are of Alexander's mother, widow, son, half-brother, or Nearchos, one of Alexander's closest aides and an Amphipolis native. Meanwhile, archaeologists are still uncovering multicoloured decorations found inside the dug up tomb. And lasers will be used to study them, Ms Mendoni said. Greece’s Ministry of Culture revealed earlier this month that the body had been placed in a wooden coffin, which disintegrated over time. The skeletal remains were found both inside and outside the rectangular stone-lined cist, under the floor of the cavernous, vaulted structure that is 26ft (eight metres) tall Iron and bronze nails, as well as carved bone and glass decorations from the coffin, were also found scattered in the grave. Archaeologists in the past have said the grave likely belonged to a prominent Macedonian – possibly a military man. Clockwise from top right shows two headless, marble sphinxes found above the entrance to the barrel-vaulted tomb, details of the facade and the lower courses of the blocking wall, the antechamber's mosaic floor, a 4.2-metre long stone slab, and the upper uncovered sections of two female figures. The second and third chambers, not pictured, have not yet been explored Archaeologists are now searching for more burial chambers and bodies hidden in the vast mound, they have already uncovered many sculptures such as this bust, thought to be the head of a sphinx WHO WAS ALEXANDER THE GREAT? Alexander III of Macedon was born in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia in July 356 BC. He died of a fever in Babylon in June 323 BC. Alexander led an army across the Persian territories of Asia Minor, Syria and Egypt claiming the land as he went. His greatest victory was at the Battle of Gaugamela, now northern Iraq, in 331 BC, and during his trek across these Persian territories, he was said to never have suffered a defeat. This led him to be known as Alexander the Great. Following this battle in Gaugamela, Alexander led his army a further 11,000 miles (17,700km), founded over 70 cities and created an empire that stretched across three continents. This covered from Greece in the west, to Egypt in the south, Danube in the north, and Indian Punjab to the East. Alexander was buried in Egypt, but it is thought his body was moved to prevent looting. His fellow royals were traditionally interred in a cemetery near Vergina, far to the west. The lavishly-furnished tomb of Alexander's father, Philip II, was discovered during the 1970s. The Culture Ministry said: 'It is probably the monument of a dead person who became a hero, meaning a mortal who was worshipped by society at that time. 'The deceased was a prominent person, since only this could explain the construction of this unique burial complex.' ‘It is an extremely expensive construction, whose cost, clearly, is unlikely to have been borne by a private citizen.' Michalis Tiverios, a professor of archaeology at the University of Thessaloniki who has not been involved with the dig, said the human remains should provide valuable information on the occupant of the tomb, which at about 49 ft (15 metres) long and 15 ft (4.5 metres) wide is one of the biggest ever found in the country. The ministry confirmed fears that the tomb had been thoroughly and repeatedly plundered during antiquity. ‘Whatever objects of value the first thieves missed was taken by others later,’ Professor Tiverios said. Excavations at the site in north eastern Greece near the city of Thessaloniki began in 2012. They captured global attention in August when archaeologists announced the discovery of vast tomb guarded by two sphinxes and circled by a 497-metre marble wall. Since then the tomb has also yielded a mosaic made of coloured pebbles depicting the abduction of Persephone, the daughter of Zeus, as well as two sculpted female figures also known as Caryatids. The tomb dates to 300-325 BC. Alexander the Great died in 323 BC after a military campaign through the Middle East, Asia and northeast Asia. Surviving fragments of carved bone and glass coffin ornaments were found in the tomb at Amphipolis, but no helmet, shield or military objects which would be expected in the tomb of a Macedonian soldier were recovered making the skeleton's identity largely guess work at this stageBy Riot Pwyff Welcome to the 4.4 patch notes! Last patch, we hinted at long-term changes hitting the lab while we tackled the largest outliers in competitive play. This patch, you'll see the first results of that labor as we bring out a healthier (and hopefully less banned) rework Kassadin who still embodies the theme of a mobile anti-magic assassin. Our other big change is to Lich Bane, as it was skewing a lot of champion power in unhealthy ways. Specifically, there are champions who have a lot of their power tied to Lich Bane - we balanced them to compensate for the changes - and then there are champions who like Lich Bane for its high burst, low cooldown properties. High burst isn't unhealthy if it's timed and executed properly, but Lich Bane was just a pile of damage for something you're already doing, and it came up much, much faster than other burst damage focused items like Deathfire Grasp. Hitting Lich Bane means we can revisit certain champions in the future and maybe buff them up. We've already begun this process for a few of them as you'll see in this patch. Statikk, one of our designers, is going to go in-depth on power curves (as in when a champ is the strongest or weakest in the game) later on to help explain some of our changes to champs like Kassadin and Elise, so stay tuned for that. The run-down here is that when champion power curves become too extreme, the champs selected decide the outcome of the game rather than the players themselves. Success in League of Legends should always be a combination of pre-game decisions and in-game execution. We want all players to have the opportunity to meaningfully outplay their opponents at each and every phase of the game - even if there are disadvantages - and champions who automatically win those phases just by showing up negates that philosophy. Now, less philosophy talk, more patch notes talk! Where there's more philosophy talk! Excellent! Exclamation points! Pwyff Patch Updates 03/21/2014 Bug Fixes Fixed a bug where if Heimerdinger had ranks in Q - H-28G Evolution Turret, he would perpetually regenerate up to 3 turret kits at a time after dying. Back to top LoL Client Continuing the work we did in patch 4.3, we've got some general cleanup and bug fixes. Game owners are now labeled as “Owner” in the lobby invites panel Players can no longer accept invites while in a matchmaking queue Fixed an issue where players who relogged with an on-hold invite (the lobby entered champion select) experienced various issues preventing them from entering games Fixed an issue where the invite system counted spectators when determining whether a custom lobby was full Fixed a reconnect issue where players who restarted the client while spectating a custom game were stuck on a blank landing page upon relogging Back to top Reworks Kassadin Old Kassadin's combination of high mobility, strong disables and high burst damage left his victims with very few to no options against him (other than banning him in every single ranked game), especially when he snowballed ahead. Our focus here is to introduce more counterplay to Kassadin's kit, something we couldn't do with number tweaks alone. For example, lowering Kass's damage doesn't make for an interesting gameplay interaction (it just means you can turn around and smash him in the face if you survive the burst), while increasing his cooldowns means he just needs to wait longer before blowing somebody up. In the end, we opted for a full-on kit rework to reinforce his core theme as an anti-magic assassin with unrivaled mobility. These changes mean Kassadin must rely on his mobility to pick fights while finding opportunities to dive in and out of combat to take out targets. It's worth stressing: these changes are to make Kassadin less of a "blow someone up when you can" champion and more of a mobile attacker who wants to get in to fight while using Riftwalk to stay safe. Obviously, this is a significant change, so we'll be watching his performance very closely. We've increased Kassadin's attack range and changed his passive so it no longer grants attack speed but avoids unit collision. We reduced Null Sphere's damage and pulled off the silence, although it will still interrupt channeled abilities. Instead, Null Sphere now grants Kassadin a shield on use. Nether Blade now passively deals bonus magic damage per autoattack and, when activated, deals higher bonus magic damage as well as restoring some of Kassadin's missing mana. No big changes to Force Pulse though we did reduce its damage a bit. Riftwalk, on the other hand, has a lot of changes. We've reduced its cooldown and it now scales with max mana instead of AP. Each stack now doubles the mana cost of the next Riftwalk but we reduced the mana cost and the number of max stacks to compensate. It also no longer refunds mana on hitting enemy champs. General Visuals Kassadin's particles have been updated! Attack Range 125 ⇒ 150 Passive - Void Stone new Utility Kassadin now additionally ignores unit collision Attack Speed Bonus Bonus attack speed per magic damage reduced ⇒ No longer grants attack speed Q - Null Sphere new Utility Now additionally grants Kassadin a shield for 1.5 seconds that absorbs 40/70/100/130/160 (+0.3 Ability Power) magic damage new Utility Silences the target ⇒ No longer silences, instead it interrupts channel spells Damage 80/110/140/170/200 (+0.7 ability power) ⇒ 80/105/130/155/180 (+0.7 ability power) new W - Nether Blade Passive Kassadin's basic attacks draw energy from the void, dealing 20 (+0.1 ability power) bonus magic damage. Active Kassadin charges his Nether Blade, causing his next basic attack to deal 40/65/90/115/140 (+0.6 ability power) bonus magic damage and restore 4/5/6/7/8% of his missing mana (increases to 20/25/30/35/40% against champions). Cooldown 6 seconds Mana Cost No cost Utility Resets Kassadin's basic attack timer on activation E - Force Pulse Damage 80/120/160/200/240 (+0.7 ability power) ⇒ 80/105/130/155/180 (+0.7 ability power) R - Riftwalk new Damage 80/100/120 (+0.8 ability power) ⇒ 80/100/120 (+2% maximum mana) new Stacking Damage 50/55/60 (+0.1 ability power) per stack ⇒ 40/50/60 (+1% maximum mana) per stack new Riftwalk Stacks Costs +100 mana per stack ⇒ Now doubles its mana cost per stack new Utility Refunds mana on hitting enemy champions ⇒ No longer refunds mana on hitting enemy champions Cooldown 7/6/5 seconds ⇒ 7/5/3 seconds Mana Cost 100 ⇒ 75 Maximum Stacks 10 ⇒ 4 Stack Duration 8 seconds ⇒ 12 seconds Back to top Champions Annie We like Annie's versatility, but some of her base damage is too high for how she's currently being used. Our goal is to introduce more interesting choices in Annie's kit (particularly on that Disintegrate buff) as we looked for ways to buff her late game scaling when she builds more traditional AP items. We've reduced Disintegrate's cooldown by half on any kill (champion or minion). We've also fiddled with Incinerate and Tibbers so they do less base damage but scale better with AP. Q - Disintegrate new Utility Reduces cooldown by half on all kills (champion
' finished and unfinished materials and products, containers, labels, labeling, and other promotional materials; and to examine and copy all records relating to the receipt, manufacture, processing, packing, labeling, promoting, holding, and distribution of any and all Defendants' products in order to ensure continuing compliance with the terms of this Decree. The inspections shall be permitted upon presentation of a copy of this Decree and appropriate credentials. The inspection authority granted by this Decree is separate from, and in addition to, the authority to conduct inspections under the Act, 21 U.S.C. §374.14. Defendants shall reimburse FDA for the costs of all FDA inspections, investigations, supervision, reviews, examinations, and analyses specified in this Decree or that FDA deems necessary to evaluate Defendants' compliance with this Decree. For the purposes of this Decree, inspections include FDA's review andanalysis of Defendants' claims for their products in the product labels, labeling, promotional materials, any and all websites owned or controlled by Defendants, and any and all websites referenced by, endorsed, or adopted directly or indirectly by Defendants that convey information about Defendants' products. The costs of such inspections shall be borne by Defendants at the prevailing rates in effect at the time the costs are incurred. As of the date that this Decree is signed by the parties, these rates are: $78.09 per hour and fraction thereof per representative for inspection work; $93.61 per hour or fraction thereof per representative for analytical or review work; $0,485 per mile for travel expenses by automobile; government rate or the equivalent for travel by air or other means; and the published government per diem rate or the equivalent for the areas in which the inspections are performed per-day, per-representative for subsistence expenses, where necessary. In the event that the standard rates applicable to FDA supervision of court-ordered compliance are modified, these rates shall be increased or decreased without further order of the Court.15. Within ten (10) calendar days after the entry of this Decree, Defendants shall provide a copy of this Decree, by personal service or certified mail (restricted delivery, return receipt requested), to each and all of its directors, officers, agents, representatives, employees, successors, assigns, attorneys, and any and all persons in active concert or participation with any of them (including "doing business as" entities) (hereafter collectively referred to as "associated persons"). Wthin thirty-five (35) calendar days of the date of entry of this Decree, Defendants shall provide to FDA an affidavit of compliance, stating the fact and manner of compliance with the provisions of this paragraph and identifying the names and positions of all associated persons whohave received a copy of this Decree and the manner of notification. In the event that Defendants become associated, at any time after the entry of this Decree, with new associated persons, Defendants shall: (a) within fifteen (15) calendar days of such association, provide a copy of this Decree to each such associated person by personal service or certified mail (restricted delivery, return receipt requested), and (b) on a quarterly basis, notify FDA in writing when, how, and to whom the Decree was provided.16. Within ten (10) calendar days of entry of this Decree, Defendants shall post a copy of this Decree on a bulletin board in a common area at any of their manufacturing or distribution facilities, and shall ensure that the Decree remains posted for a period of twelve (12) months at each location.17. Wthin ten (10) calendar days of entry of this Decree, Defendants shall provide FDA a list of all domain names and IP addresses they use to market or describe any product, regardless of whether such sites mention specific products Defendants sell. Defendants thereafter shall notify FDA within ten (10) days of any change to this list (either additions or deletions).18. Defendants shall notify the District Director, FDA Detroit District Office, in writing at least fifteen (15) calendar days before any change in ownership, character, or name of its business, such as dissolution, assignment, or sale resulting in the emergence of a successor corporation, the creation or dissolution of subsidiaries, franchises, affiliates, or "doing business as" entities, or any other change in the corporate structure of Defendants Brownwood Acres or Cherry Capital, or in the sale or assignment of any business assets, such as buildings, equipment, or inventory, that may affect compliance with this Decree. Defendants shall provide a copy of this Decree to any potential successor or assignee at least fifteen (15) calendar days before any sale or assignment. Defendants shall furnish FDA with an affidavit of compliance with this paragraph no later than ten (10) calendar days prior to such assignment or change in ownership.19. All notifications, certifications, reports, correspondence, and other communications to FDA required by this Decree shall be addressed to the Director, FDA Detroit District Office, 300 River Place, Suite 5900, Detroit, Michigan 48207.20. If Defendants fail to comply with any of the provisions of this Decree, including any time frame imposed by this Decree, then, on motion of the United States in this proceeding, Defendants Brownwood Acres and/or Cherry Capital shall pay to the United States of America the sum of one thousand dollars ($1,000) in liquidated damages per violation per day so long as such violation continues. For the purposes of this paragraph, a "violation" is defined as each time any Defendant introduces or delivers for introduction into interstate commerce any product that is accompanied by (on the product's label, labeling, promotional materials, websites owned or controlled by Defendants, or in any other media) a claim(s) that causes the product to be a drug or constitutes a health claim within the meaning of the Act, unless the product is an approved new drug or such claim is authorized by FDA.21. Should the United States bring, and prevail in, a contempt action to enforce the terms of this Decree, Defendants shall, in addition to other remedies, reimburse the United States for its attorneys* fees, investigational expenses, expert witness fees, travel expenses incurred by attorneys and witnesses, and administrative court costs relating to such contempt proceedings.22. All decisions specified in this Decree shall be vested in the discretion of FDA and shall be final. If contested, FDA's decisions under this Decree shall be reviewed by the Court under the arbitrary and capricious standard set forth in 5 U.S.C. § 706(2)(A). Review shall be based exclusively on the written record before FDA at the time the decision was made. No discovery shall be taken by either party.23. If, in FDA's judgment, Defendants maintain a continuous state of compliance with this Decree and the Act for a period of three (3) years after the date of entry of this Decree, and FDA has not notified Defendants that there has been a significant violation of this Decree or the Act during such time, the government will not oppose Defendants' petition to the Court to dissolve the Decree.24. This Court retains jurisdiction of this action for the purpose of enforcing or modifying this Decree and for the purpose of granting such additional relief as may be necessary or appropriate.IT IS SO ORDERED:Dated this_day of_, 2008.UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGEFOR PLAINTIFFCHARLES R. GROSSUnited States Attorney Western District of MichiganW. FRANCESCA FERGUSONAssistant U.S. AttorneyALAN J. PHELPSTrial AttorneyOffice of Consumer Litigation Department of Justice Civil Division P.O. Box 386 Washington, D.C. 20044OF COUNSEL:JAMES C. STANSELActing General CounselGERALD F. MASOUDIChief CounselFood and Drug DivisionERIC M. BLUMBERGDeputy Chief Counsel, LitigationMICHELE LEE SVONKINAssociate Chief Counsel for Enforcement United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of the General CounselYou may suspect, as ever, that county cricket is dying. You may not be entirely right The beginning of every new cricket season brings with it reports of county cricket in demise, accompanied by pictures of a solitary, cold supporter in a stand, surrounded by rows of empty plastic seats. It is the stereotypical image of county cricket watched by a man and a dog, and of its impending death - killed by public apathy and crippling financial issues. For as long as I can remember, people have been prophesying the death of county cricket. But how accurate is this picture? What really is the current health of county cricket? One newspaper article last summer stated that things were so bad at Northamptonshire that they were "counting every loo roll" and that catering staff were having to act as ground staff. It remains a mixed picture across the 18 counties. Some are struggling with enormous debts. Others - such as Surrey, Somerset and Sussex - are in much better health. At the time of writing, most counties hadn't posted last year's accounts, but from those who had, the picture appears less bleak than in the recent past - helped in part by a windfall of £1 million (approx US$1.25 million) from the ECB following lucrative Ashes years. Somerset recently announced an operating surplus of over £500,000 and Leicestershire - who up until 2014 had recorded substantial losses - have posted a small profit for the second year in a row. I tweeted that I was writing about the challenges facing county cricket, to which the Yorkshire chairman Steve Denison replied: "money, money, money, money, money" Warwickshire, Yorkshire and Hampshire - among others - have millions of pounds of debts accrued from much-needed upgrades to their grounds and facilities. And then there's the situation with Durham, who had Test status taken off them after the ECB had to bail them out to the tune of £3.8 million. Most counties are heavily reliant on the money from the ECB given as a share of broadcasting revenues, a figure that varies across counties but is in the region of £1.8 million a year. How sustainable is that? At the moment the ECB coffers are extremely healthy - in the last accounts, they had cash reserves of £73 million - but there will be leaner years ahead. The forecast is that the reserves will diminish given the uncertainty over the future landscape of international cricket and the possibility of fewer Tests, a reduced share of the ICC's income to the ECB, and unknowns about the worth of future broadcasting deals. With county cricket's debts totalling over £150 million, money is not an issue about to go away any time soon. I recently tweeted that I was writing about the challenges facing county cricket, to which the Yorkshire chairman Steve Denison replied: "money, money, money, money, money". Pulling 'em in: fans make their way into the County Ground at Hove for a T20 Blast game. Sussex is one of the counties in good financial health © Getty Images Yorkshire's financial situation is particularly challenging. They have upwards of £20 million of debt and as well as servicing that, they are trying to find another £10 million for the refurbishment of the Football Stand End at Headingley. It is why they and most other counties welcome the idea of a new T20 competition from 2020 that would bring additional income, reportedly, of around £1.5 million. In football terms that sounds like a drop in the ocean; for a county cricket club it is a significant amount. Over the 2016 season, attendances for the three domestic competitions totalled more than 1.59 million spectators - the highest season aggregate since the ECB was formed in 1997 and a 3% increase on 2015. Undoubtedly crowds for County Championship matches are modest. Of course they are: there aren't many people who can give up eight hours a day for four consecutive days for 14 matches a season. Yet 2016 saw a 12% rise, from 513,693 in 2015 to 576,641. That is just the headline figure, though. The picture is varied across the country. For example, you will regularly see crowds of 2000 to 3000 watching Somerset at Taunton or Middlesex at Lord's. Elsewhere normal Championship attendances can be as low as a few hundred, although it should be noted that they tend to be higher than equivalent first-class matches in Indian or Australian domestic cricket. In 2016, attendances for the three domestic competitions totalled more than 1.59 million spectators - the highest season aggregate since the ECB was formed in 1997 The last day of the 2016 season broke several attendance records. With the Championship going right down to the wire, resulting in a shoot-out between Middlesex and Yorkshire at Lord's, 22,000 people came through the gates over the four days - the highest attendance for a county game since 1996. For the T20 Blast, Surrey regularly have a full house of over 20,000 watching on a Friday night at The Oval, and venues like Taunton, Hove and Chelmsford, albeit smaller, are almost always sold out for Friday evening. Last season Middlesex had sellout crowds of over 24,000 at Lord's against Surrey and Essex, and Edgbaston has seen packed houses on T20 Finals Day for the last few years. There was a 1% drop in attendances at the Blast between the 2015 and 2016 seasons, although some of this can be put down to poor weather: 15 matches were abandoned in 2016 compared to just seven in 2015. In all, 815,000 spectators attended Blast matches in 2016, with an average attendance (excluding abandoned matches) of 6900. This is, of course, some way short of the average attendance at the 2016-17 BBL, which was reported as over 30,000 - although it must be remembered that many English grounds have capacities of below 10,000. Leicestershire CEO Wasim Khan has been big on getting the Asian diaspora interested in the county game © PA Photos The number of bums on seats doesn't tell the whole story. Increasingly county cricket has found an audience via the various county social media accounts, the ECB's daily highlights videos, and the BBC's online commentary service, which attracts thousands of listeners a day. Adam Mountford, the Test Match Special producer also responsible for overseeing the BBC's county commentary coverage, believes that "attendances at county games are not a true reflection of the actual levels of interest in the domestic game". "One of my more pleasurable jobs," he says, "is to keep an eye on some of the feedback that comes in to the service, and I see how wide-reaching the engagement is. I also get to monitor a wonderful gizmo which lets me know who is following each page of the BBC website. It was fantastic to see the BBC county cricket page as the number one throughout that amazing climax to the 2016 season. That's more people clicking on the county live pages than the BBC news pages or the BBC football pages." How does cricket monetise those who engage with the sport but aren't actually paying for membership or a match ticket? County cricket does have to work harder than a lot of other professional sports to attract an audience. With television coverage behind a paywall, Championship matches played when people are at work, most of the focus of the governing body and the media on Team England, and cricket participation falling, clubs recognise they have to use every method available to them for promotion. Yorkshire's commercial director Andy Dawson believes that those who engage with county cricket in a non-traditional way should be at the heart of Yorkshire's development strategy. "Although we are a members' club," he says, "we strongly believe we are a club for all our followers, however they choose to engage with us. We have 78k Twitter followers, 759,000 unique visitors to our website and 72,000 Facebook likes. We sell merchandise in 41 different countries outside the UK. There is a huge following for Yorkshire outside of those who come to games." Glamorgan and Nottinghamshire have invested in cameras so that all their home matches can be streamed live on their website, and other counties are looking at introducing this too. The ECB, to its credit, has ensured that clips and highlights of every day's play are widely available. The merch tent at a county game in Guildford © PA Photos All counties and the ECB report a year-on-year increase in the number of digital subscribers to their social media and video channels, which demonstrates there is a market for county cricket. But the question remains: is it enough? How does cricket monetise those who engage with the sport but aren't actually paying for membership or a match ticket? It is well documented that participation in cricket in England has declined. Cricket isn't played in state schools - it is probably barely even talked about. This puts increasing pressure on county clubs and their respective county boards (the bodies responsible for the recreational game) to drive participation. An excellent example of recognising the importance of re-engaging local communities is Leicestershire. Leicester has a population above 330,000, over 35% of that from the South Asian diaspora. In the past, those demographics haven't been reflected in the audiences at Grace Road. It is a challenge Wasim Khan recognised when he took over as chief executive in 2014. We may see a bidding war for television rights. But those who constantly call for cricket to return to terrestrial television will continue to be disappointed Leicestershire were then in the midst of limited success on the field and faced falling crowds and financial losses. The matches at Grace Road seemed to have no relevance to the local communities - even to the large cricket-loving Asian communities living and working close to the ground. As well as turning around the performance on the field and putting Leicestershire into profit again, Wasim has undertaken a number of initiatives. "We established an inter-faith festival for the first time in 2016," he says, "and encouraged people of different faiths to come to Natwest T20 Blast matches by opening a multi-faith area at the ground. The club is also installing a prayer box ahead of the 2017 season." Outreach programmes are needed more than ever because newspaper coverage of county cricket has been in steep decline. Regional reporters who used to be the mainstay of county coverage have been removed from daily reporting duties. With some notable exceptions, national newspapers look on county cricket as an irrelevance, citing lack of reader interest, space and budgets. The ECB has stepped in to help by funding a network of reporters who provide copy on each match, made available to a range of outlets. Print coverage of the county game has declined in recent years but the ECB is doing its bit to fill the hole with its reporters' network © Getty Images On television, English domestic cricket only appears on pay-per-view through Sky, which guards viewing figures closely (Finals Day, it is understood, attracts around 500,000 viewers). Many consider the decision to put English cricket behind a paywall as the biggest factor in the game's decline. Yet, there was little interest from free-to-air broadcasters and Sky have invested heavily in the game. The money has kept county cricket afloat and has allowed for the development of the women's game and disability cricket. The quality of their coverage is second to none, too. Sky's current deal runs to 2019 and it is expected that the new deals - currently out to tender - will see larger amounts of money coming into the game, particularly as BT Sport have now entered the market for cricket rights. We may see a bidding war for television rights. But those who constantly call for cricket to return to terrestrial television will continue to be disappointed. All of the above points to a domestic game working hard to remain relevant and sustainable, and a game not quite in complete crisis as sometimes portrayed. But to ignore the magnitude of the challenges would be naive. County cricket is at something of a crossroads. Whether the proposed T20 tournament is the silver bullet the ECB is hoping it will be is far from certain Colin Graves and Tom Harrison, chairman and chief executive of the ECB, cite recent research that shows only 2% of children between the ages of 7 and 15 rate cricket as their favourite sport, that of the 9.4 million people in the country who identify themselves as cricket followers, less than a million actually attend any games, and that participation in cricket has been falling by 10% over the last three years. As well as a new participation strategy, they are pushing for a high-profile T20 tournament from 2020 that they hope will match the success of the IPL and the BBL. The injection of broadcasting cash could be huge - between an estimated £40 and £50 million a year. It will also be the biggest change in county cricket for a generation. The tournament will see a move away from the traditional 18 first-class counties and introduce eight brand new teams for a competition played in a 38-day window at the height of summer. There will still be a T20 tournament involving all 18 counties, played earlier in the season. The majority of the counties have voted in favour of the change, whether attracted by the promise of extra income or because they genuinely view it as being in the best interests of the game. Others believe the new competition is the thin end of the wedge that will marginalise the counties. With the weight of the ECB marketing budget behind the new tournament, will the existing county tournaments be rendered obsolete? The future is video: digital media is going to be crucial to reaching new audiences Nigel Roddis / © Getty Images Chris Grant, chairman of Derbyshire - one of the smaller counties - said last year that far from marginalisation, the new competition "is the best way of securing Derbyshire's long-term first-class future". Richard Thompson, chairman of Surrey - one of the most vocal opponents of the reforms - believes that instead of creating new teams, it would have been better to turn the current T20 competition into a two-division tournament, with a Premier League that the television broadcasters could focus on. The ECB's stated aim for the new tournament is to complement county cricket, to help sustain it, not replace it. They have, for now, committed to maintaining the same number of Championship matches. Part of the massive success of the BBL is that it is shown on free-to-air television during school summer holidays and attracts an average audience of around a million. The ECB's new tournament cannot be on free-to-air if one of the main considerations is an injection of broadcasting revenue: free-to-air broadcasters simply do not have the same resources as the big boys, Sky and BT. Whoever wins the bid, though, will almost certainly need to commit to a certain percentage of matches being shown free-to-air, and there will be a new drive towards showing at least clips via digital outlets such as Twitter and YouTube. County cricket is at something of a crossroads. Whether the proposed T20 tournament is the silver bullet the ECB is hoping it will be is far from certain County cricketers themselves are broadly in favour of the new tournament. Understandably, they look at the money and the huge crowds that the BBL and the IPL attract and want to be part of something similar in England. However, Daryl Mitchell, the newly elected chairman of the Professional Cricketers' Association, has warned about the effects on other aspects of county cricket - particularly the one-day tournament that the ECB proposes will be played in the same window as the new T20 competition. Only about a quarter of all county cricketers, around 100, are likely to be picked in the draft for the new competition. The PCA wants to ensure that the money generated from the new tournament trickles down to all county cricketers - not just those playing it. County cricket - indeed all of cricket - is at something of a crossroads. Whether the proposed T20 tournament is the silver bullet the ECB is hoping it will be is far from certain. For now county cricket keeps the bailiffs from the door, continues to produce players for Team England, and provides entertaining, quality cricket. It is doing its job. Elizabeth Ammon is a cricket journalist and broadcaster in the UK © ESPN Sports Media Ltd.“In solving a problem of this sort, the grand thing is to be able to reason backwards. That is a very useful accomplishment, and a very easy one, but people do not practice it much. In the everyday affairs of life, it is more useful to reason forwards, and so the other comes to be neglected. There are fifty who can reason synthetically for one who can reason analytically. Most people, if you describe a train of events to them, will tell you what the result would be. They can put those events together in their minds, and argue from them that something will come to pass. There are few people, however, who, if you told them a result, would be able to evolve from their own inner consciousness what the steps were which led up to that result. This power is what I mean when I talk of reasoning backwards, or analytically.” — Thus spoke the famous detective Sherlock Holmes to his companion Dr. John H. Watson, in describing the analytical device of reasoning backwards. This method of retrogate analysis is a reasoning technique that starts with empirically-derived data and then reconstructs plausible conditions in order to deduce what had happened. An inferred explanation is attempted by interpreting observed phenomena and organizing them under a predicate. It may therefore be described as inference to the best/possible explanation. Observed data is used to infer the hypotheses that make the best explanatory description. If C is a collection of data/facts and A is a hypothesis that explains those facts, then there is plausible reason to accept A as true, given that no other hypothesis can explain the observed facts as well as A does. The U.S. philosopher and logician Charles Peirce defined this process of “forming an explanatory hypothesis” as abduction. “The first starting of a hypothesis and the entertaining of it, whether as a simple interrogation or with any degree of confidence is an inferential step which I propose to call abduction. This will include a preference for any one hypothesis over others which would equally explain the facts”, writes Peirce. He expresses the emphasis of abduction as the only logical operation to introduce new hypotheses or new ideas. It is a form of presumptive thinking “in which the observed facts show that the truth is similar to the fact asserted in the conclusion”. If, for instance, the logician comes across a room and finds a number of bags that all contain different kinds of beans. If the table has a handful of white beans on it and one of the bags contains only white beans, then employing the presumptive inference of the process of abduction, there is reason for the logician to construct a plausible hypothesis that the handful of beans was taken from that bag. According to Peirce, abductive reasoning is just one step in the process of inference. In order to validate the plausible hypothesis generated, the abductive process must be preceded by induction and followed by deduction. In order to validate abduction, the process of induction compares predicted and actual results. In this manner, abduction connects deduction and induction such that its “deductive consequences can be tested by induction”. Since abductions are largely conjectural, the statistical analysis of the inductive step provides an objective probability. Induction is therefore “this kind of reasoning which from what is true of a part, concludes what is true from a whole.” It is a self-correcting method that allows us to extract what we know and generalise it to determine what we do not know. Deduction explicates the predictive consequences of the resulting hypotheses. “From its abductive suggestion, deduction can draw a prediction which can be tested by induction”, writes Pierce. Abduction is complemented by the predictive power of deduction and by the corrective power of induction. Peirce says, “The deductions which we base upon the hypothesis which has resulted from Abduction produce conditional predictions concerning our future experience. That is to say, we infer by Deduction that if the hypothesis is true, any future phenomena of certain descriptions must present such and such characters. We now institute a course of quasi-experimentation in order to bring these predictions to the test, and thus to form our final estimate of the value of the hypothesis, and this whole proceeding I term induction”. Peirce recognized the abductive method of inference as the only logical operation to come up with new ideas. In examining the works of Johannes Kepler, he writes: “he [Kepler] found that the observed longitudes of Mars, which he had long tried in vain to get fitted with an orbit, were (within the possible limits of error of the observations) such as they would be if Mars moved in an ellipse. The facts were thus, in so far, a likeness of those of motion in an elliptic orbit. Kepler did not conclude from this that the orbit really was an ellipse; but it did incline him to that idea so much as to decide him to undertake to ascertain whether virtual predictions about the latitudes and parallaxes based on this hypothesis would be verified or not. This probational adoption of the hypothesis was an Abduction. An Abduction is Originary in respect to being the only kind of argument which starts a new idea.”. Because it is a form of presumptive thinking that is largely conjectural, abductive reasoning is a weak form of inference in itself in that it is not certain. However, it is the only step that can lead to innovative creativity, the ideas of which are consequently subjected to the filtering funnel of experimentation, made possible by the process of induction. Featured image: Sherlock Holmes and John Watson – Sidney Paget Illustrations AdvertisementsLOS ANGELES -- Grand Prix Entertainment, a Los Angeles-based sports and entertainment enterprise, announced Thursday it has named NFL Network as its exclusive U.S. broadcast partner for Grand Prixâs July 2013 professional rugby sevens championships in partnership with USA Rugby. âOn the heels of our recent announcements extending our exclusive partnership with USA Rugby through 2018 and then moving to secure AEG Facilityâs Home Depot Center as our venue partner, the important task of selecting the right U.S. broadcast partner was a key strategic priority and we could not be more pleased with the relationship we have formed with NFL Network,â said Grand Prix Sports Chairman Alan Rothenberg. âNFL Network is excited to work with Grand Prix Rugby to bring our fans professional rugby sevens championships featuring the top teams and players in the world,â said Mark Quenzel, Senior Vice President of Programming and Production for NFL Network. USA Rugby, an official member of the United States Olympic Committee as well as the Rugby World Cup's International Rugby Board, had previously awarded Grand Prix the exclusive rights to own, operate and globally broadcast the professional sport of Rugby Sevens, which was soon after named a new Olympic sport. William Tatham, Chairman of Grand Prix Entertainment, said of the announcement, âFrom day one NFL Network was our preferred network partner. We are excited NFL Network supports our vision for the sport of Rugby, which just so happens to be the âFather of American Football.ââ Nigel Melville, CEO of USA Rugby, was equally enthusiastic, saying, âWhen I came to the U.S. five years ago I believed Rugby could become a major U.S. professional sport. Olympic inclusion and now a broadcast partner in NFL Network takes USA Rugby and our partners at Grand Prix all that much closer to the dream.â GPE executive board member Neal Pilson, former president of CBS Sports who negotiated the carriage agreement, said, "NFL Network's live coverage of the Grand Prix Rugby Championship events will exceed any prior exposure of rugby on US television."Top 10 Most Overrated Players In Baseball (Part 2) Written By: Jared Roth Here are 10 players you may think are good. Analytics says otherwise. Click here to view part 1 (Players 10-6): http://thesportscrew.com/top-10-most-overrated-players-in-baseball-part-1/ 7-5. Past Their Prime (Continued) These players used to be valuable, but if you think they still are, you’re stuck in the past. 5. Prince Fielder (TEX/1B) Before the 2014 season, Prince Fielder was traded for Ian Kinsler in a 1-for-1 deal with some cash exchanging hands to help even out their salaries. Since that time, Kinsler has accumulated 12.8 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) for the Tigers. Prince Fielder’s WAR with Texas? -0.5! Now Kinsler is certainly an amazing player. But unfortunately for Fielder, he would not compare favourably with any position player in baseball right now. Fielder’s -1.8 WAR this season ranks second worst among all qualifiers. A perennial bottom-of-the-league defensive player with no speed, Fielder’s 63 Weighted Runs Created+ (wRC+) this season indicates that he has been 37% worse than the average hitter, and is evidence of a gigantic decline at the plate – his career mark is a sparkling 133. Fielder’s appalling.292 OBP this season (almost 100 points below his career average) is driven by a career worst 8.6% walk rate (BB%). His modest.123 Isolated Slugging Percentage (ISO), the difference between a player’s SLG and their AVG, demonstrates that Fielder’s power is not what it used to be. He has a mere 24 extra base hits (XBH) in 370 plate appearances (PAs). This guy can’t get on base, can’t hit for power, plays awful defense and has no speed. Prince Fielder has been the worst player in baseball so far this season. Sadly, Fielder won’t get an opportunity to improve on his substandard first half, as he is set to undergo season-ending fusion surgery on his neck that quite frankly puts his entire future in doubt. The aforementioned swap of all-stars in November 2013 is another huge feather in the cap of then Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski, and one the Rangers surely wish they could have back. 4-1. Not What They Seem Now here is where the list gets really good! We could sit here all day and list off names of old, slow players who’s best days are behind them. As fun as that would be, I find the top 4 players a much more interesting examination, and one with plenty more lessons about analytics in general. Here are 4 players who even most hardcore fans think are good, but who have certain flaws in their games that, according to analytics, drastically hinder their overall value. 4. Starlin Castro (NYY/2B) A red-hot April in which newly-acquired Starling Castro slashed.305/.345/.488 with a 122 wRC+ led many Yankees fans to believe they had found something special in the former Cub middle infielder. Prevailing wisdom was that Chicago had hindered his development by moving him around between positions, and that New York would receive production more similar to the 2.8 WAR, 117 wRC+ season Castro posted in 2014, and less like his 0.8 WAR, 80 wRC+ 2015 campaign (the year before he was traded for Adam Warren and Brendan Ryan). What a steal! This does not appear to be the case. The truth is that Castro really isn’t very good at anything in particular. A horrendous career 4.9 BB% leads to a modest.318 career OBP, despite a good.279 career AVG. He does not hit for much power either, evidenced by his.125 career ISO. Unsurprisingly, Castro’s 95 wRC+ indicates he’s been 5% worse than the average hitter since he entered the league in 2010. His speed has also heavily declined, as he has not posted double digit steals in a season since he stole 47 bags between 2011-2012, and only has 11 total since the start of 2014. Castro’s mundane offensive output was one thing when he was an above average defense player, but this year he has actually graded out slightly below average on defense. Considering this, Castro’s current WAR of 0.2 should not come as that much of a shock. Signed through 2019, one can’t help but wonder what the future will hold for the 26 year old Dominican player. The Yankees top two prospects according to MLB.com are both middle infielders: speedster Jorge Mateo who is currently in high A ball, and recently acquired Gleyber Torres, who, like Castro, is a former Cubs farm-hand. Torres was the centrepiece of the package traded in return for Aroldis Chapman. Additionally, two more of the Bronx Bombers’ top 10 prospects according to MLB.com are also middle infielders: Wilkerman Garcia, and Tyler Wade. On top of these kids in the system, Castro’s current double-play partner, Didi Gregorius, is enjoying a career year, especially at the plate. I, for one, am very curious to see what the Yankees middle-infield will look like in a few years time. 3. Jose Abreu (CWS/1B) This one may surprise some people, but the fact of the matter is that the prized Cuban defector is having an absolutely awful season. Believe it or not, Abreu’s -0.1 WAR over 98 games this season indicates that he’s been worse than a replacement level player. Career lows in AVG, OBP, and ISO lead to a wRC+ of 100 – Abreu has been exactly a league average hitter this season. Couple this with his far below average defense – Abreu’s 11.1 runs below average on defense ranks 7th worst of all qualifiers at any position, and lack of speed, and its easy to wonder what Abreu has contributed this year. The most highly regarded name on this entire list, Abreu would be ranked higher if it weren’t for the fact that this season is likely an anomaly in what is nonetheless going to be a great career. Abreu is still only 29. However, there are some metrics that indicate Abreu has truly gotten worse. His line drive rate (LD%), Hard Hit Ball Rate (Hard%), Pull Rate (Pull%), and Home Run to Fly Ball Ratio (HR/FB) have all regressed each season from his rookie year of 2014. Regardless of wether or not 2016 is just a big down year, it is incredibly interesting to note that even a player with the talent of Abreu can bring such little value to his team over such a large sample size. 2. Alcides Escobar (KC/SS) At first glance, one might think Alcides Escobar would be an analytics darling. He plays above average defense at a premium position and steals a ton of bases. According to some traditional offensive metrics, Escobar has also been a good hitter. He has a decent.262 career AVG, including 3 seasons where he hit.285 or better. He scored 150 runs between 2014 and 2015. He was even the leadoff hitter on a World Series championship team. But Escobar’s value is severely hurt by one very simple fact. The guy does
simple and is the least expensive most nutrient dense food in the grocery store, basically fruits and vegetables, beans and simple whole grains. Those are affordable staple foods and even on a food stamp budget (I know from experience) have been scientifically applauded for their health benefits. It’s important that we not be intimidated by all the health information nor swayed by all the different opposing views on what health is. A lot of it is simple common sense, if you will. We know a bag of chips isn’t a health food. We know that McDonald’s isn’t exactly a health food restaurant either. We can begin to take ownership and be ever vigilant in studying and learning all we can to educate ourselves on how to make healthier choices. Do your own research and take ownership for your health. To live a healthy life its not about always depending on the doctors and medications. One has to in essence become a lifelong student of your own holistic health so you can make wise choices for yourself and your families. Most graduating Doctors spend very little class time studying nutrition when getting their degrees. So they may have a lot of knowledge on surgery and medicine but few mainstream minded doctors are trained in Nutrition. They are trained to diagnose symptoms and prescribe medication, for the most part. However, a holistic nutritionist (as opposed to even a conventional nutritionist) is trained to help us understand the ways in which our food choices can help us heal and keep us healthy without the use of medicines and surgeries. As mentioned, its important to plan ahead and have a weekly goal and vision on the meals and needs your family has so that we are making less impulsive decision when hunger strikes and more pre-planned long term health affirming choices based on wise consideration and preparation before hand. When we cook in bulk for the week it’s one of the biggest helpers in saving money and eating less fast food and junk food. With realistic budgeting we can see what we really have to work with and choose consciously to value our health over things. Each season nature gives us plenty of fresh foods to nourish us in harmony with our environment and these foods are plentiful in there natural seasons so they are less expensive. And lastly, but not leastly, we need to realize that our taste buds are conditioned and can be re-conditioned. When we only eat for taste we become slaves to taste alone. And as we learn from seeing far to many of our relatives sick and miserable and overweight and diseased, eating for taste without regard to health leads to self destruction. We can eat healthy on a hood budget. We deserve the best and we can start living like we understand our value by choosing to adopt healthier habits. When the hood is strong, we are truly unstoppable. Salute!Pittsburgh, PA – On the heels of UPMC’s announcement that it does not have any employees whatsoever, lawyers for the healthcare giant argued today that the company does not exist at all and in fact is a lucid hallucination of the people of Pittsburgh. “If reality is simply a construct imagined by humans to place feelings and experiences into categorical order, then it stands to reason that UPMC is simply one of those imagined constructs,” said William Pietragallo, counsel for UPMC. “And there is nothing in the tax code of the City of Pittsburgh which requires ephemeral entities or illusory phantasms to be subjected to payroll taxes.” Lawyers for the opposition were baffled as Mr. Pietragallo proceeded to blow their minds. “I mean, think about it. I had a dream last night where I was getting chased through an old zoo by something. I think it was like a big ball. In that moment, it felt real. But I woke up today and it was gone,” he explained. “So what is real then? What if everything I’m saying right now is just something that I’m dreaming? Or what if this is all something you are dreaming?” “Whoa,” muttered Ronald Barber, attorney for the city. “What if?” Mr. Pietragallo continued. “What if our absolutely massive, profitable company is just being imagined by a little boy in another Universe or something? And when the kid gets done playing and imagining things, we all just disappear? Or what if we’re all in a big marble being thrown by a giant alien like at the end of Men in Black? Surely, you can’t forcibly tax UPMC’s ten billion dollar annual revenue if we’re all just rolling around in a cosmic marble!” Judge R. Stanton Wettick adjourned the court for the day, stating that before proceeding with counter arguments, it would have to be decided if “all this is even going on at all right now.” He then stared at his extended fingers for a prolonged amount of time. AdvertisementsLOS ANGELES — Two men pleaded guilty Thursday morning to a 2011 beating at Dodger Stadium that left San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow brain damaged and disabled. Defendant Marvin Norwood, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of assault likely to produce great bodily injury. CBS Los Angeles reports that he was sentenced to four years in prison. Co-defendant Louie Sanchez, 31, saying he kicked and punched Stow, pleaded guilty to one count of mayhem that disabled and disfigured the victim. He was sentenced to eight years. As part of the plea agreement, all other charges against the pair were dropped. Both were sentenced after Judge George Lomeli heard victim impact statements. Stow, a 45-year-old paramedic from Santa Cruz who attended the 2011 opening day baseball game in Los Angeles between the Dodgers and the Giants, was beaten nearly to death in a parking lot after the game. He suffered brain damage and is permanently disabled, requiring 24-hour-a-day care. Stow’s father, David, spoke to the defendants in court prior to sentencing. “What you did late in the evening, in the dark, was cowardly,” he said. “The years you cretins spend in prison is what you deserve.” According to CBS Los Angeles, Stow’s two sisters also spoke, with one reading a statement from the victim’s wife. The beating prompted public outrage and led to increased security at Dodgers' games. A civil suit by Stow is pending against the Dodgers organization and former owner Frank McCourt. Sanchez and Norwood, both of Rialto, were arrested after a lengthy manhunt that briefly involved the arrest of an innocent man. The two acknowledged their involvement during a series of secretly recorded jailhouse conversations. Norwood was recorded telling his own mother by phone that he was involved and saying, "I will certainly go down for it." The words the two men spoke in a jail lockup, unaware they were being recorded, were played at a preliminary hearing as they were ordered to stand trial on charges of mayhem and assault and battery. In a 12-minute conversation, Sanchez acknowledged he attacked a Giants fan, and Norwood said he had no regrets about backing him up. "I socked him, jumped him and started beating him," a transcript of the conversation quoted Sanchez as saying. He also apologized to Norwood for dragging him into the fight. "That happens, bro," said Norwood. "I mean, what kind of man would I have been if I hadn't jumped in and tried to help you." Witnesses at the hearing said Sanchez taunted Giants fans throughout the game. Two witnesses who attended the March 31, 2011, game told of being bothered by Sanchez, who was throwing peanuts and spraying soda on a woman in the bleachers. His sister testified that Sanchez was drunk. Corey Maciel, a fellow paramedic who came with Stow from Northern California to cheer for the Giants, told of seeing his friend attacked and throwing his own body over him to prevent further harm. "As soon as he was punched, he was unconscious and fell back on his head," Maciel testified. "He was unable to brace himself. I saw his head bounce off the concrete. I heard the crack." The assailant then kicked Stow in the head at least three times and again in the torso, according to the testimony. Maciel said he heard profanities and one person say, "(Expletive) the Giants. That's what you get." Last spring, Stow returned home after two years in hospitals and rehabilitation centers. His family said he requires constant physical therapy and remains severely disabled.For the first time, a national report by researchers at Emory University is providing a glimpse at the estimated number of transgender women who are living with an HIV diagnosis in several regions across the nation, including Central Florida. The numbers are most likely under-reported, local experts say, but still, they’re a first step toward drawing attention to HIV infection rates among transgender women, who have been historically marginalized in the society and continue to be at a high risk of infection. “Transgender people face multiple health disparities, and HIV is one of them,” said Dr. Patrick Sullivan, lead researchers for AIDSVu, an annual online HIV/AIDS report, which is one of the first to parse out the HIV infection numbers from federal and state data to find the impact on transgender women. “It’s important to make this issue visible.” The AIDSVu report, now in its seventh year, shows that overall, the rate of new HIV cases is dropping nationwide, but it also shows that Southern states like Florida continue to bear the greater burden of infections, reporting more than half of all new HIV diagnoses and deaths. In Central Florida, which remains one of the areas in the nation heavily affected by the virus, more than 11,000 people were living with HIV or AIDS in 2014, according to AIDSVu. Nearly 600 new cases of HIV were diagnosed in 2015 in the area. “When you dissect the numbers, you realize the situation doesn’t look that good,” said Dr. Edwin DeJesus, an infectious disease physician and medical director of the Orlando Immunology Center in downtown Orlando, who found the number of new HIV diagnoses alarming. Reflecting a national trend, African-Americans are disproportionately affected here, although they make up about 15 percent of the population. Nearly 40 percent of the new HIV cases between 2011 and 2015 were among African-Americans, compared with 29 percent in whites and 27 percent in Hispanics. For the first time, there’s also data on transgender women with HIV. In Florida, 167 transgender women are living with an HIV diagnosis as of 2014, the most recent year for which researchers could collect data; 33 of them are in Central Florida. “I personally think that number is low,” said DeJesus. “But I was happy to see that there’s data on transgender women that’s more scientifically collected and is not an estimate.” To calculate the numbers, AIDSVu researchers used data from forms that are used by the state in HIV testing. Starting in 2011, a new checkbox allowed providers to report whether patients were transgender. But it may be a few years before a complete pictures emerges. For one, there’s still no consistency in identifying and reporting patients as transgender. “Or it may be because we’re not testing them,” said Lindsay Kincaide, director of development at Two Spirit Health Services in Orlando. “They may not be getting tested for fear of discrimination or lack of access. And the other issue is inconsistency in reporting and whether they’re being lumped in with everyone who’s biologically a woman.” Here's where you can get a free HIV test on National HIV Testing Day » Meanwhile, what’s proven effective in the fight against HIV are prevention and early detection. “We need to empower all primary care providers to do routine HIV testing. All OB-GYNs should be doing routine testing,” said Kincaide. “And we need to provide free testing and continue to offer these tests where transgender women feel comfortable.” Educating individuals about pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, has also shown to reduce the risk of getting infected, but again, disparities continue when it comes to access and use of the medication. DeJesus said of the 550 people who are receiving PrEP prescriptions in his clinic, the number of African-Americans is in the teens. “Our fight to reduce the impact of HIV in the U.S. and among individuals at the highest risk is a long-term struggle,” said Sullivan. “We need to do our best to take care of people with HIV and get people into care.” nmiller@orlandosentinel.com, 407-420-5158, @naseemmiller More local health news headlines » Sign up for the weekly Health Report newsletter »Time has pretty much beaten me I’m afraid. So my preview of the junior events is going to be somewhat curtailed. Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup Holders: Eton College This has the makings of one of the best Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cups for years, the champions of Great Britain, the USA and Australia are all racing. The top half of the draw is massively stacked with St Pauls, Scotch College and Eton College. Scotch College are the Australian schoolboy champions, they raced at the Holland Beker last weekend finishing 2nd in the JM8 to the Dutch junior national squad. The posted a time of 5:40 which is brisk for any crew let alone a junior boat. They face St. Georges in the first round, winners of the 1st Fours at the National Schools. St Pauls are the reigning British National School’s Champions. Bobby Thatcher has put together an outstanding unit. They made the final of Championship 8’s at Marlow Regatta finishing 6th (beating the Elizabethan Ladies Plate crew in the process). Eton are the reigning champions and have half of that crew returning. At the National Schools Regatta they finished 2nd to St Pauls by under 2 seconds. With coach Alex Henshilwood stepping down from his position as head coach to become a Housemaster a victory in his last race would be a fitting send off. Gonzaga from the USA will also be confident of doing well in the bottom half of the draw, they finished 4th at the Youth Nationals – this is particularly noteworthy as they were the best placed school, the top three were all from youth club programmes. Radley College have a habit of peaking just at the right time for Henley. They finished 5th at the National Schools but Master in charge of Rowing and former Olympian Sam Townsend, has changed the line up and have found more speed in the last few weeks and finished 4th in Tier 2 8’s at Marlow. The top US school racing are Montclair from New Jersey. They’ve had an undefeated season so far this year winning the Stotesbury Cup, Scholatics and the National Schools Championship Regatta. My picks…any one of St Pauls, Eton, Scotch, Montclair or Gonzaga could win this. One of the best races could be a potential semi-final between Eton and St Pauls, whoever wins that will win the title. I’ve a sneaky feeling Eton will make it 5 wins in 9 years. The Fawley Challenge Cup Holders: Claires Court Boat Club 8 Selected crews in this event, all of whom get a bye through the first round. The first Selected crew are San Diego Rowing Club USA. They last raced at Henley in 2015 losing to finalists Nottingham in the early stages. At the Southwest Youth Championships they finished 3rd in the M4X. Leander are the next Selected crew, 2nd at the Schools Head, 2nd at the National Schools they will be looking to go one better at Henley and take their first win in the event for 15 years Malvern Prep from Pennsylvania were losing finalists in this event back in 2003. The 2017 crew arrive in Henley on the back of a win at the SRAA Championships. Windsor Boys are possibly the favourites in the event. Finalists in two of the last three years. Winners of the National Schools Regatta in both the Champ quads and the Champ doubles. They’ve raced for GB at the Munich Junior Regatta and the European Junior Championships. In the lower half of the draw the first Selected crew are the defending champions, Claires Court. 4th at the National Schools but have been improving since then with a win at the Metropolitan Regatta. Globe are the next Selected crew, 5th at Wallingford followed by 2nd at the Met and 3rd at Marlow. A potential quarter final against Claires Court beckons. Maidenhead are the 3rd of the Selected crews in the bottom half of the draw. Winners at the Schools Head of the River was followed by silver at the National Schools and a win at Marlow. The way the draw is looking they will be favourites to reach the final. The last of the Selected crews are The Tideway Scullers. A number of this crew have been involved with the GB system at the Munich Junior Regatta and placed 3rd at the Metropolitan Regatta and 5th at Marlow. My picks I’m going to plump for a Windsor v Maidenhead final with Windsor taking the win The Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup Holders: Gloucester 4 selected crews out of the 16 crews in the event. The first of the Selected crews are also possibly the favourites, Gloucester. They won Junior quads at Henley Women’s Regatta and were 4th at the National Schools. The 2nd Selected crew in the top half of the draw are the biggest threats to Gloucester, Headington School. They won by 10 seconds at the National Schools Regatta and raced in the Senior Quads at Henley Women’s Regatta, just losing out in the final to Tideway Scullers. Henley are the first of the Selected crews in the bottom half of the draw. Henley have an outstanding junior programme and were the first winners of this event back in 2012. 2nd at National Schools they made the semi-finals of Henley Women’s Regatta. The final Selected crew are Latymer Upper. Bronze medallists at the National Schools Regatta, they lost to Gloucester in the quarter finals of Henley Women’s Regatta. Outside of the selected crews the ones to watch include Beckett School – 5th in Champ 4X at National Schools Regatta. Also watch out for Isle of Ely, finalists at the Henley Women’s Regatta. My picks…a potential Headington v Gloucester semi looks to be a potential classic, whoever wins that will take the title. I’m going for a win for Ryan Demaine’s girls from Headington. So that’s it. My apologies the school events have been a bit cursory, but time has run out. I hoe you’ve enjoyed reading my previews, judging by the number of hits they do seem quite popular. Now to sit back and enjoy the racing and if you see a slightly frazzled Fatsculler at the regatta, and you’ve enjoyed reading these blogs maybe you could buy me a pint!! AdvertisementsAustralia's tech sector could be forgiven for regretting the welcomes it gave Malcolm Turnbull to the communications ministry in 2013. The Attorney-General's Department, in fact, seems to exercise more effective ministerial control over the telecommunications industry than its own minister. In 2013 it was argued that Turnbull understood his portfolio, having chaired ISP OzEmail in the 1990s, and he would surely be less combative than senator Stephen "red underpants" Conroy. The communications sector in particular felt the country was finally ending its long history of hapless and ineffective communications ministers. Aside from Michael Lee's brief tenure (1993-96), few would recall any notable successes among Ralph Willis (1988-1990), Kim Beazley (1990-91), John Kerin (1991), Graham Richardson (1991-92), Bob Collins (1992-93), Richard "world's biggest Luddite" Alston (1996-2003), Daryl Williams (2003-04), or Helen Coonan (2004-07). Today, Turnbull looks like just another in the long list of minions and sidekicks to inhabit the portfolio, with his preference for industry consultation over telco legislation ignored by parliamentary scheduling. With the publication of the Federal Government's legislative schedule for the spring parliamentary sessions, it's clear that consultation over the telecommunications national security legislation will be brief. That's in spite of a recent sixty-second assurance by Turnbull that the government would consult with industry. The legislation – the Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2015 – is onerous and (as is seen in the wash-up from similar laws in New Zealand) carries significant risks of unintended consequences. It requires carriers to provide documentation of their security arrangements if requested by the Secretary of the Attorney-General's Department. That department is not yet able to provide clear information about data retention implementation. The laws also allow the department to instruct carriers about their security arrangements, in spite of it exhibiting no suitable skills (in a separate scandal surrounding letters sent from a dangerous individual to George Brandis, the department has shown it isn't even skilled in the use of Microsoft Excel). The possible unintended consequences of the bill could, as looks likely in New Zealand, include accidentally stalling any rollout of software-defined networking, since carriers would have to get the okay from the department for changes to their internal networks. It should have been easy for a minister to argue against the legislation in Cabinet, and to at least get the government to actually meet its promised consultation. Instead, as happened with data retention and Internet site-blocking, Turnbull's previously-stated opinions and his assumed relationship with the tech sector have come to nought. From opposition, Turnbull strongly opposed the notion of any kind of internet filtering, and in government, he capitulated. From opposition, he strongly opposed the opposition Australian Labor Party's (ALP's) proposed communications data retention regime, and in government, he capitulated. In government, he promised consultation over the telecommunications national security laws, and in government, he capitulated. He's been unable to carry out the Prime Directive of most telecommunications ministers, the at-all-costs protection of Telstra, having tried not once but twice to intervene in ACCC access price deliberations and avoid a wholesale price cut. Even regulatory relief for a sector assaulted by three intrusive laws has been beyond Turnbull's influence in cabinet. The job of explaining that was left to the country's de-facto communications minister, Attorney-General George Brandis, whose department told The Register that the government has already cut the regulatory burden on the sector. Turnbull's only demonstrable success in government has been in executing one instruction: Tony Abbott's notorious demand that he demolish Labor's National Broadband Network. Turnbull isn't the only one on the outer: Australia's tech sector, having been defeated on telecommunications data retention by the spooks and site-filtering by the copyright sector, has now had its concerns about telecommunications security largely ignored. The history of abject humiliation for Australia's tech sector therefore continues. ®Well, it's become pretty clear to me that there is simply a hell of a lot of talent out there. Purdue has no doubt by now clearly identified it's top targets for the class of 2014. Which it sounds like the clock will be ticking very soon on their first commit. Keita Bates-Diop, Vincent Edwards, and Tyler Wideman appear to be the three closest to ending the recruiting process. There have been a couple other offers cast out there as well. Paul Turner still has a scholarship offer standing. Jabari Craig who I spoke about on twitter a couple weeks ago has an offer as well. I did spot him this past weekend but he never got a chance to play. As far as prospects that the Purdue staff watched this weekend other than the three mentioned above. They paid a great deal of attention to all of the Eric Gordon All-Star squad playing at the Adidas Invitational in Indianapolis. One prospect that really caught me off guard with how much he's improved just since the spring was Ryan Welage. A 6'8 skilled forward from the 2015 class with some nifty post moves and a pretty nice mid-range game. He went up against De'Ron Davis of the Colorado Hawks who just drew an Indiana offer. Davis is considered one of the top 2016 prospects nationally. Welage matched him well, hit a pull up three, crossed over well, and really took it hard inside. He's really a kid that seems to be coming around in his development. Definitely a kid to keep an eye on. To this point he said Indiana is the only place he has taken an unofficial visit. That is sure to change. Michael Benkert is another kid that had a coming out party so to speak. I really liked his game this spring but he has gotten much more aggressive in his offensive approach since then. At the time he seemed to be a kid that would make a play here or there and make you say...Damn, who's that? Now, he gets the ball and every time he touches it he's probing the defense in some way looking to score. He's an athletic 6'3 or 4ish kid that has a great sense how to put the ball in the hoop. Benkert made a visit to Purdue in mid June. Brennan Gillis of the EG10 program is another kid to watch in this loaded class. Physically, he's a freak. As a basketball player he reminds me a lot of Randy Gregory when he played along side Gary Harris. When he gets a rebound. It's his. He has some nice fundamentals that a lot of big kids don't have at his age. He keeps the ball up high to keep small guards from swiping the ball away. He's got a great motor and knows what his role is. His most impressive skill though is his ability to rebound in and out of his area. Height will be the only issue here. He's only 6'6 at this point. If he can squeeze out two more inches he could be looking at a whole different list of suitors in a couple years. I also got a good look at Basil Smotherman. He's a kid that has clearly had the light bulb turn on. His defense is better. He's more aggressive when he gets the ball. He's rebounding well. However, the best part of his game that has come around is his range beyond the arc. Smotherman has been shooting much better this year from everywhere. Talent has never been a question with him and it's great to see him beginning to scratch the surface of it. For those of you wondering about my opinion on the height I've seen him twice within about three weeks. I'm gonna say 6'6 without shoes. Trevor Thompson is another kid I've sorta been raving about for a few months now. It's pretty apparent that Purdue isn't going to take another kid for 2013. If they did, it would be for a year in prep school. This is a prospect that needs to be tracked. He's 6'11, runs and jumps like a deer, has a wingspan that just wipes away layups on about every possession. Just a name to remember for everyone in case something comes up. Purdue also followed the EG10 2014 class kids very closely as well. Bryant McIntosh, Sam Logwood, and Sean Sellers. Over the next week I'll go over several prospects Purdue has tracked over the first evaluation period leading up to the weekend. Some of those guys are Hyron Edwards, Bronson Kessinger, Gary Bonds, Chandler White, and KJ Walton. The 2015 class is so deep. Could be 9 or 10 kids go to high major schools. It's gonna be a fun summer of AAU coverage.Iraq Inquiry: White House lawyers ‘unable to find’ critical letter from Tony Blair to George Bush BelfastTelegraph.co.uk Tony Blair's letter to George Bush that is “critical” to the Iraq Inquiry has gone missing from official White House records. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/iraq-inquiry-white-house-lawyers-unable-to-find-critical-letter-from-tony-blair-to-george-bush-30284594.html https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/migration_catalog/article25740252.ece/9a600/AUTOCROP/h342/World%20News%2010-1.jpg Email Tony Blair's letter to George Bush that is “critical” to the Iraq Inquiry has gone missing from official White House records. The publication of secret correspondence between the UK and US administrations in the build-up to the Iraq War has become a major stumbling block for Sir John Chilcot’s inquiry into the 2003 invasion. While the Cabinet Office has said privately that it wants to release as many of the Blair-Bush communications as possible, there is one letter which lawyers at the White House say they have “not been able to locate”. The letter, which was quoted from directly in Andrew Rawnsley’s book The End of the Party following interviews with David Manning, Blair’s foreign policy advisor, and Sir Christopher Meyer, then Britain’s ambassador to the US, predates the March 2003 Commons vote on whether Britain was to go to war. In its opening sentence, Mr Blair is said to have told the US President: “You know, George, whatever you decide to do, I'm with you.” The letter was reportedly hand-delivered by Manning to Bush’s national security adviser Condoleezza Rice. Yet according to reports in the Mail on Sunday, a British source involved in the ongoing efforts to get the Bush-Blair records released said: “The lawyers are taking months to evaluate the letters and decide whether to release them. “However, they claim not to have been able to locate the ‘with you whatever’ letter.” Though Mr Blair said after 9/11 that Britain stood “shoulder to shoulder” with the US, and in 2011 he told Chilcot that he had been quite open about his support for Bush in dealing with Saddam Hussein, he denied the “with you whatever” wording. And more than three years after the inquiry completed its public hearings, the letter has been described as “absolutely critical” among all the correspondence in determining whether or not Mr Blair gave Mr Bush a “blank cheque” on Britain’s cooperation. Meanwhile, David Cameron said it was “frustrating” that the publication of the inquiry has been so delayed, and said that the public “want to see the answers of the inquiry”. The House of Commons Public Administration Committee described the delay as “very serious” and its chairman, Bernard Jenkin, has written to the Cabinet Office demanding an explanation for the hold-up. The report could prove difficult for Labour in the build-up to the 2015 general election. The inquiry has previously said that it submitted 10 requests to the US to publish material, including 200 cabinet-level discussions, 25 notes from Mr Blair to Mr Bush and more than 130 records of conversations between either Mr Blair or Gordon Brown and Mr Bush. There are reportedly several thousands of documents involved, and lawyers must determine not only whether details could harm national security and foreign policy objectives, but also whether publishing secret letters between a UK prime minister and US president could have an impact on the “special relationship” in future. Following the completion of his inquiry, Sir John also began a process known as “Maxwellisation”, under which individuals facing criticism may respond before publication, and which may also be leading to delays. Radio 4’s Today programme reported that the Cabinet Office said the process would be concluded “as quickly as possible”. Source: Independent Belfast Telegraph DigitalI just received my paper copy of the C.Crane catalog in the mail and noticed an announcement for their latest shortwave portable, the CC Skywave. Here is the catalog description: “The Skywave is the ultimate travel radio with great AM/ FM, Shortwave, Aviation and Weather. Performance is excellent and it is small and easy to use. Stuck at the airport and nobody will tell you why? How about using a radio to tune into the control tower or the ground crew? If you are a bit paranoid it is good to know that nobody can track your radio listening! Using a smart phone in another country is very expensive. With this radio you will learn more about the country you are in and the wonderful programs they have to offer.” I hope to get a radio for review as soon as production units begin to ship in January. I’m always looking for the ultimate travel radio. Update: Click here to read a full review of the CC Skywave. Related1. What is an SSL certificate? You might ask Well, SSL is an acronym for Secure Sockets Layer. It’s a small data file or security protocol utilized to safeguard data between two computer systems or machines using encryption. Today, many websites and e-commerce platforms use SSL certificates to ensure their customer data is safe. An SSL certificate may sound Greek to you, but it’s something you see every day when you search things online. An SSL certificate appears on the left side of your internet browser, and it’s characterized by a padlock, a browser bar changing to green, and the https protocol. All this indicate that the website is using SSL encryption. 2. What can happen to e-commerce websites that don’t use SSL encryptions? If an online business person hasn’t installed an SSL certificate on their e-commerce store, spies and hackers can easily steal customer’s personal information, such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details.If you are a recent college grad who believes that your greatest challenge is to find a job, you’re right. Yet, you have a more immediate challenge: writing a resume that will land you an interview for that job. Our resume writing tips will help you write a winning resume that gets results! Without a well-written resume, your odds of getting an interview are greatly diminished. College activities, prior job experience, and volunteer work are treasure troves of information waiting for you to share them through your resume. A mere list of those experiences isn’t enough — you must provide the details that employers are looking for. Keep reading to learn the secret of the best resumes! A Resume Only A Mother Could Love You have probably already taken a shot at writing your own resume; how similar is it to the example below? OBJECTIVE: To gain employment with The Corner Record Shop. EXPERIENCE: I have a deep appreciation and passion for music I have played guitar for two years I have taken Algebra and Trigonometry and am proficient in interpreting data This resume, written by a fourteen-year-old boy (let’s call him “Dave”), shares a lot in common with those written by adults. The most prominent detail about this resume isn’t its brevity; rather, it’s all the information that’s amiss. Why does he want a job at the Corner Record Shop? What kinds of specific skills does he have? What if Dave’s resume read something like this: Objective: To share my love of music with others in a record shop near home. Experience Relevant Experience Intermediate-level guitarist who practices guitar technique and improvisation up to 10 hours per week Lead and Rhythm Guitarist in the high school rock band Proficient at the identification of patterns in mathematical data Study and Research Studied the history of the Blues and its influence on American popular music through a combination of internet, local library resources, and interviews with local musicians Currently study jazz music theory and improvisation for guitar through an online course Studied Algebra and Trigonometry in high school, with a 3.5 GPA in both classes After some revision, we now know some valuable details about who Dave is as a person. He is a creative, analytic person with a passion for music. An employer might see Dave as a creative problem-solver. Dave also possesses a high level of self-discipline. He also sets and attains goals through consistent effort. All in all, Dave is a hard-working kid that gets results from his efforts. Who wouldn’t want a employee like Dave? How is your resume one that only a mother could love? Learn the resume writing tips to transform it into something HR managers and recruiters love! Learn more about how to write a great resume Entry Level Jobs are an Important Source of Skills and Experience Remember your first job? Take a moment and think about what you did on that job. What kind of impression did it make on you? What skills did you learn while working that first job? How were you an asset to your employer? Ask yourself questions like these about each job you have held and write the answers down. Buried in those prior jobs are details about you that employers need to know about. Spend some time to recall your past jobs and write down what kind of work you did. Note the skills you gained, and what you contributed to each job. Liz Ryan, Founder and CEO of Human Workplace, shared a bit of wisdom in this Forbes article: “You have to make it clear what you’re all about — and you have to do it quickly! Most readers won’t look at a resume for more that a few seconds.” Ryan goes on to recommend the creation of a summary that “will create a frame around your background and your career plans.” Excellent advice from a pro whose career path wound from opera singer to CEO of her own company. What if you never held a job? Don’t worry — we have some resume writing tips just for you! Learn About Our Fast Track Resume Services What If I Don’t Have Any Job Experience? Even if you haven’t held a job before, you have other experiences to draw from, such as volunteer work. Volunteering is often overlooked, to the detriment of college graduates like yourself. Volunteer positions often require the ability to perform specific tasks. Skills gained through volunteer work can help a college grad land their first job. What kind of volunteer experience do you have? Break it down into marketable skills to include in your resume. Be sure to include how you brought improvement through the efforts you made as a volunteer. Let’s revisit Dave’s resume and update it to reflect his recent graduation from college. While we’re at it, let’s add the experience he has gained as an unpaid assistant to the Music Director where he graduated college: Professional Profile Detail oriented, collaborative Music Composer and Arranger with proven success interacting with other musicians. Worked with Music Director to create ensemble arrangements for performance. Fostered a focused, professional environment which emphasized collaboration and communication between musicians. Experience Managed up to four ensembles through the promotion of standardized approaches to the study and practice of ensemble arrangements Developed a system that streamlined ensemble instruction and practice of arrangements. The result was an increase from two ensembles to four without hiring extra staff Collaborated with ensemble musicians to adapt practice regimens for optimal performance results Created original arrangements of jazz standards for ensemble performance Analyzed current student participation in jazz ensembles and worked to increase participation. Evaluated student schedules and participation in other college activities. Increased student participation through a scheduled that based on student availability. Wow — Dave has grown into a well-rounded music professional with highly employable skills! Resume Writing Tips for the Digital Age A lot of job searches are conducted online, both by job seekers and recruiters. This means that your resume needs to be seen by search engines. In this blog post, Alison Doyle, CEO of Career Toolbelt and Job Search expert at The Balance, offers great advice on how to make your
financial as well, costing the U.S. about $209 billion a year, said Jessica Reyes, an economist at Amherst College. The bill includes everything from direct medical costs to a heightened need for special education classes and incarcerations for violent crime, which also correlates with higher lead exposure. The ongoing trouble with lead exposure is not to be confused with lead poisoning, which has dropped significantly in developed countries, including the U.S. The latter condition is caused by acute exposure at high concentrations, which can occur from eating lead paint chips. But all the other problems “are more like chronic diseases that build over time,” said A. Russell Flegal of the University of California, Santa Cruz. “We need to start thinking about the risks in that way.” Lead is still prevalent in our environment for many reasons. Because lead does not degrade, heavy emissions from the past accumulate in soil. Winds, especially during drought—like that afflicting the Midwest for the past year or so—kick it up as dust, and runoff from heavy rains and flooding can re-suspend the particles in the atmosphere. Trees take up soil particles, too, but when forests burn in wildfires, as has been occurring more frequently worldwide with global warming in recent years, that lead is released back into the air. Fires also release lead from old houses and buildings coated with lead paint that was applied prior to the U.S. ban. Lead smelting and refining is still an enormous industry worldwide, sending more of the metal into the environment. Aviation gas used in planes still contains lead. Lead is still present in drinking water in many communities, where it can leach from lead pipes in homes, apartment buildings and municipal water system, or from brass fittings or solder used in plumbing. Another 25,000 to 30,000 tons of lead enters the U.S. environment each year from hunting and shooting-range ammunition, fishing-line weights, discarded batteries and electronic waste, said Mark Pokras at Tufts University. Coal-burning power plants in developed nations also generate some lead in emissions and more so in ash, and the steep rise in coal power in China has boosted levels worldwide because regulations are more lax. Larger lead particles fall to the ground within about 200 meters of the source (including tailpipes, by the way), but the smaller particles, about 0.5 micron in size, can remain airborne for a week before they settle out. According to Flegal, lead particles from China have been found in rainfall in Santa Cruz, Calif. Many steps can be taken nationwide to further reduce lead levels. Tougher emissions laws can be imposed. Lead paint, still sold in China, for example, can be banned in that country, or for import by other countries. Lead pipes and old lead paint can be removed. A high tax could be imposed on products containing lead, and lead in ammunition and fishing weights could be replaced with substitutes—although materials such as tungsten have not performed well in bullets. A different view about prevention is needed, too. For years, U.S. regulators have focused primarily on reducing lead poisoning, and they have succeeded. “So now we have to stop thinking about the problem as a small number of people who have an acute exposure, and start thinking about the problem as a large number of people who have a chronic exposure,” Schwartz said. Cost analyses might help push regulators into action, Reyes said. “Perhaps we will find that an X-amount of reduction in lead exposure equates with an X-amount of rise in test scores” [which has been shown in Massachusetts], she said. “Or perhaps we will find that a certain amount of reduction equates with a certain reduction in health-care costs.”We were intrigued by the Phonebloks concept phone that teased the ability to switch out a handset's components the way most users change ringtones, and now Motorola is putting its resources behind it. In what Motorola calls Project Ara, the advanced Technology and Products group is working with Phonebloks creator Dave Hakkens on an "endoskeleton (endo) and modules." Announced this evening on the company blog by Paul Eremenko, the company says it's already "done deep technical work" and is opening the process up to the community and volunteers (aka Ara Scouts, sign up here) to begin designing hardware modules. Its stated goal is to do for hardware what it says Android has done for software: create a vibrant third-party developer ecosystem, lower the barriers to entry, increase the pace of innovation, and substantially compress development timelines." Suggestions for modules include the phone's CPU, display, extra battery, external sensors or anything else one can think of. The timeline currently points to a Module Developer's Kit (MDK) release this winter, while those volunteers can expect an exclusive discount when the product launches and the 100 most active are getting free phones. Hakkens has described his design as a "phone worth keeping" -- with the ability to upgrade piece by piece and (hopefully) never experience obsolescence again we'd call this idea a phone definitely worth building.One day, driving to a mall in the suburbs with my mother, I was pulled over by a police officer from a long line of cars crawling at 50 in a 60-mile-per-hour zone. He chastised me for not knowing I was in a construction area with reduced speeds. Fair enough, but when I went to the municipal court to pay the ticket, the clerk saw the charges, laughed and dismissed them. “He didn’t even write the speed you were going at!” he said. I had suspected this. It had felt very much — from the tone, the pointed selection, the boredom — like harassment. There were subtler forms of racism too, so-called micro-aggressions. At a party hosted by a painter, a man turned to me — after asking everyone at the table about their professions — and said, flatly, “Let me guess, you’re in tech, right?” It was a gathering of artists; his own partner ran an art institute. When I responded that he was stereotyping — I am a novelist — he balked. The other people at the table, all white, pretended nothing had happened and steered the conversation elsewhere. This kind of denial of racism was common behavior in Austin. People here were so attached to their idea of a liberal city that they couldn’t see that it was strikingly segregated; that, till the 1970s, Austin had promoted a policy of segregation, pushing African-Americans and Hispanics to the East Side. They were now being weeded out of that area by gentrification (among the 10 fastest-growing major American cities, Austin is the only one losing its black population). History was not important; self-celebration and branding were. I also realized I had no idea how I was being viewed in this red state. As a would-be terrorist? A bright engineer? A job-stealing immigrant? An American? I learned to swallow these questions. There were many people and things I liked about Austin and I let these hurts vanish. But they have come flooding back in the first months of the Trump presidency. A few weeks ago, a white man shot two Indian engineers in Olathe, Kan., killing one of them. He thought they were Iranians. Early this month, a white man in Kent, Wash., shot a 39-year-old Sikh man in the arm, telling him, “Go back to your own country.” These attackers, it turned out, knew not the first thing about Indians; they knew nothing about Islam. They knew only their hate. But I was reminded that America, which is an inward country, often breeds people who are only interested in things that reflect back on themselves. Ignorance about outsiders is a deeper American malaise. The gunmen’s crimes are crimes not of looking, but of looking furiously away.Information for tourists Be Smart. Be Safe. Ignore streetdealers. City of Amsterdam launched a campaign targeting young foreign visitors. The campaign is a collaboration between the City of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Marketing, Jellinek Prevention and the Amsterdam Police Department. The aim is to warn them for street drug dealers, the fake, possibly dangerous, drugs they try to sell and for the intimidation and robbing that goes along with it. These streetdealers operate in the city center at so called ‘Tourist hotspots’. They target young male visitors in order to seperate them from their friends to try to make the deal, or in some cases to rob them. These street dealers are intimidating and can be voilent. Amsterdam is a fun, free-spirited city. But, like any other city, it’s important to be street smart. Ignore street dealers: watch and share the video! Be Smart. Be Safe. Ignore streetdealers. Dutch drug policy The Netherlands is known for its tolerant policies on drugs. Many people don’t realise that drugs are officially illegal in the Netherlands. Understanding Dutch drug policy can save you a lot of problems. Since 1976 the narcotics act has distinguished between drugs that pose unacceptable risks to public health (hard drugs like heroin, cocaine, ecstacy and amphetamines) and hemp products (soft drugs, specifically hashish and marijuana). Possession, dealing, sale, production and most other acts involving any drug are punishable by law, unless performed for medical, veterinary, instructional or scientific purposes (and then only on permission). So bringing drugs into a club or a bar is also prohibited. You’ll be searched by security at the entrance. If you’re found to be carrying drugs, you could be handed over to police. At dance events, plainclothes security agents may be walking around to spot people taking drugs. The Dutch government has formulated a drug policy that tolerates cannabis smoking under strict conditions. It is permitted in coffeeshops. You must be 18 years of age to enter a coffeeshop and your ID will be checked. In some regions, non-residents are not allowed to buy cannabis. Visitors should keep in mind that most venues other than coffeeshops do not allow soft drugs to be consumed on their premises. In other words, you may not smoke cannabis in clubs or bars, even in smoking areas. back to top Drug potency and drugs testing in the Netherlands If you buy drugs in the Netherlands, you should be keenly aware that the potency of the drugs can differ a great deal from the strength of drugs in your own country. In other words, you never know how strong your purchased drugs will be. If you are trying drugs for the first time or don’t have much experience, be extra careful. We advise you to take a lower dose than you would take in your home country. If you are staying in Amsterdam for more than a week, you can get your drugs tested anonymously at the Jellinek or GGD Amsterdam drug testing service. Drugs you submit to them are analysed in a laboratory. For some pills such as ecstasy which can be matched to those in our database, there is a 50% chance you will get the results on the same day. Jellinek Website Jellinek Address Jacob Obrechtstraat 92 1071 KG Amsterdam Details Every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday between 5 and 8.30 PM. You can call in for the results on Thursdays between 6.30 and 8.30 PM. Phone +3120-5901590 Costs €2,50 for each sample GGD Amsterdam Website GGD Amsterdam Address Valckenierstraat 4 1018 XG Amsterdam Details Every Monday and Tuesday between 5 and 8.30 PM. You can call in for the results on Thursdays between 6.30 and 8.30 PM. Phone +3120-5555450 Costs €2,50 for each sample For more detailed information on how drugs checking works check the info in on this page: Why do they test drugs in the Netherlands and how does it work? You can also check the English info on the website of Unity, the alcohol and drugs information project in the Dutch party scene. back to top Emergency services Many people get so ill from their first experiences with cannabis that they phone the emergency number 112 and summon an ambulance. They may feel panicked or nauseous; they fear they’ll never get better. If you feel like that, you should first find a quiet place and eat something sweet. Usually the worst will be over within an hour’s time. In 2012, ambulances were called 517 times for people who had consumed too much cannabis. Most were tourists who had smoked hash or weed or eaten spacecake. Doctors also kept track of their symptoms. Most patients were suffering from serious physical distress, and many were experiencing nausea, heart palpitations or psychosis. Some had suffered falls after consuming hash or weed, as your blood pressure drops if you suddenly stand up when on cannabis. Drugs also interfere with your coordination and motor functions. Dutch marijuana generally contains more THC than the dope sold in other countries. Its THC content can also vary greatly. If you’ve taken more drugs than you can deal with, consult coffeeshop or club staff or first aid professionals (at large events, look for the EHBO stand) or phone 112. For serious alcohol- or drug-related emergencies, you should get to a hospital accident and emergency deparment immediately. Although possession of both hard and soft drugs is illegal in the Netherlands, it is not against the law to TAKE drugs. Always be honest about your drug consumption when you’re at an emergency department so they will know exactly what treatment you need. Your health is the most important thing. Doctors will not hand you over to the police. back to top Prepare & repair Sleep to reset your mind. Make sure you’ve had enough sleep before you go out at night. Listen to your body, and to your brain: know what you can and cannot handle. Think for yourself, care about others. Stay together and make sure you’re surrounded by people you trust. Make mutual agreements and keep each other informed. Stay safe and don’t drive after drinking or taking drugs. Going to a club or dance event? Check out the information on the website of Unity, the alcohol and drugs peer information project in the Dutch party scene: http://www.unity.nl/drugs-abc/info-in-english. back to top 15.04.2016Moreover, this year some 14 states began to consider legislation to create public banks similar to the longstanding Bank of North Dakota; 15 more began to consider some form of single-payer or public-option health care plan. Some of these developments, like rural co-ops and credit unions, have their origins in the New Deal era; some go back even further, to the Grange movement of the 1880s. The most widespread form of worker ownership stems from 1970s legislation that provided tax benefits to owners of small businesses who sold to their employees when they retired. Reagan-era domestic-spending cuts spurred nonprofits to form social enterprises that used profits to help finance their missions. Recently, growing economic pain has provided a further catalyst. The Cleveland cooperatives are an answer to urban decay that traditional job training, small-business and other development strategies simply do not touch. They also build on a 30-year history of Ohio employee-ownership experiments traceable to the collapse of the steel industry in the 1970s and ’80s. Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content, updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. Further policy changes are likely. In Indiana, the Republican state treasurer, Richard Mourdock, is using state deposits to lower interest costs to employee-owned companies, a precedent others states could easily follow. Senator Sherrod Brown, Democrat of Ohio, is developing legislation to support worker-owned strategies like that of Cleveland in other cities. And several policy analysts have proposed expanding existing government “set aside” procurement programs for small businesses to include co-ops and other democratized enterprises. If such cooperative efforts continue to increase in number, scale and sophistication, they may suggest the outlines, however tentative, of something very different from both traditional, corporate-dominated capitalism and traditional socialism. It’s easy to overestimate the possibilities of a new system. These efforts are minor compared with the power of Wall Street banks and the other giants of the American economy. On the other hand, it is precisely these institutions that have created enormous economic problems and fueled public anger. During the populist and progressive eras, a decades-long buildup of public anger led to major policy shifts, many of which simply took existing ideas from local and state efforts to the national stage. Furthermore, we have already seen how, in moments of crisis, the nationalization of auto giants like General Motors and Chrysler can suddenly become a reality. When the next financial breakdown occurs, huge injections of public money may well lead to de facto takeovers of major banks. And while the American public has long supported the capitalist model, that, too, may be changing. In 2009 a Rasmussen poll reported that Americans under 30 years old were “essentially evenly divided” as to whether they preferred “capitalism” or “socialism.” A long era of economic stagnation could well lead to a profound national debate about an America that is dominated neither by giant corporations nor by socialist bureaucrats. It would be a fitting next direction for a troubled nation that has long styled itself as of, by and for the people.It’s so dark, it makes wrinkled tinfoil appear flat. The darkest shade of black isn’t a pigment at all — it’s a material called Vantablack that’s made up of billions of carbon nanotubes clustered together, and it reflects so little light that were you to spread it over a piece of wrinkled tinfoil, the wrinkles would disappear. That’s because Vantablack absorbs almost all light reflected onto it, which robs the human eye of the ability to perceive depth. Vantablack has been around since 2014, but Surrey NanoSystems, the British company that produces Vantablack, announced last week that it’s now available in a spray form called S-VIS. And although there’s no explicit use for it yet, the company’s chief technology officer told the New York Times its prospective uses include “ultrablack coatings (think camouflage technology), wiring in microchips, enhancing the strength of components in the aerospace industry, touch screens” and “ultralight wiring, to name a few.” But Vantablack is also making waves in the art world — Anish Kapoor, the sculptor who designed Chicago’s Cloud Gate, recently secured exclusive rights to the material, much to other artists’ chagrin. “The material is astonishing, so deeply black that your eyes can’t really see it at all,” Kapoor told Dazed. “It’s like staring into the kind of black hole found in outer space.” In making that claim, however, Kapoor seems to misinterpret exactly what Vantablack does. The material itself, and objects covered in it, are perfectly visible to the naked eye. “You can see it just fine,” said Dr. Qasim Zaidi of the SUNY College of Optometry. “If I cut a circular patch out of this material, you will see that it’s a black circular patch. What you can’t see are variations inside it: folds, wrinkles, other shapes. There’s no shading to tell you what’s going on.” Still, Vantablack is “a pretty amazing material,” Zaidi said. “We see things because of the shading on them, but Vantablack takes away that shading. It reflects less than one-third of a hundredth of a percent of light shone at it.” Zaidi is quick to say he’s not a physicist, so he can’t explain the exact mechanism behind Vantablack’s powers of absorption, but he posits it’s because the nanotubes it’s made up of are so tiny. “They’re about as thick as a wave of light, which is less than one millionth of a meter, so they can guide light,” he said. “My suspicion is that they guide light down themselves, and it never comes back out.” Kapoor, who’s known for working with reflections, planes, and voids, has reportedly been working with Vantablack since it was first created. And although he has yet to unveil a work that incorporates the material, Zaidi suspects he’ll use it to make curved surfaces appear flat. “It’ll be completely disorienting,” he said. “It’s not an easy material to work with.”Visualization. It’s a part of our everyday life. It might be through imagination or from a real-life event that fulfills our realm of energy… gaining traction on our sense of projection. The first method is to deprive yourself of your regular sleep cycle. If you usually go to sleep at 1 a.m. — then tonight you should stay up until 4 a.m. and then fall asleep. When 4 a.m. arrives, grab a novel or a book of some sort. Turn to a random page (synchronicity might play a part in this). Once you find a page, find a passage that relates to your current situation. Recite this passage up to 50 times… eventually finding yourself closing your eyes while interpreting the wordplay. This is the book and passage I’ve chosen. Reciting the passage should become a constant movement within the memory you’re projecting. Once you have completed, you should get ready to quote the passage until you fall to sleep in your bed… etc. This might help you astral project easily tonight. Be sure you’ve tried these 6 Tips to Improve your Astral Projection This is an official PROJECT ASTRAL article. – Press Graye WANT EXCLUSIVE RESEARCH INTO MYSTICISM & ASTRALPROJECTION SENT TO YOU MONTHLY? BECOME A SUPPORTER FOR ONLY $10 A MONTH. https://www.patreon.com/projectastral Advertisements(Two Caucasian customers, wearing sweatshirts from a local university, walk in to our Chinese restaurant.) Me: “Welcome to [Name] Chinese restaurant. What can I get for you?” Customer #1: “I’m here to pick up an order for [Name].” Me: “I’m sorry, but you asked for delivery when you placed the order. The food left for [address] 15 minutes ago.” Customer #1: “Ouch. Can you have the driver come back?” Me: “The driver has two other deliveries, so it will be another half an hour.” Customer #1: “I don’t want to wait that long. Tell the driver to give it to one of the homeless people near [University].” (At this point, Customer #2, who has been silent the whole time, starts screaming.) Customer #2: to Customer #1 “Yo, man. I want my food. Make this a*-hole give me some food!” to me* “Jap b**, give me my godd* food. Didn’t the A-bomb teach you b******s some respect?” (Customer #2 then makes a number of additional ethnic slurs against the Japanese.) Bystander: “Hi, there. I’m sorry to interrupt your tantrum, but I’ve had enough of it and I’d like for you to leave.” Customer #1: “I’m sorry. I have no idea what’s gotten into him.” Customer #2: “I’m not leaving without my food. You can’t make me leave. You’re not the manager!” Bystander: “You’re right. I can’t make you leave the restaurant. I can, however, make you leave [University], being that I’m the provost.” (Customer #2 goes pale and bolts out of the restaurant!)12 THINGS WE SHOULD CHANGE IN MLB SOON By Jim Bowden SiriusXM Baseball Analyst Major league baseball has made great strides under the leadership of Commissioner Rob Manfred to improve the game and as long as he’s in that position we can expect that to continue throughout his tenure. He has a strong working relationship with Tony Clark and the MLB Players Association and hoping together they’ll continue to be aggressive in making the game game better. Here are 12 suggestions some simple some drastic that I think both sides should consider implementing: 1 PENALTIES NEED TO INCREASE FOR PED POSITIVE TESTS The Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment program between the MLB Players Association and the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball to the best of everyone’s knowledge is working and the most stringent of all professional leagues in the world. However, that hasn’t stopped all =star caliber players from using as proven last year by the Miami Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon and this year by the Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Starling Marte. All this tells me is the penalties aren’t stiff enough for players to not take the gamble and try to improve their game by cheating artificially. Therefore, the time has come for two small changes to the policy. First, we need to change the first offense which is presently an 80 game suspension to one full year based on the first day served on the suspended list and no post-season appearances in a year a suspension is served. Therefore, if the suspension bleeds into a second year he misses two post seasons. Second, a player on a multi-year contract gets his contract changed to a non-guaranteed contract, giving the club to release the player before the next year of the contract with only 30 days termination pay if the club desires to make that move. Third, a second violation will result in a life time ban from the sport. The game needs to stop its stars from cheating and making the penalties tougher like this will get the sport much closer to PED free. 2. THROWING AT PLAYERS HEAD SUSPENSIONS SHOULD GO FROM 4 TO 30 GAMES This past week the Commissioner’s office suspended Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes for 4 games for throwing near the head of the Orioles Manny Machado in retaliation of Machado’s hard slide into Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia. The slide was clean and the retaliation was uncalled for. I’m not sure whether Barnes was instructed to throw at Machado by his Manager or not but I am sure Pedroia knew nothing about it nor did he condone the decision. Barnes said he didn’t meant to throw at his head, but he did mean to throw at Machado which is something the game doesn’t need anymore. Players are making tens of millions of dollars and to see a player lose his career, eye sight or brain to retaliate for some base running slide is just plain stupid, sad, ridiciculous and archaic thinking. Shame on Red Sox leadership if they ordered it, shame on Barnes for throwing it regardless if anyone asked him to. However, we all understand that’s part of “old school” thinking, so instead of debating this with the Rich Gossage’s Bob Gibson and fans of those generations, let’s just fix it for this generation. Give the Commissioner discretionary power here and let him do his thing. If they think a player purposedly threw at baseball at or near someone’s head a 30-game suspension without pay will help discourage this behavior in the future. 3. IMPLEMENT ROBOT HOME PLATE UMPIRES AS SOON AS TECHNOLOGY ALLOWS For years we’ve heard the importance of human element in umpiring and the need to keep it in the game, which I agree with. MLB has done a nice job of keeping the umpires relevant while helping improve their job with the use of technology and instant replay. It’s been such a huge success that I no longer wake up in the morning having to plan on how I’m going to rip Angel Hernandez or Joe West on my multitude of radio shows. In fact, I haven’t even mentioned their names all season which tells you how well instant replay is working. However, I can’t say the same for C.B. Bucknor, which tells me we’ve made real progress but still need to go all the way as soon as we can. Strike zones are so inconsistent from umpire to umpire, game to game, pitch to pitch, that we might as well prepare now for robots calling the balls and strikes to precision. Now don’t get me wrong, I want to keep the umpires to orchestrate the robots, computers, laser beams and all the technology we about to use, I just want to get all the calls right not just most of them so the right teams win the games. 4. CHANGE EARLY SEASON SCHEDULE TO WARM CLIMATES AND REDUCE INTRA DIVISON GAMES Warm weather April schedules and balanced schedule less game in division 18 to 12 Every year in early April when the major league season opens we get freezing temperatures, snow outs and rain outs. And, many times I will look up to see which games gets called off and it’s a California, Florida or Texas team that gets postponed because of weather while playing in Minnesota, Detroit, Boston, Philadelphia or New York. There is just no reason this has to happen. I would like to see starting next year that the team in the south and and west that normally has dry, warm weather host the majority of the game in the first 10 games of the season to help combat the often times poor weather in the north and north east. In addition, I’d like to see a schedule philosopy change and instead of playing each team in your own division 18 times, I’d like to see it reduced to 12 so teams aren’t playing each other quite as much as they are presently. I think it’s important to try and make sure teams in their own division have similar schedules with each other, but there is just too much intra division play. Give the fans the opportunities to see more teams during the season. 5. ALIGN PLAYER STATITISTICS & ANALYTICS WITH MLB FRONT OFFICES For years major league baseball front offices have ignored antiquated statistics like pitchers, wins and hitters batting average and yet most media and fans still talk about those statistics as if they’re important. Even the fantasy baseball world for the most part are using these archaic stats. It’s time for the major league baseball 30 general managers to get together a committee of 5, and put together the most important stats and analytics that fans need to know and through their media partners get this conveyed to the fans especially the young generation of fans so they can grow up with the same knowledge and understanding the front offices do. This past week Chris Sale pitched 8 innings of shutout baseball against the Toronto Blue Jays striking out 13 and walking just one. Craig Kimbrel relieved Sale, blew the saved two innings gave up a run and got the win not Sale. Really? I can spend hours going through all the nebulous and nonsensical stats we all talk about that we shouldn’t but instead of arguing or debating how about we just educate the public and use exactly what the 30 clubs front offices are using? In this day and age of transparency, we’re certainly not doing a service to the young fans of the support by promoting stats no one in the game pays attention to anymore. 6. EXPAND BY TWO TEAMS IN DECEMBER OF 2018 IN MONTREAL & LAS VEGAS Baseball needs to expand to 32 teams so they can have sixteen teams in each league and no longer have to have an inter league game on a nightly basis. There should be four divisions of four in each league with a North, South, East and West division in each league. Montreal deserves a second chance at baseball and as long as they can get a new stadium built in the right area with guaranteed season ticket sales in place, corporation securing luxury boxes and advertising in place they should succeed the second time around. Baseball needs two teams again in Canada and that means and I strongly believe Montreal deserves another chance. Las Vegas should be the other team because baseball desperately need another team in the Pacific Time Zone and the fact they now have an NHL and NFL team committed will make it only easier for baseball to work in that market. There won’t be a better time to announce expansion than in December of 2018 when the annual Winter Meetings will take place in Seattle. It could be a busy podium with possible expansion and free agent signings that could include both Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. Of course, the stadium situations in both Oakland and Tampa/St. Petersburg need to be resolved first and it gives those teams 20 months to secure a stadium or they should be allowed to move to those cities first. 7. ONE RULE EITHER DH OR NO DH The time has come for baseball to have one rule either the DH or no DH. I prefer no DH, but I think the only way we get to one rule is if keep the DH and I’d rather have one rule than play with the two different rules we play with now. This is what I wrote last year on the subject and my opinion hasn’t change: http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/14621547/reimagining-baseball-mlb-implement-dh-leagues 8. INSTANT REPLAY IMPROVEMENTS Instant replay has been a huge success and they need to keep tweaking it to make even better. They should start with eliminating the “middle” man or the clubhouse video coordinator. It’s such a waste of time on close plays to watch the manager ask the bench coach to go to the dugout phone call the team video coordinator get his opinion if a play should be challenged, watch the bench coach nod either way to the manager and then have the manager let the umpire know either way. In addition, if the play is challenged it looks stupid that all four umpires run off the field to put on head sets, wait until they get the decision before getting the decision and running back on the field. Here’s how we fix it. First you assign a fifth “video” umpire to each crew for each individual game positioned in the control center in New York. His name is announced along with the other four umpires publicly. Instead of a video umpire covering multiple games they watch only one at a time. Any close play in a game, he quickly looks at all the angles ahead of time and is ready in case there is a manager challenge with an answer ready to go. The video umpire is given the power to make the best call he can based on all of the video angles he is afforded and relays his decision and reason to the umpires on the field. The decision is then announced both with sign language and verbally through the PA with any necessary explanation. The umpires stay at their position with wireless IFB’s in each ear connected to I-Phones in their pockets, where they get instant answers from the video umpire in New York. The Manager is not allowed to call his video coordinator for advice on whether to challenge or not challenge. He has to make his challenge immediately after the play in question and is given three challenges per game, no exceptions outside of getting a 4th for if necessary for extra- inning games. This will speed up the process and the decision making time. 9. EXTRA INNINGS I know I’m in the minority, but I like the World Baseball Classic Extra innings rule that said if the teams are tied after 10 innings that the 11th inning would start with runners at first at second with nobody out. It was a huge success in the WBC and I think it would work in MLB as well. Next time a night baseball games goes past 11 innings look around the stadium and tell me how many fans are left? The game should be about the fans and they have a much better chance of staying through 11 innings if they knew the game had a high likelihood of finishing after that innings. It brings instant excitement to the end of these type games and allows families especially children to get home at night. I know purists and “old school” fans don’t like it, but it sure did work in the classic. I’m a fan. 10. REDUCE TIME EVEN MORE BETWEEN INNINGS AND ADD TIME OUTS Shorten all (18) between innings breaks by an additional 20 seconds reduce game times by 6 minutes. Replace the lost commercial time by instituting 3 70-second timeouts per team allowing 6 minutes of additional TV/radio commercial time. Then make it mandatory that play continues at all times unless calling one of your 3 timeouts. If a catcher needs to go over signs with the pitcher, if a Manager needs to stall for time for a reliever to get loose, if a pitching coach wants to make a visit to the mound. They must use a timeout. 11. CHANGE ROSTER TO LIMITS FROM 25 TO 30 The time has come for baseball to increase roster size from 25 to 30 for all games throughout the regular season with no additional ability to expand rosters in September. However, teams can only activate 25 players per game and that roster must be submitted within 3 hours of game time to the umpires, opposing team and league office. This will decrease the need for teams to constantly be placing players on the 10 –day DL, 7-day concussion DL or Paternity leave, or have to option players back and forth based on short injuries or over use of bullpens. 12. DRASTIC GEOGRAPHIC REALIGNMENT AFTER EXPANSION After baseball expands to 32 teams and takes my recommendation of expanding in both Montreal and Las Vegas, I would take advantage of that time to realign baseball divisions into eight four team divisions inside of two conferences. This would be done geographically which would allow for early season warm schedules, even playing fields in terms of scheduling, reduce the amount of travel needed for all teams and promote more rivalries based on geography which should improve both TV rating and attendance in most markets. Here would be my specific break-down which would include two city teams all playing in the same divisions. There would be eight division champions and no wild card teams. Teams with the best records get home field and opponent advantages in match-ups. Here is my specific recommendation: MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL LEAGUE (ONE LEAGUE) AMERICAN CONFERENCE EASTERN DIVISION: Boston, Montreal, NY Mets, NY Yankees NORTHERN DIVISON: Detroit, Cleveland, Minnesota, Toronto MIDATLANTIC DIVISION: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Washington MIDWEST DIVISION: Chicago (AL), Chicago (NL), St. Louis, Milwaukee NATIONAL CONFERENCE SOUTHERN DIVISION: Atlanta, Cincinnati, Miami, Tampa SOUTHWEST DIVISION: Colorado, Kansas City, Houston, Texas NORTHWEST DIVSIION: Seattle, Oakland, San Francisco, Las Vegas WESTERN DIVISION: LA Dodgers, LA Angels, San Diego, Arizona Reply · Report Post["Shocked Woman Covering Her Mouth" on Shutterstock] The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill faces yet another U.S. Department of Education investigation — this time over allegations that the university retaliated against sophomore Landen Gambill for filing a federal complaint against UNC-Chapel Hill over its handling of sexual assault cases, reports the News & Observer. The new federal inquiry is in response to
coordination number typical for calcium complexes. Structure of the polymeric [Ca(HO)center in crystalline calcium chloride hexahydrate, illustrating the high coordination number typical for calcium complexes. In much of the world, calcium chloride is derived from limestone as a by-product of the Solvay process, which follows the net reaction below:[10] 2 NaCl + CaCO 3 → Na 2 CO 3 + CaCl 2 North American consumption in 2002 was 1,529,000 tonnes (3.37 billion pounds).[26] In the US, most of calcium chloride is obtained by purification from brine. A Dow Chemical Company manufacturing facility in Michigan houses about 35% of the total U.S. production capacity for calcium chloride.[27] As with most bulk commodity salt products, trace amounts of other cations from the alkali metals and alkaline earth metals (groups 1 and 2) and other anions from the halogens (group 17) typically occur, but the concentrations are trifling. Occurrence [ edit ] Calcium chloride occurs as the rare evaporite minerals sinjarite (dihydrate) and antarcticite (hexahydrate). The related minerals chlorocalcite (potassium calcium chloride, KCaCl 3 ) and tachyhydrite (calcium magnesium chloride, CaMg 2 Cl 6 ·12H 2 O) are also very rare. See also [ edit ]The Power of a Question "It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer." - Albert Einstein [1] Staying with problems, means that we keep on asking how we can solve those problems. The American life coach and performance strategist, Anthony Robbins often says that successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers. This seems like a very obvious statement and yet people seldom follow this advice. Sometimes we tend to somehow revert to run-of-the mill questions, like: “…can you tell me what you do?”, or “…describe the steps involved in this process?”, or “…what do you think the problem is?” Why is that? Are people afraid of ruffling feathers? Would it be too confrontational if people ask questions that really expose core issues or problems? Are we concerned that asking questions that stakeholders are not able to answer? Or are people merely lazy to apply their minds and reduce the number of questions to the real core, important, maybe even tough questions? Fact of the matter is, that if you are performing any kind of analysis, you need to become very comfortable with asking difficult questions. Questions that make people uncomfortable and questions that might even potentially expose unpopular answers. The intention of asking questions like these, is certainly not to create discord or tension, but rather to get to core issues at hand. The experts across the world who were involved with the writing of the latest version of the BABOK® [2] on behalf of the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA [3]), included a variety of techniques were questions are pivotal. Among these widely used techniques are: Surveys (used to elicit business analysis information) Interviews (used to ask questions of stakeholders to uncover needs, identify problems, or discover opportunities) Focus Groups (used as a means to elicit ideas and opinions about a specific product, service, or opportunity in an interactive group environment) Document Analysis (used to elicit business analysis information, including contextual understanding and requirements, by examining available materials that describe either the business environment or existing organizational assets) Brainstorming (used to produce numerous new ideas, and to derive from them themes for further analysis) Observation (used to elicit information by viewing and understanding activities and their context) Reviews (used to evaluate the content of a work product) Root Cause Analysis (used to identify and evaluate the underlying causes of a problem, typically by using the 5 Whys / Ishikawa technique) Most of these techniques are used for elicitation of information. But effective elicitation can still only occur if quality questions are asked. These techniques might guide you in terms of designing smarter questions, but at the end of the day, you’ll still need to apply your mind prior to walking into a questioning session. I am only belaboring this point, because I believe that analysts often do not prepare properly for such types of meetings and end-up “winging-it” with less than satisfactory outcomes… Apart from spending some time preparing quality questions, we should also spend some time thinking about the approach to follow when asking such questions. HOW you ask the questions are critical to your success. As Theodore Roosevelt said, “People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care”. This is especially true if you are going to ask potentially tough questions. It would be wise to establish rapport before blasting the interviewee with your questions. If people feel threatened, they will not answer your questions truthfully and these answers will not be of any value anyway. Body language, tone of voice and establishing trust are all important factors to take into account during such a session. But more than that, putting yourself in the shoes of the person being questioned, is equally important. Creating an ‘us’ and ‘them’ will not be conducive to getting to the bottom of a problem or to creating an effective solution. In his book, [4] “Just Ask!”, Bill McGrane says that success can be as simple as asking the right questions. He goes on to say that if you create a climate of acceptance, where people feel accepted, understood and relaxed, your chances of getting valuable answers increase dramatically. To be a great analyst, you’ll need to ask great questions. In order to ask great questions, you’ll need to remain inquisitive. So I leave you with this thought: Never let go of your willingness to wonder, of the power of curiosity. Just imagine … you can make a fulfilling career out of simply being curious and learning more… by just getting good at asking questions… Author: Danie Van Den Berg, CBAP Danie van den Berg is a consulting business analyst from Johannesburg, South-Africa. Over the past 16 years he has worked in a variety of industries. His specialities include Requirements gathering & elicitation (ERP, Web & Android), Business Process Re-engineering, Workflow Automation and process optimisation. He enjoys mentoring BA professionals, teaching business analysis topics and prepping BAs for CBAP exams. Danie is passionate about the role a Business Analyst plays within organisations and believes it is central to changing and improving the world we work and live in References/Footnotes: [1] By Khaydock (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons [2] http://www.iiba.org/babok-guide.aspx [3] http://www.iiba.org/ [4] “Just Ask!” Success can be as simple as asking the right questions – written by Bill McGrane IIIAlthough our attempts to form a religion around the teachings of James Bond have largely failed, the man still has much to teach us. Today we'll examine how Bond deals with the many, many tragedies he's encountered in his life. We hope to show you that, though he may be a suave secret agent with an almost inhuman ability to score chicks, Bond lives his life by principals we can all apply in our own day to day existence. Advertisement 1 A Colleague Dies As Seen In: A View To A Kill, The World Is Not Enough The death of a coworker is something we must all be prepared to deal with, especially if we work at a large company with bad health benefits. Being able to cope ensures the tragedy doesn't derail a healthy workplace and career. Having repeatedly watched fellow agents fall in the line of duty, Bond has had no choice but to learn to properly mourn his colleagues. Continue Reading Below Advertisement "Goodbye, Hagrid." The Grieving Process: Step One: Look slightly surprised for two seconds. Step Two: Go on as if nothing happened. "I shall miss you, Agent 003. As soon as I finish looting your corpse." 2 You Find Your Best Friend's Corpse, After a Drug Lord Fed Him to a Shark As Seen In: License To Kill Probably no more than 10% of you will lose a close friend to a premeditated shark attack, and fewer still will find out about their death from a taunting note taped to the half-eaten body. But as Bond demonstrates once again, you must learn to keep the tragedy from taking over your life. The Grieving Process: Step One: Resign from the service. Step Two: Go on a rampage, brutally murdering every drug dealer in South America. Step Three: Utter dry witticism. Step Four: Never mention friend again.A thorough moral and political indictment of Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Ariz., would spill far beyond this page. It would catalog the years of racial profiling, the tormenting of immigrants and Latinos, the physical mistreatment and humiliation of inmates and defendants, the beatings and neglect and deaths behind bars, the abuses of office — withholding records, harassing and persecuting elected officials and journalists, failing to investigate hundreds of unsolved sex crimes, squandering taxpayer funds on crime sweeps and “posses” and looney-tune vendettas, like the mission to expose President Obama’s supposedly forged birth certificate. The actual criminal indictment that he faces is a lot simpler. On Monday, federal officials charged him with contempt of court. If the sheriff is found guilty at a misdemeanor level, he could go to prison for six months. The federal judge in a long-running racial-profiling lawsuit had told Sheriff Arpaio and his chief deputy in 2011 to stop abusing Latinos by pulling them over on suspicion of being in the country illegally, in the absence of any other charges. That is, for the sheriff to stop acting as a federal immigration agency unto himself. This the sheriff did not do, according to the indictment. Sheriff Arpaio, who is running for a seventh term, says he is innocent. He insists he won’t give up, won’t take a plea deal, won’t resign. In an unsurprising play at victimhood, he accused the feds of “a blatant abuse of power,” of applying a different standard of justice to a lonely lawman who, in his words, “dares enforce the rule of law.”Grim Misadventure #76: Shaman Mastery Pt. 2 In our last update, we showed you some entry-level Shamanism, so now lets take a look what a master of the wild can hurl at her enemies. Shaman Mastery Wendigo Totem Wendigo Totems represent a darker side to Shaman rituals, embracing the vicious duality of nature: one must die so that another may feed and live. Once placed, the totem will drain the life from nearby foes, all while creating a soothing aura that heals allies. To that end, Wendigo Totems were often used as wards to deter foes from approaching desirable hunting grounds. The Wendigo Totem serves a dual purpose. It can hurt your enemies in a large area, but it also serves as a powerful healing tool. Stand within its area of influence as it torments your foes and it will transfer precious stolen vitality to you. Bold Shamans will place this totem in the middle of a pack of foes, and bravely wade into battle knowing that the totems magic will protect them. The modifier for this skill enhances the totem with surges of lightning. Storm Pact Unleash the ultimate wrath of nature as the air around you ripples with static energy and nearby foes are randomly struck down by the heavens themselves. Storm Pact represents the pinnacle of Shamanistic control over the skies. Activate this power and watch as nearby enemies are assaulted by bolts of destructive lightning. Charge confidently into battle, as the skies are your ally. Conjure Primal Spirit Legends speak of a great predator, the loyal pet of Mogdrogen, which relentlessly hunts down anyone that treads into the beast god's domain uninvited. As a favored follower of Mogdrogen, you call upon this Primal Spirit to aid you in battle. The Primal Spirit is a vicious manifestation of the wilds vengeance. Appearing before you as a manticore, the spirit will join you in the toughest battles, easily shredding any foe with its claws and fangs. Use this power carefully, as the Primal Spirit can only manifest itself for limited periods of time. Primal Bond Strengthen your bond to the beasts that dwell within the wilds. As a Shaman, you can form a powerful bond with the denizens of Mogdrogens realm. Respect the beasts of the wild, and they shall repay you with savage loyalty, effectively making all of your summoned creatures more powerful in combat. Many secrets still remain within the Shaman Mastery, but you will have to uncover them for yourself when B27 goes live. Like knowing what is coming up next for Grim Dawn? Check back on 08/03/2015 for our regular development updates! Grim Misadventures returns with part 2 of our Shaman reveal (Part 1 can be read here ). Work on the Shaman and B27 is progressing smoothly, and we are entering the final stages where we can put the build into closed testing to find any mischievous bugs. Once we are satisfied that the build meets our standards, it will be ready for its public debut. We are confident that B27 will go live before the end of August.In our last update, we showed you some entry-level Shamanism, so now lets take a look what a master of the wild can hurl at her enemies.Wendigo Totems represent a darker side to Shaman rituals, embracing the vicious duality of nature: one must die so that another may feed and live. Once placed, the totem will drain the life from nearby foes, all while creating a soothing aura that heals allies. To that end, Wendigo Totems were often used as wards to deter foes from approaching desirable hunting grounds.The Wendigo Totem serves a dual purpose. It can hurt your enemies in a large area, but it also serves as a powerful healing tool. Stand within its area of influence as it torments your foes and it will transfer precious stolen vitality to you. Bold Shamans will place this totem in the middle of a pack of foes, and bravely wade into battle knowing that the totems magic will protect them. The modifier for this skill enhances the totem with surges of lightning.Unleash the ultimate wrath of nature as the air around you ripples with static energy and nearby foes are randomly struck down by the heavens themselves.Storm Pact represents the pinnacle of Shamanistic control over the skies. Activate this power and watch as nearby enemies are assaulted by bolts of destructive lightning. Charge confidently into battle, as the skies are your ally.Legends speak of a great predator, the loyal pet of Mogdrogen, which relentlessly hunts down anyone that treads into the beast god's domain uninvited. As a favored follower of Mogdrogen, you call upon this Primal Spirit to aid you in battle.The Primal Spirit is a vicious manifestation of the wilds vengeance. Appearing before you as a manticore, the spirit will join you in the toughest battles, easily shredding any foe with its claws and fangs. Use this power carefully, as the Primal Spirit can only manifest itself for limited periods of time.Strengthen your bond to the beasts that dwell within the wilds.As a Shaman, you can form a powerful bond with the denizens of Mogdrogens realm. Respect the beasts of the wild, and they shall repay you with savage loyalty, effectively making all of your summoned creatures more powerful in combat.Many secrets still remain within the Shaman Mastery, but you will have to uncover them for yourself when B27 goes live.Like knowing what is coming up next for Grim Dawn? Check back on 08/03/2015 for our regular development updates! Attached Thumbnails Attached Images __________________ *Waste of SoulsPremier Li Keqiang and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in March. Credit:Andrew Meares He observed it would have been a concrete political signal for the international community amid the uncertainty triggered by the election of President Donald Trump, who has wound back American leadership on climate change and begun the process of withdrawing the US from the Paris accord. "The Chinese delegation with Li Keqiang came with the proposal but that didn't get the green light from the Australian side," Mr Li said, adding that his awareness of it came from a directly involved figure in the Chinese government. "It was clearly the intention from the Chinese side to build up international climate momentum. I think the proposed bilateral statement was part of that effort to send a signal back to the rest of the world and primarily the US." A spokesperson for the Australian government said it "did not decline an offer from the Chinese government earlier this year to make a joint statement on climate change" and labelled the March leaders' meeting "highly successful". Turnbull government ministers meet with the Chinese delegation in the cabinet room at Parliament House in March. Credit:Andrew Meares The spokesperson said the two states had also "discussed ways to strengthen bilateral co-operation and action on climate change" in the month leading up to the visit as part of regular ministerial meetings on the issue. "This included opportunities to support the implementation of the Paris agreement through a joint action plan between China's National Development and Reform Commission and the Australian Department of the Environment and Energy. These discussions are ongoing," they said. Seizing the opportunity of American withdrawal, Mr Xi's regime has assumed a more prominent international role on climate change, stepping up co-operation with other countries and pursuing domestic efforts that include a national emissions trading scheme, cancelling dozens of coal-power projects and rapid development renewable power. President Xi Jinping previously struck a historic climate agreement with former US president Barack Obama in late 2014 and the regime was also close to reaching a joint statement with the EU in June this year but it was never finalised after separate trade negotiations fell apart. Mr Xi has also inked a climate agreement with California Governor Jerry Brown. China is the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter, accounting for approximately 30 per cent annually. It is followed by the US on 15 per cent, the EU's 28 members on 10 per cent and then India, Russia and Japan on single digits. Australia, emitting just over 1 per cent, sits at approximately 15th. It falls into the group of relatively minor polluters that collectively make up around a third of global emissions. Previously an advocate for sweeping action on climate change, Mr Turnbull has had to compromise since taking the leadership of a Liberal-National Coalition still internally divided on the issue. A significant portion of his party room are keen supporters of coal-fired power and some do not accept the scientific consensus on climate change. Under the Paris accord, former prime minister Tony Abbott's Coalition government committed to reducing emissions by 26-28 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030. His government also renegotiated the Renewable Energy Target in the electricity sector down to 23.5 per cent by 2020. In the face of internal hostility, the government is currently redesigning a Clean Energy Target proposed by Chief Scientist Alan Finkel, which would aim to have 42 per cent of Australia's energy generated by lower emissions technologies by 2030. The government may loosen the CET to allow for high-efficiency, low-emissions coal-fired power stations. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop used an address to the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday morning, Australia time, to praise the Paris agreement and warn that the global economy could be "undermined by natural and man-made disasters". "Australia is a strong supporter of the Paris agreement, and here at the UN we have voiced our support specifically on risk mitigation for coral reefs, which are among the most valuable environments on our planet," the Foreign Minister said. She described climate change as one of a several "challenges that don't respect national borders".It follows incidences in several factories which manufacture microwave popcorn where workers developed bronchiolitis obliterans. Diacetyl is known to cause inflammation, scarring and constriction of the tiny airways in the lung known as bronchioles, reducing air flow. There is currently no known cure except for a lung transplantation. Researchers said 'urgent action' was needed to 'evaluate this potentially widespread exposure via flavoured e-cigarettes.' "Recognition of the hazards associated with inhaling flavouring chemicals started with 'Popcorn Lung' over a decade ago,” said lead author Joseph Allen, assistant professor of exposure assessment science at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health “However, diacetyl and other related flavouring chemicals are used in many other flavours beyond butter-flavoured popcorn, including fruit flavours, alcohol flavours, and, we learned in our study, candy flavoured e-cigarettes." E-cigarettes use battery-powered cartridges to produce a nicotine hit via inhalable vapor without the tar and other carcinogens in inhaled tobacco smoke. Scientists and health officials are divided over whether they are safe. Earlier this year Public Health England urged smokers to switch to vaping, saying e-cigarettes were far safer than traditional tobacco. But the World Health Organisation and scientists from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the University of Liverpool remain concerned about their safety. Dr Allen and colleagues tested 51 types of flavoured e-cigarettes and liquids sold by leading brands for the presence of diacetyl, acetoin, and 2,3-pentanedione, two related flavouring compounds which may pose a respiratory hazard in the workplace.We’ve talked a lot about resources that are all available for new students, in terms of settling in, finances etc. What we haven’t talked about are things that might affect returning students or those who are approaching the end of the degree. Given that we all hope to be at that point in the near future it’s worth discussing it here. About half way through your degree you might realize that you put in a long time and effort but have very little to show for it. In marathon running this point is known as “hitting the wall” – the point where when you run out of energy to continue your race. Graduate school is no different: about half way through your degree you might feel exhausted and that you have very little energy. You’ve spent countless nights working on your projects; an infinite number of Tim Hortons cups (or Starbucks if that’s what you prefer) and the pillow you use to sleep in the office that show you put in the effort. However you don’t have any results and don’t feel any further along in the thesis process. These are the doldrums of grad school. The No Mans Land of higher education. The Bermuda Triangle of your post-secondary life. I’ll share a few things I find useful here and things I think that you might find useful as resources to consider when you reach this point. First off, celebrate the small victories. Often we get focused on the big things like finishing of chapter or manuscript. However these take months to achieve. Break each objective down to smaller goals: finishing the methods, finishing the table or even just writing up part of the discussion. This will keep you motivated and will show you exactly how far you’ve come since you started the project. Morgan over at Live it Active wrote a great post on goal setting, and although it’s geared towards physical activity goals, the same principles apply. Second, meet up with other grad students. Going to SGPS social events and other events like that where you can talk to grad students is a great way to keep yourself motivated. Talking to people about your research can highlighted exactly how far you’ve come. Third, learn how to use reference management software. Queen’s offers RefWorks for free, but there are many others available online for free including Mendeley and Zotero. Yes this is kind of unrelated but you really should learn how. You’ll thank me later. Finally the most insidious form of hitting the wall is when you can’t get words out onto the page. You’ve done your research, you have your results and now you just have to focus and write. Personally I find closing the door to my office, loading up some classical music and having a large cup of coffee handy is enough to help me write. Others find they need to set goals: five pages a week or one page a day or some other milestone. Yet another way of tackling this issue is by joining the Thesis Boot Camp. This was offered through the School of Graduate Studies and the Writing Centre last year, however, if you really want to do this and you can find two or three others who will join you this no reason why you can’t book a room in the library and do this yourself. Similar to how a gym buddy can motivate you to go to the gym and will ensure that you won’t miss a workout, a thesis buddy will do the same except for writing. I’ll talk about this in more depth in a future post, so stay tuned! What do you think readers? What advice do you have for fellow grad students approaching the mid-degree No Man’s Land?Maybe that little jab about privacy from Microsoft did stir up some changes at Google, because they’ve just announced that they will be anonymizing all IP addresses in their server logs after 9 months, in contrast to the previous 18-month retention policy. On their official blog, Google is bragging they were “the first leading search engine to announce a policy to anonymize search server logs in the interests of privacy.” But, the truth was, the move came after a quite fierce debate about Google’s privacy issues. Now, they seem to be trying to move ahead of time instead of waiting for yet another salve of criticism about their privacy policies. Unfortunately for them, when it comes to privacy and security, you can never have enough of it, so it’s a never ending battle. Furthermore, Google is obviously anxious to completely clear the air on the matter, and thus they’ve filed an official response (PDF) to the requests of policymakers and regulators. In short, they’re happy to comply with privacy-related requests, but they’re worried about “the potential loss of security, quality, and innovation that may result from having less data." Well, from my point of view, I’d rather have ads that aren’t perfectly targeted in exchange for more privacy, but that’s just me. What do you think?DAN McFarland, the Connacht forwards coach, has agreed to take over the post which will be vacated by Shade Munro at Glasgow Warriors at the end of the season, writes Iain Morrison. As The Scotsman reported on Wednesday, Glasgow had identified McFarland as the leading candidate to replace Munro who is leaving the Warriors after 12 years. He will cross the Irish Sea at the end of the current Guinness Pro12 season. Connacht are currently sitting sixth in the league, above several teams with significantly bigger budgets and McFarland, who has been with the Irish province for 15 years as player and coach, must take some of the credit. A former prop, McFarland’s expertise probably rests in the set piece trio of scrum, lineout and restart. It seems likely that the new coach will want to focus on the set scrum himself rather than farm it out to Italian Massimo Cuttitta who also works with the national squad. Edinburgh Rugby don’t use Cuttitta at the moment and if Glasgow go the same way then the Italian coach’s long relationship with Scottish rugby may be drawing to a close. A classics scholar and educated at an English public school, McFarland is not perhaps a typical west coast of Ireland rugby man but he is thorough and hugely competitive by nature. No-one takes Connacht lightly and even Glasgow, who currently lead the league, only beat them by two miserable points last season. While they have lost several high profile players in recent months – DTH van der Merwe, Niko Matawalu, Sean Maitland, Jon Welsh and Dougie Hall are among the names to be leaving at the end of the season – Glasgow have already announced the capture of London Irish breakaway Kieran Low and other names are expected to follow with wingers a priority. Glasgow head coach Gregor Townsend said parting company with Munro was the toughest decision he has had to take in his coaching career. The former Scotland forward has worked with three different head coaches during his dozen years with the Warriors, beginning with Hugh Campbell, moving on to Sean Lineen and then Townsend. During that time the Scotstoun club have evolved into genuine contenders for the Guinness Pro12 title. FOLLOW US Twitter \| Facebook \| Google+ Subscribe to our DAILY NEWSLETTER (requires registration) SCOTSMAN TABLET AND MOBILE APPS iPhone \| iPad \| Android \| KindlePrice of packaged beer to rise in NSW under new container rebate scheme, brewers warn Updated The price of packaged beer is about to go up across NSW as brewers pass on the costs of the state's new container deposit scheme, brewers have warned. Under the scheme, consumers can claim back 10 cents per drink container at collection points and reverse vending machines across the state from December 1. The scheme is aimed at reducing the amount of container litter across the state, which costs more than $162 million to manage. But Chris McNamara from the Independent Brewers Association fears consumers do not realise the scheme will bring price rises of up to $4 on a carton of beer. "The consumers of NSW would be surprised to know that it's three weeks away because nobody has been told about it," Mr McNamara said. Chief executive of NSW EPA Barry Buffier believes there is strong public demand for a container deposit scheme. "We're very excited about the scheme. The community are really keen to have this," he said. The scheme will allow consumers of beer, cider and soft drink at home to take their empty containers to a collection point to claim 10 cents back per container. But rebates for empty containers left in kerbside recycling collection will go to the council or waste handler. Brewers frustrated with wine exemption There are some exemptions, including wine bottles, mirroring the rules of a scheme that's been running in South Australia for 40 years. The EPA said wine bottles are exempt in the SA and NSW schemes because they are less likely to end up in the litter stream. But Topher Boehm from Wildflower Brewing and Blending, a small brewery in Sydney's inner-west, said a lot of time has already been "wasted" dealing with the scheme. The beer at his brewery is sold in wine bottles, but unlike wine producers his company does not qualify for exemption. Ashley Huntington from the Two Metre Tall brewery in Tasmania is also frustrated with the list of products excluded from the scheme. He said the exemptions on wine bottles mean the scheme amounts to little more than a tax on beer, cider and soft drink producers. "The vast majority of liquids being sold in containers in this country are exempt," he said. Each drink producer needs to register for the scheme at a cost of $80 per product, a cost Mr Huntington said is too high. "We have to register every single product in every single bottle variant we produce," Mr Huntington said. "By the time we've finished, as a small producer selling a lot of different products at small volume into the market, that's going to end up well over $3,000." Topics: alcohol, environmental-policy, environmentally-sustainable-business, nsw First posted(CNN) Rod Blum held a master class Monday on how not to handle yourself during a Congressional recess. It all started with an interview with a local TV station. Blum, an Iowa Republican, was surrounded by kids at a youth center when KCRG-TV9's Josh Scheinblum started asking questions -- beginning with one about why Blum was limiting attendees of his town hall Monday night to residents of his 1st district. Things rapidly went downhill Blum's hair trigger is totally baffling here. Scheinblum isn't even being confrontational! He's simply (lightly) pressing Blum on not allowing certain Iowa residents into a town hall meeting. His follow-up question -- would you accept contributions from people outside the district? -- is totally fair. Blum's contention that Scheinblum was "going to sit here and just badger me" suggests to me that the congressman doesn't know what badgering actually entails -- since that ain't it. Blum should have quit while he was behind. But, he didn't! To be honest, I've spent so much time reading about niobates and their structural properties that these octahedra with an atom placed in the center burned themselves into my mind. They have a tetragonal crystal structure, which is why I call this "Tetraworld" instead of "Octaworld" or "Planet inside a strange thingy". Something new from me! This time, I actually tried to stick to a more natural color scheme (emphasis on the "tried"-part). Made for's Space Art Contest: Unique Planets in the Space-category!Woah, a DD! Thank you so much,! Cue the lawoo-spam!!The hyperbasic idea behind it: some sort of higher civilization figured that they can settle planets beyond the habitable zone if they build a structure around their entire world, thus abusing the greenhouse effect and creating a more pleasant climate! Why do they use an octahedral structure, though? Well, that's something you'll have to ask them!Personally, I'm quite happy with the outcome. If you are, too, please let me know!Enjoy----Occupying a window seat in a Churchgate-bound local at 7.40 am proved costly for a 62-year-old heart patient, who was assaulted by four men after he refused to get up. Police arrested three members of the group on Wednesday, while the fourth is yet to be traced. The man, Shekharan Balan, 62, is a Vasai resident. He was heading to Mumbai Central on October 13 to be treated for a leg injury. “Braving the morning rush and getting into a Churchgate-bound train is next to impossible, so I usually go from Vasai to Virar in a near empty train, which then gets converted into a Churchgate local. I sat in the second class coach, when Laxman Purba Singh, 39, Chandan Ram Madan Giri, 33, Ranjit Mishra, 42, and an unidentified commuter told me to vacate my seat, saying they were ‘regulars’,” said Balan. Balan said he told the gang he was going to Haji Ali for treatment, but they refused to listen. “I said I had undergone angioplasties in 2010 and 2013, but they insisted on me vacating the seat. They punched and verbally abused me till Naigaon station, where I alighted. I asked the Vasai government railway police (GRP) to file a complaint,” said Balan. Balan said he was told to return after a few days as Diwali vacations were ongoing and police were deployed on bandobast duty. “The Vasai GRP called me on October 24. They noted my complaint. On Wednesday, two officers and I went to the Virar station and entered the same coach. I identified the accused and the officers arrested them,” said Balan. Senior police inspector Rajendra Bhonsale, Vasai GRP, said the accused were charged under section 107 (security for keeping the peace in other cases) of the Code of Criminal Procedure 1973. “They will be produced before the assistant commissioner of police, Bandra GRP. They will have to give us a bond saying they will not harass Balan for the next six months. They will have to come to the Bandra station every month and sign a logbook. We have reason to believe that the fourth person is a government employee and are on the hunt for him,” added Bhonsale. First Published: Oct 26, 2017 00:19 ISTThe dinosaurs in the film Jurassic Park were pretty terrifying. In virtual reality, they must be even worse. That seems to be the thinking behind CloudGate Studio‘s Island 359. CloudGate is unveiling Island 359 and its larger-than-life dinosaurs for VR this summer on the HTC Vive headset. The company hopes this game will be a part of a wave of serious VR games that help solidify the platform in the eyes of gamers. The VR headsets such as the Oculus VR and the Vive launched this spring, but they need more content to keep the promise of VR alive. It is an early access Vive title, built by the Chicago-based developers behind The Brookhaven Experiment VR demo, which drew high praise. In the VR game, you find yourself on a lush, green island surrounded by the breathtaking beauty of nature. You discover guns, weapons, and supplies. But you soon learn that these weapons are your only defense against the roaring, realistic, and relentless dinosaurs that dwell on the island. You uncover that these weapons are what’s left from those who came before you working to accomplish the same mission you are. Image Credit: CloudGate Studios In Island 359, the developers want to create an exhilarating survival, exploration, and action-centric SteamVR game, where players will find themselves transported to the jungle needing to outwit, outsmart, and out-fight lifelike dinosaurs. Utilizing the environment and the weapons at-hand as their only defense, players will need to make strategic choices while working to complete their mission and survive. Bringing dinosaurs to the VR stage while injecting a dose of ’90s dinosaur nostalgia, Island 359 attempts to push the boundaries of what’s previously been possible in VR, the company said. Utilizing VR to its fullest potential, the CloudGate founders worked to cultivate heightened interactivity in a way that they believe players have never been able to experience in a game before. They are trying to create lifelike artificial intelligence so that the dinosaurs can be responsive and smart foes. Image Credit: CloudGate Studios The CloudGate founders Steve Bowler and Jeremy Chapman are known for creating the Brookhaven Experiment. “In our past VR experience, we were very lucky to be able to innovate in a way that really resonated with players,” said Bowler, in a statement. “As CloudGate, we’re looking to taking it a step further and to do things on VR that no one has ever tried or done before. We can’t wait to show people where we’re going next.” CloudGate was founded earlier this year by Bowler, Chapman, and Mike Fischer, a former executive at both Epic Games and Square Enix. “We’re super-excited to introduce Island 359 as CloudGate Studio’s first title,” said Chapman, in a statement. “From the weapons to the environment and believability of the dinos, we believe that Island 359 gives people an experience both with dinosaurs and in VR that they’ve never experienced before that will truly transport them to another world.” Island 359 is due out on Vive as an early access title this summer.Archaeologists have found what could be an 8,000 year old human skull in Stokke in Vestfold
’t know squat.” That is as plausible as Obama’s Justice Department wants to make it. But either someone gave her the images and she sent them or they had log in access to her email and sent them for her. Her only real defense, given her access to classified material and a Keyhole satellite image would have been instantly recognizable, is that someone used her email to send it. But how did they get into Hillary’s email? Did Hillary handle the images? I don’t think she had the technical chops — and is way too smart — to scan/download satellite imagery, strip the security classification, and email them. Did Cheryl Mills, an attorney, do this? Lawyers do stupid stuff all the time but usually it has the patina of cleverness attached. That leaves Huma. With no security classification, Sid Blumenthal has plausible deniablity. He can say he got the images (this is assuming that at some point he did receive them) but assumed they were unclassified. This makes one logical fall guy Tyler Drumheller. Drumheller would instantly recognize the Keyhole imagery so stripping the security classification wouldn’t muddy the water much for him if it ever went to court. But anyone he gave/showed the imagery to would not necessarily know the source which could provide some degree of cover. Unfortunately, we will never know Mr. Drumheller’s true role in this as he visited Fort Marcy Park died of pancreatic cancer on August 2, 2015.JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN—South Sudan’s leaders have formed a transitional coalition government bringing together politicians from the government and the armed opposition who have been at war for two and a half years. The new government is led by President Salva Kiir and former rebel leader Riek Machar, who returned to the capital Juba on Tuesday to take up the post of first vice-president. Former rebel Riek Machar, left, who is now first vice-president of South Sudan, shakes hands with President Salva Kiir on Friday. ( ALBERT GONZALEZ FARRAN / AFP/GETTY IMAGES ) Kiir named 16 of the new government’s 30 cabinet ministers while Machar nominated 10. Four others were selected by political groups outside Kiir and Machar’s factions. The government, which has a 30-month mandate culminating in fresh elections, has been formed according to a peace deal signed by Kiir and Machar last August under intense pressure from the international community. At the cabinet’s first meeting Friday, Kiir appealed to foreign nations to give money to the new government. South Sudan’s government faces a severe budget shortfall as a result of the war and falling oil prices. Article Continued Below “The people who were saying that you cannot be supported (with foreign aid) unless you form the transitional government of national unity, if they have agents here, they should report back to them that the government has been established,” Kiir said. Machar said the new government must deal with violence which continues despite the peace deal. “If our people feel in Juba that they can’t walk by night, even if we preach peace to them, they say, ‘we don’t see it,’ ” he said. The peace deal also calls for unrestricted delivery of humanitarian relief and the release of political prisoners. Prominent detainee Joseph Bakosoro, a former governor seen as critical of Kiir’s government, was freed on Wednesday after over four months’ imprisonment. Tens of thousands were killed in South Sudan’s civil war since 2013 after a falling out between Kiir and Machar.It happened again. Another American city went up in flames due to rioting. The riots in Baltimore shocked the country, just like the riots in Ferguson did late last year. Let’s face a hard fact, our major and not so major urban areas are dying. Instead of being our nation’s crown jewels, our major cities are national embarrassments. They’re decaying monuments to the failed big government policies of the Democrat Party. We all know the problems: high unemployment, high crime, terrible schools, crumbling infrastructure, and policing policies that seems to alienate the community. Here’s an opportunity for conservatives to lead. Jon Gabriel wrote a post that dealt largely with welfare reform and I urge you to read it, but it will take more than fixing welfare to save our cities. We must address all the problems dealing with our cities.Key takeaways Blockchain is not just for Bitcoin A blockchain is a protocol and ledger for building an immutable historical record of transactions There is no new technology behind blockchain, just established components combined in a new way Middleware is key for success to integrate blockchain with the rest of an enterprise architecture Setting up your own blockchain is a complex process; Blockchain as a Service (BaaS) can allow faster adoption Fascinating new technologies are emerging these days. Everybody talks about cloud, containers, big data and machine learning. Another disrupting technology is blockchain. You might have heard about blockchain as the underlying infrastructure of Bitcoin. But Bitcoin is just the tip of the iceberg. This article explains the use cases and technical concepts behind blockchain, gives an overview about available services, and points out why middleware is a key success factor in this space. Motivation and Use Cases for Blockchain More than 700 cryptocurrencies were available for trade in online markets as of 11 July 2016, but only 9 of them had market capitalizations over $10 million. A new term emerged therefore: Altcoin (meaning “Bitcoin Alternatives”). However, Altcoin is not the same as blockchain, but “just” another alternative for financial transactions. Blockchain is a layer under the hood of a cryptocurrency. It is all around “the transfer of assets within a business network”. Blockchain enables the creation of a secure, trusted, peer-to-peer network between partners or public users to build any kind of distributed business application. Therefore, Blockchain goes way beyond financial transactions. Here are some examples: Lazooz: Ride-sharing for collaborative transportation OpenBazaar: Open your own shop without Ebay or Amazon as intermediary Skuchain: Next Generation Supply Chain Management (SCM) Internet of Things and Smart Contracts: Probably the next “big thing” for blockchain after financial industry So, why should we care about blockchain instead of keeping the current status in our existing software and applications? We already have Uber, Ebay, and several vendors for SCM and IoT, right? Here are some points to think about why blockchain might be the game changer: Innovate and provide new services and distributed applications Enable smart contracts to cut out the expensive and / or slow middleman in many industry scenarios streamlining processes, like settlement Today we are just scratching the surface of possible use cases. We cannot really imagine yet what customers and partners will build. This is similar to Open API initiatives where we create new added value or even new business models by combining various internal or external APIs Let’s take a look at an example where this disruption can change a business significantly: Airline transportation and the compensation of customers for delayed or cancelled flights. In many countries, customers have a right for a specific amount of compensation if a flight is delayed. In Europe, you can claim compensation up to €600 per passenger for flight delays of more than three hours. However, the airlines do not (have to) pay this automatically. You have to claim it; often with the support of a lawyer. Therefore, many customers do not claim this money. Welcome to the world of blockchain where smart contracts process such a scenario automatically and in a secure way. Governments in conjunction with global non-profit airline associations like International Air Transport Association (IATA), which “support aviation with global standards for airline safety, security, efficiency and sustainability,” could enforce airlines to compensate customers automatically as it is defined by law. Of course, the airlines would not be happy in this case, but it is a great example of how blockchain can help to disrupt “business models” respectively enforce specific behavior or business processes. Technical Concepts and Frameworks Let’s take a closer look at the technical concepts and frameworks behind blockchain technology. A blockchain is a protocol and ledger for building an immutable historical record of transactions. A blockchain implementation means: Ledgers record transactions – the passing of value from owner to owner Transactions are time based Once a Transaction is recorded you cannot alter it You need to be able to detect if your ledger has been altered There is no new technology behind blockchain, just established components combined in a new way - as described in the FAQs in Microsoft’s Ethereum blog post: A data structure called the blockchain which serves as the distributed back-end database A cryptographic token, e.g. the Bitcoin (BTC) in the Bitcoin protocol or ether (ETH) for Ethereum A peer-to-peer network for discovery and communications A consensus formation algorithm. Note that many enterprise blockchains will not use mining (like Bitcoin) for consensus A virtual machine that enables programmable money in Bitcoin and decentralized applications in Ethereum IBM Bluemix documentation states, “Blockchain consists of a network, over which members track and exchange assets, and a record of all exchanges (ledger), which is replicated to all participating members. Applications deployed to a blockchain consist of a self-executing contract and a client-side application that interfaces with the network through an SDK or API.” (see figure 1) Figure 1: A Blockchain Network (Source: IBM) Blockchain Technologies, Frameworks and Standards A variety of blockchain technologies exists. They differ regarding: Public vs private (internal / partner) Adopted vs. new vs. dead Different characteristics (speed, security, consensus algorithms, etc.) There is no blockchain standard yet, but at least there exists some consortiums to build standards, already: R3 Consortium is a blockchain technology company, which leads a consortium of 45 financial companies in research and development of blockchain usage in the financial system. Smart Contracts Alliance is an industry initiative of the Chamber of Digital Commerce, developed to be an authoritative resource for smart contracts. Two open blockchain frameworks seem to get a lot of traction these days: Hyperledger: A collaborative effort created to advance blockchain technology by identifying and addressing important features for a cross-industry open standard for distributed ledgers that can transform the way business transactions are conducted globally. Ethereum: A decentralized platform that runs smart contracts: applications that run exactly as programmed without any possibility of downtime, censorship, fraud or third party interference. ConsenSys is the main company behind Ethereum. Both frameworks have different ideas, analogous to the differences between IaaS and PaaS technologies. Hyperledger is more an Infrastructure as a Service, like Amazon Web Services (AWS) in the public cloud or OpenStack on premise. Ethereum is more a Platform as a Service, like CloudFoundry or OpenShift. Blockchain as a Service (BaaS) Most enterprises will not build their own infrastructure for blockchain projects. They will leverage cloud services, which are called Blockchain-as-a-Service (BaaS). IBM and Microsoft are taking a leading role here. They offer cloud platforms for development and enterprise scale based on open technologies and frameworks. Their portfolio includes blockchain offerings plus integration into their other cloud services. IBM has Blockchain on Bluemix, which leverages the Hyperledger project under the hood. Microsoft Blockchain as a Service on Azure uses the Ethereum platform. In addition, Microsoft partners with various other blockchain vendors, including Ripple, Eris, Coinprism and Factom. Surprisingly, the other two major cloud vendors, Amazon with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google with Google Cloud Platform (GCP), are not very visible in the blockchain market yet. Google invested in the startup Ripple, a blockchain technology for the bank industry. Amazon offers no proprietary blockchain infrastructure service, but only Eris via its marketplace. Eris is a Docker-based, blockchain-backed application platform supporting different blockchain frameworks. Blockchain and Middleware Is blockchain just a hype? Will everybody use it, like a web browser or mobile app today? And why is middleware relevant for it? The answer is simple: “Blockchain will be a workhorse, but behind the scenes.” Blockchain will not be relevant from the perspective of most business users, but a key component for distributed infrastructure (and middleware) applications under the hood! Think about how blockchain can be leveraged in an enterprise architecture and you will quickly find out how this related to middleware. There are two key challenges with blockchain: A blockchain infrastructure is its own independent peer-to-peer network without a central backbone. To integrate with this network, you have to be part of it, i.e. you have to run a blockchain client on your system or integrate with one. Integration is not trivial due to security and governance requirements, the concept of distributed, trusted peers, and a public key infrastructure behind blockchain networks A blockchain creates new events all the time with technical and business information, but has no central database. To leverage blockchain events, you need to be able to analyze, correlate and act on these events. Beyond integration with the blockchain, you also need to access and visualize these events, plus correlate the information with data from other non-blockchain systems Because of these challenges, it helps to leverage key middleware features in a real world blockchain project: Integration of many different data sources in real time, e.g. blockchain clients, various backends (like ERP, CRM, legacy systems), cloud services, partner APIs, and others Gateway and API management Combination of different blockchains Data discovery to find insights and patterns in historical data, sometimes including machine learning Correlation of blockchain and non-blockchain events in real time, sometimes including applying machine learning and analytic models Identity and crypto services to ensure secure and governed communication of all stakeholders in the enterprise architecture Let’s come back to the airline compensation example from above. The airline association would implement the blockchain infrastructure and define smart contracts to enforce airlines to compensate customers when flights are delayed or canceled. The airlines would face many challenges integrating the blockchain infrastructure with their own systems and processes due to all the blockchain-specific concepts and requirements. Middleware can be leveraged to reduce and solve these challenges as it is build for connecting different systems with various technologies, standards and communication protocols. In addition, middleware can add augmented intelligence via event correlation and visualization to ensure governance requirements or create added value by finding new insights (such as wrong processes, performance issues, malicious usage or additional opportunities). Reference Architecture for Blockchain and Middleware Figure 2 shows a reference architecture for blockchain and middleware: Figure 2: Reference Architecture for Blockchain and Middleware The reference architecture includes: Various middleware offerings are available on the market: Project Bletchley is an open source framework by Microsoft to allow integration of blockchain networks with other applications. It focuses on security and governance requirements and therefore includes features such as a gateway or identity, key and crypto services to allow non-blockchain clients to communicate with the blockchain network. Interledger is a lightweight blockchain protocol and integration framework to integrate different blockchains and other interfaces such as banks, Paypal or Skype Established middleware vendors like Software AG or TIBCO Software include offerings for integration, event processing / streaming analytics, data discovery / visual analytics, and machine learning, which help integrate and correlate blockchain events with the rest of the enterprise architecture. A Hackathon Example with Ethereum and Integration Middleware Let’s take a look at a specific example which we realized at a recent hackathon (see figure 3). The goal was to implement a voting app on a blockchain infrastructure and leverage middleware for integration with non-blockchain clients. We chose Ethereum as blockchain as it seemed to be the “more complete platform for application development” than Hyperledger right now. However, Hyperledger also has some characteristics, which I really like from a developer perspective, especially that it is based on Docker, offers REST interfaces out-of-the-box, and that you can use Go as the programming language for smart contracts instead of learning a specific smart contract language. In summary, you really need to take a look at the trade-offs of both (and other alternatives on the market) before actually setting up a blockchain infrastructure. On Ethereum, you develop a so-called Dapp (decentralized app), which consists of two parts: a frontend (written in HTML as web app or any other client using a supported programming language), and a backend (think of it as the ‘database’ for your frontend). A frontend can be a full blockchain peer communicating directly with the backend. The huge benefit here is that every client is a full member of the trusted blockchain network. This is the ideal blockchain world. However, this also makes it much harder to realize and deploy these clients wherever needed - think about Supply Chain Management or Internet of Things scenarios. Therefore, another option is to “hand over the trust” from a full blockchain peer to the middleware and run just a lightweight blockchain client instead which acts as full peer. We combined both options to have full flexibility. In a real world scenario, it might also make sense to offer all functionality to full peers, but only a limited set of operations to everybody via the middleware. Let’s take a deeper look into our project. First, we installed and configured an Ethereum geth client (as Contract Account) on an AWS EC2 instance to realize the backend of the Dapp. The business logic for the voting app was implemented in Solidity, a specific blockchain language to define smart contracts. Solidity Browser is a nice, simple web IDE, which makes it much easier to get started and realize new smart contracts. The middleware is also part of the backend node. It integrates with the Ethereum geth client and exposes its interface as REST service to the outside world. This greatly simplies usage, as Ethereum nodes only offer a low-level JSON-RPC interface for communication and allows lightweight non-blockchain peers to communicate with with the backend. We also implemented a web app (deployed via node.js) to display a very basic web user interface to the end user. As it is generally bad practice to maintain an Ethereum node whose RPC protocol listens for connections anywhere else than localhost, it is best to run the middleware on the same instance as the blockchain backend. We used the Web3 JavaScript Ðapp API to integrate with Ethereum from the integration middleware, but would probably use a Java Blockchain API such as web3j or EthereumJ next time; it is easier and more comfortable to use type-safe Java in conjunction with middleware technologies in an enterprise architecture instead of dynamically, weakly typed language like JavaScript. Figure 3: Architecture for a Voting App Using Blockchain Peers and Integration Middleware We realized two frontends. The first one is a full part of the Dapp. This is another Ethereum node (i.e. this is also a full peer of the blockchain network) also realized via a geth client (as Externally Owned Account, EOA) to run on our laptops. These clients can communicate directly with the Dapp’s “backend” nodes where the smart contracts are deployed. While this project only used geth clients (Go client), you could leverage any other Ethereum client, such as cpp-ethereum (C++ client), pyethapp (Python client) or the Ethereum browser Mist which runs DApps just like you interact with websites via a regular browser. Though, you should think about Mist more as a workbench instead of a browser. Note that blockchain is still peer-to-peer, even though the voting app has “frontend” and “backend” clients. Read a more extensive explanation of Ethereum clients to understand the details better. In addition, in our Hackathon project the laptops of the frontend users were also used for mining to produce new Ether (which is needed to “pay” for blockchain transactions, in this case voting). This is another “bad practice” due to our hardware limitations - and another good reason to use a BaaS service to have explicit mining nodes. The second web app is no full blockchain peer and communicates with the blockchain backend via the middleware. This is what I expect that most enterprises want to do mostly in real world projects (I do not talk about a global Bitcoin-like project, but more about a blockchain between some partners) because full blockchain peers at the client side have many trade-offs. While the business logic is very basic, the intention was to show how integration middleware can be leveraged in a blockchain project: Expose a REST API via the integration layer (in our case TIBCO BusinessWorks Container Edition, a cloud-native, platform agnostic middleware) to the outside world instead of more complex blockchain APIs. Of course, security requirements and governance need to be matched with the blockchain requirements (e.g. which user can access which blockchain APIs and data). Integrate blockchain peers with any other technology, including synchronous Web Services (REST, SOAP), asynchronous messaging (JMS, MQTT), SaaS products (Salesforce, Marketo) or legacy systems (ERP, Mainframe). Note that integration means not just connectivity, but also other core integration requirements such as enterprise-scale, failover, protocol transformation, error handling, and leveraging. design patterns such as Enterprise Integration Patterns or Service Compensation. Take over the onus of trust for communication with third-party clients (“hide” the complexity of blockchain security and governance requirements). Limit service calls to the blockchain via throttling and caching as every Ethereum transaction costs compute resource (i.e. mining) and money (i.e. Ether, the currency in Ethereum). Our next steps will be the following to enhance the blockchain experience for end users: Leverage the blockchain Java API to build an Ethereum connector instead of using JavaScript APIs. The beauty of integration middleware is that you can build a connector once and then re-use it all the time in your visual designer without any coding to connect Ethereum with other technologies or to apply integration patterns. Add API Management on top of the integration layer to expose APIs via a user-friendly developer portal. The API provider can configure service level agreements and monetization of the available blockchain APIs. This is a pretty simple task if the API Management solution of a software vendor allows out-of-the-box integration with its integration layer. Visualize the data to get new insights about blockchain communication and the behaviour of blockchain users and smart contracts. This allows to optimize the business logic (think about fraud detection or other “predictive behaviour”). Correlation via Streaming Analytics might adapt these new insights in real time to new blockchain events. Finally, we want to enhance this Hackathon project by setting up a Hyperledger blockchain infrastructure (as a cloud service) and then integrate and correlate data from two different blockchain technologies. While the vision of some blockchain vendors is to have one single, global blockchain, I think the realistic (and better) future is to have different blockchain infrastructures for their relevant use cases like a public payment blockchain (e.g. Bitcoin), but also private blockchains (e.g. smart contracts for Internet of Things or Supply Chain Management between partners). Blockchain Will Disrupt Enterprises; Middleware is Key for Success Blockchain is nothing new, but the combination of several existing technologies enables disruption. Bitcoin is just the tip of the iceberg. Blockchain goes way beyond financial transactions and will become relevant in various industries. Internet of things might be the next early adopter by realizing automated smart contracts between partners. Blockchain-as-a-Service offerings allow a quick adoption with fail-fast methodology in proof of concepts and first projects. A key success factor for blockchains in an enterprise architecture is middleware. You need to integrate blockchains with each other and with many other systems in real time, using different technologies and communication protocols. Data discovery, event correlation, API management, security enforcement and governance are other middleware features to leverage in real world blockchain projects. If you want to begin your blockchain adventure and take part in one of the most exciting and disrupting technologies these days, I recommend watching the video “Blockchain - The Next Big thing for Middleware,” which explains the content of this article with more graphics and details. Afterwards, get started by spinning up your own blockchain infrastructure via a BaaS cloud service - as a fully-owned setup is complex and error prone. The tooling and IDEs for blockchain technologies are also just maturing these days. Simple web tools like Solidity Browser help a lot in the beginning. Setting up your own blockchain infrastructure and integration with your typical development environment and build pipeline might be a second step, after you have implemented and deployed some first smart contracts. About the Author Kai Wähner is Technology Evangelist and Community Director for TIBCO Software - a leading provider of integration and analytics middleware. His main area of expertise lies within the fields of Big Data, Advanced Analytics, Machine Learning, Integration, SOA, Microservices, BPM, Cloud, Internet of Things and Programming Languages such as Java EE, Groovy or Golang. He regularly write about new technologies, articles and conference talks on his blog.Booksellers' blogs abound with tales of customers who wander into their shops looking for a book with only the vaguest idea of what it's called or who wrote it – sometimes not even that. "Now it is up to the bookseller to help them remember," says the Happy Nappy Bookseller, blogging from Atlanta. "In order to do this we must call upon detective-like skills. Detectives use these techniques with witnesses to extract more information – or at least those I've seen on television." Even George Orwell, in his essay Bookshop Memories (1963), opined that the book trade was filled with customers "of the kind who would be a nuisance anywhere but have special opportunities in a bookshop", such as the "dear old lady who read such a nice book in 1897 and wonders whether you can find her a copy. Unfortunately she doesn't remember the title or the author's name or what the book was about, but she does remember that it had a red cover." Much of this perennial problem is to do with the rather confusing nature in which many books are titled by their authors, in ways that tell you nothing of what's actually inside. The humorist David Sedaris has said that his editors have previously accused him of giving his books titles that were "wilfully obtuse". We can give thanks, then, for the efforts of Brooklyn-based comedian, writer and performer Dan Wilbur, who is on a mission to retitle books in a Ronseal-style "does exactly what it says on the tin". On his website betterbooktitles.com, Wilbur posts up a retitled book – sometimes with new covers of his own design – every weekday, giving over Friday to suggestions from his readers. His mission statement reads: "This blog is for people who do not have thousands of hours to read book reviews or blurbs or first sentences. I will cut through all the cryptic crap, and give you the meat of the story in one condensed image. Now you can read the greatest literary works of all time in mere seconds!" Browsing through the archive is a diverting way to kill some time, with more than 200 retitled books. Not all are safe for work, mind you, but many are pithy and to the point. F Scott Fitzgerald's classic The Great Gatsby becomes, in Wilbur's hands, simply: Drink Responsibly. Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States is renamed White People Ruin Everything. And I do like how Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach can be easily summed up as It's Okay If Giant Fruit Kills Your Aunts So Long As They Were Bitches. Who can't empathise with Wuthering Heights retitled: My Teacher Ruined This? Would more people study classics if Plato's Symposium was really called Horny Drunk Guys Invent Philosophy? And is Wilbur risking a fantasy fatwah by renaming George RR Martin's Game of Thrones as Shakespeare Minus the Good Writing? Perhaps Orwell and his more modern bookselling peers might be happier with more literal literary labels, but is a cryptic title necessarily a bad thing? And if you had to retitle a favourite (or hated, come to that) book, what would it become?There are a lot of different aspects of Ember, the JavaScript “framework for creating ambitious web applications,” that you’ll need to understand before you really feel a sense of mastery. But the most fundamental and useful by far is to get the basic understanding of the shape of an app. They have a few core units that you’ll want to understand, and you can mostly work out the details from there. If you’ve been a web programmer for some time, some of the anatomical units are probably pretty familiar to you. Actually most of them probably are, which is one of Ember’s best qualities. If its core architecture is familiar and comfortable to you, you can move around Ember projects simply because they’re all likely to use these same core units. But whether you’re new to each and every unit we’ll quickly summarize here, or an old hand at these concepts but new to Ember, I’m pretty sure you’ll learn something. The Application’s Map: The Router Like most other web MVC frameworks in the world, all Ember requests go to a front controller which is in charge of route matching and dispatch into the rest of the application. Yep, even though Ember is a JavaScript framework, it treats URLs as both important and fundamental to what it’s doing. Essentially in Ember you declare your routes and those names are used to find your actual individual route declarations which cascade down into the rest of the app. A router declaration will look something like: App.Router.map(function() { this.resource('post', { path: '/post/:post_id' }); }) Data Preperation: Routes & Models One of the big things that differentiates Ember’s “MVC” from a more traditional server-side web MVC frameworks (i.e. Ruby on Rails, Symfony, Laravel, etc) is that the router doesn’t match to directly or exclusively map to a controller method. Rather, based on the match found at the router, Ember dispatches to a route whose primary charge is to load up the the model for the final page. What exactly this looks like can vary substantially, mostly based on whether or not the Ember app is using the optional Ember Data library — which I appreciate, but is completely optional. A basic route (using Ember Data) looks like: App.PostRoute = Ember.Route.extend({ model: function(params) { return this.store.find('post', params.post_id); } }); The important thing to understand about your route declarations is that the model is what is interacted with by a controller and viewed in your final rendered view template. It can be an array of objects, a single solitary piece of data, or anything in between. But the route’s most important role is to get and prepare that data, everything else just augments that. Models themselves, if using Ember Data, are a defined list of properties parsed and automatically saved to an endpoint. If you don’t use it, yours can simply be pulled to your application in your routes and have no external definition. How We Interact: Controllers Controllers in Ember have two basic uses: they can enhance or transform the model, and they can respond to actions taken by users on the final rendered page. Transformation of properties is just done with new properties on your controller, these are available to your view and template. The responding to actions is so primary that your controller’s most defining feature is likely to end up being your actions hash, which does essentially what you’d expect: corral all of the functions on your controller that respond to actions in the rendered page into a single place that you or someone else would expect to look for them. A somewhat contrived controller example: App.PostController = Ember.ObjectController.extend({ length: function() { return this.get('model.body.length'); }.property('model.body') actions: { favoritePost: function() { // logic goes here } } }); Let’s See It: Views & Templates Essentially, from the declared route you’ll get a view and template. Practically speaking, if you’re writing a template in Ember, you’re using Handlebars. Personally, I mostly like Handlebars syntax. Lots and lots of curly braces, but they end up pretty simple to both read and write. Here’s a quite simple Handlebars template: <h2>{{title}}</h2> {{body}} Views are something you won’t necessarily have a lot. You’ll use them to declare CSS classes and other variables that may be relevant to your template. You’ll use them to specify the template, if it’s different than what Ember guesses it would be. But again, they’ll typically be pretty thin and devoid of complex logic, which is a good thing. And a view might looks as simple as: App.PostView = Ember.View.extend({ classNames: ['post-view'] }); How All The Parts of an Ember App Tie Together One of the most interesting facets of Ember is that that from top to bottom, you don’t have to explicitly create all these units. When you don’t and they’re needed, Ember will just automatically create them for you. One of the most interesting facets of Ember is that that from top to bottom, you don’t have to explicitly create all these units. When you don’t and they’re needed, Ember will just automatically create them for you. So if you don’t need to specify anything unique between your controller and your template, there’s no need for you to create a view for that specific route, it’ll just get auto-generated with the basic behavior you’d expect. Same goes for a controller where you don’t actually need to have any interactions or model-augmentation. So for example, in our code samples we could easily omit the declarations of PostView entirely. Or if we didn’t actually need the length property in our template — we didn’t use it after all — and especially if we never got around to implementing that favoritePost stub, we could drop the controller too. This kind of auto-wiring is one of the best and worst aspects of working with Ember, in my experience. The bad: it can be a bit too magical that things work before you understand all the bits that are going into it, so it can be a bit of stair-stepped learning curve in Ember. But, once you get it, and if it works with your way of thinking about your application, it’s a huge boon to your productivity and need to create boilerplate wiring logic that does little. You simply write the parts you want, name them in the way Ember expects, and your app just works. We’ve only touched the core necessary units of an Ember application, there’s a lot more concepts and ideas to Ember that you should learn about in time: mixins, components, computed properties, Ember Data, Ember CLI, Ember Inspector, and the Ember object model, all just come to mind rather immediately. But I think they’re all a bit more than we should jump into right away; this is enough that you should be able to walk into an Ember app and feel a bit more ready to have an impact. Happy hacking! Image Credits: tiffany terryThe Justice Department said Friday that it still wants to force Apple to help it unlock an iPhone in a drug case in New York, the latest volley in an ongoing debate over encryption between federal authorities and technology firms. This filing came two days after the FBI’s director suggested that the government’s secret method for cracking an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino attackers — the center of a weeks-long dispute between the Justice Department and Apple — would not work on the New York phone or several other models. Federal prosecutors wrote in a three-sentence filing Friday in the Eastern District of New York that the government has no intention of changing its stance in the New York case and that it “continues to require Apple’s assistance in accessing the data” on the phone. “As the FBI director recently indicated, the mechanism used in the San Bernardino case can only be used on a narrow category of phones,” Justice Department spokeswoman Emily Pierce said. “In this case, we still need Apple’s help in accessing the data, which they have done with little effort in at least 70 other cases when presented with court orders for comparable phones running iOS 7 or earlier operating systems.” A federal judge in New York ruled against the government earlier this year, finding that that the All Writs Act from 1789 could not be used as the basis for a court order forcing Apple to help authorities lift data off an iPhone. The Justice Department appealed that ruling last month. [FBI director says method for unlocking San Bernardino iPhone only works on ‘narrow slice’ of devices] While the case in New York was overshadowed in the public eye by the California situation that dominated headlines in recent weeks, it has taken on a particular importance amid an ongoing debate over balancing privacy and security in the digital age. The iPhone 5S in New York belonged to a drug dealer who has pleaded guilty to intending to distribute methamphetamines. Apple has helped authorities unlock this model of phone or access data on type of phone about 70 times in the past, according to government officials, and the company had previously told magistrate judge James Orenstein in Brooklyn that if it was ordered provide assistance with the drug dealer’s phone, it would comply. Earlier this week, FBI Director James B. Comey said that the government’s method for unlocking the iPhone 5C belonging to Syed Rizwan Farook — who, with his wife, killed 14 people in a Dec. 2 terrorist attack in San Bernardino, Calif. — would only work on a “narrow slice” of devices. Comey said that the government’s tool would not work on an iPhone 5S or iPhone 6. [Justice Department fights ruling favoring Apple in New York case] Apple and the Justice Department had fought over Farook’s iPhone after the government sought a court order directing the tech company to write new software to sidestep a feature wiping a phone’s data after 10 incorrect password attempts. Last week, the Justice Department said that with an unnamed third party’s help, it had accessed the phone’s data and no longer needed Apple’s help. Authorities have not identified this third party, nor have they revealed how they accessed the phone. Comey said authorities are still weighing whether to tell Apple how they unlocked the phone, noting in a discussion Wednesday at Kenyon College that once they tell Apple, “they’re going to fix it and then we’re back where we started from.” FBI Director James Comey. (Susan Walsh/AP) Apple had told authorities it could get data off the New York phone in “a matter of hours,” said a law enforcement official, who spoke to reporters on a conference call conducted on the condition of anonymity. Attorneys for Apple, speaking in their own conference call with reporters also conducted on the condition of anonymity, said they were disappointed but not surprised that the federal government is still pushing for the company’s help in the New York case. This case differs from San Bernardino because instead of being asked to write new software to sidestep the iPhone’s security, Apple is being asked to extract data from a phone, the attorneys said. These attorneys also questioned whether Apple’s help was really needed in the New York case. They pointed out that the Justice Department repeatedly argued that only Apple could help it access the San Bernardino phone before reversing course at the last minute and said it was fair to wonder whether the FBI had tried every possible other avenue before trying to force Apple to help. The tech company has until next week to file its response to the appeal. Even as the fight continued in court, some U.S. lawmakers have been preparing legislation to break the impasse. Sens. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) have written a bill that would force U.S. companies to provide data or communications in plain text to the government if served with a court order, according to a draft obtained by The Hill. The bill has not been introduced, but it is already prompting criticism from some quarters. “This legislation says a company can design what they want their back door to look like, but it would definitely require them to build a back door,” said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). “For the first time in America
little people to see – an image of a benevolent dictator who tells it like it is. It isn’t limited to the Russia question, though frankly that would be enough. As Sarah Jones reported, the Trump’s own lawyers admitted Trump does have business dealings with Russia – which contradicts Trump’s prior statements. Trump has so many official versions of the Comey firing. It was because Comey was mean to Hillary. It was on the advise of Jeff Sessions who said he recused himself from all matters related to the Russia investigations, one of which was led by former FBI director Comey. That brings us to the second thing. When the public record presents facts that make Trump look bad, he’ll threaten the messenger via twitter be it the former FBI director James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017 … or the former Attorney-General, Sally Yates. Ask Sally Yates, under oath, if she knows how classified information got into the newspapers soon after she explained it to W.H. Counsel. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 8, 2017 These threats when taken within the time and context of events are an obstruction of justice – the first offense in the articles of impeachment against Nixon. Trump twitter threatened Yates just before damning testimony by her and James Clapper before a Senate Sub-Committee – this past Monday. Trump threatened Comey – days he fired Comey which was days after the former FBI director sought more resources to investigate the Trump campaigns alleged collusion with Putin during the 2016 election. When both things happen in tandem, you get what happened today – a twitter tantrum where Trump makes his war on America and the Constitution public via Twitter. A big part of me wishes this is just melodrama – something we could dismiss as the musings of a senile former reality TV star. In an opinion piece published in USA Today, Laurence Tribe, Richard Painter and Norman Eisen wrote: “If President Trump’s shockingly sudden firing of FBI Director James Comey had violated some statute or constitutional provision, our judicial branch could easily have remedied that misstep. What the president did was worse. It was a challenge to the very premises of our system of checks and balances precisely because it violated no mere letter of the law but its essential spirit.” In short, Trump is on public record saying he is above the law of the land because he is president. And as Tribe et all point out, this goes beyond breaking a law or an ethics violation. If only advising Mr. Trump that this is America, not Russia or a country ruled by the handful of dictators he praises for their “strong leadership” could solve this. But it has gone beyond giving Trump some basic instruction on the U.S. constitution because Trump is at war with the very spirit of our constitution. This week alone he threatened the former acting Attorney-General and the former FBI director – both of whom were fired from their positions because they wouldn’t drop the investigation of the nature of Trump’s relationship with Vladimir Putin. He threatened both should they go public with what they know. Trump went on to compromise the Deputy AG’s integrity, and that’s after he got advise from the AG who supposedly recused himself from all matters related to the Russis question. In Putin’s Russia the emperor’s roar would be enough to silence questioning. But this is America. The drumbeat of calls for a Special Counsel is getting louder. The FBI’s wrath over the firing of Comey is surpassed by the ethics of career professionals – who swear their loyalty oath to America, it’s constitution and law. Republicans are running out of time to choose America and the Constitution over the dictatorial aspirations of an orange, intellectually challenged version of Nixon.The Oilers have announced that they have agreed to terms with forward Nail Yakupov on a two-year contract extension. The #Oilers have agreed to terms with forward Nail Yakupov on a two-year contract extension. pic.twitter.com/PDjRshC4a0 — Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) April 13, 2015 The 21-year-old established a new career high in points with 33 (14-19-33) in 81 games this season. The second half of the season is where Yakupov really put up numbers. Post All-Star break, Yakupov recorded 21 of those 33 points, including nine of his goals. From February 9-18, Yakupov had a point streak of six games. He had a five-game streak from March 9-18. At the trade deadline, Oilers General Manager Craig MacTavish said he was pleased with the improvements Yakupov was making and that they were eager to extend him following the completion of his entry level contract. “I see it to continue to evolve the way that it has,” said MacTavish. “We all see the promise now that we had when we drafted him. I had zero interest in trading Nail Yakupov. I think we’ve gone this far, we’ve got to see the end now. It has been some ups and downs, some sideways play and some head-scratching stuff and he’s on top of his game now. He shows all the assets that we saw when we drafted him: the speed, the physical power, the shot, he’s making good plays with the puck and who knows what unlatches all that for him, but he’s really figured it out. He’s playing with confidence, he’s a hardworking guy and we’ve got to see how it finishes. I’ve have no question that Yak is going to continue to develop and he’s got a reference point of what he needs to do now because he’s hit a new level. I’m as curious as anybody to see where that level goes because I think it’s sky high.” Yakupov's centre, Derek Roy, says he saw strides in his linemate's game. “Even the last couple of games, he was flying,” said Roy. “He was skating really good and moving the puck and making plays, getting shots through to the net and doing some of the small things that are going to make you successful in the league. The more he learns and the more he gets better, he’s going to be a dynamic player in the NHL. I believe that. That’s why I’ve just tried to help him as much as I could.” Yakupov was taken first overall in the 2012 NHL Draft. He has 88 points (42-46-88) in 192 NHL games. He finished the season on a three-game point streak, including scoring his 14th goal of the season in Saturday's finale in Vancouver.The good news: I think you should have no great trouble finding what you seek, you can influence it yourself, massively. TL;DR: change yourself, not your company (with minor exceptions). Obviously, look for companies that embrace home office work. Aside from that: I don't like making friends at work, I have, in fact, never seen a place where people wanted to be friends. I have witnessed plenty of people in the office where I would never ever have the slightest intention to befriend them, and where it still was easily possible to work together with them. You don't even need to be all smiles and happy face, in most places. You should be generally acceptable though, i.e. don't start growling whenever someone passes you. going out to eat with the team, Just say "no", done. Don't explain, don't complain, just don't do it. They will pick it up very quickly and it should be no problem. If it is, that is if your company actually wants to enforce this, then you might have a small chat with your boss, and if he absolutely insists, then look for a new job. I'd say most companies of a decent size should be fine in this aspect. having to go get drinks, Drinks?! A requirement for careers? Around here (in a country where alcohol is flowing freely, in private), if someone were to order even a light alcoholic beverage, in a team of "technical" people, it would be weird. Besides, why do you care about what people do. Even if you should happen to find yourself in company with someone ordering a proper drink - just don't do it, order water or a coke, or nothing. team lunches, Just say no, same as above. Bring your own stuff, eat alone. Convince them that you prefer a period of stillness or a walk instead of eating. Again, if there is real pressure, look for another employer, but I'd say you should have no trouble finding one where this is acceptable to skip. "team outings", If it is a simple thing (going bowling), just say no. Same as above. If the company is throwing a big event (high costs involved, the whole company or department going somewhere, with upper management addressing the mob), then it may just be that you would indeed be served well with being there. Stick through it, be done with it. This should not happen all to often. meetups, Meetups to discuss work really cannot be avoided - clearly this is a thing you have to work on. You still can keep it strictly business. open offices, Sometimes hard to avoid if there just are not enough closed spaces. Bring a big headset with noise cancellation... or having to fit in with the culture. Most "hippster" cultures appreciate individuality. Those cultures that do not are probably exactly what you are looking for (e.g., the business suite mentality)? One thing that makes you seem to fit in without hurting you too much is just to grit your teeth and clothe vaguely like the average guy around you. I.e., if everyone is running around in business shirts, then just get some yourself, etc. You don't need to splash tons of money, or clothe yourself really uncomfortable; just try not to stick out that much. I just want a job where I can show up, get my work done, and go home. Sure, plenty of people do that. The trick is to encapsulate the things you cannot possibly avoid (meeting other people to talk about work) so that it part of "getting work done". If you actually just want to get mechanical work doled out by a ticket system and never ever talk to anybody, then, as a web developer, you're basically out of luck. You could look into maintenance, low level support (where you hunt for non-spectacular everyday bugs in applications), etc., and carve out a niche for you. Ask for all the boring, mechanical work that most other people are not happy about. Make sure people do not send the stuff to you by phone or mail, but by using a ticket system (you can find good reasons for that which are not related to your social preferences).Image copyright Hoc Image caption The bill finally makes it to committee stage in the House of Commons As we pass the half way point between the referendum and Brexit day, the detailed legislative battle finally commences. The Parliamentary week will be dominated by the first two days of committee stage scrutiny of the EU (Withdrawal) Bill - the measure which provides the government with a vast range to legislative tools so that it can enact whatever version of Brexit it ultimately decides upon. As I write, my desk groans under the weight of the latest 175-page amendment paper, containing 366 amendments (14 have been withdrawn) and 74 new clauses, covering just about every imaginable issue. There will be eight days of committee stage on the floor of the Commons, with at least two days of report stage to follow, before the bill is sent on for more fun and games in the House of Lords. I will be writing a more extensive preview separately - but this could turn into an attritional Commons battle to rank with the legendary 1990s clashes over the Maastrict Treaty. Here's my rundown of the week ahead: Monday The Commons opens (2.30pm) with Work and Pensions questions. Expect any post-half term urgent questions or statements (and there could be a few....) at 3.30pm. Image copyright AFP/Getty Image caption Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire gives an update on the negotiations in Northern Ireland The main event is the Northern Ireland Budget Bill - all stages of which will be taken at a single gulp. This is the measure to set government spending plans for Northern Ireland, in the continuing absence of the Stormont Assembly. In Westminster Hall (4.30pm), MPs debate two opposed e-petitions; no 180642 which says "Another Scottish independence referendum should not be allowed to happen....We in Scotland are fed up of persecution by the SNP leader who is solely intent on getting independence at any cost. As a result, Scotland is suffering hugely." and no 168781 which says "Agree to a second referendum on Scottish Independence...The actions of the UK government after the Brexit vote do not align with the people of Scotland. We are not bigoted. We are not racist. We welcome everybody based on their contribution, not on where they come from. The UK government does not behave in this way and so we must LEAVE." In the Lords (2.30 pm) question time ranges across the eventual financial settlement with the EU, the increase in the number of penalty points imposed under a fixed-penalty notice issued for drivers caught using mobile phones, payment of Disabled Students' Allowance to dyslexic students and the ratio of overseas aid expenditure to defence expenditure. A pretty perfunctory committee stage debate on the European Union (Approvals) Bill with then follow. The bill approves EU Council decisions on observer status for Serbia and Albania in European Agency for Fundamental Rights, and to conclude an EU- Canada agreement on competition. Much meatier is the next agenda item - the third committee day on the Data Protection Bill, where the focus is on the sections dealing with controls on general processing of personal information and law enforcement processing. During the dinner break there will be a short debate on the government's assessment of the risks posed by household debt in the UK - led by the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Rev Dr Alan Smith. Tuesday MPs open (11.30 am) with Health questions - and with eight hours of committee stage debate in prospect (see below) there would have to be something pretty urgent to justify an urgent question or statement, without provoking considerable grumbling. Image copyright PA The day's Ten Minute Rule Bill, from the Conservative former minister, Robert Halfon, is on the abolition of hospital parking charges, an issue he's been campaigning on since 2014 - when, he says, he discovered hospitals in England were charging staff and visitors up to £500 a week to park. "It was never envisaged that people with cars would end up paying for the NHS," he said. Then it's on to the main event - the first of eight committee stage days on the floor of the House, on the detail of the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill. The action will focus on Clause 1 and Clause 6. Clause 1 is a single line, repealing the 1972 European Communities Act, the legislation that took Britain into what was then the EEC. It will take effect on Brexit Day. Its effect is to return sole competence to Westminster to legislate over policy areas currently under the EU. Clause 6 is a much more complex clause, instructing the courts on how to interpret the 40 years of accumulated EU law that will (mostly) be reprocessed into British law, and makes clear that UK courts will no longer have to follow the judgments of the European Court of Justice. On Clause 1, there are amendments down setting conditions for leaving. Labour Remainer Chris Leslie's amendment 53 saying that repeal cannot take place until a new treaty on the future relationship with the EU has been approved, and his amendment 63 to keep Britain in the Customs Union have both attracted 27 signatures. The SNP's Iain Blackford has an amendment which would retain membership on existing terms if Parliament does not agree the exit deal, and Plaid Cymru's Hywel Williams has an amendment requiring the devolved parliaments to consent to repeal. On Clause 6 there are several official Labour amendments, which set out an assortment of conditions for transitional and continued protection of social rights. In Westminster Hall, there are debates on International Men's Day (9.30am); the long-term future of district councils in England (11am); the UK's role in degradation of the marine environment (2.30pm); the government response to corrosive substance attacks (4pm) and the UK bee population (4.30pm). In the Lords (2.30pm) question time covers planning for another generation of New Towns, foreign policy support for UK businesses seeking global trade opportunities, and the effect of Brexit on UK food prices. The main legislating is on the Northern Ireland Budget Bill, which as a money bill would normally be rubber-stamped by peers. That is followed by the Space Industry Bill - where there are report stage amendments down on such issues as space debris, safety and environmental issues. Wednesday The Commons opens (11.30 am) with Northern Ireland questions, followed, at Noon by Prime Minister's Questions. The day's Ten Minute Rule Bill is the Automatic Electoral Registration (No.2) Bill from the Labour MP Jo Stevens. It aims to increase the accuracy of the register of voters, and ensure full enfranchisement through automatic registration. (It's the No 2 Bill because there is a parallel bill in the Lords from Labour's Baroness McDonagh.) Then it's back to the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill - and day 2 of committee of the whole House, which is focused on clauses 2, 3 and 4. Together, these create a new category of domestic law for the United Kingdom: retained EU law - all of the converted EU law and preserved EU-related domestic law which was in force on the day before the UK left the EU. Some elements, like rights under the Charter of Fundamental Rights, are excluded from this category. Clause 5 (4) says: "The Charter of Fundamental Rights is not part of domestic law on or after exit day." Retained EU law may subsequently be amended, replaced or repealed by the UK Parliament. There are a couple of official Labour amendments aimed at making sure that the bill's powers to alter the law could not be used to water down employment rights, health and safety or equality provisions. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption MPs will debate a report of the Lords Speaker's Committee on reform of the Lords Watch out, too, for the Labour MP Kate Green's amendment to write the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into UK law - 33 MPs have signed it so far. There's a new clause (NC60) designed to retain the environmental principles of EU law is proposed by the Environmental Audit Select Committee Chair, Mary Creagh, and a cross party alliance is proposing another new clause (NC30) to transfer the EU protocol on animal sentience into domestic law. In Westminster Hall, there are debates on the report of the Lord Speaker's Committee on reform of the House of Lords (9.30am); private landlord licensing (11am); family justice reform (2.30pm) and the effect of loneliness on local communities (4.30pm). In the Lords (from 3pm) ministers will field questions on the opportunities from the fourth industrial revolution, the English Churches and Cathedrals Sustainability Review and self-determination for West Papua. Then peers embark on their fourth committee stage day on the Data Protection Bill, focussing on the clauses on processing of personal data by the intelligence services. The day's first legislation is all stages of the Finance Bill - which picks up measures from the March Budget which were delayed because of the general election. Again, as a money bill, this would not normally attract amendments from peers - although there might be some Paradise Papers-related comment about the need to clamp down on tax avoidance. Thursday The Commons begins (9.30am) Digital, Culture, Media and Sport questions, followed by a 20-minute mini-question time for the Attorney General and then the weekly Business Statement from the Leader of the House, Andrea Leadsom. Next comes a backbench debate on the roll-out of universal credit - this could be interesting from a number of points of view. The Labour Chair of the Work and Pensions Committee, Frank Field, has been pushing the government hard on one key facet of the new super-benefit, the six week wait before claimants receive money. The committee's latest report found that many claimants have found themselves unable to cope with the long wait for their initial UC payment, adding that the "long wait for support may even make it more difficult for claimants to search for work". First, this is an attempt by a select committee to drive government policy. Second, Mr Field's motion "calls on the government to reduce the standard initial wait for a first Universal Credit payment to one month". Given the accusations that ministers have effectively ignored votes calling for a change in policy on Opposition Day motions, including on universal credit, and have instructed Conservative MPs not to take part in them, it will be interesting to see how the new management in the government whips office handles this debate. In this context, it's worth remembering how events unfolded in the run-up to George Osborne's u-turn on his tax credit cuts in his 2015 Budget. Tory MPs wouldn't support a Labour motion opposing the cuts, but enough of them did turn out to support the select committee one. Mr Osborne knew after that vote that he wouldn't have a majority in the Commons, let alone the Lords. The day's second backbench debate is on the defence aerospace industrial strategy. Image copyright PA Meanwhile, in Westminster Hall (1.30 pm) there is a general debate on World Antibiotics Awareness Week, followed (3pm) by a general debate on the Department for Work and Pensions support for care leavers. In the Lords (11am) proceedings open with the introduction of Lord Geidt, who served as the Queen's private secretary for 10 years. Question time covers bilateral trade between the UK and Sudan, the number of young women who are self-harming and whether the EU will accept British data protection laws are adequate to allow data transfers between the UK and the EU after Brexit. The day's debates are on subjects raised by Labour peers, starting with the former welfare minister Baroness Hollis of Heigham on the impact of universal credit on claimants - a debate which has attracted 19 speakers, so far, a good showing for a Thursday afternoon. Another former minister, Lord Foulkes leads a debate on the human rights of older persons, and then, Lord Hunt of Kings Heath has a motion to regret new regulations on NHS charges to overseas visitors. The dinner break debate is on the impact of rising inflation on families affected by the freeze of working age benefits - led by the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Rev Dr Alan Smith, in his second foray into this area in a week. Neither House sits on Friday.This is a collaboration between William Newbold (Lyrics) and myself called The Good Boundless. I believe it was Gene Ward Smith who pointed out that this piece, completely in a whole tone scale qualified as “macro” tonal 6 edo. I’m not sure the hobnox site exists anymore. It is still there! It is kind of a cool site where you string together widgits in your browser that creates music. Since I could not do anything microtonal on the site I came up with using the whole tone scale and that is how this piece began. Lyrics The Good Lifeless has Become Boundless such that it is written, went where and windly with pentacles of pie like know our way down the screem when we find what it is that can been and be we of their 2 tracks of hobnox drum machines 2 tracks of hobnox sequencers 2 tracks of bass 2 tracks of sax 2 tracks of stratocastor electric guitar 1 track mustang electric guitar 1 track choir 4 tracks vocal (sax and choir is the Roland GR-20) Contributors: Lyrics by Ice9 (William Newbold) Like this: Like Loading...Those Who Believe On the run from Social Services and others who do not understand their beliefs, Nathan and his mom, faith-healer Billie Ashbury move into yet another a new town. More These signs shall follow those who believe... On the run from Social Services and others who do not understand their beliefs, Nathan and his mom, faith-healer Billie Ashbury move into yet another a new town. Nathan again faces the challenges of making new friends and of keeping his family’s secrets. But what he really struggles with is his wavering faith and reconciling his actions with what his devoted mother has taught him from the cradle. Could disobeying her ever be right? His life could depend on the answer. "...engaging, keeps you guessing, a little creepy at times, good ending" "It was a great story and I enjoyed reading it. It may end up being one of many books I go back to" "I have struggled with some of the same things as Nathan did, and it was like I was reading my own story"SPRINGFIELD - On May 26, at about 2:45 a.m., Jeffrey Pirog climbed onto the balcony of the Most Holy Redeemer Mausoleum at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery and posed for a photo he would later regret. The image shows him sitting on the balcony railing, with the mausoleum's tower behind him and a cross illuminated between his legs. "Chillin' on a church, loving life!" the 20-year old wrote, sharing the photo with his Snapchat followers. Life got less chilling for Pirog once the cemetery's owner, Springfield (Catholic) Diocese Cemeteries, Inc., discovered damage to the mausoleum and wanted him to pay for it. The bill: $8,000. During a police interview, Pirog admitted climbing the mausoleum tower and damaging some items on the way back down. To avoid criminal charges, he offered to reimburse the cemetery for repairing or replacing the items, according to court documents. But negotiations between the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield and Pirog's lawyer bogged down, and criminal charges were filed. Eight months after striking his Snapchat pose, Pirog pleaded innocent in to trespassing and causing injury to a church, synagogue or cemetery under $5,000. He was released without bail, and ordered to stay away from the cemetery. In a motion to dismiss the case, defense lawyer Joseph Cabrera challenged the trespassing charge, citing the lack of signs explicitly barring visitors from the cemetery at night. One sign, for example, prohibits dogs and all-terrain vehicles and another, less prominent one, states "closed after dark," the lawyer wrote. The defendant planned to climb the building, not vandalize it, and the resulting damage was unintentional. The damage was limited to balcony rails, balusters, ventilation caps and two stone "pineapple-like statues," according to the motion. "There is nothing (in the case) even hinting at the existence of hostility toward the cemetery or its operators," he wrote. But a lawyer for the cemetery said the defendant was indifferent, if not reckless, to the possible consequences of climbing the mausoleum. The damage resulted from several intentional acts, from entering the cemetery to climbing the mausoleum tower to sending a "mocking message showing himself atop the tower," Stephen E. Spelman wrote in a motion supporting criminal charges. "None of his actions happened accidentally," he added. At about 2:45 a.m., Pirog triggered an alarm at the mausoleum, but was gone when cemetery security arrived. The next morning, however, Pirog sent his mausoleum Snapchat photo to a cemetery employee, who reported it to his bosses. During questioning by police, Pirog refused to identify the person who took the photo, which received 16 'likes' from Pirog's Snapchat followers. "Did you see god" one follower responded, according to court documents. The defendant is due back in Springfield District Court for a pretrial hearing on May 26, the first anniversary of his mausoleum tower climb.== Project status == == Updates == == Download == == Already on this rom?? == == Installation instructions: == Don't try this roms when you don't know what you are doing!! == Changelog == Code: Quote: == Beta v2.5 == - Z2, Z3 and Z3c have working modem etc and have same status as Z1 etc?? - Mic is working while calling - Fixed screen flickering?? - Recovery added: TWRP for Z1, ZU, Z1c, Z2 & CWM for Z3 and Z3c == Beta v2 == - Sensors are fixed - first Z1 compact, Z2, Z3 and Z3 compact release - Latest 3.5.2.2 kernel - Mic is working while calling???? - Auto-brightness fixed - Rotation is working == Beta v1.1 == - Wifi is a lot more stable - Updated kernel - charging-LED is working now - Rom is more stable and supersmooth == Beta v1.0 == - Bluetooth - Wifi - LED - Texting - Calling - Sound - Brightness Slider (autobrightness doesn't work yet, turn it off to make slider working) - Vibration - Screen/Touch == Screenshots == XDA:DevDB Information [ROM][WIP]AOSP 5.0 Beta v2.5 \| Lollipop for Xperia Z3 [16-11-2014], ROM for the Sony Xperia Z3 Contributors Version Information Hello everyone,I present to you Android 5.0 AOSP for Xperia Z3. This is for the people that can't wait to see how lollipop looks like on Z3.Working:- Bluetooth- Wifi- NFC??- LED- Texting- Calling- Sound- Sensors- Auto-Brightness- Vibration- Screen/Touch- SELinux- Recovery- everything that's not in the "not working list"Not working:- Camera- Mobile Data?- Video Playback (Use VLC or another app as workaround for now)- GPS-....I'm working on fixing bugs and making this rom a daily driver. This might take some time though.Download all files from the correct device folder, system and kernel are in the version directories- Rom: Xperia Z3 AOSP 5.0 Beta v2.0 - Gapps can be found in the main directoryNo need to wipe data unless I tell it in the thread- Just flash system.img and boot.img using fastboot.You can flash gapps in the embedded recovery.- flash boot.img and system.img using fastboot- Boot into recovery, wipe data, dalvik and cache- You can flash gapps in the embedded recovery.In the screenshot part of devdb project are more screenshots5.0.x LollipopLinux 3.4.xUnlocked bootloaderAOSPBeta2.52014-11-182014-11-162014-11-17Story highlights 3-year-old Melyssa Delgado Braga was diagnosed with a rare facial tumor Doctors estimate that it weighed more than 5 pounds Her tongue was "obliterated," but she's now regained full use (CNN) Doctors in Louisiana removed a rare facial tumor from a Brazilian 3-year-old after her parents took to social media pleading for help. Melyssa Delgado Braga of Sao Paulo is now recovering from the eight-hour surgery, conducted in December. Little Melyssa's journey to the United States began when Dr. Celso Palmieri Jr., assistant professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, read a post on a Brazilian news site while reviewing publications from his home country. The child's family was seeking help to get their daughter to the United States for treatment. "As I was reading more about her story, I realized our department could probably help her, and particularly Dr. Ghali and his department. I've seen him helping people so many times, so I took a screenshot of the child, and I texted it to him," Palmieri said of his colleague, Dr. G.E. Ghali. Doctors estimated that Melyssa Delgado Braga's tumor weighed 5 pounds. After an hour searching social media, he was able to get in contact with the parents, who speak only Portuguese. Read MoreStudy finds the burdens of spousal caregiving alleviated by appreciation “Spending time attempting to provide help can be beneficial for a caregivers’ mental and physical well-being, but only during those times when the caregiver sees that their help has made a difference and that difference is noticed and recognized by their partner.” BUFFALO, N.Y. – The fact that spouses often become caregivers for their ailing partners is quite common in American life – and few roles are more stressful. Yet helping behaviors, which are at the core of caregiving, typically relieve stress, according to Michael Poulin, an associate professor in the University at Buffalo Department of Psychology. When discussing spousal care, the draining demands of caregiving and the uplifting effects of helping stand in apparent contrast to one another. But recent research shows that the time caregivers spend actively helping a loved one can improve the caregiver’s sense of well-being – and now, Poulin, an expert in empathy, human generosity and stress, is part of a research team that has published a study exploring why that’s the case. Their research points to the specific conditions necessary to alleviate the burdens of spousal caregiving. “Spending time attempting to provide help can be beneficial for a caregivers’ mental and physical well-being, but only during those times when the caregiver sees that their help has made a difference and that difference is noticed and recognized by their partner,” he says. “These conclusions are important because we know that spousal caregiving is an enormous burden, emotionally, physically and economically,” he says. “If we can find ways for community resources to help create those conditions we might be able to make a difference in the lives of millions of people.” The findings of the study, led by Joan Monin, Yale School of Public Health, Stephanie Brown, Stony Brook University, Kenneth Langa, University of Michigan, and Poulin, appear in the American Psychological Association’s journal Health Psychology. Poulin says more than 30 years of research shows that being a caregiver is among the most stressful, emotionally burdensome and physically demanding roles a person can take on. Spouses who are caregivers show decreased immune function, increased signs of physiological stress and are at greater risk for physical and mental illness. Yet other studies, including much of Poulin’s own research, suggest that the act of providing help to somebody is typically stress-relieving and is associated with better emotional and physical well-being. “The problem is that when you’re a caregiver, not all of your time is spent helping,” says Poulin. “Sometimes all you can do is witness the person’s state while being passively on duty.” But previous research confirmed that the act of helping in this context was associated with improving the caretakers’ well-being, a finding that was true even when general caregiving was broken downs into tasks, like feeding or bathing. “This is what we wanted to get at,” says Poulin. “We knew that something about being helpful is good in these circumstances. But why? Is it just being active? Is doing something better than doing nothing? Or is it that doing something to improve another person’s well-being is what matters?” The research team conducted two studies with spouses caring for partners with chronic pain. In the first study, 73 participants reported caregiving activity and their accompanying emotions in three-hour intervals. This allowed the researchers to look at the amount of help given and how much that help pleased the spouse and subsequently affected the caregiver. The second study involved 43 caregivers who completed a diary at the end of the day that detailed the help they provided and the appreciation they received. The findings suggest that spouses caring for a partner feel happier and report fewer physical symptoms when they believe their help is appreciated. “Importantly, this study adds to a growing body of evidence showing that it is important to target emotional communication between spouses in daily support interactions to improve psychological well-being in the context of chronic conditions and disability,” the authors write in their paper. It’s an important point to consider, not just today, but for the future, notes Poulin. “As the baby boomers continue to age, this phenomenon of spousal caregiving will continue to increase,” he says.The "Average Page" is a myth As anyone and everyone in the web performance community will tell you, the size of the average page is continuously getting bigger: more JavaScript, more image and video bytes, growing use of web fonts, and so on. In fact, as of December 2015, the HTTP Archive shows that the average desktop site weighs in at 2227KB, and mobile is up to 1253KB. Except, what is an "average page", exactly? Intuitively, it is a page that is representative of the web at large, in its payload size, distribution of bytes between different content types, etc. More technically, it is a measure of central tendency of the underlying distribution - e.g. for a normal distribution the average is the central peak, with 50% values greater and 50% values smaller than its value. Which, of course, begs the question: what is the shape and type of the distribution for transferred bytes and does it match this model? Let's plot the histogram and the CDF plots... The x-axis shows that we have outliers weighing in at 30MB+. The quantile values are 25th: 699KB, 50th (median): 1445KB, 75th: 2697KB. The CDF plot shows that 90%+ of the pages are under 5000KB. The x-axis shows that we have outliers weighing in at 10MB+. The quantile values are 25th: 403KB, 50th (median): 888KB, 75th: 1668KB. The CDF plot shows that 90%+ of the pages are under 3000KB. Let's start with the obvious: the transfer size is not normally distributed, and there is no meaningful "central value" and talking about the mean is meaningless, if not deceiving - see "Bill Gates walks into a bar...". We need a much richer and nuanced language and statistics to capture what's going on here, and an even richer set of tools and methods to analyze how these values change over time. The "average page" is a myth. I've been as guilty as anyone in (ab)using averages when talking about this data: they're easy to get and simple to communicate. Except, they're also meaningless in this context. My 2016 resolution is to kick this habit. Join me. Page weight as of December 2015 Coming up with a small set of descriptive statistics for a dataset is hard, and attempting to reduce a dataset as rich as HTTP Archive down to a single one is an act of folly. Instead, we need to visualize the data and start asking
of mothers don't send their kids to school because they haven't eaten anything that day. BB: Earlier you told me about having to go through the garbage when you were growing up. Now, you're a mother of five. Is it getting worse now, or is it staying the same? LP: I think it's a little bit worse than it was before, because food prices are really high and in some communities there are no jobs and no way to earn an income. People struggle to put food on the table. BB: You work and have a steady job. How much do you spend on groceries a week? LP: Anywhere from $500 to $600 per week. We do buy extra food for the families we meet who don't have any food. We'll give them cereal, bread, maybe used powder, stuff like that. BB: But $500 to $600 a week, that's an enormous grocery bill. How many people are in your household? LP: Right now there's just three of us, but sometimes four. BB: And is your food budget supplemented by hunting? LP: It is. Right now I do a lot of fishing. BB: And that's still a source of food for many Inuit households I would guess? LP: Yes, and I totally believe that there's no starvation in the North because of country food. BB: If you were to open a typical refrigerator in Nunavut, what would you see? LP: For the lower incomes, hardly anything. Maybe butter, and if they are lucky eggs. It's empty usually. BB: So you started the Feeding My Family site three years ago, and you wanted to raise awareness. You wanted to get people to demonstrate against the high cost of food in Nunavut. And there was an article in The Globe And Mail that quoted you saying that protesting was against your culture, but you did it anyway. Was it difficult for you to do? LP: Yeah it was. The first one was very difficult. And we heard from a lot of Inuit communities that protesting is not the Inuit way - why are you doing it? But something needed to be done, so I said I will just do it. BB: Well now food is clearly an election issue in Nunavut, and you've heard from the candidates in your riding. Is any one of them on the right track when it comes to the food crisis? LP: I like what Jack Anawak said about improving traditional food and culture because that will support our culture. It will support who we are, what we eat and our main diet. Country food is considered one of the most healthy food choices. It's what we have to work with. BB: Pretty much all of the candidates mentioned Nutrition North. What is the general feeling about Nutrition North in your community? LP: I'll try to explain this nicely - it's one of those head shakers. It's a program that's not working, and the federal government keeps saying well let's improve it. But they are completely missing the issue. BB: How are they missing the issue? What's the part of the issue they don't see? LP: First of all, they're giving funding to the stores that have been ripping off the Northerners for years. Now they say it's going to show on your receipt when you buy something and at the bottom it's going to say how much you saved under the Nutrition North program. They want us to believe that. To me it's really disrespectful. BB: Is there anything that you feel the candidates missed out on or wish they'd said about the food crisis in Nunavut? LP: They talked about the program and how it needs to be improved. Well maybe they should just axe the program and do a new program - one that supports Inuit culture. It's the Inuit that are suffering the most with these food prices. Finding out what our resources are would also be good. I would like to see something that's already there instead of reinventing the wheel and work with that. BB: How hopeful are you that a solution will come up in this election? Do you think that this election might be able to, in some way or some small way, solve this food problem in Nunavut? LP: Well it's going to take years and years and years to solve it as it is now because there's so many factors. At least to put some sort of dent in it. I'm hoping to see at least someone trying, at least trying to help. With Leona, it's obvious that she's not there. I want to see someone at least try. BB: Leesee Papatsie thank you for being with us. LP: Thank you.Petrol price on Monday increased by Rs 0.83 per litre and diesel by Rs 1.26 per litre. Petrol and diesel price increased by Rs. 0.83/litre & Rs. 1.26/litre respectively with effect from midnight tonight. — ANI (@ANI_news) May 16, 2016 The change in price will be effective from midnight on Monday. Petrol in Delhi will cost Rs 63.02 per litre from midnight as against Rs 62.19 per litre currently. Similarly, diesel will cost Rs 52.21 per litre as against Rs 50.95 per litre at present. "The current level of international product prices of petrol and diesel and the rupee-US Dollar exchange rate warrant increase in price of petrol and diesel, the impact of which is being passed on to the consumers with this price revision," the IOC said. The hike comes on the back of an increase of Rs 1.06 and Rs 2.94 per litre on petrol and diesel respectively on April 30. State-owned fuel retailers IOC, Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) revise rates of the fuel on 1st and 16th of every month based on the average oil price and the foreign exchange rate in the preceding fortnight. "The movement of prices in the international oil market and the rupee-USD exchange rate shall continue to be monitored closely and developing trends of the market will be reflected in future price changes," the company added. (With inputs from PTI)PA National Guard Put on State Active Duty in Northwestern PA December 26, 2017 Harrisburg, PA – Governor Tom Wolf this evening announced that 21 Pennsylvania National Guard (PNG) troops have been put on State Active Duty in northwestern Pennsylvania after a record amount of snow fell across the area over the last several days. “Our National Guard members are trained to assist the citizens of our commonwealth during severe winter storms like Erie is experiencing right now,” said Governor Wolf. “We are very fortunate that they live and work in our communities and are able to mobilize on short notice in order to provide the manpower and equipment needed in northwestern PA.” The PNG is providing a number of high clearance all terrain military vehicles to aid local agencies with medical emergency and law enforcement response, assisting with safety and wellness checks, transporting essential emergency services personnel, and assigning a liaison to the Erie County Emergency Operations Center. Pennsylvania has the third largest National Guard in the country with approximately 20,000 members located in more than 80 armories and readiness centers statewide.The international break ends, the transfer window shuts and squads are finalised United had one more loan move in them in the shape of Matty Willock’s move to Utrecht, here is how the eight players got on. Saturday, September 9th Andreas Pereira \| Valencia CF \| 0-0 draw vs Atlético Madrid Minutes played: 60 Goals: 0 Assists: 0 Andreas Pereira started on the right-hand side of the 4-4-2 and played 60 minutes before being replaced by Goncalo Guedes. He switched over to the left side frequently throughout the match, where he’s more comfortable. An okay debut for the Brazillian after José Mourinho admitted he didn’t think going out on loan was the best decision for Pereira. Sam Johnstone \| Aston Villa \| 0-0 draw vs Brentford Minutes played: 90 Saves: 5 Clearances: 3 Claims: 1 Punches: 1 Note: Johnstone was WhoScored.com’s Man of the Match Sam Johnstone continued his stint in Aston Villa’s goal, having played every league game so far. He produced a fantastic performance as his side laboured to a point at home to Brentford. That was his first clean sheet of the season. Cameron Borthwick-Jackson \| Leeds United \| 5-0 win vs Burton Albion Minutes played: 0 Cameron Borthwick-Jackson still awaits his second outing as a Leeds player having been on the bench for three successive games before being dropped from the match-day squad. Vurnon Anita continues at left-back. Dean Henderson \| Shrewsbury Town \| 1-0 win vs Wigan Athletic Minutes played: 90 Dean Henderson returned to the starting line-up at the expense of Craig MacGillivray after the International break. Henderson kept a clean sheet which now sees Shrewsbury sit top of the third tier. Their unbeaten start continues and Henderson has his third clean sheet in five games. Regan Poole \| Northampton Town \| 1-0 win vs Doncaster Rovers Minutes played: 0 Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink enjoyed a dream start to his reign at Sixfields as he took Northampton off the bottom of the league with a 1-0 win at home to Doncaster. George Smith and Aaron Pierre played at Poole’s expense and it was the former who won the game for the hosts with the quickest goal Sixfields has ever seen. Devonte Redmond \| Scunthorpe United \| 0-0 draw vs Blackpool Minutes played: 0 But for a few seconds at the end of a game, plus an outing in the Checkatrade trophy vs Sunderland U23s, Redmond has yet to play for the Iron. Once again he was left out of the squad as Scunthorpe remained in the top six after the draw. Sunday, September 10th Matty Willock \| FC Utrecht \| 2-0 win vs Roda JC Minutes played: 0 Willock will be made to wait for his Eredivisie debut as Utrecht started with Urby Emanuelson, Yassin Ayoub, and Sander van de Streek. The 21-year-old was selected amongst the substitutes bench but that was where he remained. Timothy Fosu-Mensah \| Crystal Palace \| 1-0 loss vs Burnley Minutes played: 90 Interceptions: 4 Tackles: 0 Clearances: 5 Aerial duels: 2 Pass success: 75% Fosu-Mensah retuned from the international break having made his Netherlands debut and once again started for Crystal Palace in what turned out to be Frank de Boer’s final game in charge of the Eagles. Despite being near the bottom of the league, the Dutchman has been one of Palace’s better performers. Advertisementsby David Kuharski DULUTH, MN (KDAL) - One of the 11 people who walked away without serious injury after the planes they riding in collided in mid-air says the ordeal was "surreal", adding that she does expect to go skydiving again. Sarah Perrine tells KDAL Radio that Saturday was like any other day when she and 10 others ventured out for a day of skydiving. That evening as she was preparing to make another of her more than 400 jumps she says she saw her plane approach and collide with the lead plane. In the collision of the Cesna’s, Perrine’s hand became lodged between the wings of the aircraft, which is where the fuel is stored. She recalls seeing the explosion and feeling the heat against her hand. Upon coming loose she says in free-fall she attempted to track away from debris. Now Perrine and her fellow skydivers are in New York City to appear on N-B-C’s Today Show and to tell their stories on NBC’s Dateline program.Why we don’t do what we should be doing? And how to break out of the vicious loop. Shreya Dalela Blocked Unblock Follow Following Nov 18, 2017 There is one thing that I find absolutely amazing about most of us. It’s this — Deep down we all know what is it that we need to do. We know what will make us happier, what will make us healthier, what will help us grow. We know exactly what we should be doing with our time, with our lives. And despite knowing all of that, we just don’t ACT on it. It just becomes one of those things that we talk about, dream about and obsess about, but it never makes it way into our reality. How sad is that! 😐 I don’t know if you have been there. But, the reason I am writing about it is because I have been stuck there too. More often that I dare to admit. Much longer than I dare to admit. So long that I began to notice how it was a really big and a very common problem in a lot of people! In this article, I have written about the 8 things that are responsible for us getting stuck that vicious loop of inaction and procrastination. You might relate to a few or all of them. It’s time to overcome them. 👊 Let’s get started — Fear I only recently discovered that life is really simple. We are either acting out of fear or out of love. When we start moving towards our dreams, we will definitely encounter fear in all its forms. The map of life carved out by fear looks like this — You think about what you want to accomplish, you think about a 100 reasons why you can’t do it, you think about what will happen if you try and it doesn’t work out, you think about what people will think or say about you. This thinking exhausts you and then you just go back to binge watching that stupid sitcom. Bleh! It’s easy to see that this map sucks! More importantly, following this means you are feeding yourself lies about your inabilities to justify your laziness. So not done right? So what can you do instead? Remember these four things. And, carve them to your heart — There is not a single person who doesn’t face fear. Your fear simply indicates the next thing you should be working on. Do it. Conquer it. If you don’t conquer these fears, they pile up to become regrets for a lifetime. Your fear is full of shit. Get over it. Big or small, take the first step. Buy this art print designed by me here — http://bit.ly/speakingwalls4 😊 Perfectionism When I started my first company, I knew shit about running one. I didn’t know anything about logistics, planning, paying taxes, managing a team. But I started anyways. In retrospect, despite all the struggles and failures I faced, it’s still the one thing I did in my life that I feel proud of. Why? Because for most things in life, it doesn’t matter if you WIN or if you have got it ALL figured. There is no end to seeking perfection. You can go on and on trying to perfect things. It’s never going to be ALL right. Besides, if you wait till you are ‘ready’, it might take entire lifetime to start. It’s only through doing, failing and re-iterating that you actually WIN. That’s how you learn. Remember this — Perfectionism is a twenty-ton shield that we lug around thinking it will protect us when, in fact, it’s the thing really preventing us from taking flight. So, ditch it. Seriously, throw it away. Go out there. Do things. Do them wrong. Be wrong in a hundred different ways. Be laughed at. It doesn’t matter. You only need to be right once! Break in momentum If you are a really serious and intense person, you might obsess about following strict routines like waking up on time or writing a blog once a week. You might even believe that they are so crucial to your success, that you can’t get things done if you don’t follow them well. And you are partially right. Habits are so important. They form our backbone and determine how well we live and how much we accomplish. But, let me be really honest about one thing here — There will be breaks in those routines that might cause you to lose your momentum. We’re only humans, afterall. If you are harsh about those breaks in momentum, then it becomes really hard to get back in the game. You develop a lot of anxiety around it. It just gets exhausting. What I really mean to say here is this — Routine is great, inculcating good habits is important. BUT, if you fail at it for a day or even a week, it’s really not the end of the world. I know people who give up on the thought of waking up early after they fail to wake up on the seventh day, or stop their daily meditation after failing to keep with it on the fifteenth day or giving up on the diet they are following because they had a big unplanned cheat meal or stop hitting the gym because they left for a vacation that created a break in momentum. Remember — When you lose your momentum, it doesn’t mean that you should give up. Losing momentum doesn’t mean failure. It just means you need to relax and then slowly work your way back. Comparison For months, I scrolled through the Instagram feed of the hand-lettering artists that I absolutely adored while telling myself that I was just seeking inspiration. While this is what was really happening — Every amazing design that I saw made me realise how far I was from getting to that level. Till, I reached a point where I couldn’t take it anymore. So I logged off and decided that I will only login, when I have learnt enough and created 30 designs of my own. And it worked. 2 days after quitting Instagram, I sat up all night with my iPad and Apple Pencil and created the first artwork. It was easy to do it when I was not comparing and putting in the work instead. I recently read this beautiful quote — No one is you. And that’s your power. When we are busy comparing, what we miss out on is using our own power. We just let it die slowly. There is a five word simple advice to beat comparison — Create more than you consume. Do that and it will change your life. Stuck in the rut Sometimes, we end up spending a large number of days repeating the same cycle of actions that just dull us down and make it really hard to take any action at all. It specially happens when your work hours consume large chunks of the day leaving little time for you to explore your creative side and take action towards things that really matter to you. Being stuck in the rut makes it seem like life is passing too fast with you having little or no time at all. The only way to tackle this problem is to be extra disciplined and manage your time really well. It might require drawing boundaries with how much time you allow yourself to give to your work. It might also be needed for you to reflect upon your efficiency levels. Think about it. Maybe you are spending too much time on trivial things or are too distracted to do deep meaningful work? Step up the game and get out of the rut. It’s your life and it’s absolutely your responsibility and no one else’s to ensure that your days don’t pass like they don’t matter. Lack of planning I have always been so overwhelmed by the enormity of the things that I want to accomplish that the task of sitting down and chalking a plan is what scares the shit out of me. Maybe because it makes me realise that there is only a limited amount of things that I can get done. And even they need to be planned out. Well, maybe that’s precisely why we need planning. Without a little amount of planning, it’s impossible to take action. The big dreams need to be broken down into small actionable items. Otherwise, they will just remain as dreams. When I started planning out my weeks and days in advance and putting them on my calendar, it helped me accomplish so much more. The idea of planning is to remove that phase of doubt and inaction. When you are clear about what needs to be done, you just get it done. Not thinking about what needs to be done is one step less for your brain. Otherwise, you just wake up and feel overwhelmed. Information bias There is this part within us that makes us feel that we need to know more in order to be ready to take action. Information bias is a type of cognitive bias that describes the tendency to seek information when it does not affect action. We can spend all our lives reading books and articles about what we need to do. And we can tell ourselves that it’s the same as taking action. But taking action is about creation not consumption. Remember, more information is not always better. There’s so much you already know. You can easily start by taking action on that. Seeking validation Seeking feedback on something you created is an amazing way to grow. Seeking validation before you even begin is a way of procrastinating. Don’t confuse between the two. Did you ever had a cool idea and then lost enthusiasm to work on it after talking about it to a few people? That’s what happens when you are waiting for everyone in the room to say ‘yes’ before you can begin. You don’t need that. What you need is to sit with your idea, work on it, create a prototype and maybe then think of talking to people.Tackling climate change could come down to a simple math problem, really. Every human is responsible for around 1,000 tons of carbon emissions over a lifetime. So if fewer humans are born, that’s a whole lot of earth-ruining emissions that never occur. Reducing population growth is one of the few ways to take on climate change that doesn’t involve making an immediate economic sacrifice, as a new paper points out — but that’s not likely to make the idea any less controversial. No one likes idea of the government regulating how many babies they can have. A pair of Brown University economists looked at what would happen to the economy and climate if a country’s overall fertility decreased. The trick here is that altering population growth affects the entire structure of society. People usually have more time to work when they have fewer children and can put more of their resources into each child. Each person tends to make more money, which leads to overall economic growth, they write in a paper posted on the National Bureau of Economic Research. Fewer people also means decreased carbon emissions. If Nigeria, for example, achieved the United Nations’ low-end fertility projection, it could cut its emissions by 35 percent by 2100 while increasing per capita income by 15 percent. As the researchers point out, this is the rare instance of a possible win-win in long-term climate policy, particularly for developing nations that shouldn’t be expected to sacrifice their own economic progress to undo damage done by the U.S., Europe and other wealthier nations. The delicate question, of course, is just how a country achieves such a decrease in population growth. Any such discussion risks treading into dark territory, but there is a relatively un-dystopian way to reduce the number of babies: birth control, and plenty of it. True, it’s difficult to put forward an idea like this without sounding like it’s rich countries, whose fertility rates are already so low that population control can’t make as much of a difference, are imparting social engineering on poorer nations. The potential difference here is potentially the fact that the economic benefits are front and center alongside the environmental ones. Nigeria, for instance, wouldn’t just be helping wealthy carbon emitters if it took steps to slow population growth. It would also become a significantly richer country in the long run. The authors do point out that population control alone isn’t enough to contain carbon emissions, especially when wealthy, low-birthrate countries are already responsible for most of the world’s emissions. Transitioning to a renewable energy-based economy is still crucial. Having fewer children would only be a start in the fight to contain global warming, but it’s likely one of the more pleasant options out there.We can be remarkably two-faced as a nation when it comes to our higher education system. One day it’s the greatest in the world and the next it fails to meet students’ and employers’ needs and is a financial rip-off. It gets exhausting to keep track of whether we’re really good or really bad at all of this. Mark Twain once said we shouldn’t let the truth get in the way of a good story. There are a number of things about college that pundits and policymakers know but won’t discuss or even address, be it to protect their political stance or simply because they know that even just acknowledging them sets off “do not touch” alarm bells regardless of whether they’d have a profound impact on how we view what’s wrong with our system, as well as how to make it right. I discuss what are arguably two of the biggest cases in point below. 1. Public higher education isn’t really cheaper or better-performing than private higher education There’s how much something costs to make and how much people have to pay for it. Public colleges seem like cheaper alternatives to private non-profit and for-profit education but that’s only because taxpayers, depending on which state you’re from and which institution you attend, foot between 30 and 70 percent of the cost. Take that subsidy away and students at, say, the University of Georgia or Montana State University would be paying - and likely borrowing - one and a half to twice as much as they do now. That’d be fine if we had some idea what states and federal government were getting in return for their investment but: 1) we don’t require these colleges demonstrate that their graduates find gainful employment or have undue debt burdens the way we do with for-profit colleges, and 2) the numbers we do have don’t paint a very pretty picture. You want surprising? There are more than 1,200 public 2-year and 4-year college campuses in the United States - enrolling some 8.9 million students - with 6-year graduation rates that are lower than 50 percent.* Yep, roughly 3 out of every 5 college students in the United States attends a public school where their chance of graduating is as good as a coin flip. Even uglier: at 900 of those campuses, which serve about 6.6 million students, those odds drop to a gut-wrenching one in three. In other words, were it not for state subsidies, anywhere between 4 and 6 million students at public colleges would be borrowing far more than they do today and not earning a college degree to help pay it back. Before you go any further, yes, those numbers are a bit sloppy since some 2-year students end up at 4-year institutions but successful transfer rates are still pretty dismal. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of students out there who earn great public educations (yours truly included) but let’s not confuse individual schools with the entire system. The abrupt closing of ITT proves the Department is serious about protecting taxpayers when institutions go awry. The absence though of similar scrutiny and sanctions for poor-performing public colleges makes it hard to stomach that this is just about students. It’s awfully sanctimonious to cry foul at how much private universities charge, or question the value for-profit colleges provide, but then turn a blind eye to the hundreds of billions of state taxpayer dollars or federal student aid money that gets pumped into public colleges that potentially leave millions of students worse off than if they’d not gone to college at all. The only real difference is that taxpayers are shouldering the loss and since it’s spread so thinly across so many people, the impact to any one person ends up being negligible enough to neither notice nor care. 2. Not every person who’s not paying their student loans off on time is poor. Payment affordability is about far more than what someone earns. It’s also about how much they spend and, importantly, what they spend it on. We know that people who borrow the least tend to default the most, which is a puzzle in it’s own right since monthly payments on balances under $10,000 are, at worst, about the cost of a monthly cellphone bill. We also know that what we really have is a delinquency problem, owing mostly to the fact that unlike every other loan product people have access to, student loans are the only one that let borrowers miss an entire year of payments before moving them into collections. Many of those borrowers don’t earn a lot of money but a lot of them do; they just find themselves extremely over-leveraged. Some estimates suggest that as many as one out of every seven people earning between $40,000 and $100,000 currently spends more than they take in, as do one out of every 10 earning more than $100,000. For folks in these situations, unable to pay isn’t about not having the money; it’s about choosing not to pay their student loans over other obligations because different creditors place different penalties on late- or non-payment (think having your car repossessed). The sad part is, once people find themselves in this situation, unless their economic circumstances dramatically change, their problems typically only end up getting worse. Over the past 10 years the federal government has bent over backwards to make borrowers’ monthly loan payments more affordable by creating almost half a dozen income-driven repayment plans. While the cost of these plans is deceptively enormous, if unaffordable payments really are the root of the problem at least we know that student loan servicing problems should practically disappear. After all, the millions of students enrolled in these programs should never default and, technically, never even really be delinquent. Which gets us to the weird part. If this is this case then why hasn’t the Department of Education released any statistics showing the delinquency and default rates of borrowers in these income-based repayment plans? We’re talking about a decade-long policy affecting millions of borrowers where the definition of success is crystal clear. If they really can’t afford their payments then, by definition, a program that specifically makes payments affordable solves the problem. Done. Turn off the lights. Go home. Pop the cork and celebrate. The fact that instead of releasing these statistics, the Department just touts how many people are signing up for the program should be cause for serious concern. From the Secretary of Education to every congressman who favors income-based repayment, findings like this are the kind of political gold that they’ll tell anyone and everyone to no end about. That nobody at the Department mentions these statistics or makes them publicly available can really only mean one thing: some very expensive programs likely aren’t curbing delinquencies and defaults the way that their advocates hoped or expected they would. Ignore the man behind the curtain Policymakers don’t like to talk about these things because at the end of the day Mark Twain was right; inconvenient facts ruin a good story. Consumer welfare and taxpayer dollars though aren’t a story; they’re a stark reality. It’s frustrating to see the federal government aggressively take on for-profit higher education providers but quietly sanction the losses that a hundred million taxpayers and millions of students incur at public institutions. It starts to look less like sensible policy and more like political bullying. If the federal government truly cares about students and protecting it’s federal student aid investment, then there’s absolutely no good reason why it wouldn’t apply its gainful employment regulations to all colleges. There’s also no good reason why it shouldn’t be providing the public with basic performance statistics on how successful a decade’s worth of income-based repayment policy has been. If the policy works, great. If it doesn’t then let’s stop throwing scarce taxpayer dollars down a well and put those resources into ideas that have a better chance at success. We live in a time of very ugly politics where admitting you’re wrong is political suicide and doing anything that even comes close to upsetting the status quo is met with immediate scorn and ridicule. Then again, if we’re not willing to ask the hard, uncomfortable questions that could lead to better, more thoughtful policy, we can’t expect the politicians who represent us to do so either. @EdAnalyst Note: This post first appeared on LinkedIn on 9/6/2016.We were very pleased to have procedural audio veteran and PANow regular, Paul Weir, speaking at the May meetup. Paul has been involved in some groundbreaking generative music projects for games and retail spaces over the past 20 years, and he began his talk with an overview of his work to date – discussing the pros and cons of PA, some of the challenges you might meet, and how the technology has progressed over time. Following on from that we had a listen to audio examples of the works and took a look at some of the custom software used. His work for retail spaces is often driven by the client’s need to stimulate a specific mood in the customer. Paul spoke about how he approaches each brief: weaving together location recording, sound design, system design, and finally on-site installation of the standalone music systems, in places as diverse as banks, airports, outdoor public spaces, and high-end department stores. Video of the presentation and Q&A is below. (The video framing is off-centre for the first couple of minutes). Paul Weir is an Audio Director, Composer and Sound Designer, currently working as an Audio Director with Microsoft and for Hello Games’ procedural sci-fi game, No Man’s Sky.One of several signs in Clarkstown on Monday. This one was at Route 303 and North Palisades Center Drive in West Nyack. (Photo: Stephen Papas) Two weeks before Election Day, municipal officials in Rockland County are issuing a reminder that it's illegal to place signs in a public right-of-way and any found will be removed. Among the signs taken down Monday were some targeting state Sen. David Carlucci, who is seeking re-election, and county Legislator Aron Wieder, who is running for state Assembly. The signs bear a likeness of Wieder's face next to the words: "David Carlucci for Medicaid." Below that, in smaller print, is "Working together, other people can carry us." ELECTION: Carlucci vs. DePrisco ELECTION: Wieder challenges Brabenec ROCKLAND ELECTION LIST: Who's on the ballot Officials didn't know who placed the signs out by several busy intersections in Clarkstown and Ramapo overnight Sunday. It was difficult to trace where the signs are coming from since there "is nothing on them to suggest who is paying for them," said Vincent Balascio, Clarkstown town Supervisor George Hoehmann's chief of staff. The right of way is the area along a street between the curb and the sidewalk, or a highway median. Carlucci called it "extremely unfortunate" due to "the undertones" of the message. The senator said he "can't speak to the motives" of whoever created the signs, but that he believed the person "is pushing hatred." "That's the exact opposite of what my service to the community has been, which is trying to bridge the divide of the community," he said. Wieder, who is seeking to unseat Republican Karl Brabenec in the 98th Assembly District, was unavailable for comment Monday. Brabenec said his campaign had nothing to do with the signs. "They are simply ridiculous and do not make sense," he said in an email. "It is important to me that candidates run positive campaigns based on the issues. I always have kept it positive and issue-based and will continue to do so." Tom DePrisco, who is running against Carlucci in the 38th District, also denied any involvement with the signs and said he didn't condone the "negative attack." "I do not support any negative campaigning or smearing. While my opponent and I can and will criticize each other regarding specific issues, I will always remain focused on being civil," he said in a statement on his website. Clarkstown's code-enforcement officers have been pulling out signs, whether political or business-related, and will continue to do so if they are in the right-of-way, Balascio said. NEWSLETTERS Get the Breaking News newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-888-426-6388. Delivery: Varies Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for Breaking News Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters "We don't remove signs based on message. We remove signs based on location," he said. Ramapo code-enforcement officers will be inspecting roadside campaign signs Tuesday and they will be taken out if placed improperly, said Phil Tisi, an assistant to town Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence. Carlucci said, "Every candidate runs into issues with signs.... I learned early on you can't get caught up on the sign issue. As you get closer to the election, hateful tactics are usually deployed. That's usually why they call election season the silly season. You have to continue moving forward." Twitter: kr0618 Read or Share this story: http://lohud.us/2eLzXs3Update: SpaceX did it. Its flown booster launched on Thursday evening from Florida, delivered its payload into orbit, and then returned safely to Earth by landing on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. During a brief interview on the SpaceX webcast, company founder Elon Musk was almost at a loss for words. "It's been 15 years to get to this point," he said. "It's taken us a long time. A lot of difficult steps along the way." Ars will have a comprehensive new story posted later tonight. Original story: This evening, nearly a full year after it first launched a payload into orbit, a Falcon 9 booster will attempt a second launch. Some might call this a "used" or "reused" rocket, but in a wonderful marketing euphemism, SpaceX has characterized the booster as "flight proven." One day, clearly, rocket manufacturers like SpaceX and Blue Origin hope to convince satellite operators that used rockets are, in fact, more reliable than new ones. But first SpaceX has to prove it can actually reuse a first-stage booster. That may happen as soon as today, with the SES-10 mission to deliver a communications satellite to geostationary transfer orbit. The launch window opens at 6:27pm ET (11:27pm UK) today and extends for two-and-a-half hours. After launch SpaceX will attempt to land the booster on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Additionally, SpaceX will likely try to recover its payload fairing for the first time. SpaceX has been circumspect about the extent to which this Falcon 9 first stage had to be refurbished for the reuse flight. In earlier remarks, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell has said it took about four months to test and prepare for the second flight. The company has not disclosed how much it spent refurbishing the
lot of us thought those things and went through it. It gave me a little insight into the plight of the underdog.” Further insight came when he went on a two-year Mormon mission to Mexico. “I would probably say that, more than anything, that two years changed my view of the world,” he says, because of the poverty he saw and experienced. “We didn’t even have beds until nine months in. I slept on a cement floor with a blanket.” He remembers “sitting on dirt floors, and seeing people so happy and wondering how that could be — and just learning to love people who were very different than me. It certainly helped me to have compassion and, hopefully, empathy.” Attorney heads home Cox would graduate from Snow College and Utah State University, marrying his wife, Abby, along the way. She also grew up on a ranch in Sanpete County. He earned a law degree from Washington and Lee University in Virginia, opting to go there “because it felt right” even though he had been accepted to Harvard. He clerked for federal Judge Ted Stewart and was on the fast track to become a partner at Fabian & Clendenin in Salt Lake City. Then he saw a bumper sticker that said, “It’s 99 percent of the attorneys who give the other 1 percent a bad name.” (Leah Hogsten \| The Salt Lake Tribune) Lieutenant Governor Spencer Cox and his family l-r Kaleb, 16, Emma Kate, 10, wife Abby and Adam, 14 at their home in Fairview, Utah. Gavin Cox, 18, who is not pictured, is serving a mission in Mozambique. It triggered a discussion in which “I asked my wife if the world was a better place because of what I was doing, and she no. She’s very persuasive and very blunt.” They also had just had a third son. Cox says the only way they really knew how to teach children to work and have responsibility was on a farm. His father, Eddie, remembers telling his son that the main purpose of that generations-old farm is: “We’re raising kids, not crops.” About that time, his father invited Cox to return to Fairview — at a big pay cut — to handle legal work and help him manage CentraCom, a telecommunications company his family founded, later sold, but still managed. Cox asked his mentor, Judge Stewart, for advice — and he urged going home. “He said, ‘You’ll be so much more fulfilled in your life. You’ll be able to spend more time with your family, your faith and your community,’” Cox remembers. “He was the only voice saying that. All the other voices were like, ‘Are you crazy? Why would you give up this prestigious law firm and go back?’” He returned to Fairview. “I’ve had some amazing opportunities. I got to coach my kids. I got to serve as a [Mormon] bishop and do things with the young people in my faith here. I got to serve my community in ways I never expected.” That included entering politics, serving on the City Council, as mayor and as a county commissioner — all of which his father also had done. Cox also won election to the Utah House. (Leah Hogsten \| The Salt Lake Tribune) l-r Spencer Cox, sons Kaleb, 16, and Adam, 14 and wife Abby pull up plants in their garden at their home in Fairview, Utah. Winning the lottery As a House freshman, Cox, at age 38, won the Utah political lottery when Gov. Gary Herbert plucked him from relative obscurity four years ago to appoint him as lieutenant governor — replacing Greg Bell, who retired for financial reasons. “I was stunned. I didn’t think the governor knew who I was. I’m not sure he did,” Cox remembers. He says he learned later that Bell — with whom he served as co-chairman of a governor’s rural partnership — had suggested him and talked the governor into interviewing him. He recalls that the governor asked him for a half-hour or so about other people he was considering, then asked what he would think about himself as lieutenant governor. “I honestly don’t remember anything past that,” Cox says. “I thought I was being punked.” Herbert says he picked Cox because, as he went through a checklist of what he wanted in a partner, “Spencer Cox lined up better than anybody else out there. He brought a little youthful enthusiasm, which I thought was a nice added bonus.” Chris Detrick \| The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Governor Gary R. Herbert and Rep. Spencer Cox laugh during the confirmation hearing for Lieutenant Governor nominee Rep. Spencer Cox at the Utah State Capitol Tuesday October 15, 2013. He adds, “His background and experience in business and politics was outstanding. And our vision about where the state needs to go is very similar. The fact he was willing to work … that was the frosting on the cake.” Cox says he was flattered at first, “and then I thought it was terrible.” It would cut his salary by 44 percent. He was told he would need to leave Fairview and the dream home he and his wife had bought a year earlier. “The hardest piece was my kids and the time away,” he says. He remembered watching his then-6-year-old daughter walking home from school, “and I just lost it” and cried. He was ready to turn down the job. But he asked for advice from his parents. His father gave him an LDS blessing and told him, “This is what we’ve lived our whole lives for,” and it was an astounding opportunity to serve — “which is what the Coxes do.” He says his parents promised, “We will pick up the slack. We will be here. We’ll take the kids. We’ll just be part of the family and nothing will change.” So Cox accepted the gig with the condition that he would commute from Fairview. He says he leaves between 5:30 and 6:30 a.m., depending on the day. He arrives at the office about two hours later. He tries to leave work by 6 p.m., so he is home by 7 or 8 to spend time with the family. His drive is spent on the phone — hands-free bluetooth — “except for 15 minutes where I don‘t have any cellphone service.” As an example of one recent day, he left home at 7:30 a.m.; gave a speech at Utah Valley University at 9 a.m.; gave another speech afterward at a tech business; met with a Chinese delegation; hosted an event for former prisoners of war; met with a minister from Oman; and made it home for his daughter’s 6 p.m. soccer game. Later that night, he drove to St. George so he could give a speech there the next morning. Free to speak Cox says serving in a job he didn’t seek — and being willing to go back to his old life at any time — leaves him free to speak his mind. So he does. He recently told university students that Trump “was diabolically brilliant” in how he attacked NFL players for protesting by kneeling during the national anthem. He said Trump fed red meat to his right-wing base by managing to convert protests over racism into protests about supporting the flag and country. (Trent Nelson \| The Salt Lake Tribune) Lt. Gov. Spencer J. Cox speaks at Utah Valley University's Ethics Awareness Week, Tuesday September 26, 2017. It wasn’t the first time Cox, the state’s top election official, has criticized Trump. He assailed the president for making “dangerous” and baseless allegations of voter fraud. He called Trump disingenuous and said he “represents the worst of what our great country stands for.” He refused to vote for him. Still, Cox says in an interview that “the one lesson that we all should have learned from Donald Trump is that people are tired of talking-point politicians who are scared to say anything outside of a formulated postcard of talking points.” He says he’s vowed not to do that. His most famous instance of speaking out was after a shooting at a gay club in Orlando, Fla., when he publicly apologized for once mistreating people who were different in high school, who he later learned were gay. He also gave a two-question litmus test for fellow Utahns: “How did you feel when you heard that 49 people had been gunned down by a self-proclaimed terrorist? That’s the easy question. Here’s the hard one: Did that feeling change when you found out the shooting was at a gay bar a 2 a.m.? If that feeling changed, we’re doing something wrong.” Cox says he’s been surprised to find that even people who disagree with him sometimes “will support you if they believe you are being honest and you’re being true and you are being vulnerable with them.” He says even people put off by his remarks at times have thanked him for saying what he thinks. “It’s weird that being honest is refreshing,” he says. Rural guy over urban problem Herbert had a second big surprise for Cox when he asked the rural farmer and telecom executive to be the point person for Operation Rio Grande to clean up urban crime in the downtown Salt Lake City neighborhood around the state’s largest homeless shelter and to find ways to help people who were addicted or trapped in poverty. Cox says it happened in a meeting where personalities had been clashing, and he and the governor decided “we need somebody to wrangle this together.” It ended up being Cox. He left that meeting to take his family with him to Utah Bar Association meetings in Sun Valley, Idaho. “My head was spinning. They asked what’s wrong. I said I think I just got put in charge of trying to solve the greatest humanitarian crisis we have in the state right now.” (Chris Detrick \| The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Lieutenant Governor Spencer J. Cox speaks during a public forum about Operation Rio Grande at The Gateway in Salt Lake City Tuesday, August 15, 2017. He spent the next many days, nights and early morning hours on the phone trying to settle on plans and implement them. Herbert says he chose Cox for that task because “he has a personality that is conducive to bringing people together, and yet making sure principles and policies are put in place that are important and productive.” The governor adds, “It’s proven to be a very good fit. He’s done an outstanding job.” Cox calls it his biggest challenge as lieutenant governor — and the most rewarding. “We’re moving the needle. We’re actually making a difference. We’re helping real people who desperately need help and who have been forgotten for years.” He’s proud of the cooperative spirit of the effort. “I love that we’re proving that people in Utah with different backgrounds — politically, geographically — can come together on a really big problem and find common ground. It actually gives me hope for the other big problems we’re facing.” Cox adds, “Conversely, if we can’t do it here, I don’t know that it can be done anywhere. This is a problem that may not have a solution.” Remembering who you are Cox says he loves Fairview partly because “I like being treated like the kid who grew up here. This is where we feel comfortable.” He acknowledges feeling out of place among the powerful in government. “I still feel like a fraud,” he says. “I worry they are going to figure out that I am this dirt farmer from the middle of nowhere.” Leah Hogsten \| The Salt Lake Tribune Incumbent Republican Governor Gary Herbert celebrates his victory with wife Jeanette, Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox and wife, Abby Cox and supporters, friends and family after defeating former CHG Healthcare Services CEO Democrat nominee Mike Weinholtz to seize a third term in office. His wife, Abby, adds, “The hardest part of this job is being with people who think they are — I’m being careful with what I say — they think they are important…” “Because we don’t,” the lieutenant governor interrupts, laughing. “We’re not important,” he says, adding it’s something his wife and Fairview folks help him to remember. His father, Eddie, says he still worries about Spencer “as any father would with some of the things politicians are known for. But that’s not him…. He’s genuine. What you see is what you get.” When Abby is asked if she’s happy with the decision for Spencer to be lieutenant governor, she says, “The truth is yes and no. It’s tough. He used to have a one-minute commute. He was right in town. He was able to leave and go to ballgames and school programs. He’s gone a lot now.” But she’s proud of his service and example. “I will also say there have been incredible opportunities for us and our kids. We met Barack Obama when he was president. We met the Dalai Lama,” she says. She also likes that it led her and her children to work in homeless shelters in Salt Lake City. “Here, we don’t have a lot of homelessness,” she says of Fairview. “It’s good for our kids to see people who struggle and who are different from us.” Future governor? Cox acknowledges he has an eye on running for governor in three years. He says it’s too early to talk about it, but he does a bit. “We were definitely leaning ‘no’ for a long time. I would say that’s flipped. We’re leaning toward it now,” he says. “If you do it right, it’s not a fun thing. It’s not glamorous if you do it right,” he says, adding that the timing would mean that all but his youngest daughter would be out of high school, or almost out. Herbert sees Cox as having the same sort of experience he had as a lieutenant governor that could help him hit the ground running. “The same preparation that I’ve had, I see in Spencer Cox. I think he certainly has the talent and the capability to be a good governor.” Cox says if he does run, he’ll be fully committed. “If we decide to run and people want us, we would do it. We would be all in and we would work our guts out, and we would leave everything on the table.” And if Utahns pick someone else to be the next governor?Did you pop open the battery cover to find a big corrosion mess? You can clean a device that has had a leaky battery. It isn't a difficult process as long as you follow the directions carefully. If the corrosion is found quickly enough, following the cleaning tips below should help you save the device from being permanently damaged. Items for Cleaning The first thing you should do upon finding a corroded battery in any electronic device is put on gloves and eye protection. This is important because potassium hydroxide, the substance leaking from the battery, causes irritation if it gets on your skin or in your eyes. Now you need: Cotton swabs or an old toothbrush Vinegar or lemon juice Baking soda Cleaning the Electronic Device Carefully remove the batteries with gloved hands and recycle properly. After the batteries are removed, you will need to clean the corrosion from the device in question. Do this with the cotton swabs or toothbrush dipped in vinegar or lemon juice. The acid from these will help dissolve the corrosion from the device. Scrub with the swab or toothbrush to remove as much corrosion as possible. Any remaining residue can be removed with baking soda and a tiny bit of water. Again, scrub with the cotton swab or old toothbrush. Take a damp swab and wipe away any left over baking soda (or other substances) that remain. Allow the device to dry completely before putting in new batteries. Preventing Battery Damage You can reduce the need to clean alkaline battery corrosion if you take special care of your batteries. If you plan to store the device for any period of time, remove the batteries. That way, if the batteries leak you won't have to worry about damage to the electronic device. If the device also has an AC adaptor and you are using it, remove the batteries while it is plugged in. Do not store your batteries anywhere that gets extreme (hot or cold) temperatures. Storing in the refrigerator will not prolong the life of your batteries. This will reduce the life of the battery and could cause it to leak. When you do put batteries in a device, make sure the batteries match. Do not put an old battery and a new battery together in the same device. Be sure they are the same brand as well. When you replace the batteries, clean the surface of the new battery as well as the connectors in the device with an eraser. This allows for the best possible contact. If Damage Is Severe If your device is irreparably damaged from battery corrosion due to battery defect, often the battery manufacturer will replace the item or repair the damage for free. You will have to pay to send the device to the company. Popular battery companies: Take Safety Precautions The potassium hydroxide that leaks from batteries is a corrosive material that is highly toxic. The caustic material can cause skin irritation and damage your eyes. It can also cause respiratory problems. Always take the following precautions when cleaning batteries.120-year-old secret Sydney snapshots go on show Posted Snapshots taken with the world's first hidden camera are set to go on show to give Sydneysiders a glimpse into their city's colonial past. The Crowd Source exhibition at the State Library of NSW will feature photos from the late 1880s taken by amateur photographer Arthur Syer. Syer took the pictures to help his cartoonist friend Phil May draw pictures of ordinary people behaving candidly. He used what was known as a 'detective camera' hidden in a small box to take the pictures, not long after the development of portable handheld cameras. "The whole idea of a'snapshot' comes from this time because this was the first time you could actually take a picture very quickly," library historian Margot Riley said. Like modern smartphones and CCTV today, the use of such cameras sparked debate over the need for tightened privacy laws. "In the beginning people didn't know and then all of a sudden there started to be a lot of comment in the paper and there were these pesky photographers on the street snapping people's photographs," Ms Riley said. The exhibition will run from April 4 until August 23. Topics: 19th-century, history, photography, library-museum-and-gallery, sydney-2000MANCHESTER CITY face a sensational £155m bill if they sign Paul Pogba from Juventus. The Italian club want £80m for the French midfielder, who quit Manchester United at 19 when his contract ran out. But the total cost of signing Pogba, 22, rockets as he is believed to be seeking a five-year contract at £250k-a-week - £65m. And his signing-on fee could be as high as an additional £10m. That adds up to £155m - but City have not been put off. Pogba is one of their three top targets this summer, alongside Wolfsburg winger Kevin de Bruyne, 23, and Liverpool forward Raheem Sterling, 20. It is believed one of the reasons Yaya Toure decided to stick with City was his excitement at the club's transfer plans. Toure believes they can regain the Premier League title and challenge for the Champions League if they land their targets.The Merseyside derby is one of the most passionate and historic football matches in world football! The two teams are steeped in football history, winning a combined 27 league titles between them. With Liverpool struggling for form recently, Brendan Rodgers is under huge pressure to get a positive result from this one. With Sturridge back in the fold though, can he be the inspiration to turn around the reds’ fortunes? Everton have been very impressive away from home and are unbeaten in their last 7 away games..can they translate this excellent away form at Goodison Park this weekend? Our infographic below takes a closer look at the key stats, facts and figures for the most eagerly anticipated Merseyside derby in years! Who is your money on? Click image to expand on mobile Fancy a punt? Take a look at our daily football tips! Add this infographic to your website by copying and pasting the following embed code: Everton v Liverpool – The 225th Merseyside Derby [Infographic] by the team at Football Tips by Free Super TipsAugusta, GA – Brain levels of the lipid ceramide are high in Alzheimer’s disease, and now scientists have found increased levels of an antibody to the lipid in their disease model. While some members of this lipid family are a plus in skin cream, inside the brain, ceramide appears to increase beta amyloid production and help the iconic plaque kill brain cells in Alzheimer’s, said Dr. Erhard Bieberich, neuroscientist at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University. Bieberich’s lab and others have identified elevated ceramide levels as a risk factor for Alzheimer’s and have shown that amyloid triggers excess production of the lipid, although precisely how and why remain a mystery. That synergy had the scientists expecting that generating antibodies against ceramide would hamper plaque formation. Studies published last summer in Neurobiology of Aging showed that a drug that inhibited ceramide formation did just that. Instead they found that the excessive ceramide had already worked its way into the bloodstream, generating antibodies that supported disease progression, particularly in female mice. The surprising science, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, appears to support the theory that Alzheimer’s is an autoimmune disease, which tends to be more common in women and is characterized by the immune system producing antibodies against a patient’s tissue, said Bieberich, corresponding author. It also has them thinking that measuring blood levels of the lipid or some of its byproducts could be an early test for Alzheimer’s since ceramide levels were elevated well before mice showed signs of substantial plaque formation. “It’s a chicken-egg situation,” said Dr. Michael B. Dinkins, MCG postdoctoral fellow and the study’s first author. “We don’t know if the anti-ceramide antibodies that may develop naturally during disease might be a result or a cause of the disease.” They do know that excess ceramide in the brain results in the production of vesicles, which Dinkins likens to “lipid bubbles,” called exosomes, that start piling up around brain cells. What’s in them depends on which cell type makes them, but Bieberich’s lab had previous evidence that when exosomes get taken up by other cells, they trigger cell death, which is one way his team thought ceramide contributes to neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s. “It takes a while before that becomes toxic because you have ongoing traffic and clearance mechanisms,” he said. At some point – they are not certain at exactly what point – the clearance system stops working, and toxic levels of amyloid and ceramide pile up. That’s what led them to adjust the ceramide levels downward by injecting even more ceramide under the skin, where it would mount an immune response and ideally slow disease progression. That’s when they found elevated antibody levels already existed in their animal model, and when they gave more ceramide, it not only increased antibody levels, but levels of plaque and exosomes, Dinkins said. “We thought, we can immunize the mouse against its own ceramide; it develops antibodies, which neutralize the ceramide; and we get a similar affect as blocking its production, like a vaccination against it,” Bieberich said. It should also block the subsequent chain of events that contribute to brain cell loss. Instead they found female Alzheimer’s mice treated with more ceramide experienced about a 33 percent increase in amyloid formation and that serum exosome levels increased 2.4 times. “They immunize themselves,” Bieberich said. The finding also has them wondering if maybe exosomes, which can have a variety of functions including aiding communication, may be trying to intervene and that ceramide antibodies are blocking their efforts. “We don’t really know what the exosomes do in Alzheimer’s. Maybe it’s not always bad to have them around,” Bieberich said. “Maybe the antibodies actually interrupt some good functions of exosomes.” Now they are circling back to a previous approach of more directly blocking ceramide, this time, using a genetically engineered mouse that from birth lacks the enzyme, which was targeted in previous drug studies and is needed to make ceramide, then crossbreeding it with an Alzheimer’s mouse model. And this time, they expect to be right: that the mice genetically programmed to get Alzheimer’s will produce less ceramide, less exosomes, and less plaques. “In the face of more antibody, there is more plaque, but that is because there is more ceramide,” Bieberich said. One in nine individuals over age 65 has Alzheimer’s, and nearly two-thirds of Americans with it are women, possibly because women tend to live longer, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. The leading hypothesis of Alzheimer’s is that an accumulation of beta amyloid plaque first alters communication between brain cells, then prompts cell death. The researchers note that ceramide is pervasive throughout the human body as well as other animal and plant species. “We synthesize it in each and every cell in the body,” Bieberich said. His team reported in 2007 in the Journal of Biological Chemistry that, in the first few days of life, ceramide helps stem cells line up to form the primitive ectoderm from which embryonic tissue develops. In 2012, they reported in Molecular Biology of the Cell that ceramide additionally helps with wayfinding by helping cells keep their natural antennas up. The new studies were funded by the National Institutes of Health. Contact: Toni Baker Communications Director Medical College of Georgia Georgia Regents University 706-721-4421 Office 706-825-6473 Cell tbaker@gru.eduHartford Police are investigating an incident involving "Chompers," the Hartford Yard Goats mascot. The mascot was knocked down by at least one person on Asylum Avenue near Main Street on Wednesday night. Just before midnight, @ChompersTheGoat tweeted, "I was charged tonight and did get knocked down, but I'm going to be fine. Thank you for your support & well wishes. #CantKeepAGoodGoatDown" Jeff Dooley, the team's director of broadcasting and media relations, told the Associated Press that a prankster ran over Chompers after the mascot was leaving the Connecticut Science Center. The team was playing in New Hampshire on Wednesday, but the Yard Goats and Hartford police confirmed that the incident occurred in Hartford's Main Street area. Dooley said a car drove by the mascot, stopped and someone ran out and pushed him down. The man inside the suit, who wasn't identified, wasn't injured. Police said they are investigating whether this was an assault or an attempt at humor that went too far and they are looking for those responsible. Copyright Associated Press / NBC ConnecticutThis page contains information from outside sources. I do not own any of the content, nor do I claim to. Most of the attached documentation comes from Bestaudio.com which is a fantastic resource for both intercom and RF coordination. Basic Overview Pete Erskine’s RF Coordination for Roadies is a 13 page writeup explaining the basic process of RF Coordination using IAS – the most respected software that I know of, from Professional Wireless. The first two pages only, combined with the video below will give the reader enough information to get started doing basic coordinations for small to medium sized productions. The remaining 11 pages gives a very in-depth step by step for a proper coordination from RF scan to finish. There are two major circumstances to consider when doing an RF Coordination. Two pieces of equipment (microphone, wireless intercom, in ear monitor etc.) can never share the same radio frequency. Thus overlapping frequencies are a no no. Wireless frequencies create additional transmissions known as modulations, which are (to put very simply) slightly weaker reproductions of the primary transmission, which appear in intervals adjacent to that frequency. Multiple frequencies transmitting side by side will create additive interference at adjacent frequency intervals as a result of these modulations accumulating atop each other – yielding the spaces between and around those microphones unusable. A more technical explanation of RF modulation can be found here: What is intermodulation interference – James Web Avoiding frequencies without calculating modulation Often times as audio techs we might be given a list of frequencies to avoid, whether from a house tech, or an overall site RF coordinator. The following video is a look into how to take these frequencies into account within IAS without having to calculate them for modulation. Should you calculate modulation for these given frequencies, you are likely to lose a lot of available frequencies for yourself. The following will allow you to avoid these frequencies without them constricting your coordination. Antennae, Placement & Distribution Another thing to consider when setting up your wireless systems is antennae placement. There is a lot of back and forth between techs on what does and doesn’t help when placing your antennae the following is an article from Shure on best practices concerning antennae placement and connection. It also contains valuable information concerning antennae types, distribution, and antennae combiners. ANTENNA SETUP WIRELESS SYSTEMS GUIDE By Gino Sigismondi and Crispin Tapia AdvertisementsThe Chopper is a unique machine gun manufactured by Vladof. Examples are on the talk page. Contents show] Special Weapon Effects RAR! BRAR BRAR! – Unloads the entire magazine with one trigger pull unless interrupted. Fires 4-round spreads with an ammo cost of 6. Drop Guide Drops from Motorhead during or after Little People, Big Experiments (not guaranteed). Notes It is possible to interrupt The Chopper with a melee attack, reloading or switching guns. It is impossible for any ammo regeneration bonuses to keep up with the fire rate of the gun. When combined with a Heavy Gunner + team members with Support Gunner/Centurion class mods + Roland's Overload and Assault skills, the magazine can hold more than 1120 combat rifle bullets with the maximum combat rifle SDU. Because of The Chopper's special effect, it's possible to start firing the gun, and then sprint in the desired direction while the gun continues to fire. The Chopper seems to have a rarer drop cycle than most boss-specific guns do. It is an uncommon drop from Motorhead but may be farmed. Trivia The red text is a palindromic and onomatopoeic representation of a revving engine. The Chopper with a RoF? of 18.0 takes only twelve and a half seconds to fire 1120 rounds. Mechanics The Chopper effect comes from the acc4_TheChopper accessory. This part is solely responsible for all of The Chopper's characteristics, and is loosely based on acc4_Deathly. The Chopper is made of Material_TheChopper_3, which is equivalent to Material_Vladof_3. The Chopper's only part restriction is the magazine, which must be mag4 or mag5 (not mag2 or mag5_VladofRevolution). Please see stat modifiers for an explanation on how to interpret all of these modifiers.Consider step one accomplished for North Vancouver’s Adam Zaruba: He has signed a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. The giant rugby sevens winger tried out for the National Football League team on Sunday. Clearly the coaches liked what they saw. “Now I just have to make it through camp,” he said via a text message exchange on Monday. According to the team, it’s a three-year deal. He doesn’t yet have a work visa so he can’t jump into training camp until he secures one, but that’s not expected to be an issue. Zaruba flew to Toronto Monday afternoon, presumably to sort out his immigration paperwork. His contract doesn’t mean he’s made the team, just that he’s made the first hurdle. There are no guaranteed contracts in the NFL. NFL teams are allowed to have 90 players at training camp; Zaruba is now the 90th player to be added by the Eagles. “Today marks the start of a new journey,” he posted Monday to his Instagram account. “I am so incredibly thankful for this opportunity and very excited to be an Eagle. I don’t know how long it will last, but I will cherish every single day and try to be better than the day before. “Many people were involved in making this possible and I just wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Time to go to work!” Players converting from rugby to football isn’t often seen, but it’s happened before. New England Patriots special teams star Nate Ebner played rugby at Ohio State but walked on to the football team in his third year. Patriots coach Bill Belichick has said Ebner, who also has been spotted at safety on defence, is among the top five per cent of players he’s ever coached. Ebner was allowed to join the USA national sevens team last year and played with them in the Olympics. Managing a career like Ebner’s is on the extreme high end of what Zaruba could be; last year Jarryd Hayne, one of the greatest players in the history of Australian rugby league, called it quits on his attempt to transition to the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers after just a single season. Most expect Zaruba to be slotted in at tight end. The Eagles already have three tight ends on the roster, so Zaruba’s best chance is likely on special teams. Zaruba, 26, is 6-5 and says he’s currently weighing in at 260 pounds. He reports he ran a 4.49 in the 40-yard dash last month, which would have ranked him second among all tight ends at this year’s NFL draft combine. Eagles coach Doug Pederson didn’t have much to say about Zaruba’s tryout when quizzed by Philadelphia media on Monday morning, replying, simply, “we continue to bring guys in, work them out, see where they’re at.” The team has to cut down to 53 players by the beginning of the regular season. Five additional players can be assigned to the practice squad. pjohnston@postmedia.com Twitter.com/risingaction CLICK HERE to report a typo. Is there more to this story? We’d like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Email vantips@postmedia.comThomas Lohnes/Getty Images Mario Draghi is back. Just a few short months ago, the consensus seemed to be that Europe was about to fall into a Japan-style lost decade of inflation, but with higher unemployment and the extra nationalist tension. Nobody was sure that the European Central Bank (ECB) chief could do anything about it — he was facing crippling opposition within his own board, and from some of the governments in the eurozone. I admit that I fell into that camp of people — I thought more QE was a good idea but I didn't think Draghi either had the desire or the support to really do "what it takes." At the time, all analysts seemed to talk about was the fact that the ECB couldn't do very much (if it was done at all) — it would not be "a panacea", "a silver bullet" or "a magic wand." Of course, nobody had suggested it would be. And as recently as December, some people even suggested Draghi was about to flee the horrors of the European Central Bank (ECB) and become President of Italy. But Draghi has a lot of reasons to be cheerful now. Even the protester who burst into the ECB and showered him in confetti shouldn't dampen his spirits. For starters, he won the internal battle over the ECB's QE programme. It was about twice as large as analysts generally expected. And opposition to the scheme has evaporated, and even German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble seems to have begrudgingly conceded that the programme seems to be going well. Pretty much every indicator is currently looking up: Consumption is particularly explosive at the moment, with car sales up by 13% in the last year, led by a 40% boom in Spain. It's hard to disentangle the onset of QE from the plunge in oil prices, but inflation expectations have now stopped tumbling. Oxord Economics Oxford Economics analysts even said this week that their model "suggests that inflation will not climb much above zero until the autumn, it points to a steep increase thereafter and an average annual increase of 1.6% in 2016, above the consensus and ECB's own forecasts." (Graph right) But they don't expect that to end the new QE scheme early. BNP Paribas added that the latest survey of private forecasters showed an uptick in inflation for 2016 and beyond, and that the result "supports ECB chief Mario Draghi's assertion that quantitative easing (QE) is having the desired effect on inflation expectations." When quizzed by the press on Wednesday, Draghi was relaxed and bullish — he rejected the idea that QE would cause financial bubbles, said there was no real risk that the bonds the ECB is purchasing would become too scarce in the market, and reiterated his aim to continue the purchases until at least 2016. His internal opponents seem nowhere to be seen, and there was no sign of any anti-QE influence in his remarks. It felt like he was back in command of the ship. Credit Suisse's analysts are even more gushing in their praise of Draghi. Here's Credit Suisse: In our view, ECB monetary policy is far more aggressive than that seen at its peak in either Japan or the US, with the implications for global capital flows substantially underestimated in many circles... Like Chairman Volcker in the early 1980s, we feel that Dr Draghi is being truly radical, and that this deliberate policy to force investors out of safe assets has substantially further to run. That's a pretty bold statement. Paul Volcker was US Federal Reserve chair during the early 1980s, and today he's credited with a painful but ultimated successful series of interest rate hikes that whipped the United States' high inflation. Can Draghi do the opposite, and bring inflation back? The eurozone is still not a pretty picture — the recovery is now five years late, Greece is an albatross around the neck of the whole region and Europe's structural problems can't be solved by monetary policy. But the pictures for both Europe and Draghi are substantially better than they were at the turn of the year.So it has begun. The Centennial Year: 40 State-sponsored events, hundreds of local commemorations, events in New York and Washington DC and countless other places where the Irish diaspora has gathered. After a shaky start, the Government has righted itself and come forward with a thoughtful and comprehensive programme that culminates in a series of Easter anniversary events and a major national conference on the future of the Republic 100 years on. Countless books will be published, and historians will be in demand on talk shows as Irish people take a long look back of what they have made of the Republic. Everything thing seems well in hand to celebrate how far we have come, except
network said. Never mind that almost nobody rides a luge, and that all of those who do are keenly aware that it is a life-risking sport. The word for this kind of nonsense is hypocrisy. Another word is capitalism. Blood and gore sell, and this tape meant great ratings for NBC. On the other hand, you’d think that showing what the war in Afghanistan, or the war in Iraq, look like would be good for ratings too. And shouldn’t there be a journalistic responsibility to show Americans what is going on in our name and with our tax dollars, in our country’s wars, not to mention that if it’s important for potential sledders to know how dangerous a luge shute is, shouldn’t potential military recruits be shown how dangerous wearing a uniform can be? Anyhow, we should be able to take the real ugliness and the blood: We Americans pay good money to see the fake gore of military slaughter–even of Americans–in movies like Avatar, or Saving Private Ryan, or Apocalypse Now. But when it comes to war, politics intervenes. The military and its political handmaidens in Congress and the White House, don’t think that showing the authentic gore of American casualties that occur daily in the course of our bloody imperial adventures is a good idea. It might get Americans to thinking too hard about those wars, and about whether we ought to be fighting them. And so NBC, and most of the rest of the US media, politely keep those images safely abroad. Seriously. They have the footage, and the photos. They just don’t let Americans see them. I was stunned, for example, when I lived in Taiwan in 2004 for five months, to see that CNN International, which is viewed all around the world, but not seen in the US, had plenty of film footage of dead American soldiers. They have to air that stuff if they want to compete commercially overseas with such other international news programs as the BBC and Al Jazeera. But those scenes get censored out in Atlanta, so we don’t see them here. We get to see dead Haitians. We get to see dead Sri-Lankans. We get to see dead Taliban fighters. We get to see dead Olympians–especially if they’re foreigners like poor Kumaritashvili. They don’t get shown any “respect for their dignity.” But we don’t get to see dead or dying American soldiers. That would be a shameful thing to do. ave Lindorff is a Philadelphia-based journalist. He is author of Killing Time: An Investigation into the Death Penalty Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal (Common Courage Press, 2003) and The Case for Impeachment (St. Martin’s Press, 2006). His work is available at thiscantbehappening.netAn untitled Jasper Johns drawing that is part of a civil suit against Johns’s former assistant James Meyer. Art © Jasper Johns/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY Photo: Jasper Johns/Vaga In his half-century as one of the universally sanctified titans of modern art, Jasper Johns has led a private life, if not a reclusive one, shuttling between his homes in Connecticut and St. Martin with a circle of friends who are protective of him and guarded on his behalf. “He’s spent his whole life cultivating a certain air of mystery,” says David Ross, a friend of the artist and the former director of the Whitney. Those who still see him say Johns, now 84, can be a brilliant, charming presence, but also by turns slightly cool and prickly — the counterweight, in temperament, of his vivacious late friend and partner Robert Rauschenberg. Another friend compares him to fellow introverts like Philip Roth and Philip Glass: superficially polite yet diffident—and, at moments, abrupt and even biting. The work comes first, and they work alone. Johns’s primary studio — a large, fully renovated old barn on the grounds of his 130-acre estate in Sharon, Connecticut — is a reflection of his personality. There is no Jeff Koons–like army of implementers doing his bidding and no Andy Warhol–like Factory of hangers-on in the corners, watching it all happen. He only occasionally allows visitors; the few assistants he’s employed are meant to recede into the background, there but not there. It was in Sharon that one friend, the art dealer Francis Naumann, first met Johns’s longtime studio assistant James Meyer. Given how withdrawn Meyer was around Johns, it’s a little remarkable that Naumann managed to get to know him at all. Stocky and mostly silent, Meyer seemed mainly to be on hand to help Johns move things around in the studio; he would join them for lunch, too, but rarely took part in the conversation and almost never shared an opinion. After a number of visits, Meyer let Naumann know that he, too, was an artist. “He was painting a little like Jasper,” the art dealer remembers, “though, of course, he was completely unknown.” When he learned that Meyer had dyslexia and had difficulty writing the personal statements and other literature that an artist needs to be noticed by gallery owners and dealers, Naumann offered to help. “Every once in a while he would send me something that he wrote, and I would try to put it into better English.” Naumann’s next brush with Meyer — the important one — took place in the spring of 2009. Naumann was contacted by a fellow art dealer named Fred Dorfman, asking if he knew of any collectors in the market for a small work by Jasper Johns, a 12-by-14-inch black-and-white drawing on plastic — “a complete and fully finished, beautiful drawing” signed by Johns, Naumann says. Dorfman emailed a photo of the drawing to Naumann, who then sent it to a client of his, a New Jersey–based collector named Frank Kolodny, who fell in love with it. Soon after, Naumann learned that the person selling the drawing was Meyer. On the face of it, he insists, the news that Johns’s longtime studio assistant was unloading one of his boss’s works struck him as only slightly peculiar. Artists like Meyer “always need money at one time or another,” Naumann says. Given everything that’s happened since, it’s not surprising that Naumann sounds a little defensive when he tells the rest of the story. It made sense at the time, he says, that Meyer would, over the years, have received at least one of Johns’s works as a present. In fact, Naumann had once seen a Johns drawing not so different from this one hanging above the fireplace in the home of Sarah Taggart, Johns’s secretary. It also made sense, Naumann says, when he learned that Meyer had set two conditions on the transaction: The sale could not be public, and the buyer could not resell the drawing for eight years. “You can’t go tell the artist, ‘I’m selling the drawing you gave me,’ ” Naumann says. “It might make it a little bit uncomfortable if he’s still working for the guy.” They agreed on a sale price: $400,000. Naumann says he conducted the appropriate due diligence. He negotiated for Kolodny to be allowed to break the eight-year sale restriction if Meyer stopped working for Johns for any reason. He had Dorfman send him a copy of an official record kept in Johns’s office, verifying the work was a gift to Meyer. And he got a sworn affidavit from Meyer himself saying the work was authentic, he’d owned it since 1995, and he had the authority to sell it. What he didn’t do, however, was pick up the phone to try to discuss the sale with Johns. Better, he thought, to be discreet — and sensitive to the studio assistant who was parting with an artistic treasure he no doubt had witnessed the master create. For the same reason, he says, he never spoke with Meyer. This couldn’t have been an easy decision for the man. Why rub it in? It would be another three years before Naumann, along with everyone else, would learn the truth — that the page from Johns’s ledger was a complete forgery; that the drawing, though a genuine artwork by Jasper Johns, never belonged to Meyer; that Meyer had covertly pulled it from a file drawer in Johns’s studio; and that there’d been a lot more where that came from. Johns was only 27 when he became a darling of the art world. The Museum of Modern Art snapped up three of his works at his first solo exhibition at the Leo Castelli Gallery in 1958. Pushing past Abstract Expressionism, Johns brought in tantalizing figurative elements — flags, targets, numbers, letters. In the early years, working out of a loft studio downtown, Johns, awash in money and attention, had thrived on the creative foursome he forged with Rauschenberg, John Cage, and Merce Cunningham. As he’s gotten older, Johns’s circle has narrowed while, among collectors, his work has remained as precious as platinum. In 1980, the Whitney paid $1 million for Three Flags (1958), a record price for a living artist at the time. In 2006, Citadel hedge-fund founder Kenneth Griffin bought False Start (1959) from media mogul David Geffen for $80 million, setting a record. To continue to produce work at that level demands a great deal of help, and practically no artist of Johns’s caliber gets by without a staff of paid assistants maintaining the studio, cataloguing work, and handling the paperwork for sales and authentication. It’s a relationship that demands a great deal of trust, and Johns was perhaps particularly trusting. Gary Stephan, one of Johns’s first assistants, says he named his own salary, which Johns paid without discussion. “He was very happy to just let things happen. It was like that Cage thing, allowing for chance.” Stephan remembers being charged with disposing of large sections of a huge artwork Johns was making for the 1967 World’s Fair. “I could have easily outstretched the canvas and walked out the door with it. But I didn’t.” Meyer began working for Johns in 1985, starting when he was just 22. He grew up in suburban Northport, Long Island, a boy of Mexican ancestry adopted by white middle-class parents. Meyer’s father sold insurance. Neither his father nor his mother understood art or knew what to make of their son’s interest in it. He started painting in earnest at 17, producing prints and showing them in Northport. Though Meyer has not commented to the media since being accused, he has shared his story in interviews in the past, even arranging for a friend to interview him for a long Q&A on his own promotional website. “I was fearless,” he said. “It never occurred to me to be shy about my art.” At the School of Visual Arts, where he enrolled in 1980, he was, in his own words, “finally asked to leave because I would hand in whatever I was working on and pay no attention to the assignment.” Deciding “I knew what I wanted to make,” Meyer lived cheap, couch-surfing in the city. His work was included in exhibitions at Danceteria, the New Museum, and the Pat Hearn Gallery. In search of a regular job, he made some slides of his work and knocked on the doors of the studios of Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein, Frank Stella, Richard Artschwager, and Jasper Johns. Most of the studios weren’t open, but an assistant was there at Johns’s, and he left his slides. When he came back for them the next day, Johns was there. “Two hours later,” Meyer recalled, “he hired me.” From that point onward, Meyer’s ambitions and tastes were subsumed to those of Johns. When Johns moved to Sharon in the ’90s, Meyer and his wife, Amy Jenkins, followed, to a cheaper town nearby called Lakeville. At the estate in Sharon, Meyer worked four days a week, Tuesday through Friday, and lived close enough to come by and help Johns if he needed anything in the studio over the weekend. Each winter, Meyer would come down to Johns’s home in St. Martin just long enough to set Johns up for the season, then leave. All the while, Meyer kept waking up early in the mornings — 5 a.m., he’d say — to make art of “the rich bed of images, banal as they sometimes are, that sometimes keep me awake at night.” Suburbia dominated Meyer’s art: a girl playing with a hula hoop, a boy jumping over a fence. The figures were often in silhouette, with candy-colored patterns behind them. “They’re pretty crudely rendered and serially rendered,” says one gallery owner who has shown Meyer’s work, “which I think was a direct influence of Jasper’s, using the same image over and over again.” Meyer’s descriptions of his art told the story of being unnoticed, of observing others, and of a deep, unchecked insecurity. In one show, he cited the influence of Dostoyevsky’s Notes From Underground. “There is this man narrating his story, trying to be something and always failing, and always blaming other people for his poor behavior,” he said at the time. “So he watches the world from his silent perch. I can’t help but be like that in a way.” A year later, he mounted a show in which his work focused on windows, explaining their appeal as “a removed situation where you can remain unseen.” Northwestern Connecticut has its share of cultural elites like Johns, among them David Whitney and Agnes Gund. Meyer became a visible and endearing presence in a different, more workaday circle of hopeful artists. Together with Jenkins, a teacher at the Indian Mountain School, Meyer helped found the Art Garage, a 2,000-square-foot art studio that hosted an after-school art program at Housatonic Valley Regional High School. He mounted fund-raisers for the Art Garage and solicited donations of artwork to be sold there. Johns donated at least once. But the creative side of Meyer never was part of his daily working life. Meyer once told a friend that any lines he drew on Johns’s canvases would eventually be erased and redrawn by the master. (One friend of Johns’s says it’s preposterous for Meyer even to have suggested that Johns would have let him draw lines on his work in the first place.) Meyer cycled through galleries in Connecticut and New York, never finding the right launchpad. His networking in the art world had a sharp, disingenuous edge to it. “Once he even gave me a work of art out of the blue,” says one major art critic. “I was so freaked out I returned it to his dealer, saying, ‘I don’t accept anything.’ ” Another art writer, John Yau, who visited Johns a few times, had a similar experience. “I had mixed feelings about him. I never felt I wanted to cross any lines. He wanted to get a gallery and dealers. He was rather aggressive about it. I felt there was a kind of attitude that he had, so I kept my distance.” After a while, Meyer became known as abrasive, on the make, creepy even. The artist Laurie Simmons, who has a place with her husband, the artist Carroll Dunham, in northwestern Connecticut, remembers the email blasts she’d get from Meyer over the years. “That’s not uncommon,” she says. But she recalls one time getting a fund-raising email from Jenkins, and then a follow-up from Meyer that began “My friend, Amy Jenkins, has been trying to get in touch with you …” “I thought, That is so odd,” Simmons says. “ ‘My friend’?” She’d never call her husband her friend, even in an email. “A really odd disassociation thing to do.” What set Meyer off most, it seemed, was rejection. “He took his work very seriously and himself very seriously, a little over-the-top,” one gallery owner says. When this gallery dropped Meyer, “it was taken personally,” he says, and “the reaction was way out of line.” Jenkins even called to complain. His lack of success, however, didn’t stop them from living well. Around 2007, Meyer, Jenkins, and their two children moved from their shingled Cape-style house on a bustling street in Lakeville to a more remote mid-century-modern home in Salisbury, once the home of the cartoonist Robert Osborn. They never sold the Lakeville house, and they rented the Osborn house. There were other conspicuous purchases — four cars, two motorcycles, three trailers, a 42-foot fiberglass sailboat — at the same time that Meyer’s children were approaching college age (one has graduated from NYU, and the other attends SVA). A few others in Johns’s close orbit now say they’d noticed Meyer was living high. “I think they tried to draw it to Jasper’s attention,” Naumann says. “But then Jasper maybe concluded he’s doing well selling his work. Because what did he know?” Johns in his New York studio in the 1980s. (Photo: Serge Cohen/Cosmos/Redux) Photo: Cosmos/Redux In February 2012, word trickled out around Sharon and Lakeville that Jim Meyer wasn’t working for Jasper Johns anymore. It didn’t take long for Meyer’s friends in the local art community to hear the reason, though the details were vague. “Someone emailed an image to check against the catalogue raisonné, and it got back to Jasper,” one friend of Meyer’s says. Johns “knew immediately it was not something he permitted. Jim was fired that day.” Naumann was shocked, he says, and puzzled. The artwork that exposed Meyer was not the drawing that Naumann had helped his client Kolodny buy. Naumann spent more than a week unsure of what to do. Finally, he says, Johns called him and politely asked Naumann to tell his lawyer everything he knew about what had happened. Naumann, relieved, said he’d be happy to. During that call, Johns said something that astonished him: Meyer had mailed Johns back one of the stolen drawings. Naumann told Johns that he hoped he kept it in its original paper. “If somebody mailed back a drawing, isn’t that a clear acknowledgment that you were the thief? Isn’t that, like, admitting to it immediately?” For 18 months, Meyer and his family proceeded as if nothing were wrong, at least outwardly. Meyer mounted two different exhibitions of his own art—at the Hotchkiss School and Gering & López on Fifth Avenue. Meanwhile, he quietly transferred ownership of the Lakeville house to Amy’s name. When the indictment was finally unsealed in August 2013, Meyer stood accused of stealing 22 artworks, some unfinished, between 2006 and 2012. They all apparently had come from the same drawer in Johns’s studio, a drawer Meyer maintained. Meyer was said to have created fictitious inventory numbers for the pieces — and, for certain sales like Kolodny’s, fake pages in the ledger book. The pieces brought in $6.5 million, with Meyer pocketing $3.4 million. After a year of negotiation with the U.S. Attorney’s office, Meyer pleaded guilty in August, agreeing to pay back nearly $4 million, or about $600,000 more than what he is said to have earned from the sale of the works. At his December 10 sentencing, he could get a prison sentence of as long as ten years. Since Meyer never stood trial, his motivation remains speculative. “The assistant’s probably sitting there,” one friend of Johns’s says, “thinking each brushstroke is a thousand dollars.” Dorfman, who orchestrated the deals for Meyer, avoided prosecution. But in May of this year, he was pulled into the case by a civil suit filed by Kolodny, claiming in court papers that Dorfman “conspired with Meyer to perpetrate this elaborate fraud.” The lawsuit argues that Dorfman could not possibly have believed that Johns had generously gifted artwork valued at $6.5 million. In October, Kolodny’s lawyer, Judd Grossman, amended the suit, alleging that Meyer and Dorfman had colluded to steal not 22 but “nearly 50” artworks by Johns — including the work at the top of this story — and that Dorfman had kept them not in his gallery but at home. Dorfman’s lawyer, Adam Mitzner, says that his client would never knowingly sell stolen art and that “James Meyer defrauded many people, including Fred Dorfman.” Naumann and Kolodny aren’t facing prosecution. The U.S. Attorney apparently considers them to be victims of the swindle, like Johns. And the buyers of Meyer’s 21 other stolen Jasper Johns artworks? “Whether they’re exposed criminally, they’re probably already on the government’s radar,” Grossman says. “We have people come to us all the time saying, ‘Oh, I’ve got this great deal on this work. The work’s got a bit of a sketchy provenance, but it’s worth the investment.’ Which is why I think you don’t see a flood of litigation following this disclosure.” Meyer in 1990. Photo: Ken Schles When Naumann thinks of Meyer now, he remembers perhaps the one time when he saw his more vulnerable side. Grateful for Naumann’s help in rewriting the notes to his shows, Meyer repaid him with a drawing he’d made. Naumann later used the cardboard the gift came with as a base to cut something without remembering that the drawing was inside. “I cut his drawing in half,” Naumann recalls. Slightly abashed, Naumann decided he had to tell Meyer what had happened. Meyer was livid. “How did you not know my drawing was in there?” Meyer said. “I mean, maybe I should have been a little more empathetic,” Naumann says. “It just came as a surprise, you know? It’s not like I cut up a Jasper Johns. I cut up a James Meyer.” Naumann hasn’t spoken with Johns since that phone call in early 2012. The dealer spent most of the call concerned that what had happened would hurt their friendship. When he tried to tell Johns how bad he felt, Johns surprised him by saying, “You feel bad? Imagine how bad I feel. I got duped.” Earlier this year, Johns unveiled a new series of paintings and works on paper, mainly in gray tones — all variations on an image of a man sitting and holding his head sadly. The words REGRETS, JASPER JOHNS are stamped on each piece — a coy reference to the stamp Johns has used for years to decline various invitations and offers. Asked by a Financial Times reporter if there was any meaning to be gleaned from the fact that he started the series just after he discovered being swindled by the man who’d been helping him create his art for 27 years, Johns brought down the curtain. “I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to define it in any way,” he said. “Regrets belong to everybody, don’t they?” This article appears in the November 17, 2014 issue of New York Magazine. The original version of this article incorrectly referred to the town of Lakeville as Lakewood in one instance.Social media users have become accustomed to growing their personal networks on Facebook, but one paleoanthropologist used the social network to help expand the entire human race's family tree. It all began in October 2013 with an ad searching for small archaeologists or paleontologists posted on Facebook by Lee Berger, a professor at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. The social network came through, and on Thursday, Berger and his recruits announced that they had found a new human ancestor – a discovery that may revise the scientific community's understanding of where and how hominids originated. Themba Hadebe/AP Professor Adam Habib, holds a reconstruction of Homo naledi presented during the announcement made in Magaliesburg, South Africa, Thursday. Scientists say they’ve discovered a new member of the human family tree, revealed by a huge trove of bones in a barely accessible, pitch-dark chamber of a cave in South Africa, showing a surprising mix of human-like and more primitive characteristics. Berger’s ad called for someone experienced in paleontology or archaeology, unafraid of cramped places, and willing to drop everything and fly to South Africa within the month, The Atlantic reports. “The catch is this – the person must be skinny and preferably small,” he wrote. “They must not be claustrophobic, they must be fit, they should have some caving experience, climbing experience would be a bonus.” From the ad, Berger told The Atlantic he received more than 60 qualified applicants within a few days. From those, six scientists – all women of slight build – were sent on the fossil-finding mission. The excavation site, about 30 miles northwest of Johannesburg, is a pitch dark chamber at the end of a zig-zagging path through a cave that requires squeezing through passages that are as narrow as 7 1/2 inches; the cloister has yielded some 1,550 specimens since its discovery in 2013. The fossils uncovered so far represent at least 15 skeletons, a scale practically unheard of in a research community of archeologists and paleontologists that normally relies on bone fragments that rarely add up to a complete organism. Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters Fossils of a newly discovered ancient species, named 'Homo naledi,' are pictured during their unveiling outside Johannesburg on Thursday. Researchers named the newly discovered hominid Homo naledi (nah-LEH-dee), reflecting the "Homo" evolutionary group, which includes modern humans and our closest extinct relatives, and the word for "star" in a local language, as the trove was found deep in the Rising Star cave system. Look at its pelvis or shoulders, says Berger, and you would think it was an ape-like Australopithecus, which appeared in Africa about 4 million years ago and is thought to be an ancestor of Homo. But look at its foot and you could think it belonged to our species, which appeared just 200,000 years ago, according to New Scientist. Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters Fossils of a newly discovered ancient species, named 'Homo naledi,' are pictured during their unveiling outside Johannesburg Thursday. The differences in traits lead to a fairly basic question that scientists are still puzzling over: How old are the bones? And another unsolved mystery is how the bones – thousands in all – got to the cave in the first place. The researchers said they suspect the naledi may have repeatedly deposited their dead in the room. However, the room, which is accessed from a 12 meter vertical drop, may have simply been a death trap for individuals that found their own way in. Berger said researchers are not claiming that naledi was a direct ancestor of modern-day people, and experts unconnected to the project have been critical. Rick Potts, director of the human origins program at the Smithsonian Institution's Natural History Museum, who was not involved in the discovery, told the Associated Press that without an age, "there's no way we can judge the evolutionary significance of this find." Themba Hadebe/AP Fragments of bone are arranged with skeletal parts of Homo naledi, with hundreds of other fossil elements during the announcement of a new human ancestor made in Magaliesburg, South Africa, Thursday. Scientists say they’ve discovered a new member of the human family tree, revealed by a huge trove of bones in a barely accessible, pitch-dark chamber of a cave in South Africa, showing a surprising mix of human-like and more primitive characteristics. If the bones are about as old as the Homo group, that would argue that naledi is "a snapshot of... the evolutionary experimentation that was going on right around the origin" of Homo, he told AP. If they are significantly younger, it either shows the naledi retained the primitive body characteristics much longer than any other known creature, or that it re-evolved them, he said. No matter the origin of this species, or its relation to humans, Bernard Wood of George Washington University is intrigued by the prospect that the naledi species arrived to the cave by choice. Visitors to the cave must have created artificial light, as with a torch, Mr. Wood told AP. The people who did cave drawings in Europe had such technology, but nobody has suspected that mental ability in creatures with such a small brain as naledi, according to Wood. Get the Monitor Stories you care about delivered to your inbox. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy "This stuff is like a Sherlock Holmes mystery," he added. This report contains material from the Associated Press.Data Visualization with JavaScript It’s getting hard to ignore the importance of data in our lives. Data is critical to the largest social organizations in human history. It can affect even the least consequential of our everyday decisions. And its collection has widespread geopolitical implications. Yet it also seems to be getting easier to ignore the data itself. One estimate suggests that 99.5% of the data our systems collect goes to waste. No one ever analyzes it effectively. Data visualization is a tool that addresses this gap. Effective visualizations clarify; they transform collections of abstract artifacts (otherwise known as numbers) into shapes and forms that viewers quickly grasp and understand. The best visualizations, in fact, impart this understanding intuitively. Viewers comprehend the data immediately—without thinking. Such presentations free the viewer to more fully consider the implications of the data: the stories it tells, the insights it reveals, or even the warnings it offers. That, of course, defines the best kind of communication. If you’re developing web sites or web applications today, there’s a good chance you have data to communicate, and that data may be begging for a good visualization. But how do you know what kind of visualization is appropriate? And, even more importantly, how do you actually create one? Answers to those very questions are the core of this book. In the chapters that follow, we explore dozens of different visualizations, techniques, and tool kits. Each example discusses the appropriateness of the visualization (and suggests possible alternatives) and provides step-by-step instructions for including the visualization in your own web pages. The Book’s Philosophy If you’re considering whether to invest your time and/or money in this book, it’s only fair that you should have some understanding of the philosophy guiding it. In creating the book, I’ve tried to follow four main principles to make sure the book provides meaningful and practical guidance. Implementation vs. Design This book won’t teach you how to design data visualizations. Quite honestly, there are other authors far better qualified than me for that. (You could do a lot worse than Edward Tufte for example.) Instead, we’ll focus on implementing visualizations. When appropriate, we’ll take a slightly bigger picture view to discuss the appropriateness of particular visualization strategies, but I recognize that sometimes the boss absolutely insists on a pie chart. Code vs. Styling As you might guess from the title, this book focuses on the JavaScript code for creating visualizations. We won’t spend much time discussing styles for those visualizations. Fortunately, styling visualizations is pretty much the same as styling other web content. Basic experience with HTML and CSS will serve you well when you add visualizations to your pages. The examples don’t assume you’re a JavaScript expert, and we’ll be sure to carefully explain any code more complicated than a basic jQuery selector. Simple vs. Complex Most of the book’s examples are simple, straightforward visualizations. Complex visualizations can be engaging and compelling, but studying a lot of advanced code is usually not the best way to learn the craft. In our examples, we’ll try to stay as simple as possible so you can clearly see how to use the various tools and techniques. Simple doesn’t mean “boring,” however, and even the simplest visualizations can be enlightening and inspiring. Reality vs. an Ideal World When you begin building your own visualizations, you’ll discover that the real world is rarely as kind as we’d wish. Open source libraries have bugs; third party servers have security issues, and not every user has updated to the latest and greatest web browser. We won’t ignore reality in these examples. Instead, we’ll see how to accommodate older browsers when it’s practical, how to comply with security constraints such as CORS, and how to work around bugs in other folks’ code. The Book’s Contents The chapters and appendices that follow cover a variety of visualization techniques and many of the JavaScript libraries that we can use to implement them. The first chapter begins with the most basic of visualizations—static charts and plots. Its examples rely on the flotr2 library library. Chapter two adds interactivity to the visualizations, giving users the chance to select content, zoom in, and track values. The chapter also covers retrieving data for visualizations directly from the web. For variety, and to give you a better sense of the options available, its examples are based on the Flot library, which is based on jQuery. The third chapter looks at integrating multiple visualizations together and with other content on a web page; it uses the jQuery sparklines library. With chapter four we consider visualizations other than standard charts and plots, including tree maps, heat maps, network graphs, and word clouds. Each example focuses on a particular JavaScript library designed specifically for one of those visualization types. Chapter five covers time series data. It looks at several ways to visualize timelines, including traditional libraries; pure HTML, CSS, and JavaScript; and full-features web components. ,, and JavaScript; and full-features web components. In chapter six we consider geographic data, and we see many ways of incorporating maps in our visualizations. Chapter seven introduces the powerful D3.js library, a flexible and full-featured toolkit for building custom visualizations of almost any type. .js library, a flexible and full-featured toolkit for building custom visualizations of almost any type. Beginning with first appendix we consider other aspects of web-based visualizations. In particular, we can see how the Underscore.js library makes it easy to prepare the data that drives our visualizations. The book concludes with the development of a complete single page web application that relies on data visualization. Here we’ll see how to use modern development tools such as Yeoman and the Backbone.js library. Source Code for Examples To make the text as clear and readable as possible, these examples generally contain isolated snippets of JavaScript, plus occasional fragments of HTML or CSS. Complete source code for all examples is available on GitHub. Acknowledgements Even though it’s been said many times, there’s no getting around the fact that a book such as this one is the work of many people other than the author. It certainly wouldn’t be possible without the patience of Seph and the other fine folks at No Starch Press. There simply is no better publisher for technical books. Kudos also to Chris for the technical review, though, of course, the remaining mistakes are mine alone. I owe a special thanks to NickC for his generosity; it’s such a pleasure to meet folks that appreciate the true community spirit of the Web and web development. Finally, a shout out to the team developing the Open Academic Environment and my colleagues at the Georgia Institute of Technology; working with them is a true pleasure. Other Versions If you prefer a printed book or a proper ebook, you can purchase copies from No Starch Press. You can also find the book at Amazon. Continue reading: Chapter 1: Graphing Data.An effort to make PPXs portable across compiler versions. PPX extensions work by receiving a syntax tree from the compiler, rewriting it, and sending it back. Extensions obtain the definition of the syntax tree as well as some helpers from compiler-libs. Thus they tend to depend on the internal of the compiler. PPX developers often have to maintain separate code for each version of the compiler they want to support. When a new compiler version is introduced, most opam packages are unavailable because of PPX breakage. To address these two problems ocaml-migrate-parsetree versions the syntax tree and provides conversion functions. Migrating to a new version always succeeds, migrating to an older version fails if some features in use are not available. Versions covered are 4.02, 4.03, 4.04 and trunk (4.05). A code working with 4.04 will work out of the box on 4.05. However, if the code later evolves to make use of 4.05 specific features, it will no longer be backwards compatible. Features provided by ocaml-migrate-parsetree includes: versioning of Asttypes, Parsetree, Ast_helper, Outcometree and parts of Ast_mapper and Docstrings ,,, and parts of and unmarshalling of any supported versions of syntax trees conversion of parsetrees and lifting of Ast_mapper.mapper between arbitrary versions. For Ast_mapper and Docstrings, anything relying on global state has been removed. Lifting of Ast_mapper.mapper breaks the open recursion (the Ast is converted to the targeted version only once when entering the mapper and converted back when leaving). Minimal guide to porting a PPX extension Porting is easy as long as you stick to modules that are versioned by ocaml-migrate-parsetree. It is trivial if you make direct use of Ast_mapper. However using Ast_mapper_class from ppx_tools breaks this approach. Starting from a PPX written against OCaml 4.04, porting amounts to: (* Shadowing compiler-libs modules with the ones versioned for 4.04 ) open Migrate_parsetree open Ast_404... ( your ppx code * ) (* ########################################### ) ( Registering the mapper with the host version of compiler-libs Original code: let () = Ast_mapper.run_main @@ fun _ -> my_mapper ) ( Create a module converting structures from 4.04 to current version ) module To_current = Convert ( OCaml_404 )( OCaml_current ) let () = ( Original Ast_mapper is shadowed. Compiler_libs module provides aliase to the original one. ) Compiler_libs. Ast_mapper. run_main @@ fun _ -> ( Finally lift the mapper ) To_current. copy_mapper my_mapper ( ########################################### ) ( Alternatively, if the implementation uses Ast_mapper.register: let () = Ast_mapper.register "my_mapper" mapper *) let () = let module To_current = Convert ( OCaml_404 )( OCaml_current ) in Compiler_libs. Ast_mapper. register "my_mapper" ( To_current. copy_mapper mapper ) Future work While a few PPX extensions have already been ported, the ones relying on Ast_mapper_class are not handled yet. Porting more of them and agreeing on a reasonable set of features to cover most use cases is a prerequisite before a 1.0 release. Another axis is the handling of unsupported features. As of today, converting an unsupported feature raises an exception. Some PPX extensions could opt-in a softer policy of encoding new constructions as attributes. This make sense when using an old PPX with
to match most characteristics of lenses the fact that we had these different flavours in the original footage gave us a solid jumping-off point for crafting the rest of those distinct looks. Adding pop in post Clara was very keen to take advantage of the beautiful Angenieux lens flares in the zoo, but with overcast weather for most of the exterior shoot, these had to be added in the grade using the Sapphire lens flare plugin. We eventually designed our own flares in Sapphire to get the exact warm, gentle flares look we wanted and applied these in Resolve, so that we could adjust the grade and the flare interactively on each shot. Using the Sapphire flares in the grading also allowed us to add consistent flares to the stitched Trident shots, which was of course impossible to achieve in camera as the three lenses were facing in different directions. Getting the shot Using the Trident on the ground required careful positioning of crew, particularly on interiors where almost the entire room was visible in one shot. In a location we called the Steam Punk room, a plant room that formed the link between the wall and the HQ bunker, this created a particularly interesting lighting challenge because so much of the room was visible all at once. Gaffer Steve Schofield found a number of great hiding places for lamps behind the plant equipment and we were able to get a lovely sense of depth in the Trident shot. In HQ we used the Trident for the big establishing shots of the massive bunker, which became to background for the holograms which were one of the main VFX elements in the film. We eventually set the Trident up in a little doorway alcove with the essential crew squeezed in behind the camera. All other crew had to leave the room as the entire space was visible from one wall to the other. Lighting for a Trident HQ required a much bigger lighting set up than the zoo exteriors. The pace we were shooting in the zoo meant that there was little opportunity to do more than some basic diffusion, reflection or a bit of negative fill but I knew that I would have enough control in the color grade to be able to get the sense of contrast and depth working. In HQ, Steve suggested using the third floor balcony above the foyer to position a 6K HMI pointed at a 20×20 bounce rigged along the back wall. This was the only part of the room consistently out of shot and gave us a good soft base illumination for the room. From there we were able to position 6K and 4K HMIs on floorstands to key and backlight as required. These were mostly through a 6×6 or 12×12 diffusion frame and on some of the most important close ups of Gillian and Scout we double diffused the light with a 4×4 positioned halfway between the lamp and a 6×6. As well as being quick to set up, this technique also takes up less space in both depth and width and creates a great character of soft light. We also used smaller units with theatrical color gels to create pools of color in parts of the the background. These were mostly strong blues and this created enough balance that we could then add some warmth to the fill light with a quarter CTO. Over ground, underwater: Shooting endangered speciesThe Scarlet Speedster's blockbuster CW series starring Grant Gustin doesn’t return until October 6th, but The CW has something for Flash fans that may make the wait a little bit easier. Starting today, you can now stream every episode of the 1990-1991 version of The Flash through their online channel, CW Seed. Starring John Wesley Shipp in the title role and boasting a title theme composed by Danny Elfman, the ‘90s Flash originally aired on CBS. While the show only ran for one season, it did get a chance to delve into the Flash's comic book mythology, introducing characters like Iris West and Linda Park and villains such as Captain Cold, Mirror Master and the Trickster (played by Mark Hamill). This earlier version of The Flash isn’t exactly in continuity with the current CW take, but the newer show often pays tribute to it. Several of the ‘90s Flash actors have been cast in recurring or guest roles on today’s show. Shipp now plays Barry Allen’s father, while Amanda Pays, who played S.T.A.R. Labs’ Dr. Tina McGee on the earlier show, has appeared a few times as the same character in the new one and Hamill reprised his role as the Trickster in a memorable episode last spring. While the special effects and costumes may seem a bit dated by today’s standards, the 1990’s Flash is still a blast and well worth a look if you haven’t seen it. While you’re at it, you may want to bookmark the CW Seed’s page or download the CW Seed app for iPhone/iPad or Android. Vixen, the animated series set within the Arrow and Flash universe and featuring the voices of Gustin and Stephen Amell, debuts there on August 25th.Activists call on the Paris restaurant L’Ami Jean and its chef to pull out of an Israeli-government backed culinary event in Tel Aviv. (via BDS France) Human rights activists have picketed high-end restaurants in cities around the world to protest their chefs’ participation in a culinary event in Tel Aviv that campaigners say “intends to whitewash Israel’s violent repression of Palestinian human rights.” From 6-26 November, 13 top chefs, from elite dining establishments including New York’s Musket Room, Geneva’s La Bottega and L’Ami Jean in Paris, are slated to travel to Tel Aviv and take over the kitchens of Israeli restaurants, each for a week. The initiative is sponsored by American Express and the Israeli government. But one restaurant has withdrawn its support, The Electronic Intifada has learned. Others are reportedly expressing misgivings about taking part. The names of Gustu and its world-renowned head chef Kamilla Seidler have been taken off the list of participants on the official Round Tables website and removed from the schedule of public appearances and lectures. “BDS campaigners have urged Gustu Group and its chef Kamilla Seidler to pull out from the 2016 Round Tables tour in Tel Aviv. We are glad to hear that their names have been removed from the Round Tables website and from the scheduled side events,” Pedro Charbel, Latin America campaigns coordinator for the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC), told The Electronic Intifada. Gustu, which calls itself a “socially focused” venture, is involved in a project with the international development charity Oxfam’s Danish affiliate Oxfam IBIS. Campaigners in Denmark wrote to Oxfam urging the charity to distance itself from the participating restaurants, according to the BNC. Masking apartheid The Israeli organizers are calling the Round Tables initiative “gastro-diplomacy.” But in a letter to the participating chefs last month, 140 international civil society organizations denounced the Tel Aviv event for its close association with the Israeli government, whose policies depriving millions of Palestinians of basic rights include systematic destruction of Palestinian agriculture. “While the Round Tables event is presented as a ‘fruitful dialogue about culture, economy, and social issues,’ it is instead an appalling use of the time-honored tradition of sharing culinary experiences as a means for whitewashing widespread violation of Palestinian fundamental rights, including the right to food,” the groups say. Noting that Round Tables is sponsored by the Israeli ministries of foreign affairs and tourism and the Tel Aviv municipality, the civil society groups urge the chefs “not to lend your culinary talents to mask Israel’s crimes.” Dinners will include the service of wine from Israeli settlements in Syria’s occupied Golan Heights and international visitors will stay at Dan Hotels which, according to the BNC, “has a settlement hotel built on stolen Palestinian land in occupied East Jerusalem.” Activists in Italy have also called on the mineral water company Ferrarelle to pull its sponsorship from the event. Chefs respond According to the BNC, the manager of one of the restaurants picketed in recent days “told local activists that they were not informed of the Israeli government involvement and the political nature of the event.” The restaurant “would not have participated had they known,” according to the BNC. The BNC said that the restaurant, which it did not identify, “informed activists that they would not participate in the future.” Activists received a similar response at Madrid’s Triciclo, where one chef reportedly said it was too late to withdraw. But when the campaign group BDS France tweeted at L’Ami Jean, as part of a global social media campaign using the hashtag #ApartheidRoundTables, the restaurant gave a defiant response. It called Palestine solidarity activists “dishonest” and retweeted a tweet claiming that BDS is illegal in France. Most restaurants did not respond to The Electronic Intifada’s inquiries. A spokesperson for Diego Muñoz said that the world-renowned chef based in Lima, Peru, “is in China and extremely busy” and was therefore not available to answer questions. American Express did not respond to The Electronic Intifada. “Round Tables sponsors are profiting from Israel’s apartheid and occupation and the event is used to whitewash Israel’s violations of international law and the brutal oppression of Palestinians,” the BNC’s Charbel said. “The chefs taking part in Round Tables are willingly being used in Israel’s propaganda and this has stained their reputation. We call on all chefs to cancel their participation from the Round Tables tour.” At least one, Gustu’s Kamilla Seidler, appears to have heeded that call.HoTS lead hero designer Kent-Erik Hagman says some changes are in store for Cho'Gall, and to not hold your breath for Widowmaker or Amazon heroes. Thanks to Blizzard, we sat down with Heroes of The Storm lead hero designer Kent-Erik Hagman to pick his brain on some of our most pressing hero related questions. Among the questions were "what the heck is happening with Cho'Gall?" and "Will we ever see a Widowmaker hero?" He also offered some insights on how the team goes about designing a hero's kit to make each hero feel unique and special, and the relationship heroes have on map design (hint: map designers hate Sylvannas). Check out our full interview below: The Escapist: First up, who is your favorite hero currently in the game, and why? Kent-Erik Hagman: Right now, it's Samuro! I mean, technically he's in the game, right? This is a Hero I've been waiting 2 years to get in the game, and he is just such a blast. It hits me in all the feels of nostalgia, and he's just such a fun hero to play! TE: It's always really cool to see the unique heroes that play completely differently to the standard 4 hero archetypes (assassin, tank, support, specialist), like The Lost Vikings, Cho'gall and Abathur. Are there plans for any more unconventional heroes in the future? KH: We've certainly stretched the genre in a variety of ways, and I definitely wouldn't say we're done yet! TE: If stuff as crazy as Cho'gall made it into the game, I'd love to hear about some crazy hero concepts that didn't make the cut. What's the wildest idea you ever had for a HoTS hero that was eventually rejected? KH: The thing is, some of those crazy ideas just one day may make it back into the light of day, so I don't know that I can talk about any of them quite yet...but, you might want to ask me again in 2 years!! TE: Unfortunately, TLV and Cho'gall don't really see much play these days, and are usually considered subpar heroes. How do you go about balancing such strange heroes? KH: We still see TLV get play on certain maps in high-levels of play. They certainly get to see the ban screen occasionally in professional levels of play. As for Cho'gall, we have some stuff coming down the pipe that affects the game at a systemic level (in a light way), that could have a big impact for our beloved two-headed doofus. They certainly aren't the easiest heroes to balance. For TLV, we're okay with them being a lower winrate hero at low levels of play, because we know at high levels they can dominate games. As for Cho'gall, he's going to be one of those Heroes that really can only shine on certain battlegrounds, due to the 1-less body. TE: Currently, there are 13 StarCraft heroes, 13 Diablo heroes, 2 Overwatch Heroes, 1 "Blizzard Classic" hero and a whopping 28 Warcraft heroes. The bias seems to weigh heavily on Warcraft at this point, and I feel like it's only going to get worse - especially at the rate you guys are releasing new heroes! We already have almost all of the "major" Diablo characters, and StarCraft has always been fairly thin on "hero" characters. What will you do when you eventually "run out" of Diablo and StarCraft heroes? Are you worried about Warcraft characters dominating the Nexus? KH: I think it would be a fallacy to assume a goal of universe-parity, as Warcraft has always been, and probably will always be for quite some time, one of our most popular universes. Time and time again, the polls from our various fan websites consistently list a majority of Warcraft Heroes that our fans want to see. So, I wouldn't say we're too worried about having a healthy number of Warcraft heroes. That being said, we won't neglect Sanctuary and the Korpulu sector, as they are still just as near and dear to our hearts. We still have a large handful of characters from those universes that we want to pull in, and will in the coming years. There's a lot of runway in front of us, and I can't wait to explore it! TE: It seems like Overwatch characters are starting to pour into the nexus, with Tracer and Zayra leading the charge. A question a lot of players have had, especially since Nova received a Widowmaker skin - will Windowmaker ever get her own HoTS hero? Similarly, will Diablo 2's Amazon ever become a playable character? KH: Widowmaker is a tricky one. I'll never say never, but it's relatively unlikely. There are so many other Overwatch Heroes we are super interested in doing, that I think they'd take priority over Widowmaker for the time being. However, who knows what the game will be like in 2 years! The Amazon is one we've discussed as well, and I wouldn't rule it out either. It would present itself with certain difficulties, though, due to Nova's Amazon skin. I will say that going forward, it's something we're talking a lot more about when we go to make a skin, having the discussion about what it means for doing potential heroes in the future. TE: How do you go about designing a new hero's abilities - especially if that hero wasn't already a "Hero" character from Warcraft like Samuro? Do you try to ensure that every hero has a wide range of tools at their disposal, or do you allow heroes to focus in one area while sacrificing in others? KH: We typically try to identify a unique role for that Hero in the game. What's a reason you'd draft that Hero for your team over another Hero in a similar archetype? We want to make sure there is a place for every Hero in the game, to make sure each is its own special snowflake. There are certain tools every archetype needs to bring, so it's a combination of taking those two considerations in, along with understanding the Fantasy of that Hero. It's very important that the players feel like they are that Hero when playing them. TE: Since HoTS has so many unique maps with unique objectives, it seems like it would be really important to work together with the map designers in order to make sure certain heroes aren't "broken" on certain maps. Have you ever had to rework a map because of this? Are there any cases of a certain hero being just completely overpowered due to a map's design? KH: We haven't quite gotten to that stage yet. However, our beloved Banshee Queen, Sylvanas, has certainly been a thorn in the side of our Battleground Designers, because of what she can do to a lot of the pushing mechanics with her ability to shut down towers. I will say, though, that as we add more and more Heroes and Battlegrounds to the game, we are increasingly comfortable with certain heroes being better on some battlegrounds, or not so good on others. For instance, we think it's neat that on Battlefield of Eternity, you're looking for those high throughput, single-target DPS heroes like Greymane and Butcher for Immortal damage. That's awesome! We'd like to explore more of that, while understanding, like all other things, there's a balance to that. You don't want to go too far on this extreme. TE: What's the next hero you're working on? Can you give us any hints or a sneak peek? KH: It's a Hero with a unique set of abilities and talents that allows them to do mean things to their enemies and help out their allies! :-D TE: Lastly, if you could have any non-Blizzard "guest" character in Heroes of The Storm (like Mega Man in Super Smash Bros), who would it be? KH: The Calculator-Class from Final Fantasy Tactics! That would be super wacky and fun to design...or Samus! But I don't know how that would work lol! I just love my Metroid!LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- AMC Networks has issued a return date for its WE tv series "Joan and Melissa" while its Kevin Smith reality series on AMC is getting a new moniker. "Joan and Melissa: Smotherhood" will kick off its second season on Tuesday, January 24 at 9:00/8:00c. The "Smotherhood" subtitle replaces its freshman one, "Joan Knows Best?" Zoo Productions is once again behind the series, which has a 10-episode order. Meanwhile, AMC's "Secret Stash," which tracks the employees and customers of Smith's iconic comic shop Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash, will now run under the title of "Comic Men" - presumably a nod to its Emmy-winning drama "Mad Men." The six-episode series, from Charlie Corwin's Original Media, rolls out Sunday, February 12 at 10:00/9:00c following the return of "The Walking Dead."Get the biggest daily stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email A driver who went for a pint with mates in Waterloo left a cheeky note for traffic wardens in a bid to escape a ticket - and even attached a packet of crisps. The letter, left in the window of a parked car on South Road, begs officers not to give him a parking ticket. Promising to be back at his car by 10.30am, he offers the traffic warden a packet of Tags Tasty Crisps - but warns passers-by not to steal it. Do you know who left the note? let us know in the comments below The note reads: “Dear Mr/s Traffic Warden, I will be at my car by 10.30am... promise! “Please do not book me. I had a Christmas pint with the lads and didn’t want to drink and drive. “Here is a packet of crisps on me!! “Happy Christmas!!” The note then reads: “If you are not the traffic warden please don’t rob the crisps... Don’t be that guy... No-one likes that guy!” In pics: some of the worst parking you'll ever seeIt is hard to imagine performing research without the help of scientific computing. The days of scientists working only at a lab bench or poring over equations are rapidly fading. Today, experiments can be planned based on output from computer simulations, and experimental results are confirmed using computational methods. For example, the Materials Genome Project is currently plowing through the periodic table looking for structures and chemistries that may lead to enhanced materials for energy applications. By allowing a computer to perform most of the work, researchers can concentrate their valuable time on synthesizing and characterizing a small subset of interesting compounds identified by the search algorithm. As the scope of scientific research has become more complex, so have the computational methods and hardware required to provide answers to scientific questions. This increasing complexity results in expensive, highly specialized scientific computing equipment that must be shared across multiple departments and research units, and the queue to access the equipment can be unacceptably long. For smaller labs, it can be nearly impossible to get adequate, timely access to critically important computing resources. Sure, there are national user access facilities or toll services, but they can take extraordinarily long times to access or be prohibitively expensive for prolonged projects. In short, high performance scientific computing is largely restricted to large and wealthy research labs. With these issues in mind, a research team in the Laboratoire de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Paris (LCMCP) at Chimie ParisTech, led by research engineer Yann Le Du and graduate student Mariem El Afrit, has been building a high performance computational cluster using only commercially available, "gamer" grade hardware. In a series of three articles, Ars will take an in-depth look at the GPU-based cluster being built at the LCMCP. This article will discuss the benefits of GPU-based processing, as well as hardware selection and benchmarking of the cluster. Two future articles will focus on software choices/performance and the parallel processing/neural network algorithms used on the system. The most bang for the buck: GPU-based processing The cluster, known as HPU4Science, began with a $40,000 budget and a goal of building a viable scientific computation system with performance roughly equivalent to that of a $400,000 "turnkey" system made by NVIDIA, Dell, or IBM. The crux to the project was identifying hardware that provided enough computational power to be useful in an advanced academic setting while staying within the relatively modest budget. The system also needed to be modular and scalable so that it can be easily expanded as results come in and the budget (hopefully) grows. The ideals of the project team dictated that the system use open source software wherever possible and that it be built only from hardware that is available to the average consumer. The project budget was, of course, an order of magnitude more than the average consumer could afford. In principle, however, anyone should be able assemble a similar, albeit scaled down, system and freely use the software and code developed by the HPU4Science team to perform high-end scientific computing. With most clock speeds topping out at 3 GHz, achieving the computational capacity necessary to attack complex scientific problems means increasing the number of processors in the system—but which processors? CPUs (like x86, x86_64, POWER, etc.) are flexible and popular (the vast majority of the top 500 supercomputers are CPU-based), but come at a heavy price, $50-$250 per core, depending on the architecture. Alternatively, GPUs like NVIDIA's GTX 580 pack over 512 computational units (more exactly "shaders") into a package that retails for around $500 (less than $1.00 per shader). Each computational unit is significantly simpler (fewer transistors) and less flexible than a CPU core, but, dollar for dollar, the processing power of these chips is unparalleled. With a GPU-based system, the cost is much lower, but the scientific problems solved with the GPU must be translated to simple, linear operations. Some problems that can be tackled on CPU-based systems may be intractable on a GPU system, but many, if not most, scientific problems can be largely translated to linear algebraic operations, so the subset of intractable problems is small. Another advantage of working with massively parallelized GPU processing is the ability to train neural networks. Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) are, at their core, a series of independent multiplications and sums. These are simple operations that can be carried out on simple processors like GPUs. With the right choice of neural network methodology, the parallel and solitary cores that make up a GPU can be efficiently put to use on extraordinarily complex problems. The key is translating the scientific understanding of the latter into an appropriate algorithm. GPU cluster architecture: master and worker Considering both the cost and ability to host neural networks, the team at LCMCP decided to move forward with GPU-based processing, which would initially be used to provide better answers to some questions that arise in Magnetic Resonance Imaging. As shown in the diagram, the system is set up in a Master-Worker configuration. The cluster runs two different categories of algorithms: a standard Master-Worker relationship and a more complex set of neural network algorithms. In the simple Master-Worker mode, the master dispatches specific problem sets and algorithms to the workers. The workers then simply churn through the computations and report the results back to the master, where they are compiled and assembled into a final report. When using neural network algorithms, the master describes the problem parameters to the workers and selects the specific neural network algorithm to be used. This information is dispatched to workers and each worker independently explores its own set of possible solutions to the problem using the provided methodology. The master collects the results, combines the individual results to see if a more optimal hybrid solution exists, and finally reports the best results to the user. The neural network algorithm used on the HPU4Science cluster will be discussed in detail in Part 3 of this series. While the starting budget for the system was $40,000, not all of that money has been spent. The hardware configuration shown below for the master and five workers cost $30,000. This translates to a cost of less than $1.80 per GFLOPS of real computing power. This price is the total price of the system (storage, power supplies, boxes, network components, etc.), not just the price of the GPUsSweden’s landmark 1999 sex work legislation—presented as decriminalizing the seller of sex while criminalizing the client—is aggressively marketed as a “progressive solution” to prostitution internationally. Versions of the “Swedish model” have been implemented in Norway, Iceland, and Canada, and last week a version was adopted in Northern Ireland. The intention, we’re told, is to “reduce demand” for paid sex: shrinking, then ultimately abolishing, the sex trade. It’s too bad that the reality of the law is not so simple, nor so uncomplicatedly progressive. Prostitution is criminalized to varying degrees across much of the world. In the U.K., the exchange of sex for money is not in itself illegal between consenting adults, but almost everything around it is. In other places, such as Germany, the Netherlands, and most of Nevada, sex work has been legalized. Widely presented as a more tolerant and pragmatic approach, the legalized model still criminalizes those sex workers who cannot or will not fulfill various bureaucratic responsibilities, and therefore retains some of the worst harms of criminalization. It disproportionately excludes sex workers who are already marginalized, like people who use drugs or who are undocumented. This makes their situation more precarious, and so reinforces the power of unscrupulous managers. In contrast, New Zealand has decriminalized sex work (the terminology is confusing, but the distinction is important). Instead of focusing on creating bureaucratic hoops for sex workers to jump through, decriminalization prioritizes sex workers’ safety and health —for example, making it possible for up to four people to work indoors in an informal collective without needing to do any paperwork, and, of course, without needing to fear arrest. The New Zealand model has been extensively praised by the U.N: The director of the U.N. Development Programme’s HIV, Health and Development Practice observed, in accidentally amusing phrasing, “I would like to be a sex worker in New Zealand.”931 SHARES Facebook Twitter Sign up and we notify you about new features and Add-Ons SEOUL – The man who slashed the U.S. ambassador here last month said Thursday he was proud he reduced the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises by one day. Kim Ki-jong was arrested on March 5 immediately after he attacked Mark Lippert with a knife at a breakfast meeting in Seoul. More than 80 stitches were required to close the gashes on the envoy’s face and wrist. Prosecutors have charged Kim with attempted murder, violence against a foreign envoy and business obstruction. The first charge is punishable by up to eight years in prison. Kim pleaded guilty to the latter two charges but denies he tried to murder the ambassador. “I’m not trying to brag, and I won’t call my action ‘worthwhile,'” Kim, brimming with confidence, said during the first session of his pretrial at a court here. “But I prevented people from getting hurt by stopping the joint drills even for a day. I hope you take that into consideration.” Kim said he believes the drills hamper efforts to reunify the two Koreas, which technically remain at war since no peace treaty formally ended the 1950-53 Korean War. South Korea and the U.S. have carried out joint annual exercises since the 1990s to better deter North Korean aggression. The North claims the drills are a rehearsal for a northward invasion. The first part of this year’s Key Resolve exercise ended a day early on March 5, but the South Korean military says Kim’s attack had nothing to do with the drill schedule. This year’s Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises run from March 2 to Friday. Lippert travels to Gyeongju for press forum SEOUL, April 23 – Mark Lippert, the U.S. ambassador to South Korea, went on an outing Thursday to an ancient capital city along with a group of senior journalists. His visit to Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, is part of a forum co-hosted by the Korea News Editors’ Association and the U.S. Embassy in Seoul. Twenty members of the association are joining the program. During his two-day stay in the city, Lippert will also tour several historic sites such as Seokuram and Bulguksa temples and deliver a lecture to students at the local campus of Dongguk University. Meanwhile, the envoy invited children from the Seoul National School for the Deaf to his official residence in Seoul earlier this week, according to the embassy. In an event to mark Earth Day, he helped them plant vegetables in his new garden at the residence.Quick, without cheating, who was the last left-handed thrower to play at least five games in a season at 2nd base, 3rd base or shortstop? If you answered the White Sox' Mike Squires in 1984, shame on you, you filthy, cheating hobo. Squires, as you now already know, who played ten replacement-level seasons mostly as a first baseman and outfielder, filled in 13 games for regular 3B Vance Law that year. OK, how about before that? If you answered Cincinnati's Hal Chase, who in 1916 appeared 16 times as a second baseman, stop it. Not cool. How about the last left-handed shortstop to appear as many as five times in a season at that position? Would you believe it hasn't happened since 1899, when somebody named Billy Hulen played 19 games at shortstop for the Washington Senators? Of course you would, you're probably already reading the part on his Wikipedia page where he ditched his family to play amateur baseball under an assumed name in Medicine Hat. I guess what the take-home message of this section of the article is, is that left-handed throwers simply don't play those positions. Ever. No lefty since the McKinley administration has played so much as 20 games in a season at any of those positions, and no one has come anywhere near a full season. I've never been fully convinced that it couldn't happen, but for whatever reason, it just doesn't. So, what happens to those unfortunate lefties who have a great infield glove? If they can run, by tee-ball they're usually encouraged to play outfield. If they can throw hard, they usually pitch. If they can do neither, they invariably get stashed at first base. Which, to be honest, is probably a complete waste of their glove. Generally speaking, first base is so easy to play that there isn't much difference between a competent first baseman and a great one. This isn't necessarily a problem, however, if he's a great hitter. By all accounts, Lou Gehrig had a slick glove. Fellow career.340 hitters, Hall of Famers and left-handed throwers George Sisler and Bill Terry were also known for their tight defense at first base. But what if you're a different kind of hitter? What about guys like, say, Mark Grace or Keith Hernandez? Both provided excellent defense at first base, both were very good hitters, but unfortunately neither really hit for power. And when it comes time for Hall of Fame voting, if you're a post-deadball first baseman who can't hit home runs, you are going to get completely ignored. Is this fair? Should we really be comparing slick-fielding, line-drive hitting first basemen like Grace and Mex to your typical lardass or leadglove first baseman, like Prince Fielder or Adam Dunn, who just get stashed there as a place to hide their terrible glove? Let's be honest: if it weren't for this (arguably) silly tradition preventing lefties from playing other infield positions, Keith Hernandez would have been a shortstop. With his glove and bat, a Hall of Fame shortstop. Probably first ballot. But because of this practice, he got just 5.1% in his first season of eligibility, languished in the mid-to-high single digits for a few years, then fell off the ballot and into the dustbin of history. All because he was being unfairly compared to a completely different type of player. It might be time to start identifying players in the Grace/Hernandez mold who are doubles-hitting, defense-first lefties who play first base only because it is their only option, and considering them separately from the power-hitting, leadglove archetype who tend to get all the recognition. So, who are the first basemen who likely would have played another infield position if they had the opportunity, and thus had a better shot at the HOF? To try and identify who these lost souls might be, I decided on the following inclusion criteria: • Retired, but not in the Hall of Fame • Threw left-handed • Played at least half of his career games at 1B • Played his entire career after 1900 (19th century stats? No thanks!) • Had at least 1400 career hits (every Hall of Fame 2B, 3B and SS had at least that many) • Had at least 20 career rWAR • Had an rFielding of at least 0 Figuring this would provide us with a solid starting point, I fired up the ole Baseball-Reference.com Play Index, yielding the following 15 players: Player WAR H HR BA OBP SLG OPS Rafael Palmeiro 66.1 3020 569.288.371.515.885 Keith Hernandez 57.1 2182 162.296.384.436.821 John Olerud 53.7 2239 255.295.398.465.863 Will Clark 53.2 2176 284.303.384.497.880 Norm Cash 48.2 1820 377.271.374.488.862 Mark Grace 43.0 2445 173.303.383.442.825 Joe Judge 42.2 2352 71.298.378.420.798 Dolph Camilli 40.2 1482 239.277.388.492.880 Don Mattingly 39.8 2153 222.307.358.471.830 Jake Daubert 36.8 2326 56.303.360.401.760 Bill White 35.3 1706 202.286.351.455.806 Lu Blue 33.0 1696 44.287.402.401.803 Cecil Cooper 32.6 2192 241.298.337.466.803 Wally Joyner 32.2 2060 204.289.362.440.802 Wally Pipp 27.8 1941 90.281.341.408.749 No real obvious HOFers on there, aside from Raffy (let's forget about him since he is a different case altogether). Right? A few borderliners who quickly fell off the ballot with minimal public outrage, maybe a couple guys you’ve never heard of, maybe some beloved 80s guys with fun nicknames whose baseball cards you had as a kid, but overall, no real glaring omissions? Well, what if these guys…threw with their right hands and not their left? Being a right-handed thrower with at least middling infield skills, it’s pretty easy to imagine most of these guys spending time at other infield positions in their careers, had they not been banished to the doldrums of first base since dad-pitch. What positions might they have played, and how would that have affected their Hall of Fame chances? To figure this out, I first re-calculated what each of their career WARs would have been had they played each of 2nd base, 3rd base and Shortstop. On Baseball-Reference.com, WAR is calculated with the below formula: (rBatting + rBaserunning + rDP + rFielding + rReplacement + rPosition)/(RAR per win constant, usually around 10) To convert their WAR to each position, I did this by simply replacing their rPositions (positional adjustment based on offensive scarcity) with that of what they would have had if they had spent their entire career at the other position. Using the yearly rPositional table on BBRef, I took all the positional adjustments over the course of their career and then multiplied that by the ratio of the games they actually played divided by the number of possible games they could have played given their first and last seasons. For example, if a player played ten seasons from 1991 thru 2000, and the positional adjustment for each of those ten seasons at 2B was 5, I would figure he got +50 rPosition; I then prorated that by the number of games he played over that period. Of a possible [(16210)-66 for the 1994-95 strike] = 1554 games during the span of his career of which he played 1400, (1400/1554) 50 = 45 runs. Player WAR Rbat Rbaser Rdp Rfield Rrep Rpos Rpos(
. And we want to tell the Latin American peoples that we are proud to be a part of you, even if it is a small part. We remember quite well how the continent was also illuminated some years ago, and a light was called Che Guevara, as it had previously been called Bolivar, because sometimes the people take up a name in order to say they are taking up a flag. And we want to tell the people of Cuba, who have now been on their path of resistance for many years, that you are not alone, and we do not agree with the blockade they are imposing, and we are going to see how to send you something, even if it is maize, for your resistance. And we want to tell the North American people that we know that the bad governments which you have and which spread harm throughout the world is one thing – and those North Americans who struggle in their country, and who are in solidarity with the struggles of other countries, are a very different thing. And we want to tell the Mapuche brothers and sisters in Chile that we are watching and learning from your struggles. And to the Venezuelans, we see how well you are defending your sovereignty, your nation’s right to decide where it is going. And to the indigenous brothers and sisters of Ecuador and Bolivia, we say you are giving a good lesson in history to all of Latin America, because now you are indeed putting a halt to neoliberal globalization. And to the piqueteros and to the young people of Argentina, we want to tell you that, that we love you. And to those in Uruguay who want a better country, we admire you. And to those who are sin tierra in Brazil, that we respect you. And to all the young people of Latin America, that what you are doing is good, and you give us great hope. And we want to tell the brothers and sisters of Social Europe, that which is dignified and rebel, that you are not alone. That your great movements against the neoliberal wars bring us joy. That we are attentively watching your forms of organization and your methods of struggle so that we can perhaps learn something. That we are considering how we can help you in your struggles, and we are not going to send euro because then they will be devalued because of the European Union mess. But perhaps we will send you crafts and coffee so you can market them and help you some in the tasks of your struggle. And perhaps we might also send you some pozol, which gives much strength in the resistance, but who knows if we will send it to you, because pozol is more our way, and what if it were to hurt your bellies and weaken your struggles and the neoliberals defeat you. And we want to tell the brothers and sisters of Africa, Asia and Oceania that we know that you are fighting also, and we want to learn more of your ideas and practices. And we want to tell the world that we want to make you large, so large that all those worlds will fit, those worlds which are resisting because they want to destroy the neoliberals and because they simply cannot stop fighting for humanity. Now then, what we want to do in Mexico is to make an agreement with persons and organizations just of the left, because we believe that it is in the political left where the idea of resisting neoliberal globalization is, and of making a country where there will be justice, democracy and liberty for everyone. Not as it is right now, where there is justice only for the rich, there is liberty only for their big businesses, and there is democracy only for painting walls with election propaganda. And because we believe that it is only from the left that a plan of struggle can emerge, so that our Patria, which is Mexico, does not die. And, then, what we think is that, with these persons and organizations of the left, we will make a plan for going to all those parts of Mexico where there are humble and simple people like ourselves. And we are not going to tell them what they should do or give them orders. Nor are we going to ask them to vote for a candidate, since we already know that the ones who exist are neoliberals. Nor are we going to tell them to be like us, nor to rise up in arms. What we are going to do is to ask them what their lives are like, their struggle, their thoughts about our country and what we should do so they do not defeat us. What we are going to do is to take heed of the thoughts of the simple and humble people, and perhaps we will find there the same love which we feel for our Patria. And perhaps we will find agreement between those of us who are simple and humble and, together, we will organize all over the country and reach agreement in our struggles, which are alone right now, separated from each other, and we will find something like a program that has what we all want, and a plan for how we are going to achieve the realization of that program, which is called the “national program of struggle.” And, with the agreement of the majority of those people whom we are going to listen to, we will then engage in a struggle with everyone, with indigenous, workers, campesinos, students, teachers, employees, women, children, old ones, men, and with all of those of good heart and who want to struggle so that our Patria called Mexico does not end up being destroyed and sold, and which still exists between the Rio Grande and the Rio Suchiate and which has the Pacific Ocean on one side and the Atlantic on the other. VI – How We Are Going To Do It And so this is our simple word that goes out to the humble and simple people of Mexico and of the world, and we are calling our word of today: Sixth Declaration of the Selva Lacandona And we are here to say, with our simple word, that… The EZLN maintains its commitment to an offensive ceasefire, and it will not make any attack against government forces or any offensive military movements. The EZLN still maintains its commitment to insisting on the path of political struggle through this peaceful initiative which we are now undertaking. The EZLN continues, therefore, in its resolve to not establish any kind of secret relations with either national political-military organizations or those from other countries. The EZLN reaffirms its commitment to defend, support and obey the zapatista indigenous communities of which it is composed, and which are its supreme command, and – without interfering in their internal democratic processes – will, to the best of its abilities, contribute to the strengthening of their autonomy, good government and improvement in their living conditions. In other words, what we are going to do in Mexico and in the world, we are going to do without arms, with a civil and peaceful movement, and without neglecting nor ceasing to support our communities. Therefore… In the World… 1 – We will forge new relationships of mutual respect and support with persons and organizations who are resisting and struggling against neoliberalism and for humanity. 2 – As far as we are able, we will send material aid such as food and handicrafts for those brothers and sisters who are struggling all over the world. In order to begin, we are going to ask the Good Government Junta of La Realidad to loan their truck, which is called “Chompiras,” and which appears to hold 8 tons, and we are going to fill it with maize and perhaps two 200 liter cans with oil or petrol, as they prefer, and we are going to deliver it to the Cuban Embassy in Mexico for them to send to the Cuban people as aid from the zapatistas for their resistance against the North American blockade. Or perhaps there might be a place closer to here where it could be delivered, because it’s always such a long distance to Mexico City, and what if “Chompiras” were to break down and we’d end up in bad shape. And that will happen when the harvest comes in, which is turning green right now in the fields, and if they don’t attack us, because if we were to send it during these next few months, it would be nothing but corncobs, and they don’t turn out well even in tamales, better in November or December, it depends. And we are also going to make an agreement with the women’s crafts cooperatives in order to send a good number of bordados, embroidered pieces, to the Europes which are perhaps not yet Union, and perhaps we’ll also send some organic coffee from the zapatista cooperatives, so that they can sell it and get a little money for their struggle. And, if it isn’t sold, then they can always have a little cup of coffee and talk about the anti-neoliberal struggle, and if it’s a bit cold then they can cover themselves up with the zapatista bordados, which do indeed resist quite well being laundered by hand and by rocks, and, besides, they don’t run in the wash. And we are also going to send the indigenous brothers and sisters of Bolivia and Ecuador some non-transgenic maize, and we just don’t know where to send them so they arrive complete, but we are indeed willing to give this little bit of aid. 3 – And to all of those who are resisting throughout the world, we say there must be other intercontinental encuentros held, even if just one other. Perhaps December of this year or next January, we’ll have to think about it. We don’t want to say just when, because this is about our agreeing equally on everything, on where, on when, on how, on who. But not with a stage where just a few speak and all the rest listen, but without a stage, just level and everyone speaking, but orderly, otherwise it will just be a hubbub and the words won’t be understood, and with good organization everyone will hear and jot down in their notebooks the words of resistance from others, so then everyone can go and talk with their compañeros and compañeras in their worlds. And we think it might be in a place that has a very large jail, because what if they were to repress us and incarcerate us, and so that way we wouldn’t be all piled up, prisoners, yes, but well organized, and there in the jail we could continue the intercontinental encuentros for humanity and against neoliberalism. Later on we’ll tell you what we shall do in order to reach agreement as to how we’re going to come to agreement. Now that is how we’re thinking of doing what we want to do in the world. Now follows… In Mexico… 1 – We are going to continue fighting for the Indian peoples of Mexico, but now not just for them and not with only them, but for all the exploited and dispossessed of Mexico, with all of them and all over the country. And when we say all the exploited of Mexico, we are also talking about the brothers and sisters who have had to go to the United States in search of work in order to survive. 2 – We are going to go to listen to, and talk directly with, without intermediaries or mediation, the simple and humble of the Mexican people, and, according to what we hear and learn, we are going to go about building, along with those people who, like us, are humble and simple, a national program of struggle, but a program which will be clearly of the left, or anti-capitalist, or anti-neoliberal, or for justice, democracy and liberty for the Mexican people. 3 – We are going to try to build, or rebuild, another way of doing politics, one which once again has the spirit of serving others, without material interests, with sacrifice, with dedication, with honesty, which keeps its word, whose only payment is the satisfaction of duty performed, or like the militants of the left did before, when they were not stopped by blows, jail or death, let alone by dollar bills. 4 – We are also going to go about raising a struggle in order to demand that we make a new Constitution, new laws which take into account the demands of the Mexican people, which are: housing, land, work, food, health, education, information, culture, independence, democracy, justice, liberty and peace. A new Constitution which recognizes the rights and liberties of the people, and which defends the weak in the face of the powerful. TO THESE ENDS… The EZLN will send a delegation of its leadership in order to do this work throughout the national territory and for an indefinite period of time. This zapatista delegation, along with those organizations and persons of the left who join in this Sixth Declaration of the Selva Lacandona, will go to those places where they are expressly invited. We are also letting you know that the EZLN will establish a policy of alliances with non-electoral organizations and movements which define themselves, in theory and practice, as being of the left, in accordance with the following conditions: Not to make agreements from above to be imposed below, but to make accords to go together to listen and to organize outrage. Not to raise movements which are later negotiated behind the backs of those who made them, but to always take into account the opinions of those participating. Not to seek gifts, positions, advantages, public positions, from the Power or those who aspire to it, but to go beyond the election calendar. Not to try to resolve from above the problems of our Nation, but to build FROM BELOW AND FOR BELOW an alternative to neoliberal destruction, an alternative of the left for Mexico. Yes to reciprocal respect for the autonomy and independence of organizations, for their methods of struggle, for their ways of organizing, for their internal decision making processes, for their legitimate representations. And yes to a clear commitment for joint and coordinated defense of national sovereignty, with intransigent opposition to privatization attempts of electricity, oil, water and natural resources. In other words, we are inviting the unregistered political and social organizations of the left, and those persons who lay claim to the left and who do not belong to registered political parties, to meet with us, at the time, place and manner in which we shall propose at the proper time, to organize a national campaign, visiting all possible corners of our Patria, in order to listen to and organize the word of our people. It is like a campaign, then, but very otherly, because it is not electoral. Brothers and sisters: This is our word which we declare: In the world, we are going to join together more with the resistance struggles against neoliberalism and for humanity. And we are going to support, even if it’s but little, those struggles. And we are going to exchange, with mutual respect, experiences, histories, ideas, dreams. In Mexico, we are going to travel all over the country, through the ruins left by the neoliberal wars and through those resistances which, entrenched, are flourishing in those ruins. We are going to seek, and to find, those who love these lands and these skies even as much as we do. We are going to seek, from La Realidad to Tijuana, those who want to organize, struggle and build what may perhaps be the last hope this Nation – which has been going on at least since the time when an eagle alighted on a nopal in order to devour a snake – has of not dying. We are going for democracy, liberty and justice for those of us who have been denied it. We are going with another politics, for a program of the left and for a new Constitution. We are inviting all indigenous, workers, campesinos, teachers, students, housewives, neighbors, small businesspersons, small shop owners, micro-businesspersons, pensioners, handicapped persons, religious men and women, scientists, artists, intellectuals, young persons, women, old persons, homosexuals and lesbians, boys and girls – to participate, whether individually or collectively, directly with the zapatistas in this NATIONAL CAMPAIGN for building another way of doing politics, for a program of national struggle of the left, and for a new Constitution. And so this is our word as to what we are going to do and how we are going to do it. You will see whether you want to join. And we are telling those men and women who are of good heart and intent, who are in agreement with this word we are bringing out, and who are not afraid, or who are afraid but who control it, to then state publicly whether they are in agreement with this idea we are presenting, and in that way we will see once and for all who and how and where and when this new step in the struggle is to be made. While you are thinking about it, we say to you that today, in the sixth month of the year 2005, the men, women, children and old ones of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation have now decided, and we have now subscribed to, this Sixth Declaration of the Selva Lacandona, and those who know how to sign, signed, and those who did not left their mark, but there are fewer now who do not know how, because education has advanced here in this territory in rebellion for humanity and against neoliberalism, that is in zapatista skies and land. And this was our simple word sent out to the noble hearts of those simple and humble people who resist and rebel against injustices all over the world. Democracy! Liberty! Justice! From the mountains of the Mexican Southeast. Clandestine Revolutionary Indigenous Committee – General Command of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation. Mexico, in the sixth month, or June, of the year 2005.0 Robbers dressed as ninjas terrorize owners of Windermere mansion WINDERMERE, Fla. - Police are searching for three men dressed as ninjas who were caught on surveillance video robbing a man in his multimillion-dollar Windermere home Wednesday night. Homeowner Bill Kitchen and Camilo Espinol arrived to the Lake Butler Boulevard home and were met by the robbers in the garage area. Authorities said the three men bound the homeowners’ hands and walked the two inside the residence, demanding jewelry, money and valuables. In a photo captured from the surveillance camera, Kitchen can be seen sitting against the wall with a pillowcase over his head and his hands bound. One of the robbers took the victim’s hat and wore it during the robbery. The victims told authorities then men stole one of their cars and fled the home. The vehicle was found abandoned near State Road 535 and Lake Butler. Once the masked men left, the two were able to escape and go to a neighbor’s house to call 911. “Although this is frightening to happen in our community, I believe this to be an isolated incident,” said Windermere Police Chief David Ogden. Neither Kitchen nor Espinol were injured. In a Facebook post, Kitchen describes what he and Espinol endured. “We were asked to produce all money, jewelry and valuables,” he said in the post. “For an hour they ransacked the house." A friend of the homeowner said Kitchen and Espinol are very shaken, and are privately dealing with it all. Police have reviewed the surveillance tape and they have sent out an email to residents alerting them of the incident. Anyone with information is asked to contact authorities.A ten-part series examining Christian apologist and radio talk show host Bob Dutko's Top 10 Proofs for the Existence of God. There are many failed arguments for God's existence but there is one which is fundamental to them all. This is the Argument from Ignorance. Take virtually any aspect of our natural world that we don't fully understand and you'll find someone claiming God is at the end of that dimly-lit tunnel. In his reasoning, Bob uses some of the following arguments: Shifting the Burden of Proof - I know God exists. If you disagree, prove otherwise. Oh you say you can't prove God doesn't exist? That's because you know he does! Argument from Popularity - The vast majority of the world believes in God. This supports the universal truth that God is real, otherwise it makes no sense that so many people would believe. The Transcendental Argument - God is, by definition, a being greater than which nothing can be conceived (imagined). Existence in reality is better than existence in one's imagination. God must exist in reality; if God did not, then God would not be that than which nothing greater can be conceived (imagined). Argument from Coercion - You must believe in God/Jesus. It's your only hope for salvation. We are all doomed if we don't accept Jesus as our personal savior. It says so in the Bible. If you want to live forever and avoid suffering, you must accept God. First Cause Argument - Everything that exists in our world is the result of some sort of "first cause" which brought about its existence. Therefore, there must have been a force which created the universe. That "first cause" is what we call God. Also known as Cosmological Argument. Argument from Authority - God is real because the Bible (or whatever sacred text you believe in) says so. Why would so many people write so much about God if it wasn't true? Argument from Personal Experience - I know god exists because I can feel him. I know it in my heart; he talks to me; I feel his strength and existence flow through every fiber of my being. Argument from Improbability - The second law of thermodynamics says matter inevitably becomes entropic (spreads out in chaos) and this defies the observation on Earth where we see, things becoming more organized. Therefore God is responsible. Pascal's Wager - It is a "safe bet" to believe in God just in case he is real. What's the harm? If you believe and he doesn't exist, you don't lose anything, but if you don't believe and he does exist, you lose big time. Argument from Design - If you found a watch on the ground, you never met the watchmaker, but you know from its design, the beauty of it; the way each piece was intricately designed to work together, that this watch had a creator. Theists point to the human body; the precise way each of our organs work with each other and claim it's the most amazing "creation" of all, and surely there was some sort of creator behind it.Donald Trump holds the advantage in the reliably Republican states of Arizona and Texas five days until Election Day, but he’s running neck and neck with Hillary Clinton in Georgia, according to a trio of new NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist polls. In Arizona, where Clinton campaigned Wednesday night, Trump leads Clinton by five points among likely voters, 45 percent to 40 percent, while Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson is at 9 percent and the Green Party’s Jill Stein is at 3 percent. Back in September, Trump was ahead by just two points in this four-way race, 40 percent to 38 percent. In a head-to-head matchup in Arizona, Trump’s edge remains five points, 46 percent to 41 percent. In Georgia, however, Trump is ahead by just one point among likely voters, 45 percent to 44 percent, with Johnson at 8 percent. (Stein isn’t on the ballot in the state.) In September, Trump was up two points, 44 percent to 42 percent. Trump’s lead is an identical one point in a race without Johnson – Trump 47 percent, Clinton 46 percent. And in Texas, Trump’s advantage over Clinton is nine points, 49 percent to 40 percent, with Johnson at 6 percent and Stein at 2 percent. But among the larger universe of registered voters, Trump’s lead in the Lone Star State is just four points, 45 percent to 41 percent. (The poll finds a smaller percentage of Latino voters in Texas being likely voters than their makeup of all registered voters in the state.) Clinton’s African-American performance is keeping it close in Georgia One of the biggest reasons why Georgia is more competitive than Arizona is due to the African-American vote in Georgia being a larger – and more lopsided – force than Latinos in Arizona. According to the poll, African Americans make up 29 percent of likely voters, and they’re breaking for Clinton by a 91 percent to 6 percent margin. In Arizona, by contrast, Latinos make up 21 percent of likely voters, and they’re supporting Clinton by a smaller 66 percent-to-26 percent clip. Play Facebook Twitter Embed Trump Suggests Obama's Campaigning a Conflict of Interest 1:22 autoplay autoplay Copy this code to your website or blog Trump leads in the early voting, though barely in Arizona and Georgia All three states allow early in-person voting, and Trump is ahead here in all three states – although narrowly in Arizona and Georgia. In Arizona, 58 percent of likely voters say they’ve already voted, and they’re breaking for Trump by a narrow 47 percent-to-44 percent margin. In Georgia, 40 percent of likely voters have already voted, and Trump enjoys a two-point lead, 48 percent to 46 percent. And in Texas, 54 percent of likely voters say they’ve already voted, and Trump is ahead here by 10 points, 52 percent to 42 percent. Looking down the ballot In Arizona, incumbent Republican Sen. John McCain leads Democratic challenger Ann Kirkpatrick by 16 points among likely voters, 55 percent to 39 percent. And in Georgia, incumbent Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson is ahead of Democratic challenger Jim Barksdale by 11 points among likely voters, 48 percent to 37 percent, with Libertarian Allen Buckley getting 7 percent. If the winner doesn’t clear 50 percent in that Georgia race, the top-two finishers compete in a Jan. 10 runoff election. The NBC/WSJ/Marist polls were conducted Oct. 30-Nov. 1. In Arizona, the poll interviewed 948 registered voters (which has a margin of error of plus-minus 3.2 percentage points) and 719 likely voters (plus-minus 3.7 percentage points). In Georgia, the poll interviewed 937 registered voters (plus-minus 3.2 percentage points) and 707 likely voters (plus-minus 3.7 percentage points). And in Texas, the poll interviewed 943 registered voters (plus-minus 3.2 percentage points) and 679 likely voters (plus-minus 3.8 percentage points).For Noor Mazhar, going for a walk involves the help of a cane, and a caregiver she calls Beebi. Beebi, or Kumundun Beebi Sartharkhan, has been looking after Mazhar for four years. But now, she may be deported to her native India. Her temporary resident status expired in June. Since then, she has gone through an arduous and expensive process to try to stay. For Mazhar, that means she may be left to fend for herself, with patchwork care from her family. Noor Mazhar, 80, suffers from right side paralysis, dementia, and speech impairment. She says her caregiver Beebi has become like a member of the family. (CBC) Mazhar requires full-time care. She suffers from paralysis on the right side of her body, dementia and speech impairment. Her ailments are the result of a stroke in 1998, the same year she retired from a long career as a school principal in Pakistan. She has a Masters degree in English and Education, but Mazhar has now begun to lose her command of English and mainly communicates in her native Urdu. She flips between the two languages, without realizing. Noor Mazhar, in her younger days as a principal in Karachi, Pakistan, as she received an award for her service. (CBC) Sartharkhan and Mazhar have been together since 2012, and have shared many special occasions together. (CBC) 'Beebi is my friend' "Beebi is my friend. Just like my family. She looks after me. Anywhere I go, she goes with me," Mazhar told CBC News. Mazhar loves to paint, and she wants to paint a picture. Sartharkhan brings the palette, the brushes, and fits her one useful hand into a white latex glove. "Four years. Noor mother... family," said Sartharkhan. She does everything for her, Sartharkhan says, in what little English she has. "Come work. Walking. Cycle. Pully. Eat. Medicine. Bathroom. Painting. Full-time help," she lists. Bilal Naqvi, Mazhar's son, had been searching for a caregiver since 2010. He found Beebi in Dubai four years ago. (CBC) 'She's really her shadow' Her son, Bilal Naqvi, says Sartharkhan worked with his mom for two-and-a-half years before coming here. "She adjusted very well and she became like a daughter. Actually, more than a daughter, because she's really her shadow." Naqvi says since 2010, he has worked to find an appropriate caregiver here in Canada, to no avail. "In a very short period of time we had gone through 16 caregivers. It was almost like a revolving door." Mazhar's son, Bilal Naqvi, shows CBC Toronto reporter Linda Ward the pile of applicants he's gone through during his search for an appropriate caregiver for his mother. (CBC) "There is no shortage of qualified, educated caregivers in Canada. The issue is turnover because they run into difficulties of being able to understand what the needs of the specific patients are. They are unique." With no options left, he sent his mother to live with his sister in Dubai, where they met Sartharkhan. She accompanied Mazhar to Canada last year on temporary resident status so that Mazhar could keep her permanent residence status in Canada. Sartharkhan and Mazhar have been together since 2012, when Mazhar was sent to Dubai because her family could not find care for her in Canada. (CBC) Immigration obstacles for foreign caregivers Service Canada granted the family a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment, accepting that there is a need for Sartharkhan's services in Canada. But Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) says it has not granted Sartharkhan a work permit because the family applied to the Canadian government and not to the embassy in India. The family has now applied for a Temporary Resident Permit and Sartharkhan's family is applying for her work permit in India. In the meantime, Sartharkhan is facing deportation. Sartharkhan helps Mazhar do the exercises she needs for her physiotherapy. (CBC) Diverse seniors struggle to find care "This is a much broader social issue," Naqvi said. "The population of South Asians is growing... in the GTA especially and we will have this problem on our hands." Seong-gee Um, a researcher with the Wellesley Institute, a Toronto-based non-profit and non-partisan health research group, has been trying to raise awareness of the unmet needs of the GTA's diverse senior population. "I hear immigrant families looking for caregivers but within the existing system, it's so hard to find the right person," she said. Her research, The Cost of Waiting for Care: Delivering Equitable Long-term Care for Toronto's Diverse Population, found that is having a negative effect on seniors and their families. "Immigrant seniors and racialized seniors and those whose mother tongue is not English, their unmet needs were much higher than their counterparts," Um said, "and they rely more heavily on their family caregivers." Um says while the government has made investments in home care, the cultural and linguistic needs of Canadian seniors have not been addressed at a policy level. She says more than half of the seniors in the GTA are immigrants, many reporting a mother tongue other than English. Sartharkhan and Mazhar dressed for a special event. The pair say they are "like family." (CBC) Legal battle could drag on for years "In my heart I know we will probably get to keep her because it's a genuine need," said Naqvi. Their lawyer, Pantea Jafari, says the process could take close to two years, but says the minister could grant a temporary resident permit immediately. "There is an elderly woman with dire need of care, someone living under her roof able to offer that care, with the government having the ability and authority to enable the two to connect." Mazhar likes to paint in her spare time, and needs Sartharkan's help to do so. (CBC) "Right now, we are in a very desperate situation", says Naqvi, who says Beebi has no aspirations to stay in Canada permanently. "We just want some time so that we can enhance the quality of her remaining life," he said.The Palace says Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II's opinion is his own and does not reflect that of President Rodrigo Duterte Published 12:30 PM, August 24, 2017 MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang distanced itself from the "opinion" of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II that the death of Kian delos Santos has been "blown out of proportion." "That is the opinion of Secretary Aguirre but, from the Palace point of view, this is a serious matter and we have given it the kind of due attention," said Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella on Thursday, August 24, during a Palace briefing. "Like we have said, there is depth and seriousness regarding the matter," he also said. But President Rodrigo Duterte's spokesman sought to soften his statement by adding, "On the other hand, it is also wise to make sure everything is continuously in perspective." On Wednesday, August 23, Aguirre downplayed the death of Delos Santos, which has sparked outrage among citizens, saying it was an isolated case. "This has been blown out of proportion by the media, that's why you think it's such a big issue. He's only one of the many thousands abused by the police if indeed there was abuse," he had said in Filipino during his department's budget hearing at the House of Representatives. Duterte himself stayed away from Aguirre's kind of messaging, telling media he was angered by the CCTV footage showing Delos Santos was dragged by supposed police to the alley where he was shot. The President promised that cops proven to have murdered Delos Santos will "rot in jail." However, he said Delos Santos' death will not change the way his administration will implement its campaign against illegal drugs. – Rappler.comSolid diamond planet found By AAP with AG Staff \| AUSTRALIAN-LED SCIENTISTS have discovered a binary planet they believe is largely made of diamond. The international team, reports today in the journal Science that the planet is the only thing left from what was a huge star in our own Milky Way galaxy. The researchers, led by Professor Matthew Bailes from Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, first detected an unusual star known as a pulsar using the Parkes Radio Telescope in central NSW. They later confirmed their discovery with other powerful telescopes in Britain and the United States. Pulsars led to dwarf star discovery Pulsars are rotating stars with a diameter of about 20km, which emit a beam of electromagnetic radiation. The team noticed that the arrival times of pulses from this particular pulsar, called J1719-143, were systematically modulated. They deduced that a small companion planet must be orbiting the pulsar and causing a detectable gravitational pull. Further examination revealed that although the planet is relatively small (60,000km diameter, or five times bigger than the Earth) its mass is slightly more than that of Jupiter. The high density of the planet gave the team a clue to its origin. “The remnant is likely to be largely carbon and oxygen, because a star made of lighter elements like hydrogen and helium would be too big to fit the measured orbiting times,” says the CSIRO’s Dr Michael Keith, a member of the research team. Unusual star system a mass of diamonds The experts said it was certain the material is crystalline and that a large part of the star is similar to a diamond. “The rarity of millisecond pulsars with planet-mass companions means that producing such exotic planets is the exception rather than the rule, and requires special circumstances,” Dr Benjamin Stappers from the University of Manchester says. The bad news for anyone who wants to get their hands on the newly-discovered mass of diamond is that it’s 4000 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Serpens. This is around an eight of the distance from our own Solar System to the centre of the Milky Way galaxy. RELATED STORIESSouthern Methodist University and its volleyball program are apologizing to the family of a slain Dallas officer for what it calls a breakdown in communication. TEXAS OFFICER'S 8-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER WRITES MESSAGE OF HOPE Sgt. Michael Smith’s wife, Heidi, shared her story about a recent interaction with the SMU volleyball program on Facebook. Her 14-year-old daughter, Victoria, had been invited to give the honorary first at a volleyball match on Saturday. The event was to honor Smith, a Dallas police officer who was shot and killed in the Downtown Dallas ambush on July 7. But Heidi said someone from the volleyball program emailed her Thursday and essentially uninvited Victoria. STREET PAINT HONORING COPS HOPES TO BRING COMMUNITY TOGETHER “Hello again Heidi, I regret to inform you that we will not be able to go through with the honorary first serve. In the switch between staff members and the handling of volleyball promotions, some information was not forwarded on correctly from (name omitted) to myself and I deeply apologize for that. The volleyball program was not correctly informed that this would be taking place at the game, and feels that in light of recent events and diversity within the SMU community, that the demonstration could be deemed insensitive. However, the coaching staff would like to still do something for Victoria and the team. They are invited to stay after the game for an autograph session with the players, if you would like. Again, they apologize for the inconvenience and late notice, especially in regards to the sensitivity of this matter. I do hope that you all will still join us on Saturday. If you would like to discuss this further, you can reach me at (name and # omitted).” Heidi said the whole ordeal was basically a slap in the face. Her post on Facebook quickly gained widespread attention with many people expressing outrage that the idea of honoring a fallen officer would be considered “insensitive.” “To me, that was a cowardly way of saying the results of this election,” Heidi said. “I really feel like the decision was made out of fear of what evil might come of it instead of the good that could have come out of it.” The post was also heavily shared in the police community. “I don’t know who made the decision. I don’t really care who made the decision at SMU,” said Dallas Police Association President Frederick Frazier. “But the president at SMU needs to come
talk) 2002-07-31 Reverence For Life: The Essence Of Engaged Buddhism 2017-10-04 River of Change – Bringing a Wise Heart to this Impermanent Life – Part 1 2017-10-11 River of Change – Part 2 – Bringing a Wise Heart to this Impermanent Life 2003-06-18 Sacred Presence: Awakening From The Dream 2012-04-28 SatPM-Instructions-and-Metta-Meditation 2018-07-25 Saying “Yes” – Meeting Your Edge and Softening 2015-12-23 Secret Beauty - Solstice Talk 2018-05-16 Seeing Basic Goodness – Part 1 2018-05-23 Seeing Basic Goodness – Part 2 2010-12-15 Seeing Beyond the Veil 2016-10-05 Seeking What’s True – Within Ourselves, Beyond Our Self, With Each Other – (... 2016-10-12 Seeking What’s True – Within Ourselves, Beyond Our Self, With Each Other – (... 2016-10-19 Seeking What’s True – Within Ourselves, Beyond Our Self, With Each Other – (... 2009-10-26 Self Compassion 2013-03-20 Self Compassion (retreat talk) 2010-05-02 Self-Compassion 2009-10-26 Self-Compassion 2010-08-04 Self-Forgiveness 2018-04-30 Short Talk & Meditation: Forgiving and Freeing Our Hearts 2009-10-07 Skeleton Woman 2018-07-04 Skeleton Woman: Embracing This Living and Dying World 2007-08-15 Soul Of The Whole 2011-06-15 Soul Recognition-- Seeing Past the Mask 2017-04-05 Soul Recognition: The Practice of Namaste 2008-09-24 Soul Retrieval 2016-09-28 Spiritual Empowerment 2016-12-07 Spiritual Reparenting 2019-02-13 Spiritual Reparenting 2015-04-18 Standing and Walking Meditation Instructions 2013-01-16 Stepping Out of the Cave 2011-05-18 Stepping Out of Time 2017-06-14 Stories That Imprison Our Heart – Part 1 2017-06-21 Stories That Imprison Our Heart – Part 2 2016-06-29 Stress and Everyday Nirvana - Part 1 2016-07-06 Stress and Everyday Nirvana – Part 2 2014-04-02 Stress and Our Evolving Consciousness 2007-10-31 Stress, Wakeful Relaxation And Freedom 2012-04-29 SunAM Guided Meditation 2012-04-29 SunAM Q and A 2015-03-04 Sure Heart's Release 2018-11-14 Survival of the Nurtured – Our Path to Belonging 2010-01-06 Taking Refuge 2012-01-04 Taking Refuge 2015-01-07 Taking Refuge in Your Own True Nature 2017-03-22 Taking the “Exquisite Risk”: An Undefended Heart 2009-05-13 Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield: An Evening of Questions and Responses 1999-11-24 Thanksgiving - Experiencing The Abundance Of Our Spirit 2008-11-26 Thanksgiving 2008 - Living The Life Fully - Gratitude And Generosity 2015-07-22 That Bird Got My Wings 2011-06-08 The Art of Listening--Nourishing Loving Relationships 2007-08-01 The Art Of Loving 1999-11-03 The Art Of Meditation Practice 2008-02-27 The Art Of Practice: Mindfulness 2008-03-05 The Art Of Practice: Rain 2009-06-03 The Attitude that Perpetuates Suffering 2010-10-06 The Awakened Heart 2011-12-07 The Backward Step 2013-01-09 The Barriers to Loving Presence 2000-04-29 The Blessing Of Awareness 2010-03-24 The Blessings of Deep Listening 2011-04-27 The Blessings of Embodied Awareness 2011-12-29 The Blessings of Embodied Presence 2008-06-25 The Blessings Of Soul Recognition 1997-02-25 The Bodhisattva Ideal 2005-04-25 The Bodhisattva Path 2011-05-11 The Buddha's Awakening: A Myth for Us All! 2009-01-21 The Courage To Awaken 2011-12-14 The Dance of Relational Trance 2015-07-08 The Dance with Pain 2009-02-18 The Divine Abodes: Compassion 2011-10-19 The Divine Abodes: Compassion 2009-03-04 The Divine Abodes: Equanimity 2009-02-25 The Divine Abodes: Joy 2011-10-26 The Divine Abodes: Joy 2009-02-11 The Divine Abodes: Lovingkindness 2011-10-05 The Divine Abodes: Lovingkindness 1998-07-14 The Eight-Fold Path 2013-11-27 The Evolving of Generosity 2010-06-16 The Fires of Loss 2013-02-27 The Fires of Loss 2000-06-22 The Five Spiritual Faculties - part 1 2000-06-29 The Five Spiritual Faculties - part 2 1998-07-07 The Four Noble Truths 2012-09-12 The Freedom of Yes 2007-09-26 The Gift Of Silence 2012-12-29 The God Whom I Love is Inside 1998-08-04 The Great Perfection 1998-08-04 The Great Perfection: Emptiness Suffused With Compassion 1999-10-05 The Great Perfection: The Taste Of Freedom 2009-09-02 The Grounds of Living Compassion 1996-11-12 The Heart Of Perfect Wisdom 2013-10-19 The Heartspace That is Our True Home (retreat talk) 1996-12-31 The Jewel In The Lotus: Cultivating The Awakened Heart 1999-08-03 The Jewel Net Of Indra 2007-09-19 The Joy Of Conscious Relationships 1998-11-17 The Longing To Awaken - II 1998-11-10 The Longing To Awaken I 1999-05-03 The Longing To Belong 1996-09-10 The Opening And Closing Of Our Hearts 2003-10-16 The Path Of Compassion 2010-12-29 The Path of Transformation 2014-10-26 The Portal of Fear (Retreat Talk) 2008-01-30 The Power Of Inquiry 2016-02-10 The Power of Inquiry in Spiritual Awakening - Part 1 2016-02-17 The Power of Inquiry in Spiritual Awakening - Part 2 2002-01-09 The Power Of Intention 2010-07-07 The Power of Mind 2010-09-22 The Power of Mindful Investigation 1999-07-20 The Power Of Prayer 2015-12-16 The RAIN of Self-Compassion 2017-05-24 The Reality of Change: Embracing this Living Dying World 2015-07-29 The Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Working with Attachment and Addiction 2016-12-14 The Revolution of Tenderness - Part 1 2016-12-21 The Revolution of Tenderness – Part 2 2014-11-12 The Sacred Art of Listening 2015-08-05 The Sacred Art of Listening 2019-02-20 The Sacred Art of Listening 2015-09-30 The Sacred Pause 2011-11-09 The Space of Presence 1997-06-24 The Spiritual Warrior 2011-02-09 The Sure Heart's Release - Part 1 2011-02-16 The Sure Heart's Release - Part 2 2008-11-05 The Three Characteristics - part 1: Unsatisfactoriness 2008-11-12 The Three Characteristics - part 2: Impermanence 2008-11-19 The Three Characteristics - part 3: No-Self 2009-01-07 The Three Refuges 2007-10-17 The Three Refuges 2007-10-10 The Three Refuges 2008-01-02 The Three Refuges 2007-12-19 The True Revolution 2015-05-27 The Two Wings of Awareness 2008-03-26 The Two Wolves 2008-12-17 The Undefended Heart 2010-06-09 The Unreal Other 1999-11-17 The Way Of Love: Embracing Life & Death 2013-02-13 The Wings of a Liberating Presence 2016-11-06 The Wings of Awakening - Self-Honesty and Love 2012-04-25 The World in Our Heart 1998-05-19 There's No Place Like Home 2008-07-09 Three Attitudes That Awaken And Free Our Spirit 2016-02-03 Three Attitudes that Nourish a Liberating Practice 2018-12-05 Three Attitudes that Nourish a Liberating Practice 2017-08-02 Three Blessings in Spiritual Life – Part 2: Inner Fire 2017-08-09 Three Blessings in Spiritual Life – Part 3: A Mirror 2017-07-26 Three Blessings in Spiritual Life – Part I: Forgiveness 2018-12-19 Three Core Capacities in Loving Fully 2018-01-03 Three Gateways to Peace and Freedom 2013-07-24 Three Gestures of Love 2009-05-20 Three Gifts That Serve Freedom 2015-04-08 Three Liberating Gifts - Part 3 - Looking in the Mirror 2015-03-25 Three Liberating Gifts: Part 1 - Forgiveness 2015-04-01 Three Liberating Gifts: Part 2 - Inner Fire 2012-05-03 ThuAM-Guided-Meditation-Backward-Step 2012-05-02 ThuAM-Instructions-Question/Response 2011-10-13 Thursday AM - Question and Response on Retreat 2008-01-09 Touching Enlightenment With Our Body 2007-08-22 Touching Enlightenment With The Body 1996-02-20 Touching Peace 2012-05-23 Training for Intimacy with Life 1998-10-27 Training Precepts On The Buddhist Path 2012-09-05 Trance of the Unreal Other 2001-06-13 Transforming Fear 2015-08-19 Transforming Two Fears: FOF and FOMO 2018-12-26 Transforming Two Fears: FOF and FOMO 2013-08-07 True Belonging 2010-04-21 True Belonging - Refuge in Presence and Relatedness 2015-04-15 True Happiness - Realizing Well Being 2011-01-05 True Refuge: Three Gateways to Freedom 2017-08-16 True Resilience – Part 1: Awakening through All Circumstances 2017-08-30 True Resilience – Part 2: Awakening through All Circumstances 2017-02-08 Trusting Our Awakening Heart 1995-12-30 Trusting Our Buddha Nature 1997-04-29 Trusting Our Lives: Resting Fully In The Present 2011-03-09 Trusting Our Secret Beauty 2015-10-07 Trusting Ourselves, Trusting Life 2016-11-10 Trusting the Gold 2010-07-28 Trusting Who We Are 2017-12-30 Trusting Who We Are (retreat talk) 2010-03-03 Trusting Your Basic Goodness 2012-05-01 TueAM-Guided-Meditation 2012-05-01 TueAM-Instructions-Q-A 2012-05-01 TuePM-Meditation-RAIN-of-Compassion 2012-12-19 Turning Toward the Light 2008-09-03 Turning Towards What You Love 2010-07-21 Turning Towards What You Love 2007-09-05 Two Kinds Of Happiness 2009-09-30 Two Wings of a Liberating Attention 1998-04-28 Unconditionally Friendly Toward Life 2015-06-26 Unfolding of the Sacred Feminine (retreat talk) 2008-05-21 Vesak - Path Of Awakening 2001-01-01 Vipassana Meditation: Four Week Introductory Series - I 2001-01-01 Vipassana Meditation: Four Week Introductory Series - II 2001-01-01 Vipassana Meditation: Four Week Introductory Series - III 2001-01-01 Vipassana Meditation: Four Week Introductory Series - IV 2018-10-07 Vipassana or Insight Meditation and Instruction: A Path of Practice from Retreat 1998-12-08 Wakeful Relaxation 2013-12-28 Walking Meditation Instruction 2012-05-02 WedPM-Be-Who-You-Are 2018-07-18 What Is It Like Being You? 2011-02-23 When We are Lost 2011-08-24 Wholehearted Living 1998-05-04 Widening The Circle Of Compassion 2015-12-31 Widening the Circles of Compassion 2018-01-10 Winds of Homecoming: How Intention Frees Our Heart 2013-10-23 Wings of Homecoming 2007-08-29 Wise Effort 1998-01-03 Wise Effort & The Practices Of Awakening 2009-09-23 Wise Effort and Spiritual Freedom 1999-10-27 Wise Effort, Aspiration And Spiritual Freedom 2009-04-29 Wise Investigation 2012-10-24 Wise Investigation: Dissolving the Trance 2009-03-11 Without Anxiety About Imperfection 2018-10-07 Worrier Pose – Finding Freedom from the Body of Fear 2017-01-18 Your Awake Heart Is Calling You 2016-08-24 Your Future Self - Turning Towards Your Awakened HeartMind 2016-11-23 “Play a Greater Part” – Part 2 - Bodhisattva for our Times Sort order: Sorted by title Sorted by recording date (newest to oldest) Sorted by recording date (oldest to newest) Sorted by date added (newest to oldest) Sorted by date added (oldest to newest) Items on page: 10 25 50 100 2016-06-01 Real But Not True: Freeing Ourselves from Harmful Beliefs 56:32 Download Listen Thoughts and beliefs are navigational maps that are not inherently true. Rather, some serve us and others cause feelings of separation, self-aversion and/or blame of others. We can free ourselves from harmful beliefs by investigating them with a dedicated, mindful and courage presence. This talk guides us in mindful investigation through an illustrative story, an outline of steps, and a guided meditation that addresses limiting beliefs surrounding interpersonal conflict. Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC : IMCW Wednesday Evening Talks In collection Real but Not True: Freeing Ourselves from Harmful BeliefsA Warm Springs woman who admitted to starting a wildfire in July 2013 told federal prosecutors she started the blaze by tossing a firework out of an open car window because her firefighter friends were bored and needed the work. Two days later, Sadie Renee Johnson, 23, posted "like my fire?" on Facebook. By that time, the Sunnyside Turnoff fire had grown to nearly 30,000 acres, threatening homes and livestock on the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs reservation. It eventually grew to 51,480 acres and took two months to bring under complete control at a cost to the Bureau of Indian Affairs of $7.9 million. Johnson, who pleaded guilty to before U.S. District Judge Marco A. Hernandez on May 19, is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 3. A tree goes up in flames on inside the fire lines of the Sunnyside Turnoff fire on the Confederated Tribes of Warm Spring reservation on July 22. "Intentionally starting a wildfire has severe consequences as Ms. Johnson learned," said Assistant. U.S. Attorney Craig Gabriel who helped prosecute the case. "What she thought would be a small fire instead turned out to be a 50,000-acre blaze that cost the Bureau of Indian Affairs $7.9 million to suppress." Under the plea agreement, the government and defense agreed to recommend a sentence of 18 months in prison, although the judge is not bound by the recommendation. Under federal law, she faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years probation. The agreement also calls for her to pay full restitution of $7.9 million. -- Stuart Tomlinson Helen Jung of The Oregonian staff contributed to this report.One brewer proudly describes it as 'the perfect cycle'. Victorian Eric Walters has taken to using spent grain from the brewing process to feed his Angus cattle, which, in turn, are served as steaks by the brewery’s kitchen. It is a system that only came about after years of seeing his grain depart to eager cattle-farming friends. “A lot of cattle farmers were always keen for my spent grain, and they started bringing me in bits of steak and telling me how the cattle were doing fantastic and it’s the best they’ve ever had,” said Mr Walters, from Gippsland’s Grand Ridge Brewery. “After all these beautiful steaks I was eating, I thought we should do this.” Mr Walters sees it as the archetypal case of transforming a problem into an opportunity. After all these beautiful steaks I was eating, I thought we should do this. Eric Walters from Grand Ridge Brewery. “The first day of brewing is when you take all the starches and fermentable sugars naturally out of the grain, and then it is a waste product that you want off the premise,” he said. “It’s really high in protein and it’s great cattle feed.” It forms part of Mr Walters' attempts to develop a fully sustainable brewery, with Grand Ridge now fully powered by 384 solar panels. “I’ve been wanting to do it for several years, and just watching the price of the panels and the payback period and the reality of it. “It is a huge task, but really rewarding, because it is part of our ethos of sustainability. “It’s making those meters hum backwards, and that’s what you’ve got to love.”I really liked this chapter. The interactions were nice to see. However, I'd really prefer if Michelle came from a poor family or something similar to those from BUGS #2. I mean, they were all expendable and they knew it. They came from rat-holes where nobody would care if they died or not, and were considered trash. That gave them character. That allowed us to guess what kind of life they may have led and get a glimpse into their character. That actually made them like-ablebecause we could guess what hardships they must have faced in life.The Annex crew? Not even close. Michelle should have went home to a frail old, sick mother in a cramped poor-ass house like the average American. Not some fancy-ass house. Anyway, I would just prefer it like that. Enjoy the chapter. See ya next time.Just days after Hillary Clinton entered in the 2016 U.S. presidential race, there is speculation that she is buying Twitter followers and Facebook fans to boost her social media presence. The Daily Mail reports that at least 2 million out of Clinton’s 3.6 million Twitter followers are either fake or completely inactive. An audit done by Status People indicates that “at least 15 percent” (544,000) of her followers are completely fake, 41 percent are deemed inactive (no tweets or replies), and 44 percent are real people who actively use Twitter. Clinton’s Facebook page also appears to be padded with purchased “likes,” similar to the fake or inactive Twitter followers. As of early Tuesday, her official Facebook account had almost 685,000 fans, and according to Vocativ, at least 46,000 of them list Baghdad, Iraq as their hometown. “While most of her U.S. Facebook fans are older than 55… Clinton enjoys the support of younger Facebook fans with 66 percent of her Iraqi female fans and 67 percent of males aged between 18 and 34.” How much does it cost to buy Twitter and Facebook followers? There are dozens of online companies that sell followers, and the price varies depending on how many you want added to your account. There are also fees for “extras” including automatic likes and retweets. According to Digital Sherpa, the purchased followers are “low paid workers employed by ‘click farms'” to like and follow your Twitter and/or Facebook accounts. For a price, they will tweet, retweet and like your posts, but they won’t respond to tweets or comment on Facebook conversations. Reports that Hillary Clinton may be padding her Twitter and Facebook accounts with fake followers isn’t the first time the Democratic presidential candidate has been in the news for buying social media fans. The Huffington Post reports that in 2013, while Clinton was Secretary of State, the State Department spent $630,000 buying Facebook fans. “The State Department, which has more than 400,000 likes and was recently most popular in Cairo, said it would stop buying Facebook fans after its inspector general criticized the agency for spending $630,000 to boost the numbers. Clinton left the agency while the inspector general was investigating.” Fake followers or not, Hillary Clinton’s official presidential campaign launch on social media was a huge success on Sunday, with her Twitter post alone getting more than 103,000 retweets and almost as many favorites. I’m running for president. Everyday Americans need a champion, and I want to be that champion. –H https://t.co/w8Hoe1pbtC — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) April 12, 2015 [Image: Getty Images/Win McNamee]The Department of Justice's "Operation Choke Point": Illegally Choking Off Legitimate Businesses? The report concludes that the true goal of the operation is to "choke out" certain industries, including legal businesses like sellers of firearms and ammunition, which the current administration considers politically objectionable. The report follows the Department of Justice's (DOJ's) launch last year of Operation Choke Point, a wide-ranging investigation into banks and payment processors (the middlemen between banks and merchants in financial transactions). DOJ claimed the operation was aimed at combating mass-market consumer fraud by shutting down access to the banking and payment systems that are necessary for fraudulent businesses to operate. The justification was an alleged higher "risk profile" for consumer fraud or potentially illegal activities associated with some merchants or activities These "high risk" merchants are typically characterized by high rates of unauthorized transactions, consumer complaints, or evidence of state or federal regulatory or criminal actions against the business customer. However, with no explanation or justification, the FDIC's list of high-risk merchants and activities also lumped in ammunition and firearm sales (among other legal industries) with potentially exploitative or outright illegal enterprises. No one can reasonably suggest that firearms and ammunition sellers pose the same risks of fraud to banks and consumers as Ponzi schemes, cable-box descramblers, "get rich" products, online gambling, pyramid–type sales, debt consolidation scams, and similar schemes. As NRA Earlier this year, Chairman Issa and Subcommittee Chairman Jim Jordan requested that the Justice Department produce documents and communications related to Choke Point. Their resulting review of the 853 pages of internal documents provided in response concludes that "Operation Choke Point is an inappropriate exercise of the Department's legal authorities, and is being executed in a manner that unfairly harms legitimate merchants and individuals." Other key findings of the report released this week include the following: On May 29, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) released a staff report,The report concludes that the true goal of the operation is to "choke out" certain industries, including legal businesses like sellers of firearms and ammunition, which the current administration considers politically objectionable.The report follows the Department of Justice's (DOJ's) launch last year of Operation Choke Point, a wide-ranging investigation into banks and payment processors (the middlemen between banks and merchants in financial transactions). DOJ claimed the operation was aimed at combating mass-market consumer fraud by shutting down access to the banking and payment systems that are necessary for fraudulent businesses to operate. The justification was an alleged higher "risk profile" for consumer fraud or potentially illegal activities associated with some merchants or activities identified by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).These "high risk" merchants are typically characterized by high rates of unauthorized transactions, consumer complaints, or evidence of state or federal regulatory or criminal actions against the business customer. However, with no explanation or justification, the FDIC's list of high-risk merchants and activities also lumped in ammunition and firearm sales (among other legal industries) with potentially exploitative or outright illegal enterprises. No one can reasonably suggest that firearms and ammunition sellers pose the same risks of fraud to banks and consumers as Ponzi schemes, cable-box descramblers, "get rich" products, online gambling, pyramid–type sales, debt consolidation scams, and similar schemes.As NRA recently reported, evidence has been mounting that banks and financial institutions have been responding to the threat or potential for government investigative action and penalties by refusing to do business with legitimate law-abiding companies in the firearm industry. These decisions, moreover, are apparently being made without regard to the specific company's credit, criminal or financial history. Rather, they're predicated on the implicit threat that a bank's business relationship with a listed "high risk" merchant could be enough to trigger a federal subpoena and resulting investigation and lawsuit.Earlier this year, Chairman Issa and Subcommittee Chairman Jim Jordan requested that the Justice Department produce documents and communications related to Choke Point. Their resulting review of the 853 pages of internal documents provided in response concludes that "Operation Choke Point is an inappropriate exercise of the Department's legal authorities, and is being executed in a manner that unfairly harms legitimate merchants and individuals."Other key findings of the report released this week include the following: DOJ acted without the requisite legal basis. In furtherance of Operation Choke Point, the Department of Justice "radically and inappropriately expanded its own authority." Operation Choke Point's investigatory basis purportedly rests on subpoenas issued under Section 951 of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989, or FIRREA. Yet this authority was intended to give the Department the tools to pursue civil penalties against entities that commit fraud affecting banks, not to investigate consumer fraud, much less private companies doing legal business. Despite assertions that the government's intended goal was limited to fraudulent activity, the report finds that DOJ targeted legitimate businesses. The desired effect was clearly to have legal merchants and legitimate businesses "choked off from the financial system." Operation Choke Point, according to the report, effectively transformed the FDIC "high risk" list "into an implicit threat of a federal investigation," a reaction the DOJ anticipated. The Justice Department was aware of the impact on legitimate businesses – that banks were dumping entire sectors of business deemed "high risk" by the government -- and "dismissed them." The proffered reasoning was that banks and "legitimate" businesses would sort it out, an expectation the report likened to claiming, "if one is not a witch, then they will sink rather than float." a witch, then they will sink rather than float." Rather than have offenders prosecuted on the basis of real and sufficient evidence in a court of law, DOJ misused its authority to " forcibly conscript banks to serve as the 'policemen and judges' of the commercial world." banks to serve as the 'policemen and judges' of the commercial world." The report specifically cites the consequences of labeling firearms and ammunition sales as "high risk," resulting in law-abiding firearm merchants having existing bank accounts frozen or terminated. "The experience of firearms and ammunition merchants – an industry far removed from consumer finance fraud – calls into question the sincerity of the Department's statements" regarding the scope and goals of Operation Choke Point. The report: First appendix of documents: Second appendix of documents: Congressional action is already underway to reign in what is merely the latest is a growing list of DOJ's abusive practices. We will continue to report as developments unfold. The report and its appendices are available online.The report: http://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Staff-Report-Operation-Choke-Point1.pdf First appendix of documents: http://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Appendix-1-of-2.pdf Second appendix of documents: http://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Appendix-2-of-2.pdf Congressional action is already underway to reign in what is merely the latest is a growing list of DOJ's abusive practices. We will continue to report as developments unfold. Read this and tell me who will make all these determinations? If you haven't done anything to be convicted of a crime why will some bureaucrat, policeman or other government apparatchik get to violate your Second Amendment rights. Think of the VA in charge. If the government can deny funds to States because it doesn't toe the line then the government has too much money and power.Bill Tammeus has written a column over at NCR titled “It’s easy to be misled on stem cell research,” and he proves the point pretty well himself. It’s hard to tell though whether he’s misled or intending to mislead. At any rate, certainly his editors know he’s factually incorrect. Tammeus is a Presbyterian who is concerned that the Catholic church has an imprecise understanding of Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT) or cloning as it is known throughout the entire world except for the Greater Kansas City media market. This imprecise understanding has led to an unjustified moral condemnation of SCNT by the Catholic church, according to Tammeus. So he endeavors to explain the science for us poorly informed Catholics. This is so bad, I have to go line by line. Tammeus explains that SCNT produces something he calls “early stem cells”. These are cells “which unfortunately, imprecisely and thus misleadingly are usually called embryonic stem cells,” he says. Let’s consult the National Institutes of Health stem cell information center: Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT)—A technique that combines an enucleated egg and the nucleus of a somatic cell to make an embryo. Strike one. Tammeus again: I've been writing about stem cell research for much of the last decade, so I know that research using adult stem cells has been going on for more than 50 years. By contrast, the first report of early human stem cells produced by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) was not published until 2004. That study would be "Evidence of a pluripotent human embryonic stem cell line derived from a cloned blastocyst" by Woo Suk Hwang, et. al. Notice that the scientist does not think it imprecise or misleading to use the term “embryonic stem cells” to describe what he’s working on, nor does he flinch from saying such cells were derived from a cloned (SCNT) blastocyst, i.e., a “preimplantation embryo of about 150 cells,” again as defined by the National Institutes of Health’s stem cell page. But now the irony of Tammeus’ referencing this study gets even deeper. That study and a subsequent study in which Hwang claimed to have derived stem cell lines from cloned blastocysts were both retracted by Science magazine and Hwang was dismissed from Seoul National University. Reviews of his work found that Hwang had not in fact derived any stem cell lines from cloned blastocysts. Tammeus continues following immediately on the last quote: So it's not surprising that some effective therapies that use adult stem cells exist while many therapies using early SCNT stem cells still are in development. Let’s look at the words “some” and “many” – because the words to substitute if Tammeus’ quote were to be factual are “many” and “zero”. There are more than 70 treatments and therapies for diseases derived from adult stem cell research. There are absolutely ZERO therapies or treatments in development using stem cells derived from SCNT. That’s because to date there have been no stem cells lines derived from human SCNT for anybody to be working on. Furthermore, SCNT for therapeutic purposes has been virtually abandoned as a research model because of newer discoveries like Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells which are derived from somatic cells without the need for an egg. I could go on and on through the rest of Tammeus’ piece. Bill Tammeus is a fine writer in his field and I’ve enjoyed his work at the Kansas City Star over the years, but he doesn’t know the first thing about the science he’s trying to explain to us poor Catholics here. The science of embryonic stem cell research is something that is extremely distorted specifically in the minds of Kansas Citians because of the political manipulation of the Stowers Institute of Medical Research which needed to create that confusion in order to get Missourians to allow them to try therapeutic cloning. It’s pretty clear Tammeus got his misinformation from them as he even quotes their CEO. I think it’s fair for him and many other Kansas Citians to be confused. What’s not fair is for the National Catholic Reporter’s editors to give space for what they certainly know is false information.Israeli authorities yesterday opened a new coffee shop and pub build on part of the land belonging to the historical Islamic cemetery of Ma’manillah in the old city of Jerusalem, Quds Press reported. In a statement, Al-Aqsa Organisation for Waqf and Heritage said that an Israeli coffee network is running the new facility while the building is managed by the Israeli municipality in Jerusalem. The group condemned the “violation” against the cemetery, noting that opening this pub and coffee shop came as part of a series of violations against this historic cemetery. Only 20 of the 200 dunams of the original total area of the cemetery has not been destroyed, the organisation said. However, it reiterated that this area is desecrated on a daily basis. Ma’manillah is a historic Muslim cemetery that contains the remains of figures from the early Islamic period. It includes several historic shrines and tombs. Muslims stopped using it in 1927 when the Supreme Muslim Council decided to preserve it as an historic site.A golden rule for journalists is to report the story, not become it. Unfortunately for Amanda Lindhout, this was not the case. Kidnapped in Somalia, the Canadian journalist endured 15 months of captivity before her release this week. Amanda Lindhout after the abduction (left) and before. ( SUPPLIED PHOTOS ) Snatched along with Australian photographer Nigel Brennan in August 2008, the pair says they were beaten, tortured and left alone, often without food. The sad details of what they experienced will emerge in coming weeks as they return home and begin to heal. (Both were reported Friday to be in good condition at a Nairobi hospital.) But their release has also sparked discussion about journalists in conflict zones – and questions about Lindhout's credentials. Online blogs note her dozens of Facebook photos striking glamorous poses amid conflict. Article Continued Below Gutsy reporter? Or naive thrill-seeker? The fact is, journalists, experienced or not, get kidnapped. They have been grabbed in unprecedented numbers in the past five years and victims include respected reporters like The New York Times' David Rohde, who was held by the Taliban for eight months until he managed to escape in June. Many media outlets send their staff to "hostile environment training" courses to help prepare for this reality, among others. In 2006, I spent a memorable week in a Virginia field getting roughed up by ex-British marines, who seemed to relish the opportunity to yank me out of the car by my hair and throw a burlap sack on my head in a fake hostage-taking. But that's the difference when you work for the Star or major news outlets, as opposed to when you freelance. The paper pays for training and to protect journalists in the field. There's also the preparation. Before a brief trip to Mogadishu with a photographer, I had spent weeks researching, contacting dozens of local journalists and Somalis, and hired a driver and guards from various clans. "What most people I know do – what I do – is to make every effort to talk to people who have already done what you are considering, placing the greatest trust in those who most recently made the journey down that road, into that village, etc.," says my colleague Mitch Potter, who has extensive experience reporting in the world's hotspots. "And, often, you end up cancelling or altering plans based on what you hear." Article Continued Below Lindhout, by most accounts, had done little of this. The 28-year-old Alberta native certainly had experience travelling through war zones in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, but as New York Times journalist Jeffrey Gettleman wrote recently, Somalia redefines chaos. Anyone under the age of 18 in Mogadishu has grown up amid poverty and anarchy. Kidnappings, like piracy, are one of the few ways to make money. Guns are everywhere. Norwegian photojournalist and cameraman André Liohn has experience in Somalia and ran into Lindhout in Ethiopia prior to her trip. After her kidnapping he said he was impressed with her bravery but noted, "You cannot just come to the city and go out looking for stories." One journalist generous in her help of others is Nairobi-based Voice of America reporter Alisha Ryu. She has taken many risks and has the scar on her neck from a Baghdad bombing as proof. She is in and out of Somalia and knows the terrain intimately. "I think she probably should have reached out to people who had been there. The situation in Somalia changes almost on a daily situation," says Ryu. "It is really tempting to go into a conflict zone and make your name there and to move up the ladder and be
story. She’s the elephant in the room and just about everybody in the world of journalism is making believe Rolling Stone is the one and only villain. Where are the editorials demanding that she be expelled from school? If she broke the law, shouldn’t she be prosecuted? There’s talk that while the gang rape never occurred something else might have happened to Jackie. Yes, and maybe nothing else has happened to Jackie. She is a liar, after all. She’s not entitled to any befits of any doubts. In a statement responding to the Columbia report, University of Virginia’s president Teresa Sullivan described the Rolling Stone article as irresponsible journalism that “unjustly damaged the reputations of many innocent individuals and the University of Virginia.” Shame on her too. Not a word from the president about how Jackie damaged the reputations of many innocent individuals and the University of Virginia. Not a word. Rolling Stone is guilty of monumentally bad journalism. We can all agree on that. But the media watchdogs are guilty too – guilty of cowardice, a cowardice that is so pathetic that they even pander to liars — as long as the liars are women who make claims against men — no matter how outrageous or false. If a male college student made up some phony story about how a young woman on campus hit him over the head with a beer bottle, the media, the president of the University, and the police wouldn’t let him get away with it. But Jackie is off limits. That’s because in a liberal PC culture, women are seen as victims of male oppression. So what if Jackie wasn’t really raped? A mere technicality. She could have been. After all, rape on America’s college campuses is a “plague” — a word used by a former Washington Post ombudsman on CNN. Except, that’s another lie. There is no plague. There is no epidemic of campus rape. Google “Myth of Campus Rape” and you’ll quickly find serious thinkers, scholars like Heather MacDonald and Christina Hoff Sommers, who put a lie to that piece of feminist propaganda. What we’re seeing here is how little liberal journalists and liberal presidents of places like the University of Virginia really think about women. They’ll look the other way when they lie. They won’t treat them like grownups who should be held accountable. Because if they did, Jackie would have been told to pack her bags and leave school a long time ago.NEW DELHI/KOLKATA: The national auditor alleged that six telecom operators — Bharti Airtel Tata Teleservices and Aircel — had collectively understated gross revenue amounting to Rs 46,045.75 crore between 2006-07 and 2009-10, causing a loss of Rs 12,488.93 crore to the national exchequer.The companies rejected the accusation.This, in turn, has prompted the government to initiate a special audit for three years to FY11, with telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad calling it “a legacy issue of the previous government” that he is “trying to clean up”. It may be recalled that one of the scandals that led to the defeat of the United Progressive Alliance government stemmed from a report by the Comptroller & Auditor General of India (CAG) into spectrum allotments.“I’ve taken a serious note of it. Though the CAG report will go to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), whose recommendations will be final after approval by the House, the telecom department (DoT) will take a special audit for three years (2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11) to discover if any outstanding dues are required to be paid by telcos," Prasad said.SHE’S the footy fan who’s older than the game itself. And even at 108, Thelma Spencer still never misses a match. So what would a trip inside the sheds with her beloved Cronulla Sharks be like? “Well, I’m a bit modest you know. I’m not sure I want to see any of them without their clothes on,” she said. Thelma hadn’t been to a live NRL game for “15 or 20 years probably” but on Sunday, she and the family were the special guests of the Sharks and the Knights game at Hunter Stadium. Her favourite player Paul Gallen (“the one who wears the No 13 jumper, he’s tough”) didn’t play for her team but it didn’t matter. Without their spiritual captain, the Sharks managed a terrific second half comeback to beat the Knights 30-28, and Thelma was there to celebrate in the sheds afterwards. Thelma's 108 and loves the sharks very happy for her the boys made her day. A video posted by Paul Gallen (@paulgallen13) on Jun 20, 2015 at 11:17pm PDT For Thelma, Rugby League is her life. Friday night footy, well that just rolls into the Saturday games on Fox, then the live Channel Nine game on Sunday and into Monday night footy after that. “She just sits up in her chair there with her headphones on as soon as it comes on and never misses a beat. She loves it,” her daughter Tina said. Thelma, a mad Cronulla Sharks fan who celebrated her birthday last Sunday, was born in 1907. Just to put a little perspective on it, that means she is a year older than the game of rugby league itself. media_camera Thelma Spencer (middle) in 1909. Just don’t go making a fuss about it in front of her. Her eyesight might be letting her down a little and her hearing not as good as it used to be but with everything else, she’s as bright as a button. “I don’t feel any older than about 80 you know,” she said from her unit in Valentine, Newcastle. Just to prove the point, a walking stick arrived at her place that same day — but Thelma doesn’t want a bar of it. “What do I need that for?” she said. “I can walk perfectly fine. My podiatrist reckons I’ve got the best legs he has ever seen.” The daughter of a furniture shop owner, Thelma grew up as one of seven kids in Redfern in Sydney. It was while she was working as a music teacher that she met her future husband Jim. “I was actually engaged to someone else before breaking it off with him and then I met my husband,” she said. media_camera Die-hard Sharks fan Thelma Spencer is 108 years old. “I only knew him for three months before we got married. We didn’t muck around.” They had two children, Jim who turns 80 next February but is currently laid up in hospital, and Tina, 78, who is in Newcastle looking after her mother in Jim’s absence. There are four grandchildren and six great grandchildren and Thelma reckons she is hanging around until there is a great-great grandchild. “But they’ll want to hurry up,” she said. “It’s not looking good.” She lost husband Jim, who was one of the Rats of Tobruk in World War 11, when he was 58, more than 12 years after he returned home from the war. “He got blown up over there but he eventually came home and I looked after him for around 12 years until he went,” she said. When the Sharks were formed in 1967, the love affair with footy began. The whole family became devotees. “We’d go watch them wherever they played in Sydney,” Tina said. media_camera Thelma Spencer at home in Newcastle. “I even married a Sharks fanatic. My husband John, well, he wants to secretly have his ashes scattered over Shark Park when he eventually goes.” Two or three days a week, you’ll find Thelma at the Belmont 16-Foot Sailing Club playing the pokies. But the weekends, well, that’s footy time or, if it’s the off-season, cricket. “Oh yes, I love the cricket. Any sport really. I’ve been known to sit up until 3am watching the cricket when it’s on,” she said. With that, our two-hour interview ends. Friday night footy is about to start between Manly and the Tigers. And just so you know she is a fair dinkum fan, she leaves us with this: “Manly’s playing. No, I don’t like them.The Syriac Infancy Gospel (also known as the Arabic Infancy Gospel ) is one of the texts among the New Testament apocryphal writings concerning the infancy of Jesus. It may have been compiled as early as the sixth century, and was partly based on the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, and Protevangelium of James. It contains a number of embellishments on the earlier text, however, including a diaper (of Jesus) that heals people, sweat (of Jesus) that turns into balm, curing leprosy, and dyeing cloth varied colours using only indigo dye. It also claims earlier encounters for Jesus with Judas Iscariot, and with the thieves with whom he is later crucified, as well as being one of the earliest documents. Although this Gospel is thought to have originated from Syriac sources dating back to the fifth or sixth century, [1] it has become known to European readers by way of an Arabic version published by Henry Sike in 1697 together with a Latin translation. [2] The preface to the William Hone translation states that "It was received by the Gnostics, a sect of Christians in the second century..." [3] The earliest known mention of the Gospel was by Isho'dad of Merv, a ninth-century Syrian church father, in his biblical commentary concerning the Gospel of Matthew. The narrative of the Arabic Infancy Gospel, particularly the second part concerning the miracles in Egypt, can also be found in the Qur'an. Some critical scholarship claim its presence in the Qu'ran may be due to the influence the Gospel had among the Arabs. It is not known for certain that the Gospel was present in the Hejaz, but it can be seen as likely. [4] However, according to Islamic scholars the Gospel was translated into Arabic in the post-Islamic period due the difficulty that 16th century Europeans would have in translating early Arabic's defective script into Latin as well as the extreme rarity of written texts in Pre-Islamic Arabia. [5] One parallel story between an Infancy Gospel and the Quran is found in the Arabic Gospel Of The Infancy Of The Savior and Surah 19:29-34, where the story of Jesus speaking as a baby in the cradle is narrated. The Arabic Gospel of the Infancy of the Savior: v2 "He has said that Jesus spoke, and, indeed, when He was lying in His cradle said to Mary His mother: I am Jesus, the Son of God, the Logos, whom thou hast brought forth, as the Angel Gabriel announced to thee; and my Father has sent me for the salvation of the world."[6] Abdullah Yusuf Ali The Quran Surah 19:29-34 "But she pointed to the babe. They said: "How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?" He said: "I am indeed a servant of Allah: He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet; And He hath made me blessed wheresoever I be, and hath enjoined on me Prayer and Charity as long as I live; (He) hath made me kind to my mother, and not overbearing or miserable; So peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die, and the day that I shall be raised up to life (again)"! Such (was) Jesus the son of Mary: (it is) a statement of truth, about which they (vainly) dispute.[7] In both narratives, Jesus is presented as a baby in the cradle giving a highly theological discourse in the presence of Mary about his respective mission in both religions.On the Front Lines of Class War: Why the Fight for a Livable Wage is Everyone's Fight Colin Jenkins I Social Economics I Analysis I December 18th, 2013 "There's class warfare, all right, but it's my class - the rich class - that's making war, and we're winning." - Warren Buffett (2006) In the spring of 2004, amid the thaw of a frigid New York City winter, a brave group of Starbucks baristas began organizing. Like most service-sector employees in the United States, they were faced with the daunting task of trying to live on less-than-livable wages. Inconsistent hours, inadequate or non-existent health insurance, and less-than-dignified working conditions paled in comparison to their inability to obtain the most basic necessities. Apartment meetings, backroom discussions, and after-hours pep talks - all fueled by a collective angst - culminated into a sense of solidarity, the natural bond that occurs when workers take the time to realize their commonalities and shared struggle. On May 17, 2004, they officially announced their affiliation with the Industrial Workers of the World, an all-encompassing union with an impressive history of labor activity in the US. A petition for unionization followed suit. Their demands were simple: Guaranteed hours with the option for fulltime status, an end to understaffing, a healthier and safer workplace, and increased pay and raises. "Solidarity Unionism," Grassroots Organizing, and the Formation of a New Front It is only fitting that such a daring endeavor would fall under the banner of the IWW. Proudly asserting itself as "One Big Union" and "A Union for All Workers," the "Wobblies" shun hierarchical and highly-bureaucratic union models that have dominated the American labor scene for much of the past half-century, instead promoting and utilizing direct action that is member-run and member-driven. Deploying what they refer to as "solidarity unionism," as opposed to "business unionism," the preamble to the IWW's constitution echoes an old-school, militant, trade-union tone, boldly (and correctly) proclaiming, "The working class and the employing class have nothing in common. There can be no peace so long as hunger and want are found among millions of the working people" - a far cry from the timid and capitulating modus operandi of the modern adaptation. However, it is not just a much-needed infusion of labor militancy that makes the IWW attractive, it is its grassroots approach to labor organizing. In a post-industrial landscape that is overrun with underemployment, the IWW's model represents accessibility and a sense of empowerment for disconnected workers who find themselves on virtual islands - outside the potentially radical confines of a traditional shop floor. And when considering that wages have either dropped or remained stagnant in the midst of ever-growing costs of living over the past 30 years, it is no surprise that American workers are reaching their collective breaking point and seeking refuge in the form of a shared struggle. After decades of a disastrous neoliberal agenda that has placed the American working class in an all-out sprint to the bottom, the growing needs of low-wage workers coupled with the "wobbly way" to create a perfect storm. As such, the Starbucks Union captured a vibe and sparked a movement. 2007 saw the arrival of Brandworkers, "a non-profit organization bringing local food production workers together for good jobs and a sustainable food system." Following a similar grassroots blueprint, the NYC-based organization was founded "by retail and food employees who identified a need for an organization dedicated to protecting and advancing their rights," and stands on "a simple principle: that working people themselves, equipped with powerful social change tools, were uniquely positioned to make positive change on the job and in society." Their direct-action, "Focus on the Food Chain (FOFC)" initiative specifically targets "the rapid proliferation of sweatshops among the food processing factories and distribution warehouses that supply the City's (NYC) grocery stores and restaurants" and that of which "increasingly relies on the exploitation of recent immigrants of color, mostly from Latin America and China." In an unprecedented effort, FOFC "creates space for the immigrant workers of NYC's industrial food sector to build unity with each other, gain proficiency in the use of powerful social change tools, and carry out member-led workplace justice campaigns to transform the industry." Ultimately, "Focus members and their allies are using organizing, grassroots advocacy, and legal actions to build a food system that provides high-quality local food and good local jobs." Groups like the Starbucks Workers Union and Brandworkers created momentum. In 2010, six years after baristas came together in Manhattan, a band of sandwich makers gathered 1,200 miles westward, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Thus, the next wave of grassroots, low-wage labor activity - this time stemming from the fast-food industry and, more specifically, the corporate brand of Jimmy John's sandwiches - took hold. Sporting T-shirts that read, "Wages So Low You'll Freak" - a mockery of JJ's corporate slogan, "Subs So Fast You'll Freak" - JJ workers, also under the direction of the IWW, embarked on the first ever unionization drive for fast-food workers. Emily Przybylski, a bike delivery worker at the restaurant chain, captured the spirit of the moment. "A union in fast food is an idea whose time has come," she told reporters. "There are millions of workers in this industry living in poverty, with no consistent scheduling, no job security and no respect. It's time for change." As Labor Day 2010 approached, JJ workers at one Minneapolis store filed for a union election, and actions such as leafleting and picketing were coordinated at stores in 32 states, "from Clovis, California to Miami, Florida." The embryo created by baristas in NYC, and nurtured over the better part of a decade by the likes of the Brandworkers and Jimmy John's workers in Minneapolis, came to a head in 2012. On Thursday, October 4th, 2012, the spread of low-wage discontent struck the epicenter of corporate exploitation, as "more than 70 Los Angeles Wal-Mart workers from nine stores walked off the job." These walkouts accompanied over "20 charges of unfair labor practices" filed with the National Labor Relation Board. A week later, Wal-Mart workers across 28 stores in 12 states, staged labor protests in the form of strikes and walk-outs. The first workers' strike in the company's 50-year history spread to stores in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Washington, D.C., and Orlando. This movement, much like its predecessors, was largely formed out of grassroots organizing efforts that were over a year in the making. In June 2011, "OUR Walmart," a workers advocacy organization supported by and coordinated with store associates from across the country, dispatched "nearly 100 Associates representing thousands of OUR Walmart members from across the United States to the Walmart Home Office in Bentonville, Ark., and presented a Declaration of Respect to Walmart executive management." The Declaration included a list of requests: Listen to us, the Associates; Have respect for the individual; Recognize freedom of association and freedom of speech; Fix the Open Door policy; Pay a minimum of $13/hour and make full-time jobs available for Associates who want them; Create dependable, predictable work schedules; Provide affordable healthcare; Provide every Associate with a policy manual, ensure equal enforcement of policy and no discrimination, and give every Associate equal opportunity to succeed and advance in his or her career; and provide wages and benefits that ensure that no Associate has to rely on government assistance. In November of 2012, merely weeks after Wal-Mart workers took a courageous stand, fast-food workers from McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, Taco Bell and KFC staged protests in various locations around New York City, "demanding $15 an hour in pay and the right to form a union." A few months later, in the spring of 2013, fast food strikes gained momentum with numerous walk-outs across the country. In April, NYC workers - backed by labor, community and religious groups - staged protests at more than five dozen restaurants. Over the course of the next month, similar actions were carried out in Pennsylvania and Chicago. In Chicago, the actions spread from the fast-food industry to retail, with low-wage workers from Macy's, Sears, and Victoria's Secret also participating. On Friday, May 10th, "400 workers at more than 60 fast-food restaurants in the Detroit metro area walked off the job" in what may have been "the largest fast food strike in American history." The Detroit event was significantly effective as it "shut down multiple restaurants entirely, including multiple McDonald's outlets, a Long John Silver's, a Burger King, two Popeye's restaurants, and a KFC." "One McDonald's worker, Jay Robinson, told reporters that when he started at McDonald's over two years ago, he was paid $7.40 an hour,"writes Aaron Petkov for Socialistworker.org. "Robinson has gotten raises since then - and now makes $7.48 an hour." In his efforts to care for himself and a 2-year-old daughter, "It's a day-to-day struggle," he told reporters. "And the owners make millions." At another McDonald's restaurant, "management attempted to avert a shutdown by bringing in replacement workers, but those replacement workers (in a moment of incredible solidarity) then promptly joined the strike." This wave of low-wage labor militancy continued through the summer. On Thursday, August 29th, workers at numerous fast-food chains participated in coordinated strikes in nearly 60 cities nationwide. Citing poverty wages and the need for more rights in the workplace, "a dozen workers didn't show up for their shift at a McDonald's on 8 Mile Road (in Detroit), forcing the closure of the dining room." In Raleigh, N.C., about 30 workers picketed outside a Little Caesars location. One employee, Julio Wilson, expressed the discontent of his peers, saying the $9-an-hour he was paid was not nearly enough to support himself and his 5-year-old daughter. "I know I'm risking my job, but it's my right to fight for what I deserve," Wilson said. "Nine dollars an hour is not enough to make ends meet nowadays." In Indianapolis, "several employees walked off the job from a McDonald's outlet at 16th and Meridian streets." "Most people here have a family to support, and most people here barely make enough to make ends meet,'" employee Dwight Murray said. "We're here today because we feel like McDonald's is a $6 billion entity and it's not unfeasible for them to pay $15 an hour. Corporate Greed, Propaganda, and Union-Busting Despite the obvious needs for livable wages, there is much opposition. Union-busting has become a staple of employee orientations throughout the corporate landscape, with retail giants like Target and Wal-Mart regularly unleashing "aggressive anti-union push (es), and distributing pamphlets and other propaganda to employees." Corporations like Target have become notorious for making employees watch dramatized "training videos" on the so-called "dangers" of unionization in an attempt to convince workers that higher wages, more benefits, and an overall sense of dignity at the workplace would somehow not be good for them. This concerted effort to maintain a grip on poverty wages has led to the formation of intricate networks of union-busting firms that employ corporate lawyers and "anti-union strategists" to offer "continuing education" for business owners and executives. "At these seminars," writes Kim Phillips-Fein, "lawyers and labor relations consultants from the nation's top union-busting law firms come to speak to rapt, intimate groups of executives, advising them on how to beat union election drives, do end runs around the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and decertify unions, all the while hawking their own firms' services." Of course, "union members are expressly banned." To complement this behind-the-scenes movement, corporate mouthpieces like Fox News have taken up the propaganda charge against unions by referring to them as "monopolies" that prevent non-union workers from securing jobs, coining terms like "union thugs" as a fear tactic, displaying video snippets of supposed "union violence," utilizing doublespeak like "right to work" to suggest that accepting low wages is somehow a right that should be fought for, and airing modern-day snake oil salesmen to convince its working class viewers that unions are given extra benefits at their expense. In addition to ideological propaganda, special interest groups, wealthy donors, and Super PACs fueled by the Supreme Court's infamous Citizens United decision - such as Koch Industries PAC - have placed virtual ATMs in Governor's mansions and Congressional offices to ensure political opposition to workers' needs while remaining corporate (and thus profit)-friendly. Starbucks' corporate response to the organizing efforts made by those fateful NYC workers in 2004 was fierce. "Faced with the first serious effort in decades to unionize one of its stores, Starbucks launched what a former worker called 'a scorched-earth campaign' against pro-union employees," reported Josh Harkinson. "The union busting has just been absolutely relentless," says the worker, Daniel Gross, who was fired in 2006 due to his involvement in the initial organizing efforts at the Manhattan store where he worked. The Minneapolis Jimmy John's workers were met with similar tactics, which included bizarre personal attacks from store owners and management through social media. On March 22, 2011, after lobbying for sick days from the restaurant chain, six workers - all of whom were "key figures" in the union organizing efforts - were fired for "defaming the brand and disloyalty to the company." Shortly thereafter, another "pro-union" employee was berated and humiliated on social media by owners and managers, some of whom went as far as posting the employee's personal telephone number on a public Facebook page and asking people to text the employee to "let him know how they feel." An Assistant Manager then posted disparaging personal comments about the pro-union employee, making fun of his appearance and including a picture of the employee for all to see. In addition to these reactive measures deployed by some companies, corporate behemoths like Wal-Mart have relied on proactive union-busting programs for years. In 2007, Washington-based Human Rights Watch released an extensive report accusing the retail giant of "routinely flouting its workers' human rights through a sophisticated strategy of harassing union organizers, discriminating against long-term staff, and indoctrinating employees with misleading propaganda." The report includes examples of "workers forced into unpaid overtime and an alleged strategy of squeezing out long-serving staff who are more costly than low-wage, temporary, younger workers," highlights "elaborate tactics to stop staff from coming together to fight for better conditions," and even describes detailed measures such as "focusing security cameras on areas where staff congregate and shifting around loyal workers in 'unit packing' tactics to ensure votes for union recognition are defeated." The report also found that each store manager, as a part of their training, receives a "manager's toolbox" manual which instructs them on "how to remain free in the event union organizers choose your facility as their next target," and that managers are also given access to and instructed to call a 'union hotline' if they suspect staff are discussing unionization - an action that would deploy corporate specialists from the company's headquarters to "address the situation." The reasons for such opposition are clear. Corporate profits remain at an all-time high because companies are able to pay poverty wages to their employees and rely on government welfare programs to cover the rest (ironically, while also enjoying historically low corporate tax rates ). Additionally, the economic storm that has lingered over the heads of the American working class for the past five years has equaled a virtual paradise for corporate America. Three simple facts highlight this current economic landscape: Corporate profit margins just hit another all-time high as companies are making more per dollar of sales than they ever have before. as companies are making more per dollar of sales than they ever have before. Wages as a percent of the economy just hit another all-time low as companies are paying employees less than they ever have as a share of GDP. as companies are paying employees less than they ever have as a share of GDP. Fewer Americans are working than at any time in the past three decades as companies don't employ as many workers as they used to. As a result, the employment-to-population ratio has collapsed. Maintaining this environment has become a top priority for wealthy investors, the corporations themselves, and the politicians who are funded by both. By gutting the middle class through the destruction of unions (as of 2011, only 11.9% of the American workforce was unionized - a 70-year low) over the past three decades, corporations have enjoyed a relatively clear path towards establishing these beneficial conditions of today - where 20% of the population owns 89% of all "privately held wealth;" and where the top 1% of the population owns 42.1% of all "financial wealth (total net worth minus the value of one's home)." In addition to corporate-friendly policies that became commonplace starting with the Reagan years and continuing through both Bush', Clinton, and now Obama, the emergence of globalization has allowed for the replacement of American workers through the process of offshoring and the subsequent exploitation of extremely impoverished populations of workers abroad. Therefore, this latest surfacing of labor militancy from within the ranks of the domestic, low-wage, service-sector workforce represents the biggest threat - not only in its tangible fight for economic justice in the form of a livable wage, but also in its potentially revolutionary orientation which identifies with the modern working class and, most notably, the working poor - that corporate hegemony has faced within the geographic confines of the U.S. in decades. "If these guys are seen to succeed, it could really light a fire, because the dissatisfaction is unquestionable," labor historian Peter Rachleff explains. "The corporation knows that, and they have a lot of resources [and] plenty of lawyers" to combat these working class movements. Workers' Victories and Building Momentum Despite a well-funded and highly-coordinated opposition, there have been many victories and positive developments along the way. The mere emergence of a new labor resistance - let alone the fact that it has developed from within the low-wage service-sector and from one of the most disenfranchised demographics of the working class - is very encouraging. While some have questioned the roots of the movement and the extent of the involvement of more traditional, hierarchical unions like SEIU (Service Employees International), there is no denying the politicization and sense of empowerment that is being internalized by the involved workers themselves. Considering the near-death of working class consciousness in the U.S., this development simply cannot and should not be underestimated. The infusion of a direct-action model that insists on a worker-controlled approach to labor battles (i.e. the IWW) is certainly a leap forward. And this method has proven effective in more ways than one. On Tuesday, December 28, 2008, NYC Starbucks baristas were vindicated by National Labor Relations Board judge, Mindy E. Landow, when she ruled that Starbucks had "illegally fired three workers and otherwise violated federal labor laws in seeking to beat back unionization efforts at several of its Manhattan cafes" and ordered Starbucks "to pledge to end what she said was discriminatory treatment toward workers who supported the union at four of its Manhattan shops: 200 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, 145 Second Avenue at 9th Street, 15 Union Square East and 116 East 57th Street." Two years later, the IWW Starbucks Workers Union, following a "determined campaign of grassroots actions in Starbucks stores and communities all over the country," secured another victory when the company's corporate office gave in to demands for workers to receive time-and-one-half pay for working on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. "We're deeply moved to have been able in our modest way to increase respect for Dr. King's legacy while ensuring that Starbucks employees who work on his holiday are fairly compensated," said Anja Witek, a Starbucks barista and SWU member in Minnesota. "This is a great example of what baristas and all low-wage workers can achieve by getting organized and taking direct action in support of workplace justice issues." In February of 2012, after a long and drawn-out battle with Jimmy John's, a federal judge ruled the company illegally fired the six employees who had campaigned for sick time, and ordered the company to "reinstate the workers with back pay within 14 days." In a spirited testimony, Erik Forman, one of the fired employees, remarked: "It has already been over a year since we were illegally fired for telling the truth. For all the hard work and dedication of the NLRB's civil servants, employers like Jimmy John's prefer to break the law and drag cases through the courts for years rather than let workers exercise their right to win fair pay, sick days, and respect through union organization. The dysfunctional U.S. labor law system gives Mike and Rob Mulligan (JJ franchise owners) and their cronies in the 1% carte blanche to trample on workers' rights. Jimmy John's workers, and the rest of the 99%, will only be able to win a better life by taking our fight from the courtroom back to the shop floors and the streets." The latest low-wage workers strike, which took place on December 5th across "100 cities through the day," signified, according to the Guardian's U.S. affiliate, "a growing clamour for more action on income inequality." In front of a Walgreen's in downtown Chicago, nearly 200 protestors chanted, "We can't survive on eight-twenty-five…Walgreen's, Walgreen's, you can't hide. We can see your greedy side!" In Washington, D.C., dozens of workers carrying signs singing loudly, "Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way, it's no fun, to survive, on low low low low pay." "In New York City, about 100 protesters blew whistles and beat drums as they marched into a McDonald's chanting "We can't survive on $7.25." This collective outrage has empowered workers while also placing the problem of income inequality back on the public agenda. Major media sources that had barely uttered a word about such inequality in recent decades have now begun to showcase it. The Catholic Church's latest Pope, Francis, has made waves during a near-month-long tirade exposing the flaws of capitalism, recently asking, "How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market drops 2 points?" and referring to the "widening gap between those who have more and those who must be content with the crumbs." And calls for a federal minimum wage increase have gained steam with U.S. Labor Secretary, Thomas Perez, writing on his blog, "To reward work, to grow the middle class and strengthen the economy, to give millions of Americans the respect they deserve - it's time to raise the minimum wage." Though, of course, the Democratic Party's proposal to raise the current rate from $7.25 to $9.00, or even $10.10 in other proposed legislation, would hardly equal a significant change for tens of millions of working poor. Still, despite reformist-based rhetoric from politicians, the agenda is being shaped by the brave workers who have risked all to take a stand. The battle cry "Fight for $15" has stuck. Numerous small and localized labor organization like Detroit 15 - a group of fast-food and retail workers from the Detroit area fighting "for fair wages and the right to form a union without interference" - and Fast Food Forward - a movement of NYC fast-food workers coming together to "build community engagement, hold corporations and their CEOs accountable, and to raise wages so that all Americans can prosper" - have sprung up amidst the movement-at-large, helping to form collaborative efforts with community and religious organizations which possess built-up social capital to be used, and to make the collective decision-making process more accessible to the workers themselves. Socialist candidate, Kshama Sawant, who made the "Fight for $15" cause a key part of her election campaign, made history by winning a seat on the Seattle City Council in November. Sawant's victory was significant not only for working class interests that have been in dire need of a true "left wing" for decades, but also for the fact that her platform was able to pull local Democrats toward a more authentic (though still reformist), left-wing, working-class agenda. As Seattle Times columnist, Danny Westneat, reported: "You can't look at the stagnant pay, declining benefits and third-world levels of income disparity in recent years and conclude this system is working. For Millennials as a group, it has been a disaster. Out of the wreckage, left-wing or socialist economic ideas, such as the 'livable wage' movement in which government would seek to mandate a form of economic security, are flowering." The Future of the American Working Class If you're reading this article, chances are you are a member of the working class - not because the article specifically pertains to your interests but because, by definition, a large majority of us are compelled to work for a wage or salary to survive. The Occupy slogan which may seem a bit hyperbolic on the surface - breaking society into two camps: the 99% and the 1% - is actually not far off. The 99% essentially refers to the working class - those of us who are underemployed, unemployed, making minimum wage, making an hourly wage, working multiple jobs, earning a salary, working as "salaried professionals," working "under-the-table," etc.. In other words, if you weren't born with enough privilege and generational wealth to carry you through life, you are likely working for a wage in some form or another, or would be compelled to do so if left to your own means. Jay Robinson, Julio Wilson, Dwight Murray, and their fellow employees are correct in their estimation: Multi-billion dollar corporations can and should pay their workers a livable wage. Considering how far removed we are from the age-old concept of workers "enjoying the fruits of their labor," a seemingly minimal expectation of earning a livable wage for fulltime work has become a revolutionary notion. But it shouldn't be. This issue is not just a low-wage problem - it's a working class problem. It's a middle class problem. It's a societal problem that destroys living standards for everyone outside of elite circles. And, while it is nowhere near the end-all, be-all of solutions to a toxic system, the premise of "a chain being only as strong as its weakest link" is certainly an improvement over the neoliberal, "greed is good" mantra which has dominated monetary and governmental policy over the past thirty years. For low-wage workers themselves, besides allowing the dignity of "earning a living," a livable wage infuses more expendable income into the economy while allowing for the opportunity to live without a chronic reliance on public assistance. "If you earn your
honored that the Lions thought of the BMB for this opportunity and felt that we should accept the invitation. It’s an amazing opportunity and the game will be broadcast on CBS nationwide! In addition, the Lions expect the game to be sold out with over 70,000 fans in attendance! The itinerary for is not finalized, but kick-off is at 8:25pm. Anyone with class after BMB would need to speak with your professor regarding the possibility of being excused. Pres. Dunn will also communicate with all faculty at WMU explaining this opportunity to showcase the BMB and WMU, and encourage faculty to excuse you from night classes. The tentative plan is to rehearse at 4pm like normal, then load buses and head to Detroit. Dinner will be provided and I am working with the Lions so we can watch some of the game after our performance. At this point I do not know what time we will return to WMU, but I expect it to be after midnight. We will be performing the Sing-Along show, Don’t Stop Believin’ and I Will Survive/Uptown Funk. This is also the show that we will use at the bowl game. In order to prepare we will rehearse – this week as planned. Be sure to bring drill charts for both of the above songs. As I mentioned above, this invitation just came to us and I apologize for the lack of notice. But an opportunity like this is very unusual and worth pursuing when it comes. If you have a serious conflict and cannot resolve it please let me know immediately. I’m hoping that you will recognize the once-in-a-lifetime nature of this opportunity and work to resolve any plans for night that can be rearranged in order to take advantage of this performance opportunity. I will have more details available at practice on and throughout the week. Looking forward to seeing you again at practice, and performing at Ford Field on this huge stage! Dr. Montgomery This kind of invite doesn’t come around every day so the BMB gladly accepted the invite and will be putting on a show in the “D”! Having this opportunity for an extra performance must be an act of fate; especially because the BMB will not be traveling with the football team to the Bahama Bowl. OUR DETROIT HALFTIME SHOW IS: Sing Along With The BMB ( Don’t Stop Believing, I Will Survive, and Uptown Funk) REHEARSAL Journal: Mon 11/30: Here we go! Time to start re-learning the show after a long break. Tue 12/1: The news broke about the bowl game no-go but at least the bad news was delivered by the one and only…. Pres. Dunn! Wed 12/2: Today was our last regular rehearsal before Detroit and the band, guard, twirlers, and drumline were all on point. This show will be my last…ever. There is no better way to close out my colorguard career then performing for 70,000 people at a professional sporting event. I will give an update about how my swan song turns out! Stay Creative!! -theartistwmuBonn headquarters of Deutsche Telekomm, the top foreign influencer of 2013 according to Foreign Agent Registration Data on Sunlight’s new foreign influence tracker. (Photo credit: Wikipedia.de) German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom, which owns the fourth largest U.S. mobile network provider, T-Mobile USA, spent more money lobbying the U.S. government than any other foreign interest in 2013. The $11.8 million budget that Deutsche Telekom reported to the Department of Justice put it at the top of a list that included many American firms, most of them well-known Washington lobbying shops, according an analysis made possible by Sunlight’s newly improved tool for studying records filed under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Our FARA tracker, now housed under Influence Explorer, gives users an unprecedented ability to sort and summarize data heretofore locked into PDFs at the Department of Justice. By hand-entering data from these documents into a structured database, Sunlight has made it possible to readily see and analyze information on how foreign interests are working to influence policy and public opinion in Washington and beyond. Of the remaining top 2013 spenders representing foreign interests, most are lobbying firms with deep roots in Washington. The complete top ten list is below. For purposes of this analysis, we excluded companies or other groups that spent money in the United States and registered as foreign agents but did not lobby the federal government. This includes groups such as tourist bureaus. For a complete list of foreign agents in the United States, click here. Sunlight has completed entry of all the FARA data for 2013. We are now adding data for earlier years to bridge the gap to an earlier FARA database that we built with Pro Publica. When we complete the work, we will have a database of foreign influence records stretching back to 2008. Want to help? Click here. The hard work of data entry will facilitate analysis like the one we did to determine last year’s biggest foreign influence spenders and make it easy to see what these companies did with all that money. Deutsche Telekom’s lobbying included discussions with a number of congressional representatives about the then-pending merger of T-Mobile USA with Metro PCS. That deal became final a year ago. And now, Sprint is reportedly in talks with Deutsche Telekom to merge with T-Mobile. The amount reported by Deutsche Telekom was more than any other foreign entity that lobbied the U.S. government last year, including entire countries and other types of business interests (tourism boards from the Caribbean and economic councils, such as the Korea Economic Institute, etc.) It was also twice as much the $5.2 million the American arm of the company reported spending on lobbying, according to OpenSecrets.org (Note: OpenSecrets refers to T-Mobile USA by its parent company’s name). Deutsche Telekom spokesman Phillip Kornstaedt said T-Mobile’s domestic lobbying expenses are separate from those the parent company reported to the Department of Justice. The difference between what Deutsche Telekom reported to DOJ and what its U.S. subsidiary reported to Congress reveals the value of the data unlocked by our FARA database: Lobbyists working for foreign entities, who report to the Department of Justice, must provide much more detailed information about the work they are doing than do lobbyists for domestic causes and organizations, who report to the Congress. The reports required by FARA include names of people whom the lobbyists met, and all contacts made on behalf of a foreign entity, including meetings with members of the executive branch and individuals who work for private concerns, such as members of the media. For companies like T-Mobile, which have foreign parents, the FARA database can round out the picture of the company’s influence. Deutsche Telekom representatives met with Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., Sens. John Rockefeller, D-W.Va., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, office and staffers for the House Judiciary Committee. They also met with Michael Froman who is now the U.S. Trade Representative, but was then the Assistant to the President of the United States and Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs. Deutsche Telekom’s Kornstaedt confirmed that the meetings with the lawmakers were to discuss the Metro PCS merger. However, he didn’t say whether the meetings with Froman were to discuss the merger as well. A previous attempt by T-Mobile to merge with AT&T was blocked by the U.S. government. That deal was determined to violate anti-trust laws if carried through. Coming tomorrow: More lists and data from Sunlight’s new foreign influence trackerAdvertisement The Wall Street Journal published a story yesterday titled, “More Businesses Want Workers With Math or Science Degrees” that highlights a new STEM skills shortage study. The article states that: Bayer Corp., the U.S. arm of the German chemical and pharmaceutical giant Bayer AG, is due to release a report this week showing that half of the recruiters from large U.S. companies surveyed couldn't find enough job candidates with four-year STEM degrees in a timely manner; some said that had led to more recruitment of foreigners. The shortages were most acute in engineering and computer-related fields, the recruiters said. The survey, completed in August, included 150 recruiters from 117 companies, all on the Fortune 1000 list of large companies. About two-thirds of the recruiters surveyed said their companies were creating more STEM positions than other types of jobs. So, to be clear, half the recruiters in 117 companies (assuming no double counting of recruiters) say that they have trouble hiring STEM workers quickly enough. Oh my, that is terrible! Of course, left unsaid, half of the recruiters surveyed apparently aren't having any such difficulty in their hiring, which sort of undermines the notion that there is much of a shortage. In addition, it's difficult to determine from the WSJ article exactly how much the recruiters were willing to offer in terms of salaries and benefits to those oh-so-hard-to-find STEM workers. Maybe those companies that are complaining about a STEM skill shortage should try emulating Netflix, which is willing pay a little bit extra to get the talent it needs. It doesn't seem to complain about a skills shortage. Or maybe, as this new Ed. D. dissertation from the University of Pennsylvania reported, recruiters are having trouble because "employers have a requirement for experience for new [STEM] hires." The dissertation research found contrary to reports, there "was not a shortage of new STEM graduates in Ohio." Furthermore, the recruiters' decision to recruit foreigners because they couldn't quickly find the right STEM skills in the United States has to be taken with a very large grain of salt as well. As Silicon Valley recruiting company Bright.com admitted over the summer, it could find only a handful of computer-related jobs in the Valley where a skills shortage that might justify hiring guest workers can legitimately be claimed to exist. More details can be found in the Bayer press release and accompanying report which was disclosed during the Bayer-sponsored “debate” being held today in Washington, D.C. to discuss these “shortages” the corporate recruiters are supposedly having. From the skewed questions (e.g., Are unfilled STEM jobs bad for business?) asked the embarrassing small number of recruiters who bothered to answer the survey in the report, it is easy to see that the exercise was all about whipping up support for the notion that the STEM Crisis is not a myth (as I strongly contend) and that more government money needs to be committed to the efforts (of those on the debate panel) to eliminate the terrible STEM skills shortage plaguing the United States. The survey results, by the way, have a +/- 8 percent margin of error at a 95 percent confidence level. Of course, recruiters and their employers have long been whining about students not having the right science and math skills, as can be seen in this previous Bayer report from 1997. Bayer should have just republished it with a 2013 date to save itself some time and money. Interestingly, the most recent Bayer study and its findings sound very similar to a doom and gloom piece printed in American Airlines American Way magazine from 2003 in which was cited a projection by the Bureau of Labor Statistics that the United States would be short 10 million workers by 2010. Funny, that shortage didn’t seem to have happened. Furthermore, the American Way article quoted Norman Maas, at the time the North American senior vice president of human resources for German chemical company BASF, saying that he: ... figures that by 2010 he’ll have to replace about 75 percent of BASF Corporation’s 13 000 workers in North America. What he can’t figure is where he’s going to get them. Especially when it comes to finding large numbers of highly skilled chemical engineers and managers capable of overseeing a diverse, multilingual workforce. As senior vice president of human resources for the $8.2 billion chemical company, Maas is not expecting an easy decade. “The size of the pool gets smaller and smaller, and the demand for those skills gets bigger and bigger," Maas laments. "So you have more companies competing for a smaller and smaller group of talented people.” Hmm … checking BASF’s annual report for North American in 2010 (pdf), the company listed 16 487 employees with a turnover of 11.2 billion euros (or about US $15.3 billion). The 2010 BASF annual report doesn’t mention a skills shortage, but does note: “Like many companies, we are experiencing significant demographic shifts. Many of our employees are potentially approaching retirement; 'next generation' employees are entering the workforce with new expectations and ways of working; and ‘minorities’ are becoming majorities in the pools of talent coming out of colleges and universities and across our customer base. Faced with many changes coming together at the same time, we are taking advantage of once-in-a-generation opportunities to transform our workforce and gain competitive advantages.” So, the dire problem that Maas was concerned with instead actually turned out to be a once-in-a-generation opportunity for BASF; imagine that. I expect that the vast majority of recruiters surveyed in the most recent Bayer report who claim a STEM skill shortage are buying into overly pessimistic spin on finding STEM skills just as Maas did. And of course, what better way to have a built in excuse if you are unsuccessful at hiring new STEM employees or to look like a hero if you are able to overcome the perils of such a dire shortage? Photo: iStockphotoA running theme of Steven Moffat's Doctor Who stories, going back to "Silence in the Library," has been writing that reveals the future. River Song's famous diary was stuffed full of "spoilers" about the Doctor's life, that he must never read. And now, with last night's episode, Moffat revealed what it's actually like to be trapped in a story that's already written. Spoilers ahead... "The Angels Take Manhattan" begins with not one, but two noir detective novels, and ends with the Doctor telling a little girl a fairytale about her own future. It's very much a story about storytelling, which makes it especially too bad that the actual story at the center of it is so dependent on hand-waving and jargon. But I'm getting ahead of myself — something that happens a lot in "Angels Take Manhattan." Advertisement So the first noir detective novel in "Angels" is written by a gumshoe (who starts off saying that half the stories in New York are true, and half "haven't happened yet.") He's hired by a man named Grayle to go to Winter Quay, an apartment block in Battery Park, where "the statues" live. The gumshoe winds up meeting himself as an old man, and realizes he's trapped in Winter Quay. (And yet, he somehow manages to type up this account of his experiences. We even see him typing. Where does he get the typewriter? Also, if he spends decades trapped in Winter Quay in the past, what does he eat? Do the Angels arrange for pizza to be delivered every day? I want to watch a story about the pizza guy who works for the Weeping Angels, and how he gets paid.) The second noir detective novel is written by River Song herself — for reasons that never become clear. (I know, I know, she's "supposed" to write it. But still, why?) River Song describes herself as "packing cleavage that could fell an ox at 20 feet." She's in the late 1930s, playing at being a femme fatale detective, and Rory gets zapped back in time by the Weeping Angels just as she's about to be taken prisoner by Grayle's men. The Doctor and Amy set off to find Rory, but they have trouble landing the TARDIS in 1938 because of temporal distortions — until River gives them a handy landing beacon, by way of a vase in Grayle's office. And this is the last time River's novel is helpful — after this, it's entirely problematic. Advertisement Basically, it's as if River wrote another diary. But this time, instead of keeping it to herself, she sneaks it into the Doctor's pocket in a form that he'll be tempted to read. Sure, it lets him know that Rory has been sent back in time to 1938, and gives him a way to land in spite of the temporal distortions, but there are a million other ways River could have sent the Doctor a message through time. (Or she could have written a novel where the first three chapters are actual events, and the rest are a surreal adventure with the Heffalumps.) Anyway, the rest of "Angels Take Manhattan" is concerned with the perils of seeing your own future, which then becomes fixed and immutable. Amy makes the mistake of looking ahead in River's book, and seeing that River is going to break her wrist. (Actually, all she sees is that the Doctor is going to tell River that she'll break her wrist, which seems like a pretty big loophole.) And as the TARDIS finally leaves 2012 New York, we see that Rory's gravestone is already there. Worst of all, Amy convinces the Doctor to look at just the chapter titles, which include one that alludes to Amy's final farewell. Advertisement At this point, the Doctor is desperate to change the future he's glimpsed in River's book — to the point where he demands that River free herself from the grasp of a Weeping Angel without breaking her wrist. And this leads to the most touching moment of the story by far, where River pretends that she's gotten out without breaking her wrist, and the Doctor is overjoyed. Then it turns out River was just lying, and she's actually hiding horrible agony (although not because she wants the Doctor to feel better, but because she doesn't want him to see her "damage." More on that below.) The Doctor gives up some of his regeneration energy to make River's wrist as good as new. And you start to believe that the Doctor and River really are a married couple, after a fashion. It's a really lovely moment. (Oh, and Grayle turns out to be a collector who's keeping one of the Weeping Angels prisoner, and the other Angels want revenge. But he's basically just there to set things in motion, and then forgotten.) Advertisement So our gang is still chasing Rory, who's been zapped to Winter Quay by this point. And it turns out that Winter Quay is the Weeping Angels' battery farm — instead of just zapping you back in time once and getting one "meal" of temporal energy out of you, they zap you back in time over and over again, so you live your entire life as their prisoner. Which seems like a lot of trouble to go to, especially when they're in a huge city full of potential one-time victims. The Winter Quay setup never entirely makes sense to me, in part due to the "pizza guy" problem I mentioned above. Also, when the Doctor describes it, he refers to the Angels sending Rory back in time 30 or 40 years, which would be a one-time trip — so where do the multiple feedings come in? To make matters worse, Rory meets his older self — at the moment of death, after Old Rory has apparently spent decades alone and trapped. Old Rory says goodbye to Young Amy, mostly just saying "please" over and over again, and it's a pretty depressing, miserable sight. Is Rory doomed to act out the horrible future he's just seen? Or can he change it? The Doctor theorizes that if Young Rory escapes from Winter Quay, then the resulting paradox might be enough to give the Weeping Angels indigestion, and kill or weaken them all. Advertisement (Oh, and at this point, they're chased by the Statue of Liberty. Which presumably gets to advance a few feet per hour, because that's how often people wouldn't be staring at the fact that the Statue of Liberty is walking around. But never mind — its a cute idea, and it's great to see a years-old Internet meme about the Statue of Liberty being a Weeping Angel come to life.) Advertisement But Rory goes one better — he realizes that he can kill himself as a young man, by throwing himself off the roof of Winter Quay, and then there'll definitely be a paradox, since he's died on the same day as a young man and as an old man. Amy tries to talk him out of it, but he says "Amy, please. If you love me, then trust me and push." And now, at last, Amy gets to do something as extreme as waiting 2000 years in a Roman Centurion costume or blowing up a Cyber-fleet to prove her love: She gets up on the ledge with Rory and they commit time-suicide together. And that's another lovely moment, where Amy repeats what River said earlier, about marriage being about "changing the future." And then they're back in the graveyard in 2012 where we saw Rory's headstone. And yay, it seems like they succeeded and it's all good, and the Angels are defeated — but Rory sees his own headstone, and it's like temporal groundhog day. (In both senses of "groundhog day," I guess.) Rory almost instantly gets thrown back in time by yet another Weeping Angel — and by coincidence he's once again been sent back to 1938 New York, where the TARDIS can never again go because "the timelines are so scrambled" by the paradox that Amy and Rory created when they committed time-suicide. Advertisement Amy chooses to go with the same Angel that zapped Rory back in time, on the theory that it might send her to the same timezone it sent Rory to. The Doctor begs her not to, saying that she's creating "fixed time," and he will never be able to see her again. And anyway, if she just gets into the TARDIS with him they can figure something out. But River tells Amy to go for it, because it's her best shot. Amy tells River to look after the Doctor, and then tells the Doctor, "Raggedy man, goodbye." And then she's zapped back. Advertisement And here's where I have another big problem with the story — I get that the Doctor can't take the TARDIS back to 1938 New York because of the crossed timelines. But why can't he go to 1939 New York? Or 1940 New York? The Ponds could wait around a year or two, before he manages to come get them. Just how far does this timey wimey distortion stretch? We know the Doctor's able to land the TARDIS during World War II, because we've seen him do it a billion times, and this show would have a hard time swearing off World War II stories forever. So what happens to Amy and Rory should be, at worst, a major inconvenience, akin to what happens to the Doctor and Martha in "Blink." I don't get why it's goodbye forever. (Oh but what about the gravestone, you say? Simple. Bribe a grave digger to put a gravestone with Amy's and Rory's names on it next to an empty grave. Problem solved.) Advertisement Which leads to a more global problem with the famous Steven Moffat "timey wimey" obsession — at this point, it feels as though he's telling stories about plot devices, rather than using the plot devices to tell a story. So much of "Angels Take Manhattan" consists of people geeking out about arbitrary rules, there's very little time left to have an adventure. There were points during this episode when I felt like I was watching Star Trek: Voyager and people were yelling about temporal distortions and spatial anomalies. Good science fiction is about people, not about jargon — and Moffat has gotten dangerously caught up in his love affair with widgets. I also feel like someone should make a "Moffat Bingo Card" that includes things like people jumping off tall buildings (or out of spaceships) and surviving. (Plus all the other Moffat tropes that have been remarked on before.) Advertisement But anyway, back to "Angels Take Manhattan." There's another theme running through it, about the fact that the Doctor doesn't really age and his companions do — which is one reason he's always trading them in for a younger model. Amy is wearing reading glasses and getting visible lines around her eyes, because she's ten years older than when she started traveling in the TARDIS. And later, when she pretends not to have broken her wrist, River tells Amy that when you travel with an ageless god, you "try not to let him see the damage." At the same time, after Amy is gone, River tells the Doctor, "Don't travel alone." But she won't be the one to travel with the Doctor full-time, because "one psychopath per TARDIS" should be the rule. (Which means, in turn, that whatever special definition of "psychopath" has been used to label River Song in the past, it also describes the Doctor, who's usually sweet and noble and self-sacrificing.) Advertisement And then River tells the Doctor that she'll send the "Melody Malone" detective novel to Amy to publish, and she'll get Amy to write an afterword for the Doctor to read. Leading the Doctor to run and find the last page of the book, which he previously discarded in Central Park because he hates endings. Amy, too, tells the Doctor that he shouldn't be alone. And that she and Rory will love him for all time — which is another sweet moment, as the Doctor reads the last page, using Amy's reading glasses. And Amy asks the Doctor one last favor, which he grants: He goes back to the garden where Amy, as a child, is waiting for the Doctor to come back. And he tells her a fairy-tale story of her adventures (thus bringing us back to the "fairy tale" them the Amy era started with) in which, notably, Amy is the hero who fights pirates and falls in love with an epic hero, and gives "hope to the greatest painter who ever lived." Thus, instead of being obsessed with making up stories over the Raggedy Doctor, young Amelia can grow up thinking of stories about herself being an adventurer. She can be the hero of her own story, thanks to her future self. (And then, the Doctor pops out of existence, because by telling Young Amelia a different fairytale, he's caused her to stop obsessing about the tale of the man who ran away from home in a box that was old, new, borrowed and blue, which was the only thing that saved him from being erased from time, back in "The Big Bang.") Advertisement Actually, speaking of "The Big Bang," that's the one where the Doctor tells Young Amelia that "we're all stories in the end." And in a sense, "Angels Take Manhattan" is about what it means to be a story — and how too much awareness that you're in a story can seal your own ending. Amy's fate is sealed the moment the Doctor glimpses the last chapter title. (Which is why he chides himself, "Never do that again" in the graveyard.) Moffat writes a lot of adventures about things that change when you're not looking at them — but your own life story, like the Angels, is something that becomes fixed in stone when you gaze upon it. Advertisement In any case, I did like the fact that this was an adventure that was all about storytelling, in which being trapped in a story that's already written is the worst fate imaginable — but the consolation prize for Amy losing the Doctor is to be told a story about her own future. And tucked away in all this stuff about the perils of having your life written down is a huge revelation: the Doctor's been going around erasing any mention of himself from the universe, so that River was pardoned for killing a man who didn't exist. "Didn't you used to be somebody?" River asks the Doctor playfully. "Weren't you the woman who killed the Doctor?" he responds. "Doctor who?" she says, making this the third time the show's title has been asked as a question lately. Because like the chapter titles in River's book, Moffat is saying we can learn something from the title of the Doctor's own grand story. Oh, and apparently in the Whoniverse, the Detroit Lions just won the Superbowl. And that's much better than their real-life record. Is Doctor Who giving us all one huge spoiler for this year's football season?Lipton Workers Vote to Unionize: “Everyone just got tired of it” The organizing drive came after years of declining benefits—loss of sick pay, supplemental time off and a downgrade in insurance coverage considered too expensive for what it offered. (UFCW Local 400/ Facebook) Juanita Hart has worked as an operator at the Lipton Tea manufacturing plant in Suffolk, Virginia, for 25 years. She’s seen a lot of change in that time, but nothing like what happened last month. “I was crying like I had won the lottery,” Hart told In These Times. I was so glad and I was so happy because I’ve been told for all this time, all these years, that it would never happen. And when it happened, I had so much joy that all I could do (was) cry.” She was talking about workers’ decision to join a union. They voted, 108-79, in an election held by the National Labor Relations Board on August 26. More than 200 workers at the plant, which makes nearly all of the Lipton Tea sold in North America, will now be represented by United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400. The organizing drive came after years of declining benefits—loss of sick pay, supplemental time off and a downgrade in insurance coverage considered too expensive for what it offered. “We’re hoping that maybe we can get some of this back,” says Robert Davis, another 25-year veteran at the Lipton plant. “I don’t know if we will or not. We would like to try.” Another important issue that affected most workers was what is alleged to be forced overtime work, also known as “drafting.” Workers at the Suffolk site have been known to work a routine of 12-hour shifts for 13 days before getting a day off. In These Times reached out to company representatives for comment on the campaign and the issues behind it. They did not immediately respond. “They tried to, attempted to talk to them and they just turned a deaf ear toward us. And it’s just like we were robots and what they said went. It was not going to change and we had to do it or we could leave,” says Davis. “The employees just—they became so disgusted with what was going on and everyone just got tired of it.” Workers at the plant approached UFCW Local 400 in June. “The workers were the ones who took ownership of it from the very beginning,” says Kayla Mock, an organizer with Local 400. “They very clearly understood that their union was something that they needed to build, almost like a tangible thing, and they built it from the ground up—they just owned it.” Another important factor in the campaign was the fact that Lipton’s parent company, the international behemoth Unilever, was seen as treating its unionized workers far better in other locations. At a Hellmann’s plant in Chicago that is organized with the UFCW, for example (the Hellmann’s mayo brand is another Unilever property), overtime pay is much more immediate and a health care plan similar to the one offered to the Suffolk workers is half as expensive. A conference call between the workers at the Hellmann’s plant and those at the Lipton one helped spread the word of the benefits of union representation. The campaign wasn’t the first time that organizing was attempted at the plant in Suffolk. In recent years, Hart says, workers’ efforts were met with resistance by those in charge. “Every time it would be—someone said the word ‘organizing’ or ‘union,’ any of those kinds of words were used, the next thing you know we were called into a meeting and we were shown a film about how disruptive it would be to have a union,” she says. But now, after years of decreased benefits and a near-$100 million upgrade of the Lipton facility, pro-union workers have finally carried the day. “Top reason to me why people aren't afraid anymore (is) because they're fed up,” says Hart. “When you strip the person of their dignity, and you have no respect for the person, and you’ve taken away what they feel, their self-worth … that’s when you stop being afraid.”Ever since its 2011 launch, PlayStation Vita's security has remained relatively intact. We've seen a bunch of PSP emulator exploits, and around a year ago, a native Vita exploit was released for an older firmware that required the unit tethered to a PC. Now, hacking collective Team Molecule has released a new exploit that fully unlocks the full power of the Vita hardware for homebrew developers. Dubbed HENkaku, the exploit is preposterously simple to install. Just ensure that you are running the latest firmware 3.60, then visit a specially prepared website to activate the exploit. The injected code removes the Vita's file system from its sandbox and allows users to access it via FTP. From there, homebrew packages can be transferred across and run on the unit. The exploit also works on the PlayStation TV/Vita TV micro-console, and the open access to the file system means that the ability to whitelist all titles has now returned, meaning that games which were bizarrely locked out - including Sony's own, some of which worked great - can now once again run. Other applications include the ability for developers to create homebrew apps that overclock elements of the Vita at a level that's inaccessible to game developers. Various emulators are available right now, along with a Vita port of id software's classic Doom. The SNES emulator appears to run all titles - bar SuperFX games - at full speed. Right now, there isn't much to play with homebrew-wise, aside from a Vita version of Doom and a smattering of emulators, but it's expected that the release of HENkaku will see this situation change rapidly. Any such exploit opens the door to piracy, and while there are no anti-DRM measures in the package, Team Molecule accepts the possibility that pirated commercial games may well happen. "It does not let you install or run Vita 'backups', warez, or any pirated content," says developer Yifan Lu. "It does not disable any DRM features. It does not let you decrypt encrypted games. Here's my stance on this: I do not care one way or the other about piracy. I do not judge people who do pirate. I will not act as the police for pirates. However, I will personally not write any tools that aid in piracy. It is my choice just as it is the pirate's choice to steal content."Environmentalists and locals in the Mekong provinces have every right to be concerned over the navigational plan for the Mekong River, being pushed by China, which wants to use the river to ship goods from Yunnan to Luang Prabang in Laos. Under the plan, islets and rocks in the international river will be blasted to pave the way for large 500-tonne ships to cruise the waterways, which is prompting fears over the ecological impacts on the river. Running through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam over a total distance of 4,880km, the Mekong, known in Chinese as the Lancang River, is a lifeline for over 60 million people in the lower Mekong basin. The plan, focusing initially on a distance of 890km, was approved by the Prayut Chan-o-cha government at the end of last year as a framework to ensure safety in water transport along the river. The cabinet, which assigned the Marine Department to follow up on the plan, also gave the green light to making initial navigation improvements to the river, including surveys and other plans to move the project forward. This week, the government sent state officials to a meeting of the Joint Committee in Coordination of Commercial Navigation on the Lancang-Mekong River (JCCCN) in Mandalay where the framework for the study and survey, as well as its design will be discussed. Prime Minister Prayut, in defending the plan to the media, dismissed the public's concerns and said there would be a study on the feasibility as well as an environmental impact assessment (EIA). His stance, however, appeared to favour navigation over the river's ecology. At one point, the prime minister questioned if fishermen could continue their livelihoods as the river has been enormously degraded, saying the water was "barely enough". This only deepens the worries of locals and environmentalists. Their suspicion is valid given that the feasibility and EIA study will be conducted by China which will later provide the documents for other member countries, namely Laos, Myanmar and Thailand, to consider. As the regional giant, it is feared that China is in a position to manipulate and push the controversial plan forward. It should also be noted that there is no legal mechanism to include other member countries in the EIA study process, while the role of the public, as well as those who will be adversely affected by the plan, especially fishermen, will be nil. Needless to say, China, as an upstream country, stands to benefit from better navigation while putting the river's biodiversity at risk. Environmentalists insist that the location for the blasting is an important ecosystem and serves as a breeding ground for fish. However, it is well-known that the river's ecology is not a major concern for Beijing, which in past years has exploited the Mekong with a series of dams blamed for floods and drought for those who are downstream, including Thailand. Instead of challenging the public and academics, the government should take this opportunity to use its information and concerns to counter the unfair demands being pushed by China with its contentious plan. The loss of the river's rich diversity would hurt food safety and this is simply not acceptable. Thus, the government should open up and ensure transparency in the decision-making process, and be brave enough to choose diversity before navigation which will better serve and benefit its much larger neighbour.Share zoom button With his Ritual Calendar, Ini Archibong seeks to celebrate daily routines. His freestanding monolithic sculpture, carved from Absolute Black granite, is inspired by dolmens, altars and tribal artifacts. Produced by marble specialist Testi, the vessel holds 31 individual totems, finely crafted from Creole Beige marble and designed to fit into a pocket and be pleasing to touch. Every day of the month, a new totem is taken out of the calendar and carried in a pocket for the day, before being put back in place at night: a welcome reminder throughout the day to remain mindful. ‘Daily habits are rituals, almost like prayers to the gods of your choosing,’ says Archibong. ‘Some of these habits can be reinforced by added mindfulness, and by creating a means to facilitate this mindfulness,
and Deployment). Installing this hotfix rollup pack partially invalidates several hotfixes. This happens because not all fixes in these hotfixes are included in the hotfix rollup pack. Obtain or request the corresponding replacement hotfixes for any invalidated fixes you require. List of invalidated hotfixes On some Citrix XenApp servers, silent installation of hotfix rollup packs can fail and installation with UI can display the following error message: "Operation could not be completed (error 0x00000002)." If you are affected by this issue, see Knowledge Center article CTX133014 for more information. After uninstalling this hotfix rollup pack from servers with the Universal Print Server Client installed, you must run a Repair on the Universal Print Server Client in order for the client to function properly. This is necessary because uninstalling this hotfix rollup pack causes the UPD driver binaries to be reverted to previous hotfix rollup pack level instead of the base installation level of the Universal Print Server Client. New Fixes and Enhancements in This Hotfix Rollup Pack This hotfix rollup pack introduces the following fixes that have not been previously released: End User Experience Monitoring If the registry value HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Citrix\Logon\DisableStatus is enabled (Value=1), the End User Experience Monitoring (EUEM) metrics of Profile Load Server Duration and Login Script Execution Server Duration might be missing. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LA5764] IMA Service The IMA Service might cause very high CPU usage if there are large numbers of worker groups. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC1224] This fix addresses a memory issue in an underlying component. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC0953] Keyboard Switching mouse pointer buttons on the server from right hand click to left hand click (Control Panel > Mouse > Switch primary and secondary buttons) does not take effect in user sessions. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC0190] Mouse input can be intermittently lost within the session. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC0632] Printing When roaming to a different user device, an incorrect printer might be set as the default session printer. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC0225] This fix addresses an issue that prevents the following printers from being mapped into Receiver for Linux user sessions: Epson-LQ-1050 Epson PLQ-20 To enable this fix, you must set the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Citrix\ICA\PrintingSettings Name: AllowPrinterMappingByName Type: REG_DWORD Data: 1 [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC0389] This fix addresses the following issues with Windows Photo Viewer in scenarios where the "Auto-create generic universal printer" policy is enabled and the "Universal driver preference" is set to XPS: Clicking OK after changing printer settings on the Settings page can cause Windows Photo Viewer to exit unexpectedly. The 600 x 600 and 1200 x 1200 dpi options are not available. Selecting Landscape orientation results in reverse portrait. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC0149] The Citrix Print Manager Service (CpSvc.exe) might exit unexpectedly. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC1090] The Citrix Print Manager Service (CpSvc.exe) process might exit unexpectedly. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC0292] Seamless Windows Seamless published instances of Microsoft Excel can experience screen flicker. Keyboard focus can also be lost to applications running locally. After installing this fix, you must create the following registry key and then the following two values: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Citrix\wfshell\TWI\XLMAIN Name: ClassName Type: REG_SZ Data: XLMAIN Name: Type Type: REG_DWORD Data: 0x00000808 [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC0401] Server/Farm Administration This fix addresses a stability issue with Special folder redirection and file names that contain more than 205 characters. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC0719] With "Multi-Stream" policy enabled, the clipboard data transfer from the server to the user device might take a long time. You can create the following registry key to change the default server output bandwidth to a greater value: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\Wds\icawd Name: InitialOutputSpeed Type: REG_DWORD Value: 10000 â 1000000 (10KB/s - 1000KB/s; recommended value: 300000) [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC0390] Custom administrators that have all permissions cannot remove an offline server from the farm and receive an access denied error message when running the PowerShell command, "Remove-XAServer". [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC0752] Even with the "Health Monitoring and Recovery" policy set to "Prohibit logons and connections to the server," logon and connection attempts might succeed. When that happens, the event log shows an error indicating that "the system cannot find the file specified." With this fix, logon and connection attempts are rejected as expected and an information type event is logged, indicating that the action "Prohibit logons and connections to server" was processed correctly. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LA5933] Attempts to enumerate applications can fail if the trust relationship between domains changes while servers that belong to the farm are shut down. Attempts to log on using a UPN succeed, but attempts using a down-level logon name fail. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC1136] Attempts to check Load Evaluator settings can fail and the following error occurs: System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException (0x80004005): Error HRESULT E_FAIL has been returned from a call to a COM component. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC0359] This fix addresses a memory issue in an underlying component. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC0800] This fix addresses a memory issue in an underlying component. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC0732] Session/Connection When the user device resumes from a sleep state, users receive two logon prompts: the first prompt to connect to Windows and the second prompt to connect to the Receiver session. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC0850] If the "Mobile Experience" policy is enabled in XenApp 6.5, when users connect with Receiver for iOS, the following error message appears when users log off: "There was a problem logging off. Please contact the help desk for assistance." [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC0628] Attempts to reconnect to an active session on the server might fail. With the application instance limit set to "1," attempts to open another session can fail and the user must either log off or disconnect from the existing session to be able to reconnect or to be able to start a new session. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC1084] After configuring Excelhook as described in Knowledge Center article CTX133198, in sessions where both Microsoft Excel and Microsoft VB for Applications are running, the following issues can occur: The main Excel window remains in the foreground even when the VB for Applications window has focus. Closing the VB for Applications window also closes the main Excel session. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC0398] Server to client content redirection fails for URLs that start with "url" and end with a port number appended, for example: http://urlmyoffice.company.com:443, as well as for URLs that contain the "#" and/or "?" symbols. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC0148] After copying a file to a mapped client drive, the remaining disk space on the mapped drive can be calculated and displayed incorrectly. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LA4799] If the "File redirection bandwidth limit" and "Overall session bandwidth limit" policies are set, the session might exit unexpectedly. In order to address the issue, you must install both a server update that contains Fix #LA5925, plus Receiver for Windows 4.1.200 or later, and then set the following registry key on the server: Create the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\picadm\Parameters Name: DisableHighThroughput Type: REG_DWORD Value: 1 Change the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\picadm\Parameters Name: MaxNetCommands Type: REG_DWORD Value: <Set to a smaller value> [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LA5925] The winlogon.exe process might exit unexpectedly on twi3.dll when logging off from a Remote Desktop (RDP) session. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC0793] Attempts to reconnect to a disconnected session can fail and a new session starts instead of the original session. The issue occurs when the "Restrict Remote Desktop Services users to a single remote session" setting is enabled. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC0201] After installing Hotfix XA650R04W2K8R2X64008, existing icons that worked correctly with earlier versions of XenApp might be reported as corrupt. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC1081] Session sharing can fail intermittently. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC1184] When launching a published application, the following error message can appear on the user device: "The Citrix server is unable to process your request to start this published application at this time. Please try again later. If the problem persists, contact your administrator." Background: It can take some time for the wfshell process to finish checking application properties before launching the application. Depending on network conditions, the request can timeout before the check is complete and the error message appears. This fix introduces support for the following registry key that allows you to delay the timeout of the application properties check to up to four minutes: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Citrix\ICAST Name: WaitTimeOutValue TYPE: REG_DWORD Value: <desired timeout delay, in milliseconds. Default: 12000; max value supported: 240000> [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC0860] Smart Cards After authenticating using Citrix Receiver for Linux while a smart card is present in the reader attached to the endpoint, the session can become unresponsive. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC0982] After logging on to a server using a smart card, the server can become unresponsive at the Welcome screen and refuse to accept new sessions. Restarting the Smart Card Service resolves the issue and the server continues to accept new sessions. Configuring the following registry keys might not be necessary if fix #LA0983 is already installed and you configured the registry settings during the previous hotfix installation. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Citrix\SmartCard Name: TransactionTimeoutEnable Type: REG_DWORD Value: 1 (enable) HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Citrix\SmartCard Name: TransactionTimeoutValue Type: REG_DWORD Value: <any value more than 5 seconds> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Citrix\SmartCard Name: SendRecvTimeout Type: REG_DWORD Value: Minimum time-out value, in seconds; should be 30 seconds or more. Any lesser value defaults to 30 seconds. This value should be at least 10 seconds more than the "TransactionTimeoutValue." [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC0910] System Exceptions The Citrix XML Service can fail unexpectedly. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC0548] The operating system experiences an error on picadm.sys and a blue screen appears with bugcheck code 0x00000022. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC0483] The operating system experiences an error on picadm.sys and a blue screen appears. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC0623] The Citrix Print Manager Service (CpSvc.exe) process might exit unexpectedly. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC0427] The IMA Service fails when an Oracle data store becomes unavailable. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LA5927] When launching a published application or desktop, the Windows Logon User Interface (LogonUI.exe) or the explorer.exe process might exit unexpectedly on icaendpoint.dll if the Citrix Audio Redirection Service fails to start. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC1167] The operating system experiences an error on picadm.sys and a blue screen appears. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC0796] On systems with Fix #LA3304 (included in XA650R01W2K8R2X64017 and its replacement hotfixes) installed, the Citrix Smart Card Service might exit unexpectedly. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LA4234] The Citrix XTE Server service (XTE.exe) can exit unexpectedly. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC0759] Universal Print Server If you install any of Hotfix Rollup Packs 1 through 4 after installing the Universal Print Server client, session printer enumeration can take an excessive amount of time. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LA5977] User Interface This fix addresses the following issues with the way applications are represented in the Receiver for Windows taskbar: Individual applications can display the default Receiver icon instead of the application-specific icon. When multiple applications are running in the same session, they can appear grouped under a single, default Receiver icon. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC1181] Miscellaneous This fix updates an internal component of XenApp. [From XA650W2K8R2X64R05][#LC0942] Fixes from Hotfixes Released and Replaced since Hotfix Rollup Pack 4 This hotfix rollup pack also contains all fixes included in Hotfix Rollup Pack 1, Hotfix Rollup Pack 2, Hotfix Rollup Pack 3, Hotfix Rollup Pack 4, plus the following fixes that shipped since the release of Hotfix Rollup Pack 4: This fix contains a custom software solution. [From XA650R03W2K8R2X64027][#LC0539] When reconnecting to a session from a different client device, AppCenter does not update the "Client Address" field for the session to reflect the address of the current client. [From XA650R04W2K8R2X64001][#LC0295] Password protected screen savers are not invoked in sessions using the Receiver for iOS through StoreFront with session sharing enabled. [From XA650R04W2K8R2X64002][#LC0220] In sessions on systems with Fix #LA5282 (first included in XA650W2K8R2X64R04 - XenApp 6.5 Hotfix Rollup Pack 4) installed, clicking URLs from within a published application can cause the winlogon.exe process to exit unexpectedly. As a result, the published application disconnects. [From XA650R04W2K8R2X64002][#LC0523] Attempts to reconnect to a locked published desktop session can fail with the following error message: "Connection Error: The Citrix server has reached its concurrent application limit for this application. Please contact your System Administrator." When this occurs, a new session starts in addition to the existing session. [From XA650R04W2K8R2X64003][#LC0158] The Service Host (svchost.exe) process that is registered with Remote Desktop Services might exit unexpectedly. [From XA650R04W2K8R2X64003][#LC0268] XenApp 6.5 Enhancement #LA1943 (included in XA650R01W2K8R2X64090 and its replacement hotfixes) allows session roaming even for applications whose application limit is set to 1. As a result, users can connect to an existing session from a different client device. While that behavior is the very purpose of the enhancement, it effectively ignores the application limit when set to 1. This new enhancement allows you to toggle the availability of the functionality introduced by #LA1943 by setting the following registry key: Name: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Citrix\Policies\DisplayInstanceLimitWarningOnActiveSessionRoaming Type: REG_DWORD Data: 1 (prohibit session roaming); 0 (or not set - allow session roaming) [From XA650R04W2K8R2X64003][#LC0474] This fix addresses a memory issue in an underlying component. [From XA650R04W2K8R2X64004][#LA5765] The operating system experiences an error on picadm.sys and a blue screen appears with bugcheck code 0x00000022. [From XA650R04W2K8R2X64005][#LA5217] The operating system experiences an error on picadm.sys and a blue screen appears with bugcheck code 0x00000022 (FILE_SYSTEM). [From XA650R04W2K8R2X64005][#LC0289] When reconnecting to a session, if the drive on the user device is hidden through a configured Microsoft Group Policy, the drives from the previous session appear incorrectly. [From XA650R04W2K8R2X64005][#LC0387] User sessions might stall in a disconnected state during log off. As a result, the sessions cannot be closed and you cannot restart the server. [From XA650R04W2K8R2X64005][#LC0399] In sessions running on servers with Fix #LA1075 (first included in XA650W2K8R2X64R03 - XenApp 6.5 Hotfix Rollup Pack 3) installed, the automatic creation of session printers can take a long time (up to five minutes). [From XA650R04W2K8R2X64006][#LC0298] The following Error 1003 occurs when attempting to use the Receiver for HTML5 with StoreFront after setting the ICA Listener to listen to a specific network adapter: "Citrix Receiver cannot reach the server." The error occurs because the server no longer listens to 127.0.0.1:1494 (default) when you configure the ICA Listener to listen on a specific adapter. After installing this fix and restarting the server, verify that the following parameter is present in the httpd.config file at C:\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\XTE\conf, or add it otherwise: #HTML5 Configuration Listen 8008 <VirtualHost :8008> WsProtocol On WsTrustedOrigin WsHandshakeTimeout 100000 WsSpecifiedIcaLocalAddress <Your specified IP> <Location /destination/icaws> Order Allow,Deny Allow to <Your specified IP> < /Location> </VirtualHost> #Citrix_End [From XA650R04W2K8R2X64007][#LC0349] The presence of a corrupted icon among published applications can cause: Application enumeration on Web Interface to fail The XML Service on the XML Broker to become unresponsive After applying this fix, applications published with a corrupted icon enumerate with the default exclamation point icon. [From XA650R04W2K8R2X64008][#LA5230] The Citrix Smart Card Service might cause very high CPU usage. To correct this issue, restart the Citrix Smart Card Service. [From XA650R04W2K8R2X64009][#LA5919] When setting a published application to run in non-seamless mode as described in Knowledge Center article CTX116357, and then starting multiple instances of the published application, all the published instances of the application run on one server instead of providing load balancing among servers. To enable the fix, perform the following steps: In the Default.ica file located on the Web Server in the inetpub\wwwroot\Citrix\XenApp\conf folder, in the [Application] section, set "TWIDisableSessionSharing=On," "TWIMode=Off," "DesiredHRES=1024," and "DesiredVRES=768" if these settings are missing. After installing the fix, add the following lines to the "getLaunchOverrideFromOverrideData" function in the file inetpub\wwwroot\Citrix\XenApp\app_code\PagesJava\com\citrix\wi\pages\site\ LaunchShared.java under ICAFile icaFile = getOverrideICA(wiContext, null, locale) line: String[] appIdParts = Strings.split(appId, '.') appId = appIdParts[appIdParts.length - 1] [From XA650R04W2K8R2X64010][#LA5823] The "Automatic keyboard display" on mobile devices (such as iOS and Android) appears unexpectedly during screen transition in the Microsoft Silverlight web application. [From XA650R04W2K8R2X64011][#LC0499] On servers with Hotfix Rollup Pack 3 or 4 installed, Remote Desktop Services can exit unexpectedly on XenApp 6.5 servers that act as XML Brokers. [From XA650R04W2K8R2X64012][#LC0440] This fix addresses CDF handle leaks in the IMA Service. [From XA650R04W2K8R2X64012][#LC0662] With the application instance limit set to "1," attempts to restart an application from a disconnected session can fail and a new session might start. This is caused by an Automatic Client Reconnect attempt that sets the wrong value for the internal session state for reconnections. [From XA650R04W2K8R2X64013][#LC0259] Occasionally, user sessions might become unresponsive and can fail to log off. This also occurs if users log off manually from the console. [From XA650R04W2K8R2X64014][#LC0472] The operating system experiences an error on picaser.sys and a blue screen appears with bugcheck code 0x0000000A. [From XA650R04W2K8R2X64015][#LC0222] The Citrix XTE Server might fail to accept new connections if the internal connection counter keeps increasing and reaches the upper bound. As a result, attempts to launch published applications through the Citrix XTE Server fail. [From XA650R04W2K8R2X64016][#LA5945] The Citrix Print Manager Service (CpSvc.exe) process might exit unexpectedly. [From XA650R04W2K8R2X64017][#LC0675] Time zone synchronization might not work with published Java applications in sessions running on non-English Windows 7 user devices when the option "Allow time zone redirection" is enabled. The issue occurs because the GetDynamicTimeZoneInformation API cannot return the time zone information to the Receiver session. On international language user devices, set the system locale to the same language as the language pack. Note: This fix does not address the issue for Russian time zones. [From XA650R04W2K8R2X64019][#LC0807] With client drive mapping enabled, unexpected characters are occasionally appended to the end of files written by a published VB application using the FileStream() function. [From XA650R04W2K8R2X64021][#LC0815] Fixes from Earlier Hotfix Rollup Packs This hotfix rollup pack also includes all fixes contained in the hotfix rollup packs it replaces. For a list of fixes included in each of the replaced hotfix rollup packs, see the corresponding Knowledge Center articles: Replaced Hotfix Rollup Pack Knowledge Center Article XA650W2K8R2X64R01 CTX132122 XA650W2K8R2X64R02 CTX136248 XA650W2K8R2X64R03 CTX138537 XA650W2K8R2X64R04 CTX140111 Installing and Uninstalling This Hotfix Rollup Pack Notes: See the Known Installation/Uninstallation Issues section for known install behaviors and their workarounds. This hotfix rollup pack might or might not prompt you to restart the server when the installation is complete. If you are using the AppCenter, you must restart the server after installing this hotfix rollup pack to ensure that it is added to or removed from the console's hotfix inventory list. To install this hotfix rollup pack: Copy the hotfix rollup pack to an empty folder on the hard drive of the server you want to update. Close all applications. Run the executable. Restart the server. If you are using the AppCenter, restart the server to ensure the hotfix rollup pack is added to the console's hotfix inventory list. Symbols Files Location (For use only when instructed by Citrix Technical Support) XA650W2K8R2X64R05 Symbols for Windows Server 2008 R2 Files Updated (All Dates/Times UTC)A Regime We Can Trust When Muammar al-Qaddafi assumed power in Libya in 1969 by means of a military coup d’état, he seemed intent on cultivating the status of international pariah: He banned all political opposition, loudly advocated sweeping Islamist ideologies that demanded the reordering of the international system, picked territorial fights with neighbors, and supported terrorists from the Irish Republican Army to the Palestine Liberation Organization. If his goal was to isolate himself and his country, Qaddafi was largely successful in his first three decades as head of state, even earning comprehensive U.N. economic sanctions. But if Qaddafi never admitted the error of his ways, he eventually learned how to minimize the effect his erratic personality and repressive political inclinations had on his regime’s pursuit of stable relations with the rest of the world. By the time Qaddafi renounced the pursuit of weapons of mass destruction in 2004, the international community was eager to begin patching up relations. Qaddafi made up for his years of solitude with a number of high-profile trips to Europe, as well as to the U.N. — though the lingering effects of isolation expressed themselves in his sometimes bizarre behavior and statements. Once interpreted as signs of pathology, Qaddafi’s eccentricities were redefined as mere personality quirks. But now that Qaddafi’s brutality has returned full force — with his giving orders in recent days for indiscriminate attacks on protesters throughout Libya — there are more than a few in the West who may wish they can forget these past several years’ worth of photo ops. British Prime Minister Tony Blair Britain traditionally has had fraught relations with Qaddafi’s regime: Not only was the 1988 Lockerbie bombing perpetrated on British territory, but in 1984 a London police officer was killed in St. James Square, apparently by Libyan Embassy personnel shooting into a crowd of protesters (though the subsequent investigation was forestalled by Tripoli’s invocation of diplomatic immunity). So it was particularly controversial in Britain when then-Prime Minister Tony Blair arranged to visit Qaddafi in February 2004, declaring, “It does not mean forgetting the pain of the past, but it does mean recognizing it’s time to move on.” In fact, Blair chose to make Libya’s opening to the West — and its continued domestic economic reform and international moderation — a major priority of his foreign policy. In the weeks before the trip, he praised Qaddafi for giving up his nuclear weapons program and thanked him for contributing to the fight against Islamic terrorism. The meeting in Tripoli, however, wasn’t entirely focused on such lofty matters. Shortly after shaking hands with the Libyan leader on Feb. 24, Blair announced that the Anglo-Dutch oil company Shell had inked a deal for gas exploration rights off the Libyan coast worth $550 million. It was later revealed that Blair had personally lobbied the Libyan leader for the deal, using a letter drafted for him by Shell. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi For much of his tenure, Qaddafi directed his ideological anti-colonial ire at Italy, Libya’s colonial-era ruler. Shortly after the coup d’etat that brought Qaddafi to power, he unceremoniously ordered all Italians to leave Libyan territory. For the next several decades, the two countries had little to do with one another. But after Silvio Berlusconi began his third non-consecutive term as prime minister in 2008, he realized he was going to need to reach out to Italy’s former territory. Berlusconi had campaigned on a law-and-order agenda with a hard line on illegal immigration from North Africa. The most efficient fix was to enlist Libya’s help. Berlusconi convinced Qaddafi to look past old colonial grievances by means of a $5 billion reparations package, agreed upon in 2008. Qaddafi then flew to Rome in June 2009 to officially announce a deal to curb illegal immigration, allowing Italian patrols to return would-be migrants to Libyan ports. The visit was not without controversy. Qaddafi stepped off his airplane in Rome with a photo pinned to his chest of Omar Mukhtar, a Libyan resistance leader who was hanged by Italian colonialists in 1931. The Libyan leader also demanded that the Italian government arrange an event at which he could proselytize the virtues of Islam to a group of 1,000 Italian women. Finally, in discussing the immigration deal with the Italian press, Qaddafi made confusing and racially controversial remarks suggesting that African migrants to Europe had no intention of applying for asylum. “The Africans do not have problems of political asylum,” Qaddafi said. “People who live in the bush, and often in the desert, don’t have political problems. They don’t have oppositions or majorities or elections.” Economic ties between Italy and Libya have also been strengthened in recent years — Italy imports 20 percent of its oil from Libya, and Italian energy companies have invested heavily in Libyan infrastructure — but Berlusconi has proved unable or unwilling to apply political leverage against Qaddafi during the recent turmoil, saying that he has not wanted to “disturb” the Libyan leader during the crisis. French President Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Sarkozy took office promising to revise France’s traditional Gaullist disregard for human rights diplomacy, and he stocked his diplomatic ranks with officials with strong moral streaks. This just meant that no one in his government was happy when the president decided to apply classic French realpolitik in the case of Libya. In the summer of 2009, Sarkozy was burnishing his reputation as an international statesman by involving himself in the final negotiations with Qaddafi to release eight Bulgarian nurses that the Libyan regime had imprisoned on charges of deliberately infecting 438 children with the HIV virus. Later that year, in December, Sarkozy’s resident moralists were furious after their boss invited Qaddafi on a lavish five-day visit to France — one that began on “International Human Rights Day.” Sarkozy’s secretary of state for human rights fumed that Sarkozy threatened to make France a “doormat” where the Libyan leader “can come to wipe off the blood of his crimes.” Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner signaled his distaste for the visit, saying, “I am resigned to hosting him. It was necessary.” Sarkozy defended himself by arguing that Qaddafi needed to be rewarded for his recent gestures toward the West. He also made a point of advertising $10 billion worth of investment deals that French companies signed with the Libyan government during the trip. But Sarkozy also went so far as to claim that Qaddafi was not considered a dictator in the Arab world, using his tenacious grip on power as evidence. “He is the longest-serving head of state in the region, and in the Arab world, that counts,” Sarkozy told the magazine Nouvel Observateur. Richard Perle When the United States lifted its sanctions against Libya in 2004, lobbying firms across the country began sizing up business opportunities. It couldn’t be denied that Libya’s image in the United States was in need of polish. After decades of support for international terrorists, Qaddafi’s Libya had become synonymous with disregard for international law — the archetypal rogue regime. The Libyan government quickly hired firms like Fahmy Hudome International and the Livingston Group to work on its behalf in Washington, though those business relationships have since been terminated. But according to a report published Monday Feb. 22 in Politico, the Monitor Group, a Boston-based consulting firm, continues to be paid $3 million per year to, in the firm’s own words, “introduce and bring to Libya a meticulously selected group of independent and objective experts” who could portray Libya in a better light. Among those who worked for the Monitor Group in this capacity was Richard Perle, a prominent conservative defense official who worked in George W. Bush’s administration as chairman of the Defense Policy Board. Politico reports that Perle traveled to Libya twice in 2006 to meet with Qaddafi and “afterward briefed Vice President Dick Cheney.” Politico quotes a 2007 report from the Monitor Group that claims the firm “continues to advocate on Libya’s behalf with a range of leading individuals” and “various agencies of the United States government.” The report cites a 2007 memo from the Monitor Group that lists among the participants in the Libya program prominent academics Francis Fukuyama and Bernard Lewis, and MIT faculty member Nicholas Negroponte, brother of former deputy secretary of state and director of national intelligence John Negroponte. Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez Qaddafi’s rambling 2009 speech to the U.N. General Assembly, in which he branded the Security Council a “terror council” and insinuated that the U.S. government was behind both 9/11 and swine flu, may have confused and annoyed most of the international community, but it won him a fan in the Venezuelan president, who praised the Libyan leader in his own address and invited him to a summit that month on the Venezuelan island of Margarita, calling him “one of the great leaders of this century.” At the powwow, which also featured an appearance from Zimbabwe’s pariah president, Robert Mugabe, the two leaders proposed a new international definition of the word “terrorism” and called for a South Atlantic alternative to NATO. Chávez presented Qaddafi with Venezuela’s highest civilian honor — the order of the liberator — and gave him a replica of Simon Bolivar’s sword. The sword wasn’t the only bling Qaddafi brought home from his first ever trip to Latin America: He spent much of his time at the summit shopping for digital cameras and jewelry and posing for pictures with tourists. (He picked up a silver suit of armor for his host.) Chávez also paid a visit to Libya that year, when he was the guest of honor at a military parade and had a soccer stadium named in his honor. One year later, he visited again to receive an honorary degree from Tripoli’s Academy of Higher Education. The third annual Africa-South America Summit was also due to be held in Libya later this year. Qaddafi’s generosity has come in handy for Chávez. Last December, when he invited 25 families dislocated by floods to stay in his presidential palace, he temporarily moved into a Bedouin tent that his new friend had given him as a gift. During the current unrest, British Foreign Secretary William Hague suggested that Qaddafi might have fled to Venezuela. Venezuelan authorities denied the reports, and Qaddafi has since appeared on television from Libya. Chávez has remained quiet during Qaddafi’s recent troubles, but his fellow Latin American leftist leader and friend of Libya, Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua, has waded right into the controversy, saying that Libya’s leader “is again waging a great battle” to defend his nation.Ketamine—a powerful anesthetic for humans and animals that lists hallucinations among its side effects and therefore is often abused under the name Special K—delivers rapid relief to chronically depressed patients, and researchers may now have discovered why. In fact, the latest evidence reinforces the idea that the psychedelic drug could be the first new drug in decades to lift the fog of depression. "We were trying to figure out what ketamine was doing to produce this rapid response," which can take as little as two hours to begin to act, says neuroscientist Ron Duman of the Yale University School of Medicine. So Duman and his colleagues gave a small amount of ketamine (10 milligrams per kilogram of body weight) to rats and watched the drug literally transform the animals' brains. "Ketamine… can induce a rapid increase in connections in the brain, the synapses by which neurons interact and communicate with each other, " Duman says
our complete coverage of the 2017 NBA Draft! Main PhotoThe sponge fauna of Ischia is relatively well studied, with some 86 species reported from the area (Sara 1959 ). Both demosponges, which possess skeletons of siliceous spicules, and calcarea, which have calcium carbonate spicules, are present. Here we present the results of a complete survey of the sponge fauna at CO 2 vents, taking account of both qualitative (species composition) and quantitative (percentage cover of the substratum) aspects of the sponge community composition along pH gradients. Recently, CO 2 vents have been used as natural laboratories to advance our understanding of ocean acidification at the ecosystem level (Hall‐Spencer et al. 2008 ; Cigliano et al. 2010 ; Porzio et al. 2011 ). While most vents emit hot gases, including toxic sulphur compounds (Dando et al. 1999 ), vents off Ischia island near the volcano of Vesuvius in Italy eject >90% CO 2 at ambient temperature without toxic sulphur (Hall‐Spencer et al. 2008 ), acidifying coastal seawater on the north and south sides of Castello Aragonese for centuries, maybe millennia (Tedesco 1996 ). Hall‐Spencer et al. ( 2008 ) studied species community composition of the area along gradients of normal pH (8.1–8.2), lowered pH (mean 7.8–7.9, min 7.4–7.5) to extremely low pH 6.6. They recorded 64 species of plant, alga and animal, many of which were resilient to the acidified conditions. Within sponges, eight genera were found with an apparent decrease in their distribution from normal to extremely low pH values (Hall‐Spencer et al. 2008, supporting information). However, no sampling or full quantitative analysis of sponge species composition was undertaken. Although other studies have examined the biodiversity of sponges associated with hydrothermal vent sites (Morri et al. 1999 ; Pansini et al. 2000 ), none has looked at the effect of small‐scale variations in pH on sponge community composition. The adverse effect of seawater acidified with CO 2 has been most apparent on marine calcifiers, such as coralline algae (Kuffner et al. 2008 ; Martin et al. 2008 ), foraminiferans (Moy et al. 2009 ; Dias et al. 2010 ), corals (e.g. Silverman et al. 2009 ), echinoderms (e.g. Michaelidis et al. 2005 ) and molluscs (Gazeau et al. 2007 ). Among these organisms, rates of calcification have been predicted to fall by up to 60% within this century, depending on the physiology of the species and their mineralogy (Kleypas et al. 2006 ). However, although it is in calcifiers that the effects are most obvious, studies using high CO 2 levels indicate that unifying principles define sensitivity to CO 2 in both calcifying and non‐calcifying animals (Pörtner 2008 ). The effects of ocean acidification on lower invertebrates such as sponges are likely to be pronounced because of their low capacity for acid–base regulation (Pörtner 2008 ). As yet no studies have examined the effect of ocean acidification on the Porifera. Atmospheric CO 2 concentration is currently approximately 383 parts per million by volume (ppmv), the highest level for at least 650,000 years and, due to anthropogenic influences, is projected to increase by 0.5% per year throughout the 21st century (Guinotte & Fabry 2008 ). The oceans are a major sink for CO 2 and have absorbed approximately half of all anthropogenic emissions (Sabine et al. 2004 ). Since CO 2 dissolves in seawater, it shifts the carbonate system towards higher concentrations of CO 2, bicarbonate ( ) and protons H +, therefore decreasing the seawater pH and the carbonate ions used by calcifiers to build their shells and skeletons. Since the early 1900s, a 30% increase in H + concentration of surface waters has resulted in a pH decrease of 0.1 units, and a further drop in surface seawater pH of up to 0.5 units has been projected by 2100 (Caldeira & Wickett 2005 ). Ten choanosomal style spicules from five samples of Crambe crambe were measured for each of the southern sites (S1–S3). The aim of this was to examine any effects of increasing CO 2 and decreasing pH on spicule form. Only C. crambe was examined as it was the only species present at all three sites. The species has siliceous spicules. Change in species composition along a pH gradient (7.09–8.14 pH) was examined on a 240‐m transect. Three 30‐cm 2 quadrats were haphazardly deployed at 25 stations spread at 10‐m intervals. Quadrats were deployed on very steep or vertical bedrock faces between 1 and 3 m in depth and the composition of sponge communities was measured as described above. Only sponges on the north side of the Castello Aragonese were quantified in this way. Percentage sponge cover per square meter was calculated using IMAGEJ (Rasband 1997–2008 ). Percentage data were arcsine‐square root‐transformed. Differences in percentage cover were tested with the Kruskal–Wallis test. Quantitative and qualitative measurements of sponge community composition were assessed at each of the six study sites (N1–N3, S1–S3). At each site, 10 quadrats of 30 cm 2 were sampled, deployed haphazardly on very steep or vertical bedrock faces in a depth range of 1–3 m. Each quadrat was photographed with a Nikon D70 camera (Nikon Inc., Tokyo, Japan.) in an Ikelite housing using an 18–70 mm zoom lens for quantitative sponges cover. The number of species in each quadrat was counted and a small sample of each species was scraped off from the rock using a knife and placed in a ziplock bag. Samples were preserved in 70% denatured ethanol and examined microscopically to confirm identification (see Picton & Goodwin 2007 for detailed methodology). Sponge community composition was measured during May 2008 on the north and south sides of the Castello Aragonese (40°043.849′ N, 13°57.089′ E) off Ischia in Italy (Fig. 1 ). Six sites were identified along gradients of increasing pCO 2 to the north and south of the Castello: two normal pH stations (N1 and S1; Fig. 1 ); two stations that had reductions in mean pH of 0.2–0.4 units (N2 and S2; Fig. 1 ) and two stations with reductions in mean pH of 0.6–1.5 units (N3 and S3; Fig. 1 ) which are more representative of the localised effects to be expected from deliberate CO 2 sequestration rather than from global ocean acidification. Sites were chosen on the basis of the carbonate chemistry of the vents, mapped out by Hall‐Spencer et al. ( 2008 ), Rodolfo‐Metalpa et al. ( 2010 ) and Cigliano et al. ( 2010 ), who repeatedly measured pH T (in total scale), total alkalinity (TA), temperature and salinity. Water samples were collected at 1 m depth using glass bottles, and the pH T was measured immediately using a metre accurate to 0.01 pH units (Metrohm 826 pH mobile, Metrohm, Herisau, Switzerland) calibrated using TRIS/HCl and 2‐aminopyridine/HCl buffer solutions (DOE 1994 ). Seawater samples were then passed through 0.45‐μm pore size filters (GF/F Whatman, Maidstone, Kent, UK) and poisoned with 0.05 ml of 50% HgCl 2 (AnalaR: Merck, Darmstadt, Germany) to avoid biological alteration, and stored in the dark at 4 °C. Three replicate 20‐ml sub‐samples were analysed at 25 °C using a titration system composed of a pH meter with an ORION pH electrode (see Hall‐Spencer et al. 2008 for further details). Parameters of the carbonate system [pCO 2,,, and saturation state of calcite (Ω calcite )] were calculated from pH T, TA, temperature and salinity (38‰) using the free‐access CO 2 Systat package(Systat Software Inc., Chicago, Illinois, USA) (Table 1 ). In total 14 sponge species were recorded from the study area (Table 2 ). Species composition varied between sites. The only species present in any abundance in the extremely acidified sites (S3, N3) was Crambe crambe, although small patches of Microciona cf. toxitenuis and Spirastrella cuncatrix were also present. A greater variety of sponges was present at sites of intermediate pH (mean 7.8–7.9). Four species ( Phorbas tenacior, Petrosia ficiformis, Chondrilla nucula and Hemimycale columella ) were restricted to the normal pH sites (N1, S1). Discussion Whereas vertebrates and higher invertebrates have some capacity for acid–base regulation, sponges lack intercellular junctions and other ultrastructural connections which allow the epithelial layers of other animals to act as barriers (Pörtner 2008). Their interstitial fluid is very similar to that of their environment (Ruppert & Barnes 1994). Consequently they are unable to regulate for changes in acidity and may be particularly vulnerable to alterations in environmental conditions. Sponge community species composition and abundance has been shown to be affected by substratum inclination (Preciado & Maldonado 2005), exposure to light (Jokiel 1980), degree of siltation (Brien et al. 1973; Bell & Barnes 2000b), exposure to predators (Dunlap & Pawlik 1996) and algal abundance (Bell & Barnes 2000a, 2002). Differences in these environmental factors were controlled for as far as possible by sampling from similar habitats at all sites (vertical rock faces between 1 and 3 m in depth). However, orientation of rock face and therefore exposure to light could not be controlled for. Species abundance and sponge cover were slightly lower on the south sampling sites, possibly due to the greater light exposure. Despite this, a decrease in sponge abundance with increased pH was observed on both south and north sites, suggesting that this is the dominant factor affecting sponge community composition in the study area. There has been little research into the effects of pH on sponge metabolism but there is some evidence that it may affect reproductive success and regeneration. Changes in environmental pH have been shown to affect the calcium‐induced cell aggregation of sponge cells, possibly by altering the level of intracellular Ca2+ or by affecting cell permeability (Phillip 1997). Re‐agreggation is thought to be one process involved in sponge regeneration (Bergquist 1978). It is possible that the difference in species composition between sites reflects differential effects on re‐agreggation mechanisms and consequently potential to recover from disturbance. Exposure to low pH (5.8–6.5) has been found to affect hatching rate and hatchability of gemmules in the freshwater sponge Ephydatia mülleri (Benfey & Reiswig 1982). Larval phases of marine organisms may be particularly vulnerable to the effects of even small alterations in pH, with increases resulting in larval morality and developmental abnormalities (Dupont et al. 2008) and a significant effect of pH on settlement has been shown for other groups at the study site (Cigliano et al. 2010). A variety of developmental forms was represented by the species present. Crambe crambe, the dominant species at the acidified sites, reproduces sexually with internal fertilisation, lecithotrophic larvae of the parenchymella type are released, spending 24–72 h in the plankton before settlement (Uriz et al. 1998). A range of reproductive modes was present in those species only found at the normal pH sites, including both direct development with no larval phase in Petrosia ficiformis (Gil 2007) and development via a non‐tufted parenchymella larvae Phorbas ficiticius (Mariani et al. 2006). Consequently, it does not seem that mode of development can account for the difference in distribution between species; other factors may be affecting larval settlement efficiency. Crambe crambe is one of the most widespread littoral sponges in the Mediterranean (Uriz et al. 1992). It is an opportunistic species with high reproductive output, and larval swimming behaviour which results in wide dispersal (Uriz et al. 1998). A trade‐off between defence and growth rate has been found to occur, with allocation to chemical and physical defences being negatively correlated with reproduction and growth (Becerro et al. 1997) and spatial competition being a key factor. The absence of competitors in the acidified sites may favour C. crambe by enabling it to devote more resources to growth; it was the only species to decrease in abundance at the normal pH sites. There was no noticeable effect of acidity on spicule formation in C. crambe. Spicule formation has been found to be affected by other environmental factors such as water temperature and silica concentration (Elvin 1971; Bavastrello et al. 1993). During the late Permian mass extinction, possibly linked to elevated CO 2 levels, in South China there was a 88–92% decrease in spicule diversity: the surviving spicule forms were smooth and simple (oxeas, strongyles, oxy‐orthpentactines and oxy‐orthohexactines; Liu et al. 2008), mirroring the trend for simplified skeletons in other groups (Knoll et al. 1996). It is possible that CO 2 affects silica formation, preventing the formation of complex spicules and consequently preventing species with more complex skeletons from colonising the vent sites. Experimental studies would be useful in determining whether this is the case. Other studies on the vent sites have noted a shift from typical rocky shore communities with abundant calcareous organisms at the control sites to communities lacking scleractinian corals with significant reductions in sea urchin and coralline algal abundance (Hall‐Spencer et al. 2008). Although total algal cover remained relatively consistent throughout the sites, there was a shift from calcareous algal dominance to dominance by non‐calcareous algae at the low pH sites (for example Caulerpa, Cladophora, Asparagopsis, Dictyota and Sargassum; Hall‐Spencer et al. 2008; Porzio et al. 2011). However, many of the sites at which no sponge cover was recorded lacked macroorganisms, consequently greater competition from non‐calcareous than calcareous algae is unlikely to be a controlling factor. Studies of other hydrothermal vent communities in the Mediterranean have indicated that although sponge species biodiversity can be higher at vent than non‐vent sites (Morri et al. 1999; Pansini et al. 2000), proximity to vents had no influence on sponge percentage cover (Pansini et al. 2000). In these studies no direct measurements of pH or attempts to correlate sponge biodiversity with pH were made. The hydrothermal vent fluids were recorded as having pH varying from pH 5.2 to 7.1 (Dando et al. 1999) but when diluted by the surrounding seawater the pH is likely to be higher. The study sites were large, encompassing a depth range of several metres and consequently even those in closest proximity to the vents will have encompassed a range of pH conditions.In the time-honored tradition of Arizona newsrooms, Phoenix New Times took advantage of the recent heatwave to experiment with outdoor cooking techniques. This time up: Can you cook a frozen pizza just by leaving it in the parking lot long enough? Continue Reading We purchased a Signature Select cheese pizza (on sale now for $3.99 at Safeway!) and placed it on some aluminum foil in an empty parking space a little before 1 p.m., just as the temperature reached 113 degrees. Twenty-five minutes later, the temperature had risen to 116 degrees and the pizza was fully thawed. The cheese had yet to melt, however — it just looked sort of sweaty. By 2 p.m., the National Weather Service announced that the temperature at Sky Harbor International Airport had hit 118 degrees. We went back outside to check the pizza and found that the cheese was melting nicely and the crust had started to puff up. Around this time, a bunch of Canadian journalists started excitedly announcing to their followers that a newspaper in Arizona was cooking a pizza in the parking lot. A staff reporter for @phoenixnewtimes, where outside their office it is 47.8 degrees Celsius today, is cooking a frozen pizza, with the sun. https://t.co/ckcLrv8BBa — travis lupick (@tlupick) June 20, 2017 At 3 p.m., Phoenix reached its highest temperatures of the day, clocking in at 119 degrees, just three degrees short of the all-time record. The cheese was fully melted, but the crust still looked doughy and felt soft to the touch. Half an hour later, we decided to call it a day. Surprisingly, a few people were willing to try a slice of the parking lot-basked pizza, despite the fact that it had been marinating in car exhaust for several hours by that point. The overall consensus? Not bad. Here's what our reviewers had to say: "It's got enough crisp on the edge, but not in the middle. It reminds me of a gas station breadstick." "It's not as poisonous as I expected. I'm not tasting the pollution." "If you eat just the cheese, it's really good." "It would be good if it was fully cooked. It's not fully cooked. But it's...progressing." "Still better than like half of the fully cooked frozen pizzas I've had in my life." While we were standing outside in the blazing hot parking lot, we also decided to dump a 10-pound bag of ice on the sidewalk and see how long it would take to melt. Unfortunately, our phones all overheated and shut down a minute later, so we still don't have an answer to that question.Games Workshop has some new goodies on the way for Stormcast Eternal players: A New Battletome and Warscroll Cards! This is pretty big news for fans of the Stormcast Eternals. They are getting a new, updated Battletome which we’ve known about since last week. But on top of that, they are also getting some new Warscroll Cards for quick reference. Here’s the latest info: via miniwars Battletome Stormcast Eternals $50 Warscroll Cards $25 I’m glad to see that Games Workshop is making some physical copies of the warscroll cards. I like the AoS App, but unless you’re using a phone with a larger screen or a tablet, it can be a little hard to read some of the text. These oversized cards are going to be really handy and easier to flip through than a Battletome. Speaking of Battletomes, just like we’ve expected, this book will have all the current units and a couple more that are coming out around the same time. It’s also going to be in the new format and have all the points in you need to play as well. If you’re a Stormcast Player, this is pretty much a “must-buy” scenario. The Hammers of Sigmar are coming this February and they are getting some new reinforcements too!U.S. sees shortage of ammunition A SHORTAGE OF AMMUNITIONDemand is up despite drop in crime rate By David A. Fahrenthold and Fredrick Kunkle Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, November 3, 2009; A03 In a year of job losses, foreclosures and bag lunches, Americans have spent record-breaking amounts of money on guns and ammunition. The most obvious sign of their demand: empty ammunition shelves. At points during the past year, bullets have been selling faster than factories could make them. Gun owners have bought about 12 billion rounds of ammunition in the past year, industry officials estimate. That's up from 7 billion to 10 billion in a normal year. It has happened, oddly, at a time when the two concerns that usually make people buy guns and bullets -- crime and increased gun control -- seem less threatening than usual. The explanation for the run on bullets lies partly in economics: Once rounds were scarce, people hoarded them, which made them scarcer. But the rush for bullets, like this year's increase in gun sales, also says something about how suspicious the two sides in the gun-control debate are of each other, even at a time when the issue is on Washington's back burner. The run started, observers say, as people heeded warnings from the gun-rights lobby that a new Democratic administration would make bullets more expensive or harder to get. Now that the shortage is starting to ease, gun-control groups are voicing their own dark worries about stockpiled ammunition. In between, in the 12 months since last October, gun shops sold enough bullets to give every American 38 of them. "We've had people buy ammunition for calibers they don't even have the gun for: 'Oh, I want to get this gun eventually. And when I get it, ammunition may be hard to get,' " said Michael Tenny, who runs a Fort Worth-based Internet sporting goods store called Cheaper Than Dirt. Tenny said some of his ammunition tripled in price, but he still sold it: "It's just like playoff tickets." It was already a political truism that Democrats prompt sales of both guns and ammo. The U.S. government taxes both to support wildlife conservation, and those receipts jumped after Bill Clinton was elected in 1992 and after Democrats retook Congress in 2006. But the spike under Obama seems to be on a different scale: The receipts are on pace to set a record in 2009, according to Treasury Department data, with tax revenue due from guns up 42 percent and revenue due from ammunition at 49 percent. Recently, analysts have said earnings reports from gunmakers seem to show demand for weapons slackening. The increase in gun buying during the past year explains a large part of the increase in ammunition sales to the private market, experts on the industry say -- but probably not all of it. They say that bullets were bought not just by new gun owners but also by those who already owned weapons. And they say bullet sales might have increased even faster if supply had kept up with demand. Bullet makers say the reasons for these shortages include the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which have made bullet components such as copper and brass more expensive. For gun owners in the Washington area and elsewhere, the run on ammunition has created shortages and price increases on everything from cheap.22-caliber bullets used for target shooting to the expensive hollow-point 9mm rounds bought for home defense. In Maryland and Virginia, as in many states, anyone over 21 can buy an unlimited amount of ammunition without a special license or background check. The District has tighter rules for its one licensed ammunition dealer: Gun owners can buy bullets only in the same caliber as their registered guns. The high sales have alarmed some anti-gun groups. Josh Sugarmann of the Violence Policy Center said he worries about a revival of the anti-government militia movement of the Clinton era. "This is a pattern that is repeating itself, and it is a pattern that has tremendous risk attached to it," Sugarmann said. But gun-rights groups say the buyers are law-abiding, and responding to legitimate concerns. "I think it's Katrina. I think it's terrorism. I think it's crime. And I also think that it's people worrying about [whether] they'll be attacked by politicians," said Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association. "They're suspicious, and justifiably so." But the most recent FBI crime statistics, from 2008, showed that rates of violent crime were the lowest since 1989. The numbers for this year have not been assembled yet, but police groups say violent crime still appears to be down, although there may have been an uptick in property crimes. As for gun control, experts say that far from being under attack, groups opposed to it have won a remarkable string of victories. Clinton's ban on assault weapons expired in 2004. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the District's restrictions on handguns, ruling that the Second Amendment creates an individual right to gun ownership. Under Obama, the White House has said it wants to stop the illegal flow of U.S. guns to Mexican drug cartels, and it directed Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. to review the way current gun laws are being enforced. But a spokesman said that "the president respects and supports the Second Amendment and the tradition of gun ownership in this country." In the biggest gun-related debate of his tenure, Obama sided with gun groups, signing a bill to loosen the rules on firearms in national parks. Still, in interviews with gun owners and ammunition dealers, many said the run on bullets was sparked by worries about what Obama might do. "It was just logical, based on his record as a state senator and his record in the U.S. Senate," Dave Sugg, 37, a consultant in Ashburn, said after taking target practice with a.22-caliber semi-automatic Ruger rifle at a shooting range. Research director Lucy Shackelford contributed to this report. © 2009 The Washington Post CompanyHenri de La Croix de Castries (born 15 August 1954) is a French businessman. He was chairman and CEO of AXA until retiring from both roles on 1 September 2016. Early life [ edit ] Henri de La Croix de Castries was born on August 15, 1954 in Bayonne.[1] His father was Count François de La Croix de Castries (1919/20–2011)[2] who had a military career in Korea, Indochina, and Algeria.[1] His maternal grandfather, Count Pierre de Chevigné, was a colonel in the Free French forces.[1] Castries attended the Ecole Saint-Jean de Passy, followed by high school at the Collège Stanislas de Paris[3] He graduated from HEC Paris in 1976, the same year as Serge Lepeltier and Denis Kessler, from the École nationale d'administration alongside Dominique de Villepin, François Hollande and Ségolène Royal in 1980 (Promotion Voltaire).[1] He also holds a law degree and speaks fluent English and German.[1] Career [ edit ] From 1980 to 1984, he audited on the behalf of the Minister of Finances of France, and in 1984 he became a member of the French Treasury.[1] In 1986, he participated in the privatisation initiated by Jacques Chirac's government, including Compagnie Générale d'Electricité, now known as Alcatel-Lucent, and TF1, both on the CAC 40.[1] He started his career at AXA in 1989, when he joined the central financial direction. In 1991, he was appointed general secretary, in charge of restructurations and mergers (integration of Compagnie du Midi). He was appointed general director in 1993, in charge of North America and UK in 1994, and in charge of the merger and integration with Union des send assurances de Paris (UAP) in 1996. He served as President of the Board of Equitable (which became AXA Financial) in 1997, and has been Chairman of the Board of Directors since 2000.[4][5] In March 2016, it was announced that he would retire from both chairman and CEO roles at AXA on 1 September.[6] Other roles [ edit ] In 2010, he served as chairman of the Bilderberg Group's steering committee and again in 2017.[7] He is also an administrator of the Association pour l'Aide aux Jeunes Infirmes (an NGO aiming to support young handicapped people) and is President of AXA Atout Cœur. Personal life [ edit ] He lives on the Boulevard Saint-Germain in Paris, and his brother-in-law lives in the same building.[1] He spends his weekends in a castle in Anjou, and one week a month in the United States.[1] He is married and has three children.[1] References [ edit ]CONFIRMED: Dog belonged to woman who was killed. #JSO tells me family is coming to get him. @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/AfpUFvZSYG — Russell Colburn (@RussellANjax) October 23, 2015 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Police are investigating after a woman was fatally struck by a semi-truck early Friday morning, according to ActionNewsJax. Deputies responded to a call around 6:15 a.m. after a 42-year-old woman was found dead in the road. Neighbors told police they believe the woman was walking her dog when she was struck. The victim’s dog remained at the scene of the crash for several hours, lying down near the spot of the accident. Video shot by reporter Russell Colburn shows relatives arriving at the scene to pick up the dog several hours after the crash. Authorities told ActionNewsJax a semi-truck struck the victim and dragged her to the middle of the road. The driver may not have realized he hit the victim. The investigation is ongoing. Kelly Black, 42, was a loving sister & daughter. She loved kids, but didn't have any of her own. @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/1NbX10nVnd — Russell Colburn (@RussellANjax) October 23, 2015– Source: Yahoo News There are 2.5 million vapers in the UK. An estimated 30 million people have vaped in America, and there are many millions more around the world. Two of them have experienced a case of lipoid pneumonia. Both were former smokers. Despite the numbers, some now believe e-cigarettes can cause lipoid pneumonia. As we know, smoking carries a hugely increased risk of an early death. E-Cigarettes, on the other hand, are significantly safer than tobacco cigarettes according to leading scientists. And specialists in e-cigarette research fear that many smokers are now choosing to stick to tobacco cigarettes as a result of these stories. To find out if vaping can pneumonia, we interviewed one of these experts, Professor Riccardo Polosa. In this interview he discusses lipoid pneumonia – and whether vapers need to worry about it. About Professor Polosa,MD, PhD Polosa is Director of the Institute for Internal Medicine & Clinical Immunology of the University of Catania (Italy). He is also in charge of the University Centre for Tobacco Research (University of Catania) & Honorary Professor of Medicine at Southampton University (UK). He and his team have led several studies on e-cigs. Lipoid Pneumonia and Vaping JD: How did the idea that vaping leads to lipoid pneumonia arise? RP: Lipoid pneumonia is a rare respiratory illness that may occur from aspiration or inhalation of fatlike material in the lung; this has been reported in elderly people after accidental ingestion of oil-based laxatives. There is no way vaping could put people at risk for lipoid pneumonia simply because vaporization of commercially available e-liquids do not contain fatlike material. However, I am aware of two reports of lipoid pneumonia that respiratory physicians in the US and subsequently in Spain have suggested being direct consequence of vaping. After careful review of these clinical cases, I could identify a more plausible cause for these patients’ lipoid pneumonia. I do not understand why my colleagues incriminated vaping. Most probably, they (erroneously) reasoned that inhalation of vegetable glycerine in the e-liquid could have been the cause without considering that glycerin is not a lipid, but an alcohol. By definition alcohol cannot cause lipoid pneumonia. There is no way vaping could put people at risk for lipoid pneumonia – Prof. Polosa Click Here to Tweet JD: Do vapers need to be worried about oils in e-cigarettes causing lipoid pneumonia? RP: The presence of essential oils is not uncommon in some e-liquid flavourings (particularly in citric fruits, menthol). However, essential oils are not oils (not lipids) in a strict sense; the term “oil” in essential oil is a misnomer. Hence, they cannot cause lipoid pneumonia. Essential oils are to be distinguished from aroma oils (essential oils dissolved in an oily solvent). Clearly, the presence of essential oils may be potentially irritant and hypersensitivity could develop in susceptible individuals. But this is a different story. JD: Are there any types of oil based flavourings that could lead to lipoid pneumonia? Not that I am aware of (but see answer below). JD: Do vapers need to take care when mixing their own e-liquids? RP: In principle I do not recommend mixing because mistakes and contamination may happen at home. In relation to accidental exposure to fatlike material, when blending their own DIY mixtures, vapers should make sure that flavouring solutions are free of fatlike material such as vegetable oil. I have heard stories of essential oils (not fatlike material) sold in pharmacies for massage therapy that are dissolved in oily solvents (usually vegetable oil). This may be a problem because chronic inhalation of such DIY mixtures could theoretically lead to lipoid pneumonia. JD: What consequences has this rumour lead to? RP: The lipoid pneumonia case received such an emotional and widespread media coverage in Spain that Spanish vapers ended up being very concerned about the possibility of developing serious vaping-related lung diseases. Spanish pneumologists have campaigned aggressively against e-cigs. These two factors have contributed to destroy the positive “image” of these products, to shift the perceptions of consumers from benefit to harm and – as a consequence – to the collapse of the e-cig market in that country. If you’ve found this interview interesting, I’d love it if you could take a second to share it using one of the buttons below. Thank you 😉IndyCar driver Ed Jones believes that the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year award was effectively decided before any driver had turned a wheel for the race, having lost out to Fernando Alonso in the media vote despite finishing third on debut. Two-time Formula 1 world champion Alonso qualified fifth at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and spent much of the race running towards the front of the pack before fading and ultimately retiring due to an engine failure. Jones - also making his Indy 500 debut after stepping up from Indy Lights - enjoyed a strong two weeks for Dale Coyne Racing, capping it off with a charge to third to mark the team's best result at the race. Despite finishing as the top rookie in the race, Jones lost out in the media vote for the Rookie of the Year award, with Alonso getting the nod instead. A public outcry followed, and while Jones admitted he felt frustrated initially, he said he is nevertheless proud of his performance and result on his Indy 500 debut. "Obviously at the time when I found out, I was pretty frustrated. But at the end of the day, I don't really have to say anything about that," Jones told Crash.net. "As you said, I think everyone else on Twitter showed what they thought. We were fighting for the overall win of the race. As great as Rookie of the Year would have been, I was up there fighting for the win. "Going into that '500, I think Rookie of the Year was decided before anyone turned a wheel on track. It's annoying, but at the end of the day, the fact that I was fighting for the win is more important to me." Jones felt no difference in pressure - for better or for worse - with Alonso on the grid, saying that he treated the three-time world champion like any other competitor. "Obviously it was great to have him there, great for the event, great for the sport. But we were doing our own job and doing really well," Jones said. "We had the second-fastest time of the whole month, the second-fastest speed of any time in the whole month. We were ahead of him in the race before he blew up. We were strong the whole month. That's what we were focusing on. "Like I said, it was good to have him there, but we didn't treat him any differently on-track."Trans Bodies, Trans Selves is a new and comprehensive resource guide specifically curated for the transgender community. Covering how areas such as health and wellness, legal issues, history and theory intersect with transgender identity, the text aims to serve as a central informational point for "gender-questioning people, their partners and families, students, professors, guidance counselors, and others to look for up-to-date information on transgender life." Inspired by the iconic and influential Our Bodies, Ourselves, the book is intended to serve as a place where transgender people can come together and share stories and information about their bodies and lives and, in turn, be a resource for others. "One of the most important things about this book is that it is written by and for trans people," editor Laura Erickson-Schrot told The Huffington Post. "But that is what makes it so valuable to non-trans people too -- it is a view into trans life that is not edited for another audience. Friends and relatives can learn about identity categories and coming out, parents can read about kids, health professionals can find up-to-date preventive and transitional care information, and partners can find tips on relationships -- all written by the experts -- trans people themselves."The Twitter feed of Donald Trump has inspired everything from political commentary to memes and even museum exhibits. It has also sparked the creativity of one of our users, who has created an electronic paper artwork for his living room displaying the latest tweets from the
By Wyatt My instrument is called the “Hillbilly Harp”. Another name for it is a washtub bass. I wanted to make a Hillbilly Harp after seeing one being played on RFD-TV, a farm channel. I told my mom that was the instrument I picked, but mom couldn’t find a pattern for a Hillbilly Harp, but she did find one for the Washtub Bass! My dad helped me a little bit when I made my instrument. He took me to Tractor Supply to purchase the was tub and the cable clamps. We also went to the hardware store to get the wooden stick and the cable and then we went to the Bargain Barn to get the paint and primer. The first step in making my instrument was to prime the tub for painting. The primer makes the paint stick better. After the primer set, I painted the tub red and orange. Red, because it is the color of Farmall tractors, and orange, because it the original color of Case tractors, which are MY FAVORITE. After the paint was dry me and my dad drilled a hole in the stick so the cable could go through the stick and when stood up would allow the cable to make the sound needed. After my dad and I had the cable secured to the stick, we clamped it down, and put the other end of the cable through the tub. My dad watched me as I drilled a hole in the washtub for the i-bolt to tie down to. Once I had the i-bolt secured to the tub, we put the cable through it and tied it down with a cable clamp. The stick had to be cut with a saw to shorten the notch in the bottom, so it would be able to stay on the side of the tub when being played. My dad also helped me to paint an extra board to stick under the tub, so when I played the sound would come out clearer. When I play my Hillbilly Harp, I have to strum the cable to have Dynamics. To make Loud Dynamics, I have to pluck harder and higher on the cable, closer to the stick or lower on the cable, closer to the I-bolt. To make Softer Dynamics, I have to not strum so hard in the middle of the cable. The Pitch of the Hillbilly Harp is based on how tight the cable is from the tub on the stick. When I want a higher pitch, I have to not put as much tension on my cable, and not pull my stick so tight. The Timbre of my instrument is bass and quite dull. It has a full rich timbre.Red food dye has always given our beloved red velvet cupcakes their rich, festive color. But that aesthetic pleasure comes with a pretty nasty secret. Much of the red coloring we use in food is actually made of crushed bugs. Yep, creepy, crawly bugs. Cochineal insects, as they're known, are scale insects that, in their pre-crushed state, look like this: Lal via Getty Images Bugs today, red velvet cupcakes tomorrow. Cochineal insects can be found on prickly pear cacti in the North American deserts, where they spends most of their lives sucking away on the plants’ sap. They produce a bitter, crimson-colored pigment called carminic acid, which they store in their guts and use to ward off predators. To make red dye, manufacturers dry the cochineals and grind them into a powder. The powder turns a bright red when mixed with water. It may sound gross, but humans have been brightening up life with the crushed guts of cochineals for centuries. The Mixtec Indians of pre-Hispanic Mexico even farmed and domesticated the bugs, using the dye to color their clothing and show off their social status. By the 1900s, Americans began using cochineal dye to color a variety of foods, including sausages, pies, dried shrimp, candy and jams. But when word got out that the crushed-bug dye was in Starbucks' beloved Strawberries and Creme Frappuccinos in 2012, people started to freak. Starbucks ditched the dye completely, but cochineal dye is still widely used in the food industry -- just check the labels on colored Jell-O packages, candies and yogurts for the words carmine, carminic acid or cochineal extract. And while cochineal dye definitely has an ick-factor, the alternatives are synthetic, including one dye that is made from coal tar sludge, according to Bob Alderink of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. "Cochineal dye has been around for centuries. It is a natural, renewable resource," Alderink explains in a video. "And in my opinion, it's just plain cool." koya79 via Getty ImagesAction ). The Honorable William H Pauley appointed Gary B. Friedman, Esq. o f Friedman Law Group LLP, Christopher W. Hellmich, Esq. o f Patton Boggs LL P, an d Mark Reinhardt, Esq. o f Reinhard t, Wendorf & Blanchfield as interim co-lead counse l for the S.D.N.Y. Consolidated Acti on prop osed cl ass. (See S.D.N.Y. Consolidated Action Mar. 10, 2009, Order (Dkt. 26 in S.D.N.Y. Consolidated A ction).) In 2008, Rite Aid Corporation and Rite Aid HDQTRS. Corp. (together, Rite Aid ); CVS Pharmacy, Inc.; Walgreen Co.; BI-LO, LLC; and H.E. Butt Grocery Co. (collectively, the Original Individual Merchant Plaintiffs ) filed independent actions against American Express in the Eastern District o f New York, which were consolidated under Master File No. 08-CV-2315 (NGG) (RER ) (E.D.N.Y.) (the Original Individual Merchant Actions ). 3 In 2010, two putative class actions were filed in the Eastern Distric t, Firefly Air Solutions, LLC v. American Express Co., et al., No. 10-CV-52 00 (NGG) (RER) (E.D.N.Y.), and Plvmouth Oil Coro. v. Ameri can Express Co., et al., No. 10-CV-5369 (NGG) (RER) (E.D.N.Y.). On February 7, 20 11, the S.D.N.Y. Consolidated Action was transferred to this c ourt pursuant to an order o f the United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (the MDL Panel ) and further consoli dated with t he Original Individual Merchan t Actio ns and additional putat ive clas s actions in In re Ame x A SR. Additional indi vidual plaintiff s filed suit in 2011, including Th e Kroge r Co., Safeway In c., Ahold U.S.A., Inc., Alberts on's LLC, Hy-Vee, Inc., and The Great Atlantic Pacific Tea Company, Inc. ; 4 and Meijer, Inc., Pu blix S uper Markets, 3 See Rite Aid Corp. et al. v American Expres s Travel Rela ted Ser vices Co Inc et al., No. 08-CV-2315 (NGG) (RER) (E.D.N.Y.); CVS Pharm acy. Inc. v America n Expr ess Travel Related Service s Co . Inc et al., No. 08-CV- 2316 (NGG) ( RER) (E.D.N.Y.); Walgreen Co. v American Expr ess Travel Rel ated Services Co Inc et al. No. 08-CV-2317 (NGG ) (RER) (E.D.N.Y.); BI-LO. LLC v American Express Travel Related Services Co Inc et ID:. No. 08-CV-2380 (NGG) (RER) (E.D.N.Y.); H.E. utt Grocery Co. v. American Express Travel Related Services Co Inc et al., No. 08-CV-2406 (NGG) (RER) (E.D.N.Y.). 4 See The Kroger Co et a l. v American Expres s Travel Relate d Services Co In c et al., No. l l-CV-3 37 (NGG) (RER) (E.D.N.Y.). 3European OnePlus One orders delayed by up to two weeks By Killian Bell OnePlus has confirmed that One handsets on their way to Europe have been delayed by up to two weeks. Those lucky enough to get an invite expected to receive their devices this week, but a problem with the handset’s CE marking means a whole batch has been blocked by customs officials in Germany. “Unfortunately, some of the phones did not clear customs in Europe,” confirmed Bridget Hickey of OnePlus in the company’s official forums. “We worked tirelessly on every aspect of the One’s design, including the text on the bottom of the back cover… but the design of the CE icons were unfortunately deemed unacceptable by the customs agents and returned.” As a result of this problem, OnePlus has been forced to redesign the text on the One’s back cover for European markets. Shipments will not get into Europe until the amendment has been made, and it’s unclear exactly how long this will take. Hickey promises, however, that the delay will be a maximum of two weeks. An initial batch of OnePlus handsets already passed through customs earlier this week, and a number of customers in Germany, Italy, and Holland have already received tracking numbers for their devices. It appears those based in the U.K., where no one has received a shipping confirmation yet, are most affected. OnePlus says it will today be emailing all customers affected by the delay to provide them with more information on when they can expect to receive their devices.Cork City FC are delighted to announce that Colin Healy has signed a new contract with the club. Healy was in superb form throughout the 2014 season, and speaking to CorkCityFC.ie, the Ballincollig native was extremely optimistic for the year ahead: “It was a better season than we have had in recent years. We were a bit disappointed with how it finished, but overall it was a good season. There is a good group at the club, and I hope it will be a good year next year.” “European football is something we are looking forward to as a team, for the fans and the club. Hopefully 2015 will be a good year and a good experience for the young lads, and the club as a whole.” When asked what his aim for 2015 was, Healy’s answer was a short one: “To win the league!” City boss John Caulfield praised the midfielder as “a huge influence on the team last year” and “superb player in the dressing room and on the pitch.” The City boss said: “Colin knows where we are trying to get to in 2015; to make sure that we are back up there again and driving on. It is important for us to keep all of our best players, and I think Colin probably had his best season in a Cork City jersey last season. We are looking forward to next year and to Colin being at the top of his game, and driving the team forward again.” “Colin knows himself that he probably doesn’t have too many seasons left, and wouldn’t it be fantastic for him if he could end up with winners medals with his local club. I am certainly looking forward to Colin being as good as he was this year, and I have no doubt he will be.”Find tickets from 13 dollars to Houston Astros at Texas Rangers on Wednesday April 3 at 7:05 pm at Globe Life Park in Arlington, TX Find tickets from 12 dollars to Houston Astros at Texas Rangers on Tuesday April 2 at 7:05 pm at Globe Life Park in Arlington, TX Find tickets from 15 dollars to Houston Astros at Texas Rangers on Monday April 1 at 7:05 pm at Globe Life Park in Arlington, TX Find tickets from 44 dollars to Chicago Cubs at Texas Rangers on Sunday March 31 at 3:05 pm at Globe Life Park in Arlington, TX Find tickets from 40 dollars to Chicago Cubs at Texas Rangers on Saturday March 30 at 7:05 pm at Globe Life Park in Arlington, TX Find tickets from 97 dollars to Opening Day: Chicago Cubs at Texas Rangers on Thursday March 28 at 3:05 pm at Globe Life Park in Arlington, TX Find tickets from 8 dollars to Spring Training: Cleveland Indians at Texas Rangers on Tuesday March 26 at 1:05 pm at Globe Life Park in Arlington, TX Find tickets from 8 dollars to Spring Training: Cleveland Indians at Texas Rangers on Monday March 25 at 7:05 pm at Globe Life Park in Arlington, TX Mark L. Verified " Thanks SeatGeek for making this event the greatest experience I have ever had. Next time I need tickets I will be calling you, you made a customer for life. " Aimee S. Verified " We were able to buy the seats as we were on our way to the game. Easy and convenient! "Great Britain's Andy Murray attending the Davis Cup Trophy Tour at Stirling University on Monday World number two Andy Murray says he is "not sold" on plans to let cities bid to stage the Davis and Fed Cup finals. A revamp of the team tennis events has been put forward by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). Britain's Murray welcomed ITF proposals to shorten Davis Cup matches from best-of-five sets to best-of-three and stage finals over two days instead of three. But he added: "The home and away aspect of the Davis Cup is something I enjoy and makes it different and special." Other proposals include doubling the Fed Cup World Group to 16 teams to match the men's event. "This is part of our mission to make the appeal of tennis broad and wide," ITF president David Haggerty said. The Davis Cup and Fed Cup finals are currently held in a city selected by one of the finalists, based on the draw. 2016 tennis team finals Fed Cup: Czech Republic v France, Strasbourg, 12-13 November Davis Cup: Croatia v Argentina, Croatia, venue TBC - 25-27 November "By having a full year or two to plan we can do more for sponsors and fans with a stadium that's an appropriate size,'' said Haggerty, who envisages the winning bid staging both finals for two to three years. A bidding process for national associations and cities interested in hosting the finals will begin in December 2016 with the decision on successful bids expected to be made in the summer of 2017. However, Murray, 29, said: "With the neutral venue, I am not sold on that. I do love the home and away atmosphere that we get in the Davis Cup just now. "It is something that we as tennis players aren't really used to because when we travel around the world we are playing in neutral venues a lot of the time." The other Davis and Fed Cup proposals must be approved by the ITF's annual general meeting next year, with the changes potentially introduced in 2018. Under discussion will be a plan to have a "final four" format for the women's Fed Cup competition with the semi-finals and final held in the same week. In the Davis Cup, Argentina will travel to Croatia for this year's final in November, having beaten defending champions Great Britain last weekend. One match took five hours and seven minutes as Argentine Juan Martin del Potro beat Murray in five sets. On shortening the men's team event, Olympic champion Murray said: "For me personally the last three days, coming off the back of the Olympics, Cincinnati, the US Open and then being on court for 10 or 11 hours over three days, was really hard. "A lot of the players have spoken about that, about potentially shortening the format, maybe playing it over Saturday and Sunday, best of three sets, I like that idea. If it doesn't work you can always change back as well. "Trying something new would give the event a lift for sure in terms of the participation of the top players," the Scot added. Great Britain, whose 2015 Davis Cup triumph was their first in 79 years, will find out in Thursday's draw which nation they will face in the 2017 first round in February.The stomach-churning moment Chinese patient had 42 PEARLS removed from his body after believing bogus doctor could cure his back pain WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT Zou Feng was told of doctor supposedly specialising in ancient medicine Chinese man, 61, visited him in 2011 and was told pearls were needed He inserted the pearls under Feng's skin and then sewed up the cuts But Feng had more pain and went to a hospital to get pearls removed This is the stomach-churning moment a hospital patient had 42 pearls removed from his body after believing a bogus doctor’s claims that inserting them could cure his back pain. Zou Feng, of Hunan province, China, said that after he had complained of suffering from a bad back, a neighbour had told him of the doctor who was supposedly an expert in ancient medicine. The 61-year-old man travelled to visit the doctor in 2011 and was told his case was so specific that it could only be healed by placing pearls under his skin. Operation: Zou Feng had to have 42 pearls removed from his body after they were inserted by a bogus doctor Misled: Mr Feng said that after he had complained of suffering from a bad back, a neighbour had told him of the doctor who was supposedly an expert in ancient medicine Inside: A doctor shows the pearls on the X-ray photos of the 61-year-old patient at a hospital in China Mr Feng said: ‘He said he would make a small cut, insert the pearls under the skin and then sew up the cut - leaving the pearls inside my body. ‘Other people told me that his methods worked and so I wanted to give it a try, and I have to say that initially I did feel better after he inserted 42 pearls into my body. ‘But I then started getting another problem that I'd never had before and was finding it difficult to walk - all my joints ached instead of just my back. ‘I went to try and find the doctor who had sold me the pearls and the treatment but he was not around any longer. I was told he had moved to another area. So I went to a conventional hospital.’ Help: Mr Feng said he had filed a medical malpractice case but discovered the doctor was not registered Treatment: The 61-year-old travelled to visit the bogus doctor in 2011 and was told his case was so specific that it could only be healed by placing pearls under his skin Dr Sying Wan, who operated on Mr Feng at Nianlun Orthopaedics Hospital in Changsha, Hunan, to remove the pearls, said: ‘I have never seen anything like it before. '[The doctor] said he would make a small cut, insert the pearls under the skin and then sew up the cut - leaving the pearls inside my body' Zou Feng, patient 'I had no idea what the objects were when we did the X-ray, but when we asked him he explained how they had come there ‘Everywhere that the pearls had been inserted it had caused the bone to die off, including around his hip joint, which is now not possible to save. ‘We have managed to remove all of the pearls, but the man's skeleton has been badly affected, and he will need at the very least a hip replacement surgery.’WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The awkward efforts of Republicans to embrace their party’s standard-bearer Donald Trump looked particularly painful in Congress this week as lawmakers ducked into elevators, dashed away from reporters, ignored questions or, worse, tried to answer them. Republican U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Gilley's in Dallas, Texas, U.S., June 16, 2016. REUTERS/Brandon Wade Only days after a furor over his criticism of a Mexican-American judge, the presumptive presidential nominee sent Republicans reeling again by renewing his call for a ban on Muslim immigration after a gunman who pledged allegiance to Islamic militants killed of 49 people at a Florida nightclub. Then former reality TV star Trump waded into two sensitive topics for social conservatives by embracing the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and suggesting the country may need certain new gun control measures. For lawmakers accustomed to well-crafted talking points and predictable lines of questioning, the week marked a chaotic flurry of contorted responses or terse, tight-lipped replies. Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming walked away when asked about Trump’s embrace of the LGBT community, saying: “I don’t know what the latest is. I haven’t read anything. I haven’t been watching.” Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a former Trump adversary in the presidential primaries, had to bat away two Trump questions before he could announce that he is considering running for re-election – a decision that could determine whether Republicans retain control of the Senate in the Nov. 8 election. Senator Ted Cruz, another rival in the primaries, refused to respond directly to the speech in which Trump hardened his line on Muslims while Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr called it “an OK speech” before stepping into an elevator and refusing to respond to any more questions. The Trump challenge is obvious even for seasoned Republicans. “I’m spending my days commenting on everything that Donald Trump says,” lamented John McCain, chairman of Senate Armed Services Committee. Orrin Hatch, the longest-serving Republican in the Senate, ricocheted from rejection of Trump’s comments on Muslims to doubts about the legality of his proposed immigration ban to bafflement over the billionaire’s response to the Orlando shootings. ‘YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS UP’ Trump controversies have also overshadowed House Speaker Paul Ryan’s rollout of a policy agenda, a campaign document that was supposed to help bring Trump’s position more into line with mainline party doctrine. Asked on Thursday whether he was bothered by having to contend with Trump’s remarks, Ryan called Trump “a different kind of candidate...(in) a different kind of year.” Asked how many more times he would be called on to do so, Ryan said: “I don’t know the answer to that question either.” In an ironic message to his critics among the Republican leadership this week, Trump had this to say: “Be quiet, just please be quiet. Don’t talk. Please be quiet. Just be quiet.” Slideshow (6 Images) Ryan’s response? “...You can’t make this up sometimes,” he said. A political neophyte who has never held elected office, Trump has also said he may not need much from his Republican colleagues on Capitol Hill anyway. “We have to have our Republicans either stick together or let me just do it by myself. I’ll do very well,” he said in a CNN interview. “A lot of people thought I should do that anyway, but I’ll just do it very nicely by myself.”It certainly is unfortunate, for all involved, that Anthony Weiner's personal dilemma has hijacked the mayoralty race in New York. This election, in my opinion, is a pivotal one for New York, as the City struggles to redefine itself while climbing out from under the suffocating barrage of Michael Bloomberg's 12-year attempt at reshaping New York into an American Singapore. After Bloomberg, New York would benefit by electing an official who demonstrates some affinity for the needs of its middle-class citizens. But Weiner can't be that person. It would be one thing if a man had an affair, doing what comes naturally with a partner other than his wife. It's another thing to text compromising photos of yourself and thus hand someone a loaded gun. However, it is, without doubt, entirely something else, again, to ultimately resign one's seat in the U.S. Congress, both embarrass and disappoint yourself, your family and your constituents and then repeat that very same behavior right at a time when your poll numbers are about to climb. Weiner has only one problem that disqualifies him from the race and that is that he is clearly addicted to reckless behavior. That is something New York's taxpayers do not need right now. Weiner should quit, walk away, let some time wash over his reversals and re-emerge, another day, to attempt some future race for public office. Weiner is smart and tough. Who knows? He may come back and prove himself as a great public servant. But New York does not need a mayor who has an uncontrollable desire to self-destruct the moment he feels he has fooled the voters into giving him their trust. As I mentioned in a previous post here, Christine Quinn has sold herself in more ways than a NASCAR driver. She is compromised, with real estate developers and Bloomberg's Rolodex of financial supporters, to such a degree that her once promising career in City politics now seems more suited to Republicans than Democrats. Bill Thompson is a decent man, but uninspired at this point. Liu is an operator who needs to go work in the private sector, where financial shenanigans are de rigueur.Self-sufficient prisons: NSW inmates grow their own food, saving Corrective Services $4 million a year Updated Sorry, this video has expired Video: NSW prison system grows more produce to slash food bills (7pm TV News NSW) Prisoners in New South Wales jails are producing more of their own food, shaving $4 million a year off the grocery bill for Corrective Services while gaining formal job qualifications. It costs $17.8 million annually to provide around 30,000 prison meals each day. Corrective Services Commissioner Peter Severin says without the self-sufficient "grow your own" program, that bill would be much higher. "We save a lot of money to the taxpayer in doing it and we also provide some vocational training skills," he said. Savings for self-sufficient prisons: Product Savings An apple Save 14 cents Loaf of bread Save 71 cents 1kg pumpkin Save $1.90 1kg lean mince Save $1.36 Sausage roll Save 21 cents Source: NSW Corrective Services Source: NSW Corrective Services Inmates are offered a range of courses in primary food production and processing, business administration and short courses - like forklift driving and using a chainsaw. And with the prison population growing - around 800 new inmates in the year to June - the cost savings have never been more important. New South Wales Attorney-General and Justice Minister Brad Hazzard says prisoners are managing livestock as well as crops. "From the prisons' paddocks to the prisoners' plates, we're getting more than a million apples, more than a million loaves of bread, millions of litres of milk," he said. "We're also seeing 80 per cent of the beef that is being used actually come from the prisoners themselves." Vegetable harvest expected to triple this year The St Heliers Correctional Centre at Muswellbrook in the NSW Hunter Valley is the biggest producer of beef and vegetables for the program, accounting for about 70 per cent of food that goes into jail meals. This year is it expecting to triple its vegetable harvest to more than 100 kilograms of broccoli, pumpkin, cauliflower, cabbage and capsicum. One inmate, Carlos, is responsible for drenching cattle in the fields at St Heliers. A former industrial engineer, he has used his time behind bars to gain new qualifications. "I have been able to get my certificate III in IT," he said. "Eventually I will be able to get certificate IV and then the diploma, stuff like that. "With the skills that I have been provided here I feel confident that I will get a job as soon as possible." Program reduces risk of reoffending: Minister The Justice Minister hopes the program will reduce the risk of reoffending when prisoners are released. "They're going to be sitting next to you on a bus," Mr Hazzard said. "It's good to know that they are better people. They are skilled up. "We think it's quite a positive outcome in terms of lowering the recidivism rate - that is the rate of people coming back into prisons." Shannan from Gunnedah is father to five children aged between four and 12. He has learned to drive a tractor and apply chemicals to control weeds, and he hopes to use those skills to find a job at the end of his sentence. "I've got a few photos on the wall, and I look up and see the kids and I can just imagine how disappointed they are that I'm not there," he said. "So it's just a reality check and it's something to strive for when I do get out." Shannan says any inmate who does not do the training is crazy. "You're in custody doing a sentence for something you've done wrong. You've got an opportunity to better your skills so you can avoid coming to jail," he said. St Heliers has an on-site processing plant to cut up the vegetables that are transported to the Dawn de Laos centre at Silverwater jail in Sydney to be made into meals. Security manager at St Heliers, Col Matthews, is passionate about the importance of giving a man the skills to earn a living outside jail. He says the community benefits as well because the mines are sucking up skilled workers and creating a shortage of people with the right qualifications to work on farms and in other rural industries. He believes the program could be expanded across the country because jails have an important advantage - it is, quite literally, a captive workforce. "We've got a labour force," Mr Matthews said. "You can do it. I reckon in certain circumstances you could do this just about anywhere." Prison self-sufficiency program to expand The NSW Government is expanding the program by building a new $6 million food manufacturing plant at the John Morony jail at Windsor, north-west of Sydney. It will snap-freeze meals - replacing the current cook-and-chill system. Other Correctional Centres involved Cessnock : Roast meat for sandwiches, meat and potato patties for evening meals. Soon to make coleslaw and potato salads. : Roast meat for sandwiches, meat and potato patties for evening meals. Soon to make coleslaw and potato salads. Mannus, south of Tumbarumba: Beef cattle and apples. About 15,000 extra trees to be planted in July 2014. , south of Tumbarumba: Beef cattle and apples. About 15,000 extra trees to be planted in July 2014. Yetta Dhinnakkal, Brewarrina : Beef cattle. : Beef cattle. Balund-a residential diversionary program, Tabulam : Beef cattle. : Beef cattle. Emu Plains : Dairy and milk processing. : Dairy and milk processing. Long Bay : Bakery and sandwich production. : Bakery and sandwich production. Goulburn : Evening meals and sandwich production. : Evening meals and sandwich production. Mid North Coast : Evening meals and sandwich production. : Evening meals and sandwich production. Bathurst : Sandwich production. : Sandwich production. Wellington: Bakery. The Government says that will reduce the jail system's carbon footprint by slashing the number of truck journeys required to transport fresh food around the state. It will also save an extra $1.5 million on the food bill and offer prisoners more choice at meal time. The new manufacturing plant will also offer courses up to Certificate IV level in a range of areas including food processing, logistics and warehousing. One inmate at Silverwater, who cannot be identified, has served four years of a seven-year sentence. During that time he has completed courses in hospitality, business administration, hygiene and first aid. He wants to carve a new life for himself and never return to jail. "We just need another opportunity for people to accept us," he said. "We did the wrong thing, but we still want to have another chance." Topics: prisons-and-punishment, food-and-beverage, muswellbrook-2333, silverwater-2128, cessnock-2325 First postedIsraeli Arab lawmakers from the Joint Arab List in front of the Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem's Old City July 28, 2015. A poll broadcast on Thursday on Israel's Channel 2 television found that 56 percent of Israeli Arabs disagreed with Joint List Knesset members' condemnation of Gulf states and Saudi Arabia for ltheir recent labeling of Hezbollah as a terrorist group. The survey conducted by pollsters Mina Tzemach and Meno Geva found that 19% percent of Israel's Arab citizens thought the condemnation by members of the Joint List was justified, and another 25 percent either had no view or declined to respond. The Joint List is a mostly Arab faction, made up of a coalition of parties. On a related matter, 65 percent of 350 people queried thought lthe thre lawmakers of Balad, a faction of the Joint List, did nothing wrong in meeting the families of slain Palestinian attackers a month ago. Seventeen percent thought they were mistaken in doing so, while 18 percent refused to respond or said they didn't know. The poll had a margin of error of 5.5 percent. Three Balad lawmakers have since been suspended from some of their Knesset duties for meeting with the attackers' families. The lawmakers said the visit was intended solely to help negotiate a return of relatives' remains for burial. One of the slain attackers had killed three Israelis on a bus in Jerusalem last year. Netanyahu's Likud party has also proposed legislation to permit the possible suspension of Knesset Members accused of supporting terrorism. Keep updated: Sign up to our newsletter Email * Please enter a valid email address Sign up Please wait… Thank you for signing up. We've got more newsletters we think you'll find interesting. Click here Oops. Something went wrong. Please try again later. Try again Thank you, The email address you have provided is already registered. Close Separately, 35 percent of those interviewed replied that they thought Arab lawmakers represented them only to a small degree, another 30 percent thought these parliament members looked after their interests to a large extent, and 21 percent felt that the Joint List does not represent them at all.A man who got his dog an Aadhaar card in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhind district was arrested on Thursday. The card has a photo of the dog with the name Tommy Singh, son of Sheru Singh, and mentions its date of birth as November 26,2009. Local police said they are questioning Azam Khan, a supervisor at an Aadhaar enrolment agency in Umri, to find out if he had made such cards for other animals or unauthorised people. The case came to light after a resident of Kiti village in Umri complained to police that people were experiencing difficulties in getting Aadhaar cards from Khan’s agency which was issuing such cards to dogs and other animals. Police investigated the complaint, recovered the card issued to the dog and arrested Khan. Town inspector of Umri RS Tomar said Khan had been charged with forgery. First Published: Jul 02, 2015 22:15 ISTThe Innova Atlas was announced just a few weeks ago and already it is making an impression in the disc golf community. Last week, we talked with Innova’s Dave Dunipace to get answers to the most popular questions. This week, we got our hands on three brand new Innova Atlases for this review. We wanted to see if it lived up to the hype and how it performed on the course. Starting with our very first throw, we knew we were in for a treat. Innova says this about the Atlas: The Atlas is a unique new Mid-range that combines a firm, low-profile flight plate with an ergonomic, grippy rim. The Atlas has a straight flight with minimal fade combining accuracy, control and throwability. The Atlas performs well for both backhand and forehand throwers forgiving small throwing errors better than any other Mid-Range. The Atlas does fit very comfortable in the hand. You’ll instantly feel a firmer Star plastic on the flight plate and a softer, grippier Star plastic on the wing. The softer rim does make the Atlas fairly flexible, yet it isn’t a “floppy” feeling. The other thing you might notice are the four injection points on the underside of the rim. There were a few times when we’d start to get a grip on the Atlas and would catch one of the points. Certainly not the most comfortable feeling, but you just adjust the disc in your hand and you are set. Not a big problem at all. All three also had a board flat top. When we first threw the Atlas, we were surprised by the speed. It seemed a little faster than some other Speed 5 discs and other midranges. It wasn’t in the fairway driver level, but it does pack a nice punch. We were getting slightly longer distances with the Atlas when compared to other midrange discs. The Atlas does have a decent amount of glide to it, yet not to the point where you feel you lose control of it. In our minds, you don’t want a midrange to glide out too far on you. If you needed the added distance, grab a fairway driver. The Atlas seemed very controllable in regards to glide. The Atlas was also very controllable when it comes to the line you want to put it on. The Atlas is stable at high speeds — and we mean STABLE. During our tests, we were sometimes faced with a 15-20 mph headwind. With a slight hyzer release, the Atlas held up in it and would not flip over. When the wind was at its max, there would be a little more turn, but it would finish very straight. With a tailwind, or no wind for that matter, the Atlas would fly on a lazer straight line until the very end of the flight. If you want to have the Atlas fly on a sweeping hyzer, it will. If you need it to hold a big anhyzer line, it will. The Atlas is a very versatile disc. While we haven’t had a lot of time with the disc, the Atlas seemed to finish on the same angle you started it on. If we gave it a little hyzer at the start of the flight, after flipping up flat, it would hyzer back out at the end with a very moderate fade. If we released the Atlas flat, it would finish on a very flat, soft fade. When given a little anhyzer, it would finish on that line as well. Another thing we wanted to test was any possible gyro effect. When people saw the overmold, most made the connection to MVP Disc Sports who also uses the overmold style disc. MVP advertises a gyroscopic effect with their discs. After a long testing session, the Atlas doesn’t have any added gyroscopic effect. We were able to compare it to an MVP Axis and they are clearly two different discs. We feel confident enough to rule out any added gyro effect to the
Arbeloa with a high boot.That decision left manager Sir Alex Ferguson infuriated, and the 71-year-old sent assistant Mike Phelan in his place to fulfil the club's media obligations after the game Phelan revealed that Ferguson was "too distraught" with referee Cuneyt's Cakir's performance to face the press in the immediate aftermath, despite his absence contravening Uefa rules.The Red Devils also face sanctions over their failure to provide two players for press interviews after the game.The current Premier League leaders could face further disciplinary action should veteran defender Rio Ferdinand's sarcastic applause of Cakir shortly after the final whistle be mentioned in the official's report.Patreon Livestream Youtube Twitter Simpler new MLP Episode inspired art for my MLP Season 7 Episode Art collection! Season 7, Episode 2: All Bottled UpJust a small little piece for this episode. Technically today was release of Episode 3, but there wasn't anything specific jumping out I had to paint into something, so I took these as an opportunity to make this in a more chronological order.A basic little Trixie and Starlight piece. It's pretty fun to have Trixie around, she has an unique personality. It was great to see her succeed at the teacups, she seemed so genuinely excited at first, and of course going back to here typical bragging after that haha.Maybe I also went with a smaller simpler piece because I just had a big painting finished less than a day ago. Inspiration drops after those at times hehe.At the moment there’s a picture book that’s very popular in Japan called “A Picture Book of Hell.” It’s intended to teach kids good manners, and it’s become something of a hot topic, if you’ll excuse the pun. Popular illustrator Akiko Higashimura even mentioned it in her manga series “Mama wa Tenparisto”, loosely translated as “Momma With a Short Fuse”. As you can imagine, there’s been a lot of interest among mothers and educational professionals. I suppose terrorizing your kids with two-dimensional representations of hell is OK, but did you know there’s a place you can take them to experience it in real life? Senkouji Temple is located in the Hirano district of Osaka. As you approach along the shopping street, Senkouji looks like any other temple. But as you get closer, you start to notice some differences. Like this sign, reading “Tell a lie and I’ll rip out your tongue!” A demon! Shouldn’t a temple be decorated with statues of Buddha or something? Nevertheless, we press on to… THE GATES OF HELL! Well, that wasn’t so bad. Here’s where we get our first peek at hell. It’s a disclaimer to parents reading, “We opened this temple of hell to teach children right from wrong and the value of life… Don’t use it indiscriminately to scare your kids into listening to what you say.” Geez, is it really that terrifying? With our hearts in our throats, we entered the building and opened the door next to the alter, venturing deeper into hell. The first thing we laid eyes on was a huge statue of Yama, the lord of the dead, and his ten judges. Then we noticed the devils and some weird old woman. Creepy! And kneeling at their feet was the form of a naked person. If you tell lies, this is supposedly where you will end up. If your sins are of a different variety, they say you will see what hell will be like for you if you look into this mirror. If, during your lifetime, you killed living things, your body will be cut. If you deceived people, you will be boiled in an iron pot. Slander is punished by having to find one needle in a haystack. Children who don’t listen will be placed in a burning carriage. One by one, the punishments are laid out, using historical illustrations of hell to make them more vivid. The voices of people praying for forgiveness or calling out for mercy sounded around us… And finally, a voice said, “You mustn’t do things that hurt others. You have only one life, so spend it with care.” And with that, our tour of hell is over. Even as an adult that fairly shocking display made quite an impression on me. You shouldn’t do bad things or hurt those around you, and you should value the life you are given. These are lessons that get forgotten in the hustle and bustle of daily life, but visiting Senkouji’s version of hell reminded me to keep these important things in mind. By the way, there’s also a machine you can use to check whether you are leaning towards an angelic or demonic eternity. We gave it a shot and … Aw, crap! Headed to hell, apparently. Best reflect on how we can improve our behavior. In case you were wondering, there’s also a place to experience heaven at this shrine. Both exhibits are free, so bring your friends or your kids and experience heaven or hell, depending on your mood. And be sure to pick up some of the delicious sweets available on your way out. Senkouji Temple 4-12-21 Hiranohonmachi, Hirano-ku, Osaka-shi About 13 min walk from JR and subway Hirano Station [ Read in Japanese ]Murder charges filed in case of missing League City woman Shaun Hardy was arrested after remains were found in his home. Shaun Hardy was arrested after remains were found in his home. Image 1 of / 17 Caption Close Murder charges filed in case of missing League City woman 1 / 17 Back to Gallery League City police have charged an ex-husband with first-degree murder after authorities discovered his former wife's body in his garage. Shaun Hardy, who was arrested Friday and charged with tampering with evidence (corpse), is in the Galveston County Jail on $500,000 bail. The body of Anne-Christine Johnson, a 30-year-old missing for three weeks, was found on Friday wrapped in plastic in Hardy's garage in the 600 block of Chesterfield. "I am literally devastated right now," Stephanie Johnson, the woman's mother, told the Houston Chronicle. "All that searching and she was right in the house." Johnson disappeared on Dec. 8. Police say the last person to report seeing her alive was Hardy, who told police he saw her get into a car with a man he could not identify after she left Hardy's house. After hunting for weeks, police had launched a new search Thursday at an undisclosed location for the missing waitress and mother of two. TURBULENT HISTORY: Records show troubles for missing woman, ex Hours earlier, League City law enforcement served a search warrant at Hardy's home. Initially, police hoped to "secure property" relating to the investigation — but even after their morbid discovery, authorities declined to say what they'd been looking for. After realizing the house was a crime scene, police got a second search warrant and found human remains. "I can't speak on the condition of the remains or where in the house it was found," League City police spokesman Kelly Williamson told reporters. FAMILY PAIN: Missing woman's mother clung to hope The couple had had a volatile relationship with Johnson accusing Hardy of beating and choking her in a June 2015 request for a restraining order, telling the court that she feared Hardy could kill her. Hardy filed a request for a restraining order about the same time, accusing Johnson of physical abuse. Hardy, through an attorney, has refused further interviews with League City police. Stephanie Johnson said she'd already feared the worst. "I've known and I've been crying for months that this was going to happen," she said. She said she planned to turn her daughter's death into part of something bigger. "I'm no expert on abuse but I'm going to become one," she said. "This is my mission in life... This is an epidemic of violence against women and if her death is going to have any meaning at all it is going to be to put a very public face on the killers of women." Anne-Christine Johnson's 5-year-old autistic son was living with Hardy, the child's father. However, Stephanie Johnson says the child is now safe. Her 8-year-old child is in the care of another former husband. The Chronicle's Brooke Lewis contributed to this report.In a room in the Department of Surgery, a kidney sits inside a chamber connected to tubes and monitors. Solutions and gases are pumping through it and urine is coming out. In fact, the chamber in itself is not particularly special – it’s an off-the-shelf machine used for cardiac bypass surgery in children: it’s how it has been adapted and the new uses it has found that make it so significant. This machine is able to rejuvenate kidneys deemed not fit for transplant, making them fit and healthy again – and suitable for a recipient. Professor Andrew Bradley, Head of the Department of Surgery, is quick to point out that it is his team at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, part of Cambridge University Hospitals – particularly Professor Mike Nicholson and Dr Sarah Hosgood – who should take all the credit for this machine, which they refer to as an organ perfusion system. There is a chronic shortage of suitable organs for transplant and something needs to be done. To help address the problem, in December 2015, Wales became the first country in the UK to make organ donation an ‘opt-out’ system – in other words, doctors would remove the organs from deceased individuals and provide them for use in sick patients unless the individual had explicitly refused consent before their death. Unfortunately, not every donated organ is suitable for transplant – in the case of kidneys, for example, around 15% are deemed unsuitable. This can be for a variety of reasons, including the age of the donor, their disease history and the length of time the organ has been in cold storage. “Grading organs is not an exact science – it’s a mixture of factors about the circumstance in which it became available, its storage and how it looks to a trained eye,” says Nicholson. “This isn’t good enough, particularly if it means we’re losing some potentially suitable organs.” What if there was a way of taking these organs and assessing them systematically? And to take it a step further, could some of them even be rejuvenated? Before coming to Cambridge, Nicholson and Hosgood developed a system while at the University of Leicester that effectively recirculates essential nutrients through the kidney, bringing it back to life. “We use a combination of red blood cells, a priming solution, nutrients, protective agents and oxygen,” explains Hosgood. “We pump this through the kidney while maintaining a temperature close to our body temperature. It mimics being in the body.” As the perfusion solution is being circulated, the kidney will begin to function and produce urine. By analysing the contents of this urine and monitoring blood flow, doctors can see how the kidney is performing and whether it might make a viable transplant organ. After just a 60-minute perfusion, the kidneys are resuscitated and are potentially ready for transplantation. This is no longer just an experiment: since moving to Cambridge, with funding from Kidney Research UK and the National Institute for Health Research, the team has been able to take kidneys rejected from other transplant centres, resuscitate and assess them, then transplant them. In December last year, two individuals on the organ transplant waiting list received the perfect Christmas present courtesy of the Cambridge team: a new kidney. So far, the team has taken five discarded kidneys and managed to rescue three. “We’re hoping to process another hundred over the next four years,” says Hosgood, who is also working with centres in Newcastle, Edinburgh and at Guy’s Hospital in London, in the hope of replicating their success. The current kit, which was not purpose-built for organ perfusion, is bulkier and clumsier than ideal, so the team is currently fundraising to help design a dedicated machine, in collaboration with colleagues from the Department of Engineering. “It’s not very mobile, so we couldn’t use it to help resuscitate organs in transit to other centres.” Nicholson and Hosgood’s success has spurred on other colleagues. Professor Chris Watson describes himself as “piggybacking” on their work to develop a technique for perfusing livers. The situation for liver transplants is even more serious than it is for kidneys: as many as one in five patients on the waiting list will die before a liver becomes available. So far, his team has taken 12 livers, all but one of which had been rejected by other centres, and successfully resuscitated and transplanted them using a system that builds on the pioneering work of his two colleagues. “There’s a scene in the Woody Allen film Sleeper where Allen’s character stumbles across a 200-year-old Volkswagen Beetle and manages to start it first time,” he says. “The liver is like that. You take it out of cold storage and expect it to start first time. By first assessing it on our machine, we can be more confident it will work first time.” In some ways, this has proved more of a challenge than it did for kidneys, he adds. “With kidneys, you can put them in the machine for an hour, resuscitate them and then transplant them. If it doesn’t work immediately, the patient stays on dialysis until it picks up. With a liver, it takes longer to analyse and resuscitate the organ, and if it doesn’t work it’s a disaster for the patient.” Now that the team has successfully revived and transplanted kidneys and livers, this is by no means the end of the story. There is still much work to be done to further improve the organ – and hence improve the function and prolong survival, says Hosgood. Once transplanted, organs face a battle with the body’s immune system, which recognises its new occupant as a foreign body. This is one reason why the perfusion system uses only red blood cells, not white – to do so would risk an inflammatory response that could damage the organ. “Of course, as soon as you transplant the kidney, it will face a similar inflammatory response, but by then it should be in an improved state and able to cope better with what the body throws at it,” she explains. The Department is in the process of recruiting 400 patients for a randomised controlled trial to test this technology. The perfusion system also enables therapies to be given directly to the kidney. This ensures optimal delivery of the treatment to the targeted organ and avoids any side effects in the patient. One promising avenue of research, in collaboration with Professor Jordan Pober at Yale University (USA), is the use of nanoparticles that target the endothelial cells in the lining of the kidney. These cells play an important role in the inflammatory response after transplantation. “The delivery of nanoparticles in this way may reduce damage to the organ after transplantation,” she adds. The shortage of suitable organs is not going away. Not even a UK-wide ‘opt-out’ system is likely to completely eradicate the problem. If anything, the crisis is likely to get worse – the flipside of good news stories such as fewer road traffic fatalities and better medicines that reduce the number of young people dying early. The team recognises that the system alone is not the answer, but it brings a new relevance to the old adage “waste not, want not”.Getty Image Donald Trump’s executive orders — especially his immigration ban on refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries — have dominated the past two weeks of news and have already affected hundreds of thousands of people. Would you be surprised to learn that the president may not be reading all of these orders before he signs them? That’s what a behind-the-scenes account from the New York Times more than implies, and this has reportedly caused great embarrassment within the White House. The report details how Trump has been “frustrated” with all of the backlash on his travel ban. Yet he’s possibly even more upset about the executive order that names former Breitbart CEO Steve Bannon (who was already acting as chief strategist) to a permanent position on the National Security Council. That order has infuriated many and caused folks to wonder who’s really in charge in Washington, D.C., maybe for more reasons than one. Trump allegedly was not briefed on this order before signing — an oversight that has sent White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus scrambling to create a new “conventional” protocol before executive orders are deployed:When we first read The New Brighton Archeological Society two years ago, we immediately recognized what a great story was being told. Finally, here was an all ages graphic novel that treated kids intelligently and was really entertaining at the same time. So we were surprised to see that the sequel was going to require some Kickstarter funding to get going. Surely a critical darling like The New Brighton Archeological Society didn't need funding to get off the ground, did it? To find out more, we asked the book's author, Mark Andrew Smith, about the New Brighton saga, Kickstarter, and the state of all ages' books today. GeekDad: Talk about the reception that The New Brighton Archeological Society received. Did the response exceed your expectations? * Mark Andrew Smith: The New Brighton Archeological Society had glowing reviews and press. The response to the first volume was incredible and we’re thankful so many reviewers gave The New Brighton Archeological Society the attention that they did. From a sales perspective, we hit the break-even point for printing costs but haven't sold enough copies yet to cover the production costs on the first book or to give us a production budget to create the second volume. __GD: NBAS was nominated for two Harvey awards last year and received tons of critical acclaim—why didn't all this attention translate into sales? __ MAS: The comic industry awards are specific to the comic book industry and don’t translate well to sales outside of the industry. They should, but they’re not covered outside of the comic book world. With something like the Harvey Awards or the Eisner Awards, places like CNN should give the winners a blurb—at minimum—explaining why they won and what things are interesting and unique about these books so that they were selected. If the media made an effort to cover the awards it would go a long way and help comics reach a larger audience. GD: Since sales didn't match all the attention, what was the biggest problem in your opinion? MAS: The name ‘The New Brighton Archeological Society’ got out there, but it was difficult for people to find the book unless they ordered it online. Bookstores don’t order heavily because graphic novels are non-returnable. Plus, now, brick and mortar bookstores are going out of business. It’s difficult for comic shops to take risks with new material. Most comic shops go with what’s proven to sell for them — monthly superhero titles for an adult audience — and they have less risk for them to carry. Asking people to spend money on an original graphic novel is a tall order in comic book stores where single issues are usually how books are introduced. Most comic shops don’t carry New Brighton and don’t make an effort to restock it once the book has sold out. With so many factors working against us, I’d say we did extremely well for where we are. __GD: As an independent writer, what kind of challenges do you face when creating new work? __ MAS: The creative part comes easily. I think that the biggest challenge is the stress of putting so much work into a project and getting high hopes, only to see that work be for nothing. With each new book we put in energy and so much work, and think, ‘Okay, this is going to be it. We’re going to get to where we can turn this into a career’ and it never happens. We’ll work on a book sometimes for three years and it will come out and only 2,000 or 3,000 people will read it. Doing creator owned comics is a very Sisyphean task and you get your hopes up just to get knocked back down each time to where you started from with only a printed book to hold in your hands. I think that’s very hard to take on an emotional level. You’ve got to do your best to soldier on, keep a good outlook, and not let those things bother you. I’ve been teaching English in Asia to pursue the dream of doing comic books on a full time basis. I love this book and I want to make it my full-time job eventually. __ GD: You're getting ready to work on NBAS Book Two and you've turned to Kickstarter to help generate funds, yet you are a proven producer of award winning books. Why is it necessary for you to personally go out and raise money?__ MAS: We’re eight thousand dollars in the red on the New Brighton Archeological Society Book One for coloring and lettering costs. I put up the money that I made teaching to pay for the costs on the first volume. We do our work for free, creating the book, and both have full-time jobs that enable us to create The New Brighton Archeological Society. If we have to, we’ll put in our own money for the second again. I think there is an assumption because we put out such a polished book, have critical acclaim, and awards, that we have a publishing deal and get a huge advance to produce New Brighton. But it’s not the case. We front the cost of producing the book and promoting the book. The publisher prints it and the distributor distributes it and that’s the short version of it. But the production money comes out of our own pockets and if we don’t get past a break-even point for publishing, then we don’t recoup the money that we invested into the book. In the model we’re publishing under, we’re the last to recoup. In that way it’s upside down. I think we have an excellent book and that trying something a little new and different, such as Kickstarter, can help us to finance the second volume and get it to readers in a more timely way. GD: Do you think Kickstarter (or programs like it) are the future of independent books? MAS: There is something there in that, creators can pre-sell books, finance them, and then get them directly to readers and contributors without middlemen taking their cuts. If the system gets set up correctly, I think it might be a more valid and fluid system than the one that we have right now. It has the potential for those self-publishing to go from A to B from creator to reader while allowing creators to own their material and prosper. But we can become the masters of our own futures in this way. The prospect is exciting but I think it will be a while until that’s a reality; a tested infrastructure will have to be set up to make this happen. GD: What can we expect from NBAS 2? Will it pick up where Book One ended? MAS: NBAS 2 picks up immediately where the first book ended. We did a lot of setup in the first book. Here we get to jump into the action and let the story unfold in the center of the action. We’re really working incredibly hard to one up the first book and to make the second one feel like it's breathing. GD: Do you see NBAS as an ongoing series or do you have a definitive end in mind? MAS: We have an end in mind. Right now, it feels like the entire story is between four or five volumes. If it gets "Harry Potter-big," then we’ll stay a little longer and have as much fun as we can in the process. I think now, there’s stress hanging over our heads about finishing the story and wrapping it all up and how we’ll be able to do that. GD: Will Matthew Weldon return to provide the artwork for NBAS 2? MAS: Matthew Weldon is providing the artwork for the second volume. I’ve been challenging Matthew with huge epic sequences and every time he’s been delivering beyond expectations. The New Brighton Archeological Society means a lot to both of us. Creating The New Brighton Archeological Society and building the world of the book is a wonderful process. Matthew’s doing a fantastic job. GD: What lessons did you learn during Book One that will affect future NBAS books? MAS: I’m not sure we did. We might be stupid because we’re doing the next book in the series and putting in so much time and resources into it after the first one did well, critically, but broke even only for printing but not production costs for sales. I think we’re more crazy going into the second volume knowing what we’re in store for after the first. If we were movie hungry we would have just worked on something new that we could sell for film and have another chance with, but we’ve returned to work on the series because we genuinely care about it and want to tell our story. We believe in it and ourselves. With a little help and the right promotion, I think we’d be able to go out there and produce the next YA sensation. Instead of a YA book sensation, it’s a graphic novel series. __GD: Share your thoughts about the state of all ages books today. __ MAS: The all ages book market and the Young Adult book markets are thriving. Kids love reading and it’s a fact. It should be so easy, right? It should be a three-step plan that goes something like this: Make great books. Get them to kids. High-five each other. Somewhere in that second step we have trouble. It’s not that kids aren’t reading; no, kids are reading a ton thanks to J.K. Rowling and Rick Riordan. The YA market is booming. I don’t think there’s a problem there except for marketing and to have a big push behind you to reach kids. More specifically, I think now the challenge is to get comics for kids to kids. There are big publishers with all of the in-roads to bookstores and money — and kids love comic books. So I hope that they’ll make an effort to get more kids reading comic books to ensure a strong future for comics as a medium. A handful of comic books get the royal treatment by large publishers and sell well because they have those huge resources and promotion. That’s not our reality at the moment. For those of us without a major publishing contract it’s impossible for the have-nots to compete with the haves. We don’t have anywhere close to the resources and promotion that those with the backing of larger publishers have. It’s like taking a dinghy up against the Spanish Armada. We have to get creative and be a thousand times more resourceful in order to win. We have to fight hard for any success we have. GD: Comics and graphic novels are now a pretty competitive field. Do you have any advice for comic writers and artists just starting out in this industry? MAS: I would say to someone starting out in the industry to make sure you’re creating comics for the right reasons. Make sure it’s something you love and enjoy doing as a storyteller. Most likely you won’t get rich but it is so rewarding on a creative level and addicting. Create stories that you’re excited about and that interest you and don’t try to guess the market or jump on any new trends. Everything takes about four times longer than you expect career-wise. Work hard, but also be patient and have a positive attitude. You can donate to the NBAS Kickstarter project and help bring the sequel to reality or check out the first book if you haven't read it yet. Mark Andrew Smith has won Harvey and Eisner awards for the popular Popgun Comics anthologies and also wrote Amazing Joy Buzzards and Aqua Leung. His upcoming books include Sullivan's Sluggers, and the second installments of Amazing Joy Buzzards and New Brighton Archeological Society. *Archaeologists say they have found almost fully intact temple and burial grounds of Saint Nicholas in Antalya Turkish archaeologists have dashed the hopes of millions of children by claiming to have uncovered the likely burial place of Saint Nicholas. Surveys have uncovered an intact temple and burial grounds below St Nicholas church in the province of Antalya, where he is believed to have been born, archaeologists told the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet. “We have obtained very good results but the real work starts now,” said Cemil Karabayram, the director of surveying and monuments in Antalya. “We will reach the ground and maybe we will find the untouched body of Saint Nicholas.” Revered for his gift-giving and aid to the poor, the 4th-century saint gave rise to the legend of Santa Claus. In recent years, the church in Demre district in Antalya, near his birthplace, has been restored and draws many visitors. Demre is built on the ruins of Myra, the city where Saint Nicholas, revered by many denominations in Christianity, is believed to have lived. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Fresco depicting Saint Nicholas of Bari. Photograph: F Dagli Orti/De Agostini/Getty It had been thought that the remains of Saint Nicholas were transferred from Demre by sailors who smuggled them to the city of Bari in Italy, where the St Nicholas Basilica still stands. According to that version of events, the remains of Saint Nicholas were transferred to Bari as parts of the Byzantine empire in modern-day Turkey fell to Muslim invaders around the First Crusade, 700 years after his death. Venice also competed to host his body and today contains relics belonging to the saint. Based on documents obtained from the area, Turkish archaeologists now believe the remains belonged to a local priest rather than the saint, whose body may still be within the temple complex. The theft probably took place after the church was burned down and was being restored. The archaeologists recently began the fresh surveys, discovering the temple below the modern church using ground-penetrating radars. They said the temple was almost intact but inaccessible due to the presence of stone reliefs and mosaics that needed to be preserved. Excavation work will allow scholars to access the temple grounds below the church to determine whether it still holds Nicholas’s body. The saint’s fabled gift-giving gave rise to the legend of Sinterklaas in the Netherlands, which morphed into Santa Claus and was popularised in the US by Dutch immigrants to the colonies.Listen to the locals If nearly every venerable architect in the host country slams your proposed design for a building as a “monumental mistake” and a “disgrace to future generations”, it’s probably a good idea to reconsider. Not so Zaha Hadid, who, after facing calls for her Tokyo Olympic stadium to be scrapped – following a petition of 32,000 signatures and an open letter of opposition from a host of eminent Japanese architects – simply accused the locals of jealousy. “I think it’s embarrassing for them,” she said. “I understand it’s their town, but they’re hypocrites. The fact that they lost [the competition] is their problem.” Ration your icons Facebook Twitter Pinterest Designs by Norman Foster (left), BIG (centre) and Frank Gehry (right) converge in front of Giles Gilbert Scott’s Battersea Power Station, London. Photograph: BIG “You’ll have two icons sat side by side. What could be better than that?” So asked Rob Tincknell, the man in charge of the redevelopment of Battersea Power Station, before unveiling his plan to build an architectural petting zoo around Giles Gilbert Scott’s brick cathedral of electricity. The power station-reborn-as-mall will be reached along a “high street” (AKA a gauntlet of luxury apartments), with a wiggling glass worm by Norman Foster on one side and a scrunched-up metal flower by Frank Gehry on the other, terminating in a big swoopy hole scooped out by Danish funsters, BIG. It’s the kind of car crash of competing icons that might make you wish the place had been left as a majestic ruin. Forget facets Shardenfreude … 62 Buckingham Gate in Victoria, London, by Pelli Clarke Pelli architects. Photograph: Land Securities Since the Shard broke on to the London skyline as a dazzling crystal spear, many have been the lesser buildings that have tried to emulate its fractured facets with the odd bit of wonky glass hung askew. The city is now littered with crumpled glazing and angular floor-plates terminating in useless acute angles. These are not “urban jewels”, nor do they “reflect a vision of a multi-faceted world”. They’re ugly hulks with shoddy details – those ambitious multi-angled joints usually bodged with a splurge of mastic – and the result just looks like something went wrong with a Sketch-Up computer model, the whole thing triangulated to oblivion. If in doubt, keep it orthogonal in 2015. Say no to facadectomies Facebook Twitter Pinterest Death mask … Lilian Knowles House in Spitalfields, London. Photograph: Oliver Wainwright Here’s an idea for a makeover. Why not flay the skin off a supermodel and stretch it over your own body? You might have difficulty seeing, given that your eye-holes probably won’t match up, and you might not be able to breathe through that misplaced mouth, but no matter. You’ll look great. And you can apply the same idea to your buildings. The six-storey 300-room student accommodation block you’re planning might not fit behind that nice four-storey Victorian brick frontage, but what the hell. You can squeeze it in. They’re only students. They won’t realise that their windows look out on to a blank brick wall and that they can’t fully open their front door. And the conservation officer will give you extra Brownie points for retaining a beloved heritage asset. Win win. Make entrances equal Left, the luxury lobby of One Commercial Street in Aldgate, marketed to wealthy City workers. Right, the side-alley entrance reserved for affordable housing tenants. Photograph: Photographs: Sarah Lee for the Guardian Time was when the lord of the manor went in through the front door and his lesser servant-serfs went in round the back. But the chances are that the apartment block you’re designing isn’t the new set of Downton Abbey, so there’s really no excuse for specifying a “poor door”. If your housing association client insists on the affordable housing units having a separate entrance for maintenance reasons, then at least design it on equal terms as the market-rate housing and don’t hide it down a service alley next to the bins. Design dumb cities Facebook Twitter Pinterest Do smart cities make dumb citizens? Photograph: Mmdi/Getty The all-seeing mod-cons of our “smart cities” have revolutionised urban management and streamlined the provision of municipal services, filling our streets with brave battalions of crime-fighting lampposts and fleets of eavesdropping dustbins. But does the smart city really empower the citizen to be any more than a passive consumer of services and generator of data, to be harvested and redeployed in the name of urban efficiency? And when the mechanics of urban governance may be subcontracted to Siemens and Cisco, what happens to the principle of democratic accountability? It simply goes the same way as the outsourced “easyCouncil” in Barnet – where no matter who the locals vote for in the next elections, they will get Capita. So keep your cities lo-fi in 2015. Don’t design with Lego Facebook Twitter Pinterest This is what happens when architects design with Lego. Photograph: Frantzesco Kangaris for the Guardian The Danish click-together brick has long been hailed as a source of inspiration for budding architects, providing children with the means to develop their megalomaniacal tendencies and construct miniature universes on the sitting room floor. But Lego is a cunning brand, and has recently sought to monetise the increasingly the lucrative Afol (adult fans of Lego) market, with the launch of the Lego Architecture Studio, an expensive set of all-white bricks aimed at architect grownups. It might be a fun desk toy, but it is not a design tool – and it will only serve to continue the wretched trend of clunky “pixelated” buildings propagated by certain Dutch practices and their cutester offspring. Build better towers Facebook Twitter Pinterest From left: the Helix by Make, the Quill by Sparrc; the Odalisk by CZWG. Photograph: PR London’s recent spate of high-rise buildings has prompted a vociferous anti-tower backlash, seeing the Observer and the Architect’s Journal launch a skyline campaign to protect the city’s precious silhouette. Truth is, skylines are not to be preserved in aspic, nor is London’s horizon a particularly magnificent example: the hallowed dome of St Paul’s has long been crowded out by a motley collection of lumps and stumps. The truly alarming thing is just how bad the current clutch of high-rise design proposals is, each trying harder than the next to outshine its neighbours with ever more elaborate peaks and kaleidoscopic cladding treatments, with no idea how to meet the ground or create a meaningful urban street. 2015 will only see more towers, so make sure they make elegant and intelligent contributions to the city. Defend the meaning of public space Facebook Twitter Pinterest The square beneath Richard Rogers’ Leadenhall Building, AKA the Cheesegrater tower, is managed by Broadgate Estates, the company that evicted protesters from Paternoster Square. Photograph: Sonja Horsman What could be a better symbol of civic life than a nice public space? In planning terms, it is held up a de facto good, the ameliorating salve between the closed footprints of private development. Yet, increasingly, it is no such thing. It is more often an extension of the private realm – an office lobby without walls, a mall atrium without a roof – owned by a private developer and managed solely in their interests. Even publicly-owned urban space is now mostly controlled by private agencies: the relentless growth of business improvement districts (BIDs) sees public funds from Section 106 agreements syphoned off and spent by the unaccountable boards of local businesses. If trees and benches prevent the flow of people into the shops and encourage anti-social loitering then, in the eyes of the BID, it’s better not to have them. Reclaim the idea of truly civic space in 2015. More gardens and bridges … but not a garden bridge Facebook Twitter Pinterest The garden bridge … ‘neither a garden nor a bridge’. Photograph: Arup/EPA What’s not to like about a garden on a bridge? The Garden Bridge Trust that is managing the project says it could provide “the chance to walk through woodlands over one of the greatest rivers in the world,” a “quick and beautiful route” for commuters and “for dreamers, a quiet place to linger among trees and grasses to look at the views”. Well, there’s the fact that it is another private-public space, that it is being built with £60m of public money; that it will be inaccessible to unregistered groups, cyclists and closed at night. Or that long-cherished views will be blocked; that there will be unbearable crowds along the South Bank at peak times; or that
Dennis’ ousting, has established his reputation by delivering a number of sponsorship deals to McLaren, including Johnnie Walker, GSK, Hilton, Lenovo, Chandon and NTT. However it remains without a title sponsor since Vodafone left at the end of the 2013 F1 season. “I think it’s critical that we as McLaren and of course the entire industry really focus on our fan base – I’ve talked about that a lot over the years,” Brown said in an interview with the official McLaren website. “If you have a big healthy fan base, everything else falls into place – the sponsors, the television, the merchandise and, ultimately, the economics that make the sport work. “So that’s going to be critical for us, moving forward. I would like McLaren – just as we always have – to lead the way at it and continue to do that with a real emphasis on the commercial side. “It’s not passed me by that we need a title partner, not only to help continue to build our brand, but also to economically make us go faster.” Racing director Eric Boullier admitted last year that McLaren-Honda’s struggles on track had hurt the team commercially, while Dennis’ reluctance to lower its ‘rate card’ to attract new sponsors was seen as a hindrance as well. Chris Medland's 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix preview FEATURE: Hamilton v Rosberg: 2016 F1 drivers' title permutations TECHNICAL: Under the skin of the McLaren-Honda MP4-31 INTERVIEW: Rob Smedley on Felipe Massa 2017 driver line-ups so far FEATURE: When F1 team-mates fight for the title Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and TwitterIf you’re not a regular in the comments section of Gawker Media, then you might have missed this amazing gem of a story from an io9 thread last Thursday — according to user Teshara, an error in the ebook copy of A Feast For Crows causes the author’s name and book title to appear in throughout the book’s texts in the most hilarious places possible. Much to our delight, Teshara posted some screenshots: And this one’s my personal favorite: We haven’t been able to figure out whether or not this is an error just with Teshara’s copy or a common formatting problem that can be found across several iterations of the ebook. If this has ever happened to you with any ebook before, let us know. I just had a mental image of what it would look like if you threw J.D Salinger’s name in all the parts of The Catcher in the Rye where Holden Caulfield complains about “phonies,” and I need to see that become a reality, please. (Housing Works via io9) Meanwhile in related links“What we found in our detailed systematic review was that older people with high LDL (low-density lipoprotein) levels, the so-called “bad” cholesterol, lived longer and had less heart disease.” Vascular and endovascular surgery expert Professor Sherif Sultan from the University of Ireland, who also worked on the study, said cholesterol is one of the “most vital” molecules in the body and prevents infection, cancer, muscle pain and other conditions in elderly people. “Lowering cholesterol with medications for primary cardiovascular prevention in those aged over 60 is a total waste of time and resources, whereas altering your lifestyle is the single most important way to achieve a good quality of life,” he said. Lead author Dr Uffe Ravnskov, a former associate professor of renal medicine at Lund University in Sweden, said there was “no reason” to lower high-LDL-cholesterol. But Professor Colin Baigent, an epidemiologist at Oxford University, said the new study had “serious weaknesses and, as a consequence, has reached completely the wrong conclusion”. Another sceptic, consultant cardiologist Dr Tim Chico, said he would be more convinced by randomised study where some patients have their cholesterol lowered using a drug, such as a stain, while others receive a placebo. He said: “There have been several studies that tested whether higher cholesterol increases the risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol in elderly patients and observing whether this reduces their risk of heart disease.(CNN) -- German billionaire Adolf Merckle, one of the richest men in the world, committed suicide Monday after his business empire got into trouble in the wake of the international financial crisis, Merckle's family said Tuesday in a statement. Merckle, 74, was hit by a train in the southwestern town of Ulm, police said. His family said the economic crisis had "broken" Merckle. He was number 94 on the Forbes list of the world's richest people. He had fallen from number 44 on the Forbes 2007 rich list as his fortune declined from $12.8 billion to $9.2 billion in 2008. Merckle's business empire included interests as diverse as cement-maker HeidelbergCement and generic drug-maker Ratiopharm. But he lost hundreds of millions of dollars, including company capital, betting against Volkswagen stock last year. The state government of Baden-Wuerttemberg rejected his petition for financial assistance, and he entered bailout talks with several German banks. "The financial troubles of his companies, induced by the international financial crisis and the uncertainty and powerlessness to act independently which the financial problems brought about, broke the passionate family business man, and he took his own life," his family wrote in the news release. An employee of Germany's railroad company found the body on the tracks at about 7 p.m. Monday and notified authorities. Merckle's family had already reported him missing earlier in the day after he walked out of the house and did not return. Authorities are currently conducting DNA tests to confirm his identity. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen in Germany and Alysen Miller in London, England, contributed to this report.an experience that many have had and that some have written about has been providing expert opinion. I’m sharing here to see what people’s experience might be like. last weekend, I attended a conference of ethnic Chinese professional people of various political identities, but all living in the United States. The conference made me anxious for several reasons: first, public gigs of this sort always give me the willies; second, the organization seemed tied to political interests and organizations toward which I am at best ambivalent; and finally the organizers wanted to have several talks on “indigenous education”—an issue that has been highly politicized and contentious on Taiwan. And I found myself both as a token “American” (meaning, in Mandarin Chinese white person) and as an anthropologist who has worked in Taiwanese indigenous communities, a token indigenous voice. I tried to decline the invitation several times, but one of the trade offs of taking money from the R.O.C. Ministry of Foreign Affairs / National Central Library is my participation on discourse on public affairs. When the organizer met me for dinner, the invitation also became personal. So I went across the river to Cambridge for the conference on Saturday. I tried to make it clear that I cannot represent an indigenous opinion, but of course, I did want to make some sort of critical response to the well meaning but misinformed positions presented by the other keynote speaker—an ethnic Chinese academic from Taiwan who now serves as a presidential advisor on education. This academic is well known for his charitable work as well as for his opposition to progressive policies. Because my talk was limited to an issue that I care about, challenges facing Taiwanese indigenous language renewal, I could engage in a bit of useful self-deprecation. Yet, language issues are ultimately about public space, media, and an entire system of values. What I had to say would be threatening to the ethnic Chinese audience Sometimes, being the sort of liminal person that ethnographers who have worked long term in one place is a good thing. In the question and answer period that followed my talk and subsequent lunch conversation, the distinguished speaker gave me the cold shoulder; but the audience showed real curiosity about indigenous language issues and willingness to rethink their positions as members of the dominant ethnic group. Perhaps this willingness came from their long term residence in the United States, but many of the remarks that came from the audience were of the “I had never really considered that the media dominance of Mandarin was a problem,” or “it is true that the education system creates a hostile environment for indigenous languages” variety. Other than the student attendees, this was an audience that used a now discredited term, “mountain folk” shandi ren, to refer to indigenous people without a trace of irony or a sense that it might be wrong. But in the way of people who attend public lectures, they were a curious bunch who didn’t necessarily want their prejudices reproduced. The questions—about drinking, attitudes toward work, what kinds of policy they might support—sometimes came from ignorance and stereotype. They were, however, interested in knowing from someone who has experience living in an indigenous community about what that experience might mean to them. I had to overcome many of my own prejudices, I now knew Yet, part of their curiosity—what made at least some of the audience willing to give my arguments a listen—actually came from the disjuncture between what they might read from my appearance and what they would hear in my voice. No one will ever mistake my Mandarin for Standard Taiwan Language School Mandarin, much less Beijing Mandarin. People are curious about the working class and indigenous trace in my speech: am I the child of missionaries or someone otherwise displaced to Taiwan as a child? (I’m not: I learned Mandarin the way most of the audience learned English). Usually this curiosity annoys me, but in this context it gets read as “this is someone who has spent a very long time living and studying on Taiwan.” And here is the interesting catch. If I were Chinese or Chinese American, I doubt that I could say what I said about ethnic Chinese people on Taiwan suffering from an acute case of cultural narcissism. I doubt that I could have said that one cannot blame indigenous heads of households for speaking Mandarin to their children; that eventually the reasons for the decline in indigenous languages derives from a value system, toward which everyone on the island must orient themselves, in which economic rationality trumps everything. I doubt that I could have said that ethnic Chinese people should stop trying to “educate” indigenous people. If I were Chinese, I would seem a traitor. At the same time, these words from an American without some form of cultural competence would strike the audience as misinformed and probably imperialistic. I wonder if part of the value of ethnographic work is in the creation of such liminal critics, informed insider-outsiders who have license to say what insiders might know but cannot articulateSaturday morning, I am walking towards the university library in order to work on my Master’s thesis. My phone in my pocket, I walk past two tourists looking at their phones. Suddenly, my phone gives a slight buzz. I look at the screen. Right in front of me, there is a Dratini. I quickly throw a poke ball, and manage to catch it. Slightly embarrassed, I look back – wondering if the tourists saw my brief relapse into nerdity. They did. However, their reaction surprised me. They both throw a fist pump into the air, and in response, I do the same. They too just caught a Pokemon, and judging from their reaction, a rare one as well. This brief moment of understanding between people who would otherwise never have noted each other was beautiful. And it is exemplary in why Pokemon Go is such a great game. My experience is not unique. Many video’s pop up with people filming and encountering loads of people walking on the street, looking for a Caterpie or Magikarp. But what is Pokemon Go exactly, and why should you care? Pokemon Go is made by Niantic Labs, previously having creating Ingress, an augmented reality game requiring you to walk around, collect experience, and battle with other participants for control of local hot spots. I tried my hand at it a few years back, but didn’t really understand the point of it. It was not helped by the fact that in The Netherlands at least, almost nobody seemed to play the game. I quickly lost interest, and didn’t bother playing it again. Its premise was promising, but the lack of popularity hampered my enthusiasm. In 2013, Google and Nintendo created an April Fool’s joke together, with Pokemon being scattered around Google Maps. Due to the popularity of the gag, Niantic was approached to create a fully fledged mobile game based on this premise. The perfect candidate, since Ingress’ core experience could be used as a basis for this new game. Somewhere in 2015 the game was announced, leading to a lot of hype online. Now, just a few days ago, the game was released in a select number of countries (The Netherlands not included) but thanks to Android’s open nature, everyone can download and install the game if they know how to look for it. Alternatively, you can click on this link while on your phone, and you can download the app from there! The game might not be that exciting itself. You have to have the app opened at all time if you want to encounter Pokemon to catch and earn experience. Most content is bordered off at the start until you reach level five, which enables you to go for Gym battles. Until then, it is mostly walking around looking for Pokemon. Catching a Pokemon gives 100 XP, catching a new entry to your Pokedex earns you 500 XP. Depending on your throwing technique, a ‘great’ throw earns you an additional 50 XP, while a ‘nice’ throw earns 10. Level three can be achieved in a 15 minute walk, but the fact that you encounter a lot of common Pokemon means your progress will be quickly stumped. I just reached level five myself, did my first few gym battles and was defeated horribly. You can train your Pokemon using stardust, of which you get a small amount every time you catch a Pokemon. On top of that, you need another currency specific to the Pokemon you want to train or evolve which you can get by catching that specific Pokemon. The game is free, but offers options to pay for items such as poke balls, but not stardust. This makes it a bit more fair, since you cannot pay directly to increase your Pokemon’s power. Prices are quite cheap, but for now I didn’t experience any need to dish out cash, but as with all free to play games, this might change the further I get into the game. It is not the game itself that makes it so great. As my above anecdote describes, it is the experience of playing the same game with everyone around you. Encountering groups of people walking around with their phones out, knowing they are only out of there houses to catch Pokemon. It makes me feel like a kid again, when in school breaks we would take out our Gameboys and link-cables to battle or trade. And, since the game is not yet available officially in The Netherlands, the fact that I regularly encounter people playing means that this frequency will only grow once it does. It is a sense of community. Of nostalgia. It really has the potential to become this generation’s Pokemon. It is genius, and I hope its popularity is durable. Now I only need to convince my girlfriend (who has no affinity with Pokemon at all) to play as well. I might need a little bit more experience first though, as I can’t shake the feeling I have no idea what I’m doing. If you want to know more about Pokemon Go, there are a lot of resources out there on reddit, such as /r/PokemonGo and /r/TheSilphRoad. Related Comments comments(CNN) The family of Philando Castile, who was shot and killed last year by a St. Anthony, Minnesota police officer, has reached a $3 million settlement with the city, according to a statement from the city and lawyers for the family. Jeronimo Yanez, who is leaving the force, was acquitted June 16 of second-degree manslaughter and two counts of intentional discharge of a firearm that endangers safety. Castile was killed July 6 during a traffic stop, and his girlfriend streamed the shooting's aftermath on Facebook Live. "The death of Philando Castile is a tragedy for his family and for our community," the statement said. "The parties moved expeditiously to resolve potential civil claims resulting from this tragedy in order to allow the process of healing to move forward for the Castile family, for the people of St. Anthony Village, and for all those impacted by the death of Philando Castile throughout the United States." "No amount of money could ever replace Philando. With resolution of the claims the family will continue to deal with their loss through the important work of the Philando Castile Relief Foundation." The announcement comes a week after the family of Michael Brown, who was shot and killed in 2014 by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, reached a settlement in its wrongful death lawsuit against that city Brown, who was black, was killed by then-Officer Darren Wilson, who is white. The incident sparked outrage and protest across the country. An investigation by the Justice Department into the incident brought no charges against Wilson, who argued he shot Brown in self-defense as Brown charged at him. Details of that settlement were not made public, though the original lawsuit shows the Brown family sought punitive and compensatory damages in excess of $75,000, in addition to attorney's fees. Castile's death came one day after the fatal police shooting of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which was partly captured on bystander video and sparked widespread protests. Police dashcam video shows deadly exchange A more complete picture of what transpired during the July 6, 2016 traffic stop involving Castile was captured by police dashcam video and radio transmissions, which were released June 20. The nearly 10-minute video shows Yanez pulling over Castile on a wide street on a clear summer evening. Yanez approaches the white 1997 Oldsmobile and leans in to speak through the driver's window. Another officer approaches but stands farther away on the passenger side. The video does not show Yanez's point of view or the inside of Castile's car, where his girlfriend Diamond Reynolds and her 4-year-old daughter were passengers. Yanez asks for Castile's driver's license and insurance, the video shows. Thirty seconds into the conversation, Castile begins to tell Yanez that he has a weapon. Castile: Sir, I have to tell you I do have a... Yanez: OK. Castile:... firearm on me. Yanez: OK. Castile: I (inaudible) Yanez: Don't reach for it then. Castile: I'm, I, I was reaching for... Yanez: Don't pull it out. Castile: I'm not pulling it out. Reynolds: He's not. Yanez: Don't pull it out. Yanez, whose hand had been near his gun, pulls out his weapon and fires seven rapid shots into the car, striking Castile five times. Reynolds: You just killed my boyfriend. Castile: I wasn't reaching... Reynolds: He wasn't reaching. Yanez: Don't pull it out! Reynolds: He wasn't. Yanez: Don't move! (Expletive.) Yanez is then heard shouting obscenities and breathing heavily as the tape continues. Reynolds begins sharing a live video on Facebook, narrating in calm tones. She is told to exit the car and walk backward to an officer. Officers are seen removing Castile from the car, placing him on the street, and treating him. Another police camera captured Reynolds and her child in the back of a police car after the shooting. It shows the little girl trying to comfort her mother. "Mom, please stop cussing and screaming," she says, "I don't want you to get shooted." Reynolds replied, "OK. Give me a kiss." The child, with braids in her hair, leans over to peck her mom on the cheek. She also tries to reassure her mother many times, wrapping her arms around her mother and telling here: "It's OK. I'm right here with you." "I can keep you safe," she says, placing her hands on Reynold's neck and face. 'I thought I was going to die' Yanez testified at his trial that Castile put his hand on his firearm, not his wallet or identification papers, and was pulling the gun from his pocket. "I didn't want to shoot Mr. Castile," Yanez testified. "That wasn't my intention. I thought I was going to die." Castile's fully loaded gun was found in his shorts pocket, Ramsey County prosecutors said. Yanez said he smelled burnt marijuana as he approached the car, according to a criminal complaint that details an interview he gave the day after the shooting "I thought... if he has... the guts and the audacity to smoke marijuana in front of the 5-year-old girl and risk her lungs and risk her life by giving her secondhand smoke and the front seat passenger doing the same thing then what, what care does he give about me," Yanez said. The officer said he "had no other option" except to shoot.Jonathan Frid and Lauri Peters in ROMEO AND JULIET, 1966. "The Capulet family relationship is rounded out skillfully by Jonathan Frid, the concerned father, and Terrence O'Connor, the indifferent mother. Anthony Zerbe gives Mercutio a nasal voice and all of his extensive acting skill. When he describes Queen Mab's fairy flight he almost waves a dream spell of his own upon the listener. Geer's portrayal of the good intentioned but bungling Friar is skillful, but mechanical. Imaginative lighting by Parker Young adds greatly to the dramatic meaning of many passages. Juliet wears a brilliantly lighted white robe and stands before a velvety black stage to say that Romeo is so wonderful, he should be cut out like little stars and hung in the heavens." Jon Voight and Lauri Peters. Jonathan Frid and Terrence O'Connor. Rehearsal scene from the 1966 production of ROMEO AND JULIET. Frid can been seen in the background. In 1966, just two months after DARK SHADOWS debuted on ABC, Jonathan Frid appeared in the National Shakespeare Festival's production of ROMEO AND JULIET in San Diego's Old Globe Theatre. Frid appeared as Juliet's father, Lord Capulet, opposite Jon Voight and then-wife Lauri Peters in the title roles. Here's what the The San Bernardino County Sun had to say about the production in its Aug. 7, 1966, issue:TGIF: Thank God It's Frid-DayAs a sports fan in Toronto in the 21st century, you become accustomed to getting behind even the smallest glimmer of hope (albeit hesitantly). The Blue Jays, Maple Leafs, Raptors, and Toronto FC all have recent histories of severe mediocrity. The CFL’s Argonauts have had some success, but still that doesn’t feel quite the same. Until a few months ago, Toronto was sunk to irrelevance in the world of North American sport. That’s why this Blue Jays division title means so much. We’ve seen glimpses of the passion in this city recently. The brief Leafs playoff run of 2013, and those of the Raptors in the last couple of years. There are few other cities where tens of thousands of fans would pack the streets to watch their team on a giant TV. But nothing of late has shown how desperate Toronto is for something to cheer for like these 2015 Blue Jays. We now live in a world where nobody under the age of 25 can remember the back-to-back World Series teams of 92 and 93. Joe Carter’s home run, and Robbie Alomar’s game-winning run in Atlanta are distant memories. Those teams that so captivated the city are just part of history now. Toronto forgot what having a first-place team feels like. The Blue Jays are unique in that they’re now the only major league team outside of the United States. They’re the only team that plays two anthems before every game. And the only team with the support of an entire, 9000 kilometre-wide country behind them. When the Jays won their championships, the Montreal Expos still existed, so Canada was divided. Now, though, pretty much everyone is behind them. The 50,000 that pack the stadium in Toronto represent the 35 million Canadians cheering them on. You can see it on the Blue Jays’ west-coast road trips, where scores of fans will flock from Vancouver and the prairies to see their team play. The season that has resulted in so much long-awaited gratification for Toronto started in the offseason of this year. When Alex Anthopoulos emptied his pockets and prospect pool to acquire Josh Donaldson, Russell Martin, Marco Estrada and Devon Travis, Jays fans had every right not to jump on the bandwagon right away. Just two years before, they’d made a similar splash, trading for RA Dickey (coming off his Cy Young season), Mark Buehrle and Jose Reyes, as well as signing Melky Cabrera. The Blue Jays finished last in the AL East that year. You see, sports fans in Toronto are accustomed to disappointment nowadays. So it was with a grain of salt that the latest crop of hyped-up new faces were received. But the Blue Jays started winning. Donaldson was humiliating pitchers. Interest in this team began to grow. Then came July 31st. That day will surely be remembered as one of the most significant in team history. Troy Tulowitzki arrived, dropping jaws across the major leagues. Then came David Price, and, just like that, all of Canada was tuned in. Attendance shot up, as did TV ratings all over Canada. The Skydome, that concrete monument to ages past on Bremner, quickly became the loudest park in baseball. Even David Price noted that he’s never played in an an atmosphere like it. Something about the imposing bowl structure causes the screams of all 50,000 fans to converge on the pitcher’s mound. When the Dome is full, players really believe that an entire country has their backs. There’s always going to be grumpy fans expressing their distaste for “bandwagoners”. But you can’t blame many Jays fans for becoming indifferent over the years. Now that the team really has something worth cheering for, fans are flocking back in droves. And besides, why would a fan complain about a few extra dollars for the David Price re-signing fund? Sure, there are the overzealous, who interfere with live balls, but they’re a minority. Most of the people packing the stadium and bars in Toronto really are baseball fans. When you hear the Dome explode at times like Donaldson’s walkoff home run in the final home game of the regular season, you hear more than excitement. You here 22 years worth of pent-up, frustrated passion being released simultaneously by everyone in the building. The buzz around Toronto, and indeed all of Canada, is growing by the day. When Russell Martin hit a game winning home run against the Yankees last week, TVA announcer Rodger Brulotte said it best: “Le Canada danse!” That first home ALDS game will be one of the loudest ballgames of all time. There are stories on the internet of people coming from all over the country to participate in the madness. Some don’t even have tickets to the games, just coming to soak up the feeling around the city. So, Toronto: enjoy this postseason. You deserve it. This team has captured the attention of the whole baseball world. The fanbase has shown how passionate it really is, and how hungry the city has been for a winner. Now that you have one, savour it. Main Photo:Hiperfire trigger review Look, if this is your experience with triggers is playing Call of Duty on Xbox then you won’t really care what I’m talking about. So what do you look for in an AR-15 trigger? I look for little to no pre-travel or creep, a crisp break when the hammer falls, a distinct and equally crisp reset and a light to mid weight trigger pull. Reliability and warranty are important factors as well You may ask, why do I need to upgrade my trigger, who cares? I’ve had the opportunity to use many different triggers in the last year. I assure you, once you use an after market fire control group you will never want to use a stock trigger again. Enough background, lets talk about the Hiperfire HIPERTOUCH series of fire control groups. Hiperfire launched their products earlier this year and is one of many in a crowded marketplace of after market AR-15 parts. Their fire control group’s claim higher hammer fall energy and a low and adjustable trigger pull weight. They have a great series of videos on their site that explains their engineering decisions and I suggest you go check them out. Installation Before this video, I had installed stock AR triggers and the process is simple. It is just as simple to replace your current trigger with the hipertouch system. Simply take out two pins, remove your current trigger system, then follow the instructions to install the hipertouch. Drop the group in from the top of the lower receiver. Place the hammer spring on the hammer with the toggle spindle and insert as normal. From there install the toggle springs with the weight you are interested in. Place the springs on the pins, place them on the toggle spindle and compress them with a punch while rotating down. To change weights, just repeat the last step. Now that we’ve got it installed, I was able to test the 24E and the 24C. The 24E is a traditional curved trigger and has the slightest hint of pre travel with a smooth hammer release and a very crisp reset. I installed it in my longer range rifle and it has been flawless. The 24C is a different animal altogether. A straight vertical trigger with an optional and adjustable red shoe. By moving the shoe up and down, you can even dial in the trigger pull weight more. I used the light springs and then moved the shoe towards the bottom of the trigger for a light and safe trigger pull. At first I thought the shoe would be awkward but it turns out that I love it. It helps me find the same place on my trigger every time and forces an extremely consistent finger placement. This IS a competition trigger. Both have 3 sets of springs that are easily switched out for the trigger pull weight that you want. What does a good trigger feel like? It feels like breaking glass. It feels smooth. It has a crisp reset. It has no creep. There are 4 brass visible in one frame. Pretty fast trigger. 24E in action The 24C in use. PRE TRAVEL There’s no perceptible pre travel on the triggers at all. Apply rearward pressure and the hammer falls. Both the 24E and 24C feel very similar. TRIGGER WEIGHT It’s adjustable. Replace the springs based on the weight that you want. I have gone back and forth and went with Yellow and a medium-light trigger pull for my 3-gun rifle and grey on my long range rifle which provides a light weight pull. By moving the shoe to the bottom of the trigger I lighten it up even more. TRIGGER BREAK Both provide a very crisp break that is exactly what you would want. RESET The reset on both triggers is a positive and clean. Audible and tactile that doesn’t get lost even during rapid fire sequences. Trigger pull weights of some different options Hiperfire Hipertouch 24E – 2lb 9oz Hiperfire Hipertouch 24C – 3lb 8oz Black Rain Ordnance Drop In FCG – 4lb 5oz Black Rain Ordnance Stock Trigger – 8lb 7oz Wyndham Weaponry Stock Trigger – 6lb 7oz Jard Inc. – 3lb 11.80z Price and how it compares If you look at the competitors there are a couple of big players. They range from $210 to $300. The Hiperfire Hipertouch 24E and 24C run $215 and $235 respectively. These are elite triggers and you’ll pay for the privilege. If you compete, these are fantastic triggers. Additionally there are well produced videos and instructions on their website that make installing and modifying their triggers a breeze. Add on that they are made in the USA by Americans with a limited lifetime warranty and you’ve got yourself a deal. You can go to forums and argue features until you want to throw your computer in a river, but generally it comes down to thos e same points. There’s thousands of websites, videos and articles that go deep into what makes a good trigger and do it better than I can. What I can tell you though is that the Hiperfire Hipertouch line will be used in my AR’s for the foreseeable future. If you’d like to see how pretty much all of the big trigger systems stack up, Recoil magazine has an AR-15 buyer’s guide that lists the stats and a quick opinion on every trigger you can think of. http://www.recoilweb.com/ar15triggerguide-1/ So would I recommend these triggers? Absolutely. I will be using them in all of my AR-15’s going forward. Special thanks to Whistling Pines Gun Club in Colorado Springs for their gracious support of WeLikeShooting.comIf you were casually browsing the internet on Tuesday, you may have noticed a big black bar. "Today we fight back," it read. It's more likely, though, that you saw an unobtrusive Ben Franklin image macro in a Reddit sidebar. Or nothing at all. As many have pointed out, organizers for the Day We Fight Back set a high bar by comparing it to the SOPA blackout of 2012, and the protest didn't come close to reaching that bar. TechCrunch collected a series of screenshots contrasting the two: Google and Wikipedia didn't mention the event on their home pages, and participating sites like Reddit and Boing Boing were relatively muted in their protest. About 6,000 sites participated in the Day We Fight Back, compared to an estimated 75,000 or more for SOPA. If you didn't know what to look for, you'd have been forgiven for not knowing we were supposed to be fighting back at all. The anti-surveillance protest was always going to have a difficult time gaining traction. It attempted to focus general outrage into support for Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner's (R-WI) USA Freedom Act and opposition to Dianne Feinstein's (D-CA) FISA Improvements Act, a much more complicated task than just opposing a single piece of legislation. "We're pushing for something, not against something," said Matt Simons of ThoughtWorks before the protest. "I think often it's a lot easier to rally support against a bad bill than it is to build acceptance around a better one." And the Day We Fight Back was also supposed to address problems like weakened encryption standards and protection for non-Americans. Congress doesn't care about Wikipedia The protest has been roundly criticized, referred to as a "huge flop" by PolicyMic and "the day the internet didn't fight back" by The New York Times. Most coverage, however, has put a huge emphasis on online visibility — a metric that's ultimately less helpful than looking at direct action. Protest has to translate: Congress cares a lot more about angry constituents than whether it can read Boing Boing. The EFF reports that about 70,000 people placed calls to legislators, about 150,000 emails were sent to legislators, and roughly 200,000 signed a petition. The Times reports that "most" of these communications were directed to Senator Feinstein, whose office reported a higher volume of calls than usual. Update: David Segal of Demand Progress says that he has "no idea" where the Times report came from, and that Feinstein received an approximately proportional number of calls based on the population of California. Sina Khanifar, who worked with the campaign, has also rebutted a number of other claims from the piece. Of course, these numbers don't make the protest look much better. It's hard to find definitive numbers for SOPA, but nonprofit Fight for the Future estimates that 10 million people signed one of several signatures, 8 million attempted or placed a call through Wikipedia's call lookup system or other protest sites, and at least 4 million sent emails (excluding messages sent through Wikipedia, which "wasn't even counting"). And Feinstein, an extremely powerful member of Congress, is one of the less likely candidates to be swayed by phone calls. International outcry, which didn't have a specific focal point, is a nebulous thing to measure. No one I spoke to beforehand, however, expected February 11th to match the heights of SOPA. The surveillance protest movement has been fighting a drawn-out battle in Congress and the courts, and the Day We Fight Back is at least the third big-ticket effort to rally support. Rainey Reitman of the EFF compared it to American Censorship Day, a lower-profile anti-SOPA protest that preceded the blackout by a couple of months and didn't involve major sponsors like Google. SOPA had millions of opponents. The NSA had thousands Google, Microsoft, and the rest of the Reform Government Surveillance coalition officially joined the protest. But they were fairly quiet, even if Google published a blog post supporting the day and sent a mass email to people who had signed up for its advocacy updates. Once again, what companies say in public isn't the final word on what they do in the halls of Congress. Reform Government Surveillance has explicitly called for an end to bulk data collection — the subject of the USA Freedom Act — and its members can throw a lot of money towards lobbying. For right now, though, they appear to have reached a détente with the Obama administration after being allowed to publish more information about national security requests. For real (if incremental) progress, we'll need to wait for Congress to consider Leahy and Feinstein's bills, see how the Supreme Court responds to challenges from lower courts, or watch the administration as it attempts the reforms that Obama promised in January. No matter what, change to the entrenched NSA apparatus will be slow in coming. SOPA taught us that the internet speaks loud, but if there's anything we should have learned in the last decade under the Patriot Act, it's that inertia is often more powerful than public outcry.Secretary of State John F. Kerry speaks at the State Department in Washington on Nov. 4. (Molly Riley/AP) As the first election results roll in and the rest of the world sits glued to screens, U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry will be in the air, en route to Antarctica. But before you jump to conclusions, his spokesman wants to assure you — it is the weather that necessitates the timing. It has nothing to do with the election.
“a maximum of 31 percent” of the new housing will be affordable, according to Bernstock. East London would have been redeveloped eventually even without the Olympics, said Julian Cheyne, who lost his home at Clays Lane when it was torn down to make way for Olympic venues. But without the games and their deadlines, the process might have been less pressured and more deliberate, which might have led to broader benefits for the existing residents. “It would have been more democratic. It would have been more helpful,” Cheyne said. “There’s no proper debate. There’s no referendum or anything. It’s just, we ram it through.” Edgar Maciel/HuffPost Brazil Iran Souza was relocated to new housing after his home in Autódromo was demolished, but he's not happy. "Most families regret living here," he said. Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes boasted this month in The Huffington Post that Rio is “revitalizing neglected areas of the city and undertaking some of the most ambitious legacy projects an Olympic City has ever seen.” But in Vila Autódromo and similar neighborhoods, residents have long since given up hope that the government will follow through on most of its pre-Olympics promises once the games are over. During his 2012 campaign for re-election, Paes laid out an ambitious plan to improve Rio’s favelas ― home to 1.4 million people ― by bringing them reliable electricity, trash pickups, water treatment facilities and other basic government services they have long lacked. Although Morar Carioca, as the plan was called, was not an official Olympics legacy program, it existed alongside the mayor’s promises to use the games to benefit all of Rio’s residents. Paes largely abandoned Morar Carioca, however, after he won re-election. Only a few small projects were ever started, according to Christopher Gaffney, the University of Zurich professor who lived in Rio in the run-up to the games. Don’t let these events destroy so many life stories. Luiz Cláudio Silva, who lost his home to the Rio Games Rio has already said that its Olympic Village will become luxury housing after the games conclude, with units selling for up to $925,000. And although the city’s bid for the Olympics promised that it would create “Legacy Villages” with 24,000 new units of low-income housing, there is little evidence that is actually going to happen. Meanwhile, some Autódromo residents who were relocated told HuffPost Brazil about serious problems with their new housing. “We received a terrible apartment. The walls were broken... the sewer broke there. I complained, but nothing happened,” said Iran Souza. “Most families regret living here.” The Rio Games, then, will likely end as so many have before, with flattened homes and forgotten promises and poor residents whose only true recourse is to beg future Olympic hosts not to put similar people through this process again. “For those cities that will apply to be an Olympic host, I ask them to review their positions,” said Luiz Cláudio Silva, the Autódromo resident who lost his home this March. “Don’t let these events destroy so many life stories.” It may be too late to reverse the Olympics’ destructive effects on Techwood or Autódromo. But their stories have resonated in other cities. Boston’s Olympics pitch was coordinated by private organizers who persuaded the U.S. Olympic Committee to select it as the nation’s bid for the 2024 Games in January 2015. By July of last year, a number of opposition groups had so effectively voiced the residents’ displeasure that the USOC nixed the Boston bid. The activists’ central argument focused on the games’ cost ― and the idea that local taxpayers would end up footing the bill. But they also warned that the Olympics could become a vehicle for poorly conceived development that would inevitably displace city residents. “People started to wake up and say, ‘Wait, this is really about more than just putting on an event for three weeks,’” said Chris Dempsey, a local political consultant who co-founded No Boston Olympics, one of the most prominent groups opposing the bid. “It’s sort of part and parcel with the Olympics these days,” he said. “If you’re going to do Olympic development, you’re going to displace poor people.”Back in September, I wrote a piece about how a music video was starting to make me lose hope in Research In Motion’s future. I wrote it because, simply put, I thought the music video was just ridiculous. It’s a video for developers, where we get to watch a fake band, comprised of RIM executives, sing their hearts about how BlackBerry 10 is all about them, and why it’ll be so great to make applications for RIM’s newest mobile platform. I didn’t like the music video because I’m thinking that those executives could probably be using their time more wisely. Or maybe I was just jealous I can’t be in a music video. Either way, my opinion on that particular music video hasn’t changed. It’s still ridiculous, and I’d like to assume that they’ve got better things to do. However, I can understand that they were just trying to have some fun. Maybe let off a little steam. While I’m sure there aren’t any bunkers inside Waterloo, I can imagine how long shifts and (seemingly) endless planning could make an office feel like one. So, letting off some steam and having some fun isn’t all that terrible. As long as the final product is worth it, I mean. As it stands right now, we’re just being given brief snippets, tastes and teases of what BlackBerry 10 will be like when it lands on store shelves early next year. And, if we’re being frank, then every new “tease” is just a bit more of what we’ve already seen. RIM obviously has plenty still waiting behind the scenes for their BlackBerry event in January, and I’ve still got my fingers crossed that what they do show will be enough to wow everyone. RIM absolutely needs a “wow” product, and they have to bank everything on BlackBerry 10 being that product. So when, earlier today, RIM launched their BlackBerry 10 landing page, I was quick to click my way to it and see what they were ready to show. I should have kept my enthusiasm in check, though, as the only thing they’re showing off –at the time of this writing—is the BlackBerry Hub, and the new swipe gestures that the platform will have baked right in. Sure, the features are great, and BlackBerry Hub really is a natural progression and evolution from the Universal Inbox that BlackBerry made so famous in previous iterations. But, I was hoping to see more. Like I said, I should have kept my expectations in check. I made myself click on the play button for their BlackBerry Hub feature, and I prepared myself to see what I’ve already seen. Sure enough, that’s exactly what I got. The Hub, in all its glory, accessed with just a swipe, giving you access to all the social, messaging, and calendar-specific things you might need to know at any given moment. It really is a sleek way to handle notifications and events. And, despite the fact I had already seen this in action earlier this year, I found myself glued to the screen. In this short demo, everything just seemed to look cleaner, smoother. More refined. It was probably just a trick of the camera or something, but it had the desired effect. Despite having lost a lot of interest in the platform thanks to a music video, I’m right back where I was before that video started making the rounds on the Internet. That’s right, I’m very curious about what Research In Motion is developing up there in the Great North, and I can honestly not wait to see what the BlackBerry event has next month. With the way that gestures are being incorporated into the devices, and the fact that I love gestures, it should be no surprise that I’d be getting excited about a mobile platform that wants me to interact with the device I’m holding in new, and bold ways. BlackBerry 10 has to be huge for RIM, and they know it. It isn’t a secret that a lot of people out there expect the Waterloo-based company to fall on their face when it comes time to launch BB10, and even more assume that it just won’t be able to compete with the likes of Android, iOS, or even Windows Phone. But I think RIM is in the race, and they are doing everything they can to refresh BlackBerry OS into the current-gen race. Will it matter? We’ll just have to wait and see. But, as it stands right now, I’m back to being excited for BlackBerry 10, and I can honestly say that, unless another –worse—music video pops up, that excitement isn’t going to go anywhere until I finally get my hands on the new BlackBerry 10-based devices next year. So tell me, Dear Reader, where you stand on RIM’s new operating system. Has it caught your attention? Are you eagerly anticipating what RIM has in store for us? Or are you set in your ways, and a new OS isn’t something you’re interested in? Let me know!The errors are contained in vetting checks meaning many may have been unfairly turned down for jobs or had their reputations shattered. In at least 3,000 cases the police record of an entirely different person was passed on while more than 3,500 people discovered their entries on the police national computer (PNC) were inaccurate. It means people are linked with crimes they never committed or have more serious offences than put against them than they committed. It also raises the prospect that genuine criminals slip through the net if incorrect records are attached to their names. Background checks are regularly carried out for employment applications and details can be sent directly to current or potential employers. Those wrongly accused will almost certainly include people applying for posts such as teachers, nurses and care homes. Hundreds, if not thousands, of volunteers who want to work with children or vulnerable adults will also have been affected. The true number of people who were wrongly linked to crimes or misrepresented is ten times greater than annual Home Office figures suggest, The Daily Telegraph can disclose. The scale of errors made in background checks was only revealed through Freedom of Information requests. Annual error statistics published by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) regularly suggested around 200 people are wrongly accused each year. However, those figures only refer to errors made directly by CRB staff when carrying out checks and disclosing information. Once errors made by other agencies who contribute to background checks, such as the police and education officials, are included, the figures run in to the thousands. Since 2003, a total 19,551 disputes over inaccurate CRB checks have been upheld. For 2010/11, the official inaccuracy figure stood at 172, but the new statistics show the true level of error for that year was 2,343. In the last four years, it has been found that 3,509 people had inaccurate information on the PNC and 2,918 had the PNC record of the wrong person disclosed in a background check. In another 3,547 cases wrong information had been recorded or passed on by police at a local level. Errors will also include inaccurate or misleading details on cases where there was no conviction, such as someone being questioned for an alleged offence but never charged. Some innocent people could have been labelled a threat purely because the police held inaccurate suspicions about them. Cases of inaccurate data being passed on by the education vetting databases, which are also used in CRB checks, were also not counted in official figures. Other errors will relate to inaccurate personal details such as the wrong spelling of a name or address. The figures only go back to 2003, but the CRB was set up in 2002, suggesting that the number of blunders could be more than 20,000. In 2008, a report for Civitas, a think tank, said the increasing use of such checks had created an atmosphere of suspicion among parents, many of whom were volunteers at sports and social clubs, and who found themselves regarded as "potential child abusers''. In 2010, the Coalition scrapped Labour’s controversial plans for a new vetting and barring scheme that would have meant up to nine million people undergoing criminal record checks. Even those just visiting a school, for example an author or politician, would have been vetted. Ministers abolished the proposals as part of the new Government’s commitment to rolling back the surveillance state and restore some common sense to the vetting regime. Josie Appleton, of the campaigning Manifesto Club, said some people would “almost certainly” have missed out on jobs as a result of the blunders. “We know of cases of people being refused courses or jobs,” she said. “It can take months for someone to clear their name and get the police to change basic errors. Companies will not wait months and will hire someone else instead.” Ian Readhead, the spokesman on criminal records for the Association of Chief Police Officers, said: “There are tens of millions of criminal convictions on record. “Each individuals record carries a vast amount of information and can be extremely complex. “While we regret there will be some errors made, as a result of a number of inquiries including the Bichard Inquiry, and advances in technology, record keeping and data collection is far better and on the whole the accuracy is very good.” A CRB spokeswoman said: "The CRB's first priority is to protect children and vulnerable adults by helping employers recruit people into positions of trust. In the past four years, CRB checks have prevented 130,000 unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups. "The inclusion of any incorrect information on certificates is clearly regrettable but only affects a very small minority of more than 4 million checks carried out each year. When a dispute is raised by an applicant, the employer is advised immediately so that no employment decision is taken based on the original information contained on the certificate.”Summary: User research with data mining and paper prototyping quickly led to measurable success for one of the busiest support websites in the world. One of the more frequent questions that we get asked by our clients or by our seminar attendees is: "Is a redesign for usability worth it?" In other words, what is the return-on-investment (ROI) of a redesign? In recent years, we've seen a decline of the ROI for usability, most likely due to approaching a ceiling of usability improvements: With more than 20 years of web-design experience under their belt, designers have learned a few things and fixed quite a few problems. But a redesign for usability can still save you a significant amount of money. In this article we tell the story of Mozilla's support site, which was able to get a 233% improvement out of a redesign for usability. (Here's an explanation of how the improvement score was computed.) Thus, we can say that the redesigned site was about 3 times better than the original site. The cost involved in this redesign was 14 person-weeks or 560 person-hours. Is it worth spending 14 weeks to become 3 times better? This depends on the hourly rate for your staff and the value of your site and thus cannot be answered in general. However, for Mozilla, which gets huge amounts of traffic, the improvement is certainly worth the trouble, as it would be for almost any big site or company that does substantial business online. So how did Mozilla do it? What was involved in this redesign? Who is Mozilla Mozilla is a large, open-source, worldwide, software organization staffed by both employees and volunteers. It makes one of the most popular web browsers (Firefox), along with other useful products and services. Pain Points Millions of people come to Mozilla's support website every year to get help with Firefox and other products and services. When users cannot get an answer from the information existent on the site, the Mozilla staff aims to help by answering each person's question in the user-support forum, and to respond to questions as quickly as possible. As Mozilla's website had grown organically, users were having difficulty finding information and the support staff couldn't keep up with the number of questions in the forums. Specifically: At about 400 pages or so, the help documentation had become a difficult place in which to locate particular information quickly. quickly. The forum staff (employees and volunteers) were having trouble responding to questions as quickly as they wanted to, because of the increasing number of incoming questions for the rapidly updating Firefox. for the rapidly updating Firefox. The forum overload was also making it difficult for staff to find time to write new help articles for frequently asked questions. More articles could help, but the growing number of articles also caused more findability problems. Action Plan Mozilla decided to invest in discovery and iterative usability testing in order to improve the IA of its support site. The research questions aimed to understand (1) how people (users and staff) used the support system; (2) which types of information were really important. Top research questions How do users and staff interact with the support system? Which problems are the most important to address in the website redesign? What is the most-wanted information? Which words do people use when they search? Which desired information seems to be missing? How can the information best be organized and presented in order to match what users most want to do on the website? The UX Team The UX team consisted of 3 members: Susan Farrell, Senior User Experience Specialist, Nielsen Norman Group. Susan conducted the research, did data discovery, analyzed data, and made design-change recommendations. Crystal Beasley, Product Designer, Mozilla. Crystal led the project, coordinated with Mozilla stakeholders, and played the computer during paper-prototype research sessions. Bram Pitoyo, Web User Experience Designer, Mozilla. Bram designed the task flows and prototypes and supervised the interaction-design changes to the website. He also tested the old IA so we could compare results with the tests of the proposed new IA. The Steps We employed a variety of research methods intended to help us understand users' needs and also to redesign the IA and the workflow on the support site: Doing data discovery and analysis, to understand how users behave on the support site and why In particular, we looked at a variety of data sources to identify users' top tasks, as well as difficulties that they had with the current site. The table below summarizes the methods that we used. UX data Usability reports and user profiles done by others Behavioral data Frequently asked questions Traffic and search analytics Content analysis Information organization and connectivity Structure: titles, headings, groupings Task-flow evaluation, form usability Gaps: missing most-wanted information Interviews with staff Conduct video calls with subject-matter experts about pain points, known problems, and redesign hopes and concerns Testing old and new navigation schemes using card sorting and tree testing to improve the information architecture Testing variations of the most-important task flows for desktop and mobile web designs, using paper prototypes We conducted the paper-prototype research with users in Portland, Oregon, USA. Bram designed the evolving prototypes in Jakarta, Indonesia after watching each day's sessions on video. Bram changed the designs and sent them back to us as PDF files, which we sent to an office supply store to print for us on their large-format printer. Because of the 14-hour time difference, it was possible to work around the clock as a team most days. By revising designs between test days, we were able to progress key pages in the design through 7 versions in only 2 weeks of testing. Prototype-design time, including testing and final revisions, took place over 9 weeks. Although not every project can test 7 design versions in 2 weeks, this example is certainly proof that usability can be agile (whether with a lower-case a or an upper-case A) if the team is sufficiently efficient and decides to emphasize throughput and fast research methods. Redesign Results A 70% decrease in support questions means forum staff are less overwhelmed and able to respond more quickly. After prototype testing, but before implementation of the new design, Mozilla staff implemented a temporary quicklinks navigation item on the homepage to test whether direct access to the identified, most-wanted content would decrease the volume of new questions coming into the forum. Quicklinks are often a workaround for poor navigation structures, so we don't recommend them, but in this case it was important to test those key research findings at scale before implementing the new navigation scheme. As a result of the website redesign and content improvement effort, the Mozilla Support help documentation was expanded to sufficiently address the most general questions we discovered. Because articles on basic and frequent issues are more findable now, visitors ask fewer questions, and their questions are about more-specific topics. Providing easy access to the most-wanted information caused the volume of new help questions in the forum to drop immediately by about 70% (from about 7000 to about 2000 questions per month), allowing forum staff to exceed their quality goals. A month after the UX activities, Mozilla staff revised the support documentation to make it more findable, and ongoing data analysis allows the hot topics to change as needed. Lessons Learned Support websites are made of answers to frequently asked questions, which are a moving target. By periodically analyzing user data of various kinds, customer service can document the standard answers that users need, allowing support staff to focus on new issues and questions that require unique answers. Data is key to gaining needed resources. Data mining proved the problems existed, and analytics proved the solutions worked. It was easy for support-site stakeholders to gain the resources and momentum to implement recommended changes once some of the fixes measurably addressed their pain points. This early success led to more support for UX activities and new hires: an information architect and a content manager, who now optimize content, navigation and search. Collaboration over time helped the UX team, support staff, and developers, who were located in many places around the world, to share knowledge and develop a shared vision. This unification of purpose and concerns while working closely together to solve problems resulted in a great website design, one that helps meet everyone's needs. Clearly, Mozilla's investment in UX design for its support website has paid off beautifully, and it showed measurable improvement almost immediately. We hope this example helps you make the case for user-experience ROI and paper prototyping — for iterative, user-centered design. We'd like to thank Mozilla for allowing us to share this experience with the UX community. Learn more about ROI in our ROI for Usability report or in our course on Measuring UX. Related coursesJBPM is a flexible Business Process Management (BPM) Suite. It is lightweight, fully open-source and written in Java. It allows to model, execute, and monitor business processes throughout their life cycle. Recently I started prototyping the idea of using it as a solution to meet the workflow needs of a proprietary application. Ultimately, my plan is to build a Docker image to hold the jBPM application, which will act as a black box responding to RESTful API calls from my core application. Without getting into the sensitive information for my application, for this article, I am going to use the jBPM Workbench Showcase Docker image provided by JBoss. Once a container is started from this image, a demo environment can be used to get a feel of how jBPM functions. The Sample Process Flow: Human Resources Example Most corporate employees are familiar with the hiring process. So, which employees, Departments and Systems are required to Hire a new Developer in your company? Trying to answering these questions will help us to define your business process. The following figure, represents how does this process works for a company. We can clearly see that three Departments are involved: Human Resources, IT and Accounting teams are involved. When we look at the process flow, it appears as shown below: The process diagram is self explanatory, but just in case and to avoid confusions this is what is supposed to happen for each instance of the process that is started a particular candidate: The Human Resources Team perform the initial interview to the candidate to see if he/she fits the profile that the company is looking for. The IT Department perform a technical interview to evaluate the candidate skills and experience. Based on output of the Human Resources and IT teams, the accounting team create a Job Proposal which includes the yearly salary for the candidate. The proposal is created based on the output of both of the interviews (Human Resources and Technical). As soon as the proposal has being created it is automatically sent to the candidate via email. If the candidate accept the proposal, a new meeting is created with someone from the Human Resource team to sign the contract. If everything goes well, as soon as the process is notified that the candidate was hired, the system will automatically post a tweet about the new Hire using the twitter service connector. As you can see Jack, John and Katy will be performing the tasks for this example instance of the business process, but any person inside the company that have those Roles will be able to claim and interact with those tasks. Starting the process At the highest level, a Process Model is created, like below: Once the model is ready, the model is versioned and deployed. Process Models contain versions, so that the instances of that model can be tracked back to a given state or point in time. The deployed flow is referred to as a Process Definition. From there, Process Instances can be created and the workflow steps become Tasks within jBPM. To put things into perspective with our example, the Process Model (shown above) was deployed as a Process Flow called Hiring with a version of 1.0. In jBPM, the deployment is referred to as org.jbpm:HR:1.0. Below, is a screenshot from the jBPM Workbench: If desired, the following RESTful API call could have been used to perform the deployment: http://host:port/jbpm-console/rest/deployment/org.jbpm:HR:1.0/deploy With the Process Definition in place, the application server is ready to create Process Instances. If the admin user started a process to hire Marc, the following API call would be executed: http://host:port/jbpm-console/rest/runtime/org.jbpm:HR:1.0/process/hiring/start?map_name=Marc Performing Tasks Via The RESTful API The use of the RESTful API allows the jBPM server to act as a black box. Meaning, the application server can process workflow events from an external source without the need to maintain knowledge of the inner workings. This way, the main application doesn't have to include the workflow engine logic, it merely needs to have the ability to interact to jBPM through API calls. As our Process is in a wait state now, we can check the Task list to see Tasks with the following GET: /jbpm-console/rest/task/query <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?> <task-summary-list-response> <task-summary> <id>5</id> <name>HR Interview</name> <subject>Candidate: Marc</subject> <description>Candidate: Marc</description> <status>Ready</status> <priority>0</priority> <skipable>true</skipable> <created-on>2017-06-04T20:53:16.190Z</created-on> <activation-time>2017-06-04T20:53:16.190Z</activation-time> <process-instance-id>2</process-instance-id> <process-id>hiring</process-id> <process-session-id>2</process-session-id> <deployment-id>org.jbpm:HR:1.0</deployment-id> <quick-task-summary>false</quick-task-summary> <parent-id>-1</parent-id> </task-summary> </task-summary-list-response> If the Task is assigned to a Group (which is the case for us), we would need to claim it at first: http://host:port/jbpm-console/rest/task/1/claim which will return: <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?> <response> <status>SUCCESS</status> <url>/jbpm-console/rest/task/5/claim</url> </response> After that, we just need to start it: http://host:port/jbpm-console/rest/task/1/start Here is the response: <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?> <response> <status>SUCCESS</status> <url>/jbpm-console/rest/task/5/start</url> </response> Now the Task has been started and you can check it also from the Web console: Last step will be completing the Task. Just as for the Start Process, we can pass a Map of attributes to the complete action: http://host:port/jbpm-console/rest/task/5/complete?map_age=18&map_email=test@test.com&map_score=8 This will return: <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?> <response> <status>SUCCESS</status> <url>/jbpm-console/rest/task/5/complete</url> </response> Great, now the HR department completed it task (HR interview), and now is time for the IT interview, accounting and so on... the workflow is pretty much the same to claim, start and complete tasks for each department. you can play with if you've tine. Once you complete the process, you can still query for information about your processes through the "history" REST calls. For example, to return the list of all process instances history records here is the GET you need: http://host:port/jbpm-console/rest/history/instances/history/instances If you need the process history records for a particular instance then you can issue the following: http://host:port/jbpm-console/rest/history/instance/{procInstId} Ressources:CLOSE Another storm in the West: Afternoon rain from Los Angeles to Seattle; Snow in the Sierra; Snow showers in the Great Lakes; Drying out in the East and chilly WUSA-TV "Pineapple express" to bring copious amounts of tropical moisture from near Hawaii to the West Coast. People load up on sand at a fire station in Redding, Calif., on Tuesday. The city offered up to 25 free sandbags to residents in preparation for a series of major rainstorms heading to the region. (Photo11: Andreas Fuhrmann, AP) Story Highlights Some spots could receive up to 20 inches of rain Flooding, mudslides, debris flows all possible Wind, snow for the mountains An intense storm will slam into Northern California on Wednesday with strong winds and heavy rain, the first in a series of powerful storms forecast to hit the state over the next several days. Wednesday's storm should roar into the San Francisco area with lightning and wind in the morning before moving inland. Rain totals should top a foot in some spots by the time the storms end Sunday, and wind gusts are expected to howl up to 95 mph in the mountains. The rain will likely lead to flash and river floods, along with mudslides and debris flows, says George Cline, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento. Debris flows are when water, rocks, trees, clay, mud and dirt careen down mountainsides scorched bare by earlier wildfires. The weather service is warning that power outages should be expected in Northern California because of downed trees and limbs. Cline says this will be the most rain California has seen since last year. The storms, which are rotating around a large area of low pressure in the Gulf of Alaska, will be fueled in part by the so-called "pineapple express," an atmospheric river of tropical moisture that moves from the Hawaiian Islands to the West Coast. Meteorologists use the term "atmospheric river" to describe a long, narrow plume that pipes moisture from the tropics into the USA, according to Weather Channel meteorologist Jonathan Erdman. The pineapple express typically runs a few times each winter. Separate storms will move along this "river" every day through Sunday, according to AccuWeather meteorologist Ken Clark. Although each individual storm wouldn't be enough to cause major problems, Clark says it's the cumulative effect of the storms that could cause the flooding problems. The heaviest rain is likely for higher elevations northeast of Sacramento, Clark reports. In general, by Sunday, rain amounts of 3-7 inches are forecast in the valleys, 6-12 in the foothills and 10 to 20 in the mountains, the weather service forecasts. Southern Oregon will also see heavy rain and strong winds from the storms. However, Southern California will not see the level of rain that Northern California is expected to get. The storms will produce up to at least a foot of snow over the highest elevations of the Sierra, the Bitterroots, Tetons and the Washington Cascades, Erdman says. The news isn't all bad, as rain events such as this bring the needed water that California depends on for agriculture and for its reservoirs. However, this could be "too much in too short of a time," Clark says. Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/10Qw4H5Get the biggest celebs stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Sherlock will be a slightly nicer person in the Victorian Christmas special, Steven Moffat has revealed. The showrunner of the BBC's megahit was speaking at the TCA press tour about the upcoming special when he teased the episode and promised the same Sherlock, just more 'polished'. "Sherlock is a little more polished," said Moffat. "He operates like a Victorian gentleman instead of a posh, rude man. He's a lot less brattish." Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now But, while Sherlock is nicer, Dr Watson will be worse as Moffat describes: "More uptight." The writer also teased whether or not the episode will explain why modern-day Sherlock and Watson have suddenly arrived in Victorian London. "We never bothered explaining what they were doing in modern London," he said. "So why bother explaining what they're doing in Victorian London, when that's where they're supposed to be?" (Image: Getty) The first look to the new series was recently revealed and fans were really rather excited. The BBC's latest version of Arthur Conan Doyle's hero, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as Holmes and Dr Watson, updates the story to modern-day London. But the new clip, unveiled to fans at Comic-Con in the United States, shows the pair back on familiar ground in what seems to be Victorian London complete with horse-drawn hansom cabs clattering over the cobbles in Baker Street. It shows Cumberbatch, complete with trademark pipe and deerstalker, explaining to his landlady Mrs Hudson ( Una Stubbs ) why he is late coming home, saying: "That's the trouble with dismembered country squires. They are notoriously difficult to schedule." Asked if he caught the killer, he says: "Caught the murderer, still looking for the legs, think we'll call it a draw." The hit BBC show, created by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, is inspired by the original stories created by Arthur Conan Doyle. We're testing a new site: This content is coming soon It regularly pulls in huge audiences and has been a worldwide hit, propelling its two leading men to Hollywood and in Cumberbatch's case an Oscar nomination. The third series bowed out last year with Holmes appearing to shoot villain Charles Augustus Magnussen, and teased viewers that Andrew Scott's criminal mastermind Moriarty may have cheated death and be set for a return. Check out some of the best fan reactions to the trailer below.Ideas from a local company could make Shockoe’s future a lot brighter. Outdoor lighting company INARAY sees many bright spots in Shockoe Bottom’s future, and it recently won $2,000 for its plan to help light ‘em up. The local company was among 25 contestants competing in last month’s i.e.* Envision This Challenge, a contest designed to inspire creative ways to unify “dead zones” in Shockoe (see below). INARAY’s light-based approach not only won the first place $1,500 cash prize from a panel of judges but earned the People’s Choice Award (and an additional $500). “The idea [is] to not only connect the entire Shockoe district, but to create a destination point,” said Scott Moberly of the downtown-based INARAY. “Shockoe is a creative district. It’s a diverse district,” he said, but added that its current lighting is “neither creative, nor diverse.” To fix this, the company presented several ideas for exterior lighting installations throughout the Bottom. One calls for a series of light levels on the Main Street Station: a white light accenting the clock tower and roof and a middle level washed with color. Shockoe’s highway underpasses would also be illuminated: rows of red lights running across the side walls, blue lights directly underneath the overpasses, and purple lights crawling up the supporting columns. This would create an outdoor space for the public to congregate, a phenomenon some term urban living rooms. Todd Peace, owner of INARAY, says that a so-called urban living room in Shockoe would also help rebrand the area’s nightlife. “[Underpasses] are the perfect opportunities to create a ‘ceiling,'” he said. Column lights would create the feeling of surrounding walls. “All of the sudden, it’s a place that’s attractive, and a place you want to be in.” Several colors would be used, but Peace said those colors would be a part of overall continuity. “That’s really the heart of the proposal, is we take those repeating light patterns” and create a unified environment across the Bottom. INARAY also proposed lighting private buildings in the area, along with railroad trestles owned by CSX. Scott Moberly said one of the inspirations for the INARAY proposal came from the Avenue of the Arts in Philadelphia. He claims the lighting helped increase foot traffic in coordination with the growth in that area’s artistic culture–similar to the artistic culture that businesses and residents in the Shockoe Design District want for their neighborhood. Todd Peace estimates the cost for the lighting project would range from $3 – $7 million and take roughly a year to a year-and-a-half to complete. The City’s point man on infrastructure and development is on board with the idea. “I think it’s a fascinating proposal,” said Mark Olinger, Director of the City’s Department of Planning & Development Review. “I’ve always been a big believer that lighting is a big way to accentuate things.” In fact, Olinger helped steer an exterior lighting project on the facade of City Hall in Madison, Wisconsin when he worked as that city’s development director in the late 1990s. Olinger said he’ll soon begin facilitating conversations with business owners in the Shockoe Design District on creative lighting. “I want to make sure we get some of this going.” He said the biggest obstacles in completing a project of this scope and size are logistics, engineering, and cost. “It’s not cheap,” he said. “But I think there are some of these things that could be done
were unable to take part in the Battle of Yavin after the whole corps was depleted in Rogue One. The Imperial hovertank We don’t know yet if it’s really a tank or the Imperial version of a Humvee. But damn, that is one weird-looking tank trooper. And yet, it’s still better than those idiotic Shoretroopers.There are somethings we can mistakenly embrace about Easter that distract us from the real hope that can help shape our lives. These things are worth evaluating, not to deflate us, but to focus us on where the real hope lies. 1) “My excitement is the point.” Easter points us to our daily lives: Coming to work Monday morning after Easter can be a bit like coming home from summer camp. It is an admixture of both afterglow and let down. There is so much enthusiasm over the weekend it can send us off to work feeling invigorated or bummed about the mundane tasks that face us. Either way, Easter is very much about directing us toward, not pulling us from, the lives we are called to live. God is still God, and the resurrection still the resurrection even during my 3pm afternoon sleepy time at work. Easter points us forward to our calling. 2) “We are always right.” Easter is, in fact, a dare: The resurrection, as I had tried to observe before, is not vindication for Christians in the sense it means we can go around saying “neener neener.” If anything, it is a dare. It is a dare to believe we can take great risk of love, even with people who are very different from us. We can even love people we might be afraid of, as Jesus did in Jerusalem and when confronted by soldiers in the garden. It is ours to love, even at great cost. It is up to God, not us, to judge our lives. 3) “I will never die.” Easter confronts our inevitable death head on: I know on face value Christians don’t leave Easter actually thinking that death will not one day confront us, but it does seem sometimes to make us look the other way. We focus so much on how God has conquered death that we look away and pretend it is not there. On the contrary, the hope of Easter means we have the strength to look seriously at our own death, squarely in the eye. “Always keep your death before you,” writes Saint Benedict. This is not to be grim, but to acknowledge our mortality and what we plan to do with our lives while we have them. Easter means we can take seriously the fact that our days are numbered. It compels us to the urgency of love in the short time we have on the planet. 4) “Everything is going to be ok.” We can take the risks to make life better: Everything will not be ok right away. Everything is not ok right now. The world is full of profound hunger and starvation. The is a great deal of suffering in some of our own lives and in our neighbors’. The resurrection doesn’t mean we will always be happy, or that we should rest on our laurels. It means we can face what is rough and not recoil because, again, God will have the final say, and God will be with us in the meantime. 5) “Jesus came back from the dead.” God raised Jesus from the dead: This is key. It is the only point I am making. Jesus is not a superhero who took a nap till his spiritual alarm clock went off. Jesus died without holding the power over his own death. “Into your hands,” he says, “I commit my spirit.” This is the lesson. Jesus didn’t raise himself. God raised Jesus from the dead. Now I recognize there is some complex trinitarian theology in here. So be it. We should check into that. The take away is that Easter is about trust. It is trust that God has the final say on our lives. What this leaves with us, far more than comfort, is courage. It is courage to love and to confront things or systems that stand in the way of love. It means that risking our lives to emulate Christ is not a bad gamble. If we can possibly take this to heart, our lives and the lives of our neighbors will never be the same. He is risen indeed. Therefore, let us pray, “Into your hands, I commit my spirit.” Amen.Advertisement King City Police Chief and Ex-Chief arrested Share Shares Copy Link Copy King City's longtime former police chief, Nick Baldiviez, current acting police chief, Bruce Miller, and five others were arrested in a major corruption bust Tuesday morning.Monterey County District Attorney Dean Flippo said King City's top law enforcers became lawbreakers when they orchestrated a scheme victimizing the most vulnerable residents in King City."The victims were economically disadvantaged persons of Hispanic descent who were targeted by having their vehicles impounded, towed and stored by Miller's Towing," Flippo said.MUG SHOTS: See the police officers' jail mug shotsInvestigators said police ordered hundreds of vehicles in King City to be towed and owners never got their cars back because they could not afford to pay impound fees or could not speak English. Police officers kept the cars for free, or sold them to make money, Flippo said.One minute before 6 a.m. Tuesday, five teams of FBI agents, Monterey County Sheriff's deputies, and Salinas police officers simultaneously arrested six King City police officers: Chief Bruce Miller, former chief Baldiviez, officer Mario Mottu Sr., officer Jaime Andrade, Sgt. Bobby Carrillo, and Sgt. Mark Baker. They were all placed on paid administrative leave.One civilian was also arrested: Brian Miller. Brian Miller is the brother of Chief Bruce Miller, and the owner of Miller's Towing company.The seven were booked into the Monterey County Jail and were released within six hours when they posted bail.KSBW Reporter May Chow talked to Chief Bruce Miller as he was leaving jail. VIDEO: Watch Chief Bruce Miller's post-jail interview with May Chow"I'm completely surprised. Accept a bribe? I've never done that. I'm blown away, I did not know this was coming," Chief Bruce Miller told Chow.Chief Bruce Miller said he knew the FBI was investigating his department for more than a year, but he had no idea he was considered a suspect until he was being placed in handcuffs. Chief Bruce Miller said Tuesday was the worst day of his life, and his reputation was tarnished forever."There's no coming back from this, even if I'm found innocent. People are always going to look poorly upon me. I think my career is done," the police chief said. Flippo held a press conference in Salinas at 2 p.m. to release more details on his office's 6-month investigation into corruption and criminal acts within the King City Police Department dating back three years. "Some officers dishonored their badge. Any time you end up investigating those who are sworn to uphold the law and treat everyone fairly -- and you have violations of that oath -- that is difficult. My conclusion is the citizens of King City deserve better than what they have been receiving," Flippo said.Investigators said Sgt. Bobby Carrillo acted like the ring leader."For every 10-15 vehicles impounded by Sgt. Carrillo, he would receive a free vehicle for himself, or whatever he wanted to do with it," Flippo said.The investigation was spearheaded by a strong undercurrent flowing through King City in which residents had zero faith in their police department.While digging for clues, district attorney investigators said they watched KSBW's news coverage of community meetings, where residents voiced their distrust and grievances. As it turns out, the residents were telling the truth, Flippo said.Flippo said King City residents told him, "The police are taking our property. They are taking our cars. They take our money. And we can do nothing about that."City Manager Michael Powers said the entire incident is a "black eye" on the community. The investigation has been hanging over the city's head for a while, Powers said, and he is hopeful the arrests will allow leadership in King City to move on.The small agricultural town off Highway 101 has 17 sworn police officers.A sign reading "closed" was posted on the front door of the King City Police Department Tuesday. Powers said the police station's front office cannot remain open because so many officers were arrested.Monterey County Sheriff Scott Miller said, even though nearly half the police force is on administrative leave, residents have no reason to fear that law will not be enforced in their city.The sheriff said he has a substation in King City and his deputies have stepped in to patrol the streets. The sheriff said he will provide law enforcement while the City Council and City Manager decide on a long-term plan."We are available from this point on to provide whatever level of law enforcement services the city of King City needs," Sheriff Miller said.Baldiviez has continued to receive paychecks from the city ever since he retired in September 2013 because King City owed him so much overtime and vacation pay that he built up during his nine years as chief. VIDEO: Baldiviez announces he is retiringThe charges against the seven are: Sgt. Bobby Javier Carrillo: Conspiracy to commit a crime. Accepting a bribe. Bribing an executive officer.Acting Police Chief Bruce Edward Miller: Accepting a bribe.Civilian Brian Albert Miller, Owner of Miller’s Towing and brother of Bruce Miller: Conspiracy to commit a crime. Bribing an executive officer.Former Chief Nick Baldiviez: Embezzlement by a public officer.Officer Mario Alonso Mottu, Sr.: Embezzlement a by public officer.Officer Jaime Andrade: Possession of an assault weapon. Illegal storage of a firearm.Sgt. Mark Allen Baker: Making criminal threats.September 6, 2014 Notes from the development of xkcd's "Pixels" Over the years, I've had the pleasure of hacking on the frontend code for a bunch of xkcd's interactive comics, including: unixkcd, xk3d, Umwelt, Time, Externalities, and Lorenz. This weekend, I was pinged about making something to coincide with the release of What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions. The process of building "Pixels" was even crazier than our usual April Fools rush, and had the extra intrigue of being live during Randall Munroe's Colbert Report interview. Here's a few anecdotes from the development of Pixels and a quick explanation of how it works. I hadn't worked with some of the graphics programming patterns (coordinate systems!) for a while, so I ended up making some classic mistakes – hopefully you can avoid repeating them. :) background Pixels is an infinitely zoomable black-and-white comic. As you zoom in, the pixels that make up the image resolve into smaller square comic panels – dark ones for black pixels, light ones for white. Depending on which panel you are looking at, the set of pixel panels will be different. These comics can be further zoomed into, revealing new pixels, ad infinitum. view the source code on GitHub Our schedule for the project was pretty absurd: we had 3 days from the first discussions on Saturday to going live Tuesday night. I was traveling between 3 different states during those days. With this crazy schedule, there was very little margin for error or engineering setbacks. I ended up sleeping for a total of 1 hour between Monday and Tuesday, finishing the zooming code on a plane flight home to SF via Gogo Inflight Internet. My plane landed in SFO a half hour before our rough goal of launching midnight EST. While my cab was hurtling me home at 80mph, the folks at xkcd were putting the final touches on the art and server code. We cobbled it all together over IRC and went live at around 1:30am EST. On the art side, we decided on a panel size of 600x600, with pixels only pure black or pure white. Without grays for antialiasing, the images look a little crunchy to the eye, but this makes the zoomed pixels faithfully match the original image (we also thought the crunchiness would be a nice cue that this comic was different from the usual). On the tech side, HTML5 Canvas was the obvious choice to do the drawing with decent performance (I also tested plain <img> tags and found they were significantly slower). Unfortunately, browsers were still too slow to draw all 360,000 individual pixel panels via Canvas, so we had to compromise for fading the individual pixels in once they were 500%-1000% zoomed. For this project, I chose to use vanilla JavaScript with no external dependencies or libraries. In general, we strive to keep the dependency count and build process minimal for these projects, since keeping the complexity level low gives them a better chance of aging well in the archives. Browsers recent enough to support Canvas (IE9+, Firefox, Chrome, Safari) are superficially consistent enough to spec to not require too much time fixing compatibility issues. to infinity and beyond One of the core challenges to Pixels was representing the infinitely deep structure and your position within it. As you zoom in, the fractal pixel space is generated lazily on the fly and stored persistently, so that when you zoom back out, everything is where you first saw it. Each panel has a 2d array mapping: a pixel stores the type of panel it expands to, and possibly a reference to a deeper 2d array of its own constituent pixels. Appropriately, this data structure is named a Turtle, a nod to the comic and "Turtles all the way down". To represent your position within the comic, it would be convenient to store the zoom level as a simple scale multiplier, but you'll eventually hit the ceiling of JavaScript's Number type (as an IEEE 754 Double, that gives you log(Number.MAX_VALUE, 600) ≈ 111 zoom nestings). I wanted to avoid dealing with the intricacies of floating point precision, so I decided to represent the position in two parts: pos : a stack of the exact panel pixels you've descended into : a stack of the exact panel pixels you've descended into offset : a floating point position (x, y, and scale) relative to pos Here's a couple examples: To render the comic, we locate the Turtle that accords to pos and draw the pixels described in its 2d array, offset spatially by the values of offset. As you scroll deeper, pos becomes a long array of the nested pixels you've entered, like [[305, 222], [234, 674], [133, 733],...]. When you zoom far enough to view the pixels of a panel for the first time, the image data is read using a hidden Canvas element, and a new Turtle object is generated with the panel ids for each pixel. One complexity of relying on pos for positioning is that it needs to update when you zoom into a panel / out of panel / pan to a different panel. When a pixel panel is zoomed in past 100% size, its location is added to the pos stack, and offset is recalculated with the panel as the new point of reference. Some of the hairiest code in this project came down to calculating the new values of offset. There's a small trick I used to simplify the handling of the various cases in which pos needs to be updated. If the current reference panel is detected to be offscreen or below the 100% size threshold, pos and offset are recalculated so that the point of reference is the containing panel, as if you were zoomed in really far. This then triggers the check for "zoomed in past 100% size", which causes a new reference point to be chosen using the same logic as if you'd zoomed to it. corner cases Working out the browser and math kinks to simply position and draw a single Turtle took way longer than expected. It took me deep into the second night of coding to finish the scaffolding to render a single panel panned and zoomed correctly. Then, I needed to tackle nesting. Because the sub-panels are pixel-sized, you can't see the the individual pixel panels until you zoom above 100% scale. Since a panel at 100% scale takes up the whole viewing area, I initially thought this implied I'd only need to worry about drawing the pixels for a single panel at a time. I then realized a problem with that thinking: if you zoom into a corner, you can go past 100% scale with up to 4 different panels onscreen: This thought led me to make the worst design decision of the project. TurtlesDown.prototype.render = function() { // there is no elegance here. only sleep deprivation and regret. Brain-drained at 3am, and armed with the knowledge that there could be up to 4 panels onscreen at any time, I began to write code from the perspective of where those 4 panels would be. I decided to let pos reference the panel at the top-left-most panel onscreen, and then draw the other 3 panels shifted over by one where appropriate. For me, programming late at night is dangerously similar to being a rat in a maze. I can follow along the path step-by-step well enough, but can't see far enough down the line to tell whetcher I've made the right turn until it's too late. With proper rest and a step back to think, it's clear to see what's going on, but in the the moment when things are broken it's tempting to plow through. Once I got 4 panels drawing properly, I realized the real corner case: Consider that the top left panel has position [[0, 0], [599, 599]]. How do we determine what the other 3 panels will be? We can't just add one to the coordinates. We have to step back up to the parent panel, shift over one, and wrap around. In essence, we have to carry the addition to the parent. And, if necessary, its parent, and so on... At this point, I needed to get something working and was too far down the path to reform the positioning logic into what it should have been: a descending recursive algorithm. Walking the pos stack and doing this carry operation iteratively ballooned into 40 lines of tough to reason about code. It's necessary to carry the x and y coordinates separately – this is something I forgot to account for in an early release, causing some fun flicker bugs at certain corner intersections. I'm not proud of the render() function or how it turned out – but I'm really happy and somewhat bemused that when all is said and done, that nightmare beast seems to work properly. "I'm not sure how this works, but the algebra is right" Like many computer graphics coordinate systems, Canvas places (0,0) in the top-left. Early on I decided to translate this so that the origin was in the center, in order to simplify zooming from the center of the viewport ( centerOffset = size / 2 ). A while later, I discovered that the simple ctx.translate(centerOffset, centerOffset) call I was using didn't apply to ctx.putImageData(), the main function used to draw pixel panel images. I considered two options: either I could figure out the geometry to change my zooming code to handle an origin of (0,0), or manually add centerOffset to all of my putImageData() calls and calculations. I did the latter because it was quick. That was a mistake. What I didn't foresee was how much splattering centerOffset everywhere would increase the complexity of the equations. The complexity arises when centerOffset is multiplied by offset.scale or needs to be removed from a value for comparison. For example (from _zoom(), which ended up needing to know how to origin shift anyway!): // ugh. this.offset.x = ((this.offset.x - centerOffset) * this.offset.scale - scaleDeltaX) / this.offset.scale + centerOffset In general, it's a good idea to do your translate operation as late in the chain as possible. Eliminating or externalizing as many operations as possible helps keep things understandable. I knew better, but I didn't see the true cost until it was too late... Eventually, the complexity of some of my positioning code reached the point where I could no longer think about it intuitively. This led to some very frustrating middle-of-the-night flailing in which I sorta understood what I needed to express mathematically, but the resulting code wouldn't work properly. The approach that finally cracked those problems was going back to base assumptions and doing the algebra by hand. It's really hard to mess up algebra, even at 5am. However, this had the amusing consequence of me no longer grokking how some of my own code worked. I still don't understand some of the math intuitively, sadly. TV audiences are mobile All told, our launch went quite well. While there were some timing and performance issues we noticed the following day, it seemed to work for most people – a huge relief after the last 2 days. I spent Wendesday working through my backlog of minor fixes and improvements in preparation for the Colbert Report bump. Two tasks I triaged for release were proper IE support and mobile navigation. For IE, due to the lack of support for cross-origin canvas image reading, we needed to do some iframe silliness to get IE to work properly. Regarding mobile, I didn't think that phone browsers would perform very well on the image scaling, so I deferred it to focus on the best experience. We anticipated a higher proportion of the Colbert Report referrals would be using IE, so we sprinted on that, getting it working just in time before the xkcd folks needed to leave for the interview. However, rushed nerds as we were (and ones who usually do not watch much TV), we didn't consider a very important aspect: People watching TV don't browse on computers. They use their phones. As I watched the traffic wave arrive via realtime analytics, my heart sank. The visitors were largely mobile! A much, much larger proportion than those using IE. Our mobile experience wasn't completely broken, but if we'd been considering the mobile traffic from the start, we'd have focused on it a good deal more. berzerking works (sometimes) When working fast, you have to resign yourself to make mistakes. Trivial mistakes. Obvious ones. Some of those mistakes can be slogged through, while some will bring a project down in flames. There's a delicate calculus to deciding whether a design mistake is worth rewriting or being hacked around. Having a hard 2 day deadline amplifies those decisions significantly. I, like most developers I know, hate the feeling of a project running away from me; hacking blindly and not fully understanding the consequences. That's how insidious bugs are absently created, or codebases that need to be scrapped and rewritten from scratch. I prefer to take the time to recognize the nature and patterns to my problems and realize them with elegance. Yet – sometimes, for projects small enough to fit fully in the head, and rushed enough to not weather a major time setback, brute force crushing works. For fleeting art projects that are primarily to be experienced, not maintained, that is perhaps enough. When we work on interactive comics at xkcd, we take pride in experimenting with the medium. It's a privilege to combine forces with their masterful backend engineer + Randall Munroe's witty and charming creativity. Each collab is an experiment in what kinds of new experiences we can create with our combined resources at our disposal. One of the fun aspects of working with comics is you don't expect them to think, to react to your behavior, to explore you as you explore them. That lack of expectation allows us to create magic. Every now and then, it's good to shake things up and push the near-infinite creative possibilities we have on the modern web. The health and sanity costs on these projects are high, but for me personally, novelty is the impetus to take part in these crazy code and art dives. Overall, my favorite part of working on these projects is the moment after Randall's art & creative comes in: when I get to experience the project for the first time. Even though I know the general mechanic of the comic, when the backend, frontend, art, and humor all click into place simultaneously, it becomes something new. That first moment of discovery is as much a joy and surprise to me as it is to you.Kansas City Chiefs third round pick Kareem Hunt has put pen to paper on his first official contract in the NFL. His agency tweeted out the picture of him signing it (and the Chiefs confirmed). These are all mostly slotted contracts with not much room for negotiation. The Chiefs do have two picks left to sign, first round pick Patrick Mahomes and second round pick Tanoh Kpassagnon. I don’t think anyone anticipates any hiccups in those contracts. They have been participating in OTAs but probably signed an injury waiver to do so. The Chiefs signed draft picks Jehu Chesson (fourth), Ukeme Eligwe (fifth) and Leon McQuay III (sixth) back on May 6. One of the hot topics of conversation this offseason has been how the Chiefs will use Hunt and Spencer Ware. Hunt’s balance and ability to catch the ball this offseason have been noted. Ware was on a tear early last season for a concussion seemed to derail his momentum. I see the Chiefs having a good split between the two so that they have fresh(-ish) legs late in the season and, potentially, the playoffs.Pants are a staple in many fashion ensembles, but not all pants are fashionable or functional - some pants are innovative, while others are weird, wacky and strangely mesmorizing! Read on to see the Top 10 Most Innovative and Strange Pants and Jeans! Strange Pant #10. The Doilie Pant Reviving fashion perhaps best suited for your Grandmother's dining room table is the Doilie Pant. This lacy denim fashion item is the perfect way to take young fashion and make it look old! Made by fashion designer G+N, these aptly named Glue Jeans are unique, because they are held together by glue instead of thread! There's no particular purpose for the Dutch designer's creation of these jeans; so consider them a "just because we can" fashion. Often fashion lovers are forced to choose between fashion and comfort, particularly when it comes to getting that denim jean look. Fortunately, Second Clothing has come up with an alternative so fashionistas no longer have to choose between their beloved yoga pants and the more fashionable, casual denim alternatives. Second Clothing Yoga Jeans are stretchy and elasticy just like Yoga wear, but have the look of jeans. With 92% shape memory and made from 97% brushed cotton and 3% elastane, these pants can bring comfort and fashion to the gym and just about everywhere. Leggie Legs by ilaniowear combine 80's legwarmer trends with disco-era styles. The unique fashion items have fun names and come in a variety of fun and flashy vintage-inspired designs. Since these do not actually provide pant style coverage, if you want to show off these leg warmers, opt for a more revealing skirt or bikini bottom. Society for Rational Dress has created pants with sky high waistlines. Steve Urkel doesn't have anything on these geek-inspired high fashion pants! Strange Pant #5. Padlock Pants A new fashion trend emerging in Indonesia is the padlocked pant. Actually a government requirement in Indonesia to help deter prostitution, the country requires that masseuses padlock their pants to show that they will not engage in any sexual practices. Strange Pant #4. The Tight...or is it Baggy Pant? Can't decide between purchasing the ever-popular skinny jeans, or trendy low rising baggy pants? Purchase the baggy-tight pants. Want to show off the junk in your trunk, opt for a shorter shirt. Prefer to show off your inner gangster, opt instead for a baggy t-shirt and tuck the skinny pant leg into a sneaker. The baggy-tight jeans even come with built in suspenders and as an added bonus, the tight-fitting top ensures your pants stay up, even with the baggy style! Okay, so these jeans by Genetic Denim aren't truly spray on, but they are inspired by Krylon paint colors, and so tight that wearers may as well have been painted into them! Strange Pant #2. The Pant Shoe While these shoes already had honorable mention in "The Top 10 Shoes in Fashion Today" as the #1 strangest pair of shoes; I'm still not certain whether these are truly pants or shoes, so they can't be left off this list either. Pant or shoe, it doesn't relly matter, they're pretty weird! Strange Pant #1. Peripheral Pants While these scandalous peripheral pants have already had an article all of their own, these scandalous pants that also work as a functional keyboard are without a doubt the strangest and most innovative pants I've seen all year! Via: TrendHunter and YahDiggDonald Trump and Hillary Clinton have shown US democracy at its ugliest, experts say. No matter who triumphs on Tuesday, the US election has been a big win for China's national propaganda machine, which has gleefully catalogued the seemingly endless parade of skeletons marching out of America's political closet.For decades Beijing has disparaged US democracy, calling into question the most basic building blocks of the state, from competitive elections to freedom of the press.Ahead of this year's election, Chinese journalists received instructions to write stories making American politics look bad, according to sources familiar with the orders.As the primaries began, one reporter at a major state-run media organisation, who spoke to AFP on the condition of anonymity, worried he would have a hard time finding sufficiently damning material.His doubts were unjustified.Even America's fiercest defenders agree the contest between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton has shown democracy at its ugliest.And China's media have happily joined in."The innumerable scandals, rumours, conspiracy theories and obscenities make it impossible for a person to look away," the official Xinhua news service wrote in a commentary last week, likening the 2016 election to a train wreck.A commentary in the online edition of the Communist Party mouthpiece the People's Daily said the circus-like debate series between the two candidates "clearly shows the decline" of the US political system.But it did not need to make the argument itself; it simply used a long list of quotes from prominent American media outlets across the political spectrum: "tacky", "ugly", "ear-splitting"."No matter who gets the job, the memory of the presidential election will live on," the nationalistic Global Times, which has close ties to the party, wrote with relish on Thursday.Beijing has long aimed its propaganda barrels at the US, but the government has stepped up its anti-Western commentary under President Xi Jinping.A leaked political memo from 2013, known as Document Number 9, listed "Western constitutional democracy" and its values, including media independence, as top threats to the Chinese Communist Party's rule.Chinese cadres subsequently mounted a campaign denouncing the influence of so-called "hostile foreign forces" on a wide cross-section of society, from universities to newspapers, criticising the ideological agenda being pushed by the US as hypocritical and dangerous.But China's propaganda bosses are unlikely ever to have imagined that a US presidential candidate would be doing their work for them.Donald Trump's insistent criticism of the US political system as "rigged" has been a windfall for Chinese commentators.His regular assaults on American media as biased and corrupt could have been lifted from an October Global Times op-ed that claimed the country's news coverage was universally pro-Clinton."Subjectivity has long dominated US media, but this is laid bare by this year's election," the paper said.By extension, the election reporting called into question Western outlets' "negative" coverage of China, it asserted."They elaborated dissidents' stories while neglecting China's progress in human rights conditions," the paper said.But China media commentator Jeremy Goldkorn pointed out that it was "a difficult balancing act for Chinese propagandists"."Even if one of the candidates is a clown, it does not escape Chinese people that American citizens have an admirable involvement in the way their country is run," he told AFP.There is no clear consensus among Chinese election observers on which candidate would be easier to work with.Many believe Clinton, in the light of her tenure as secretary of state, is more likely to pursue an assertive US posture on such issues as human rights and military affairs, while Trump's protectionist views might be harmful for trade."For China, they both have advantages and disadvantages," Xu Tiebing, an expert on US politics at the Communication University of China, told AFP.Clinton is closer to a "traditional politician", he said, making her more predictable, while Trump's "thinking is harder to anticipate". But one thing was clear, he said: "The American presidential election has been debased to a high degree."Edit (19/04): All the details of this saga have now been revealed. See Verashni Pillay’s post, and its linked interview with “Shelley Garland”. Update (22/04): The Press Ombudsman’s ruling is out, and it’s pretty damning for HuffPo. A quick recap for those of you who don’t know the story. On April 13, Huffington Post South Africa published an opinion piece, by someone identified as Shelley Garland, headlined “Could it be time to deny white men the franchise?“. The consequences of publishing this piece were fairly predictable. For some, this was further confirmation that HuffPoSA has a political or ideological agenda – here, an anti-male and anti-white agenda. Others called it “fake news”, which it certainly wasn’t, because fake news means something other than “opinion pieces you don’t agree with” (whether or not those pieces are written by fictitious characters – a point that won’t yet make sense to you if you’re not familiar with the story). Some of both of these (and other) groups started writing angry and sometimes hateful messages to the HuffPo, telling them that they were racist, misogynistic, “junk” and so forth. So far, there’s really not much of interest going on. Wrong-headed, factually-incorrect, and even racist drivel gets posted on blogs every day. And the authors of those blogs (or their editors, in the case of blogs like HuffPo Voices) get angry responses all the time also. This case is (so far) only of (limited) interest for two reasons: first, that some people think of HuffPo as a publication worthy of serious attention, and reacted accordingly instead of ignoring the blog post; and second, that the Editor-in-Chief (Verashni Pillay) and the Voices editor leveraged the outrage to garner more clicks, and therefore more advertising revenue. Hlongwane did this by mocking the outrage and bragging about the clicks, while Pillay deployed her full editorial authority with a (qualified) defence of the piece, calling its analysis “pretty standard for feminist theory“, and also publishing a selection of the hate-mail received. This is the point at which things start get interesting, in that the piece and its arguments now move out of the “mere blog” domain, because senior editorial staff have now acted to support the opinion in question by criticising its detractors and defending its publication. One can maintain editorial immunity of a sort by keeping the distinction between news and opinion clear. Here, that distinction was deliberately blurred, and it starts to be more reasonable to treat this as a confirming instance of the HuffPo’s – rather than just “Shelley Garland’s” – political stance. Then it gets more interesting, as Laura Twiggs’ curiosity and very basic investigations (I say this with no disrespect, just to highlight that all it took was a little effort, rather than an undercover operation) uncovered the fact that “Shelley Garland” is a fiction. Tom Eaton has detailed all of this in his superb chronicle of this affair, so I won’t repeat it here. I will offer one cautionary note, namely that it is of course possible that Twiggs was talking to a different fake to the one that wrote the HuffPo piece. One reason for thinking so is that Twiggs’ Garland claimed to be a student of the University of Johannesburg, while the HuffPo editor indicates that Garland was a student at the University of Cape Town (UCT). The UCT claim is supported by correspondence ostensibly received by the hosts of the “Renegade Report” (RR) podcast, in which the spoofer shares his correspondence with HuffPo, including the pitch email that includes a UCT affiliation. I say “ostensibly received” because here again, we have no way of knowing for sure that the self-professed spoofer, “Nick Shannow”, is indeed the spoofer. One of the RR hosts (Roman Cabanac) claims to know the spoofer personally, and while that’s a possibility, it’s also possible that RR themselves are party to the whole affair. And as I write this, I see the following Tweet, indicating that Jonathan Witt – the other RR host – is the spoofer, or at least the person who set up the “Shelley Garland” email account. If this is true, then it seems to be the case that RR wrote to themselves as “Nick Shannow”, which is both amusing and rather amateurish. So it appears the #ShelleyGarland email address was set up by Jonathan Witt of the Renegade Report pic.twitter.com/ZOOZV1FC0S — ★CHARLIE MATHEWS★ (@CharlesLeeZA) April 18, 2017 But then, Oh dear. Spot the glaring mistake. pic.twitter.com/wEzDFgzeJp — Roman Cabanac (@RomanCabanac) April 18, 2017 This will all be untangled in time. Moving on to more interesting issues, though: I’ve previously expressed concerns regarding Verashni Pillay’s editorial choices, referencing the embarrassing story about FW de Klerk “tutoring” Mmusi Maimane that the Mail&Guardian published while she was its editor, as well as their publishing wire copy that told us “Mbeki was right on HIV/Aids”. As I said to Pillay in the comments, with reference to the Maimane story, these embarrassments should be kept up, with a disclaimer, rather than being deleted. People should be able to see the extent of your errors, as well as your apologies for them. Pillay’s apology for the Garland case notes that that they will in future verify the identity of their bloggers, that they will ask the Press Ombudsman for an opinion on the blog in question’s content, and that the HuffPo “understand that universal enfranchisement followed a long struggle and we fully support this”. While that defense of a universal franchise is hardly resounding, I’m more interested in the identity-verification aspect, which I’m not persuaded is the relevant issue here. If you choose to publish something as misguided as the Garland piece, and then give it your editorial support, you’ve chosen a
Paste: Yes, the timeline makes sense. I missed the note. I should know better and bother to read all the front matter. Now I feel better. But I have this hunch that things aren’t just going to improve magically for Owl. Hanselmann: No, things won’t be great for Owl after he leaves, at least not for a while. He has no idea what he’s doing and being alone won’t help… Actually, well, he won’t be alone. There’s somebody with him in the future… Ugh, I really want to draw Megg’s Coven. I wish I could just draw that book right now. Wish I was a millionaire. Wish my house wasn’t falling apart. Wish I was Dan Clowes. Paste: Do you think Dan Clowes ever wishes he was you? Hanselmann: Endlessly, I imagine. I have a thick, lustrous head of hair with only minimal dandruff. Paste: So you live in the United States now. What’s that like? I mean, I’ve lived here my whole life, and it still strikes me as a really weird place. What are the biggest differences you encounter between it and Australia? Hanselmann: I kind of barely leave the house so nothing much has changed. Australia is fairly Americanized anyway. I was in Portland last week and just felt like I was in Melbourne. But yeah, I’ve been here in Seattle three months. In that time two close friends of mine have died and some hardcore family shit’s gone down. All I’ve been doing is throwing myself into work and marriage. I pretend my house is a spaceship and I’m marooned inside it, floating through nothingness. Paste: The time of year that you’ve been in Seattle is a pretty depressing one, too. You can go pick berries in a few months! How much time do you spend at the Fantagraphics bookstore? Hanselmann: No berry picking for me probably. My whole year is planned out, a minefield of hard deadlines. I enjoyed the rain here all winter. I’m used to it: Tasmania is rainy, Melbourne is rainy. Keeps me trapped in my little pleasure jail. I’ve been to a few events at the Fanta Bookstore. It’s okay there… Did you mean the Fanta office? I hang out in the office quite a bit. I like writing there (and getting fucked up on the porch). I have a little desk down the back in the design department. I’m typing this from there right now. Everybody is hard at work on exciting new comics! So much dirty industry gossip, guns everywhere, dogs running around, peanut shells covering the floors, overflowing spittoons. Jason T. Miles is showing everybody his YouTube sandwich videos…There are 4.2 million voters in Scotland. They are represented by 59 members of Parliament. The signs are that more than 3 million people voted for the UK Independence Party in the general election. Ukip will have one or two MPs. You don’t have to agree with Ukip’s policies (I don’t) to think that there’s something wrong with that situation. I’ve suggested before that the first past the post electoral system is flawed, and that Ukip’s election result is just one illustration of that. Now, even before the election results are all in, there are signs that Ukip is moving to make political capital out of those numbers. Inspired by Douglas Carswell, the Clacton MP and long-time advocate of electoral reform, Ukippers are talking not about the number of seats they get but about the number of votes: references to 3 million and 4 million are already part of Ukip messaging. You can see how this makes sense for Ukip, a party that has grown on animosity to the political establishment. Ukippers have long felt that the established parties have tried to silence them and exclude them. FTTP suits the big parties at Westminster and penalises smaller ones: the political establishment is using the rules to silence the 3 million Ukippers, the party will now argue. This is well worth watching. When and if Ukip fully starts to champion electoral reform, we will have a party that is broadly speaking on the Right of politics (though “Right” and “Left” are not very useful terms, especially for Ukip) potentially adopting an agenda that has previously been the preserve of those on the left: the Lib Dems and the Greens. The SNP too are supporters of electoral reform. The consequences of this remarkable election are almost too various to count: thanks to Scotland, huge constitutional reform now seems inevitable. Could electoral reform be added to the mix? Ukip has already done remarkable things to British politics: it pushed immigration to the top of the agenda, helped push David Cameron into an EU referendum, and arguably helped turn the general election against Labour by hoovering up Lib Dem defectors. But its most significant impact could yet be helping to change Britain’s electoral system.Get the biggest daily news stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Three hundred years of scientific argument has been settled – elephants have five toes on a foot. Although they looks as if they have an extra toe it is really a piece of bone which has grown to help their feet bear their great weight. In 1710 Mr Patrick Blair - a Scottish doctor - published the first detailed anatomical description of an elephant, which had died near Dundee. Blair noted that the elephant had six toes, sparking three centuries of discussion around the strange toe-like structure occasionally noted in elephant’s fore and hind feet. But researchers at the Royal Veterinary College say the extra “toe” called a predigit on an elephant’s foot is an extended version of small-rounded tendon anchoring bones found in many mammals. Professor John Hutchinson, who publishes the research in the journal Science, said: “Elephant ancestors seem to have evolved the enlarged predigits, upright feet, and fat pads about 40 million years ago as they became more terrestrial and larger. “Other large land mammals have lost them and correspondingly never developed a large fatty foot pad or other features unique to elephant feet. However, strange groups of mammals such as pandas and moles have evolved similar structures for other functions such as grasping bamboo or digging. ing or suddenly manifesting complex novel features for new functions. “Elephant ‘sixth toes’ are not as complicated or flexible as true fingers, but are good enough for what elephants use them for, and that’s all that matters in evolution.”Imagination Technologies has long been known for its mobile graphics processors—designs from Imagination have shown up in everything from Apple's iPhones and iPads to Sony's PlayStation Vita. Today, the company announced that it would be extending its CPU lineup with a new architecture called "Warrior" that is aimed at both "compute-intense enterprise environments" and "energy efficient mobile platforms" like smartphones and tablets. Unlike most phone and tablet chips we see these days, the Warrior architecture isn't based on the prevalent ARM instruction set but on Imagination's own low-power MIPS architecture. This follows Imagination's acquisition of MIPS Technologies Inc. at the end of last year. Warrior CPUs will be available in both 32-bit and 64-bit variants, will support hardware virtualization, and will include "MIPS hardware multi-threading technology" among other features. Imagination's Warrior CPUs will be fighting an uphill battle against ARM, whose architectures and instruction sets are in the vast majority of tablets and smartphones today. They'll also have to contend with Intel, a much larger company that is trying very hard to get its Core- and Atom-branded CPUs into Windows 8 and Android tablets. However, the company's prowess in graphics shouldn't be ignored here, especially since Forbes reports that Imagination will be "open" to offering GPU licensees steep discounts on its MIPS CPUs. The Warrior CPU will be available later this year. Imagination has also announced a handful of new products in its Aptiv family of processors, which commonly show up in routers, Blu-ray players, and other embedded devices.NDP member of the Alberta legislature Marie Renaud has challenged Alberta Progressive Conservative leadership candidate Jason Kenney on his anti-abortion stance and publicly declared she once had the procedure. "Just one question for Mr. Kenney, Pro-choice or not?" tweeted Renaud, the MLA for St. Albert, on Wednesday evening. "I had an abortion and I thank God I was able to. Who wants to change that?" Just one question for Mr. Kenney, Pro-choice or not? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ableg?src=hash">#ableg</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pcldr?src=hash">#pcldr</a> —@MarieFrRenaud "It was just a question," Renaud told CBC News on Thursday, adding that she wanted Kenney to clarify his position. "You know, if you're running to do this, I'd just like to know where you stand on that particular issue. "People have fought for a very long time to have access to appropriate health care, and all ranges of health care, and this is part of it. I guess we'll just wait and see what he says." 'I believe in the value of human life' Kenney announced Wednesday that he would be seeking the leadership of Alberta's Progressive Conservative Party under a mandate of uniting the Wildrose and PC Party under one tent. Kenney said Thursday that his campaign is focused on economic opportunity, not "hot-button" social issues. However, in an interview with CBC News, Kenney didn't shy away from stating his personal convictions. "My position is consistent since I first ran for Parliament in 1997. I believe in the value of human life and I apply it to capital punishment and all bioethical questions, but in my 20 years in Parliament I haven't given a speech about this, let alone proposed a motion or a bill." I had an abortion and I thank God I was able to. Who wants to change that? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ableg?src=hash">#ableg</a> —@MarieFrRenaud Kenney said he has always supported the former federal Conservative government's stance not to initiate abortion legislation. "Frankly, I think these are just issues designed to distract voters from what Albertans are really concerned about." But in 2012, when he was the immigration minister, Kenney defied the wishes of then prime minister Stephen Harper and supported a motion to set up a parliamentary committee to study when life begins. Critics said the motion, defeated 203-91, was an excuse to reopen the debate on abortion in Canada and set limits on the procedure. My position is consistent since I first ran for Parliament in 1997. I believe in the value of human life and I apply it to capital punishment and all bioethical questions, but in my 20 years in Parliament I haven't given a speech about this, let alone proposed a motion or a bill. - Jason Kenney Kenney predicted that the "NDP will continue to throw out failed efforts to distract people with hot-button social issues." If he becomes leader he will "allow for freedom of conscience for [MLAs] to represent their constituents on ethical issues, and to do so when those matters come up as votes, but as a government we wouldn't be taking initiatives on those issues." Kenney said that as leader he would focus on one subject on the ballot for the next election. "Which is how do we restart the Alberta economy as the engine of Canada's economy after four years of massive tax increases, job-killing new regulations, a betrayal of our energy industry and huge multibillion-dollar carbon tax. "Those are the issues they don't want to talk about, but they're going to have to defend the record." 'You're not alone,' MLA tells women Renaud said she decided to share her story to help other women. "Had I seen another woman publicly share her tough decision, I know I would have been grateful to know I wasn't alone," she said in a tweet. "That's all." In an interview, she said she thinks there are a lot of women like her who might have had to go through the experience alone "It is liberating in a way," she said. "And just feeling like you're not alone is not a bad thing." Had I seen another woman publicly share her tough decision, I know I would have been grateful to know I wasn't alone. That's all. —@MarieFrRenaud Reaction on social media was mixed, with some vitriolic attacks on Renaud for raising the issue and making her abortion public. Others supported her and some shared that they had also had abortions. "It's pretty empowering to feel that you're not alone," said Renaud, who had her abortion about 20 years ago. If you look at the comments he has made [on abortion, LGBT and education issues] are concerning for a lot of folks who are socially progressive like myself. - Sandra Jansen Sandra Jansen, the PC MLA for Calgary-North West, said on Wednesday that she feels Kenney's social conservatism will be at odds with the party — in particular with PC MLAs and members who are left-of-centre on social issues. "If you look at the comments he has made [on abortion, LGBT and education issues] are concerning for a lot of folks who are socially progressive like myself." Jansen said she will fight to "make sure he's not successful."Image copyright AFP Image caption Provenzano was finally captured in 2006 after more than four decades on the run Italian mafia boss Bernardo Provenzano has died in a prison hospital, aged 83. Provenzano, dubbed "The Tractor" for his ruthless trait of mowing people down, was arrested and jailed in 2006 after spending 43 years on the run. He took over command of the Sicilian Mafia in 1993 after the arrest of ex-boss Salvatore "Toto" Riina. Provenzano was serving a life term for several murders, including the 1992 killings of top anti-Mafia judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. He was suffering from bladder cancer and serious cognitive impairment and had spent the last two years in a prison hospital ward, Italian media report. His illnesses had forced the suspension of ongoing negotiations with the state over unresolved crimes. However, even before his health declined, he had resisted any co-operation with the justice system. Who was Bernardo Provenzano? Image copyright AFP Image caption The dairy farm where Provenzano's years on the run finally came to an end, and he was arrested in jeans and a pullover, an old man of 73 Bernardo Provenzano was born on 31 January 1933 in Corleone, a Sicilian town synonymous with Mafia activity which gave its name to the fictional family in the Godfather films. He was said to have joined the mafia in his late teens, after World War Two. He rose in the Mafia ranks and along with his friend, Toto Riina, worked for mafioso Luciano Liggio, who reportedly once said Provenzano had "the brains of a chicken but shoots like an angel". When in 1974 Liggio was jailed, Riina was left in charge with Provenzano his right-hand man. Once at the helm following Riina's capture, Provenzano reportedly tried to arbitrate between rival Mafia factions competing for business. He was said to have steered away from attacks on high-profile figures that had hardened public opinion against the Mafia and provoked police to respond. In his later years, painstakingly cautious about revealing his whereabouts, Provenzano shunned the phone for hand-delivered "pizzini" notes and moved between farmhouses every two or three nights. But in April 2006, he was arrested at a farmhouse near Corleone, his birthplace and where his wife and children lived. 'The Tractor' vs 'The Accountant' Image copyright AFP Image caption Provenzano combined bloodthirstiness with cunning to evade capture Bernardo Provenzano earned the nickname The Tractor because, as an informant put it, "he mows people down". He reportedly committed his first murder in 1958 aged 25, when Provenzano is alleged to have been one of the gunmen who helped rising mafioso Luciano Liggio murder Corleone clan head Michele Navarra, leaving Liggio as head of the family. In 1963 Provenzano went on the run after an arrest warrant was issued against him for the murder of one of Navarra's men. Gangland wars and murders of top judges became bloody hallmarks of Italian life in the 1980s, when Provenzano was second-in-command to "Toto" Riina. However, Provenzano had another side to his character. He was a careful operator, who took few overt risks, mastered the crime empire's finances, and under whose leadership the Mafia became a less bloodthirsty, more efficient machine, commentators say. For these reasons, he was also dubbed The Accountant.Here’s the Winner of SNK’s Character Design Contest That’ll Be Featured in King of Fighters A Saudi woman has won a character design contest run by SNK, and her character will reportedly appear in a King of Fighters game. It’s unclear if the fighter, Najd, will be added as an update to the current title or a future game but we’ll keep our readers posted. In the meantime, you can check out the design by B Mashael below (click or open in new window to enlarge): مخرج لعبة كينج أو فايترز ا. أودا ياسويوكي من شركة ⁦@SNKPofficial⁩ يعلن عن الفائز بجائزة أفضل تصميم لشخصية مقاتلة في مسابقة ⁧#مانجا_للانتاج⁩. pic.twitter.com/aRTw8L6ZaK — Manga Productions (@manga_prd) November 3, 2017 ResetEra users have translated some of the text that appears in the images. According to user BaShaBeSho, Najd wears an abaya that she uses as a weapon because it’s possessed by a demon called Halek, which means “extreme darkness.” The demon can appear while fighting, and disappear after launching attacks. BaShaBeSho further wrote (verbatim): The design of the “Abaya” makes her movement very easy. She wears a pair of modern design long leather gloves and boots to decrease damage, and the appearance of her skin while fighting. She also wears “Hejab” (veil) on her head, but sometimes it falls down while fighting or making a strong move and she will put it back fast on her head after that. She also wears jewelry and a golden belt decorated with blue stones. Another user added that Najd is a 21-year old university student. We’ll update our readers when we have more info. [Source: ResetEra]Use django-debug-toolbar and keep it turned on. And look at it regularly. OK, point made. This project was quite a lot easier to fix than django-cms, because it is much newer, and so has less code, and - more importantly - far fewer compatibility issues to worry about with 3rd parties who depend on certain features. You should think about big O scaling issues fairly early, because you can easily put yourself into a situation where things are hard to fix, due to: schema design. promises you’ve made regarding functionality to 3rd parties. For example, django-fiber has a concept of ‘current’ pages (pages which would form part of the bread crumb for the page you are on) and, in addition to the obvious ones (the ‘ancestors’ of the active page in the tree of pages), it has a feature which allows any page in the database to be a candidate ‘current page’ for any other page, based on a regex field. And so you have to check all these pages when rendering any page. This does not scale well. Thankfully, it’s not too much of a problem if you don’t use this feature, since you can do DB level filtering to eliminate most of the pages as potential candidates for this. But if you do use it, you have a scaling problem - for every time you use it, then the amount of work you’ve got to do to render any page increases. (And, if the DB filtering isn’t efficient, you may still be paying an increasing penalty for every page added to the system even if you never use the feature). EDIT: I should have mentioned on the positive side that django-fiber has obviously given thought to general scaling issues, and used django-mptt for the tree structure of their Page model. This made it relatively easy to fix the ‘show_menu’ template tag to do everything in 2 queries. Otherwise it would have been a nightmare.Opera, the Norwegian-based web browser, has struck a deal with Haute Secure to include malware detection and blocking in the browser’s new 9.5 release. The new version is currently available as a beta, with a final release imminent. Haute Secure makes software that aggressively monitors and alerts users to malware sites. Besides the version that is being integrated into Opera, Haute is also available as a free plugin for Internet Explorer and Firefox. It differentiates itself from other blocking software by analyzing sites on the link level instead of at the domain level. This means that on very large sites like MySpace that contain a combination of legitimate material along with more sinister profiles, pages will be blocked on a case by case basis instead of simply banning the entire MySpace site. For more details, check out our review of their latest version here. Opera, while not nearly as popular as Internet Explorer or Firefox, has managed to gain something of a cult following since its original launch in 1996. The browser is widely available on mobile devices (and even on the Nintendo Wii). Because Haute has been integrated into Opera’s base code, the security will also be included in updates for these other platforms. The malware protection comes in addition to phishing protection, which the browser introduced in 2006. This is a great move on Opera’s part, though it isn’t the first browser to integrate some degree of malware protection – FireFox 3 has integrated a similar feature as well (though it uses a different service). Hopefully we’ll see such protection creep across all browsers until it becomes a standard rather than a feature.Amazon today announced a large update to its DynamoDB NoSQL database service that introduces a massively expanded free tier and the ability to store entire JSON-formatted documents as single database items. Like all of Amazon’s cloud computing services, DynamoDB always offered a limited free tier for developers who wanted to try the service. For DynamoDB, that was a pretty limited offering with only 100MB of storage, 10 read units and 5 write units. Enough to try it, but not enough to do any serious work (which, to be fair, is the point of offering this free tier). Starting today, that limit goes up to a whopping 25 GB of storage and enough capacity to perform over 200 million requests per month. As Amazon CTO Werner Vogels points out, that’s enough to run a gaming app with 15,000 monthly active users or an ad-tech platform that serves 500,000 impressions per month. In comparison, Google’s NoSQL database service Cloud Datastore offers users 1GB of free storage space while Microsoft’s new JSON-centric DocumentDB service (which is still in preview) only offers a free tier for open source developers. As Vogels also notes, many new NoSQL and relational databases (including Microsoft’s DocumentDB service) now use JSON-style document models. DynamoDB also allowed you to store these documents, but developers couldn’t directly work with the information stored in them. That’s changing today. With this update, developers can now use the AWS SDKs for Java,.NET, Ruby and JavaScript to easily map their JSON data to DynamoDB’s own data types. That turns DynamoDB in a fully-featured document store and is going to make life easier for many developers on the platform. Because these objects can be pretty large, AWS now also allows developers to store larger documents, too, with up to 400KB in size. It’s worth noting that while the focus here is on JSON objects, Vogels also points out that these new data types could be used to store HTML and XML documents with the help of a translation layer. You can find a full walkthrough of how all of this works here. In addition, AWS now also makes it easier to change your provisioned throughput, either from the management console or the API. Before, developers could only double their throughput with each API call. Now, they can go from 10 writes per second to 100,000 with a single click. That should make it significantly easier for applications to quickly react to usage spikes (and scale down again after a spike) and reduce costs. All of these new features are now available in Amazon’s US East (N. Virginia), US West (Oregon), Asia Pacific (Tokyo) and EU (Ireland) regions.The episode “The Sensorites” is the first episode in Doctor Who characterized by a plot device that would come to characterize the show, and science fiction more generally: an encounter with aliens who seem scary, grotesque and hostile, and turn out to be something else altogether. The travelers land on a spaceship, the crew of which initially seem dead, but turn out to be in a state of suspended animation. They then learn that the crew is kept trapped there in orbit, their minds at times being taken control of, by the Sensorites who inhabit the world below. When we finally catch a glimpse of one at the end of the first part, they do not look at all attractive or friendly. The fear increases as Sensorites come aboard. But it turns out, first of all, that the Sensorites, while capable of telepathy, are also sensitive to loud noise and completely terrified of the dark, and extremely timid. Their behavior which had seemed hostile was due to their having previously encountered humans who intended to plunder their world for a valuable element, and having detected the same thoughts among the crew of this ship as well. Their actions were motivated by self-preservation, and the more severe effects on one of the human crewmembers were inadvertent. The message that we should not judge people by their appearances, or even assume that we are rightly interpreting what seems like a hostile act, may seem trite. But we should remember that this message had not been communicate by means of science fiction as many times before “The Sensorites” as it has been in our experience. At the time, its suggestion “To them, we may appear ugly” might have been much more striking. Susan’s question, asking if it isn’t better to travel hopefully than to arrive, also gets at the heart of Doctor Who. Let me close by adding that it seems that the Sensorites is but one of many classic Doctor Who episodes due to be released next year on DVD in colorized form. That should do wonders for allowing a new generation of Doctor Who fans to watch and appreciate old episodes. Click through to learn more on Amazon.com! Next up in the re-watch will be The Reign of Terror, the last episode in season 1, after which I will have to jump around a bit as I refresh my recollection of several episodes in preparation for my treatment of religion in Doctor Who at AAR.Tuition pricing, financial aid and student debt levels are still in their postrecession mold. Prices followed a continuing pattern of slowing growth between 2015-16 and 2016-17 while still increasing more quickly than financial aid availability and family incomes, according to two College Board reports released Wednesday, “Trends in College Pricing” and “Trends in Student Aid.” Meanwhile, total education borrowing decreased for the fifth consecutive year as undergraduates relied less on loans to finance their education. It’s a stark difference from what happened during the Great Recession itself, when borrowing spiked and tuition prices turned sharply upward. But the trends are a continuation of those that have been in place since the recession ended, according to Sandy Baum, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute who co-wrote the reports. “There’s no dramatic change this year,” she said. “Borrowing is continuing to decline per undergraduate student. Sticker prices are continuing to increase, but not at a really rapid rate.” Tuition and Fees Published tuition and fees grew across the board in higher education sectors in 2016-17, but at a slower rate than last year. In the private nonprofit four-year sector, average tuition and fees grew 2.7 percent between 2015-16 and 2016-17 to $33,480, adjusting for inflation. That was less than the 3.2 percent growth the year before. In the public four-year sector, average in-state tuition and fees grew 1.6 percent between 2015-16 and 2016-17 to $9,650. The increase was down from 2.8 percent the previous year. And in the public two-year sector, average tuition and fees grew by 1.7 percent to $3,520 -- less than the 2.7 percent growth posted the year before. Last year’s growth figures generally come in below tuition and fee growth averages for previous decades. Private nonprofit four-year institutions averaged 2.4 percent annual tuition and fee increases between 2006-07 and 2016-17, after adjusting for inflation. They averaged 2.9 percent annual increases for the preceding decade starting in 1996-97, and 3.1 percent annual increases from 1986-87 to 1996-97. Public four-year institutions averaged 3.5 percent annual increases in the last decade. They averaged 4.2 percent annual increases in the decade starting in 1996-97 and 3.9 percent in the decade starting in 1986-87. Public two-year institutions averaged 2.8 percent annual growth rates last decade, 1.8 percent the decade before and 4.5 percent growth rates in the decade starting in 1986-87. But the collective effect of year-after-year price increases means published tuition and fees are still significantly higher than they were three decades ago. The average published tuition and fee price in the private nonprofit four-year sector is about 2.3 times higher this year than it was in 1986-87, after adjusting for inflation. It is 3.1 times higher in the public four-year sector and 2.4 times higher in the public two-year sector. Published tuition and fees do not move in lockstep with changes in the net prices students actually pay -- students receive grant aid and tax benefits that shrink their actual college expenses. Full-time undergraduates in the private nonprofit four-year sector received an average of $19,290 in grant aid and tax benefits this year, covering 58 percent of their average published tuition and fees. Full-time students at public four-year colleges received an average of $5,880 in grant aid and tax benefits, covering roughly 60 percent of in-state tuition and fees. Grant aid more than covered tuition and fees for full-time students at public two-year institutions, on average. Looking at net price makes it clear students haven't been paying the full quoted increases in tuition prices. In particular it shows institutions collecting less in tuition and fees per student even as they raised sticker prices during recessionary years. Net prices haven't fully recovered in some cases, although they are trending up in recent years across all sectors. Average net tuition and fees for full-time students in the private nonprofit four-year sector rose to $14,190 this year, up from $12,770 in 2011-12. The change means that net price charged by the sector is climbing back from a dip during the recession years but has yet to match higher levels like the $14,900 seen in 2006-7. In the public four-year sector, average net tuition and fee prices have eclipsed highs from a decade earlier. They came in at $3,770 this year, up from $2,910 a decade ago and up from a recession-era low of $2,220 in 2009-10. The increases come as state subsidies for higher education are locked in a downward trend, with appropriations per full-time equivalent student 8 percent lower in 2014-15 than they were a 10 years earlier, after adjusting for inflation. Public two-year colleges’ average net tuition and fee price was $500 below zero this year, down from $420 above zero in 2006-7 but up from $860 below zero in 2010-11. The negative net price indicates students receive more in grant aid and tax credits than is required to cover tuition and fees. Students can use surplus funds for supplies or living expenses, according to the College Board. The College Board has in the past taken criticism for not including in its net price calculations some cost-of-attendance expenses and for including tax credits that students and their families don't immediately receive. It’s important to note that the tuition and fee changes come against the backdrop of total postsecondary enrollment falling 4 percent between 2010 and 2014. Enrollment trends broke in different ways at different types of institutions, growing at private nonprofit and public four-year institutions while shrinking at others. Private nonprofit enrollment grew from 3.7 million students in 2010 to 3.8 million students in 2014 -- or from 17 percent of all students to 19 percent of all students. Public four-year students grew from 7.2 million in 2010 to 7.5 million in 2014, or from 34 percent of all students to 36 percent of all students. Meanwhile, public two-year institutions lost market share, with enrollment falling from eight million students in 2010 to 7.3 million in 2014 -- or from 38 percent of enrollments to 35 percent. For-profit enrollment fell from 2.4 million in 2010 to 1.9 million in 2014 -- from 11 percent of students to 9 percent. Analysts have attributed that change to the economy improving, drawing more people into the labor market who may have turned to trade education in a worse job market. Student Aid Overall student aid levels have been roughly steady for the last two years after jumping during the recession. Undergraduates and graduate students received a total of $240.9 billion in aid in 2015-16 -- aid coming in grants from various sources including states, federal loans, federal work-study and federal tax credits and deductions. The level was down slightly from $241 billion the previous year and from a high of $258.8 billion in 2010-11. But it was still 61 percent higher than levels 10 years ago, when aid totaled $149.9 billion. Grants exhibited some of the strongest growth in the last decade, with federal grants rising 106 percent, driven by significant Pell Grant growth of 88 percent to $28.2 billion, and even larger veterans' benefits and military growth, 106 percent to $43.3 billion. Institutional grants rose 88 percent to $54.7 billion, and state grants grew 22 percent to $10.5 billion. Of those categories, only institutional grants and grants to veterans and the military rose year over year in 2015-16, though. Institutional grants have increased since the recession years. The continued high discount rates raise questions about whether institutions are discounting to make tuition affordable for low-income students or whether they are competing for high-income students who can generate revenue. “I think it raises the question of what’s hidden behind those averages, both in terms of different kinds of institutions and different kinds of students,” Baum said. “For which students are they discounting?” Nonfederal loans, meanwhile, fell 47 percent over the last decade, from $20.9 billion in 2005-06 to just under $11 billion in 2015-16. Private sector loans accounted for a vast majority of the drop, falling by 49 percent to $9.9 billion after peaking at $24.2 billion in 2007-8. The latest student aid data indicates that steep increases in awarded aid during the recession years of 2009-10 and 2010-11 were short-term changes driven by extreme financial circumstances, the College Board report said. Since those years of the crisis, federal loans fell for five straight years. Total expenditures on federal Pell Grants have fallen each year since 2010-11. The average financial aid package per full-time equivalent undergraduate student totaled about $14,460 in 2015-16, virtually unchanged since 2011-12. It includes $8,390 in grants from different sources, $4,720 in federal loans, $1,290 in education tax credits and deductions and $60 in federal work-study. Graduate students’ packages averaged $27,740 per full-time equivalent, up about $1,000 from 2011-12. Grants accounted for $9,300, federal loans accounted for $17,460, tax credits and deductions were worth $890 and work-study was worth $90. The College Board recorded a recent trend in the way the aid breaks down, however. Undergraduates are relying less on loans and more on grants in recent years. Loans from federal and nonfederal sources accounted for 36 percent of undergraduate aid in 2015-16, the lowest level in two decades. Grants were 55 percent, the highest level in two decades. Federal loans per full-time equivalent undergraduate fell during the five-year period by $960. Grant aid per undergraduate rose by $750. Graduate students, in contrast, continued to rely far more heavily on loans. Loans were 64 percent of the aid they used in 2015-16. Grants were 33 percent. Federal loans per full-time equivalent graduate student fell by $1,240 over the last five years but rose in the most recent year. Grant aid per graduate student increased by $1,830. Total education borrowing fell for the fifth straight year. Students and parents borrowed $106.8 billion, down from a high of $124.2 billion in 2010-11, adjusted for inflation. A large chunk of all borrowers with student loan debt -- 38 percent -- owed less than $10,000. A substantially smaller portion, 16 percent, owed $40,000 or more. There is no clear explanation for the drop in overall borrowing, Baum said. She hopes it can cool the sharp rhetoric that has flown recently over the issue of student debt. “My hope is things are calming down somewhat,” she said. “Maybe we can have a more rational conversation about borrowing and student debt.” As would be expected given their greater reliance on borrowing, graduate students tended to rack up more debt than undergraduates. Just 10 percent of undergraduate borrowers owed $40,000 or more. That compares to 43 percent of graduate borrowers. “Students are still borrowing a lot of money,” Baum said. “This year we did want to focus on the graduate student
are actively causing damage. They believe voters wanted to ban the practice for population control, and allow for it only when an animal proves it’s a problem. About 40 hunters participate in the program annually, but the vast majority of bears are taken by a few dozen. By comparison in the same regions, the recreational bear season sees about 3,500 hunters buying licenses to harvest bears later in the year. Their success rate is far lower than the hound hunters. If someone wants to know how many bears are killed on tree farms, though, it’s not so easy to find. WDFW does not include the data on its website with other bears harvested in general seasons. That’s why KING 5 filed a request for the number of bears killed each year since 2004. Our research shows, in some years, the state’s authorized the killing of as many as 334 bears for timber damage alone. That was in 2011. It was the highest number of permits granted in the records we obtained. The total amount of bears harvested on the 2011 permits was 182, with 66 females and 116 males killed. The lowest year for permits written was 2016, with 162 bears authorized for removal. Of the total allowed, 86 were reported killed; 27 were females and 59 were males. Without exception, male bears are killed far more often than females. Typically, hunters kill nearly double the amount of male bears as female bears. For WDFW bear expert, Rich Beausoleil, that’s concerning since data shows the offending bears are more often hungry females, many with new cubs. Male bears, however, may be targeted for their size. “What we’re finding from the removal statistics that are coming in is that males are being targeted. Females are dying too, but more males than females. That makes us wonder, are we targeting the right bear?” he said. Beausoleil said the state has used hunter data to estimate the bear population until recently. Hunters are supposed to turn in a tooth from the bear for research, but they only do that 20 percent of the time. That’s why Beausoleil’s recent research project is showing that the long-held belief Washington has 35,000 bears is wrong. He estimates the number is much closer to 20,000. The average bear has an annual survival rate of about 80-90 percent, but on timber farms, that number drops to 60 percent. Though the number of bears killed for causing timber damage typically totals only 10 percent of the bears killed every year statewide, Beausoleil says the number is much higher when considered from a more localized perspective. “We could see harvest rates at 40 percent, and that’s higher than we’d like to see. That can cause a population decline, if that’s not what we want to do as an agency,” he said. “So, it’s really important not to look at it on a washed-out statewide view or even on a regional view, but to zoom and see what’s going on, because this could be your backyard, and you might have an interest in knowing the bears are OK where you live.” Timber farms are invaluable assets for protecting wildlife in the state, Beausoleil says. That’s why he hopes collaboration with foresters and better program management will provide opportunity for change. “These lands that private timber provide, provide habitat in a big way. There’s a lot of land out there that’s helping wildlife,” he said. KING 5 told former state legislator Hans Dunshee about its investigation of the bear depredation program. Dunshee, a Democrat from Snohomish, served as the 44th District state representative for two decades and was a fierce supporter of I-655 and opposed several attempts to repeal it. “You’re not authorized by the will of the people to just exterminate all bears in an area, because they might be a problem,” he said. “This program violates the initiative because it focuses on population. It assumes population is a problem not a problem animal.” Dunshee believes the state’s abusing its power and violating voter trust, all while setting a bad example. “We’re all supposed to follow the law. If government doesn’t follow the law, then citizens say, ‘We don’t have to,’” he said. “The department is destroying the trust of everybody, and it’s creating lawlessness.” And that’s exactly what we found WDFW staff are concerned about, as well. “I’ve had more than one officer tell me, 'I’m not going to work these anymore,'” said retired WDFW Captain Murray Schlenker. Schlenker retired from WDFW police last year. He calls the rules confusing and inconsistent. “You can go out and knock yourself out as a law enforcement officer, but cases aren’t going to get anywhere,” he said. Our investigation found hunters caught breaking the rules aren’t held accountable. They’re almost always allowed to keep on hunting. In a 2014 case involving one of the program's most prolific hunters, an enforcement officer recommended the state ban an offending hunter from killing bears on timber farms. Here’s what happened: Hunters get one yellow tag per bear they’re allowed to kill. That tag is supposed to be immediately clipped onto the bear’s ear so that it cannot be reused, a policy aimed at preventing hunters from taking more bears than allowed. This particular hunter was located nearly four miles from the kill site, the bear gutted and packed in a box used to transport dogs. But the hunter had the tags in his pocket. A tag that is supposed to be placed on a bear immediately after it is killed. (Credit: Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife). Though the officer who filed the case told management the hunter should not be allowed to hunt on timber permits any longer, WDFW management did nothing. That hunter continues to be one of the most active in the program KING 5 obtained an email written by the enforcement officer at the time. He complained, “My frustration level is at an extreme,” because hunters “pick and choose” what rules to follow. “That level of frustration is there for them and they don’t want to try good faith, conscientious effort and have it thrown back at them. That’s very demoralizing from an employee standpoint,” Schelnker said. “It’s becoming harder to get good people out there, but we still have the good people: the good hound hunters, the ethical hound hunters, the people who play by the rules. We still have them working for us,” Ziegltrum said. Ziegltrum, director of WFPA’s Animal Damage Control Program, is the one who gives final approval or denial of all hunters allowed on the BTDM permits. Aoude said that if hunters are legally allowed to harvest bears in Washington, WDFW has no power to deny their participation in the program. Ziegltrum does that. “There is a very strong incentive for these people to stay in line,” he said. “They recognize we are the only game in town.” As for the hunter caught with tags in his pockets, Ziegltrum says it was an honest mistake. “This guy is still hunting, because we explained the situation to the state agency, and this young gentleman did not get himself into trouble,” he said. Last year, WDFW Wildlife Program Manager Sandra Jonker wrote a letter of commendation to honor a hound hunter for exceptional efforts. “In particular I want to thank you and your hunting party for your help over the years…for ethically responsible hunting behavior,” she wrote. It belongs to the same hunter who said the timber hunts are so mismanaged that ethical hunters are being forced out, leaving behind those willing to bend the rules. “And, the way the foresters think, is that they will have to do it our way because we’re the biggest employers in the state,” he said. He’s not against hound hunting. He thinks dogs, with their keen sense of smell, are the best way to target problem bears. But dogs only do what their handler wants, and he says too often, foresters and hunters just want blood. “These guys don’t have no respect for wildlife. The more they get, they think the better hunter they are,” he said. Dunshee believes WDFW’s management of the BTDM program could set the agency back in its efforts to unite culturally and politically disparate groups in Washington, often divided over wildlife. “I think it destroys the trust in the agency. The agency is doing good things on wolves and cougars. I think this destroys the good will that’s been built between rural communities and animal welfare advocates,” Dunshee said. “I think the legislature should do an investigation. The evidence you have should be laid out for the public to see. I think it ought to be dealt with and if there are people in the upper management who have been burying this story, I think they ought to be held accountable.” For Wathne, it’s criminal. She believes WDFW has turned a problem bear into a hunting season. She calls that poaching. “And the department is enabling it. They are putting their stamp of approval on it apparently. You bet it’s poaching. It’s a violation of the law,” she said. “The initiative itself is very clear. So, perhaps it’s time to go to the Governor.” In a staff report filed by a WDFW animal conflict specialist concern is voiced over the long-term effects of the timber farm hunts. In some Game Management Units, between a quarter and a third of the bears are killed because of tree damage. The report said, “During a conference call it was brought up that conflict staff in Region 5 does not support killing 2 bears per permit because we do not know the population effects. That statement was countered with the argument that if we don’t know the populations (sic) effects then why not allows (sic) two bears per permit? Is this consistent with this agency’s mission?” In other documents KING 5 obtained, employees expressed concern that the bear hunts on timber farms reduce the available bears for harvest during recreational seasons, when hunters are paying for licenses that support the budget of WDFW. “I think that as an agency we should be concerned with the fact that in the south Cascades in 2015 we had a recreational bear harvest of 99, but in 2016 we had a depredation harvest of 37. That is 27 percent of the recreational harvest, and we are talking about 3,600 recreational bear hunters versus a handful of hound hunters. The success rate for recreational hunters was 2.7 percent. I can’t help but wonder if taking these bears through the depredation hunt it isn’t taking away an opportunity from thousands of other recreational hunters who are purchasing a bear tag," a WDFW biologist wrote in 2016. Another staffer wrote in the same thread, “the system in place is just being manipulated.” “We are not providing people with recreational opportunity,” Ziegltrum said. Wathne met with Ziegltrum in the 1990s to discuss I-655. She met with many stakeholders as they molded the allowance for hound hunting to reduce tree damage. She believes the intention of the law was clear, not just for her but for WDFW and the timber industry. There should be no misunderstanding, she says, the loophole was never meant to cull bear populations. “And what does it say to the people of Washington state?" Wathne said. "The Department of Fish and Wildlife doesn’t give a damn about what you voted for or about the bears of this state.” Since KING 5 initially broadcast the investigation, Conservation Northwest has made a public appeal to WDFW for transparency on the issue, voicing concern that the use of the hunts violate I-655. CLARIFICATION: The original script said hunters do not have to buy a bear license like recreational hunters to participate. We've since learned they do have to buy a bear tag but they do not use it for this hunt. Watch the TV version of this story with closed captioning: Part 1 \| Part 2 Copyright 2017 KINGI’ve argued that you can’t design for digital publications the way you design for print publications, but that doesn’t mean that what we leave behind in the print tradition is not missed online. One of strengths that print designers have long brought to their publications is illustration, where artists are commissioned to create visual translations of an article’s most salient or provocative concepts. Print publications have a long, long history of truly great illustrations that became indelible companions to the content they accompanied. Not so much online. In fact, in digital media, illustration is missing in action, and its absence is palpable. I can’t think of a single, regularly publishing, large-scale digital publication that uses original illustrations prominently, much less pays illustrators a working wage for their efforts. By and large, digital publishing traffics in photographic images, most of them literal — an article about President Obama will be accompanied by a photo of President Obama. Occasionally, when the subject matter of an article doesn’t inspire obvious photo selections, a bit more imagination becomes necessary. This is where, given different economics, digital publishers might turn to illustrators. Instead, they turn to stock photographs, usually with awful results. Here are a few I found this morning. Words and Pictures Search Engine Land has a very literal take on content farms. The people in this article from Business Insider are not mentioned in the article. They’re just a good example of that joyous feeling when you really crush something. This article from VentureBeat shows a man carrying cash. No photo of a man carrying equity could be located. AOL News is talking about gold. See? Gold. Mashable is talking about Facebook’s use of iFrames, so they’re showing the Facebook logo in a frame. Let me know if you need further explanation. Time and Money It’s true, not all of these articles are probably worthy of illustrations. What’s even truer is that the publishing cycle for these sites makes the time and trouble of illustration next to impossible. The act of commissioning an illustration is not rocket science but it’s more complex and time-consuming than makes sense for the Web: an art director has to read the story, select an appropriate illustrator, confirm her availability, allow her time to develop ideas, run the ideas by the editors for approval, wait for a first pass at the finished product, ask for any necessary changes, receive the final art, then integrate it elegantly into the layout of the article. All on a very tight deadline. It’s foolhardy to think that a publication like Mashable — which, as in the example above, actually goes a little bit further than most in trying to inject a bit of illustrative wit into their art selections — would have the time, expense or motivation to undertake such an involved process. Not even Rupert Murdoch’s The Daily tries to do this, and they seem to have little compunction about going to ridiculous lengths in pursuit of print-like satisfaction. The inability to commission illustration is one key reason why art direction is fundamentally incompatible with digital publishing. I’ve described it here as a problem of time, but really, at its root, it’s a problem of money. As bad as illustrations like the ones I’ve collected here are, they don’t adversely impact the bottom line. Which is to say, having better illustrations wouldn’t make these publications any more profitable — nor would they make these pages perform better, as digital publishing is increasingly being measured for profitability on a page-by-page basis. That’s reality. It’s unfortunate, because it means as content consumers we’re deprived of a really valuable mode of communication that has been a longstanding partner of some of the best content that publishing has ever produced. But it’s reality. +Things like extreme weather and droughts are the high-profile impacts of climate change—they are easy to see and understand. Sea level rise is much more subtle and slow-moving, but it's inexorable. Even if we stabilize our climate at a new, higher average temperature, the seas will continue to rise for centuries as the added warmth slowly melts ice and causes the water in the oceans to expand in volume. However, since so much of human infrastructure is built right on the coasts, the rising ocean levels have the potential to cause more disruption than any other factor. Recently, some researchers attempted to quantify just how damaging sea level rise will be. At its high end, the costs are staggering: a touch over nine percent of the global GDP by the end of this century. However, that number assumes we'll keep building right on the coasts—and we're not really that shortsighted, right? Projecting the costs involved with sea level rise by the end of the century is a difficult challenge. To begin with, the height of the seas will depend on the rate of warming, which will depend on the trajectory that emissions (and thus temperatures) take. So there are both cultural uncertainties—will we get our carbon emissions under control or not?—and scientific uncertainties about the rate of warming and how that rate will be reflected in ocean levels. Once you have scenarios for the change in coastline, you have to start thinking about what that actually means. And that analysis depends on measurements of the current status, such as how much infrastructure we already have that will be at risk in the future. It also depends on models of the future: how much will we build near the coastline in the near term, and how much will we be willing to spend on protecting it in the longer term? To give one practical example of the issues confronting the authors, it's instructive to consider one of the relatively simple factors involved in their study: the elevation of land near the coasts. One of the data sets available on land elevation was generated using the Space Shuttle. The Shuttle measured elevation with a technology that overestimated the true elevation because it registered the height of the tops of foliage and any ground cover. The authors generated estimates with both the Shuttle data and a separate measure derived from satellite sensing, and they included the difference as part of their uncertainty estimates. (One of their data sets, used to measure the amount of infrastructure already in place at the coasts, comes from the delightfully acronymed Global Rural–Urban Mapping Project, or GRUMP.) Based on these estimates alone, the value of assets within the reach of a 100-year flood event will range between $17 trillion and $180 trillion by the end of the century—and that's under an emissions scenario that's unrealistically low. Under business-as-usual emissions (the IPCC's RCP 8.5), the figures will range from $21 trillion to $210 trillion. We'll naturally lose some of that infrastructure to flooding each year. Even under the unrealistically low emissions scenario, the losses could reach up to five percent of the global GDP annually. For the business-as-usual, it ranges from a low of 1.2 percent to a high of over 9.5 percent. The authors say that last figure is unrealistically high. Surely, they reason, we'll stop building so much near the coast and start relocating some vulnerable populations before the end of the century. But they also admit that in many areas of the globe, urbanization is leading to a coastward migration that is actually expanding the risk. In the US, state governments appear to be refusing to accept reality when it comes to sea level rise. We can also make matters worse by continuing to pump ground water at unsustainable rates. This water will eventually end up in the ocean and, when pumped in coastal areas, can lead to ground subsidence that enhances the impact of rising oceans. Of course, at least some areas can be protected by building infrastructure to keep the ocean out. Even under a low-emission scenario, costs for dike maintenance are expected to reach at least $12 billion a year by the end of the century; for higher emissions, the cost could reach up to $71 billion. Here, economics leads to a complicated trade-off: wealthy countries will put more (and more expensive) infrastructure near the coast, but their populations will likely demand more protection and be better able to pay for it. Given the huge uncertainties, it might be tempting to ask what the value of this sort of study is. By showing a range of potential costs, the work provides some indication of what the scale of the problem will be, giving planners some sense of how to prioritize potential fixes. By incorporating multiple scenarios in their models, the authors have given themselves the chance to improve their estimates as data becomes more certain and as the path we're actually taking into the future becomes increasingly clear. PNAS, 2014. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1222469111 (About DOIs).This story appears in ESPN The Magazine's May 9 Fame Issue. Subscribe today! BY THE TIME he was 14, Kobe Bryant had made up his mind: His quest for basketball greatness would be a solitary journey. It was easier that way. He approached the game with such ferocity that it alarmed his friends, his teammates, even his family. It prompted others to shrink away, as if his obsession were a disease that might be contagious. He contracted it as a boy in Philadelphia, where he exhausted himself to keep up with older sisters Sharia and Shaya; it spread in Italy, where his father played professionally and an 8-year-old Kobe immersed himself in the game. By the time Bryant was a senior at Lower Merion High School outside Philadelphia, it had consumed him. He wasn't content with just beating his opponent. He needed to break him. He inflicted one humiliation after the next, dunking when a layup would do, scoring with such force against overmatched peers that he reduced them to tears. Subjected to admonishments and withering stares, Kobe concluded: I'm alone in this. In 1996, his rookie year with the Lakers, his teammates scoffed at the aloof teenager who treated every possession like Armageddon. When they said he was too serious about basketball, Kobe wondered how that was even possible. When they dubbed him Showboat, he sought out his general manager, Jerry West, who urged Kobe to resist style over substance. Showboat, West told him, was a moniker for guys who didn't play the right way: "Stop trying to do too much." West says what he did not do was condemn Kobe for being detached from his teammates. He couldn't. "Talk about an isolated teammate," West recalls, "I was much the same way." Flash forward to the summer following his rookie season, and Bryant is lifting weights at Gold's Gym in Venice, California, desperate to chisel his adolescent frame into a man-sized body. He's balancing a barbell on his shoulders when his Nextel cellphone rings midsquat. He almost lets it go to voicemail, but curiosity wins out. Editor's Picks Podcast: TrueHoop Pablo Torre, Jackie MacMullan and Baxter Holmes discuss two different sides of the retiring Lakers star: his obsession with great mentors, and how he dealt with a devastating Achilles rupture three years ago. "Hi, it's Michael," the voice on the line says. "Michael who?" "Michael Jackson." Bryant is incredulous. Kobe has never spoken to Michael Jackson before. It doesn't sound like the King of Pop; the voice is lower, subdued, devoid of the childlike whisper Jackson uses onstage. "He's calling me out of the f------ blue," Bryant remembers now. "I don't think it's a real phone call." It is. It turns out Jackson has been studying the young Bryant from afar, and he has called to offer advice, one idiosyncratic phenom to another. "Keep doing what you're doing," Jackson implores him. "Don't come back to the pack and be normal for the sake of blending in with others. Don't dumb it down." The conversation lasts no more than 15 minutes, but the two men click. Jackson clearly knows the NBA, rattling off a string of Lakers factoids. Kobe, a fan of Michael's music, has questions of his own. They come tumbling out: Who were your early influences? How did you make Thriller? What prompted you to buy the catalog of the Beatles' music? When Jackson invites Bryant to join him at Neverland Ranch so the two can trade notes on how they approach their crafts, the 18-year-old Bryant jumps at the chance. The Neverland Ranch, outside Los Olivos, California, is a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Bryant's home in Pacific Palisades through rolling hills and canyons. Bryant misjudges the distance, arriving nearly out of gas. Not to worry, Jackson says, you can fill up at my private gas station. A 2,700-acre cornucopia of childlike delights, Neverland also boasts an amusement park with a Ferris wheel, a roller coaster, a petting zoo housing a llama, orangutans, an elephant and giraffes, and a steam engine named after Michael Jackson's mother, Katherine. Inside the French Normandy residence, the two men share a meal of marinated chicken and organic vegetables."He told me, 'This is what you love. This is your obsession,'" Bryant recalls. "He said, 'I know what it's like to be different. Embrace it.'" Michael Jackson saw shades of himself in the young, isolated Lakers star. "This is your obsession," Jackson told Bryant. "Embrace it." AP Photo/Cliff Schiappa After dinner, Jackson presents Bryant with a gift, a copy of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, a novella about an outcast bird who's unwilling to conform. Then they drive half a mile to Jackson's private 5,500-square-foot theater, adorned with billboards for old films, a flowing fountain and a concession stand stocked with boxed treats and cotton candy. The theater has a state-of-the-art sound system, plush velvet seats and trapdoors for magic shows. Bryant has never heard of Grace Kelly, Fred Astaire or Ginger Rogers, but during a private film showing of their work, Michael explains how they were the inspiration for Jackson's 1988 "Smooth Criminal" music video and describes the lineage of his music, breaking down songs note by note, taking Bryant through the process of recording "Billie Jean." Jackson tells Kobe that he is transfixed by the success of the Beatles, that he initiated friendships with Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono just to learn more. Your curiosity is your greatest gift, Jackson says. Use it to expand your scope. Ordinary people won't understand your insatiable thirst for excellence. They won't bother to keep striving because it's too onerous, too difficult. "You've got to study all the greats," Jackson tells Kobe. "You've got to learn what made them successful and what made them unsuccessful." As Bryant drives home through Santa Barbara County -- a full tank of Neverland gas in his car -- his front seat is cluttered with copies of classic movies Jackson has given him: An American in Paris, Singing in the Rain, Farewell My Concubine. It's Kobe's homework, along with an additional reading assignment: Napoleon Hill's Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude. Kobe arrives back in Pacific Palisades well after midnight and stays up much of the night devouring Jackson's offerings. What Jackson has provided Bryant -- in the form of old movies, pop psychology and dated self-help books -- is an invitation to be like him. An invitation that would shape one of the greatest, and most controversial, careers in NBA history. For all his genius, Kobe Bryant is a thief. He's the first person to say as much. He pilfered Oscar Robertson's pump fake, swiped Jerry West's quick release, copied Elgin Baylor's footwork. But the one big heist he couldn't quite pull off in his early years was Michael Jordan's patented fadeaway. It is Dec. 17, 1997, Bryant's second NBA season, and the Lakers have just lost 104-83 in their lone trip to Chicago, Kobe bounding off the bench to score 33 points in 29 minutes, matching the output of the entire Lakers starting lineup. After the game, Jordan, a few months shy of 35, approaches Bryant: "If you ever need anything, give me a call." With Jackson's advice still fresh in his mind, the 19-year old Bryant pounces, peppering Jordan right then and there about his fallaway. How do you determine your release point? Is misdirection critical to creating space? "I think Michael recognized some of him in me," Bryant says. "He understood we were a scary type." Kobe's game resembles Michael Jordan's for a reason: Kobe has sought Jordan's guidance for the better part of two decades. Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images Bryant had in fact met Jordan before, when Kobe was a high school senior and attended a Bulls-Sixers game at the Spectrum in March 1996. After the game, as Bryant and Julius Erving (who played with Kobe's father, Joe "Jelly Bean" Bryant, on the Sixers) chatted in the corridor, Jordan joined the conversation. Bryant told them both he would be turning pro that June, and as he left, Dr. J and Jordan exchanged knowing glances. The kid had an intensity they recognized all too well. Bryant, for his part, left the conversation convinced that he had discovered kindred spirits. "I was a little psychopath," Kobe says. "I was as obsessed as they were." When the start of the 1998-99 season is delayed by a labor dispute, it allows time for Kobe to reach out to Jordan again, this time through a series of pointed questions on containing bigger players in the post -- the likes of Latrell Sprewell, Mitch Richmond, Jimmy Jackson and Bryon Russell, all stronger and more physical than Kobe is. Jordan tutors Kobe: how to hold players off, how to push them to their weak side, how to fool them into thinking they have a clear lane, how to back off so the bigger player can't feel where the defense is. "They were fundamental things," Bryant says, "obviously things he had learned at Carolina under the great tutelage of Dean Smith. I never had that. Speaking to MJ was like getting my own college education at the highest level." "I was a little psychopath. I was as obsessed as they were." For decades, this conversation would continue on topics ranging from the weight of expectation to the protection of privacy -- one famously monomaniacal champion advising the very man who so clearly wanted to be him. Or better him. "He has that tunnel vision where you only think about winning, not other people's perception of you," Jordan says. "You might not like Kobe, but you know what? He couldn't care less." A few years later, in the summer of 2000, after Bryant has won his first title and anticipates an extended run with teammate and occasional foil Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe feasts on Bill Russell's book Second Wind, marking pages that touch upon race, teamwork and coaching philosophies. He mentions the book to Michael Jackson, whom he still speaks with at least once a month, and the pop icon urges him to reach out to the Hall of Fame center, winner of 11 championships in 13 seasons with the Celtics. "People say 'Bill Russell can't score,'" Russell tells Kobe by phone that August. "Well, I could score plenty, but we had other guys who were better at it, so I let them do it. Sometimes you have to step back to allow others to step forward." A years-long relationship, Kobe learned to appease high-volume scorers from Bill Russell, who once was charged with limiting one of the highest-volume scorers in NBA history, Wilt Chamberlain. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill Then Russell drops a gem about Wilt Chamberlain, his rival and longtime friend. There were times, Russell says, when he'd let Wilt score. "Bill didn't want to activate Wilt," Kobe says. "He felt if he defended Wilt too well, then Wilt would take that as a challenge. And if he did, Wilt was going to demolish Bill because he was so physically big and strong. So Bill felt if he could appease Wilt, let him score once in a while, then Wilt would remain satisfied and Bill could keep him at bay." Bryant tucks it into his memory bank. "I'm thinking, 'That's Art of War s---. I'm going to try that.'" Bryant refuses to name players he used the strategy against. But former teammates and coaches have no such compunction, naming Tracy McGrady and, later, a young LeBron James as players Kobe rope-a-doped. When asked to confirm the names, Kobe laughs. "I will neither confirm or deny," he says. From 2000 to 2002, the Lakers win three straight titles, and Bryant is on top of the basketball world -- and 23 years old. In 2001, Jackson releases his 10th studio album, Invincible, which sells 10 million copies. It was, unbeknownst to both of them, the beginning of their mutual end. The Lakers advance to the Western Conference semis in 2003 but lose to the Spurs in six games. Roughly a month later, Bryant clandestinely books a trip to Eagle, Colorado, to have arthroscopic surgery on his right knee at the Steadman Clinic and is later arrested for sexually assaulting a 19-year-old hotel worker, who claims the Lakers superstar had raped her while he was there. Five months later, Jackson is formally charged with seven counts of sexual abuse, the result of allegations made by a young boy who had spent time at Neverland Ranch with Jackson. It is, in fact, the second time Jackson has been accused of illicit acts with underage boys; the first, 10 years prior, never went to trial. It might seem plausible that these parallel events could draw Jackson and Bryant closer, two disgraced icons united by scandal. In fact, the opposite occurs. Both men brace themselves for the legal troubles and PR nightmares to follow. The charges against both are horrific. It isn't just a matter of sullied reputations; if convicted, both face lengthy prison sentences. Bryant and Jackson reach the same unspoken conclusion: Their continued friendship could only fuel the ongoing firestorm. "It was crazy," Bryant says. "We kinda lost touch... because we both had issues." On July 4, 2003, Bryant is formally charged with sexual assault and released on $25,000 bond. Endorsements for Bryant and Jackson evaporate. Though charges against Bryant are later dropped -- he settles a civil suit for an undisclosed sum that requires him to apologize but make no admission of guilt to the victim -- and Jackson is found not guilty of all charges on June 13, 2005, their images are shattered. The allegations crush Jackson, the public backlash a devastating blow from which he never recovers. Bryant, though, goes the other way, anointing himself with a new nickname, Black Mamba, a poisonous snake. Jordan today remains steadfast in his support of Bryant: "One of the reasons I admire Kobe the most is how he took that negative and turned it into a positive," Jordan says. "He changed his life. He continued to dedicate himself to the game and made sure that one incident would not define him." But Jordan hardly represents the conventional public sentiment. Hatred is hurled at Bryant in every NBA arena. And the Black Mamba, in turn, revels in it. A concerned West reaches out, imploring Bryant to tap into his humility -- if such a thing even exists. "Find it," West urges him. "It will save you." When Kobe Bryant was in 8th grade, he wrote a book report on Lew Alcindor, who would later become Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. For Bryant's first nine years in LA, Abdul-Jabbar was an apparition, disconnected from the franchise he helped lead to glory. That all changes when the Lakers hire Abdul-Jabbar in 2005 to work with big man Andrew Bynum. Suddenly, Kareem is around every day, and Kobe approaches the Lakers legend armed with his usual array of questions, a veritable Jonathan Livingston Seagull. How did you bridge the generations between playing with Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson? What did your Bucks team do to sustain its 20-game winning streak during the 1970-71 championship season? "Sometimes you have to be an a--hole. Sometimes your teammates are going to hate you, but all the guys I went after -- Luc Longley, Steve Kerr, Jud Buechler -- they won multiple championships, so I'm pretty sure they understand." Bryant is mesmerized by Kareem's philosophies on how the mind connects to the body and his stories of sparring with martial arts legend Bruce Lee. "Kareem told me, 'I could never find him,'" Kobe says. "He'd go to hit Bruce here, and he'd be over there. So Kareem would lunge there and Bruce would be over here again. He just couldn't get his hands on him. It was a great exercise for spacing, agility and vision." Bryant comes to crave his talks with Abdul-Jabbar, whose reputation for being unapproachable is hardly a thing to stop Bryant. "So Kareem is aloof," Bryant says. "And Michael is supposed to be an a--hole because he made Steve Kerr cry. Doesn't matter to me. I made people cry too." Indeed he did. Perhaps you've heard the legendary tale of how Kobe once elbowed teammate Sasha Vujacic in the face during a 2004-05 practice, causing Vujacic to burst into tears? What you do not know is that following the incident, Kobe calls Jordan, seeking his counsel. Even Kobe wonders: Has he gone too far? "Sometimes you have to be an a--hole," says Jordan today when asked about that conversation. "Sometimes your teammates are going to hate you, but all the guys I went after -- Luc Longley, Steve Kerr, Jud Buechler -- they won multiple championships, so I'm pretty sure they understand." As Bryant's career unfolds, he continues to seek insight from his own personal Mount Rushmore of NBA legends. First comes Magic Johnson, part-owner of the Lakers and a man whose cellphone mailbox proves perpetually full. For whatever reason, Kobe says, "I had trouble getting to him." But in the winter of 2009, with the Lakers coming off a crushing Finals loss to the Celtics the previous season, Bryant arrives three hours early at the practice facility and discovers Magic sitting in the breakfast room. The two sit together, alone, for two hours, Kobe chastising Magic for being critical about him in the press, Magic challenging Kobe to use his influence in the community. "It was a breakthrough moment for us," Magic says. "At the time, Kobe was saying, 'I'm going to do my job, then I'm out.' I told him, 'No, you have to be more than that.' I said, 'What do you want your legacy to look like? It can't just be about winning championships and killing everybody.'" After years of missed calls, Kobe and Magic finally connected in 2009 in an empty breakfast room in the Lakers' practice
Square in Sunderland city centre from 5.30pm to 7pm on Saturday. Speakers will include Mark Tyers of the People's Assembly, Trevor Bark from Unite Community Durham, Monir Ahmed who is community coordinator of Sunderland Bangladeshi international, former Labour councillor Rosalind Copeland, Pam Wortley, anti-war campaigner and retired GP, and Jack Cunningham, the chairman of Sunderland Young Labour. A statement on the Sunderland & North East for Jeremy Corbyn Rally read: "A get together in Keel Square for us to show our support in the city and wider region for Jeremy Corbyn. "Looking for any speakers who can address the crowd. "We need to show everyone that after recent events, our city does have support for a leader who has the best interests for the working class in a city & region that desparately needs the backing of central government."After seven unsuccessful job interviews, 24-year-old Luke Clark began to think something other than his CV was playing havoc with his job prospects. Potential employers didn’t seem to like the 4cm “flesh tunnel” holes he had in each ear as much as he did. Clark had begun stretching his lobes at university several years earlier, and the problem was that when he took the plugs out his stretched earlobes looked terrible. Now one of the fastest-growing cosmetic procedures in the UK is repairing stretched earlobes. The piercings are created either by gradually placing a cone-shaped taper into the ear and pushing it through a little more each day, or by having larger-sized tunnels placed into a pierced ear every few weeks to slowly widen the hole. Once the holes stretch past 1.5cm in diameter, the earlobe will never spring back to its original shape. The record holder for the largest flesh tunnels, at more than 10cm in diameter (big enough to put a fist through), is a Hawaiian man, Kala Kaiwi. Cosmetic surgeon Adrian Richards, a clinical director at Aurora Clinics, has pioneered a technique to repair stretched earlobes. He sees at least 10 new patients a month for the operation, which is performed under local anaesthetic and takes about 30 minutes. But, at £1,800 for two ears, it’s not cheap. “There’s a lot of negativity around about ear-stretching,” he says. “We recently treated a golf professional who was joining the PGA [Professional Golfers’ Association]. They wouldn’t let him join with stretched ears. I’ve treated a man who was in a punk band but then became a teacher and needed his ears repaired. We even had a soldier on Wednesday who had 2cm tunnels in each ear. "His commanding officer told him of a new internal guidance that says anyone with ear tunnels of over 2cm would have to have them repaired, or there was a threat of discharge from the army.” Usually, the procedure to correct a stretched earlobe begins with removing the stretched area, says Richards. “Once that is removed we stitch the lobe back together to form a natural shape. “The main discomfort is from the anaesthetic, which lasts about 10 seconds. Once the stretched skin has been removed, we stitch the ear internally and use melt-away stitches on the outside. Dressings come off after a week, and that’s it really.”October 05, 2016 10:46 IST 'The D K Adikesavulu clan is so wealthy, owns so many houses, and has so much jewellery,' notes T V R Shenoy, 'that it did not notice a servant stealing at the rate of Rs 66 lakh every year!' IMAGE: The late D K Adikesavulu -- astute businessman, politician and once president of the Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam -- with then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Photographs: Kind courtesy http://dkaudikesavulu.com/ As I write Shafi Parampil and Hybi Eden, both Congress MLAs, are on the sixth day of a fast that began on September 28. Anoop Jacob of the Kerala Congress (Jacob), who was accompanying them, had to be taken to hospital. The three MLAs are protesting against the deal struck by the Pinarayi Vijayan ministry with 13'self-financing' (private) medical colleges over fees. A few hundred kilometres away, the income tax authorities were in the final stages of a multi-day raid on the properties of the D K Adikesavulu business empire. They found Rs 43 crore (Rs 430 million) in cash and up to Rs 265 crore (Rs 2.65 billion) worth of unaccounted assets. Take the fact the D K Adikesavulu group runs colleges, and you could be excused for reaching the conclusion that the three MLA.s in Kerala have a point in saying that private educational institutions mint money by extracting it from students. The suspicion is understandable, but is it true? Educational institutions are a single tentacle of the giant octopus that is the empire founded by the late D K Adikesavulu Naidu. He made his fortune in the liquor industry -- where his business associations included Vijay Mallya. Adikesavulu Naidu would later take over the Mallya Hospital in Bengaluru. The Mallya Hospital and the Vydehi Medical College and Hospital were reportedly the focus of the IT raids. Vijay Mallya made the transition from pubs to Parliament and D K Adikesavulu Naidu followed. In the P V Narasimha Rao era, Adikesavulu Naidu became treasurer of the Congress' Andhra Pradesh unit. Joining the Telugu Desam, he became the MP for Chittoor in the 14th Lok Sabha. It wasn't a great time to be a Telugu Desam MP -- there was a Congress prime minister in Delhi and a Congress chief minister in Hyderabad -- but Adikesavulu Naidu found his opportunity in 2008, switching sides once again during the infamous 'Votes for Notes' confidence motion. When D K Adikesavulu Naidu died in April 2013 the reins were picked up by his wife, D A Sathya Prabha. IMAGE: The late D K Adikesavulu with Satya Sai Baba. Inheriting his political antennae as well as his businesses, she switched the family's loyalties a third time, and is currently the Telugu Desam MLA for Chittoor. Liquor. Hospitals. Educational institutions. Politics. Frankly, nobody seems to know where the Rs 43 crore in cash and Rs 265 crore in other assets came from. The family itself seems a bit vague on the subject. Here is the weird part: I believe them. Quite frankly, I had forgotten -- if ever anyone mentioned it to me -- all about D K Adikesavulu Naidu's role in the 'Votes for Notes' scandal. But I do have a clear recollection of a certain incident related by friends from Karnataka. Four years ago, in October 2012, the Bangalore police arrested a suspicious character selling jewellery. It turned out to be a servant at Adikesavulu Naidu's house in Bengaluru. Now comes the bit that boggles the mind -- the man had stolen jewellery worth Rs 2 crore (Rs 20 million) over a period of three years without the family finding out. The D K Adikesavulu clan is so wealthy, owns so many houses, and has so much jewellery that it did not notice a servant, in effect, stealing at the rate of Rs 66 lakh (Rs 6.6 million) every year! So, yes, I can understand how D A Sathya Prabha was unclear about how so much cash happened to be lying around her various properties. Wrenching myself away from this peek into the world of the wealthy, are Shafi Parampil, Hybi Eden, and Anoop Jacob correct that the Pinarayi Vijayan ministry is helping private educational institutions victimise poor students? According to Health Minister K K Shailaja, the government of Kerala and the managements have agreed to a multi-tier formula of pricing. The rates are all over the place, depending on whether a student claims a seat from the government quota or the management quota, whether it is a'merit' seat or a 'non-merit' seat, and so forth, ranging from Rs 25,000 (government quota, on merit) to Rs 15 lakh (NRI category, management quota). The major grouse for the fasting MLAs is the fact that in 30% of the seats reserved for the government's quota the fees have risen from?1.85 lakh in the academic year 2015-2016 to Rs 2.5 lakh in the year 2016-2017. (These are all'merit' seats.) Without commenting on the merits of the argument the Supreme Court has refused to judge, so how can I?. I have a different question. Why is everyone talking about the quantum of money and not the quality of the education? Let us step back a little. At the beginning of the century the Chinese government decided to improve the quality of higher education. As a first step, it decided to benchmark its institutions against the best in the world. Rather to their surprise, the Chinese found that there was no system of ranking, and decided to create one. Thus was born the 'Academic Ranking of World Universities' (better known as the 'Shanghai Ranking'). The Shanghai Ranking was quickly followed by the QS World University Rankings and then the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. There are slight differences, but they all reach broadly the same conclusions. Does it matter whether, say, Harvard is No 1, No 3, or No 6 as long as it is in the Top Ten? No Indian university makes it to the Top 100 on any of the three lists. However the ratings inspired the Union HRD ministry to prepare a 'National Institutional Ranking Framework'. The highest ranked institution in Kerala is the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, a central university under the Department of Space in Delhi. The only purely Kerala college making it to the Top 100 is the Cochin University of Science and Technology (No 30). (Those interested shall find the complete list at https://www.nirfindia.org/univ. There are separate lists for 'Engineering', 'Management', and 'Pharmacy'.) Keralites boast of being India's most literate state, so it is depressing the Union HRD ministry says Haryana has more colleges making the cut, with Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar the highest rated (No 24). Assam has two universities -- Gauhati and Dibrugarh -- rated higher than any institution teaching commerce or the humanities in Kerala. Let me sum it up. The example of the D K Adikesavulu group proves there is a market for higher education. The NIFR rankings show just how poorly Kerala fares at college level. The hunger strike -- I take the charitable view -- demonstrates that some MLAs are concerned about higher education. Perhaps the MLAs could sit with Education Minister C Raveendranath to improve Kerala's standing. If the state lacks resources, permit the private sector to set up colleges. (Odisha boasts of Shiksha 'O' Anusandhan, a private university founded in 1996 that is No 16 in the NIFR list.) Tax these new institutions suitably, and use the proceeds to subsidise poor students from Kerala itself. That makes more sense than staging a fast over existing colleges that don't quite make the mark. It would also require both the Congress and the CPI-M to work together, so I am not holding my breath.Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press The Cowboys had a strong presence at the most recent Pro Bowl, particularly on the offensive line. Which NFL teams have been the most adept at drafting quality players? Glad you asked. This is a breakdown of the teams that have drafted the most Pro Bowl players in the last 10 years (2005-2014). Keep in mind that the player drafted by one team might have been a Pro Bowl selection for another team. 1. Dallas Cowboys -- 13 Pro Bowl players drafted: Zack Martin (year drafted: 2014), Travis Frederick (2013), Tyron Smith (2011), DeMarco Murray (2011), Dez Bryant (2010), Mike Jenkins (2008), Martellus Bennett (2008), Anthony Spencer (2007), Nick Folk (2007), Jason Hatcher (2006), DeMarcus Ware (2005), Marion Barber (2005), Jay Ratliff (2005). The skinny: Three members of the Cowboys' current offensive line -- Martin, Frederick and Smith -- were first-round draft selections who became Pro Bowl picks (a fact that might have contributed to rookie La'el Collins declaring this coming season's Dallas offensive line as the "best in history."). It wasn't until after signing with the Chicago Bears that Bennett became the offensive threat that the Cowboys envisioned when the team used a second-round pick on him in the 2008 draft. In back-to-back drafts, the Cowboys got one of the game's best receivers and one of the game's best running backs. Unfortunately for Cowboys fans, the team wasn't able to afford to keep both. 2 (tie). San Francisco 49ers -- 11 Pro Bowl players drafted: Eric Reid (2013), Aldon Smith (2011), Mike Iupati (2010), NaVorro Bowman (2010), Patrick Willis (2007), Joe Staley (2007), Dashon Goldson (2007), Vernon Davis (2006), Michael Robinson (2006), Alex Smith (2005), Frank Gore (2005). The skinny: The 49ers built a Super Bowl contender through the draft, only to see it dismantled during one of the most bizarre offseasons a team has encountered in recent memory. Willis was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection, but -- at 30 years old -- opted to retire from the game while still in the prime of his career. Smith was the No. 1 overall pick in 2005, but it wasn't until 2013 as a member of the Chiefs that he became a Pro Bowl pick. 2 (tie). Kansas City Chiefs -- 11 Pro Bowl players drafted: Dontari Poe (2012), Justin Houston (2011), Eric Berry (2010), Dexter McCluster (2010), Branden Albert (2008), Brandon Flowers (2008), Jamaal Charles (2008), Dwayne Bowe (2007), Tamba Hali (2006), Derrick Johnson (2005), Dustin Colquitt (2005). The skinny: The Chiefs have ranked in the top five in points allowed on defense the past two seasons, and Pro Bowl talent that the team drafted has contributed to that success. Poe has been a Pro Bowl pick the last two years. Houston -- last season's sack leader -- has been a Pro Bowl pick the last three years. Berry -- a Pro Bowl pick in three of his first four seasons -- has had a promising NFL career put on the back burner due to Hodgkin lymphoma. Johnson was a three-time Pro Bowl pick. Hali has been a Pro Bowl pick the last four seasons. Bowe's 2010 season (1,162 yards and league-leading 15 touchdowns receiving) warranted a Pro Bowl nod, but a zero-touchdown effort in 2014 -- a season when no Chiefs wide receiver caught a touchdown pass -- made Bowe a cap casualty this offseason. 4 (tie). Houston Texans -- 10 Pro Bowl players drafted: J.J. Watt (2011), Brian Cushing (2009), Connor Barwin (2009), Glover Quin (2009), Duane Brown (2008), Jacoby Jones (2007), Mario Williams (2006), DeMeco Ryans (2006), Owen Daniels (2006), Jerome Mathis (2005). The skinny: Watt -- a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year -- has been a Pro Bowl selection the last three seasons and has emerged as the most disruptive defensive force the league has seen in some time. The Texans got three future Pro Bowlers in the 2006 draft, a haul that helped the franchise reach the playoffs in 2011 and 2012, which was also the team's first-ever division title season. 4 (tie). Seattle Seahawks -- 10 Pro Bowl players drafted: Bobby Wagner (2012), Russell Wilson (2012), Richard Sherman (2011), Russell Okung (2010), Earl Thomas (2010), Golden Tate (2010), Kam Chancellor (2010), Max Unger (2009), Justin Forsett (2008), Lofa Tatupu (2005). The skinny: The Seahawks got four players who became Pro Bowl selections from just one draft class -- 2010, which was the best team draft class of the past 10 years. That's the most of any of the teams' draft classes in that timeframe. Forsett became a Pro Bowler but not until last season, his first with the Baltimore Ravens and one in which he rushed for 1,266 yards, a total well above his best with the Seahawks (619 in 2009). 6 (tie). Denver Broncos -- 9 Pro Bowl players drafted: Von Miller (2011), Julius Thomas (2011), Demaryius Thomas (2010), Zane Beadles (2010), Ryan Clady (2008), Jay Cutler (2006), Brandon Marshall (2006), Elvis Dumervil (2006), Chris Myers (2005). The skinny: Miller and Thomas are each three-time Pro Bowl picks. Marshall and Dumervil were draft bargains in the fourth round in 2006, and have earned multiple Pro Bowl selections apiece. Before going to the Bears and leading the league in interceptions twice, Cutler was a Pro Bowl pick in 2008 after posting a career-high 4,526 yards passing for the Broncos. 6 (tie). Green Bay Packers -- 9 Pro Bowl players drafted: Eddie Lacy (2013), Randall Cobb (2011), B.J. Raji (2009), Clay Matthews (2009), Jordy Nelson (2008), Josh Sitton (2008), Greg Jennings (2006), Aaron Rodgers (2005), Nick Collins (2005). The skinny: It should be noted that the Packers had three undrafted players -- Sam Shields, Tramon Williams and John Kuhn -- who were also Pro Bowl selections. Three of the nine players the Packers drafted in the last 10 years who became Pro Bowlers were wide receivers. That should come as no surprise because of the rise to excellence of the team's first-round draft pick in 2005. Collins was an emerging talent at safety, getting three consecutive Pro Bowl nods before a neck injury suffered in 2011 prematurely ended his career. 6 (tie). New Orleans Saints -- 9 Pro Bowl players drafted: Cameron Jordan (2011), Mark Ingram (2011), Jimmy Graham (2010), Thomas Morstead (2009), Carl Nicks (2008), Jermon Bushrod (2007), Roman Harper (2006), Jahri Evans (2006), Jammal Brown (2005). The skinny: Nicks, Bushrod and Evans helped form a formidable offensive line that was a crucial cog in the Saints' championship machine in 2009. Ingram -- a first-round draft choice and 2009 Heisman Trophy winner -- hasn't exactly lived up to expectations, but career highs in yards (964) and touchdowns (9) helped earn him a Pro Bowl nod in 2014. 6 (tie). San Diego Chargers -- 9 Pro Bowl players drafted: Ryan Mathews (2010), Darrell Stuckey (2010), Louis Vasquez (2009), Eric Weddle (2007), Antonio Cromartie (2006), Marcus McNeill (2006), Shawne Merriman (2005), Vincent Jackson (2005), Darren Sproles (2005). The skinny: Stuckey earned his first Pro Bowl nod last season after originally being named a first alternate for New England Patriots special-teams maven Matthew Slater, who had other obligations. Weddle has become a Pro Bowl regular in recent years. One of Jackson's three Pro Bowl nods came while as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 10 (tie). Chicago Bears -- 8 Pro Bowl players drafted: Kyle Long (2013), Alshon Jeffery (2012), Henry Melton (2009), Johnny Knox (2009), Matt Forte (2008), Greg Olsen (2007), Corey Graham (2007), Devin Hester (2006). The skinny: During his nine-year career, Hester has been one of the NFL's most dangerous return specialists. Hester was a three-time Pro Bowler while with the Bears, went three seasons without being picked, and then made a Pro Bowl return in 2014 as a member of the Atlanta Falcons. Long, meanwhile, has been a Pro Bowl selection in each of his two NFL seasons. 10 (tie). Cleveland Browns -- 8 Pro Bowl players drafted: Josh Gordon (2012 supplemental draft), Jordan Cameron (2011), Joe Haden (2010), T.J. Ward (2010), Alex Mack (2009), Joe Thomas (2007), D'Qwell Jackson (2006), Braylon Edwards (2005). The skinny: Thomas is building a resume that will make him a strong consideration for enshrinement in Canton, earning Pro Bowl spots in each of his eight NFL seasons. Mack scored one of the most memorable touchdowns in Pro Bowl history. The Browns sacrificed a second-round pick in the 2013 draft to get Gordon in the 2012 supplemental draft. He was a Pro Bowl pick after posting a league-leading 1,646 yards receiving in 2013. 10 (tie). Minnesota Vikings -- 8 Pro Bowl players drafted: Cordarrelle Patterson (2013), Matt Kalil (2012), Blair Walsh (2012), Kyle Rudolph (2011), Percy Harvin (2009), Adrian Peterson (2007), Sidney Rice (2007), Chad Greenway (2006). The skinny: Peterson has been a Pro Bowl selection in six of his eight NFL seasons -- only exceptions are last year and 2011, when he tore his ACL. Rice was a Pro Bowl pick in 2009, thanks in large part to the arrival of quarterback Brett Favre. Rice had career highs in receptions (83), yards (1,312) and touchdowns (8) that season. 10 (tie). New England Patriots -- 8 Pro Bowl players drafted: Devin McCourty (2010), Rob Gronkowski (2010), Jerod Mayo (2008), Matthew Slater (2008), Brandon Meriweather (2007), Stephen Gostkowski (2006), Logan Mankins (2005), Matt Cassel (2005). The skinny: The Patriots haven't drafted a Pro Bowl player since 2010, but one of those players is Gronkowski, whose game and personality are transcendent. Cassel's Pro Bowl selection came in 2010, when he helped guide the Kansas City Chiefs to the playoffs. 10 (tie). Pittsburgh Steelers -- 8 Pro Bowl players drafted: Le'Veon Bell (2013), Maurkice Pouncey (2010), Emmanuel Sanders (2010), Antonio Brown (2010), Mike Wallace (2009), Lawrence Timmons (2007), LaMarr Woodley (2007), Heath Miller (2005). The skinny: The Steelers already boast one of the league's most prolific offenses -- thanks in part to the emergence of Bell in the backfield. Imagine how potent the receiving corps currently would be if Sanders, Brown, Wallace and Miller were all on the team together. Just missed: Cincinnati Bengals -- 7 Pro Bowl players drafted: A.J. Green (2011), Andy Dalton (2011), Jermaine Gresham (2010), Geno Atkins (2010), Kevin Huber (2009), Johnathan Joseph (2006), Andrew Whitworth (2006). The skinny: Vontaze Burfict was an undrafted rookie free-agent signing by the Bengals following the 2012 draft, and he was a Pro Bowl selection a season later. Green has been a Pro Bowler in each of his four NFL seasons. Joseph has been a two-time Pro Bowl pick, but it wasn't until after he left Cincinnati and signed with the Houston Texans in 2011 that he got to play in the NFL's all-star showcase. Follow Jim Reineking on Twitter @jimreineking.The European Commission has set out proposals for updating rules which govern the use of personal telecoms data that would expand their remit to cover email and mobile messaging data for the first time — meaning the ePrivacy regulation would also apply to web companies such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Apple and Google. Telcos have long complained about regulatory asymmetry vis-a-vis use of personal data, with tougher privacy rules applying to data sent using their services vs data sent via comms apps and services operated by Internet companies. All electronics comms providers would be covered under the new proposal — to, as the EC puts it, “reflect the market reality” — although telcos are still not happy, with ETNO and the GSMA putting out a statement arguing the proposal new ePrivacy rules still impose stricter requirements on them when it comes to processing certain types of data vs other comms players. “Rules applying to the processing of location data in connected cars, IoT devices or mobile apps illustrate the issues at stake, as we risk to jeopardise 5G business models,” they argue, calling instead for a “trust-based use of the data collected by telecom operators”. The new rules would allow telcos to make use of comms content and/or metadata to provide “additional services” — such as, in one example provided by the EC, producing heat maps that indicate the presence of individuals to help public authorities and transport companies when developing new infrastructure projects. Although user consent must be obtained for processing data for such purposes — hence the telcos’ complaints they will be unable to complete on a level playing field with other providers already offer additional services, such as digital mapping. Cookie rules are also set to change under the new proposal — in a bid to streamline what the EC dubs “an overload of consent requests for internet users”; itself the result of a 2009 update to the ePrivacy Directive. The EC claims the new rules will give users more control over cookie settings, providing “an easy way to accept or refuse the tracking of cookies and other identifiers in case of privacy risks”. Although it remains to be seen whether they will impact the flotilla of cookie consent notifications that accompany Europeans around the web. Advertising industry groups aren’t happy with the proposed changes, with the IAB claiming the new law would “undeniably damage the advertising business model”, while still — it argues — putting a heavy burden on web users when it comes to cookie setting admin. “Without significant improvements to the proposed text, users would have to actively change the settings of every single device and app they use, and more actively deal with constant requests for permission for the use of harmless cookies when visiting websites and using other digital services,” the IAB claims. Despite ad industry complaints, some use-cases for what the EC dubs “non-privacy intrusive cookies” will no longer require consent under the proposals, such as cookies used to remember shopping cart history, or set by a visited website counting the number of visitors to that website. Although that suggests there may be confusion ahead for services to determine when/whether they need to obtain consent for their cookie or not. Another ad group, the EACA, has also complained the ePrivacy proposals take “a restrictive approach towards third party data-driven business services providers” — warning they “may provoke the further accumulation of data by a few large global companies, while inadvertently excluding other businesses from the competition”. Other aims for the new regulation are to harmonize the rules with the EU’s updated General Data Protection Direction (GDPR), which was overhauled last year — and is due to come into force in the EU in 2018. This means the stricter fines for data protection violations set out in the GDPR (of up to four per cent of a company’s global revenue) will also apply for companies breaching the EU’s ePrivacy rules. Not included in the proposal: an earlier suggestion to have browsers default to not allow cookies; a strict privacy by design framework; and an earlier plan to allow EU citizens to bring class action lawsuits for privacy infringements… Not good that final #ePrivacy text scrapped group action possibility for consumers ≠ not in line with GDPR. Was in earlier draft pic.twitter.com/rejSVuiR2G — The Consumer Voice (@beuc) January 10, 2017 The Commission ran a public consultation on changing the ePrivacy directive last year, taking feedback from various consumer and industry groups — though not, in the event, following the vast majority opinion of EU citizens (81.2 per cent), nor of public authorities (63 per cent), who supported imposing obligations on manufacturers of terminal equipment to market products with privacy-by-default settings activated (vs 58.3 per cent of industry favoring the option to support “self/co-regulation”). EU presents overhaul of #ePrivacy rules. Missing: Privacy by default rules pic.twitter.com/1jy0im0FoY — The Consumer Voice (@beuc) January 10, 2017 The EC had originally hoped to have new ePrivacy rules proposed by the end of 2016, but that’s been pushed into the start of the new year. The new proposals will now need to be debated and accepted by the European Parliament and EU Member States before they become regional law — so it’s likely there will be amendments (and much fierce lobbying) along the way. The EC is aiming for the regulation to be adoption by May 25, 2018 — when the GDPR is due to come into force.In Skyrim, the marriage mechanic is very nice because it gets your character significant benefits: A homecooked meal, every game day. Surprise gifts 100 gold per game day Because your spouse operates a shop, you can sell some of your loot. Because your spouse operates a shop, sometimes you can get some really good deals. Lover’s Comfort buff (+15% skill-up for 8 game hours). (If your spouse is a follower, you can use any bed for this. So you can have a constant 15% experience buff.) If your spouse dies, a courier may deliver an inheritance. Well, on my first run through, my character married Ysolda (an aspiring merchant in Whiterun). Buuuut, when Skyrim was first released, the game was really really really buggy. And I was playing so early that there were no resolutions or descriptions for a lot of the bugs. You could tell they rushed Skyrim for its release date. (The Markarth main quest chain was a disaster…) Now, I didn’t know it at the time we got hitched, but Ysolda had a quest associated with her. And for whatever reason, triggering that quest after marriage bugged her functionality as a spouse. (I suspect because her menu options changed.) She would stand in one place in my house, constantly ‘walking in place’, and that’s it. Couldn’t interact with her to bring up menu options. No more homecooked meals. No more gold. No more Lover’s Comfort. No gifts. Wouldn’t even talk to me anymore. Clearly, this marriage wasn’t working out. WELL, divorce. Divorce was not a feature built into Skyrim’s marriage mechanics. Don’t know why the developers didn’t think of that—maybe the same reason that nothing can injure or kill children in Bethesda games. Was there any way to reset the marriage flag on the character? Not that I could tell. Was there a way to do it round-aboutly? Not knowing for sure whether it would reset, I considered testing it by ‘divorcing’ her in the head with my trusted Mace of Molag Bal. But, couldn't do it. Just couldn't bring myself to do it. She had done nothing to me. She had baked me pies every day. And ran our small shop—at a consistent profit, mind you—while I was out drinking flagons of mead and slaying dragons. Even if she were bugged and no longer doing her part, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. “And though you and I may be apart My love remains with you.” The last words spoken at the Temple of Mara. But, truthfully, I never wore the wedding band when I was out adventuring. The Dragonborn makes a terrible spouse. Then, one day, I was playing with my mace in the house—as a Dragonborn is wont to do—and the extended reach from a power attack clipped the back of her head. There was no brutal animation. But there was Ysolda's lifeless body. And the Mace of Molag Bal surged green with power. I stopped, slack-jawed. I didn't know what to do. I didn't mean to do it! —Or did I? Was it accidental? Or was it some unconscious manifestation of my growing contempt for not having meat pies on the table? For neglecting our shop’s business? And what of our maritals? She was growing ever more distant, refusing even to speak to me. And my suspicions were growing since I spotted Arven slinking from my house in the night. And that bitch, Lydia, just sitting in the corner of the house all day and night: what did she know? I. genuinely. felt. horrible. But no one else knew—except Lydia. And she kept her damn mouth shut. Sworn to carry my burdens, after all. Even murder. Not even the Whiterun guards came. All was quiet. Except the sound of a fresh soul swirling ’round. Unfortunately, this “accident” didn’t reset the marriage flag. So, now there was just a dead body in my house. Which didn’t despawn either. So every time I came back home, there it was. Then, I learned Skyrim doesn’t stop you from hiding dead bodies. So I stashed her in the kitchen, and I removed her inventory. And her wedding band, of course. A short time later, a courier delivered an inheritance letter. A pittance of gold septims, less the Jarl’s taxes. Bloodmoney. It brought me no comfort. Functionally, there was no difference whatsoever from when Ysolda was just bugged. As a bugged NPC, she was already dead inside… right? So, what’s the difference? But, it was different. It was different to me. I knew. I knew she was dead. And I knew I was her killer. And it was because, deep in the dark of Markarth root cellar, I made a dark pact with Lord Molag Bal—God of Schemes, King of Rape, Harvester of Souls, Lord of Brutality, Prince of Rage. And in exchange for my pitiful submission, he blessed me with a malevolent weapon infused with his daedric powers. And I wielded it—gleefully so—to slaughter his enemies. Especially the followers of the weak and pitiful Boethiah. And anyone else who crossed my path, weaker than I. Which was everyone. But every dark bargain has a dark proviso. And now, the grinning Mace of Molag Bal had ripped Ysolda’s innocent soul from her body. And imprisoned her in an empty, black soul gem in my backpack. Where it stayed, unused, for the rest of my adventures. Next to the wedding band I never, ever wore.Associated Data Supplementary Materials Supporting Statement bmjopen-2012-000850-s1.pdf (101K) GUID: A9234FF2-0BD4-432B-8EDB-2725F643B987 Supporting Statement bmjopen-2012-000850-s2.pdf (539K) GUID: 78AB3BF4-5485-496C-9930-743C612951C0 Reviewer comments bmjopen-2012-000850.reviewer_comments.pdf (72K) GUID: 44898CF5-BD52-44D2-B4A9-51057BDFB6CC Abstract Objectives An estimated 6%–10% of US adults took a hypnotic drug for poor sleep in 2010. This study extends previous reports associating hypnotics with excess mortality. Setting A large integrated health system in the USA. Design Longitudinal electronic medical records were extracted for a one-to-two matched cohort survival analysis. Subjects Subjects (mean age 54 years) were 10 529 patients who received hypnotic prescriptions and 23 676 matched controls with no hypnotic prescriptions, followed for an average of 2.5 years between January 2002 and January 2007. Main outcome measures Data were adjusted for age, gender, smoking, body mass index, ethnicity, marital status, alcohol use and prior cancer. Hazard ratios (HRs) for death were computed from Cox proportional hazards models controlled for risk factors and using up to 116 strata, which exactly matched cases and controls by 12 classes of comorbidity. Results As predicted, patients prescribed any hypnotic had substantially elevated hazards of dying compared to those prescribed no hypnotics. For groups prescribed 0.4–18, 18–132 and >132 doses/year, HRs (95% CIs) were 3.60 (2.92 to 4.44), 4.43 (3.67 to 5.36) and 5.32 (4.50 to 6.30), respectively, demonstrating a dose–response association. HRs were elevated in separate analyses for several common hypnotics, including zolpidem, temazepam, eszopiclone, zaleplon, other benzodiazepines, barbiturates and sedative antihistamines. Hypnotic use in the upper third was associated with a significant elevation of incident cancer; HR=1.35 (95% CI 1.18 to 1.55). Results were robust within groups suffering each comorbidity, indicating that the death and cancer hazards associated with hypnotic drugs were not attributable to pre-existing disease. Conclusions Receiving hypnotic prescriptions was associated with greater than threefold increased hazards of death even when prescribed <18 pills/year. This association held in separate analyses for several commonly used hypnotics and for newer shorter-acting drugs. Control of selective prescription of hypnotics for patients in poor health did not explain the observed excess mortality. Article summary Article focus Estimate the mortality risks associated with specific currently popular hypnotics in a matched cohort design, using proportional hazards regression models. Estimate the cancer risks associated with specific currently popular hypnotics. Explore what risk associated with hypnotics can be attributed to confounders and comorbidity. Key messages Patients receiving prescriptions for zolpidem, temazepam and other hypnotics suffered over four times the mortality as the matched hypnotic-free control patients. Even patients prescribed fewer than
a computer game isn’t always gender play, doing so in an online social context probably always is, even if it is temporary and far less committing than full gender reassignment. By being forced to interact personally rather than just hitting buttons on a controller, the buy-in crosses the boundary. Before looking at the future of this, we need to mention filters. We see the world, other people and even ourselves through a series of filters. Reality TV is based in large part on the huge gulf that can occur between the image someone thinks they project and what is perceived by the viewer as reality. These are at least as important in gender play too. Since people generally haven’t any actual experience of fully being another gender, they can only experience their virtual trans-gender through context-specific filters. When presenting to other people as a different gender in a virtual world, several of these filters come into play and they add another dimension and also errors. Firstly, the superficial gender that is presented means different things to different people – beyond agreeing on genitalia, we don’t all share exactly the same prejudices about what being male or female really means. People build up a picture in real life of how it must feel to be another gender and can play to that image, but they have no way of benchmarking that with real life feeling. Secondly, no-one knows exactly how a particular image would be perceived by another. All they can do is to use their interactions with others as feedback on how convincing they may be. Thirdly, even given an image that someone wants to project, there is another error in the actual presentation of it – there isn’t a perfect feedback system that lets someone see accurately how others perceive what they think they are projecting. Fourthly, there may be a fetishist bias to project an image that appeals to the tastes and fetishes of the person changing gender themselves. In such cases, the outward superficial appearance is what matters most to the person, together with the acting out of a fantasy, rather than the actual immersion in the other gender. So there are errors in presentation, interpretation and difference of meaning, and the experience of gender change may be diluted by other accompanying role plays. In a social networking role-play or chat environment, although a person initially sees someone else in their presented gender, they will probably be familiar with gender mismatches so they won’t necessarily accept it at face value. They may know the person’s real gender, they may believe it only to a point, or they may realise they are presenting an alternative one. Gender play is so common online that few people really care about it unless they are planning sex. It is a lightweight way of experiencing gender play with others, but the lower threshold for gender acceptance online also means that the reality of the experience is reduced, since people don’t necessarily treat others as they would someone whose gender they are sure of. Virtual worlds ought to be where we might expect new genders to emerge first, because the major barriers preventing them in the real world don’t exist, the only real limits are those of culture and imagination. Future virtual worlds will have better graphics, full 3D immersion and eventually sensory recording and replay. The quality of communication with others and the quality of shared experiences in 3D realistic environments and situations will increase proportionately. These will make them suited to a more immersive exploration of the other gender too, and will increase the overall feeling of reality of the experience. Given the potential, the lack of new genders on virtual worlds is interesting. People are certainly enthusiastic about experimenting. Changing into robots, drones, monsters, animals, furries, aliens, dolls, and even objects is commonplace, as is swapping between traditional genders. But apart from male, female, neuter and some shemale variants, there conspicuously aren’t any other genders. This could be just a failure of collective imagination, or it may simply reflect the fact that people come from an existing state with its associated sexual preferences, and are therefore drawn to these options. Thanks to these filters, the degree of reality of gender changing experiences available in virtual worlds is highly variable, both to the person undergoing the gender change and to other people interacting with them. Adding future technology increases the potential sensory quality, but won’t necessarily change the social assumptions or trust. If the gender changing is just fetishist self-voyeurism or role play, then that may not matter much, but if the intent is to pass as the other gender then it would matter more. Interaction in virtual worlds today is often just via text chat and animations, but voice changing technology is starting to be used to pretend in a little more depth. As this improves in quality, it may allow people to pass as an alternative gender more easily and convincingly. Avatars can be made to look any way, and they will improve in quality over time too. They will become full 3D and some virtual worlds may become fairly convincing replicas of real life. Artificial intelligence can also play a part, acting as a real time gender coach and filter, changing the outward presentation of a gender by altering or enhancing mannerisms, gestures and other body language, use of verbal language, such as choice of words, phrases, style, subject matter, the lengths of sentences and other clues to gender. At that point we will really start to see crossover of the technology into other forms of chat, with webcams able to change video image, conversational style and content and voice in real time to allow people to pass in real life chat situations as another gender. Some may do so only in social interactions; others may use it for work too. In chat rooms, ever since they started, some people have presented as different genders, so anyone’s friends lists will include some people whose real gender they know for certain, some they know for certain are gender-bending, and some in between, where there are varying levels of suspicion that they may not really be their presented gender. Virtual worlds added more play potential, and webcams with image and voice changing technology will soon increase it further still. Soon, thanks to the trend of working from home, we may not know the genders of the people with whom we are working. Not being sure of the genders of all of your friends is not new, but it also isn’t ubiquitous. Many people have never used a chat room or virtual world, so have no first-hand experience of gender confusion. No doubt some people would consider it to be a social problem if people frequently present as another gender from time to time, others will feel perfectly comfortable with it. Compartmentalising and acting Humans are skilled at presenting filtered or enhanced views of themselves to others. We talk of wearing a shield or a mask. We all do it all the time, at work and socially, presenting edited personas to different groups. Some people are very good at it and become actors. The acting profession is a good point to look for gender insight. Actors often complain that people treat them as if they were the character they play, which shows that for some people, the line between fiction and reality can sometimes get blurred. Presumably, that would make it easier for them to take people’s presented gender at face value and perhaps not even consider whether it may be faked. Another clue from acting is that actors sometimes practise for a role by immersing themselves in the character’s situation, so that they can begin to identify with it more closely and play the role more naturally. In essence they are deliberately blurring the lines of their own fiction and reality, or at least part of it. From birth, we start registering differences between male and female. Each of us forms a unique view of how it is to be our own gender and how it might feel to be another. If we want to act as a member of another gender, that is the prejudice we have to start from. To improve on that, pre-op transgender people usually live part or full time in the guise of the other gender, just as actors may live in their character, and the gender reassignment surgery usually follows a lengthy period of such living, since it isn’t properly reversible, yet. This ensures that the person feels comfortable in their new gender before their final commitment. They will experience others’ reactions to themselves but may also feel differently while in the other gender. The playing of the new role is important because it changes how someone feels inside, not just how they look outside. Recreational gender changing is temporary in nature and therefore lends itself more to compartmentalising rather than essentially practising a new life. Again, like acting, someone knows who they ‘really’ are, but allocates a sub-mind-set to play their role. Someone presenting themselves as another gender in a chat room or virtual world is likely compartmentalising. They probably have a normal everyday life as one gender, but play-act with a particular mind-set in their chat room role. There isn’t a limit on how many roles someone can act. In everyday life, we all have dozens of slightly different personas to cover all the different social groups we belong to. In chat rooms and virtual worlds, people often have several alternative personas, or alts. Some people use over twenty. That is easy to understand, but what is surprising is that they manage successfully to use several at the same time. They may even have one of their alts apparently chatting to other ones so that they can maintain the pretence. This requires a degree of skill to keep them all separate and prevent others from suspecting. But it is exactly that skill that also allows someone to compartmentalise gender. People may have some alts in one gender and some in another. Some may flip between them. They use the appropriate gender filters to present each one according to circumstance. Such compartmentalisation skill is common, and shows that some people will be adept at doing so with future genders too. They will have to juggle lots of roles, with the associated memory and behaviours, and they will do so in games, chat rooms, social networking sites, virtual worlds, and augmented reality overlays, and in a wide variety of everyday business and social interactions, but they will have AI to help them translate body and verbal language between them, handle all their avatars, and even act in their place or alongside when they are not sufficiently present. We can expect gender to become even more blurred and dynamic as recreational gender play becomes more powerful and immersive. Purely voyeuristic gender play People may choose to swap gender for a variety of reasons. Men often choose a female version of the hero in computer games, so that they can look at an attractive woman rather than a man. They are acting female for purely voyeuristic reasons, not as a means of gender experimentation. Similarly in virtual worlds, people may choose an alternative gender for the avatar simply so that they can look at them or watch them act out a role in a fantasy. This is very different from wanting to be that gender. However, someone else may do exactly the same things to try and experience being that gender. It is the intent that is important, not the act. Intent governs the degree of association with that gender. Dreams Dreams are related to games and virtual worlds. They share some of the same mental emulation of a perceived reality, albeit in dreams the emulator is heavily distorted and filtered. Some people sometimes dream of themselves in another gender. It may feature as a central part of the dream storyline, perhaps that somehow they have been transformed, or it may be that they just happen to be that gender, or it may be purely incidental, not particularly relevant to the storyline. Or it may be a way of indulging in aspirational gender change for someone who has transgender thoughts. In lucid dreams, it can even be a form of recreational gender change. We will soon be able to choose what we dream of, and link our dreams to those of other people. Gender play in dreams may then become as common as it already is in virtual worlds. Augmented reality could use a variety of displays, including goggles or active contact lenses. Contact lenses have the advantage of being under the eyelids so the images can be seen even when eyes are closed. During dreams, feedback from brain signals could be used to direct the selection of imagery produced in the lenses, enhancing dreams and allowing them to be linked with those of other people. This is closer than you may imagine. Even today it is possible to pick up clues as to the images the person is seeing, and this could link into programming in an augmented reality system to generate additional appropriate imagery. We are all familiar with building external sound into dreams, and we should expect that augmented reality images could also be used by our brains. So if programs are designed well, they could use the topic detected from the sleeper as an input to search utilities, then playing appropriate media to enhance or even guide the dreamer. This would allow some element of choice before sleep, where the person could pick dreams from a menu, and have a good chance of experiencing them. Gender could be one of the choices of course. It will also be possible to link people’s dreams together, provided they are both in a dream state at the same time. Detecting signals from each one and feeding in appropriate augmented reality to each, they could be guided along converging paths until their dreams overlap. Then they would be able to interact with each other in the dreams using nerve signals to directly control the dream ‘avatar’ in the other person’s dream. Ongoing development of thought recognition should enable such dreams not only to be gently guided but also recorded. Dreams feel more immersive and real than computer games so gender play in them may be more significant in some ways. Habitually dreaming as another gender may have long term effects on waking state too. Aspirational gender In contrast to voyeuristic play, someone may genuinely aspire to be another gender or to adopt some of its characteristics. They may want the full transgender (TG) package, or may want to pick and mix from their picture of the traits on offer, TG-light if you will. There are very many variants of this. Physically, there are lots of combinations of surgical and hormonal changes, as well as simple use of cosmetics. There are also many variations of feminised, camp or tomboyish behaviour, which may result from natural, environmental or medical use of hormones, exposure to cultural pressures or from deliberate personal choice. Pick and mix gender is illustrated in typical online sissy play, where a basket of cherry-picked feminine attributes and behaviours are assembled while retaining some underlying masculinity. This falls short of the full gender change play that also happens in virtual worlds. The outlets in virtual worlds allow people to indulge many behaviours they associate with another gender safely, and they can do so openly or hidden as they wish. The result is a rich mixture of variations of the two standard genders. Some people strongly feel that they are the wrong gender in their real life and some badly enough to go through the trauma of surgical reassignment, but there are many more who would change if they could do so easily and painlessly, and probably even more who would choose to be another gender if they were able to live their life again or reincarnate. The social barriers to changing are currently high, as are the physical ones, but that doesn’t necessarily reduce the latent aspiration to change gender. Technologies that allow this in part while avoiding negative social issues would cater to these latent gender changers and thus be relatively popular since they allow at least some of the frustrated aspirations to be achieved. Empathetic gender play Compartmentalising allows people to assume multiple parallel threads of behaviour and present different genders or gender-related traits to different groups even at the same time. The personal psychological costs and difficulty associated with this would vary between individuals but if it is easy for someone, they may do it a lot. Even without any particular desire to change, they may simply find it easier to empathise with another person by assuming their gender during the encounter. It may be such casual gender changing would happen for other reasons too. Gender as an art form I’ve always found it fascinating as a technologist and engineer how the first users of new technological breakthroughs are so often artists. As we mess around increasingly with genetics, it can only be a while before we see the first artistic exploration of gender creation. I wouldn’t know where to start predicting what artists will do with it, I’ve already mentioned most of the available dimensions. Part of the fun of art is the surprise when it happens. Let’s wait and see. Blurring of gender identity That raises the question of degree to which someone’s psychological gender identity can blur as a result of frequent recreational gender play. If someone puts effort into presenting as another gender for significant periods, running the appropriate emulators alongside the normal ones, it is inevitable that they will gradually adopt some of what they consider to be the attitudes of the other gender, and some behaviour will cross over into their other compartments. The various models all have to access some of the same underlying thinking and control processes – they can’t all be duplicated and kept separate – so the appropriate neural circuitry and skills will change accordingly. This must be especially so in areas not shielded from outsiders, the ones people don’t think of as particularly visible or gender-relevant, because they are less careful to keep them in separate compartments. Over time, their gender identity will inevitably blur. This may make them more accepting and tolerant of the other gender, but if they are frequent recreational gender changers, acceptance of other genders is unlikely to have been an issue in the first place. Augmented reality implications Augmented reality offers more scope for change and adds still more new dimensions to gender play. AR allows computer generated images and data to be overlaid onto the field of view. This started off with simple text and symbols on smart-phone screens, but the idea space is over 20 years old now, and only the technology is holding back realisation. Early visors offer better realisations but will quickly evolve into a fully immersive overlay capability where the uses can selectively overlay or replace real world images with computer generate ones. So, virtual architecture may modify the appearance of buildings or streets, virtual fauna and flora will decorate them, and people can be cosmetically enhanced or simply replaced by avatars. That means a user could make all the ugly people look prettier, replace them with images of their favourite celebrities, or just delete them from the field of view (though some mechanism is needed to prevent collisions when they are physically close). There are a number of choices that will make it interesting to watch as it emerges. Who will control how one person sees another? Will it be the viewer, or the person being seen, or some third party such as an application or service provider? Can someone assert their chosen edited appearance on the viewer, and can they do so differently for each group of potential viewers, or tailor how they appear to the context and specifics of that interaction? Does the viewer get to choose between an avatar and a real life image, or perhaps an edited one, or an alternative avatar, or a cosmetically enhanced appearance, or is that also decided by the person being seen? If the viewer has control, can they also choose the gender of the other people they see? Can the person being seen assert their chosen gender, and hide their real one from the image production system? Should there be a right to see how someone else is visualising you, or even how they are visualising others, and if so, under what circumstances? Should the police be able to check that your visualisation of someone else isn’t demeaning or insulting, or a race crime? Should your use of overlays be forced to be recorded in case it needs to be policed in future? Obviously, these choices give a lot of options for potential gender interactions. As well as gender, images could also show people with different ages, races, even species, or as an object, as someone else, or as a group of people, or show a group as an individual. Someone playing a character in a computer game or virtual world may find it fun to use that same character avatar on the high street. A full AR replacement of people in the street could be a very different world to live in. There would be some social pressure on application providers to prevent too much abuse of such systems, but also some demands from minority groups to protect their specific interests. It seems reasonable that a transgendered person or a transvestite should have the right to present themselves as their chosen gender. Since someone may be just exploring gender options prior to considering becoming transgendered, that right would also need to extend to casual recreational gender change. But that only requires that their original gender be concealed from the viewer or system. It doesn’t prevent the viewer from replacing or modifying what they see. They could still replace any stranger’s image with a customised one of their own choosing, and it isn’t necessary to know anything about a stranger to do so. It is possible to protect transgender rights while still allowing viewers to choose how they modify the world they see. Augmented reality also allows people to select and apply components of how they (or an application provider) believe other genders might feel by changing the appearance of the world to that ideal. Certain parts of images may be enhanced or dulled to reflect their perceived relative importance. A crude example may be feminising a scene by adding flowers or children or female oriented ads. Hopefully, the reality would be a little more sophisticated. Each of us may have a wide variety of avatars, and may have invested time and money making or buying them. Someone may emit a digital aura, hoping to present different avatars to different passers-by according to their profiles. They may want to look younger or thinner or as a character they enjoy playing in a computer game. They may even present a selection of options. However, people may choose not to see that avatar, but instead to superimpose one of their own choosing. This will be one of the first and most obvious battles in AR and it will probably be won by the viewer (there may be exceptions, and these may be imposed by regulations). The other person will probably decide how they want to see you, regardless of your preferences. Someone could spend a great deal of time making an avatar or tweaking virtual make-up to perfection, but if someone wants to see Lady Gaga walking past instead of them, they will. A stranger’s body becomes just a passing platform on which to display any avatar or image someone else chooses. People are quite literally reduced to an object in the AR world. Those with concerns over objectification of women will not like what AR will bring. Firstly they may just take an actual physical appearance (via a video camera built into their visor for example) and digitally change it, so that it is still definitely still the target person, but now dressed more nicely, or dressed in sexy lingerie, or how they might look naked, body-fitting any images from a porn site or very possibly from real naked photos of that person that are available somewhere online. This could easily be done automatically in real time using an app, and the app could use the person’s actual face as input to image matching search engines to find the most plausible naked lookalikes. So anyone could digitally dress or undress anyone, not just with their eyes, but with a hi-res visor using sophisticated software and image processing software. They could put anyone in any kind of outfit, change their skin colour or make-up, and make them look as pretty and glamorous or as slutty as they want. The victim won’t have any idea what someone looking at them is seeing. They simply won’t know whether they are being treated with respect, flattered, made to look even prettier, or being digitally stripped or degraded. A superimposed avatar could be anything or anyone, a zombie, favourite actress or supermodel. Viewers probably won’t need consent and the victim probably won’t have any idea what the viewer is seeing. The avatar would probably need to make the same gestures and movements as the real person to avoid physical collisions but that might be the only constraint. In some ways replacement by another avatar won’t be so bad. People are still reduced to objects but at least then it wouldn’t be that particular individual that they’re looking at naked. Even today, most strangers we pass on a high street are just moving obstacles to avoid bumping into anyway. We aren’t usually interested in them all. Most people will cope with that bit. It is when interaction starts that it starts to matter. Many people won’t enjoy it if someone is chatting to them but looking at someone else entirely, especially if they are a friend or partner. Kissing one person while looking at someone else would be a breach of trust. This sort of thing could and probably will damage a lot of relationships. It’s a fairly safe bet that the software to do some or all of this is already in development. Maybe some of it already exists in primitive forms but it will develop quickly once decent AR display technology is really with us. We already have primitive visors arriving in the market. In the office, in the home, when you’re shopping or at a party, people won’t have any idea what or who someone else is seeing when they look at them. The main casualty will be trust. It will make us question how much we trust each of our friends and colleagues and acquaintances. It will build walls. People will often become suspicious of others, not just strangers but friends and colleagues. Some people will become fearful. People may dress as primly as they like, but if the viewer sees them in a slutty outfit, perhaps their behaviour and attitudes will be governed by that rather than reality. So there could be an increase in sexual assault or rape. Women especially may more often be objectified, in more circumstances. Many men objectify women already. In the future AR world they’ll be able to do so far more effectively without everyone knowing. Augmented reality gender accessories It is possible to use virtual sex accessories as well as real ones. An augmented reality strap-on or vibrator may look similar to a real one, but of course wouldn’t have the same physical presence and the same goes for any other imagined accessory for any future gender. If a virtual accessory is to have anything more than a symbolic presence in role play, it needs somehow to connect into the nervous system or at least to be able to create some sort of sensation. Linking a virtual accessory to the peripheral nervous system can be done via active skin, pressure pads, smart gloves or data suits. In the far future it may be possible link directly into the brain. There are lots of options. The potential to make augmented reality accessories that can be associated with real sensations and take a real part in gender–related practices allows new genders to come into play long before they are possible to make genetically. However, we must ask just how ‘real’ such genders would be. The people using such virtual appliances may take part in interesting experiences, but their original body and original gender remains intact unless they undertake further action. It is possible to have original sexual equipment disconnected or removed, and to use the augmented reality devices instead. It may also be possible to block or attenuate the sensations from them at the brain using derivatives of trans-cranial magnetic stimulation or some future signal blocking means. With this associated physical gender reassignment, augmented reality would offer a proper means of gender change with fewer traumas. Once we start linking to the peripheral nervous system, we can dissociate the physical acts causing a stimulus from the sensation experienced. Though frivolous ridiculous, it is possible to create intense sexual sensation or even orgasm just by typing a capital O on a keyboard, or by any other action. The existing nervous system is limited in its scope though, and it would be better to be able to map sensations onto new areas of the brain. Thanks to research and development on tools to help disabled people interpret the world around them, we know that the brain is able to accept stimuli and learn to interpret and experience them over time. This again offers scope for new genders before we get to building them genetically. Symbionts Science fiction regularly uses the concept of symbionts, organisms that share bodies, where one acts as a host or carrier for the other in a symbiotic relationship, though of course it could equally be parasitic or commensalistic. This sort of thing could extend to gender too, where two distinct characters interact, share or overlap in such ways that they form a gender together. Separately they may have no gender or hold a different one, but when linked together they generate a new distinct gender. The question arises as to how far this concept could be taken. In principle, quite far. One group could participate in a number of distinct genders depending how they combine with other groups. Three or more could combine. They could have some physical, some neural, and some virtual links. With many different ways of connecting and sharing sensations, emotions and thoughts, with many combinations of organism and indeed synthetic organisms or AIs, the idea space is huge. Forced gender change Some people have fantasies or nightmares of forced gender change. In the real world, this is a relatively rare event (I assume that a few people enslaved in the sex trade have suffered forced gender change, but have no idea how widespread a problem that is) but in virtual worlds, forced gender change happens quite a lot. Of course, the victim may secretly want it to happen, and deliberately get themselves into a situation where it is a likely outcome, so would enjoy no-fault recreational gender change while pushing the blame onto someone else. That is at least semi-consensual. But often, virtual world gender change is genuinely forced on an unwilling victim. As a part of role play or a game forfeit, and temporary, it may be reluctantly accepted, but if it is permanent or long-lived within that virtual world, then that might be very different. In such a case, it could have more severe consequences. Widely different degrees of reality and immersion are possible in virtual worlds. If someone is forced into a different gender even in a virtual world and can’t revert for some reason, maybe having their identity irrevocably locked to that gender, then they would simply have to get used to it, or leave that virtual world. This could extend to some augmented reality applications, again with varying degrees of immersion and realism. It wouldn’t necessarily be possible to create a new identity to escape and the social costs of leaving entirely might make accepting the new gender the lesser of two evils. That might well be the case where a world insists on locking a real identity to just a single virtual one, for example as a result of pressure to deal with bullying. A closely related problem is that if someone voluntarily assumes a different gender in a virtual world for a significant time, they may accumulate valued relationships that would be damaged if they were to change to their real gender, so again the costs of reverting would be unacceptable and they are effectively locked in their presented gender. Since there is so much gender play in virtual environments, I suspect this is not likely to be a major issue overall, but it still could be for particular individuals or relationships. Although less likely than in socialising virtual worlds, it is possible that employees in geographically spread virtual companies could present to some or all of their colleagues as an alternative gender than their reality, and reverting could potentially thus come at a career cost. Video and voice changing technologies will make such pretence easier and perhaps more common. Fiction has many examples of people presenting in a different gender to colleagues for professional reasons. The spread of freelancing and virtual companies makes it more likely, and the potential lock-in would follow. So gender forcing is already here, albeit mainly virtually. The magnitude of the problems would presumably simply scale with the degree and intensity of recreational gender play, since other forcing issues would correlate highly with this too. Environmental and cultural feminisation Many studies over the last several decades have shown endocrine disruptors (which mimic the behaviour of oestrogens) in the environment causing feminisation in insects, fish, amphibians, birds, reptiles and mammals. Such chemicals come from plastics, packaging, pesticides, cleaning products and even shampoo and the linings of tin cans. In extreme cases, polluted rivers have seen 100% of male fish (e.g. Roach) becoming hermaphrodite. Effects are generally greater in the young. Humans are animals too, and although there may not normally be enough exposure to human endocrine disruptors in our everyday environment to cause adult men to actually change into women, again there do appear to be significant effects, especially on such things as sperm counts, breast development and testicular cancer rates. Sperm counts have fallen dramatically over the last few decades. In the womb, effects are potentially far greater. Mothers are routinely exposed during pregnancy to endocrine disrupters such as phthalates from household cleaning and perfume products, plastics, and food wrappings. Their male children can therefore be subjected to strong chemical feminising pressures that may restrict their normal masculine development. In 2007, the Arctic Measurement and Assessment Program found twice as many girls as boys being born due to levels of chemicals in the blood of pregnant women there that were high enough to cause gender change. In Japan too, fewer boys are being born. Ongoing exposure of boys to such chemicals through their early and teenage life can make the effects greater. Recent studies have shown more feminising chemical exposure comes from the fire protection used in soft furnishings and from electronics. Those chemicals apparently block the actions of enzymes the male body uses to block the effects of oestrogen. As a result of this chemical exposure, boys may still grow up healthy, but possibly with a more feminised personality and sexuality, with reduced fertility. Surprisingly perhaps, the effects on humans have not had much study. We are certainly using more and more chemicals in our everyday lives – more hygiene and cleaning products, more processed foods, more packaging, more plastics generally. Exposure to human endocrine disruptors is already high and problems will escalate if unborn babies and younger generations with greater vulnerability are exposed to relatively higher exposures of endocrine disruptors. The impact on our culture is important too. If men are becoming involuntarily feminised, we will gradually lose the contributions of one end of the masculinity spectrum. Gender lines will blur further. Evidentially, it does seem that men are already showing their feminine sides far more than used to be the norm. Perhaps metrosexuals are in increasing abundance because of fashion and cultural exposure, or perhaps it is because of chemicals changing their preferences, or perhaps a combination. More men cry now; there are more gay and bisexual men than before; more teenage boys want gender changes than before. These trends arise from a complex combination of factors, but if the overall feminisation is due in part to chemical exposure, then perhaps that is a problem that should be addressed, or increasing exposure in future might cause further feminisation and further erosion of masculinity. Some people might think that feminisation is a good thing, but notions of equality suggest that masculinity deserves as much preservation as much as femininity. Male, female, inter-gender and transgender people all make diverse contributions to overall society and culture, but gender should surely not be dictated by pollution and we should limit involuntary exposure to chemicals that cause feminisation. Society in the past has flourished when women and men were both able to indulge their natures. Both have valuable contributions to make. The ways men behave and think and react and emote (or not) should be valued and preserved as well as other genders and behaviours. In particular, a disproportionate contribution in invention and technology development has come from men, and if feminisation increases, we may see progress change direction towards those areas that are traditionally favoured by female scientists and engineers and a slide away from those areas favoured by men. If the cultural and chemical effects on men created pressure in opposite directions, they might cancel to some degree, but they don’t. They both create feminising pressure and if these twin pressures persist as they have in recent years, we will end up with a highly feminised society. The feminised end of the male spectrum is growing, but that is at the expense of traditional masculinity. In the gender spectrum, one end of the male part is becoming fainter while the other intensifies. Sue Palmer argued in her book ‘21st Century Boys’ that the natural behaviour of teenage boys is being blocked, with no acceptable outlet thanks to impacts of feminism and marketing. Western society is now one where only feminine behaviour is accepted without question, and almost every aspect of masculinity is regularly condemned. Teenage boys are essentially blocked by social attitudes from contact with adult men and have no means of learning by example from good male role models. The UK and US education systems have been restructured to favour the ways girls learn. Boys are punished and put down in the playground if they dare to behave as boys traditionally do. Adult men also have been under strong social and media pressure to feminise for decades. It simply isn’t fashionable to be a man today. Male behaviour is ridiculed routinely throughout the media, especially in advertising, with men often portrayed as cavemen and idiots in a world of highly evolved and intelligent women. Men are encouraged to explore and show their feminine sides. Selection of participants in reality TV shows and in presenting roles greatly favours feminised and gay or bisexual men to fill the male half. Women have significantly greater legal rights than men. In the workplace, women and gay men are heavily protected and given positive discrimination at the expense of straight men. So as environmental chemical exposure creates biological feminising pressure, society also deliberately oppresses traditional masculinity. The long term consequences of ongoing anti-masculinity pressure need to be addressed. Do we really want a world with only women and feminised men? Surely masculinity deserves to be preserved too? How many genders can you count? Most people would initially count male and female, and quickly recall others such as shemale (ladyboy) and hermaphrodite, but there are already a lot more combinations. Assuming many different degrees of casualness, immersion, and commitment, virtualisation, parallelism and multi-threading of gender play, on top of many different states and combinations of physical, hormonal and psychological base, there are already hundreds of possible gender states. This number will grow markedly as we add new dimensions for experimentation. Each extra dimension would include several possible states, so the far future will certainly contain thousands of potential variations. The future of gender is a very diverse one! Recognising male and female sides While equality as a nice vague term is something everyone seems to agree is a good thing, the nice ideal and its practical implementation are different things. European Commission sex equality laws on pensions and car insurance now state that women and men must now be charged the same, even though that means they don’t receive the same value of risk covered for a given price. Generally speaking, women live longer, so receive pensions for longer, but they have fewer road accidents, so are insuring against a lower risk. In both cases it is now illegal to give men and women the same return on the same investment, and how much you get for your money now depends mainly on your sex. This seems silly. It can’t be discriminatory for men and women to be charged different amounts for different things. Instead, surely the law should ensure that they should be charged the same amount for the same things? If women are insuring against a given level of risk or buying a pension to last an expected number of years, they should be charged exactly the same for that product as a man buying the same insurance or expected length of pension. In similar form, women and men should also be paid exactly the same for the same piece of work done to the same quality. Legislating that everyone must be charged the same price or paid the same for the same product is a fairer approach than what we now have. That allows a wide range of factors to be fairly taken into account such as lifestyle, location, profession, genetics and so on. Of course, sex is only one dimension of gender on which to level. Sexuality is another
, but knew nothing of it. Throughout the time at my university, the crypto world kept on creeping up to me. Started reading more about it, talking with a few people in my surroundings and the more I read the more I felt intrigued and I had seen the website of State of the dApps before, which overwhelmed me (a newbie!). I thought to myself “Wow this is a whole new world, like an iphone with apps but in another format”. However, I kept on going back on the site, I wanted to understand it, understand more! One day I decided to look for jobs on the Blockchain and more precisely on Ethereum, and State of the DApps was looking for somebody with my skill sets! PR, communication and community building skills. Wow! I can do this! I applied and here we are! What is the most interesting thing about Ethereum to you? First of all, the fact that Ethereum was inspired by WoW I find to be pretty cool. The little gamer in me has to come out once in awhile. Second, one of the most interesting thing about Ethereum is how it erases intermediary services, therefore, a direct interaction between the two interested parties. Way simpler and transparent. In politics, economics, education, administration, we are all frustrated because we never know who is really behind the transaction, behind the “special call” we never have a name of a face. Well Ethereum, gives you that! Third, for personal interest, I really am looking forward how Ethereum and the Blockchain can be utilized for education. Nowadays, the education system is extremely narrow minded, as there is only one way to do it and that is at fault. Why? Well, because not one human being is the same than the other one. Therefore, we do have different ways of retaining information, comprehending material and interests. Many people are indirectly told they are less intelligent at school due to their inaptitude to follow the curriculum, but that is false. We just need to approach the issue from different angles. Ethereum and the Blockchain can offer that. I am excited! What has been the most rewarding part of working in the crypto community? How everyone is so eager to push the technology forward, to break certain barriers down and make people from all around the world included in this revolution. I feel like we are all a huge team working together! Also, I am being intellectually stimulated on a 24/7 basis. You mentioned being somewhat of a digital nomad tell us more about that, has crypto changed that for you? Yes! I already had in mind to travel and live in different cities, but I expected my stays to last longer. Now being in the crypto ecosystem, I will be moving from city to city and staying in each for approximately 3–4 months (nothing is set in stone), in order to broaden my network and push State of the dApps forward all around the world. Next location is Berlin “Ich bin ein Berliner” Wooo! Are there any particular projects in Ethereum that have your attention? The projects that have my attention are concentrated on energy and environment, or education. Both are extremely important fields, which can have major social impacts and improve the conditions of everyone around the world. Better access to education, equals more educated people globally. Energy and environment, equals hypothetically more land and food for everyone. You’re involved in Muay Thai boxing and somewhat of a movie nerd, tell us all about how you got involved in that, and what’s your favorite genre of movie? I got involved in Muay Thai boxing because I have always been attracted to boxing since I was a kid, but of course my mother would not let me do such violent sport, so I played other sports. Took a break, and then it was time to get to boxing whatever other people had to say about it. I have a lot of energy to spend, it is a great way to learn technique and tire yourself out. Favorite genre of movie, mmmmm that is hard to answer… as long as the storyline is good and different, good camera work, good dialogue…. I enjoy movies that concentrate on social interactions; people fascinate me and learning more about it is always welcome. I like to observe. The Lobster was a great one! The movie Tommy also, I will be impressed if you know which one I am talking about. How can the community get more involved with what you do at State of the DApps? Reach out to me and tell me what kind of cool project you are working on. I’d love to help. I would love to amplify your story to the world. Are you part of any other projects in the Ecosystem? Yes, one is to push forward women in blockchain! My other project for now will remain secret ssshhh ;) I can only say that they will revolve around DApp creation and community. You can check out a sneak peek of what i’ll be working on here. It’s inspiring to see newcomers working in the brand new field of Ethereum, why do you find decentralization so important? In short, it rings my ears: “Anything is possible!” Isn’t that inspiring and promising, people are reuniting to work and collaborate together more and more. Let’s keep up the good work. Glad to talk Fauve, good luck with State of the DApps; always happy to see newcomers with passion about the community and tech!The federal government is considering privatizing components of its military search and rescue, a possibility that has officials in Newfoundland and Labrador battening down the hatches. A report in the Ottawa Citizen newspaper on Thursday said that government officials will discuss the option of privatizing the Department of National Defence's search and rescue operation when they meet with aerospace industry representatives in August. In that meeting, government will also discuss buying new fixed-wing aircraft. Liberal member of the house of assembly Kelvin Parsons says people in his province should be worried, given the federal government's announcement in June that it will close the Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre in St. John's. "We ought to be very concerned here because we already saw what they tried to do with our search and rescue centre here," said Parsons. "And it's very disconcerting if now they`re now going to turn around and consider possibly farming it out to private industry." Marine-based search and rescue services are shared by the Department of National Defence, which provides air support, and the Canadian Coast Guard, which provides sea-based support. Liberal MHA Kelvin Parsons is concerned about search and rescue privatization discussions. ((CBC)) If a ship's crew off the coast of Newfoundland runs into trouble while at sea and radios for help, the coast guard would send a rescue crew aboard a ship or a small boat, and DND would send a rescue crew by airplane or helicopter. In a statement, Premier Kathy Dunderdale said the province needs to be consulted on any changes before any decision made by the federal government. "Safety is the No. 1 priority," said Dunderdale's statement. Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union president Earle McCurdy says the province should not even discuss privatization of search and rescue services. ((CBC)) "The federal government needs to be very careful here and ensure that they consult with the people who may be impacted by any changes they might consider, before taking any action. Furthermore, any changes considered should be subject to a vigorous review involving input from both experts and those on the ground who have the local knowledge which is so important." Earle McCurdy, the president of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union in St. John's, doesn't like what he's heard. "I don't think the current government believes in improving the service," said McCurdy. "I think this is all about ideology and their determination to privatize everything that moves." McCurdy also had advice for Dunderdale. "Don't talk about discussing it, or being open to discussion. No, it's not on. No, we're not doing it. No, we're not talking about it. We're expecting that service to be provided." Officials from the Department of National Defence have not commented. A statement from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, which is responsible for the Canadian Coast Guard component of marine search and rescue, said DFO has no intentions of privatizing the Canadian Coast Guard. The DFO statement added, "The Department of National Defence, the department responsible for Fixed-Wing Search and Rescue across Canada, is looking at all options to ensure the best possible equipment and service. This includes exploring new ideas with industry to ensure a thorough consultation."This article is about the short-lived ABC show. For the NBC sketch comedy show, see Saturday Night Live Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell Advertisement for Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell Presented by Howard Cosell Starring Bill Murray Brian Doyle-Murray Christopher Guest Country of origin United States No. of seasons 1 No. of episodes 18 Production Executive producer(s) Roone Arledge Producer(s) Rupert Hitzig Running time 48 minutes Production company(s) ABC Release Original network ABC Picture format 480i (SDTV) Original release September 20, 1975 – January 17, 1976 Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell was an American television comedy-variety program that ran on ABC from September 1975 to January 1976, hosted by Howard Cosell and executive-produced by Roone Arledge. The series ran for 18 episodes before being cancelled.[1] The show was later remembered by its director Don Mischer as "one of the greatest disasters in the history of television", largely because Cosell and Arledge—both veterans of sports broadcasting—were entirely unfamiliar with comedy and variety programming.[1] Despite having highly notable celebrities both as cast members and guests, Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell has never been made available on home video. Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell is consistently confused with the sketch comedy program Saturday Night Live. In October 1975, rival network NBC began airing the late night comedy show NBC's Saturday Night, the creation of producer Lorne Michaels. The shows did not compete for the same time slot. Cosell's Saturday Night Live aired at 8 p.m. ET/PT, whereas NBC's Saturday Night aired at 11:30 p.m. After Cosell's show was cancelled, the NBC show was renamed Saturday Night Live.[2] History [ edit ] Cast and guests [ edit ] The premiere episode featured celebrity guests Frank Sinatra, Shirley Bassey, Paul Anka, Siegfried and Roy, the cast of the Broadway version of The Wiz, tennis pro Jimmy Connors (who sang, while profusely sweating, Anka's "Girl, You Turn Me On" as a dedication to his girlfriend Chris Evert. Anka played the piano to accompany Connors), and John Denver.[3] The episode's musical guest was the Bay City Rollers, from Scotland, whom Cosell dubbed "the next" British phenomenon.[4] The show featured Bill Murray, Brian Doyle-Murray, and Christopher Guest as regular comedy performers, dubbed "The Prime Time Players". In response, NBC's show Saturday Night called its regular performers "The Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time Players" (especially since the show didn't air in prime time, but late-night). Eventually, Murray, Doyle-Murray, and Guest would all work on the NBC program.[5] Billy Crystal, who appeared on the premiere episode of Cosell's program, was also scheduled to appear on the premiere episode of the NBC show, but was bumped when the show ran long; he later joined the NBC program's cast, along with Guest, during Season 10 a decade later. Also that season, Cosell himself guest-hosted the NBC program in its season finale on April 13, 1985. Cancellation [ edit ] Mischer described the show as chronically hectic and unprepared. He recalled one particular episode wherein executive producer Roone Arledge discovered that jazz icon Lionel Hampton was in New York City, and invited the musician to appear on the show an hour before airtime.[1] The show fared poorly among critics and audiences alike, with TV Guide calling it "dead on arrival, with a cringingly awkward host".[6] Alan King—the show's "executive in charge of comedy"—later admitted that it was difficult trying to turn Cosell into a variety show host, saying that he "made Ed Sullivan look like Buster Keaton".[6] Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell was canceled on January 17, 1976, after only 18 episodes.[1] A year later, in 1977, NBC's Saturday Night appropriated the name of its former (indirect) competition. Reception [ edit ] In 2002, TV Guide ranked the series number 37 on its "50 Worst TV Shows of All Time" list.[7] In his book What Were They Thinking? The 100 Dumbest Events in Television History, author David Hofstede ranked the series at #30 on the list.[8] Episodes [ edit ] Only three episodes (video) are known to survive:[citation needed] All 14 original episodes telecast exist as AUDIO in the Archival Television Audio archive (www.atvaudio.com).Canadians who work, study and travel abroad might be astonished to learn they are not guaranteed consular assistance if they get into trouble overseas. Rather, consular intervention is left to the discretion of Global Affairs Canada. As a former political prisoner in Egypt — jailed unjustly for "conspiring with a terrorist group and fabricating news" while working for Al Jazeera News in 2013 — I understand the importance of having your country on your side. I've also worked as an International Red Cross protection officer, visiting prisoners, Canadians included, in Lebanon's prisons, and I know that time is never on their side. The faster officials intervene, the better. But while the U.S., Germany, Brazil, the U.K., South Africa and at least 28 other countries have enshrined consular protection in federal law, Canada lags. No legal obligation According to Global Affairs Canada, there are roughly 1,400 Canadians currently detained abroad, and many of them are facing grave human rights violations. While Canadian officials often do get involved in these cases, they remain under no legal obligation to do so. After my own release in 2015, I met with former Canadian ambassador and director general of consular affairs Henry Garfield "Gar" Pardy in Ottawa. His deep knowledge, experience and determination to address this gap in law was exactly what I was looking for during my search for answers. In his 2016 report entitled Canadians Abroad: A Policy and Legislative Agenda released by the Rideau Institute and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), Pardy notes that of the millions of Canadians outside of Canada at any given time, "hundreds languish in foreign prisons on specious charges." The study outlines how, over the last decade, the Conservative government limited its responsibility to support and safeguard its citizens abroad — evidenced in particular in cases involving Omar Khadr and his brothers. "The historical Canadian approach of the universality of consular services for all Canadians was undermined," says Pardy. "The result has been inequity, unfairness and inconsistency in the provision of these vital services." Canada's current "discretionary" approach, Pardy explains, means the government can theoretically choose to do nothing — or everything — to free Canadians detained, jailed or even tortured in the prisons of autocratic and repressive regimes. 'May take steps...' Indeed, according to the Government of Canada's travel assistance information, the government "may take steps to pressure the foreign authorities to abide by their international human rights obligations" in cases where a Canadian's human rights are being violated (emphasis added). The situation is murkier in cases where an imprisoned Canadian holds dual citizenship, since a foreign government might not recognize the legality of Canadian citizenship — a situation that the Canadian government acknowledges "could limit the ability of the Government of Canada to assist." Since my release, I've partnered with Alex Neve, secretary general of Amnesty International Canada and an unflagging champion of human rights, on a mission to better protect Canadians abroad. We believe it's high time for Canada to enshrine a new law that obligates our government to intervene when our citizens are imprisoned in a foreign country. Obviously there are many details to work out in terms of defining the scope of the law — including exactly how, when and where the Canadian government would take action — but certainly in cases where international human rights have been breached, consular officials should, by law, be required to intervene. Earlier in 2016, Neve and I presented a 12-point "protection charter" to the Liberal government in Ottawa. A coalition of lawyers, former prisoners, diplomats and Canadian civil society organizations have since endorsed our call for action, and we are optimistic about a new era of change. Homa Hoodfar was imprisoned in Iran for supposed propaganda against the state. (Ryan Remiorz/Canadian Press) An encouraging recent example is that of Kevin Garratt — the Canadian Christian aid worker who ran a café in the city of Dandong and was arrested on spying charges. The Chinese government released Garratt in September 2016, just over a week after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited China. In that case, as in the case of Homa Hoodfar, the Concordia professor who was imprisoned in Iran for supposed propaganda against the state, the happy resolution was the result of the Canadian government's decision to engage in careful and quiet diplomacy. The move to intervene in these and similar cases should not really be a choice, however, which is why Canada needs a law. Pardy argues that by maintaining its "discretionary" Crown prerogative, the Canadian government retains the right to act as it pleases on consular matters, forcing families of those detained abroad to often seek redress from the courts. But it shouldn't have to be this way. The next milestone in our mission will be to introduce a private member's bill to Parliament, in hopes of a successful vote and new legislation that will ensure Canadians who travel the globe receive the protection they deserve, as citizens of a democratic country. When those people are detained, unjustly, in foreign prisons, that country should be obliged to intervene. This column is an opinion. For more information about our commentary section, please read this editor's blog and our FAQ.The Thoen Stone is a sandstone slab dated 1834 that was discovered in the Black Hills of South Dakota by Louis Thoen in 1887. The discovery of the stone called into question the first discovery of gold and the history of gold mining in the Black Hills; it would mean that gold was discovered in the Black Hills 40 years before the Custer Expedition of 1874 and the subsequent Black Hills Gold Rush.[1] It is currently on display at the Adams Museum & House in Deadwood, South Dakota.[2] History [ edit ] The early history of the people mentioned on the stone is limited.[2] Two experienced miners were among the party of seven: William King and Indian Crow.[3] According to the stone, Ezra Kind and his party traveled to the Black Hills in 1833 in search of gold, at which time a treaty prevented the party from entering the area legally.[4] The stone itself was inscribed in 1834 by Ezra Kind after his entire party was killed by Native Americans.[2] Kind himself later died of unknown causes.[1] On March 14, 1887,[5] Norwegian immigrants and brothers Louis and Ivan Thoen discovered the slab while collecting sandstone on the west face of Lookout Mountain near his home in Spearfish.[2] The stone was buried several feet below the surface.[3][5][6] The men took the slab home, and Louis invited Henry Keats (a later mayor of Spearfish) to see the stone and the location where it was found. The stone was then taken to the Spearfish Register.[5] One day later, Louis decided to display it in a store in Spearfish that was owned by John Cashner; Cashner and Louis sold pictures of the stone as postcards. In 1888, Cashner traveled to the Detroit Free Press in Michigan and sold the story of the stone to the newspaper. Louis died in 1919 during the 1918 influenza pandemic.[2] The stone was named for Louis Thoen.[7] In 1966, historian Frank Thomson published a book about the stone, titled The Thoen Stone: A Saga of the Black Hills.[1][2] A monument complete with a replica of the stone was later placed on a hill above the Spearfish City Park,[3] and an annual seven-mile run past the marker is named after the stone.[8][9] Doom metal band Pine Beetle has a song called "Thoen" which is based on the Thoen Stone mystery. Description [ edit ] The Thoen Stone is carved out of sandstone. It is three inches thick and measures 10 inches by eight inches.[2] Inscription [ edit ] Text is written in a cursive font on both sides of the slab. The inscription on the front reads: Came to these hills in 1833 seven of us DeLacompt Ezra Kind G.W. Wood T. Brown R. Kent Wm. King Indian Crow All dead but me, Ezra Kind. Killed by [Indians] beyond the high hill. Got our gold June 1834.[2] The inscription continues on the back and reads: Got all the gold we could carry. Our ponies all got by the Indians. I have lost my gun and nothing to eat and Indians hunting me.[2] Controversy [ edit ] Since its discovery in 1887, controversy over the authenticity of the Thoen Stone has circulated. Many people believe that the stone is a hoax and was fabricated by Louis and Ivan Thoen.[2] Some have pointed to the fact that Louis Thoen was a stonemason.[5] Until their deaths, the Thoens defended the authenticity of the stone.[6] In the 1950s, Frank Thomson traveled to the East Coast in search of the families of the party's members. Thomson located several families, all with surnames similar to those listed on the Thoen Stone, who claimed to have had ancestors who disappeared in the American West.[1][2] In the 2000s, handwriting expert Marion Briggs and another in California compared the handwriting on the postcards and the writing on the slab. Both determined that the inscriptions were not done by the same person, and the stone was not inscribed by either of the two Thoen brothers, Cashner, or John S. McClintock, who was an early advocate for the slab's authenticity.[1]A new report by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General finds that staff at the Phoenix VA continue to inappropriately cancel medical appointments and that in one case failure to make an appointment may have contributed to a patient’s death. The Inspector General was asked to look into claims of poor management at the Phoenix VA in July 2015, about a year after the initial wait time scandal. The IG found plenty of cause for concern. Specifically, 24% of the sample of appointments the IG reviewed had been inappropriately canceled by staff: We substantiated that in 2015, PVAHCS staff inappropriately discontinued consults. We determined that staff inappropriately discontinued 74 of the 309 specialty care consults (24 percent) we reviewed. This occurred because staff were generally unclear about specific consult management procedures, and services varied in their procedures and consult management responsibilities. As a result, patients did not receive the requested care or they encountered delays in care. Of the 74 inappropriately discontinued consults, 53 patients had not received the requested care at PVAHCS. The IG also reviewed the cases of 215 patients who died with appointments (or requests) on the books and found “untimely care from PVAHCS may have contributed to the death of 1 patient.” Here’s the case summary from the main report: At the time of his death, this patient was a 58-year-old male with a past medical history of previous moderate tobacco use. He presented as a new patient to the facility in May 2015, complaining of dull chest pain that was exacerbated by strenuous activity. The provider ordered an exercise treadmill test to further evaluate the patient’s chest pain. A consult was submitted to Cardiology Outpatient Treadmill Consult. Within the consult, the ordering provider requested that the test be completed within 1 week. Minutes later, a staff physician approved the consult. In June 2015, the patient was found deceased in his home by a family member. According to the death certificate, an autopsy was performed confirming the cause of death as atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. At the time of his death, the treadmill test was not scheduled. The consult was closed when the facility was informed of the patient’s death. A Primary Care provider evaluated this patient and appropriately referred the patient for further cardiac testing based on his symptoms. In addition, the Primary Care provider appropriately requested the test be completed within a week, as his symptoms were concerning and suggestive of heart disease. Timely testing may have indicated that the patient had significant disease and could have prompted further definitive testing and interventions that could have forestalled his death. Overall, the VA had thousands of appointments with wait times that exceeded 30 days: We determined that, as of August 12, 2015, more than 22,000 individual patients had 34,769 open consults at PVAHCS. The total open consults included all categories, statuses, and ages of consults. Of all the open consults at that time, about 4,800 patients had nearly 5,500 consults for appointments within PVAHCS that exceeded 30 days from their clinically indicated appointment date… The report concludes that, despite efforts to improve, problems persist at the Phoenix VA: During the past two years, the OIG has reviewed a myriad of allegations at PVAHCS and issued six reports involving policy, access to care, scheduling and canceling of appointments, staffing, and consult management. Although VHA has made efforts to improve the care provided at PVAHCS, these issues remain. CNN’s Jake Tapper reported on the story Tuesday:My first reaction to the news that Super Mario Maker was on its way to the 3DS was pure jubilation. One of my favorite games of the past several years is bringing its awesome set of stage-creation tools to the portable Nintendo 3DS handheld system. I could create the Mario stages in my head just as I did last year on the Wii U, but now I could do it on the go. Unfortunately, the more I learned about the 3DS version of Super Mario Maker, the less enthused I became. Perhaps the biggest letdown for this portable version is that the sharing has been refocused to only allow for players to show off their creations locally. This means if you create the perfect stage, you have no way of uploading it for others online. While it's great that you can now give your stage to someone locally without having to use the long Course ID, Nintendo has removed the coolest part about Super Mario Maker: sharing your creation with the world. By limiting your ability to share your stage, Nintendo has not only removed a huge incentive to get your stage just right, it has completely stripped the rewarding ability to play the creations of others from those who aren't geographically located near their friends. It also removes communities of people online from curating a list of the courses created using the tools. While this certainly removes the headaches and confusion associated with Nintendo's policy on deleting your creations, it removes perhaps the best feature of the game. To make up for this, Nintendo is allowing players to access courses created in the Wii U version, but some stages aren't compatible. In addition, there's no way to search for a specific course on the 3DS version, meaning you need to rely on the random algorithm of modes like the 100-Mario Challenge or "Recommended Courses" to deliver you content from the online portion. This is a shame, as even if I can't share my 3DS creations, I have several friends who have created amazing levels on the Wii U version, and I'd jump at the opportunity to play those when I travel. Another huge blow came when I learned the Mystery Mushroom, the power-up that lets you disguise Mario as different characters in levels themed after the original Super Mario Bros., is excluded from this version. I loved taking my Amiibo figures and unlocking these costumes – so much so that it became the game I used my Amiibos for the most. I also reveled in the creativity that could come with clever use of these costumes. Perhaps my favorite level I ever created in the Wii U version is called "Gotta Go Fast!" and features Mario dressed as Sonic running speedily across supercharged treadmills, in a stage that relies more on reflexes than anything else. While that level can be recreated without the Sonic costume, other concepts I've had for courses aren't so easily replicated. Another one of my favorites involves exploring a cave to discover different costumes. It isn't a challenging course, but the fun comes in the surprise of which Amiibo costume pops out next. When you grab the Mystery Mushroom, it delivers that same rush that comes with opening a sealed pack of collectible cards. You don't know what's waiting for you on the other side, and that's most of the fun. With this power-up gone, the intrigue that came with playing a stage themed after the original Super Mario Bros. that someone else made is also gone. I understand that technical limitations are likely to blame for these exclusions, and I'd much rather have the version we're getting than no Super Mario Maker on 3DS at all, but I know that these missing features could be a big deal for a lot of players who are excited for this release. I'm still anticipating being able to create Mario courses wherever I'm able to pop open my 3DS (I also love the addition of side-objectives to earn medals and being able to collaborate with friends on incomplete courses), but these missing features have caused some of my enthusiasm to dissipate.We demonstrated the feasibility of using an application on a MDT to time delivery room events. This simple MDT provided valid observations of the time to crying/spontaneous respiration or BMV and was feasible to use in the low-resource setting. This is the first Android application, to our knowledge, to facilitate automatic timing of significant birth events. The BAs were able to use the devices successfully with minimal training and the recordings provided valid event timing. The majority of the BAs (83 %) felt that MDT helped them to ensure that successful ventilation was achieved within the Golden Minute. This type of device may be useful in reinforcing HBB and similar newborn resuscitation training. This pilot study was designed to test the feasibility and acceptability of using an Android type system to collect small amounts of data. This was a pragmatic study aimed at capturing a convenience sample of deliveries thus one limitation of the study was that we were able to time less than 50 % of the deliveries with MDT due to a variety of reasons. Of the 124 BAs trained for HBB in the five facilities, only 46 BAs actually used the MDT. Therefore, only births conducted during the time the participating BAs were present in the delivery room were timed. We initially trained five facility coordinators who in turn trained other BAs working in their facilities. Hence, the training for the use of MDT occurred over a period of time and consequently not all births could be timed. Caesarean deliveries (n = 690) and those who arrived to the delivery room with signs of imminent delivery were excluded. While the Android application was useful in the field testing, the survey results suggested that further refinement and assessment using sound/voice recognition instead of the manual process to determine the time difference. Further research is needed to confirm its usefulness for a wider application. In addition, this study had limitations regarding the small number of babies requiring BMV; however, with the increasing emphasis on stimulation in HBB training, this result is not altogether surprising [4–6, 12–14]. This was a pilot study aimed at whether or not the BAs would use the MDT device. A larger study in less controlled environments may be required to assess the feasibility and larger applicability of the device. In essence, the primary focus of the MDT is to assess the feasibility of Golden Minute resuscitation by BAs trained for HBB in diverse delivery settings. Feasibility of timely resuscitation is a question that needs to be addressed, especially in resource limited settings with a single birth attendant caring for the mother and the newborn. This is not a limitation of this MDT validation study, but, rather of the HBB training program itself and the MDT may well help us answer that question in a more objective manner.This article is a continuation of our previous analysis of the most popular US states for bitcoin using data from CoinDesk’s bitcoin ATM map. As public interest in digital currencies grows, bitcoin ATMs have proven to be critical for bridging the gap between casual onlookers and active bitcoin owners. To identify the areas where bitcoin ATMs are particularly popular, we analyzed data from CoinDesk’s bitcoin ATM map and calculated the countries in Europe with the most machines per capita. Of course, the term ‘popular’ is subjective by nature and there are countless ways to measure it, but for the purpose of this report, popularity is defined by the number of bitcoin ATMs per capita in each European country. Data analysis Our data for Europe include a total of 64 bitcoin ATMs distributed across 20 countries. The UK and Netherlands are home to more than 30% of Europe’s bitcoin ATMs with 10 machines in each country. When adjusting for each country’s population, the UK ranks only eleventh most popular in Europe for the digital currency machines. Other countries with multiple bitcoin ATMs that missed the top five include the Czech Republic, ranked sixth with six ATMs; Switzerland, ranked seventh with three ATMs; and Italy, ranked 14th with four ATMs. Here are the top five most popular European countries for bitcoin, ranked by the number of bitcoin ATMs per capita: 1. Isle of Man One bitcoin ATM for every 87,000 people It may not be the biggest or most populous place in Europe, but the Isle of Man is certainly leading the way in embracing bitcoin. A conference devoted to the island’s booming digital currency economy is taking place this week on 17th and 18th September. 2. Slovenia One bitcoin ATM for every 687,000 people Home to popular exchange Bitstamp, Slovenia has welcomed bitcoin businesses – including ATMs – with open arms. Despite a population of only two million people, the country has three bitcoin ATMs on file in our records. 3. Finland One bitcoin ATM for every 777,000 people Finland is host to Europe’s very first bitcoin ATM, which was installed in Helsinki in December of last year. Since then, six more machines have arrived, showing the Finns’ demand for the digital currency. 4. Ireland One bitcoin ATM for every 1.55 million people Bitcoin has seen a warm reception in Ireland. The country’s first bitcoin ATM went live in Dublin back in March, and one prominent figure from the Central Bank of Ireland has spoken about the country’s future with bitcoin. 5. The Netherlands One bitcoin ATM for every 1.68 million people The Netherlands, along with the UK, is home to the most bitcoin ATMs in Europe with 10 machines. The world’s first Bitcoin Boulevard also opened in Holland this year, and has attracted digital currency enthusiasts from all over. Do you own a bitcoin ATM that you don’t think is included in CoinDesk’s records? Contact us at atm@coindesk.com Images via ShutterstockImage caption Maria Eugenia Briceno lives in the area affected by the pollution A court in Ecuador has fined US oil giant Chevron $8.6bn (£5.3bn) for polluting a large part of the country's Amazon region. The oil firm Texaco, which merged with Chevron in 2001, was accused of dumping billions of gallons of toxic materials into unlined pits and Amazon rivers. Campaigners say crops were damaged and farm animals killed, and that local cancer rates increased. Condemning the ruling as fraudulent, Chevron said it would appeal. The company will also have to pay a 10% legally mandated reparations fee, bringing the total penalty to $9.5bn (£5.9bn). Pablo Fajardo, lawyer for the plaintiffs, described the court ruling as "a triumph of justice over Chevron's crime and economic power". "This is an important step but we're going to appeal this sentence because we think that the damages awarded are not enough considering the environmental damage caused by Chevron here in Ecuador," he told the BBC. A Chevron statement said the firm would appeal, and called the ruling "illegitimate and unenforceable". Hopes of precedent The lawsuit was brought on behalf of 30,000 Ecuadoreans, in a case which dragged on for nearly two decades. The plaintiffs said the company's activities had destroyed large areas of rainforest and also led to an increased risk of cancer among the local population. The trial began in 2003 after almost a decade of legal battles in the US. At that time, a US appeals court ruled that the case should be heard in Ecuador. Environmentalists hope the case will set a precedent, forcing companies operating in developing countries to comply with the same anti-pollution standards as in the industrialised world. Ecuadorean Indian groups said Texaco - which merged with Chevron in 2001 - dumped more than 18 billion gallons (68 billion litres) of toxic materials into the unlined pits and rivers between 1972 and 1992. Protesters said the company had destroyed their livelihood. Crops were damaged, farm animals killed and cancer increased among the local population, they said. Chevron has long contended that the court-appointed expert in the case was unduly influenced by the plaintiffs. Its statement described the ruling as "the product of fraud (and) contrary to the legitimate scientific evidence".A 59-year-old man was taken to the hospital with possible life-threatening injuries after shooting himself during a traffic stop on Interstate 5 near Tualatin, said state police. The man, whose identity has not been released, was pulled over in a 1982 GMC van southbound at about 5:16 p.m. Tuesday between Southwest Nyberg Road and Sagert Street for a vehicle license violation. It was discovered after the stop that the driver had a suspended driver's license. The state trooper then went back to the patrol car to prepare a citation and call a tow truck to impound the van. When the tow truck arrived a little before 6 p.m., the trooper found the man had a gunshot wound to the neck and saw a handgun in the front passenger's seat, said state police. The man was taken to OHSU Hospital and no one else was reported hurt. All the southbound lanes were initially shut down during the investigation, but as of 8 p.m. the lanes were reopened. --Misadventures in Home Brewing
Arcanist Lupus Bonus category 15! 15 times their score! Ah, Ah, Ah (Nepycros) 14! 14 times their score! Ah, Ah, Ah (Nepycros) 12! 12 times their score! Ah, Ah, Ah (jorgenp) 8! 8 times their score! Ah, Ah, Ah (riff.freelance) 4! 4 times their score! Ah, Ah, Ah (Arcanist Lupus) Extra Special Bonus Category 0 favor - I don't remember who, but it was in a Weekly One-shot 2 favor - Deddragon 9 favor - LewdDolphinThe musical “Frozen” made its Denver debut on Aug. 17 and it runs through Oct. 1 at the Buell Theatre. For tickets and information go to the “Frozen” page at http://www.denvercenter.org DENVER (CBS4) – The upcoming Broadway-bound musical “Frozen” at the Buell Theatre is taking a princess tale and giving it a little spin. Patti Murin (Anna) and John Riddle (Hans) (credit: Deen van Meer/Disney) Critic at Large Greg Moody says get ready for: – Wonderful storytelling – Beautiful production – Rich music by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez PHOTO GALLERY: ‘Frozen’ Onstage In Denver And be ready for the most special part of all: the core of the story. “Frozen” isn’t just about a princess finding her Prince Charming, it’s about sisters lost and found again. “I think it’s about Elsa and Anna finding each other again,” said Caissie Levy, who stars Elsa in the musical. “True love. True love in a way that you don’t normally think of true love. You normally think of it in a romantic way between two people,” said Patti Murin, who stars as Anna. “Certainly in a fairy tale you do. And this is a modern fairy tale about sisters sort of finding their way back to each other after many years of estrangement,” Levy said. Murin and Levy are serious about the magical story they tell. “We know how beautiful and complicated and layered those relationships are, and I think most people out there understand that at their core as well,” Levy said. Patti Murin (Anna) and Caissie Levy (Elsa) with Jacob Smith (credit: Deen van Meer/Disney) “Frozen” will include more than a dozen new songs, and it will feature a set that will add a sense of wonder to the storytelling. “We have more time and we actually have more material to delve into and go deeper into these women and the rest of the characters as well,” said Levy. The story doesn’t break convention as much as remind us simply what the love of sisters is all about, Moody says. (credit Disney Theatrical) It take a full creative team to build a successful Broadway musical. One of the keys to that team is the director, who pulls the collaborative effort into focus. Taking on any Broadway show requires a special talent with a special vision, which is why Disney Theatrical tapped Tony and Olivier Awards winning director, Michael Grandage for the Broadway bound “Frozen.” The problem facing both Grandage, as well as, the entire creative team was how to turn one of the most beloved animated films in history into a big Broadway musical, with more songs, and more production numbers, and eye-popping special effects. (credit Disney Theatrical) “The vision for the show really is to make sure that we do something new and different to anything that’s been there before. ‘Frozen’ is a very known piece so we need to make sure that everybody gets what they want from the bit they know. But we wanted to be able to go deeper than anything before, and we wanted to be able tot make you laugh more than you’ve ever laughed before, and make you cry more than you’ve ever cried before,” Grandage told CBS4. The team had to do all that without losing story or characters and still build a new audience. (credit Disney Theatrical) “When you’re sitting there in the dark, we have the opportunity to reach out and touch you and change your life potentially. And you can do that by putting humanity in all it’s forms on stage. The human condition can be explored in great depth. We have the capacity to do that in live theater. It’s why it’s such an extraordinary art form. I hope that’s what will be the new bit of the experience,” Grandage said. “The thing is that Disney can do it. Whatever the challenge, they continue to find the wonder and magic on film and somehow make it even more amazing when they bring it to the stage,” said Moody. As Disney Theatrical develops it’s new Broadway bound musical “Frozen,” it’s keeping a tight lid on the details. There is an atmosphere of secrecy surrounding the production, even though the story and music are known world-wide. (credit Disney Theatrical) “The thing about a show like ‘Frozen’ is you know the story, but you don’t know how we’re going to tell it. And I want, when you come and sit in that seat and you hear the down beat of that orchestra, I want you to be surprised, because I think it’s a good surprise. And I want you to have fun with how we’re going to do it. This is a pure piece of theater, using theatrical techniques, that’s going to tell a story that you know, but you don’t know how we’re going to do it. And that wonder, that joy, whether you’re a kid or a grandma, there’s joy in how we do it, and so I want to let you discover it not let someone else tell you what it is,” said Thomas Schumacher of Disney Theatrical Productions. That, in the end, makes sense. The secrecy does preserve the magic, it does preserve the surprise. And, in the end, it helps deliver on that wonderful promise of live theater, the thrill of seeing something so completely new for the very first time. “Frozen The Musical” is “Frozen” the animated movie, but then again, in style, tone, story, and especially dance, it’s not. “One of the most exciting parts of working on ‘Frozen’ is that I wasn’t trying to replicate a bunch of dancing from the film. But to try to find where the dancing could be in ‘Frozen’, where it could move the story along and give some joy and some character,” said Rob Ashford, choreographer for the show. You do that by taking the world within the animated film and weaving choreography into it’s very soul. (credit Disney Theatrical) “We have two different worlds. We have a fairy tale world, and we have a mythical world. And we try to first start defining those two worlds, and how they moved and how they behaved, so that was a great beginning. And that really helped us start trying to create some vocabulary for each of those worlds, that didn’t overlap too much, but weren’t foreign to each other,” Ashford explained. Not only does Ashford have to capture those worlds, but tell a beloved story while building upon it. (credit Disney Theatrical) “It was and is a great challenge. But there are always, there are certain places that you don’t need anything, and there are certain places that it elevates the moment even more than the writers,” Ashford told CBS4. The most exciting part of it is seeing how the dance story helps move the main story along.A lot of people in Colorado acted on resolutions to start a new business with the new year, according to the latest Colorado Secretary of State’s Indicators Report. Colorado saw 32,450 new-business filings in the first quarter, an increase of 31 percent from the fourth quarter and a level of activity that should support continued hiring through the year, according to the report. Compared to a year ago, new business filings are up 9.3 percent, the biggest annual bump for a first quarter in the state since 2013, said Brian Lewandowski, associate director of the business research division at the University of Colorado Boulder Leeds School of Business. Of the new-business filings in the first quarter, 24,899 were for limited liability companies, which are popular with individuals. Limited liability corporation (LLC) formations are up 10.3 percent year-over-year in Colorado. At the start of 2013, the state’s unemployment rate was 7.3 percent and more than 200,000 workers were actively looking for a job. Starting a business offered an alternative for those who couldn’t otherwise find a paycheck. But in February, the state unemployment rate was 2.9 percent, which represented 84,700 workers actively looking for a job. Full employment should deter business formations. One explanation could be that more employed people started side businesses to supplement their incomes.Plane crashed at West Houston. pic.twitter.com/fp8Hbsb62i — Kyle Ruehle (@KyleRuehles) July 8, 2016 EMBED >More News Videos A small plane crashed near West Houston Airport on Friday. A small plane crashed into a wooded field near West Houston Airport, killing four people. The aircraft -- a Piper-32 -- was completely destroyed.The fiery crash was reported around 4:15pm. The wreckage was discovered amid some trees not far from the airport, right next to Sherri and George Turner's home."Snapped the pine tree, hit the ground and blew up. By the time I came out it was fully engulfed," said George Turner.Turner grabbed a garden hose to put water on the fire and keep it from spreading.According to the FAA, the plane had taken off from West Houston Airport a few minutes earlier. Investigators believe it suffered some kind of engine failure. Eyewitness Gustavo Trevino, who owns a business nearby, noticed the plane was having trouble just after take off."It made a sharp turn to the left," said Trevino. "When it hit the pine tree, the plane, everything disintegrated."Trevino then rushed to help. He also used his cell phone to record video of the aftermath. His footage shows a fiery field; in the wreckage, up close, it's difficult to tell what's what."Everything was just on fire," Trevino added.The names of the four victims have not been released. Neither has the plane's tail number. Several people who said they knew the victims gathered at the scene Friday evening hoping for information.Multiple agencies responded earlier, including DPS, the Harris County Sheriff's Office and Westlake EMS. The NTSB and FAA are investigating.WASHINGTON — Federal regulators on Monday gave Shell the OK to disturb whales, porpoises and seals by conducting exploratory drilling and related activities in the Chukchi Sea this summer. The incidental harassment authorization, issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, further lowers the number of federal permits Shell Oil Co. must win before it is able to resume exploratory drilling in the Arctic Ocean. The company still has three outstanding, including a similar authorization from the Fish and Wildlife Service and two drilling permits now being reviewed by the Interior Department’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. Related story: Shell wins two EPA wastewater discharge permits for planned Arctic drilling campaign The new harassment authorization from NOAA acknowledges that Shell’s planned drilling and associated activities will disturb some marine mammals that live in the area or migrate through it. For instance, the sounds associated with dynamic positioning rigs over wells, air gun arrays used in seismic testing and vessels while actively moving ice away from the area could affect the bowhead whale, beluga whale, harbor porpoise, bearded seal and other species. The company is barred from causing serious injury or death to any of the animals. Marine mammal observers will be stationed on both of Shell’s contracted drilling rigs during planned operations in the Chukchi Sea, with the responsibility for keeping an eye out for the animals. Under the terms of the NOAA authorization, Shell must reduce vessels’ speed to at least five knots whenever they are within 300 yards of whales — and any boats capable of steering around the animals are supposed to. The vessels also are supposed to avoid multiple changes in direction and speed whenever they are within 300 yards of whales and slow down when weather conditions decrease visibility. A major consideration is keeping a group of whales together. NOAA regulators said Shell’s vessels “may not be operated in such a way as to separate members of a group of whales from other members of the group.” Environmentalists blasted the permit, with Cindy Shogan, executive director of the Alaska Wilderness League, noting the large number of animals that could be affected. “Shell is permitted to harass as many as 25,217 ringed seals, 1,662 beluga whales and 1,038 bowhead whales among other mammals,” Shogan said in a statement. “Shell’s Arctic drilling plans are risky and reckless and today’s permit reveals another layer of outrage.”Dominick Cruz may be stripped of his bantamweight belt due to injury. (Todd Warshaw/Getty Images) Dominick Cruz may be stripped of his bantamweight belt due to injury. (Todd Warshaw/Getty Images) MONTREAL -- One UFC champion might be dethroned this weekend. And the fight promotion also could soon unseat another champ without him even setting foot in the octagon. Or because he isn’t setting foot in the octagon. During a conversation with reporters at the Bell Centre following Thursday afternoon’s press conference to hype UFC 158 -- and in particular, the main event, Georges St-Pierre’s welterweight title defense against Nick Diaz -- company president Dana White was asked if he had any news to share about another of his belt holders, Dominick Cruz. The bantamweight titlist is recovering from a second knee surgery after the first one failed to fix a torn ACL. He has not fought in nearly a year and a half. White sighed at the question. You could see the wheels turning inside his head: Should I just say, “He’s our champ,” and leave it at that? No, as it turned out, he couldn’t. “We need to get Dominick into Vegas,” said White, “and sit down and talk to him and see what’s up.” Here’s what’s up, as far as we know at this point: The UFC created an interim championship, which was won by Renan Barão in July; the Brazilian already has defended the belt once (fourth-round submission of Michael McDonald last month) and is scheduled to put it on the line again (vs. Eddie Wineland in June); and Cruz (19-1), while promising that he’ll fight again, has declined to give a timetable for his return. Will the UFC strip “The Dominator” of his belt and hand it over to Barão? White wouldn’t say, but even his vague elaboration did not sound good for the reign of Cruz. “He’s our champ, he’s our guy, and he needs time,” said Dana. “But we’re getting to the point now where we really need to make a decision.” Stripping a title would not be unprecedented. Back in 2004, the UFC unseated Frank Mir after the heavyweight champion was injured in a motorcycle accident. But Mir had won the belt just three months before and had never defended it. Cruz is a far more established champion. He captured the 135-pound title of the UFC’s sister promotion, the WEC, in 2010, and made two defenses before that organization was folded into the UFC. He’s since defended the strap two more times. Another factor in the UFC’s decision: Dominick was injured in training, not on a reckless motorcycle ride. This will be a wrenching call for White to make. His business is fueled by championship fights, and no matter how much an interim belt looks like the real thing, the paying customers know it’s a faux honor. Then again, regardless of what Barão is wearing around his waist, would he be viewed as a true champion without having taken the belt away from Cruz himself? And then there’s the human side: Dana aches for the predicament in which his fallen champion finds himself. “This poor kid,” said White. “I’ve never seen anybody with more bad luck than Cruz, man.” The wretched trend might well continue. But if the UFC does come calling for Dominick’s belt, we’re not likely to hear about it until the deed is done. “Even if I had a decision about him, I wouldn’t say it here,” White told the gaggle of reporters. “He deserves the respect to come out to Vegas and sit down and talk about it.” --Jeff WagenheimA special VIP service allows those who can afford to pay a hefty $150 per-person fee to make it through the crossing in less than 30 minutes. Crowds at the bridge crossing from the Palestinian Occupied Territories into Jordan are nothing new. For 49 years Palestinians have endured terrible conditions and long waits attempting to travel to-and-from Jordan using the only available crossing for 2.3 million West Bankers. But the larger than average crowds - along with a new system allowing the rich to pay a fee to bypass the lines - has raised anger among the Palestinians to unprecedented levels.Nazmi Muhana, the official in charge of the Palestinian border crossing, said there has been a 48 percent increase in numbers this summer. He said that the first 17 days of July, 149,000 Palestinians attempted to make it through the only crossing out of the Occupied Territories compared to 104,000 during the same period last year. This increase has turned the 90-minute trip from most West Bank cities to the Jordanian capital Amman into a 10 hour nightmare. The 42 degree heat in the Jordan Valley added to the difficult wait.At the same time, the Palestinian government approved a special VIP service that allows those who can afford to pay a hefty $150 per-person fee to make it through the crossing in less than 30 minutes.Hazem Kawasmi, a Palestinian activist, with the Karameh Movement Campaign, posted on his Facebook page photos of hundreds of Palestinians waiting in transit halls. Kawasmi demanded that the only crossing for Palestinians be opened around the clock. At present, the bridge is open from 8am to 10pm weekdays, and for three hours on Fridays and Saturdays. The publicity has brought quick results and on 21 July Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah made a surprise visit to the Jericho terminal and added his voice to those demanding that the bridge is open around the clock.Palestinians have complained for years about travel restrictions. In addition to the overcrowded conditions, each Palestinian has to pay high fees and a hefty exit tax ($110 for East Jerusalemites and $40 for non-Jerusalem West Bank residents).For a short time - at the turn of the century - Palestinian police were stationed at the Israeli-controlled terminal, which was open for 24 hours. When the Second Intifada began in October 2000, Israel kicked out the Palestinian police and thus a new Palestinian terminal in Jericho had to be established. Half of the fees collected at the bridge crossing are supposed to go to the Palestinian police even though they are no longer stationed at the terminal. The US sponsored roadmap for peace included a provision that Israel was expected to allow the Palestinian police back to the terminal but this was never implemented.Palestinians endure long, monotonous waits at the Jericho terminal, taking a bus to the Israeli-controlled terminal only to board another bus to the Jordanian side after passport control.The Palestinian prime mininister told the press that Palestinian travelers are not complaining about conditions in the air-conditioned Palestinian terminal, but that they understand that the bottle neck is because of Israeli delays. Hamdallah supported the call for an extension of the opening hours but noted that the problem is from the Israelis not from the Palestinian or Jordanian sides.For most Palestinians the problem of the overcrowding at the bridge crossing is the latest manifestation of a much bigger problem - namely the lack of strong representation by the Palestinian government vis-à-vis the Israeli side. Palestinians are resigned to the fact that their negotiators are unable to bring about a dramatic end to the occupation because of the imbalance of power, and a lack of interest from the international community to force Israel to quit the Occupied Territories.However, what Palestinians don't understand is why the Palestinian government doesn't do much more to ease some of the difficulties of life under occupation. After all, many say that the only reason for the continued existence of the Palestinian National Authority is the fact that they are supposed to champion the cause of the average Palestinian.Experts predict that August will not only see record high temperatures in the Jordan Valley, but also a continued long delays and overcrowding at the border crossing. At present, short of a change by Israel of the bridge's opening hours, few expect any relief from this ordeal.When Palestinians, waiting in line for hours, see their own leaders and wealthy Palestinians skip the queue because they can afford to pay the exorbitant VIP fee, they will get mad and express anger at a government whose term in office has long elapsed and whose conduct in their eyes doesn't invite the public to support them. In the long term, the continuation of this feeling will not bode well for the Palestinian leadership.Our time is fraught with war and water. The headlines confirm that, for what seems like forever, there has been conflict in the Middle East where sectarian rivalries, religious conflicts, the pursuit of oil, and the geo-political collision between economic aspirations and impassioned ideologies continue unabated. Many thousands have died as combatants or collateral damage in an endless time and place of conflict. The most recent manifestation is the so-called Islamic State, or ISIL, a particularly feral group of Muslim militants with the intent to reestablish the historical caliphate that once extended from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. Suddenly everything reverts to air strikes, international outrage, and the possible return of "boots on the ground." I have been looking at the maps indicating where ISIL forces seem to have taken control and wondering at their length and direction that extends from the northern border between Turkey and Syria southeasterly almost to the limits of Baghdad. The obvious explanation is that the extent of their success mimics the main highway then runs from Aleppo through Raqua, Qaim, Haditha, and Falluja to the capital city. A larger segment of controlled territory is enclosed to the east by a similar route that connects Mosul south to Tikrit, Samarra, and Baghdad where the situation deteriorates into the ambiguity of warfare and shifting political ambitions. But if you look closely at your atlas map of Syria and Iraq, you discover an underlying revelation: Those cities are placed and those highways run exactly along the course of several major rivers -- the Euphrates, Tigris, and their tributaries -- that originate in the mountains of eastern Turkey, bifurcate the empty desert, and descend past Baghdad where they empty at Basra into what ultimately becomes the Arabian Sea. In the vast, dry, unpopulated expanse of the region, this war is being fought down a watershed. My map is also marked by numerous three-dot symbols that are used by cartographers to designate significant historical cultural resources, locating places called Zenobia, Dura Europus, Nimrud, and Nineveh, names that speak to the earliest human settlements in what the history books call "the cradle of civilization." Those rivers nurtured our beginnings, before Islam and Christianity, before conquest from elsewhere by imperialists following the trade routes to resources and connections beyond. There are other such symbols on my map: miniature drilling rigs signifying the major oil fields that fuel this war and all others, cultural icons of our modern time. The irony here is that after all the tumult and shouting, after all the air strikes and beheadings, all the assertions of conflicting systems of law, all the moral justifications, the only thing that matters is the water: to drink, to secure hygiene and health, to irrigate crops, and to sustain the communities regardless of sect or religious belief, to allow the descendants of those who lived in these places centuries before to continue and thrive. The location of these cities and the caravan or highway routes between them are all testimony to the fact that for all time water has enabled the true security of the region. Take away the slogans and guns, let the people live there, and the water will sustain them.30 Unique Most Comfortable Desk Chair Ever Why Herman Miller s Cosm Is the Most Important fice Chair in M2W Cosm Chair Gear Patrol Slide 1 on topic Most Comfortable Desk Chair Ever source image via:gearpatrol.com Why Herman Miller s Cosm Is the Most Important fice Chair in, The Best Gaming Chairs... 35 Collection Of sofia Vergara Paris Silver Sofia Vergara Wedding Ring Lovely Paris Hilton Boasts Her Luck Sofia Vergara Wedding Ring Lovely Download 15 Beautiful Miley Cyrus Engagement Ring Cost on topic sofia vergara paris silver source image via:urbanstylzweddings.com Sofia Vergara Wedding Ring Lovely Paris Hilton Boasts Her Luck, 11 best Kings... 35 Elegant Gallery Of southwestern Metal Yard Art Southwest Garden Arts Mesa Az Lovely Quilt Inspiration March 2014 Southwest Garden Arts Mesa Az Lovely Quilt Inspiration March 2014 on topic southwestern metal yard art source image via:chicagobearsstoreonline.com Southwest Garden Arts Mesa Az Lovely Quilt Inspiration March 2014, Palm Tree Metal Yard Art Garden...Analysis Expressing considerable confidence that trained drug-sniffing dogs are reliable, and showing specific respect for one Florida police dog — Aldo — the Supreme Court on Tuesday made it quite easy for police officers to search a car or truck for drugs once a canine snooper has “alerted” to a smell on the vehicle. If the police offer evidence that a dog has been trained, or got a certificate from a training agency, that may well be enough to give police permission to turn an “alert” into a search of a vehicle, the Court said in a unanimous decision written by Justice Elena Kagan (Florida v. Harris, docket 11-817). The Court specifically rejected a very detailed checklist of proof of a dog’s reliability that the Florida Supreme Court had drawn up before a court could treat a dog’s signaling of the presence of a drug odor as the equivalent of “probable cause” to search. In place of such a checklist, the Court set up a “reasonably prudent person” test — that is, a common-sense review of all of the facts about a dog’s alert, to see if such a prudent person would think that a search would turn up evidence of illegal drugs. “A sniff is up to snuff when it meets that test,” Kagan cleverly summed up. While suggesting strongly that evidence of training is enough, without an elaborate inquiry into how the dog had performed in the field, the Court did stress that a person accused of having illegal drugs based on a dog’s alert must have the opportunity in court to challenge the dependability of the training evidence and to test whether the police handler might have “cued” the dog to make an alert. Thus, the bottom line of the ruling was that the dog does not always win, if the accused individual can undercut its training record. Over the years, the Supreme Court has ruled repeatedly that police may often use a drug-sniffing dog to check out a suspicious area or object, and do so without a warrant, but those decisions did not relax the constitutional requirement that police must have “probable cause” to make a search. The Court, in Tuesday’s decision, assumed that the “probable cause” requirement remained intact, but then filled in any blanks about when and whether a police dog’s alert would satisfy that requirement. The issue arose in the case of a Blountstown, Florida, man, Clayton Harris, who apparently was addicted to methamphetamine. On June 24, 2006, he was driving his truck when a canine officer, noticing that the truck’s license plate had expired, pulled Harris over. Because Harris appeared nervous and disoriented, and because he had refused permission to search his truck, the officer let Aldo walk around the vehicle. The dog signaled that there was a suspicious odor on the driver-side door’s handle. Taking that as sufficient reason for a search, the officer checked out the interior of the vehicle, turning up materials known to police as the ingredients for making methamphetamine. Harris was told of his legal rights. He told the officer he was addicted to the drug, and had been “cooking” it recently. His lawyers sought to bar from the trial the evidence of the drug-making materials, but the judge rejected the challenge. Harris then entered a no-contest plea, but kept open the right to challenge the justification for the search. He was sentenced to two years in prison and five years on probation. The Florida Supreme Court, on his appeal, ruled that the alert made by Aldo was not reliable, because Aldo had not been proved to be fully dependable. It then created a detailed list of proof that police would have to show before a dog’s alert could be credited as justification for a search. That is the result that the Supreme Court overturned Tuesday. One key facet of the state court’s list was proof about the dog’s past performance of “hits” and “misses” in detecting drug smells. Justice Kagan wrote: “A finding of a drug-detection dog’s reliability cannot depend upon the state’s satisfaction of multiple, independent evidentiary requirements. No more for dogs than for human informants is such an inflexible checklist the way to prove reliability, and thus establish probable cause.” In describing how a court should now proceed to evaluate whether a dog’s alert did constitute “probable cause,” the Kagan opinion said that the court should allow both sides — the police and the accused — “to make their best case,” and then determine whether the particular sniff had satisfied the Court’s new “common sense/prudent person” standard. As for Aldo and this particular alert, the Court said that the dog’s training record “sufficed to establish” his reliability on that occasion. (NOTE TO READERS: On the same day in October that the Court held a hearing on the Harris case, it also heard argument on a second dog-sniffing case. That case, not yet decided, is Florida v. Jardines, 11-564. That case tests whether police without a warrant may use a drug-detecting dog to check out the front porch and door of a home suspected of being used for illegal drug activity.) The Court’s decision, in plain English: Police departments across the country make use of trained dogs for a variety of law-enforcement tasks, including investigation in potential drug-trafficking cases. Dogs can be trained to react, by specific kinds of movements, when they smell an odor that emanates from a stash of drugs. Such dogs, in fact, do not smell drugs; they smell odors. When they show that they have picked up the scent, that usually leads the police officers to follow up with a search to see if drugs are, in fact, present in such a spot. Normally, police can use a drug-sniffing dog without having to get a search warrant from a judge, especially if the officers are making a field investigation in situations where the evidence might get away if the police don’t act on the spot. That happened in the Florida case that the Justices decided on Tuesday. An officer with a canine partner had stopped a truck for a minor traffic violation, and sensed that the driver might be on drugs. Because the truck’s driver refused to let the officer search the truck, the officer led the dog, named Aldo, around the exterior of the vehicle. The dog made movements that showed he smelled something suspicious on the driver-side door handle. Taking that as a signal that drugs were inside the truck, the officer checked out the interior, and found a stash of drug-making equipment. Ultimately, the individual was convicted on his plea of no-contest, but he still had the opportunity to argue that the officer had no justification for the search because the dog was not a reliable drug-detector. The Florida Supreme Court agreed with the challenge, and laid down a specific set of proofs that police would have to offer in order to justify a search based on a dog’s “alert.” The Supreme Court cast aside that checklist, and said courts should use a common-sense approach, looking at all the facts and circumstances to see if the dog had been trained to do what the police claimed it could do. The decision was unanimous, thus upholding the conviction in the case of Floridian Clayton Harris. Recommended Citation: Lyle Denniston, Opinion recap: Trust the police dog, SCOTUSblog (Feb. 19, 2013, 1:55 PM), https://www.scotusblog.com/2013/02/opinion-recap-trust-the-police-dog/BRECKENRIDGE — It was just a tap on the back of the helmet from a buddy. But it sent freeskiing superstar Justin Dorey tumbling, once again, into darkness. “Each time the recovery time would double,” said Dorey, whose career of podiums was earned despite countless crashes and at least a dozen concussions that eventually left him huddling in a dark room, all but incapacitated. “It’s ridiculous how small of an impact it takes to take me out for a year and a half.” The issue of concussions are front and center in the world of sports, thanks largely to well publicized concussion management protocols that have been established as an outgrowth of a tragic history of traumatic brain injuries among professional football players. But for winter sports athletes — who often lack the support of a league or even a team — the issue of concussions is only now emerging from the shadows. It’s not uncommon for a winter athlete to disregard reporting hits to the head as he or she pushes to the podium. They fear getting sidelined in a discipline where fleeting success rewards very few. It happens all the time, said Dorey, 28, who recently retired from professional skiing after taking more than 18 months to recover from a slam to his head he sustained jumping off a rope swing into a lake. “If you hit your head before the X Games, you are not telling anybody because they will take you out. Maybe it is a minor hit and you’ll probably be fine,” Dorsey said. “But if it is more serious than you think and you hit your head again, it gets bad quick. A couple times I hit my head and didn’t tell anybody because I didn’t want them to stop me from skiing.” While the research regarding brain injuries is still in its infancy, it has been established that repeated blows can lead to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive, degenerative disease that has been linked to a litany of life-changing symptoms such as memory loss, impaired judgement, insomnia, dementia and depression so deep it pushed some retired football players, such as Junior Seau, to take their own lives. Dave Mirra, the BMX legend whose journey to 24 X Games medals included many concussions, died from a self-inflicted gunshot at age 41 last February. Neuropathologists found CTE in Mirra’s brain, making him the first action sports athlete to be diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease. It’s unlikely he will be the last among gravity sport athletes who have long and silently endured concussions as a cost of admission. “Athletes are not talking about this like we should,” said mountain biker Amanda Batty, who has more than 30 documented concussions in her career as a professional athlete. “We won’t be honest about the disconnect between wanting something so bad and living long enough to get it. Accidents happen. That doesn’t mean you are a bad athlete. You are a bad athlete when you keep competing with a concussion.” Suffering in Silence Dr. Jon Lieff, a Boston-based neuropsychiatrist who has studied thousands of patients with brain injuries for 40 years, said while research outside major professional sports is lacking, there is substantial evidence that cumulative impacts to the head will prove detrimental to some people but not necessarily all people, “not even a majority of people.” “Twenty percent of people who play football for three, four years will suffer decreases in cognitive ability. But which 20 percent? No one can tell,” he said. “If you hit your head one way and I hit my head the exact same way, you could be fine and I could suffer memory loss for the rest of my life and there’s no way to determine what makes you more resilient than me. There is a lot we don’t know.” A 10-year study by the International Federation of Skiing, the governing body of skiing and snowboarding, documented 320 concussions sustained by FIS athletes between 2006 and 2016, or roughly 10 percent of all the injuries counted among the FIS disciplines of World Cup alpine skiing, freestyle skiing, snowboarding and ski jumping. Perhaps most disconcerting in the FIS Injury Surveillance System report was that 51 of the 355 head injuries sustained by training or competing FIS skiers and snowboarders in that decade did not sideline the athlete for any time. But, 82 of the 355 head injuries took athletes out of commission for more than a month. Brain researchers are learning more about the lingering consequences of a lifetime of head traumas. That research is fueling a growing awareness among action sports athletes that a brain “bruise” needs the same amount of attention, rest and recovery as any other injury. “The pendulum has swung from one extreme to the other,” said Melinda Roalstad, the former medical director for U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association who helped establish concussion protocol procedures for FIS, protective processes that mirror those used in football, baseball, hockey and soccer, for instance. The key to concussion management — treatment for brain trauma as well as reducing the incidence and severity of concussions — is “education, education, education,” said Roalstad, who is seeing more patients at the Think Head First concussion clinic she started in 2010 in Park City, Utah, largely due to that growing recognition of the need for proper care after a blow to the head. Batty has become somewhat of an expert on concussions, having arrived at that designation by enduring several concussions a year in the past decade. In her late teens and early 20s she labored to earn a living from snowboarding and repeated head injuries nearly killed her. “There is a period of my early 20s that I really don’t remember,” she said. “That’s my normal but it is not normal. It’s so (messed) up.” For the past decade, her life has been a scary navigation of post-concussion syndrome, a maze of headaches, dizziness, memory loss and uncertainty. In March 2009, she slammed her head so hard while snowboarding her brain began bleeding. She spent six weeks in the hospital. In 2012, fighting to establish herself on the pro downhill mountain biking circuit, she crashed and collapsed her lungs, an injury that masked yet another concussion from the slam. The brain damage was piling up. “I had just had these series of concussions that I never took seriously,” she said. “I was so hungry and so hell-bent. I was young
's thoughts and memories, sweeping aside all resistance and seeking out names, goals, passwords, meeting places, addresses… "No!" the lead ritual mage suddenly shouted. "No, no, NO! We were so close! This can't be happening!" The orb of blood seethed and boiled, strange shapes akin to mouths and eyes occasionally dancing on its surface, before it suddenly stilled. For one single second, the sphere of blood hung motionless in the air, perfectly calm and spherical. Then everything was illuminated in bright red light and darkness consumed Zorian's world.Spread the love Indianapolis, IN — Indianapolis Metropolitan police responded to a 9-1-1 call about an armed robbery early Tuesday morning. When IMPD officers showed up, however, they shot the first person they saw — the innocent homeowner. In only a matter of minutes, a woman went from being in shock after being robbed at gunpoint, to praying that her husband survives the holes put in him by police bullets. Speaking to reporters Tuesday morning, IMPD Assistant Chief Randal Taylor said the department received a 9-1-1 call from the couple around 4:30 a.m. after a young man confronted her in the driveway. The woman, who was getting home from work, said the man held a gun to her head and demanded her car keys. Naturally, choosing life over car keys, the woman complied. She quickly ran inside to her husband at which point they called police. According to Taylor, after they called 9-1-1, the woman’s husband, who has been identified as 48-year-old Carl Williams, went outside the home with a gun. When police arrived, they mistook Williams for the robbery suspect and shot him. He was seriously injured and is in critical condition at a nearby hospital. Tuesday afternoon, the IMPD released the following statement: Two responding officers arrived at the house shortly after the homeowner had disconnected with 911 and observed the black vehicle sitting in the driveway. Officers sought cover in an attempt to approach in a covert manner to investigate the vehicle. Moments later the homeowner, who was armed, is shot by a veteran police officer of 9-years. The second involved officer did not fire his weapon and is an 8-year veteran of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. The homeowner was shot one time in the stomach and was transported by EMS personnel to IU Health Methodist Hospital in serious condition. When asked if the officer even spoke to the man before firing, the chief was unable to answer. “Obviously, the homeowner had a weapon out, but I’m not sure what conversations would have occurred, if any, between the officer and the homeowner,” said Taylor. It’s unclear how far away police were from the homeowner when he was shot, or whether he had his gun pointed at officers when he emerged from the garage, IMPD Sgt. Kendale Adams told IndyStar. According to the IMPD: The involved officer has been placed on Administrative Leave (standard procedure) and will receive the proper coping services after a traumatic event. As with any officer-involved shooting, both a criminal and separate independent internal investigations will commence to include a review by the Firearms Review Board and Grand Jury. What is clear is that the homeowner never fired his weapon, was merely attempting to protect his wife, and for this — he was shot. “I think that’s really crazy. What do we have, trigger-happy police officers out here now?” said Angela Parrott, who has lived in the area for about a year, as reported by the IndyStar. Angela Parrott is concerned about the police shooting in her neighborhood pic.twitter.com/IjO4M0rAdA — Vic Ryckaert (@VicRyc) August 23, 2016 As for the suspected robber, he is still at large. He is described as a young black male, wearing a red jacket and a dark baseball cap. During the press conference on Tuesday, a reporter asked about the possibility of surveillance footage on the couple’s home that could have caught the shooting on video. Taylor responded by claiming they were unaware of such footage. However, when looking at a photo of the front of their home, we can see what appears to be a surveillance camera directly above where the shooting took place. Crime lab dusting for fingerprints pic.twitter.com/Z0nZOPLcp9 — Vic Ryckaert (@VicRyc) August 23, 2016 At a press conference on Tuesday, police released the recording of the 9-1-1 call. During the press conference, IMPD Maj. Richard Riddle explained, “Our homeowner, the individual who was trying his best protect himself and his wife from any other harm, was shot mistakenly by our officers. This incident occurred within a few seconds, and those judgment calls are made within a few split seconds. “She was victimized, and unfortunately now, her husband was victimized as well.” During the press conference, you can hear Williams writhing in pain over the police radio after he was shot. This case highlights the dangers involved with dialing 9-1-1. Calling 9-1-1 for help and then being victimized or killed by police happens far too often. Last year, we reported on the story of Kevin Davis, who called 9-1-1 to report that his girlfriend had been stabbed. When cops got to his apartment, they killed him. Before that, a mother of two called the police to report two intruders in her home. When cops showed up they shot and killed her. In December, we reported the story of a decorated Army veteran who called 9-1-1 for help with a cut foot. When police showed up to his house, they killed him. In November, a man called 9-1-1 to report a wanted gunman. When police showed up they shot the man who called them instead of the gunman. Sadly, more often than not, this is what happens when you call the cops.Launch Gallery Expand A woman lies beside her new born baby at a health centre in India. © 2008 Reuters Leading up to Mother's Day, the commercial world would have us believe that flowers and jewelry are the best gift a mother could receive. Yet most mothers I know (including myself) don't need roses or bracelets. We need time. Time to be with our children. Time to care for them when they are sick, or just take them to the doctor for routine check-ups. Time to participate in our children's education as active learning partners, and to be constructive members of Parent Teacher Associations. Unfortunately, the United States provides few legal protections to enable women--or men--to have this much-needed time with our children. There is no law to guarantee paid sick leave or vacation, and as a result half of U.S. workers must pay for their own sick days, and one out of five lose pay if they take any vacation time. There is no law to require paid maternity leave, and there are no allowances for time off to breast-feed. Federal law provides eligible workers with 12 weeks of unpaid extended sick leave to be used as parental leave, but about 40 percent of workers don't even qualify for that. In fact, American lawmakers are loathe even to contemplate paid maternity benefits. In 2002 the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted on whether the United States should ratify the international women's rights treaty (formally called the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the CEDAW). The alternative was to remain in the company of Somalia, Iran, Qatar and a few others as one of only 8 countries in the world that refuse to accept its provisions. At that time the Senate Committee concluded that, yes, the United States should ratify, but only if we can opt out of the commitment to paid maternity leave or other maternity related benefits. An overcrowded fall Senate schedule prevented the treaty from being considered by the full Senate, and the United States still has not ratified the treaty. This contrasts sharply with other high-income countries--such as Canada, Denmark, Australia, and Spain, all parties to the treaty--where the law provides for paid parental leave without exception, often with the right to return to work gradually, on a part-time basis. Many high-income countries entitle parents to tailor parental leave to their needs, with options such as taking the leave in one block with a paid allowance, or working part-time over a longer period; reducing the working day during a set time period, or extending the paid leave period into unpaid leave, with job guarantees. Not surprisingly, parents in other high-income countries tend to spend more time with their children. The percentage of families with two working parents who work 80 hours a week or more is twice as high in the United States as in the closest comparable European country. What is perhaps less well-known is that many lower income countries have much stronger legal protections for paid parental leave and related issues than the United States. Most Latin American countries require employers to allow breastfeeding mothers the time and physical space to breastfeed for at least a year after childbirth. And paid vacation and sick leave are protected by law in most of the region. Of course, legal provisions don't necessarily translate into effective protection. Many women in Latin America can't take advantage of their legal rights because they work in undocumented jobs or because they have to work several full-time jobs to make ends meet. It is, however, noticeable that all the talk about family values in the United States doesn't seem to translate into actual legal protection, and that lawmakers in other countries--rich and poor--seem to have a much better grasp of what it really takes to be a good parent: time and support. The good news is that our Senators soon get another chance to show they get it. The Obama administration has sent the women's rights treaty for review by various government agencies, and the Senate is likely to consider approving it by fall. When they do, they may look back at the 2002 transcripts and feel tempted to carve out similar exceptions on paid maternity leave and benefits. But when that time comes, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee members should think about Mother's Day and ask themselves: what do mothers need? Here's a hint: it's not flowers. It's time.Cape Town – Social media users are reporting an earth tremor felt around the Durban area on Saturday morning. - Did you feel the tremor? Send us your eyewitness accounts and photos. According to some Twitter users a mini tremor was felt around 11:00 knocking over items in the house. Some have reported that the tremor lasted five seconds, while others claim that it could have been as long as two minutes. ER24 tweeted that a 3.1 magnitude earth tremor hits Durban and surroundings. More to follow. I thought I imagined my room move slightly but it seems there was a tremor in Durban a few minutes ago. #tremor #Durban — Japanese Joe/?????? (@jauhara) February 6, 2016 First time in my life experiencing a #tremor in #Durban. Feel like throwing up, knowing it was actually real and not just me hallucinating! — Jasmin De La Roux (@LeFreakinElves) February 6, 2016 My friends and family are reporting that they felt a tremor in various parts of Durban. Anyone else @News24 @IOL — Roshan Byjnal (@roshOPC) February 6, 2016Sarah C. Moretti (Photo11: The Tennessean) Story Highlights Theft charges dropped after death certificate said she died of overdose She was arrested again last month Officials removed her from courtroom after she apparently cut herself with a pen NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A woman who prosecutors say faked her own death to avoid answering for a theft charge was escorted from a Nashville courthouse this week after apparently cutting herself with a pen. Shortly after Tuesday's start of a General Sessions Court hearing to "resurrect" a felony charge from 2011, court officials noticed Sarah C. Moretti behaving unusually and realized she was attempting to harm herself, said Judge Casey E. Moreland, who was presiding over the hearing. A law enforcement officer in the courtroom restrained the 37-year-old, whose arms were bleeding from apparently self-inflicted wounds caused by a pen, Moreland said. The woman was eventually escorted from the courthouse by emergency medical personnel, he said. In July 2011, a charge for stealing nearly $2,500 in merchandise from a Macy's department was dropped after court officials received a certificate that Moretti had died in Kentucky from a drug overdose. But the death certificate put off authorities for only so long. In March 2012, police picked up Moretti after they said she was caught shoplifting at a Dillard's department store. She then was arrested again last month after police said she returned to the Macy's store, resulting in a criminal trespassing charge. In the aftermath of the courtroom incident Tuesday, the "motion to resurrect" hearing was postponed until Jan. 24. Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1m8vajVFree Wood is an LGBT love story about the horrors of the great outdoors. Mitch and Benji are about to learn nothing is free when their camping party crosses paths with a group of locals giving away firewood. Every September, for twenty years, they've met at the lake to fish, camp, and reconnect but for siblings Michelle and Benjamin, this last year's been a killer. The Great Recession has taken its toll, leaving Benji unemployed and cohabiting with a wealthy woman he barely knows. For Mitch, an out lesbian and veteran EMT, the trip may be her last best chance to rekindle the relationship she shares with her long term, much younger, girlfriend. Their camping trip takes a horrifying turn when Maisie Frater, a sheltered teenage girl, mistakes Mitch for a young man. Maisie's confusion spirals into a terrifying, all-consuming fixation. With the help of her older brother, Maisie sets out to learn everything she can about the visitors, through whatever means possible. Free Wood poses questions about how technology affects our perception of privacy and sexual identity. It uses elements of humor, suspense and horror to explore how family dynamics can shape our lives and relationships.Why is story so important to your music career? Harsh Truth: When it comes to marketing your songs, no one cares about your music. I know. Let that one sink in. Podcasters, bloggers, publishers, labels, TV Shows, everyone is looking for a great yarn to tell. So, stop talking about your music and start talking about your story! Think about it: American Idol, America's Got Talent, The Voice - They all have one important element in common: The story. A song is much more powerful if the audience can find empathy with an artist's story first. Which is more meaningful? The artist who goes on stage and sings her song about working 9-5 and doing dishes? Or a story introduction where we learn this artist is a single mother who came from a broken down home in TN & this is her last audition before going back to waiting tables/washing dishes to support her 3 year old daughter? The second one because it has story behind it. Knowing these intimate details about the artist, helps the audience member connect with the person on a whole new level. It's now not just about her music, it's about sharing an experience together. This is why story is so powerful! It impacts your listeners/fans on a whole new level. In marketing/sales we call this the "curiosity/excitement" factor. Here's a really cool fact: People don't buy with their heads, they buy with their hearts. Story comes from the heart, so start telling yours. How do you use story to market your music? Create a 30 second pitch-line about your album/song that's engaging and fun. Make sure when you are describing your music you use references your fans would know. "It's like nothing you've heard before!" doesn't say anything. Be descriptive and use adjectives/familiarity to connect with your prospect. Good Example: "It sounds like Elton John meets U2 kicking it at an Irish Pub with the lyrical seance of Bob Dylan!" See how I sold 10,000 CD's on the streets of LA with an mp3 player & story. Create Curiosity & Excitement Story element around you/your band Bad Example of Story Usage: "I started playing music when I was 18, but then couldn't pay the bills so I got a job and currently work as a barista at Starbucks. I still try to play out when I can and I wrote this album because it's really meaningful to what I was going through at the time." This story may relate to the artist, but it does not captivate the readers/audience. We all know the story of the artist who can't pay his bills and needs to get a day-job. What we haven't heard is what happened at Starbucks? Maybe the manager got mad because the artist couldn't make a caramel macchiato, so he/she went home and wrote a song called, "My Macchiato rocks!" Now that's relevant, fun & somewhat engaging! Always keep your story authentic, but dig deep and find those kernels of truth that inspire curiosity and excitement. Good Example "I started playing music when I was kid, but when I grew up I realized I couldn't pay the bills, so I got myself a 9-5 job as a zoo keeper. I know, it sounds weird, but I have always liked learning about animals and places. My mom used to have National Geographic all over the house, so I kind of ended up reading one too many of them. I know, I'm a nerd! Any way, one day I stayed a bit later at the zoo and was working on my song "Louder than you." I'd just finished feeding the lion cage and figured they could be an audience for a few minutes. I got my acoustic from the office and was just humming along working out the lyrics, but when I got to the chorus one of the Lions started roaring! Then his female partner joined him! I knew right then, I had to push this song. I figured if no one listened to it, maybe I could just sell it as a zoo soundtrack. Ha!" Yeah, this is far-fetched, but this story has a lot of elements to it. The song "Louder than you" is a perfect segway into the Lion story. Secondly, this isn't the every day story about a guy who works at a cafe, this guy worked at a zoo! Who does that? That's a crazy world that a lot of people don't know about and is weird/interesting right?! This story gives bloggers/podcasters/publishers a lot to talk about and there's some real mystery here. What kind of songs make Lions roar in a chorus? I want to hear that! Always be thinking about your story and how to build that into your brand. ---Tony Robbins, is one of my favorite mentors and his article below inspired my rant on story. If you have Netflix, I highly suggest checking out his special: "I am not your Guru." In the link below, he discusses the power of "Story" and how essential it is to building your brand, product, business, etc. Click Here Need help/tips to further your music career? Say hello: deron@tuneport.com Edited by Deron Wade on Mar 5, 2017 10:12 PMI’m either a comedian who moonlights as a union organizer or a union organizer who moonlights as a comedian; I kind of can’t tell anymore. Consequently, other comedians often ask me how we can form a union. The question they’re really asking is not “How do I pay dues and get a union contract?” The underlying question really is “How do we get a better deal in the unending murder-suicide pact of show business?” Unions are defined by law as collectively bargained, democratically-ratified, legally-enforceable contracts covering wages, benefits, and working conditions. They are defined by pop culture as corrupt and/or irrelevant. Comedians who are already in SAG-AFTRA or the WGA can participate in them to make them better. On the other hand, as comedians there is a vast sprawling expanse of our creative work that is as yet uncovered by existing unions. Standards are all over the map for our podcasts, stand-up, writing, videos, hosting “talent shows” at the Elk’s Lodge. Even when we get a gig with a contract, we hope someone else has our best interests in mind who will tell us what it means. Or we do the gig with a fist bump as the contract and pray for the best. This is bullshit. Until we figure out what the United Comedians of America will do, we can be smarter about our contracts. Here are a few tips on contracts that may make your life better: Get the contract at the beginning, when everyone is excited about working together. When things go great, of course it seems like we don’t need a contract. Contracts are for when our relationships turn to rubbish or there’s a misunderstanding. But it is wayyyy easier to make a legal document when we’re friends than it is after the shit hits the fan and you actually need it. As an analogy, if you’re about to do the nasty, and pull out a condom, and the other person gets weird about it, then you may not want to hump them. Maybe you only do oral. If the first time you have sex with somebody, they bust out something hella weird and creepy, you may think twice about doing it again. Same with contracts. A contract is foreplay to check out a partner before you’re in an ongoing business affair and they give you syphilis. One of the irritating things about show business is that deals aren’t public, so transparency is a big problem for us. In union negotiations, workers can check other union contracts to see what’s normal. In political wheeling and dealing, everything is in the public record. But for comedy, there is no public record to tell us whether a deal is amazing or we’re being screwed. Nobody really knows the market or what an apples to apples comparison is. This means we need lawyers and agents and managers or wino prophets we trust—people who know the market. I hate negotiating without my own data, so my personal strategy is to do everything I can to narrow the range of issues where I have to hope I’m getting accurate advice from my lawyer. In legal terms, a contract is a “meeting of the minds.” All that matters legally is whether the parties understood what they agreed to. That’s why it sucks for us as “talent” to not understand what we’re signing. Usually, the people who need to agree to the contract are not the people who write it—the first draft always comes from a legal template instead of the person I’m working with. For every contract, I create an email record to clarify the meaning, and then renegotiate so the language reflects what we’ve verbally agreed to. No one objects when I say, “This doesn’t reflect the conversation we just had. Let’s fix the language.” Plan for worst-case scenarios. We Jews have spent millennia mastering the art of anticipating all the ways something can go horribly wrong. Comics are of course desperate to get to the being-funny part, but the more clearly we plan for the future, the better. The most important parts of the contract are how it’s enforced and how you get out of it. Money is important, but we also need contracts in order to protect ourselves. Entertainment is filled with stories of artists who took the wrong person’s word and got paid in cocaine instead of royalties. The more airtight the enforcement of a deal is, the better. When you read a contract, what could it mean to sue over each part? How would it look, in a worst-case scenario, to a judge or an arbitrator? For example, if someone says that they “will” do something, that is a lot bigger commitment than if they say they “will make a good faith effort” to do it. It is nigh impossible to prove that someone didn’t make a good faith effort, but not hard to prove that they just didn’t do it. Enforcement also means making sure you have tools to enforce it, so language about when everybody has to do stuff and what information you’re entitled to is essential. How a contract ends is critical. There’s no right answer; just know what you want. We often make a contract with somebody at a company, and then that person leaves and the dude who replaces them doesn’t like us. What happens if the deal is sold to another firm? Do they have to honor the old contract or do you get out of it? Can either side extend the contract, or terminate it, and how easy is that? Now get out there and always be closing. Or never be closing if the deals suck. Or be taken advantage of. Or move to Europe and enjoy public arts funding and universal healthcare. Up to you.Trusting shopkeeper keeps store open on day off... and leaves customers a note and honesty box Shopkeeper Tom Algie faced a dilemma over Christmas - how to give himself and his three staff time off but without letting down his customers. So he came up with a solution to suit everyone: leaving the hardware store open with an honesty box. He left a note telling shoppers who came in on Boxing Day to serve themselves and then leave their payment in the box he had rigged up. Perhaps astonishingly, his plan worked. Trusting shopkeeper Tom Algie wanted a day off and left his DIY store open with a note and honesty box - and returned to find £187 inside When Mr Algie, 47, returned at 4.15pm to close up, he was delighted to find the shop in Settle, North Yorkshire, had taken £187.66 - and two euros. The father of two said: 'I didn't think twice about leaving the shop open. Settle is a lovely quiet rural town and there's never any trouble here. I put my faith in my customers and I wasn't disappointed. 'It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. I just wanted to spend the holidays with my family but thought it would be quite nice to open up the shop.' As well as the cash, Mr Algie also found some notes of thanks. One read: 'Thanks Tom. This is why we moved to Settle. This shop would have been cleaned out in two-and-a-half minutes in Bolton.' Some of the comments left by grateful - and honest - shoppers Another said: 'I've just come from the centre of Manchester. I forgot just how lovely Settle is. This has made my day.' The honesty box - which he dubbed his newest member of staff - was made out of a funnel and plastic cereal box, and put behind the counter at his shop Practically Everything. His note read: 'Yes, I have given everyone the day off, including me, so please choose the items you want and place the right money inside, Merry Christmas.' Customers also left notes saying what goods they had bought and this, combined with a quick check of his stock, confirmed that Mr Algie's trust was not abused. Instead of being behind the counter, the divorcee had spent the day with his son Joe, 23, and daughter Beth, 18, He added: 'When I got back, I could only see one £5 note in the box and perhaps my faith in human nature was slightly shaken. However, the long tube was stuffed with notes and change, and after a bit of vigorous shaking, the day's takings spilled out on to the kitchen table.' The biggest amount was £17 for a set of three-step ladders. Mr Algie, who saved the store from closure when he bought it six years ago, believes he was not short-changed as people put in a little extra if they did not have the right change. Tom's DIY shop, Practically Everything, in Settle, North YorkshireImage copyright Reuters Image caption Sgt Hugh Barry had been an officer for eight years A US police officer has been stripped of his gun and badge after he shot a mentally ill black pensioner dead. Sgt Hugh Barry was among officers called to Deborah Danner's New York apartment on Tuesday evening to reports of an "emotionally disturbed person". He persuaded her to drop a pair of scissors, but shot her twice after she tried to hit him with a baseball bat. The killing has sparked outrage - not just because of the 66-year-old's race, but also her fragile mental state. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Wednesday she "should be alive right now", while NYPD Commissioner James O'Neil said his department had "failed". "It's not how we train; our first obligation is to preserve life, not to take a life when it can be avoided," he said. Blame New York City police respond to 128,000 calls about emotionally disturbed people each year, and are supposed to use techniques to "de-escalate" a situation, rather than resort to force. They had already come to Ms Danner's apartment on a number of occasions, each time taking her to hospital. It is not known why Sgt Barry, who had been an officer for eight years and was equipped with a stun gun, did not follow his training. But Ed Mullins, the head of the police union representing sergeants, argued the shooting was self defence - and Sgt Barry was being used as a political pawn. "They're taking the weak political spot and blaming the sergeant for everything," Mullins said. "I'm not surprised. [Mr de Blasio is] up for election next year." Police shootings have come to the fore in the US in recent years, with the black community suffering disproportionately. In 2015, US police officers killed 346 black people, according to Mapping Police Violence. Anger over the shootings started the Black Lives Matter campaign.dpa/Hendrik Schmidt Fast eine halbe Million Ausländer sind bis Ende des Jahres ausreisepflichtig, doch tatsächlich kehren weniger als fünf Prozent in ihre Heimat zurück. Die Politik ist machtlos, dem Rechtsstaat droht die Kapitulation. FOCUS begleitete einen Abschiebeflug nach Tunesien Als Mohammed Khalil am vergangenen Mittwochmorgen um sechs Uhr in seiner Zelle geweckt wurde, ahnte er nicht, dass er kurz darauf das Gefängnis verlassen würde. Er werde heute in seine Heimat Tunesien abgeschoben, teilten Beamte der Landespolizei Sachsen dem 23-jährigen Strafgefangenen mit. „Aufstehen, es geht nach Hause.“ Seit neun Monaten sitzt Khalil in der Justizvollzugsanstalt Leipzig ein. 2016 wurde er wegen Drogenhandels zu 15 Monaten Freiheitsstrafe verurteilt. Weil er zwei Drittel seiner Strafe abgesessen hat, soll er raus aus Deutschland. Sein Asylantrag wurde abgelehnt, ebenso ein Antrag auf Bleiberecht. Widerstand ist zwecklos, die Abschiebung wurde exakt vorbereitet. Ehe der verdutzte Khalil begriff, was vor sich ging, wurden ihm schon Handschellen angelegt. Im Gefängnishof wartete ein Transporter, der ihn zu einem Sonderterminal des Airports Leipzig bringen würde. Früher schickte die U.S. Army von hier aus ihre Soldaten in den Irak, heute nutzt die Bundespolizei das separate Gebäude. Körperliche Gewalt ist an der Tagesordnung Den öffentlichen Bereich des Flughafens meiden die Behörden – aus Sicherheitsgründen. Oft genug wehren sich die Betroffenen mit allen Mitteln gegen ihren Rücktransport. Körperliche Gewalt ist an der Tagesordnung. Vielfach verletzen sich die Männer und Frauen auch selbst, um ihre Abschiebung in letzter Minute zu verhindern. Manche ritzten sich im Abflugbereich mit Holzsplittern die Adern auf. Toilettenräume werden daher gründlich geprüft, Spiegel abmontiert. Es gab sogar Fälle von Rasierklingen unter der Zunge oder in anderen Körperöffnungen. Deshalb werden die Betroffenen vor dem Abflug aufwendig untersucht – von Ärzten natürlich, denn solche intimen Kontrollen sind gerade für die Araber die größte Demütigung, gegen die sie auch heftigsten Widerstand leisten. Doch trotz aller Vorsicht und Vorbeugung mussten allein im ersten Halbjahr dieses Jahres 387 Abschiebungen kurzfristig wieder gestoppt werden – das ist eine Steigerung von mehr als 70 Prozent. Obwohl der finanzielle und administrative Aufwand für die Abschiebungen förmlich explodiert, gelingt es den Behörden immer seltener, ausreisepflichtige Ausländer außer Landes zu bringen. Und das vor dem Hintergrund rasant steigender Zahlen. Das Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (BAMF) rechnet einer Studie zufolge bis zum Ende des Jahres mit bis zu 485000 Ausreisepflichtigen. Tatsächlich abgeschoben werden jedoch die wenigsten – Tendenz weiter negativ: Gelangen 2016 noch rund 25.000 Abschiebungen, so waren es im ersten Halbjahr 2017 nur 12545, darunter lediglich 13 Fälle von Gefährdern. Die Abschiebequote sinkt Damit liegt die Abschiebequote unter fünf Prozent. Für einen Rechtsstaat ist es auf Dauer nicht hinnehmbar, wenn behördliche Anordnungen und Gerichtsurteile in mehr als 95 Prozent der Fälle ohne Konsequenzen bleiben. Das Unvermögen der Politik, die juristischen und administrativen Folgen der Migrationswelle zu bewältigen, wächst auf diese Weise zu einer zweiten Flüchtlingskrise heran. Die Gründe für die Ohnmacht sind vielfältig. Von den 387 misslungenen Abschiebungen in der ersten Jahreshälfte wehrten sich in 186 Fällen die Migranten zu heftig, in weiteren 61 Fällen meldeten sie sich kurzfristig krank. In 113 Fällen schließlich weigerte sich die Flugzeug-Crew, die um sich schlagenden Menschen in die Maschinen zu lassen. Weitere 27 Aktionen scheiterten, weil die Herkunftsländer plötzlich gegen alle Absprachen die Rücknahme ihrer Bürger ablehnten. Im Video: In Marokko bereiten sich Tausende Flüchtlinge auf die Überfahrt nach Europa vor FOCUS Online/Wochit Hinzu kommen zahllose Proteste und mehr als 1000 Petitionen von deutschen Bürgern, die sich gegen die Abschiebung von Ausländern wehren, die als gut integriert gelten. Hauptkommissar Lars Rose, Familienvater und Einsatzleiter der Bundespolizei bei der Abschiebeaktion am vergangenen Mittwoch, kennt das Dilemma: „Abschiebungen ganzer Familien gehen dir menschlich oft nahe. Die Eltern haben zumeist einen Job, die Kinder gehen zur Schule und sprechen sehr gut Deutsch. Aber auch ihre Abschiebeurteile sind juristisch von mehreren Instanzen geprüft worden. Als Beamter der Bundespolizei muss ich die Urteile umsetzen.“ Jeden Tag müssten 2000 Menschen abgeschoben werden Es drängt sich jedoch der Eindruck auf, dass oft die Falschen abgeschoben werden. Es trifft vor allem diejenigen, die ordentlich gemeldet sind, zur Arbeit oder zur Schule gehen und derer die Polizei leicht habhaft werden kann. Die anderen sind kaum zu fassen. Wolfgang Steiger, Generalsekretär des CDU-Wirtschaftsrats fordert deshalb einerseits konsequente Abschiebung der Ausreisepflichtigen und gleichzeitig eine raschere Integration derjenigen, die bleiben dürfen. Der Fachkräftemangel lässt grüßen. Im Fall von Mohammed Khalil hatte die Bundespolizei allerdings alles getan, um die Abschiebung erfolgreich durchzuziehen. Der Tunesier wurde am vergangenen Mittwoch gemeinsam mit 25 Landsleuten ausgeflogen. Der Grund: Alle waren rechtskräftig verurteilte Straftäter, unter anderem wegen Vergewaltigung, Drogenhandels und Totschlags. An Bord des Fluges DNU 5161 von Leipzig nach Enfidha, 100 Kilometer südlich von Tunis, befanden sich auch noch drei islamistische Gefährder. Außerdem zwei Ärzte, zwei Dolmetscher und ein Angehöriger einer Menschenrechtsorganisation. 72 Bundespolizisten in Zivil ohne Schusswaffen und Reizgas sollten etwaigen Widerstand der Straftäter im Keim ersticken. Für die Aktion charterte die Bundespolizei von einer dänischen Privatfirma extra eine McDonnell Douglas mit 148 Sitzplätzen. Kosten der Aktion für den Steuerzahler: rund 250.000 Euro. Das sind etwa 10.000 Euro für jeden der ausreisepflichtigen Tunesier. Damit ist die Dimension klar: Wenn die Bundesregierung in den nächsten zwei Jahren alle Ausreisepflichtigen abschieben will, müsste sie an jedem Arbeitstag rund 2000 Menschen außer Landes schaffen – ein Ding der Unmöglichkeit. Der Familiennachzug stellt Kommunen vor Probleme Seit 2014 sind mehr als 1,6 Millionen Menschen nach Deutschland geflüchtet. Die meisten stellen Anträge auf Asyl oder versuchen, einen Aufenthaltstitel als Bürgerkriegsflüchtling zu erhalten. Doch nur etwa die Hälfte von ihnen hat Erfolg. Diese Leute setzen jetzt alles daran, ihre Familien nachzuholen. Die anderen tauchen unter, reisen in benachbarte EU-Länder, täuschen eine falsche Identität vor oder versuchen, sich mithilfe von Anwälten und Vereinen wie Pro Asyl durch die Instanzen zu klagen. Der innenpolitische Sprecher der Unions-Bundestagsfraktion, Stephan Mayer, dräng
parts of Yemen and southern Oman with some rain and wind during September," Nicholls said. Typhoons still a threat despite record-challenging low numbers In the western part of the Pacific, the developing La Niña should continue to limit the number tropical storms and typhoons this autumn. AccuWeather expects the season to end with a below-average number of tropical storms, typhoons and super typhoons, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Eric Leister. "We are forecasting 10 typhoons, which is one more than the record minimum for the year, so it is possible we set a record for low numbers in this category," Leister said. The 2010 season holds the minimum record with only nine typhoons. However, despite the lower numbers, compared to average, a single storm can inflict significant damage and threaten lives. Such was the case with Super Typhoon Nepartak in early July, which killed dozens of people and caused more than $1 billion (USD) in damage in Taiwan and southeastern China. Following the risk of a tropical system or two affecting the area from the northern Philippines to Taiwan and southern Japan during the first part of the autumn, steering winds should direct most other systems out to sea during the middle and later part of the season. Warmth and dryness to build in northern, western Asia Elsewhere in Asia, the retreat of the Southwest monsoon and the Southeastern Asia monsoon will result in areas from northern and western India to southeastern China, South Korea and central Japan to dry out during October and November, following wet conditions during September. Much of the area from Turkey, Cyprus and Syria to much of Russia, Kazakhstan, northern China, Mongolia and northern Japan can expect warmer-than-average conditions this autumn. “Winter will not be in any hurry to set in from the northeastern Mediterranean Sea to the Sea of Okhotsk,” Nicholls said. Conditions could be dry enough in the Volga Valley to slow the sprouting of winter wheat, which is planted during autumn. Report a TypoIn early September, Desiigner was arrested in New York City on gun and drug charges following a road rage incident. A few days later, two charges had been dropped: criminal possession of a loaded weapon and criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell. But Desiigner (real name: Sidney Selby) still faced misdemeanor charges of menacing and criminal possession of a controlled substance. It was later reported that the remaining controlled-substance charge was based on false information. Today, prosecutors moved to drop the drug charge and seal the case, TMZ reports and the New York City District Attorney’s office has confirmed to Pitchfork. The DA’s office told Pitchfork that Desiigner and three co-defendants—Michael Davis, C.J. McCoy and Utril Rhaburn—accepted ACDs, or “adjournments in contemplation of dismissal,” deals that typically result in a case being dismissed and sealed. The ACDs applied to all charges, according to the DA’s office. None of the four co-defendants appeared in court. Two lawyers for Desiigner, Ian Nyles and Stacey Richman, told TMZ, “We’re happy he’s been exonerated.”[A SotA Public Forum post by Starr Long] Avatars, Please read this entire message, as well as the linked instructions and known issues. Thank you for being a loyal backer and follower of Shroud of the Avatar. Release 33 access for all backers at First Responder level and above begins this Thursday, August 25, at 10:30 AM US Central Daylight Time (15:30 UTC). Impact of Persistence: Release 33 is our first Release since we went Persistent with Release 32. Being persistent of course has had an impact on the project and how we move forward. We made the tactical decision that the immediate needs of R32 would take precedence over any R33 work. Quality of life, balance issues, exploits, stability, performance, etc. in R32 would be patched regularly, daily if needed, even if it cost us some R33 deliverables. The result of this decision has been incredibly positive. Overall player mood remains high as does our funding, which reached an astounding $10 Million during our Summer Telethon of the Avatar Part 2 (which by itself raised $200K!) This funding will allow us to finish the Roadmap we outlined earlier this year that both finishes our Kickstarter promises, while at the same time polishes the game to a very high standard. Thank you community for your incredibly humbling generosity. Housing: Lot Selection has wrapped up and in Release 33 we will be starting the Lot Deed Raffle for Taxable Lot Deeds in the game. This will be our method to distribute the remaining available land in the game in all locations (NPC towns, Player Run Towns, and Player Owned Towns). Additionally, Release 33 will be the first appearance of uncloned scenes that include player lots after persistence. These will give players a chance to see how we will be improving and individualizing each scene while preserving the game mechanics. PVP: We have always said that all PVP in Shroud of the Avatar will be consensual and players will choose to engage, or not to engage. With that said, we also want to make sure PVP is an integral part of the experience and is a balance of risk vs. reward. For those reasons, players will now encounter other players in zones flagged for PvP regardless of their match-making mode. You will no longer be able to enter these areas in Single-Player or Friends modes to circumvent PvP risk. There are a few areas, like the Obsidian Ruins, where story elements require venturing inside. However, we are going to work on alternate ways for players to navigate those areas like we have experimented with in some of the Control Points (i.e. the teleporting Wizard). For example the Crypt of the Avatar which is located in the Midras ruins can now be alternately accessed via the Midmaer Passage. We know this change will be controversial, but we believe it is the best decision for the long-term health of the game. Yet again, I want to express a huge amount of gratitude to our Dev+ backers who tested all of the items below on the QA server and uncovered lots of bugs. They also provided editorial feedback on this post. So, they are a big reason that this post actually matches what is in the game, and that it is easy to read. While we are getting closer to launch, we are still in a constant state of change, and we do not yet have all the in-game systems to inform players of these changes, or to share ways to help them to explore new content and systems. This means we rely mostly on this message, and the linked instructions and known issues to convey the current game state. We regularly have to answer questions or filter bug reports because some players elect not to read this valuable information. By taking a few moments to read through this information, a great deal of our time and efforts can be redirected to focus on new “unanswered” questions, and addressing critical issues impacting each release. We greatly appreciate you taking the time to review this post, and for all the truly valuable feedback you continue to provide. Also, remember that while we are providing new content with each release, our community is working overtime to make new events for you to enjoy. Be sure to check out a couple of the event calendars run by our community members (via in-game book or the player run websites: Avatars Circle and Events of the Avatars). You can also get the latest official events on the Main Website. Without further ado, here is a list of what you can expect to see in Release 33. Key: Plain Text: The original plan for the Release deliverables. We intentionally preserve the original text so that our backers can compare plan versus actuals. Italics: Extra notes and new deliverables. Strikethrough: These are items that did not make the release. RELEASE 33, August 25, 2016 Story: The polish pass through the Love Path of the story will continue with special focus on NPC behaviors in the town of Spite. Brittany NPCs will also get a behavior improvement pass. Additionally, several NPC towns that are currently clones will be replaced with original scenes. Port Graff (Unclone): Port Graff, located on the western coast of Drachvald, serves as a docking point for the valuable gems coming from the Graff Gem Mines. The gems make their way by cart to Port Graff, are shipped to Graff Island, and are sculpted before being added to weaponry and jewelry. Port Graff started out as a cloned scene based on Kingsport. It was rebuilt this release with plot-specific additions related to the gem trade between the Graff Gem Mines and Graff Island, along with a host of other visual changes and NPC improvements. NOTE: When we un-clone scenes we do NOT change locations of player lots, NPC buildings, or entrances. We only make cosmetic changes of building styles, terrain, and foliage. Estgard (Unclone): Estgard sits on the eastern shore of Norgard and is part of the Path of Courage. Outlanders must pass through Estgard on their way to Valhold. Estgard was another cloned scene, based on the Forest 01 PRT/POT template (aka the “PaxLair” template). It was rebuilt this release with NPC improvements, a plot-specific perimeter wall, and a host of other visual changes to make it match the visual style of the Norgard region. We plan to make another polish pass on this scene in Release 34 to add more Norgard stylistic touches and more visual changes near the entrance areas. NOTE: When we un-clone scenes we do NOT change locations of player lots, NPC buildings, or entrances. We only make cosmetic changes of building styles, terrain, and foliage. Polish: Brittany NPCs Behaviors Delayed: We chose to stay focused on polish along the Love Path, which Brittany is not on, so the Brittany Central NPCs are going to remain with their default behaviors until R34. Solo Instances vs. Party Leader: Party Members will no longer get the summoning message when their party leader enters a Solo Instance (example: The Necropolis). Spite: Many NPCs in Spite now have daytime/nighttime schedules which they use for patrolling, workplace activities, and even sleep. These NPCs also have various special behaviors—similar to the work we did with Soltown and Ardoris—to make them feel more active and alive. Ardoris: Building on our previous efforts to bring more life and activity to Ardoris, this city received another pass on NPC daytime/nighttime schedules and interests, as well as animations. True to its name as the City of Love, this includes the addition of amorous couples romancing throughout the city. New quests have also been added which speak to different aspects of the darker side of love and loss. Speak to Simone von Eglinger and Shariaa Barista to begin them. Random Encounters: Random Encounters are no longer only in Perennial Coast and Drachvald; they are now sprinkled throughout Novia and Hidden Vale. Currently, they can be one of four biomes (forest road, plains road, plains wilderness, and swamp road) and some of them have region-specific content (such as the dragon that can appear in the plains wilderness of Drachvald). Scene Teleporter Visuals: Prior to this release, scene teleporters had different visuals that related to the biome is connected with (e.g. forest-targets used as wagon teleporters and islands used boat teleporters), but we did not differentiate between target scenes that were important to the Story versus player towns. Now we have visuals to indicate that difference. Plain: All wagon, boat, and balloon teleporters that point to POTs, PRTs, Player Villages, and other scenes without story elements uses the “plain” versions. Red Accents: All wagon, boat, and balloon teleporters that point to the overworld, story scenes, big city scenes (like Brittany or Harvest), or adventure scenes use new, “special” versions of scene teleporters: red canopies on wagons, red sails on sailing ships, and red balloons. The polish pass through the Love Path of the story will continue with special focus on NPC behaviors in the town of Spite. Additionally, several NPC towns that are currently clones will be replaced with original scenes. New User Experience Polish: Continued polish passes will be done on the Tutorials, hints, and starting scenes with special focus on Highvale. Highvale Delayed: We chose to focus on Blood River instead of Highvale this release. Blood River: We have redone the Blood River sequence of the Path of Truth tutorial. It now reflects more closely the story of the Path of Truth and does not require players to loot helpless victims of a massacre to progress. Players will now meet a new character, Robert Villines, a magistrate from Aerie who, like the player, is trying to determine what caused the massacre. There are other plot-centric characters and changes that occur relating to elves and the secrets of bonesteel, while at the same time the experience for new users is made as clear as those who go through the Path of Love in Solace Bridge. That being said, being as important as first impressions are, this is still a work in progress and we welcome player input. Note for players who have already made characters: you can play in Offline mode and experience the Blood River new user experience without otherwise affecting your main character, and we ask that our valued testers do so to poke and prod at the content we are adding without asking you to make a new character in Online mode. Bank Hint: After watching a few video streams of new players early experiences in SotA, we realized that many new players were not aware that they need to go to the bank to claim their Add-On store purchases and pledge rewards. So we have added a new quest journal hint when speaking with Arabella at character creation, bank-related tutorial hints near bank locations in the starting towns (i.e. Soltown), and unlocked Banks discovery/compass markers in those early areas immediately upon arrival in those towns. Our apologies to experienced players who already know what banks are, who will get pop-up tutorial hints the first time they enter the very popular Soltown Inn and Tavern. Continued polish passes will be done on the Tutorials, hints, and starting scenes with special focus on Player/Houses Towns: Player-Owned Towns that have locked submission forms will appear in the game. New variations of the town templates may also appear. Additionally, the Lot Deed Lottery system for in game purchase of Lot Deeds will come online. Lot Deed Raffle: Players can now buy raffle tickets with in-game gold for a chance to win Taxed Lot Deeds. There are two raffles, one for each lot type: Place-Anywhere Deeds (PAD) and Player-Owned Town Deeds (POT). Raffle tickets grant the holder a chance to win a deed of any size (Row, Village, Town, or City). Raffles will be held monthly and we will have multiple winners for each lot size (numbers will vary each month). Place-Anywhere Deed raffle tickets are more expensive but will have fewer deeds in each raffle than POT raffle tickets, which are more affordable and will have many more deeds in each raffle. This means your chances to win a POT deed are much greater. The following are the numbers we will be releasing in the first raffles: Place Anywhere Deeds (75): Row: 40 Village: 20 Town: 10 City: 5 Player Owned Town Deeds (600): Row: 320 Village: 160 Town: 80 City: 40 Lot Deeds Tradeable: Now that Lot Selection is complete, Lot Deeds can now be traded between players once again. Swamp Island POT Templates: This new template is a lowland island covered in swampy terrain. We also offer a version of this template that has an Obsidian Style spiked wall surrounding the large island. We are planning on making walled versions of the other island templates in R34. For R33, the Swamp Island templates are only available as options in the POT submission form. In R34, these templates will begin showing up for those that select it for their Dynamic POT and as one of the example POTs in Hometown. Royal Scepter: This pledge reward from the Lord Pledge is now functional in the game. It can be used once per month to add 50% tax credit to the lot owner’s tax account. The credit can then be manually applied to the lot (or any other lot). NOTE: This is the equivalent of the description on the pledge reward where it says it “reduces the taxes on a single lot by 50%”. Hometown: Hometown, our example POT, returns to the Island template in R33 to better show off water lots. It is located off the coast of Novia near Soltown. Wizard Tower: The stairs on this home now animate with simple floating animation New POTs/POT Changes Admont: Removed POT. Aelasar’s Forest: Upgraded to Hamlet. Aethyria: New addition. Ahnen Hain: Ownership changed. Arx Draconis Embassy: Renamed (formerly Grayskull). Astrum: Interconnection (with Brittany Wharfs). Avallon: Ownership changed. Interconnections (with Fons Vita and POT Gravewater Shores). Brickfalls: Renamed (formerly Umbra Pugno Holdfast). Ownership changed. Brickport: Converted to Forest 02. Rotated to 180. Brittany Shores: New addition (nested in Brittany Wharfs). Caelestis Canton: Set to PvP. Interconnections (removed Brittany; added POTs PaxLair, Dragons Watch, Islands of Wonders, Knowhere, Lockbrier, Serenity Isle, and Tenakill) Dead Horse: Upgraded to Hamlet. Den of Delirium: Renamed (formerly Straits of Delirium). Converted to Underground. D’Jernstad: Upgraded to Crossroads Village. Dooms Den: Converted to Tropical Island. Drachental: Upgraded to Metropolis. Rotated to Right. Dragon’s Rest: Rotated to Right. Dragons Watch: Interconnections (with Caelestis Canton, Sea Nymph Grotto, and Serenity Isle). Dragonshores: New addition (nested in Dragonvale). Dragonvale: Ownership changed. Renamed (formerly Ager Mori). Rotated to 180. Changed location. Interconnections (with Port Graff and Dragonshores). Forgewright: New addition (nested in Kiln). Forptycle: Converted to Mountains. Gladsheim: Converted to Snowy Mountains 01. Upgraded to Crossroads Village. Great Reed Alpha: Upgraded to Village. Hamberia: Converted to Forest 01a. Changed location. Havenstead: Ownership changed. Renamed (formerly Ruins of Old Raven’s Head). Converted to Swamp 01a. Nested interconnection changed to within Aerie. Hometown: Converted to Island. Honor Hold: Converted to Forest 01. Interconnection (with Magna Planitia). Islands of Wonders: Interconnection (with Caelestis Canton). It’s a Town: Converted to Desert 01. Nested interconnection changed to within Owl’s Head. Jade Island: Renamed (formerly Orion’s Hold). Converted to Tropical Island. Rotated to Left. Jade Mountains: Renamed (formerly Paws). Converted to Snowy Mountains 01. Rotated to Left. Knowhere: Interconnection (with Caelestis Canton). Lockbrier: Interconnection (with Caelestis Canton). Metallicus: New addition (nested in Harvest). Mount Nylorac: Renamed (formerly Isle of Nylorac). Converted to Mountains. Numinous Gleann: New addition (nested in Ardoris). Ogygia: New addition (nested in Etceter). Owl Sky City: Converted to Mountains. Rotated to 180. Set to non PvP. Painted Caves: New addition (nested in Oceania). PaxLair: Interconnection (with Caelestis Canton). Pomerantz: Converted to Tropical Island. Recluse: Ownership changed. Saint Haley: Renamed (formerly Saint Haley’s Refuge). Upgraded to Village. Sanctus Solus: Renamed (formerly Lea Lochry). Converted to Forest 02. Rotated to Right. Interconnection (with Elad’s Lighthouse). Sea Nymph Grotto: Interconnection (with Dragons Watch). Serenity Isle: Interconnections (with Caelestis Canton, and Dragons Watch). Sionann: New addition (nested in Ardoris). Sirens Cove: New addition (nested in Soltown). SQiRLS DEN: New addition (nested in Brave Coast). Storms End: Renamed (formerly The Stormlands). Rotated to Left. Changed location. Upgraded to Metropolis. Swamp of Sorrow: New addition (nested in Brittany Wharfs). Tenakill: Interconnection (with Caelestis Canton). The Hatter’s Estates: Renamed (formerly Serpent’s Den). Ownership changed. The Wildwoods: New addition (nested in Aerie). White Hart: Rotated to 180. Winter Spur: New addition (nested in Oceania). Wisteria Lane: New addition (nested in Central Brittany). Player-Owned Towns that have locked submission forms will appear in the game. New variations of the town templates may also appear. Additionally, the Lot Deed system for in game purchase of Lot Deeds will come online. Performance: Major efforts will be done to optimize performance. This will include frame rate improvements, load time improvements, and memory footprint improvements. Character LODs: To date, we have only created LODs for scenery like buildings and decorations. In R33, we have begun creating LODs for Characters which are very intensive graphically. This should greatly help performance. Leather Armor Cloth Armor Plate Armor Chain Armor NPC Guards Scenery LODs: Caves Plaques Cloud Imperium Sky Navy Airship Major efforts will be done to optimize performance. This will include frame rate improvements, load time improvements, and memory footprint improvements. Single-Player Offline Combat Balance: A pass will be made through the game to adjust combat balance for play in offline mode with companions. Single-Player Offline Combat Balance Delayed: We still have some fundamental updates we need to do to the combat system before we can start this part of the project where we create a new set of numbers for offline mode. Offline Mode: Patching and Reward delivery for Offline Mode become available to players using this mode to play. Offline Mode Patching and Reward Delivery Delayed: We made a large effort to update to Unity 5.4 (but were unsuccessful). This combined with our focus on almost daily patches for R32 forced us to delay work on Offline Mode. Crafting: Cooking and the Food System will expand with more recipes and more functionality including more food buffs. Cooking and Food System Expansions Delayed: We chose to focus on improving loot tables and tuning/balancing Taming instead of expanding Cooking and Food. Loot Improvements: We have begun laying the foundation for improvements to loot across the game. In Release 33, we have made the following changes: Breakable Containers: These crates and barrels are now connected to the Loot Tables system and will generate randomized loot. Long-term, we will break these up by difficulty levels so the loot will scale based on the challenge level of the scene these containers are in. Dead Bodies: All dead bodies now have a chance to drop consumables. Dead guards and skeletons have a chance to drop basic weapons and armor. Some crafting components have a small chance of dropping as well. Race-Specific Weapons: We’ve began adding racial-specific weapons that drop exclusively in game. For R33, high-level elves have a chance to drop elven weapons. Boss Loot Bundles: Bosses now have a chance to drop consumables, crafting components and occasionally weapons. Bundle Store Expert Crafting Stations: Some Bundles in the Bundle store come with these Expert Crafting Stations (identical to the pledge ones but without the Founder or Benefactor flags). These are now being delivered to those who purchased the bundles that include them. Salvage Button: We moved the Salvage button away from the Craft and Repair buttons to prevent accidental Salvaging. We also changed the color of the Salvage button to red to further differentiate it from the other buttons. Low Durability Icon on Repaired Items: Fixed issue where the Low Durability icon would never reappear on repaired items when they started to get worn down after being repaired. New Recipes: Ornate Aeronaut Outfit: Live out all your flights of fancy with this embossed version of the Aeronaut Outfit. Tiaras: You can craft a Tiara and an Ornate Tiara and then, and only then, will you be fancy…oh so fancy. You can even enchant them! Repair and Salvage: Repair and Salvage are now specific recipes in the recipe book that can be used to bring up the needed ingredients. Sow Seed: You can now use this recipe to plant the seed rather than dragging the seed and water onto the bed each time. This should greatly decrease the number of required repetitive steps in Agriculture. Creatures: We will begin a major polish pass through our creatures. Creature Polish Delayed: Work on telethon rewards and continued efforts on hair polish is delaying this work for now. Combat: Removed Auto Lunge Forward: We have removed the “beloved” feature that was forcing players to Auto Lunge Forward in combat. This was done to improve the visuals of combat but it was removing control from players and therefore negatively impacting players ability to manage encounters. PvP Zones Are Open Multiplayer Only: Players will now encounter other players in zones flagged for PvP regardless of their match-making mode. You will no longer be able to enter these areas in Single-Player nor Friends modes to circumvent PvP risk. There are a few areas like the Obsidian Ruins where story elements require venturing into those areas and we are going to work on alternate ways for players to navigate those areas like we have experimented with in some of the Control Points (i.e. the teleporting Wizard). For example the Crypt of the Avatar which is located in the Midras ruins can now be alternately accessed via the Midmaer Passage. We know this change will be controversial, but we believe it is the best decision for the long-term health of the game. Obsidian Book of Unlearning: Players can now purchase a magical book from Obsidian Crown merchants that can reduce a skill down to the minimum level and recover 90% of the experience points used to level it (these are returned to your experience pool so they can be used to level other skills). We are giving each player one of these books as part of the changes to taming in case they want to reclaim some of the experience spent on taming. Agro: Fixed issues related to how creatures calculated and recalculated agro. This should allow players to actually tank finally. Also, interactions with items (looting, containers, etc) are now blocked when a creature has agro on you. Taming Polish & Tuning: There were various issues with Taming. Many of these were related to the fact that players with no taming skill could purchase taming whistles with high level creatures attached and use those to farm high level areas. Additionally, Taming levels were not having any effect on the summoned creature level. Here is a summary of the changes we made to taming. Collar Recovery Skill: We fixed issues with taming collar consumption and cleaned up the way we represent the Collar Recovery skill. Previously, there was not a stat displayed for this skill. Concentration Skill and Focus Drain: Fixed an issue with concentration skill that reduces the amount of max focus for having an active tamed creatures. The stat that the skill adds is clearer now and should be easy to calculate. The focus drain is now exponential such that higher level creatures drain a large amount of max focus. Summoning, Combat Training and Tamed Creature Level: The Summoning Skill now modifies the Maximum Level of a summoned creature within a defined range for that creature. Additionally the Combat Training Skill will also modify the creature’s power beyond this level affecting the overall power of the creature. The net effect is that leveling up these two skills will increase the power of a summoned tamed creature. Creature Power Scaling: Tamed creature stats and power now scale up with their Creature Level. Refresh and Summoning Cooldown: At some point, our restriction for quick resummoning disappeared. The idea was to apply a cooldown time to resummoning to prevent players from dismissing and resummoning after each combat. The Refresh skill reduces this value. The summoning cooldown issue is now fixed and the restriction has now been re-enabled. Taming Cooldown and Range: As the base Tame Creature skill increases, the cooldown time is reduced from 30 to 10 seconds at max skill and the range is increased from 15 to 25 at max skill. Previously, the cooldown was 10 seconds with a 10 second cast time. This effectively means previously there was zero cooldown. Players can get back to this value but only at max skill (200). Previous range was 20. Hard Limits on Summoning: Summoning creatures from a taming necklace now requires a minimum summoning skill level. The skill level required is related to the creature that is stored inside the necklace. This is a hard limit and the creature cannot be summoned until the required skill level of summoning is reached. This limit is displayed in a tooltip for the taming necklace. World Starting Gift: Portable Aether Vibration Amplifier: All backers of Shroud of the Avatar with game access as of midnight July 27, 2016 will receive this Portable Aether Vibration Amplifier as a small expression of our gratitude. This wearable device uses the latest Kobold technology to allow the wearer to tune into streaming radio stations including our very own Avatar’s Radio or WRFB Radio Free Britannia. We chose this specific gift to honor our community because it started as a suggestion from our community, was initially created by our community, streams content from our community, and is used by our community as part of their events. All backers of Shroud of the Avatar with game access as of midnight July 27, 2016 will receive this Portable Aether Vibration Amplifier as a small expression of our gratitude. This wearable device uses the latest Kobold technology to allow the wearer to tune into streaming radio stations including our very own Avatar’s Radio or WRFB Radio Free Britannia. We chose this specific gift to honor our community because it started as a suggestion from our community, was initially created by our community, streams content from our community, and is used by our community as part of their events. Star Citizen Cross-Promotion Items: We are doing a cross-promotion with Roberts Space Industries/Cloud Imperium Games in which players who purchase certain limited edition items in Shroud of the Avatar also get access to items in Star Citizen. It’s like Origin Systems reborn! Star Citizen Aether Aeronaut Helmet: The Cloud Imperium Sky Navy equips its daring Aeronauts with these helmets that include the latest in Kobold Aether Vibration technology, allowing the user to tune into radio stations. This can be purchased as part of the Star Citizen Aether Aeronaut Helmet Package, which includes the Star Citizen Mustang Alpha Starter Package. Cloud Imperium Sky Navy Airship: The Cloud Imperium Sky Navy has recently decommissioned 150 of their armor clad airships and lucky Outlanders can purchase them to use as homes on their City Lots. These float above a city lot, providing ample living area while preserving almost 100% of yard space! Purchasing this item also grants the player the Cutlass Black Starship in Star Citizen. Blood Reliquary Make A Difference Bundle Items: Players who bought the Blood Reliquaries started receiving the unique items in R32 including the POT Castle Lot Deed, Blood Fountain, /bloodrain emote, the Lord British and Darkstarr blood red cloaks, and the Reliquary decorations. In R33, we have added the Blood Elemental Pet. Blood Elemental Pet: Show off your love of blood with this cute diminutive companion (if you think a seething, roiling, mass of blood is “cute”). Players who bought the Blood Reliquaries started receiving the unique items in R32 including the POT Castle Lot Deed, Blood Fountain, /bloodrain emote, the Lord British and Darkstarr blood red cloaks, and the Reliquary decorations. In R33, we have added the Blood Elemental Pet. Summer Telethon Part 1 Rewards: We have the first set of Summer Telethon Part 1 Rewards created and being delivered in the game. Any backer who pledged a minimum of $5 from the start of the telethon, until Midnight on July 27th (Spending Store Credit to make $5 minimum purchase did not apply) will receive these rewards (which you can view on your account page). All the rewards were themed around the steam(punk)iness of summer. The second set of Part 1 Rewards should be delivered in R34 along with the first set of the Telethon Part 2 Rewards. /fan emote (with equippable fan): This new emote works when you equip a fan. The emote has you open the fan and then fan yourself against the interminable heat all these Kobold devices generate. Aeronaut Helmet: What else would you wear when you stand in your Hot Air Balloon but an Aeronaut Helmet? Hacked Oracle Crawler Pet: Clever Kobolds have hacked some of the Oracle Crawlers and made them ignore the commands of the Oracle. The Kobolds selling these to Outlanders assure us that the Oracle can no longer observe through them… Clockwork Wings: Kobolds have been experimenting with winged flight for years, albeit unsuccessfully. Outlanders though have begun recently wearing these despite their lack of function just for the looks. Hacked Oracle Flyer Pet: Clever Kobolds continue hacking that which they shouldn’t and hacked some of the Oracle Flyers to make them ignore the commands of the Oracle. The Kobolds selling these to Outlanders assure us that the Oracle can no longer observe through them… Tiny Airship Pet: Novian Aeronautics created these promotional clockwork items to encourage sales of their airships but interestingly there are now more of these Airship pets floating around Novia than there are actual Airships! We have the first set of Summer Telethon Part 1 Rewards created and being delivered in the game. Any backer who pledged a minimum of $5 from the start of the telethon, until Midnight on July 27th (Spending Store Credit to make $5 minimum purchase did not apply) will receive these rewards (which you can view on your account page). All the rewards were themed around the steam(punk)iness of summer. The second set of Part 1 Rewards should be delivered in R34 along with the first set of the Telethon Part 2 Rewards. Emotes: /conduct: It is rumored that Felicia Perdue of Aerie, the great conductor of the feline orchestra, has been known to teach her skills to Outlanders if they are also cat lovers. /belch: A prisoner held captive in the depths of the Epitaph will teach you the benefits of letting gasses escape through the esophagus. /sneeze: The hapless Jeffrey Post in Ardoris will share what he calls a “skill” of sneezing on command. /cough: When in Jaanaford you might ask Joshua Hugtight about his name if you want to learn how to convincingly fake cough. /grovel: This can be learned by offering to give the annoying beggar Chad in Soltown a coin, and then refusing to at the last minute. You scoundrel. /smoke variants: If you would like to impress folks at your next party then purchase one of these fancy smoking tricks from the Add-On Store. /smokering /smokerings /smoketriplerings /smokeheart /smokehearts /smoketriplehearts /smokeburst /breathefire variants: Do you like breathing fire but you wish you could mix it up and exhale other things like flowers or snow? Well, now you can by purchasing one of these new breathing variations from the Add-On Store. /breatheflowers /breathesnow /breathesparkles /breathbluefire /breathefirering Wearables & Equippables: Black & Chrome Ornate Aeronaut Outfit: For those of you who are too cool to be seen wearing brown leather and brass in your Airship, this Add-On Store outfit was made for you. Flechier Tapestry Formal Suit: The newest in our line of fancy outfits in the Add-On Store is sure to draw attention at the next party. Elaborate Tiara: If the two craftable Tiaras mentioned above are just not enough, ooh la la, then you simply must upgrade in our Add-On Store to the most elaborate Tiara in Novia! Pot Belly Fixes: We made various fixes to the male avatar’s posture and animations to fix the infamous “pot belly.” Pets: Grey Great Dane: Do you love your Deutsche Dogge but really wish he were the color of Winter mornings when everything is overcast and it seems the sun will never be seen? Well your wishes have been granted with the newest canine addition to the pets section of the Add-On Store. Silver Mini Automaton: Brass not your color? Miss the Summer Telethon Part 2? Loved the movie A.I.? Whatever the reason, come to the Add-On Store and adopt a Silver Mini Automaton! So, now that it is clear what you can expect, we should also be as clear about what you should NOT expect: Stability (especially Linux): The latest version of Unity that we updated to for Release 29 introduced quite a higher level of instability and memory leaks than we have ever previously encountered. This is especially bad for the Linux version of the game. We are working directly with Unity engineering to resolve this as quickly as possible. The latest version of Unity that we updated to for Release 29 introduced quite a higher level of instability and memory leaks than we have ever previously encountered. This is especially bad for the Linux version of the game. We are working directly with Unity engineering to resolve this as quickly as possible. Performance: We have begun performance optimizations (LODs) as well as a first round of performance fallback routines via a Performance Manager. However we still have some work to do, particularly for older machines. Additionally, with the latest version of Unity we are using has some serious stability issues and memory leaks that we are working closely with them to resolve. Please be patient with us as we work through these issues. With each release, we will be doing further optimizations and adding more fallbacks to improve performance. We have begun performance optimizations (LODs) as well as a first round of performance fallback routines via a Performance Manager. However we still have some work to do, particularly for older machines. Additionally, with the latest version of Unity we are using has some serious stability issues and memory leaks that we are working closely with them
extreme weather events to anthropogenic forcing. Improved analysis of the attribution of extreme weather events requires a substantially improved and longer database of the events. Interpretation of these events in connection with natural climate regimes such as El Nino is needed to increase our understanding of the role of natural climate variability in determining their frequency and intensity. Improved methods of evaluating climate model simulations of distributions of extreme event intensity and frequency in the context of natural variability is needed before any confidence can be placed in inferences about the impact of anthropogenic influences on extreme weather events. Laurens Bouwer, climate scientist at Vrije University, Amsterdam. The IPCC has established that here is an increase in the frequency of some extreme weather types at the global level, including heavy rainfall events, and extreme temperatures. Part of these changes is also a result of increasing atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. It is hard — if not impossible — to link individual local events to human-caused climate change. Still, the likelihood of particular types of extreme events occurring may have shifted, and so-called attribution studies can demonstrate this to a certain extent. At the same time, the occurrence of local weather extremes is influenced to a large extent by natural climatic variations that have a much more significant impact on timescales of tens of years. Even more important is that other processes determine the impact of extreme weather events — principally the way humans modify their environment and often settle in locations where natural hazards occur. These are therefore the only reason that we have been seeing more frequent and widespread weather disaster over the past decades. For example, severe flooding has occurred in Pakistan before, but its growing population made the impacts of last year’s flooding much worse. The 2005 flooding disaster in New Orleans could only occur because the population was not well protected against the surge that the winds of hurricane Katrina caused. At the moment there is no record of weather-related disasters in the scientific literature that can be demonstrated to have been caused by human-made climate change causes. In the near future, we will see more disasters in places where growing populations are not well protected from the weather — but not because of climate change that is happening today and tomorrow. Gabriele C. Hegerl, professor of climate system science at the University of Edinburgh. Not all extreme events are expected to increase or even change. For example, there is quite a bit of evidence that greenhouse gas increases have contributed to recent widespread changes in the frequency of extreme temperatures, but this encompasses both decreases in the number of cold days and nights and increases in the number of warm nights. The widespread recent warming, which for global and continental mean data has been found to be likely due largely to human influences, leads to a changing probability of extreme temperatures. However, there are also cases where the tail of the temperature distribution is changing differently from the mean. Warming can lead to more severe drought in regions and seasons where precipitation decreases or remains largely unchanged, while evaporation increases due to warmer temperatures. Furthermore, the warming atmosphere has been shown to become moister. This probably explains the statistically significant shift towards more extreme precipitation events worldwide, which cannot be explained by climate variability and is best explained by human influences. Individual weather extremes can generally neither confirm nor dispute the role of humans in climate change. The only meaningful approach is to estimate changes in the probability of events of the kind observed, and then see if human influence has changed this probability. For example, there is a very convincing study that shows that the probability of a heat wave of the magnitude of the 2003 European heat wave has very likely substantially increased due to global warming. Recently, another similar study showed that the fall 2000 floods in the UK were more likely in a warming world than they would have been without human influence on climate. William Hooke, director of the American Meteorological Society’s Policy Program. We live on a planet that does much if not most of its business through extreme events. What we call “climate” reflects the summing-up of these extremes to find averages. And what we call climate “variability” or “change” will therefore be reflected in variability or change in the locations, timing, patterns, intensity, and duration of these extremes. That said, the statistics of the extremes are inherently noisy. Teasing out long-term changes in the relationships linking the extremes and the averages merits concerted and sustained scientific attention, but will remain a multi-year aspiration. Scientists — let alone non-experts — will be debating any findings for some time to come. (The most likely place to be convincing earliest may prove to be the statistics for heat waves and cold snaps.) In the meantime, society has to deal with extremes. The truth is that we’re not proving very adept at coping with the extremes and hazards we’re facing today. Furthermore, the biggest change in our experience with hazards in coming decades is most likely going to prove to be the result of social change and technology advance: population growth, urbanization, and movements to hazard-prone areas such as coasts; dependence on critical infrastructure; the tendency toward zero-margin societies, in both the developed and developing world; and so on. Land-use and building codes; no-adverse-impact policies for levees and other hazard measures; learning from experience; and public-private collaborations for building community resilience are going to be urgently needed in parallel with the natural science.Brad Friedman Byon 9/23/2011, 5:41pm PT There are two important late Friday announcements from the newly revived, post-Bush Voting Unit at U.S. Dept. of Justice's Civil Rights Division this afternoon. In both cases, they've raised serious concerns about discrimination by Republican Presidential front-runner Rick Perry's Texas against Hispanic and African-American voters. Given the Lone Star State's history of discrimination against racial minorities, new laws and regulations which relate to elections and voting must be pre-cleared by the Dept. of Justice before they can be put into effect, as per Section 5 of the federal Voting Rights Act. In one finding, the DoJ sees purposeful discrimination against minorities in the state's redistricting plans [PDF] for apportioning both new statehouse districts, as well as four new U.S. House seats being added in the wake of the 2010 census. The new seats are being added due to an increase in the TX population, thanks in no small part, ironically enough, to huge growth in the state's Hispanic population. The DoJ finds the proposed statehouse plan violates Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, stating that it "was adopted, at least in part, for the purpose of diminishing the ability of citizens of the United States, on account of race, color, or membership in a language minority group, to elect their preferred candidates of choice to the Texas House of Representatives." The TX plan for the U.S. House didn't fare much better (see below), with similar findings that minorities are likely to see a "retrogressive effect" in their ability "to elect their preferred candidates of choice to the United States House of Representatives" under Perry's approved scheme. Moreover, in a letter that echoes questions recently sent by the DoJ to the state of South Carolina about their new polling place Photo ID restrictions, as The BRAD BLOG detailed earlier this month, the DoJ has a series of questions concerning Texas' new, very similar restrictions. As the law mirrors the one in South Carolina --- and in many of the other states where the GOP has been able to ram through similar voter suppression bills over the past year --- many of the questions from the DoJ to TX also ask about the their plans for notification about the law, and issuance of free IDs to the more than 600,000 otherwise-legally qualified voters who don't currently own state-issued ID that would meet the strict new requirements to cast a vote at the polls on Election Day. In TX, the DoJ voting unit is curious about how many of those residents who don't have such IDs also happen to have Spanish surnames... TPM has more on the redistricting case, including the DoJ documents and additional background. But here are the key points, as they report them this afternoon... ... [T]he federal agency came out...against the state House of Representatives plan, which they flat out said "violates Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act in that it was adopted, at least in part, for the purpose of diminishing the ability of citizens of the United States, on account of race, color, or membership in a language minority group, to elect their preferred candidates of choice to the Texas House of Representatives." ... [In addition to finding a retrogressive effect in statehouse districts, the DoJ also found the same problem in the way U.S. House districts are to be apportioned under Perry's plan.] The Justice Department said late Friday that based on their preliminary investigation, a congressional redistricting map signed into law by Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry appears to have been "adopted, at least in part, for the purpose of diminishing the ability of citizens of the United States, on account of race, color, or membership in a language minority group, to elect their preferred candidates of choice to Congress."...[T]he federal agency came out...against the state House of Representatives plan, which they flat out said "violates Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act in that it was adopted, at least in part, for the purpose of diminishing the ability of citizens of the United States, on account of race, color, or membership in a language minority group, to elect their preferred candidates of choice to the Texas House of Representatives."...[In addition to finding a retrogressive effect in statehouse districts, the DoJ also found the same problem in the way U.S. House districts are to be apportioned under Perry's plan.] "When compared to the existing plan, the proposed Congressional plan will have a retrogressive effect in that it will diminish the ability of citizens of the United States, on account of race, color or membership in a language minority group, to elect their preferred candidates of choice to the United States House of Representatives," the Justice Department said in a filing. As to the DoJ questions about Texas' new Photo ID restrictions, again, see TPM here for details and the DoJ's letter, but these are the main points: In a Friday letter officials wrote that they need to know more about how the state would alert voters to the changes to the law. Federal officials also want a detailed description of when and where the state will make free identification certificates available, as well as specifics on how they will educate the public about when such certificates will be available. Texas officials said that 605,576 residents do not have a Texas drivers license or photo ID card. DOJ wants to know how many of those residents without IDs have Spanish surnames. Earlier this month, a coalition of state and national voting and civil rights groups asked the DoJ to deny pre-clearance for the TX law, charging, as TPM notes, "that it was unnecessary, unfair, restrictive and intentionally discriminates against African-American and Latino voters." Texas now has 60 days to respond to the DoJ's questions about the law which, like South Carolina's, may not end up receiving pre-clearance by the federal agency. Earlier today our own Ernie Canning offered a sharp analysis of a recent U.S. Senate hearing which examined the discriminatory effects of GOP-instituted polling place Photo ID restrictions in other Southern states. In one section, he highlighted comments by Rep. Charles Gonzales (D-TX) who noted that, in order to help ram through the new Photo ID law, Perry declared "a legislative emergency, calling it necessary to combat rampant voter fraud," even as the Texas Attorney General, in a 2006 announcement, was unable to identify "a single case of fraud that would have been stopped" by the law now passed by Republicans in the state. * * * Please support The BRAD BLOG's fiercely independent, award-winning coverage of your electoral system, as available from no other media outlet in the nation, with a donation to help us keep going (Snail mail, more options here). If you like, we'll send you some great, award-winning election integrity documentary films in return! Details right here...WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton moved Friday to muzzle a former state regulator who says he was ordered in 2010 to drop a fraud investigation into Trump University for political reasons. Paxton’s office issued a cease and desist letter to former Deputy Chief of Consumer Protection John Owens after he made public copies of a 14-page internal summary of the state’s case against Donald Trump for scamming millions from students of his now-defunct real estate seminar. Owens, now retired, said his team had built a solid case against the now-presumptive Republican presidential nominee, but was told to drop it after Trump’s company agreed to cease operations in Texas. The former state regulator told The Associated Press on Friday that decision was highly unusual and left the bilked students on their own to attempt to recover their tuition money from the celebrity businessman. According to the documents provided by Owens, his team sought to sue Trump, his company and several business associates to help recover more than $2.6 million students spent on seminars and materials, plus another $2.8 million in penalties and fees. Owens said he was so surprised at the order to stand down he made a copy of the case file and took it home. “It had to be political in my mind because Donald Trump was treated differently than any other similarly situated scam artist in the 16 years I was at the consumer protection office,” said Owens, who lives in Houston. Owens’ boss at the time was then-Attorney General Greg Abbott, who is now the state’s GOP governor. The Associated Press first reported Thursday that Trump gave donations totaling $35,000 to Abbott’s gubernatorial campaign three years after his office closed the Trump U case. Several Texas media outlets then reported Owens’ accusation that the probe was dropped for political reasons. Abbott spokesman Matt Hirsch said Friday that the governor had played no role in ending the case against Trump, a decision he said was made farther down the chain of command. “The Texas Attorney General’s office investigated Trump U, and its demands were met — Trump U was forced out of Texas and consumers were protected,” Hirsch said. “It’s absurd to suggest any connection between a case that has been closed and a donation to Governor Abbott three years later.” Paxton issued a media release about the cease and desist later Friday, saying Owens had divulged “confidential and privileged information.” Owens first learned about the state’s action against him on Friday afternoon when contacted by the AP for response. “I have done nothing illegal or unethical,” said Owens, a lawyer. “I think the information I provided to the press was important and needed to be shared with the public.” Paxton faces his own legal trouble. He was indicted last year on three felony fraud charges alleging that he persuaded people to invest in a North Texas tech startup while failing to disclose that he hadn’t invested himself but was being paid by the company in stock. Paxton has remained in office while appealing the charges. Texas was not the only GOP-led state to shy away from suing Trump. Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi briefly considered joining a multi-state suit against Trump U. Three days after Bondi’s spokeswoman was quoted in local media reports as saying her office was investigating, Trump’s family foundation made a $25,000 contribution to a political fundraising committee supporting Bondi’s re-election campaign. Bondi, a Republican, soon dropped her investigation, citing insufficient grounds to proceed. In New York, meanwhile, Democratic Attorney General Eric Schneiderman sued Trump over what he called a “straight-up fraud.” That case, along with several class-action lawsuits filed by former Trump students, is still ongoing. Trump, for his part, is standing by his namesake real estate seminars, saying he plans to resurrect Trump University if elected president. ___ Follow Michael Biesecker on Twitter at https://twitter.com/mbieseck Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.by Inspection of Mexican immigrants by the US Public Health Service. Zyklon B came to El Paso in the 1920s. In 1929, for example, a U.S. Public Health Service officer, J.R. Hurley, ordered $25 worth of the material–hydrocyanic acid in pellet form–as a fumigating agent for use at the El Paso delousing station, where Mexicans crossed the border from Juárez. Zyklon, developed by DEGESCH (the German Vermin-combating Corporation) was made in varying strengths, with Zyklon C, D and E representing gradations in potency and price. As Raul Hilberg describes it in The Destruction of the European Jews, “strength E was required for the eradication of specially resistant vermin, such as cockroaches, or for gassings in wooden barracks. The ‘normal’ preparation, D, was used to exterminate lice, mice, or rats in large, well-built structures containing furniture. Human organisms in gas chambers were killed with Zyklon B.” In 1929, DEGESCH divided the world market with an American corporation, Cyanamid, so Hurley presumably got his Zyklon B from the latter. As David Dorado Romo describes it in his marvelous Ringside Seat to a Revolution: An underground history of El Paso and Juárez : 1893-1923 (available from Cinco Puntos Press, El Paso), Zyklon B had become available in the U.S.A. in the early 1920s when fears of alien infection had been inflamed by the alarums of the eugenicists, most of them from the “progressive” end of the political spectrum. In 1917, the U.S. Congress passed and Woodrow Wilson–an ardent eugenicist–signed the Immigration Law. The United States Public Health Service simultaneously published its Manual for the Physical Inspection of Aliens. The Manual had its list of excludables from the U.S. of A., a ripe representation for the obsessions of the eugenicists: “imbeciles, idiots, feeble-minded person, persons of constitutional psychopathic inferiority (homosexuals), vagrants, physical defectives, chronic alcoholics, polygamists, anarchists, persons afflicted with loathsome or dangerous contagious diseases, prostitutes, contracts laborers, all aliens over 16 who cannot read.” In that same year U.S. Public Health Service Agents “bathed and deloused” 127,123 Mexicans at the Santa Fe International Bridge between Juárez and El Paso. The mayor of El Paso at the time, Tom Lea Sr., represented, in Romo’s words, “the new type of Anglo politician in the ‘Progressive Era’. Progressive didn’t necessarily mean liberal back then. In Lea’s case, ‘progress’ meant he would clean up the city.” As part of his cleansing operations, Lea made his city the first in the U.S. to ban hemp, aka marijuana, as an alien Mexican substance. He had a visceral fear of contamination and, so his son later disclosed, wore silk underwear because his friend, Dr. Kluttz, had told him typhus lice didn’t stick to silk. His loins thus protected, Lea battered the U.S. government with demands for a full quarantine camp on the border where all immigrants could be held for up to 14 days. Local health officer B.J. Lloyd thought this outlandish, telling the U.S. surgeon general that Typhus fever “is not now, and probably never will be, a serious menace to our civilian population.” Lloyd was right about this. Lea forced health inspectors to descend on Chihuahuita, the Mexican quarter of El Paso, forcing inhabitants suspected of harboring lice to take kerosene and vinegar baths, have their heads shaved and clothes incinerated. Inspection of 5,000 rooms did not stigmatize Chihuahuita as a plague zone. The inspectors found two cases of typhus, one of rheumatism, one of TB, and one of chicken pox. Ironically, Kluttz, presumably wearing silk underwear, contracted typhus while supervising these operations and died. But Lloyd did recommend delousing plants, saying he was willing to “bathe and disinfect all the dirty, lousy people coming into this country from Mexico.” The plant was ready for business right when the Immigration Act became law. Soon Mexicans were having their bodies checked, daubed with kerosene where deemed necessary and their clothes fumigated with gasoline, kerosene, sodium cyanide, cyanogens, sulfuric acid and Zyklon B. The El Paso Herald wrote respectfully in 1920, “hydrocyanic acid gas, the most poisonous known, more deadly even than that used on the battlefields of Europe, is employed in the fumigation process.” The delousing operations provoked fury and resistance among Mexicans still boiling with indignation after a lethal 1916 gasoline blaze in the El Paso City jail. As part of Mayor Lea’s citywide disinfection campaign, prisoners in the jail were ordered to strip naked. Their clothes were dumped in one bath filled with a mixture of gasoline, creosote and formaldehyde. Then they were forced to step into a second bath filled with “a bucket of gasoline, a bucket of coal oil and a bucket of vinegar.” At around 3:30 p.m., March 5, 1916, someone struck a match. The jail went up like a torch. The El Paso Herald reported that about 50 “naked prisoners from whose bodies the fumes of gasoline were arising”, many of them locked in their cells, caught fire. 27 prisoners died. In late January 1917, 200 Mexican women rebelled at the border and prompted a major riot, putting to flight both police and troops on both sides of the border. The use of Zyklon B became habitual. Health officers would spray the immigrants’ clothes. Now, Zyklon B, in gaseous form, is fatal when absorbed through the skin in concentrations of over 50 parts ppm. How many Mexicans suffered agonies or died, when they put on those garments? As Romo recently told the El Paso-based journalist Paul Spike, writing for the online UK daily The First Post: “This is a huge black hole in history. Unfortunately, I only have oral histories and other anecdotal evidence about the harmful effects of the noxious chemicals used to disinfect and delouse the Mexican border crossers–including deaths, birth defects, cancer, etc. It may well go into the tens of thousands. It’s incredible that absolutely no one, after all these years, has ever attempted to document this.” The use of Zyklon B on the U.S.-Mexican border was a matter of keen interest to the firm of DEGESCH. In 1938, Dr. Gerhard Peters called for its use in German Desinfektionskammern. Romo has tracked down an article Peters wrote in a German pest science journal, Anzeiger für Schädlingskunde, which featured two photographs of El Paso delousing chambers. Peters went on to become the managing director of DEGESCH, which handled the supply of Zyklon B for the Nazi death camps. He was tried and convicted at Nuremberg. Hilberg reports that he got five years, then won a retrial that netted him six years. He was re-tried in 1955 and found not guilty. In the U.S.A., the eugenicists rolled on to their great triumph, the Immigration Restriction Act of 1924, which doomed millions in Europe to their final rendezvous with Zyklon B twenty years later. By the 1930s, the eugenicists were mostly discredited, though many–particularly in the environmental movement–remain true to those racists obsessions to this day. The Restriction Act, that monument to bad science married to unscrupulous politicians and zealous public policy for the sake of unborn generations, stayed on the books unchanged for 40 years. In 1918, disease did indeed strike across the border, as Romo points out. Romo quotes a letter from Dr. John Tappan, who had disinfected thousands Mexicans at the border. “10,000 cases in El Paso and the Mexicans died like sheep. Whole families were exterminated. This was “Spanish” flu, which originated in Haskell County, Kansas. This essay is excerpted from An Orgy of Thieves, forthcoming from CounterPunch Books this summer.Source of hillaryclinton.com a guest Feb 14th, 2016 648 Never a guest648Never Not a member of Pastebin yet? 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class="nav-item"> <a href="/alabama/" title="Alabama" class="nav-link">Alabama</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/arkansas/" title="Arkansas" class="nav-link">Arkansas</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/colorado/" title="Colorado" class="nav-link">Colorado</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/georgia/" title="Georgia" class="nav-link">Georgia</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/iowa/" title="Iowa" class="nav-link">Iowa</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/massachusetts/" title="Massachusetts" class="nav-link">Massachusetts</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/minnesota/" title="Minnesota" class="nav-link">Minnesota</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/nevada/" title="Nevada" class="nav-link">Nevada</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/new-hampshire/" title="New Hampshire" class="nav-link">New Hampshire</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/new-york/" title="New York" class="nav-link">New York</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/oklahoma/" title="Oklahoma" class="nav-link">Oklahoma</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/southcarolina/" title="South Carolina" class="nav-link">South Carolina</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/tennessee/" title="Tennessee" class="nav-link">Tennessee</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/texas/" title="Texas" class="nav-link">Texas</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/vermont/" title="Vermont" class="nav-link">Vermont</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/virginia/" title="Virginia" class="nav-link">Virginia</a> </li> </ul> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/issues/" class="nav-link">Issues</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/feed/" class="nav-link">Feed</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/events/" class="nav-link">Events</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="/volunteer/" class="nav-link">Volunteer</a> </li> <li class="nav-item"> <a href="https://shop.hillaryclinton.com/" class="nav-link">Shop</a> </li> <li class="nav-item nav-item-social"> <nav class="social-nav"> <ul class="social-nav-items"><!-- --><li class="social-nav-item"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hillaryclinton" title="Follow on Facebook" class="btn btn-facebook-icon-only" target="_blank"><i class="icon icon-facebook"></i><span class="btn-text">Follow on Facebook</span></a> </li><!-- --><li class="social-nav-item"> <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/follow?screen_name=hillaryclinton" title="Follow on Twitter" class="btn btn-twitter-icon-only"><i class="icon icon-twitter"></i><span class="btn-text">Follow on Twitter</span></a> </li><!-- --><li class="social-nav-item"> <a href="https://youtube.com/hillaryclinton" title="Subscribe on Youtube" class="btn btn-youtube-icon-only" target="_blank"><i class="icon icon-youtube"></i><span class="btn-text">Subscribe on Youtube</span></a> </li><!-- --><li class="social-nav-item"> <a href="https://instagram.com/hillaryclinton" title="Follow on Instagram" class="btn btn-instagram-icon-only" target="_blank"><i class="icon icon-instagram"></i><span class="btn-text">Follow on Instagram</span></a> </li> <li class="social-nav-item"> <a href="https://pinterest.com/hillaryclinton" title="Follow on Pinterest" class="btn btn-pinterest-icon-only" target="_blank"><i class="icon icon-pinterest"></i><span class="btn-text">Follow on Pinterest</span></a> </li> <!-- --></ul> </nav> </li> <li class="nav-item user-nav has-children utility-item"></li> <li class="nav-item nav-item-lang utility-item"> <a href="/es/" title="En Español" class="nav-link">En Español</a> </li> <li class="nav-item utility-item"> <a href="https://www.hillaryclinton.com/donate/" class="nav-link">Donate</a> </li> </ul> <!--/.off-canvas-items--> </nav> <!--/.off-canvas-nav--> <div class="container-restricted-width js_main-container"> <nav class="site-nav-mobile"> <ul class="nav-list"> <li class="nav-item nav-item-menu"> <a href="#menu" title="Menu" class="btn btn-menu"><span class="menu-bars"></span> Menu</a> </li> <li class="nav-item nav-item-brand"> <a href="/" title="Hillary for America" class="site-brand">Hillary for America</a> </li> <li class="nav-item nav-item-donate"> <a href="/donate/" title="Donate" class="btn nav-btn">Donate!</a> </li> </ul> </nav> <header class="site-top-bar" role="banner"> <div class="container-restricted-width"> <nav class="utility-nav"> <ul class="utility-nav-items"> <li class="nav-item utility-item-dropdown"> <a href="#" class="utility-link">Follow Us <i class="icon icon-caret-down"></i></a> <ul class="utility-sublist social"> <li class="utility-item"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hillaryclinton" title="Follow on Facebook" class="social-link-facebook" target="_blank"><i class="icon icon-facebook"></i> Follow on Facebook</a> </li> <li class="utility-item"> <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/follow?screen_name=hillaryclinton" title="Follow on Twitter" class="social-link-twitter"><i class="icon icon-twitter"></i> Follow on Twitter</a> </li> <li class="utility-item"> <a href="https://youtube.com/hillaryclinton" title="Subscribe on YouTube" class="social-link-youtube" target="_blank"><i class="icon icon-youtube"></i> Subscribe on YouTube</a> </li> <li class="utility-item"> <a href="https://instagram.com/hillaryclinton" title="Follow on Instagram" class="social-link-instagram" target="_blank"><i class="icon icon-instagram"></i> Follow on Instagram</a> </li> <li class="utility-item"> <a href="https://pinterest.com/hillaryclinton" title="Follow on Pinterest" class="social-link-pinterest" target="_blank"><i class="icon icon-pinterest"></i> Follow on Pinterest</a> </li> </ul> </li> <li class="nav-item nav-item-lang utility-item"> <a href="/es/" title="En Español" class="nav

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